Page 100 of Caged

“Why? What happened?”

“I don’t think you’re ready to hear the answer.”

“Fuck that. I’m your best friend. I need answers. Why did you disappear?”

“Well,” she begins, “long story short, Kieren held me captive in his bedroom for weeks on end, and when I tried to fight back, he lost his mind, trapped me in a dog cage, and drugged me with psychedelics.”

I squeeze my eyes closed in concentration. “I can’t even begin to comprehend what you just said.”

“I know! That’s why I said you aren’t ready to hear what happened to me. And the captivity part is only the tip of the iceberg.”

I lean back against the headrest, my brain in overdrive. “Did you go to the police?” I ask.

“No. They’re in on it. Everyone at this fucking university is in on it,” she states, taking another sip.

“Why were you in the woods?”

“Simple. I was going to break into Sigma, but then I heard the alarm go off and saw you running like a banshee. I figured some shit was going down, so I chased after you.”

I abruptly pivot in my seat to glare at her in disbelief. “How long have you been here? Back on campus, I mean.”

She huffs a long exhale in contemplation.

“Since you texted me that Kasey went missing.”

“You fucking got my text messages and didn’t respond?!” I shout.

“I had my text messages forwarded to my new number. Kieren still has my phone, Gabi. And my old school computer. I don’t know what he’s monitoring. I’m sorry. I wanted to respond, truly I did, but I didn’t want to put you in danger.”

“Why didn’t you just text me from your new number, or email me from a new email address?” I demand, unable to control the harsh edge to my tone.

“You don’t understand, Gabi.”

“Then help me understand!”

“He was going to kill me, Gabi! Those other girls who went, quote-unquote, missing are dead. This bullshit Little Sisters operation is just a cover. A feeder operation! They pluck unsuspecting women out of the pool and kill them!”

“I fucking knew it,” I say, grinding my teeth. “I knew it, but no one would believe me. When you say, ‘they,’ do you mean Kieren and his sycophants?”

“Yeah, Kieren, Barrett, Harrison and Jace are all in on it. Others probably are as well. But they’re just puppets for this guy X and the other Sigma alumni who get off on this shit.”

“Are the alumni the ones who wear the black demon masks with horns?” I interject.

Shock fills her eyes. “How do you know that?”

“Because I saw them. I was hiding outside Sigma, trying to find a way to break in, when a bunch of guys in black robes and devil masks got out of an SUV and went in through the back door.”

“Why were you trying to break in?” she asks.

“To find you! Obviously,” I scoff. “I thought Kieren had you trapped in there, and I guess I wasn’t that far off from the truth. Just five months too late.”

“They’re dangerous, Gabi. If they catch you snooping around, they’ll kill you without hesitation.”

I huff in exasperation. “Tell me something I haven’t heard. Jace has practically threatened to kill me himself if I’m caught.” I chew at my fingernail, wondering why Jace didn’t drag me upstairs by the hair tonight and parade me in front of his high lord, Kieren the Great. “I don’t understand why they are killing them. If this was a human trafficking situation, their motivations would be clear, but killing? What benefit does that have?”

“I don’t know,” Monroe admits. “That’s part of the reason why I’m back. I need to get proof and put the pieces together. I’m going to take them all down, Gabi, if it’s the last thing I do, butno reputable journalist will take a risk on publishing this story if I don’t come with receipts. I wish I had better connections.”

“Who caught you tonight?” Monroe asks, pivoting course.