SCREAM - THE GHOST OF LONDON

CHAPTER TWO

Charlie sat down on the train and sighed, placing his bag between his feet. He leaned his head back against the window, closing his eyes for a moment to let himself relax. The rhythmic motion of the train soothed him, and for the first time that morning, he felt a hint of peace.

After a few moments, he opened his eyes and fished his phone out of his pocket. A notification from the campus group chat had appeared. He was grateful that signing up for it didn't require a phone number. He unlocked his phone and began reading the messages, appreciating the smaller, more manageable chat just for his class.

He scrolled through the earlier messages, his eyes occasionally glancing around the train to ensure he wasn't being watched.

SussieXOXO: Something happened to Professor Montgomery!

BigBenBilly123: What??

SussieXOXO: Someone said she died or something.

BorrowedMonkey: That's so suss wtf.

Charlie's heart skipped a beat. He reread the messages, trying to process the shocking news. Is Professor Montgomery dead? He felt a chill run down his spine, and his grip tightened on his phone. He looked around the train again, but the other passengers were absorbed in their worlds. He returned his attention to the chat, feeling a mix of disbelief and unease.

CR: What happened?

SussieXOXO: They're saying she had a freak accident at home!

Charlie closed his eyes as he continued to read the group chat, hoping for more clarity. The messages suggested that Professor Montgomery hadn't been murdered; instead, it was being reported as a freak accident, a fall. She wasn't killed, they said, just an unfortunate mishap.

He let out a loud sigh of relief, feeling the tension ease slightly. Running a shaky hand through his hair, he tried to calm his racing thoughts. The initial shock had rattled him more than he'd like to admit. He locked his phone and placed it in his lap, staring out the window as the scenery blurred by.

"Fucking hell," he muttered under his breath, the weight of the news still pressing on him. Despite the reassurance that it wasn't a murder, something about the situation left him feeling uneasy. "Chill out, Charlie".

The train sped along the tracks toward Oxford, carrying Charlie closer to Kit, who was in town promoting a new film and staying in a nearby hotel. As the train entered a tunnel, the carriage was plunged into darkness. Charlie lifted his head and glanced around, the overhead lights flickering sporadically. Suddenly, a burst of light from outside the carriage momentarily blinded him. He squinted, and in that brief flash, he thought he saw the haunting image of Ghostface's mask. His heart raced as the light flickered again, revealing nothing but the regular train interior. He blinked, trying to shake off the unsettling vision.

Across from him, a woman who had been sitting quietly now looked extremely uncomfortable. She glanced at Charlie, her eyes wide with a mix of confusion and fear. Without a word, she stood up and moved further down the carriage, putting as much distance between them as possible. Charlie sighed, rubbing his eyes and leaning back against the window again. The darkness of the tunnel pressed in around him, and he tried to steady his breathing, convincing himself it was just a trick of the light and his overactive imagination.

"Keep it together".

"Did the neighbors hear anything?" the Detective asked as he walked through the front door, cradling a cup of coffee in his hand.

"They weren't home," an officer replied. "The neighbor arrived this morning and saw the front door open and the owner's cat outside. That's when she found—" he gestured towards the dining room, where the body lay sprawled across the table, blood pooling beneath and staining the carpet, "—her, like this."