Page 100 of Five Survive

Oliver turned on her, brandishing the knife.

“She’s made up her mind, Red, stop trying to manipulate her!”

“It’s okay, Red,” Maddy said, staring right at her, eyes locking on. “I can do it. I want to do it. I trust Oliver. I’ll save us all. I can. I’m not scared.”

But she was. She was so scared. Red had never wanted to see that look on her best friend’s face and now she’d probably never forget it.

“Right!” Oliver screamed above the song. “I’m going to turn the music off and I want the rest of you to be absolutely silent. Don’t say a thing! Red, you keep your mouth shut and you keep your hands where I can see them. Maddy, have you got the phones? Are you ready?”

She nodded.

Arthur was shaking his head.

“Okay!” Oliver shouted. “Go stand by the door.”

Maddy did, her feet dragging against the floor, like she was hoping the RV would grow up over them and trap her inside so she didn’t have to go. But she’d chosen, and she’d chosen Oliver, just like Red had countless times tonight. He was the natural leader, her big brother, and Red couldn’t compete with that.

Maddy waited by the door, fingers raised above the handle, shaking, and she looked just like Red, when you see yourself in one of those dressing room mirrors, see what you look like from behind. Maddy’s hair was only a shade or two darker, but the night would hide that. It had to. Because if Maddy was actually going to do this, then it had to work, Oliver had to be right and Red had to be wrong. Hadto.

Should Red say goodbye? Tell Maddy she loved her, just in case. She’d had last words before, and she’d regretted them every day since. She could do it right this time. No. No, because they weren’t last words, and Maddy couldn’t think that either. This had to work. Maddy was going to drive out of here and she would be fine. She was going to save them all.

Maddy looked back over her shoulder, and Red told her as much as she could with her eyes.

Oliver pulled his phone out of the pan and tapped at the screen.

The music cut out, the air hissing in its absence.

No, that was the static, back at last, filling Red’s ears. She breathed itin.

Oliver rounded the kitchen counter, standing between Maddy and Red, knife still gripped in his hand.

He looked at his sister and nodded his head. Just once.

“Red? Red?” Oliver said loudly, not looking at her. “Where are you going?”

Then he nodded at Maddy again.

Her lips were gone, sucked back into her face as she pushed down on the handle and the door swung open, inviting in the dark night.

“No,” Red whispered, and Oliver shot her a look, knife raised.

Maddy turned, bowed her head and walked down the stairs, the night taking her away. She reached the road, steps crunching beneath her, and then pushed the door of the RV shut behind her.

“Come,” Oliver whispered, grabbing Red by her elbow, dragging her with him to the front of the RV.

“Where the fuck has Red just gone?” he shouted, voice grating in his throat and Red’s ear.

The others gathered in behind. Just five of them now. Simon leaped over the driver’s seat to see. Arthur pressed in on Red’s otherside. The muscles in his face were flickering, a tortured look in his eyes as he stared out the windshield. He leaned forward, hands fidgeting against his legs, nails digging in. This will work, Red wanted to tell him. It had to, because the alternative was unthinkable. They were wrong, Oliver was right.

He had to be right, holding on to her elbow, knife in the other hand, eyes focused ahead.

Red caught movement in her periphery and whipped around, staring out the windshield into the night.

There was Maddy.

Red’s blue-and-yellow shirt glowing in the headlights.

She was walking toward the truck, toward the driver’s-side door. Slowly, every step measured and calm, pressing into the road and peeling up.