Page 46 of The Stranger

“Tibby—”

“Please tell me you didn’t.” My voice cracks and I hate it. I hate myself for ever trusting him. For still wanting to trust him now.

“We heard you two fighting about how you wanted to leave,” Lori says, drawing my attention back to her. “And shortly after, while I was taking care of Ernest, he went on his little walk.” She chuckles to herself, tapping the knife to her temple. “Think. Use that pretty head for something other than growing hair. How else would I have known he had a knife, hmm? Why else would I have had Tony check him?”

I look down at Walker. Can it possibly be true? From where he lies, he lifts his head just slightly.

Tears blur my vision. “No lies, remember? We had a deal.”

I can’t bring myself to outright make the accusation, not when he’s dying, but he makes the confession anyway. I deflate as the words leave his mouth. “I was… It was only about keeping…you…safe.”

Because I’d wanted to leave, I realize. He didn’t think it was safe, and he knew I’d never let it go. “You could’ve just hidden the keys,” I point out, still in utter disbelief.

He tries to adjust in the snow, easing himself up slightly with his hands only to collapse again. “Yeah, but…there were only…so many places to hide them. You’re…stubborn.”

I shake my head. “That’s completely insane. You realize that, right? Slashing your tires meant we’d be stuck there even after the storm cleared up.”

One corner of his mouth upturns. “It wouldn’t have been the worst thing.”

“I didn’t expect you to want to come with us,” Lori reiterates. “I planned to leave you there to deal with everything. Actually, I wanted to bury Ernest so there’d be nothing to deal with at all, but I had no shovel and the ground was frozen, and with the empty, unlocked room, it was just easier to drop him in your bathtub and disappear into the night. Less time away from Tony. Less time for him to be suspicious.”

Suddenly, a memory flashes through my mind. I remember seeing a white car similar to the one Lori stole zipping past us after we left the rest area. I recall Walker’s words.

You could’ve gotten a ride with them instead.

It could’ve been them who picked me up. Lori and Tony. I might’ve never met Walker. Never cared for him.

Because I do. I do care about him so much, and I want to tell him. I realize it now, but it’s too late.

“Why would you let us come with you, then? Why not leave us there?”

“Because you’d seen me. It was too much of a risk to walk away and chance you telling the police what we looked like or what we were driving.”

I take a step back again, horror filling my gut over how just a few wrong choices led us here, and Lori lunges at me.

“I don’t have time for games,” she shouts. “I have a plane to catch.” She lunges again without warning, this time swiping my arm with her knife.

White-hot pain shoots through the limb. I cry out, folding in half and grabbing my arm. It happens fast, without much of a fight, even. Maybe I’m too tired, too weak. Maybe I’m still in shock. I’m not sure what it is, but try as I might, my body refuses to cooperate as I attempt to fight.

She shoves me down, and I fall. I try to stand, but she’s faster. She brings the knife down into my stomach, and my body buckles in on itself. I cry out, screaming in agony as the searing pain shoots through me. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. A lightning bolt of pain traveling to every inch of my body. Like I’m being bathed in fire. As if my stomach is being ripped out of me. I cry and beg her to stop, wishing I’d stayed in the car with Craig. Wishing this entire night hadn’t happened. Wishing I was somewhere safe and warm.

But then, I wouldn’t have met Walker. Can I really wish that?

She lifts the knife and stabs me again. With the final blow, she sits back, swiping the back of her arm across her mouth. My blood is splattered across her face. My mind goes sharp with pain, yet fuzzy at the same time. My eyes travel across the snow to find him. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

Throughout all of this, he’s the only thing that makes me feel safe. Despite what he did, despite his lie, he’s the only thing that will bring me comfort in my final moments.

I don’t know where I am, where he is.

I need to find him.

My thoughts come back to me in bright-white focus. All of the fuzziness disappears at once.

He’s not where he was.

Not anywhere.

I look left, right. Where is he? Where am I?