A KILLER AMONG US

Chapter four:Lights out

"What the fuck is this? " shouted Sam. He has been crying all the time and can't stop screaming. I didn't blame him. We're all shocked and scared. My body kept shaking like a leaf and Ashley had been hugging me all the time. She seemed calm but I could listen to her crazy heartbeats. Jared was looking for a way out from the house because we're locked inside. We tried everything but everything was locked. Whoever is behind all this has prepared everything.
"Goddammit still nothing. " said Jared angrily.
"Are you sure? "
"Yes Coraline. We're trapped in this fucking place with a fucking dead upstairs. "
Jared was so angry and scared. He couldn't stop moving and his voice was shaking. I didn't know what to think. I was pretty sure the person who killed Vanessa would come back for the next victim. Was it going to be Ashley,me Sam or Jared? I was terrified. We weren't talking for a bit until Jared saw Ashley and run into her and started strangling her.
"JARED STOP!!!" I shouted and started hitting him. But he didn't stop
"It's all your fault psycho bitch. Your voodoo shit did all this. YOU KILLED VANESSA. "
Ashley was trying to remove Jared's arms and I kept hitting him but still nothing. Sam as soon as he saw this run into the another room. I had to stop Jared or he would really kill Ashley. I went to the kitchen and found a bucket full of water,grabbed it and threw it all to Jared. He stopped and faced me. Ashley fell into the floor and started breathing heavily. Her face had turned purple just like her hair.
"What the hell was that Jared?"
"Why did you stop me? She's responsible for all this madness Coraline. She hated Vanessa. "
"You can't be serious. Here's a psychopath around and you accuse Ashley. "
"IT'S HER FAULT! "
I couldn't take anymore so I slapped him to bring him around. He just looked at me and sitted on the floor. I grabbed his hand and hugged him tight.
"Jared I know you are scared. We all are but this isn't the right way to find a solution. "
"It's my fault Coraline. I brought you to this. "
"It's not Jared. You didn't know what would happen. "
"I'm sorry. "
"Jared please just calm down. "
It was hard to ask him that because how could you be calm when there was a dead girl just upstairs. Sam left when he saw what Jared did to Ash and who knew where he's hiding now. I had to find him. He mustn't stay alone. When Vanessa did that ended up dead. I couldn't let another one die.
I went to Ashley to see how she was. Her face wasn't purple anymore but she was still breathing heavily.
"Ash are you ok?
"I'm fine but I'd be a spirit if you weren't there. "
"Don't talk very much. Keep breathing. "
"No I'm fine. "
She said she was fine but I knew she wasn't. I could see clearly the marks on her neck that Jared left. It was all swollen and purple. She also had some scratches. I felt bad for her. Bad that she escaped death,bad that her life was in danger,bad that someone could  kill her. How could our lives change so quickly? That morning seemed so far like it happened a thousand years ago. I'd do anything to be back in that morning. I missed Sally-Jo and I missed my mum. I wish I could call her. As I was thinking for my mum tears started to fall. Ashley came closer and hugged me tight. Also Jared came and hugged us. But then I realised...
"Guys where is Sam?"
"Oh that idiot left. " said Jared.
"He's in danger. Evil spirits are around and he left. He's isn't that smart. "
"Guys we have to find him. Let's split...
"No Coraline. We'll look for him together. We shouldn't split. "
"Okay Jared let's search the first floor."
We started looking everywhere but couldn't find him. Ashley had a small  magic book and started saying some weird words. She said those were magic for protection. I appreciated what she was doing but I didn't think that the spells would be effective. But what else could we do? Then we heard a breaking glass noise coming from the kitchen. My heart started racing when I heard that. We began running hoping we wouldn't see another stabbed person. When we went there was Sam but luckily not dead. He was coming out from a cupboard where he was hiding.
"Sam, what are you doing there? You can't imagine how much you scared us. "
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that but I was shocked I wasn't myself. When I get scared I enter in a small room because it's the only way that makes me feel calm. "
"Well you broke the glass and warned us about your location. "
"What glass Jared? I didn't break anything? "
"You didn't break it? It can't be the spirits. "
"Enough with this spirits thing Ash."
"Or what Jared? You will strangle me?"
"Ashley I'm sorry for what happened back there. I shouldn't have done that."
"Yeah right."
"Guys STOP. "I yelled at them. "Sam what you were saying about the glass?"
"I didn't break it. I remember hearing it breaking but I was really scared to go out. I heard footsteps and then nothing. After that you guys came. "
"God it was the killer. "
I couldn't believe that just a few minutes ago the killer was right here where we were standing now. He or she was right here and we didn't see or hear anything. How the hell did they make it happen?
"Guys what are we gonna do? If we stay here any longer we'll end up like Vanessa. If I could I'd try to contact with her soul but probably won't since she hated me in this life. " said Ashley.
The soul thing of course wouldn't work but she was right. We had to get out of here. We were in grave danger.
"What if we..."
But then the lights went out. It was completely darkness. I couldn't see anything. Then I started hearing loud noises and Ashley screaming. Jared was telling her to calm down but she didn't stop. My ears were hurting from the noise. I wanted it to stop. I covered my ears with my hands hoping that maybe I wouldn't hear the noise really much. I closed my eyes even though it was dark. I don't know how long I stayed like that but when I opened my eyes the lights had came and the first thing I saw were the terrified faces of Ashley's and Jared's. I didn't see Sam. Oh no.
"What the fuck was that? " screamed Jared.
"Where's Sam?" I said worried.
"He wasn't here when the lights came. We have to find him before it's too late. " said Ash.
"What if the kill...
"No Coraline. Don't you dare think that. Think only good things and good things will happen. "
"I'm not sure about that Ash."
"Girls we have to find Sam. Stop talking. "
"Shall we go to the second floor?" asked Ashley.
My hands became sweaty as soon as she mentioned second floor. There's where Vanessa was murdered. I didn't want to see another dead person. But we didn't have many choices so we went upstairs. We walked through the hallway and opened each door with a racing heart and closed eyes hoping we would find Sam alive. Ashley took the courage and went to the room where was Vanessa. I immediately  closed my eyes when Ashley opened the door but still saw the stabbed body for a moment. She was much more paler and so scary. That imagine  couldn't get out of my head. That imagine would haunt me forever if I make alive out of here. Anyway Sam wasn't there.
"We looked everywhere. He can't have disappeared out of nowhere." Jared said.
"Actually there's still a place we haven't checked. " said Ashley. " We still haven't searched the basement. "
"Then why are we staying here. Let's go there." I said.
They nodded but I saw how worried they were. I understood them. I was shaking too. We went downstairs and opened the trapdoor. We shouted some times his name but didn't get any answer.
"Guys you stay here. I'm going there. I'll tell you if there's Sam" said Ashley.
"No Ash. We are going there together. I can't let you there all alone."
"Coraline is right Ash. We can't risk. "
"Fine guys let's go."

We went down there and Ashley lighted up lantern. My heart was beating faster than ever before and I was keeping my eyes closed praying with my mind. I was praying for Sam but all my hopes got shattered when I heard Ashley saying
"Oh no! Poor Sam."
I opened my eyes or better they got opened by themselves because I didn't want to see what was in front of me. What I saw was  horrible, terrible,inhuman. There was Sam with his arms chained to the wall. His was stabed in the neck and blood was dripping all over him. Jared threw up and I almost fainted. Then Ashley went to his lifeless body and just like Vanessa he had a envelope.
"Guys he has also an envelope. "her voice was shaking because she was about to cry.
"The letter reads : " Sam, you should have accepted yourself as you were and not trying to be someone who you aren't. I don't like copying. "
Then Ashley with tears falling showed us the photos. It was him looking like a nerd and pictures of his straight A's, but there were also pictures of him cheating on his tests in all the ways possible. In one he was also giving money to a professor. The last one was him dead. We went upstairs and then I threw myself to the floor and started crying. Ashley put me into an embrace and I felt her tears falling on me. Jared was just staring blankly somewhere and didn't move at all. Like he had lost his mind. But he wasn't the only one. We three were losing our minds.