Chapter 30 - The Final Showdown (Murder #15)

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Orlando, Florida

July 3, 2019

Roughly 6:30am EST

"Three professional hockey players were left with nowhere to run,

One was driven to insanity, killed his friend and then himself and then there was one."

Boris gradually gets back to his feet. He turns to Alex and Ross. "Alex, get away from him! He's the murderer!"

Ross chuckles. "Again, what proof do you have?" He holds out the long and sharp-jagged dagger in his hand, which he'd picked up from behind the Disguise Drop thrill attraction in Deception Hill.

"You lagged behind us! This whole time, you've been a step BEHIND us! Or...even, you can say, a step BEFORE us!" Boris growls as Alex prances to his protective arm. He holds out his weapon, one of the two medium-sized daggers, from the Deception Hill attraction, aiming it right at the man.

The other medium-sized dagger is in the hand of Alex.

"Can we account for your presence in all the locations of the murders? I don't think so!" Boris growls out.

"We can't confirm you and Alex either?!" Ross spits. "Plus ALL three of us has a weapon. And let's not mention that when we were in Deception Hill, grabbing the weapons it was my idea and then Alex proceeded to NOT grab one!"

"Because I grabbed one for him!" Boris snaps.

"If it WAS me, who was the killer," Alex begins. "Then, hypothetically, I'd have to kill off Katzy and you, which isn't happening! I might hate you, Ross, but not enough to kill you and I LOVE Katzy! Plus, I have no strife with Ben Thomas, Jo, Mitch or really any of the other victims that got killed!"

"So it was Boris then?!" Ross scoffs. "He's a big baddie! Probably thought the others, including myself, are looking at his man a certain way, so he's got to eliminate the competition! I'm next, but I won't let you get the satisfaction, cause I don't have ANY feelings for that French Princess!"

Boris shakes his head. "So you think I killed everyone, because they batted their eyelashes at my Blueberry? That's a big fat no! First of all, Nyla, Raddy, Brett and Vladdy make no sense for me to kill. They never once looked at Alex."

"That's true, which brings us back to you, Ross," Alex snarls. "Just need to figure out why you'd kill who you would!"

Ross smirks at them. A twisted, evil smirk. "Fantastic detective work, a little too late though. You can run, but you can't hide and you can't escape me!"

Boris looks at Alex, who looks back at him, his eyes full of fright.

"Let's run!" Alex suggests.

They grab hands and book it for the Carousel De Masquerade that is lined by trees. Ross sprints after them, full mad and like any serial killer seen in a TV show or movie. They make a bee-line, running back toward the Secret Mask Loop and by the Dance of Death attraction, which is a dark ride that is similar to bumper cars.

They spot another show tent and find their way to the Mask O' Rade Thrill coaster with it's quadruple loop excitement. Then they bolt back into the main pathway that runs between the two railroad stations and up to the castle.

However, they halt, standing before the entrance and looking into the park, peralyzed with fear.

"Where is he?" Boris questions.

"I-I don't...know..." Alex inquires.

Gripped tightly in the non-hand holding hands, are the glistening silver blades of their dagger weapons.

As they look around them, they can see the decaying attractions of the Masquerade Fast-querade coaster, the two Seventh Heaven Railroad Stations with train tracks shooting out the back side of them, the Mask O' Rade Thrill coaster and the Fairytale Fortress castle with the drawbridge and moat.

Behind them is the sign for the park.

A faded blue glow surrounds the strange swirling font of letters that form the words 'Masquerade Island', which is etched onto a rectangle of aging, dirty, cracked stone. Sticking off the 'm' in the first word of the amusement park sign is a matching blue-glowing pitch black masquerade style mask with feathers.

The stone forms a blocky 'u'-shaped archway that has the twenty feet tall electric-lined fence that stretches up into the air behind it. The one that no one volunteered to try out and test if it was for real.

Before the fence is a patch of thick, thorny brush that cloaks and covers the southern area of the themepark, blocking their access to the exit.

So, that is definitely not an option.

Earlier they'd figured out that there had to be another way to get to the entrance and exit of the place. But they'd yet to find one. For all they knew there was some unknown back lot area like at Disney World or any other amusement parks, but only the killer (in this case, Ross Colton) knew about it and its location.

Ross' voice, no longer disguised, booms out from the park's speakers, taunting with the final line of his deadly crafted poem:

"One professional hockey player was left all alone,

He walked out of Masquerade Island, alive and then there were none."

Boris and Alex continue to step backward, toward the entrance and exit sign for the park and the blockade of bushes and fencing. Their hearts are beating fiercely in their chest. Where is Ross Colton?


Ross ambushes them both from behind. First he takes down Alex Barre-Boulet, seizing him by the wrist with one hand and slashing his dagger evenly and swiftly across his neck with the other hand. And then jumps Boris Katchouk, before the big brute protector can even make a move.

Alex hits the pavement, making awful gurgling sounds and clawing at the wound on his neck, before managing one final gasp. He crashes forward and bleeds out, the blood pooling under him.

Ross forces Boris to watch, before slicing his throat.

Ross chuckles in glee, stepping back and admiring his work. He smiles as Boris falls forward and hits the pavement now.

Finally! All of them dead!

Ross drops the blood dagger on the ground and throws his head back, cackling wickedly.

"FINALLY!! I SUCCEEDED!! I WIN!!"

After a good cackling session, he drops his head and mutters, "Now no one will ever know!"  


****

Congrats! If you guessed Ross Colton from the start of this, you're correct! (Alternately, if you guessed Boris or Alex, you're wrong!)

Now stay tuned to find out WHY Ross killed everyone! 

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