Page 27 of Trick or Treat

Flashback, the night before

"I'm gonna take off, girl; it's getting late!" Over the loud music blasting from the pub's surround sound speakers, I yell to Melanie.

I take my final sip of absinthe and return the glass to the bartender, oblivious to the burn that is coursing down my throat.

"Already?" she pouts, sitting on her boyfriend's lap.

"Yeah, I have to be at the prison pretty early tomorrow," I say proudly, already loving my new job and not trying to fuck it up by being hungover.

"Alright, bitch. Make sure you text me and let me know you made it home safe."

"Always, girl." Before I leave the pub, the warm summer air caresses my body in an endearing way as we exchange a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

I start the short walk home, enjoying the breeze as it continues to blow, cooling me off from the alcohol rushing through me and feathering light kisses over my skin.

I considered stopping by the cemetery to see Carli, but I decided against it because I knew it would not be a good idea given what happened the last time.Ugh, the severed fingers... ewww.The memory makes me gag and shudder uncontrollably. That was the worst thing those nefarious, devilish, masked men have ever done to me in the past nine months.

As I approach my apartment, I can see it just a few blocks away, but as I get closer, I can hear the faint tapping of footsteps behind me. I turn slightly, but no one is in sight. I abruptly come to a stop as I look back toward the front of me, and a figure wearing a dark red mask walks out into the open in my direction. I immediately realize that whoever he is, he must be withthem, and I freeze. As I stand here frozen, unable to form a single word, my body begins to shake.

"My my, look what we have here," he says, his tone commanding and rough, sending an intense tingle along the base of my spine. "Looks like it's my turn tonight."

He has me lifted over his shoulder with my ass in the air, carrying me off into the dark alley faster than I can blink. I desperately hold onto the hem of his shirt as he guides me into the unknown. Finally finding my voice, I managed to speak up.

"Put me down, or I'll scream."

"Then fucking scream, Scarlett. I prefer my girls to be feisty. Besides, once we get where we're going, I'll give you something that will shut you the fuck up." Upon hearing his threat, I avert my eyes and lower my head to the ground in resignation, realizing that there islittle I can do while in his grasp.

Why am I the one getting punished and tormented all this time when I'm not the one who killed Carli? I get that I helped bury her body and cover up the murder, but I didn't actually kill her.

When we get to the cemetery—the same one where Carli is buried—Red takes me towards the back, right to the Mausoleum, where River and I found Shawn's phone the night we came to look for him. My head hits a crumbling tombstone as he throws me to the ground. I hold the area and rub it while I look up into his menacing, sadistic eyes, trying to get the throbbing to stop.

Fearful of what he’s about to do, I start to shake. "Why'd you bring me here?"

"The guys were right. You do ask a lot of questions for a girl who's about to... never mind." He trails off and then stops, looking around the cemetery as if he's deep in thought. "I figured you'd want to be with your friends, you know, Carli, who's also my fuckingsister." Hearing him say it makes me tremble, and I know immediately he's not going to take it easy on me tonight. "Did you know we're the ones who killed Shawn too?"

My jaw drops hearing him admit it, even though deep down I had a feeling it had been them all along.

"Yeah, we had a little fun chasing him through here; cutting him up was even better." He bends down, grabs my throat, and pulls my body against his so that his lips are right next to my ear. "Drinking his blood was the best part, Scarlett. We drained every last drop from his body, cut him up, and scattered his body parts across Salem."

My body convulses as he continues his confession, and tears painfully prick my eyes, threatening to stream down my cheeks.

"Oh, but you have a few of his fingers, and I'm pretty sure Saint still has his fucking head."

My jaw drops, and I try to scoot back, but Red's grip on my throat tightens immediately.

"Where do you think you're going, Scarlett?You're mine for the night, and we're gonna play a little game." He lets me go and roughly shoves me to the ground. "I can’t fucking wait until the time comes for us to bend you over one of these fucking headstones and ruin that tight virgin pussy."

I gasp for air, frantically rubbing the spots on my neck left by his fingers.

Oh my God! Those are Shawn's fingers? They used Shawn's fingers on me!

He paces in front of me as I gag and try to contain the bile rising in my throat. He rubs his hands together and looks at me once more, his dark eyes glistening and his black pupils widening as if something in his mind had finally clicked.

"Tell you what.Ifyou can find your way out of here, then I'll let you go home, and I'll leave you alone tonight."

I look at him, worry making my brows crease. "And what if I don't find my way out?"

"I'm glad you asked... If you can't find your way out in time, well, then you're mine," he laughs coldly, and the sound reverberates throughout the pitch-black night as birds fly through the trees and across the starry sky.