Endless Cycles

[Chapter 4]

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Luckily, the next few days had no more deaths, but tensions were high between everyone. Anyone could snap at any moment and there would be no clue as to who it is. This worried Brandon before he fell asleep, but he decided nothing would probably happen for awhile. He just hoped they could prevent murders from happening... Brandon yawned and shut his eyes, hoping to have another semi-peaceful day.

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Brandon awoke the next morning and got ready for the day. After he finished he left his room and made his way downstairs. When he came to the dining hall, he noticed he was the only one who seemed to be awake. He sat alone at one of the tables, not wanting to eat just yet. He looked outside and noticed something floating in the pool.

He stood up and made his way outside towards the floating object, his stomach turning. When he came outside, he kneeled beside the pool and looked in the waters. Thankfully, there was no body. Instead, a green scarf floated around. Brandon picked up the soaking scarf and his eyes widened. It was Gavin's... He quickly stood up and looked around.

Along the path leading to the garden shed, he noticed a few specks of blood staining the stone slabs. He ran to the shed and stopped at the slightly opened door. Brandon slowly opened the door and almost screamed. Gavin's lifeless body dangled above the ground, held up with a large steak through his chest. His blood was smeared against the walls, revealing the phrase;

'Traitor'

Brandon felt sick, and he quickly covered his mouth, holding back his sickness. The blood looked fresh, and some still dripped out of Gavin's chest and onto the floor. The smell made Brandon gag and his eyes water. As he turned to tell the others, he saw Sub with a look of horror on his face. He glanced at Gavin's body, and then back at Brandon, and slowly began to back up.

"Sub... I s-swear, I didn't d-do it." Brandon's voice cracked. He was on the verge of crying, but he held it back for the most part. He swallowed hard.

"I-I was going to get the o-others, I s-swear. P-Please, you have to believe me." Brandon said in almost a whisper. Sub hesitated but nodded. He quickly brought Brandon back to the dining hall, where a few others had been. They must've gotten there after Brandon did. Adam, Ryan, Jordan, and Mitch were all present. Adam noticed Brandon's face first and looked worried.

"What happened?" He asked.

"G-Ga-Gavin... Dead." He managed to get out.

"What?" Jordan asked.

"Where's the body?" Ryan asked.

"S-Shed..." Brandon whispered. Ryan and Mitch both ran to the shed, while Adam, Sub and Jordan helped calm Brandon down. Gavin was dead. The thought ran through his head multiple times before he couldn't take it. Brandon jumped out of his seat and ran for the nearest trash can. He threw up for a few minutes before feeling a little better. He sat up and went back to the others.

"Feel any better?" Adam asked. Brandon nodded and sighed.

"Don't worry, they'll find out who did it." Jordan smiled.

"I hope so..." Brandon mumbled.

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The investigation began soon enough, with Ryan leading it of course, and Mitch and Seto helping out. Brandon went up to Ryan.

"I want to help with the investigation." He stated. Ryan sighed.

"Very well, although I doubt you'll be in much help in the state you're in." He went back over to Gavin's body and began looking for clues. Brandon decided to look by the pool to see if anything could've been left behind. He stood by the edge and glanced around inside the clear water, and noticed something shining. Curious, he grabbed the skimmer and scooped the item out of the pool. He picked it up and looked at it more closely.

It was a chain to a necklace. He tried to think of who had a chain, but couldn't think of anyone. Shrugging, he stuffed it in his pocket. He stood up and went back over to Ryan and the others.

Brandon was thankful that they were even having an investigation. Technically speaking, they didn't have to do anything at all. But... Then again, he was sure Ryan wanted an excuse to kill someone else. Brandon shivered. Whoever was the culprit would be murdered without hesitation. He felt a small dagger of pity for the culprit, but it was quickly replaced with anger.

No. Whoever did this deserved what they were getting. They murdered Gavin. Not quickly either, but slowly so that he felt pain until his lat breath. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath shakily. Taking a few more deep breaths, he calmed down a bit.

Afterwards, he found that Ryan had already finished, which made Brandon skeptical. How were they finished so quickly?

"So you found out the information?" Brandon asked him.

"Unfortunately there was almost no clues of who could've done it." Ryan sighed, wiping his hands off with his handkerchief.

"Actually... I found something that could come in handy." Brandon interrupted and pulled out the chain. Ryan seemed surprise.

"Interesting..." He took the chain from Brandon. "I think I know who killed Gavin." He stated. "Please gather everyone together." He said to Brandon.

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Once everyone was finally together, Ryan spoke up.

"Everybody, I've found our culprit with the help of Brandon." Brandon felt his cheeks heat up as people stared at him. He pulled the chain out of his pocket and held it up.

"Look familiar to anyone?" Ryan asked aloud. Everyone stayed silent. Ryan sighed "This chain obviously belongs to Mitch."

Heads turned towards the back at Mitch, who looked terrified.

"Wait is this the only proof you have?!" Jerome asked, speaking up for Mitch. Ryan ignored him.

"You don't seem to be wearing your dog tags today Mitch." He smirked, and Mitch opened his mouth to say something, but didn't.

"No! You can't base all of your information on just that!" Jerome growled, raising his voice. Ryan went up to Mitch.

"Admit it. You drowned Gavin, and then to ensure his death, you left him as he is in the shed!" He almost shouted. Mitch looked at Jerome, and then back at Ryan.

"Y-Yes.... I-I did..." Mitch stuttered quietly. Ryan smiled.

"Well then I rest my case. Unfortunately, we can't allow murderers to live with us..." He sighed and pulled out his gun.

"NO! STOP YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Jerome screamed, and a few held him back. Ryan aimed the gun at Mitch's head and placed his finger on the trigger. Without hesitation, he pulled it, and a loud explosion was heard throughout the room. Mitch fell back, automatically dead. Jerome was in hysterics, and was no longer needed to be held back.

A few began to leave, some probably sick, a few just not wanting to look at the body, Brandon being one of them.