South Park: Bloodlines, Book 2: New Horizons, Old Shadows

Into the Unknown

The wind outside howls against the wooden walls, creating an eerie atmosphere. Inside, Wendy stands with Officer Howard, who looks troubled, his face illuminated by the fireplace's orange glow. Wendy has a fire poker in hand, her body tense from the fear and adrenaline. Red sits quietly, her eyes flicking between Wendy and officer Howard during their interaction.

Officer Howard: "Three of them... dead?"

Wendy: "Annie, Tolkien, and Clyde... all of them. We... we thought we could trust this place. We came here to relax, to have a break from everything that happened before, but..." (pauses, trying to gather her thoughts) "It's happening again. The killings, the games, just like last time."

Officer Howard: "You mean the stuff from last summer?"

Wendy: "Yes. At first, we thought it was over. We thought we were safe. But someone's playing with us again, setting up these traps. People are dying, and I don't know how much longer we have before the rest of us are killed off."

Red: "Maybe we should have never come back here. Something about this place always felt wrong."

Officer Howard takes out a notepad, jotting down a few notes

Officer Howard: "I need to know everything that's happened. From the beginning. How did Annie, Tolkien, and Clyde end up dead? What about the others?"

Wendy lets out a shaky breath, glancing back at Red for a moment before turning fully to Officer Howard.

Wendy: "Annie... she was the first. It happened so fast. One minute she was with us, and the next she was... sliced in half. We didn't even realize it until we found her body, and by then, it was too late. There was nothing we could do."

Officer Howard: "That was the first death? You're sure?"

Wendy: "Yes. We didn't even see it happen. It was like... like something or someone was watching, waiting for the right moment. Then, Tolkien... he was part of one of those sick traps. We had to choose between him and Red. The group... we had to make a choice. He didn't make it."

Officer Howard: "A choice? What kind of choice?" he asked, looking disturbed.

Wendy: "We were forced to choose who lived and who died. If we didn't... both would have died. We... chose Red."

Red: "I should've been the one to die. It wasn't fair."

Wendy turns back to Red, shaking her head

Wendy: "No... we couldn't have known. We just had to do what we thought was right."

Officer Howard pauses, giving Wendy a moment to breathe. He looks at the fire, its warmth doing nothing to erase the growing chill in the room.

Officer Howard: "And Clyde?"

Wendy: "He... he was next. It was a sick trap again. A reverse bear trap. There was nothing anyone could do to help him. Kyle and Lucas both was forced to stay in the same room with him to watch as he... his skull... it just..." (she stops, unable to finish the sentence, wiping a tear from her eye)

Red: "He didn't deserve to go like that."

There's a moment of silence, the tension thick. The wind rattles the windows, and the sound of cracking wood from the fire fills the air.