Ain't Shady Baby, I'm Hot

42

"Look, you guys know whose house this is." We followed Kie as we entered the garden. My eyes drifted to look at all the statues. They looked Greek, expensive but the house did too.

"Oh yeah, no, I do." JJ reminded. We literally just had a small conversation out front about this but everyone was still on edge.

"Honestly, I don't really believe the stories of this place." John B said making Pope shush him. "What?"

I rolled my eyes moving past the two and taking the front.

"Which stories did you hear?" JJ asked Kie as I passed the two, not interested in knowing more about the potential murderer inside.

"The one where she murdered her husband with an axe and that's she's been holed up ever since. On certain nights when the moon is full..." she trailed off as I kept walking, the rest following me, "you can see her in the window." I snorted Kie's voice going mystical as JJ started flipping out.

"No, it's not funny, Kie. Cause it's true. I swear to God, guys. This is real. I knew Hollis. Jeez!" I turned watching him move into a fighting stance facing one of the statues.

"It's a Greek Maiden, JJ. Stone cold but not a killer." I mocked turning back around and continued to walk.

"Wait, you knew Hollis Crain?" Pope asked the Scaredy Cat.

"Yeah dude."

"Dude, how do you know Hollis Crain?" I looked over my shoulder at Pope, interested in what was so special about Hollis.

"She was my babysitter, man. She told me all about it." I looked at Kie, stopping as she gave me a shrug. "She told me the truth. About her mother and what happened in this house. So as a kid, she heard all the stories that her mother killed her father and she was a murderer and all. Hollis didn't believe it. Until that night."

I sighed, guess we are having story time.

"What night?" John B asked.

"It all came back to her." I rose my eyebrows at JJ, he really did have a flare for dramatics, "when Hollis was six years old, she heard her parents arguing downstairs. So she goes downstairs to see her mom washing her hands in a sink, full of blood."

"Okay, this is really not the time for storytelling." I tried to jump in, Pope's anxious eyes told me enough. Kie was even starting to look like she believed it.

"Her mother just says that she cut her finger," JJ continued looking at me, "the next morning she says her father and her split up. But then, Hollis noticed something. Her mother going into the parlor constantly, in and out and in and out with plastic bags. Weeks pass, and Hollis decides to use the outhouse. And as she's using it, she looks down, and there in the outhouse, is her father's head, looking straight back at her." JJ finished staring at John B.

"God, you are so full of shit." John B grumbled.

"Dude, I swear to God, man." JJ argued, attention now on Pope as he looked worried.

"Did she call the police?"

"She didn't have time." John B shook his head and made eye contact with me, I gave him a head jerk and he moved to come stand by me. "Wait! Dude!" JJ shouted grabbing John B.

"What? What?" John B was exasperated as he waited for JJ.

"You sure you wanna do this? She's an axe murderer. You got a cast on. And Xena doesn't look like the type to beat up an old lady." I pursed my lips.

"You're right. Unless she comes at me with an axe." I point out.

"I don't give a shit if she's an axe murderer, okay?" I nearly laughed seeing Pope's eyes widen as John B's deceleration. "I got nothin' to lose, right? You coming or what?"

"Hook, line, and sink 'er." I spoke, turning to walk away, John B right beside me.

"You know if we get caught this is a felony. Trespassing." I murmured as John B and I got closer to the house.

"Yeah, so let's not get caught." I rolled my eyes sharing a smile as he crouched down, me following.

"Okay, so here's the plan." He started, ushering the rest to crouch with us. "We need to look for the wheat near the water like it said in Denmark's letter."

"Okay, like, what kind of water? Like pond water?" That caught JJ's attention.

"Bong water?" He chuckled the four of us deadpanning as we stared at him.

"No. It- it just said look for water, okay?" John B stuttered.

"That's the shittiest secret message ever." Kie complained.

"Or the smartest." I chimed in, patting my knees and moving to stand. "Well, we splitting up or-"

"We'll cover more ground that way." John B admitted.

"Great, split up. That's what everyone who dies in horror movies thinks to do. Wait, uh, guys?" We were already moving while JJ had his freak out.

"You go search the northwest quadrant." I heard Pope inform JJ. JJ's response making me laugh.

"The decapitation quadrant." I turned my head and sent JJ a smirk.

"Try to keep your head."

"Not funny, Xena." But I was already laughing as I walked away.

_______•*•*•*•_______

"Uh, guys," I whispered, looking around the outside of the house, "where'd you go?" I called hoping someone would answer. But it was quiet as I came around to the backside. A small whispering of voices catching my attention.

I went closer to the house and saw a small set of double doors leading to the basement.

"Oh hell." I cussed dropping down to enter the area. A sneeze threatening my nose as I inhaled the dusty air.

"Know why we didn't find it?" I heard Kie's voice and made my way over. My feet stopping as I came upon the four Pogues. "Bad karma." I looked up to see the pipes, they seemed locked tight. And the dust confirmed it.

"Oh, God. Here we go." My head turned as I watched John B and Kie get back into it. A faint buzzing noise in my ear.

I swatted the bug away, frowning at the noise.

"You know, we had a good thing going. And then you decide to rope in Barbie and now the trail's gone dry." JJ, Pope and I stood in a line across from John B and Kie.

A wooden floor beneath us. I hissed again as I felt a sharp sting on my forearm, my hand instinctively going to smack at it.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you about Sarah." John B spoke getting closer as I stared at the little black bug and the red liquid on my hand and forearm.

"Mosquitoes." I murmured under my breath as they continued. My eyes drifting so see a lot more of them than you'd think if this place was really dry.

"What the hell's the deal with you two?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? Is it because I kissed you? Is that the problem?" My mouth dropped as John B's face snapped toward us.

"Oh!" Pope called out.

"Oh, shit! That echoed dude." JJ pointed out looking at Pope and I. We nodded turning back to the tennis match.

"Stop treating me like I'm some girl that's obsessed with you instead of your best friend who's actually trying to look out for you."

"Did you uh, hit me?"

"Skeeter." Kie said raising her hand.