Page 90 of Toxic Obsession

Staring at the corner where I’d removed the thin journal from the gap in the wall, I slipped the flathead in and gently attempted to pry a panel away. It took me a few minutes to find the right spot, but then a portion of the paneling popped open. Dust flew in my face, and I coughed as I swatted it away, trying to breathe.

I peered into the hole, my throat closing up. There it was, a black laptop and power cord. I used the light on my phone to make sure no rats had made a home in the wall before I reached in and pulled it out. From what I could tell, the cord was still in good shape. No critters had shown up unexpectedly and ate wires they shouldn’t.

Tripping over a pair of Ky’s shoes, I cursed under my breath as I made my way to his desk. I tossed my phone down and plugged the laptop into the outlet, praying it would power up. It had been a long fucking time since it had been used. Grabbing a cookie, I took a nibble and waited. I blew out a sigh of relief as it fired right up and displayed a desktop image with Ky and Bell.

It took me another hour to sift through the folders and files until I finally located what I hoped were additional journal entries.

I pushed play on the video and turned the volume up enough to hear what was being said, but not loud enough for Mom to overhear if she were upstairs.

Ky’s voice reached me and I hit the pause button, overcome with too many emotions to process. Anger was front and center, but I hadn’t allowed myself to really miss him. Hearing him speak again made the agony worse. I gave myself permission to cry. I couldn’t carry the pain around any longer, it affected everything I touched, including Quinn.

My finger hovered over the keypad until I pushed play. Seconds later, my mouth gaped, and a blob of the cookie fell onto the floor. “Eww.” I located a random tissue from my coat pocket and wiped it up.

Ky continued to talk but so did Dr. Metcalf. The camera seemed like it was on Ky’s phone from the corner of the room.

“No!” Ky said.

“But you have to, Ky. What’s been done to you is horrible, and Lance and his friends deserve to be treated worse than what they’ve done to you, be put in their places. Or are you such a despicable excuse for a human being that you won’t stand up for yourself?”

Silence, then Dr. Metcalf strolled around his desk and produced a key. Ky watched as Dr. Metcalf walked to a tall cabinet and unlocked it. “You’re ready, Ky. Don’t let fear stand in your way. You’re taking the world back on your terms. Those people don’t deserve to get away with all the torture and physical abuse they’ve doled out to you. They’re evil, Ky. Don’t you understand?”

“Yeah.” Ky’s shoulders relaxed as if what Dr. Metcalf said made perfect sense to him.

“Do you know what you do to evil?”

Ky nodded. “Destroy it.”

What the fuck? Ky’s voice sounded different, detached and almost monotone, but he’d never been a violent guy. That’s part of what had baffled me about the shooting.

Dr. Metcalf reached into the cabinet and produced a big gun and a box of ammo. “This is an automatic. You’ll be able to destroy the evil, then protect yourself while you run. Are you clear on the plan?”

“You motherfucker,” I spat. “The shooting wasn’t even Ky’s idea?”

The video stopped and as shocked shitless as I was, I had to keep watching. I could process and rewatch later.

The next one was dated February 13th, a day before the shooting. It was most likely the final entry. I closed my eyes, searching for the courage to hear what Ky couldn’t tell me or anyone else.

I waited as the video cued up, then Ky’s face filled the screen. I reached out to touch him, then pulled my hand away.

“I don’t know if anyone will ever find this, but there’s evidence in my journal and these videos that will hopefully put Dr. Metcalf in prison for life. I have to take advantage of the moments of clarity where I feel like myself and can think clearly, but those minutes are farther and farther apart. It’s as if I’m two different people, trying to fight against what my brain is ordering me to do.” Ky grabbed his head and winced. “I’m running out of time.” He leaned forward.

“I finally confided in Bell about what Dr. Metcalf was doing. She said that we could both escape the hell we were living in, and we made a suicide pact for tomorrow, February 14th. If I’m going to die, then at least Bell and I will be together in the afterlife.” Ky swallowed and the dark shadows beneath his eyes caught my attention. “A few days ago, Bell told me why she’d been so sad …”

The world tilted on its axis as Ky’s words bombarded me in slow motion. Seconds later, I puked all over the floor. My entire body shook as I clutched my stomach. There was no way I’d heard Ky right. No goddamn way. Cries escaped me as the truth sank in.

The truth had been so much worse than I could have ever imagined. So. Much. Worse.

Chapter49

Quinn

There was no better sight than my girlfriend waiting for me at Whitmore University as I hopped off the bus along with the rest of my team.

Wynter shivered in the cold wind.

“Hey, beautiful.” I wrapped her in my arms and kissed her senseless. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too. Congrats on another win.”

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