by B. B. Hamel
“Those crickets are gonna piss them off,” she says and giggles.
I laugh with her. We sit there, my arm around her, bodies held close together. It’s such a simple moment, but it means so much to me, especially in this place.
There aren’t a lot of good, happy memories here.
“Come on,” I say. “We’d better go get some breakfast. Joel will probably see those crickets soon.”
“I can’t wait. Seriously, I can’t wait.”
I laugh and get up. She takes my offered hand and we walk back down toward the living room and breakfast together, talking idly about nothing. We’re leaning back on a couch, ignoring the rest of my family around us, when Joel comes storming into the room.
“Crickets?” he says. “Crickets? Fucking crickets?”
His wife is behind him. I half expected to see her in tears, but instead she looks furious. She’s glaring right at us, not even pretending.
Joel comes storming over. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” I say sweetly. “What is it you’re chirping about?”
Casey bursts out laughing, not even trying to hide it.
He glares at her but ignores it. “Hundreds of the fucking things, all over my room. They’re probably going to be all over the house for years.”
“Good,” I say.
“You won’t think it’s so good when they get into your room.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He stares at me for a long moment. I can feel him seething, trying to decide how to play this, but a lot of people are watching. I didn’t freak out when he ruined our clothes and he’s definitely thinking about my reaction right about now.
“You fucked up,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. “You think this is some game, Ryan? I’m not fucking playing around.”
“Sure you are,” I say.
“No. You’re going to regret this.”
“That’s the sort of thing shitty movie supervillains say, Joel. You’re the least scary person I’ve ever met.” I slowly stand up and look at my brother. He’s smaller than me, always has been. When we were kids, I never once took advantage of that, although a lot of older brothers would have. I treated him well, treated all my brothers good, at least until my father ruined what relationship we had.
“Just remember that you earned what’s coming.” He turns and walks off.
His wife lingers for a second. “You’re such an asshole,” she says. “I’m not a part of this. And now I have crickets in all my clothes.”
I hesitate for a second. I actually feel a little bad about that. I’m about to apologize but she’s already walking away.
I sigh and sit down.
“Well?” Casey asks.
“That wasn’t satisfying.”
“You made Joel look like a dick, though.”
“That’s not hard.” I chew on my cheek. “Maybe involving his wife was too far.”
“Ryan. Don’t get soft. Remember why we did this.”
I nod a little bit. “Yeah. And plus, they’re just crickets.”
“Right?”
We look at each other and crack up. We go back to eating and chatting, both of us smiling. Every time I start to feel bad, I picture Joel’s smug, angry little face, and I feel much better.
15
Casey
I get up early the next morning and change into exercise clothes. It’s annoying, getting dressed in the bathroom, but I know that if I get dressed in the main room, Ryan will just jump me.
And I want to get some real exercise in. Maybe he can jump me later.
I keep thinking about his hands on my body. And I keep thinking about the baby growing inside of me. I’m exercising now as much for me as for the baby. I need to stay healthy, eat healthy, just be a healthier person from here on out. If not for me then at least for my child.
I slip out into the predawn hour and head down the hall. The place is empty and dark. There aren’t any lights on anywhere as I take the stairs down one level. The gym isn’t far away, but it’s pretty spooky. The house is big and it’s old. There are a lot of shadowy corners and corridors, and I swear I keep hearing something creak the floors behind me.
Every time I look, the hallway is empty.
I know I’m just being stupid. I’ve been on edge ever since I found out about the baby. Ryan’s helping with that, just a little bit at least. Our little adventure yesterday was a ton of fun. I don’t think I’ve ever pulled a prank like that and I have to admit, I really enjoyed it.
Joel’s reaction afterward was a little scary though. Ryan kept it together and made me feel fine, and we even laughed, but Joel’s expression was pretty serious. He wasn’t messing around. He was furious, but he was still in control of himself, and I think that’s what’s scaring me the most.
I shake it off. I can’t let that freak ruin the day for me. I bonded a lot with Ryan, learned a lot about him and shared a lot about myself. I feel like that was the first time we really got to know each other as people beyond this little deal we entered into.
And I think I like him. I mean, he makes me laugh, we’re into similar music and movies and TV shows and stuff like that, and he seems like he’s a genuinely decent person. He had a hard upbringing, despite all the privilege and money. He was constantly fighting, pushed to fight because of his father, and I think it broke him in a lot of ways.
His brothers are the same, but apparently his sisters escaped the worst of it. That’s good, at least. I’m happy for them.
I’m thinking about Ryan as a young man when I turn toward the gym. I’m a few doors down when I hear something, a definite creak behind me. I whirl around but there’s nobody there. I stand still, heart racing, the gloomy old house spreading out around me. I remember all over again that I’m here with these strangers and I don’t know them at all, I don’t know what they’re capable of.
I turn and shake my head, pushing those thoughts out of my mind. I hurry to the gym and the relative safety of bright fluorescent lights.
I hear the noise again, but I don’t stop. I don’t slow down. I walk faster until I’m practically running. I reach the gym and turn the corner, slamming my hand down on the light switches. The gym lights up and for a second, I’m blinded.
I have to blink rapidly to clear my vision. When it comes back, I scream.
Joel’s standing there with a vicious little smile. He’s dressed all in black, head to toe. “Hello, Casey,” he says. “Want to go for a walk?”
“Wait!” I scream as he grabs me. I fight back, kicking and thrashing, but more hands grab me.
“Calm the fuck down,” a voice says. I think it’s Harry or maybe it’s Wayne, I can’t be sure. “Calm down, you fucking psycho.”
I kick and yell until a hand covers my mouth. I bite it and whoever is behind me lets me go.
“You fucking bitch,” he says. “Oh my god, you fucking bit me.”
“Don’t be a pussy,” Joel says and grabs me again before I can run. He slams me down to the ground. My shoulder bashes into the floor as he shoves his knee behind my shoulder blades, pinning me there. He grabs my hair and pulls my head back. “Bag.”
“Wait,” I say. “Wait, wait, wait. It was a prank. Just a prank.”
“Dumb bitch,” he says and shove a black bag over my head.
I start to hyperventilate. I can’t see anything as I feel my hands getting tied behind my back. My ankles get bound up next, good firm, strong knots. I try to struggle and shout, but I feel Joel’s knee dig deeper into my back.
“If you yell again, I’m going to gag you,” he says. “You won’t like that.”
“Help!” I scream and he sighs. He rips off the bag and shoves a rag in my mouth. I try to spit it out but he rips off some duct tape and puts it over the rag, keeping it in place.
I’m breathing hard through my nose, freaking out.
“Told you,” he says with a sigh. “Wayne, grab her, get her up.
”
I feel myself lifted up off my feet. Wayne grunts as he gets me on his shoulder.
“Huh. Lighter than I thought she’d be.”
“She’s small, idiot.”
“Yeah, but you see her tits? Fucking huge, man. And a big old ass too.”
“Ryan knows how to pick them,” Joel says. “Now put it in your pants and let’s go.”
I struggle a little but we start moving. I can’t see a thing. I’m dizzy, disoriented, freaking out. I feel like I’m going to choke on the rag in my mouth, my mouth going dry, my breath coming in hard through my nose. I’m so afraid I’m going to choke to death and these two idiots won’t even know it.
I have no clue how long we walk. At some point we go outside. I can feel the breeze, hear the wind. We walk down the back yard and out into the trees. I can hear them crunching over the pine needles, stomping along in the underbrush. They keep going, and for a second, I think they’re going to drown me in the water.
“There it is,” Joel says. “Right up ahead.”
“Shit, man. Looks creepy.”
“It is creepy.” Joel laughs a little. “Hey, Casey. Can you hear me? Move around if you can hear me.”
I stay still. Suddenly I feel someone slap my thigh.
I groan.
“There she is. Okay, Casey, so. Here’s the deal.” The crunching on pine needles stops. We keep walking though. Wayne’s breathing harder, I guess from carrying my weight. “Did anyone ever tell you why the hedge maze is so dangerous?”
My heart starts racing. I can’t answer, but I struggle a little bit.
“Stop that,” Wayne says. “Goddamn. You’re getting fucking heavy as shit.”
“Suck it up,” Joel says. “Oh, Casey, you’re in for a treat. Want to know about the maze?” He laughs a little bit. “My father is an interesting man. Some people would call him a psychopath, some people would worship him. I guess people actually do both. But this maze is a work of genius, at least I think so.” Another short silence. We come to a halt for a second and I’m lowered to the ground.
“Need a break,” Wayne says. “Give me a minute.”
“While my pussy brother here relaxes, let me tell you about this maze.” Joel’s voice is right next to my ear. “My father built it for us years and years ago, when we were children. He wanted something interactive, something stimulating. At first, it was just a regular maze. We’d run around it, get lost for hours, have sword fights and all that fun shit. But that wasn’t enough for my father, oh, no. It wasn’t supposed to be fun and games.”
His voice gets closer. I’m lying on the ground, gag in my mouth, trying to breathe steady and even through my nose. I feel my body starting to tremble.
“One day, we went to play in our favorite, harmless little hedge maze, when we found a nasty surprise. Ryan was running up ahead, looking back and laughing, when he fell into a pit in the ground. Broke his arm in three places from that fall and Dad refused to help him out. Dad said, ‘Help him yourself. You all want adventures. Now you’ve got one. Go ahead, better get him before it gets dark.’” Joel laughs but there’s no humor in it. “Can you imagine telling children that?”
I go completely still. I can’t imagine it, can’t imagine it at all, but these people are monsters.
“There were trap doors all over the maze. You could find them if you paid attention, and after Ryan fell into one, you bet we paid attention. It was never the same after that and we quickly stopped using it. Dad moved on to something else, and now the hedge maze is in pretty rough shape. There are traps all over the place, doors that look solid but are actually completely rotted through. It’s a nightmare, honestly. I don’t know why it’s still here. Someone’s going to die in there one day.”
His laugher sends a chill down my spine.
“Come on,” Joel says. “Pick her up.”
“Fuck. Fine.” I feel Wayne grab me and lift me with a grunt. “Fucking hell.”
They start moving again. I can still hear Joel’s voice, but more distant. He must be in the lead.
“Thing is, the maze isn’t all that hard. And if you know where the traps are, they aren’t dangerous. You just walk around them, no harm, no foul. Fortunately for us, Wayne and I know this stupid maze.”
“Hate this fucking place,” Wayne says. “But I’ll never forget where a single one of those fucking traps are.”
“But here’s the problem, Casey. You have no clue where anything is in here. You have no goddamn clue. So what we’re going to do is simple. We’re going to take you to the middle of the maze, dump you on the ground, and fucking leave you there to fend for yourself.”
I struggle against Wayne as the truth of what they’re doing becomes obvious.
“Fuck, stop,” he says. “Goddamn it. You can figure it out, just stop struggling.”
I don’t stop until I feel Joel’s hand grab me. He pulls me off and throws me over his own shoulder. “Pussy,” he says to Wayne.
“Whatever, man. I’m heading back. This is a little fucked up, even for me.”
“Don’t puss out.”
“I’m not. But you don’t fucking need me anymore.”
“Fine. Fuck off. And if you tell anyone, you’re fucked.”
“I know. Asshole.” I hear footsteps as Wayne leaves.
Joel continues on. I fight a little more but he pulls my hair until I stop. Eventually, I give up. I can’t do anything.
“Don’t worry. It’s not a huge maze. We’re almost there.”
A few more minutes of walking until he stops. He places me down, almost gently, and rips the bag off my head. He rips the duct tape from my mouth and I spit out the rag.
“Help!” I scream.
Joel grins at me as I keep screaming. I thrash against my bonds but I only end up falling onto my side. I keep screaming until I start to feel my throat going ragged.
“Done?” he asks. “Nobody can hear you, so don’t bother.”
Eventually, I give up. I stare up at him, hate in my eyes. “You’re a fucking psycho. You’re insane.”
“Maybe, but you’ll be fine. Just don’t be stupid. Be very careful, test every single step you take. Might take a few hours, but you’ll get out.”
“Don’t do this. Just… just take me back. Please.”
He crouches down and cocks his head. “Remember that deal I offered you?” he asks.
I go still, meeting his gaze. “Yes.”
He takes out his phone. “Admit, right now, that your relationship with Ryan is fake. Let me record you admitting to everything, that it’s fake and that he’s paying you and everything else. I don’t know the details, but I know you’re fucking fake. So admit it on voice recording and I’ll walk you out of here and send you packing with more money than you can ever dream of.”
I stare into his eyes and for a second, I believe him. I really do believe him. He doesn’t care about me at all. He doesn’t care about the crickets or anything else. He just wants to destroy his brother, and if scaring me and paying me and doing whatever else to me is what it takes, he’ll do it.
But he’s not stupid. He knows he can’t go too far. He can’t actually kill me, no matter how rich and powerful he is. There are people in this house that wouldn’t let that slide, Ryan included, but others too: Beth, Mia, Olivia, maybe more.
Still, I could end this. I could just admit it. I could tell him the truth and he’d take me out of here. Maybe he doesn’t plan on killing me himself, but one wrong step in this maze could do it for him.
And I’m not alone. I have a baby now, a reason to keep going. All that money would change my life… and I don’t owe Ryan a thing. I’m not doing this because I owe him something.
Joel cocks his head. “Well?”
“Go to hell,” I say finally.
He shrugs. “Okay. Your call.” He puts the phone away then reaches down and unties the knot at my ankles. I let out a breath as he pulls the ropes away. “I guess I’ll give you a sporting chance.”
/> “The wrists too. Please.”
“Nope.” He stands and grins at me. “Should’ve taken the deal. But hey, maybe you can make it out without killing yourself. Or maybe you’ll fall into a pit and solve my problem for me. Either way, I don’t really care.” He walks off. “Good luck.”
I watch him slowly turn a corner and disappear.
I sit there for a long moment, not moving. I stare at the space he stepped into, hoping this is a joke, hoping he’ll come back and bring me out.
But it’s not a joke. He’s not coming back.
I struggle to my feet and look around. I’m on a slightly raised concrete platform. It’s old and covered in dirt and leaves. I can see children playing on this, running around it, the heart of the maze.
And now, it’s my prison.
“Help!” I scream, but I know that’s useless. He’s probably somewhere nearby, laughing at me, enjoying my terror.
I clench my jaw. I stare straight ahead.
Fuck that bastard. I’m not going to let him break me, no matter what. I know it’s what he wants. I bet he’s around that corner up there, just waiting for me to give up and scream for him, beg him to come back and take my confession.
He’s not going to get the satisfaction.
I take a step forward off the concrete. The ground is firm. The leaves crunch under foot.
I take another step. And another. I take it one step at a time, slowly but surely, testing each with my foot before putting my weight down.
I’m not going to break. I’m not going to scream. I’m just going to walk, one step at a time, until I get the hell out of here.
16
Ryan
“Do you know where Casey is?”
I stand in the doorway of May’s office. She turns to me, leaning back in her chair, a little frown on her face. “I haven’t seen her today.”
“Can you ask Ash to look for her?”
She raises an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
“Honestly, it’s probably nothing. She’s probably just hiding out and whatever, but… she left early this morning and hasn’t been back to the room since. I can’t find her anywhere.”