Primrose and I finally make it back to the crowd of students as a guide claps to get our attention. “All right, fresh meat, let’s get this over with.” Our guide is less than friendly as he points out each building and what classes they hold.
“This place is magical,” Primrose says as she does a small twirl.
“I know, right? It’s, like, straight out of a novel.”
“And this is the library,” the guide mumbles.
All of our heads rise to take in the vast expanse of the building, the wide stained-glass windows made up of reds, yellows, and greens. But then my head tilts as I see something fall from the top of the ceiling, smacking against the vibrant building. My stomach churns as I make out the bloody body that’s held by a rope around his neck. I can’t see much of his features, but his stomach is cut open and his intestines are spilling out, dropping to the library steps with a sickening smack.
I hear a scream that jerks my eyes to Primrose as her eyes begin to roll back in her head. I move into action, wrapping my arms around her waist as she faints in my arms. The students that were on the tour with us begin to run off, leaving Primrose and I alone with the dead body.
“Shit,” I mumble as I sink to the sidewalk.
I position Primrose’s head in my lap, pushing her hair out of her face. “Come on, Primrose.” I lightly pat her cheek.
“Do you need some help?” I look over my shoulder, frowning when I see Beckett and Vance. I don’t really have a choice. I’m not sure I can get her back to our dorm or the infirmary by myself, so I nod.
Vance leans down, tucking his arms under Primrose’s head and legs, gently scooping her up. “Hey,” I say. He pauses, looking down at me. “You better not hurt her.”
His lips twitch. “What would you do if I did?”
“Shove your dick down your throat until you chocked to death.”
He grins. “Nice. I like it.” I glare at his back as I follow him to the dorms.
Beckett steps in beside me but I ignore him. Wishing these fuckers didn’t know where we live, but not really having any other choice.
Vance pushes the door to our dorm open, following me to Primrose’s room. I watch him closely as he lays her down. And with one last look at her, he takes a step back. We walk out of her room, but I leave her door cracked. I sigh, turning around to face the intruders. “What the fuck kind of college is this?”
“A fun one,” Vance offers. I scowl at him in response.
Beckett just stands there watching me closely. I move past them, holding the door open for them to leave.
“Please, leave.” I gesture to the door. They go, not saying a word.
I slam the door, locking the deadbolt and shutting off the light as I head to my room. I stop to peek in on Primrose and find her still fast asleep. I leave my door ajar and sit on my freshly made bed. Sighing, I look over to the window, catching sight of an envelope taped to the glass. My stomach sinks as I slowly rise, walking over and grabbing it. I tear the envelope open and stare at the typed message.
Don’t trust them.
3
Brixley
Haveyou ever heard of that saying, ‘I woke up feeling as fresh as a daisy’? Yeah, that’s never happened to me. I yawn, tying my running shoes and grabbing a zip-up jacket from my closet. I don’t enjoy running or exercise, really, but I do it almost every morning. My aunt Beth and I started doing it when I was young. She says it clears the mind and soul or some bullshit.
I walk into the kitchen. Primrose sits at the table, nursing a cup of hot chocolate. “I had an awful dream last night,” she begins. “There was a body hanging from the library, the intestines were…” She shudders, sipping her hot chocolate. “Probably just nerves from being in a new place.”
My face falls a little. I don’t want to rain on her parade, but she’s going to figure out quickly that what she just described wasn’t a dream. “How about we go for a light jog?” I offer. I’ll break the news later. Honestly, after what we saw, we should probably stay in, but the campus has not been put on lockdown, which makes me believe we are safe. They wouldn’t keep the campus open if it wasn’t safe, right?
She smiles. “Yeah, okay. Just give me a second.”
A few minutes later, Primrose returns in leggings and a big sweatshirt, her long platinum hair tied in a braid, dripping over her shoulder like Disney’s Elsa. “Are you ready?” I ask.
She grins, nodding as we head out the door.
The campus is quiet, the sun peeking through the trees as a cool breeze brushes over the exposed skin of my stomach. We’ve only been running for a few minutes when Primrose stops, balancing her hands on her knees as she bends over. “Break, please.” I laugh as she falls down to the sidewalk.
I sit beside her, leaning back on my hands as we catch our breaths. “Hey, Primrose?”