Murder Mystery 2018

Chapter eleven

Written by Beth

The remaining group members fixated on the note in Beth's hand. They couldn't believe all of their friends were dead, no, they wouldn't believe it. It was up to them to figure out, once and for all, who killed their friends and then rid of them - never to return again.

Beth walked over to where Stalene's deformed body lay mangled underneath the car, denial written all over her face. She crouched down next to her friend and started to cry. Though they never talked much, she still felt as if the girl was her friend and someone she could talk to if needed.

"Please don't leave me," Beth wept into her friends cold shoulder, as she vibrated from the motion of doing so. "You were one of the only sane ones here, well unless you count that glass shard moment you had earlier - but let's not." Amongst her tears, she grinned a fraction of a smile and caressed the other woman's cheek as a single tear rolled down her face.

"Beth, get away from Stalene," Lemon barked at the forlorn girl, annoyed beyond measure. "We don't have time for you to sit there and cry like a baby. Either get your shit together and come back inside with us or stay out here and be left to die. Your choice."

"Hold on a second, Lem," Sam interjected and placed her hand upon his shoulder. "What makes you think I'll go back inside with you? For all we know, you're the killer!" she spat, fuming.

"Oh, I'm the killer?! I'm the killer?! As if!" he hollered, getting right up in the other girl's face. 

"How do we know you, or Beth over there, aren't the killers and are waiting to get me alone?!" he huffed, turned on his heels, and headed back in the direction of the hotel.

"Was I wrong to snap at him like that?" Sam asked of Beth, who was still weeping on the ground by their broken down car. "I don't know what overcame me . . . it's as though I'm scared. That's it! I'm scared. Ten of us are dead and the rest of us cannot stop bickering enough to figure out a solution for leaving this hell-hole. All I want is for my friends to come back to me. Is that too much to ask?" the woman knelt to the dirt next to Beth and rested her head on the shoulder of the other woman.

Beth placed her free hand atop Sam's light brown hair and stroked it with care, calming the girl down. "Hey, everything's all right. The is not too much to ask - not by a long shot," Beth shushed her, as she would her child. "Let's not think of that right now, though. Instead, let's say a few words for Stalene as we sit here with her."

The two women sat in silence as they mourned their friend and fellow colleague. They refused to think that someone among them could be this hateful towards their own friends. When they snap, they snap.

•••••••

Beth, after consoling a worried Sam, tried to find a quiet place to continue her latest novel. Why must she let her friends' deaths get in the way of her being able to finish her story? She was getting to a good part, too.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" a voice echoed all around the diminished staff members.

"Who's there?" Alpha, the first to leave, commanded the mysterious voice.

"'Tis I, your writer, coming to introduce myself," the voice projected across the vast space. "How else do you think you got here, hmm?"

"I don't know . . . magic?" Alpha shrugged his shoulders, uninterested in the current conversation.

"My dear Alpha, you would have known if it was magic," the voice tutted at the clueless boy. "Not magic, of any sort, I put you here. I control what you, and your little friends, do and say."

Alpha couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was part of a book? It was that simple? Did he, and the rest of staff, without a shadow of a doubt, die? No, he didn't want to think like that - they were crazy thoughts. He shoved the craziness away and turned his attention back to the black void.

"Then I must ask; who are you?" he figured he wouldn't get a response and the mysterious voice would continue talking about them being characters of a novel, but was surprised when that didn't happen.

•••••••

"Hey, Lemon. I think I know who the killer is," Sam whispered to the boy next to her as they walked down the hallway towards the light of the room. They told Beth they were going to get some water, but got lost on the way. They understood the need to write, more so when inspiration hit."I think I've known for a while, too, but either didn't believe it or chose not to."

Lemon looked to her, curiosity piqued. He couldn't believe she had known this whole time and didn't say anything. "Why didn't you say anything before?" he whispered back, his voice raised a bit.

"I wanted to make sure first." Sam huffed, not liking the boy's accusatory tone. "I do have an idea on how to catch them, though."

Lemon inched closer, intent on listening to the girl's plan. He couldn't wait to hear what all it entailed. All he wanted was for this nightmare to be over so he could get on with his life, whatever little of that it was. Catching the killer in the act sounded fun.

The duo stepped into an empty room to the right of them and discuss the plan. Then, they part ways and get the materials required for their trap.