Author's Note: Hey, everyone! I've been good this week by working almost exclusively on 'Manhunt'. I started work on this new chapter, solidified most of the upcoming 'flashback chapters' and then I'm going to work on the epilogue as well as the last two remaining chapters for the present events. Phew, beads of sweat are forming on my brow : ) It turns out I'm gonna be having a lot of time on my hands for the next few months while I wait for graduation in June, so I'm going to be writing like crazy. This is a relatively short chapter (haven't done one of those in a while), but I'm hoping you all will happy with the final results.
Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life, iCarly, Lizzie McGuire, Ned's Declassified's, Hannah Montana or Sonny With A Chance. Alas...
Group 7 – 02:15
"Hold the flashlight up a little higher, Gordo." Lizzie instructed calmly.
With Gordo's help, Lizzie had managed to take Ronnie's t-shirt off so that she could get a better look at his injuries. Prying the shirt off of his torso had been slightly harder due to the clotted blood which had dried on his injured shoulder. Lizzie had found a bottle of disinfectant in the corner of the room. Judging by the amount left in the middle, she surmised that the residents had used it quite often while working in the shed. While she dabbed at his chest with a handkerchief that Gordo had given her, she idly thought of a time when she would've given anything to be touching Ronnie intimately like this.
But they hadn't dated long enough for that to happen before Ronnie had already moved on. For a split second, Lizzie almost resented Miranda for having lasted this long. But she shrugged it off, deciding to focus on the present instead, where survival stacked higher than a distant that she couldn't for the life of her remember in that moment. She kept her mind on the task at hand and tried not to feel too nauseated. Finding a pair of tweezers in her pocket, she managed to take out as many of the smaller glass shards from Ronnie's back. She grinned every now and then when Ronnie winced audibly and hissed in pain. He was brave enough to take on a serial killer and jump out of a two-storey window, just not tough enough to take on a bottle of disinfectant.
"Okay, I think I've gotten most of the glass out of your back." Lizzie concluded nonchalantly, coming to sit in front of Ronnie.
"Thanks, Lizzie. You too, Gordo." Ronnie answered appreciatively, glancing at the two of them.
"We've gotta get help somehow. Lizzie, you did a great job, but Ronnie still needs proper medical attention." Gordo advised seriously, glancing worriedly at the both of them.
"I don't know if that's possible, Gordo. The gates are still locked up and I don't think Ronnie can move too much." Lizzie responded anxiously.
"I know." Gordo murmured dejectedly.
"Maybe we can try and get back to the school and see if the others are there. I'll try and hop on my other leg," Ronnie offered bravely.
While Lizzie and Gordo were pondering on Ronnie's proposition, their breath caught in their throats at the sounds of muffled footsteps outside the window.
"Shit! It's him; he's come back for round two!" Ronnie hissed painstakingly.
"Gordo, grab the hedge clippers!" Lizzie commanded tersely, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.
Gordo leant over Ronnie and grabbed the hedge clippers off the rickety shelf on which it lay.
"Oh God, this is it! Guys, I just need you to know something." Gordo began in a shaky voice, his hands trembling violently all the while.
"What?!" Lizzie hissed back impatiently, her eyes trained on the door to the shed.
"I'm sorry for being such a know-it-all and for making you guys and Miranda watch that really boring documentary on the Discovery Channel about Salt Water Taffy-"
"Then put it in your obituary, if it comes down to that. We have to focus here, Gordo!" Lizzie interjected heatedly.
"Gordo, it's gonna be okay, whatever happens. We're in this together, okay?" she chided soothingly, glancing at both Gordo and Ronnie while she spoke.
Ronnie nodded grimly in understanding and Gordo threw Lizzie a wry smile.
"Whatever happens, I'm glad I wasn't alone for this. Thanks," Ronnie murmured to both Gordo and Lizzie with a genuine smile on his face.
"Right back at ya, Ronnie. You're alright." Gordo responded sincerely before turning to face the door once more.
The three of them stared intently at the door like it was about to burst into flames.
Group 2 – 02:15
Zack stood on the outside of the shed door, Tawni and Mikayla standing directly behind them.
"Remember what I said: if something goes wrong, the two of you make a run for it and go straight to the gates. Do you understand me?" Zack asked tersely of the two girls.
They glanced at each other, and then back at Zack before nodding grimly in response. The three of them held their breath as Zack's hand locked around the door handle.
"Oh God, this is it. At least people will remember how pretty I am," Tawni murmured in an upbeat way.
"No one will remember anything good about me if I die tonight," Mikayla rejoined glumly.
"I'll remember something good about you," Zack murmured genuinely, locking eyes with her.
Mikayla smiled gratefully at him before turning to face the door with a determined look in her eyes.
"Let's do this," she murmured forcefully.
Zack sighed and watched as the door yielded to his touch and swung open.
The Shed – 02:16
For several seconds, the tiny shed was filled with shrieking and yelling. A lone flashlight illuminated the six figures huddled in the small space, each one consumed only with thoughts of living through the next minute. It was finally Zack who caused the rest to calm down and evaluate the situation.
"Ronnie???" Zack asked in disbelief.
"Zack?" Ronnie croaked in amazement.
From there, a flurry of questions were fired at each person present in the shed till Tawni placed three fingers in her mouth and blew sharply, causing everyone to quiet down.
"How did you guys get here?" Zack demanded rapidly, gesturing wildly with his hands.
"Oh my God, what happened?" Tawni asked in alarm, coming to stand in front of Ronnie.
"I jumped out of a two-storey window…after I was almost murdered by a guy in a green and silver mask." Ronnie answered dryly.
Mikayla cupped her hands over her mouth in response.
"Oh my God, he's trying to polish us off one by one," she murmured pensively through her mouth.
"Well, what happened to you guys? Where is everyone?" Lizzie questioned anxiously.
From there, Tawni, Zack and Mikayla began explaining how they came to be hiding together, which included Mikayla's tale of being separated from Sonny after they were nearly attacked. Then Ronnie followed with his own cat-and-mouse game involving his attacker.
"Now do you believe me?" Lizzie demanded, rounding on Gordo.
"I can't help but not," Gordo conceded in a dumbstruck tone.
"Zack, what do we do?" Mikayla asked of him.
Zack pondered on it for close to a minute. They could very well stay here in the small shed and wait it out until help came and play it safe. But on the other hand, the idea of waiting indefinitely didn't appeal to him a great deal. What if by staying, they were just boxing themselves in and giving the killer opportunity to pick them off one by one? Ironically, Zack had felt safest when he, Mikayla and Tawni were roaming the neighbourhood instead of staying in one place.
"Ronnie, can you walk on your other ankle at all?" Zack asked curiously of Ronnie.
"Zack, I don't think that's such a good idea. Ronnie's in pretty bad shape." Lizzie protested seriously.
"Humour me," Zack returned dryly.
With a look of determination etched on his face, Ronnie put some weight onto his uninjured leg and pushed himself up. Gordo and Mikayla were ready on either side with Ronnie's arms draped over their shoulders to catch him if he fell back. Ronnie gritted his teeth and steadied himself on one leg.
"Okay, everyone. I think we should try and get back to the East Gate. The three of us saw what looked like a police helicopter flying over the neighbourhood earlier, so we think the cops might know what's going on." Zack explained quickly.
"And if they don't know?" Lizzie pressed heatedly while gritting her teeth.
"Well it's a hell of a lot better than staying here and getting attacked by the guy in the green mask. Of course, I won't stop you if you'd rather stay here and test out that theory. But anyone else who doesn't want to die tonight should come with me now." Zack replied evenly, watching Lizzie who gazed steadily back at him.
"I'm with Zack. I've been with him for about five hours tonight and I haven't died yet," Tawni declared, coming to stand next to him.
Mikayla said nothing, but came to stand next to Tawni and gripped her hand tightly. With one last weary look at Lizzie, Gordo went to stand next to Mikayla. Ronnie sat next to Lizzie on the wooden desk and glanced back at the rest of them.
"I know you're injured, Ronnie. If it were any other situation, I'd say it were better for you not to overexert yourself and risk further injury. But we can't sit back and do nothing. You've been really brave tonight. All I'm asking is that you be brave a little longer and trust me. I'll do everything I can to get you out of here alive and safe." Zack promised sincerely, locking eyes with him.
Ronnie gazed at Lizzie with an apologetic look and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Lizzie. But Zack's right. If you guys will give me a hand, I'm ready to get the hell out of here." Ronnie answered assuredly, grinning back at Zack.
Lizzie looked at the rest of the group and rolled her eyes.
"Fine, I'll join the group of masochists. But none of you are allowed to make fun of me ever again for being superstitious on Friday the 13th." Lizzie grumbled reluctantly, placing Ronnie's right arm over her shoulder after draping his sweater over his back to keep him warm.
Gordo came back towards them with a smile on his face and placed Ronnie's left arm over his shoulder. Zack grinned at them and opened the door of the shed. The cold air swept across his face and he took it all in with a deep breath.
"Keep a look-out for anyone: friends, cops, serial killers. Let's go." Zack instructed calmly.
And from there, this strange motley crew left the Danforth Residence and pursued their own arduous journey into the unknown.
The Forest – 02:20
"Holy Shit," Officer Jensen murmured, his grimace visible through the glare of an accompanying flash light.
"You said it," Inspector Ambrose agreed quietly, staring solemnly at the mess.
The two of them and a few other police officers (who had cordoned off the area), stared silently for a few seconds at Gibby Gibson's body laying sprawled out in the dirt near the camp site. Whatever had transpired during the night, they knew for certain that the boy's death had been quick.
"What a mess," Inspector Ambrose muttered, sitting on his haunches while examining the body.
"I'd put the time of death around 3 hours prior, give or take. At least it wasn't long and drawn out. His injuries saw to that," the forensics expert stated astutely, pointing with a gloved hand towards some of the damage done to the abdominal region.
"That's four for the count already. How many more bodies are we still going to find?" Officer Jensen asked slowly while examining the nearby bushes for any traces of the weapon.
Inspector Ambrose got to his feet and shook his head slowly.
"Whoever else 'The Woodsman' has killed, he's gotten a head start. We need to get a handle on this situation and fast," he observed in a tense voice.
Steve Jensen nodded in agreement with this sentiment. Before, it had mostly been fun and games when he sent off those images to Paulene's phone earlier, like a game of Cluedo. But the stakes were even higher now, not withstanding a more sizable body count than what was previously known.
While the two of them pondered on their next move, Inspector Ambrose's police radio crackled loudly as Officer Bryce's voice came through the receiver. He hadn't checked the radio in over ten minutes while examining Gibby Gibson's body. After listening attentively to Officer Bryce's explanation for a few seconds, Inspector Ambrose's expression became livid.
"You mind running that by me one more time?!" he demanded angrily.
The Pal Residence – 02:22
Long after the interrogation had ceased, the heated arguments and loud calls of indignation had begun once more.
"How could you do this, Max?!" Carey demanded angrily, on the verge of tears once more.
"You know what Cody's like, Mrs. Martin. Once he gets an idea in his head, there's no stopping him. He was never going to sit back while his own brother was somewhere in the neighbourhood. It wouldn't have mattered if I had tried to stop them," Max protested vehemently.
"You still didn't have to give him and Bob a helping hand," Chad spat maliciously.
Sonny placed a soothing hand on his to calm him down.
"Max, Cody is just a kid! The police are handling this!" Kurt exclaimed curtly.
"The police? The police! We already know that Amber and Ashley are dead as well as Gibby and Bernie Quinn. That might not even be the entire body count so far for tonight's mass murder. The police are handling this? They don't have a clue what they're dealing with!" Max retorted furiously at Kurt.
"And neither do Cody and Bob. And you let them leave anyway," Grady quipped maliciously at Max.
"Stop it, Grady! That's enough, everyone!" Bailey shouted out abruptly, which took everyone by surprise.
She took a deep breath before speaking once more in a calmer tone.
"I know you're all upset about Cody and Bob and you want someone to blame for all of this. But Max is right, Cody would've left with or without her help. There's nothing he wouldn't do for Zack, even risking his life. Instead of turning on each other, we need to stay calm." Bailey concluded in a soft voice.
"Bailey's right. I'm sorry, Max." Chad apologised meekly, which amazed everyone, especially Sonny who was still standing at his side.
"It's okay, Chad." Max replied graciously.
"Bailey, I want to believe that everything will be okay. But I don't know what the future holds, or what will happen to my boys." Carey stated morosely, locking eyes with Bailey.
"No one knows what the future holds, Mrs. Martin. But Cody's made it through so far. And he can survive the rest of this nightmare. I have to believe that," Bailey answered firmly while putting a trembling hand on Carey's.
Carey didn't say a word, but gripped Bailey's hand tightly in her own. The only thing stopping Bailey from going insane herself with worry was the faint pressure of Carey's hand in hers. It reminded her of all the times that Cody had ever held her hand and reassured her that everything would be alright in the midst of a bleak situation. And so began the war of heart over mind. Her heart told her that everything would be okay. But her mind told her otherwise.
Group 1 – 02:24
Cody and Bob were heading in the direction of the East Gate, keeping to the Main Road as directly as possible. Anyone who would've seen this strange sight would've thought they were insane. But from Bob and Cody's perspective, keeping to the Main Road seemed like the most straightforward option. And they had weapons for just in case.
"No one else in sight. That's good, right?" Bob asked nervously of Cody.
"Uh, yes and no. Yes, because no one's tried to kill us yet. And no because we still haven't found anyone else." Cody retorted sardonically.
"How much further to the gate?" Bob asked casually while swinging the fireplace poker in his hand.
"A couple of meters." Cody answered with a shrug.
Bob was about to reply when he gave a sudden start, which caught Cody completely off guard.
"Bob, what's wrong?" Cody asked sharply, grasping Bob by the shoulder.
"I thought I saw something," Bob muttered hoarsely.
"Something or someone, Bob? Where???" Cody demanded impatiently.
"Over there, near those trees up ahead." Bob pointed out in a trembling voice.
"Did it look like someone wearing a green and silver mask?" Cody pressed urgently, watching Bob's expression.
"I don't know, man. Whoever it was ducked behind the trees before I could get a closer look." Bob explained rapidly.
"What do we do?" he asked anxiously of Cody.
Cody made up his mind after a few seconds of deliberation.
"Let's go check it out," he mumbled seriously, glancing dead ahead at the trees.
Group 2 – 02:25
"I'm sorry, Zack." Mikayla apologised mournfully.
"It's okay, Mikayla. Maybe whoever it was didn't see you," Zack responded graciously.
"Guess again," Gordo cautioned with a horrified look on his face and pointing straight ahead.
The six of them were hiding behind some trees and in some bushes. They stared ahead to where Gordo indicated. There were two figures standing in the Main Road a few meters from where they hid. Lizzie gasped softly when the two figures began moving closer towards them.
"Oh my God," she murmured in alarm.
"Lizzie, stay calm." Tawni cautioned tersely.
"What do we do?" Ronnie asked in a hushed voice.
"Just stay where you are while I think of something," Zack murmured back quickly.
All six of them couldn't stop the mutual shudders emitted from their bellies at the sound of someone calling out to them in a deep and booming voice.
Group 1 – 02:26
"Bob, what are you doing?!" Cody hissed in annoyance.
"I figured I'd call out to whoever's hiding behind those trees to scare 'em off. You know, show some male bravado or something," Bob replied in a would-be casual voice.
"Grab your poker, just in case" Cody suggested in a nervous voice, gripping the baseball bat tightly in his hand.
The closer they got to the trees, the clammier Cody's hands became while they gripped his meagre weapon.
"Just follow my lead, okay?" he asked quietly of Bob.
Bob looked at him and nodded slowly. Cody steeled himself for what was about to come and began speaking.
"Alright!" he yelled out, causing Bob to jump several inches in the air.
"I know you're hiding behind those trees. So, you'd better come out and face me like a man, you punk." He commanded in as threatening a tone as he could muster.
His and Bob's teeth began chattering violently when they heard the audible sounds of leaves and branches being separated as someone made their way out towards them.
A figure moved towards them, his footsteps noiseless against the dense gravel of the smooth road. Bob sucked in his breath when the latter's silhouette came into sharp focus against the backdrop of the street lamp shining overhead.
"Man, am I glad to see you, Cody. And once we get out of this hell-hole, I'm gonna kick your ass for calling me a punk." Zack promised with only a touch of menace in his words the closer he got to his twin and best friend.
Cody and Bob's eyes widened in astonishment at this unexpected twist in the story line of the night's events. And yet, it was a story that was both so poignant and familiar:
The return of the long lost brother.
The Bolton Residence – 02:30
"What do you think, Tudgman?" Ethan asked curiously.
Larry was giving Ethan's proposal a lot of consideration.
"How's your shoulder?" Larry asked evenly in return.
Ethan winced while he moved and flexed his injured shoulder gingerly.
"It still twinges a little. But I think I can walk, run if necessary." Ethan responded with a weak laugh.
Larry pursed his lips together while he thought it over.
"I'm sure that was a police helicopter that was flying overhead before. If it was, it might've landed on top of the hill." Ethan continued on in a business-like tone.
"The Savoy Estate's right at the top of the hill. The grounds are big enough for a helicopter to have landed." Kyle added pensively.
"Okay, we'll go and take a look. If there's nothing up there, we'll go back to the Greene Residence and get Kate and Claire. But we can't draw any attention to ourselves. Agreed?" Kyle asked seriously of Ethan.
Ethan looked at him and nodded slowly.
"Let's go out through the backdoor," Kyle suggested quickly.
Making as little as possible, they left their hiding place underneath the kitchen window and exited through the back door as they retraced their way back out into the unknown.
Unknown – 02:31
A lone masked figure lay hidden in a clump of bushes, waiting patiently for something he alone could see. He perked up instantly at the sight of two figures making their way slowly out of a darkened house and ascending slowly up the foot of the hill. He needed to cut them off before they could get help and he had to do it now. Retrieving the bloodied pick axe from his utility belt, he left his hiding place and began following them in painstaking fashion.
Author's Note: I think you all know what my favourite part of the chapter was ; ) 'Reunited and it feels so good' Okay, no more singing. I also enjoyed writing the parts in the shed and Bob and Cody's entrance onto the scene. Sorry about the cliffhanger concerning the twins, you'll just have to find out next chapter where the gang heads off to next. 106 reviews so far, I am totally stoked. Thank you to everyone who reviewed last week, making the '100' mark possible. You know who you are : ) Thank you to everyone who's ever read and reviewed 'Manhunt', this story would be nothing without your input and support. Now I'm going to use up the last of the bandwidth on my laptop for my ADSL connection, 700 megabytes left to use on my account before the end of the month ; ) Tally-ho!