The Merciless (The Merciless #1)(41)

“Downstairs, in the backpack.” Alexis puts the candle on the floor to the left of the ladder and starts to climb into the attic. The flickering light fills the room with shadows.

“Go get it,” Riley snaps, pushing herself back to her feet. She starts to pace, and her stiff, bloodstained jeans sound scratchy, like dried paper dragging across the floor. She shoots a look at Grace. “Both of you. I need a moment alone with Sofia.”

“Don’t go,” I say. As soon as the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve made a mistake. Riley stops pacing and levels a glare on me that could burn through skin.

“What’s going on?” Alexis asks, hovering near the ladder. She shifts her gaze from me to Riley to Grace.

“Please,” I say, but I’m watching Riley now. I realize Riley could never feel pain. Riley doesn’t feel anything.

“Get the knife,” Riley says again. Alexis frowns but heads back down the ladder anyway. Grace shuffles after her. I don’t realize I’m reaching for them until they’re already gone. My hand hovers in the air, grasping at nothing.

“You’re letting the devil manipulate you.” Riley turns away from me, talking to herself now. “That’s why you texted Josh, why you were going to let Brooklyn go. That’s the only explanation.”

“Riley . . .” I start, but she cuts me off.

“The devil feeds on your weakness, Sofia! Don’t you see how Brooklyn’s working you? How she’s using you? This is what the devil does!”

Riley’s voice rises to a hysterical scream. It bounces off the walls of the attic. She stops walking and lifts her hands to her head, running her fingers through her hair. The hair comes loose from her ponytail and frizzes around her face.

“Riley,” I say, edging toward the ladder. I try to make my voice as soothing as possible. “Riley, I’m not possessed. You have to calm down.”

“Calm down?” Riley stumbles over Brooklyn’s leg to dart in front of me, blocking my path to the door. Brooklyn doesn’t even flinch but watches us with wide, curious eyes. “How am I supposed to calm down, Sofia? We tried everything. Everything! None of it has worked. And you were just going to let her go.”

The ladder creaks, and Alexis climbs into the attic again, Grace behind her. She’s carrying a box of granola bars, the black backpack looped over one shoulder.

“Give me that.” Riley yanks the backpack from Grace’s arm and rips it open violently. The silver zipper pops off and clatters to the floor. Grace backs away from Riley, rubbing her shoulder. Riley pulls the butcher knife out and lets the bag drop. Hand shaking, she holds the knife in front of her. The blade trembles in her grip.

“Sofia betrayed us.” Her eyes meet mine, and cold dread creeps up over my bones. She takes a step closer, gesturing with the knife while she speaks. “She tried to let Brooklyn go.”

“Riley, wait.” I raise my hands in front of my chest, stumbling back against the wall. I can’t tear my eyes away from the knife. It looks different somehow, like it’s watching me. It’s the same knife Riley used to cut off Brooklyn’s finger, the one that sliced open her skin and spilled her blood onto the floor. It has a taste for blood now.

“What are you doing?” Grace whispers. Riley pushes the point of the blade to my chest. I picture her thrusting it into my body, and my head spins. I place a hand flat against the wall behind me to steady myself.

“I don’t know. What do we do to sinners?”

The knife winks at me, or maybe it’s just the light reflecting off its blade. I squeeze my eyes shut. I’m just scared, imagining things. But then I open my eyes and Brooklyn is staring me, her eyes glowing red. She runs her tongue over her lips, smearing blood across her mouth. Her voice echoes in my head: Now you’re reborn.

I blink and Brooklyn’s eyes are normal again; there’s no blood on her mouth. Her lower lip trembles as she watches me.

Riley lowers the knife from my chest and places it just below my wrist. “In the Old Testament, when God’s people sinned, they’d cut off the part of their body that failed him,” she says. “This is the hand that failed your God. Would you sacrifice it, if it’s what the Lord commanded?”

The blade pricks my skin. Brooklyn clenches her hand into a fist, but all I see is the bloody stub where her finger should be. Fear bubbles inside me.

“Riley, no. Please.” I squeeze my eyes shut, and tears leak onto my cheeks. I remember Brooklyn screaming in the basement and the sick sound of flesh dropping to the floor. I try to breathe, but it’s as if someone’s hands are wrapped around my lungs, squeezing them. I struggle to inhale, and my tears quickly become ugly sobs. “Don’t, please, don’t.”

Suddenly the cold blade is no longer pressed against my wrist. Something clatters to the floor, and then Riley’s arms are around my neck, pulling me close to her. She rubs her hand in circles on my back.

“Shh, Sofia, it’s okay,” she whispers, hugging me tight. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.”

I wrap my arms around Riley without thinking and lower my head to her shoulder. Relief spreads through my body like a salve, calming the hysteria in my head, erasing the crazy things I thought I saw. Riley moves her hand to the back of my head and pats down my hair.

“You have to fight the power of Satan,” she begs. “I need you with me on this. We can still help her, Sofia.”