Elliot Grey Solves a Murder

Chapter 8: The chapter in which I escape from Hell

Thanksgiving is going terrible until the police arrive.
Turns out I do come up with good ideas once a year, and explaining that it was a pocket dial to the responding officers takes a solid chunk of cringe out of dinner, after which I explain the sirens and all were triggering and go to bed, therefore escaping the hell that is a family dinner.
Oh, you thought I was escaping actual hell?
No, this was Thanksgiving. Emotional hell. We're going to fight a ghoul soon, but that's badass.
Turns out I can learn things about history and remember plans, if they have gay little analogies worked in. Fallon clearly plans on weaponizing this but for now. We all meet in SeaTac, on Sunday night, all of us flew in early, but we're taking the last chauffer back in order to meet in a neutral area. So in a Burger King cafeteria, our plan is born.
"My checked bag has iron daggers," Simon informs us, holding his fries like Wolverine claws.
"All that's left is to incorporate them into our outfits," Jaden says, "But thankfully my roommate will bejewel things without asking questions."
"The plan is simple, just as the conspirators lured Ceaser to the Senate, I feel confident I can lure Lucas out of hiding," Fallon says. He's not telling us how, I think at this point so we don't stop him or argue with him. "While he's distracted with me, the rest of you, just stab him."
"Con is coming and bringing a trident, he's also going to video it," I say, because we agree that if we all get killed by a ghoul, we want our deaths to end up on YouTube forever.
"If you go down, stay down, he doesn't need to know you survived he'll keep coming," Fallon says.
"What if he can't be killed by iron?" Cole asks.
"Then we're fucked," I say.
"Then I have a couple of contingency plans but I don't like them," Fallon says.
"I have salt pellets in my paintball gun," Simon holds up the gun, we all push him back down because we are in an airport, "I'll be sniping from underneath a table which should distract him."
"Your job is to hit the alarms and start getting everyone else out. We need public attention, not casualties," Garth says to Cole.
"Whatever happens, make me sound cool in the tabloids," I say.
Cole glares at me.
So we're doing this. The winter formal is a few tense weeks away, and kicks off all of us getting lost for Christmas ski trips. It's mostly an excuse for a bunch of rich kids to drip in diamonds and Gucci, and also get great selfies to share for brief social media snaps.
Agnes does not disappoint and bejewels all of our iron daggers, which makes them easier to conceal on our clothing. I ordered a custom glittery tux, to better hide the dagger. Garth is in a solid black suit and turtle neck, Fallon is in a regular tux with no tie becuase he says they're choking hazards.
"You don't have to eat them," I say, helpfully.
"You're so fucking stupid, Grey," he says, clearly struggling not to kiss me while I'm getting my make up put on. Jaden and I do each other's make up, which is fun because for some reason we have the same taste and are in matching glittery Gucci pantsuits. Apparently we should have talked. We did not. I'm disappointed but not surprised that Simon is still dressed like Solid Snake.
"Does that kid only have one eye?" Cole asks, when I groan. Cole's in a blue tux.
"No," I sigh, "He's—committed."
Con show up for some reason dressed as Posiedon, complete with an Iron Trident. Fallon recognizes why he's dressed as Poseidon (it's gay and long and I'm dumb) but they high five.
We're all more than a little on edge, needless to say. Plan or no, we'd like it to work.
"I think we should have used Otto as bait," Cole mutters.
"Me too," I agree.
"No, we're not involving any civilians," Fallon growls.
I decide not to ask him what he thinks we are.
The main dining hall is done up for the dance, and "Rocking around the chirstmas tree" is playing from inside. We have a timer on our phones and shift to get into position.
"I hate this song," Fallon says, looking around.
"My favorite is 'Winter's Tale' moody blues," I say.
"Oh hidden depths, Grey," he says, hand on my arm.
"What you think I don't know who the Moody Blues are?" I ask.
Very nicely, "Do you?"
"No. I know that song."
"Okay then," he says, holding my elbow and looking around.
"Are you just going to start punching me or something?" I sigh, "I'm not against it just be honest, and please pull your punches if you hit me in the face I'll probably die instantly."
"No, that's my third plan," he says, smiling a little, "This is my first."
He kisses me fully on the mouth, with tongue, in the middle of the room. Other couples have made out but this is—damn this is good. His body is small and wiry and I haven't been kissed this way and—
We are about to die.
Lucas, eyes glowing red, is right behind him, hands around his throat, dragging him forcefully off of me. People are screaming.
And my very helpful friends shout, "YES ELLIOT HIS EYES ARE GLOWING RED LIKE A DEMON." Which is nice of them I was about to ask that.
Fallon stabs backward with his dagger, as the others close in. Lucas cries out in rage, and all of my friends go flying across the room.
"Let him go!" I cry, grabbing Lucas' arms to get Fallon out of the choke hold.
The fire alarm is going off. Everyone is screaming and not running out as quickly as they could.
The salt pellets hit Lucas who hisses, dragging me and Fallon both away from the others who have come back again. Fallon stabs him, this time making contact, but in return Lucas rips open his belly, dragging clawed hands donw the front of his tux.
"No!" I cry, getting my arms around Lucas' neck as he drops Fallon to the ground.
Garth and Jaden both are trying to drag me and Lucas apart as we grapple.
Jaden goes flying across the room. Simon runs up and tries to stab only to be thrown backward.
"Let them go," I say, I'm still trying to strangle him I guess? I don't know this plan was not supposed to rely on my physical capabilities I am a distraction.
"Why?" Lucas is throttling me, clawed hands around my neck.
Garth drives his dagger into Lucas' neck. The demon twists, screaming in rage, and rakes open Garth's belly, blood spilling onto the floor.
I stumble backward, free, temporarily.
Garth falls to the ground, face tight with pain, he makes eye contact with me. Everyone else is down, either out or pretending to be. Con is lying on the ground, videoing. Slowly he pushes the trident closer to us.
"Stop! Just stop it, why are you doing this? You're attacking my friends," I say, stepping forwarding.
"Why were you kissing him?" Lucas points at Fallon's still form.
"He kissed me," I say, taking a slow breath, "You lied to me you know. You said that you go to school here. What's up with that?"
"I was watching, that's what you say to people," Lucas says, quietly, those eyes flashing weirdly in the lights. I can hear helicopters. Cole barricaded the doors but we have minutes at best.
"Why are you here?" I ask, gently, stepping forward.
"I crashed. So I watched you, to make friends, then you were so lonely," Lucas says, frowning at me, "I thought I'd take care of you."
"Crashed on—earth?" I realize.
"That's what you call it," he nods.
"I'm sorry, you must have been scared," I say, taking a step forward, "You were my only friend here last year."
"And you were mine," he says, softly, "Why did you bring them to hurt me?"
"I didn't. I don't know these people that well," I say, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry."
He leans forward and kisses my lips, tentatively. Oh my god his mouth is really cold oh my god. I kiss him back. And then dive my dagger up into his chest.
He catches my arm in a vice grip, I can hear the bones in my wrist breaking.
"Did you think that would work?" He hisses, eyes glinting dangerously.
"No," I say, blood running down my arm, "I thought it would distract you though."
Lucas looks down just as Garth impales him from behind with the trident. Bloody, and struggling to stand, Garth plunges it through the alien's midsection, grey black blood pours out onto the floor. Lights dance before my eyes, and Lucas falls to the ground, dead.
Garth and I lurch forward, hugging each other and holding each other up. I pack my hands to the wound in his belly but blood still pours out.
The next couple of hours are a blur.
Actual SWAT teams, followed by actual paramedics. Every one of my friends was okay, just staying down according to plan. Fallon and Garth are the worst injured, and my arm is definitely super broken. Other than that, we're mostly okay. But for the second time, I'm airlifted off the island.
Our parents have been notified and rush to meet us at the hospital. I'm nearly relieved. I'm coated in my and other people's blood, dizzy, and more than a little freaked out. The last time I see Garth, his dads are greeting him with the words "What the fuck was that?" With completely different levels of empathy and rage.
Fallon's sister arrives, actually crying, he's trying to escape so I'm laying on him till the doctors actually Velcro him down. Then they haul me away.
Cole was completely fine, but accompanied me to the hospital before getting swept away by police.  My dad is the first to arrive, in work out clothes, clearly rolled out of bed to be here. Relief washes over his face when he seems me sitting up right and begging for my phone back. I texted him 3/3👽 already but still.
"Dad, I can explain," I say, holding up my only good hand.
He just starts crying.
"I probably don't even need blood? I actually probably can't explain there's like a lot of state police people but it wasn't even my fault—what?" I ask.
"Nothing, you'd better be able to explain, Jesus, El," he says, hugging me swiftly despite the IVs and all else.
"It's a long story. Before I have to sign NDAs and shit—,"
"What?"
"Listen. It's actually very simple. This is how I and my friends, solved a murder."
"What?"
"Just kidding. We totally murdered someone."

The End