Page 32 of Off the Rails

Plus, if the look in Blade’s eyes was anything to go off of, she’d eat me alive if I stayed inside.

She’d licked her plate clean, not taking her eyes off of me the entire time.

Last night hadn’t been enough for her.

And with a name like Blade, I couldn’t help but fear what else she might have in store for me.

Who the fuck would name their kid that anyway?

“Where you headed, Trinket?” Blade spun around in her chair, watching me move toward the door.

“A walk. Need some air.” I couldn’t look back at her. A flash of what I’d let her do to me a few hours ago came back to my mind.

Licking her lips, Blade nodded. “Count me in.”

As Blade moved toward the door, the tortoise shell cat chirped and ran to Blade’s side. Looking up at her, Butch let out a loud, stubborn meow.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. You need a walk too.”

My brows furrowed as Blade flung open the front door, Butch sprinting ahead and down the stairs. “Won’t he…”

“Get hurt? Get lost?” Blade laughed, shaking her head as she grabbed her twin axes from their resting place outside the front door. “No, he knows where the food is, and he definitely knows how to take care of himself. Besides, he likes us. Kind of let himself in.”

From the tipped ear, I knew he must have been a stray. Probably one of dozens that found a home in the abandoned amusement park. But how he’d ended up in the modern, industrial loft was a surprise to me.

Brushing past Blade, I followed after the cat and headed out into the bright afternoon sun. Despite having just eaten breakfast, it was far closer to lunchtime. I’d been asleep for a while when the smell of food and the sound of good music stirred me awake.

I took in a deep breath, the air surprisingly fresh. I’d gotten used to the smoke-filled air of Valemont’s trailer parks. Between the cigarettes and the burn barrels people kept for their trash, I was sure my lungs were full of poison already.

Looking around the park, I tried to hide my surprise. Birds chirped from the rafters of the towering roller coasters, nests cradled in the nooks of the metal beams.

A squirrel sat on top of a booth, snacking on some kind of nut.

But the sound of splitting wood drew me out of the woodland fantasy.

“Jesus…” I gasped, watching as Blade slammed the tip of her ax into a wood post.

“Sorry, should’ve warned you.” Antsy, her grip on the handle tightened as she pulled the ax from the wood. She left behind a new notch, a fresh cut just above a dried out, older one.

Shaking my head, I crossed my arms and took in the scenario. We walked down the park’s main paths, small alleys and themed streets diverting from the path and leading to new sections.

My eyes caught on the spinning gravity ride across the park. “How does no one know you’re here if you turn the rides on? Wouldn’t the lights draw attention?”

Blade sniffled as she walked closer, following my gaze. “Good first spot.” Her eyes traveled down my body, the loose tshirt and pants clearly doing something for her. “We get visitors. But we leave them with a warning that kills curiosity."

Turning to meet her green eyes, I clenched my jaw tight. I was starting to understand what she meant. The masks alone would make most teenagers sprint for the hills.

But I’d lived in this town my entire life, I’d heard the stories, the rumours. That psychos lived here.

I guess they were right. And I fell right into their trap.

Ignoring Blade, I kept walking.

But I felt her eyes on me as I walked, glued to my ass even in the baggy clothes. I knew she was thinking about how I felt, that she’d already had me.

It made me nervous, suddenly self-conscious in the light of day about what we’d done in the dark.

I tried to take note of every detail, including the rectangular, wire cages scattered across the park. Spring-loaded animal traps. I recognized them from the trailer parks I’d been in and out of. The old ladies were always trapping stray cats and getting them spayed and neutered.