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Chapter 6: Child's Slay
"What do you mean?"
"She means," Audrey began, sighing, "That Emma has gone off the deep end. And she's likely to probably try killing you if you try anything heroic with her."
She looked back to Brooke, "Right?"
"Well, I don't know about you," said Brooke, "But she's not very trustworthy. She...um..." she paused, "She almost killed Sawyer. And then I...well...stopped her from doing that. Not that it stuck, but...there it is."
"Thanks for the heads up. Both of you," Ted said, shaking Audrey's hand.
"Personally, I'd just stick clear of her after this."
"Got it. Thank you," Ted smiled as he walked away. Audrey turned back to Brooke and explained, "I had to warn him."
"I don't know," said Brooke, "Maybe Emma going psycho on a boyfriend would've been a nice turn for her."
She turned to Audrey, "She really was going to kill her, you know. Sawyer. I...popped her arm out of her socket to free her. She has...had some kind of, uh, bone disorder thing. I really don';t know..."
"I am so sorry you had to go through that," Audrey said, pulling Brooke into a hug. Brooke has hugged her plenty of times throughout this whole thing. Maybe it was time to return the favor.
"Before, I...I was with Sawyer and Brooke," Stavo began to explain. "When I heard a scream. I didn't want anything to happen to them, so I ran towards it and...and I left them alone." He went quiet, his head hung low. "I'm running in the marshes when I...I tripped. I-I fell into the water. I got up and I looked at my hands...they were red. My whole arms coated in red a-and I find out that this water is polluted with blood." A pause. "I struggle to my feet. I'm...I'm panicking. I trip over something but it's not a branch or rock but a rib cage. A decayed, human rib cage. My foot was stuck in the bones." His voice grew shaky as he described the gory scene. "I fall again and I see head half decayed and looking right at me with one eye still barely there. It was...it was a girl's head."
Stavo buried his face in his hands, silent for sometime.
"I found legs, arms, fingers floating in the water. A corpse, cut up and thrown away," he looked up, his eyes pleading. "I swear, that's why I'm covered with blood. I'd take where I found her but...I don't know where. I don't remember. I ran out of there as fast as possible. I was so lost, I-I couldn't think straight...and I ran into Sawyer. That's when I found her."
"So you found another body, before you found Sawyer?" Teague sighed, pinching his nose, "I know it was dark, but did you see anything that could identify her?"
"Thanks, Audrey, but please, if another person hugs me, I might go into shock."
She looked around, "There's...uh...there's something else. About it. What happened, I mean."
"I'm just returning the favor. You've hugged me so much," Audrey explained, letting Brooke go, "What else happened?"
"I have?" Brooke paused, "Oh God, I have."
She sighed, "So, you know how you were in love with Emma and, because you were afraid she'd reject you, you cooked up this whole crazy revenge fantasy to punish her for refusing a question you never asked?"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, well, that's basically what happened with Sawyer," said Brooke, "She decided she needed to have something, wasn't sure she was going to get it, and so acted like a roided-up howler monkey in a desperate attempt to be noticed."
"Well what did she want?"
Stavo was quiet for some time. "No. I can't. I wasn't in my right mind."
"Typical case of fright funk of the noggin," Nicodemus chirped in, arms crossed. "Boy was so scared he didn't really see what he saw, just looked. Like how you can hear someone but not listen?" He turned to Teague. "You dig what I mean?"
-Stavo and Nicodemus
"I do," Teague allowed the Hippie. He sighed. This was not good..., "And I don't suppose you can remember any landmarks that can help us locate this girl, can you?"
"Me, Audrey," Brooke hissed, looking about furtively, "She wanted me. And the only reason she was...going after Stavo was so I would get my hackles up. And God knows, it worked."
"You mean, you and her kissed?"
"Did I say that?" Brooke sighed, "Yes. Yes, we kissed, and ten minutes later she was dead, so it wasn't quite your idyllic romance snapshot."
"I'm sorry, Brooke," Audrey sighed. It would filthy rich coming from her if she were to judge Sawyer, "I really am. I... I don't know what to say."
"You don't need to say anything," Brooke told her, "I absolve you of gay friend responsibility."
"I doubt that will help, but thank you," Audrey clicked her tongue and asked, "So...did you enjoy it? The kiss, I mean."
"What?" Brooke asked, "No! I mean...yes. I mean what does it matter?"
She sighed, "It was a kiss, Audrey. Not some big earth-shaking pronouncement or anything. Sometimes, in the words of the old saw, a kiss is just a kiss."
Shirking her eyes, she continued, "And...what if it had meant something?" she asked, more quietly, "Tell me that, Audrey."
Deanna wasn't sure when she had made it back, but she was back in the common hall and pounding on the bathroom door that Kieran had sealed himself away behind. Perhaps trying to end her life, and perhaps seeing her aunt with her ex had driven her to this.
She shook her head, looking at the door. "Kieran...please open up the door...I need to talk to you..." She said, her hand banging furiously against the door, and she could feel it hurting her fist, but she wouldn't stop until she could talk to her brother.
I wonder why I get paranoid when I'm high
I wonder why I say yes to everyone in my life
I wonder why I can't run that fast in my dreams
I wonder why I feel short when I know my money's tall
I wonder why I miss everyone and I still don't call
I wonder why I can't run that fast in my dreams
Although I guess if I knew tomorrow
I guess I wouldn't need faith
I guess if I never fell, I guess I wouldn't need grace
I guess if I knew His plans, I guess He wouldn't be God
Every part of her wanted to run, hide, die even, but right now she needed to see Kieran. But why do I need to see him? He won't talk to me... She pushed the thoughts away as she looked over at the bathroom door before she continued to pound on it.
"Damnit open up...because what I just saw is worth every ounce of your attention...and trust me, you'll want to hear what I have to say." She told him through the door, shaking her head as she looked around than towards the door.
***
So maybe I don't know, maybe I don't know
Maybe I don't know, maybe I don't know
But maybe that's okay
Maybe that's okay, maybe that's okay
Maybe I don't know, maybe I don't know
But maybe that's okay
Aleks wasn't sure what was going on, except that she wanted out of this place and to be back home in her mansion. She found her way to Zach's side, reaching out to hold onto his hand for a moment. She didn't know what to do, but she knew that she was thankful to at least have him nearby.
"Zach...what is going on...are we going to make it home?" She didn't want to sound terrified, but she was right now.
I wonder why I feel emptiness and I sing these blues
I wonder why I feel hopelessness when I watch the news
I wonder why I can't find my voice in my dreams
I wonder why they say hate your brother and hide your gold
I wonder why we all fear the things that we might not know
I wonder why I can't find my voice in my dreams
Aleks found herself looking around, trying to find any sight of the friends that would need her help if it came down to it. But right now, she needed to make sure they would make it out of this alive.
Although I guess if I knew tomorrow
I guess I wouldn't need faith
I guess if I never fell, I guess I wouldn't need grace
I guess if I knew His plans, I guess He wouldn't be God
Tracy blinked when Fitz stopped her, and she turned to look at him with a slightly confused expression in her eyes. "Mr. Smith? Is everything alright?" She asked, tilting her head a moment. She wasn't sure what to expect, but if he was stopping her than perhaps there would be some sort of explanation in regards to why he had stopped her.
Maybe I don't know, maybe I don't know
But maybe that's okay
Maybe that's okay, maybe that's okay
Maybe I don't know, maybe I don't know
But maybe that's okay
The strawberry blonde turned to look towards where Drew was, and realized in that moment she wanted nothing to do with anyone. Hell she wanted her pills, and she wanted out of this god forsaken place that was sure to end up in some news premier about all the deaths.
Actually she looked forward to watching it, reading about how Micah and the others had died a horribly painful death. It almost brought a glimmer of sinister glee to her eyes, but she kept it contained at the moment.
All this shit, I can't explain
Is it by design or random fate, yeah
And that concluded with Tracy turning to face Mr. Smith and give him her full attention so that she appeared to be paying attention.
So maybe I don't know, maybe I don't know
Maybe I don't know, maybe I don't know
But maybe that's okay
Maybe that's okay, maybe that's okay
Maybe I don't know, maybe I don't know
But maybe that's okay
-Deanna, Aleks, Tracy
Zach turned to look at the approaching Aleks, "Hey, uh..." he trailed off, "How are you do..."
But he couldn't think of anything constructive to say, "I...I don't know. It's not looking too good, is it?"
He hesitated, "Honestly, I...I don't know. I guess I don't know anything, right?"
***
"Is everything..." Fitz began, "No, Kitten, it is not alright."
He sighed, "I've made an absolute ass of myself," he looked about, "And I'm afraid I've been doing that longer than I let myself think," he sighed, "You've always seemed the sort to not give a toss what anyone thought. Frankly, I've often wondered how you do it."
He propped his head up on his hand, "How do you do it? If you care to spill your secret."
-Zach and Fitz
Aleks shook her head, looking over at Zach as she held onto his hand a moment. She knew things weren't looking good, but the fact that he was trying to be optimistic seemed to brighten her mood a bit.
"You know enough that you can put me at ease, Zach."
She offered to him, giving his hand a squeeze before looking around a bit.
***
Tracy turned to look at him fully, tilting her head. "I just pretend nothing matters...and I'm usually under the influence of some substance or another."
She commented, running a hand through her hair as she turned to look towards him once more. "But they've confiscated my pills...even though I've a prescription for them, they won't give them back to me. Though if you could get them...I can show you how to not care, Mr. Smith."
She offered to him, tilting her head a bit.
-Aleks and Tracy
"Well, I can tell you...oh," Zach hesitated at her hand on his, smiling despite himself.
He wasn't entirely sure, but...well, it felt good, just feeling somebody, after everything.
"Brooke's real messed up," he told her, "They think Stavo killed Sawyer. You know, the...the girl that died."
***
"Would that I could take a tonic for my trouble and drift into the twilight..." he sighed.
He studied her, "You're being awfully flip for someone who would've sold photographic evidence of the weakest moment of all my days. On your account, I have been humiliated, mortified, and put through significant emotional suffering."
He crossed his legs.
"Where might one find these pills?"
-Zach and Fitz
Aleks nodded her head, squeezing his hand. "I don't think Stavo could have done it, do you? I mean right now it won't make much more sense considering everything that is going on right now." She wasn't sure what was going on, except the fact that they were all facing inevitable death at the hands of a psycho killer.
She looked down a moment, shaking her head as she used her free hand to tuck some hair behind her ear.
***
Tracy looked over at Fitz, nodding her head some. "I admit what I was doing could be categorized as wrong, but right now it was the most obvious intent for what Terrance had wanted. I have the pictures with me, so no worries there."
She tilted her head when he asked about her pills, a smile tugging up against her cheeks as she looked directly at him.
"The Vice Principle...she has them currently."
-Aleks and Tracy
"I...I don't think so. But you can ask Noah, I'm not good at this stuff."
He thought again of Brooke collapsing against him, sobbing and broken and clinging to him, and he felt an unsettling prickle on his arms.
"What if we could?" he prompted, "Get out of here? Like...what if there was a way?"
***
"Kellerman?" Fitz prompted, "I overpowered her once before. The woman's all bluster."
He sighed, "Fine...I'll get you your vile drugs. But only if you swear, on whatever love you bore my son, that you destroy whatever remains of those photographs. I have lived too long under that cloud. My whole life has been clouds, I've forgotten the sun."
-Zach and Fitz
"Then if it did, I think you know that'll be there for you if you need me too," Audrey said, looking at Brooke, "And that if you have any questions...that I would try answering them."
"Questions?" Brooke scoffed, "Audrey, I got kissed by a dead bisexual, I am not signing up for the scissors-special express.
She sighed, "Thanks, though. I just..." she paused, "It doesn't seem right that she should be dead. She...she just wanted... To be happy, you know. And...and she couldn't say it, and..."
She paused, "On the one end of things, it almost makes sense that...that Stavo would've done something, not...not that I want that to be true, but...if not him, then...then who else?"