We jumped into my little car. It was blocking all the other cars in; we had no choice but to use mine.

I got into the passenger's seat to let Ian drive, which was a good thing, because he flew around the dirt-road corners way faster than I'd ever be able go without losing control and rolling.

I had to hold tight to the handle grip around every turn all the way there. Still, I managed to pull Ian's gun from where I'd stashed it between the seats. I had no idea if the safety was on or off, but I held on to the gun as tightly as I held onto the car.

Somehow, in the middle of all of this, I flashed on what he'd just said to me on the porch swing.

He'd said he stashed the gun in my car because he didn't have time to go to the motel.

"How did you know I was at the motel?" I asked as he skidded onto the long driveway leading to Morgan's house.

"What?"

"You said you didn't have time to go to the motel before leaving the gun in my car," I yelled over the sound of the gravel hitting the wheel wells.

"Ashley, I didn't know where you were. I said I couldn't find you."

"You said something about a motel!"

He was racing toward Morgan's house, and we were almost there, but he took his eyes off the road just long enough to give me a hard look.

"Listen to me," he said decisively. "I don't care what I may have said. I don't know anything about any motel."

We skidded right up to Morgan's gate. We both leapt out of the car and raced up the front steps. The house lights were on. I didn't loosen my grip on the gun for a second.

Morgan was still screaming. But her cries were more ragged now, more tired and defeated.

As we passed through the living room I made sure the safety was off. I knew that I would have to shoot whoever was making my best friend wail with such an awful, suffering sound. I couldn't even let myself think what Morgan must have been going through, or what exactly was happening to her. I just knew I was prepared to kill whoever was causing her to make that sound.

She was in the bedroom. We could hear her crying out from behind the door, but it was locked.

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