The Unlikely Resident of Room 313

Chapter 28

"Roy. No." I gasped.

"If you're not man enough for this brotherhood, I suggest you drop," Elijah hissed. He swung the bat over his shoulder, and I lurched for it, deluded with the idea anything could change. It slipped through my fingers as if made of smoke and mirrors. As it did, my hands brushed Elijah's shoulder, and his feelings and emotions crashed into me like a tidal wave.

What—

"Answer me, Teller!" Elijah screamed.

His rage punched me between the eyes this time; every nauseating bit coursed into me as if it were my own. I staggered back, nearly collapsing. This couldn't be real. The prickles on the back of my neck rippled through my entire body as something sinister crawled from Elijah's mind and caressed mine.

There you are, it hissed along the connection. I've been looking everywhere for you.

"Get away from me!" I screamed, feeling its presence along my skin like the phantom threads of a spiderweb. Ever since it tried to attack me in my dorm, I knew what that presence was.

It was the Dark Man.

"No, no, no," I moaned, clutching my head.

The Dark Man was here. Now. Then. Did that mean—

Deep, rumbling music vibrated through the walls. Roy spoke. "I am sorry, Pledge Master Elijah."

A faceless shadow extended a bottle of liquor toward him; Roy drunkenly shoved the hand out of the way. The white hot ribbons of Elijah's anger speared me in the ribs. The bat—he was seconds away from using it.

"What do you think you're doing?" Elijah seethed. "Brother Thomas wants you to take a drink. He's being nice despite your absolute insubordination." You're either going to drink or you're going to go home in a much worse shape than when you came here. Did you think it was going to be easy, ladies? You didn't expect to just waltz in and we'd bend over for you, fresh meat?" Another laugh. This one was more manic than the previous.

Starlight, star bright, the Dark Man whispered in my ear. Let me extinguish the stars tonight. The blood lust was coming from him. And I felt him pour it like gasoline on the inferno blazing through Elijah.

"How about a couple more shots?" Elijah asked. "You're obviously not having fun!"

"We're out of bottles, bro," another DTE brother said, disappointed.

"Thanks to Pledge, Teller, they're just going to have to finish what's on the floor!" Elijah barked. His entire body vibrated. He wanted each and every one of them to suffer. He wanted them to bleed. Just as he did. Just as his older brother did. And the Dark Man loved that he wanted this. He urged for more.

Elijah lunged at the redheaded boy directly at his feet. He didn't have much time to react before Elijah pressed his palm to the back of his head and forced his face against the concrete. Temporarily snapped out of their stupor, the other pledges lunged to help him, only to be yanked back by the other DTEs in the room.

"Stop it!" I protested. "Stop it! You're going to kill them!"

The Dark Man laughed and laughed.

"You bitches better heel!" someone screamed. The scene began to crumble around us.

"Drink!" Elijah roared. His mind spiraled into chaos. The walls disappeared, first. And then the ceiling. "If you want to be fucking Delta Theta Epsilon you'll fucking drink it!"

"Stop! Stop it!" No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get him to stop.

The scene crumbled around me until all that remained were me, Elijah, and Roy. The floor splintered beneath us. Roy blinked slowly as Elijah moved to press a new bottle to his lips, both of their fates sealed for eternity.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

The floor fell away, and I spiraled into the darkness once more.

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