Loser || WlW

Forty-Six

 I wake up slowly, blinking to bring the blurry room into focus. My head is throbbing. The air is musty and damp, but the smell is familiar. Something from my childhood. Maybe I was right about Zachary using my Aunt's cabin as a place to hide his victims. There's a rickety wooden staircase on the other side of the room with a door at the top.

My hands are tied behind my back with a zip tie. I use the wall to push myself higher, trying to get a better view.

There's a small groan from my left.

"Oh my god. Brittany," I whisper.

Her wrists and ankles are bound with silver duct tape.

"Brittany," I whisper again.

Her eyes flutter open. There's a purple moon under one and blood is dried under her nose. Even with duct tape over her mouth, I can tell her lips pull into a small smile. She says something but I can't understand her with duct tape covering her mouth.

"What?" I ask and then shake my head when she tries to speak again. "Never mind. Let me help." I try to maneuver so my hands are level with her face but the tiled ground is slippery. I gag. Is that blood?

She murmurs something under the tape again.

"What?"

She repeats herself.

"Brittany, I can't understand you."

The door flings open, crashing into the wall behind it. Zachary is standing at the top of the stairs. A grin spreads across his face as he bounds toward us.

"Jordan, I'm so glad you're awake," he says.

Brittany flinches away from him as he kneels in front of me. He seems so childlike. An optimistic glint in his eyes.

"Hey, Zach?" I ask. "Want to untie me and we can talk about this?"

He shakes his head hard. "No! I knew you were going to ask that! No!" He's screaming, he gets up, throws his hands out in exasperation, and kneels again. "Jordan, I'm doing what's best for you. You're so smart. You'll understand."

"Why don't you explain it to me?" I ask. "And take the tape off Brittany's mouth."

He glances at her, snarls, and sighs. "She wouldn't stop talking shit," he explains. "I had to make her shut up."

"She won't anymore," I promise. "Right, Britt?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm a kid!" His face is so close to mine that I flinch. "You always treat me like a fucking kid."

"My bad, Zach," I shrug. "Will you please untie Brittany?" I ask again. "And tell me why you're murdering people?"

His head snaps in my direction. "You didn't put it together yet?" He looks at Brittany again. "I bet you did," he says and rips the duct tape from her mouth.

She doesn't flinch, just stares at him until he walks to the other side of the room.

"Thanks," she mumbles to me.

"What were you trying to tell me earlier?" I whisper.

She smirks. "I was telling you to use your lips," she glances at my lips, "to get my duct tape off."

I feel my eyes go wide. My cheeks are hot as I shake my head. Leave it to Brittany to make jokes at a time like this.

Zachary is back fast, kneeling in front of her. "I've always related to you," he tells her. "We're just misunderstood. Both of us." He strokes her cheek with the back of his hand. "You're not a slut." He shakes his head. "Not really. And I'm not a bad guy. I'm just taking care of my little sister."

Neither of them says anything for a moment as Brittany stares back at him.

"Tell me, Brittany. I bet you know. Why am I killing people?" He stands, walks to the other side of the room, and grunts as he throws a bundle over his shoulder. I can't make out what it is in the dim light. Something wrapped in a sheet.

He sets the bundle down in front of us, the sheet slides away revealing Grace. Her face is pale.

"Oh my god," I breathe. "Is she..."

"Not yet," Zachary says, looking at her like she's diseased. "Soon though."

As if on command, Grace's eyes open and flick between the three of us. "Jordan," Her eyes go soft, hopeful.

Zachary looks at Brittany again. "Still waiting," he says. "Why am I killing people?"

She raises an eyebrow at him; rolls her eyes. "Yeah, well, I'm still waiting for –"

I clear my throat as loud as I can and shake my head at her.

She rolls her eyes. "You think you're protecting her," she says and leans her head back against the wall. "So, you killed Mia because she tweeted about Jordan." She looks at Grace. "We all know why you're here." She swallows. "Jack roofied her. Trevor tried to drown her. I didn't do anything. Neither did Claire. I know she didn't. She was too gentle for her own good."

Zachary lets out a single hysterical laugh as he jumps back to his feet. "You haven't told her yet?" He grabs his hair in both hands. "Tell them, Jordan."

I rack my brain for anything Claire has done but there's nothing. "She didn't." Then it hits me. "Are you talking about the kiss?"

Brittany's head snaps toward me. "Claire kissed you?"

I shrug away from her intensity. "Yeah?" I swallow. "I just remembered the other day."

Zachary nods at her. "See. You get it, don't you?"

Brittany's jaw clenches as she looks away from him.

"Explain it to my naïve little sister," he shouts. His tone is a mix of excitement and anger.

She clicks her tongue and stares at him for a second. "I don't know what my sister's intentions were." She shrugs. Tears are bordering her eyelids as she turns her face from him again.

"Bullshit." His voice is like an explosion. "You know she didn't give two fucks about Jordan." He kneels in front of me again. "She was just playing with your heart, Jo. I couldn't let her hurt you like that."

"Okay, but let Brittany go," I beg. "She hasn't done anything."

He snorts. "That one's your fault." He jabs a finger into my chest. "You're the one who's trying to throw your life away for...' He shakes his head. "For what? For this?" He gestures at her. "I know you, Jo. As soon as Dad told you about the SoCal opportunity you already shot it down in your head."

"I don't think that's the issue," I say, my eyes narrowing at him.

He frowns.

"I think you're mad because she wouldn't sleep with you and you're trying –"

"Shut up!" He's screaming again. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!" He starts toward the stairs. "I'm not playing these games anymore!"

The door at the top of the stairs slams closed, reopens for a moment, and closes again.

It's not until I hear the soft footsteps that I recognize the woman coming down the stairs.

"Mom?" My voice shakes. "What are you doing here?"