An Old Friend

Chapter 10

Hayden's POV

Holy shit!

"Miss me?" That sweet guy we all thought of as an older brother is the one killing people.

"Riley-" he cuts Taylor off as his grin turns to a look of pure rage.

"Shut up! I don't care about whatever stupid reasons you fucks have for dropping me! It's over!" He yells. "It's too late for an apology and it's too late for you guys to stop me."

"So what?" I ask. "You're gonna kill us?" Morgan's camera light and everyone else's is still on Riley as I move my arms around a bit.

"Not yet," he shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets. "Do your new friends know what you did?" Ash and Ethan look at us cautiously as fear hints in their eyes. "Do they know that you three abandoned me?"

"Y-you moved, a-and we all stopped being friends. We- we didn't mean to-"

"Shut! Up! Taylor! I'm so done with your stuttering, anxious bullshit! Just shut up!"

"Hey! You don't have to be an ass!" It's out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

"Me!? I'm the ass!?" He pulls his hands out of his pockets, a knife in his right hand as we all take a step back. "Last I checked you guys stopped calling!"

"You killed people," Morgan narrows her eyes. "I know we messed up but that doesn't justify murder."

"You don't know what I went through! After you guys shut me out I was alone! Nobody cared about me. Not even my parents."

"Please," Ethan starts. "Just everyone relax."

"Shut up." Ash whispers.

"How about you all shut up!" Riley comes closer to us. "I planned this. Every little bit of it."

"Are you about to go on that long villain speech about exactly what you're gonna do to us and why?" I roll my eyes.

"I'm going to kill you all slowly-"

"Can we skip this part?" Ash shifts his weight to his other leg. "Get right to the part where you try to kill us? 'Cause this whole explaining thing is really boring."

"Oh my god! Will you shut the fuck up!?" Riley moves closer, someone else stepping behind him. "I am going to kill you in due time! But first, I'd like you to meet Cleo."

The other figure steps into the light, showing a girl with blue eyes and dyed purple hair. She smirks. "Heard all about you guys."

"And there's another one," Ethan sighs. "Of course. There's always some stupid plot twist at the end."

"Oh my god, fine! We'll kill you so you shut up!" Riley motions to Cleo and they both run at us with knives in their hands.

I take out the pocket knife I grabbed before I got here as Riley comes after me. My face stings as he scrapes the blade of his knife past my cheek. He swings his arm around like he doesn't know what he's trying to hit until I ram my shoulder into his stomach, sending us to the grass in a heap of fighting movements.

The knife falls out of his hand, right on the edge of the water next to us as mine falls just to the left of it. Riley tries punching me away from him before I send my fist into his nose. He only stops for a moment before starting to fight again, ramming both his fists into my stomach before pushing me off him.

As he scrambles to the water I quickly follow, with Ash right with me, wrestling the knife back out of his hands as we get soaked with water. Somehow he manages to shove the knife into Ash's side before pushing him off. "Ash!" I quickly go over to him, getting most of him out of the water as blood soaks through the watery clothing he has on.

"And you thought there was strength in numbers," Riley laughs as he shakes water off his head. Morgan and Ethan are trying to fend off Cleo as Ash looks up at me.

"Get that son of a bitch," he orders as Cleo tosses another knife to Riley.

The light from Morgan's camera sends a glare as it shines off the wet knife lying next to Riley's foot. I sprint over, tripping on the weeds as I grab the knife, my shoulder falling into Riley so he falls on top of me. Pain shoots through my left leg as I turn to get the boy off me. He stands, smiling at the blood soaking my, now ripped, pant leg.

Before he can do anything else I stand up, limping with the knife in my hand and a pissed off glare on my face. If only looks could kill.

Once he starts running towards me I duck, standing up as he goes over me so he gets sent head first into the water again. He grabs my ankle and trips me, pulling me into the water with a splash. I drop the knife on the way down before he wraps his fingers around my throat and pushes my head under the water.

I cough for air, only earning water painfully filling my lungs before something brushes against the hand that's not holding Riley's wrist. I manage to grab whatever it is and jam it as hard as I can into the boy's arm. He yells in pain as he finally lets me go, coughing up water and trying to get air.

"You always were a tough bitch!" He rips the broken glass from his shoulder and throws it aside as red blood spills from the wound.

"And you used to be my family!" I quickly get my hair out of my face as I stand up again. Ethan looks hurt as Morgan moves around Cleo holding her side. Riley goes back into the bush he came out of and I run, limping, after him as he picks something up.

Oh, fuck!

He aims the gun an inch in front of my face. "Make a move and I shoot." He grits his teeth as his finger rests heavily on the trigger.

"Riley, we used to be like siblings. Can you really shoot your family?" he doesn't waver. Not even a little. The Riley I knew would never do anything like this. He was a sweet kid.

I quickly shove the gun to the left, keeping it in my hand as two shots ring out, making my ears ring. Riley tries to get control back but I turn, throwing him over my shoulder as the gun falls to the dirt. Before he can get up I take the gun and back up a few steps. "You won't do it," he laughs, blood flowing out of his nose and arm. "It's like you said. You can't shoot family."

"You are NOT my family. Riley disappeared the moment you decided to become a murderer." My finger pulls the trigger out of instinct when he starts to come at me, but he stops. He falls back with a hole in his cheek, blood falling as the light in his eyes leaves. Now they're lifeless as they stay open.

"No!" Cleo's voice takes me away from what I have just done. She runs towards me before Morgan jumps on her back, taking her to the ground.

"You sick bitch!" The two basically roll on the ground like animals until I drop the gun and shoulder check Cleo away from Morgan.

"You'll pay! You'll all pay!" Cleo starts to run away with a limp and blood covering her before another shot rings out. Morgan and I turn around as Cleo falls. Taylor falls to their knees as they drop Riley's gun, holding their hand over their left shoulder.

"Taylor! Ethan!" Morgan and I each run over to them as Taylor weakly moves next to Ethan, Ash holding his side as he fights to stay awake by the water.

"No, guys please," Morgan tries to wake Ethan as he lays with his eyes closed.

"Taylor, come on," I look them over. Two bullet wounds bleed right next to their heart as I try to stop it. "Come on, you guys can't die!"

"Hayden," Morgan looks at me as tears stream down her blood-covered face. "I-"

Sirens wail in the distance as Morgan, Ash and I realize what we have just done. "Morgan," I let the tears fall from my eyes as we all sit next to each other and the bodies of our old friends. "Fuck."