Chương 205: B4. 10.1 - Monster Horror Flick

Yves Goodwin Yves Goodwin rubbed his clammy hands together to stop them from getting numb. They tingled, the blood rushing away from his fingers as his anxiety built up. The cool desert air dried his sweat, making him nauseous. Odd that he was sweating while just sitting in the back of Grayson's pickup truck. He hugged his knees to make himself smaller, barely moving so no one would notice him. He did this so that the others wouldn't make fun of or force him to do anything moronic.

I'm only following whatever Grayson and the others tell me to do. It was their fault if anything bad happened. His fellow first-year and long-time friend, Tahir, had assured him this was normal for pledges.

'Hunker down and ride it out,' his best friend would say whenever he wavered during their application process.

'Think of the benefits and the connections later,' was another thing Tahir repeatedly mentioned. But Yves didn't want any part of what was happening. They should stop their seniors from harassing the women in the car in front of them. The confident and well-built Tahir didn't dare speak, prioritizing his future standing in the fraternity. Lee, very close with Miles and Bridger, didn't want them to think he was lame and weak. As for Yves, what was he supposed to do if Tahir and Lee were silent? I'm such a coward…

Yves closed his eyes, feeling ashamed of what happened at the diner. If Enrico didn't arrive at that time, what would've happened to the old men? To the two ladies? Nothing good. Yves heard of the rumors of Grayson's past. Miles and Bridger weren't saints either. Waiting was all he could do. What's going on? Yves craned his neck as the pickup truck swerved left and started to wobble. The other guys were laughing. Tahir drove the truck off the road, heading to a gas station with a convenience store on the side.

The station and the store looked ancient. It must've been abandoned for decades. The blue car they were following was parked by the rotting store. No! Why did you go here? Yves feared what Grayson and the others would do to the ladies in this isolated place. This was supposed to be an uneventful trip to Las Vegas. But now, something horrible was bound to happen. Yves didn't want anything to do with a crime. Where was Enrico, their Chapter President? Could he find them now?

It was incredibly lucky that Enrico had found them at Barstow Station earlier. Someone must've messaged Enrico. Was it Tahir? Or Lee? Enrico couldn't have spotted Grayson's truck from the freeway. When he entered the place, he already knew Grayson was up to no good again. Yves wondered if he should try that now. Grayson told Enrico they'd rest at a motel for the night since they were drunk, but they left Enrico there. Yves stared at his phone's screen. No signal bars.

He could only pray that Enrico was racing after them at this moment. But would he notice them at this gas station off the road? Yves didn't think so.

"What if… I just walked away?" Yves whispered to himself.

"What'd you say?" Miles arranged his bowl cut that Lee always trash-talked behind his back, as the truck bounced over a rock"Nothing," Yves muttered. If Yves left, where would he go? Stay by the road and wait for whatever would happen to be over? Thoughts of helping the two women had no space in his mind when he couldn't even help himself. If he couldn't help, then he'd rather not be here. Tahir honked the horn before parking the truck on the other side of the gas pumps.

Yves would like to think that his best friend had some sanity left and tried to warn the women, giving them a chance to hide. Why did those two go to this dump? Did they think they'd find help here? But it was obvious this place was freaking abandoned! The others jumped off the truck. Yves followed. He knew in his heart that he wasn't brave enough to walk out on them.

"Leave the fucking headlights on," Grayson told Tahir.

"It's darker than Bridger's ass."

"Got it," said Tahir, tossing Grayson the keys.

"How would you—? Ah!" Bridger stroked the long goatee he was proud of while laughing like a hyena.

"That time with the whores at Gio's party? Were you looking at my ass back then?"

"If we're talking about asses," said Miles, "this is one creepy ass place." They turned on their phones' flashlights to survey their surroundings. Up close, the gasoline station looked even more dilapidated. A few patches of dirty paint were the remaining colors on the pumps and the roof overhead. The graffiti sprayed on the pumps was peeling off. Rust claimed the sheets on the roof, reminding Yves of dried blood in this dim light.

"Where did Blondie and her twig of a friend go?" Grayson wondered. A loud creak made them all turn to the store. It was made of a long wooden plank, its windows foggy with accumulated dust. Grayson led the way, stopping for a few seconds by the parked car to make sure no one was inside. Yves hoped that the women didn't hide in the store—they'd just trap themselves. He couldn't fathom why they did this.

"I don't like the feel of this place," said Miles.

"Just an old crappy building," said Bridger.

"Are you scared we'd find a monster here?"

"Wasn't there an Adumbrae around these parts?" Miles asked.

"The Dune Stalker?" Bridger laughed.

"That was from ages ago, man! We're far away from Barstow."

"But the disappearances. Last year, there was—""Shut up, both of you!" Grayson shouted, standing next to the door. He opened it and gestured to the dusty darkness.

"See? No monster. Don't be wimps. We're here for a good time." They stepped inside the store. Four empty shelves running its length—one of them had fallen on its side. Dust and cobwebs everywhere. The windows had been boarded up with planks of wood. Miles found the switch for the lights; unsurprisingly, there was no power. All five of them stood by the entrance, listening to the silence. Yves could feel that they were being watched. Sounded stupid.

This wasn't a horror movie where an Adumbrae was waiting in the dark to pounce. The Dune Stalker talk was getting to his head, and he was thinking of any excuse to run out of here. Miles broke the silence.

"I-I don't see the girls. Maybe they're outside." Yves tried to volunteer to check outside. But he was too scared to speak.

"We won't see nothing if we stand here," said Grayson.

"Fan out. Damn, I sound like the special forces." He forced a laugh, cautiously walking down the middle lane. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. No one followed Grayson's orders; everyone trailed behind him instead of scattering. There was an eeriness to the store that Yves couldn't explain. He was probably nervous that they'd actually find the girls.

He hoped that the girls had tricked them, and they were outside at this moment, getting inside their car to drive away fast. But there were no engine sounds. A creak. The door behind them closed. Yves, at the back of their group, gasped and turned around. It got a bit darker, with the door blocking the lights of the pickup truck.

"Good idea, closing the door," said Bridger.

"Nice to have privacy, man."

"But I didn't—" Yves started to explain.

"Shut up." Grayson pointed the light of his phone towards the end of the store. Someone was standing there. Yves' heart dropped to his stomach.

"Wah! Hahaha…" Grayson's yelp turned into laughter.

"Fucking hell… It's just you, Twig Girl." That was their group's nickname for Blondie's friend. The girl with the wavy, long, black hair was very petite, her clothes showing no curves. From her pale, youthful face, Yves guessed that she was near his age. She stood still in the middle of the aisle, her hands at her sides, defiantly glaring as if daring them to approach her.

"Where's your friend?" Grayson demanded of Twig Girl, shining his phone on her. The girl replied with a shrug. Grayson slowly approached her like a stalking wolf. She retreated, walking backwards while looking at all of them. Actually, it wasn't a glare. A look of mild amusement? That couldn't be right. Yves berated Twig Girl in his head. Why didn't you leave? This is so stupid!

"Is Blondie hiding in here?" Grayson looked left and right. The shelves had back walls, blocking his view of the other aisles.

"She's offering you up to us or what?

"Throwing you to the wolves," Bridger said.

"You want to have some fun with us, Twig Girl?" Miles asked, seemingly having gotten over the spooks.

"You can be the appetizer. A bony appetizer." The three seniors laughed. Tahir and Lee looked at each other. Lee had a half-hearted grin, nudging his head at their seniors to say they should play along. Tahir looked over his shoulder and met Yves' eyes. He mouthed, What should we do? Yves shook his head. He didn't know what he meant by that. Do nothing? Or stop the seniors?

"We're gonna start with you, Twig Girl," Grayson said.

"But Blondie has to join in later, or you're in some big trouble."

"You gals are together, right?" Bridger asked.

"Did Blondie want you to have a taste of men first?" Miles harshly chuckled.

"How about the two of you give us a show and—""Wait a goddamn second." Grayson stopped walking. Miles and Bridger bumped him from behind, but he didn't lash out at them.

"Is this some kind of fucking setup?"

"What are you on about, man?" Bridger tried to push past Grayson.

"Don't cockblock a brother."

"Setup? Like other people are hiding here?" Miles had a tinge of nervousness in his voice, making Yves afraid, too.

"I know what's going on." Grayson furiously pointed at Twig Girl, who had reached the back of the store.

"You're with that fucking bitch, Aubrey! Admit it!" Yves remembered her name—Lee had mentioned that Grayson assaulted her at a party. Grayson was arrested. Enrico used his family connections to get Grayson out of jail, and beat him badly afterwards for putting the frat in a bad light. Grayson continued his outburst, "Are you baiting me to do something illegal? You got cameras pointed at my face? I'm fucking on to you!"

"You're overthinking shit, man," said Bridger.

"We followed them, remember? No setup or—" Grayson threw up his hands in frustration.

"Why else did these bitches drive here? Your ugly mug won't make their panties wet for you. Blondie won't touch any of us with a ten-foot pole. This twig whore might, if she's desperate." Yves noticed Twig Girl raised her brow. He might be imagining it, but she seemed to sneer. Why did she have that expression? Why wasn't she afraid? Was Grayson correct? This was a setup? Some sort of police entrapment? I can't get caught by the police! That was Yves' first thought. What would his mom say? She'd be devastated.

She didn't even know he had joined a fraternity. He shouldn't have come here. But thinking some more, Grayson's theory didn't hold up. Bridger was right that they decided to follow these women; they weren't enticed or tricked into doing it. They also didn't see anyone else here.

"You're ruining the fun with your crazy talk," said Miles.

"Shut the fuck up." Grayson gestured behind him.

"Lee, you go check her!" Lee almost jumped.

"Why me?"

"Don't ask questions. Just fucking go!"

"O-okay…" Lee glanced at Tahir and Yves, his expression asking for help, before shuffling forward.

"Uh, check her for what?"

"See if she got wires on her or a body cam." Grayson pointed at Yves.

"You! Search this place for hidden cams. Anything that shouldn't be here." Yves thought Grayson had gone insane—there were no cameras here—but also realized he could use this as an excuse to leave. He'd hang back, pretend to rummage through the other shelves, and exit the door when the others were focused on Twig Girl. He didn't want to see what'd happen next. Since he couldn't stop it, he'd just leave.

If he could find an unbarred window, he could also escape while the shelves blocked him from the view of the others. He kept his ears peeled.

"Go on, Lee!" shouted Grayson.

"She won't bite you. You'll have the first taste if this isn't a set-up."

"What if she does bite?" Miles wondered, chuckling with hesitation.

"What if she's, like, an Adumbrae?"

"And you're saying I'm crazy?" Grayson laughed. The others laughed with him. Yves was knocking on the rightmost shelf, making it sound like he was doing his job, when he heard a girl's voice speak. Was that Twig Girl? He didn't hear exactly what she said because she talked softly, and the guys were laughing. They quieted after hearing her speak.

"Bitch, what did you say?" Grayson raised his voice.

"I asked what your thought process is." Twig Girl's voice was surprisingly gentle, making Yves feel guiltier that he planned to leave her alone with his frat brothers.

"Thought process?" Grayson repeated.

"I thought Eloyce students are supposed to be smart."

"How did you know we're—? This really is a setup! You're a friend of that whore, Aubrey!"

"Firstly, I don't know any Aubrey. Secondly, that guy is wearing an Eloyce sports jacket. And, lastly, you should've listened to your friend with the overturned coconut haircut." Yves wanted to laugh at the joke about Mile's appearance, but fear gripped his heart. He wasn't afraid of what crimes his frat brothers might commit. He also wasn't afraid of getting arrested. Something else. Something that he couldn't explain. His instincts were telling him to get out!

Turning around, he saw that one of the windows wasn't completely boarded up. Remove one plank, slide the window aside, and he could climb out. This way, he wouldn't use the door and risk being seen. The rusty nails wouldn't have much hold on the rotted plank after all these many years. He'd hide the creaks while the others were talking.

"What about Miles?" Grayson asked, sounding genuinely confused. Probably all of them were. This wasn't the reaction they expected from Twig Girl.

"What if…" Twig Girl paused for a couple of seconds.

"I'm an Adumbrae?" Grayson snorted so loudly it sounded like a sneeze.

"You've got to be shitting me. Is that your fucking plan? Lead us to this shithole store and tell us you're an Adumbrae to scare us away?"

"Well, no," said Twig Girl.

"I don't want to scare you away. You're not going to leave alive." No one talked. There was a deathly seriousness in her voice that stunned everyone.

"Are you an Adumbrae?" This time, it was Tahir's voice.

"Seriously, Tahir?" Grayson asked.

"You're buying this shit?" Yves didn't hear if Twig Girl answered because Grayson and the others jeered at Tahir. No way she was an Adumbrae. That'd be the most insane coincidence! Then again, why did these women lead them here? Was this the return of the Dune Stalker?

"Tha-that's not possible," Yves whispered, successfully removing the plank. He slid the window open and stared at the darkness, slightly lit by the truck's high beams. Lee's bloodcurdling scream filled the decrepit store.

"ARGH!" A thud. An object hit the ceiling above Yves. He fell on his butt. It landed beside him. He scrambled for his phone to illuminate the object. It was a severed hand.