The Devil's Game

Chapter fourteen

The phone rang repeatedly in my ear. Groaning, I grouchy got my phone accidentally knocking it over. Leaned down answering the phone.

"Hello," the sleepness droused over me.

"Hailey, are you watching the news?" Jane screeched into the phone, sounding too alerted.

"No, I'm too busy sleeping to watch the news," I said calmingly.

"Turn on the tv to the news station! Quick!"

I flicked on the tv with the remote beside me, luckily on the news station. I hung up the phone. The newscaster, a woman with red hair in a bun, with a stern face, talked sternly. She looks like a woman you wouldn't want to mess with.

" . . . A teenage boy found dead in his garage, slaughtered. Police say there was no forced entry, and that there was another person. A teenaged female. Police have found women's clothes and ID. there was nobody of a teenage girl. The police say that she has gone missing."

A photo of John pops up on screen. Wasn't Melody supposed to visit him last night? Then a picture of Melody comes up.

Searching my phone, I speed dial her number. After five rings her voice mail came. I started panicking and I phoned Jane.

"Oh my god! I can't believe she's actually missing. I phoned her and it went straight to voicemail!" I panicked.

"I know, that's why I phoned for you to watch the news!"

"Oh my god. First Kristy, then Melody has gone missing."

" . . . The police think that this is tied to the missing person. A couple came home from their trip and found their daughter missing . . ."

A photo of Kristy shows up on screen. Hot tears filled my vision. "Oh my god, Jane. Kristy's missing without a trace."

"That's why Kristy hasn't answered our messages and calls."

"Jane, I-I'm panicking. We need to gather everyone up in our group and explain what is going on. Hell, I don't even know what's going on."

"Alright, I'll text them and we meet in an hour at . . . Starbucks."

"Okay." Jane hung up. I got up from the bed speed dressing. I booked it downstairs and made toast. In the meantime, I got my shoes on and got my phone ready with a full bar. Once the toast was done toasting, I whipped on butter and walked out the door. It may seem I have a lot of time but really, I didn't. Parking in an open space I walked in and found Justin and Mason talking quietly.

"Hey," I welcomed myself into the chat slipping beside Mason.

"Just in time, we were just about to talk about this morning's news," Justin replied. "Please don't get me on it. I'm already panicked enough that two of us are missing, of all people."

"I know." Justin replied.

I knew Mason will stay quiet from now on as his insecurities get to him when talking in large groups, even if it's three people. A moment later, the other two came. Hudson sat down beside Justin and Jane sat beside me.

"Wow, Mason. You're getting all the girls," Hudson teased.

"Ha ha, very funny."

I was at least a bit shocked that Mason spoke in front of us. A couple weeks ago, he said that he wouldn't talk in front of people no more than a couple people. Actually, all of us are shocked. The only time he spoke in front of us when we didn't know them and Hudson was bothering us. But that was a few weeks ago.

Now, we know them so it's so shocking that he said something.

"Wow, Mason. You can talk!" Jane replied with her mouth gaping open.

"Yeah, I can talk. I choose not to, though," he explained.

"Oh, but it would be helpful if you interact with the rest of us," Hudson replies.

"Anyways, we need to find ways so we know why they disappeared, and why," Jane got everyone's attention with the little speech.

"I know two great ways to start. Let's go from the beginning to that one night at the party to now, or we find out what's in common for both Melody and Kristy," I suggest.

"All hands for the first option."

Hudson and Jane rose their hands. "All for a second."

Mason and Justin raised their hands. "What about you, Hailey?" Justin asked. "I'm going with the second option. I feel if we can't find a lot in common, then we will do a timeline," I explained.

Hudson took out a crumpled sheet of paper with a pen from his pocket and made a venn diagram, signing one side of Melody and the other Kristy. We listed off a lot of things from the starting off that Melody disappeared two weeks from the party, or the next day when we played The Picture Game. But Kristy disappeared the week after and when Mason and I played Charlie, Charlie. Melody disappeared a week later from who knows what. So what set something off to make it mad to the point where two of our friends go missing? We all have questions that are going unanswered.

I think this is the time to tell everyone from the beginning. "I have a confession as I don't know if this is linked to our friend's disappearance. Ever since I've played Charlie, Charlie . . . I've been seeing bloody red eyes . . . that glow when I'm in bed. It's like they are watching me. I try to flash the light in the direction, it's gone." I told them my experience, and how my parents aren't home.

"Why don't you call them to come home?" Justin asked.

"I'm not going to tell them 'oh please mm and dad, oh please for dear life come home. I keep hearing noises and seeing red eyes. I'm scared.' Like no, they'll just say, 'oh you're fine, it's just your imagination.' "

"Oof," Justin and Hudson voiced together in tone.

"Yeah, oof."

"Are we missing anything else?" Hudson asked for double checking. We stayed silent giving him his answer. "Okay, thanks for the answer."

We left the building heading our ways. Although Jane and I went our way together meeting at the school. On the drive, my phone dinged. Very close to the school I let the phone go. Once I parked, snatched my phone reading the message.

Don't forget the dare! If you don't do the dare by the end of the day, something bad will happen and you won't enjoy it.

I brushed off the message, continuing what I was doing before I got interrupted by Satan. Jane pulled up in a parking spot near mine, getting out of the black Sedan. I joined her as we headed towards the back of the school into the trees.

There, we talked on our own terms. Private things where we wouldn't want the others to listen in. After a while, we headed back to our own homes. I spent most of the morning out and about. Looking at the time, it's almost three and I haven't shoplifted anything, which I'm not. No way in hell would I shoplift for the devil himself. I'm not looking for trouble since what's been happening.

Warm tears sprung into my eyes blurring my vision. Soon, I started sobbing hysterically. Two of my friends are missing and I feel like it's my fault, or at least partly. I don't know what's going on or what happened to them. My knees buckled down and fell hard on the ground, sobbing my crushed heart out.

Crawling towards the couch hoisting myself up as I curled into a small ball where I wouldn't want to be disturbed. I wanted to die, fall into an endless abyss. I didn't want to see anyone right now let alone talk to anyone. Not knowing what happened to my closest friends is just plain sadness. I don't think I'll ever see them again.