20. The Rules of Horror
Ron
I stare at the dark wood of the door, a suffocating sense of anxiety gripping my throat.
The thought of Selene stepping out of this safe haven to follow me is driving me insane.
I want to lock her in here, swallow the key, and tell her not to move an inch until I come back with that psycho tied up and gagged.
But I know she'd hate me for it. And... either way, the thought of leaving her here alone drives me just as insane.
"Ready?" I whisper.
She nods. She grips Ollie's leash with one hand, the other balled into a fist at her side.
The clack of the lock sounds deafening.
I throw the door wide open, slipping out into the hallway first. I scan the path ahead.
The hallway is a deserted tunnel.
No moving shadows. No raspy breathing.
"Okay," I murmur, gesturing for her to come out. "I think the first thing we need to do is call the cops. Do you have your phone on you?"
Selene shakes her head.
Dammit.
"Let's see if the coast is clear to get to our room," I decide, lowering my voice. "Our phones are still in there."
We move flush against the wall, advancing in total silence. Ollie trots beside us, strangely obedient, as if he senses the gravity of the situation.
We reach the door to the master bedroom. We slip inside, closing it behind us. I head straight for the nightstands. My breathing suddenly gets heavier.
I search everywhere. Under the pillows, on the mattress, even on the floor.
Nothing.
The phones aren't here. They're gone.
Anxiety rises in my chest, turning into a burning anger. I drag my hands violently over my face, pacing in circles in the space between the bed and the window. I'm losing my cool. I'm losing my fucking cool.
Selene takes a step toward me; she is incredibly calm, on the other hand. She doesn't touch me, but just her proximity—the heat she radiates, the scent of orchids that soothes my frantic senses—works like a sedative.
"Okay, stay calm. We need a plan," she says, her voice low, pragmatic.
I let out a long, shaky sigh, dropping my head. "Sorry. I don't know why I'm losing my mind."
Actually, yes I do. I know exactly why. I don't want anything to happen to her. Selene and Ollie are in this fucking room with me, and I have to get them out of here safe and sound, if it's the last thing I do.
"You don't need to apologize..." she murmurs, tilting her head. "It's normal."
I shake my head vigorously. No. It's not normal. There is nothing fucking normal about feeling this terrified for someone else.
"Listen..." Selene starts again. She runs a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face in a tired gesture, then lets out a heavy exhale. "I think the first thing we need to do is look for... a weapon." She brings a hand to her face. "God, that feels so absurd to say."
I look around, desperately searching for something, anything that could help us.
Blankets. Laptops. Suitcases. Just clothes.
There is absolutely nothing in here that can be used to defend ourselves against a man armed with an axe.
"Should we try to make it to the kitchen?"
I stare at her. My eyes widen. God, she's brilliant.
"I mean, yeah... it's a cliché, but... there'll be knives, right?" She adds, shrugging.
I'm already nodding. It makes perfect sense.
I open the door again. The hallway is still a silent graveyard. Before turning toward the stairs, my gaze lands on a dark object abandoned on the hardwood floor, not far from where the killer was standing.
My Stetson.
It must have slipped off my head while we were running, and I didn't even notice. I bend down, scoop it up, and pull it firmly onto my head, tugging the brim low over my eyes. Now I feel whole again.
We move toward the main staircase. The steps creak, but we don't have a choice.
We've almost made it to the first floor.
Suddenly, a rapid movement to our left. A figure lunges at us from the shadows beneath the stairs.
I jerk forward, planting myself in front of Selene to shield her with my body.
But the figure brakes hard, skidding on the floor, and dodges us at the last second.
"Fuck, guys!" A panting, familiar voice. "It's you."
Josh.
He drops his shoulders, exhaling all the breath he had in his lungs. A second later, from the alcove under the stairs, Lizzie pops out too, white as a sheet but with alert eyes.
"Is anyone else here?" I ask in a whisper.
He nods. I step forward, keeping an arm stretched out behind me to make sure Selene is tucked right up against my back. In the darkness under the stairs, huddled together but ready to spring, are Levi and Emma. He's holding her tight, shielding her with his own body.
"We were thinking of..." I start to say, but a metallic clang makes us jump.
We all flinch in unison.
Josh lifts his hand and passes me something cold, solid, and heavy. I catch it mid-air. An old, termite-eaten, solid wood baseball bat.
"Found some junk in the basement," Josh murmurs. He's now gripping what looks like a heavy iron fireplace poker.
"Perfect!" I hiss, weighing the bat in my hand, finding its balance.
I pull Selene completely behind me, putting myself firmly between her and whatever was waiting for us. She clings to the back of my shirt, keeping Ollie's leash short.
Another noise. A slamming drawer.
It's coming from the kitchen, at the end of the hall.
We exchange a knowing look. We move forward as a pack.
We reach the double swinging doors of the kitchen. I hold my breath, raise the bat over my shoulder, and... with a well-aimed kick, I violently shove the doors open, bursting into the room ready to slaughter everyone in sight.
Luckily, my brain processes the image a split second before I can swing the bat. I stop the wood mid-air, freezing in my tracks.
Behind the massive marble island are Carolina, Indya, and the twins, Cole and Cade. They are muttering frantically, rooting through the drawers.
Carolina gasps, jumping back and clapping a hand over her heart.
She stares at us, then her expression relaxes.
"Hey," she says, waving a massive, razor-sharp chef's knife. "We figured we should look for... a knife."
"Okay... have you seen the others?"
Levi's voice is low, controlled. He looks around, scanning our faces. He's clearly putting together a plan.
We all shake our heads, exchanging tension-filled glances.
"It was a ghost town upstairs when we came down," I reply, gripping the baseball bat tight in my fist, using my other hand to make sure Selene is glued to my side.
"Dammit, guys... we're a lost cause."
The drawling voice belongs to Cole. I recognize him by the sliver of black ink peeking out on his chest, a detail I've learned sets him apart from his twin. He drags a hand down his face, shaking his head. "We are literally doing everything you're not supposed to do in a horror movie."
Carolina arches an eyebrow, gesturing dangerously with the massive chef's knife. "What's wrong, gorgeous? Enlighten us."
Cole leans against the counter. "I can list them all for you: we played Truth or Dare. We woke up a spirit. We split up and had shower sex."
"Wait a second..." Cade's eyes go wide, his gaze darting from his brother to Carolina. "You had shower sex?"
"Not talking about me, idiot," Cole huffs, rolling his eyes. "But Dustin and Sierra were obviously going at it."
"Well, yeah. I can fully confirm that," I chime in on the absurd discussion, because somehow Cole's surreal logic is the only thing keeping us from spiraling into a full-blown panic. "We didn't hear anything else from our bedroom wall all night."
Selene gives me a sharp elbow right in the ribs, a silent command to shut the hell up. But when I look down at her, I notice an unmistakable ghost of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Indya sighs heavily, rubbing her temples, and snaps us all back to reality. "Okay, the cinematic breakdown is great, but... what do we do now?"
Silence falls again.
"W-we're getting ready to attack him, and that's fine... but what if we tried to leave the house?" Lizzie whispers. Josh throws an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest.
"That sounds like an excellent idea," Emma declares, nodding vigorously. "Let's get out of here and look for help on the main road."
"The others are still in here somewhere," Levi corrects her, his jaw set in a hard line. "We can't leave them in here with that psycho."
Suddenly, Ollie starts moving frantically.
The click-clack of his nails against the kitchen tiles scrapes against the silence. He drops his snout to the floor, sniffing convulsively, and pulls forward, nearly throwing Selene off balance as she grips the leash.
I put a hand over hers to help hold the harness back.
"Hey, easy, buddy... what are you doing?" I whisper to him.
Ollie ignores me. He pulls frantically toward a small, painted wooden door shut at the back of the kitchen. It looks like a closet or pantry door.
"No, buddy. Stay."
Ollie doesn't give up, drawn by whatever is in there.
I bend down, slide one arm under Ollie's belly and the other under his chest, and hoist his eighty-plus pounds clean off the floor.
Then, we hear it.
A dull thud, followed by rapid footsteps echoing from the main living room.
We all bolt out of the kitchen together, weapons raised and ready to strike.
From the darkness of the entryway, four figures emerge, running full tilt. It's Sam, Katherine, Emerson, and Susan.
"GET OUT!" Sam roars at the top of his lungs. He waves his arms frantically to get our attention. "Come on, move!"
We don't need to be told twice. We sprint toward them, regrouping in the entrance. Josh grabs the brass handle of the front door and pulls, but it doesn't budge.
"Fuck, it's locked!" he snarls.
Levi throws himself at the door, leveraging his shoulder. They fumble blindly, desperately, yanking on the solid wood, until, with a terrifying crack, the lock gives way and the double doors burst open into the cold, foggy morning.
"Where is he?!" Cole yells, checking over his shoulder.