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Chapter 5: (Sh)It Follows
"What if she's serious about going after people who had nothing to do with though?"
Lance walked forward and said, "Keller...we're trying to find my recently ex-girlfriend. She just took off. Please, let us borrow it."
"And what people would that be? Hypothetical families and friends? Ted, she..."
But he paused, "Oh. That explains it. Yeah, I guess...I guess that would sound kinda fucked to B.J.'s nephew."
***
"Ex?" Ryan smirked, "Jesus, you do go through 'em."
"Like a knife through cheese," agreed Tina, "Listen, is it hard cash you want? 'Cause I inherited two trust funds for kids who sure as hell don't need 'em anymore."
"Forget it," Ryan stepped away from the wall, flicking some ashes down to the ground, "I'll give you the gun, but..." he turned to Smoke, "I want Notorious W.I.G over here to do something for me."
"I like that," said Tina, "Notorious W.I.G.," she turned to Smoke, "It's funny!"
-Eli, Tina and Ryan
"Yeah. It is."
"What would that be?"
"Well..." Eli paused, "Okay, let's try this. Why were you even into her in the first place? Start there and follow the line and see where it takes you. What about Emma made you go...'Wow! It's Emma!' and not just 'Oh. It's Emma'?"
***
Ryan shrugged as if it were nothing, "I want you to destroy your stash."
"Well, I got into her because she was so nice, and friendly," began Ted, "And...well she's hot. Let's face it."
"Nice, friendly, hot..." Eli considered, "And you soured on her because she's...what? Dangerous now? Hardcore?" he looked over to where Emma was, a glint in his eye, "I dunno...if you ask me, that just makes her interesting."
***
"And I know damn well that shit's not just shrooms and weed."
"I've been wondering about that," said Tina, "That trip was fuckin' Space Mountain."
Ryan folded his arms, "I don't care what you do with it, or how, but, in case you didn't read my file, I don't like creeps who run around lining their pockets off dumbass kids who wanna get buzzed."
"Real principled criminal, huh?"
Ryan eyed her, "I've got my reasons," he turned back to Smoke, "Ooh, other fun question...when you and Haley were fuckin' around with each other, just how high did you have to get her before she convinced herself there was something going on down there?"
"Hoo!" exclaimed Tina unnecessarily.
-Eli, Tina and Ryan
"Maybe...Maybe you're right," Ted sighed, shaking his head, " I'm a damn fool."
***
"It really is just weed. But fine. I'll get rid of my stash," Lance stepped up to the deliquent and said, "But let me make one thing very clear. I have never drugged a girl, just to get my rocks off. Anytime I've been with a girl, it's always been consenual."
Tracy rolled her eyes, "We haven't actually, Mr. Smith." she said lightly, before looking over at Drew.
"I'm moral support in this hard time right now, that's all."
-Tracy
Noah
Noah hopped one foot into Zach's hands, being lifted just high enough to reach the ladder attached to the side of the building. He looked down and reached his long lanky arm out so zach could climb up too.
"Anyway, she tripped over her Mom's corpse, like, four hours ago," said Eli, "She's not gonna start engaging you in sensible conversation."
He blinked, "Did she explain where that blood came from, because I just had a maybe-terrifying-maybe-awesome theory about that?"
***
"Okay, wow, man, that's great," said Ryan, "Nobody asked."
"Guilty consciences and all that," though Tina sounded in fair good humor, "But, really, this guy's about as pure as Queen Anne's lace, he's not about any of that sick..."
She turned sharply at Smoke's capitulation, "You what? You're just gonna cave? Just like that? For a gun?"
"You heard him," said Ryan, "He's gonna cave. Just like that. For a gun."
"Well, you can't just puss out like that! Christ. What happened to all that shit about paying for your records or whatever the fuck?"
"Gonna admit, I did not expect you to sell out that fast."
***
"Woo!" Zach accepted Noah's hand with a grin, "Thanks, man."
He got to his feet, "Nice view I guess..." he looked over the side, "Hey, Ryan!"
***
"Hey, Zach."
"Back to your business, meathead!"
***
"Alright," Zach turned back to Noah, "What're we looking for?"
***
"Hmm..." Fitz muttered noncommittally, "Indeed. And a hard bone in your time, I'm sure."
He shook his head (odd feeling; he wondered how much weight this operation had lost him) to clear away the thought.
-Eli, Tina, Ryan and Fitz
"What do you think happened?"
"Right now, our lives are more important than weed," Lance looked to Keller, "And it seems like a small price for protection."
"I think my sweet cousin bet on the wrong girl," Eli smirks.
***
"Aw, screw that!" Tina turned to Ryan, "You prick, he needs that hash to become a star!"
"You know, this has got to be the weirdest fucking night of my entire life, right?"
"I'm about to make it weirder!" Tina leaned in close, nose to nose with Ryan, "You don't give us that measly gun and I'll call drugs, assault, murder and maybe a few other felonies too!"
"How the hell'd believe you?"
"Who'd believe you? Face it, buddy-boy, we're the bottom of the barrel around here, scummy as that barrel is. We're as disreputable as each other."
Ryan sighed, looking from Tina to Smoke, "You sure you two aren't fucking?"
"Screw you."
And Ryan unsheathed the gun, "Fine. Hope it serves you right," he turned to Smoke, "Answer me something, Wilson...Nina Patterson, Haley, the crazy Wilcox girl...this lady? Do you have a type, or do they?"
"Don't flatter him," said Tina, "Those things was girls," she shoverd the gun down her waistband with little regard to the rudiments of gun safety, "I'm a woman."
"I'm not waiting on proof," he turned to Smoke, "I catch you dealing to more idiots, Wilson, I don't care if we both end up going to prison, I will skin your ass."
-Eli, Tina and Ryan
Ted blinked. More than once, before a small smile came to his face, "Is it weird, that I think that's kind of hot?"
"Bring it on, D-Bag," replied Lance.
"It's how you should think," said Eli, "It's a beautiful thing when someone learns to stand up for themselves, that's what I've been telling you."
***
"Okay, rein it in, sport," Tina turned to Ryan, "We'll thank ya to keep your mouth shut on this."
"Believe me, this isn't one of those things I'll be telling my grandkids."
"You should live so long."
"Ditto."
Tina smirked despite herself, "Fuck, everyone in this school's a criminal. C'mon, Wiggy."
-Eli, Tina and Ryan
"Thank you, Eli. I needed to hear this. Excuse me," Ted nodded to him, before he walked back to Emma. He asked, "Do you want me to wipe that off your face?"
Lance nodded, following Tina, "Where are we starting?"
Noah
"Just look at the area, it's a nice little stretch of land, some areas could take five minutes to walk to, others could take maybe thirty in the dark. Obviously the killer wouldn't keep the costume on their person or in their bag so where is the most convenient place to hide it without it being found?" Niah would ponder bith to himself and subsequently to Zach as he held his own chin.
"Fuck if I know," Tina said immediately, "Last time she did this, she got herself kidnapped. I'd have thought that was my nephew, but she swears he saved her ass."
She shrugged, "I figure we'd just knock around for a few minutes until it feels like a good time to give up."
"Oh..." Zach considered, "You know, I never really thought about the costume, but I guess it makes sense they'd have to put it somewhere."
Seeing what Noah was doing, he rapidly copied the motion, stroking his chin, "Leslie says she was chased by the killer and that's why the bathroom window was broken. If that's true, maybe after he lost her he ended up at the bus."
Noah
Noah gave a small smile and turned towards Zach,
"And if we gon on that with the killer cutting their losses and finding themselves at the bus whilst chasing Leslie, then they wouldn't have had time to set up that dummy killer at the door as a distraction, lest it was preset as a way as a way to distract from the murder of Leslie. So we currently have two theories, either I'm right about two killers and the second killer set up the dummy to distract and terrorize us, or the killer preset the dummy to distract us so they could kill Leslie..." Noah once again held his chin.
"But why distract everyone for a single victim...Which theory do you think holds the most merit?"
Zach's eyes widened.
Somebody was asking him what he thought about something.
Jeez. When was the last time that happened?
"Well...the two killers thing makes sense. I mean, it's been true before. I mean, if you think about it, somebody had to turn off the lights, takes the guns from the cabinet, spring that trap, chase Leslie, and then get into it with Teague, which...yanno, that's a lot. If, maybe, one person did all the chasing and killing stuff, and the other guy did the lights and the guns and stuff, that I could buy."
"Would it be stupid to try where we found her last time?"
Noah
"Good instincts, Notepad." He said and looked back out into the area.
"Now look out there, that's a lot of brush for cover, but you have to think of all the obstacles in the way, whether it be briars, swamp patches, or fallen trees, in order for our killer to be able to get through that fast enough to get from one place to another without being noticed, they'd most likely have to be decently athletic, or at least used to being chased through obstacle filled paths. So we may need to keep an eye on people we a criminal past or some kind of athletic build." He said and turned back to Zach. He thought about his suspect list, and the fact that Zach was on it. He had mentioned it before, but after what happened with Audrey should he tell Zach? He wasn't sure what to think. If Zach was the killer it would be best not to mention it.
"Zach you should know I have a theory on why any one of us would be the killer." Noah spoke, it was a more grey confession that way it wasn't pointed at the thick headed jock.
"Why not? I'm told my lungs would benefit from the walk."
Tina started away from the common hall, "You know, and I know how I sound saying this, you shouldn't let people walk all over you. Besides being emasculating and pussy-like, it sure as hell ain't hiphop. Or any kind of dignified."
***
"Criminal past?" Zach cocked an eyebrow, "Dude, that's, like, everybody."
He considered...
He had an athletic build. Then again, so did Ryan, plus a criminal past. Audrey was pretty athletic, he was pretty sure she'd taken up boxing. And she'd been in jail more than once. Stavo was pretty buff, but he'd never been arrested...
"Okay, uh...what've you got?"
-Tina and Zach
"I've...I've never had a lot of confidence as just being regular Lance Wilson."