Page 77 of If They Knew

“I can explain that!” Mary shouts.

“Holy shit—you've betrayed us all,” Theo practically growls, his face now flushed, his nose flaring with each breath. He steps away from Mary and stands beside Tyler and me. We all stand staring at Mary.

“I put that there when I found the supplies because I knew they’d go quickly. I thought it was a good idea to store some there with the supplies as an emergency backup. I haven’t eaten any of them. Look, they aren’t even open.”

“Why should we believe you? All the evidence points to you,” says Theo. He’s right, this makes her look guilty as hell.

“Theo, I promise I can show you—there's so much you don't know. But we need to hurry.”

“What do you mean by that?” asks Theo. What does she know that the rest of us don’t? Suddenly, Mary drops to the ground, frantically scanning the medical supplies.

“Where are they?” she shouts, panicked.

“Where are what?” answers Theo.

“There was a glass vial in here with three syringes,” responds Mary, and I notice her eyes fill with tears. “I promise I'm telling the truth. You have to believe me.”

“What are you not telling us?” I cry out, confused about what is happening.

“I need to find the syringes. Please help me, and I’ll tell you everything.”

“No! First, tell us what you are hiding from us!” demands Theo, his voice sharp. I jump at the bass in his voice. No one notices the door creak open behind me; they're all too preoccupied with Mary. Suddenly, I feel Tyler squeezing my hand. I turn and scream as Julie jabs a needle into the side of both Theo’s and Tyler’s necks. As she pulls the needles out, I hear her whisper in Theo’s ear, “I'm so sorry.”

Neither Theo nor Tyler moves or speaks. Both are suddenly paralyzed in place. Tyler, weakened from not having eaten, drops to the floor first. I scream again. The entire room turns to see Julie standing there with one last syringe in her hand. No one moves.

“You bitch. See, everyone? I told you she was lying,” shouts Mary, scrambling to her feet.

“If any of you come any closer, I'll kill you. I'm getting off this ship. I'm done. I won't stay trapped on this ship any longer,” Julie says, pointing the needle towards everyone.

“What did you do to them?” I croak, slumping to the floor and cradling Tyler’s head in my arms.

“I gave them something to make them sleep... forever. This last one is for you, Kelly. You psychotic bitch.”

“No, don't,” shouts Mary. “She doesn't deserve any of this. None of it is her fault.”

“I would’ve spared her if she hadn’t gotten knocked up by Tyler, but I can't have another Parrish to worry about,” says Julie.

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“Please, Julie, it doesn't have to be this way,” Mary says, and from the corner of the room, I see Sara begin to move. Julie pulls a butcher knife from her pocket and throws it directly at her. The knife hits her with a sickening thud, embedding deep in Sara’s arm. I scream again, wanting this all to be over. I watch Sara drop to the floor, screaming in pain.

Theo tries to speak; his voice is raspy and barely audible. “Julie, why are you doing this?” Julie leans closer to Theo, meeting his gaze, and I see a tear roll down her face. It’s almost as if she really doesn’t want to be doing this.

“Your family has taken everything from me. I'm sorry it has to end this way,” she says, bending down, kissing him one last time on the forehead. As she leans down, a folded sheet of paper falls to the floor.

Suddenly, Mary stands up and runs toward me. She shoves me out of the way just as Julie swings her hand. I watch as Mary hits the ground, nearly landing on her broken arm with a loud thud. Mary screams and rolls over, and my eyes go wide. Embedded in her stomach is the syringe— the one Julie had just said was for me. Mary just risked her life to save mine. But why? I was just blaming her for unspeakable acts. I feel rage building inside me, and I know I never cared for Julie. She just about killed me and my baby.

“Ahhhhh!” I scream at the top of my lungs. Sara screams, slowly pulling the blade out of her arm, then drops it on the floor. I heft myself up, grab the bloody knife, and charge directly for Julie. Within feet of her, Julie dodges me and sticks out her leg, causing me to trip. I fall on my stomach and feel white-hot pain sear through me. My hearing starts to fade, and the thought of Julie almost killing me and my baby overwhelms me. My eyes go dark for a moment, and I feel like I am passing out until I hear voices.

“Just leave, Julie. You did what you came here to do,” Mary says weakly.

You did what you came here to do echoes in my mind. Was this planned all along? I open my eyes, and I’m surrounded by everyone. I look over and watch Julie run toward the door.

“Sophie? Kelly?” Sara shouts in my face.

“Yes, it’s still me, Kelly,” I answer, pushing Sara away, then scream again, feeling a sharp pain in my stomach.

“There is one more surprise I have for you all,” Julie says, grinning as she opens the door. I see a large yellow bag with the words 'survival raft' written in red on the side. She hoists it over her shoulder. “You’ll all know what it is soon enough.” Then she is gone. The door slams shut behind her. I continue to scream as the pain is excruciating.