as I start strolling to the black side door with Tessa matching each of my steps. “Think we’re lucky enough to find the door unlocked?” I ask as the door gets closer and closer until we’re right in front of it.
Glancing to the left and the right to make sure there’s no one around, I reach out and grab the door handle to give it a try. Sure enough, it turns easily. And with a gentle push, we’re inside. I flash Tessa a smile because I’m beginning to think this will be easier than I expected.
Tessa
* * *
Not only did we catch the monster alone, but he thankfully left the door unlocked for us. Verek steps inside the carpeted entryway with me right on his heels, quietly shutting the door behind me.
Immediately, I notice that the place smells like an overabundance of flowers, and not in a good way. It’s an almost sickening scent. Or maybe that’s death. Before I can think about it too much, Verek turns to me and points wordlessly to the floor, which I take to mean that he wants me to stay there. I give him a nod, and then he slips off, peeking into each room as he goes until he makes a right and is out of sight. The only sound in the entire place is the roaring of the central air blowing through the overhead vents.
When I realize I’m holding my breath, I try to force myself to inhale and exhale regularly even if it smells gross to calm myself and keep me from trembling. Occasionally I look out the small window on the door behind me to make sure there are no new cars pulling into the lot.
Only two minutes at most have passed when Verek calls out, “All clear!”
I quickly follow the sound of his voice down the hallway to the right. I hear footsteps on the steps that lead down to a basement and then startle as the top of someone’s head comes into view. Thank god, it’s Verek.
“You found him?” I whisper.
“He’s down there,” he says with a jerk of his chin toward the bottom of the steps.
“What happened? Is he…”
Looking away, he says, “I, um, was trying to cut off his air, but he struggled and then, I, ah, think I sort of broke his neck. He’s gone.”
“Good,” I reply with a heavy exhale of relief.
“Come on down if you want. I swear it’s safe,” Verek says as he turns and jogs back down. “I found his phone and a contact for Leroy. That’s the guy who works at the cemetery.”
“That’s…great,” I say, unsure how to feel about all of this at the moment as I carefully take the stairs without touching the rail, even though I’m wearing gloves. Right now, it’s best to try and just keep my head clear to get through the plan and worry about feelings later.
Down at the landing, there’s a sharp left turn leading to a set of double doors. When I pass through, I’m in a cold, sterile area with a gray metal table where they must prepare the bodies. It’s so quiet and creepy. Not to mention the crumbled form on the floor in front of Verek’s feet. I take a few more steps toward them until I can see his face. His bulging brown eyes are still open, and his face is slack, the flop of thin hair falling over his forehead. It’s a face I’ll never forget.
“He’s dead?” I whisper.
“Yes, he’s dead. I checked his pulse.”
When I just continue to stare silently at the body of one of the men who broke me, Verek eventually speaks up. “Tessa, sweetheart, say something. Are you okay? Are you going to be sick?”
“I’m fine,” I tell him, finally lifting my eyes from the dead body and taking a few steps backward.
“Good,” Verek whispers. Grabbing the front of his T-shirt, he presses the fabric against several parts of his face as if to wipe up the sweat. “Guess I should go ahead and text Leroy.”
I nod and try to figure out what we should say to get him here fast. “Tell him…tell him they need to talk. It’s urgent. But it can’t be done on the phone, so he won’t try to just call.”
“Okay,” Verek agrees before he starts typing in the message. I hear the swooping sound when he hits Send. “While we wait, I guess we should go ahead and get him in the oven. I think it’s in