126. Coming Out Party

So we drive off and never see anybody ever and I mean ever again.

Wonderful thought. But nope.

I drive a woozy but very much alive Kelsey back to my cabin. I’m heading there because I’m afraid for Mom and wondering what’s going to happen next.

Next, it seems, has already knocked on our door and come inside.

Next seems to have woken up the entire town.

It starts with the five cop cars lining our street and driveway. It looks like more are ahead, blocking the street.

I know that Solitary doesn’t even have five cop cars.

Then our doors open and people greet us, and I see Mr. Page rush to hug his daughter. Mom is standing on the deck and calls out my name. Then I see Poe, of all people. Then Newt. And I have this great thought that this would be a really cool surprise party, except that it’s not my birthday.

Mom comes down to hug me and tell me that it’s finally okay. She tells me that these people are with the FBI and it links back to Poe and the agent she spoke with and the missing body and Newt backing up her story and my head hurts from hearing all this.

Then she says, “They arrested Staunch.”

Staunch is still alive.

But Kinner and Marsh are dead.

I go over to Kelsey while Mr. Page thanks me. I guess now everybody knows that they were living next to the boogeyman.

And it took ME to finally show all of you?

I’d kinda like to say that, but I’m too tired.

There’s a doctor looking over Kelsey.

I stay next to her and hold her hand.

Mom tells me she knows what happened to Uncle Robert. I mention the bleeding body of Marsh that I left behind, and a little later someone tells us that he was found dead.

A million questions, and now all the answers feel like …

Empty.

It’s after midnight, and this coming-out party for Solitary is still raging.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Tell us again what happened.”

“And who else was there?”

I tell them I’m okay and tell them again what happened and who else was there.

“Has anybody seen Brick?” I ask.

Nobody has.

I tell them everything.

Well, almost everything.

I leave out the part about Kelsey being sliced and almost bleeding to death. And the whole part about getting to Marsh Falls. I just said that we ran for the hills.

A crazy cult can be explained. But other things—there’s no explanation.

There’s only faith.

All this time and all these questions and finally, as Memorial Day becomes a new day, the world knows. And the world is doing something about it too.

For a moment I shut my eyes. Yeah, I’m tired, but I’m also thankful. I never thought I’d be sitting by the fireplace in this cabin surrounded by so many people and feeling so completely and totally thankful.

I open my eyes and see Kelsey. She smiles at me.