Get Out If You Can

Alison | Key Information

"Really looking like Derek is our man here, right?" Matt says, rubbing his neck. "Had it in for her. I wonder why, though."

"Are you sure it's him?" Emilie asks, eyebrows scrunched together. "Like, okay, he does seem pretty guilty right now, but – but he's the only one mentioned so far, isn't it? There could be more people."

"I honestly don't care," Matt replies, like he totally means it. "I don't know why we're called here. And I really don't know 'bout you guys, but I haven't laid a finger on her. Ever."

"None of us have," Hunter says. "The only time I spoke to her was when she came to get her car serviced. Pretty expensive one."

"It was a Carrera, right?" Matt asks, and I wish there was some method of verbally rolling my eyes. We're stuck in a crazy mansion, with a time limit, PLUS a death threat, and all he can care about is car models?

I'm really starting to believe that – not all of us in this Manor can be trusted, you know? Like – it's weird. Everyone's been so closed up.

Including me. And I did do something bad, but – I didn't kill her. Never even thought about it once.

"Yeah," Hunter says, and my eyes wander to Diego, who, as I expected, is about to say something.

"You guys want to stand here forever discussing car models? I've got no problem, honestly. Would you mind if we left you here to sort things out?" Diego gestures to Emilie and me to follow him across the hall, where the staircase leading to Magnolia tower is.

Matt grunts, and Hunter simply makes an effort not to go all out and murder Diego. But they follow, right behind us.

***

"Ready, Badeaux?"

Emilie nods at Hunter, who's smiling like you do when you remember someone's happier moments at their funeral during the eulogy time. I personally believe that eulogies are full of crap. Half the time they're talking about all the things the person never was. I doubt you'd care about people trashing you once you're no longer a person, so why the hell do we need all the lies?

Never mind that, though. I tap Emilie on the shoulder. She smiles gently at me, and heads up the stairs.

We follow, keeping a careful distance from where she is.

Once we're up on the first landing, Emilie walks in through a sort-of opening in the wall, obscured by curtains. This place, if anything, had an architect who never got tired of inventing things.

We wait outside, pulses pounding. The fact that nothing bad has happened in the two towers before this one does absolutely nothing to reassure me. You can't trust people.

And suddenly, I hear an ear-splitting scream.

I stare straight ahead, ready to fight, if anything's coming our way. Someone wanted to attack Hunter in his tower, but – why?

"Hey, Carter?" I turn around to look at Hunter, and I realize that the scream didn't come from Emilie after all.

It came from Diego.

"Fuck," Matt says, crouching down beside Diego, who's helplessly clutching his forehead, fingers entangled in his caramel brown hair. His eyes are squeezed shut, and he's biting his lower lip – he doesn't want to scream again.

"It's okay, let it out," I say, bending to the ground. This happened to him a while back; he must probably have some sort of an issue with stress, maybe.

"You don't have to not scream, you know," Matt adds, and he isn't helping at all. Matt's probably the last person you'd go to if you wanted to feel better, and I was slowly realizing that. "Let it out, dude. This is probably the last chance you'll ever get to –"