No Way Out

Stabby with Tori🔪

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Trina's voice was a broken record, panic etched on her face.

"She stabbed him!" Cat's voice pierced through the air.

"SHE—No! We don't know that yet," Beck quickly cut in, his mind racing. As Jade groaned and swayed on her feet, Beck rushed to her side, helping her stand.

"What the hell happened to me?" Jade mumbled, clutching her head, oblivious to the bloody knife slipping from her fingers onto the floor. The metallic clang echoed through the room, making everyone gasp in unison.

Beck's grip on Jade tightened as he tried to pull her close, guiding her out of the cramped closet. But as they emerged, her eyes met Sinjin's lifeless body sprawled on the floor. Jade's expression went from confusion to shock as she processed the scene in front of her.

The group stood frozen, the air thick with fear and confusion. It was Beck who finally broke the silence, though his voice was barely a whisper. "Why did you—" He stopped, unable to complete the question, feeling Jade's terrified gaze on him. Instead, he diverted, noticing the gown she was wearing. "What are you wearing?"

Jade blinked, momentarily thrown off by the question. She looked down at herself, eyes widening. "The dress... but..."

"I thought you didn't want to wear that," Cat pointed out, her tone solemn.

"I didn't." Jade's voice was strained, as though the world around her was crumbling. She shifted her eyes back to Beck, seeking some kind of explanation she knew he didn't have.

"Oh! Would you forget about the dress? Are we seriously not going to talk about what she did?!" Trina's voice sliced through the moment, her face contorted with horror. "For the love of God, she killed Sinjin!"

"What the f*ck are you talking about?!" Jade's anger flared, her eyes blazing as they darted to Trina. "I didn't kill anyone!" But all she saw in their faces was fear, disbelief. They looked at her like she was a monster.

"I didn't even want to come here in the first place!" Jade screamed, her voice breaking.

"Then why are you here?" Andre's voice was calm, but his question was razor-sharp.

Jade's face twisted in frustration. "Because of these two nitwits!" She pointed at Cat and Robbie, her hands shaking. "They both showed up at my door with a note saying YOU wanted me to come wearing this stupid dress!" Her finger now jabbed toward Beck, making him instinctively step back.

"Jade, are you seriously trying to accuse Beck?!" Tori's voice rang out, as she moved to stand by Beck's side. "You're the one covered in blood holding the knife!"

"Yeah! If anyone's guilty here, it's you!" Trina added, her voice climbing higher with every word.

Jade's lips curled into a bitter, sarcastic smile. "Wow, yeah, no, you caught me. Congratulations, you solved the case. You happy now?" The mockery dripped from her voice, but her eyes were dark, searching for any sign of trust from her so-called friends.

Cat blinked innocently, her voice soft as she asked, "Well, did you kill him?"

"No! Cat! I'm just as clueless as you all are!" Jade's frustration hit its peak. She turned to face Tori, her eyes sharp. "And I'm not blaming Beck, Tori. Why would I blame my own boyfriend?"

"Cause it sure sounds like you're trying to pin this on him," Tori shot back, concern clear in her voice. Jade's fists clenched, her temper boiling over.

"If I were to pin something on someone, it would be that knife—and on that stupid body of yours!" Jade screamed, lunging towards Tori. In an instant, Beck grabbed her, holding her back as Tori stumbled behind Andre.

"Okay, okay, no need to get all stabby with Tori!" Andre stepped in, his voice attempting to diffuse the situation. "Sigh Listen, whatever the hell is happening here, there's gotta be a logical explanation. But we won't figure it out if we start blaming people. So how about we first find a way out of here, then we deal with... whatever this is?"

The others nodded in tense agreement, the unspoken tension still thick in the air.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

As they made their way through the empty halls of Hollywood Arts, the eerie silence gnawed at them. The school, once buzzing with energy and music, felt like a ghost town. Every step they took echoed ominously, and the unsettling vibe only grew stronger.

"Why are all the doors locked?" Andre asked, trying the handles to no avail. "And why did everyone leave?"

"I'm more interested in what made them leave so fast," Beck added, scanning the dimly lit hallway.

"Hey, you guys," Jade's voice broke through, her eyes narrowing as she noticed something gleaming in the distance. "What's that?"

Beck and Andre moved cautiously toward the stage at the far end of the gym. "Play me?" they both read aloud from the sign attached to a small object.

"A CD?" Trina squinted, her confusion mirrored by the rest of the group.

"Who the f*ck still uses CDs?" Jade snatched the disc from Beck's hand, her frustration clear. "Only one way to find out."

Beck took the CD and headed to the DJ's booth. The projector screen flickered to life, and suddenly the sound of agonized screams filled the gym.

"No, no, no, NO! Please not again! Ahhh!" The voice on the video made everyone freeze in horror. They watched, wide-eyed, as Sikowitz appeared on the screen, tied to a chair, his face contorted in pain.

"Eck! Echk! Please no more, I beg you!" He gagged, forced to drink what appeared to be milk from a coconut—but the blood dripping from his mouth told another story.

"Sikowitz..." Cat whimpered, hiding behind Andre as the sickening scene continued.

"What kind of sick person would do this to him!?" Beck shouted, his voice breaking through the horror.

"W-wait... is he in our..." Robbie stammered, his eyes locked on the screen.

"CLASSROOM!" they all yelled, bolting out of the gym, racing towards the acting classroom in a blur of panic.

Tori was the first to reach the door, but her hand froze on the knob. "What if he's really dead in there?" she whispered, her fear suffocating her.

"Open the door, Tori!" Jade snapped, shoving her aside.

With a loud bang, Jade kicked the door open, and what they saw inside made their stomachs turn. Sikowitz, their quirky, beloved teacher, was strapped to a chair, blood pooling around him. He looked lifeless.

Jade stood frozen, her breath catching in her throat as Beck held her arm, torn between comforting her and checking if Sikowitz was still alive.

The group edged closer, their hearts pounding in their chests, when suddenly...

Gasp!

"AHHH!"