Page 133 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

Big, fat tears roll down my cheeks, and I crouch down, wrapping my arms around my knees. Squeezing so tight my fingers ache. The door bangs open, and I scream, but the nightmare doesn’t go away. He’s bigger than ever, that skull mask gleaming against the black.

My head gets all light, and I feel like I might fall sideways, but I don’t. I’m a rock, frozen in horror.

He walks in, confident and calm, takes my chin in his hand, wrenching my head up, holding my jaw painfully.

Help. Help me. Please, help me. Mr Rose, where are you?

“Merelee,” he sings. “You are a very naughty girl. It’s time to come home now and be punished.”

No, oh, please, no.

I scream, but he just casually backhands me, making my face hurt. Father grabs my wrist and drags me from the room. I fight each and every step, my muscles locked as I resist this monster. I couldn’t move them even if I wanted to. Where is my family? Where is Blaze? And King?

I glance back wildly, wanting to do nothing more than go back into that room when I see something that has Kestrel rising beside me.

King is sitting at the table. He’s face down in his food.

He’s not moving. At all.

“King?” I whimper. “What’s wrong with him?”

Father chuckles like it’s funny. But it’s not. My King, why is he in his food? Is he…dead? My heart thunders, and I think I might die. My legs collapse, and I wobble, but Father holds me up.

I take my eyes off him and see Rose collapsed on the floor on his side. It’s just like Mummy and Daddy. It’s just like that night. I start to cry, silently, but with increasing panic as I see more. Rolly’s legs are visible from the bathroom. I can’t see the rest of him.

Blaze’s hair is in the kitchen doorway.

Where is Pix?

I search until I find him. He’s half under the couch. Someone has thrown a blanket over him, as if they were trying to hide him when they all died.

Sage is missing. Where is Sage?

They are dead. Oh, my god. I am alone again. I wail and scream, crying so loud I can’t breathe. Shrieking my agony. Father just stands there watching me, but I can feel his amusement, his happiness.

And the whole time, I’m tearing apart. I’m breaking. The others are shouting, but the inner chamber is rattling, and I can’t hold it together. I can’t.

They are dead. No.

I’m alone.

Again.

I can’t go back. I don’t want to. It’s not fair.

They said they would protect me. They said we would be together. We had a magic spell.

He lets go of me, I fall to my knees, doubling over myself, howling. He spreads his arms wide.

“This is what happens when you disobey me, Merelee.”

I scream louder and pant and skitter back from him, but he shadows me. Like always. I crawl backwards, my fingers clawing at the cold lino floor. He moves towards me, gliding, really, huge and dark. That raven skull staring its terror into my soul. I let out a small whimper and push to my feet and step back again, my legs are stiff, and it hurts to move.

Maybe it would be better to be dead.

The bond flares to life inside me like a phoenix burning alive out of the ashes it died in. Someone’s alive? I turn, searching, scanning. Sage?

Sage is alive?