“I’m so sorry,” Dan whispers as he tears up. “But I have to do it. I think you’d understand. And thank you for saving us, by the way.”
He flicks the lighter, looks at the flame for a moment, then he lights the tissues and shuts the door.
Linda has gone several yards away, and Dan skips over to her.
From inside the car comes a faint, flickering orange light. It quickly grows brighter. Soon the flames become visible. They eat the seat greedily, licking at the ceiling.
In a matter of minutes, the whole car is ablaze. Dark smoke begins to seep out of cracks in the doors. Dan can feel the heat even this far away.
He sits down heavily on the asphalt, resting his forehead on his knees. He’s never felt this tired before. The fatigue is coming from inside his bones. He has lived through the worst possible nightmare, and now all he wants is to—
“Dan!” Linda exclaims. “The trunk is open!”
Dan lifts his head. She’s right; the lid of the trunk has opened a few inches. A burning hand suddenly appears, followed by the rest of Thomas.
Dan stares in utter horror at the rear end of the burning car. Thomas’s hair and clothes are gone. Same goes with most of his skin. And yet, he stubbornly fights his way out of the trunk and slumps down to the ground. His movements are oddly stiff. The legs don’t seem to function properly. Instead of getting to his feet, he begins dragging his way towards them.
“Do something!” Linda yells and backs away. “Do something!”
Dan gets to his feet, unsure what to do or where to go.
Then, Thomas seems to lose his strength. He drags himself a few feet farther, but then he slows down. His groans and moans grow fainter, and with a final sigh, Thomas lies his head down on the asphalt and dies for the second time, the naked flesh still seething all over his body. He has left a broad trail of sticky blood all the way from the car. Dan can smell the burning flesh. He forces himself to look away, and instead he sees Linda.
She’s standing with her hand over her mouth, staring from Thomas’s burning corpse to Dan, her eyes wet from fear and tears. “It’s over now, right? Tell me it’s over.”
“It is,” Dan mutters. “It’s finally over.”
But just as he utters the words, a realization hits him like a lightning bolt.
Jennie! Oh, shit! How could I forget about her?
Linda says something, but Dan doesn’t even register it. He can only think of one thing.
The hatch. The hatch to the basement. I locked it. I know I did … didn’t I?
DAY 2
THE FOLLOWING EVENTS TAKE PLACE ON
SUNDAY, JULY 27
ONE
Selina is awakened by a scream.
She sits bolt upright and looks around. She’s in her room. The sun is streaming in through the window, and the room is already too hot. It’s got to be at least 10:00 AM. For a moment, she feels utterly confused.
Did I sleep in?
Slowly, some of her memory returns. She’s not going to school today; it’s Sunday. She was out partying with her friends last night. They got pretty drunk. As though to confirm this, a throbbing headache takes root in her temples.
Was someone screaming just now? Or did I dream it?
Another scream answers her question. It comes from the garden. This time, she can tell it’s not a real scream, just a kid playing.
Selina lies back down with a heavy sigh.
Now it’s all coming back to her. It’s Louisa’s birthday. She’s having all the girls from her class over.
Perfect, Selina thinks, pulling the blanket over her face. Just what my hangover needed.
It soon gets too hot under the blanket. In fact, she’s already sweating. So, she gets up, squinting against the sunlight as she opens the window and lets the fresh, lukewarm air in. She leans against the windowpane and peers down into the garden. On the terrace are tables laid out with flags and balloons. Three girls are chasing each other around the lawn. They are the ones screaming.
Selina gazes out over the open fields. They stretch out endlessly under the blue dome of the summer sky. She’s still not really used to living out here. Just like she’s not used to Louisa or Ulla, either. Or rather, “Little Sister” and “Mom,” as Dad insists on her calling them. Like that’s ever going to happen.
Something catches her eye. It looks like a person is walking across one of the fields. It’s hard to tell for sure, though, with the sun blinding her, and the fact that she surprisingly remembered to take out her contact lenses before going to bed last night; it could simply be the wheat moving in the breeze.
A new wave of headache.
How did I even get home? That’s right, Jonas drove us. Oh, shit, did I kiss him? I think I did …
Selina lets out a moan and rubs her forehead. If she really did kiss Jonas goodbye, she might as well lie down and die right here and now. Krista is never going to stop teasing her as long as she lives, even if it was only a tiny peck on the lips as they said goodnight in the car.
Selina looks around for her cell. She can’t see her purse anywhere, so the phone is probably somewhere in her clothes, which are strewn about the floor. She starts going through it, careful as she bends down, so as to not provoke any further headache. She doesn’t find anything. She calls off the search for now and instead goes to the bathroom. She gulps down a couple of mouthfuls of water and removes the worst of the makeup. Then she sits down to pee, closing her eyes for a moment.
The window is open, and she can hear a car come rolling into the courtyard.
Probably more rug rats here for the party.
Two car doors
