“Of course, I know what fear is,” he responds. “Fear of losing you. Fear of never finding you. In the chaos of my life, Flower, the only person with the power to still make me afraid isyou.”
My heart stutters at his words. They come out tense, almost resentful, which is what makes them all the more potent. Monster isn’t happy with the effect I have on him, but he freely admits it.
“You know what has to happen, right?” I question. “It might as well have been written in stone. You should’ve let me go, Monster. I got away from you once; you have to know that I’ll doanythingto get away from you again.”
“Try all you like,” he invites. “You won’t succeed. Not this time. I lost you before, Scarlett—and I told you that you should’ve killed me if you wanted to be free. You didn’t. Youcouldn’t, because some part of you cares about me.”
I shake my head. “Don’t delude yourself.”
“I’m not the delusional one, Flower,” he replies softly. “We’ll get around to fixing your misconceptions. Now, put down the gun, and come here.”
I don’t listen to him. Ican’t. Instead, with a lump in my throat, I click off the safety of the weapon, lift it, and aim it at Monster. Nothis head or his chest; I aim it at his legs. Even now, I can’t turn into my father, but I can ensure that this torment, thisfearthat’s suffocated me my entire life, is snuffed out.
“Scarlett,” Monster says warningly. “Don’t.”
“Monster,” I reply softly. “You aren’t giving me a choice. You never have.”
I cock the weapon, wincing as the noise echoes through my small living room.
“Flower—”
I inhale a steeling breath.
Make my peace with what’s to come.
Then, I pull the trigger, and turn the gun to my own head. I know I won’t get out of here. I won’t get past Max, let alone whoever else is lying in wait for me, but there’s another way I can escape. One I never seriously contemplated because I always hadhope, and when I lacked hope, at least I had anger. Now, I have…
“Scarlett!”
It’s only as Monster’s words penetrate my psyche that I realize there’s no blood seeping over his knee. He’s not roaring in pain.
He’s just roaring atme.
I inhale a soft gasp as realization dawns on me. The chamber’s empty. The gun’s useless.
Monster got to the gun before I did; ofcoursehe did. It isn’t jammed, it’s just a dud. To be absolutely sure, I pull the trigger again. And again, and again, each nonexistent shot aimed at my own head.
“Scarlett,” Monster repeats. His gaze is filled with a mixture of fury and pity. He shakes his head slowly, reaches into his pocket, and withdraws a handful of bullets.
A tear drips down my cheek, and my lower lip wobbles. My arm falls limply to my side, and the gun clatters to the floor with a resoundingthwack. The only other gun stashed here is in my bedroom, and if Monster got to this one, he’ll have also gotten to that one.
I’m trapped.
Alone.
Forced to face the Monster who ruined me without backup.
A deep sadness,hopelessness,sinks into my bones. My knees buckle, nearly giving out, as I come face to face with a horrifying truth.
There is no escape. I can’t evendieto escape.
“Sweet Flower,” Greyson says, shaking his head. He leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Come here.”
I know I don’t have a choice. If I don’t comply, he’ll force me; that’s always been Monster’s way. Either I obey the first time, or he makes me obey. I’m too tired to refuse him. Maybe I’ll find my fire soon, but right now, I feel hollowed out, as if someone carved out my insides with a rusty spoon. I’m exhausted. I’mdefeated.
I slowly cross the small distance separating us, until I’m standing two feet away from Monster. My body trembles, and tears of loss drip from my eyes. I know what comes next; he’ll take me back to the compound, and turn my life into a hellscape until he snaps and kills me. He’ll torture me in whatever creative ways he can think up until I give in or die—whichever comes first.
I want to escape desperately, but I know there’s no escape.
