The Rules

by Nancy Holder

“Like you talked Mick into doing,” Praveen said.

  “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” He took a step forward. “Stop it!”

  Kyle grabbed the flashlight from Praveen and clicked it off before stuffing it in the pocket of his jacket.

  “He wasn’t there, Praveen,” Robin said. “Remember? We didn’t know where he was.”

  “He was making sure Mick and Larson died,” Praveen snapped.

  “For the last time, I’m not the one doing this!” August shouted, spittle flying from his mouth.

  “You’re lying!” Praveen yelled. “Every word out of your mouth is a lie!”

  Arms spread wide, she ran toward the cliff, weaving and bobbing as if someone had shot her in the back. For a moment August thought she had been hit. But Praveen kept running.

  “Wait!” Robin yelled at her. “Oh my God, Praveen! Just stop!”

  She watched in frustration as Praveen headed toward the rickety wooden dock and then into the warehouse. Praveen had been out of her mind most of the night, and now she’d just run into a building whose roof was on fire.

  THEA’S RULE #5: If you hide, you’re less likely to get hurt.

  Thea didn’t know how long she shivered in Jackson’s car, Inky clutched to her chest. Jackson had loved the dog even more than her. She kept petting the little thing over and over; if she made it out of this alive, she would take care of Inky forever. So many things had gone wrong so fast. None of this should have happened.

  Jackson.

  The blood gushing out of his throat.

  The shadowy figure looming behind him.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and Inky wriggled, sensing her panic. The sight would haunt her until she died, however soon that turned out to be. She had a terrible feeling it wouldn’t be very long.

  I didn’t even get to hang out with Hiro, she thought.

  There were lots of noises outside, the most terrifying of which had been Beth yelling that someone else was dead. At least, that was what it had sounded like. Maybe it wasn’t even Beth. Whoever it was and whoever was dead, she wasn’t going to look.

  Inky whimpered. Thea could feel her heart pounding out of rhythm. So afraid of everything all the time. Jackson had given her power, real power. People were—had been—afraid of him. Her boyfriend. No one messed with her when he was with her. She’d loved knowing that, feeling safe with him.

  Just not safe from him. His temper. Until now.

  Thud.

  Something landed on the roof.

  The whole car shook.

  Thea bit her tongue so hard it started bleeding.

  “Woof!”

  Thud.

  The car shook again.

  Inky barked.

  This time Thea held his muzzle, muffling the next woof; then she panicked. Maybe that had been a mistake.

  Scratching sounds came from outside the car, near her head.

  She should get up; she should run. The car, which had offered her protection just a short while ago, was a trap. She was lying down like she was in a coffin and that’s where she was going to end up. The killer knew she was here. Her only chance was to run or fight. She couldn’t just let herself be butchered.

  She felt in the footwell and her hand wrapped around the tire iron Kyle had made sure to give to her. She had a weapon. She could totally do this.

  If she called for help…

  …no guarantee that anyone would hear. That they would come.

  Tears and sweat soaked her to the bone. She was so scared her fingers could barely hold on to the piece of metal and it started to slip. She readjusted her grip with one hand and tried to push Inky off with the other.

  The scratching stopped.

  Thea froze. Her eyes were huge as she listened hard. Could it have just been the wind? An animal?

  Inky crawled back onto her chest, whimpering.

  Crash!

  Something smashed into the windshield, showering bits of glass down on the front seat. She cried out, dropping the tire iron, and then frantically felt for it. When she had it, she rocketed up and flung open the door. Her feet had barely hit the ground and she was running. The tire iron slid again from her clammy hand and she didn’t stop to get it. She couldn’t.

  The car door slammed shut.

  Running steps behind her.

  Closer.

  Closer.

  “Please, no!” She tried to yell as loudly as she could, but the sound was cut off as someone grabbed her hair and yanked, causing her feet to skid. Pinwheeling her arms, she tried to reach behind, to free herself, even as she fell.

  She hit the ground so hard it knocked the wind out of her and then she was being dragged backward toward the car. She could hear Inky barking and barking.

  Suddenly, whoever had her let go. Safe, safe, safe. She struggled to sit up and glanced upward just as the tire iron arced down.

  ROBIN’S RULE #13: Show up when you should.

  “Praveen?” Robin called as the group clumped at the warehouse door. She looked at Kyle. “Did you hear that? Was that a scream?”

  “I didn’t hear anything,” he said.

  “That was me, wheezing,” said Beth. She doubled over coughing, waving her hands in front of her face as she shook her head. “Let’s get Praveen and charge the phone.”

  “Praveen?” Robin yelled as she stuck her head in the warehouse. The lanterns they’d left behind were still on. Smoke danced lazily in the light.

  Kyle was beside her, clicking on the flashlight. “I’m sorry, Robin,” he said. “About August. I lost it. I really lost it.”

  She nodded stiffly. “We’re all under a lot of stress.” Then she cracked a half smile up at him. “To put it mildly.”

  “I wish I’d taken you to the winter formal,” he said. He wrinkled his nose, eyes glittering. “Unwritten rule. No dating the coach’s daughter.”

  His change of subject caught her off guard. “I’m not the coach’s daughter anymore.”

  “He’ll get his job back.” He tentatively brushed his hand against hers. She took it, held it. Made it as right as she could again. Even Beth had said she would kill the killer. Kyle was the captain of the lacrosse team and she had seen him in outright battle on the field. Lacrosse players had tons of testosterone; she shouldn’t be so hard on him for doing what he’d done. “He’s a good coach.”

  “It was just such a horrible shock,” she blurted. “Someone doing that. And leaving him there. It changed our lives forever.”

  “One slipup,” he said softly, “and it’s all gone.”

  “You wouldn’t know. You’re the king at school.” She didn’t mean to sound bitter.

  “Class president. Lacrosse captain.” He sounded as if he were making fun of himself. “Praveen!” he shouted.

  Something shuffled in the hall to the left of the stage. Robin’s fingers seized Kyle’s.

  “Praveen!” she joined in, hefting the knife in her hand. If the killer could hear them, maybe he’d stay away.

  They hurried together past the stage and were about halfway down the hall. Somewhere back here was where Larson had found Heather’s earring. She shut her eyes against the image of Heather’s body swinging from the rope. Her stomach began to rebel; she had to stop for a second. Kyle stopped, too.

  In the space of that moment, she heard a soft groan. She darted forward; almost too late, the flashlight passed over a patch of darkness—a hole—and she wobbled at the edge as Kyle caught up to her and grabbed her forearm.

  “Whoa,” he said.

  She heard another groan and leaned over. Aiming her flashlight downward, they saw a blur of contrast, a shape. Red, green. Praveen’s bloody clothes. Around the shape, darkness was spreading like a sunset shadow.

  Fresh blood.

  “She’s down there. Hurt. She must have fallen through.” The floor creaked as she shuffled forward and craned her neck to get a better look. “Praveen! We’re coming!”

  Kyle put his hand out. “Move back. Don’t
put too much weight on the floor—the wood feels rotted.”

  “August! Beth!” she shouted.

  They came running. Robin quickly explained what had happened.

  August blanched. “The floor looked solid when I checked this place out. I even tested it.”

  “Uh-huh,” Beth snapped. “I would never have let that happen. Outside is the wooden deck, right? There were concrete stairs going down. Circular stairs.”

  Kyle nodded. “Right. I saw those, too.”

  They all went to the dock. Wet ocean breeze slammed against Robin as they found the concrete stairs. She clattered down to the next level first and tried the knob. It was locked.

  Kyle looked at August. “Key?”

  “Are you kidding?” August threw himself at the door. Then he brought up his leg and tried to kick it in. He swore and limped out of the way as Kyle gave it a shot.

  “How come the frickin’ door isn’t rotten?” Kyle muttered. “Like the floor?”

  Robin cupped her hands around her mouth. “Praveen, can you get to the door? Can you open the door?”

  If Praveen answered, Robin didn’t hear her. Kyle ran his hands through his hair and dropped them to his sides.

  “Why did I leave the tire iron with Thea?” he said.

  We’ve left Thea alone too long, Robin realized. And we need to find Hiro, too.

  Fresh panic bubbled through her body. She hurtled herself at the door. And again, jerking out of Kyle’s arms when he tried to catch her, stop her.

  “Damn it!” she shouted. “Damn it!”

  A cracking, popping sound was followed by the door canting off the jamb; registering that it was giving way, Robin attacked it wildly, ramming it, kicking it, grunting as Kyle reached up from behind her and threw his weight against it, too.

  The door flapped backward and Robin went sprawling headlong into the room. The floor was cement and it scraped the side of her face. She barely noticed it as she scrabbled forward like an insect, hands finding Praveen’s head.

  Her wet, sticky scalp.

  “Praveen, okay, it’s okay,” she said in a rush. A light came on over her shoulder. Kyle was hunched behind her with a flashlight, panting. She realized she was panting, too.

  Praveen’s eyes were closed, her mouth open. She was lying in a pool of blood and Robin couldn’t make sense of what she was seeing: arms and legs bent, one wrist disappearing underneath Praveen’s back.

  Robin forced her hand down onto Praveen’s neck. She couldn’t tell if there was a pulse or not. Bending forward, she laid her cheek right up to Praveen’s nose. A very slight puff of air tickled her.

  Still alive.

  Robin pressed her shaking hand on Praveen’s arm and very, very gently squeezed. She looked toward the ceiling at the hole. It was so far to fall.

  It would break anybody.

  “Oh God,” August said from somewhere behind Kyle and Robin. “Look at her.”

  “Shhh,” Robin whispered. “It’s okay, Praveen. You’re going to be all right.”

  “We shouldn’t move her,” Kyle said. “She could have a spinal injury.”

  “Oh, man, move her,” August said. “Get her out of here. Do you smell the smoke? I think this place is burning. I think it’s going to go up like a rocket.”

  “Let me get her.” Kyle’s voice was strained, gentle. He leaned forward, gathering Praveen in his arms. Her head lolled against his chest. She looked mangled and fractured. The muscles in his arms and pecs flexed as he pushed up from his feet and straightened. Robin cradled the back of her head as it draped over Kyle’s forearm and together they stutter-stepped toward the door.

  “I’ve got her,” Kyle said, placing his foot on the first step. “I’ll take good care of her.”

  “I know you will,” she murmured.

  SONNET

  BETH’S RULE #5: Don’t trust anyone but yourself.

  “I’ll clear a space,” Beth said as she ran just ahead of Kyle and looked back over her shoulder to make sure the others were coming. Praveen’s head looked crumpled, like a rotting mushroom. It was sickening, frightening.

  She opened the door and crossed the threshold. They couldn’t stay in here for very long. If the fire was spreading, it was slow, but there was no sense in tempting fate any more than they already had.

  She grabbed the rest of the tablecloths off the tables to make a little bed on the stage for Praveen. She found another tablecloth in a cardboard box, then looked in and saw a shiny staple gun. A weapon. She knew exactly what she could do with it. She wasn’t going to share it or give it over to someone else. This night could turn into kill or be killed. She’d do it, if she had to.

  The box also contained several coils of skull lights. She poked through them and felt a little thrill of terror when she discovered an envelope taped to one of the spirals. It read #3 THE HUNTED.

  “No freaking way,” she whispered.

  Footfalls sounded outside. August was the first one through the door. Beth turned away and slipped the staple gun under her sweater, tucking the sweater into her skirt; then Kyle entered with Praveen, and Robin shuffled beside him, holding Praveen’s head. Praveen was bleeding all over them. Her eyelids were purple. Her lips were blue. No part of her wrap looked green anymore.

  Stiff-lipped, August moved past Beth to gesture into the hallway where Praveen had fallen. “I think the killer weakened the floor somehow. It was fine when I scouted this place.” He waved Kyle forward like someone deciding where to place a new sofa. “Let’s put her on the stage.”

  “Which I have already planned for,” Beth bit off. She closed her eyes, murmured an apology to Praveen for being petty in Praveen’s time of need, and cleared her throat. She opened the envelope and her eyes flitted over the words.

  “There’s a new clue,” she announced. Would the killer get mad that they had totally skipped number two? She remembered vaguely something about Thea having found a bucket. Screw it. She had found this clue. She took a deep breath and then she read:

  As you die,

  Don’t you wonder why?

  Follow the rules,

  You stupid fools.

  Lights, camera, action—

  See the coming attraction!

  “Movies?” Robin said as she plumped up the tablecloths to make a pillow for Praveen. “TV?”

  “Coming attractions,” August said. “Movie trailers? I didn’t see a trailer on the property.”

  “We also need to check on Thea,” Robin said. “She has to get out of the car. And we’ve got to find Hiro.”

  “I’ll get Thea,” August and Beth said at the same time. Beth cast August a hostile glare. There was no way she would ever trust him again.

  “Oh, for God’s sake,” August said, screwing up his pale eyes as if he gave a damn about what she thought of him. “Beth, please. You know me.”

  “I thought I did,” she replied frostily, shutting out her conscience’s reminder that she was the one who had betrayed him.

  “I can go,” Kyle said.

  “Not with August,” Robin said. Beth couldn’t be sure if Robin was blushing, but Merida the Brave kept her gaze steady the same way she had when August had told her to take off her top and run around the cannery with her and Thea.

  “Kyle and I will go,” Beth announced, taking some control.

  “Okay,” Kyle said, turning his back on Robin. Robin didn’t seem to care, but Beth knew a rift in the Force when she saw one.

  They walked outside; then, taking a deep breath, Beth sprinted in the direction of Jackson’s car. Kyle kept up. The moon made an unenthusiastic appearance and they left their flashlights off. They had almost made it to the car when the moon gave out like a tired, dying lamp.

  She stumbled in the dark, swore, and Kyle steadied her. His flashlight clicked on too loudly as he swept it along the ground. Less than a minute later the light reflected off Jackson’s lowrider. Guarded relief surged through her when she heard the dog barking. At least Inky was okay.

/>   “Thea, it’s us, Beth and Kyle,” she whispered against the backseat window on the driver’s side, loudly enough that her friend could hear her but not so loud that anyone else could. At least, that was her hope.

  Inky appeared like a jack-in-the-box, barking excitedly, his button eyes shining vampire-red in the light from the flashlight, his baby fangs bared in his most threatening expression.

  “Shhh, Inky, please.” Kyle reached out and grabbed the door handle. Locked. “Thea, open up.”

  No answer.

  Now Beth was scared.

  Kyle took a step closer and shined the light inside. They both peered in.

  Thea wasn’t in the backseat.

  A bloom of panic swallowed Beth up; she got out her own flashlight and shined the beam all around the inside of the car. Thea was nowhere, but there was glass on the front seat.

  “Thea!” Beth hissed, raising her voice.

  Inky scampered back and forth, barking, flinging himself against the windows, growling as if he had rabies.

  Kyle looked at her somberly; then he laced his fingers with hers and together they ducked down and crabwalked to the other side of the car.

  No.

  Thea was lying flat on her back, staring blankly upward at the sky with eyes that would never again see.

  No.

  Blood trickled down her mouth from the side of her head, which had been bashed in, probably with the tire iron that was supposed to protect her.

  On her chest was a stone, her hands folded around it as if it were a bouquet of flowers.

  Kyle grabbed Beth and held her as she unraveled. She didn’t know she had completely lost it until finally she heard Kyle whispering, “Beth, Beth,” in her ear.

  “The tire iron is missing,” Kyle whispered. “We have to get out of here.”

  Beth sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Then she knelt down to get the rock off Thea’s chest and wipe the blood off her cheeks, when her hand touched something wet. She yanked it back and shined her flashlight downward.

  There, on the ground, written in blood, were the words:

  DIDN’T FOLLOW THE RULES

  AUGUST’S RULE #4: Live because Alexa can’t.