SCREAM: Mother of All Secrets

Chapter 2

Erik and Phoebe walk through the front door of her house. They're both giving the other the silent treatment and it's killing both of them. Erik heads straight to living room, sits on the couch an turns the TV on. Phoebe walks into the kitchen and grabs two cans of soda and strolls toward the living room.

Phoebe sits down next to Erik on the couch and sets a can on the coffee table in front of him. Erik grabs it. "Thanks." he says with less anger than he had a few minutes ago. He cracks it open and sips it. After enough of the soda has quenched his thirst, he sets the can back down on the table. "I'm sorry that I snapped at you like that. I really shouldn't have treated you like that."

Phoebe doesn't reply. She sits still staring ahead in silence with the pop can in her grip. "It's fine. And I'm sorry I was being a real bitch and nearly making you fly out of my windshield. I shouldn't have been badgering you."

"It's all right." Erik says. "So, what else happened while I was buried alive?"

"Well, Marina and I were looking for you and Fred at your Lair. Obviously, we didn't find you. But we did find Malcolm and Fiona ransacking the place."

Erik is having the same reaction that Phoebe did when she slammed on the brakes. "What?!" Erik exclaims. "What the fuck were they doing there?!"

"They were trying to prove that that you are the killer." Phoebe replies.

"Do they think I'm an idiot?" Erik rhetorically asks. "They must because I'd have to be one to hide evidence of me being a serial killer in my own tree house. There is no way they found anything there anyway."

"Well, actually..." Phoebe says.

Erik turns toward his friend. "Phoebe, what did they find?"

"There was a knife... hidden in your Lair... A knife that is similar to the one that the killer uses."

"What? How...?"

"They think you put it there after killing Mark and Roland." Phoebe interrupts.

"Well, I didn't do it!"

"I know you didn't." Phoebe says. "That's why Marina and I threatened to turn Fiona and Malcolm over to the Sheriff because they broke in and could have planted that knife."

"What happened after that?"

"After forcing those idiots out, we took the knife to your cousin. We wanted to bring it to the Sheriff first, but he wasn't there."

"Why?" Erik asks.

"So we could convince him that the killer planted it there to set you up." Phoebe explains. "Anyway, we gave it to Tasha and that's when we found out that a vehicle crashed into the side of the hospital. It was Fred's van and he was in the passenger seat with a knife sticking out of his his chest. When we arrived at the hospital, Tasha went to talk to Jakob in private and came back and told us that we were going to find Erik..."

"And then you told Gilbert to come to the police station and he brought Serena and Sasha." Erik starts to fill in the blank. "Then you and Serena got in an argument which somehow lead to you guys finding out where I am."

"Yep." Phoebe says. "We dug you out then took you to the hospital to treat you for your face injury. How is that by the way?"

"It feels like the left half of my face is on fire." Erik says.

Phoebe laughs.

"I'm not joking. I need some ice."

"Oh, sorry." Phoebe says and rises from the couch. She rushes into the kitchen and grabs a Ziploc bag and starts filling it with ice. "And about your bruise, do you want me to put concealer on it so you won't look ridiculous?" She closes the bag and sets it on the counter.