A single bullet // M.C

61

"You see what I'm seeing right Cal?"

"Why am I here Nicky?" He sighed closing his eyes before looking back at the screen before glancing over my way.

"To see this video Calum, can you get the edited bit back..." after Kensie left and I went to sleep with everything still deep in my mind I had phoned Calum to come over at some point before lunch because I need his help.

"There's no missing bit," he muttered moving his hand to the mouse and scrolling through it,

"Oh come on you know that's not real." I was getting pissed off again that no one seemed to be bothered "please Calum," I begged sitting next to him looking up at him "I can't have the meeting with unbroken without him, they have answers for me I need to know."

"You don't even know what they are Nicky, maybe for now, this is for the best," my mouth dropped open as Calum kept scrolling through the video pulling his brows together and replaying a section.

"You're fucking with me right? All of you are. Is this some form of initiation to the gang?" It was the only reasonable explanation to how the last few days have played out. Everything with Luke and Alex, Kensie falling out with me, Calum not helping out. He finally moved his eyes to mine, a slight sparkle in them before he let out on single laugh,

"Wishful thinking, although..." he body leant forward looking closer at the LED screen once again re scrolling "this has clearly been edited, Michael jumps a few feet before looking back at the building," he placed his finger on the screen and pressed play slowing it down showing me how much he moves. "This wall also looks slightly blurry as if edited." He moved and pointed against the wall making me squint to see better.

"How the fuck do you see that?"

"I work with security cameras Nicky," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "literally trained on quality and finding stuff like this. I also edit videos like how this has been done... just a lot better," he muttered the end scrolling more through the video. "Here we go, sloppy work,"

Another frame of video was present on the screen, a floating hand. My floating hand. It was when Michael had brought us back to the cafe and Calum was behind us. I let myself look at where roughly Calum would be not seeing his figure there. He was definitely that far behind. They (whoever did this) had edited us both out to make it look like only Michael just came back however they missed my hand.

"Can you save that clip?" I pointed at the file on the top handlebar just wanting that small clip to show Morgan, there was no way I would notice it again in the full bit. "Can you also save him jumping?" I needed all the proof I could get of this being edited against him.

"There's something else," The start of the video was now on the screen as he pressed play "look here," he pointed and zoomed to the left side of the screen shocking me as a body stepped into frame wearing all black with his head seemingly down, however half a second later he was gone.

"The killer." It weren't a question but a statement, it was clear that was Margaret's killer arriving at the scene and had been edited out but again sloppily. The time in the corner jumped forwards by thirty minutes then Michael appeared. "Who was that?"

"I wish I knew," he clicked the mouse again minimising everything letting his body fall back

"Shit I'm sorry Calum," I muttered placing a hand gently on his shoulder nearly hovering not wanting him to just push me away. I had made him research the video, the only video, of his grandma dying and the killer. I had shown him why his friend is getting framed AND had asked him to help get the missing bits. "I just didn't know who to go to."

It weren't really a situation I could have gave to Morgan. Or Alex. No one else knows and I can't really explain why I want to find it out so badly. In their eyes they've got one more bad guy off the street who lived close to their family member. They think they have saved me when really I was already the safest I would have ever been.

"It's fine Nicky," he moved his hands into fists and harshly rubbed at his eyes letting out a groan and another sigh "I'm glad I've seen this,"

"Yeah?" It had confused me the way he said it, peaceful.

"Yes. Now I know which bastard to go look for." He sneered moving my laptop back against the table and standing up.

"What, wait Calum no don't." He was going to go hunting guns a blazing and there was a chance he would be caught "they will still be looking for people that are linked to Michael, Luke saved himself but you can't use the same reason. If kills start appearing out of nowhere you risk everything," I rambled standing up "just get me the rest of that video so I can show them, let them release Michael and have all four of you back before you do anything you may regret or get yourself killed. Get the whole team back so you're at your strongest. I know they will want to help get revenge for Margaret." It was as if my words sunk into his brain as he unclenched his fists and nodded looking down.

"You got three days Nicky before I go find them. I'll try and get the rest of the footage and hack into the systems but if I come up blank and you fail before the deadline, I'll kill everyone who steps foot in that building."

"I promise I'll help you find what you need. I need Michael out and you to not go in." It was a promise I was determined to not fail and let go.

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