The Masked Killer - A.T Ben Saad || English

Chapter 8: Matthew

It's been eerily quiet in the house for quite some time now. I glance cautiously at my phone. Over half an hour has passed. Could the murderer think we've fled? I look at Noah and signal upstairs. He nods. I carefully open the crawlspace hatch and climb up. I look around. All my senses are on high alert. I hear nothing, see nothing, and smell nothing, so it must be safe. Noah climbs out as well.

"That was close," he says, exhaling. I nod and run a hand through my blonde locks. When Lola tries to climb out of the crawlspace, Noah and I both reach out to help her. They both look at me expectantly until I withdraw my hand. Why are moments like this always so awkward? As Noah helps Lola out of the crawlspace, I scratch the back of my head and look away. The house is so silent that we can hear the sand falling into the crawlspace. Once Lola dusts off her pants, I close the hatch carefully in case the murderer is still around. I don't want to risk him discovering our hiding place. I sigh.

"So, what now?" I ask softly. Noah shrugs.

"Let's find Levi and Henry first," he says. I nod. We fall silent. Where should we start? My mind is a jumble. Then, the silence is broken by panicked murmuring. It's upstairs. Noah and I exchange wide-eyed looks.

"Levi!" we shout in unison. We race up the stairs, Lola close behind. The murmuring grows louder in the hallway. It's coming from my room! I run past Noah and burst in first. I see Levi lying on the dark blue carpet of my room. His thin, blonde hair looks sweaty. There's a bleeding cut on his abdomen, and a small knife lies next to him. A piece of his gray T-shirt has been torn off and tied around his sweaty head, preventing him from speaking.

"Levi! Are you okay, buddy?" I ask in panic. I press down on his wound. His blood feels warm against my palms, seeping between my fingers. Levi murmurs something, looking at the piece of fabric.

"Oh, right, sorry," I say, removing it from his head. Noah and Lola enter the room.

"What the hell, Matt!" Noah shouts upon seeing us. I turn around, startled.

"What?" I ask in panic. What's going on? Is the murderer still here? Then I realize the situation: my hands covered in blood, Levi injured on the floor, and a knife beside me.

"Oh—I—I didn't do anything! The murderer—I—" I stammer frantically. Lola covers her mouth with her hands.

"Come on! How could I kill someone so quickly?" I say helplessly.

"It wasn't Matthew..." Levi defends me, his voice weak and trembling.

"Oh buddy, I'll help you!" I say. My hands tremble as I think of the first aid kit in the cabinet next to my bed. Noah bends over Levi, examining the wound.

"Luckily, it's not too deep," he says, relieved. I get up and quickly fetch the kit. Kneeling beside Levi, I grab a large, thick bandage.

"Here," says Noah, extending his hand. I nod and hand him the roll.

"Hold him up," he says curtly.

"Okay," I groan as I lift Levi. With some effort, I manage to get him sitting upright. As Noah wraps the bandage tightly around Levi's abdomen, Levi hisses in pain.

"He'll be okay," Noah says. We fall silent, contemplating how to help Levi further. Then, we hear a scream from Henry.

"Help!" he cries, his voice breaking at the end. Noah, Lola, and I exchange wide-eyed looks.

"Stay here," I say determinedly. I look at Lola pleadingly,

"You too, Lola. You don't know what happened. Block the door when I'm gone, Noah," I add. She nods. I catch Noah giving me a dirty look out of the corner of my eye. What's his problem? I quickly leave the room, walking down the narrow hallway. I nearly trip over the carpet, my shoe catching on the floor.

"Please help us..." I hear Henry sob desperately. It's coming from Oliver's room. Entering, I see a pale Oliver lying on the bed. His eyes are wide with terror. His neck is in an unnatural position. His white T-shirt has a long gash at his stomach, surrounded by a large bloodstain. His chest is smeared with bloody handprints, likely his own. The bed is a mess of blood. I feel nauseous, light-headed, and everything starts to spin. Henry lies on the floor, his feet tied with splintered rope and his hands bound behind his back with zip ties.

"The murderer—he came in and—" Henry babbles in panic. His voice trembles and in his brown beard is spit. I kneel beside him.

"Hey, calm down. Are you injured?" I ask while I untie the rope around his feet. It feels hot against my hands as I loosen the loop. Henry wiggles his feet once free. I grab scissors from the desk and cut the zip ties around his wrists.

"It's safe!" I shout. I hear a door open immediately. Lola stands in the doorway, gasping as she sees Oliver.

"He—" she stammers. Henry stands cautiously. I walk to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. It's heartbreaking to see her like this. A tear escapes her eye. I walk to the bed and close Oliver's eyes, then drape a white sheet over him. A tear of hatred, helplessness, and grief falls from my eye. Looking back, I see Lola sobbing in disbelief. I walk over and offer a hug. She clings to me tightly. Her tears feel warm against my chest. I rub her lower back. Hearing her cry, Noah rushes over. When he sees the sheet on the bed, his knees buckle. He recognizes Oliver instantly.

"Is that—" he stammers. I nod. Then he sees Lola and me hugging, giving me another strange look.

"She was crying, I—" I begin to defend myself.

"I'm here now," he says with a forced smile. I let go, and Noah immediately opens his arms.

"Is Levi okay?" I ask. Noah nods.

"Yes, just a deep cut, nothing more. It seemed like the knife only cut his skin, so there are no further internal bleeding." I sigh in relief. When Noah looks at Oliver again, I see rage in his eyes. Pure hatred.

"If I get my hands on whoever did this, they're dead!" he shouts. His voice echoes through the silent house. We fall silent, each lost in thought.

"I'm going to the police, damn it," he says.

"What? Noah! Be reasonable!" I shout.

"No, seriously. This has to stop," he says firmly.

"You don't know where the murderer is!" Henry tries to dissuade him. He lets go of Lola.

"I'm going," he says, walking down the hallway. We all follow him. Back in my room, Noah grabs the knife from the floor.

"I'll stab him first," he says. I hesitate. He can't go alone, but I might put myself in danger. I sigh deeply.

"I'll go with you," I say. A small smile appears on Noah's face, but it quickly fades.

"No way! Are you crazy? You'll get yourself hurt!" he says.

"No, seriously. I'm going," I say firmly. I won't abandon my best friend. He nods.

"Watch over Lola," Noah asks. Levi and Henry nod.

"Noah, are you serious?" she asks, her voice trembling and hoarse from crying.

"Yes, I am. I'll be back in forty-five minutes, don't worry," he says reassuringly. She nods, a tear rolling down her cheek. Noah kisses her forehead.

"See you soon," I say softly.

"See you soon," she replies, her eyes glistening with tears and her cheeks rosy. I hug Henry and Levi before we leave our mansion, unaware of what awaits us.