Grandpa told me that Mom and Dad decided on a closed casket for the “viewing.” He didn’t say why, but I could guess. Whatever happened to her in those woods made her face unfixable. My determination returns full force as the guys cross through the backroads, through Russ Park, looking shady as fuck.
Where’s law enforcement at times like this? When you actually need them?
Probably at home sleeping while the guys who murdered my sister sneak off into the night and leave this town for college, scot-free.
If no one else is going to take this seriously and solve the case, I will.
Part of me feels like I owe it to Madison to learn the truth. It was supposed to be me in that casket. It feels like it’s the least I can do. The other part, that part feels like I owe it to myself to get some answers.
Why was I even on their radar to begin with?
I sneak through the trees after them, trying to steer clear of anything that may draw their attention to me. I follow the sound of their voices until they stop moving. I’m breathless, my side stitching with pain from the long walk. The night air is brisk, leaving a constant chill down my spine. It makes my nose runny, and every time I take a breath, I can see the plume of air hovering before me. My face feels frozen and wind chapped.
I remain a few yards away from where the guys have stopped, not wanting to risk getting any closer. I pause,trying to listen to the tail end of their conversation, while peeking around from one of the thick redwoods.
“Just calm the fuck down, Trent!”
“No! Goddammit, Vincent, I fucking told you this would happen. We’re going to—”
“Shut the fuck up!” Zach yells, startling me. The guys go silent. He starts pacing, raking his hands through his hair. “We didn’t do anything wrong, right? We have nothing to fucking worry about, understand me? We leave for college in less than two fucking weeks. The least you can all do is hold it the fuck together until then.”
“She knows—”
“She doesn’t know anything. Now shut your fucking mouth. Stick to the fucking script, Marcus.”
My eyes are wide as I try to spot them through the trees and stray brush. My heart is pounding. It’s so loud, I’m afraid it’ll give away my hiding spot, and they’ll find me. Their voices start to trail off again as if they’re moving, and I move, trying to keep up with them. I follow after them as best as I can, but I can’t hear them anymore. I can’t hear anything, but the blood roaring in my veins and the sound of my heavy breathing.
My pulse thuds erratically; the beat is frantic and filled with adrenaline. Blood rushes in my ears as I internally try to process that conversation. I don’t have much time to give Sheriff Keller a reason to charge one of them. All I need is one. And who could they have been talking about? Was it me? It had to be me, right?
As far as my knowledge goes, I was the only one following their every move. There’s no other explanation. I’m the only person in this town causing them any trouble. I’ve been trying to find any dirt on them, and now they must kno—
I’m harshly yanked to the side and slammed up against a redwood.
“Ah!” I cry out, pain ripping through the back of my skull.
A hand slaps over my mouth, keeping me from screaming. My chest heaves, and when the figure steps in front of me, pinning me against the tree, all the color drains from my face.
“Following us now, are you, Mackenzie?” Zach taunts, glaring daggers at me. His palm is still over my mouth, effectively silencing me. I wiggle against the tree, trying to buck his weight off me, but he only presses into me further. His body cages me against the bark, and bile rises up my throat.
“You really are a dumb little bitch, aren’t you? I thought we told you to stay away,” Marcus barks from somewhere over Zach’s shoulder. I glance around frantically, my vision blurring as tears spring to my eyes.
Zach removes his hand from my mouth, and I consider screaming, but I know the chances of anyone hearing me are slim to none. And I know if I do scream, it’ll be the last thing I ever do.
“I wasn’t—”
Zach smacks his hand against the bark, just inches away from my head. I whimper in fear, cowering away from him. “Don’t fucking lie to me,” he seethes, dipping his head down to get in my face. His eyes are murderous, practically blazing the skin off my face. “Leave us the fuck alone, Mackenzie. You won’t like what happens if we have to tell you again.”
His spittle lands on my face, and the way he just expects me to do as he says has my anger boiling. My hands curl into fists, and I grit my teeth together as frustration courses through my body.
“Fuck you!” I growl, throwing him a venomous glare.
He chuckles, his eyes still dark pools of evil, and he steps into me, rubbing his groin into my body. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, fucking whore? Is that all you want? A go with all of us? I can get the train started right fucking now, Mackenzie. What do you say, want to have some fun?”
He trails one hand between my legs, and I try to buck him off, but with his free hand, he, squeezes my neck, cutting off my air supply. When his fingers push against the seam of my pants, tears spring to my eyes.
“Who do you want to fuck you first, Mackenzie?” he taunts, choking me even harder. “It’s Trent, isn’t it?” He chuckles. “Yeah, I know it is. Maybe I’ll let him pop that cherry, and I’ll fuck you right here. What do you say, sweet little Mackenzie?” His hand trails from the front of my seam to the crack of my ass, and my eyes widen with fear. Tears fall helplessly from my eyes as I try to push him off me.
“I could fuck you right now, leave you here, used and abused, and no one would ever know a thing.”
I hear laughter. The rest of the guys are laughing at me. He’s degrading me in front of everyone, making me the laughingstock, just as I was that night at the bonfire.
A choked sob flies past my lips. “P-please.”
Zach laughs as though my begging delights him. “You should really be more careful. I heard your sister was murdered not far from here,” he whispers, bringing his face right next to mine. He lets go of my neck, and I sputter, sliding down the length of the tree. My chest wracks with broken, silent sobs, and my feet dig into the dirt. I open my mouth, sucking in air, trying to catch my breath. When I do, I process his words, and my chest tightens.
“You would know, wouldn’t you?” I accuse, glaring up at him. I know I’m playing with fire by broaching the subject, but I don’t care. I want him to pay.
Zach smiles darkly, and he drops to his haunches, smugly leaning into me. I jerk away, bracing myself against the tree, wishing it would just swallow me whole. His arm jerks out, latching onto my bicep, and his grip on me tightens to the point of pain. “Big words coming from you.”
“I know you guys did it.”
His eyes narrow. “You don’t know shit. Keep running that fucking mouth, and you’re going to wish it was you who died at the fucking rock, understand me?”
He shoves my body back against the bark, knocking the air out of my lungs in the process. Then he’s gone, storming through the woods with the rest of them, without so much as a backward glance.
The photograph trembles in my hand, so I set it down on the desk, trying to shake off the memory. That was the last straw for me. I hated giving up on my sister like that, but I knew if I continued to pursue them, I would end up on the same path as Madison. And chances were, on that path, I’d find the same fate she did. Death.