Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace (Dexter) novel Chapter 413

"When I first spilled my guts about my revenge plan, you told me…in life, it’s important to leave an escape route, not just for others, but for yourself too." Dylan wheeled around to face me. "As I was pushed down that roller coaster, all I could think was how great it would be if someone… anyone, could save me."

But no one did. No one could save him. All that awaited him was fear, pain, and… a life of disability.

"Let me be selfish for a moment, Phoebe… why should I leave an escape route for these people?" Dylan’s laugh was eerie. "Did they ever think of leaving one for me?"

A chill ran down my spine as I turned around, intending to call for help.

That wasn’t the exit to the fourteenth floor! That was Dylan’s final trap!

"Click!" The door to the control room slammed shut, trapping me inside.

My heart raced as I glared at Dylan. "Let them out!"

But Dylan just laughed, a sound filled with too much joy for the situation. "Haha… Phoebe, you can’t save them."

Panic-stricken, I glanced at the security monitors. Colin and the others had been trapped in a small space after trying to exit the stairwell, the door sealing behind them.

"What have you done…" I gasped, feeling like a weight was pressing down on my chest, losing control for a moment.

I turned back to Dylan, dragging him to the ground, my knife piercing his palm. "Let them out…"

By the time I regained my senses, Dylan was barely hanging on, a smirk tinged with blood decorating his lips. "When I was three, they diagnosed me with congenital heart disease. My parents worked themselves to the bone, saving for five years to afford my surgery. I thought… they wouldn’t give up on me. They were my parents, after all."

"But what happened? On my eighth birthday, they left me in the middle of a carnival and never looked back."

Dylan’s laughter was bitter.

"Later, I ended up in an orphanage. I naively thought that all the kids there, abandoned like me, could huddle together for warmth, forming a new family… But the siblings I thought I had, would push me into the abyss over something as trivial as an egg, a slice of bread, a glass of milk, or a spot on a roller coaster."

"I struggled, I tried to escape, understanding that human nature isn’t purely good or evil. It all hinges on a single thought – a thought can turn you into a demon or a saint…"