Eldritch

Chapter 7

Sean hops over the back of a booth in a local diner and seats himself atop one of the red leather seats. As he rests his arm over the back of the seat and relaxes himself, Daniel  - still shook from his encounter with Kooky A - and Martin sit opposite him.

'You okay?' Sean asks.

'Yeah,' Daniel replies, his throat dry. 'She's just terrifying.'

'Agreed,' Martin states. 'I also think she's crazy. You can't listen to what she's saying. She's unhinged, Daniel.'

His face resting on his clasped hands, he turns to him.

'Is she really though?' he challenges. 'Or is that just what everybody in Starryton says because the kind of things she tells everybody, they refuse to believe because it's too weird?'

Sean looks down for a brief moment, a sign of his uncertainty. He knows that Daniel could well be right in what he's saying; they were locked down and released from a basement by a mysterious entity. But Martin's argument is more logical and realistic; a deranged old woman believing there's a supernatural force confined to her home. It makes more sense.

'I don't know what the truth is, guys,' he tells them. He gives the diner a scan with his eyes, leans across the table and gestures for them to move closer to his face. Then he lowers his voice to a faint whisper. 'But what we do know, is that Abi died, most likely because of what we did.'

'I think so too,' Daniel swallows. 'When I was younger, my Dad always used to tell me stories based on his job, and I've come to believe in this kind of thing.'

He swallows, his eyes glazed with tears. 'We never should have followed Lisa to that stupid house that night, or played that game. It's just, when we were locked down there, and were given the chance to write something down, I thought that on the off chance that it worked, I wanted Abi to just stop what she was doing. But I never thought that she'd end up dying. I should have known better.'

'We all should have,' Martin agrees. He places a hand to his friend's shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze. 'But, we did what we did, and I guess, we're going to have to find a way to live with it.'

'Yeah,' Sean and Daniel agree as a tray with three milkshakes and cheese burgers are placed in front of them. Slowly, they push thoughts of Abi Prendergast from their minds and start to eat, between mouthfuls, discussing a range of different topics. They even laugh among themselves a little. Just like they used to, before this nightmare began.

The boys' brief moment of enjoyment is interrupted by Charlene, Ella and Sophie joining them at their table. They all squash together in the booth. Daniel plants a kiss to Charlene's cheek and smiles at her. 'What's up?'

She remains deadly silent, her eyes fixed on a spot in the distance. It's as though she's concentrating on collecting her thoughts. She doesn't blink, not once. Not until Sophie speaks.

'Abi's autopsy results are back,' she says.

Immediately, as though a reflexive reaction, Daniel stiffens; his muscles tense and he stares at Sophie for a moment, who is overtaken by Ella. As she speaks, she swallows slightly a couple of times. Charlene and the three boys fix their stares on her.

'It was definitely a murder, according to Sheriff Ryan.'

The six teenagers sit in silence for a few moments, not daring to look each other in the eye. Charlene fixes her gaze on a spot in the distance once more and draws in a deep breath. 'Sheriff Ryan said he's going to do everything he can to catch whoever's responsible.'

She pauses. 'And so am I. I want her murderer to rot for what they've done.'

Charlene leans closer to Daniel and rests her head on his shoulder. He pulls her closer to him. While his girlfriend is preoccupied resting against his body, he and the others glance around the booth, each sharing uneasy glances with one another.