Page 9

CHAPTER

FIVE

ERIN

Did Dad plan this? Did he know they were coming? No, he’d never willingly lock me in a room with three dangerous psychopaths when he’s made his thoughts about hanging out with boys clear.

I press my back against the cold metal door, and a chill snakes down my spine.

They’re here.

Heavy panting comes from the vent and fills the space like a thick smoke. It crawls down my throat, choking me, but they don’t move. Not yet.

They leave me hanging. Waiting is even worse than if they were to storm in.

I’m hyperaware of every minute sensation: the goosebumps on my arms, my parched mouth, the strong beat of my heart pumping blood around my body.

At least that’s a reminder I’m alive. My legs scream for me to run, but my knees lock in place. There’s nowhere to go.

“Are you afraid of the three big bad men who live in the walls?” One drawls.

“If she’s not, she should be,” Three says. “Why don’t you scream for us again? What a sweet fucking sound. It’s been so long since I’ve heard a woman scream that pretty.”

Are they going to rape or kill me? Or both?

They’re treating me like a toy. If these are my last moments, I want to show strength. I channel Mia’s no bullshit energy, thinking about how my best friend would handle the situation. She wouldn’t pray to be spared. It’s too late for that.

“You’re the cowards here,” I say, mustering all the confidence I can. “Crawling around in the vents like rats.”

Knowing they can’t see my face makes it easier. They can’t see my shaky shoulders or my trembling bottom lip.

Two laughs hard. A deep belly rumble that bounces off the walls.

One joins him, and adds, “This one has more fire than I expected.”

This one? I bite my lip to stop myself from whimpering.

“Maybe we are like rats,” Three agrees. “We crawl through dark spaces that other people choose to avoid. We slip into gaps that others overlook and make our home there. We’re everywhere and nowhere. Always watching.”

“It may be dark, but we still see you. You’re trying to act brave when you’re not,” One says. “You can’t lie to us. The question is, why did he bring you here?”

“I’m not like y-you,” I stammer. “I’m not crazy.”

They cackle. A maniacal noise that makes my teeth chatter and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. They’re three separate entities, but the way they laugh together makes them appear interconnected.

“Everyone’s crazy,” Two says. “Those who can’t see it are the craziest of all.”

A metallic screech signals a body sliding closer. There’s a deep breath, followed by feet dropping to the floor opposite me. I scream.

“There’s that sound again,” Three says from above. “Fuck, it makes me so hard.”

I clamp my lips shut, determined not to make another sound. My mind races through the possibilities of what could happen. All of them lead to the same outcome: Dad finding my dead body in the morning.

“What does she smell like?” Two asks.

One is here with me. He doesn’t move straight away, but the heat radiating from his body warms my skin. His breathing sucks everything within range into a dark, destructive cloud, filling me with fear.

He takes a step. Slow and deliberate. He’s in no hurry.

I try to remember everything Dad said about his work and how the asylum operates, hoping there’s something that might give me a chance of surviving.

“What if an orderly finds out you left your rooms?” I ask, recalling that patients face sanctions for breaking the asylum rules.

Discussing punishments always makes Dad’s eyes light up, whether it’s limiting their access to the outside or extra sedation. He loves anything that gives him more control.

“Rules?” One scoffs. His voice has a gravelly edge to it. “There are no rules. This place is lawless.”

“That’s not true,” I say. “I know?—”

I stop, not wanting to give too much away. Finding out that I’m Doctor Acacia’s daughter won’t do me any favors.

“She seems to know a lot about the asylum for someone who isn’t crazy,” Two says.

“I watch a lot of movies,” I reply.

“Tell me,” One advances. “Who are you?”

His scent surrounds me, a hint of smoke, mixed with dirt, and an almost antiseptic clinical undertone.

“I’m no one,” I say.

“Lies!” Three choruses from the vent, slamming his fists or feet on the iron like a drum. “Lies! Lies! Lies!”

One closes in. I shield my face with my hands. Although I can’t see anything, I’m aware of his gigantic, looming presence. He rests his arms above my head, boxing me in with no escape. He’s much taller than me, a foot at least, which makes him six-three, at least.

“Put your hands down,” he commands.

I want to defy him, but I don’t. Shaking, I do as he asks and drop my arms to my sides.

I once took self-defense classes in school, but my mind draws a blank on any moves that could save me now.

All I remember is being told to gather as much information about your attacker as possible, on the off chance you get away.

What good is that advice when you’re locked in the darkness with only voices and smells to go on?

One leans closer. The tip of his nose nudges my cheek, and I turn my head, wincing at his touch.

He inhales, breathing down the side of my face.

My toes curl as he buries his face in the crevice where my neck meets my shoulder.

He inhales deeply and groans with satisfaction.

His moan vibrates through my core, and I whimper.

“What’s she like?” Three asks. “Is she as sweet as she sounds?”

One’s tongue shoots out of his mouth. I cringe but stay in position, with my left cheek pressed against the door, as he licks along my jaw like an animal.

“She tastes like cheap beer and virgin tears,” he purrs. “What bad things did you do tonight, Little Ghost ?”

“Nothing,” I squeak. “I did nothing.”

“More lies,” he says. He grabs my chin to force me to look up, yet all I see is blackness.

“Do you know what they do to patients when they lie?” His breath tickles my cheeks.

“They do unspeakable acts. Acts that your innocent mind can’t comprehend.

Acts that are so depraved they’d make you question who you are.

Acts that your fragile little body can’t handle. ”

My thighs clench. The combination of his heady smell and sultry voice affects me in a way I don’t quite understand.

“Do you want me to show you what we do to liars?” he asks. “You came into our home, so every inch of you belongs to us now. Every sweet nook of your tight body is ours.”

“Our new toy to play with,” Two echoes.

Another body drops from the vent. His landing is lighter, showing he’s nimble on his feet. Although I can’t see him, the vision of a black panther springs to mind. A deadly predator who moves with laser precision.

“Please,” I beg. “Don’t hurt me.”

Two laughs. His footsteps are gentle.

One moves aside, but I sense him standing close while Two approaches.

Two doesn’t touch me right away. In fact, if not for the barely audible sound of his breathing, I wouldn’t know he was here at all.

“We play rough,” Two says. “Sometimes our toys break. Sometimes we like to make them snap.”

I yelp as a piece of metal slides along my throat.

It’s not sharp enough to be a knife, but its coldness is like being swiped by an icicle.

He paints me with the object, moving it back and forth across my throat like he’s pretending to saw my neck clean off.

A tear slips down my cheek, not that he can see it.

This might be the end. The curved metal dances across my collarbone until it meets the dip in the middle and glides lower.

“Another one for my collection,” Two says.

I squeeze my eyes shut as he withdraws momentarily, fully prepared for my throat to be slashed, when there’s a snipping noise instead. Scissors . I don’t feel anything being cut, though.

“Perfect,” Two purrs. “I’ll treasure this.”

He’s fucking insane. They all are.

“Can I come out yet?” Three questions. “I’m feeling left out.”

Three is the one who makes me most uneasy. Perhaps it’s his obsession with screaming. They’re all dangerous, but he seems to be in another league.

“Not today,” One says. “But soon.”

I sigh in relief, but my minute motion doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Don’t you want him to join us?” One mocks. “I’m not keeping him away for your sake.”

“When I come for you, Little Ghost, I’ll make you beg until you have no voice left,” Three warns. “I promise I’ll steal that pretty scream of yours. By then, begging is all you’ll be able to do.”

“If you’re going to kill me,” I say, “then do it already and make it quick.”

Two snorts in amusement. “She’s exactly what we’ve been waiting for.”

“Tell us your name,” One orders.

“Wendy,” I lie, picking the first one that springs to mind.

A firm hand locks around my jaw, smothering the bottom part of my face. Fingers squeeze hard and push my cheeks together.

“Lies! Lies! Lies!” Three choruses. “Lies! Lies! Lies!”

“You will regret lying,” One says. He’s the one holding my face hostage, and he moves it left to right like he’s a puppet master pulling my strings. His body closes in, and he whispers, “We’ll make sure of that, Erin Acacia .”

He drops his hold, and my head flops.

“How do you know my name?” I stutter. “Why ask if you already knew the answer?”

The shadows slink away silently, scampering back into the dark abyss.

As soon as I’m sure they’re gone, I slide down the door, pulling my knees up to my chest to hug them, and listen to them crawl away, leaving the lingering smell of danger behind. Those three monsters somehow knew who I was all along.

Hours pass.

I keep expecting them to return, but they don’t. Perhaps the possibility alone is even worse. Mice scuttle around my ankles and strange noises, wails, and groans reverberate all around.

Finally, a rattle from outside brings me out of my daze.

The chains.

I stagger to my feet, ignoring the pins and needles tingling through my legs. I almost fall but catch the wall. Seconds later, the door opens and Dad stands in the doorway.

“Come, Erin,” he says, moving aside to let me pass. “It’s time to go home.”

I hobble out, refusing to look back at that hellhole, and follow Dad silently to the car. I don’t look up at the windows, but I feel their stares watching me. I won’t give them the satisfaction of seeing my face.

Dad hums under his breath while we walk. Unlike last night, his simmering anger has subsided. He opens the car door for me, as opposed to throwing me in like a piece of trash.

After fastening his seat belt, he turns to face me. Despite his smile, his eyes let me know that my unacceptable behavior hasn’t been forgiven.

“I hope you learned a valuable lesson last night,” he says.

“Yes, sir,” I reply, dutifully hanging my head in submission.

“Good,” he replies. “Then we needn’t speak of this again. Next time, I’m sure you’ll make the right choices.”

I swallow hard. “I will.”

As we drive out of Sunnycrest’s gates, I look back at the ominous building. What secrets reside within its walls? The border between its world and mine is thin. When we cross back into town and rejoin civilization, the neighborhood looks the same, yet everything feels different somehow.

I grab a strand of hair from around my face to twirl it, and my stomach flips when I find a chunk missing. One strand is at least three inches shorter than the rest. I choke down the vomit rising in my throat. The snipping. The scissors. His collection.

Although I’ve left Sunnycrest behind, a part of me remains there. With them…