—SQUAD.
SERIES SUMMARY ★ This town has more secrets than you can handle– and your new friends are one of them. Despite how picture-perfect she tries to appear, Tashi Duncan and her squad aren’t quite what they seem. And you’re invited to join them, for some reason– but you’re not one to decline an invitation to become someone new. You can ignore the hungry glint in Tashi’s eye, and her sharp teeth. After all, you’re not the one she’s attacking.
TAGLIST ★ @pittsick, @sincerelystarry, @artstennisracket, @museboos, @girliism, @cowboyfaists, @yardofbrunettes, @hisdumbbunny, @ferventdisciple, @y08h, @umbreoni, @hisfavoriteweepingangel, @aurorlia, @faiztheap, @sweetestfaiszts, @sweetheartfaist, @jesuistrestriste, @artdonaldsonbabygirl, @hayleygrrr, @elsieblogs, @hangels, @dearfaist, @fawnique, @jordiemeow, @cestdommage, @mitchesmoon, @omowitty, @271st-sunflower, @brotherhoodrobin, @newrochellechallenger2019, @themostpreciouspearl, @scariffs . click here to join !
NOTES ★ the long awaited pt 3... sorry for the delay but i was sort of dying LMFAO? the wc is abt 3.3k and please note that this part has a brief depiction of sexual assault and blood/gore so consume carefully!! this is one of the chapters that ive been looking forward to, so i hope u all enjoy! <3
You look between the three girls' faces, seeing varying expressions of excitement, and you nod eagerly, head bobbing up and down. “Yes!” you exclaim, one hand flying to your chest– you can’t help but notice that your neck still lays barren compared to their matching necklaces, but you brush the lonely feeling off. It’s only been a week, after all.
Ty breaks out into a huge grin and squeals, hugging you tight, and Amelia gently grazes your shoulder. Even Tashi looks proud, a confident smile on her face as she looks down at you. “Good,” she says, kissing her fingers and pressing the hand gently to your cheek. The tackiness of her lipgloss sticks to your skin, and you want it to stay forever. “Come to my house at 4. We’ll pre-game.” She turns on her heel and walks away, Ty and Amelia following in her wake. You manage to withhold your giddy laughter, fist pumping to yourself as you turn away. You had friends, you were going to a motherfucking party– what was next? You had a winning lottery ticket?
You’ve learned a lot about the girls in the short amount of time you’ve been part of the squad, like how both Ty and Amelia hated Tashi’s relationship with Patrick. They’d watch with disdain as the two of them snuggled up to each other, letting you in on their conspiratorial whispers.
“I fucking hate Patrick,” Amelia mutters under her breath, and while Ty looks skeptical, it’s clear in her body language that she agrees as well. “He’s a dick. Lying, cheating asshole.”
You look over to the couple, Tashi yelling at Patrick– something about a girl named Heidi?– while Patrick just smirks and leans back, lazy like the world owes him something.
“Don’t be like that, babe,” Patrick murmurs lowly, scooping Tashi’s chin into his palm and kissing her, long and hard. Something in your stomach twists at the sight, and you look away.
“You’re an idiot,” Tashi says in response, but the small smile on her face says enough. She’s forgiven him, like she does every time.
“All girls love having a boyfriend whose dick they have to police,” Amelia says, smiling innocently and batting her lashes when Patrick turns to scowl at her.
“Yo, what the f–” he’s cut off by Tashi’s hand on his knee, deep red nails contrasting against the denim of his jeans. She looks between him and Amelia, a sharp look in her eyes as she glares at Amelia.
“Ignore Melly. She’s just PMS-ing,” she smiles up at her boyfriend, ignoring the loud scoff from Amelia, who stands up, tossing her curls over her shoulder.
“I told you I fucking prefer Amelia,” she snarls, glaring at Tashi and tossing an apologetic look to Ty before storming away. You’re left to process the scene that had just occurred, glancing between the two groups as you fight back the urge to sink your teeth into your lunch.
That’s why it only surprises you more that Patrick isn’t at Tashi’s house when you show up later. It’s Tashi who opens the door and greets you with a kiss on the cheek, her flowery perfume making you dizzy. “Come on. Melly and Ty are upstairs already,” she says in that sultry-soft tone of hers, taking you by the hand and leading you up the huge spiral staircase.
It’s a flurry of makeup brushes and hair straighteners when you enter her room, Ty in the middle of straightening her hair with powder still caked onto her cheeks, and Amelia rifling through Tashi’s huge closet. Wordlessly, Tashi pushes past Amelia to grab a hanger and offer it to you.
“Change. You can’t wear that to the party,” she orders, her tone firm with no room for argument. You look down at your outfit in confusion– a cute plaid skirt with one of Tashi’s soft beige sweaters. It’s nothing extraordinary, but it wasn’t that bad…
“You bought this outfit for me,” you say, cocking your head in confusion, and Tashi rolls her eyes, thrusting the hanger at you.
“Yeah, for school. This is a fucking party. How fucking thick are you?” she snaps, and you gingerly take the hanger from her, muttering a quiet ‘sorry.’ Tashi turns away, exhaling deeply as you examine the dress she’s given you. “Don’t apologize. I’m just hangry. So just change into the goddamn dress, okay?”
You shrug and head into the attached bathroom, leaving your discarded clothes on the counter as you try to wriggle into the dress. You don’t look at your reflection, insecure thoughts already bubbling up as you leave the bathroom for the rest of the girls to see.
Ty’s lips part and she sets the straightener down, beaming at you. “Holy shit,” she whispers, and Amelia guides you to face a mirror. The dress is… awful. It hugs your hips too tight, and you can count your back rolls when you turn around. It presses your thighs together and shows off a distasteful amount of underboob. But you catch Tashi’s gaze in the reflection, and she’s smiling proudly, watching you with a glint in her eyes.
“Total bait,” she announces confidently, and you furrow your brow, unsure if you’d misheard.
“Total… babe?” you correct, and she laughs– full and loud, her ponytail brushing against your shoulder as she squeezes your waist.
“Sure.”
The bonfire roars in your face, ensuring that you’re sweating off all of Amelia’s careful makeup that’s been applied to your eyes, and you’re squinting to make out your friends in the dark. You only know they’re still with you by the gentle touches they give– Amelia’s hand on your hip as she stands close to you, Ty playing with your hair as she yammers on about the hair products she uses, and Tashi cupping your cheek to fix your lipstick.
“That guy’s been looking at you all night,” Ty whispers in your ear, giggling when your face flushes pink. “He’s kinda cute, right?”
You hum, following her gaze to see the guy in question– tall and brunette, with hair that reached just past his ears and a wolfish grin. You internally cringe, smiling to appease Ty. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Go talk to him,” Tashi murmurs softly to you, letting go of your face. Her expression is unreadable, but there’s a fiery determination in her eyes that flares up when you hesitate. “Come on, don’t be a prude. What’s the point of coming to a party if you’re not gonna go talk to a guy?” When you hesitate further, her nails dig into her skin, just barely there, but enough to pinch. “Go. Say. Hi.”
You swallow thickly and nod, pulling away from your friends to go approach the guy. He looks you up and down, nodding when you come in closer and smiling at you. His teeth are crooked, and he stinks of marijuana. “Hey,” he greets, low and gravelly, “not really into parties, are you?” His eyes seem to be stuck on your tits, and you self-consciously tug the dress up a bit.
“No, not really,” you laugh, avoiding his gaze as you look back at the squad helplessly. “Is it obvious?”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Nah, I get it. It smells like burning plastic.” He clocks your slight shivering, nudging you with his shoulder. “You cold?”
“Hm?” you tear your eyes away from your friends and shrug, shaking your head. “No– I mean, kind of, but it’s not that bad- oh.” His jacket is slung over your shoulders, enveloping you in the scent of cigarettes and dirt. “Thanks.”
You two stand like that for a moment, watching the flames of the bonfire lick at the sky, before he ducks down to whisper in your ear. “You wanna see something cool?”
You tense up, feeling Tashi’s predatory gaze on you from across the fire and you laugh softly, already being pulled along by the guy. “It’s not a dead body, is it?”
“Ha! No, I promise. It’s way better than this lame-ass party,” he insists, ignoring the hoots and hollers from his friends. You cast one final look at the squad before following him. The sounds of the party fade to the back of your mind as the two of you trudge further away, surrounded by underbrush and unknown critters, until you’re finally far enough to be surrounded by silence except for the lapping of the waves. The full moon glows above you, casting the guy in a pale light as he leers over you.
“You’re hella pretty,” he mutters, leaning in with his lips puckered as if about to kiss you. You dodge quickly, leaving him to stumble forward slightly. “Ah, come on, babe. Don’t make it weird.”
“Don’t make it rapey,” you counter, struck with a newfound confidence in this situation. “I thought you were gonna show me something cool.”
“Yeah, my dick!” the guy groans, and you step away from him, looking over your shoulder to see if anyone’s there to help you– but you’re only met with smoke in the distance and the stars blinking down like they’re watching this happen.
“Let’s go back to the party,” you urge gently, but his hand claps onto your shoulder, pulling you close until his sour breath fans across your lips.
“I can tell you want it, dressed like that,” he growls, eyes dark and shrouded by his hair. He grabs your waist and you flinch– your hand slaps across his face like instinct, and he stumbles back, clutching his cheek and glaring up at you like you’d just killed his family.
“Don’t be such a bitch,” he snaps, and one hand is suddenly groping at your breast, the other one snaking up the bottom of your dress to graze your underwear, and you don’t even realize tears are streaming down your face, you need to get out–
There’s a rustling behind you, and your teary eyes manage to find your friends, all huddled together. Long legs and flowing hair, grinning at the guy still gripping onto you. Tashi leads the pack, a sneer on her face. “You know, you should be careful around bitches,” she says, and the guy pulls away from you in surprise, as if ready to defend himself. The moon makes Tashi look like she’s glowing, and she hunches over. The sound of bones cracking can be heard, and you wince– but you can’t look away. Right in front of you, Tashi’s body is shifting and changing, Ty and Amelia watching with the same hungry expression. Fur sprouts along Tashi’s legs, and the dress she’s wearing tears at the seams. Her eyes glow a wicked yellow, and a tail swishes between her legs. Her face elongates into wolfish snout, and when she opens her mouth to speak, a gnarly howl tears from her throat instead. Amelia smirks, finishing her statement.
“We roll in packs.”
Tashi, now fully in her wolf form, lunges at the guy, who only manages to make it a few frenzied steps before he’s pinned to the ground, screaming as Tashi tears into his chest. Gore splatters her dark black fur, and the sounds she’s making are of pure ecstasy. Amelia and Ty reach your side, smiling at the sight. Amelia reaches up to gently wipe a tear from your cheek, lowering her voice. “You don’t have to watch,” she says gently.
“But it’s more fun if you do,” Ty adds with a surprising amount of malice in her voice, watching Tashi’s every move as she snaps the guy’s arm in half. He’s already dead, but she’s toying with his broken body– just like what he was doing with you. Her clawed hands– paws?– tear into the crevice in his chest, ripping out his heart, and her gnashing teeth bite into it like it’s the first thing she’s eaten in years.
You’re hypnotized by the sight, unable to tear your eyes away from the bloodshed. It proves impossible, especially once Tashi shifts back. Her hair pools around her shoulders and her skin shimmers under the moonlight. Her bare breasts move with every step she makes, and you avert your eyes– out of respect, or maybe fear. Amelia hands Tashi her hair tie back, and she swoops her hair back into her signature ponytail, nodding at Amelia and Ty. As if granted permission, the two immediately shift into their wolf form, lunging toward the body and scavenging for the remaining bits of flesh that Tashi had left for them. Humming softly, Tashi unzips her bag and pulls out a fresh set of clothes, changing into them while you stare, dumbfounded.
“Ugh, finally! I get the liver this time!” Ty says as she shifts, her perky voice now distorted and growly, and you turn to face Tashi, jaw slack with shock as she dresses.
“What the fuck.” She doesn’t turn to face you, wiping some blood off her cheek and wiping it across the front of her jeans.
“We were hungry. And now we’re not,” she says simply, fastening her bra and pulling a sweater over her head. “It’s simple.”
“I–I don’t understand–” you stammer dumbly, brain caught between fear and awe. Tashi finally looks down at you, her lips stained blood red. It only makes her look better, more powerful than she already is.
“Look. We were all given a choice. We could be normal, or we could be powerful. Like ourselves, but better.” While she speaks, she looks out at Amelia and Ty’s wolf forms, tearing into the body, and she smiles like a proud mother. “But there’s a cost.” Tashi laughs at your shocked expression, but it doesn’t feel like she’s mocking you– for once. “Every full moon, we have to eat. If we don’t, the hunger takes over. And a rat won’t cut it, not even a deer. It has to be human.” Her voice grows solemn, and her gaze burns into your skin, reading your every reaction.
“I’m gonna be sick,” you whimper, voice wobbling, and she just laughs again, tossing her hair back,
“Please, we can’t help that we’re hungry. But we can control who we eat. Where we eat them, and what we leave behind.” She gestures at Amelia and Ty, disposing of the body and churning the remains down their gullet. “One of us isn’t enough to polish off a body. Three? It… eh. Almost enough. But four?” she faces you, lips pressed together. “There’d be nothing left. No evidence, no bones, no nothing.”
“That’s why you wanted me to dress like that,” you realize, one finger pointing accusingly at her. When Tashi doesn’t deny it, anger heats up inside of you. Total bait. “How could you use me like that?! What if he’d– I mean, you saw what he was trying to do–”
“Shut up,” she says sharply, rolling her eyes like the topic was boring her. “We were watching the whole time. We would have never let him hurt you.” Her expression grows serious, and the moon casts shadows across the planes of her face. “We don’t let boys hurt us. We hurt boys. Only boys, and only the worst ones.” She looks back over at what remains of the body, just fleshy sinew and chewed up bones. “People call idiots like him all kinds of names. Creeps, jerks, whatever. But the right word is predator. Sick, perverted, rapists. And that’s who we hunt.”
The anger dissipates inside you and forms into hatred– hatred towards that guy, who acted like you owed him something. And look at where he had ended up. “He is a piece of shit. Or… was, I guess.” You pause, watching Amelia and Ty shift back, complaining about the pieces of meat they’d gotten. “Fuck him.”
“Exactly. Fuck him,” Tashi agrees, facing you. “And every single guy like him.” She holds eye contact with you, and a spark appears– something deeper, something connecting you two– before you hesitate, looking away.
“So… what are you?” you ask, and Tashi laughs, back to her mocking self. “Come on. Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a fucking movie before,” she sneers, and you shrink back, mentally punching yourself for the stupid question.
“Are you going to kill me?” your voice comes out small and scared, and you can see Tashi’s eyes soften, even if it’s only slightly.
“If I was going to kill you, I wouldn’t have just monologued to you for, like, an hour. Jesus, use your head,” she scoffs, digging around in her bag again and pulling out a necklace. A thin silver chain with a circular pendant of iridescent white stone. Like the one that all the girls wore, like the one looped around Tashi’s neck right now. “This is an invitation. We want you to be one of us.”
Ty and Amelia rejoin, changed back into their clothes and smiling at you, fingers dancing around their own necklaces. For the past week, you’d been wondering when you would get a necklace too– and now that it was being offered to you, you were terrified.
“Why me?” you ask, shrinking back under their gazes. But they aren’t looking at you like you’re their pet, a plaything to them. Their gazes meet yours, seeing as an equal. As a teammate. As a friend. “Everyone at school wants in with you guys. Why… would you choose me?”
“We have high standards,” Tashi answers coolly, and Ty nods in agreement. “You have to be pretty,” Ty says, winking at you. “And smart,” Amelia adds on.
“But most of all,” Tashi’s hand traces your cheek, and you find yourself questioning if her dark red nails are really nail polish. “You have to be hungry. You need to want to be more than yourself, be more than who everyone else thinks you are.” Her hands drag down your neck, and Amelia and Ty cage you in as well, soft hands on your body. “To be part of something bigger. Something better,” Tashi continues, her voice soft and slow.
“I know you. I see myself in you.” Tashi’s voice grows tight, and her nails dig into your skin. “Ever thought about how guys never have to work for anything? They just get away with whatever they want, and we’re left to fight for the leftovers?”
You think back to all the jobs you lost because of a male candidate, the jeers and points after a guy lied about you hooking up with him, every day you’d cried after being catcalled on the streets. A fiery rage bubbles up inside you, and you nod, meeting Tashi’s gaze. “Every fucking day,” you answer, and she grins at you.
“Of course you have.” Her hand pulls away from you, dangling the necklace that could be yours out of reach. “You’ve seen what we are now. So either you walk away from here as one of us, or you stay here. Forever.” Amelia stands smug beside her, and you furrow your brows. Ty jumps in to explain, one gentle hand on your forearm as she explains.
“She means we would have to kill you,” Ty sighs dramatically, rolling her eyes like she’s just talking about petty gossip, not a life-or-death situation. “Which, obvi, none of us want to do.”
“We want you to want to join us, but, like, we can’t exactly float this offer, you know?” Amelia smirks, her gaze on you almost daring you to say no.
Tashi’s hand extends towards you, the thin pendant dangling from her fingers. “It’s fucking rad. We want you to join us.” You’re torn between running away screaming and snatching the necklace right from her. “I know you want this more than anything. And that’s why I chose you to watch our backs, just like we watch yours. You’d be part of the squad.”
“So, what do you say?”
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