Chapter 9 #2
It’s not until a third Theta enters and checks out the scene that I snap to attention, watching the entire mess unfolding before me. I’ve seen him around before. Some senior named Carl, or something like that.
When the butcher spots him, he gives a nod, but Ruddy’s face twists into a grimace, his voice tight. “Thought you said this group would have Remington and Holloway in it. Maybe the vice president.”
Carl shakes his head, unfazed. “No. That’s the thing... I’m pretty sure both were fucking murdered, man.”
My heart stops for a full beat.
The two Thetas freeze. The Betas, however, are staring at each other with their jaws unhinged, exchanging glances thick with confusion.
“For real? When?” Ruddy asks, a mixture of incredulity and apprehension in his voice.
Carl acts nonchalant, as though what he just said is no big deal. But everything inside me goes still.
A tense shift in the atmosphere makes the hair on my arms stand erect. Something’s wrong tonight, and it’s unexpected. I hate that I’m not prepared for it.
Carl shrugs, like the whole thing is a joke he’s letting everyone in on. “Yeah. Their families are asking questions…” He glances around at the group, making sure his words land. “But I think the Omega president did it herself.”
A chill spreads over every inch of my skin.
Suddenly, the air feels too heavy, suffocating my lungs until I cough.
The accusation lingers, like Olivia’s name is written in blood across the room.
I feel the weight of it. Her identity. Mine.
And now we’re tangled up in this. I can’t let them tie her to it.
That was never the point… No matter how much it would throw Delta’s involvement off.
No. I had another goal entirely.
Carl’s casual tone is the only thing breaking through my tension. He shrugs, unaffected. “Pretty sure it happened a couple of days ago. I heard the police are involved now.”
The Betas stare at each other in disbelief. The Thetas? They don’t flinch. Only watch, leaning into the silence like they’ve already won. This isn’t the first time their little games have turned real and dangerous.
“Well, she should be crowned queen for us if so,” the butcher says with a smirk. “Think it’s because of being a Cardell?”
Carl stares at the Betas one by one, his expression icy in the way he looks at them, like he holds their futures in his next word. “Probably.”
Violent tempests rage. Crackles of static blare through the feed.
The screen dances in waves, then freezes, and I jerk the mouse back and forth, cursing under my breath. Outside, the wind’s wailing in a high-pitched screech as the satellite signal drops completely.
Hurriedly, I disconnect the laptop and toss it into my backpack. I’ve lost visuals, and every muscle in my body tightens with the urgency of the moment.
The Wi-Fi should be good closer to the manor, but there’s no time to waste. Deltas don’t need to worry. Timers are set for the doors, but I can’t risk missing anything. Not tonight.
I need to keep my eyes on her.
Staying close to the tree line, shadows stretch long and dark under the dim glow of the emerging first quarter moon. Branches snap above, their skeletal limbs trembling in the oncoming storm as I peer up at a sky that churns thick and black, threatening rain.
Fuck. That’s something I hadn’t planned for. A shower would ruin visibility and my chance to intervene if something goes sideways.
My pace quickens, boots snapping twigs. But as I curve around a massive oak, a sudden swoosh of fabric catches my attention—a cape, rustling gently in the darkness.
Sure, it’s Terror Tuesday, but this figure seems…familiar. The stance, the gait. I narrow my eyes, trying to pierce the darkness for a better view.
As I creep forward, my steps slow instinctively, a low thrum of unease settling into my gut. The guy slips between the trees with purpose, moving almost as if he’s leading me somewhere. Or baiting me.
Keeping a careful distance, I follow. Every step feels deliberate now, my muscles coiled and ready.
My eyes dart around, constantly scanning for others who might be hiding in wait.
But he stays within my sightline, always just ahead, a silent guide pulling me toward something in the deep abyss of the forest.
We move swiftly and quietly, the cape billowing behind him like a ghostly shadow, darting through the wooded edge of the property with only the pale, eerie moonlight illuminating his path.
Crunching loudly underfoot, my steps betray me, but he doesn’t turn around. He knows I’m here—and he doesn’t care.
Or maybe he wants me to follow.
He leads me toward a steep hillside, where a cluster of maples and pines creates a dense canopy overhead.
The figure stops abruptly, head tilted back, as if listening to something I can’t yet hear.
I press myself against a thick trunk, breath catching in my throat as he deftly shimmies up a nearby tree, cloak rippling softly behind him.
My heartbeat pounds steadily in my ears as I watch him climb higher, moving with practiced ease. He lies out across a low branch, perfectly balanced. And then, slowly, he raises one arm, finger pointing straight ahead.
The hair on my neck stands on end.
Swallowing hard, I follow his line of sight. My breath catches, locking in my chest. A rounded, hulking man emerges from the shadows near the emergency exit of the middle cottage—one of the escape rooms Olivia will have to pass through tonight.
And then my heart nearly gives out entirely.
Olivia.
My Olivia.
She’s ambling onto the path leading her into the escape rooms, alone. She pauses for a moment, a look of uncertainty passing across her face, before continuing toward the entrance. Completely unaware of what awaits her in the dark…twenty feet away.
My body reacts before my mind fully processes it.
Adrenaline floods my system, muscles tightening, my senses sharpening with a sudden rush.
But I force myself still, measuring the distance and calculating the risk.
If I move too soon, I could make everything worse. He’d reach her well before I could.
The stout man dressed in all black near the row of cottages moves deliberately—like a predator stalking prey. Or perhaps like it’s a chore to move fast.
And Olivia, bright and unaware, is aiming straight for his trap. I didn’t expect something like this. Thought I could be safe just watching out for her…
Panic coils through my veins. I have to get to her. Now.
Because once she steps into the game…
I might not get the chance to save her.