I need to keep my wits about me in this house . . . the end is near.
The corner of the bag of peas is open, and they spill all over the floor. A dog comes running through the house with a bucket tied to its head and begins to eat the frozen peas off the floor. “Woofy,” Claire calls. “No, boy.”
I frown as I watch in horror.
What is this godforsaken place?
Savages . . .
The middle child—what’s his name, Harry?—comes back into the room with what looks like a dressing gown cord and a teddy bear. He sits opposite me, and I frown as I watch him. What the hell is he doing now?
“I’ll drive you home, Tris,” Claire says.
My eyes are locked on the evil kid. He ties the cord around the teddy bear’s neck.
“You’ll have to leave your car here,” Claire continues.
The kid stands on the couch across from me and lets the bear drop. It hangs by the noose. “Broken neck . . . he’s dead,” he whispers.
Get out . . . get out . . . get out of the fucking house.
I stand in a rush and trip over the dog, who is eating the peas. “Fuck,” I cry in pain.
“Tristan, you can’t drive,” Claire gasps.
“Well, I’m not fucking staying here,” I stammer. I hop out the front door and take one last look around.
I never knew what hell looked like.
Now I do.
“Tristan, come back.”
I hop out onto the porch. “Goodbye, Claire,” I call. It was nice knowing you.
Chapter 10
I lie on the couch with my foot raised. I have an ice pack on it, and it’s throbbing and swollen.
This is just great. How in the hell am I supposed to work when I can’t even get a shoe on? The swelling had better go down overnight. I’m sure it’ll be fine.
I rearrange the ice pack and lie back down.
My mind goes over this afternoon and what I saw at Claire’s house.
I have no words.
None that will make me less shocked, anyway. When she said she had three sons, I was picturing cute little kids who play with LEGOs.
How wrong could I be?
Her children are nearly grown men—angry grown men . . . ones who hate me.
I get a vision of the house and the pets and the psychotic kids, and I shake my head in disgust.
She said we were at different stages of our lives, and I really didn’t understand what she meant.
I get it now.