His head is pounding as he tries to stand up, just having fallen down the elevator shaft, when Duncan sees something in a large black felt bag, immobile.
He looks up and sees the dim light coming in from the hallway, and then looks forward, just barely able to make out somebody in a black hooded sweatshirt standing in front of him, and the bag on the ground.
He has no idea what he has fallen into, but within seconds there is something punching and hitting at his entire upper body. It is with this realization that the present comes crashing onto Duncan, and he is shoved forward from the impact, scarred knuckles making contact with the kid in the sweatshirt's head. He can't see the guy's face—he's wearing a black mask—but he can hear the grunts of pain, and he can sure as hell feel the guy's fists punching into his stomach in retaliation.
Within seconds Duncan is on the floor, having had his feet knocked out from under him. He gazes up, heart hammering in his chest at his assailant, positive that within seconds he will have red streaks mixed into the green ones already dyed into his hair. He's never been sure of what happens after death, but at this moment Duncan believes that there is a pretty good bet he is about to find out.
To his surprise, however, the black mask is simply pulled up just enough so that the bastard can snicker and then spit on Duncan's face before he runs off into the shadows.
His first instinct is to get back up and chase after the bastard, but something about that bag holds Duncan back. He stands, wiping the spit off his face furiously, before slowly making his way over to the bag. He places one scarred, veiny hand on it—there is something inside. Cautiously, he unzips the zipper around the edges of the bag, and finds himself face to face with some guy.
Brown eyes widen the second that Duncan realizes that that isn't just some guy on the ground, by God, that's Ace Griffith, and last Duncan remembers, Ace doesn't have any red streaks in his hair. His hand moves to Ace's bare forearm, surprised to feel it cold. Cautiously, Duncan rolls Ace over onto his back, and stares into his empty, pale face.
Ace could be sleeping, were it not been for the huge red wound on the left side of his head. A small puddle of blood has already formed around it, but beside that, there is no apparent indication that Ace is doing anything other than enjoying a midday nap.
Duncan can feel the tears slide down his face, but he's not really sure what's happening just yet. The mere idea that Ace be gone is a ridiculous one; sure they've had had their fair share of spats, but Duncan is far from wishing Ace gone or… dead. Yet here he is, Duncan's high and mighty leader laying on the dirty ground before him, his head bashed in.
There is another object on the ground not too far from Ace, Duncan realizes, and upon inspection he can immediately tell that it is some sort of circular weight wrapped in clear plastic wrap and fashioned into a swinging object. Stains of crimson confirm that it is the murder weapon, but Duncan doesn't want to think about any of those terms right now.
His only response to the situation is to pick up Ace with the bag, his sleeping bag, and carry him to the nearest exit. He can't really think of much besides that bastard's laugh before he ran off as he kicks open the boiler room door to the hallway.
"I said clear the way, there may be someone else in—by God!"
Duncan does not flinch upon hearing the voice of his headmaster, he simply stares up into the old man's eyes, surrounded by creases of years of dealing with petulant troublemakers such as Duncan Haynes and Ace Griffith. There is something about the boy's eyes, however, that makes Dr. Crabblesnitch stop. There is something too empty about his eyes for a scolding.
"What's that you got there, son?" Crabblesnitch inquires, stepping forward slowly. Duncan turns to the right almost protectively, wrapping his arm around Ace. He can't let anyone touch Ace right now, they might wake him up.
But Duncan knows Ace isn't sleeping.
"He's dead," he chokes out, his grip tightening on Ace's body through the bag. "He's dead and he's bleeding…!"
"Give him here," one of the prefects demands, stepping forward to relieve the kid of the body. Seth is tired and this whole situation is scaring him something nasty, but he's pretty sure that one of the students shouldn't be the one to lug around a body.
"Don't touch him!" Duncan roars, stepping back and almost falling back into the boiler room. Seth sneaks a look at Crabblesnitch, who in turn gives him a slight shake of the head. Defeated, he steps back.
Crabblesnitch takes a cautious step towards Duncan, who by now is looking 'round like a deer trapped in the headlights of an 18-wheeler truck. "We have to get him outside, son," he explains quietly, using the same voice he uses when speaking to one of the middle school children, "there's ambulances to help him."
Duncan nods slowly, but by the way he's standing, Crabblesnitch can tell that the boy intends on carrying the body out himself. It must have been one of his friends, he realizes, and a quick glance at the deceased's face once Duncan starts walking confirms it. Ace Griffith was always a bit of a wild boy, it was no surprise that his end would be something as wild as he was in life.
The sun is shining outside, and Duncan knows it's probably nice and warm, but all he can feel right now is the cold and unforgiving weight of Ace on his shoulder. Ace, who was their leader, who liked to ride of the surfaces of concert crowds and flirt girls silly, now confined into a black bag.
Hysterical at this point, Duncan lays Ace down and begins ripping the bag off him, freeing Ace from his prison. Here he lays, in front of the school, when Duncan looks up and realizes a crowd is waiting outside. Cops stand in front of a collection of students and faculty, trying to stop them from breaking through the DO NOT CROSS police tape that has been placed in front of the stairs. The crowd goes silent the moment Ace is unveiled, and even the policemen turn to see what is amiss.
It is with remorse, Duncan realizes, that Ace has surfed to the front of a crowd for the last time.