After Ten Little Roosters

#2 - Action Plan

“Look just hide out here until the cops check the security footage and see Barbra behind it all” The puerto rican was making a lot of sense but Ryan still had a niggling feeling something would go wrong. Ray had about 30 emails and he was manually going through each one looking for any mention of the murder. 

“Nothing, yet” whispered Ray. Ryan shook his head as Ray clicked on a email from their warehouse's securtiy manager the Subject: Data Loss. “Shit” the puerto rican muttered “Ryan this is gonna be a problem, apparently security has no footage for last night, the whole week is gone. No audio no video, nothing!” “Fuck” Ryan let anger bubble up and flash across his face, better to be angry then let ray know how scared he was. “Barbs said she had this in the works for a while you know I bet she had this planned she was set on framing me and it fucking looks like she is gonna succeed” Ray lent an ear to Ryan’s rant, even he was beginning to get concerned now. Everyone should have arrived at work by now and nothing no phone calls no emails. According to Ryan the place was littered with bodies and nothing. “I should have gotten a phone call, or something by now. Not just this automated shit that Geoff’s email forwards me about loosing he security footage!” 

“You should go to work, check the place out.” Ryan had been brooding for a little while after Ray’s outburst and honestly this was the best tactic. If there was something up going on then Ryan would basically drag Ray down with him, Ray needs to act like normal or get thrown in as aiding a murder suspect. “Whoa, but Ryan what if-“ “What if? What if what? If you don’t show up people will start getting suspicious just say you slept in or some shit. You don’t want to start acting fishy.” Ryan didn’t need Ray to agree he started shooing him out the door, would look better if he arrived disheveled and appearing rushed.

* * *

Ryan just got Ray out the door and slumped down on the sofa, he fumbled under his leg and grabbed the remote flicking to the news channel to scout for any information about the office. News headings depicting him as a ferocious killer flooded his head. With no way to contact Ray (after dumping his phone in the nearest trash can en route) he was just stuck there watching the boring news and staring out the dumb window. 

“What if ray told someone?” jumped into the front of his mind and the fear was back. “Even if he doesn’t its a matter of time before someone comes looking for me. Team R&R Connection was arguably one of the best teams out there and Ray was the only person he could turn to now.” *hmm* Ryan had always reasoned with himself everyone has at some point that didn’t make him crazy whatever Gavin may have said about him. “Ray was right I do need a plan, I don’t think he will mind if I steal a bag of his to put some supplies in just in case.” Ryan was set he headed to Ray’s room and grabbed a medium sized bag from the back of the closet. 

* * *

Ray jogged down to the office and stopped short to catch his breath. Cars where here, he took note “Shit” everyones car was here and he was late. 

Busting in the front door still trying to knead out the stitch in his side he saw the scene, blood everywhere dripping down the side of the desks “Holy Shit!” bodies littered the floor in this one room there was more then the nine victims Ryan had mentioned. Then he saw himself face down in a pool of blood laying atop the pile of bodies the stench nearly made him puke just above his body there was blood smeared on the wall “Give me your milk” he scanned the faces, no Ryan. He spun on his heel and sprinted half way home before puking all over the sidewalk. 

“No fucking way Ryan did that no fucking way. He said there was two Gavin's, I thought he was fucking kidding someone is fucking with us that guy he was the spitting double of me.” 

“Hey dude? You alright” Ray had been muttering to himself and it caught the attention of a guy across the road. “Er- Yeah, Yeah I’m good” he hollered back across the street. Stood up straight and jogged back to his apartment.

* * *

Ryan leaned out the apartment window hooking his safe bag on the fire escape behind the sign mentioning something about not obstructing the fire escape and with a snicker leaned back in and closed the window. He made it back into the living room in enough time to be thoroughly terrified when Ray broke through it panting. “Shit dude somethings seriously up the office its, everyone, there dead!”

“What?” Ray explained everything from the smell to practically seeing himself dead. He left out the scrawling on the wall, it might make Ryan even more paranoid. 

"Well Gavin had a clone maybe you do as well. Creepy as shit though I mean I never asked where the clone came from. I mean its Gavin.” Ryan seemed a little disturbed at the idea of AH Clones running about the place. Ray scoffed and replied with “Maybe he shot himself in such slow mo he duplicated himself.” the got a little chuckle out of Ryan and seemed to put him a little more at ease.

Ryan now grew troubled, “So are we the clones or the real us, would we even know?” this upset Ray he didn’t want to doubt himself as well as everyone else so he flicked open his laptop and started surfing the net, “Er, Ray?” Ryan asked in a tone Ray had never heard before “Wut? Im checking twitter, you know it will blow when they get wind of this. teh teh BLOW” 

“Ray your supposed to be dead, I think. Maybe its best to not be you know leaving digital trail.” Ryan said while brushing up across the power button and turning off the computer. He seemed nervous “Wait, Ryan, what about your kids? Your wife?” Ryan looked ashamed now “I, Ray they wouldn’t believe me for one and well I can’t get them involved in this.” “Ah and let me guess its cool to drag me into your shit?” Ray faked his annoyance and Ryan, caught on though “Exactly, you got my back and I don’t even have to pay you for it.” 

“Huh, what was that?” Ray got up and moved towards the door a thumping moved down the corridor and then silence. Ray pulled open the door and a note was pinned to the door, it was a poem that Ray scanned and fisted over to Ryan. “Ten little roosters gathered to dine, Yeah this was pinned to the door just after Michael died. Thats new.” Ryan thumbed the writing scrawled on the bottom of the note. ‘The killer survives’ “Barbs is gone dude I saw all our bodies piled up” Ray was brushing the note off but Ryan stopped him “All of us?” “Oh er,  like I said I saw me and stuff”

“WHAT THE HELL ARENT YOU TELLING ME” Ryan was shouting now he knew his friend was keeping something from him Ray didn’t reply he just looked ashamed and tried to avoid eye contact. Ryan felt the anger bubbling up he had been so truthful to Ray and yet here he was lying to his face. Ryan picked him up by the scuff of the neck, “Geroff” Ray stuttered and Ryan lowered him but still holding him in place. “Start talking” “ You, your body it wasn’t there, a-and the wall it had writing on it” Ryan let go of Ray now, he didn’t want to scare the boy and he looked shaken though. “You made me do that” Ray chuckled, “Is that what you say to all your victims? Since I’m dead is it safe for us to like be chilling in me apartment?” “Probably not, Motel? We can jack a car GTA style.”