Page 59 of Nothing Ever Happens Here

But before I can push myself to stand and run again, he’s already caught me. He doesn’t even need to attack me or use chloroform on a cloth to knock me out like before. He has control. He’s bigger, he’s hovering over me, and he has a gun. He smiles down at me.

“Where are you going so fast?” he asks, and I just stare up at his face. I can’t believe who I’m looking at. I just don’t believe it. Then a swift blow to the head makes everything go dark.

26

FLORENCE

When he says my name and stops me in my tracks, I hold my hands up like I’m being arrested and turn, slowly, to look at him.

“Evan,” I say flatly, with forced calm. “I thought you were out tonight.”

“What brings you by, Florence?”

“I was just wanting to chat. When nobody answered I let myself in because it’s so cold.”

“Chat. Oh,” he says, and then he smiles at me, looking like he’ll lunge toward me at any second. I casually put my hand into my coat pocket and start to press buttons on my phone, hoping to call for help. The last number that called me was Mack, asking if Shelby was at the Oleander’s. That was earlier today, so it’s the first number my finger finds to press the call button on, and he doesn’t notice until I hear her pick up and I pull the phone out and start yelling into it as quickly as I can: “Help.He caught me. Please help. The address is—” and then Evan has me in his grip. He snatches the phone and pushes me into the horrifying shrine room with one easy sweep, locking me inside.

I sit on the edge of the bed to catch my breath. The bed is covered in rose petals. He was planning to have somebody here tonight. Does he have Shelby already? Is that why I couldn’t reach her? Oh God. What have I done? I was trying to help, and now I’m in here and can’t do a damn thing. I made a mistake coming here. I should have called the police. No. I stop myself. No, I would be some crazy bat making accusations, just like they think Shelby is. They would never have even asked Evan a question. This needed to happen. I can still fix this.

It seems like a very long time that I’m sitting in that room alone, trying not to look at all the photos on the wall, trying not to cry. I do take my blood pressure medicine and open a warm Pepsi sitting on top of the dresser to swallow it with, and then I hear something. A door opens and he yells, “Hey!” and then he runs outside. I can feel the blast of frigid air even from back here. There is silence for a long time, and then he’s back. I can hear him humming right outside in the kitchen, and I smell grilled cheese on the stove. He’s just going about his business like I’m not even here. I try to run through all of the reasons he would do something like this. What does he want?

Then I hear his voice outside the door. It sounds like he has slid down the wall and is sitting on the opposite side.

“Oh, Florence,” he sighs.

“I’m here,” I say. “I know I shouldn’t have let myself in, Evan, but what’s going on? I won’t tell anyone, Evan. We’re friends,” I say, and I don’t know what my strategy is, but maybe if I can get him to talk I can figure out my angle and talk my way out of this.

“How did you figure it out?” he asks.

“Figure what out?” I still play dumb, but it’s clearly not working.

“Can we just cut the shit? I don’t want to have to kill you.”

“No,” I say. “I wouldn’t like that either.”

“So I ask you again…how’d you figure out it was me?”

After some moments of silence, I make myself speak. “Blacklock. The avatar name you used playing video games with Herb. You signed into the hospital logs with that name. It had to be you.”

“No shit? I better fix that.” I hear him pull out his phone and tap the screen. “Glad you mentioned that. I deleted it so nobody else would find that. Good catch. Thanks. I knew you were catching on, but I kind of thought you were into it, ya know…”

Oh my God, it’s all rushing in—it’s all becoming clear that he’s actually a sociopath and I am in grave danger of dying in this house and, from his track record, him getting away with it.

“You killed Otis?” I say, my voice cracking, but I try to clear it and stay level. I have so many questions. What happened to Leo, Bernie; where is Shelby? How is it all connected? Why are you doing this? But I’m trapped by a monster, and I don’t know what approach to take to make him think I’m not a threat.

“I’m so disappointed, Flor. I liked you. I thought you’d be excited to find out about all this. I thought we could plan our next move together, but you’re on their side. I can tell.”

“What?” I say. “Excited?” I stutter in disbelief, not understanding what he’s saying.

“Sure. Catching on that Otis was murdered, finding Bernie’s pendant, all of it—it was thrilling for you. You were getting off on all of it.”

“No, Evan. I was certainly not,” I say, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice, but there is silence on the other end. Then I hear him get up and walk away.

It feels like a long time before I hear footsteps come back near the door, and I’m waiting, shakily behind it for him to come in.When he finally opens the bedroom door, I shove the Taser at him with all my strength and press the button until he’s convulsing on the floor. For a minute, I think I killed him.

“Oh God! Oh no,” I say, not stopping to check on him but instead stepping over him to retrieve the handgun that dropped from his grip and slipped across the kitchen floor, mercifully not going off.

He moans and starts to collect himself, muttering “bitch” under his breath, and when he finally pushes himself up to sit, he’s met with the end of his own gun, which I’m aiming at him. He gives a weak laugh.

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