Fall - Prequel

06. House Tour

I wanted to take off running in the opposite direction, but my feet felt rooted to the ground, like I couldn't move even if I wanted to. I was frozen in fear, feeling the terror spread through every inch of my body.

I was standing next to an unhinged arsonist, hands interlocked like we were the best of friends. My first instinct was to pull away, but he didn't intend on ever letting me go. His unrelenting death grip told me that much. I was here to stay, although I wanted nothing more than to leave and never come back. I didn't even know why I was here and that was the worst part. Everet made it seem like he was rescuing me, but it felt like he was the one I needed saving from.

"Why so glum, doll?" Prince rolled up the sleeves of his black jacket, exposing a dark tattoo that snaked up his left arm, curving around his toned bicep. A black and white tree wrapped around his forearm, the branches were drooping and free of leaves. It was clear that it was in the process of decaying. The bark was rotting and the branches were hanging on by a thread. It took me a minute to realize that the tree represented life, or more accurately, death. It was mesmerizing but morbid at the same time. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Worse." I murmured underneath my breath, looking away from his predatory gaze. "I saw a killer."

"Technically, I didn't kill anyone. The fire did." He crossed his arms, unintentionally pulling me closer to him. I pulled free instantly, surprised that he let go of me. I was even more shocked when he didn't grab me again. Unlike Everet, Prince seemed to understand the concept of personal space. "I just poured the gasoline and lit the match. The flames did all the real work."

"How do you sleep at night?" I asked him incredulously, feeling disgusted by his lack of remorse.

"With a night light, of course." He gave me a cheeky smile, suppressing a chuckle, as if this were a laughing matter. I felt the blood in my veins begin to boil. I wasn't scared anymore. I was angry. "Sometimes I sleep with a teddy bear, too, depends on the night."

"You're insufferable." I grimaced at his smug face, shaking my head in blatant hatred. My mother always taught not to hate people, but he made it too damn easy. He rubbed me the wrong way, getting underneath my skin.

"I take that as a compliment, doll." He motioned for me to follow him into the doorway and I did so reluctantly. A part of me knew that going inside this mansion was a bad idea, but running off by myself in unfamiliar territory seemed like a worse idea. If they didn't get to me, the wolves might. "I put the suffer in insufferable."

"And the laughter in slaughter." I replied sarcastically, earning myself a small smile from him. I narrowed my eyes at him, not approving of his smug amusement. He took this whole ordeal lightly, but it was weighing down on my conscience heavily. I could barely think straight, plagued with guilty thoughts for a crime I didn't even commit. It was his fault. Not mine. No, it was their fault. I had nothing to do with this. I was just as much a victim as the people who died in that bar fire.

I took a deep breath, willing myself to focus on the task at hand. I needed to keep my eyes open and my mind clear if I wanted to find a way out of this horrific situation. I couldn't let myself dwell on the past if I wanted to move forward. I had to put on my brave face and stay strong, even though I felt weaker than would've liked to admit.

My feet tapped lightly against the marble floor, as I stepped into the mansion slowly, keeping my guard up. I felt like someone could pop up out of nowhere at any moment and scare me to death. I was easily spooked and it didn't help that I was in the bloodstained hands of merciless killers. This was every awful nightmare I'd ever had combined. This mansion looked absolutely breathtaking, but it was more frightening than any haunted house I'd ever been to. I didn't know what could be waiting around for me on the next corner.