Page 43 of Homecoming: The Devil's Society

I don’t think it's a coincidence.

This all happened how it was supposed to.

Leaning back down, we begin walking toward the house. E pulls his phone out, his fingers moving quickly. Not even thirty seconds later, it vibrates.

I peek over to see who he is texting, not because I don’t trust him, but because I am absolutely nosey.

Text Chain:

If you want to say goodbye, best do it before the cleanup crew arrives.

Dad

*eye roll emoji*

I laugh at his dad’s reply. I love their relationship.

Sliding his phone back into his pants pocket, E blows out a deep breath.

“Let’s go home, little bat.”

Standing in front of the large window, looking out into the backyard, a delicate blanket of white frost has settled on the yard and bare trees. Winter is arriving. The ground is only going to get harder, making disposals more time-consuming. Looking to the tree line, I know where I’ll be spending my afternoon now.

A couple of days have passed since The Reckoning. The town has resumed normal business. Not a soul would be able to tell anything ever happened. All evidence was cleaned up before sunrise.

On the drive home, Rain was exhausted. Passed out the moment her body hit the passenger seat. I was still on a high, so when my dad called as we drove through town, I couldn’t say no.

Looters were spotted at one of our fronts, an outdoor sporting goods store. Only fucking idiots would loot something The Exodus owned. I told him I would check it out.

By the time I got there, only one remained. With my car and headlights off, I waited. His head poked out of the smashed window, looking around for any witnesses before stepping through the debris back onto the sidewalk. His arms were full of shit.

Starting the engine, it roared to life as the lights shined brightly on his shocked face. He immediately took off in the opposite direction.

My car is faster. I pulled in front of him. Caught by surprise, he fell on top of the hood. All the shit in his hands flew everywhere and Rain slept through it.

Getting out, I found the fucker on the ground, crying. Next to him was a package of rock-climbing rope. Picking it up, I got an idea. As I opened it, I saw he picked the good shit, as it came with carabiners. Smiling to myself, I walked over to the rear of my car. I opened the trunk, threw the one end in, and then closed it shut.

The other end, I wrapped around his throat a couple times, shortening the rope's length, then knotted it. All while my foot was pressing his face down. Muffles of “I’m sorry. I didn’t know,”followed.

When will they learn? I don’t fucking care.

Lastly, I hooked the carabiner through his stretched earlobe for extra precaution because I wasn’t going to lose him.

Stepping back, my boot was imprinted on his face. He looked much better this way. Then I went back into my car, slammed on the gas, cranked the wheel, and sped out of there. Smoke came from the tires as they spun on the road. A loud scream of terror followed as we took off. Looking in my rearview mirror, a sense of pride overtook me as I looked at the fuck trailing behind.

Once home, I didn’t wake Rain immediately, instead checking on my new friend.

His clothes were torn to shreds, and exposed skin covered in road burn, including his feet as it appeared his shoes got lost at some point. The carabiner remained perfectly in place through his ear. The rope was frayed slightly but withheld the trip well.

Satisfied that he was still alive, I stepped over him.

As I did, something grabbed my ankle, and I looked down in disgust. How fucking dare he touch me? I kicked him off, then spat on his wounded body. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

As he rolled over, that was when I saw it. Half of his face was completely gone. Skin, brows, and lips were all taken by the road.

I was glad I hooked the rope to his other ear. Fuck me.

Leaving him to rot, I got my little bat from the car and carried her into bed.

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