“It’s the truth. I didn’t want you to have to go to the police station alone. Remember?”
There was a shuffling sound. Lexi’s eyes had adjusted enough that she could tell it was from Monica. Pebbles ground against the cement floor as she scooted over, the movement slow because the other girl was tied up too.
Lexi fought for another breath, gagging as the stench filled her stomach with bile and made her head swim. The smell was foul, unnatural, unimaginable in its awfulness. This time she ignored the fear that came each time she pulled the nastiness of it into her body, scrambling despite the agony until her legs came under her. Leaning against the rough wall, she fought the binds and the pain until she was upright. Her legs were bound so balance was difficult, she swayed awkwardly then hopped to keep from toppling over.
But it was no good, the movement made the panting return, only this time she forgot to breathe in through her mouth. Suddenly she couldn’t stop heaving. Her lungs twisted and her knees started to shake. The precious little control she’d managed to gather started to slip away, bit by bit.
“Lexi. Lexi!” Monica worked herself over a few more inches, until they were close enough to brush shoulders. “You’re going to make yourself pass out. Sit back down. You need to put your head between your legs and breathe slowly. In and then out.”
“No, I-I have—I—have—” Lexi hopped forward but her knees buckled—she went down in a heap.
“It’s okay. We’re going to be okay,” Monica whispered, gradually scooting to where Lexi had fallen.
Lexi’s check stung where it had hit the floor and the pain radiated down her neck, blending in with the pain in her arms and back. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the flood of hot tears as the waves of queasiness and the vise-like grip of panic tightened around her chest.
“Look at me,” Monica pleaded, leaning her shoulder into her
Lexi squeezed her eyelids tighter, shook her head. The reality was too much. Excruciating. Absolutely unbearable.
“Please?” the other girl asked again. “Open your eyes. It’s just the two of us here. We have to work together. We’ve got to keep things from getting worse.”
But Lexi couldn’t open her eyes, and she couldn’t stop smelling the horrible smell, the sickly sweet scent that coated her body, filled her head and soaked her through and through. She tried breathing through her mouth again but now that she’d taken in so much of the smell, the heavy, full rush of air only made the repulsion worse. Her stomach convulsed and her lungs trembled. Her last thought before blacking out was the memory of Ash on the park bench, trying to smother her with the blanket.
* * * *
Consciousness came back to Lexi, brought on by the sounds of heavy footsteps and loud breathing. She opened her eyes and saw a person coming toward her, a bright, swinging camp-style lantern out in front of a tall, wide-shouldered body. Yellow light cut up from beneath the guy’s chin, distorting a battered catcher’s mask, hiding his face and muffling his voice.
“Hi.” The fingers of his left hand twitched. “Having fun? I hope so, because I know having fun is all you really care about.”
He leaned down, the huge mask swallowing his face.
Lexi’s skin burned hot, her muscles flicked. Was this part of a dream? Something she was remembering from before she’d been snatched? No, she realized when he spoke again. This was now.
“How are my special video sweethearts? Enjoying each other?” The lantern swung high, squeaking as it swayed on its handle. The light danced across the floor and the guy in the mask twisted, adding, “And our guest, of course. You’re enjoying him as well. Am I right?”
Lexi’s gaze followed the path of the light. Her gaze moved along, following the filmy, lemon-yellow path. The illumination stopped and she saw what the guy intended for her to see.
No, not what.
But who.
Jon Eagle.
He was seated on a wooden crate and tied to a pillar, ropes and brightly colored coils wrapped around, cutting into his decaying flesh. His clothes hung limply, looking like clothes that had been stretched across and around him after he’d died then started to rot. Empty plastic ice bags covered his twisted feet and filled his lap. Some of the bags had blue penguins, some had a cluster of red snowflakes. Empty two-liter bottles of Coke circled his feet. Two shrunken eyes, floating above hollowed cheeks, stared straight ahead. An open mouth screamed silently.
The shriek that gathered inside Lexi came out as a garbled, defeated wail. The pitiful sound of her own cry made her shiver then tremble with an odd intensity. The vibrations in her body were a feral combination of terror and brute force. She let out another wail, hoping that the wild strength in her would win out.
The person with the lantern rushed forward, shouting over her shrieks. “Stop screaming.”
Lexi kept on, hoping that she’d find some mystical power to escape or that someone would hear her, or that she would wake up. She stared ahead, watching the gentle swaying of the lantern and its spilled light as she howled. On and on she went, battling with herself to keep from giving in to the helplessness of her situation.
The guy set the lantern down and pulled a rag from his pocket. Even though she knew what was coming, she didn’t stop screaming. The sound was all she had, the only way to fight back, and so she used it. He held the lantern up, taunting her. From beside her, she heard Monica urging her to stop with the noise but she had no intention of listening.
He took one step forward.
Then another.
And one more.
In a long, smooth, motion, so graceful it looked like he did it all the time, he swooped in and stuffed the nasty thing into her hollering mouth. She recognized the scent and, realizing that she had to fight another way, twisted, willing herself to stay conscious.
Don’t let him win.
Be strong.
But whatever was on the rag found its way into her lungs and wiped her out, the last of her screams fading into the desolation of her mind.
Chapter Fifteen
Girls Nite Out
Lexi fought the fogginess in her mind and finally won. With her next breath the sweet stench filled her head and it all came back. Every little detail. She opened her eyes and came face to face with the liar. “You said he was alive, Monica. You said you got texts from him!”
“Stop screaming, Lexi.” After a few seconds of silence, Monica’s voice came through the darkness. “I only said that to keep you from going to the cops.”
They should have gone to the cops right away. The very next morning, when they’d realized what had happened and that people were starting to wonder where he was and what had happened to him. Lexi sagged. If only she could go back and do that over. Do it all over. Not just that morning, or the night before, but the whole summer. Months of idiocy and ugliness. All of the worst things she’d ever done, all within one summer break.
“That was stupid. If you didn’t want to go to the cops, that would’ve been fine. You should have told me the truth and let me go. I could have taken all the blame.”
“I know that now. But I thought it was Ash, not Zeke.”
The image of the catcher’s mask rose up in Lexi’s mind. “It’s too late now, Monica. It’s too late to do the right thing.” She fought the fresh coil of hysteria spiraling through her as she added, “And it’s too late for us.”
Monica lowered her voice. “No, it’s not too late for us. We’re going to get out of this. If you’ll just stop screaming the next time Zeke comes in.”
More insanity. More random pieces she couldn’t fit together. “What’s Zeke got against Jon? Or me?”
“Stop asking questions and help me figure a way out of this.” She was jerking her legs back and forth, using the heels of her boots to try to snag the twine.
Lexi couldn’t let the questions go. “I didn’t have anything to do with posting that video.”
Monica sighed. “Girls showing off their boobs is no big deal
. Especially when they knew exactly what they were doing.”
Lexi followed Monica’s motions and started working at the twine around her ankles too. “I guess that’s true. Sort of.” She stopped moving her legs and lifted her arms. “But that doesn’t explain this.”
Monica didn’t even look over when she replied. “He did more than that. He made ones in the bathroom too.”
“What are you talking about?”
The twine around Monica’s legs suddenly came free, and she kicked it away. It flew up and landed beside Lexi. “He made videos of girls going pee. In the bathroom.”
That couldn’t be true. “How do you know?”
“He showed me.”
Monica’s response sent chills down Lexi’s arms. “You’re both sick.” Seeing Monica’s legs free gave her the encouragement she needed. She kept struggling.
“I’m not sick. He is. That’s why I uploaded that one video, to get him into trouble and stop him.”
Something about that didn’t ring true but her binds were almost off. “What about Jon?” The pressure from the twine gave way and her legs were free.
“I don’t know.” Monica’s voice softened. “Probably knew him from baseball or some other place. Whatever happened with him and Jon has nothing to do with us.”
“Look at that.” Lexi tipped her head toward Jon’s body, hearing her voice rise but unable to stop herself from screaming. Her next words came out in a low shriek. “He’s dead, Monica. And in here. So, yeah, it does have something to do with us.”
“I know,” Monica said, her voice level. “But we have to think right now. Not freak out.”
That was true. And looking at Jon’s body, now that she wasn’t terrified and hysterical, made her realize she had to act. Not scream or panic. The longer they took, the more chance there was that Zeke would come back. Lexi twisted against the ropes securing her wrists. “We have to find a way out of here. Where’s the door? Did you try to find it while I was passed out?”
“I was out of it too. He kept rubbing that rag in my face, popping in and out, threatening me with more. Then you got here, and, well, I didn’t want to leave you.”
“This is—we—” Giving up on her wrists for the moment, Lexi scrambled to her feet. “Stand up. We have to get out of here. Now. Before he comes back.”
The rough cement wall tore Lexi’s delicate blue sweater, ripping it to shreds, but soon she was on her feet with Monica beside her. Blood flowed in her legs, fiery pins and needles burning her thighs and calves. Ignoring the pain, she scooted sideways, sliding her plastic-coated hands along the wall. Her feet were still partially numb and she moved carefully, doing everything she could to not trip. She moved past wooden crates, trash and invisible creatures scurrying along the walls. Her foot slid on a slippery plastic bag.
Monica gagged.
The stench got more intense as they moved. Lexi concentrated on not getting sick, telling herself to think about anything except what she was dealing with. A few steps later, she was surprised to find herself thinking about her mom and how badly she wanted to get home.
Monica was right. For now, they had to work together. She’d worry about later, later. “You there?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m with you.” The other girl coughed, then said, “I’m fine. Keep going.”
The room seemed long. The floor was scattered with weird-looking beige foam shapes, broken sticks and empty glass bottles. Three small barred windows let in smudgy rays of light.
Monica said what Lexi was thinking as they passed under the openings. “Even if we did break the glass, getting past the bars would be impossible.”
That was obvious. “Look for the door.”
As they crept past Jon’s rotting body, Lexi tried not to look at what was left of his face. But it was nearly impossible to avert her gaze from the corpse being caressed by the misty rays of light fighting through the grimy windows. The worst part was his filmy eyes, staring blindly forward, as though he was waiting. She tried not to think about that night, and how he’d been goofy and happy, wanting to impress them with facts about his expensive racing bike.
“Lexi.” Monica spoke weakly from behind. “I-I think I’m going to puke.”
“Go ahead if you have to, just keep moving.”
Lexi skidded on something. A pile of red second-place ribbons, each with scientific symbols in the center. Then it hit her, the answer to a question she should’ve been asking. “This is the science club building. You know that, right?”
“Um, yeah. You’re right. I mean, yeah, I know.” Monica’s voice got lighter. “It is. Close to home, just have to get out of here.”
“You guys had your meetings here, right? So you must know your way around.”
“Oh, sure. I do. Go around the corner, the door’s that way. Look for the stairs.”
They made their way around the corner, inching along. The farther they moved from the windows, the dimmer it became. Without the shadows from the street lamps, they had to stay close to the wall to avoid running into boxes on the floor or the occasional piece of broken glass. Soon they were standing in near-blackness. Keeping her left foot steady, Lexi circled her right one, hoping to bump into the stairs. Her toe connected with a cracked wooden slat—the outline of steps. “This way.”
Stumbling as she searched for each step with her toe, she climbed until a cold, hard metal lattice scraped below her foot. She’d reached the top of some sort of platform.
She moved forward, then stopped to check on Monica. “You there?”
“Right behind you,” Monica replied, her voice growing stronger.
Lexi moved along until a scuttling sound stopped her in her tracks. She waited, trying to listen over the thumping of her heart and the murmur of Monica’s breathing. “That you?”
The other girl bumped into her. “What?”
“That noise,” she whispered.
“No. It’s not me.”
Lexi strained, holding her entire body still. “Maybe it’s a rat or something.”
The swish came again.
The second time rougher, closer.
Louder.
It wasn’t a mouse or rat. It wasn’t any creature.
The hinges of the door squeaked and a beam of light pierced Lexi’s gaze. She reached back and leaned against Monica.
“Hey! Hello?”
Lexi’s muscles flashed hot. She tensed, unsure of whether to rush forward or flee back the way they’d come.
The voice came again, louder. “Who’s in here?”
Her mind had to be playing tricks. “Ash?”
“Lexi?”
She dove into the darkness, flailing her bag-coated hands and tumbling until she fell into Ash’s arms.
Monica was right behind her, trying to grab them both with her bound hands until the three of them fell against the wall, sliding down until they hit the metal steps.
Monica smacked at Ash. “What are you doing here, Ash?”
“I was going to the weight room, trying to blow off some steam from—you know.” He glanced at Lexi, his eyes filled with apology. “Anyway, I heard the screaming, so I—” His lips curled as his lifted his head, trying to look through the darkness. “What is— What’s going on?”
After a beat of silence, she felt him gagging, so she leaned back to give him room to breathe. “Breathe through your mouth then out through your nose,” she said.
“What’s that smell?” he asked, his chest still heaving.
Monica scrambled to her feet. “It’s Jon—”
“Zeke killed him and took us.” Lexi grabbed at Ash, trying with her covered hands to pull him up through the darkness as she said, “We have to get out of here before he comes back. Hurry, stand up. Let’s go.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Ash got up, weaving, probably from the stench. “I just saw Zeke.”
Lexi shoved her plastic-wrapped hands in Ash’s face, rubbing them together to make a rustling sound. “He tied us up.
He killed Jon, Ash. That’s what that smell is.”
“Over there.”
Holding his hands over his mouth, Ash searched out into the room, his gaze circling until finally stopping on the outline of Jon Eagle’s body, visible beneath the thin light coming through the window. He took a slow step forward, then another, then leaped the last three, covering the last few yards in seconds.
Lexi rushed after him then stopped to watch him gradually reach out. His hand hovered in the pale rays of light coming through the window, his fingers wavering as he reached forward. Her stomach knotted as she watched him touch the dead, rotting corpse that had once been his best friend.
He spoke. “Jon. What happened? It’s really over now.” The last word came out as a sob, the sounds of his voice tapering off to a wordless jumble.
Monica and Lexi reached him at the same time. “We have to go, come on—”
“Monica’s right, Ash. We have to get out of here before Zeke comes back.” She pushed him away from Jon’s body, toward the door. “It’ll be okay. We just have to leave. Now.”
Chapter Sixteen
Right Back Where We Started
Lexi looked at the outline of the old science club building and pulled in gulps of fresh air. The action helped clear her lungs and ease some of the tension in her muscles, but nothing could get rid of the vision of Jon’s rotting body, tied to a post and covered with plastic bags. They had to get the hell out of there.
With quick small bites, Monica used her teeth to tear through the bag covering her own hands then tore at the one wrapped around Lexi’s. Jabbing Ash with her elbow, she said, “Come on, Ash, help me get her untied.”
But Ash didn’t move. He stared at the door, still hanging open on its rusty hinges. His face was flat and pale, and his mouth hung open. As soon as the bag was gone and the binding was exposed, Monica took care of the knots, then Lexi undid hers. The pieces of twine fell to the ground, landing on top of the brittle leaves.
Best Friends Never Page 15