Page 39 of Five Survive

Oliver held down the button.

“What do you want?”

Static.

“One of you knows something. A secret. You know who you are and you know what it is.”

Red’s eyes crossed in front of her, and she imagined she could see the sound of the static, staining the air a speckled gray, closing in around her. Maddy’s shoulders dropped, her hand growing sticky and uncomfortable in Red’s. Arthur was blinking, too fast, turning to watch Simon as he coughed and spluttered. Reyna’s eyes dropped, and Oliver chewed the inside of his cheek. No one was looking at Red, but she looked at them all.

Oliver raised the walkie-talkie to his mouth again. He waited one moment, then two.

“What secret?” he asked, releasing the button.

Static.

“That’s for the six of you to figure out. And remember one thing: you can’t see me but I can see you. If you try to run, I will shoot.”

The air was too thick in here, syrupy with the smell of gasoline, with the quickening of their breaths. It plugged Red’s nose and her ears until she could close her eyes and pretend she wasn’t here at all, forcing herself to think of that pattern in the curtains.You can’t see me but I can see you,and Red could see nothing here at all with her eyes shut.

“He’ll shoot us if we leave the RV,” Oliver said, like they hadn’t all been listening, like they hadn’t all just heard that together.

Red opened her eyes, twisting her hand out of Maddy’s grip. She watched as Oliver dropped the walkie-talkie down on the table, a heavier thud than it should have made. It stood end up, the green LCD display watching them.

“We are never getting out of this RV.” Simon sniffed, running his hand down his face, pulling the skin out of shape, revealing the red underneath his eyes. “If we’re going to die here, fuck it, I’m having more tequila.”

“No, Simon,” Red croaked, her voice raw and unused.

“Fuck it!” he barked, strolling over to the kitchen counter. “Come on, everyone, let’s do shots in the dark.”

Reyna sidestepped, blocking his way to the counter and Oliver’s open backpack.

“No,” she said sternly. “We need to stay rational.”

“What are you, the tequila guardian?” He pointed at her.

“Right, because I’m Mexican?”

“No, because you’re standing in the way.” He hiccupped. “If I want to die drunk, then I’ll die drunk, thank you and good night.”

“We’re not going to die,” Arthur said, stepping forward to pull Simon back, hand on his shoulder. “We just need to give him what he wants. What’s the secret he’s talking about?”

“And who?” Maddy added quickly, picking at her fingernails.

Red looked straight ahead, blinked slowly, clearing her eyes like someone who had no secrets. Someone who wasn’t thinking of them right now. Everyone had secrets, though, didn’t they? Somebody else here had to. Were hers any worse, any bigger? Most likely, at least the one she was keeping now. The plan. But no one could ever know about that, that was the point. Oh, and there was the fact that her mom was dead and it was probably her fault, all her f—could it be Bart Simpson, the pattern in the curtain?

“It’s not me,” Simon said, giving up on the tequila. He pushed past Red and Maddy to drop back on the sofa, head resting against the mattress wedged there. “My only secret is that I haven’t told my parents I want to be an actor, not work in finance. Don’t think someone’s threatening to kill me over being a secret theater kid. Apart from my dad, that is,” he said, adding in an exaggerated stage whisper: “He’s Korean.”

“I can’t think of anything,” Arthur said, pausing to scratch his eye. “Nothing big enough for this.”

“Me either,” Maddy said, almost too fast. Red noticed. And the way she wouldn’t look up or hold anyone’s gaze.

Oliver stepped forward, cleared his throat. “I know who it is. I know what this is about.”

Red looked at him. Maddy looked at him. Arthur and Simon looked at him. Reyna didn’t.

“It’s me and Maddy,” he said.

Maddy stiffened. “I don’t—” she began.