Deviant

Chapter 34

Rowen

I was only friends with Harper for a little over two weeks, and yet I suffered her loss as hard as I suffered Nora’s. In that short space of time, I grew to care for her just as deeply as I had my childhood best friend.

This is what The Scourge does to us.

It makes us tap into these deep meaningful emotions, coaxing us to create bonds and friendships, only to steal them from us.

And though my suffering feels unbearable, Andy’s misery is far greater than my own.

So far, he’s refused to tell us what happened in the white room, and if I’m honest, it’s a blessing that he hasn’t. I don’t want my last memory of my friend to be the image of how she died.

Harper’s gone, and nothing anyone says or does will change that.

These past few days, Elias has split his time vigilantly watching over me and Andy, fearing that one, if not both of us, will do something tragically stupid in our grief.

I want to tell him that he shouldn’t worry about me.

That this time… things are different.

I wouldn’t dream of doing something I can’t take back… not when I have him now.

But words fail me because The Scourge doesn’t allow time outs to grieve a loved one, much less allow us time to talk about matters of the heart.

Like clockwork, after three days, we are all expected to attend yet another twisted game by our hosts.

“Do you think Henry made Andy the same proposition he did Lucy?”

“If he did, then Abbie would turn him away. She wouldn’t be able to hurt a fly, much less Andy, who she knew Harper loved.”

“I’m not as convinced,” Elias mumbles mistrustingly.

“Even if for some weird reason you don’t trust Abbie, then at least trust that she loved Harper. There is no way she would ever hurt Andy. Not even for The Scourge’s sake.”

“Fair enough,” he retorts, placing a kiss on the top of my head. “But that leaves Ruby.”

“Yes, that leaves Ruby.” My shoulders slump at the reminder.

If Elias doesn’t trust Abbie, then I can say the same thing of Ruby. I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her. We already know she isn’t above emotional blackmail. I wouldn’t be surprised if she used Andy’s frail state of mind against him, just so she could get ahead of the game.

Out of all of us, she has been left unscathed by The Scourge, having never been to the basement and only attending one group trial where Abbie gave her a little pinprick. We all have gone to hell and back, and yet Ruby has managed to not be tainted by any of it.

When our watches start buzzing, my body immediately goes to fight or flight mode.

“It’s time. Henry is waiting to take us to the boardroom,” I announce, pulling myself away from Elias’s embrace, only to have him pull me back on his lap.

“Just give me a few more seconds,” he says, needing my warmth to get him through this next stage in The Scourge.

Once he feels he can handle what’s about to happen, he turns my face to his and presses a chaste kiss to my lips.

Hand in hand, neither of us says anything as we walk downstairs, finding Henry and the rest of the group waiting for us in the large entry hall.

“Thought you two were going to be a no show,” Mackenzie pouts. “I was kind of hoping to see what The Scourge would have done to you if you didn’t show up.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Elias snarls at her.

David, who is usually the one to be eager for the games to start, is oddly mute, having had Mackenzie chop off a bit of his ear in the last challenge.

But it’s not him that either Elias or I are concerned about. It’s the boy who stands at the corner of the entry hall, staring at his feet instead of making eye contact with us.

“Please, follow me,” Henry says before darting off in the direction of the boardroom.

We do as instructed, Elias’s stare fixed on Andy as our friend trails behind Henry with his head still bowed.

“Please sit next to your chosen partners,” Henry announces once we reach the boardroom.

Elias keeps a watchful eye on Andy, inwardly praying that he takes his usual seat, but when Andy sits next to Ruby, my heart falls to the pit of my stomach.

“No!” Elias growls, slapping his hands on the table. “Get up! Get up, Andy. Don’t you dare do what I think you’re about to do.”

But Andy just keeps his head bowed low, incapable of facing Elias.

“I said get up, Andy! That is not your chair! Get up, or I’ll force you to get up!”

It’s when Elias rushes over to his side of the table that Andy slams his fist onto it.

“STOP!” he shouts, freezing Elias to his spot. “Just… stop, E.”

We all stare at Andy as he gets up from his seat and walks over to Elias.

“Let me die like a man for fucks’ sake.”

Elias shakes his head, not wanting to hear anything that Andy has to say.

“Listen to me, E. Listen to me, brother,” Andy pleas, placing his hands on Elias’s shoulders. “I’m going to die either way, why not today?”

“You don’t know that.”

“You never lied to me before, E. Don’t do it now.” Andy offers him a weak smile. “The game is rigged. It’s fucking rigged. There was no way I could have won. Nor would I have wanted to. Not after losing Harper.” He then looks at me with pity in his eyes. “They’re going to take her from you too. That’s what this place does. It takes and takes until there is nothing left. Not even our humanity.”

“Andy, please don’t fucking do this,” Elias begs, his voice strangled with emotion.

“I know it’s going to get shitty here without me,” he tries to joke. “But you’ll get through.”

“Stop cracking jokes, Andy. This is fucking serious. This is your life we’re talking about.”

“I know that. And I should decide when I want to go out.”

Elias continues to shake his head, not wanting to give in to his friend’s desires.

“Did I tell you how she died?” Andy says softly, his brown eyes meeting Elias’s midnight blue for the first time.

“They had her bond to these weird ass wooden planks in a shape of an X. They ordered me to throw five knives at her and aim it at her heart. ‘The first one to hit the bullseye wins,’ they said,” he scoffs in distaste. “How the hell could they expect me to kill the only woman I ever loved? I just couldn’t do it. So, even blindfolded, I threw the knives everywhere but at her,” he continues to explain, his voice starting to crack. “But then it was Harper’s turn… she waited for me to take her place on the fucked-up X… waited for them to bind my wrists and ankles to it… and then she kissed me and said that she was happy that the last face she saw was mine. And then…” he bows his head as if reliving that day all over again. “She took one of the knives and used it on herself, stabbing her heart with it to ensure the game would come to an end. But the fuckers didn’t release me from their steel cuffs until she was good and dead. Harper knew we wouldn’t survive The Scourge, but she couldn’t bear to watch me die. She loved me that much. So now it’s my time, brother. It’s my time to have my seven minutes and see my girl’s face one last time.”

Tears fall down my face as Andy pulls an unconsolable Elias into a hug.

“I love you, brother. Please… let me die with my humanity intact.”

I know the minute Elias has given up challenging Andy when his shoulders slump and he hugs Andy back.

No one in the room dares to say anything when the two part ways, Elias taking a seat next to me and Andy next to Ruby. We all wait for Henry to nod at the cameras, knowing that is the hosts’ cue to send their nefarious texts. No one is surprised when Andy and Ruby get one. But when neither Elias nor I receive a text, my anxiety shoots to the roof.

Abbie.

I pull my focus away from my watch and glance at the only friend I have left, surprised to see her sitting alone.

“Abbie? Who are you partnered with?”

“I don’t have a partner. It was Chris, remember?” she says nervously, tugging at her cardigan’s sleeves.

“Then who else got a text?”

“That would be me,” Big Mike snickers. “Don’t worry, Rowen. I’ll take plenty good care of little Abbie.” He winks at her.

Abbie grows pale at The Scourge’s choice of partner, and frankly, I’m not too keen on him being the one to protect her either. Elias is so troubled about Andy having to go down into the basement that he doesn’t even register that Abbie is facing the same danger.

“Henry, since Abbie doesn’t have a partner, could she change with someone else? Someone who has been selected?”

“I’ll go with her,” David is quick to offer his services.

“Jumping ship already?” Mackenzie rolls her eyes at him.

“You nearly cut off my ear, you crazy psycho!” David grumbles at her.

“Quit whining like a little bitch. You’re alive, aren’t you?”

“Barely. You could have chopped my head off!”

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll get my chance again today.” Mackenzie taunts.

But as they bicker back and forth, I realize David chose to sit opposite Mackenzie today, obviously still bitter from how their last game turned out.

And before Henry can refuse my request, I stand up and stare at the cameras.

“Every set of games has rules. You made that abundantly clear since we’ve arrived. One of those rules was for us to sit next to our chosen partners. Aside from Andy and Ruby, neither of the other four participants sat next to anyone, which means they still have a choice on who they go down into the basement with.”

My chest heaves as I wait for a sign, any sign that they’ve heard me.

“I’m sorry, Lady Hawthorne, but the rules were broken by the participants, not by our hosts. Therefore, today’s chosen pairing will be Master Scott accompanying Lady Mitchell, Master Hall with Lady Davenport, and lastly, Master Thomas with Lady Jackson.”

I throw Abbie a despairing look, but her attention is solely on Big Mike and the triumphant smirk curving his lips.

“You have been chosen,” Henry reminds us. “As is the norm, I will return within the hour and take the six chosen to their next game. Bid your friends goodbye, as a least one of you, will not return.”

I rush over to where Abbie is sitting, go to my haunches, and grab her hands.

“Don’t be scared, Abbie. Don’t let him see that he scares you.”

Her body trembles as she slightly lowers her face to mine. “Is the black room how it sounds?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is it black? I mean… is it dark in there?”

“Kind of, why?”

She lifts her head, panic in her gaze as she stares at Big Mike across the table.

“I can’t be alone with him in the dark. I… just… can’t.”

She then jumps up and tells me that she would rather spend the rest of the hour alone.

I’m at a loss on how to help Abbie. I turned to Elias for any suggestions he might have, only to find him in a corner of the room talking with Andy. I was so wrapped up in trying to help Abbie survive her game, that for a fleeting moment, I forgot that this might be the last time I ever see Andy again. I feel as if someone just hit me square in the chest, leaving me overwhelmed with a sense of impotence and powerlessness.

When Abbie comes back, looking more resolute, I rush yet again to her side, needing to help at least one of my friends face The Scourge.

“I know he’s scary. I know he’s a brute and a total pig at times. But you need to face your fears. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to pick which room you want, so that means if The Scourge knows that you don’t want to be alone with Big Mike in the dark, then the black room is exactly the room they’ll pick.”

Her eyes widen in alarm.

“I can’t,” she says, shaking her head. As her body begins to tremble, I instinctively grip her shoulders for support.

“You can and you will. The Scourge is a suckler for the rules, right? Well, one of those rules says that no one can lay a finger on the other without their say-so. When Elias killed Chris, they made it very clear whoever broke that sacred rule would be punished. So the minute you two are alone in that room, remind Big Mike of that. I guarantee you that his self-preservation will kick in, and he’ll leave you alone.”

“Okay. I can do that,” she says more confidently, her fear seeming to subside with this plan.

“Good. That’s good, Abbie,” I praise, pulling her into a hug. “This will all be over before you know it. I promise you.”

“What about Andy?” she whispers anxiously.

My shoulders slump at her question, as we both give our friend one final glance.

“He’s made his choice. We have to respect it. No matter how much it hurts.”

The Persian rug beneath Elias’s feet shows the telltale signs of his anxiety, its vibrant patterns shifting and blurring as he paces restlessly in the den, his fingers raking through his hair in frustration. It’s been well over an hour since Henry took our friends downstairs, and still we haven’t heard news from any of them.

Though when they do finally show up, I predict that Andy will not be amongst them.

I know in my heart that Andy will not survive today’s challenge. He made it very clear what his intentions were. Only Elias still clings to hope, and I can’t bear to snatch that away from him— The Scourge will strip it from all of us sooner or later. But just as that chilling thought creeps into my mind, a sudden commotion erupts from the hallway. Elias and I dash toward the sound, discovering David limping, his arm draped around Big Mike for support as he tries to walk upright. Trailing behind them is a smirking Mackenzie and a crestfallen Abbie.

“What happened?” Elias and I say in unison.

“What does it look like? The fucking bitch sawed off my toes!” David shouts pissed.

“You told me to keep it above the waist. I thought your feet were fair game.” She shrugs like it was his fault.

I pull Abbie aside giving her a once over to see if she’s alright. She looks a bit shaken, but at least she’s whole.

“Are you okay?”

She nods.

“You were right. They did place us in the black room.”

“And?”

“And I told him what you said. That he couldn’t hurt me. If he did, The Scourge would punish him.”

“And that kept him in line?”

“It did.” She gives me a weak smile.

“Oh, thank God.” I pull her into a hug. “I was so worried.”

But as I have Abbie safe and sound in my arms, I see that two of the chosen that went down, are nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Andy?” Elias asks, after he scans the hallway and doesn’t see him. “Where the fuck is Andy?”

“He’s dead, Elias,” Abbie whispers.

Elias just stares at her like she just spoke a foreign language.

“And Ruby?” I ask.

“She’s alive.”

My brows furrow since there is no sign of her anywhere.

“I don’t believe it. I have to see him for myself. Where’s Henry?!” Elias starts to shout, his expression a dangerous mix of fury and madness.

“We left him downstairs… you know… to take care of the body,” Abbie informs him.

“Elias—”

But before I can get a word in, Elias dashes toward the basement. I sprint after him, but he’s just too fast, leaping two stairs at a time. By the time I reach him, he’s already at the painted doors, hurling himself against the white door, trying to kick it down.

“Goddamn it!” he shouts with frustration as his boot repeatedly makes contact with the door, yet it still doesn’t budge.

“It’s made of fiberglass, Elias. You can’t kick it down like that. Besides, Henry is probably long gone.”

“Fine. Then I know where he’ll be next.”

“Elias!” I shout to gain his attention, but he just runs past me again.

I run after him as fast as my legs allow, only to see him open the double doors to the mansion.

“Elias, no!” I scream as he darts outside. Fear crawls up my spine, picturing a dozen dogs feasting on his flesh. But when I step through the doors, my heart races at the sight of Elias at the gate, pulling Andy’s mangled body away from Henry’s cart. As I close the distance, I hear the hopeless murmur of Henry trying to console an inconsolable Elias.

“Master Larsen, I know the pain that you must be feeling is unbearable, but the body that you are clinging to, no longer belongs to Master Scott. He’s at peace now. Away from this horrid place.”

It’s the first time I’ve ever heard Henry speak ill of the mansion and his bosses by affiliation.

“Henry,” I call out softly. “Just give him a minute. To say goodbye, at least.”

“I can give you a few minutes—nothing more,” he says, no longer looking shackled by his employers’ rules.

I stand to the side as I watch Elias brush Andy’s hair away from his face, holding him in his lap.

“He was so annoying at first. Always following me around like a lost puppy. But he made me laugh. Fuck. He was such a funny kid. So full of life in him. He didn’t deserve to go out like this. He didn’t.”

Tears begin to sting my eyes as I watch the man I love say goodbye to the only friend he’s ever had.

“Master Larsen… Elias, it’s time,” Henry says after a few minutes pass by.

I bite my inner cheek when Elias places Andy’s body back on the cart.

Elias is right.

Andy didn’t deserve to die this way. Nor did he deserve to have his body dumped into a cart like someone is taking out the trash.

He didn’t deserve it.

But neither did Harper.

Or Chris.

Or Lucy.

Or Lucas.

The Scourge is picking us off one by one, mercilessly and without prejudice.

Soon our time will also come, and it will be our mangled bodies Henry must dispose of.

We watch as Henry opens the iron gate and wheels Andy’s body away into the forest to parts unknown. But as I watch him disappear into the forest, I realize that he didn’t lock the iron gate behind him. Either intentionally or lapse in judgment, Elias and I have an opportunity to leave this nightmare behind.

“Do you see that? The gate is open, Elias. Henry forgot to lock it or maybe he wants us to make a run for it. Elias… do you hear me… the gate is open.”

“Then go. Run. I’m too exhausted to care.”

My brows furrow as he turns around and heads back to the mansion. I stand there at the iron gate, and just stare at the large forest in front of me. Freedom is within arm’s reach and yet it feels like it couldn’t be further away.

I could run. I could take Henry’s silent gift and just run as far and as fast as I can away from here. Away from The Scourge. Away from Blackwater Falls. Away from all this suffering.

But not without Elias.

Never without Elias.

If death is his console, then I’ll join him.

For there is no life worth living without him by my side.

I would face a hundred Scourges for one more day with him.

Having made peace with that, I turn around to head back to the mansion only to come face to face with a crazed-eyed Ruby, who is currently drenched from top to bottom with Andy’s blood.

If David’s and Mackenzie’s game included a saw, I shudder to think what weaponry Ruby had to use.

“You’re a fucking plague, you know that?”

“Excuse me?” I ask, taken aback by the hatred I see swimming in her eyes.

“Everything you touch goes to shit. First Nora. Then Harper. Even Andy, because of you, his blood is on my hands.”

“That’s not true. I had nothing to do with Harper or Andy’s deaths.”

Her eyes blaze with a possessed intensity, flickering like wild flames ready to consume everything in their path. And right now, the only thing in her way is me.

“I see you left out Nora’s name in that list. Does that mean you’re to blame for her death?”

I thin my lips, refusing to answer her question.

“You fucking bitch! I knew Nora couldn’t have died from and overdose. She wouldn’t mess with drugs, let alone fentanyl. Which means you must have killed her!”

This time, it’s not the crazed look in her eyes that gives me pause, but the large knife she’s pointing in my direction.

“See? I knew you were no good. But somehow you always manage to fool everyone that comes in contact with you. You fooled Nora. Tricked her into choosing you over me. You tricked Harper. And now you want pull Abbie into your treacherous web, too. Well, I won’t let you do it! If The Scourge refuses to end you, then I’ll gladly do it for them.”

My heart pounds in my chest as Ruby lunges at me, the glint of the large knife slicing through the air. I duck just in time, my fingers brushing the cold iron of the gate as we grapple, her breath hot and ragged against my neck. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, I twist and shove her head against the unforgiving metal, and she stumbles back, dazed. I don’t waste a second—I sprint across the yard, the dead grass tearing beneath my sneakers. But just as help seems within reach, I feel her weight crashing onto my back, dragging me to the ground with a visceral thud. In a desperate roll, the knife slips into my grasp. And as panic and instinct collide, I plunge it into her chest, the world fading into a chilling silence, save for the gurgling noises that she makes… followed by her last gasps for air.

I’m so in shock that I don’t move Ruby’s body off me, still reeling from the last few seconds.

But as I look at her face, her eyes still wide open, staring at me, I let out a loud wail before pushing her off me.

“What have I done?” I hold my knees to my chest as I begin to rock back and forth, just staring at Ruby’s lifeless body.

I bite into my cheek, grappling with how I can go from one moment, on the verge of reclaiming my freedom, to the next, ending Ruby’s life. Nora’s death might have been an accident… but this…

I meant to kill her. I needed to kill her. I wanted to kill her.

It was either her or me.

I crawl back on my hands and feet when I see a shadow looming over me.

“Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!” I shout, my heart racing, only for a calm, low-toned voice to whisper in my ear.

“I got you, Roe. I got you,” Elias whispers softly before scooping me into his arms.

“I… I…” I stammer, unable to form words.

“I know, baby. Shh, I know.”

He then walks us back into the mansion while Lucy’s lifeless gaze stares at me in judgment.

“What the hell happened to you?” David asks, his foot already bandaged, while using crutches to help him up.

But instead of answering his question, Elias just keeps walking to the staircase.

“Hey, Larsen! Aren’t you going to at least tell me why your girlfriend is all covered in blood?”

“Tell Henry he has another dead body in the yard. When The Scourge decides to punish me, tell them they know where to find me.”