A Key To Nothing
by Juul
Chapter Seven: World So Cold
McKinley Times June 2005
Headline Story: Two Girls Burnt to Death in Freak Accident
Ashlyn Halperin and Ashley Freud, both seventeen and newly graduated high school seniors, were pronounced dead at the scene at Phoenix Tanning Co. The owner, Yuri Kroenen, has been in psychiatric evaluation, and so far, McKinley police suspect that he had nothing to do with the accident. Also, faulty wiring may have been an issue and--
Erin crumbled the newspaper up and tossed it across the room into the trash can. Shaking her head in disgust, she rolled over on her side and adjusted the blanket draped over her small form.
After fainting the previous day, Erin was taken to the hospital and stayed over-night for examinations. The doctor suspected Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but Erin gave him a smart ass remark and went home with Jason. The only reason she was trying to take it easy today was because Jason begged her to.
"Erin!" her mother called from the kitchen. "Are you feeling any better?"
The goth girl pulled the blanket over her head and groaned. "No!" She shouted. "I feel like shit!"
Her mother walked into the living room and sat down on the couch beside her. Erin felt her weight on the cushions and scooted over, not taking the blanket off of her head.
"Erin," said Mrs. Ulmer, "I know you've had it rough lately, but you're a high school grad and you'll be eighteen in a few months. Don't you think this is sort of childish?" She pulled the blanket off of her daughter and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't touch me," snapped Erin. What the hell makes you so motherly now? Where were you when I REALLY needed you...
Mrs. Ulmer removed her hand from her daughter's shoulder and watched her with a concerned look on her face. "What's wrong, honey?"
"What's wrong?" Erin answered in a cold voice. "Everything. You should know that."
"I know you miss Ian and all, but--"
Erin felt every ounce of rage she had bottle up inside start to explode. "You know what? You're right, I do miss Ian. But you know what else? Missing someone doesn't bring them back! Yeah, I still miss Dad, but missing him sure as fuck didn't bring him back and I've missed him since I was a little kid!" Erin stood there, her shoulders shaking, seething in rage at her mother.
Mrs. Ulmer shook her head and didn't take her eyes off of her daughter. "What's happened to you?"
"Reality," answered Erin.
"Erin, I miss your father, too," said her mother.
"Oh yeah?" asked Erin, feeling her anger start to climax. "You sure must have missed him. In fact, you missed him enough to re-marry some sick fuck who treated me, your only daughter, like shit!"
Her mother had tears in her eyes now. "Erin!" She stood up and stared her down. "I had no idea he ever--"
Erin closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Mom, you knew he beat me. I know you did."
"I would have stopped him if I knew what he did to you!" yelled Mrs. Ulmer.
"I know you saw my bruises, Mom," said Erin, starting to cry, "I know you heard me screaming when he beat me." Erin cast her gaze down at the floor and rubbed her arm. "Ian stopped him. Ian knew what was going on." The girl looked up at her mother. "And he didn't even live here."
Mrs. Ulmer took a step forward and gently put her arms around Erin, pulling her into a reluctant embrace. Even though her mother stood against her, crying into her shoulder, all Erin could feel was an empty void growing in her heart. That void had first started when her father died when she was a little girl and it seemed to have disappeared for all those years. But it returned after her reason for living, Ian, was taken from her. Erin felt nothing at that moment, except that mysterious, empty void, and with it, the presence of morbid, terrifying death.
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She heard the rollercoaster start and froze in her tracks. She whipped around and ran at full speed towards the station, narrowly missing Jason and the manager, who both tried to grab her.
"IAN!" Erin screamed, stopping as she saw the ride leave the station. She turned to the ride's operator and started in on him. "WHY'D YOU PUSH THE BUTTON?! WHY'D YOU DO IT?! THEY'RE GOING TO DIE!"
Once again, Erin felt the manager's arms go around her body and heard him screaming at people that there was nothing to see and things like that to avoid even more confusion and chaos. Jason came running into the station.
"Hey!" yelled Jason. "Get off of her!"
The manager let go of Erin and then pointed a finger at Jason. "Both of you kids are coming with me." He led them out a back door of the station and down a small flight of metal stairs. He grabbed Erin by her forearm and led her down the stairs, Jason behind them.
"Get off!" Jason yelled at the manager.
They reached the bottom of the stairs. Erin was still hysterical and Jason was still very obviously pissed off.
"Okay," said the manager, "What's your home phone number? I'm going to call your mom and have her come pick you up and--"
The Devil's Flight derailed.
The three people turned around.
And a crash was heard as twisted metal and bodies hit the ground.
"IAN!" screamed Erin as she collapsed to her knees in tears.
"Erin," Erin heard a calm, soothing voice above all the wreckage. She looked around to see who it was.
"Erin."
The goth girl opened her emerald green eyes and looked around in a confused manner. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, stretching. She turned around and saw Jason sitting on the couch next to her. Startled at his presence, Erin pulled the blanket up against her chest and fell back against the couch, laughing a few minutes later at her stupidity.
"Did I scare you?" asked Jason.
"No," Erin laughed nervously, brushing stray hairs out of her face. "Just another... dream... that's all."
"I just wanted to check up on you," said Jason.
"You don't have to hang around me if you don't want to," said Erin. "You still have Kevin and Carrie, you know."
Jason smiled. "Yeah, I know," he said. "But they're just... different... without Wendy. We were all a team, you know. It's like Wendy was what held us all together. I don't know..." He turned and looked at Erin, noticing she was still in her pajamas. "I see that you've been resting well. I suppose it's all on doctor's orders," he said sarcasticly.
Erin laughed, but gave him a serious remark. "Partially. It's not necessarily rest..." She looked down at her hands resting in her lap and messed around with the fabric of her blanket. "Everytime I fall asleep, it's always that same dream... The night the rollercoaster crashed..."
"Sorry," said Jason, not knowing what else to say.
All was silent for a moment or two. Jason would occasionally glance over at Erin and try to reassure her with a smile and a nod. She seemed so miserable without Ian. Erin and Ian. Ian and Erin. Pip and Zip. Zip and Pip. God, they were just meant to be. But meant to be couldn't happen now, could it? Jason was reminded by the hole left in his heart after Wendy's death upon noticing the empty look in Erin's eyes.
"It's not gonna be the same ever again, is it?" asked Jason.
Erin turned to look at him. "What?"
"Everything," Jason sighed.
"I know what you mean," Erin said in a quiet voice. "Which is why we've got to try and save everyone who's left."
"Who's next in this theory of yours?" asked Jason, not looking in his friend's direction.
"Frankie Cheeks," answered Erin, "Why?"
"Just wondering," replied Jason. "And after him?"
"Kevin and Carrie," Erin saw Jason cringe a tiny bit upon hearing this. "Then it's those two girls who switched places with them. And then us."
"Do we have pictures on there?" asked Jason. He knew they did, but he wasn't sure if he had the guts to see them yet. It wasn't everyday that you could see your own death.
Erin nodded slowly. "Yep. About every senior at McKinley has pictures from that night.
Obviously, that includes us. Why? Do you want to see your picture or something?"
This frightened Jason and he almost fell off the couch. "What? Are you kidding? I don't want to see my picture!" He paused. "I mean, well... I'll look at it when I have to."
"Okay," was Erin's only answer.
Jason looked at her and said in a dead serious tone, "It's nothing embarassing, is it? I mean, there's nothing up my ass, is there?"
Erin tried to suppress a smile and just raised an eyebrow.
"I'm serious!" said Jason.
"No," said Erin, "And no, you're not getting run over or anything, either."
"Oh, okay," said Jason. "But what about Frankie's picture? After all, you said he's next."
Then Jason followed Erin up to her room and they got out the stack of pictures from Senior Night.
