The Muffin Man

Have You Heard Of.....???

It had been at least an hour since the rest of the friends had returned home from the beach.

Phoebe noticed that she still had Maria's phone in her bag from when they all went swimming. Luckily, Phoebe and Maria live right next door to each other, separated only by a long field of grass. Phoebe would have to make that quick walk by herself.

In less than one minute she had made it to Maria's front door.

"Maria!" she called after she knocked at least ten times to no response. Finally it occured to Phoebe to try the doorknob, which she was surprised to see unlocked.

Once inside she noticed everything was in disarray and it looked like no one was home, but Janice's, Maria's mom, car was in the driveway.

"It's Phoebe. Hello? Maria? Janice?"

"Help!" came a cry from the top of the stairs.

"Janice! What's going on?" Phoebe asked as she ran up the stairs to find Janice at the top of the staircase, bloody and on the floor. "Oh my gosh! Should I call the police? What?! An ambulance the-the-the fire place?! 9-1-1?!?!" She dialed and frantically explained the situation as Janice cried and had multiple panic attacks.

In the minutes before the authorities shown up, Phoebe asked Janice,"What happened? Where's Maria?" It looked like she was robbed.

"I think I walked in on a robbery, but Maria's gone," Janice said.

"I had her phone," Phoebe explained.

"The guy took her and I walked in... and ......" There Janice went into another panic attack as the sirens had arrived in front of the house.

"Janice! What happened next?" Phoebe tried to ask as calmly as she could at this time of panic.

She looked sideways at Phoebe and nervously laughed. "Have you heard of ...? Ha ha ha..."

"Heard of what, Janice?"

It was no use, she was crazy. Phoebe left knowing her friend, Maria, was taken by some kidnapper. She tried to call Thomes, but he wasn't answering her. Phoebe got a shock when she called Shelby.

"What do you mean Skyler's dead?!" Phoebe asked.

"It's all over the news. In his room, he was dead and left with a muffin basket. Again, there was a ribbon on it that said his name," Shelby told her. She, in turn, was shocked at Phoebe's news about Maria. "They said the murderer was wearing a Halloween mask and has a skateboard and is using a knife to kill these people. And he always leaves muffins."

Phoebe called Morgan, who wouldn't pick up. She texted back to Phoebe that she was going to be with Neil around nine and that she would be careful and warn Neil about what was happening as well.

She wanted to be with Morgan, who was her best friend, just to make sure she was safe. She would need a ride to Monni's so she called Ben, since he left before she went to Maria's.

"Ben, I'm going to need a ride to Monni's. I want to be with Morgan and Neil," Phoebe said.

A voice different from Ben's replied,"Oh, so that's where they are."

The voice was familiar but Phoebe couldn't place it."Ben? Who is this?"

"Please leave a message."

"Ben, come on! This is serious! I'm at the house come pick me up!"

"I'm sorry, Ben is dead. This is the Muffin Man speaking."

Phoebe screamed and cried and screamed profanities at the killer.

"What's wrong, Phoebe? Haven't you heard of the Muffin Man?" he asked with an evil snicker. "I believe everyone in the tri-county area has already heard of the Muffin Man."

She quickly warned the police of the Muffin Man, who seemed to be after everyone who was at Lake Victoria today.

The chief of police asked her to name all of her friends who weren't already dead.

"Me, Thomes, Morgan, Neil, and Shelby. Also, Robbie and Hunter and- I can't think right now."

This was serious.