DELICATE / Brandon Darrow

ten

ten
the monkey mask
FIRST PERSON

I GOT A CALL from Hailey saying to meet her at the Grotto since something happened. I snuck out my window and started to make my way over. I started to hear sounds in the bushes behind me but I decided to shrug it off.

Then I started to hear footsteps so I started to walk faster. I finally turned around and I saw someone in a monkey mask walking towards me. I started to back up then turned around to run.

I finally made it to Rowan and Hailey. I saw police and lights surrounding the Grotto.

"Hey, you guys okay?" I asked them.

"Yeah," Rowan answered. "Oh shit, my dad," then we all got down.

"Monkey Man was there guys," Hailey confirmed shakily, obviously scared. "I'm not kidding, he was standing right in front of me. Then I started screaming and these dudes came over. I-I just ran when they weren't looking."

"Did the cops see you?" Rowan asked.

"I got a message and it said, 'Your Turn'." Hailey informed us. "Do you think he's gonna kidnap me?"

Until someone interrupted us. "Yo, what the hell is going on down there?" Ash asked, scaring me.

We all got up.

"It's that girl," Rowan answered. "Raven. Hailey found her body."

We all stood there looking at him.

"Damn," was all he said, looking at Hailey. Ash took a second to have a breather. "Here, these will help," handing Hailey something.

Rowan and I looked at each other in disbelief. I already knew Ash was dealing her something but I didn't know it was pills. I mean, I should've guessed.

"I don't want them," Hailey denied, looking down.

"Well, great, cool, good for you but you texted me so pay up," Ash told her with not much emotion.

"Those pills weren't for Brie, were they?" Rowan asked Hailey, upset.

Rowan got her answer by Hailey's expression. With that, Rowan made a bust out of there.

"Rowan, stop, please," Hailey tried but Rowan still left.

Hailey went to the window to look down at Rowan.

"Great," Hailey muttered, more to Ash. "You didn't text me earlier, did you?"

"Nah, I was just heading to your house right now," Ash told her.

"I got a text earlier saying to meet me here," Hailey told him. "I was so out of it that I didn't even realize it wasn't you," she was looking at her feet.

"Who was it?" Ash asked.

"Monkey Man," she answered.

"I saw him," I interrupted. "I saw him heading my way over here."

"Are you okay?" Hailey questioned, grabbing my shoulder as a way to comfort me.

"Yeah," I nodded. "And today, Brandon confronted me for what I said to him," I paused because the words didn't want to come out. "He told me I was a little bitch and I don't know. It just rubbed me off the wrong way."

"Did he do anything to you?" Ash asked, suddenly becoming protective.

I shook my head to reassure him. "No. But I found a note in my locker that said mirror, mirror on the wall, you just got warned, don't trust them all."

"What the hell?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hailey asked, her voice raspy.

We both stood there until we saw Rowan talking to her dad. Of course, we didn't know what. But Hailey and I saw her coming our way so we ran down to meet her.

"I'll stop taking them, I promise," Hailey began.

"I didn't tell them they were yours," Rowan assured her.

"I should of told you– both of you," she said. "I should've never said they were Brie's."

We could see the guilt on her face.

"Hey, hey, it doesn't even matter now," Rowan tried to sound convincing. "Now we know Monkey Man's a killer," she grabbed both of our hands.

"We need to check on Elisia," I demanded.

♡

We got to Elisia's house and Rowan knocked on the door but the door opened on its own.

"Elisia?" Rowan called.

We walked inside, Rowan first and Hailey and I behind her. We were searching around her house but we couldn't find her.

"Where is she?" Hailey whispered to us.

Then a door behind us started to open. I put Hailey and Rowan behind me and held them to make sure they were still there while their hands were on my shoulder.

"The power went out," Elisia emerged from the dark.

We all took a breather.

"Do you think he cut the power? All of the sudden, the lights went out," Elisia explained until Hailey gave her a hug. "What's wrong?"

"She's dead," Rowan told her. "The girl in the video is actually dead."

Elisia look stunned.

"He shot her," I continued.

"Monkey Man killed her," Hailey added straight after.

"It's real."

♡

We all sat down with Elisia and were talking about the whole Monkey Man stuff until we all got a notification. We were all tagged in a private video from Monkey Man. It showed a bunch of different guns and pom pom's.

"Pom pom's?" Elisia questioned with confusion in her voice.

"The spirit assembly," Hailey concluded. "What if he brings these guns to school?" She started to panic. "He said it's my turn. We can't go!"

"We have to go," Rowan confirmed.

"No, no, no," Hailey's word strung out.

"We have to warn people, Hailey," Rowan continued to convince her. "Call a bomb threat, do something," then Rowan started to get a call. "That's my dad, I have to go," she picked up her jacket and what fell shocked us all.

The Monkey Mask.

"Elisia," Rowan started slowly, picking it up. "Why do you have this?"