The Hunt of Altswood High (The Altswood Saga #1)

Chapter 16 - Scream

Chapter 16 - Scream

I shook the small bottle, tipping out twice the amount I needed, and threw it down my throat. I almost gagged on the bitter pills, but I was used to it by now. With some conviction and a slight wince, they went down. A haze slipped over my eyes.

"Here."

I glanced to my side, and Dad was holding a glass of water by my shoulder. I took it with trembling hands.

"Thanks."

"How many times have I told you that dry swallowing is going to rip a hole in your throat?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes as I drank, shifting the gold contact that had been trying to crawl out of place.

"Go to sleep, Dad," I said. "You need it."

He sighed. Dad had just been coming home as we stopped by, mumbling something incoherent about coffee.

"I'll see you off first," he told me now.

The others were waiting outside with Officer Peri, who took over duty after Jolene was kept occupied. My house had been the last stop before heading to school. They hadn't been kidding when it was set we needed to travel together in a group at all times. We had been dragged right through Annabelle's kitchen table while she grabbed her books and uniform, and then waited awkwardly in Jules' lounge as he did the same. I had insisted they stay on the porch when we got to my house, since I wouldn't be long and we were going to be late for school if everyone settled in.

Really, it was because I still feared the dangers lurking in my own house.

"Dad, you need to be careful," I tell him as I lingered by the doorway, straightening the creases in my blouse. Officer Peri was glancing at her watch.

When we had called Jolene in after discovering the lipstick on the glass, she had warned us to keep quiet about the photos, but I was certain it would be the talk of the town by midday. After a quick message over her radio, they realized that all the groups had received them.

And yet not a single officer had noticed any movement outside the houses the players were staying out throughout the night.

I couldn't fathom how that was possible.

Dad didn't even seem concerned his every move had been photographed for the past week.

"Got it. Go to school, Loosh."

I waved goodbye. Dad was never one to look like the fatherly types on old sitcoms, but with the tired bags under his eyes and his constant muttering, he could definitely pass for one now.

We trudged the rest of the distance to the high school, and we were crossing the well-wrought gates in no time. No one in the front yard was in the mood for mindless chatter as we waited out for the first bell.

With the remaining players having to stick together, it would be easy to eliminate each other. Technically.

We still had police officers tailing us, and the constant threat of being hauled off to the cells if we lugged out the plastic gun.

Yet if we acted as if we weren't playing... I didn't want to think about it.

Tensions were running rampant. As the four of us breezed pass a gathering of the other players, I caught sight of Joshua whispering furiously with Rebekah, of Kathrin looking upset at Zane who was trying to gesture at something, and of Alana gripping Vicki's arm so tightly she was leaving red marks while she hissed out sharp words.

I looked away.

"Luca, are you alright?" Annabelle asked, touching my elbow.

"Fine," I said quickly. "Why?"