Page 90 of The Cult

“Then what is it?”

Tobias shut his eyes.

“Tell me why!” I deserved to know.

He took a deep breath before meeting my gaze. “Because I won’t lose you too. You’re one of the best things that has happened in my shitty life, and I won’t be able to forgive myself if something happens to you.” Tobias held my cheeks, caressing them with his thumbs. “That’s the truth.”

His words rendered me speechless. Tobias cared about me. I opened my mouth to reply but found myself choked with emotion.

His features softened. “We have to go.”

Nodding was the best response I could muster.

We hurried toward the barracks where the rest of the trainees were. “Something’s wrong here,” Tobias said. He extended his arm to my abdomen, stopping my progress. “Where is everybody?” he whispered. He scanned the building and the unmanned gate feet from where we were standing. The door leading into the building was wide open.

Alarm bells rang in my head. “Why is it so quiet?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. But something doesn’t feel right. Stay close.”

Ducking out of sight, we cautiously stepped inside, stopping at every corner, listening for any movement. The silence of the barracks was unnerving. The usual guards patrolling our old room were absent, replaced by a stillness that sent shivers down my spine.

Tobias was on high alert. His fists were balled and his arms were locked and loaded, ready to strike.

We rushed to the guys’ bunkroom, eager to tell them about Orcus’s plan to have the six of us fight for our lives. I needed to convince them to tell our connection outside to go forward with the escape plan—tomorrow if possible.

“Shit.” Tobias’s abrupt stop caused me to bump into his back. “They’re not here either.”

My heart plummeted like a stone in water at the disturbing scene that greeted me. I scanned the room. It was in disarray—unmade beds and scattered belongings everywhere, a stark contrast to the usually tidy and organized space we had to keep. It was clear they had left in a hurry. “They would never leave the room like this,” I said.

Without wasting another moment, I dashed toward the bathroom and Tobias searched the bunks, hoping to find some signs of where they might have gone. The bathroom was deserted, the stalls were dry and empty. Panic clawed at the edges of my mind as I struggled to make sense of the situation.

“Did you find anything?” Tobias asked when he joined me.

“No. But this is bad. We need to find them.” I rushed to the wall where the secret tile was hidden, Tobias following close behind. I opened the tile, revealing the hidden compartment. “Fuck,” I muttered.

“What is it?”

I fished the beat-up phone from the compartment and showed it to Tobias. “They’d never leave without this.” I swallowed hard, my stomach churning with unease. Nothing about this made sense, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong—that something terrible had happened to the guys. “Oh god!”

“Let’s get out of here.” Tobias reached for the phone charger. “I need this,” he said, tucking the white cord securely in his pocket.

“We need to find them, Tobias.”

“We will,” he said. He grabbed my hand and we ran out of the barracks until we were back in the woods.

Thirty-Seven: Tobias

The Creed was up to no fucking good. I’d seen enough shit in my life to recognize trouble brewing. Those young men were taken, and I doubted they were somewhere fun enjoying themselves. My senses were on high alert as Abel and I made our way to the trailer home assigned to his family. The gravel path crunched under our feet, the only sound breaking the eerie silence of the evening. Where are those damn dogs? Not that I wanted them around, but the longer we ventured through the compound, the more I suspected the guys’ disappearance was shady. What are you up to, Orcus?

Abel appeared edgy, mumbling words I couldn’t understand. His eyes darted around, never settling on one spot for long. His shoulders were tense, drawn up as if bracing for an unseen threat. He let out a sigh every once in a while.

“Hey,” I called. I stopped walking and placed my hand on his arm. “We’ll find them.”

He shook his head. “I’m so worried about my friends.”

I cupped his face in the hope of calming him down. “I know you are. But we’re in this together. We won’t stop until we find them.” I knew how important they were to Abel, and I’d do anything in my power to find them. Their disappearance was another roadblock to our escape plan, but what mattered to him mattered to me.

I was surprised by my change in tune. Days ago, I wouldn’t have cared if they went missing.

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