A Crack In The Foundations

The girls held her hand as she sat at the table nearly hyperventilating. “The killer must have known I was going to be walking that way… knew that’s exactly where I’d be…” She stopped as she felt more tears falling. “The killer was stalking me.”
“Oh my god, that’s not how a serial killer works!” Hayley snapped angrily. “The world does not revolve around you Ellie!”
“That’s the only explanation?”
“Or it could be that it’s a field, in the middle of nowhere, and he needed a place to stash a body.”
“Is that how you did it in your book, Hayley?” Ellie snapped angrily and Hayley just continued smiling.
“No, Ellie. That’s how I did your murder. Except your voice box was missing.” Hayley whispered still smiling brightly, standing up and leaving the room.

“It’s her, Lily.”
“You can’t say that!”
“We know it’s her!”
“No we don’t, Ellie!” Lily argued pushing her friend’s hand away from her. “All we know is that Hayley has a very fertile imagination. Someone’s working in Hayley’s mind.”
“Yeah her!”
“Why would she have killed Keeley?” Lily spat angrily before flicking her hair back. “And she’d have killed Carrie by now as it’s Carrie that annoys her the most.”
“You blind fool. She’d never kill Carrie. They’re madly in love, lesbians. It’s disgusting the way they act!”
“Stop right there!” Lily warned her, her bravado shocking even her. “That’s our friend’s you are insulting.”
“No friend of mine is a murderer.”
“No. So it’s a good thing none of them are.”

***

Break their foundations. Make them lose trust in each other. It’s always a great skill. To know that everything is going to wind up okay. To know that they all think it’s her… to make them think she was some crazy bitch…

It was all the game plan.

Another One Bites The Dust

Ellie Harris knew that she had annoyed Hayley the moment she’d opened her mouth about the whole running away business. Their friendship had been strained recently and it hurt Ellie to think that she might have pushed it to the limits this time.

Sighing, she wrapped the coat around her as she stepped onto the dark field that was a shortcut to her house. Her parents hated her walking this way because you couldn’t see if anyone was around because of how dark it actually was. However Ellie loved the peace and quiet, the sheer thrill that someone might be watching her… Planning on attacking her… just made adrenaline pump round her body.

Headlights of a car flashed on and she found herself wondering how it had gotten on to the field without being yelled at by the local farmer. He really got pissed if anyone damaged his favourite field. She sighed as she realised that it was driving away, slowly.

As the headlights vanished over the edge of the field, she just carried on walking realising that this was going to be another cold night down here. The morning would be freezing.

She tripped over something.

Pulling out her mobile, she used the light to see what it was.

She screamed.

Staring back at her was the mutilated face of Darius.

His hands and eyes were both missing.

Ellie felt the vomit rise in her throat and wasn't shocked when she threw it all up, her hands clutching onto her abdomen as she struggled with the dizziness.

Run Away With Me

Hayley laughed as she was twirled around by Harrison in her front garden. It was amazing how happy she was. All her friends were dying around her and here she was managing to laugh, smile and have a good time. He stroked her cheek gently. “Hayley, I want you to run away with me.” She looked up at him, her eyes widening with horror.
“What are you saying, Harrison?”
“Isn’t it obvious?
“I can’t just up and leave my friends need me!”
“You staying here isn’t going to help anything.” He whispered laughing, slowly taking hold of her lips with his again.
“I’ll think about it.” She whispered.

***

They sat around the table and looked at her. “He asked you to do what?” Ellie screeched leaning forward and taking hold of her hand.
“Run away with him.” Hayley spelt out wondering if they were going to be going round in circles all day.
“And you said?”
“That I’d think about it.” Carrie looked over at her.
“Meaning no right?”

Hayley looked around her friends that were left and shrugged her shoulders. “Ask yourselves this. What is keeping me here apart from you guys?”
“Your family! An education!” Lily cried out.
“Dreams.” Carrie said softly.
“Exactly, they’re all dreams.” Hayley said tapping her fingernails against the desk.
“I don’t think you should go,” Ellie voiced.
“Why?”
“Because you don’t know him yet!” Ellie argued. Hayley looked over at her, knowing immediately that she was right.
“You’re right…”
“I know…” Ellie said before making them all laugh hysterically

***

Hayley’s lesson had gone on late and Ellie was out first and saw Harrison’s car. She knocked on the roof of his side and waited for him to climb out. “Ellie, what makes you knock on my roof.”
“Stop giving Hayley silly ideas.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The running away idea. You really have her falling madly for you.”
“That’s the idea when two people are in love.” Ellie laughed.
“Oh Harrison, you are cute.” Ellie teased before becoming serious again. “Leave her alone.” She warned before smiling at Hayley moving towards them.
“What are you two talking about?”
“I was just telling Harrison about my upcoming driving test, I’ll be able to drive you home.”
“You never told me about a driving test.”
“I must have forgot.” Ellie said before moving away.
“Bye Ellie.” Harrison called after her.

Random

The girls all stood around in the chapel of rest, tears falling down their cheeks. Five of them were left and they were now starting to panic. Which one of them would next be sought after by the monster that had hunted down their friends?

With Jessica and Katie there had been a strong link between the two murders. The holiday away. But now Keeley had been murdered. She hadn’t even been close with them at the point of planning so her name hadn’t even been down to go. So why was she dead? The question now was who had the group pissed off in the world?

The answer was truthfully no one. The only people they ever pissed off were each other. She looked around the group tears filling her misty blues eyes as she ran her hand through the unkept ginger hair. Who would do this to them? Why would anyone do this to them?

They were a nice group. Each one of them had friends outside of the circle. Each one of them had a good reputation. The only one who really struggled was Carrie but that was just because she was weird and other kids in the school didn’t know how to cope with her. They found it easier just to hate and insult her. It was the way teenagers acted with what society handed to them.

No names could come to her head of who would seriously want to harm them. No ideas of what they had recently done and no one who had all the means to want so. They were good kids, great kids in fact. They just liked their company more than others.

Could this be the end of their group?

***

Harrison smiled as he pulled up outside the church, his heart tightening at the sight of her leaving the building. Her eyes were puffed up from the amount of tears she’d cried. Taking control of his emotions, he rose from his chair and headed over to her. “Are you okay?”
“Why is this happening to us, Harrison?” She wept into his arms, clinging to his shoulders. At times she felt as if he was her only pillar of strength. The only person to carry her through the troubles.
“Because the world is an ugly place.”
“You’re telling me…” She whispered against his chest.

He smiled. All he wanted was to feel needed. Really needed.

Goodbye Keeley

The breathing of the figure was heavy as they hid in the shadows. They knew she’d be passing this way very soon. Keeley wasn’t a traitor. Not in the sense the other two were but she still had to vanish. Still had to have her life extinguished.

They watched her leave the small library, a paperback safely tucked under her arm as she checked the road before starting to cross. She was in her own little world. (She was always in her own little world).

They had not doubts that the book was a Stephen King. A book of horror. They grinned to themselves as they realised that what was happening here was like a very bad horror movie. A group of friends slowly being picked off one by one…

No motive.

They were a nice group of people. Kept to themselves. Never hurt anyone. Apart from those inside their group that is.

Without even trying to be Hayley and Ellie were the upper figures. They had control. They had the power. It probably pissed the others off but that wasn’t going to stop the patterns of life. Hayley was too headstrong to care and Ellie could get rather stroppy if pushed…

The weaker characters just bowed down at their feet, never appearing to care that they were constantly being stepped on. Trod on. Pushed down. Their points of view constantly crushed and not given the daylight they deserved…

It was time that they stood up to them.

But off that thought and on to the moment that they were waiting for.

Keeley’s mother (such a sweet, caring woman) had always warned her not to walk down the long dark alley. It might be a shortcut but you never knew who or what you would walk into on a dark night. (Me the figure thought laughing silently). She never listened. She thought she knew best.

All teenagers know best.

She stepped into the alley and walked down, her eyes on the path in front of her as she clung to the book afraid to lose it.

The dark figure jumped out in front of her, a small pistol being aimed at her. “Hello Keeley…” The voice drawled and the way her eyes widened with recognition made the figure just chuckle warmly. “I hate to do this but…” They drawled before shrugging.

Their finger pressed the trigger.

A bang echoed down the alley.

Blood came out of the hole in Keeley’s chest. Her eyes saddened at the thought of beytrayal. She’d trusted them…

Her body slumped to the floor slowly and the assailant backed down the alley, the gun still out in case anyone jumped out at them.

The gun would be found later in a dustbin.

No fingerprints. No sweat. No idea of who was the owner. No evidence at all.

Punishment

She laughed happily as she skipped down to his car that was waiting just at the gate. She was ignoring the fact her breath was visible in the cold morning air and that her bare legs was being attacked by the wind, it almost felt like people were stabbing her with knives.

Opening the door to the car, she leant in and took hold of his lips with hers. “Good morning, handsome. Did you miss me last night?” He smiled slowly as he kissed her back, his teeth harshly biting into her bottom lip - when she pulled away she could taste the bitter metallic taste of blood - before leaning over her and closing the door.
“More than you could imagine.” He whispered before pressing down the lock button and starting to speed down the road.

Gripping onto the door handle, she bit back tears as she realised that this was a scary moment. What the hell had made him go psycho on her? She looked over at him and could see the anger glinting in his eyes. “Harrison, what’s wrong?” She whispered in a pleading voice, her hand never leaving the door handle even though she knew it wouldn’t save her life.
“We’ll get to that.” He said coldly just staring blankly ahead. She let her tears fall now as she realised that she’d just walked into danger.

The car screeched to a halt at an unknown place and she found herself staring stiffly ahead, her hand was now glued to the handle with fear. He turned to look at her. “What was his name?”

She remained silent.

“What was his name!” He barked angrily taking hold of her shoulders and turning her so that they faced each other.
“What was who’s name!” She screamed back at him, trying to break free from his touch.
“That guy you was all over last night.” Something in her eyes faded and he knew she’d worked it out. He’d followed her. He’d been sat there watching her move sexily against the nameless guy. He’d watched her dance and laugh with another man. And he was now angry.
“I didn’t get his name…” She whispered looking down at his chest, not wanting to look at his eyes.

Afraid she’d see the betrayal.

“You danced with some man… So disgustingly it was almost as if watching sex… and you didn’t get his name?”
“I didn’t want to know his name. We were out having a good time!” She explained still refusing to look up. “We were there to forget about the ugliness our world has become.”
“Your world is ugly?”
“Yes…” She whispered then winced as his hand made contact with her cheek, making a loud slapping noise. She looked at him, her cheek reddening and tears stinging her eyes.
“I’m sorry you feel it is.”
“You don’t make it ugly. Oh, Harrison. You coming into my life has made me forget that they all hate me. That they all plan things behind my back… At night I just lay awake and wish that you was there holding me when I cried. I only want you. Not them.”

Her words cut him deep. Especially as he watched her cheek glow.

“You want to be a writer.”
“And to do that you need to be in touch with your emotions and realise what you feel.” She explained quickly. “And the only emotions I feel for you are love and adoration. I swear. I mean, at times I don’t even think I deserve you.”
“You don’t but I will never leave you.” He whispered. “Without me you are nothing.”

And she found herself nodding in agreement.