Page 108 of Hide And Seek

“It was another trap,” Jesse said in a low voice. “The killer probably set it up days ago, in case anyone managed to repair one of the kayaks.”

“That was our last chance,” April said, voice hitching. “If we can’t even use the river… there’s really no way out.”

Silence reigned for another moment. Then a sharp, breathless laugh cut through it.

My head snapped to the side. Grace was standing a few feet back from the riverbank, her hands half-raised like she didn’t know what to do with them, eyes wide and glassy. Another laugh spilled out of her, louder this time.

“Oh my god,” she gasped, shaking her head, a grin stretching too wide across her face. “Oh my god, I told you. Itoldyou—”

“Grace,” Maren said, voice tight. “Hey. Stop.”

But she didn’t.

“I fucking told you!” she shrieked, the words snapping into something wild and hysterical. “I told you we’re all going to die here! Every single one of us!”

Her voice cracked on the last word, breaking into another burst of laughter that sounded dangerously close to sobbing. A ripple moved through the group, people stepping back from her now instead of the river, like she was the thing that might explode next.

Sutton finally took a step forward, grabbed her by the shoulders, and roughly shook her. “Stop it!” she shouted in her face. “Fuckingstop!”

Grace’s laughter cut off mid-breath, like something had snapped inside her. For a second she just stared at Sutton, chest heaving, eyes still too wide.

“We’re all going to die here,” she finally said. “You know I’m right.”

Sutton’s grip loosened slightly. “We’re not going to die,” she said, though it sounded more like something she was trying to convince herself of rather than Grace. “We’re going to make it out of here.”

A painfully long moment of silence followed. No one moved or spoke.

“Okay, guys.” Caitlin’s voice finally cut through the air, rough but steady.

All eyes shifted to her.

She dragged a hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face like she was physically forcing herself to focus. “We can’t just stand here,” she said. “We’ve still got, what, at least an hour before it starts getting dark?”

A few people nodded listlessly.

“Right now we’re all covered in sweat, river water, and…” She glanced toward the river briefly, jaw tightening. “God knows what else. So we need to get cleaned up. Clear our heads.”

A few people shifted uncomfortably, looking down at themselves like they were only just registering their dirty clothes and grimy skin.

“We go in groups,” she continued. “Girls together, guys together. In and out as fast as possible.”

“No one should ever be alone, even in the bathroom,” Jesse added. “Everyone can pair up and share a shower cubicle.”

Caitlin nodded. “After that, we grab everything from the cabins. Blankets, pillows, mattresses. We’re all sleeping in the assembly hall again tonight, so we should make it as comfortable as we can. It’s the least we can do at this point.”

For a second, no one moved. Then, slowly, people started nodding.

Jasmine’s hand brushed mine. “Come on,” she murmured.

I nodded, forcing my legs to move.

By the time we all made it back to the assembly hall, the light outside had started to dim. No one said much as we got to work.

Mattresses were dragged across the floor with dull thuds, blankets were bundled in armfuls, and pillows were tossed into uneven piles. I focused on the physicality of it all. Lift. Carry. Drop. Repeat.

Anything to keep my mind from drifting back to the river.

Jasmine and I wrestled one of the thinner mattresses into place near the far wall, nudging it flush against another to close the gap. Nearby, Garrett and Simon were arguing quietly about whether it was better to spread out or keep everything tight.