Page 12

ELEVEN

CHAOS

CREATURE—TECH N9NE

CALISTA

U tter chaos consumes my mind as I crouch behind a row of full trash cans in the alley beside the guys’ apartment, scrolling through countless news articles. I knew this would happen once word got out about Mr. Brown’s murder; I just wasn’t expecting my mind to be in complete turmoil. The voices are wicked loud today, each one telling me to do something different. But the one voice I count on daily isn’t speaking—go fucking figure.

“Where the fuck are you, Addy?” I grumble under my breath as I callously scan my surroundings, making sure I can’t be seen from where I’m hiding.

No answer.

Putting my focus back on the burner phone in my hand, I read through article number seven, just to make sure there aren’t any new updates. So far, all the police have is his dead body and Gunnar as a person of interest. Not one word is mentioned about me, but I wasn’t expecting there to be.

My parents don’t want anyone to know I might be involved, because then the police would have to search for me, and they know I’d spill every fucking secret that I’ve held onto for ten years.

They don’t want me to talk—no one does.

Instead, they’ll hire their own people to search for me, and I’m determined to not be found.

“I wonder where she is.” A familiar voice carries with the wind just in front of me, making me duck even lower toward the ground.

Looking through a crack in the row of trash cans, I spot Dominic and Killian on the porch in the back of their apartment, smoking their morning blunt. Not only does the wind carry their voices, but it carries the weed smoke, making it drift right over to me, my mouth watering from the delicious smell.

Both standing there with no shirts on, I greedily rake my eyes over their bare chests, getting lost in the intricate black designs inked into almost every part of their skin—they’re fucking gorgeous.

“I don’t know, but we need to find her before her parents do. This shit isn’t good, but at the same time, it’s a fucking blessing in disguise,” Dom says, blowing out a cloud of smoke from between his lips, his gaze lost in the gloomy clouds hovering above the city.

“You think she’ll come looking for us for help?” Kill asks, his voice sounding hopeful, which makes my heart swell.

The sound of the hectic city noise drowns out the rest of what they’re saying, but I can still see them clearly. They don’t know it yet, but they’re going to help me bring chaos to those who’ve wronged me, one person at a time.

They've ruined my life without even knowing it, regardless if it was their fault or not. They fucking owe me for all the pain they caused, and now I’m here to collect. It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow. But the time will come where I’ll make my presence known, and together, we’re going to turn this fucking city upside down.

I’ll bide my time, stay hidden, and let all of the other chaos unfold. Then, when the time is right, I’ll make my move. With Dom, Ash, and Kill by my side, we’ll show them what it fucking feels like to be at the mercy of someone else.

No more secrets, no more hiding—just raw, utter chaos. It’s time to take back control. And when the dust finally settles, they’ll wish they never fucking messed with me.

I smile to myself as I watch Dom and Kill disappear back inside their apartment—the game has only just begun.

* * *

On the walk back to Five’s, I spot a Halloween store around the corner, and I slip inside without being seen. Browsing the aisles, I don’t know what I’m looking for just yet, but I’ll know once I see it. I skim through rows of wigs, finding one with black hair and red streaks, so I grab it off the rod, already wanting to put it on. But a different hair color isn’t enough to conceal my identity, so I keep looking.

Eventually ending up in the mask aisle, I pass by scary ones, purge ones, and, of course, Ghostface, not seeing anything that catches my eye. And then I see it. Walking down a little further, I pull a hacker mask off the row, being brought back to the movie V for Vendetta, a grin playing on my red lips. This is it.

I grab a black bandanna, a larger than usual pocket knife with skulls on the handle, and a few pairs of black tights and tops to go with them. I also snatch a LED purge mask off the rack and then head to the register, anxious to check out so I can leave.

“Early Halloween shopping, huh?” The cashier asks as he rings up my items, my head down, my eyes pointed at the floor.

“Yeah,” is all I say, just wanting to hurry up and get out of there.

Luckily, the walk back to Five’s isn’t far from the shop, and I’m walking through his front door in no time. He isn’t here, but he left a note, explaining he had to go to work.

Taking my things to his bedroom, I dump it all onto the bed and begin ripping tags off, already coming up with a plan in my mind. The names on the list burned into my brain begin to taunt me, but I know I have to wait until the heat dies down before I do another kill.

But fuck, my hands are itching to drain the life from the next motherfucker who used and hurt me, so I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to wait.

Tucking the bandanna and masks into my backpack, I keep the wig out, deciding that I’m going to wear it later.

With still no sign or word from Addy, I try to put her out of my mind, taking more medicine than usual to completely numb myself. Horrendous flashbacks attack my mind, threatening to send me into another psychotic break and the fear that my parents are going to find me, worsening my mental state. I begin to panic, fear gripping my throat and making it hard to breathe.

Again, I find myself huddled in the corner of Five’s bedroom, hugging my knees to my chest and rocking back and forth, praying my meds kick in soon.

I just want to feel better. I want to be better. I want to live as normal a life as I can. But I won’t be able to until every last person on that list is fucking dead—including my parents.