Page 151 of Deviant

“Shut it, Mackenzie. Keep your head on the game,” David says beside her.

These two… this really is just a game to them… one they think they can win. I hope I’m there when they have their rude awakening.

When we finally reach the basement, it’s not an open space as we figured. In fact, it looks like just another level to the house, with its separate rooms and living areas. Henry urges us to follow him down another long hall until we come to its end. Immediately, my eyes widen at what I see, and I grab Elias’s hand to give it a tight squeeze.

“What?” he leans down to whisper in my ear.

“Look,” I order, pointing to the three doors surrounding us.

The door to our left is painted black, while the one on the right is white. And right in front of us stands another door in a blood-chilling red. Instantly, I’m reminded of the nonsensicalgibberish the old priest had been blabbing about whenever I saw him. It wasn’t nonsense at all. It was a warning.

“What is it?” Elias insists as I try to recall the priest’s warning.

“Father O’Sullivan warned me about these doors, only at the time it didn’t make sense to me,” I whisper back. “I distinctly remember him talking about colors. At the time, I just thought it was nothing, just nonsense, but now I see that it wasn’t. He was trying to tell me something. To warn me. I just need to remember. God, what was it?” I mumble the last part to myself. I shake my head, trying to remember his exact words. “He said something about red being true. True. Honest. Not white. Never white. Never white. I remember that part perfectly.”

“What about black?” Elias questions.

“I think black is okay,” I mutter as I try to recall. “Yes, black is definitely okay.”

“Good to know. It was always my color anyway.” He winks.

“How can you make jokes at a time like this?”

“Because…,” he lowers his voice, “I would rather chew my arm off than let these motherfuckers see me sweat.”

And when his eyes lift upward, I realize that we’re being watched even here, cameras positioned in each corner of the hallway.

“Okay, you brought us here, what now?” David grumbles, annoyed that Henry hasn’t given us any further instruction.

“Now you chose your fate,” he replies, with that same even tone of his.

“Who goes first?” Lucas asks just as Henry pulls out three sticks, each of a different length, holding them in his hand in a way that makes it impossible for us to tell which is which.

“Guess whoever gets the short stick is shit out of luck. Typical,” Mackenzie yawns before pulling out a stick. Lucy follows her and pulls one out, leaving the last one for me.

As we bring our sticks together, we note that Mackenzie has the largest one, followed by mine, and Lucy has the shortest.

“David and I choose the black door,” Mackenzie announces, staring at me with an arrogant, smug grin.

Damn it, she must have overheard Elias and me talking. I’m really starting to dislike the girl.

“Fine, then we choose the red door,” I state, giving her my own version of the evil eye.

“I guess that means we get the white one,” Lucas whispers to Lucy.

I want to tell them to be careful. To be wary of whatever is behind that door, but Elias gives a curt shake to his head, silencing whatever warning I want to give them.

“Your choice has been made,” Henry informs. “Six of you will walk into these rooms, but not all will return. Play well, as for some of you, this game will be the first and last you ever play.”

Chapter 28

Elias

Before I can usher Rowen into the room, she grabs Lucy’s hand and offers her a quivering smile.

“Be careful in there, okay?”

“I’ll try,” Lucy replies meekly.

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