The gun is back, once more aimed at my face.

“No!” Chase exclaims, pushing me so that he is between me and Hemslock.

“Chase!” Gries cries out, rushing toward us.

“You really willing to die for this liar?” Hemslock says with a laugh. “After gaslighting you into believing this little shit was on your side? When all this time our own guide was planning to betray us to this demon god? All the other villagers we talked to, from the mayor to that damn grandmother—they knew. She said they all worshiped the Dreamer, didn’t they? Pretending to warn us off the island, but was actually fattening us up for it. Just like your hero, Lapulapu, with Cortes.

“Your father sacrificed Alex Key. That’s why the creatures in this island leave you alone. I’m willing to bet your father also served up Lindsay Watson, and then the rest of her cultist friends for dessert. And now that he’s too old to continue, you’ve taken his place. You let that corpse tree claim Steve under the pretense of saving him. You sat back and let Karl’s ghosts drive him crazy.

“And you knew, Leo. You were there when I got the report, when you learned that we couldn’t find any trace of his father, or of his family. You knew he was lying to us!”

“Yes,” Gries says. “I knew. And to be honest I was worried that Alon was getting too close to Chase.” He turns to the others. “But if Alon’s intention was to see us dead like Hemslock claims, then we’d be dead. Alon did everything they could to protect us. Only the ones who didn’t listen—Galant, Karl—they suffered.”

“Yes,” Melissa says softly. “I trust Alon, too.”

No one else seems ready to speak, at first. But then Hawaiian Shirt nods.

“Alon is all right,” he agrees. “I still don’t know what the hell’s going on, but I don’t believe the kid’s out to get us.”

Slowly the others nod.

“Are you all fucking fools?” Hemslock shouts.

Hawaiian Shirt shook his head. “Kid, explain yourself so we’re all square, right?”

I lick my lips. “I’m not lying. My father’s been sick for a while, but most of the villagers wouldn’t know where we live.”

“Well, there you go, Hemslock,” Hawaiian Shirt says. “It’s a reasonable explanation. There’re far too many islands around here for everyone to know everyone else. Just extend your search and I’m sure you’ll find all the pertinent information you need.”

“You’re a goddamn simpleton if you actually believe that,” Hemslock spits out. “Didn’t you see anything strange about the kid while we were inside the Godseye?”

“We didn’t notice,” Gries says. “We were all busy thinking you were out of your mind. Fuck, Hemslock. What if the god isn’t getting weaker? What if you only made it angrier?”

Hemslock’s eyes flick toward Chase’s. The latter meets his gaze head-on, undeterred. “I was with Alon the whole time, and nothing happened,” he lies.

The actor smiles coldly. “So that’s how it’s going to be, is it?”