Deviant

Chapter 20

Elias

So these are the chosen ones—the infamous Harvest Dozen.

God help us all.

This band of misfits and miscreants have no idea what they’ve got themselves into. Mind you, neither do I, but it’s safe to say that being selected for The Scourge isn’t supposed to be a happy occasion. These kids act like they are on their way to a vacation or something, instead of being en route to their deaths.

“Come on, slowpokes! It’s telling us to go that way! Let’s hustle!” A little brunette shrieks in excitement, poking at the screen of her watch as we continue to hike through the forest and up the mountain.

Jesus Christ.

I’m not sure I can handle this much stupidity.

Worst of all, it seems I’ve made myself a new friend.

No… not a friend—I’ve acquired a pet since the kid who has decided to tag along with me during this godforsaken hike hasn’t stopped yapping away like an excited puppy since we left Blackwater Falls.

“Ruby sure is a little ball buster, huh?” He nudges his elbow to my gut. “Don’t let her fool you, though. Her bark is worse than her bite. She used to be in my English Lit class back in high school, so I should know. Come to think of it, I think I went to school with almost everyone here at one point or another. Huh? Kinda makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Why The Scourge picked us, of all people?”

Though I don’t respond to avoid encouraging him, he continues on as if I have.

“Since you’re the oldest one here, you probably don’t know anyone, so how about I fill you in,” he adds eagerly, completely disregarding the annoyed groan I let out. “I’ve already mentioned who Ruby is, so I might as well introduce you to the guy strutting right in front of her, acting like the self-proclaimed leader he thinks he is. That’s David Hall—high school football captain and full-time jerk. But don’t take my word for it. Just give him a second to open his mouth and you’ll understand why I can’t stand him. He’s the kind of guy who thinks he’s better than everyone else. I can assure you that at this very moment, he’s wondering why any of us got picked, since he thinks he’s smarter than all of us combined. What a douche,” the kid proclaims not one bit bothered to show his dislike for the guy leading the group. Though I must admit, the kid’s nemesis does give me Aidan vibes, so I make a note to keep my eye on the fucker.

“Anyway, the two guys behind him are Cris Wilson and Michael Thomas. Cris is all brawn and no brains, but completely harmless. Big Mike, on the other hand, is a different matter. If you look up the word sleazy in the dictionary, I’m positive you’ll see his ugly mug there. I mean, I haven’t talked to him personally since we all graduated, so he might have changed since then, but I highly doubt it. The guy just gives off a bad vibe, you know what I mean?”

“If I say I do, will you stop with all these fucking introductions?” I grumble.

“You’re funny.” He laughs, thinking I’m joking.

“Anyway, where was I?” he starts, as I try to recall what fucked up thing I did in a past life to deserve such punishment. “Ah, right. So trailing right behind pea-brain Cris and shady Big Mike are Lucas Mitchell and Lucy Wright. Now, that’s a sad sight if I ever saw one.” He shakes his head as if he’s truly sad to see the pair here. “As you can see from the way Lucas is constantly drying Lucy’s tears and kissing her lips to make her feel better, they’re together—have been an item since middle school. Fucking breaks your heart, doesn’t it? I heard somewhere that Lucas was trying to save enough money for a ring to pop the big question to Lucy this year. The Scourge sure didn’t pull any punches when selecting those two for the Harvest Dozen.”

I suddenly find myself listening intently, surprised puppy-dog-eyes is so devastated by the couple’s predicament instead of worrying about his own.

“It’s just bad luck, I guess.” He shrugs, using his trekking pole to sweep aside some fallen leaves from his path with more force than necessary. “Sorry. I’m not usually a downer, but I can’t help feeling for them, you know?” He then shakes his head, as if trying to dislodge any lingering negativity that the couple’s hardship has caused him, and plants that stupid-ass goofy grin back on his face. “Now for the good part.” He claps his hands excitedly. “Let’s talk about all the hot single ladies we got with us on this psychotic venture.” He wiggles his brows before eyeing the girls in front of us. “So we already talked about the firecracker that is currently trying to keep pace with David, but Ruby doesn’t hold a candle to the other four girls in our group. In front of us is Mackenzie, the mayor’s daughter—probably the only girl here who needs no introduction, but right beside her is none other than the Harper Thomas,” he emphasizes the ‘the’ like that should mean something to me. “She’s all sorts of hot. I’ve had a crush on Harper since freshman year, but a girl like that would have never looked at me twice. I guess now that we’re all trapped to the same fate, she kind of has to, huh?” He bites his knuckles as he stares at her ass a few feet in front of us.

It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes at him like some prepubescent girl.

We’re literally walking to our deaths and this guy is thinking about his dick.

Though as I glance over at Mackenzie and Harper, I just don’t see what all the big fuss is about. They could be carbon copies of each other with their blonde ponytails and snug-fitted hiking pants so everyone can attest to the firmness of their asses. Don’t even get me started on why they are wearing tight V-neck t-shirts when it’s like eight degrees outside. Though I suspect the reason for their particular choice in outfits has something to do with the fact that everyone can see their tits bounce with every step they take. They leave nothing to the imagination. Just one look at the pair, and I already know what they are—easy disposable fucks. Maybe because I’m older, my tastes are just a little more refined than the kid’s. For everything there’s a season and apparently easy fucks no longer do it for me.

“Shit, sorry. Didn’t mean to drool all over your jacket,” he says pointing at the bit of dribble that made its way to my sleeve jacket.

He goes to grab my sleeve to clean the slobbering mess, but I snatch my arm away from him and clean it up myself.

This kid.

“Oh, wait, wait! I almost forgot,” he says, his excitement bubbling over as he tilts his head back, signaling for me to take a peek at the girls behind us. “We still have two more hotties to talk about.”

The corner of my lips dip into a frown when my eyes land on an exhausted Rowen as she wipes the sweat off her brow with a handkerchief. I turn my head front and center before she catches me staring. “No introduction needed. I already know who she is.”

“Oh, shit… that’s right,” the kid slaps his palm over his forehead like he should have known better than to try to introduce Rowen to me. “I totally forgot that Rowen used to be Nora’s BFF. Fuck. Sorry. I really dropped the ball on that one.” He then grows silent as if trying to figure out what he could say to make up for bringing my sister’s memory to the forefront of my mind. “Nora was a cool chick—the coolest,” he finally says as if his opinion matters shit to me. When he sees the scowl on my face, he quickly realizes his mistake and decides against ever bringing up Nora’s name again.

“Okay, obviously you know Rowen—my bad—but I bet you don’t know the girl that she’s currently walking with,” he starts, and before I can tell him I don’t give a rat’s ass, he starts chattering away again. “Her name is Abigail Jackson, but everyone calls her Abbie for short. Like Mackenzie, she just turned eighteen this year too, which is all sorts of shitty because that means she got selected on her first year attending the Harvest Festival too. Anyway, I doubt you’ll get much out of her. She’s the kind of quiet mouse you usually find hiding away in a library somewhere. Shame, cause she’s pretty cute. That red hair would really do it for me if I hadn’t already vowed my undying love for Harper.”

Jesus Christ, this kid!

“Listen here, puppy—”

“It’s Andy, actually,” he corrects, his big brown eyes lighting up now that I’ve decided to join what had been a one-sided conversation up to this point.

“Honestly, I don’t care,” I retort. “Not sure if you know this, but this shit isn’t a game. We’re not here to make friends or to find our fucking soulmate. The sooner you get that into your thick skull, the better. It might save your life.”

Andy goes silent for a minute, his head bowed, staring at the ground as we continue on our path.

“I hear what you’re saying, I do. But here’s the thing. I’m twenty-one. That’s it—just twenty-one. I’ve barely lived at all. Up until yesterday, I hadn’t even decided what I was going to do with my life, so you can imagine my shock to learn that I no longer had to, since I’m dead already. Seriously. You’re looking at a dead man walking. And knowing that shit… well, it kind of messes with your head. So if I prefer to distract myself with stupid shit just so I don’t have to think about all the ways I might die, can you really blame me?”

Fuck.

A part of me feels bad for the kid’s sob story, while the other part knows that everyone here has one of those—me included.

“If you’re looking for sympathy or some shit, you knocked on the wrong door, kid. I’m all out of shits to give,” I reply, though my gentle tone would suggest otherwise. “Not sure if you know this, but I haven’t been exactly living the life either.”

“Yeah, I know. I heard about your mom passing a few days back. Sorry.”

“Not your fault. You didn’t kill her.”

His forehead bunches at the odd statement, but at least he no longer holds the expression of a kicked puppy.

“Still, I’m sorry. And if you want me to leave and walk with someone else, I will. Just thought you could use some company. I sure wouldn’t mind it.”

“Look,” I let out an exaggerated exhale. “If you want to be my hiking partner, I guess I could do worse. Just try not to irritate me too much and we’ll be fine.”

“Deal,” he says, back to all smiles. But my warning must fall on deaf ears because the kid starts yapping again like an excited chihuahua not five minutes later.

On second thought, the kid is all golden retriever.

The Scourge is going to eat him alive.

Fuck.

We continue to walk through the dense forest, break for a thirty-minute lunch, and restart again. With the weather changing for the worse, threatening rain showers, the air becomes thick with fog as we all push through the dense underbrush of the mountain terrain. The rhythmic patter of light drizzle tapping against the leaves mingles with the low murmur of exhaustion and discontent from the pack. I can see it etched on their faces how their humor has deteriorated with the grayish weather. What once felt like an adventure has turned into a grueling punishment.

The trail turns darker as we navigate the uneven terrain, slippery roots and mud making each step feel like a gamble. I glance up at the group, their expressions a mix of irritation and resignation, yet we move on, the mist wrapping around us like a shroud, a reminder of our shared misery. When night starts to fall, shadows begin to swallow our path, yet we continue marching forward into the unknown, no one wanting to be the first to show signs of weakness. It’s only when I throw a glance over my shoulder to check on Rowen and see that she’s limping that I call everyone to a loud halt.

“That’s far enough for today,” I announce, throwing my backpack to the ground.

“Who says?” David, the guy Andy said was a class-A douche, challenges.

“By all means, if you’re so eager to continue on without us, have at it. I’m sure whoever is behind The Scourge will be all too happy to greet you when you arrive.”

His annoyed scowl quickly fades at the reminder.

“Elias is right. We’ve been walking nonstop for almost thirteen hours, and soon it will be too dark for us to see where we are going anyway,” the guy named Lucas interjects, taking the heavy backpack from his girlfriend’s back before attending to his own. “We’re all exhausted.”

“And don’t forget hungry,” Harper, Andy’s crush, chimes in, looking all too happy to follow Lucas’s orders instead of David’s.

“Let’s just make camp for the night and start fresh in the morning. I don’t know about you, but I’m in no hurry to get where we are supposed to go. Are you?” Lucas says, his gaze locked with David’s.

“Bunch of whiney pussies you all turned out to be, but whatever. If you all want to make camp, fine by me.”

“Geez, thanks,” I hear Rowen mumble under her breath sarcastically.

I don’t dare look in her direction, but I can’t help the little smirk that crests my lips at her defiance.

“Did you say something, Hawthorne?” David says intimidatingly, coaxing a tick to my jaw and my hands to curl into tight fists.

Andy eyes my clenched fists and smiles, giving my shoulder a little squeeze before whispering, “Easy there, tiger. I got this one.” He then steps in front of me and smiles at the bastard trying to bully Rowen. “Oh, shit, my bad. Didn’t you hear me the first time?” Andy says more loudly, taking the blame for Rowen’s not-so-hushed remark. “Let me repeat it then. I said, ‘Geez, thanks, asshole. So glad we have your approval to make camp. Who appointed you lord and commander anyway?”

“I should have known it was you, Scott. This isn’t high school anymore, and you’re not as funny as you think you are,” David rebukes with a smug smirk. “In fact, your whole class clown act was pathetic even then.”

Andy clasps his heart, faking a heart attack before pretending to go to his knees on the ground. “You wound me, sir. How will I ever be able to live down the shame?”

I don’t care what that other jackass says, the kid is fucking hilarious.

“I think you’re funny, Andy,” Harper interrupts, while batting her long eyelashes at him.

“You… umm… do, huh?” the kid stammers, looking like he’s two seconds away from having a real heart attack at the sight of his crush giving him googly eyes.

“I’ve always thought so. Even back in school. And I’ve always been a sucker for a man who can make me laugh at the drop of a hat,” she says and then does that thing all girls do to drive us red-blooded men crazy—nibbles on her bottom lip suggestively.

“Then how about you come with me to fetch some dry firewood, and I can tell you a few more jokes?”

“I’m game.” She giggles.

But before Andy gets a chance to run off with the woman of his dreams, I grab hold of his arm.

“Don’t go off too far. Stay where we can see you. There are bears, wolves, and all sorts of other creatures that would love nothing more than to snack on puppy bones. You feel me?”

“Ah, you’re worried about me. I’m touched,” he teases, his brown eyes sparkling. “I knew I’d grow on you,” he adds before skipping over to Harper with a broad smile on his face.

Fuck. I think the kid is right.

When the fuck did that happen?

Not wanting to think about that too much, I go and find a quiet place to pitch my tent. I doubt I’ll get much sleep tonight since someone should stay up and keep a watchful eye out, but I need a place to at least change, even if only my socks for a pair of dry ones to prevent blisters from showing up. I’m about to do just that when I see Abigail is having difficulty setting hers up.

It’s not your problem.

It is not your problem.

“Let me help you, Abbie,” I hear Rowen’s melodic voice say.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. Me and my dad used to camp out all the time. I’ll have your tent up in a jiff.”

“Thank you.”

Goddamn it.

If she’s going to help Abigail with her tent, who the hell is going to put hers up?

Soon it will be too dark to see anything in front of your face, much less put up a tent.

Fuck.

I scan our surroundings and find her discarded bag on the ground with the others. Cursing under my breath, I pick it up from the pile and choose a secluded area way from where the others are starting to put up their tents. For the next twenty minutes, I preoccupy myself with pitching her tent while watching her and Abigail try to put up theirs. Once I’m done, I walk across the campsite to where they are and snatch a tent pole out of Rowen’s hands.

“Hey,” she chastises, as I quickly assemble the pole.

“We don’t have all night. It will be morning by the time you two dimwits have this tent up,” I groan, assembling another pole.

“That’s not a very nice thing to say,” Abigail shyly retorts.

“Get used to it, Abbie. Elias isn’t a very nice man.” Rowen frowns, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration.

“She’s right. I’m not nice. Nor do I pretend to be. But then again, that’s probably what separates me—a grown-ass man—from the boys. I’m sure Rowen can attest to other ways how I differ from them, too. Isn’t that right, Roe?”

Rowen’s cheeks turn bright pink, making my cock twitch.

Damn, how I wish I hated that color on her.

“Let’s go, Abbie. We can help the others with dinner while Elias puts up your tent,” she says, throwing a side-eyed glance my way, thinking that shit hurts me when all it does is amuse me.

I just chuckle as I continue on with my task, but to my chagrin, it takes me a full half hour to figure out how to put Abigail’s tent up.

By the time I’m finished, Andy and Harper have already come back with some dry wood and have managed to make a large enough fire to heat up a pot filled with canned beans and mini sausages. It’s not fine dining, but it will do in a pinch.

Everyone circles around the campfire eager to eat their meal, uncaring that the light rain drizzle soaks through their clothes. When I see that there is an empty spot on the log Rowen is sitting on, I plop my ass beside her just to piss her off and dig into my bowl.

Rowen doesn’t utter a word, but neither does anyone else. Everyone is either too tired or too hungry to talk, because we go through dinner without so much as a sound. It’s only after we’ve cleaned up and sit close to the fire to keep warm, that fear starts to loosen some tongues.

“What do you think it will be like?” Harper asks to no one in particular.

“Do you mean The Scourge ?” the guy, who I think is named Chris, asks her.

“No, knucklehead. She means Disneyland! Of course, she’s talking about The Scourge. ” Big Mike says, slapping his friend across the head.

“Maybe we shouldn’t think about it yet,” Lucy, Lucas’s girlfriend, interjects, coaxing Lucas to hold her even tighter under his arm.

“Why not?” Mackenzie counters, making it the first time I’ve heard her speak all night. “It’s a valid question. We should talk about it. The not knowing is killing me.”

“But that’s just it, none of us know what to expect. If we let our imagination run rampant, then all we are doing is suffering before we actually need to,” Ruby exclaims, as if we all should know better than to start throwing out assumptions.

“Well, I would rather know what awaits us than go into it blind,” Mackenzie quips back in annoyance.

“I heard a rumor once,” Andy offers skittishly. “Though I’m not sure you guys want to hear it.”

“We’ll be the judge of that, Scott. Now spill it,” David orders, with that aggravating authoritarian tone of his.

“Okay, but just so you know… it isn’t pretty,” Andy swallows dryly. “I heard that the Harvest Dozen are taken to this weird as fuck cabin in the woods. There, they are chained and gagged and left to starve for days on end, until a bunch of rich assholes from big cities like New York and Los Angeles, come to release them from their chains and tell them to run naked through the woods, just so they can hunt the Dozen down with their shotguns,” Andy says softly, the gruesome image sending shivers down most of the girls’ spines.

“Thanks a lot, Andy,” Harper pouts. “I won’t be able to grab a wink of sleep tonight with the nightmare you just gave me.”

“I can come and sleep in your tent if that will make you feel safer?” The kid is quick with his comeback.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She winks at him.

“While you two lovebirds think this is all fun and games, you’re all losing track of the big picture. Look around,” David spews while standing up to his feet. “Only one of us will make it out alive, which means eleven of us are as good as dead. I’m not sure if you all got the same memo I did, but the Elias Larsen has somehow made the cut into the Harvest Dozen this year. So I’ll give you one fucking guess who will walk out of this alive and whose butchered bodies will end up floating down Silverstone Lake in a month’s time.”

When all eyes fall on me, my jaw ticks as a knee-jerk reaction.

“That’s not fair,” Rowen utters in my defense, getting up to her own feet to stare David down. “You have no idea who will win. You have no right to steal any hope we all might have of making it out of this alive. And doing so is just cruel.”

“Unless, of course, it’s a tactic,” I add, flicking leaves onto the campfire.

“What do you mean?” Mackenzie asks, intrigued.

“People who lose hope usually lose heart too. If they are already mentally defeated, then it makes them a whole lot easier to beat,” I reply, and when I see David’s lip curl up into another scowl, I know that was his intention all along.

“You motherfucker,” Lucas blurts out in outrage, pulling Lucy up with him. “What the hell are you trying to pull?”

“It’s like Ruby said. None of us know what to expect. I’m just evening out the playing field by separating the wheat from the chaff.”

“That’s low, dude, even for you,” Big Mike says, disgruntled, while his friend Chris nods in agreement.

Almost everyone around the campfire looks at David like he is the devil incarnate, except for Mackenzie. I don’t miss how, in Mackenzie’s eyes, David Hall just became a whole lot more interesting to her.

“You really are a jackass,” Harper says. “Come on, Andy, and tuck me into bed. I’ve had enough of this douche canoe for one night.”

“See ya.” Andy winks at me like he just hit the jackpot.

“Harper is right. It’s been a long-ass day. We’re going to call it a night,” Lucas says as he pulls his girl toward their tent.

“We should get some shuteye too,” Rowen says sweetly to her new friend. “Goodnight, Abbie.”

“Goodnight, Rowen.”

I wait for both girls to walk away from the campfire and watch Rowen look for her bag, only to find her tent is already set up. When she looks my way, I return my sights to the fire in front of me.

“We should take shifts to be on guard for the night,” Big Mike says, still eyeing his friend like he’s a piece of trash.

“Me and asshole over there can take the first shift,” I suggest, eyeing David from top to bottom.

“Fine by me,” he retorts, sitting back down.

“See you both in a few hours then,” Chris says, yawning.

When everyone is safely tucked away in their tents, I grab my pack of smokes and light up. I made it a point not to smoke today, knowing I needed all my lung capacity for the hike up. But now that the day has come to an end, it’s time I treat myself.

“Can I bum one?” David asks.

“Nope.” I pop the ‘p’ at the end and purposely start making rings out of every puff of smoke.

His nostrils flare, but he doesn’t ask for another cigarette again.

Even if I had more than this pack I wouldn’t give it to the pompous fucker.

“They are all delusional, you know?” he says, still eyeing me like I’m the bane of his existence.

“Oh, yeah? How so?”

“They think they can somehow make it out of this alive, but you and I know better.”

“Is that right?” I take another drag.

He nods, completely oblivious to the sarcasm in my tone.

“Damn straight. We’re the strongest of the group. The smartest too. If anyone is going to get that prize money, it’s one of us.”

“So that’s what this is for you? A way to make some serious cash?”

“Of course! What else?” he says, sounding offended I would think otherwise.

“Most people would be more concerned about staying alive and making sure that their friends did too.”

“You can’t be serious?” He laughs. “Just because I went to school with most of these assholes doesn’t make us friends. Even if they were, who gives a shit? My dad taught me to always look out for number one. And I am.” He goes as far as pointing his thumb to his chest to make his point.

“Funny. My dad also tried to teach me that same lesson, but it didn’t take,” I retort, flicking my cigarette into the fire. “I guess some of us learn from our parents’ mistakes, while others are doomed to repeat them.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” he asks, annoyed.

“It means that I’ve had enough of your voice for one night. Either shut up and stand guard, or I’ll find something to gag you with so that I don’t have to hear another word come out of your mouth.”

“Come on, don’t be that way. I thought that maybe we could make a pact. An alliance of some sort,” he explains with a nefarious grin.

“You thought fucking wrong. Are there any other irritating questions you would like to ask? Or should I look for that gag now?”

If his eyes could kill me, then I’d be as good as dead, but since they can’t, I’m not one bit bothered by the mean glower he throws my way.

“Glad we’re finally in agreement,” I say, putting an end to this conversation.

It’s always good to know who our friends are, but one thing I’ve learned in life is that it’s even better to know who your enemies are.

And by the looks of it, I just made one in David Hall.