Dear Inspector, It Was The Ghosts

Part two, Chapter 5 -Ghosts?

The colours all blended together in a whirl of blue and white. Robyn lay at the foot of Jay's body with her hair mixing into the blood. Kathy was next to Robyn, shaking her lightly. Robyn's eyes slowly opened. She blinked a few times, getting used to the light. Then she pushed herself up and shakily rose to her feet. 

She followed Kathy out of the room as the pair headed back to the gym. Robyn watched as the remaining people were standing in the middle of the room. It made Robyn's blood boil at how none of them even cared, not one of them shedding a single tear. 

They were playing some sort of game, but Robyn didn't join. Instead she sat by the wall and pressed her head against the window, hoping it would give her some kind of closure. The glass was cool from the cold outside. She saw the sun, saw the rainbow, saw it all from her own personal cage. She felt trapped. She felt hollow. 

She couldn't stay there anymore. She was at the point where she'd do anything to get out of there. She got up silently, leaving KJ and the caretaker looking almost happy about Jay being gone. Anything to get the weight off their shoulders, selfish boys. 

She followed her instincts. She pushed open the door. Everyone spoke at once. It was March she heard first. 'It's one of you. I can't die! I'm not even 18 yet, I've never-' March's voice broke. 'There's so much I haven't done. Whoever it is, spare me.'

That's what Robyn thought she heard anyway. KJ and Xia were also speaking, blocking out any thoughts she had. The caretaker was silent. They still didn't know anything about the man, he could be anything. He could be dangerous. He could also secretly be anything, evil, or something maybe we could place our trust in. 

But for now she couldn't trust him, not when he hadn't even told anyone his name. March and KJ were sat next to each other, grumbling about wanting some good food. Even the school's cookies had started to go stale, the bread long past out of date. The chocolate they'd found in the staff room had slowly started to melt. Not that there was much left of that.

The feeling of despair washed over her body once again and it took everything to stop herself from sinking to her knees. First Joey, her childhood love, then Benji, her first heartbreak. They were firsts. Jay, her first serial killer. Hopefully there wasn't a 2nd of any.

The conversation continued happily. KJ was the first one to speak. 'What happened? Why are you crying?'

Robyn pulled the crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and unfolded it. She handed it to KJ, her hand shaking. KJ read it slowly. 'He killed himself?'

'I don't know. I'm not sure.'

'I would've done if I were in his place.' KJ whispered.

'I don't think he's the murderer the computer told us he was.'

Kathy backed Robyn up. 'Jay kind of had a dark past.'

'I don't know, he didn't sound sure when he said if I'm dead. Like he didn't want to be. It doesn't sound like the words of someone about to take their own life.' March said. 

'Well, the "I'm sorry" kind of sounds like someone overcome with guilt.' Xia said.

'I honestly hope there's not another person in this building wondering to themselves "who next?"' Kathy's voice wavered. 

'I do.' The caretaker's voice startled everything. He'd been sat silently for all of the conversation.

'Why? Do you want somebody-a random stranger-plotting murder?'

'Yes, absolutely.' The caretaker's voice was certain, he knew what he was saying would make absolute sense.

'How? Why? That's wrong,' Kathy looked disgusted.