Page 57 of Psycho

I did as he said, because at this point, I knew we were fucked. If we made it out of this house alive, I’d consider us lucky. Maybe I could still save Declan. Maybe it was my luck that had run out.

Once Declan’s hands were bound behind his back, I looked at Ray and said, “I’ll go with you, anywhere. Just leave him alone—”

“Oh, you’re right about that. You are coming with me,” Ray said, “but not before you tie his ankles.” In his other pocket, he held two zip ties. “One for the ankles, the other to bind his feet to his wrists. Keep him from chasing after us.” He tossed them at me.

“Ray—” I knew trying to reason with him was like trying to reason with a wild animal.

“No,” he said, and just by his tone, I knew better. I knew better than to keep prodding, so I took the zip ties and did as he said. Declan was effectively bound, helpless. Ray gestured for me to return to his side, but I hesitated.

“How do I know you won’t just shoot him anyway?”

“Because everything I’ve ever done was for you!” Ray shouted. “Because I let you run wild the last month, knowing you were with these boys.” He spat out the word. “But now it’s time for you to come home to me, Ash. I didn’t want to do this today, but with the others gone, I had to. I have to get you back, amorcito. I would do anything for you—”

“Let me go,” I cried. “I thought I was pretty clear when I stabbed you that we were broken up.”

“You can’t fight fate,” Ray said. “You are my fate.” When I made no moves to go to him, he added, “Let me show you what I’d do for you. Let me show you just how much you blind me.” This was Ray begging.

This was a man with a gun, and I had to go with him.

I left Declan’s side, causing him to say, “Ash, don’t—” I knew what Declan thought: they barely got me back the last time, and here I was going off with him again? Somehow, deep down, I knew this time was different. This wasn’t him offering to take me away from my problems. This was not like last time.

This time, it was go with him or die.

“It’s okay,” I told Declan, slowly moving towards Ray. I was stronger now than I was before. Whatever this led to, I’d handle it. I wasn’t going to fall apart again. This wouldn’t be round two.

“Your phone,” Ray said. “Leave it here.” The revolver still pointed at me.

I pulled my phone from my back pocket and dropped it on the floor, watching as he reached into his pocket of wonders and pulled out a small cloth. He tossed it to me, and when I caught it, I felt it was semi-wet with something. A strong aroma wafted off it, reminiscent of a strong type of alcohol.

“Breathe in, Ash. Breathe in and give yourself to me,” Ray instructed.

Maybe the gun, maybe the obviously-chloroformed rag came from his old stash. Maybe he just knew where to get it, or how to make it. I didn’t know. I wasn’t a criminal. Even though I wasn’t a criminal, I knew enough to know, without a doubt, I was fucked.

Fucked if I didn’t breathe in the rag, and fucked if I did. Either way, I faced the unknown, a serial killer off his rocker. This…this could be my last day alive, or he could kidnap me and keep me locked in an underground bunker or shed for the rest of my life.

Still, I knew Ray’s show wasn’t over yet. He was more dramatic than this. I’d play his game for as long as I could.

I breathed in the rag, and then, soon after, the world went black. The last thing I heard was Declan calling out to me. Everything was black, my consciousness gone…

Until it wasn’t.

Until I came back into my own head, feeling like I wanted to be sick. Until my eyes flew open, and everything around me was as black as it’d been in my unconscious. My stomach was in knots, a dozen snakes coiling in my belly. I blinked, feeling something hard and scratchy below me. My legs were bent.

There was a bit of light, coming from…a small crack beside me, I realized once my eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Wait a second. Was I locked in the trunk of a car?

I flexed my fingers, finding that I was not restrained. Just knocked out and shoved unceremoniously into a car, apparently. I hit the metal trunk above me, trying to knock it open. There wasn’t enough room for my legs to kick out. My head, foggy as it was, knew I had to get out of here.

This…Ray really had lost his mind. Not that he was sane before, but this—this was worse.

It didn’t matter how much I pounded. The trunk didn’t budge, and I couldn’t find the lights to kick out. Didn’t matter if the car wasn’t moving on the road anyway, which it wasn’t. Under me, the car made no movements, no steady hum of its engine. It was off.

Time moved slowly, or maybe it was fast? I didn’t know, and I didn’t care, not until the trunk abruptly opened, and Ray’s stern face stared down at me. Behind him, the night sky was alive with stars, though the moon was covered with clouds. The temperature had taken a sudden nosedive, and I shivered, not having anything on but a shirt and pants. The night sky meant I’d been gone for hours, trapped in that trunk, passed out. I didn’t think Ray did anything to my body, but then again, it was hard to know for sure.

Travis was back at the house by now. And Declan—

“If you hurt—” I started, my voice dry.

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