Survive the Night: A Novel

Charlie realizes Marge is Maddy’s grandmother. She expresses sympathy and regret, but Marge does not accept Charlie’s apology. When Charlie asks Marge about Josh, the woman says she hired him to bring Charlie to the diner. Knowing now that Josh is innocent, Charlie feels even guiltier about stabbing him. Marge tells her she raised Maddy for the first four years of her life and that her death filled her with rage. After her cancer diagnosis, Marge became desperate to find Maddy’s killer. Charlie tells Marge the story about the last night she saw Maddy.

Marge demands that she tell her who killed Maddy, but Charlie tells her she does not know. When Marge threatens her with the pliers, however, Charlie tells her that the man was wearing a fedora hat. Marge wants to know more, but Charlie says she does not know. Marge uses the pliers and tries to pull out one of Charlie’s teeth as she struggles. Before Marge can successfully pull out a tooth, glass breaks, and Marge goes to investigate the sound. Josh arrives and, to Charlie’s surprise, uses his knife to cut the rope around her wrists. She apologizes for stabbing him. He apologizes for bringing her there and says that he was a bounty hunter and doing an illegal job for the money. Before he can cut the rope around her ankles, Marge reappears with a kerosene lamp and a gun. She points the gun at them and fires.

Robbie, now outside the lodge, waits to enter. He thinks about entering the lodge through the front door, but he knows that would be risky. He decides he will enter through the side. Robbie ponders whether he should have waited for the police, but he decides he should be here to help Charlie himself. He plans to take his time, but when he hears Marge’s gunshot, he hurries inside.

The bullet hits Josh in the shoulder, causing him to drop to the floor. Shocked by what she has done, Marge drops the kerosene lamp. The lobby starts catching fire. Charlie removes the rope from her ankles and helps Josh up, pulling him toward escape. As they run and the fire grows, Marge points the gun at them again. Charlie tries to dissuade her from shooting. Before Marge pulls the trigger, Josh drags Charlie to the floor by her ankle, causing Marge to miss. He then tells Charlie to run.

Charlie runs through the lobby entrance, hoping to escape Marge. She finds herself in the kitchen, where she thinks she hears Marge. Charlie hides under the kitchen island; Marge’s sneakers appear, and Charlie waits until she is gone. Charlie comes up, only to see Marge holding the pliers. Charlie screams and backs into the counter, only to realize that she was seeing a movie in her mind.

Charlie runs from the kitchen to the ballroom. There, she sees a wall of mirrors showing multiple reflections of herself. She then sees reflections of Marge, who shoots at her, breaking the mirrors in the ballroom. Charlie runs through the French doors.

After leaving the ballroom, Charlie sees through the French doors that Marge is not there and that the mirrors are not broken. She realizes she saw another movie in her mind. Charlie then finds herself in the alley where she last saw Maddy. Maddy appears before her, and Charlie apologizes, telling her that she did not mean what she said and that Maddy was a good friend to her. Maddy tells Charlie to stay with her. Even though Charlie wants to, she knows she must live in reality. Maddy tells her this might be the last time Charlie sees her. Maddy poses, and Charlie admires her one last time.

After the movie in her mind ends, Charlie finds herself at the lodge veranda. She topples into the pool, which is filled with dirty water. Charlie swims to the pool ladder and climbs. Marge appears, pointing her gun at her, but Charlie tells Marge that Maddy would not want that. Marge says she must find out who killed Maddy and that her grief is too painful. Charlie says she misses Maddy too, but they can face their grief together. Marge still holds the gun. Then, Robbie appears from the smoke of the lodge fire and hits Marge with a tire iron. Marge accidentally shoots Robbie in the shoulder. Charlie grabs the gun, and Marge begs her to kill her, but Charlie says Maddy would not want that and throws the gun into the pool. The fire then spreads, and as Charlie and Robbie leave, Marge sits.