Hey guy, what up? So, this is the next chapter, so sorry for the wait. Let me know what you think!
The killer crouches low on the rooftop, staring down at the man in the brown overcoat. She watches with an eager smile playing on her lips and relaxed muscles. This would be her final kill for now and her arms still tingled from being pressed across her chest for a year.
She resented cops and authority, not because they can bust her, but because they don't know what really goes on in the world but pretend they do. A scowl crosses her face as she pictures the guard that always kicks the helpless people, long given up, on the pure white tile.
She should have killed him then, when she escaped, but she doesn't enjoy killing. Not when she doesn't need to.
She'll be satisfied that he got fired for her escape.
It didn't take long for the knife in her palm to feel familiar again, the weight and shape of it. Over the years, it has become comforting almost. A steady constant hanging at her waist.
The man stops under her, waiting, in the darkness. The moon was waning so little light escapes onto the dark streets below.
She slowly stands, listening to her stiff muscles creek. With a step forward, she drops from the two-story roof and to the ground below. She lands soft and silent, obscured by shadows.
The only noise heard was the quiet thump of feet on gravel, but even that was muffled. Sensing her presence, the man grows stiff and turns. There, on the ground, a girl crouches with one hand extended out to keep her balance.
Shadows raise up around her, ominous and dark, but the girl strangely lacks one. Slowly, she stands and he can see her face reflected in the dim yellow street light.
Of course he knew it was her and a sigh escapes from his parted lips, long and weary, for he knew what happens next.
After all, he knew she was coming for him. Still, the knowledge did little to quench the slight fear that bubbles in his stomach now. He leans against the wall next to him.
"Max." His voice comes out steady, despite the turmoil inside. "You finally found me."
Her smile gleams blinding white in the dark, enjoying the slight fear in his eyes like all of her victims before him.
"Where is it?" She studies him steadily and knowing.
"I don't know what you're talking about." His voice comes out a little too hard and they both know it's a lie.
She pauses, looking for any cracks or chinks in his armor. Then she opens her mouth, speaking slowly, almost nonchalant. "You watch the news, right Jeb? You know it was me who killed the others. Do you know how I found you? Do you want to?" She asks tilting her head, no longer smiling.
Yes. Yes he knew all too well that she was the cause of his partners' death. In a way he had created this beast that stands before him, talking of death as if it were the weather forecast.
"Betrayal." She talks on when he doesn't respond. "Your own buddies betrayed you. One after another, they beg for their lives. 'I'm sorry!' they say. 'I'm so sorry. Please forgive me!' In return for their life, they give me information. It doesn't actually end that way now does it?"
"Why do you tell me this?" His voice is hard and guarded but a slight tremble makes itself known.
The killer tilts her head the other way, a glint in her eyes. She balances her knife casually on the edge of her thumb and flicks it with her pointer finger. It spins a complete circle before she taps it again.
"Because you wouldn't beg would you? No, you're to proud for that. But that's okay."
She takes a step forward and is in complete view of the street light.
"I heard you have a son. Fang was it? What a stupid name."
Jeb's face grows hard, no longer afraid for himself, but his family. "He doesn't know anything. Leave my son out of this!" The beginning of panic enters his voice.
But she is already running at him. She holds the knife out to her left in both hands.
When the knife sinks up into his ribs, he gasps. "No, you see, you were the one who brought him into it. Right in the middle." She runs her thumb under his chin, collecting the dribble of blood that ran from the corners of his mouth. "Any last words?" It comes out almost at a whisper.
He coughs and blood splatters her face. "Go to hell." He chokes out and the crazed grin returns to the killer's red stained lips. "I'll see you there."
Then she twists the knife and the man lets out a horrible gurgling scream into the hazy night almost like from a nightmare. She pushes his body away and he falls to the ground with a heavy thud.
She flicks the blood soaked knife and the crimson liquid splatters at her feet. Then she brings the freezing steel, as cold as her skin, to her wrist and wipes it on her sleeve.
There is an eery silence that follows as she looks down at the body not a foot away.
Fang's POV
I stare down at the kitchen table, hands clasped in my lap as I listen to the reporter on TV.
"-Jeb Bachalder has gone missing as of two months ago. He was last see going into the abandond part of town, and when investigated, the authorities have found a large pool of dried blood. Forensics have confirmed that it was, in fact, Mr. Bachalder's. Police have still yet to find his body and have little hope of doing so. The crime is suspected to be from Killer Ride, named for his or her countless killings and ability to, apparently, vanish into the shadows.
The killer was arrested a year ago until he escaped the asylum he was being kept. According to police, he seems to not even exist. All evidance of the capture have disappeared and no one even seems to remember whether he was male or female.
Police advise that you lock your doors and stay inside after dark.
This is Martha Williams and-"
The screen goes black.
I sigh and stand up slowly, head hanging, hands fisted on the table. I grit my teeth and punch a wall with all of my strength, and a fist sized hole appears. "Damn it!" The word flies from my mouth along with a bit of spit, which I have to admit, was gross.
"Fang?" My head whips around to see my mom in the door way to the kitchen. She looks sickly and pale from grief, and I feel guilty. For loosing my temper and scaring her.
My hand falls to my side, my shoulders relax, and the scowl leaves my face.
"I'm going to school." I whisper, brushing past her.
Her fragile hand grazes my shoulder and I pause.
"Are you okay?" She says gently, motherly, and I know that if I turn around I would see her tear-stained cheek and sorrowful eyes. If I turn around I might start to cry
"Fine." I say shrugging her hand off as I walk to the door, backpack slung over my shoulder. I hesitate there. "Love you." Then I slip out, closing the door behind me.
Damn him and his stupid job that probably got him killed. Damn him and him disappearing. Damn him for making my mother cry and leaving us.
Damn him and his stupid killer.
I sigh as I sit down on the bus, next to a window. I lean my head against it and stare through the smudged glass. I watch the trees and people pass, glaring at one point until they blur into one big mass of color.
The thing that catches my attention is not the old rotting farm-house itself, but the girl. The girl in ripped jeans, t-shirt, and old baseball cap, hair tied into a high pony tail. She is nailing boards into gaps of the house and my eyes follow her until the image whips by a second later, blurred by trees once more.
I stay staring at that one spot until the bus rolls to a stop at the school.
As soon as I step off the last step, I am bombarded by a mass of sparkles and colors.
Another sigh escapes my parted lips but I can't help the slight curve that forms in the corner of my mouth.
I pat her head awkwardly and she pulls away only to look up at me with her big brown doe eyes. "Fang, I'm so sorry!" Tears spill over as she clutches onto the front of my shirt. "The police will find him, I'm sure! They'll get your dad back!" She starts sniffing and a huffy laugh escapes my throat.
"I'm fine Nudge. And I'm sure they will." I'm saying this more for her than me. I'm certain they won't find him. Not if Killer Ride is the one at fault. But Nudge doesn't need to hear me say this, so I keep my mouth shut. I'm usually really good at this. I had just seen her yesterday and dad has been gone for weeks, but with Nudge, It's like it had just happened.
"Dude." Iggy says, making his way over to us. "If you ever meet Killer Ride on the street, let him know that I could, like, make bombs for him and stuff." He has a smile across his pale face.
"You do know Killer Ride is a serial killer and most likely killed my dad right?" I ask, more amused than anything, because I know he doesn't actually mean it. "Besides, he only kills his victims using knives." I look away. "He'd be much more likely to recruit me."
I hear a gasp from Nudge and a laugh from Iggy.
"That's where I come in." A voice says coming up. "I would use my stink to knock em out. We all know Killer Ride doesn't like to make her victims suffer much."
See, this is why I love my friends so much. They don't give me that pitying look that I get from everyone else.
I turn around to see Iggy's younger brother, Gazzy. Even though he's only eleven, he's a year under us in school. He would be in an even higher grade if he didn't keep blowing up the science lab for fun. Him and Nudge, who is fourteen and in our year, are kind of geniuses at this school.
This is an everyday thing with us. People say we are going to be criminals when we grow up, but it's just talk with us. Well, maybe not Gazzy and Iggy with their bombs, or Nudge with her hacking skills... Wow, am I the only normal one in this group?
"So Fang, any news on your father?"
I shake my head in frustration. "They keep saying the same stuff over and over, but they aren't finding anything new. Why can't they find anything else?!"
A hand rests on my shoulder and they relax slightly. "Dude, chill it."
I take a deep breath and bow my head. "I'm going to the crime scene tonight. Check it out for myself."
Then I shrug off Iggy's hand and we walk to our classes, two minutes after the bell.
I stand in the dark street with rain pouring down around me, soaking me and plastering my cloths to my body. I had long since started shivering.
Tch. Damn rain.
I push my dripping hair out of my face and look around the sodden ground. I find where the blood stain was, now mostly washed away, and crouch down. I'm just about to reach out and touch it when lightning flashes followed by a giant crack of thunder. The sky splits in two, lighting up the entire street and for an instant, everything is visible before falling into an even darker silence.
The flash had surprised me so I am now on my butt, sitting in a large puddle. Not that I can get even more soaked.
When the next flash opens the sky a second time, the street is visible once more. I fall back again, but not from the lightning. There is a silhouette standing in front of me, not five feet away.
The figure crouches down in front of me and offers a shadowed hand. I take it feeling stupid, and pull myself to my feet. The hand is slim and small, making me think the owner is female. It is as cold as the rain running down my back.
Everything in my body is trying to warn me that this person is dangerous. Chills spread up and down my body, making me shake, and not from the cold.
I couldn't jerk my hand away fast enough.
The girl indicates to a building across the street and starts walking. Not seeing much choice, I follow her. When we get under the awning she pushes her hood back and damp blond hair spills over her shoulders, tucked under an old baseball cap. Behind her foggy eyes is a mix of coldness and amusement.
"So what are you doing out here? It's raining." I say.
She rolls her brown eyes. "Obviously." I glance at the rain. She's right of course. It is pretty obvious. "I'm investigating a murder. What are you doing out here? As you so kindly put it, It's raining."
I look at my feet. "Same."
"Really?" She raises an eyebrow. "Any luck?"
"No, I just got here when you showed up. What about you?"
She smirks and shrugs. "Tonight is my first night." She pauses. "But I might have something."
"And what might that be." I cross my cold arms across my chest, partly for some source of warmth in my numb body.
She points to something above my head and I look up. It's a camera. And it's pointing in the direction we were just at. "Wouldn't the police have already looked at that?"
"Look around you." She says spreading her arms out wide for emphasis. "It's an abandoned building dumb ass. The camera might not even be plugged in, but there's still a chance." She's right. Again. Wow, that's getting really annoying. "I wont even be able to access it. If you hadn't noticed, I don't exactly have access to police resources."
"I," I raise my finger. "could take care of that."
I pull out my phone, glad to actually be of some use, and press speed dial. She's not going to be very happy that I'm dragging her out here at this hour and my skin still itches from my danger instinct, but I have to find out what happened to my dad.
"Got it." I hear a click behind me and jump, for some reason thinking it was a gun. The blond headed girl had picked the lock to the building.
She kicks the door open and makes a sweeping motion with her arms and a bow. "Ladies first."
I scowl and hang up after talking to my friend. I stride through the door with my head lifted high.
She snickers behind me.
Immediately upon entering, I know the people here had left in a hurry. Papers where scattered across the floor and a few desks were tipped over. I see a rat scurry across the floor and disappear into a hole in the wall.
We wander around from room to room, all looking just as bad as the first, until we find the security room. When we walk through the squeaky door, Nudge is waiting inside, leaning back in a rolly chair.
"Jeez, what took you so long? I've been waiting for like, five minutes. Oooo, who's the girl? Gasp! Is she your girlfriend? Do you have a secrete girlfriend Fang? Oh, you do don't you? ZOMG! I have to tell Iggy, he owes me ten bucks."
She pulls out her phone and is bringing it to her ear when the girl slips by me and plucks it out of her fingers, ending the call before the first ring.
"Hey, I was just about to-"
"I'm assuming you are emo boy's hacking friend, so if you could just, you know, hack."
She indicates to the dust covered computer and Nudge pouts. "Fine."
She closes her eyes and her hands hover over the key board. The girl walks back over to me and leans close. I notice then that her lips are stains a crimson color, like she had been sucking on something red. A clod tingle runs down my spine.
"What's she doing?" Danger screams inside of me and I jerk backwards. She gives me an odd look.
I nod in Nudge's direction, silently telling her to just watch.
My friend's eyes fly open and her fingers fly across the key board just as fast.
In under a minute, she sits back looking satisfied. "Okay, so what do you want to look at?"
Blonde steps forward and leans a hand on the back of the chair. "Security cameras around front." She clicks on some things and camera videos come up. "I need footage of two months age on August 24, from 11:00-2:00am."
"Could say please." Nudge grumbles as she follows the strange girl's orders.
"There!" I exclaim when I see my dad come on. Nudge rewinds a little, then presses play.
Thank god. I'm going to see who killed my dad... But I don't want to see my dad die...
There is no volume but I'm not complaining. He walks by the buildings in a brown overcoat and stops, looking around.
He knows someone is coming. He's meeting him there, I realize.
Suddenly there is a blurr dropping and the figure lands behind my dad. He was on the roof!
"Turn around, turn around." I quietly urge him. He doesn't seem surprised. He knows this person. He reaches his hand out and leans against the wall for support.
The figure stands slowly but you can't see the face. It's hard to tell if they are male or female. There is a glint in the shadow's hand and I know it's a knife.
The screen suddenly statics and blacks out.
We all stare intently for a second until it refocuses. When it does, both people are gone and all that's left is a pool of blood.
I stare with wide eyes and a slacked jaw. That is until the dangerous person next to me starts laughing. "That smart bastard!" She exclaims and I can't help but think she might be as loony as my father's killer.
"Look." She reaches forward and rewinds until the killer just drops. My father leans against the wall and she pauses it, pointing to his hand. "There." And I see it.
It's a piece of paper in his hand, half way slipped into the crack of a loose brick.
"It's a note. I need to see it." Blonde grabs my hand before I can run out the door. It is still ice cold like it wont ever warm up.
"Think first. It's pouring buckets out there. As soon as it touches the rain, it will be unreadable. We can come back tomarrow to look at it." She lets go of my hand and puts a chocolate chip cookie in her mouth.
Where did she get a cookie from?!
She stands up and starts walking to the door. The girl-
"Ugh! What's your name? I'm tired of calling you 'the girl' and 'blonde' in my head!"
She hesitates a step. "Max." She turns her head and smiles like she's about to tell the world's funniest joke. "Maximum Ride." Then she turns and starts walking but, again, pauses at the door.
"Oh, and Fang, if you want to find your dad's probable murderer, I'm your new best friend." Then she disappears.
"...When did she get a cookie?" Nudge asks.
"That's what is bothering you?!"
"Jeesh. No need to get so worked up." She mumbles.
Kay, so from now on it will mainly be from Fang's POV except maybe a few insight with Max.
Fly Free y'all