Page 129 of Hide And Seek

“It’s my fault,” she said. “Alissa’s dead because of me. They’re all dead!”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Yes it is! I should’ve stopped her,” Jasmine said. “I should’ve gone with her, or grabbed her, or—”

“Jasmine.” Rhys’s voice cut through hers. “Look at me.”

Her crying quieted slightly.

“Alissa isn’t dead.”

There was a beat of silence.

“What do you mean?” Jasmine finally asked, voice tinged with apprehension.

“Think about it. This isAlissawe’re talking about. She’s nice, but she’s also stubborn as hell. And smart. And scrappy enough to survive if she has to. Right?”

Jasmine sniffled but didn’t reply.

“There’s just no way the killer got her,” Rhys went on. “She’d outrun him. Or outsmart him. So I bet that’s what happened. She got away, and she found somewhere to hide out.”

“Where could she possibly hide?” Jasmine asked weakly.

“The caves near the river, maybe. Or one of the old ranger shelters.”

“But if she’s alive, why hasn’t she come back?” Jasmine’s voice hitched again. “It’s been so long.”

“It’s only just gotten light,” Rhys said. “If she spent the night hiding somewhere, she probably doesn’t want to move until she knows it’s safe.”

Silence stretched after that. Then Jasmine let out a long, shaky breath.

“I want to believe she survived,” she said. “I really do. But I just… I can’t.” Her voice cracked again. “This killer iseverywhere, Rhys. Every time we think we might be getting somewhere, someone else dies. And nobody who crosses him survives.”

Rhys didn’t answer immediately. When he finally spoke, his voice had softened into something steady and reassuring. The kind of voice people instinctively clung to when they were on the verge of falling apart.

“We can’t give up on them yet,” he said. “Not Alissa. Not any of the others. Until we know for sure, we just have to keep hoping they’re alive.”

A humorless laugh escaped through Jasmine’s tears, the sound brittle and exhausted. “I wish I could be that optimistic.”

“You have to be,” Rhys said. “Because hope is really all we have right now, isn’t it?”

I’d never wanted to kill him more.

“Honestly… I don’t think there’s any hope left,” Jasmine replied. “I think we’re all going to die here.”

Rhys went quiet again. “I think you’ll make it out,” he said at last.

“I’d love it if that were true, but like I said…” Jasmine sniffed hard. “I’m not exactly holding onto hope anymore.” Another pause. “And your plan to lure the killer out clearly didn’t work either.”

“No shit,” Rhys muttered. “Now I’m fucked either way. Even if the rest of you survive, I’m going down.”

“What do you mean?”

He exhaled heavily. “I’ve had a lot of time to think while I’ve been cooped up in here, and I finally realized something last night.” A short pause followed. “I think the killer knows I’m alive. Honestly, I think he’s known the whole time. And I’m pretty sure he never intended to kill me.”

Jasmine was silent.

“I think I’m being framed,” Rhys went on flatly.