Murder At The Hotel (DISCONTINUED)

discoveries

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" whisper-yelled Fan, shocked.  Taco chuckled nervously, averting her eyes away from Fan.

 An uncertain smile creeped onto her face. "I just... um," she laughed quietly. "Was popping in for a visit." Although giving her a questioning look, he didn't probe her for information any further. Taco flashed an awkward grin. "Anyway, what are you doing in here?"

"Uh, well, um... I was just curious to see where this vent led," Fan lied, hoping it was solid enough to satisfy Taco's curiosity. She searched his face for a moment. 

"Right," Taco said abruptly. She seemed rather edgy. Squeezing past Fan, she looked back and gave him a broad but clearly strained smile. "Well, see you."

"Yeah... see you." he murmured, barely audible as they parted ways. He wasn't particularly comfortable being alone with Taco, as he barely knew her and she was notoriously manipulative.

~

His knees were sore and his back ached as he crawled through the dusty vents for hours, going up and down, left and right. Fan wasn't quite sure where he wanted to pop out from, because all the exits were risky. That's when he heard voices floating through the vent.

He panicked for a moment, but then realised they were coming from below him. Looking down, he saw he was directly above a vent cover, with small slits in them. Putting his eye up as close as possible, he saw who the voices were.

Taco and OJ!

OJ was leaning on his desk, whereas Taco was standing in front of him, very animated and telling an elaborate story. Fan knew they were friends, but they had grown distant over the years, so he was surprised to see them together, idly chatting as if they were very close friends. 

"So, is it all arranged for tonight?" OJ asked mysteriously. 

"What is?" replied Taco dumbly, clearly not paying attention. OJ let out a hefty sigh, giving Taco a particularly stern look. Stern looks from OJ were incredibly terrifying. They were more horrifying than being falsely accused of murder. Fan grit his teeth. How he desperately wanted to break down the vent cover and tell OJ that he was wrong, that he wasn't the murderer—

"The pot, in the kitchens!" OJ shouted abruptly, pulling Fan out of his thoughts. What about the pot in the kitchens? Fan thought curiously, leaning in closer. "Do you have anyone in mind? Someone who is gullible—easy to lure?"

Gullible?

Easy to lure?

What does that mean!? Fan furrowed his brows.

 "Yeah," Taco smiled, her tone calm. "Lightbulb is the perfect victim. Naïve, stupid, whatever. She's easy lure."

PERFECT VICTIM!? 

All the dots were starting to connect. Fan's eyes widened, his mouth agape. "No," he murmured to himself under his breath. "It can't be..." He thought of OJ's genuine, seething rage earlier when he saw Fan standing over Testtube's dead body, Taco's semi-friendly appearance earlier in the vents. It couldn't be. "They're the murderers."

Silence seemed to fill the room for a moment, and Fan couldn't help but feel tense. Had he spoken to loudly? The silence was uneasy. Did they know he was here, above them and listening in, hanging onto their every word? The thought made him queasy.

"Okay," OJ said finally, breaking the silence. Fan breathed a sigh of relief. No, they didn't know he was here. "Is that all?"

Taco looked thoughtful for a moment, considering to tell or not to tell. "No, I've just remembered something..." OJ raised his eyebrow, giving her a curious look. "I saw Fan in the vents earlier, crawling this way."

"WHAT? AND YOU DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING UNTIL NOW!?" OJ roared, the rage radiating off him. Taco gave him a sheepish smile, shrugging. She was slowly backing towards the door. Fan had never seen OJ this angry, and frankly, it was terrifying.

Fan held his breath and scuttled away, trying to be inconspicuous. He could hear Taco and OJ's arguing, though getting fainter.

"WELL, IT HAD BEEN HOURS SINCE I'D SEEN HIM AND I HAD MY MIND ON OTHER THINGS—"

"OTHER THINGS!? GET A GRIP, TACO!"

"HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT UP, YOU FILTHY GIT!"

His heart was beating so fast he thought it might jump out of his chest. How could this be? When he thought he was a good deal away from OJ's office, he let out a shaky laugh which quickly dissolved into sobs. 

His whole body was racked with sadness and now it was being released full-force. He went through all his interactions with OJ. Was that all fake? Was it all for nothing? 

Was he always plotting to kill us? 

Fan didn't know how long he stayed there, curled up and sobbing until he couldn't anymore. His throat hurt and his eyesight was blurry. He was just so tired... Four people had already died at the hands of OJ and Taco, so what could he do?

No! Fan thought suddenly. I can still save Lightbulb!

A shaky smile creeped onto Fan's face. It may have been to late for Testtube, Balloon, Trophy and Blueberry, but it wasn't to late for Lightbulb. She could still be saved! With this new found determination, Fan crawled on through the vents, trying to spot Lightbulb.

I will save Lightbulb!