Calm In the Storm

Murder Mystery

There was a different kind of atmosphere in the Woodsboro High School. Everybody could sense the danger lurking around. Nick was walking down the hall, his mind preoccupied with a certain Prescott. He couldn't shake off the thought that Sidney could be the next target. He remembered how they had parted ways last night, talking to each other for hours on the phone and then hung up. Maybe Nick was being fearful and paranoid that Sidney was going to be next to get killed.

Nick reached his homeroom class and sat down, sitting next to Sidney who was looking unsettled by the whole situation. He knew that all of this was just a painful and horrible reminder of her mother's death and how much of a media circus that was for her from last year.

"Hey Sid, you okay?" he asked softly, reaching out to touch her hand, only for her to flinch slightly. He immediately regretted it, but she didn't pull away.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice shaky. "Just... a little on edge, you know?" She glanced around the room, her eyes darting from one face to another, searching for something... or someone. Nick didn't know what to say. He could feel the tension in the air, like a thick fog that had rolled in overnight.

"Yeah, it's like everybody got possessed with that spidey sense overnight. It's like everyone's looking at each other like we're all potential ghosts in disguise, you know? It's creepy." Nick said, trying to make light of the situation. Sidney looked at him and managed a small smile. "Or unless if you're like Macher and try to live the best life." He spoke of their goofy and crazy friend, Stu Macher.

Their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Rinaldi, entered the room and the atmosphere shifted slightly. Her presence always had a calming effect on the students, and Nick felt a small measure of relief as she began to take attendance. As she called out each name, Nick noticed the look of fear in her eyes, and wondered if she was thinking about the two victims, or if she was just worried about them all.

There was a new shift in the air when she didn't mention the names of Casey Becker or Steven Orth. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before they would have to face the reality of the situation. It was like after she had taken attendance, they took a moment of silence to respect the two lives that had been lost. Even though no one had said anything, everyone was thinking about it, feeling the weight of the tragedy pressing down on them.

Mrs. Rinaldi was explaining to them how everybody in the entire school was going to get interrogated by the police for Casey and Steve's deaths. It was going to be held in the principal's office and they would call down every name at a time.

Nick felt a little relieved to know that the police were going to find the killer soon. He glanced at Sidney and could tell that she was still unsettled, her expression a mix of fear and uncertainty. He wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how.

The interrogation process began, and one by one, students were called down to the principal's office.

Nick was in math class and he remembered how Steve would shoot spitballs at the back of his head and his jockey friends would encourage and jeer in whispers to him. Steve was always such a bully to Nick even when they were little kids. As much as he hated Steve, he never wanted the guy to die in such a horrible death.

Nick sat there, trying to focus on the numbers on the chalkboard, but his mind kept wandering back to what happened to them. Casey and Steve got gutted. Casey's poor parents found their daughter dead, being hanged by a tree in their front yard.

It was like something out of a horror movie, and now everyone was looking over their shoulders, waiting for the next attack.

"Nicholas Loomis." Mr. Duvall, his math teacher, announced his name. "You're next."