Chapter 8

Eight

Bridget

I’m not sure what wakes me, but one second, I’m having a dream I’m marrying the guys, and the next, I’m jolted awake, naked in the woods with Holt snoring behind me.

Damn, I’d been enjoying that dream. Having the guys all to myself…Yeah, it’s a problem. When we started fucking around, it had all been fun, and for a while, it stayed that way. The deal was we couldn’t catch feelings, which seemed easy enough, until it wasn’t.

How’s a girl supposed to go back to just one guy when she’s been with four at a time?

You don’t.

Trust me, I’ve tried. I don’t mind screwing around one on one like tonight with Holt, but dating anyone outside of our little group is a no-go as well now.

They just don’t compare.

Which leaves me in a pickle because while I’m pretty sure I might be able to convince Holt and Price to be with me, Slate, Bishop, and Caelan are a fucking no-go.

All because of Sky.

Don’t get me wrong—I love Sky. We’ve been friends since kindergarten, but sometimes, I wish I had met the guys first. Val isn’t such an issue—she’s moldable. I know if I told her we weren’t doing the friends-with-benefits thing anymore, she wouldn’t bat an eye.

No, Val’s first love has always been her books and studies.

I hear Holt move behind me and roll my eyes at him. Why does he get to keep sleeping, yet here I am awake?

Ugh, I need another drink.

Rolling over, I snort a laugh when I find Holt with his hair a damn mess. His curls are so thick I can’t even see his face through them. I swear, sometimes it’s as if they have a mind of their own, and he refuses to tame them. The most he will do is throw a bandanna on or throw it all up in a bun.

“Holt,” I hiss, reaching out to shake him.

He snores but doesn’t stir, and honestly, I should know better by now. When we party, he’s usually dead to the world afterward.

“Holt,” I try again, louder this time, before sitting up and giving him a rough shove.

Still nothing.

Thunder rumbles in the distance, and I let out an embarrassing yelp, before thanking my lucky stars Holt wasn’t awake to hear it.

Well, I can guess that’s probably what woke me. It makes sense, and honestly, I don’t care how good my dream was. I’d rather not get soaked only to go back to the tent to freeze, and it’s not like any of us are in any position to drive.

I pull on my shirt and pants before quickly finding my socks and shoes to attempt to beat the rain.

“Hey, Holt!” I yell, nudging him with my foot. He rolls and lets out a groan, so I do it again.

“Ugh, chill, Sky. It’s still dark out,” he mumbles, clearly still out of it, but I don’t miss his slip. How could I?

“Are you fucking serious?” I shout, putting my foot on his chest and peering down at him.

I watch as he reaches up, pushing his hair from his face to look up at me.

“Oh, hey, Bridge!” he says with a smirk, and I groan in annoyance before moving away from him.

“Just get up. It’s about to rain, and I’d rather not get soaked,” I snap, not even bothering to mention that he got my name wrong. He probably didn’t even realize it, but it still bugs the hell out of me.

“A little rain ain’t gonna hurt ya,” he says, pushing up from the ground to better look up at the sky. “The stars are wild out here.”

I can’t help but look up at his words and he’s not wrong. We’re not crazy far from town, but the stars are so clear without all the lights.

A drop of rain hits my cheek, rolling down my chin and continuing down my neck. Just like that, any desire I had to look at the stars is gone.

“Whatever, enjoy your nature shower.” I glare at him as he throws his hair up in a messy bun before I head off back toward camp. He can follow me or not. I really don’t care.

I only make it a few steps before I hear his laughter ring out behind me. Ignoring him, I keep moving, assuming he’s being his usual crazy self until he laughs again.

“What?” I snap, spinning around to face him, but not going back. I don’t have time for his shit right now. I don’t care how hot he is.

“You're going the wrong way,” he says and I can hear his smile even if it’s too dark to see it.

“Ugh, stop fucking around, and let’s go,” I say, stomping back toward him and pushing him toward the trees. “Lead the way.”

Holt laughs harder, but after a second, he’s walking on his own, no longer needing me to push him along.

Reaching back, he snags my hand, pulling me close to his side. “Stay close. The rocks up ahead get slippery in the rain,” he says, as if it’s something everyone knows.

It’s not.

Holt is the only one I know who likes to come out here just because. I know he’s taken Sky and even a few of the other guys a few times, but I’m usually only down for tent life if there’s alcohol involved.

I consider pushing him away for a second before I decide against it. I’m still mad at him, but I can’t risk an injury over it. No, my squad needs me. Nobody else can make up the routines I do.

Instead, I remain quiet, following him as he maneuvers this way and that down a path I can’t see.

The rain picks up, slowly at first, a few drops here and there before it starts to get heavier.

“Huh.”

Holt comes to a stop after a while, dropping my hand and spinning around.

“What?” I ask, my irritation growing with every drop of rain.

Instead of answering, he continues to turn slowly before looking back up at the stars.

“This doesn’t make sense,” he mutters, almost to himself.

“What are you talking about, Holt?” I ask, not understanding why the fuck we’re still standing here.

“We should ha—” he gasps, cutting himself off and going as still as a statue.

“Holt?” I breathe his name, taking a tentative step toward him.

Something feels wrong. I can’t put my finger on it, but Holt is rarely serious or still, and right now, he’s kind of scaring me.

“Holt, what is it?” I ask, stepping up beside him and reaching out to lay my hand on his arm.

He jumps and stumbles back a step, barely righting himself before he goes down. I stand confused, watching him with my hand still hanging in the air.

What is happening? It’s dark, like super dark, but he’s acting as if he had no idea I was here.

I can hear his labored breathing as he reaches up to wave a hand in front of his face.

“Holt, you're scaring me…”

He barks a laugh and I jump at the cruel sound that’s nothing like his usual happy nature.

“I can’t see,” he breathes. “I can’t fucking see, and you're scared, Bridget!?” he chokes out, sounding both angry and afraid at the same time.

“It’s just dark, Holt. Let’s head back and find the others…” I try to convince him, but I can see him shaking his head even before I’ve finished talking, and I know he isn’t going to go for it.

I don’t know how to help him or what to do, but I know I need to do something. An idea comes to me, and I’m not sure it will help, but I’ll try anything to get out of here. My phone lost service even before we were halfway into the woods, but all I need right now is the light.

I pull it out, and it lights up the darkness like a spotlight, blinding me momentarily. I don’t give myself time to adjust before I turn it toward Holt.

No way he can’t see this.

“Holt,” I call, my voice coming out timid and unsure as I blink back the spots and look toward him. I’ve never seen him upset before. He’s usually impossible to piss off. But there’s no denying he snapped at me a moment ago.

Maybe if I can help him out, I’ll be his favorite.

My vision finally clears, but even as I look at Holt, I can see that his back is still to me. For a second, I think he’s going to ignore me. I’m about to call him again when he finally moves.

He turns to face me so fucking slow it’s almost as if he’s been put in slow motion, but even with the extra time to process, I’m still not ready for the sight of him.

His eyes are white and glossed over. I’ve only ever seen one blind person before face to face, but his eyes look so much like that I can’t stop the gasp that leaves my mouth. As if that isn’t bad enough, his face is so dirty…

I take a step toward him, trying to get a better look, and drop my damn phone with what I find.

That’s not dirt…

Blood leaks from his eyes like tears.

A scream builds in the back of my throat, but I choke on it, unable to move or make a sound as I stare at him. He looks as if he’s been ripped from the set of a horror film.

My phone lands on the ground with the screen face up, illuminating us, and I can’t look away. I stand frozen, watching him as he reaches up, scratching at his chest. I track the movement, watching the angry red lines form on his skin.

He’s not just scratching, he’s digging into himself.

“Ho—Holt,” I choke out his name, and his unseeing eyes snap in my direction. I try to swallow down the lump in my throat, but I can’t bring myself to say more.

“Fuck, I’m so itchy,” he says, racking his nails down his arm. Everywhere his nails meet his skin ends up red and welted in a matter of seconds. “It feels like something’s crawling on me.”

My phone screen dims before it goes black, plunging us back into the darkness of the forest.

I’d thought it was bad when I could see him, but this is worse. Before I pulled my phone out, my eyes had somewhat adjusted to the darkness, but now it’s pitch black. I can’t see a fucking thing, and somehow knowing he’s out there like that, in the darkness, is so much worse.

“Bridget, something’s wrong. Are you itchy?” Holt asks, almost pleading for me to tell him I am as well.

It's too much, everything’s too much.

My mind is on overdrive, thinking of all the things this could be, but above it all, my body screams for me to run. Get out of here and don't look back.

Slowly, I take a step back and then another, forcing myself to move through my panic. I make it about three steps before my eyes begin to adjust again, and I can just barely make out the shapes of the tree around me.

Five steps and the loud snap of a twig leaves me frozen in place.

“Bridge?” Holt's desperate cry for me would have been something I relished in an hour ago. The idea of him calling out to me instead of Sky would have had me on cloud nine, but now…

I’ll take my chances in the woods.

Before I can overthink it, I turn and take off into the trees, leaving him calling my name behind me.