Project

4.2: Alibis

"So, I assume first off you want to know if Project would ever be one to do this. If they were ever a person who would be hunted, or be a hunter. The simple answer is no. Why? Well, we'll get into the details soon. Right now, I would like to talk about The Scene of the Crime.

"As you saw, the fire was massive, towering over the houses that neighboured it. No one knew exactly how it started, except for anyone who was sane enough whilst inside the house –Also known as yours truly. I can tell you that the cause wasn't an attack, but more of a cover-up or accident. Someone had left the stove on, and thus when Harvey went down to have a cigarette, he set the place ablaze. Now, I don't know if it was an accident, or if it was on purpose, but I do know that whoever did it didn't want anyone to get hurt badly.

"As I went into the fire and flames, I noted that funnily enough, a pile of cushions was set behind Harvey, and that any fire that was set on him seemed to have gone out. Project's sister was out st the time being, so though she might have no specific alibi, she wasn't harmed. Project's mother was the most surprising, however, and really struck me when I couldn't figure out how she was able to escape with only slight burns and bruises. Then I realised that she was in fact in the right place at the right time. I asked her afterwards if she could explain what had happened, and apparently she was in the out building before the explosion, which shielded her mainly from everything. When she had entered, she was only then hit by the heat and intensity of it all.

"So, if this was indeed an attempt assassination, they really went out of their way to make sure no one else was hurt, and pre-planned a lot of details. Either someone only wanted to hurt Project, it was an accident, or something bigger has been happening.

"At the time, I was preparing my meals. I had loud music playing through my bulky, sound-insulating headphones, so I didn't hear the explosion. It was only when I smelt the smoke that I realised something wasn't right. I was able to save Harvey, yet I couldn't get back in time to save Project..." Sam began to deeply frown, his eyes watering up. He was still blaming himself, after all this time, Questioner realised. He wanted to give Sam some sympathy, a shoulder to cry on, yet Sam quickly brushed away his tears, coughed slightly, and carried on. Obviously he wasn't the type for affection, even when he needed it most, Questioner noted.

"So, that was the night of The Incident. When I awoke in hospital, the nurse told me I had a serious concussion and burns, along with a broken arm and hip. Luckily, apparently, my bones hadn't shattered out of place, and were still safe for self-healing, just that I needed to be in hospital for the next few days, to make sure nothing went wrong. Irony, eh? When someone says it's to make sure 'nothing goes wrong,' when everything already has.

"Eventually I was able to regather my things, and head out to free air. That was when I saw the messages, which were sent moments before the explosion that hit me. Each was weirder than the last.

"The short version of what they sent me was that they had a plan for a story, and that it could help with 'solving it all.' They gave me the basis of the story, and had asked me to write it in my own words, as apparently I spoke a lot like their writing. I had no other choice at this point other than to accept their request, as it was their last one for me. Plus, if it really would help solve the Mystery, I would love to try it out.

"They had given me an email, which contained an overall basis of the story, about a kid's life, as it went downhill. The person had four friends, P, O, M, and S, and they would spend eternity together, speaking quietly to each other, and bickering about each person's life. Yet S wanted to be in control of the group, which made the rest really mad, and thus they turned against S, torturing him until nothing but their shadow remained, a wavy visage of who they used to be. This sudden surge of violence drove the remaining three insane, wanting to take control for themselves, and soon take control of the world. One wanted to take over and rule as a king with his measly slaves, another wanted to rule as a nobleman with his guests of honour, and the final only wanted to teach the former rulers how to do the job right. Soon enough, they killed each other, none of them reaching what they aspired to reach, and thus ended the tale of corruption, the tale of insanity between the four rulers of empty space, and the kid that could only watch as it all crumbled before them.