Unfinished Business

CHAPER 18: BLANCHE RUINS EVERYTHING

Since we were a group of teenagers that had no idea what we were supposed to be doing, the five of us decided to try to wait it out. The plan was to sit in the living room area until we were sure the monster out for our blood was gone. I sat on an armchair with my legs over the side. Normally, I would sit in a way that wouldn't draw any attention to me, but I didn't come anymore. These people knew me. I was entrenched in this. I was already in the spotlight. There was no way that I wasn't.

Sandy was on a cot in the corner. She wanted to sleep. Ethan was still at the counter, trying to clean the blood off of his book. Otherwise, the rest of us were gathered in that space.

Ethan broke the silence first. "I don't get why it's being so angry and coming after us. I think it's linked to someone here."

"What makes you say that?" I looked over my shoulder and around the back of my chair at him.

"You know, so-- Let me explain." He reached over and took out an ancient napkin from an open drawer. "It's like- it's complicated."

"Explain it, then!"

"Calm down, sweetlips."

I didn't know how to feel about that (I was mostly just confused), but I figured the look of pure disgust that Blanche had on her face summed it up pretty quickly and pretty well. It wasn't like I had the opportunity to say anything before he started talking again, even if I were able to think of something to say. 

"So, the thing is," he said, no longer looking over at us. "Some monsters are created, made from five deaths and an intention or some symbol. This seems to be one of those kinds of monsters. Eve, what did you say it was called again?"

I was still reeling from the sweetlips comment, so I didn't register what he asked at first. As soon as I did, I scrambled to say, "The Eye For An Eye."

He nodded. "I think I've heard of that one."

Then he didn't say anything else. Those of us who weren't asleep were all visibly confused as he went back to what he was doing. Willa gave me a look with her head cocked to the side and her eyebrows furrowed. Blanche broke the momentary silence, gesturing with her dirty, bloody palms. "Well?"

Ethan looked up from his work. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to continue talking, or, like, are you stupid and pulling shit out of your ass?"

Ethan gave her a look that conveyed some sort of salacious intent. Blanche audibly gagged and slapped a hand over her mouth.

Now that I wasn't the only one he was treating like that, I began to catch on. This guy was a weirdo. He was gross. He was useful, sure, but he was just as gross as ever. I had almost forgotten. It had been a bit of a joke when I said it before, but Ethan really was a sleazebag.

Willa put to tactful words what the rest of us were thinking. "Ethan, please stop being weird. We just need to know what you know."

"I don't know anything," he said, looking away, wearing a certain type of disappointment like a mask or a particularly pungent perfume. "I lied. I don't know that name. I just thought it would make me look cool and smart if I did. I don't know anything."

"I do," Blanche sighed. 

The rest of us fell into silence; all eyes were on her. 

"I know things about this," she clarified, like that was the problem.

I turned back to her. "Care to elaborate, then? What do you know?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yeah, you do. This thing killed me, and we used Sandy as bait to try to catch it, so you'd better fucking say it before I go ballistic."