Hello. This is the sequel to One Fell Down, Four Shall Follow.
Disclaimer: I do not Pretty Little Liars.
Ezra and Caleb honestly hadn't been expecting to see Red Coat that day. She just kind of showed up.
The Old Wild West theme of the dance was far too cheery for the grieving men to handle, but they needed to be here because Paige and Toby were going, and the four of them had learned that sticking together always worked better than splitting up. Safety in numbers, a motto proven when you think about Spencer and Emily, both alone (except for the person who killed them) before they met their ends.
Red Coat seemed to target people when they were all alone and at their most vulnerable. The exception had been Mona, Hanna, and Aria, but then again, that was more because Hanna and Aria hadn't been expected, so when Red Coat saw an opportunity to eliminate all three of them, she took it.
Paige and Toby didn't want to go to this dance either, but their friends were forcing them to go. It had been over two months since the lodge fire, and the four of them had barely left Ezra's apartment, where they were doing all of their research on Red Coat. Therefore, Paige and Toby's friends had dragged them to the dance, and Ezra and Caleb joined them.
"I'm heading outside. This music is starting to go on repeat, and it will not take long to get on my nerves," Caleb said.
Ezra nodded. "I'll go with you."
The two men walked outside and began to wander along the road, kicking up peddles and drifting further away from the booming western music.
"Do you believe in an afterlife?" Caleb questioned.
Ezra turned at the sudden question. "I do."
Caleb shrugged. "I didn't… and then Hanna died, and I hoped that there was something out there waiting for her instead of just… oblivion. It makes me feel better thinking I might see her again someday."
Ezra nodded. "Same thing with me. I think of entering the afterlife and seeing Aria there, and we can be in love all we want without anyone judging us. I'm almost waiting for that day."
Caleb nodded. "Who do you think she is?"
"Who?" Ezra asked.
"Red Coat. I mean, who could be angry enough to meticulously plan everything about this whole plot? How much the girls knew, how much they found out, when and how they died," Caleb said, "Who could be that angry at them? I'll admit, the girls weren't exactly best buddies with everyone, but who could be that angry at them?"
Ezra shrugged. "Honestly, I'm a little scared to find out. I think about this person and how they killed my girlfriend, and I try to think of them as a stranger, but what if it's someone I know?"
"Like Hanna with Mona," Caleb said. "It must've been a slap in the face when Hanna discovered Mona was A."
Ezra nodded. "It was quiet the slap in the face for all of us when we found out she was A."
Caleb nodded. "Got that right."
They walked a few more feet before Caleb froze.
"Did you see that?" he whispered.
"See what?" Ezra asked.
"Look!" Caleb exclaimed, pointing straight ahead.
A flash of red bolted across the road.
Caleb drew the gun he almost always kept close to his side and aimed it at the red spot in the distance.
Red Coat whipped around, and while they couldn't make out any details, Caleb saw her blonde hair and her frightened expression.
Caleb pulled the trigger.
Red Coat dove out of the way just in time before disappearing into the thick cover of trees, the darkness of night acting as a perfect disguise for the fleeing girl.
"We lost her," Caleb muttered in frustration.
"What happened?" Paige demanded as her and Toby appeared behind them. "We came to find you two, and we heard a gun shot."
"We saw Red Coat," Ezra explained. "Caleb tried to shoot her, but she ducked into the woods."
Caleb nodded. "I didn't see her face. All I saw was her blonde hair."
"But," Ezra said, "she ran. She looked terrified. We may not have gotten her yet, but she knows we're getting closer. We scared her tonight, and when she's scared, her planning may not be as fool proof as it used to be."
Five girls fell down, four remain. Four people and a mysterious enemy wearing a Red Coat…
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