CHAPTER 170: 170-ALL THE DRAMA

Clementine:

When we passed the house where the chaos had happened, where the Fleshmingos killed Melanie, we began to feel heavy. The wind wasn’t helping either, but it was helping us escape the Fleshmingos. As we walked on the road, the wind was so loud that they couldn’t hear our footsteps. They had huddled together in corners, probably confused by all the noise and unsure where it was coming from.

"Maybe you should pray for forgiveness." Although the wind was too heavy, I still managed to hear Joshua say that to Jack, who was walking right behind him. I was on Joshua’s right side with Yorick on my right, and that’s how I caught it.

"Are you fucking kidding me? I said I was sorry," Jack complained. Maybe he knew the anger Joshua was suddenly throwing at him over Melanie was really because he’d been caught sleeping with his girlfriend. Before this, Joshua hadn’t cared much. But now he was demanding forgiveness, and that was probably why Jack said he was sorry.

"Really? You were sorry? I don’t think so. You’re only sorry now because you got caught. Otherwise you two would’ve kept going." Joshua was getting more aggressive, but he was in the right.

"Can you guys not fucking do this right now? We’re walking through a heavily infested area of Fleshmingos. Unless you want to end up like Melanie, and that’s how you want to prove you’re sorry. Just shut the fuck up." Ian’s words made them grunt, but at least they didn’t push it after that. Thankfully.

We silently continued walking until we reached the house, the one that had been secured even last time. This time, I noticed a big lock on the door, and the red squad started looking anxious.

"What are we going to do now?" Jessie asked.

I was already prepared to open the lock, but one thing bothered me. Who had put it there? Could it be other people, like the brown house group? Maybe that’s how the lock ended up.

"Don’t worry, Clementine can open the locks," Joshua said as I was already checking everyone’s hair for a pin. I rolled my eyes. Oriana was quick to hand me her hairpin.

Everyone stood around me, my squad, the red squad, Joshua, and even Jack’s group, except Suki. She stood off at a distance, arms folded over her chest. I could already tell she wasn’t happy. Who would be, after being caught cheating on their mate with their best friend?

The group’s whole dynamic was ruined because of Jack and Suki’s actions. And the fact that even after what happened at the pack house, they still continued here? In that sense, Joshua was right to be angry. They were never going to stop. Even if they did, the betrayal was enough for him to stay angry. He had the right.

I opened the lock, and everyone moved forward to quietly push the door open. It was a heavy metal door, and it always made noise. Once it swung open, we all stepped inside. But when the red squad was the last to enter.

"Guys, get in quickly before the white squad kicks you out. They love to do that." Haiden smirked, taunting the white squad.

His taunt made the white squad grunt, and then he shut the door. My squadmates weren’t any less like bullies either. Now that the white squad wasn’t cracking jokes or making comments, my squad was doing it for them.

We were glad we made it in time, because the minute we shut the door, hail started slamming the ground and the road. It was so fucking loud. The white squad instantly sat down, while the rest of us, who hadn’t been able to explore this place before, wandered around, checking the layout before getting too comfortable.

The mansion stood tall, the tallest among the houses. It was probably more than four floors. We couldn’t go through all of them, so we decided to take turns. Not because we’d get tired from walking, but because it was pretty dark upstairs, and with no one really trusting each other, that was the issue. Plus, everyone wanted to be involved.

The red squad took the fourth and fifth floors. Our squad took the ground, first, and second. The white squad got the third. I guess nobody really trusted them, and they were bickering too much anyway.

Once we were all back on the ground floor, we sat down. Most of the furniture was covered with white sheets. We turned to the white squad, trying to figure out what they’d done last time they were here.

"We took the sheet off the furniture, so there are definitely other beings here that came and covered it up," Jack explained when he noticed us looking at them.

"That makes sense," Troy said with a shrug. He swept the white cloth off one of the biggest couches and jumped onto it.

"Clementine, come sit here," Haiden said as he pulled the sheet off another sofa. It was a comfortable one. "You can put your legs here." He then slid the table in front of me.

I didn’t like how silently everyone was watching them take care of me. Troy had already started mixing a protein shake.

"This will help you get in the mood, you know," he uttered. Yorick opened a bag of chips, biscuits, and protein bars for me. It was strange.

Ian stood by the window, looking outside.

"Look how they care for her," Suki said, almost upset that Joshua wasn’t giving her attention anymore.

"Maybe because she’s worth it. How about that?" Joshua replied, making Suki turn to him.

They were sitting on the other couches. The red squad stuck to the rooms, opening them one by one. Even the rest of the white squad, except Jack, Joshua, and Suki, had gone inside. Jack just lingered around.

"It was a mistake, Joshua. Just a mistake," she hissed at him. It was so awkward sitting there while they argued, especially when Troy, Yorick, and Haiden were half-watching what they were doing and half-focused on the fight, not even trying to hide it. I guess they wanted to make them uncomfortable, since Joshua and Suki would’ve done the same to others.

"Really, it was a mistake? How long have you two been cheating on me? Didn’t you admit you’d been going behind my back for almost a year now? And tell me, exactly, how was it a mistake when it wasn’t just physical but emotional and mental too? You were making full-fledged promises to him."

As Joshua started hissing back at her, Suki turned her glare on us, almost warning us not to listen in.

"No. And if you claim it was a mistake, say it to his face. Jack, come on, get over here," Joshua called out, waving his hand to pull him closer. That’s when I noticed the look on Suki’s face. He was right. There was more to it than just that.