The Carter Hollow Murders

Bryn Hafer - Task Three

User: CraZCanuck

My hands twitch nervously as I look around. I stare at blackness. Because that's all there is right now. I scramble to get out of the gym. 'Another body... Another one dead... How long until it's me?' I ask myself, terrorized by fear.

Figuring that I'd rather not take the same routes to get out as the others, where a murderer is, I instead run down the winding halls instead. Most lights are out or flickering ominously. I notice the faint red glow of an 'EXIT' sign, so I round a corner.

I run suddenly into someone, and we both end up on our rear ends. And before I know it, I find myself pinned to the ground. My heart starts pounding anxiously as I struggle against my attackers.

Desperate, I plead. "Guys... stop. It's me."

Leonidas seems to recognize me as his cousin, even in the shadows cast by the dim lights. And he nods, snapping his fingers. The others seem to understand, and they let me up.

I hurriedly explain my predicament.

"I found Edan Morez. Dead in the locker room..." I surmise. "He..." I try to force back the bile in my throat. "His wrists were slit, like he attempted suicide. But.... It wasn't suicide. His body was on the floor, all the taps were on and running, probably to disguise the noise of the killing."

Leonidas' comforting hand rubs little circles on my back in a soothing gesture, but it does little compared to the awful scene burned into my brain permanently. My photographic memory took dozens of shots of the scene for me to remember the horror anytime, whether I want to or not.

I glance around occasionally, as we finally leave the dreaded school of terrors. I take a moment to suck in the cool, crisp air of the nighttime, and realize how hard my heart is pounding.

I can only wonder. 'How long until they find me like that?'

The others begin talking about where they intend to go, and friendly debate ensues. They argue this place and that as I worry, looking around cautiously, scared now of every flickering light and out-of-place shadow.

They can't seem to come to a consensus though, so I finally step in.

"What about a dorm?" I recall my own. "It's big enough to hold us, but small enough to defend. It has windows, and beds."

"Good idea! But whose?" Leo inquires quizzically. "Maybe mine?"

"Yeah," I reply easily. "My sports equipment could be made into makeshift weapons. And as for food..." A smirk crosses my face. "Leo's got us covered."

Danielle cracks a joke about Leo's eating habits, breaking us out of the tense situation we're in. At least for now. A few more shots and teasing insults are thrown around, before we finally get to work.

Stopping to look carefully around every hall corner cost us valuable time, but it meant safety. And that was worth the time. So, slowly but surely, we got all our stuff, and brought it back to Leo's and my dorm.

Shutting the door and locking it gives me no sense of security anymore. I help the others add a couch and watch as a desk is also shoved up against it.

We all let out a sigh of relief.

"We'll be safe now."

The girls have somehow brought together an assortment of police weapons, and I gawk at the sight. 'Very, very illegal to have those. But i don't care right now.'

Plans are made. Safety still not guaranteed.