DAY THREE – TUESDAY.

'Hello Kyle'.

'Cartman', Kyle nodded waiting. The silence stretched. Kyle bit his lip, he wasn't going to speak first. Cartman had been acting weird all week and then that stupid phonecall to Kyle's Mom insisting he come over. He'd 'hang in there' like the stupid cat poster behind Cartman's fat head.

The two boys stood staring at one another until Cartman eventually spoke. 'Well I see we've reached an impasse'. He spread his hands shrugging reluctantly, 'So be it'.

'Impasse? What are you going on about Fatass cos I'm really not in the mood for this. In fact I'm the opposite of in the mood. You get me sent over here with your stupid gameplaying and expect me to be bothered. Well I'll tell you something you piece of shi….' Kyle faltered, Cartman just stood staring strangely at him. It was his eyes Kyle thought, they were different. Cartman's little piggy eyes usually gleamed with a scheming intelligence but somehow they were different. Colder, emptier, more malevolent.

'I'm going Jackass, don't go ringing my Mom again'.

He'd just reached the door when Cartman spoke. 'Quite clearly you are bothered Kyle. Tut tut tut. And you should be. You all should be.'

Kyle didn't mean to run but he did. Silence followed him but he got out of Cartman's house and didn't stop until his own front door slammed behind him. That was strange. He couldn't quite put words to it, but an irrational fear had gripped him when Cartman spoke. His voice was clipped, devoid of any real emotion. None of Cartman's usual sneer or whine, just distant. And somehow worse.

'You can come out now Token'.

Token stepped out of Cartman's wardrobe hesitantly. He'd heard to conversation with Kyle, if the short exchange of words could even be called a conversation.

'It's not him Token, he didn't do it. You may cross him off the list.'

'There is no list. I keep telling you that Eric. And you never even asked him if he was..'

'There is a list Token, in here,' Cartman tapped his head dramatically, 'But 'we' have reached an impasse. It's not Kyle, nor is it Butters or Stan. They're all off the list. But you?'

Token took a step back, 'It was me who told you Eric. I had nothing to do with it.'

'Ah but he who denies it…'

'You know what, I did you a favour coming over here. I don't know why I cared, your just a dick even when someone tries to help you. I hope it comes true!'

Cartman growled and Token felt the wall behind him. He'd literally backed himself into a corner. He tried a conciliatory tone, 'It's just a joke Eric, a sick one, but a joke. Hell you'll probably do the same to someone next week. Look I'll keep asking around, if I find anything else out I'll call you okay?'

Token made to leave but Cartman blocked him. He tried again but Cartman anticipated his move and shoved him back against the wall. Token wanted to scream but he knew the house was empty. No one would hear. Just when he thought he was going to have to beg Eric to move, Cartman stepped back. Token ran, faster than Kyle before him. He'd gone three blocks before he slowed down. The old cruel brash Cartman was gone. This quiet cold Cartman had took over since Token had shown him the website three days previous. The fear Token felt right then made him wish it was true, just so that he'd never have to see Eric Cartman again.

Cartman sat at the computer screen waiting for the window to refresh. When Token had told him about the website on Sunday night he'd laughed. There was a perverse pleasure to having someone hate you so much they made a webpage about it. 'Cartman Must Die' was typed in large red font on the title page, with a subheading of 'How many days?'. He'd tried to figure out the IP address, hoping to turn the prank back on the prankster. But it'd all changed last night. 'Four more days Cartman' was the new subheading but even worse was the link beneath it. It lead to two pictures. One of Cartman asleep in bed. An obvious show of power was what Cartman had decided. A clever move; I could have killed you but didn't haha type game. The other picture was worse. A head, eyeless and bald but with feminine features. A woman's head, his Mom's head. He'd last seen her leaving for school yesterday, Monday morning. When she didn't come home he'd thought nothing of it. Sometimes his Mom went to knitting club with a new Uncle. Then he'd checked this horrible webpage and seen the changes. He ran to get sick and seen her hair in the bath. No blood, nothing else, just thick brown lengths of hair. He couldn't figure out if it had been shaved off here or wherever she'd been taken. The head looked tortured, the lips swollen and the eyes…Goddammit he wasn't gonna cry. So she wasn't killed straight away he decided. Held somewhere but not the house. There was no blood, no mess in the house but for the hair. Four more days. If that was true he had until Saturday to find whoever was behind this. And kill them!