Zane
My alarms go off in the morning and I roll over with a grunt. I hate getting up so early, it’s the equivalent of torture while on summer holidays, but I promised. The allure of teasing the crap out of Bear is just too strong to ignore. I’d never admit it to her, but damn, I’ve had a crush on that girl for years now.
She’s smart, witty, and extremely beautiful. She can keep up with us guys, and doesn’t take shit from anyone. Not to mention she has a heart of fucking gold and is extremely talented. That flip out of my Jeep yesterday? It gave me both a heart attack and a deep sense of amazement. Addison Grant is one of my best friends and admittedly, means more to me than the others. Which is why I suck it up and admire her from afar. I’d never want to compromise the friendship I have with her.
Doesn’t mean I’ll pass up the opportunity to be the first thing she sees in the morning. Even if it’s me bugging the crap out of her.
Rushing to get ready, I throw on the first clothes I find, which happens to be a pair of sweats and a tank top from yesterday, and rush for the door. I know that Rosie will be up by now, as she’s always been an early riser, so I shouldn’t have anyissues getting inside again. She knows how much we love to annoy Addy, plus I think she secretly likes that we don’t let her sleep all day.
Hopefully I can convince her to make some more waffles for breakfast.
Growing up as we have, Addy’s parents more than any of the others have been the ones we seem to gravitate to. Their house is where we mostly hang out, where we tend to always be eating, and where more often than not you’ll find one if not all of us picking on Addison. I could boil it down to my deep-rooted feelings for our Bear. Wanting to be around her, her house, and her things, but the other guys are also drawn to her family. There is something about Rosie and David that just exudes warmth and comfort.
As I leave my house and skip to the end of my driveway, the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. There’s something in the air that has my body going on alert. Like a vibrational current telling me something is wrong. Whatever has me on edge, is also giving me the gut feeling that the guys need to be here as well.
Since I was already heading to Bears anyway, I pull out my phone, dialing each of them to wake them up. Ten minutes, three groans and one threat later, all of us have met up outside Max’s house.
“What’s this all about again?” Kade asks sleepily, a yawn breaching as he finishes.
“Something’s not right. I have a gut feeling…” I try to explain but don’t make much progress in that department.
“I feel it too, like the world got a little bit darker, the air slightly thicker,” Ryder adds and I nod.
Our eyes meet with one another, mixed emotions on all of our faces. Uncertainty, confusion, worry, fear, but no matter the difference, there is one thing we all agree on. Whatever is going on, we find out together.
“C’mon, let’s go get Bear too,” Max says, starting to walk towards her house.
The rest of us fall into step, catching up to him easily, as all previous plans for teasing her fade away. Now, we just need to be together and figure out what’s happening.
As we approach her driveway, the feeling intensifies and I’m the first to notice something's amiss.
“Guys,” I say, holding my arm out across their path to halt their steps.
Everyone stops abruptly, looking at me before following my line of sight. The Grant’s front door is ajar, swaying slightly in the morning breeze, the hinges creaking from the slow movement. Inside the house is dark, save for the small amount of light shining through the kitchen window. Instantly, alarm bells are ringing in my head. A warning of the danger this scene carries and as the oldest, a protective instinct kicks in.
My eyes swivel to the group, looking at three of my four best friends' worried expressions. “Max, Ry, you guys stay here. Kade, we’ll take a look first.”
With everyone in agreement, Kade and I begin to creep along the edge of the driveway, slowly getting closer to the house. Around half way up, the wind gusts, sweeping through the entrance and bringing with it a putrid smell. Kade recoils, his face scrunches in distaste as he steadies himself against the hood of the Grant’s SUV.
“What is that?!” he utters nasally, while still pinching his nose closed.
“No clue, but it’s awful!”
It takes another few moments to get used to the aroma, before we’re able to continue. “Addy?” I call, taking another step forward.
“Mr. & Mrs. Grant?” Kade calls from my right.
Looking at each other, Kade nods, a silent agreement that we need to see what’s going on. David and Rosie never leave their house unlocked, let alone the door wide open. Their car is still sitting in the driveway, and judging by how Kade had leaned against it, it’s cold to the touch. The sound of ringing has me looking back towards the other two, to find Max with his phone to his ear.
“I can’t reach her. Her phone is completely off,” he says, worry lacing his tone.
“But… her phone is never off,” Ryder argues as his brows knit together.
Turning away from them again, I make the last step up to the door, my hand reaching out to give it a little push. If only I had known that this one motion would change everything. How the young men we woke up as this morning would die the second that door swung open.
Blood, so much blood. More than a teenager should ever have to see, covers the floor of the front entrance. Drag marks running from the front to the back door,along with splatter against the walls. My stomach churns and twists, barely able to contain the vomit that’s quickly rising in my throat. Kade has no such luck, his weaker stomach instantly heaving yesterday's leftovers onto the grass.
My mind is frozen, captured by the gruesome picture before me and unable to function properly. When I’m able to drag my eyes from the scene and look back towards the road, I’m met with two identical sets of eyes filled with terror and worry.
