chapter six
science and nature

THEY ENTERED THE science and nature cabin. Theo and Cheryl slid into a corner with Ziggy while Nick locked the door. Cheryl huddled close to her girlfriend and her best friend, seeking their comfort. She grabbed Ziggy's hand and she rested her head on Theo's shoulder.

"Did we lose him?" Ziggy asked Nick when he joined them in the corner.

"I think so," Nick panted. "Are you guys okay? Are you hurt?"

Theo gently moved Cheryl off of his chest, checking to see if she had any injuries. "I'm fine," she mumbled, looking down at her shirt. "This is Gary's blood."

"I found Nick outside of one of the cabins," Theo informed her while allowing her to move back into him. She'd thought he was dead, she wasn't letting go of him anytime soon. "Sean, Jesse, Rod, and Stacey are dead."

"So's Jeremy," Cheryl added.

"Shadysiders," Ziggy muttered, eyes going slightly wide. "It's the curse."

"No, it's, uh, it's just some psycho," Nick assured Ziggy, cupping her cheek.

"It's not just some psycho, Nick," Cheryl would've shouted if she wasn't terrified of Tommy finding them. "It's Tommy."

"My sister's perfect, virgin, boring boyfriend Tommy," Ziggy added, moving her head away from Nick's hand. "She did this."

"Cindy?" Nick furrowed his brows.

"Does this dude ever use his brain?" Theo whispered into Cheryl's ear. "The fucking witch, dumbass."

"That's not real, Ziggy," Nick dismissed with a shake of his head.

"That's exactly what a Sunnyvaler would say," Ziggy frowned.

Ringing from outside snapped Nick's attention away from retorting. "They're getting on the bus." He grabbed Ziggy's hand, rushing to get up. Theo and Cheryl quickly followed their actions. "We have to go right now!"

"I can't," Ziggy protested, tugging her hand away from him. "My sister's still out there."

"Please," Nick begged. "I know I've let a lot of people die tonight. Not any of you! I'm not letting you die!" Nick's feelings for her girlfriend suddenly became very clear to Cheryl. "Because I like the weirdo girl from Shadyside. And I was thinking that maybe once we get out of this, we could, uh, we could start a book club or something. Maybe, uh, I dunno, Stephen King's new one is supposed to be good, I hear."

She backed away from him and grabbed Cheryl's hand. "Cherry's my girlfriend. And I'm done with King. Judy Blume for me from now on."

"Oh," his eyes flickered from their hands back to the redhead's face. "Judy Blume sounds perfect."

"This is awkward," Theo murmured, making Cheryl crack a small smile at his commentary despite how fucking terrified she was.

"Come on," Nick waved for them to follow him. "We gotta get out of here. As soon as we do, we'll call the cops. Your sister's gonna be alright, but first, we gotta get on that bus."

Cheryl jumped when someone began banging on the door. The four of them dropped to the floor and peeked up, watching as a fist went through the window and unlocked the door.

Cheryl froze when Tommy walked in. Theo tugged on her hand, pulling her down. She held her breath and her heartbeat picked up. They all quickly rushed to a new hiding spot. Tommy smashed open a snake's cage, allowing it to slither free.

Cheryl tensed when the snake neared them. The Watson girl was terrified of snakes. Theo allowed his breathing to stay calm as the snake slithered up his leg, heading over to Cheryl. She bit down on the inside of her cheek harsh enough to draw blood and gripped Ziggy and Theo's hands so tight they swore they were losing circulation.

After what felt like forever, the snake made its way over to Ziggy before finally making its way to Nick.

Ziggy screamed when she was lifted into the air by her hair and dragged across the table. The remaining three bolted up as Tommy raised his axe. Nick threw himself into Ziggy's place just as the axe swung down, cutting the boy's leg.

"Ah, run!" Nick ordered through his pain. Cheryl and Theo stepped past him. Cheryl gripped Ziggy's hand and helped her up. Tommy didn't seem to want to continue with Nick, only seeming to care about the three Shadysiders. "Run!"

Cheryl didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed Theo's hand and pulled the two of them out of the cabin. She couldn't believe that that morning, everything had been fine. She'd thought that by this time, she'd be in bed, safe and sound.

Pants left Cheryl's parted lips. The three of them all came to a stop when they noticed the camp bus leaving them. Cheryl dropped Ziggy and Theo's hands, waving frantically as she hoped somebody would see them and stop.

She stomped her foot in frustration when the bus didn't stop. She looked over to Theo, whose lips were parted in shock. How were they supposed to stay alive now? She watched Theo's eyes slowly widen in fear.

Her head snapped back to look at what he was looking at. Her eyes widened when she noticed Tommy walking toward them. She didn't think she had to mention this, but he had his axe.

Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that Tommy Slater - the same Tommy Slater who was practically her brother, who'd always messed up her hair and pulled her into a side hug any time he saw her, who'd threatened to kick anyone's ass when she came out if they even so much as looked at her the wrong way, who she'd trusted with her life - would be trying to kill her.

Cheryl and Theo quickly got Ziggy's attention. She finally saw Tommy and immediately took off toward the Mess Hall, the other two following close behind her.

Cheryl threw the Mess Hall door open and rushed Ziggy and Theo inside before she slammed it shut and locked it. The room felt like it was spinning as her mind raced a million miles per hour trying to figure out what to do.

Sweat coated her skin, as well as Gary's blood. She felt disgusting. If she made it out alive, she was probably going to take the longest shower in history.

She stumbled back, right into Theo's arms. "You okay?" he wondered as he set her upright. He knew he could be an asshole most of the time, but he really did care about his best friend.

His eyes shone with worry, making Cheryl feel guilty. "I'm fine," she swallowed, nodding. "Just. . ."

"Scared," Theo finished while Ziggy ran over to the radio, turning on Carry On Wayward Son into the intercom. Theo snapped his head back at her, glaring at her slightly. "What's with the music? Are you fucking trying to get us killed?"

Ziggy ignored him, frantically motioning for the two of them to follow her.

𝒎𝒆𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒍 !!