Chapter 29
I'm terrified to turn around. I don't know who it might be—whoever's behind all this. Albert? Chet? Jessica? Someone we haven't even met from this foredoomed city?
But I recognize the voice before I turn.
"Phoebe!" Mara shouts, running toward me.
Before I can warn her that the house is booby-trapped, she steps on a floorboard that Sabrina and I must have missed and it gives way, her left foot sinking below the foundation.
"Ahhh!" she screams, terrified and confused, stuck in an awkward position that can't be comfortable.
She hasn't fallen through completely, so I move cautiously, watching for other loose boards.
"The house is a fucking trap!" My voice explodes with vigilance as I grab Mara under the arms and pull her free. She was stuck to the hip, half her body sunken below.
She's bundled up, but I can already tell she probably shaved off a layer or two of skin on her shin. Torn fabric exposes her flesh, which is already seeping with blood.
"What is going on? Where's Sabrina?" Mara adjusts her clothes, wincing as her hands glide over the front of her leg. Blood comes back on her hand, staining her beige pants, and I'm terrified to see the damage.
She keeps glancing around, like maybe Sabrina will materialize from the second floor with something sassy to say.
"Mara," I begin, a lump lodged in my throat, "I think Sabrina is dead. This house is a fucking death trap! Someone set it up like they're Kevin McAllister and we're the burglars."
"She's… she's… dead?"
"Yes. Behind that door. I don't know what happened. It locked shut and something, something—" I'm stuttering, spittle flying from my lips, tears streaming down my cheeks.
"We have to call for help. Phoebe, I know who's behind all this."
"Who?" My lungs are going to explode; I can't breathe no matter how hard my chest is trying to draw in tainted oxygen.
"It's Albert." Mara pauses before continuing, her throat bobbing with the effort to continue. "And I killed him."
If the house weren't rigged with traps, I'd fall to my knees in disbelief. I don't know how I'm still standing, but I'm scared to move.
"You… you killed him?" I repeat, my voice barely above a whisper.