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The Trap

Lore thought, No, no, no, please, no, and she prayed to all the gods she did not believe in that Nick had done something to turn off the Shawcatch automatons, to rebuke the house, to pave the way forward—that the grin on his face was because somehow, inexplicably, they had won.

“Nick,” Hamish said, cautious. “You okay, man?”

“You brought him back to me,” Nick said, but in that voice Lore couldn’t help but hear other voices, too, behind his: Alfie, Judy, the kids, and more, too. A chorus of stolen voices. Nick chuckled. “Thank you for that.”

“Nick,” Hamish said, louder, agitated. “Come on, Nick. Please. Don’t fuckin’ do this. Come back to us, Nick.”

“ Please, Nick,” Owen said.

But Lore feared it was too late. They’d brought their friend here—right to the heart of the house, to the center of the labyrinth, only to be gored to death by the Minotaur. They’d wanted to save him, and they’d damned him instead.

“You want to leave?” Nick asked. His eyes flashed in the hollow wells of their sockets, showing off mirrors, lightbulbs, gleaming brass. He grinned bigger now, his mouth large, too large, and for a moment, his teeth were piano keys, then a metal ice cube tray, then cheap plastic Christmas lights, twinkling. “Go ahead. I’ll let you. But I keep Nick. And I get the sweet little candy taste of knowing that you abandoned yet another friend to me.”

They shared looks.

Lore, in her gut, wanted to leave.

It made sense, didn’t it? Nick was too far gone. If they had a chance at freedom, shouldn’t they take it? Her brain went through the logic of it: You can go, you can leave, you can go live your life, fix your game with Owen like you promised, you can make good with the friends you have, Lore—but even then, even if you can’t, do you even need those people? You only ever needed yourself .

Owen looked at her, and she saw him there—her best friend for so long. A creative partner. He put her on a pedestal for so many years, and all she did was piss on his head from that lofty height. Then she looked at Hamish, a man lost because they’d pushed him away, someone who thought he was fat and stupid and who literally gave himself to the drink and the drugs and now to God and to fitness and to…who knew what else. And Nick. Nick, who had been loyal all this time. Loyal to the Covenant. Loyal to Matty.

You do need these people, she thought.

And they need you .

They all shared looks.

They all nodded to one another.

“We’re here for Nick,” she said.

Nick laughed. “Then no exit for you. I guess you’re staying for the show.”

He clapped his hands and the lights went out.