Chapter 1: The Damsel's Demise
'Finally, back home,' Jo Taylor exhaled with a tinge of relief as soon as her plane touched down at Los Angeles International Airport. The sparkly stars in the night sky seemed to be welcoming her back. After three long years shooting for a movie in faraway New Zealand, she couldn't wait to see her best friends again. Although they did communicate with each other on Skype, somehow it just wasn't the same. Perhaps it was the awkward time difference, or maybe it was the complete absence of skin to skin contact with each other. But most of all, Jo missed her beloved boyfriend, Kendall Knight. She missed his infectious laugh, his soothing touch, his warm bear hugs. As she walked through the throngs at the airport, Jo subconsciously started to smile just at the thought of Kendall. Even after three years, her love for him hadn't died out. 'Well, except for that time when..,' a little voice in her head said. 'Shut up.. No one needs to know about that..,' Jo snarled in her head. Jo was still arguing with the voice in her head when she suddenly heard an extremely high-pitched squeal.
'Jo, over here!' yelled Camille Roberts while bouncing around like a five year old at a playground. Her screams attracted the attention of many people around her, but she ignored their stares of disdain by acting like they didn't exist. Jo shook her head and smiled. Camille hadn't changed a bit. Jo ran towards her best friend and embraced her tightly. 'Camille, you've no idea how much I've missed you!' Jo happily exclaimed. 'Me too!' Camille squealed loudly, eliciting more annoyed grumbles from the masses around them. 'Lighten up, alright! I haven't seen her for three whole years!' Camille shouted in retaliation towards the crowd with a stern visage. But that stony look evaporated as Camille focused her attention back on Jo. 'Come on, let's get back to the Palm Woods. We'll have the best sleepover ever! Just the two of us.. Oh wait, the three of us, 'coz Lucy is coming too.. We'll watch horror movies till tomorrow morning, and smear chocolate all over the faces of anyone who falls asleep, and have pillow fights..,' Camille rambled on and on enthusiastically. 'Camille.. Camille.. Camille!' Jo tried to get her peppy companion's attention. 'What?' 'Listen, that all sounds absolutely amazing, and I can't wait, but before that, I.. I just thought that.. that maybe before I go for the sleepover..' Jo stammered, trying to word her request carefully so as to not offend Camille. 'Lemme guess, you wanna see a certain blond hunk first?' another familiar voice said from behind Jo.
'Lucy!' Jo ran towards her other best friend, rocker chick Lucy Stone. They hugged each other tightly, giggling vivaciously. 'Ok, enough of that. Am I right or am I right?' Lucy asked Jo with a knowing smirk on her face. Jo sheepishly bowed her head and nodded slightly. 'Well, that's really sweet and all, but Kendall and the other boys have a concert tonight. They won't be back till tomorrow,' Lucy told Jo with a comforting smile. 'Oh, ok.. I guess we can go for the sleepover now,' Jo dejectedly said. The girls then proceeded to Lucy's white Chevy Malibu. They drove back to the Palm Woods in relative silence; Jo thinking about Kendall, Camille and Lucy not wanting to intrude on their friend's train of thought.
It was nearly midnight by the time they got to the Palm Woods. Camille, Jo and Lucy walked up to apartment 3B, Lucy's very own apartment and the venue of their sleepover. They entered the apartment, and Jo was immediately bombarded by sweet memories and special events that occurred in this very room. Where the three girls bonded and became best friends; where Logan failed to solve an algebraic equation for the first time ever; where Carlos accidentally caused a cupboard to collapse, breaking Lucy's wrist in the process; where the whole gang dressed up in regal Indian raiments and danced their hearts out to an energetic Bollywood number. She chuckled, remembering all her friends' hilarious antics. 'Hey Jo, Lucy and I are gonna go out to get some snacks. Wanna come with?' Camille asked whilst stepping out the door. 'Nah, I'll just stay here to rest. Jet lag, y'know?' Jo said as she flopped onto the bed. Camille nodded sympathetically and left.
Once they were gone, Jo started to look around the apartment space, marvelling at the changes Lucy had done. Lucy had mentioned that she did some redecorating, but never did Jo envision anything like this. Nate Berkus couldn't have done it better. Jo's attention focused onto an ornate mirror on one of the walls. She strode towards it and frowned. She didn't like the look of the mirror. It was much too frilly. As Jo was about to turn away from the mirror, she noticed something strange. The reflection in the mirror showed Jo that the door was slightly ajar. She went to check and true enough, the door was open. Jo was confused. She distinctly remembered Camille shutting the door as she left. 'Then how could it..,' Jo shook it off. She shut the door and continued her inspection of Lucy's room.
She saw a bunch of cosmetics arranged meticulously on Lucy's dresser. Jo snickered, surprised that a rocker owned such 'girly' items. Jo took a mink brush and started to carelessly apply bronzer on her face. She giggled childishly, aware that she probably looked terrible. Her eyelids fluttered open, and her eyes widened in utter horror.
Standing behind the terrified blonde stood a tall sable-clad figure. There wasn't an inch of skin exposed, as the thing was completely covered. Jo heart started hammering when she noticed what it was gripping in its right hand; a curved machete. Jo said a silent hymn, inhaled deeply, and dashed for the door. She tried turning the knob, but to her horror, it was locked. Jo furiously pounded on the door, crying for help, but to no avail. No one seemed to hear her desperate screams. When she turned around, Jo saw that the creep wasn't running for her at all. Instead, he was sadistically skulking towards her, as if convinced she was done for. Jo crouched on the floor, her back facing a corner of the room. She wailed and weeped, pleading for someone's help. The thing reached out for Jo's neck, and held her up high. Jo valiantly tried fighting back, aiming punches at the cruel killer. But it didn't even seem to notice Jo's attacks. It flung Jo like a rag doll, who hit Lucy's dresser with a sickening crunch. Perfume bottles smashed onto Jo, covering her with cuts and bruises.
Jo repressed the sharp stabs of pain all over her body. She tried to escape by crawling away, but even her piteous state didn't deter the murderer. It kicked Jo in the abdomen and chest. Jo immediately felt an agonizing pain, and knew that it was no use. She was in no condition to defend herself, not anymore. She started sobbing; praying for her life, wishing that Camille and Lucy would return and save her. The evil figure grabbed the whimpering Jo by her flaxen locks, and pulled her face close. 'Wanna see what heaven's like?' it croaked.
A few hours later, Camille and Lucy strolled into the apartment. 'Sorry we're late, Jo. Someone had to have an accident at the store,' Lucy said sarcastically. 'Hey, it wasn't my fault alright! The stack of boxes was really unstable!' Camille retorted with a huff before rushing into the bathroom. 'Whatever. Anyway, we had to rearrange every single cereal box before we could leave. But now that we're here, let's get.. Whoa, what happened here?' Lucy was stunned. Her neat room looked like a tornado passed through it. 'Hey Jo, where are you? You are so gonna pay for trashing my room!' Lucy shouted when she didn't hear any replies from Jo. 'She probably went to 2J just to see if Kendall's back,' Camille said from inside the bathroom. 'Oh, alri.. Camille?' 'What?' Camille asked. 'Call 911,' Lucy said in a strangely quiet voice. 'Wait, 911? Why?' "Just do it!' Stephanie shouted frantically. Camille was baffled at her friend's sudden change in character and stepped out of the bathroom.
She saw Lucy staring at something, a blank emotionless look on her face. Camille couldn't see the object that had captured Lucy's attention, as the bed obscured the view. So, Camille walked toward the thing, and her jaw dropped. Camille rushed into the bathroom and starting vomiting into the toilet bowl, tears streaking down her face. Camille's howls of grief caused Lucy to break out of her trance. She grabbed her cell phone and started dialling. 'Hello, 911? I'm gonna need an ambulance and some police dudes.. Of course it's an emergency!' Lucy shrieked while trying to keep her eyes off the nauseating sight behind her. 'I think my best friend's.. dead.'