I fling it at him.
He reaches over by his pillow and snatches his knife. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
I hug my knees up to my chest, holding myself tight as my body shakes all over.
He takes in the sight of me, and for a moment, I think he believes me.
He jumps out of the tent, and I hear him walk around our area.
“Hey, if someone is out there, show yourself! You freaked my girlfriend out!” he yells.
It’s so quiet, and my body is racing with adrenaline. I know what I heard. I close my eyes, replaying the evil voice whispering my name.
Rocking back and forth, I try to force it from my mind.
“Come on, this isn’t a joke!” Ryan yells louder.
After about thirty minutes or so, I hear Ryan stalking back to the tent. He unzips it and looks me dead in the eyes, anger swirling in his. “Babe, you’re hearing things.” He climbs back in and puts his knife and the lantern back.
He takes in the frightened look on my face.
“It’s okay, sometimes it happens. It’s so quiet out here, you can make sounds up in your head. You need rest. You’ll feel better in the morning,” he says, trying to soothe me.
Yawning, he lies back down.
“Ryan, I’m not making it up. I know what I heard!” I shriek at him. “And I found something?—”
“Marley, please, I don’t want to hear it, okay? Just go to sleep,” he snaps at me.
I whip my head at him, shock written all over my face. The nerve of him!
Then, the self-doubt crawls over me.
Nothing about this seems right. I could clearly hear my name being called, and I didn’t imagine those handcuffs. I held them in my hands and saw the blood.
I hold my tongue, not wanting to have a full-blown argument with Ryan, so I stay quiet.
Tossed by conflicting emotions, I’m suddenly gripped by a quiet, unwavering determination. I make a note to find them tomorrow, show them to Ryan, and prove to him it wasn’t all in my head. Feeling better about my plan, I let sleep take me.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Feeling arrogant, I smile to myself, knowing my plan is going exactly the way I want it to. Every detail is falling into place.
Knowing I’m preying on someone’s mind is something I relish.
Making Ryan doubt her sanity? Priceless.
Marley doubting her own sanity? Invaluable.
Causing a wedge between them? Perfection.
This is what I do best in the group, and I enjoy the fuck out of it. I have a dark need inside of me, and this feeds it.
There’s no empathy for the depravity of everything I’ve done.
When I was younger, I would psychologically mess with my parents, then my teachers, and anyone who was near me. It was something to pass the time, like a game.
