“A bitch should always be on a leash,” Law states. “On her knees, ready and willing.”
Unable to get myself free, the panic rises, and I lift my knee, connecting with his balls, and he drops the chain. As he hits his knees, I run out of the chapel, shoving the double doors open and heading down the dark hall. Reaching up, I remove the chain from around my neck and toss it to the floor. I turn a corner and scream out when I slam into someone.
“Are you okay?” a woman asks me.
“Fine,” I breathe, quickly looking over my shoulder to see if they have chased me as my heart pounds in my chest.
“Are you sure?” she continues.
I nod quickly and turn back to face her. She looks older than me, but not by much. Her long dark hair is down and curled in big waves. She wears a red long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up. My eyes catch sight of a scar running along her forearm, then instantly snap up to hers, hoping she didn’t catch me staring. Her green eyes look me over with worry. And I wonder if I’ve got marks from the chain around my neck.
“Looks like you’ve seen a ghost,” another woman says, coming up beside her. The blonde with blue eyes crosses her arms over her chest. Her eyes go to the ceiling. “I imagine there are a lot in this place.” She smiles as if she likes that thought.
“Yeah,” I breathe. “I guess.”
“Another reason we should get the fuck out of here.” A guy comes up behind her and wraps his arms around her shoulders, pulling her back to his front.
“Give it up, Deke. We’re staying,” the blonde tells him, rolling her eyes, but she doesn’t push him away. The rock on her ring finger lets me know he’s either her husband or this is where she brings her side piece. Noticing his ring confirms it’s her husband.
“This place is identical to Silence,” another man growls, coming to stand next to the brunette. “Boring and uneventful. At least this place was free.”
She looks up at him and smiles. “Can you try to pretend you want to be here?”
“No,” he replies flatly.
The guy looks like he wants to punch someone in the throat. His blue eyes are narrowed on nothing in particular, and his plump lips are set in a hard line.
She turns to face him fully. “I want to be here. Isn’t that good enough?” she asks, placing her arms around his neck.
He looks down at her, and his hard lines soften just a tad, but he doesn’t answer her.
“Henley?”
I spin around at the sound of my name to see Lacey running toward me. “Where did you go? I was worried sick about you.” She comes to a stop and looks at the two couples I ran into. “Oh,” she says, looking back and forth between them. “Hello. I’m Lacey.” She reaches out her right hand, thinking I know these people and we’re meeting up with them here.
The brunette I ran into smiles. “Hi. I’m Austin …”
I grab Lacey’s outreached hand and yank it back. We don’t have time for this. The guys are still here somewhere, and it’s apparent they plan to fuck with me tonight. “We gotta go,” I announce.
“Where were you?” she asks once we’re away from them.
I look over my shoulder to see if the guys have followed me. All I see are the couples, and now a third one has joined them. “The Reapers … They—”
“What?” she interrupts. “What did they do?”
“I …” With a deep breath, I rub my sore neck. “They …”
Music begins to pound so loud it shakes the dirty walls. I flinch and place my hands over my ears. “It’s time!” I shout.
“For what?” she yells back.
“Come on.” I grab her hand, yanking her down the hall, and run back by the chapel. We come to the end, and you can go right or left to stand on the circular balcony in the atrium. We choose to go right and squeeze our way to the railing. Looking down below to the first floor, I see an arena type structure. It’s the cafeteria where the students once gathered for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s one of the largest open rooms here at Death Valley. It’s also where I sat the night Scout brought me inside after he found me lying on the lawn. They’ve cleared out the tables for the fights.
A man who I know by the name of Matthew stands in the middle dressed in a pair of stained jeans and a white wifebeater. The music changes to “Shoots and Ladders” by Korn, and I stiffen as a figure steps into the center.
It’s Scout.
He removes his mask, then his hoodie, and tosses them both over to Law, who has already discarded his mask. A crowd begins to form below our balcony on the first floor. I look up to the third, fourth, and fifth levels. People are hanging over the railing on the open floors above. They’re banging their hands and large pieces of wood on the concrete. Some even have chains and bats.