Chapter 8: The Art of Scam

The bait-and-bleed strategy Erica had thrown together at the last second had worked scarily well. Too well.

Now, standing over the massive, bloodied corpse of the beast, she exhaled sharply before stepping forward and grabbing one of its thick, matted legs. With a grunt, she attempted to pull it toward the village.

It didn't budge.

She pulled harder, planting her feet in the dirt. It still didn't move an inch.

Silence followed her struggle until she finally let out a heavy sigh, turned toward the others with a deadpan expression, and said, "So none of you plan on helping?"

Sydney burst into laughter, doubling over. "Asking for help is not your strong suit."

"I avoid responsibilities so I don't have to ask for help," Erica muttered under her breath, but by then, everyone had already gathered around to lug the beast back to the village. Even Lee—though he somehow positioned himself in the least strenuous spot, only pretending to pull when someone looked his way.

It was a long, miserable trek. The beast's carcass was massive, and every step was met with its weight dragging deep trenches into the earth. Lee groaned the entire way, Sydney complained that the blood was ruining her boots, and Sid remained oddly quiet, his usual awkwardness replaced by something far more subdued.

By the time they reached the village, exhaustion had settled into their bones. The air was thick with the stench of blood, sweat, and whatever foul smell the beast carried even in death. The villagers, however, met them with wide, astonished eyes.

"You killed it?" One man stepped forward, brows furrowed in disbelief. "Here?"

A woman beside him crossed her arms, skeptical. "Haven't seen one of those taken down in years."

Erica might have felt a flicker of pride if not for what came next. As the villagers cautiously examined the corpse, murmuring amongst themselves, someone finally pointed out the glaring issue.

"There's hardly any fur worth salvaging."

That got Erica's attention. She turned her head and saw it—every inch of usable hide ruined, soaked through with dark, clotted blood. What should have been valuable material was nothing more than a gory mess.

Sid paled beside her. "I—I didn't mean to—"

"Enough." Sydney's voice was sharp, cutting through his panic with a single word. She stepped forward, positioning herself between Sid and the growing scrutiny of the villagers. "We still killed it, didn't we?"

The man who had spoken earlier rubbed his jaw, unconvinced. "Yeah, but a dead beast ain't worth much if it's got nothing left to sell."

Erica quietly observed, gaze flickering between them. Sid still looked shaken, his posture hunched, but he wasn't unraveling like she feared. Sydney knew exactly when to reel him back in, and Erica felt an uncharacteristic wave of relief wash over her. She didn't want to acknowledge how terrifying it had been to watch Sid like that—to see that cold, ruthless side of him take over. Now, though, he was just Sid again, standing awkwardly and looking regretful.

She didn't have to dwell on it.

Lee, as always, took the opportunity to slip back into his usual antics. With a thoughtful hum, he grinned and clapped his hands together. "You know," he began, eyes gleaming with mischief, "if you let me have the meat, I'll give you generous compensation!"

Erica groaned. "That is the most obvious bait I've ever heard."

And yet, like déjà vu, the twins immediately latched onto the conversation before she could even attempt to stop them.

"That's fair," Sydney said, nodding.

"Yeah, what are we gonna do with it?" Sid added, still looking hesitant but willing to agree to anything that moved the conversation along.

Lee beamed, victorious.

"What generous compensation?" Erica asked flatly, arms crossed.

Lee placed a hand over his heart, feigning offense. "Why, a place to stay for the night, of course!"

Erica stared at him, unblinking. "That's literally the bare minimum of what we should get out of this."

"Hey, hey," Lee tsked, wagging a finger at her. "You underestimate the true value of a good night's rest. Plus, you get to enjoy my charming company in a proper room. That's priceless."

"I'd rather sleep in the dirt."

"But you won't," Lee countered with a smug grin. "Because we just walked all the way here carrying a literal ton of dead weight, and the only thing stopping you from collapsing right now is pure spite."

Erica scowled because, unfortunately, he was right.

And just like that, their so-called compensation turned into Lee paying for a single night at the local inn.

One night. One room.

By the time they stumbled into the cramped space, the exhaustion truly hit. The room smelled faintly of damp wood, the mattress was barely more than a glorified sack of straw, and yet, at that moment, it might as well have been luxury.

Erica sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing at her temples. "Lee," she said finally, voice dangerously calm. "You scammed us again."

Lee flopped onto the other side of the bed, stretching out with a satisfied sigh. "I prefer the term 'resourceful negotiation.'"

Sydney snorted. "He's got a point. We're alive, we've got a roof over our heads, and you didn't have to ask for help."

Erica didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, she lay back, closing her eyes. She had a feeling this was only the beginning of many, many more terrible decisions.