The scream had come from the west wing. Guest rooms. Room 309, to be exact. That was Rowan Bell’s room. But Rowan never showed up. They were wrong. She did. By the time Lena reached the hall, the others were already gathered. Harper stood with her arms folded, her face pale but unreadable. Mara was crying into her phone that had no signal. Tori was on her knees, whispering prayers under her breath like they’d ever helped before.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E8HoeYriW
Elin, the innkeeper, stood beside the open door, wringing her hands like she’d just seen God- dead. Lena stepped past them all and looked inside. The room was ice-cold. The window was open, though the storm hadn’t started yet. The curtains flapped like wings. Rain clouds threatened just beyond the glass.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3mS1IL1Sv
And there, lying across the bed like a broken offering, was Rowan. Or what was left of her. She was dressed in her old school uniform. Crisp. Clean. Pressed. Like it had been laid out for her. Her mouth was open in a frozen scream. Her tongue was gone. Lena didn’t move. She didn’t flinch. She just stared. Because across Rowan’s chest, carved deep into her flesh, were three words: “She told them.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQb139fLJpi
Mara threw up in the hallway. Tori wouldn’t stop sobbing. Harper leaned in the doorway, her face unreadable, her eyes fixed on the body like she was trying to memorize it. “Elin,” Harper said, calmly, “call the police.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprx0VmJHoZ
“I tried,” Elin whispered. “The landline’s dead. Cell service too.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eFt7vJeFf
“Then drive into town.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9FAYgDUDL3
“The car’s gone.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW832xycB2r
Harper turned to her slowly. “What?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBV62o3qGw
“I went to check. It’s not there. None of them are. Not even yours.”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NNrm8OJEM
Someone had taken all the cars. No one said it, but the implication was clear. They weren’t visiting St. Amelia’s. They were trapped in it. Lena backed away from the door. Her heart wasn’t racing. It was slow. Calm. Like it knew this moment was inevitable. Like it had waited years for this. In the dim hallway light, something glinted on the floor just beside the bed. A crucifix. The old kind. From their chapel. The bottom was charred black. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand. On the back was a name etched in blood. 10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI68f8AxUH2
Lena. Not carved. Written. Dripped. Fresh.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRFnQNlDiH
Harper stormed toward her. “What the hell is this?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuNjanVW2Gg
Lena didn’t answer. Couldn’t answer.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvJX8X8zKa
“Why your name?” Harper snapped, snatching the crucifix and holding it in Lena’s face. “What did she tell them, Lena? What the hell did you do?”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM008iix9pe
Lena’s silence deepened. She felt the others staring. The air thick with suspicion. This was how it would start. The turning. It wouldn’t take long. Not with what they’d all done. Not with what they’d buried. And someone- someone who had watched them burn- was digging it all up.
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10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEsvkwVrL6
