My mind is too frazzled to think properly, so for several beats, I’m panicking over who’s coming and what’s happening.
Untilhesteps into view.
There he is, standing in the moonlight like its glow is only familiar with him.
Dread stares down at me from the foot of the grave—except the shadows cut across his face just right, preventing me from seeing his expression. I can only feel the energy radiating from him.
He’s as cold as the frigid air, as hard as the dirt beneath me, as unforgiving as the pain still steadily coursing through me.
Silently, he crouches down and rests his elbows on his spread knees while he balances on the balls of his feet. The moonlight shifts, slicing across his face dramatically, unveiling one of his eyes, his scarred brow, a hint of his nose ring, and half his lips.
It’s enough to reveal his stoic expression, black insidious waves rolling off him.
I force a laugh from my throat, the sound almost deranged. “Whydon’t you join me, Kellan? It’s so much warmer down here, being closer to hell.”
He cocks his head almost curiously, revealing a little more of his face.
But he stays silent.
The girls all bend, each grabbing a handful of dirt. Before I can process what’s happening, one girl tosses the dirt over my body. I flinch, closing my eyes as specks fly into my face.
“Rest in peace, Lily,” she says quietly.
I freeze, and an ice-cold chill skirts down my spine.
I can’t see well enough to confirm, but I assume the date written across the girl’s chest is when Lily went missing.
I bite my lip hard, desperately trying to school my expression, even if it feels like I’m dying inside.
This is beyond cruel. It’s evil. Twisted.Sick.
And it hurts so fucking bad.
Because even though I didn’t kill these women, my hands aren’t free of their blood, either.
Another girl throws a handful of dirt, and I turn my head away as more flies into my face, tears threatening to slip free.
“Rest in peace, Georgia.”
Hearing her name feels like a blade slicing across my heart. My chin trembles, and I don’t know if I can keep the tears contained this time.
In a circle, each girl takes a turn throwing dirt onto me, speaking the name of whoever’s date they wrote across their chest. By the fourth, I cover my face with my hands, both to protect me from the dirt and to cover the tears streaming down my face.
“Rest in peace, Johanna.”
“Rest in peace, Rebecca.”
Eleanor.
Jolene.
Sandra.
Margaret.
Macy.
Savannah.
