65. Stryker
CHAPTER 65
Stryker
S omething’s wrong. Mallory hasn’t responded to my texts. My messages are unread.
I’m trying to focus on work since we are so close to ending this. But I’m distracted.
Ryker nudges me as we sit in Zayne’s torture room. “What’s going on?” His eyes scan over my face. “You have those worry lines between your forehead.”
“It’s Mallory. She hasn’t responded to my texts.”
“Maybe something happened to her phone?”
“She hasn’t been using it, which is odd.”
“Have you tried calling her?”
“Twice. She hasn’t answered.”
My phone buzzes with a text. Hope flares in me until I see Corey’s name on the screen.
“I need to take this.” I look at Zayne, who is too busy working out his past issues to pay attention to me. “I’m going outside for a moment.” I stand, ducking out of Zayne’s torture room while the rest of the gang, including Luca, Keira, and Mia, who showed up a little bit ago, watch the violence play out .
As soon as I’m outside, I call Corey. My mouth is dry, and my throat constricts. Something bad happened if he’s texting me this late.
As soon as he answers, I cut to the chase. “What’s up?”
“We have a problem.”
My heart pounds sluggishly inside my chest. “What happened? Is she okay?”
He pauses. “Mallory appears to be missing.”
“What do you mean ‘appears’ to be missing?” My voice rises, an edge of panic and hysteria in it.
He tells me what happened at the haunted house, ending with, “Mandy and I thought it was you. That you showed up to surprise her. You patted my shoulder as you walked by and said, ‘I’ve got it from here’ before entering. Your voice sounded slightly different, but I thought it was from the mask.” His words are rushed, and he pauses, taking a breath.
“Then Mandy came out, a grin on her face, and said, ‘Let’s get out of here before all the screaming starts. And I’m not talking about the ghosts who haunt the place.’ We left, thinking the two of you were having a good time.”
The world spins so fast that I grab the closest tree, my fingers digging into the bark. “Jesus Christ. That wasn’t me. I’ve been here with Zayne. After I got fucking stabbed.”
“You were stabbed?”
“Who the fuck cares!” I scream, losing my shit. “ I just want to know where Mallory is. Did you go back to the haunted house?”
“Stop screaming in my ear. Yes, I’m here with Mandy right now. Mandy thought Mallory skipped classes the next day to be with you. She’s been texting and calling and hasn’t gotten an answer, which is odd. So she asked me if I’d seen her.” His voice is full of shame when he adds, “I thought she was with you. ”
My head pounds, fear making my heart race so fast that my head spins. “Do you have the wireless camera with sound?”
“Yes, I’m putting it on now.”
I turn around to march inside and grab one from Zayne’s dungeon, but Jaxson stands there, holding one out to me. His face is lined with concern. “I thought you seemed worried. I came outside to check on you and heard you screaming. Went back in and grabbed this after I heard you say she’s missing.”
“Thanks.” I can’t muster up a smile, too worried about my little prey.
Jaxson gestures to the camera. “I’m gonna be part of this. We’re gonna find her.” There’s a promise in his eyes as he puts the earbuds in. “Corey. It’s Jaxson. Are you inside the haunted house?”
“No. I wanted to make sure this works… Can you see what I’m seeing?”
Jaxson looks at me, and I nod and say, “Yup. Just like we’re there. We’re staring at the front of the house.”
“Okay. Here we go.” They walk to the front door and turn the handle, but it’s locked. “Shit.” He gestures to Mandy. “Stand back.”
He takes a few steps back, then kicks the door as hard as possible. It swings open, to my relief.
My heart beats frantically inside my chest. “Search every room.”
“We’re on it.” As Corey and Mandy search the first floor, they call Mallory’s name. They go upstairs to the second floor when they don’t find her.
Mandy’s voice shakes. “The l-last time I s-saw her, she was s-standing here.”
A sick feeling washes over me. If someone hurt her, I’m going to torture and kill them slowly.
They walk into the master bedroom. I don’t know why, but my gut is screaming at me. “Search everywhere. Under the bed, the closet….” My voice cracks, cutting off my words. Jaxson puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently.
“Wait. Is that blood here? I don’t remember this being here.” Mandy squats down, dipping her finger in it. She holds it up to the camera Corey’s wearing.
“Yup, looks like it,” Corey says. “Wipe your finger on my shirt.”
Trembling, Mandy stands, wiping the blood from her finger.
Corey puts a hand on her arm. “I’ll search under the bed. Stay here.”
When he doesn’t find anything, he heads to the closet. Mandy joins him, opening the door.
A few seconds pass before Mandy yells, “There’s a door.”
They pull it open and go up the steep stairs. I’m sweating, my body shaking, somehow knowing she was up there.
They stand in an attic full of broken furniture, covered with dust and cobwebs. Mandy grabs her cell phone and turns on the flashlight.
“Check everywhere.”
My heart pounds as they carefully move through the attic. Time seems to stand still as they slowly traverse the dusty space.
“I see something. Near the window.” Mandy points. Corey grabs her hand and moves closer.
Mandy bends down. “It’s her sketchbook. She brought this with her. Said she wanted to sketch the house so Stryker could see what she saw.”
Jaxson meets my eyes. I turn away, breathing deeply, trying to keep my shit together, even though I feel like crying, screaming, and passing out.
“Wait a minute. I see something else.” Corey crouches down and picks up a purge mask .
My heart stops as I stare at it. Either she took the mask off, or someone else did.
The sketchbook slips from Mandy’s hands, and Corey jumps when it hits the floor. “Sorry.” She scoops it up, one of the pages hanging open.
“Wait. Is that writing on the page?”
Mandy holds it in front of the camera. It’s a rough sketch of a man in a purge mask, jeans, and a hoodie. Beside him, she wrote, “Come out, come out, little girl.”
“I’ve never said that to her.” A sick feeling floats through me. “Whoever was chasing her must have said that.”
“Let’s check the other rooms.” Corey grabs Mandy’s hand, and they take off. Mandy carries the sketchbook while Corey has the mask.
They search the rest of the rooms but find nothing.
Both look dejected as they exit the house.
I run my hands through my hair, aggravated by everything. Frustration oozes from my pores, rage pounding through my body like angry ocean waves.
I need to find her.