Page 103 of Torment
“Ash,” Jack says slowly. “You don’t want to do this. Think about the consequences.”
“I already have,” I clip.
Cole and Elias come back down, each carrying three more heavy looking boxes.
“Got everything,” Cole says as they move quickly toward the door.
Footsteps echo from the back hallway.
Nick steps into the entryway, wiping his hands on a rag like he’s just finished a chore, then stuffs it in his back pocket.
“We’re on a clock,” he tells us.
Melissa whirls around to look at him, then back at me.
“What does that mean?”
“It means we’re leaving,” Nick informs her, then he too walks out the front door.
I look back at the people who orchestrated my life, all huddled together on the floor. I should feel something, anything. But I don’t.
“Ash,” Andy says through broken breaths. Ignoring him, I look up at Karson and smile softly.
I don’t care what he has to say. I don’t want answers or explanations. I just want this done.
“Let’s go.”
Stepping onto the front porch, I turn and look back into the entryway. Melissa watches me with confusion etched across her face. Andy’s eyes silently plead with mine. Jack and David finally look resigned, understanding that there’s no way out.
“Can I have a cigarette?” I ask, looking up at Karson.
He doesn’t hesitate, pulling his pack and his zippo out of his pocket then hands them to me. Stuffing the cancer stick between my lips, I strike the zippo and light it. Taking a long drag, I breathe in deeply. Nicotine fills my lungs before I exhale slowly, watching the stream of smoke leave my body. It tastes like shit, burns like hell, but I instantly feel a weight leave my shoulders.
Taking one more pull, I lift the zippo, watching the flame dance in the breeze.
“Ashlynn–wait–” Andy says from inside, panic laced in his weak voice. Glancing inside, I see him put the pieces together. He looks down at the floor, finally seeing the wet trail Cole left on his way to open the door for us.
The zippo heats between my fingers, the flame glowing for a second in the dark entryway.
Then it disappears inside with a flick of my wrist.
Orange light blooms behind the windows, and Melissa screams as Karson pulls the door closed.
I watch the flames catch the curtains, then turn to walk down the steps towards the Camaro. Our friends watch me, Karson slides his hand into mine and our fingers lace.
He opens the passenger door for me when we reach the car and I lower myself in my seat. Panicked screams spill from the house, but I don’t look back.
The explosion hits a second later.
The ground shudders beneath our feet as glass shatters and marble crumbles. A violent roar rips through the night and a blast of heat rolls across the driveway. Orange light erupts into the sky, swallowing the house whole.
None of us turn around.
Karson closes my door and circles the car. By the time he slides into the driver’s seat, the flames are already climbing higher, devouring everything inside.
Without a word, he starts the engine.
The tires roll silently over the drive as we pull away from the estate.
