Page 164 of Hide And Seek

The room had gone completely silent now, and every single Dirtbag was watching me. Waiting.

I took a slow breath, my pulse thudding hard against my ribs. Then I lifted my chin. “I know who the killer is,” I said. “But it’s over now. He’s been shot.”

32

“I can’t believeit was fuckingZachall this time.”

Wren slowly shook her head, eyes fixed on the gurney being wheeled across the lawn. A dark body bag had been zipped closed around Zach’s body, straps buckled tightly across the middle, and two paramedics were guiding it carefully toward a waiting ambulance.

Around it, the entire camp seemed to pulse with movement.

Police officers crossed back and forth between the cabins with evidence boxes and numbered markers. Yellow tape fluttered in the early morning breeze. More emergency vehicles kept arriving down the dirt road, red-and-blue lights flashing across the landscape.

Tamsin let out a shaky breath. “I can’t believe the Legacies killed Carly,” she said.

“And I can’t believe they did it over some fake-ass ritual written by a lunatic almost a hundred years ago,” Jesse added, jaw clenched.

Jasmine looked over at me then. “You know whatIcan’t believe?” she asked, lifting her brows. “You were under that bed the whole fucking time yesterday morning.”

“I’m sorry,” I said hurriedly. “I wanted to talk to you so badly, but Rhys thought—”

“Relax. I’m just messing with you.” She nudged me lightly with her elbow. “I totally get it. This whole thing turned everyone paranoid as hell. And honestly, considering my anger issues, I probably would’ve suspected me too.”

“Still. I’m really sorry.”

Jasmine’s expression softened, and she shifted closer and slung an arm around my shoulders. “It’s okay,” she murmured, voice turning slightly rough. “I’m just glad you’re alive.”

My throat tightened. “I’m glad you guys are okay too.”

For a moment, none of us spoke. We just sat there on the lawn outside the assembly hall while cops swarmed the camp around us.

Then Jasmine suddenly sat up straighter. “You know what?” she said. “I actually should’ve known.”

“Known what?” I asked, brows knitting.

“When Rhys told me you were alive yesterday morning, he soundedsocertain,” she said. “He played it off like it was just wishful thinking or whatever, but looking back…” A small smile tugged at her mouth. “I should’ve known right then and there that you were okay.”

She squeezed my arm, smile lingering, and I leaned into her without thinking.

Wren still hadn’t looked away from the ambulance. “I seriously can’t get over Zach doing this,” she said. “Like, sure, he could be a dick sometimes, but compared to some of the other Legacies? He honestly would’ve been dead last on my suspect list.”

“Same,” Jasmine said. “But you know what we’ve always said. Never trust a fucking Legacy.”

“Apart from Rhys, apparently,” Tamsin added, lifting a brow.

Jasmine snorted softly. “Yeah, that’s something I never thought I’d say in my lifetime. Rhys Usher is kind of a decent guy.”

“Actually, that’s another thing I can’t believe,” Jesse said, snapping his fingers. “The fact that he faked his own death just so he could sneak around camp hunting the killer. That’s completely unhinged.”

“Well, it worked in the end, didn’t it?” Tamsin said, shrugging. “He got him, and he saved Alissa too. It’s just a shame Zach managed to kill so many people before it happened.”

“Yeah.” Jasmine exhaled slowly and glanced out across the campgrounds. “What do you guys think will happen to Blackpine now?”

Tamsin shrugged again. “No idea. But there’s no way anyone’s ever sending their kids here again. So it won’t be a summer camp anymore, that’s for sure.”

“I bet you a million bucks some rich horror fanatic buys it and turns it into a slasher-themed survival camp,” Jesse said, rolling his eyes. “They’ll charge people to ‘live the horror movie experience’ or whatever.”

“You’re probably right,” Jasmine said. “But there’s no way in hell I’d go to that. I’ve already survived the real thing. So I’m good.”