Abigail sat by Marissa Schurr, her features lit by a bonfire that she and several other classmates gathered around. Normally, she wouldn’t be allowed to attend -- normally, she would be chastised for even wanting to be at a party -- but Hobbs had told her she needed an alibi. After helping him lure last weekend, this was finally the day of the hunt.
Swallowing past the dryness of her throat, Abigail sipped her beer without truly tasting. As far as she was concerned, she needed something a lot stronger.
“Ugh, ex alert,” Marissa complained. “You would think he wouldn’t be so quick to show off. After all, I know his actual dick size, and trust me -- it is not worth bragging about.”
Abigail found she could barely listen. While Marissa’s boy-crazy commentary often amused, and sometimes even inspired her, Abigail found that she couldn’t overcome the sinking feeling in her stomach. This was her first kill. No...her first assisted kill, but the blood was still on her hands all the same, wasn’t it?
A new presence came upon the circle then, and Marissa looked up when Nancy and a few others appeared upon the scene. “Hey, girl!” she chirped. “We saved you a seat.”
Abigail plastered on a smile and motioned to the fold-out chair beside her.
“What took you so long?” Marissa prompted. “I mean, I totally came for the guys, but after a while, their testosterone starts to bore me.”
“I can’t speak for Nancy, but I needed to wait for my parents to drive me here,” one of the girls spoke up. “All these abductions have them really freaked out.”
Marissa rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. We can’t get abducted in a group like this. You’re just being paranoid. Isn’t that right, Steve?” Her cat-like gaze gleamed, as it often did while talking to boys. “Your parents’ house seems plenty safe to me.”
Abigail’s lips spread into a nervous little smile. “No offense, Rissa, but I really don’t think anyone wants to talk about this right now.”