Page 98 of Jerk

“Go.” Eden puts something in Krystal’s palm before pushing her forward.

“No,” Krystal shakes her head. “We stay together.”

“Do not ruin this,” Eden says. “Go.” Before Krystal can protest again, Eden moves towards the end of the hallway and lets out a loud, long scream. She curls up on the ground, her hands to her stomach in the fetal position. “Help! I’m bleeding!”

Glancing back, a beam of light shines down the hallway. Three guards gather around her. One mutters for a nurse, the other crouches to her level. Krystal stands frozen, but we can’t linger. Finding her hand, I pull her towards the opposite end of the hall as Eden’s scream follows, and I hope it’s still an act.

The clock tower door groans open when we get to it. Krystal leads me down to a smaller door, one made for a hobbit. Cold and dampness hit my skin when she unlocks it, a musty smell filling my nose. Darkness lies ahead.

“Really?” I whisper with a wince. “Do we have to?”

“No. Stay here.” Krystal leads the way, but not without dishing sarcasm.

Rolling my eyes, I follow after her. The space gets darker and colder the further we go down the narrow path. It feels like ages, wandering into darkness, the air silent around us. By the time we reach the end of the tunnel, my lungs claw for air.

Stepping out, dust and cobwebs cover our cloaks as cold wind hits my face. Krystal takes her cloak off, and I follow, shrugging mine off my shoulders as I look around the space.

Old wooden pallets and crates sit on cracked concrete flooring. But no one’s there.

No car. No headlights. Just the sound of pouring rain hitting metal and wood.

“He’s not here,” Krystal says the words I never wanted to hear, the room tilting around me. “He’s not fucking here.”

My whole body stills, staring out into the empty space.

We’re fucked. He fucked us.

I should've never trusted him. Not now. Not before.

The lump in my throat returns, a shake in my knees. “What the hell do we do now?”

“I-I don’t know.” Krystal glances behind her. “Eden's not here either.”

Silence sits between us, our white clothes dampening.

"Krystal, I?—”

Hooooonk!

The air shifts, a low hum in the distance.

My brows lower, headlights cutting through the fog towards us.

A black van appears between sheets of rain, skidding across the wet concrete. Before I can decide whether to run at or away from it, the passenger door flies open.

My eyes lock on those intense, dark eyes. That sharp chin. That smooth skin. “I suggest you get the fuck in.”

THIRTY-THREE

RYE

“You’re late.”

It hasn't been that long since I've seen her, but hearing her voice in HD stirs my insides.

“You’re a piece of work.” The smirk tugging at my lips fades, my grip still clinging to the wheel of this rental van. She climbs into the passenger seat, the scent of her making my racing heartbeat faster.

It wasn’t easy getting here. It wasn’t easy climbing into this car. It wasn’t easy driving the hour with increasingly shitty thoughts of what could happen to her in my head.