Page 101 of Haunted Prey

“I know I was in the final edits, but I think this is important.”

She covered her eyes and started to laugh. “No. I meant, you aren’t seriously going to try to work on your thesis here, of all places. Which, by the way, is no longer a thesis, it’s a damn bookat this point,” she said, dropping her hand. “After everything that has happened, don’t you think it can wait?”

“No, I think this is the perfect time. Because I can talk to the victims and they get the chance to tell their side, to the person whose family destroyed their lives.”

“It’s definitely a fascinating social experiment, I just don’t know if you’re going to like what they have to say.”

“It doesn’t matter whether I like it or not. Maybe it just matters that it’s said.”

We heard another car pulling into the garage and several car doors slamming shut. A minute later Leslie and Dom walked back in, followed by Emery and Micheal.

Dom came straight to me and handed me a slim black laptop.

“Wow, this is great, Dom.”

I went to open it, and Leslie shot around and snapped it shut. “Dom might be a little too trusting, but I know better. No internet and we check everything you’re doing.”

Emery came around behind me to stare Leslie down. “She’s innocent.”

“I’ll see it when I believe it.”

“Alright, I’ll check her work. Or do you not trust me either, Lez?”

“Honestly, no. You got wet dick syndrome.”

“I’m about to have bloody knife syndrome here in a second.”

“Why does she need the laptop?” Micheal asked.

“It’s for my thesis,” I answered.

“She’s doing it on all of you,” Lena added.

“On us?” Micheal asked.

“Yes. It started with Emery, but after I found out about the warehouse and Project Redbird, I started adding more to it. Now, I’d like to get words from the survivors.”

“You want to interview us?”

“That’s right.”

Leslie scoffed while Dom seemed intrigued. Micheal only eyed my curiously.

“Can I read what you have so far?”

I gave him a surprised look. “Sure. But I’ll need the internet to get my thesis off the cloud.”

“Dom can help you with that. But I have to agree with Lez, just out of precaution, no internet.”

I didn’t argue. Dom placed the laptop on the table and, once he opened it up and got online, I directed him to my storage box.

After it was downloaded and made available through a writing software, he gave the laptop to Micheal.

“It’s not fully edited yet,” I explained. “I still have to finish that and tweak a few things.”

“But it’s good,” Emery commented. I looked at him and he smirked. “From what I’ve read so far at least.”

“That’s because it’s mostly all about you.”

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