The Last Girls Standing

ONE


It had taken sixteen sutures to close the wound on the underside of Sloan s forearm.

Sixteen threads, woven in and out of her skin by careful hands wrapped in latex, while whispered words had promised, It s okay. You re safe now. As if anyone could really know that.

Sloan remembered the way the pain had dulled down to a useless ache as the doctors worked, a pressure and tug that she knew should hurt, would hurt, had hurt before everything faded to a blur of sirens and lights and hospital antiseptic.

Sixteen stitches holding her together when she could not do so herself.

Sloan, a voice said, sounding far away and underwater. Sloan ignored it, instead staring down at the puckered pink line running down her arm. She traced the scar with her finger, paying special attention to where it bit into the peculiar patch of raised skin above her wrist. Her mother called it a birthmark, but Sloan had never seen a birthmark like that before.

Not that either of them really knew. When the Thomas family adopted her at the age of four, the mark, whatever it was, was already there. Her social workers were no help, and her biological parents were long-gone -a single Polaroid picture and an urgent, whispered remember who you are were all they left in their wake. There would be no asking and no answers for anyone.

Sloan, the voice said again.

This time Sloan snapped her attention to the woman sitting across from her. Beth, she said, matching her therapist s tone. If you could really call her that. Beth was some new -age-hypnotherapist-slash-psychic her mother had dug up when Sloan refused to talk to the doctors the hospital social worker had sent them to. She wasn t even sure if Beth was accredited. She wasn t even sure if hypnotists could be accredited.

Where were you just now? Beth asked, trying very hard to keep her face neutral. Beth was always trying to keep her face neutral, and it rarely worked. Sloan had never met a therapist with so many

Jennifer Dugan

Praise for The Last Girls Standing:

Hand this to fans of Holly Jackson s A Good Girl s Guide to Murder and Stephen King s IT. School Library Journal
 
Haunting and compelling . . . A queer psychological thriller with teeth. Kirkus Reviews

A thriller that grapples with the loneliness of trauma and the bonds that, for better or for worse, are forged there. The slow spiral to an unsettling, well-earned end will leave readers with much to think about. Booklist


Enthralling . . . A solid addition to the camp horror genre, boasting urgent mystery and queer romance alongside its psychological thriller foundation. Publishers Weekly

Dugan ably balances Sloan s unprocessed trauma, her exhausted defiance, and her desire for unconditional love to make her a twisty and complex unreliable narrator. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
 
A feral Sapphic psych thriller slasher that digs into how well we can ever know the people we love. Paste Magazine

Shocking, captivating, and utterly chilling. A delicious thriller that will have you tearing through pages to get to the end, where you won t be disappointed. Jessica Goodman, bestselling author of They Wish They Were Us

Full of scares and suspense, The Last Girls Standing is a whipcrack summer slasher. Dugan s unforgettable characters are sure to break your heart. Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls

A worthy ode to final girls and camp slashers reminiscent of classics like Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp, Dugan has crafted a chilling tale with unexpected twists, breakneck turns, and an ending that will leave you stunned. Kalynn Bayron, New York Times bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead