The Key Mystery

Searching The Car...Again: Chapter 14

*Matt's P.O.V, November 9th 2020*

My jaw gaped open, but I quickly shut it. It opened again, and I shut it again. My eyes slimmed in confusion.

"Wait, what are you talking about? What does it say?" I said, leaning over the middle of the car, the stick driving itself into my chest. 

I winced, but continued to try and look at the small piece of paper in Sam's hands.

She rolled her eyes, then turned the paper over to me, still holding it in her hands.

I squinted, trying to see the tiny handwriting, and saw what it said.

"M- Arrives 7:00 AM, Leaves 4:57 PM. "

"S- Arrives 6:45 AM, Leaves 5:15 PM."

"W-Arrives 7:05 AM, Leaves 5:06 PM"

"T- (Tall, Blonde, Beard)-Arrives 7:25 AM, Leaves 5:30 PM"

"So, I'm assuming M is Matt, "S" is Sam, "W" is- well me, and then "T" is probably Tanner, right?" Woods said, who was over by where I was, looking over my shoulder as I read it also. 

I backed out of the car, taking a deep breath. Nervous energy rose up inside me as I considered the worst. 

"Could it be a fan? I mean, we've had crazies before who try and come to the studio, right?" I said, trying to think of anything else it could be.

But both Sam and Woods shook their heads, Woods laughed.

"Matt, those fans have just tried to talk to us, they haven't sent us threatening or creepy letters! I'm just sayin! I really don't think this is a fan."

Sam noticed the journal in my hands and pointed to it, setting the piece of paper in the box that was left by Woods.

"I found this in the glovebox just over here," I said, pointing to the open glovebox. 

I looked back at Sam, who nodded, grabbing the gray box. I put the little notebook inside, then grabbed the seemingly random other things from the glovebox and also put them in the box.

"Is that everything? Everyone check and make sure, then we'll go over to Blue Base where it's colder so that it's not as hot as Orange Base is right now."

I stood up from the passenger seat and I walked around the car, going over it with a fine tooth comb, and so did Woods and Sam, but that was all we could see that was in the car.

I nodded, then proceeded to shut all the car doors, then made my way to the drivers side car door and plunged the 155 key into the key hole and turned it so that it locked. 

I grabbed the door handle and tried to pull it open, but it was thoroughly locked. I nodded, then motioned to Woods and Sam to come to Blue Base.

We started walking and Woods grabbed the gray box.

I looked back at Woods, who was struggling to carry it, and chuckled.

"I guess you have a hard time with the camera and that, huh Woods?"

Woods rolled his eyes, sighing and pushed the box up with his knees so he could get a better hold of it.

I put the 155 key back in my pocket and fished out my black key fob, as we were close to the front door of Blue Base. I put it up against the black door frame, and a soft "BEEP" and click followed. I swung the door open, holding it so that Woods and Sam could get through, and then the door shut by itself.

Before I walked over to where Woods and Sam were going, to the back of Blue Base where there was a small table and three chairs next to it, I pulled on the handle of the door to make sure it was securely locked, and I couldn't open it. I nodded, then walked over to where Woods and Sam were.

I sighed, then took a seat across from Woods and next to Sam, who was on my left.

Woods then put up a finger, grabbing medium, large, and small sized rubber gloves for us to put on. 

I looked at him, eyebrows raised in question.

"We don't want our fingerprints on these, right? I don't want to be implicated in anything, do you?"

Sam and I shook our heads, all of us laughing. 

I grabbed two of the large white gloves, Woods the medium white gloves, and Sam the medium also.

"I thought you would go for the small gloves, Sam. Your hands are bigger than I thought." I said, trying to lighten the mood. Everyone chuckled, but then stayed silent.

Woods sighed, then grabbed the little brown journal I had found.

"Why don't we start with this? Should all of us look at it at once, or...?"

I looked at Sam, who shrugged. 

Then, I had an idea. "A fan suggested this, they said that we should pass it down. If one person missed something important, then maybe the next person could find something."

Woods and Sam nodded. "Yeah, good idea Matt."

I chuckled, then muttered to myself, "Well I didn't come up with it."

Woods flipped it open, and we all gasped unanimously. 

The pages were old, burnt, ripped. There were stains that I didn't recognize on all the pages. 

Woods' eyes squinted as he read the text, then his eyes widened. He motioned out his hands, and shook his head. 

"Nope. No, nah."

He stood up from his chair and left the room.

"Whoa, it's that bad? Oh no," I exclaimed, worry lining both mine and Sam's faces.

Since I was supposed to be next in this line, I grabbed the book and started reading what he was reading.

"Subject 5: I captured Subject 5 in October of 2019, right on Halloween. Responded poorly to heavy dose of anesthesia. Might have to get a new one soon. That's a heavy might though. Since she is still alive, I could do more with her. Oh by the way, whoever is reading this, hello! You're probably wondering why I put this journal in the Mountaineer. Well, I do know that my future self wouldn't want to give anything away, wouldn't I? I will say one thing though: Be careful with my clues.

"I do love playing games with my victims."

I dropped the book, both Sam and I gaping at the book.

Were we his victims?