Page 45 of Caged

19

GABI

Present Day

“This spot is far enough away from our apartment. Park here,” I instruct Ele, pointing to the open space between two parked cars.

After driving in chaotic circles for the last forty-five minutes to shake whatever car was or wasn’t on our tail, the fear we all initially felt has morphed into a mix of emotions. Ele is fuming. That much is clear. Viv has settled into a quiet, pensive mood, which is never a good sign, and despite my innate urge to return to the scene of the crime and double down on our spy efforts, I’ve kept my mouth shut.

Ele parallel parks her light blue Subaru and switches off the ignition with intention. I brace myself for what I know is next.

“What the actual fuck was that, Gabi?” Ele shouts at me, her voice especially damning in the close confines of the car.

“You want to tell us why we were getting chased like criminals in a goddamn witch hunt?”

“They heard me,” I admit. “I was crouched against the porch, and two Sigma guys were outside talking. I overheard them say they were on guard duty. You don’t understand what I saw.”

“Well then, enlighten us,” Ele snaps.

I angle my body in the front passenger seat so that both Ele and Viv are in my line of sight before launching into a recount of the horrors I witnessed.

“What exactly did these satanic masks look like?” Viv asks from the back seat. I take out my phone and type‘black horned demon mask’into the search bar. Several images populate the search results.

“Kind of like this,” I say, clicking on a strikingly similar image from a seller on a retail site known for handmade goods. I hand my phone to Ele who leans back so both she and Viv can see the screen at the same time.

“Full face demon mask. Black horned demon, Halloween parties, demon masquerade…” Ele mumbles, reading the product description aloud.

“Admittedly, that is terrifying,” Viv states.

“That is some cult shit right there,” Ele agrees, handing my phone back.

“Yes!” I say, emphasizing the conclusion that these masks do trigger thoughts of a satanic cult. “Plus, they were wearing floor-length, hooded black robes. Then all the women with bags over their heads. I mean what the fuck!?”

“Also, those guys on guard duty mentioned Kasey. I guess she was at Sigma all week with Barrett, but maybe they’re on the outs because apparently she cheated on him over the summer. Oh, and something about elders.”

“Elders?” Viv interrupts. “Like old people?”

“Nothing you just said makes any sense,” Ele reasons.

“No, it doesn’t,” I say, furrowing my brow as I think through what I overheard. “Also, if she was at Sigma all week, whywouldn’t she just answer her phone when her parents called, or text them back?”

“So, in conclusion,” Ele begins, her tone mockingly playful, “basically, Sigma may or may not be running a satanic kink club for grandpas. And we almost got caught by a bunch of cult fanatics. Cool. What a steaming hot dump of malarkey.”

“They’re going to figure out it was us,” Viv adds.

“How?” I ask in challenge.

“Hello?” she gestures with her hands, as if the reason should be obvious. “Could we have picked a more conspicuous getaway car? How many Subaru cars of this same color do you see driving around campus?”

“I don’t know! It’s a hippie college town. It has to be filled with Subarus!”

“Jesus, Viv’s right,” Ele laments. “But not this color, Gabi! We might as well have left our calling card on the ground. Dammit, this is so fucked. You know what? A secret satanic sex club for old men is an immediate no for me. Immediately no. I’m out.”

Her words pin me like a cornered animal, and I lash out. “Are you fucking kidding me? Did you even listen to a word I said? We have to expose this shit! If not us, then who?”

“Do you hear yourself, Gabi? You sound absurd! Listen, we know Sigma is doing fucked up shit, right? Obviously, corralling women and bringing them to a party wearing only sexy pajamas is fucking gross, but so what? Okay, so some dudes got out of an SUV wearing weird-ass masks. Is this probably some strange sex thing? Yes. But do we need to go poking around where we don’t belong? Absolutely not. Those guys said Kasey was at Sigma all week, so drop it! Let them have their orgy parties. Who cares? Did anyone have a gun held to their head, because if not, they’re all consenting adults. It may not be our cup of tea, but don’t yuk someone else’s yum.”

“How can you be so dismissive?” I gawk.