Page 107 of Caged
“No, my step-cousins gave them to me. Same with all the other stuff,” she says as we both take in the arsenal of weapons Monroe has displayed across two rectangular folding card tables.
“What do your step-cousins do again?” I ask, turning to look at her.
“It’s best you don’t know,” she responds. Based on what Monroe has shared about her step-family and the fact that her mom and stepfather are imprisoned for racketeering, I assume involvement with organized crime runs in the family.
I scratch my head, wondering what the fuck Monroe has planned. In addition to the four handguns, there are two axes, multiple rolls of duct tape, zip ties, knives of various sizes, small blow torches, and the most peculiar of all, a wetsuit, oxygen tank, and scuba gear.
“Are you planning to actually kill people?” I ask cautiously. I half assumed her comment about killing Kieren was a joke.
“No. Just maim them beyond repair,” she grins. “Should I tell you the plan and you can decide if you want to be involved or run away as fast as possible?”
“Sure,” I respond slowly.
Monroe drags a large black suitcase into view. “Feel free to make yourself at home. Need a soda or snacks?” she asks.
“Monroe, where have you been staying?” I pry. My backpack hits the ground with a thud, and I sit down beside it on the cold concrete floor. “I brought a few bars,” I say, unzipping my bag.
“Umm, around,” is all she offers.
“Around?” I question as I tear open a protein bar.
“An inn outside of town. It’s cheap and clean enough. Plus, they take cash.”
She sidles down next to me and pulls out a bag of trail mix followed by an unopened bag of beef jerky from the suitcase. “More beef jerky?” I poke.
“It’s affordable and I’m iron deficient,” she shrugs, shoving a handful of trail mix in her mouth. “Okay, so the plan,” she begins, dusting off her hands as she reaches inside the suitcase. Out comes a legal pad of paper affixed with a pen. I can see Monroe has written a list on the top page and as I hinge forward to read her notes, all I can think is that my friend has lost her fucking mind and I'm awestruck.
This is not the placating, compassionate, and privately insecure Monroe of the past. She’s... different, like she’s been supercharged into a leveled-up, possibly deranged, version of her original self, who I can’t help but admire. Given how severely Kieren took advantage of her, I’m inclined to think this new side of Monroe is a good thing.
“There are things I, or we, depending on your appetite for brutality, have to collect, starting with the location of Kasey’s body. I have my suspicions, but I only have so much oxygen left in that tank. Barrett and Harrison probably know. I saw them put an oddly-shaped object in the trunk of an SUV one night after a Full Moon Ceremony and leave with the elders. When they came back, it was just the two of them.”
“I’m sorry, the'Full Moon Ceremony'?” I ask.
“Oh, right. I forgot you don’t know the backstory. Okay, rewind,” Monroe says, swiveling her hands in a circle. “Once a month, on a night when there is a full moon, Sigma holds what they call a Full Moon Ceremony. The guys all wear these black, demon goat masks that cover half their face, but other than that, they are shirtless. Kieren has this gold Ceremony mask. Honestly, it looks like a demon cow. He’s also shirtless, but he wears a black cape. Then the elders, the alumni that attend, the same ones who you saw walking in the back door of Sigma when you were looking for a way to break in, are decked out like it’s Halloween. Some are in head-to-toe black, so black shirt, black pants, black cape, black satanic demon mask with horns. I’veseen a few go shirtless, but those aren’t the ones who go into the hidden room. Then there are the women, the'Little Sisters'who attend these Full Moon Ceremonies. They’re in lingerie and lace masks. Everyone is on drugs, and it’s one giant orgy.”
I cough, trying and failing to swallow a bite of my protein bar. “I’m barely following along, but continue,” I say.
“It’s a lot, I know,” Monroe agrees.
“Did you participate in these orgies?” I inquire, trying to neutralize any judgement in my voice.
Monroe picks at her shoelace. “Yeah,” she says, and I can sense her guilt. “Not in the orgy part. Well, kind of in the orgy part. I only had sex with Kieren, but he has this throne that sits on an elevated platform, so I didn’t participate in group sex, but I watched it happen.”
“Did Kieren have sex with other women in front of you?”
“No, he didn’t seem interested. He would just sit on his throne, and I was in his lap… I’m sure you can put the pieces together. Can we move on from that part?” she asks. The topic has her completely folded in on herself, and I can’t help but reach out and place a hand on her knee.
“Of course. I’m sorry. I’m not judging you if that’s what you’re thinking,” I offer.
“It’s okay,” she scoffs. “I judge myself enough for the both of us.” She looks up to the grey, metal ceiling and sighs. “Anyway, they do these Full Moon Ceremonies. The first one was just an orgy and initiation for the Little Sisters, but toward the end of the second one, some of the men wearing demon masks along with Kieren and Barrett, took one of the girls into the hidden room.”
“There’s a hidden room?”
She nods. “In the back of the basement. I managed to get in there once, and I’m pretty sure there’s a hidden room within the hidden room. Kieren caught me, so I was never able to find out.”
“What made you think there was a second hidden room?”
“Because it felt oddly drafty, and I felt a difference in the wood paneling. Oh, and then I saw a symbol carved into the wood that matched my brand.”
