ESCAPE

Chapter Eleven

I walk out of the police station for what feels like the hundredth time. As I head down the steps with my parents, I can't help but feel lighter, as though a great weight has finally left me. This has ended up being my last visit to the station. They've just officially declared that I'll face no criminal charges for the death of Will Campbell. There are also no charges relating to May's suicide. I feel like the worst person in the world, but thankfully I haven't been convicted of anything.

This past week feels like a blur. After spending the day in the hospital, once the police came and took us away from that escape room, most of my days have involved either speaking to the police or to a counselor. I've hardly felt like myself at all. Mostly, I just feel numb. But today marked the day I can finally start to put all of this behind me. If that was ever possible.

I can't help but look over the street as if I'm being watched. The police had seen the old man in the overalls on a street camera near the factory. They were able to identify him but have yet to find him. As we get to the bottom of the stairs, I catch sight of some people to my side. A warm smile fills my face as I look upon Bella, Luke, and Chia, waiting for me.

I tell my parents that I'll just need a minute and go over to my friends.

Luke shifts his weight onto his good foot, leaning on a crutch. His other foot is raised off the ground with a cast. He should have had two crutches, but his bandaged left hand still has a hole in it. The guys look considerably better than when we had left the escape room, but I can tell they are far from over it. In a way, I can't help but feel like we're all still in there. Like some other people made it out.

"So, what did they say?" Bella asks. She looks particularly well in a summer dress and denim jacket.

I tell her there will be no charges against me and they sigh with relief.

My throat catches as I meet Chia's eyes. She has stitches on her cheek and visible black eyes still. She hasn't been the same. I no longer see my fun, cheery, energetic friend. Now she looks haunted and too quiet, trying to make herself look small.

"So, we're all free," Bella says, with no triumph in her voice. "It's all done now."

I don't know what to tell her, but nod.

Bella swallows, grimacing. "Why do I feel like it really was our fault? That May killed herself. Do you think we are to blame, Andi?"

It takes me a long moment to be able to answer. "We all did and said terrible things. I think we're all to blame. The whole school. You know, I think I was kind of hoping that the police would tell me it was my fault. That would give me a reason for feeling how shit I feel. I was May's friend, once, and I should have been a friend to her still." I sigh, feeling defeated and lost. "We all should have done better."

"But it's over, right?" Chia asks quietly.

I want to shove Luke and Bella aside and give Chia a hug. Tell her I'm sorry for everything that happened to her. Everything that happened to us. But I know that saying sorry won't help her. I don't know if any of us will ever really recover.

I consider Chia's question. "May's uncle," I tell them. "The police still haven't found him."

Luke says, "Do you think everything the police said about him is true?"

When they identified the man in the street cameras, they told us his name was Waylan Varnell. It turns out that he's Will's uncle, which made the man related to May through marriage. Will's dad remarried and they had May a year later. I hadn't known any of that. May never spoke of her half-brother. A cold shiver runs through me when I think about how the police described Waylan Varnell. In and out of prison his whole life. Wanted for suspected murder and dozens of assaults and robberies. And it was in prison where he trained in engineering and construction. It sounded like he was the perfect mad man, and we had inadvertently pissed him off. I've wondered since, if Waylen had convinced Will to exact their revenge, or if Will had been behind it all and asked his uncle for help. I shake my head, not wanting to think too much about anything.

I catch my parents watching us from down the street. Part of me feels like I don't deserve their love and support, and another part of me yearns for it, wanting nothing more than to be held by them and never let go.

"What about you guys?" I ask my friends. "How you all doing?"

Bella slides an arm around Luke, almost shifting him off-balance. "I think we're going to be okay," she says with a small smile.

Chia gives me a single nod. That haunted look is still in her shimmering eyes. Once I've slept for a week, the first thing I'll do is take Chia out for a coffee. I think me and her will benefit from a long chat with hot drinks and cakes. I'm greatly relieved that the three of them look like they've been able to move on from the affair. I just hope that lasts.

"We've decided," Bella says, "that I'm going to screen test any of Luke's new friends from now on."

A smile creases my face. It feels odd and is likely the first time I've smiled all week. I nod and say, "And I'll do a full background check on anyone else you guys try and set me up with."

We laugh, and I'm surprised at how genuine and unforced it sounds.

"Andi," Luke says. "For your next birthday, can we just stay in and have a film night or something?"

I raise my eyebrows and tell him, "I'm just glad I'll get another birthday."

We all stand in silence for a moment, staring at each other. Bella looks as though she will cry and pulls me into a tight hug.

I look over them, feeling myself well up. Bella still has a hint of a smile and Luke looks strong, despite his injuries. I worry about Chia, and about all of us. But there is a tiny spark of hope inside me, which I desperately cling on to.

Will's deranged uncle is still out there somewhere. I don't know if he's halfway across the world by now or keeping a close eye on us, already planning his next attack. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I feel like we're all stronger friends now. We've had our deepest and darkest secrets exposed and I know we're going to get through it.

I already look forward to my next birthday. 

1196 words (25,073 total words)

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That's the end of my ONC III entry. Thank you so much for reading to the end. I hope you were thrilled and shocked by my little escape room thriller, I really enjoyed being on this journey with you, and have loved the comments and the side-conversations throughout! It's definitely been one of the most fun stories to write. 

Final chapter questions: 

1. What's your overall thought about the whole story, now that you've read until the end? 

2. Any suggestions for the rewrites/updates when I go over it again?