The White Shadow 1: The Dancer

Chapter 18

The doorbell rang, a shrill noise that pierced the otherwise hazy and unfocused night. Josh slowly pulled himself out of bed, and flicked the light on, yawning in his pyjamas. He stumbled down the stairs as the doorbell screeched through the air again, and exited his house into his shop, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't Darryll, just some girl. Probably couldn't read well in the dark, the shop was well past closed.

Josh walked over to the door and opened by only an inch. "What do you want, miss?" He asked, his voice low and eyes dreary. By the certainly snapped open when Darryll appeared from behind the girl, and held the door open with the barrel of a gun, pointed at Josh's chest. "Relax," He said, his face a shadowy smear against the night, "We just need to ask a few questions. Will you let us is out of the cold?"
Josh meekly accepted.

Now Josh sat upon his bed, watching helplessly as Darryll made his way through his phone. Diane sat beside him, her golden eyes glowing with concentration. Darryll turned back around and asked, "Josh, remind me of your password again? I forgot."
"T-two one eight one seven"
"Two two, or just two?"
"Just two"
"'Kay thanks."
Darryll scrolled through photos, and Diane watched this shuddering boy who was stiff with fear and slick in sweat, despite apparently being Darryll's friend. He then turned to her, and asked, "So, you're Diane?"
Diane was a little shook, but it wasn't the first time someone who she didn't know had known her. "Yes. And you are?"
"You don't know?" Josh's eyes grew in disbelief, "I'd have thought he'd have mentioned me to you before?"
Darryll turned around, "I kinda just never got around to it. But now that we're here, do you want a big introduction?"
Diane narrowed her eyes, "Go on."
Darryll pocketed the phone, "So I met Josh in a foster home after my mother hit the sack for good, and he knew a guy who knew a guy which is how I got to selling viruses to Verez."
Josh nodded, "True."
Darryll nodded back, "And belive me, he's a hell of a roommate!" He chuckled, "You ever wake up to your friend trying to cause a fucking thermite reaction over his homework?"
Darryll's laugh was deep and hard, and Josh complied, letting his lips laugh a little. Diane grew confused as she watched the scene unfold. She had no idea what emotion to feel.
"Or when he found out that our neighbor was throwing out all his old 1950's technology, this little fucker," Darryll pointed at Josh, who flinched away, "Decided to start a shop! Like, where do these ideas come from?"
Now Darryll's laugh laugh was loud and hearty, and Josh was begining to feel a bit better. Diane stood up, ready for something she could feel, but not explain.
Darryll continued, "Yeah, he just came into our room with three bags of garbage- You remember that Josh- leaking alkaline fluid, saying, 'Hey, Darryll! I'm gonna be rich!'"
Darryll laughed harder, and harder, and harder and then he stopped in a second. Josh was laughing a little alone for a while, before he quietened. Daine watched in terrified anticipation.

All was still.

Then Darryll shoved his hand into his pocket, pulled out the gun Diane had given him, and shot Josh in the head. He turned away and walked to the door, "Come on, Diane. We're leaving."
Daine stared in disbelief at the body upon the bed. It was limp, empty, with hazy eyes lined in blood. There was blood on the wall behind him, blood on the bed, blood on his face, and blood on the floor. The smell of iron was quickly overwhelming. Diane shuddered and then turned to Darryll, and yelled, "What the hell was that? I though he was your friend?"
"I wouldn't want to know if I were going to die. I would want it to be swift and surprising. It would have been worse to let him know."
Diane was gasping on her words, "But he- what if he was-"
"Innocent?" Darryll finished, "Nah. Take a look at this."
Darryll handed the phone to Diane, who looked at the photo reel full of picture of another boy, with and without Josh. Darryll reached a finger over and tapped one to zoom in. It was Josh, still alive, with his arm around the other boy, with medium-short black hair and a couple red patches on his face.
"That's Professor Song's son," Darryll Explained, "Benjamin Song Jr. I feel like Song probably had a crush on him, which is a shame cause Josh was straight, and now he's dead."
Darryll then circles round to be next to Diane, and with his right index finger, swiped off of photos and onto emails, on which he showed Diane a few rather telling messages.
"Dear Sir or Madam," Diane read, "I would like to provide you with information that would prove useful to you."
"Notice how every other email is deleted?" Darryll pointed at the empty boxes, "And you can tell by what he's saying that he wanted to sell me out. It's got my name, address, and address I was going to. However, Song was made to follow me as assurance just in case." Darryll sighed, "It sucks, but I was worth less to him then university."
"University?" Diane asked.
"Yep," Darryll replied, "Go down. No, not that down- ah, just let me use it-"
Darryll quickly yanked the phone from Diane's hands, scrolled down, and shoved it back into her grip.
"There, it says that Josh it a bit deep in debt-"
Diane's eyes grew wide and the blood ran from her cheeks, "Two million!" 
"... Yes," Darryll continued, ignoring the bell that rang quietly in the background, "Josh had some debt. He wanted to get some security from Verez. He tried to make me think he was stable by giving me money, but he isn't living in the dorms, he's living in his shop." Darryll's chuckle was dry and joyless, "And also there are at least two people, Nia and her boss, waiting for us downstairs."