Burning Lights

Chapter 7: The Killer Reveal

We chained the boy to a chair with some rope I had found in the science supply closet. Ben grunted as he tied the knot very tightly then rested against the table. The boy looked at him with a smug grin on his face.

"You think you are so smart," the boy sneered. Ben rolled his eyes then glanced in my way. "Cole," Ben said. "Call the police." "Good idea," I said, reaching for my phone. "I wouldn't call them if I were you," the boy snickered. I lowered my hand then asked him why.

"Let's just say I know where your mother is," he began calmly. "It would be a shame if I had left a bomb in there. After all, she's pretty hot." My patience turned into fury as I came over there and slapped him across the face.

"If you lay one finger on her," I threatened. "I will MURDER you!" Ben grabbed my arm then pulled me away from him. He took me near the closet then urged me to calm down. "Cole," he said politely. "You need to stay out of this."

"Why?" I demanded. "He's a freak who deserves to go in jail!" "He's lying," Ben insisted. "I checked his body language. If you want proof, call your mother." I obeyed his order by dialing Mom's phone number and waited for her to pick up.

After waiting, Mom's voice came up. "Hello?" she said. "Who is this?" I let out a sigh of relief. "Mom," I said. "Are you okay? How's everything?" "Things are going great, Cole." Mom exclaimed. "The newspapers are becoming a huge success! Maybe later, we can go get Pizza Hut and celebrate."

"Okay, good." I said, staring at the boy. "Goodbye." I put the phone back into my pocket then crossed my arms. "You're a terrible liar," I snapped. The boy simply shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you want?" the boy asked. "We want you to tell us why you're killing innocent people." Ben answered. "And tell the truth, or else we will turn you in." Wait a minute, I thought. "You said that Ben caused your pain," I said. "What do you mean by that?"

The boy gave Ben a long stare then shrugged again. Sighing, I asked him the same question. "Ben knows who I am," he said. "Why don't you ask him?" How does he know Ben's name? I wondered. "She's asking you," Ben insisted. "Who are you?"

The boy stared at him then at me. "Whoa," he breathed. "Cole's a girl name?" Annoyed, I went up to him and smacked him again. The boy winced and rubbed his cheek. "Feisty, much?" he groaned.

I mocked his shrugs while Ben typed something on his phone.  "Hey, this is Ben." he coldly greeted. "We caught the killer, and now we are turning him into you. We're in Newton High, figure it out."

After Ben hung up the phone, he told me that he called the police and they were going to pick him up. "Aw," he said sarcastically. "You're going to take me back to the police? How tragic."

Ben froze at his words. "You were always a pain the butt since we were cellmates." the boy continued. "I knew you were dead the moment I saw your pathetic face." Ben's green eyes widened. "Dash?" Ben cried. "I don't go by that name anymore," the boy hissed. "My name is Charlie Parker."

"I thought you were going upstate,"Ben mumbled. "Turns out the police car got into an accident before that dream came true." Charlie explained. "The officers died while I escaped." I thought back to when I read the accident in the papers.

The police car crashed into a gasoline truck, pouring oil all over the place. I heard something must have caused it to light both cars in flames. Two of the officers were burned to death while Charlie saw this as an opportunity and disappeared. "So, you decided to make your mark and burn everyone who comes in your way?"

Charlie nodded his head. "Smoking hot AND smart," he replied. "No wonder a freak like Ben falls for a girl like you." All of a sudden, the police came bursting through the door, raising their guns.

Ben and I rose our hands while Charlie gazed at them. One of them untied him from his chair and chained his hands with handcuffs while the others surrounded him like he is a superstar.

Jason noticed us and thanked us for our cooperation. But instead of looking relieved, Ben barked orders at him. "You need to tell the others to put him in a maximum state prison." he commanded.

"This guy isn't like any other serial killer. He is very dangerous!" Jason tried to calm him down, but Ben ignored his comfort. "Why? Do you know this guy?" Jason asked. "Yeah," Ben answered. "In a New York Juvenile Detention Center."

Suddenly, he rolled his eyes. "You know what, forget it. He's going to escape again and we are all going to hell!" I grabbed him by the arm and pleaded him to take a deep breath. "It's over," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Now, we can get on with our lives."

I gave him a hug then left the school building. As I walked outside, the carnival was infected with police officers. Kids and families were interrogated while the press captured every single detail on cameras.

I managed to dodge the chaos and went home without people giving a second look about where I was. Closing the door behind me, I marched upstairs and took a long shower.

After I dried my body with a towel, I threw on a blue tank top and long black pants then went to bed. The pillows soaked the sweat and steam slithering down my face. I didn't feel the need to get out of bed and brush my teeth.

I expected my eyes to close, but because of Charlie's gnarled face I couldn't sleep. As soon as I thought about Charlie, a hand reached over my head then stroked my hair. I thought it was only Ben, comforting me, but when I turn around I saw Charlie, placing his boiled finger on his lips.

"Shh," he whispered. "I need you to do something for me."