“Was it just him? There were two of them when I was jumped.”

“Owen was there, too. You were jumped?”

“I was at a party they were throwing. When I left, two of them jumped me and threw me in their car. I think my drink might have been spiked, because I don’t remember much about it.”

Evan stumbles a little as he walks to the sofa.

“Are you okay?”

He looks over his shoulder. “Hungry. My body feels so weak.”

Slumping down, he lays his head back against the cushion.

“Sandwich okay?” Priya asks. “I could make you microwave pasta if you’d prefer, but it’ll take a little longer.”

“Sandwich sounds great, thanks,” he replies.

I can’t imagine he wants more bread, but Priya is right, he needs to eat now. We can cook something more substantial in a little while.

“Do you drink tea or coffee?” she asks.

He chuckles. “Coffee sounds like a dream right now.”

She smiles. “Coming up.”

Hazel folds her arms. “Are we just ignoring the fact that he came in here looking like he’s been attacked and Kevin is still missing?”

Evan frowns. “Who is Kevin? I haven’t seen anyone else recently.”

“He’s our friend and he’s been…somewhere here for the last five or six days. Where is your friend?”

Shaking his head, Evan clenches his hands into fists.

“What happened to him, Evan?”

His eyes lock with mine. “Room zero.”

I gasp. “He’s in there? Kevin could be, too!”

“No, he’s not there with Kevin.”

“How do you know that? They need two to fight to the…” I take a breath. “They now have two.”

“I’m telling you, Kevin isn’t in room zero.”

“You can’t know that!”

“Yes, I can. I’ve just come from room zero.”

My heart hits the floor. “Oh.”

“Your friend…”

Evan’s chin dips to his chest. “I had to. Three days they kept us in there, no food or water. They kept saying things to him, telling him how I was going to attack soon so he should do it first. I tried telling him I wouldn’t, but in the end it was too much for him.” He takes a breath. “He ran at me, and we got into a fight. I don’t want to talk about the rest.”

Evan is a murderer. He didn’t want to, and he’s clearly torn up about it, but that doesn’t change the facts. He’s taken a life, just like Theo and Priya.

I want to ask questions. There might come a time when I’m forced into that room, and I don’t know how I will cope or what I will do. Both parties refusing to hurt the other isn’t an option, not for long anyway.

Asking everything I want would be selfish. Evan isn’t going to want to talk about it, not yet anyway.