Slasher Summer(28)
Dread pierced her gut. She’d only wanted to come back to the Slasher cabin to put her bad memories to rest. Instead, fate was laughing at her by throwing these threats in her way. She’d known returning to Cedar Lake would be challenging, but she hadn’t expected it to test her like this.
The voice at the back of her head that sounded like Mama told her she deserved it for her sins.
She silently told the voice to shut up.
“You gotta shoot ’em in the head, or else they’ll come back,” quipped Jen. “Number one rule of slashers.”
Why, oh why, did Jen have to say that? “Does anyone have a gun?” Carrie said weakly.
Everyone shook their heads. Thank goodness. No one in the Jumpscare Society was into hunting; Carrie didn’t trust any of them to have good aim. Fumbling with a firearm would only end up with one of them getting shot, especially since they were all on edge.
The walls of the cabin felt like they were closing in, and although Russ’s blood was out of her field of vision, the bright coppery smell hit her nostrils above the chemical scent of the air freshener. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to soothe the tickle deep in her sinuses.
Tiffany waved her hands about in a parody of one of her cheer routines. “We need to leave now. Russ could be anywhere.”
Carrie agreed. Why was everyone just standing about? Didn’t anyone understand how much danger they were in?
“Of course Russ ran off,” Patrick said. “Mikey assaulted him. It doesn’t mean he’s lying in wait for us. He’d be more scared of us than we are of him.”
“Why didn’t he just drive away then?” Jen said, gesturing at the SUV parked outside.
“We were all standing out there. He was probably too scared to go for his car. He won’t be thinking straight if he’s concussed.”
Patrick had a good point. And yet—
“Or he’s gonna continue to exact his revenge!” Freddy cried.
“What would Russ Meachum want to avenge?” Jason said exasperatedly.
“Did one of you do something to him in high school?” Carrie asked, her insides turning to water. “Played a prank, or said something mean?”
Everyone turned to Jen. “What? What’re you all looking at me for?” she demanded. “I didn’t even know he existed. Maybe he’s obsessed with Carrie. He saw her at the gas station and followed her here.”
Carrie shrank under Jen’s accusing gaze. Was it her fault Russ had shown up?
Tiffany tossed her wet ponytail and scoffed. “Some of our classmates were jealous of us,” she said, cutting her eyes to Carrie. Carrie felt the steely edge of that glare deep between her ribs. She had to be wary. Jason’s kindness toward her hadn’t gone unnoticed. Tiffany might be acting mostly civil, but she was still a spiteful cat. “Some wished they had the guts to get up onstage in front of a cheering audience. Russ’s mom wouldn’t let him join the Jumpscare Society, so maybe he’s making up for lost time.”
“Exactly. He’s seizing his chance to play the Slasher for real!” Freddy said.
“We’ll lock the doors and windows if it makes you all feel better. Power will be back up before we know it,” Patrick said.
“And the phone? Staying put doesn’t do us much good if we can’t call for help,” Jen said. “I vote we take our chances and leave.”
“But we don’t know where Michael is.” Carrie anxiously glanced over her shoulder to the kitchen, where he’d run out the back door.
Poor Michael. He’d always been sensitive. Carrie was really worried about him being out in the woods alone. She’d known him longer than anyone else in the Jumpscare Society. He’d been the little boy who lived across the hall in Cranfield House, a crumbling old mansion on the wrong side of the tracks that had been carved into apartments. Michael’s mother, who was Jason’s maternal aunt, had fallen in with a bad crowd as a teenager and dropped out of school to have Michael.
Mama had judged Michael’s folks something awful, but hello—pot, kettle, et cetera. At least his dad had stuck around, although it was mostly to drink away whatever money Michael’s mom made at her various waitressing jobs. Carrie and Michael would take the bus together to and from grade school, and on afternoons when Mama was out working, Carrie would let him into their apartment and feed him whatever she could spare without Mama noticing. His parents weren’t very good at being home before midnight or at keeping the pantry stocked.
Michael had always needed someone to take care of him, and Carrie had been happy when Jason’s parents took him in. Mama had been glad, too, because she hadn’t liked Carrie spending so much time with a boy. Even when Carrie assured her, truthfully, that Michael was like a brother. She knew he would’ve liked to have been more, but Jason—
Michael simply wasn’t Jason.
Tiffany put her hands on her hips. “I’m not waiting around for him.”
Carrie bit her lip and summoned the strength to stand up to Tiffany. The Cedar Lake High queen bee couldn’t cow her anymore, now that they were outside of high school. “He said he’d be right back.”
She realized how dumb those words were as soon as they spilled out of her mouth. Jen laughed and Freddy shook his head vehemently. “No, no, no. Biggest mistake in the book. They never come back in the movies,” he said.