Page 38 of We’re All Going to Die Tonight!

Javi’s behind her. He meets my eyes and raises his eyebrows, checking that everything’s all right. I offer up a weak smile.

“We can’t leave Lucas,” Avery says. “And the van’s not drivable.”

“So we walk along the road,” Kaitlyn says. “Wait for someone to drive by and we hitchhike.”

Behind Kaitlyn and Javi, Caulder and Emerson appear. They look equally defeated. Emerson also looks agitated, though whether that’s his injuries or general inability to handle difficulty, I’m not sure.

“There’s no guarantee a car will drive by,” Caulder says, clearly having overheard our conversation. “We could just be putting ourselves in danger for no reason.”

“How far away’s the next town?” Javi asks, looking at Emerson.

“Fifteen miles, give or take,” he says, throwing up his hands when we all groan. “Look, the whole point was that this place is secluded, okay?”

“There’s got to be at least a gas station,” Kaitlyn says. “Or a place with cell service.”

“Not necessarily,” Javi counters. “We’re remote as hell. Whoever originally lived here wanted to be left alone.”

I try to think back to the last sign I saw when we were in the van, but I come up short. All I remember from staring out the window is a long stretch of darkness in front of and behind us.

“So we’d have to walk a bit,” Kaitlyn says. “Big deal.”

“Like I said,” Caulder presses. “The road’s dangerous. Whoever attacked us probably got here by the road, right? So, what if they’re still out there?”

“Then we go another way,” Kaitlyn insists. “We can go through the forest by the cliff or whatever. Follow the coastline.”

“You’re kidding,” Avery says. “This is literally how people die in scary movies. You know that, right?”

“People also die because they stay in place while the murderer waits for the right time,” Kaitlyn snaps.

“We should at least wait for the storm to end,” Avery argues. “You won’t be able to see three feet in front of you. You could get lost. You will get lost.”

“We don’t have time to just wait,” Kaitlyn says. “Every minute counts. What about Lucas?”

I glance over at him, worry rolling through me again. Weren’t Avery and I just talking about how he needs to see a doctor—and soon?

“It won’t matter for Lucas if we get ourselves lost or killed,” Avery replies, echoing my thoughts. “We don’t know anything about what’s outside. If we stay here in this kitchen and wait out the storm, we’re all together. We have a line of sight to at least two of the entrances. And if the teachers come back—”

“You think Dormy and McCullough are coming back?” Kaitlyn snorts. “I still think the attacker took care of them, too. Or they are the attacker. How else do you explain them being gone?”

Avery glares. “They might have already left for help. We don’t know…”

But she trails off. And really, what can she say?

“I think we should go,” I say, surprising everyone. “Leaving feels like our best shot.”

I hate the betrayal in Avery’s eyes. She’s so used to me always agreeing with her, but right now, I can’t. I can’t stay in this house another second. Not with Lucas’s life hanging in the balance.

“Perfect,” Kaitlyn says, huffing out a breath. “Lemme go get some raincoats. I swear I saw some earlier. Marlene, Caulder, Javi…anyone else?”

“Well, obviously, I’m staying,” Avery says. “Someone has to take care of Lucas.”

“Avery, you can’t stay by yourself,” Caulder says, stepping close to her. “Don’t be stubborn.”

“I’m the one being smart,” she says. “I’ll keep an eye on Lucas and wait for the teachers. You go…find the town, I guess.”

Caulder’s jaw twitches. “No.”

“No what?” Kaitlyn asks, returning with the still-wet umbrellas from earlier and raincoats that she must have dug out of the closet.