The Skeletøn Bøy

FØURTY-ØNE

++ C H A P T E R | F Ø U R T Y - Ø N E ++

"Dad, they're all tied to the chairs, ready for you. Are you ready?" Wes said, shutting the basement door.

"Yeah. I'm ready." He cocked his gun. "I'll see you after the job is done, Meredith."

"Mary." She reminded him. "I'm Mary, now. Don't come upstairs until the job is done. Me and my skeleton boy are going to have some fun." She grinned wickedly, retrieving a glass of water from the kitchen. Wes watched as she dumped the glass on Elliott's head, waking the girl up.

"What?" Elliott groaned, her hand moving to her head. She sat up, and then took in her surroundings, her eyes widening at the sight of Mother.

"Mother?" Elliott scrambled into a standing position. "What is going on? Where is Adrian and Mat? How did you find me-"

"I had help." Mary gestured towards Keith.

"Wes!" Elliott yelled, tears running down her face. Everything was unravelling at the edges, and seeing a familiar face brought her relief. "Oh, Wes, please get me out of here. Please!"

Wes felt his throat close as Elliott wrapped her arms around his waist. She held on tight, barely breathing as she felt the fear wrap around her. She was only moments away from a panic attack. "How did you find me? You have to help me!"

Mary cackled from the other side of the room. "Silly child, Wes is the one who brought you here, right into my waiting arms."

Elliott jerked away, out of Wes's arms, staring up at him. At the boy she'd fallen for in the short weeks she'd worked with him. He looked the same as he always did, only this time his face was blank. Flat. Devoid of all emotion.

She saw Keith next, and desperateness sinked in. "Mark! Mark don't tell you're in on this. Don't you dare tell me you've been working with her this entire time!"

Keith watched as she shook in fear and shock, his guilt eating away at him. He knew he couldn't let her get to him - she was nothing but a stranger, connected by blood. But even then, as he tried to convince himself of this, he couldn't. When he looked at her, all he could see was a young Meredith - just as helpless.

This is your daughter that you're about to kill, he reminded himself.

"Funny how it works, isn't is Elliott? You knew you weren't safe, but you never suspected it would be the people closest to you that would throw you to the big bad wolf, huh?" Keith forced out of his mouth, hating the way his gut twisted at the sight of Elliott's crumpled face.

"No! No, please no! Where is Adrian and Mat? Where are they!" Elliott was about to go crazy with hysteria. All that mattered to her was Adrian and Mat. They were all that mattered.

"Downstairs, with the others." Mary said with glee. "Elliott, everyone who knows your secret is about to be killed."

Elliott froze, her body going cold with fear. She made a mental list of everyone who knew. Adrian, Mat, Anna, Brent, Kenzie... They were all down there. Elliott couldn't stomach this information. She hated thinking they were in danger because of her. Worse was that she knew they were there because of her.

"Let them go, Mother! You have me! And I'll never leave if you just let them go. Please, please let them go. They don't deserve it!"

Mary wagged her finger in Elliott's face. "Nope. You let them find out your secret. And Elliott, what did I say would happen if they ever found out?"