I'll Be Holding on to You

partially poured parking lot

TRIGGER WARNING: EXTREME VIOLENCE+/murder; see summary at end of chapter

We told the rest of them about Gage and Mara's history the next night, which was less than fun, but they handled it better than expected. Especially Moey, which was a relief. He was just so happy to see the video of us dancing I think that was the only thing he could focus on.

The night after that I was dreaming that Robbie was holding Hadley under the water in a hot tub. Evie had passed out and almost drown in a hot tub when we were teens, so maybe that's where it came from. Who the fuck knows. In my nightmare, I was on the other side of a maze of glass walls, like in the movie Thirteen Ghosts, and I was pounding on it and screaming but I couldn't hear my own voice.

I was so panicked that when Erika woke me I fell off the bed. Not fully awake, still caught in the grips of the terror, I saw only a dark form coming at me and I scuttled backwards until I hit a wall and then cowered with my hands over my face, trying to breathe.

"Oh my God, you're breaking my fucking heart," she said, finally getting through, gathering me in her arms. "This has got to stop."

I clung to her, drenched in sweat, as the door opened in response to my hitting the floor. Cam and Evie. He just looked at us and then turned around and left as Evie joined us on the floor. We didn't last long there because I had to throw up. I rinsed out my mouth and came out to find my whole crew in my room.

"We have something to show you, bb. That might help," Cameron offered, reaching out a hand to me. I took it, letting him draw me to the bed, where we all settled after Mohammed locked the door.

"We weren't sure," Evie began, then faltered. She looked at Moey.

"We didn't know if it would m-make it worse, b-but I don't think it c-can," he said, pity or maybe just sorrow in his eyes.

"No," Erika agreed, and Freddy was also shaking his head. "Nothing could make this shit worse for her. Maybe if we'd shown it to Haddy . . . " She shrugged, tears in her eyes, and glanced at Cam. "Maybe it would have helped her." Her voice was small, the smallest.

I just looked at them dumbly, not understanding. But then Evie produced her phone with the unicorn cover and spoke. "We have videos." Her hair was twisted into a bun on top of her head. "I shouldn't have taken them, but I did," she said, holding my eyes. Hers were unapologetic.

I realized what she was saying. I nodded for her to do it. Everyone was huddled together as she pressed the triangle on a dark screen.

Immediately, hoarse screaming began, unmistakably Robbie. My heart leapt into my throat. "Shut the fuck up." Mohammed's voice, followed by a thud that cut the screams into moans.

"Just a couple more," Freddy's voice cheerfully and dangerously announced. The screaming began again. An exceedingly dim view of a body lying prone on the ground was now visible. Freddy leaned over his face with pliers in his hand, which was gloved as Evie's had been that night in black latex.

I could not believe what I was seeing, hearing, but every sound put another tiny piece of my soul back where it belonged.

"I'm shorry, I'm shorry, pleashe shtop," came the broken, gurgling voice and a savage joy slammed through me. Now it was just unintelligible words bubbling through the blood. Evie's gloved hand holding the Tupperware container appeared, and another tooth joined its gory comrades. I noted with awe her hand was completely still.

"Oh ho! Oh no! We're just getting started!" Cameron trilled, and I didn't recognize his voice for a moment because I had never heard that maniacal tone in it before. "We're so just getting started. Just how many teeth does the average human male have, anyway, Evie Britannica?"