Page 48 of Wicked Little Nightmare

"Please," he choked out, "I don't — I can't —"

I sighed dramatically, reaching for the toolbox under the sink. "Well, if you insist on being difficult..."

Skeeter's eyes widened as I rummaged through the toolbox, my fingers dancing over various instruments. I hummed a cheery birthday tune, relishing the tremor in his voice as he spoke again.

"Wait! Wait... I... I know something," he stammered, his resolve crumbling like wet cardboard.

I paused, arching an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell, sweetie. It better be good – I'd hate for you to be disappointing. Well, anymore disappointing than you already are."

Cam sighed. "Tick tock, pal. My girl's patience isn't endless, and neither is mine."

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. "There's... there's another lab. Underground. Beneath the old St. Mary's Cathedral. They hid the entrance; I don’t know where it is."

My heart raced with excitement, but I kept my voice saccharine. "Another lab, huh? How delightfully clandestine. And what exactly goes on in this lab, hmm?"

"I don't know everything, I swear," Skeeter said, words tumbling out in a panicked rush. "But they're... they're doing experiments. On people. Trying to create something... or someone. Something to do with babies. I don’t know, Lakey, I swear to fuck, I don’t know! All I know is what I’ve heard."

Cam and I exchanged a look. Just as I figured. It was so much bigger than we’d initially thought. This might pose a problem if we didn’t get to the source.

"Who's 'they,' Skeeter?" Cam pressed; his tone deceptively calm.

Skeeter hesitated; terror etched across his face. "If I tell you... you have to promise to keep me safe. Please. Cam? I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve any of this. I was just a low mutt in cells, and they found me. I swear to God, please, Cam."

I leaned in close, my lips nearly brushing his ear. "Sweetheart, Cam is not your savior. But I can be persuaded not to be your executioner if you give me something I can use. And then use your computer skills to find it."

He shuddered, then whispered a single word that made my blood run cold:

"Chimera."

Nineteen: Cam

That one little word hung in the air like a fuckin' death sentence. FuckingChimera.The whispers of a ghost. No one knew whether Chimera was real, and they sure as shit didn’t want to dig deep enough to find out. Almost all the juvie’s had spoken the word in the night, trying to get real about conspiracy theories or some shit, but from what was understood, it was something dark. Something so big it was as complex as a human body, it’s veins supposedly reaching far and wide, it’s hands in everything… and everyone. I’d never placed much value on it, just content to ride out my life the way it had always been and yet… Now we were face to face with it, needing to figure out how real shit was about to get. Lakey's eyes widened, her usual playful smirk replaced by something I rarely saw on her - fear. Real, genuine fear.

I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, trying to look casual while my mind raced. Skeeter lay in the bathtub, his head resting against the tiles, watching us as we processed the bomb he just dropped on us, a small smile playing around the corner of his lips. It could just be in my head, but I could have fucking sworn his fear was replaced by a glint of excitement.

"Well, shit," Lakey said, her voice barely above a whisper. "This is... unexpected."

I kept my eyes locked on Skeeter. The bastard knew more than he was letting on, that much was clear. But how much of a threat was he really?

"Cam," Lakey said, her voice steadier now. "What do we do?"

I shrugged, aiming for nonchalance. "We find out what he knows, sweetheart. Then we decide if he lives or dies."

Lakey's lips curled into that familiar, vicious grin I loved so much. "Ooh, I vote for option two. It's been way too long since I've gotten my hands dirty."

I couldn't help but smirk. That was my girl - sweet as pie one minute, ready to kill the next.

"Easy there, killer," I said, pushing off the wall. "Information first, murder later. That's the rule, remember?"

Lakey pouted, but I saw the gleam in her eye. She loved our little game of cat and mouse.

"Fine," she sighed dramatically. "But make it quick. I'm getting antsy."

I crouched down next to Skeeter, grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking his head forward before pushing it back, relishing in the loud thud. "Alright, asshole. Start talking. Chimera is a ghost, a story to tell kids so they stay in their bed. Since when is he real?"

Skeeter's eyes darted between me and Lakey, his tongue darting out to wet his lips before he hummed.

"I don't know much," he said. "Just that it's big. Bigger than anything you've ever seen before. Chimera extends beyond anything. Anyone. There’s no beginning and no end."

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