Chapter 37: Tess

Sunday, October 2nd

WHEN I WOKE TO find myself in Derrick’s arms, I burst into tears. “Oh, thank God. I lost track of what was real for a second there. I thought—I thought—”

“It’s okay. You’re here. You’re safe,” he murmured, stroking my hair. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” I sobbed, burying my face in his shirt. “It’s not okay. I know what happened. I know what they did.” I recounted the dream in as much detail as possible in the futile hope he wouldn’t make me repeat it. “Oh, God, Derrick, it was horrible.”

His grip around me tightened, and for a second, I wondered why we were on the floor in his room, but I needed this hug too badly to ask.

“You thought of me, before you—?” He cleared his throat. “Before the pain stopped?”

“Yeah.” My pulse pounded in my throat because this was so not the time for this. But when else? A few minutes ago, I’d been convinced I’d never see Derrick again. “I—I think I—” I broke off, almost losing my nerve. “I’ve been so stupid. I know how you feel about me, I know.”

He tensed in my arms, and alarm bells went off in my head telling me to shut up, that this was going all wrong, but the dam broke, and everything came spilling out of me.

“And I’ve tried so hard not to feel that way too because of all these reasons that suddenly seem so . . . stupid. Only I didn’t realize how little all my reasons mattered until I was dying. But then I was thinking of you, and it . . . it was like . . . a pull. Like a force, like—”

“Physics.” He broke away from me, rising to his feet.

“Exactly!” I stood, crossing and uncrossing my arms, plowing right past the voice in my head begging, pleading with me to shut up. “It’s terrifying how much I need you. That’s why I never said it before, but I need you to know, Derrick. I can’t believe I almost died without letting you know.”

“Would you just stop!” He stepped back until he reached the doorway. “What do you get out of this?”

What do I get out of this? “I don’t—”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re playing at, but it’s not going to work. If you think I can’t see right through you, you’re wrong. I am done listening to your bullshit.”

Oh, God. I’d screwed everything up. I’d misinterpreted the way he felt. I’d made a fool of myself. “Derrick, I—”

“Shut up!” Was he crying? “Just stop talking!” He flipped on the light and leaned against the wall, his head touching his arm, like he couldn’t even stand to turn and look at me. When he spoke again his voice sounded muffled. “You’re a leech! A parasite, and if you think for one second I’d fall for—”

“Der—” My voice cracked, and I swallowed hard, trying to bring enough life back into my dry mouth to take the words back. To select undo. “Derrick, I—”

“Stop saying my name!” He whirled on me, his neck cording.

I shrieked as he lunged toward me, throwing my hands in front of my face and stumbling back with my eyes squeezed shut.

“Tess.” Horror dawned in his voice as he looked at me and realized exactly how pathetic I was.

“You’re l-like a brother,” I managed to say before a violent sob ripped through me. Derrick moved toward me, hand outstretched, but I jerked away from him. “Like family. Not like that. Never like—I mean, I—like—”

“No! No, no, no. I didn’t mean—I would never mean—” He reached for me, but he stopped when I flinched.

“I think . . . I think I should go.” I moved past him and started down the hall.

“Go?” He followed on my heels. “Go where?”

“Home.”

“Tess, no. I can explain, okay? Would you just listen? Tess!”

Fumbling with the latch, I threw the door open and plowed right into Josh Worthington.

“You killed him.” Josh’s eyes were crazed with grief. “You killed him! Why?”

I scrambled back and tried to slam the door, but Josh burst through. I barely had time to shriek Derrick’s name before Josh landed on top of me. The door bounced shut behind him as my head cracked against the wooden floor of the foyer.

“Why!” he demanded, one hand closing around my throat, the other raised in a fist. “Why are you doing this?”

“Get off of her!” Derrick grabbed Josh’s arm before he could strike, but Josh turned. I didn’t see what he did, but Derrick’s body hit the floor with a thud.

Derrick! Prying at Josh’s fingers with both hands, I tried to loosen his grip enough to draw in a breath.

“You killed him!” Josh’s fist slammed into my face so hard, stars flashed across my vision.

I kicked at him, scratching, clawing, anything to get out from under him. The press of something cold, metal, and circular against my temple stopped me cold.

Tires squealed in the driveway, a car door slammed. Matt threw open the door and took in the scene with wide eyes. “Josh! Stop!”

He closed the door behind him, throwing the latch with a click, and any hope I’d had at Matt’s arrival sank. He wasn’t here to help me.

“She killed Aaron!” Josh roared, his grip tightening around my throat. “And he’s still hurting, I can feel it! He’s in agony!”

“Josh.” With a pained groan, Derrick climbed to his feet, holding out his hands. “Stop, you don’t want to do this. Think about where you are. Whose house you’re in.”

“He’s screaming!” The gun dug into my skull. “He’s still screaming!”

“When?” Derrick demanded. “Tonight? She’s been here all night, Josh. She didn’t kill anyone.”

“You’re lying! I saw her!”

My heart pumped panic through my body. If he would loosen his grip for two seconds, just two seconds, I could breathe. You can heal, I reminded myself, trying to quell my fear.

From a headshot?

“Josh,” Matt begged. “Put the gun down. Y—you’re hurting her.”

“Not enough.” The gun made a clicking sound.

“Hey!” Derrick yelled. “You want the screaming to stop? Well, then pissing me off is a really bad idea. Get off of her!”

What was he doing?

“What do you mean?” Josh’s hand loosened.

I gasped, sucking in a mouthful of air too fast. I sputtered, coughing, and oh, God, it hurt. “Derrick, don’t!”

Derrick ignored me. “You mean you haven’t figured it out? Wow, you really are thick. You said she’s got more motivation to want you guys dead than anyone, but you and I both know that’s not true.”

I tried to squirm out from under Josh, but the press of the gun against my head reminded me that moving was really not a good idea.

“Hernandez . . .” Matt said nervously, “I don’t think—”

“Shut up, Matt!” Josh shouted.

Derrick edged closer, hands held out, eyes darting to me. “I’ve been having blackouts, and every time I come to, another one of you is dead. It started the night of the eclipse. You never stopped to wonder how she got to my house when the rest of you were stuck in the woods?” He glanced at me and swallowed hard. “You want the screaming to stop, let her go. It’s that simple.”

“Nice try, Hernandez,” Josh sneered.

“Think.” Something in Derrick’s voice sent shivers up my spine. “You’ve known us your entire life. She doesn’t have this in her. But me? You know that’s a different story.”

“He’s lying,” I cried desperately. Trying to save me by putting himself in the line of fire. Like I could live with myself if he got hurt. “Josh, listen—”

Josh backhanded me. “Shut up!”

“Don’t hurt her!” Derrick yelled.

My face throbbed and tears pricked at my eyes, but I continued. “What happened to Aaron—Derrick couldn’t do that. He could never do that. He—”

“They hurt you, Tess.” Derrick cut me off, his eyes glued to the gun as Josh raised it to point at Derrick’s chest. “You have no idea what I would or wouldn’t do.”

Josh leveled the gun at Derrick, tears streaming down his face. “Make the screaming stop.”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course.” Derrick’s hands raised in surrender. “But first, you have to put the gun down. Because if you shoot her, it’ll never stop, Josh. I’ll make sure of it.”

Josh’s finger twitched on the trigger.

“Stop this!” Matt shouted, voice hysterical. “It wasn’t Hernandez, Josh, I saw you! I saw you kill Aaron, I saw it!”

Josh swung around. “I would never hurt Aaron.”

“I know that! Don’t you see? It’s screwing with us!”

Gun safely off Derrick, I bucked upward, knocking Josh off balance. He went down hard on one arm. I grabbed at the hand with the gun, slammed it against the floor, and shoved the weapon away.

“Bitch!” He recovered, shoving me back down. He punched me so hard, blood splattered his face. Matt was on him in a second, hauling him off me.

Derrick yanked me free of the fray. “Tess? Tess!”

I tried to answer him, but between the buzzing in my ears and the white-hot beacon of pain that was my face, I couldn’t manage.

“Is she okay?” Matt demanded, dropping to his knees beside me. “Shit! We have to call 911.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“No!” Derrick said. “You can’t call.”

We’d never be able to explain me healing.

“Josh,” I gasped as the throbbing in my face eased. “Where’s Josh?”

“He took off.” Matt motioned to the open door behind him, not even looking up from his phone. “Whaddya mean we can’t call? Look at her, she needs—”

“The gun!” I insisted. “Does he have the gun?”

“No.” He glanced up at me. “I—Holy shit!” Matt saw me and scrambled back. “Y-you healed.”

I slumped back to the floor as dizziness overwhelmed me.

“Josh broke three ribs less than a week ago, and he ran in here tonight. Ran.” Derrick’s voice sounded rough, though his arms supported me gently enough. “I’m willing to bet you all heal. Maybe at different rates or something, or maybe the injuries need to push past a certain extent to trigger. I don’t know, but whatever this is, it doesn’t want you to die. Not until it’s your turn.”

Matt nodded, his eyes distant, as if lost in thought. “You’re not calling your Mom, you’re not pressing charges.”

“The hell I’m not.” Derrick snapped, arms tightening around me. He eased off the pressure when I flinched. “We were just threatened at gunpoint, Roberts. We’re—”

Matt flashed his teeth at Derrick. “You need to know what I know. You said as much at Harrison’s funeral.”

“Oh, I think we know everything we need to.” Derrick’s eyes glittered darkly.

Matt raised an eyebrow at him. “Willing to bet her life on it?” When Derrick didn’t answer, his grin broadened. “Didn’t think so. You don’t call, I’ll tell you everything. Clear?”

Derrick worked a muscle in his jaw. “Clear.”

“Good.” Matt walked into the living room with the casual authority of someone who knew he was exactly where he belonged and collapsed onto the couch, propping his feet up on the ottoman. “Let’s talk.”

Derrick helped me up. “In a minute. Mom gets home early sometimes.” He gestured to the table laying on its side and the shattered lamp, and I blinked. When had that happened? “If she walks in and sees this . . .”

“Good point,” Matt stood. “I’ll help, and uh . . .” He glanced at me. “You might wanna clean up a bit.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“The blood,” Derrick clarified. “It’s all over your face.”

Oh. “I’ll be right back.” I ducked into the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth. When I glanced at the mirror, I gasped. Lines and splatters of blood crisscrossed my face. I wiped off the gore with shaking hands as the enormity of everything that happened tonight caught up with me.

I’d almost died at the bonfire, told Derrick how I felt, been utterly rejected, strangled, and almost shot at. It was too much.

A knock on the door drew my attention, and I realized I was on the floor, curled up with my knees tucked against my chest. Derrick opened the door. He’d changed his shirt and cleaned up all traces of my blood. “You okay?”

“No.” I forced myself to my feet. “But what else is new.”

“Tess . . .” Derrick moved toward me, but I stepped around him.

“Let’s go hear what he has to say anyway.”