Antsy to Kill

The night before the group trip, Adrian wakes with cold fingers. Nina is still sending him affectionate messages. Bastien sends a photo of the five of them, swears at him cheerfully and tells him to get to sleep. Adrian looks at his own face in the photo and feels sick. On that trip he was pushed off a cliff. Nina screamed an apology. Bastien's hand was flat against his back, pressing. Ants ate through flesh and bone, and the pain of it is still in him. Adrian deletes the message history. He takes the insect repellent out of his hiking pack and puts in high-concentration petrol instead. The bait changes hands this time.