MURDER!
Chapter 10: The Kidnapping
A/N: Yes, I know there are some things in this story that are a bit unconventional, but if I had not have used such clichés, there wouldn't be much of a story here. So if you're going to review, be kind. I already know how these guys could have escaped long before I even started writing the first chapter. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. There are only four chapters left of this story, so it's going to get pretty edgy.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN HEY ARNOLD!
xXx
"Are you the one who has been pulling all of this shit?! WHO ELSE DID YOU KILL?"
Arnold had to pry Helga off of Brainy before she hit him again.
Brainy sat up and wiped blood from his nose onto the sleeve of his mustard yellow sweater.
"No one," Brainy breathed. "I've been… uh… in a closet."
Helga relaxed her muscles.
"Wait," Arnold started. "You've been at this house the entire night?"
"Uh… yeah."
"Why were you in a closet?"
Brainy breathed again, "Uh, I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?!" Helga spat.
Brainy pondered. He wiped his nose again before opening his mouth.
"Well… Harold called me about a party… last night."
A light bulb suddenly went off in Arnold's head. "That's right, you weren't even at Slaussen's with us yesterday."
"I was at work," Brainy wheezed, "but Harold called… uh, I worked today, but got off early… and came here… a little late."
Arnold intervened, "You weren't with us in Harold's room, getting ready."
"No… I walked up here and someone grabbed me… I woke up in a closet… uh, and found you two."
Helga picked up the flashlight that had fallen to the floor.
"Where did you get the flashlight? I didn't think Harold had any."
"Uh…" Brainy blushed and looked away from Helga. "I always carry one."
Helga rolled her eyes at his answer. After years of having Brainy follow her around, she was surprised she didn't know this. He was always a better stalker than she was, and that flashlight he kept handy proved it.
"Brainy," Arnold started, "you need to help us. Whoever has been conducting these schemes has locked us in this house and we need to find a way out so we can contact the police."
Brainy's beady eyes blinked at Arnold before he nodded.
xXx
"Something just doesn't seem right," Phoebe stated. "The events of tonight obviously have something to do with Rhonda and Harold."
"And it can't be either of them because Rhonda would never ruin her own party and Harold would never put Rhonda in danger."
"Correct. And you said you suspect Iggy, yet Iggy was with us in the living room during the times of the disappearances. He was also in the kitchen with us when we found the blood and later when we saw the photographs burning – he couldn't have found time to throw those in the fire."
Gerald was silent in thought before he realized something.
"Did you see the photos?" he asked. "They didn't seem like they would have been Harold's or Rhonda's at all."
Phoebe tried to remember the last one she saw burning. It was of Harold and Rhonda having ice cream inside Slaussen's, but the photo had been taken from outside.
"Hmm, you're right Gerald. The ones in the fire were distance shots."
"Well, they could have hired a photographer, babe."
"Gerald, it didn't seem like any professional photographer's work. It seemed more like spy work."
"Sid is the only person I can think of who takes spy photos."
Phoebe pondered this notion.
"Hmm, I did notice him acting a bit frantic around Helga before he disappeared with Eugene."
"Then that's it! We found the culprit!"
"Not so fast, Gerald," Phoebe insisted. "We need more evidence. We need to go to the kitchen, where all the events seemed to have begun."
Gerald gulped, "What if we find another dead body?"
"You can wait outside if you want."
Gerald shivered. He didn't want to be left alone at this point.
"Nah, that's ok. I'll come with you."
Phoebe smiled as they made their way to the kitchen door. Phoebe took the candle and looked at the door before entering.
"No blood on the door," she stated before entering.
A chill went down Gerald's spine as they entered the kitchen. The blood no longer glistened with the intensity it did before. From the candle light, they could see the blood had dried brown in some places.
"Ugh, it's everywhere!" Gerald exclaimed.
Phoebe kept the candle near the floor so she could inspect it.
"Gerald," she said suddenly. "Look at this."
Gerald followed Phoebe to find what looked like a dog kennel in the corner of the kitchen. The door of it was open and a few feathers were inside.
"Phoebe, Harold said he was keeping a live chicken for a holiday dinner. This must have been the cage he was keeping it in, but where's the chicken?"
"The chicken is dead," Phoebe stated. "This isn't human blood. This is chicken blood."
Phoebe looked around and quickly made her way to a trash can.
"Look, Gerald!" she said before pulling out the body of a chicken.
Gerald's mouth was agape.
"But the chicken was alive! We heard it squawking before you ladies arrived!"
"Chickens squawk when they are in danger. Otherwise they cluck!"
"Well, that's a relief, at least we know this wasn't human blood."
Phoebe stared at Gerald in thought.
"Gerald, why would anyone slaughter a chicken? What would they have gained?"
"Well it scared the bejeezus out of us, didn't it?"
"But whoever did this might not have thought that we would even see this kitchen, especially since it's so dark and we didn't have any light source at the time."
Gerald thought for a bit before answering, "Whoever did this probably just wanted an easy kill."
"I disagree," Phoebe sighed before continuing. "As much as I know you don't want to, Gerald, we need to go to the room where we found Curly's body."
A sharp chill went down Gerald's spine. There was uncertainty in his voice when he said, "Whatever you say, Phoebe."
xXx
Helga aimed the flashlight around the guest bedroom.
"We could use the ventilation system," she said.
"You mean the air ducts?"
Helga glared at Arnold, "That's exactly what I mean!"
"How could we possibly make an exit through the ventilation system?"
Brainy wheezed before saying, "Always an exit."
Helga smirked at Brainy's stalking knowledge.
Arnold looked at Helga, "How do you know this?"
"Um, well let's just say I've had some experience. Now, give me a boost, would ya? We don't have all night!"
Brainy put the flashlight in his pocket before he took her hand as Arnold stooped down so Helga could get on his shoulders. Helga opened an air vent in the ceiling and hoisted herself up. Arnold gave Brainy a boost before both Helga and Brainy lifted Arnold into the vent. Helga grabbed the flashlight from Brainy and turned it on.
"Wow, this place is dirty," Arnold said.
"Being as this is not my dress," Helga started, "I don't care. If there were rats in this vent, then it would be a different story altogether."
"Well then," Arnold said as he took the flashlight from Helga, "where should we start?"
Brainy pointed down a ventilation tunnel, and the three began crawling in that direction with Arnold in the front followed by Helga and then Brainy.
After a while of crawling, Arnold spoke up.
"Helga, are you still angry at Lila?"
Helga rolled her eyes.
"I am NOT angry at Lila."
"Well – are you angry at me?"
Helga looked behind her to find Brainy. She could barely make out that he had nodded to her and slowed his pace purposely to give them some privacy.
"Look, I would just rather you drop it, ok? We need to get out of here and you're still talking to me about you and Lila."
Arnold noticed that she said Lila's name with some spite.
"Helga – ."
"I don't see why it matters, Arnold! Just drop it!"
"Helga, I care about you and I care about your feelings!"
He cares about me? Helga mentally swooned.
"I just want you to tell me what's wrong so I can help you fix it."
"I don't think you'd ever understand."
Arnold turned around. The flashlight nearly blinded Helga before Arnold was nose to nose with her.
"Try me!"
Helga could smell spearmint and feel the warmth of his breath. Her knees were beginning to shake. Helga's lip quivered. She felt her face become hot.
"A-arnold – ."
"Hey, where's Brainy?"
Helga turned around. Sure enough, Brainy was gone. She didn't think that she and Arnold had gone far enough to be so far ahead of Brainy.
"I think he left us," Helga said, unsure.
An eerie creaking noise began to sound under their hands and legs.
"Uh, Helga?"
"Yes?"
"Don't panic, but I think we should move away from here."
Helga heard the creaking, too.
xXx
"Oh man," Gerald was trembling. "It's bad enough that I saw it once."
"I'm sorry Gerald, but we need to get to the bottom of this."
They slowly and carefully opened the door to the study. The candle's flame was jerking every which way until Gerald shielded it with his hand. The faint glow illuminated the study only slightly.
Phoebe took a deep breath before making her way towards the desk.
"I don't know how you can do this so easily, Phoebe. My stomach is already about to give the old heave-ho and I'm not even near the body."
There was silence before Phoebe squeaked, "Neither am I."
"Huh?"
"Gerald! Curly's body is gone!"
Gerald blinked at Phoebe before hurrying around the desk to where Phoebe was. Sure enough, in place of the body was a drying puddle of blood.
"What?! But, how – ?"
"Look, there are no drag marks in the blood! Gerald! I know who it is doing this! It's been right under our noses this whole time!"
xXx
On the first floor, by the cellar, two individuals were absolutely beaming with delight.
"Rhonda, why did you wait so long to tell me?"
Rhonda sighed.
"I was afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
Rhonda looked around her. It was too dark to see much of anything, let alone anyone who could be listening.
"I was afraid someone would hurt us."
"But – who would ever do such a thing?"
"Harold, do you remember during Senior Prom, when Cur – mmph!"
Suddenly, Harold couldn't feel Rhonda's fingers anymore.
"Remember what?"
Harold heard a gentle knock against the door on Rhonda's side.
"Rhonda?"
He looked underneath the crack on the bottom of the door. Rhonda wasn't there.
"RHONDA!"
Harold jumped up and started banging the door, but it was of no use. Suddenly, he got an idea. He tore down the stairs and ran for the storage room.
xXx
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are greatly appreciated, so don't forget to leave one! I am finished writing this fiction, so it shouldn't take me too long to publish the last few chapters. Stay tuned for chapter 11!