It was somehow even hotter inside the house than it was outside. I stayed behind Finn as we followed Gabe. My eyes scanned over everything in the house. The furniture was worn and old, but nothing seemed out of place. Not a drop of dust or dirt was anywhere in the house.

They walked through a kitchen and into a dining room. A family finishing dinner was around a wooden table. The man at the head of the table looked up at us when he heard us enter. His lips curled into a smile as he pushed his plate away from him. He stood up and strolled around the table with his hands behind his back.

There was a woman at the other end of the table. Her dark hair was full of grey streaks. She had not even turned in her seat since we entered. Her back was to us and she was pushing her food around her plate. Two boys also sat at the table.

"Who do we have here?" the man asked.

"Dad, this is Lindsay and Finn," Gabe said. "They are lost. I said that we could help them."

"Of course we can."

I looked around the kitchen and my eyes fell on some weird structure in the corner. Metal jutted out from the wall and a shower curtain hid whatever was behind it. It looked out of place in the meticulous house.

"We just need a map," Finn said.

"Jenny," Gabe's father put his hand on the woman's shoulder. "Go upstairs and get some maps."

The woman nodded her head. She kept her gaze on the floor as she got out of her chair and walked around us. She headed up a large staircase, and her steps creaked as she walked around upstairs.

"They have two friends outside," Gabe said. "Do you want me to bring them in?"

Gabe's father snapped his fingers. The two boys' heads turned to face him.

"Boys, go out and get the others," Gabe's father said.

Their chairs screeched as they stood. Finn let out a nervous chuckle and held his hand out.

"That's not necessary," Finn said. "I think we should be going."

"That's not going to happen," Gabe's father said.

I yelped as Gabe grabbed my arm and yanked me back toward his chest. There was a click and then something cold and sharp pressed into my neck. By the horror on Finn's face, I could tell that Gabe had just held a knife up against my neck. His other arm was wrapped his arm around my body and pinned me to his chest. Gabe rushed out of the house.

"Listen, man," Finn said. "We'll go and we're not going to say a word to anyone."

"You're not going anywhere," Gabe's father said.

I screamed as I watched him pull his own knife out of his pocket. In one swift motion, he flicked his wrist and forced the blade deep into Finn's back. Finn cried out. His face contorted in pain as he fell to his knees. I shrieked. Gabe threw his hand up over my mouth. I clawed at his hand as I tried to rip it free.

There was another cry, and I recognized it as Alyssa. I was afraid to move my head to look because of the blade against my throat. She came into view, and one of the boys had a fistful of Alyssa's hair and was pulling her into the kitchen. The boy looked to only be a teenager around sixteen years old.

Finn was struggling to try and get up on his knees. He was screaming and panting for breath. My heart ached to watch him in so much pain.

"Wyatt!" Alyssa screamed. "What are you doing to him?"

"Shut up," the boy said. "Get on your knees."

"No!"

The boy rolled his eyes before swinging his leg out and kicking the back of Alyssa's knees. She screamed and fell to the floor. The boy did not let go of Alyssa's hair.

The front door slammed shut, and Gabe's father was dragging Wyatt's body into the kitchen. If Gabe was not holding onto me, I would have collapsed to the floor. Wyatt's skull was bashed in and blood was running off of his temple and onto the floor. His head flopped back and I knew that he was dead. The younger boy was behind them with a shovel over his shoulder.

My screams were muffled because of Gabe's hand. The tears were rolling down my cheeks and running onto Gabe's calloused hands. Alyssa screamed louder when she saw Wyatt's body.

"Oh my God!" she screeched. "You killed him!"

"I said be quiet," the boy said.

"Taylor, bring her over to the drain," Gabe's father said.

Taylor yanked Alyssa's hair as he pulled her toward the shower curtain. Alyssa was forced to shuffle on her knees as she tried to pull herself free. He pulled the shower curtain back to expose two large hooks dangling down from the ceiling. Blood was splattered against the broken white tiles. A swirl of blood had stained the tiles near the drain.

"Dylan, go help," Gabe's father told the younger boy.

The boy dropped the shovel and hurried over to Alyssa and Taylor. Gabe's father dragged Wyatt's body over to the drain. He dropped him. The other side of his skull smacked the tiles. Alyssa reached forward and grabbed Wyatt's shirt and shook him as she cried.

Jenny came down the stairs. She had a stack of blood-stained towels in her arms. She set them down on the kitchen table and took a seat.

Gabe's father stretched his arms up over his head before pulling the hooks down from the ceiling. Dylan helped his father lift Wyatt's body up and forced the hooks into his thighs. Gabe's father pulled on a rope and it lifted Wyatt's body up off of the floor. He was suspended in the air. The blood was dripping off of the wound on his head and running onto Alyssa.

Finn was shaky as he made it up onto his feet. Gabe's father saw Finn moving. He tapped Dylan on the shoulder and pointed at Finn. Dylan crept up behind Finn. I screamed louder to try to alert him, but I could not get any words out. Dylan grabbed the handle that was sticking out from Finn's back and twisted it. Finn screamed and collapsed on the ground.

"You're sick!" Alyssa screamed.

"Slit her throat," Gabe's father said.

Taylor nodded his head. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and held it up to Alyssa's throat. Alyssa's screams gurgled as the blood rushed into her throat. The blood splattered across the tiles. Blood soaked through Taylor's shirt and jeans. He let go of her hair and her body flopped onto the floor.

Gabe looked over at Finn and me.

"Let's do the girl first," he said.

A wave of nausea hit me and I gagged. Gabe sighed as he lowered the blade from my throat. Finn's eyes were wide and he was furiously shaking his head.

"Please," Finn begged. "Please, do not kill her. You can kill me. Spare her life."

I was the idiot that decided to go into the house. I should have known that this was a dumb idea. I thought this thing only happened in horror movies. I am the reason that my friends are dead.

"That is not how this works," Gabe's father said.

"Please, let her live," Finn said.

"Not happening."

Gabe let go of me and I crumpled to the floor. I sobbed. I did not waste time wiping the tears off of my face while I crawled over to Finn. I cupped his face with my hands. He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Wait," Gabe said. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" his father asked.

"I'm turning twenty next week," he said. "Can I have her?"

"You want her?"

I could not take my eyes off of Finn. This was the last time I was ever going to see him. He was the first boy I have ever fallen in love with. I thought we would be living a long life together.

"I love you." My voice was barely above a whisper.

"I love you too," he said.

I kissed him and I could taste the salty tears on our lips.

"That's not how our tradition works," Gabe's father said.

"Why not?" Gabe asked. "It is only a week away and this stops you from having to go out."

Gabe's father let out a deep breath. I squeezed my eyes shut as I wrapped my arms around Finn's neck. He groaned as I caused him to shift his weight and move the blade in his back.

"Are you sure she is the one you want?" Gabe's father asked. "I am supposed to be the one to pick her out."

"Please," Gabe said. "She's beautiful."

"Alright, but she is yours to tame. You're going to struggle with this one."

"I am up for the challenge."

Fingers curled themselves into my hair and ripped me away from Finn. I gasped. My scalp burned as I was dragged across the floor.

"Finn!" I screamed.

He yelled out my name. Dylan twisted the blade in Finn's back again. The pain overtook his body and he fell onto his side. Gabe's father stepped between the two of us. He crouched down. He smiled as he put his hand on the side of my head to pet my hair. I flinched and moved my head away.

"You are right, Gabriel," he said. "She is pretty."

"Please, let us go," I said with a wavering voice.

"There is nowhere to go," he said. "You are home now."