“Get back here, Sawyer!”
Chloe’s voice reverberated through the fresh construction, and Sawyer pitched forward, running toward the lone cell tower at the back of the development. She was at the base of the small dirt hill as Chloe burst into the backyard.
Sawyer mashed the phone again, the screen still flashing that single bar. The rain was starting to fall steadily in icy sheets and she shivered, turning back toward the hill, her socks sinking into the mud.
“Sawyer!”
Chloe was at her ankles now, her clawed fingers grabbing at Sawyer.
“Let me go!” Sawyer kicked at Chloe’s hands.
The rainwater washed down the muddy hill in gales, and Sawyer slid down toward Chloe. Chloe grabbed at her, her fingers digging into the soft flesh of Sawyer’s forearms.
“Come on, Sawyer, we can leave. We can go away from here.”
“No.” Sawyer shook her head, her tears mixing with the rainwater that pelted her face. “You’re sick, Chloe. This isn’t love. You don’t love me, you need help.”
“Stop saying that!”
“It’s true.”
“You are so ungrateful.” Chloe’s teeth were gritted and rainwater dripped from her chin. “I can’t believe I loved you. I’ve done everything for you! You didn’t even ask, and I did it.” She slammed her fist against the mud just to the side of Sawyer’s ear. “You don’t even care! You don’t even care!” Chloe was crying now, great, wracking sobs. “I did everything for you, Sawyer. Everyone wanted to hurt you, and I didn’t. I didn’t.”
Sawyer flipped, her fingers and toes digging into the mud as she tried to wriggle away.
“Where are you going? Stop it!” Chloe’s words broke on the whipping wind as she lunged with both hands toward Sawyer. When the knife plunged deep into the back of Sawyer’s calf, her scream was sucked up by the wind.
Sawyer looked back, astounded. There was nothing but the urgent sense of cold at first, but then the pain was searing hot and heavy, starting from the blade and shattering through Sawyer’s body. But she knew she couldn’t stop.
“Sawyer!”
She couldn’t help but look over her shoulder. Chloe was on her knees, her hair sopping wet and plastered to her forehead. Her clothes were streaked with mud and Sawyer’s blood, and Sawyer’s stomach ached but she wasn’t sure if it was from the blood or for the fact that Chloe was kneeling there with the bloody knife pressed against her own throat.
Terror rained down on Sawyer.
“Chloe, put the knife down. Please.”
Chloe shook her head as tears rolled over her pink lips. Her hand started to tremble, and tiny rivulets of black-red blood bubbled up at her neck. “You don’t care about me. No one does! No one does!”
“That’s not true. I care about you. I want to get you help. We’ll get you help. Please.” Her voice was little more than a whisper and almost lost on the wind and rain. “Please don’t do this.”
Chloe’s knuckles were white. The night dropped into an impossible silence, a muscle-aching slow motion.
Sawyer picked her way down the hill, favoring her aching leg. She was within arm’s length of Chloe when Chloe clamped her eyes shut, the blade pressing deeper into her skin. Sawyer reached out to touch Chloe’s arm, but before she could, she felt the dizzying smack of her head against the slick mud, flashes dancing in front of her eyes. Chloe was on top of her, looking down on her, her eyes caged-animal wild.
“You don’t care about anyone! I loved you and you don’t care!”
“Don’t hurt her!” Cooper’s voice sliced through the night, and Chloe’s head snapped up. He was standing in the backyard, hands splayed. Dried blood, so dark it was almost black, was smeared across his forehead, across the sucking wound at his hairline.
“I killed you!” Chloe yelled, hysteria making her voice high and frantic. “I killed you!”
“No, you didn’t,” Cooper said calmly. He took a tentative step forward. “And you’re not going to hurt Sawyer, either.”
“Don’t tell me what I’m going to do!”
Sawyer was vaguely aware of what was going on. Her head was still spinning from hitting the ground, and the throb in her leg went up to her teeth. “Cooper?” She knew it was a mere whisper, but she wanted to feel his name on her tongue if only one last time. Chloe looked down at her and wagged her head.
“Don’t listen to him. He’s going to turn out just like Kevin did. He’s only going to hurt you.”
Sawyer saw Cooper moving from the corner of her eye.
“That’s not true,” Cooper said from the foot of the dirt hill. “And I know that you’re not going to hurt Sawyer, either, Chloe.”
Chloe pushed the blade of the knife against Sawyer’s neck again. “How do you know that?” she spat.