Page 63 of Camera Stays On

“Does anyone else know? About the cameras?” I asked quickly, knowing my time with Bea was dwindling. “Juliet, Gavin?”

Asher?

I didn’t ask out loud about Ash. I almost didn’t want to know. No, I was certain he didn’t know. If he did, we wouldn’t have...

Or would we?

Had he positioned us right in front of the cameras last night, knowing his brother would see?

“Sawyer isn’t stupid. He didn’t tell everyone. Hell, I wouldn’t even know if he hadn’t needed my help setting them up.”

A tiny twinge of relief washed over me, knowing that I wasn’t the only one out of the loop.

“Take some more of the pain pills I left on your bedside table in a few hours. I hope you heal okay.”

“So, you’re leaving then?” I asked, but the crunch of the leaves under her shoes told me she was already disappearing, probably walking a path only she and Sawyer knew.

One that avoided all the cameras.

I looked up into the trees, searching for them, but technology was so advanced there was no way I’d find them in the dark. I started in the direction Bea had gone, but it wasn’t an actual path, and the trees seemed thicker. Which made sense, given the new information. He probably put cameras on the popular paths, which, if that were the case, he’d most definitely seen Asher and me.

As I slowly left the forest, I reflected on the last few days. I searched my mind for signs that he knew about us. Looks, comments, anything that would indicate something. But there was nothing.

I glanced at the circle of people, now watching Lux’s body be cremated. Did I want to return to that scene? I shuddered and dragged myself toward the house.

With each step closer to the house, the deeper the dread grew in my belly. What was going to happen now? Was Sawyer going to make us keep going with the movie? I should be taking Bea’s advice and grabbing Ash and leaving now.

But I wasn’t. I was going right back into the lion’s den.

I slipped back into the house, hopefully unnoticed. Although, I was now fully aware that nothing went unnoticed.

That was the first rule of found footage, after all.

The cameras stayed on.

Continuing to limp through the house, I forced myself not to look around suspiciously. I couldn’t let Sawyer know I knew about the hidden cameras. But I had to warn Asher.

Asher.

Clutching the rail, I dragged myself up to my room as a sinking feeling settled over the dread—my room was probably being filmed. I shuddered, thinking of him watching me undress, or him watching me and his brother together. Exhausted, I fell onto my bed, the vomit dried and smelling horrid on the floor. Once I had a moment to breathe, I lifted myself up, went to the bathroom, wet a towel, and cleaned up the mess as best I could. Once I couldn’t smell the bile anymore, I grabbed the pain pills and water Bea had left, and lay back down.

I needed to rest if I was going to attempt escape. It would have been difficult without my injury, but now—leaving unnoticed was going to be nearly impossible. As much as I wanted to leave in the dark of night, my worn body told me it wasn’t an option. I lay in bed and made a mental list of the things I’d do once I had some sleep.

EARLY IN THE morning, I woke up feeling extremely sore, but the exhaustion wasn’t so bad. I swallowed more pain pills and started moving. I couldn’t wait for Ash. As guilty as I felt about it, I couldn’t risk him trying to keep me here. Grabbing my gym bag from the closet, I began throwing my new clothes in, quickly realizing that most of them would have to be left behind.

My heart ached at the thought of Asher seeing the abandoned clothes later. Surely he’d understand.

This wasn’t the first time I’d run out on my life.

It was odd he hadn’t come to see me. Did he think I’d done it? Killed Lux? He was my alibi. He knew I couldn’t have.

“What are you doing?” Sawyer’s voice startled me from the doorway. I spun around and shoved the bag behind my back.

“What? Nothing!” I blurted, knowing full well that my denial was telling.

His eyes narrowed as he looked past me. What was he doing awake already? I looked him up and down and noticed he was still wearing his clothes from yesterday—and he was covered in dirt.

“You’ve got your bag out. Are you leaving?” The tone of his voice chilled me to the bone. “Are you mad at me?”