Dancing with Death

Chapter 5

Angela had been perched on the bench of her vanity, brushing out her hair before bed. She'd been intending to go to bed for hours now, but the events on the side of the road played on an endless loop in her brain. How could they be killers? Was this all a sick, weird nightmare? If that deer hadn't been there, she would've skirted off farther down the road, and none of this would've occurred.

What terrified her more than almost being carved in the middle of the road, left to bleed out until dawn, was the fact that she was still attracted to Billy. Toying with her hair with a knife, making her promise, and that wink - she was still reeling from it. What kind of person swooned at a murderous physco? Especially one that'd almost killed her on the spot? Was she crazy?

Life had always been upscale meals in the city with her parents, shopping excursions with her friends, puffy clouds in a blue sky. Angela knew murders happened, she wasn't completely naive to the world that surrounded her but never did she expect to know people who committed such a heinous crime. It didn't seem like something that could happen to her. 

When mid-day Thursday rolled around and she was still embalmed in the safety of her bed, asking herself these questions on an endless loop and watching a re-run of Friends, a knock came at her bedroom door. If she hadn't been absolutely exhausted, she was positive this would've scared the shit out of her. Sitting upright, she watched the shadows dance under the door.

"Angela?"

"Who is it?" She called, shoving aside her heavy cream comforter.

"It's Sidney. Open up."

"And Tatum!"

"Um, one minute, guys." Cursing under her breath, Angela fumbled around for something to switch into. Finally deciding on a brown collared shirt she must've snaked from her Dad and slipping into it, she flung open the door. "Hey."

"Shit." Tatum mused. "Are you sick?"

"I hardly got any sleep last night." She glanced at the clock. It wasn't even noon yet. School should still be in session, yet they were in her bedroom door frame.

"Did you hear what happened?"

As the two of them spoke, Angela couldn't shake the image of their boyfriends, blood splattered on their clothes and wielding a knife. Billy had almost killed her. That, and she'd been slightly aroused by the entire thing. They were absolutely clueless.

"No, what happened?"

"Casey Becker and Steve Orth were murdered last night." Tatum shook her head.

"I don't get it." Sidney crossed her arms over her denim jacket, shaking her head. She looked a little more than rattled.

Tatum nodded. "The killer hung Casey from a tree for her parents to find. Both of them totally butchered."

Angela froze in place. That's who Billy and Stu had killed last night. The same knife that'd been deep inside Casey's guts had been up to her throat. Casey was one of her friends - sure, they weren't nearly as close as she was to Sidney and Tatum, but knowing who was responsible for their deaths and not being able to do a single thing about it hit her like a full speed train.

Tatum was blabbering on about how the principal had interviewed every student, and had made it very clear to the girls he wanted to see Angela as soon as possible. Angela couldn't hear them anymore after a moment, her ears quickly being drained by a ringing sound. Thankfully, Sidney latched onto her elbow, leading her over to the bed.

"Oh my God, are you alright?"

"Yeah.. I'm fine. I just can't believe.."

"Mr. Himbry's suspicious of you." Tatum rolled her eyes, plopping down in the plush chair in the corner. "I told him he's out of his mind."