Page 35 of We’re All Going to Die Tonight!

“Well,” Javi says, holding the knife up and examining the sharpness of the blade. “Someone did. And I don’t know if I buy that that someone was random.”

“Javi, baja el cuchillo,” Marlene says, her eyes wide. “Por favor.”

“Oh, that’s fair,” Emerson snaps. “Talk shit about me in Spanish. That’s great.”

“She just said ‘put the knife down,’ ” Caulder says, voice cold. “And frankly, I agree.”

“How the hell do you know?” Emerson demands.

“Because I can speak Spanish,” Caulder says. “My dad taught me.”

As Caulder’s talking, I notice that Javi’s eyes are on Marlene, his gaze intense, like she’s a puzzle he needs to solve. She’s still struggling to breathe properly next to me, her cheeks still red from crying.

“¿Lo crees?” Javi asks her. “Because I don’t.”

“Javi,” Caulder says, his voice a warning.

“See?” Emerson says, getting more and more hysterical. “You’re all plotting against me. When I’m the victim here!”

Javi glares at Emerson. “Forgive me for not trusting you after you were just spouting some seriously racist shit.”

“Oh, and you’re so innocent, Machado,” Emerson says. “I’m pretty sure you’re the one with the famous temper, aren’t you? And you’re the one with the fucking knife!”

Javi’s eyes narrow. “I work with knives every day, Butler. In my parents’ five-star restaurant. I’m pretty sure you’re the one who needs to watch his fucking mouth.”

Marlene hiccups, shaking her head. “Javi, no tientes la suerte. Be careful.”

“Okay, I hate to sound like Emerson here, but can we please stick to English?” Kaitlyn snaps.

I watch Marlene. I don’t know what she’s saying—or why she doesn’t want me, Kaitlyn, and Emerson to know—but whatever it is, at least the blame isn’t being cast on me. That still leaves the reality, though, that someone killed Jay.

And it could be someone in this room.

“I’d suggest you all get your own weapon,” Javi says, tossing the knife in the air, letting it twist and turn before he catches it easily by the handle. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”

Chapter 19

Kaitlyn

October 17

1:24 a.m.

“We need to leave,” Javi says softly.

We stopped our search of the second floor in the hallway. Ever since the seven-minutes game ended, it’s felt like I can hear every creak in this ancient house. I’m jumping at sounds, like my body refuses to believe I’m safe.

Beyond the fresh corpse outside, there are too many unanswered questions, too many things that don’t add up. Was this really a burglary gone wrong, and if it was, why’d the intruder cut the phone line? To keep us from reporting what they did, or to keep us trapped? Did the same person who attacked Emerson and Lucas kill Mr. Jay? And where are the other teachers? Because so far, there’s no sign of them anywhere. It’s like they vanished.

I know Javi’s thinking about all this, too, and probably has been since Caulder sent us up here to check for any clues while he and Emerson search the first floor again. Really, I think Caulder needed to separate Javi from Emerson before there was a fight. And maybe he wasn’t far off. Something about Emerson pushed Javi over the edge, and it wasn’t just that racist bullshit from earlier. No, there’s something else. I can tell by the tick in his jaw, the sharpness in his eyes.

Normally, I’d just ask him. After all, Javi doesn’t keep secrets from me—and he never would. So the fact that he’s not telling me outright has me, well, pissed. He should be picking my brain, asking me what I think is going on. Instead, he’s silent as we search each of the rooms. That, and he keeps telling me we need to leave.

“Kait,” Javi says, his voice a sad sigh. “I know you heard me.”

“Yeah, I did,” I say, glancing over my shoulder at him. “And how, exactly, do you propose we leave in a van with a flat tire? Did you see a car in the garage down there when you and Emerson checked?”

He shakes his head, running his hand through his hair as he does.