Page 44 of Homecoming: The Devil's Society

That was two days ago, and I haven’t checked on him since.

Thanks to him, I know what my afternoon will entail. I have no choice, it’s only going to get colder and the ground will become harder.

A small hand touches my back. I don’t startle. I felt her enter the room, she’s been watching me for a couple minutes.

She likes doing that. She finds me ‘interesting.’

“I have something to show you,” I say, turning around and taking her hand. Rain is in my hoodie, which is hanging below her knees, with long fuzzy socks on.

She’s perfect.

Walking through the main room, she follows without hesitation. I take her through the hall and stop before the secured door. With her hand still in mine, I move it up toward the scanner pad and place her thumb over the top.

Once scanned, the green light flashes and the door clicks open. Her face is shocked but she’s also smiling.

“Only us. No one else. I told you that.”

Biting her lip, she covers her mouth with her hand, trying to hide any emotion.

“But seeing it is different than just hearing it, E. Thank you,” she says, as emotion appears in her eyes. Why is she sad over this? Shouldn’t she be happy?

This time, she reads me before the words leave my lips. “They are happy tears, I promise.”

Pushing the door farther open, I flick the light switch and walk down the stairs. Rain follows. No words are spoken as we make our way down, just the sound of our feet hitting each step filling the narrow stairwell.

As we get to the bottom, the strangest feeling washes over me. Similar to when I kill. Excitement, perhaps?

I stand to the side and let her go in front of me.

The loudest gasp leaves her, this time with both hands over her mouth as she turns to me in disbelief.

“E. Did you do this?”

I nod once in response.

Her focus moves back to the space, and she steps in slowly, with apprehension. Soft whispers follow, “I can’t believe this.”

As she reaches it, her hand slips from the sleeve and touches the cool surface. She looks back at me once more. “It’s beautiful.”

“Open it,” I encourage as I stay back and watch her.

Her fingers slide to the handle, gripping it and then pulling open the pink steel cabinet door. As it opens, her face drops again.

On the shelves are familiar items, such as her choke pear from that night, in a glass case, along with a new one next to it. Another grater dildo, thumbscrews, iron pliers from the 1800s, and a matching pair of nut cutters. Metal hay and ice hooks, and this wild fucker called a heretics fork—it straps around a person’s neck with the fork ends digging into the base of theirthroat at the collarbone and under their chin. The method for this one is sleep deprivation. They have to stay awake, and the moment they fall asleep? Dead. I also made sure the claw device Greta gifted me was in there too. Hanging on one of the doors she hasn’t opened yet, because I got her two cabinets, is a spiked rabbit. When I found it online, I knew she had to have it.

Then a question I never expected leaves her, “When you were a kid… Did you ever try to fit in, mimic people, study their reactions?”

The fuck?

“Absolutely not. I couldn’t give two shits about anyone or anything outside of me, you, and my dad. Understood?” I explain, stepping farther into the room.

Her fingers lightly brush against all her new toys. She doesn’t look at me as she continues, “Okay. I was just curious. I’ve been reading up on psychopaths more lately. Just to better understand you, not ever to change you.”

My head tilts sideways. “Why?”

Her face falls, the energy has changed. “Since that day, in the bedroom. I just want to be prepared… In case it happens again.” She stops speaking, like there’s a question it could happen again.

“Never again. I promise, little bat. Never. Not toward you or around you,” I reassure her.

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