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“Shut up, War.” He’s clearly going for a new record of how many times he can piss me off in a twenty-four-hour period. Moments later, the boys have stripped their own robes and shirts, leaving them in nothing but their jeans.
Music and laughter reverberate in the distance. “Well, at least they’re all having a rad time.” River wipes the sweat from her forehead, her long blonde hair curling around her neck. She gives up and ties it to the top of her head.
“I wonder what the third step is.” Vaden shovels into the next layer of dirt. Knowing that there are only three steps isn’t exactly comforting when you consider this is the first.
“Honestly, could be a six-person orgy, for all we know,” Stella teases.
“That would require a lot of incest!” I need to get this body out of this shitty little hole and pray to Lilith that he’s decayed enough. Multiple holes in the head has to account for something in the anatomy of decomposition, right?
“So?” War’s unrelenting mention of incest has my agitation multiplying. “You do know that incest wasn’t a taboo thing between our families way back then. Wouldn’t be surprised if we’re all related somehow down the line, especially with all the secret baby drama from our grandparents.”
“You mean, my grandparents.” My spade hits something hard. “Yes!”
“How the fuck did you get to yours quickly?” Vaden glares up at me from the cavity of his grave.
“Because I panic-buried!”
Everyone pauses.
Priest is the first to break the silence. Of course. “Hold up. Let me see him.”
My mouth falls open. “Ah… sure!” Terror wells in my stomach but I keep myself composed. “I need a break anyway.” The barrier hits my back when I stumble backward, my skin sticky with sweat. How long does it take for a body to decompose? It’s cold, but not winter.Shit.
I rush forward when he stops shoveling, blood cursing through my ears.
No! This is—
“I’m all for innovative slaughter, but this is… damn.” Vaden’s head tilts to the side, examining what’s left of the body.
My eyes burn as relief washes through me. His forehead is a montage of brutal lacerations, not an inch of skin recognizable. The wounds are still flamed crimson, but instead of resembling the very reason why I killed him, he looks more like Freddy’s brother.
“Now I’m mad.” Priest’s eyes fly up to mine, catching the final tremors leave my body.
“Ditto…” War swipes his hand over his abs. To fight my wandering eye, I jump back into my shallow grave.
“My turn.” War tugs on Priest’s collar and he shuffles out, leaving me to deal with the one person I don’t want to right now.
Suddenly I’d prefer my brother in the small space.
He leans down and continues to tear open the bag the body is wrapped in. “Get out, Halen.”
“What the fuck are you doing?” Dirt crumbles from the edges when I do just that. Get out.
Moments later, he stands to his full height after searching his body. “Why?”
My mouth opens, but nothing comes out because if I said I did it, they wouldn’t believe me. I don’t have the mindless rage that it takes to be able to carve someone up like you would a ham on Christmas Day.
“I have never seen face muscles before, okay!” Stella’s hands are flying in the air. “I’m sorry, but I am who I am.” They all hesitate, before War climbs out of the hole and shoulder barges past me.
Once everyone is back to their own corpses and the attention is off me, I mouth a silent thank-you to Stella.
She winks, casually going back to digging. I kind of want to know who she has down there.
An hour later, everyone has their bags filled with rotted corpses out of the graves. The girls go first and we prop ours against the concrete hedge, climbing to the top, before dragging it over as we jump to the other side. The boys make it look easy by throwing theirs over their shoulders as if they are a sack of potatoes. Theirs are considerably lighter than mine.
After our robes are secured back on, my sweaty palms slip on the handle of the bag as I start dragging it back to the tomb. Static prickles the nape of my neck when the penetrating gaze of the starless night whistles over my spine.
With a rush of unease, I twist around, expecting the harsh glares of War, but I’m met with the watchful shadows of this godforsaken cemetery instead. To be fair, a lot of the ghosts that haunt this place would hate me by association.
