"Tag, you're it," said Dakota, tapping me on the shoulder then bolting away. It had been nearly a month since that fateful afternoon he was taken to the hospital, screaming in agony. Now, he was mostly recovered and back at the studio. Nothing crazy had happened since. At least to Dakota and I. I wish I could say the same for Matt, Sam, and Woods.
John Doe had apologized for putting Dakota in danger, saying he should've been more careful to take better precautions before pulling Dakota and me into it. The last thing he said was he'd contact us again when things die down a little. Things felt pretty "died down" to me. Not that I was eager to throw myself into more danger, just genuinely curious about it all. For now, I had settled with supporting Matt, Woods, and Sam. March fifth was drawing near and apparently that was an important date. The absolute date, to be precise.
I laughed. Even after everything that's happened, Dakota plays tag like we're children. I jumped up to chase after him, but instead I ran into Matthias, trailed by Sam and Woods. His face was set grimly, as it usually is these days.
"What's up?" I asked.
"He's coming," he said. Unfortunately, I knew exactly who "he" was. So did Dakota, judging by the wild look that entered his eyes when he froze.
"Now?" I inquired urgently.
"No, no," Matt said. "Not now. He's coming on March 5th." I released the breath I was holding and thought, Oh good. That'll be enough time for me to get to the other side of the country.
"What are you going to do?" I asked Matt.
"The only thing we can do . . . prepare." I nodded bravely. I wasn't going to run. I was going to support Matt, Sam, and Woods, just like I said.
"I'm in," I said, a smile creeping onto my face.
"I guess I can't stop you," Matt said, returning my smile. I looked at Dakota questioningly, even though I knew I shouldn't. I shouldn't pressure him into joining.
"As long as I get a bat," he said, determination settling over that wild look.
"You sure?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," Dakota confirmed.
"Let's do this," said Woods.
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Ayo sorry this one was really short. This is just a precursor to the chapter that comes next. Hopefully you'll enjoy it :)
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Inside 863
FanfictionPayten Holloway starts her new job at Hi5 Studios in December 2020. After a frightening incident on her first day involving the Stalker, Matthias bans Payten from the mystery-solving team. Throughout the story, Payten finds herself more tied up in P...
