Page 96 of Five Survive

“I’m not!” Red shouted, just as the song was ending, an abrupt and ringing quiet after that last chord.

Oliver silenced them all with his terrible eyes, waiting for the next song to begin. It did, three quick notes strummed on the guitar, followed by another sequence. Red actually knew this song; Mom and Dad used to sing it whenever they were driving on I-95. “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC, and this time Red couldn’t not laugh as the drums pitched in. No one else could hear except her, and yes, she must have finally lost her mind, like she lost everything else. Retrace your steps, Red. When did you last see your mind?

“There’s enough evidence to suggest Red is the mole, we can’t trust her!” Oliver came in with the vocals, showing too many teeth.

“So, what’s your plan, then?” Simon shouted. Plan, plan. Red had a plan once. There was a graze on the skin of Simon’s hand too, as he swiped the hair out of his eyes, dragging it out of his sweat.

Oliver turned to his sister.

“Maddy,” he shouted as the chorus began. “You and Red are the same height. Your hair is basically the same color. If we dressed you up in Red’s clothes, the sniper wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. You’d look the same through his sights.” He stepped forward, looming over Maddy. “He’ll think you’re Red and he won’t shoot. You can leave the RV and you’ll be fine.”

“I don’t —”

Maddy’s lips formed around the next words, but she didn’t say them loud enough to be heard.

“He’ll think you’re Red. She’s immune for whatever reason; he won’t shoot. You walk calmly to the truck out there, get in, turn around and drive away. You’ll take a couple of phones with you and as soon as you drive into a signal, you call the police. Or as soon as you find a house and ask to use their landline.”

Maddy backed away from her brother, stumbling against the driver’s seat. Her face changed, rearranging to make room for the fear: a space between her lips, hanging open, a gap above and below the color of her eyes, stretched too wide. She shook her head.

“I don’t think I can,” she cried, into the music.

Oliver nodded his head in response, making her go still. “You’re the only one who can!” he said. “It can’t be Reyna, or me, or Arthur, or Simon. You’re the only one who looks like Red. It has to be you. You’ll be fine. The sniper didn’t shoot Red. She was out there for three minutes and he didn’t shoot her. All you have to do is get to that truck right there and drive away and you can send help for the rest of us.”

“Oliver, this is too risky,” Reyna said. “We don’t know why he didn’t shoot at—”

“Hands up, Red!” Oliver roared.

Red braced her elbows against her hips, keeping her hands, palm out, by her shoulders. If she’d lost her mind, then Oliver must have lost his hours ago. How could he ask his little sister to do that? To leave the RV in full view of the sniper? It was madness.

“You don’t have to do it, Maddy!” Red shouted, staring at Oliver instead. “You don’t have to do what he says.” But wasn’t she a hypocrite, because look at her, standing here with her hands up because he’d ordered her to. The song changed again, to one Red didn’trecognize, more guitars screeching in her ears, more drums beating up and down her ribs.

Maddy looked nervously up at her brother. “I don’t know,” she said over the music.

He stepped forward. “You have to do it, Maddy. You’re the only one who can. The only one who can get help for the rest of us. Don’t you think I’d go if the circumstances were different?” He stabbed a finger against his chest. “If I could be the one to rescue us all, I would. But that’s not how it’s played out. You’re the only one who can do it. The only one who can make sure we all survive the night.”

“This is a terrible idea,” Arthur said loudly. “Maddy, you shouldn’t—”

“Shut up, Arthur!” Oliver snarled at him, face softening again as he turned back to Maddy. “It will work, Maddy. Do you think I would send you out there, my little sister, if I thought there was any chance of you getting hurt? Of course I wouldn’t. They will think you’re Red, and she’s immune for whatever reason. They will let you go.”

Oliver was nodding and then so was Maddy, not quite in time with him.

“Okay,” she said, voice wavering, punctured by the screaming guitars. “I think I can do it.”

“Good girl.” Oliver stepped forward, planting a kiss on the top of her head, pinching her shoulder in his full grip. “Simon.” He whipped around. “Where did you say the keys were? For the truck?”

“They’re still in Don’s hand,” Simon replied, gaze darting to Maddy.

“Okay, you just walk to Don, calmly, slowly, like you know they won’t shoot you because you’re Red.” Oliver had both his hands on Maddy’s shoulders now, speaking right into her face. “You take the keys, you can do it, just don’t look at his head. Then you walk to the truck, get in. Start the engine, pull around and drive out of here. Got it? It’s simple.”

Maddy was still nodding, she’d never stopped, but Red could tell that she didn’t want to do this. She was terrified, almost vibrating with it. And Red wasn’t sure now if Maddy was more scared of the man out there with the rifle, or of that look in her brother’s eyes.

“I can do it,” Maddy repeated, eyes swimming as she looked around at them all. “I can do it,” she said. “I’ll get help, I promise.”

Her eyes latched onto Red. Shifted. What did that mean? Another look Red didn’t understand. Did she want Red to step in, to put a stop to this?

“Maddy, you don’t have to—”

“Red!” Oliver spun to face her. “Take off your clothes!”

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