Mezzanine

| 33 |

"Get down." Lola tapped the side of my arm.

"What, why?" I asked, but without thinking, I unbuckled my seatbelt, my body tensing like I was preparing to leap and hide.

Her teeth clenched as she threw a glance behind her. "I think he wants me to pull over." She hit my shoulder a bit harder. "Please, just get down."

"He's not a cop," I replied. "Just keep driving."

As we zoomed by the rundown, abandoned houses on either side of the street, I glanced at the headlights in the rearview mirror. They drew closer with each second, his truck narrowing the gap. He was going way too fast for this narrow street.

I turned my attention back to the road ahead. In the distance, the silhouette of the Renson Factory loomed against the twilight sky like a demon sulking out of the woods.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. The last thing I wanted right now was to stop on the side of this road with Andy here. I was willing to bet being closer to the factory strengthened the demon's hold. If he wasn't already under its control, he would be soon...and who knew what he would do when that happened.

The headlights behind us flashed to the high beams, and the engine revved. My heart pounded against my ribs as my pulse raced through my temples.

Lola tensed, her knuckles turning white as she ground her teeth. She hesitated for a second, and then she hit the gas. With a growl of the engine, we picked up speed.

The pickup roared behind us.

"Watch out!" I lunged for the steering wheel as Andy zoomed towards us, yanking it so we veered off toward the far edge.

Right before slamming into our bumper, the truck pulled out into the lane next to us, so together we took up the entire road.

"Get down!" Lola hissed, her wide, panic-stricken eyes flashing to meet mine. "Jay, please."

"Okay." I skunk to the floor, hiding in the footwell. I pulled my jacket over my head to make myself less conspicuous, but I left a small opening to peek out of. If anything went south...if Andy so much as thought about hurting her...I'd jump out and snap his fucking neck.

Lola slowed the car, rolling the window down a crack as Andy's pickup matched our pace alongside. Through the gap I'd left myself, I peered into his truck. My heart raced. It wasn't just him in there. Another guy from the football team—Matt—sat in the passenger seat, and a third guy I couldn't identify sat in the back.

"Pull over," Andy called as he rolled down his window.

"Why?" Lola shouted back.

"I just want to talk to you for a second," he said.

What's Lola doing out here alone at night? Andy's thoughts washed over me. Is she okay?

I swallowed the lump in my throat. He seemed like a guy who was genuinely concerned about her. His thoughts were...innocent. For some reason, that put me on edge even more. Was Andy possessed and the demon trying to trick us, the same way it had when he'd taken me here yesterday?

What about the other guys in his car? Were all three of them possessed? Had Matt and this other guy been in the basement of the factory Friday night too? Were they part of the twelve?

"Lola, please, just for a minute," Andy said.

She exhaled heavily. "Fine."

Slowly, she pulled over to the side of the road. Her hand shook as she held it over the shifter, like she was trying to decide if she wanted to put the car in park or not.