Jill sat at the desk, the dim lamplight illuminating her face as it twisted slightly with confusion. She didn't want to believe it. No. She couldn't believe it, couldn't bring herself to even consider it to be true. For if Buck could be caught, Buck, the best of them all, then she, Jill, could definitely be caught. And she didn't want that.
Jill put the letter down on the table, wondering if the others had heard yet. She glanced at the clock. 1:30 A.M...too late to place a call? She wondered. A knock at the door stopped her panicky thoughts. Jill collected herself and rose from her chair, stepping forward and opening the door all in one brisk movement. The door swung open to reveal Lauren, leaning against the wall and smoking a cigarette. Jill coughed. "Put that thing out before you come in," she said, stepping back into the darkened office.
Lauren hardly ever saw Jill anymore, except for the group meetings, once a year. Jill wondered how Lauren had gotten her address. Maybe someone from the group had given it to her. She returned to her desk chair and quickly hid the letter under a stack of books. "Don't bother," said Lauren as she slunk into the room, "I already know." Jill's eyes widened. "You do?" she whispered, although no one else was nearby to hear. "What, you think you're the only one who gets any news around here?" Lauren was challenging her, tempting her. Then, however, she changed the subject. "So, Jillian, how are you?" she asked, strutting back and forth somewhat smugly, as if the aforementioned exchange had not taken place. Jill glared. "Lauren," she began, "every time we cross paths, you ask that same question, and every time, I will give you the exact same answer." Lauren grinned. "And what is your answer?" she asked, mocking Jill, who, through gritted teeth, responded. "Fine, but don't call me Jillian." Lauren nodded, apparently pleased.
"How did you get the word about Buck?" Jill asked, going back to the previous topic of discussion. Lauren examined her manicure, then said grudgingly, "If you must know, Kyle told me," she said, not glancing up. Jill looked shocked. "Kyle?" she whispered in disbelief. Lauren nodded. "How did you find out?" she asked, finally looking at Jill. "Buck wrote me himself," Jill said, feeling for the first time that she had triumphed over Lauren, who had dropped onto the couch, openmouthed. "Buck?" she whispered, "He wrote you? How?" Jill took a deep breath. "When he was on the run from the police." She pulled the letter out from its hiding place, debating whether or not to read it to Lauren. "Read it," Lauren prompted. "It's your duty as a member." Jill knew she was right. No secrets. So she cleared her throat and read, her voice somewhat trembling:
Jill- I am on the run from the police. I fear they have linked me to several of the deaths and I have no way to get out of it. I know I will be captured soon enough. Watch the news channel for conformation of this. You must keep the group organized and strong. Keep them in action or we may all go down. This could be the end of the K.O.M. as we know it. Please share this letter's information with Ray as compensation for him risking everything to deliver it. Members may be dropping by your place soon. Keep in touch if possible. -Buck
Lauren gasped. "Ray delivered it? He trusted RAY? I could have done it, I have been faithful, attentive...I am every bit as good as Ray is. Why has Buck never noticed me?" Jill turned to face Lauren, for she had been staring at the wall for some time now. "Buck notices you," she said quietly, "just not in the way you want him to." Lauren cocked her head to one side. "What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely puzzled. Jill grinned almost devilishly. "I've seen the way you look at him...the way you compliment him and hang on his every word. Lauren, you know it'll never work out. Why don't you just leave the group? You don't even seem interested anymore." Lauren looked shocked that Jill, someone she barely spoke to anymore, knew her secrets, things she had never revealed to anyone, and barely accepted herself. She knew that if Jill told, if it was revealed that she only even joined the group to be with Buck...and that she wasn't really interested in what they were doing...the group would turn on her, and no one ever left the K.O.M. and lived to tell the tale.
While Lauren deliberated and Jill worried, someone was lurking outside the door. His name was Kyle, and he was part of the same group that Lauren, Buck, Ray, and Jill were in. This group had a name, and it was a very feared one. It was made up of men and women of many ages, handpicked by the leaders for their certain abilities. Rich, sexy, clever and cunning, they seemed the type of people you would see on MTV. However, there was one quality that each of these seemingly perfect people possessed that those on MTV did not: they were deadly. The group was called the Knights of Murder, and they took no prisoners.