While Ryke and Lo hug, the air is quiet and calm.
Peaceful almost.
And then Daisy suddenly tenses. “Did you hear that?” Her panicked, high-pitched voice pricks my spine.
62
LILY CALLOWAY
Daisy cautiously climbs off the table, her collarbones jutted out like she’s holding her breath. And her wide green eyes zero in on the glass sliding door, our entrance to the house.
Ryke and Lo separate, and Ryke’s face floods with concern. “Dais…” Is she hearing things? My face twists. No. My sister is not making things up in her mind. She’s okay.
A violent crash sounds somewhere, like pots and pans or a bookshelf. Clattering to floorboards. I jump in my seat, almost startling Moffy, swaddled on my lap.
Partially, I’m happy that my sister did not make up the noise. It has to be nothing though. We’re all safe here.
“Maybe it was a rat,” I suggest, biting my nails. I drop my hand quickly.
“Don’t even,” Rose glares. Rats. She hates rats. Sadie used to take care of those for her, and now the cat is with Frederick.
“Shh,” Connor says, raising his hand. Everyone silences again. The guys are closest to the backdoor, and their rigid postures put me on edge. If it was nothing, they’d throw out some jokes too.
I blow out a breath and protectively lift Moffy to my chest, Wampa cap securely on his little head. I pat mine. It’s still there. All is well.
“HEY FUCKERS!” A muffled shout rings from up high.
I flinch and gullibly follow the noise to the second-floor window. Two gargoyle horror-masks with horns and pointed teeth stick their heads and arms out, their hands gloved. My heart somersaults and thrashes. They’re in Maximoff’s nursery, is my very first thought.
I have to get Moffy. I take a step towards Lo, and then a baby wails in my arms, reminding me that our son is already safe with me.
“Guess what?!” one calls out. “We’re getting inside the Calloway sisters this September!” Then they snicker and perform pelvic thrusts against the window.
“They’re in the house,” Daisy says in a haunted whisper. Her whole body is frozen, and the terror in her wide-eyed gaze is palpable. My heart is on a nosedive. I’m torn between racing into the house and running scared.
Ryke, Connor, and Lo hesitate to leave us. I can see it as they stand between the door and our bodies, wavering uneasily between the two. Seconds pass as everyone assesses, but I see a black-clothed figure whisking through a hallway, breezing by a window. They’re just harmless teenagers, I remind myself. It eases the fear in my gut.
I look back at Daisy, to maybe comfort her with this sentiment. That’s not a good idea though. To my little sister, teenagers are not just harmless. They’re worse than cruel.
I’ll hold her hand then. I reach out to be the big sister, the better one that I’ve strived to be.
But Daisy doesn’t notice my outstretched hand. Something bad happens. Her jeans begin to soak at the crotch, the dark spot blooming. Like she…
“I can’t…” she chokes on a breath.
“Hey, hey.” Ryke sprints over to her, scanning her quickly, head-to-toe. And he pulls her into his chest, setting a hand on her head. “I’m here, Dais.” He holds her tightly, forcing her body to his so she can feel protected and safe. Even though she peed her pants, Ryke consoles Daisy the best that he can.
I begin to shake as hysteria strains the air. More and more windows open, and the cackling from the teenagers rattles my defenses. I’m not immune to the fear. It tries to cling to me, and it’s freaking out Moffy, who still cries in my arms. I rock him, and it’s only been maybe a minute.
It feels like a lifetime of uncertainty.
“Lo?” I breathe.
In the pit of my ear, I hear Connor calling the cops. I smell our barbecue burning on the grill. And Rose keeps repeating, “I’m going to strangle them.” Her clutch tightens on a shrieking Jane.
“Lily!” Lo shouts.
He’s holding my cheeks between his warm hands. His body as close to mine as he can be without squishing our son.
I’m scared, I realize. I’m terrified right now. And it’s not a fear for my wellbeing. It’s for Moffy and Lo. “Don’t go,” I say first.
But he’s already telling me, “Lock yourself in Rose’s car and drive to your parent’s house with your sisters.”
“No.” I shake my head fiercely. He left himself out. “Come with me.”
“We have to make sure they don’t escape, Lil,” he says quickly. “This ends tonight.”
Tears sting my eyes. “I’m not leaving you,” I croak.
Lo whispers rapidly, “They’re not going to kill me, love. They’re just teenagers.”
My chin quivers. “That’s what I thought, but the more I think about it…”
“Lily,” he forces my name so I understand. “They’re just like me.”
I can’t say that Lo would’ve never done this. If pushed to a breaking point, he might have. If drunk enough, he most likely would have too. “You’re not like them anymore,” I tell him.
“I was like them,” he amends. “And I’m not scared of a single one. But you are.”
“I’m not,” I refute. “I was never scared of you.”
“Lil,” he smiles weakly. A decision has to be made soon. Before they destroy all of our valuables.
“If you won’t come with me, can I come with you?” I ask, sidestepping every sexual innuendo in favor of fear. “Moffy has toys inside. I can distract him—”
“Okay,” he agrees before I even finish. “But only because they’re just teenagers. Otherwise, you’d be in a car right now, understand?”
I nod. He’s not afraid that they’ll do something to me and Moffy, he’s saying. Or else he wouldn’t even chance this. He clutches my wrist and begins to guide me behind him, shielding my body by keeping me very close to his back.
I glance once over my shoulder, and I notice Rose and Connor following, in a similar line, with Rose behind Connor to protect Jane. It’s one of the few times I’ve seen her walk behind her husband and not beside him.
Ryke and Daisy are the only two that don’t join us. He lifts my petrified sister in his arms, cradling her easily, and he carries her to the garage, where they can drive off in one of the cars. Lo wanted all the girls to flee, like in the horror movies, but reality is a bit different than that. It might seem stupid, but being by his side, not splitting up, sounds right.
Lo grips me hard, maybe worried that I’ll break away. But I want to stay pressed against him as we enter through the sliding door.
When we near, a gargoyle-masked teenager whizzes past with “spirit fingers” and darts upstairs. I almost startle backwards, but Lo pulls me closer to his body.
This ends tonight.
I really, really hope so.
63
LOREN HALE
My son’s distressed cries are nails in my eardrums. I can’t stand it. The sound triggers my flight-or-fight response and elevates my pulse. I’m not running away. I want to run towards them. Wherever they’re hiding.
After stepping into the house, I guide Lily to the living room. Jesus f**king Christ—they’ve cut up the couch with a knife, foam poking through the cushions.
“They’re morons,” Connor says, his voice tight.