Page 32 of Fatally Yours

The two of us were sprawled on our couch while the television blared, filling the room with morbid scenes and well-dressed presenters sharing stories of tragedies.

The disappearance of Officer Wilson was on every other channel, and familiarly dressed uniformed men were trekking through the nearby woods.

Conveniently, there was no word about Devin, me, or August—not even in the newspapers left on our doorstep.

We ducked beneath caution tape to get in and unlocked the door with the spare key we left under the mat. It was strange how the authorities didn’t bother to collect that. Mandy left around fifteen minutes ago, saying she was going to get breakfast.

Neither August nor I wanted to join. So here we were, watching memories of our crimes flash on the screen in between other misfortunes.

I thought about how Mandy was probably picking up something greasy from a fast-food joint, and I thought I felt my mouth water.

Though I knew I wouldn’t be able to indulge, it was nice to dream.

“I think I miss being hungry,” I pouted. August turned to me, giving me a pointed look.

“You shouldn’t miss being alive. It’s so much worse than being dead,” he said, taking in a false breath.

“Hunger, sleep, emotions. They just hold us back. If I knew dying was this great, I would’ve offed myself a long time ago with a big ol’ shotgun blast to the head.

” He mimicked his head exploding with his hand splayed wide along the side of his skull.

I wasn’t sure how to take that, so I challenged him.

“I think if you were void of emotion, you wouldn’t have killed me,” I said. “Or Devin. Or Officer Wilson.”

“Maybe I should’ve said empathy,” he said with a raised brow.

My eyes veered to the side, knowing all too well what it felt like to lack empathy.

That trait was the reason people were scouring for Officer Wilson right now, because I demanded his death without remorse.

Before I could sink deeper into my sober thoughts, I reached forward and grabbed the remote, flicking the TV off.

August’s eyes met mine with a hint of sympathy as he grabbed my hand.

“Listen. Mandy cannot go with us—”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

“That’s not a good reason.” My previous submissive stance roared to life.

Her not coming with us had implications I was not ready to face.

We were leaving too many witnesses, and I had a feeling that he was picking up on that.

If nothing else, I felt like I needed her there to get me through this darkness.

Now, I finally felt a kinship with her morbid ways, even if it was caused by something less than traditional.

He gave me a stern look as he squeezed my hand, trying to diffuse the tension.

“Because she can’t keep her mouth shut. If we kill someone with her around, she’ll use it to bond with that Archer freak or something,” he said. “Or she’ll slip up or feel guilty. Even if Clark is a kiddie-creep, murdering asshole. Mandy still feels. ” My chest felt like it caved in.

“I still feel sometimes,” I said sadly. “But you’re right.”

“We still need her car.”

“We are not killing her if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“Get her car. If you can’t, come up with a way to get it. If not—”

“Fine!” I snapped, ripping my hand from his and feeling my body potentially heat. “You don’t touch a single hair on her head without my permission, or I’ll kill you , got it?” I thought he would be upset about my reaction, but instead, he simply chuckled, earning him a glare.

“Now you know how I feel,” he grinned. “Nice to know you think I’m a psychopathic asshole because that is not what I was going to say.”

“Asshole, yes, definitely—” Before I could scold him more, the phone ringing interrupted my thought.

I didn’t bother to cast a glance at him and sprinted straight to it.

Ripping it from the cradle, I leaned against the wall and put it to my ear, feeling like I could hear my heart echoing through the receiver.

“Nick?” My voice was barely a whisper.

“Hey, Tash.” I felt the weight of the world lift off my shoulders as I pressed my palm to my face, seeing August observe me from my peripheral vision.

“Did you talk to him?”

“Yeah, I did—”

“And?”

“I’ve got his address right here, baby doll,” he chuckled.

I grabbed the notepad we kept near the phone and got ready to write it down.

After all this time, it felt like this would be the most critical piece of information I would ever receive.

“Alright, it’s 186 Oak Street in Pine Bluff.

” I scribbled down the address, struggling to keep my hand steady. Still, it was legible enough.

186 Oak Street. Perfect.

“Thanks, Nick,” I said. “You didn’t tell him it was me, right?”

“Nah, I gotcha. I told him it was just my old lady who needed help with her car.”

“Good.”

“Say, what’s this surprise, anyway? You’ve piqued my interest,” he said. I thought I felt my face shade as I turned, so I couldn’t see August. His eyes would intensify my nerves, especially with what I would say next. It was the only thing that came to my mind to make Nick shut up.

“I owe him a few favors if you catch my drift,” I replied. I pressed myself against the wall, thinking I could feel August’s gaze burning into my back. A small, hesitant stutter came from the other end before he spoke again.

“You? Jeez, sorry, Tash. August’s passing really hit you hard, didn’t it?

” he said. “Remind me never to ask again, alright?” Faking another laugh, I turned around against my better judgment and saw August glaring at me.

His arms were folded across his chest, making the top of his scars poke out from his collar.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” I was mostly trying to speak to August, but I didn’t want to let Nick know someone else was with me.

“Alright then. I hope you… have fun,” he said awkwardly. “I suppose I’ll see you at work soon if you don’t party yourself out.”

“You might,” I said with a smile. August shook his head at me with an expression of pure disapproval. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“See ya, baby doll.” I set the phone back on the hook as I tore the paper from the pad, walking back over to him.

“You’re a tease,” he grumbled. I handed him the paper, but instead of taking it, he kept his arms folded, all while glaring at me. My shoulders dropped, and I let out a huff, setting it on the coffee table.

“Only because I needed him to quit asking questions,” I said. “No one wants a dead girl, baby, especially not Nick fucking Nelly.”

“I do,” August declared. I rolled my eyes.

“Shut up.”

“I’ll prove it to you. I have before, and I’ll do it again as often as you need me to until you believe me.” His previous stony expression faded into a smirk as he unfolded his arms.

“Oh, really? ”

“Yeah. I think you’re enjoying this much more than you want to admit.”

“I might be.” I wanted to beg him to sin with me until a curt knock at the back door killed my mood. Standing up, I made my way to the rear of the house, prying open the door with a huff. Mandy was there with a bag in her hand, and I thought I felt my face shade.

“You okay?” she asked. I gave her a shy nod and rubbed the back of my neck. She shut the door and tossed the grease-stained bag onto the table, plopping down and ripping it open. I figured it would be the prime time to ask her while she was distracted with a meal and in a decent mood.

“We need to use your car,” I said.

“Of course you can use it.” She took a bite of her egg sandwich and spoke with her mouth full. “I can even drive—”

“No, Mandy. You can’t come with us.”

“What? Why not?”

“Because—” August stepped up, indicating that I was not handling this to his satisfaction.

“Because we’re going to waste this fucker, and I don’t want you to be part of it,” he said. Her face paled as she dropped the sandwich onto the paper, her stance drooping like we just popped her like a balloon.

“B-but—”

“You’re not going to be there. One way or the other.” His voice was dark. Her shoulders fell as I swore she was going to shrink back into her body. She wasn’t stupid—she knew exactly what he was implying—even if she didn’t know if he meant it.

“O-oh. I gotcha. No problem. I’ll just… walk to work. That’s fine.”

“Get Wes to drive you,” he said flatly. “Tell him he owes me.” Mandy rolled her eyes and bundled her breakfast back in the bag, propping her head on her elbow with a sigh.

“God, August comes back to life, and I assume everything is gonna go back to normal. What was I thinking?”

“You’re dating a serial killer. How can you think anything is normal?”

“Well, I’m glad to know you’re not a complete asshole now.”

“Hey, I’ll put you in the ground, girl,” he said with a smirk. “But I’m sure you would like that.”

“I could get used to it.”

I put my palm to my face, wanting nothing more than to stop this conversation.

Even though Mandy appeared revolted by our crimes, she also seemed intrigued by our lack of life.

And the only way she could get there was by dying, which I was not ready to allow her to do.

It was hell incarnate to die, and if I could save anyone from a premature end, it would be her.

“Would you two stop it, please?” I demanded.

“August, you are not putting her in the ground, and Mandy, you are not enjoying it. Dying is not fun, I promise you. And if Mark ever gets out, he better not come after you, or I’ll show him how much fun it is to die.

” She shook her head as if she was actually going to deny that she was entertaining the idea of being snuffed out by her love.

“No, Tash. I’m the one he likes. You should know how that is, considering August has killed or threatened to kill basically everyone in our lives for you. Including me.” My eyes slipped to the side as my lip pinched between my teeth. He glanced at me, and then his gaze fell to her.

“Okay, so we’re taking your car. We’ll drop you off at home. And you’re gonna pretend you never saw us, got it?” he said. Mandy’s eyes turned to slits.

“Are you threatening me again, asshole? Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean I’m completely scared of you,” she declared. August gave her a bitter glare, making her confident stance crumble. “Only a little bit…” His steely expression fell after a moment, and he gave her a grin.

“You shouldn’t be. But everyone else should.”