(A/N:..I am not apologising for using a variation of 'that' scene from a certain clown movie here...)
Added intro N.06
...After that talk with Ozpin and finding out that Penny survived and was just trapped in a closet with a broken leg, I got her outta there and left her in the police office as I started marching back over to that place with the intention to save the last one there...what's family for if you aren't there to help every last one of them?
October 31st 2028 Log 6
I went back to the school...I've come too far to give up on this case now, not when I'm this close to solving it and all of this blasted school's horrors as well as freeing everyone, making sure Penny doesn't get killed by the witch like the others were.
I found a way in and started searching for someone, anyone who might need my help till I heard a voice behind me that I hoped I wouldn't hear...
"Melody!" I heard from behind, making me hopeful for a minute before I remembered why I first came here...for answers as to where they are and why they vanished...as well as how they died. I turned to face them anyway in case this one was a survivor like Penny. When I turned around I spotted a familiar red hooded girl smiling at me...guess my little cousin was here after all...
"What took ya so long Melody?" she asked, making me hesitate before I answered...I've noticed that every ghost copy I saved, they started thinking they were their original selves...since she's the last one, she's got about ninety percent of the original's memory...I hope I'm wrong about her being a ghost copy...
"I was searching for you this whole time trying to find you Ruby...I had to take the long road to do it..." I said back to her, wanting to believe it's true, that she's here in front of me...I really wanted to...
"I couldn't find a way out of here Melody...she wouldn't let me..." She said back to me, making memories of me, Yang and her spending time together as kids before we met the others flash through my mind...What I wouldn't give to go back to the magic of those ordinary days...
"...If you see someone burnt..." I responded, hoping I'd get an answer I wanted...hoping that I'm just over thinking it.
"? What do you mean? Is it a new saying?" She asked, tearing my hopes into pieces...we used to say that saying, she'd reply 'just think it's the sun' and we'd laugh at how bad it was...guess that'll never happen again...
"Old, Ruby...It was our old saying..." I said, already knowing what to do...I did do it to the others as well...
"I wanna go home Melody...help me get back home...I miss you, I miss Dad and Uncle Qrow" Ruby said back to me, making me tear up a bit before I forced the tears back...I have to say the words I need to say to let her go like I did with Yang and the others.
"...I would like it more than anything for you to be home...with Uncle Tai, Qrow and me...I miss you so much..." I started to say as I walked closer.
"I love you cousin..." Ruby said back with a smile and her eyes tearing up, making me hesitant on what I have to do...but if her staying here is torture for her then killing her is the greatest mercy I can do...and the last thing I promised her I'd do.
"...I-I love you too..." I said back barely with my eyes closed before I shook my head, opened my eyes and pulled the very gun Ruby and I made together, the very gun I've been using, out in front of her, aimed right at her heart as I looked into her eyes with great determination and bravery as well as sorrow and regret...I asked her one day if she was gonna die sometime in the future how would she want to die...
"M-Melody?" Ruby asked me, showing her silver eyes filled with fear and sorrow...when I asked that question she smiled and said she wanted to die by the only invention we worked together on creating and wanted me to be the one to shoot it, without hesitation on answering...and keeping that promise is the only thing I can do here...she trusted me to do this and I will make sure that trust wasn't- isn't for nothing!
"...But you're not Ruby!" I said, pulling the trigger and shooting the ghost copy in the heart, making her fall backwards as she started disappearing into rose petals, leaving a red picture album behind with her symbol on it like the others had.
"...Hope you're at peace now Ruby...hope you're at peace with the others away from this blasted place..." I said to nothing as I carefully picked up the tenth and final notebook and opened it, showing the past pictures I remember all too well and a picture of what happened to her like all the others did...
There was Ruby, hanging on the ceiling by some red ribbon around her neck and this time Goodwitch wasn't around...she always did want to foil a villain's plan by delaying it for the hero to defeat them...I'm glad she died by her own hands instead of that bitch's...
After looking through the book and holding back the tears that I've kept back for years in hopes I'd find her somewhere else, I closed it and put it away carefully in my bag like I did with the others, I was about to go out the way I went in until I heard the front doors open with a bang...!
"WHO IS IN HERE?!" I heard Goodwitch shout as I started silently making my way back to the door I went through to get in...I'm not gonna get caught now, not when I finally figured it all out...not when I know someone needs me to stay alive.
After a while, I managed to get to the door only for it to disappear to my annoyance, making me turn around and see red around me as I ran away from the area where the door was to try the other doors so I can get out, never minding about sneaking my way out as I ran.
"I know you're in here detective, I should have killed you at first glance!" I heard a couple of rooms away from me as I made sure to stay clear of the rooms she's in so I don't die a painful death.
I went to the cafeteria exit only for it to disappear as well, leaving me to find a place to hide before she comes here. I decided to hide behind the vending machine for it had enough room for me to fit inside.
After a minute that felt like an eternity, I heard the doors open as I held my breath and stayed silent as Goodwitch started to search about as my heart started beating rapidly out of fear.
"I knew when you answered those questions with ease on the second day that you had some outside help, when I found where they were...let's just say they won't be able to help you anymore if they can't talk..." The witch said as she stalked about, searching for me...What did she do to Ren and the others?
With that in mind, I waited till she was at the other side of the room that's away from the door and started running to the teacher's lounge, knowing there's an exit there after 'accidentally' walking in there and finding it on day 2.
As I was running I got an idea, I smirked and ran faster to the lounge so that she can hear where I'm going, hoping the idea I have works.
I went through the left door to the lounge and got to the door before it disappeared, making me wait a second in anger and going out the right door, hearing the left open at the same time like I had hoped would happen.
After running through the halls with great speed, I got to the door...I was about to go through until I got pulled back from it and got thrown to the left, hearing a loud crack as my left arm went to a direction it wasn't supposed to go. I looked to the right and saw Goodwitch standing there, looking angry and ready to kill me...
"No where to run now detective...this is where your story ends!" She said, slowly stalking closer with what looked to be a knife in her hand...!
"...Sorry Goodwitch, but my life isn't ending here until I run out of soda!" I shouted at her, pulling a shakened can from my left coat pocket with my right hand, opening the lid to shoot her away into the far hallway...
When I was leaving the cafeteria, I absent-mindedly picked up the can and I've had it ever since, meaning I shook it up when I was running through the hallways the fastest I could go...guess this place is like 'that' place to make me pick it up, except they didn't kill anyone only them trying to kill me...hope the kid in there's alright...
With that thought in mind, I picked up my satchel bag with the books and ran out of there, seeing the cavalry arrive a little late, making me sigh in relief as I sat down on a bench close by.
"Ms Song are you alright?" I heard someone ask me, making me turn around and see Weiss's sister Winter...she needs to know what happened to Weiss.
"...Yeah I'm fine, what's your name? I like to know the person I'm talking to so I can remember" I asked her...if I said that her sister said something about her it would lead to an argument I don't want to deal with right now...seen too many stories and movies that have that cliché happening and this ain't a story...
"Of course Ms Song, my name is Winter Schnee, I'm a temporary second in command of the Vale Police Force and I am here to make sure that you and the information you've uncovered are retrieved in one piece" Winter said, standing up straight like a soldier would, possibly a winter soldier...
"Ah I see, well I've got the evidence in my satchel bag if you need it..." I started to say until Winter interrupted me by placing a hand on my left shoulder, making me wince subtly.
"There's no need for the evidence now Ms Song, what's probably best right now for you would be to get some rest...you've been through a lot these past couple of days..." Winter said, making me think to all those days going to that school...she's right, I've been through a lot...
"...I understand...I just need to know what happened to Ren and his team first, she said she found out where they were and was being cryptic about what happened" I asked her, hoping that they're alright...I don't wanna lose anyone else tonight...
"Mr Lie Ren and his team are alright as well as the survivor you brought back earlier, they've got a few broken bones but they'll be fine. As for you Ms Song, you'll need to get checked out to make sure you weren't harmed when you were escaping the school before either going home or to the hospital" She explained, letting the weight I didn't know I had lift off of my shoulders as she guided me to the nearest paramedic to be checked for any injuries as I heard the witch scream bloody murder in one of the police cars that were driving away...hope she rots in hell...
Suddenly something told me to look up so I looked up at the sky, spotting eleven stars shining their brightest in front of me, making me smile as tears fell down my face as I was getting a bandage wrapped around my arm...they're finally free after all these years...I guess the night can be beautiful at times like these...it's just I never take the time to look...
Ending log
After that, I got put in hospital for three weeks, two weeks for my broken arm to heal and one for therapy on what I'd seen in that place of nightmares.
I told Winter about the book later on and surprisingly she was calm about all of this. She wasn't faking or anything like that when I gave her the book, without the final picture of course as well as the others for they're being used for evidence against the witch in court as I speak.
Speaking of the books, I gave most of the books to their respective families, keeping Ruby, Yang, Velvet, Pyrrha and Coco's books close by me...Taiyang and Qrow didn't want to keep Ruby and Yang's since they've already got the pictures at the house so I chose to keep their books with me, the others I kept because their families were either dead or wouldn't care less what happened to their kids.
Penny and the others made a fast recovery and are still helping me on my cases, I even hired Penny as my assistant for some of the cases which I feel hit close to home...there's not a day that goes by that I miss my friends and I always visit their graves once or twice a week to talk about how the others are doing and hope they're alright where they are.
That's all I got to say for this case is finally closed for good and I can rest easy knowing they're safe and away from the binds that tied them to that blasted school's history tree.
This is Melody Song signing out for the last time about this case...!
Huh? what's this recording? I only recorded 10, I'm sure of it...I better listen to it and make sure if it's important or not...