clock. As it connects with the side of his face, he groans in pain and his grasp loosens. But he doesn’t let go. I swing again with more force, causing him to fall off the front of the bed onto the ground.
I sit up and scan the floor for the gun. Spotting it, I lunge for it and snatch it up. I leap to my feet and turn, aiming the gun right at the area Unknown landed on the floor.
He stands up and stops, staring at me. I watch him clutch his hands to his side, looking like he’s about to rush me. I pull the trigger, but no bullet fires. I rapidly click the top of the barrel back when he moves toward me.
I scream as I pull the trigger again, bracing for his impact. A loud bang deafens me. Unknown stops in front of me, bringing his hand up to the bullet hole in his shoulder. He turns his focus back to me and starts to lurch forward. I pull the trigger again and slug a bullet right through his chest, sending him falling to the ground.
I release a huge, shaky breath. Slumping against the wall, I try to regain my composure.
“It’s over,” I say. “It’s finally over.”
Unknown lies motionless on the floor. I kick his boot just to make sure he won’t move. When he doesn’t, I kick it again, making absolutely sure.
I have to find out who’s under the mask. I reach down to pull it up, then pause and move back. Hesitation comes over me and I aim the gun to his chest. I’m not taking any chances. Firing another shot, I see his body twitch from the force of the bullet.
I bend down to remove his mask. Pushing it back with the barrel of the gun, I’m shocked to see who’s underneath.
“Kevin?” Anger and sorrow hit me all at once. I kneel down next to him and pound on his chest. “Why?” I scream. I feel so betrayed…so stupid.
A moan from the chair next to me draws my attention to Phoebe. Her head rises up, and she begins looking around aimlessly, clearly dazed. As she starts to struggle, I jump to my feet and move closer to her. She looks so happy to see me. I slowly remove the tape from her mouth so she can speak.
“Dani!” she cries out the moment the tape is removed.
“I’m here, Phoebe. I’ve got you. Have you seen my father?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t remember much. I feel drugged or something.” She pauses for a second, then seems to become hyperaware. “Where is he?”
“He’s dead. Unknown’s dead,” I reply, starting to untie her. “It was Kevin.”
“Kevin? No. No way. That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Look,” I say, pointing to Kevin’s body after loosening the final knot in the rope.
“Oh my God! It was Kevin,” she says, covering her mouth in surprise.
A thud sounds from the closet on the opposite side of the room. “What was that?” I ask, standing up quickly.
“Let’s just get out of here, please?”
“Yeah, let’s go,” I respond, turning my attention to her.
The thud sounds again and I spin around to look at the closet door. When I go to move toward it, Phoebe grabs my hand.
“Don’t. Let’s just go, okay?”
“But something’s in there. There’s no more danger. Unknown’s gone,” I point out, shaking free of her hand.
Even with the killer’s body there on the ground, I still approach the closet with some apprehension. Turning the handle, I pull it open.
“Dad!” I shout when I see him propped up in the closet, bound and gagged. His eyes meet mine and they widen with shock. He tries to say something, but it sounds muffled behind the tape over his mouth.
“You should’ve listened to me,” Phoebe says behind me.
“What?”
“I told you not to look in the closet,” she replies.
As I turn to face her, pain blasts through the side of my head. My vision blurs and I stagger into the open closet door, trying to brace myself in order to keep upright. I fall to the ground, fading in and out of consciousness until there’s nothing around me but darkness.
Chapter Thirty Five
I try to open my eyes and survey my surroundings, but all I see are fuzzy slivers. A feeling of dizziness washes over me and my head begins to throb. A sharp pain resonates from my left temple and I moan, still trying to open my eyes. My eyelids feel so heavy. All I can hear