Page 93 of Ghosts of Halloween

“I’m dreaming about a shower and chicken wings,” Jack says. “And fuck, a cold beer. And sleep. Actual fucking sleep. In a bed.”

Caden huffs, shaking his head fondly. “Well, you’re not wrong. Food, shower, and bed. I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

I look at Silas expectantly, my insides curling into a tight ball, because I dread what he’ll say. Soon, they will start planning where to go. Maybe a motel? My eyes dart to the three bodies, still tied to the chairs, my messy handwriting branding Michael’s chest. When bile rises in my throat, I quickly look away, catching Silas’s eye. He watches me closely, and I have this uncomfortable feeling he can read my mind.

“What do you think we should do now, angel?” he asks. I open and close my mouth, not really knowing how to answer, and Silas arches a perfect brow, mocking me. “The four of us,” he adds, his voice softening.

Oh, my God.My chest squeezes painfully, and I have to blink to turn back tears. When I finally speak, my voice sounds wet but almost calm. “Um. Clean up here. It’s a crime scene, right? And our… um. Our bodily fluids are all over this house. My b-blood is in the room upstairs.”

Jack flinches, instantly straightening despite his exhaustion. “Fuck, you’re right. Oh, man. Can we really clean this up perfectly? So they don’t find anything?”

“We’ll have to,” Caden answers, his jaw set. “I’m not worried about us, because we’re officially dead. But Harlow… We’ll get you a new ID,” he says,turning to me. “I know a guy. He’s reliable and tough enough not to get a heart attack when he sees I’m alive.”

I nod warily, glancing at Silas again. His lip curls mockingly, and we stare at each other for a long moment, my heart beating faster and faster, until…

“And then we’ll leave this hole and go far, far away. Find a new place to live. Together. The four of us.”

I’m so hot, so choked up inside, it feels like I’m bursting. Silas shakes his head with a snort and moves closer, ruffling my hair until I wince. “Honestly, angel. Stop looking so forlorn. Of course you’re coming with us. We’re a family now. Well, the kind where everyone fucks each other.”

I snort with laughter, and Jack and Caden join in. When this huge, crushing weight lifts off my shoulders, I can’t stop beaming at each of them in turn. And yes, they look exhausted and are in need of washing, but they are also the most handsome, most perfect men on Earth. I still can’t believe they want me with them for the long haul. But maybe someday, I will.

We sit there for a moment longer, grinning at each other, until Caden claps his hands.

“All right. There should be old bleach in the bathroom. We don’t need to worry about your hair, because you’ve been here before, like many other people. But the blood and other fresh stuff has to go.”

I stand up, and Jack follows me, wobbling slightly. When I give him a worried look, he winces. “I think I’m dehydrated. And starving. But I’ll be fine. Should just drink more water.”

“Then you two go up. Find the bleach,” Caden says, already surveying the basement with a frown. “We’ll sweep through here. Make sure nothing’s left behind. Like this cup.”

He picks up the plastic cup and hands it to me. “All our things. Clothes, the ropes, stuff like that—it has to go. Find a trash bag or something.”

I go with Jack, and we all get busy cleaning up. My men are methodical and thorough, even though Jack grumbles about being hungry all the time,but it just makes me smile. Busy cleaning, I am safe from all my griefs, guilt, and terror, though I feel them lurking.

Because I killed two men here. I killed Michael, my ex who raped me, and Ryan, a guy who wanted to hurt me. And I didn’t kill him for anything he did or planned to do to me. I killed him to save Silas, and it feels, at once, cleaner and dirtier than my guilt about Michael. Whenever the memory of Ryan’s gurgling surfaces, I swallow and swallow until my tight stomach unknots marginally. And then I get busier. And busier.

Until we all gather in the dusty living room downstairs, the space looking simply sad and abandoned in the light of day. I shudder, thinking how terrifying it was last night.

“We’ll leave after dark,” Caden says, rubbing his tired, blood-shot eyes. “I know a place we can go, but we can’t be seen.”

Jack yawns, and Silas rubs his forehead, glaring at him with disgust. The more tired he gets, the grumpier he is, and I find it almost as adorable as Jack’s whining about food. And Caden is just… Just so good. His competence makes me feel safe.

All of them together are so perfect, I would rather be nowhere else, even though I hate this house and long for sleep just as much as they do.

We wait for the night to fall, dozing off in turns, though Caden makes sure at least one of us keeps watch at all times. No one comes to this house, but we still have to be careful. We don’t know when the search for Michael and his friends will start. Or if anyone knows they came in here. And maybe not right away, but someone is bound to check this house sooner or later, and we should be far away by then.

“Okay, I think it’s late enough.” Caden rouses us from a half-sleeping, half-awake stupor. I sit on the floor with my back against the wall, my head on Silas’s shoulder, Jack’s head on mine. “Come on. It’s about an hour on foot.”

Jack groans but gets up without a fuss, and we set out. Caden leads us through back alleys, and then through cold fields, the uneven soil hard under our feet. It’s freezing, so much colder than last night, but we keep a good pace. My hand is in Jack’s, and Silas walks behind me or on my other side, eyes constantly surveying our surroundings.

Finally, we approach a high wall of something that looks like a luxurious private property in the countryside. We left the town behind some time ago, though its lights still wink in the distance. The cold wind howls as Caden motions for us to wait, approaching a tall tree growing close by the wall, and starts climbing.

“He’ll scout ahead,” Silas mutters. When I shake, my teeth chattering despite Jack’s warm arms around me, Silas stands in front of me and wraps us both in a hug. “It’s over, guys. It’s done. We can rest now.”

I burrow into him, Jack’s body cushioning me from behind, and we stand like that, their warmth warding off the November chill, their closeness calming my nervous heart. I close my eyes and drink it in, letting myself believe it for a moment.

I’ll never be alone again. I belong to them.

“Here,” comes Caden’s muffled voice, and we head toward what turns out to be a small gate in the wall. He holds it open for us.

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