With a frustrated huff, Kyle lowered himself to a pallet and leaned back against the wall. “This wasn’t supposed to go this way. We were just supposed to come out here, do a little research, enjoy some scenery and time off school, and go home. I should never have let those two walk away from me.”

“To be fair, I don’t think you could have stopped them,” Paige told him.

 “It would have started a fight,” Ethan agreed. “Which could have led to just as bad a situation, one where you were implicated.”

“You’re probably right,” Kyle relented. “I just don’t take stress very well. And my anxiety is through the roof. I kind of want to claw my eyeballs out of my head right now, just to feel something else.”

“Long, deep, measured breaths will help,” Paige offered. “Meditative breaths, while you close your eyes and manifest being somewhere you feel safe and secure.” Kyle looked skeptical but seemed to be willing to try anything as he took her advice.

Settling into a spot next to the door, Ethan drew his knees up and stretched out his arms, resting them on his knees. He watched Kyle for a moment, and when he saw the other man’s shoulders visibly relax, he turned to Paige, surprised to find her meeting his gaze.

Neither of them said anything, not wanting to disturb Kyle’s newfound modicum of peace. But when he started to snore, ever so lightly like a newborn puppy, one side of Ethan’s mouth curled into a small smile. That grin widened as Paige got to her feet and came to sit next to him. She scooted close enough for their sides to touch, and Ethan fought the urge to put an arm around her shoulders. Partly, he wanted to comfort her. But despite their resolve to remain just friends, he wanted her closer.

“Patience,” she said quietly. “That’s all we have on our side right now. We have to stay calm, not threaten anything here that seems remotely devoted to Kali, and be patient until we know it’s safe to leave.”

“I get that. I think even Kyle gets that,” Ethan replied, his voice a bit rough with exhaustion. “The question is, can he sleep through it or at least hold onto that rationality and not fly off the handle in the middle of the night?”

“What choice does he have?” Paige shrugged. “I mean, if he stops to think about anything at all, he’ll realize that the other two are dead.” There was emotion in her voice, and Ethan reached out, put a hand on her knee he hoped was comforting. He’d never seen Paige upset enough to cry, but he saw the watery look in her eyes, heard the hitch in her breathing. He couldn’t stand the thought of her losing her cool now.

“I’d say we can’t be sure of that, but we both know better,” Ethan sighed. “I wasn’t a fan of either of them, but I don’t wish death on anyone.”

“Who would?” Paige side and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I mean, we plan our futures, and we have an idea what we want in life, but we can’t actually predict anything. It’s like chaos theory. One little incident changes the entire course of your life. Or takes it away.”

Ethan winced internally. He’d been thinking along the same lines but hadn’t wanted to voice it. He didn’t want to upset the precarious balance of calm and fear in their group. But to hear Paige’s doubt and confusion, mirroring his own, gave him a sense of solidarity like he’d never felt. And the possibility of not making it through the night had him wondering if, maybe, it was time to consider crossing the unspeakable line.

“I just don’t want to die with any regrets,” he hedged. “I mean, I trust you, and with the knowledge I have about religion, I believe everything you have to say about making it through the night. But like you said, you can’t predict the future.”

 A small chuckle escaped Paige’s lips. “I have so many things I haven’t experienced yet, so many things I wanted to do. I would hate to miss out on those. And if you want to talk about regrets, I’ve got a laundry list of those. Like not telling my mother I loved her every day growing up. And not learning anything about cars. I can’t even change my own oil.”

That made Ethan smile. “Well, I’m no mechanic, but I can change oil, change a tire, flush the coolant and replace it, and even work on some of the belts. Next time you have a problem, call me before you pay a fortune for repairs.”

She nudged him playfully. “You never told me any of that before. I could have saved hundreds.”

Ethan sobered a little. “I didn’t want you to think I was bragging or trying too hard to impress you. I always felt like I needed to hold back a little.”

He felt her stiffen and wished he could see her face. “Why? Because there was a time we considered attempting a relationship? I was just as much a part of that as you, Ethan. I don’t hold it against you. And we’ve been best friends since then, with no disrespecting the line we drew. You have nothing to be afraid of with me.”