Gone were the stone pillars and gargoyles upon gargoyles. Gone was the house of nightmares, the center of a wheel of horror and violence that had turned for centuries.
I kicked off a boot and took a cautious step forward, allowing my toes to sink into soft grass before I pushed my weight down, not certain it wasn’t a mirage.
The ground held me. It was all real. It was as if Parris’ home had never existed.
“Where…”
I turned to Ayaz. If anyone could fathom what had happened here, it was him.
“Not being an expert…” Ayaz rubbed the stubble that dotted his jawline. “Is it possible that the god’s ship didn’t entirely exist within our known universe? When it left, it only took what belonged to it, and so the house is gone but not the land that was always part of the earth. Something like that.”
I shrugged. It was as good a reason as any. Frankly, I didn’t care. Miskatonic Prep was gone forever, and that was good enough for me.
“What happens now?” Courtney said.
I leaned back in the grass, relishing the tickle of each blade against my skin. It was such a luxury to just look at the sky.
“As soon as I can lift my legs of my own accord, we’re walking into Arkham and going our separate ways. You all have your new identifications, and we’ll share out the money. You know what to do – get the fuck out of here before the FBI descends, and make a new life for yourselves. Whatever you do, don’t follow me, because I’m turning myself over to the police.”
“You… what?”
I sat up, meeting the eyes of my three guys. Quinn looked completely confused. Ayaz’s dark eyes shone with new fear. But Trey… his eyes narrowed with realization. He knew exactly what I was thinking.
“What happened here today doesn’t erase the past. I accepted the invitation to Derleth Academy in part because it enabled me to continue to run from my guilt. But I’m not running anymore. I committed a crime. I can’t go back and erase that, so I need to accept responsibility for it.”
Quinn shook his head. “You can’t. I won’t let you.”
I shook my head. “This is my choice to make. I—”
Sirens screamed along the driveway, cutting me off.
A hollow laugh escaped my throat. They’d beaten me to it. Of course, the universe found a way to take even that choice away from me.
At least twenty police, emergency vehicles, and state troopers pulled onto the field. Men and women clad in black kevlar leaped out of the back of an Army vehicle and fanned out around the perimeter, advancing on the spot where the school had once been, machine guns raised.
Oh well, if you can’t beat ‘em…
Grinning, I waved at our visitors.
A man in a dark grey suit walked over to us. “I’m Agent Anderson. I’m guessing you’re students at the school. What happened here? Where did the buildings go?”
“Uh…” Quinn paused. “Sinkhole?”
I couldn’t help it. I broke down laughing. Beside me, Ayaz’s stomach rumbled as the laughter caught on, then came Trey’s chortle. All four of us rolled on the grass, clutching our stomachs as tears rolled down our cheeks. The laughter caught, and the entire school broke down into uncontrollable giggles.
A fucking sinkhole!
“Is something funny?” Agent Anderson demanded.
“I think they’ve had a terrible fright.” His partner squatted to peer at Courtney as her shoulders shook in uncontrollable mirth. “They might be delirious. Get the paramedics over here. All these kids should be thoroughly checked out.”
“I think you need to get that sinkhole checked out.” I wiped my eyes. My stomach hurt from all the laughing.
It felt good to laugh. It felt like I hadn’t really laughed in a long time.
Paramedics rushed over, dragging stretchers and medical kits. They sank down in the grass, talking to the students. Agent Anderson fixed me with a laser stare. “They’ll take you to the hospital and get you checked out. After that, the FBI wants to have a word with you all. Especially you, Hazel Waite.”
Shit.“You’re FBI? And you know who I am?”
