Page 92 of We’re All Going to Die Tonight!

“It was too convenient with the whole ‘prank’ thing,” Kaitlyn says. “And then, obviously, Javi had found the sleeping pills. And even though we didn’t know why Emerson was doing it, we knew something was wrong. Something was weird.”

“But,” Marlene says, “we also realized that we had an opportunity.”

“When the police came,” Kaitlyn says, “we’d have a ‘killer’ to pin Jay’s death on. Emerson had given us an out.”

“But what about Javi?” Caulder asks, and this time, he stares directly at Kaitlyn. Because how could she kill the so-called love of her life?

“Javi…Javi wasn’t our fault,” Kaitlyn says, her eyes glazing over with angry, miserable tears. “Someone pushed him. Marlene said she saw McCullough nearby, so it must’ve been him—”

“Oh no,” Emerson says, shaking his head. “That would be me.”

At once, the hallway goes silent. There is a beat where I’m sure I can hear every heartbeat in the room. And then Emerson holds up the knife, examining it before speaking slowly and clearly.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he says. “We’re going to go back to my plan. Very soon, the police are going to show up. And we are going to tell them that we were attacked by some would-be burglar. We’re going to tell them this burglar terrorized us, and when we confronted them, they attacked our teacher and killed him. We’re going to say Javi tried to play hero and went after him, getting himself killed in the process. We’re going to say our other teachers took sleeping pills and were passed out the entire night. And we’re going to say that I saved us all.”

“Why would we ever say that?” Caulder asks. “You’re insane. You’re actually—”

It happens in a flash. One minute, Emerson is examining the knife. The next, he’s grabbed Lucas out of nowhere and has his arm around his throat to hold him in place, the knife tip pressing into the skin just below his jaw.

“Because if you don’t, Lucas here will also die,” Emerson says, grinning wickedly. “And we will change the story to say that Marlene’s actually the one who killed everyone. Because I know her DNA will be all over Jay. And that bloody jacket you all found in the woods…That’s got Jay’s blood and your blood on it, doesn’t it, Marlene? You didn’t realize you left it out there, so you tried to spin your story to blame McCullough?”

Marlene’s eyes are glassy now with tears she’s clearly holding back, her face contorted with anger. But she doesn’t deny it.

“You got desperate, didn’t you?” Emerson continues. “Tried to adjust at the last minute, when you realized things weren’t going to go away as easily. It might’ve saved you in the moment, but what was your plan for after? Find it and destroy it? Or did you not think that far?”

Marlene doesn’t answer, just glares. Kaitlyn, too, looks furious.

“Now, I can make that go away with the right money to the right people, and we can forget you made those mistakes,” Emerson says, pausing to examine the blade again. “Or, of course, we can have a problem. What’s it going to be?”

“Jesus Christ, man,” Lucas says, frozen in place. “This isn’t the plan—”

“The plan was supposed to be simple,” Emerson says. “The plan was supposed to be straightforward. I’m not the one who changed things. I’m not the one to blame!”

His voice is getting angrier and angrier, and I realize the danger we’re all in is growing more and more. The knife bites into Lucas’s neck, and blood beads there immediately.

“You think we asked for this?” Marlene says, her voice surprising me with how hard it is. “You think I wanted to see anyone—even that asshole—die tonight?”

Tears spill as she speaks. “You did this, Emerson. And I won’t go along with your bullshit. I refuse. I refuse.”

Emerson’s eyes are daggers now, the hatred boiling clear. “Then I guess you just killed someone else, Marlene.”

He pulls his arm away and raises the knife. In those seconds, several things happen at the same time.

Caulder rushes forward, pushing Lucas out of the way. I race at Emerson, aiming to knock him down, while at the same time, Kaitlyn goes for Emerson’s arm—the one with the knife—and he slashes out, pulling the blade across her cheek. I scramble to help Caulder tug Lucas away, and Emerson climbs to his knees, continuing to stab at Kaitlyn as he careens forward. Then there’s a scream, and Marlene’s hurtling toward him. He slashes at her, but she knocks the knife out of his hand, sending it clattering to the ground.

Where Kaitlyn grabs it.

And lifts it in the air before driving it clean into Emerson’s chest.

“That is for Javi,” she shouts.

She sits back on the floor and lets out a breath, and it’s silent.

Then there’s the sound of the door opening below. We all look up and scramble to the top of the stairs to see an exceptionally wet and bloody figure on the threshold.

“Did someone say my name?” Javi asks, just as Kaitlyn passes out.

Chapter 54