The crew went back to town safely. Some went home, while most were stuck at the police station. Gwen, Noah, Emma, and Kitty were out in the waiting room, as Duncan, Jo, and Alejandro were in Chris's office, being questioned about their actions. Gwen was pacing the waiting room, as the rest were sitting in the chairs by the wall.
Inside the office of the head detective, Chris was standing in front of his desk, looking at a paper. Duncan, and his two other friends were sitting in the three chairs that were in front of the desk. It was after a few moments of utter silence, until Chris finally spoke.
"Do you guys have any idea how painful it was to go all the way out there, just to fish your sorry asses out of that forest?" Chris asked, voice stern and angry. "Do you have any idea how your parents must feel knowing that you guys endangered yourself, as well as others."
"My parents hate me." Duncan said, bluntly with his feet kicked up onto the desk.
"I don't care. I'm still bringing you back to your houses, and placing the three of you under house arrest." Chris then sat back down at the desk, pushing himself in. "From my knowledge, at the very least, doesn't really know where your houses are. With the very exception of Duncan's house. If you guys stayed at your own houses instead of leaving them, maybe nobody will be attacked, and our mission to find this guy will be a lot more easier." Jo scoffs.
"You're kidding, right?" The girl asked. "What if this bastard isn't only after us?! If more townspeople around here got their asses killed, then we're not the only targets. If you have some sort of proof of this being the case, I'd be happy enough to see it."
"We're trying our best here. Cut us some slack already."
"But what about me now? This psycho knows my house, considering I got that package with Lightning's head inside it. So what am I going to do? I am totally unsafe?" Chris looks down, worried about that.
"I'll allow him to stay at my house."
The four looked over to the door, seeing Noah standing by the entry of the office room. This idea was suicide, on all ends, and Noah was deciding to go and endanger himself by bringing Duncan into his own house? Is he mad? That's what the four in the office were thinking when Noah came in with this idea. Chris refused this kind of idea to happen, he just couldn't allow somebody else to be endangered.
"No...hell no, you can't just barge into my office, and say that you'll bring Duncan into your house. Don't you know that whoever is out there, killing his friends, you'll be killed too?!" Chris asked with a stern voice.
"I know what I'm doing, McLean. I am not friends with him, but even if he is a total prick, I'm not going to sit here and let him suffer like this." Noah said.
"And how do we know that YOU'RE not the person after all of us?" Alejandro asked, glaring at the shorter boy.
Noah closed his eyes, and then took a deep breath. He knew that this part of the truth was coming out someday. He knew it. Cody knew it. Emma and Kitty knew it. It was inevitable it was going to be revealed one day. So, now seems like a good enough time than ever.
The boy spoke aloud. "During the night that Scott died, I saw the whole thing unfold in front of my very eyes." He explains to them. "I heard a scream outside in the neighborhood, and I hidden myself in the playground near the spot Scott was attacked. I was..." The boy took a pause for a bit, before managing the courage to continue. "...I was too scared to help him in this situation. I watched some person with the crowbar take swings at him, until...he was dragged off. That's all I saw that night. I promise you that."
The three at the chairs were sitting there, stunned at what they were just hearing. Chris was at a lost for words too. He had no idea how to respond to Noah experiencing something like this. He didn't know if he should be pissed off, disappointed, anything idea of a feeling, he had no clue.
However, that's not stopping the others from being angry at this...
"You let him die?!" Jo asked, snapping at Noah.
"I didn't mean to do that. I was too scared to go and save him, but I never meant for him..." Noah was interrupted by Duncan before he could end that sentence. Duncan walked up to Noah, grabbing him by the collar, and glaring into his eyes.
"Oh don't pull that fucking crap on me and my friends, asshole! You were the one who allowed Scott to die! You are a damn coward, and if things were my way, your sorry ass would be kicked by me!" Duncan screams, holding Noah against the wall. "Anything you like to say, you worthless piece of shit?!" Noah glared back at him, not giving into Duncan's threats.
"Back off, Duncan. I've said sorry enough..."
"Your apologies are not going to do shit while some psycho is on the round to come have me and my friends dead!"
"I GET IT, ALRIGHT!?" Noah snaps at him, screaming.
"ENOUGH!" Chris shouts.
Duncan and Noah stopped screaming at each other. The punk drops Noah to the ground, as he went back to the chair he sat at before. Noah stood back up from the ground, brushing himself off, as he walked by the side of the desk.
"This situation is bad enough. Can we save beating the scrawny boy until after this guy is taken care of?" Chris asked the four of them.
"Yeah, good idea. Beat the scrawny boy after..." Noah stopped himself, noticing what Chris said. "What the, hey!"
"Well, you don't look like you go to gym, dude. Just saying." Chris looks at the three of the bullies ahead of his desk, as Noah crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. "Either way, Noah helping Scott or not, the plan hasn't changed. You guys are still going to remain in your houses until then. Me and the rest of the police have this shit under control. And if one of you three attempt to do something like THAT again, I'm afraid that you three will be behind bars. Are we clear?"
The three looked at each other, nodding in agreement, before turning their heads towards Chris. All three of them nodded their heads at him, ultimately agreeing with the Head Detective.
"Good. Glad to know you guys are going to cooperate with this idea." Chris said. "I'll come by each of your houses tonight. Just make sure you guys can protect yourself, alright?"
"We'll make sure of it." Alejandro said, before standing up from his chair. "Can we go now? I believe that we had enough of this talk now."
"Alright." Duncan mutters. Duncan then glared at Noah, not saying a word, before standing up himself. The punk stood up from his chair, then looked at Chris. "Can I try to get a few things from my house before I go to Noah's house, Chris?"
"Of course. Also, while me and the cops are looking around town for the next few days...make sure you don't end up attacking Noah because he allowed Scott to die. It's bad enough we need one of you guys to turn on one another, and have another person to deal with." Chris said, before looking at Noah again. "I believe we're done here. I'm sure MacArthur will drive all three of you to your houses now that we're done."
For Noah, that could've gone a lot better than he hoped for...
Then again, what would've he expected from telling Duncan that he was there when Scott got killed? Nothing much, that's all he knew. Now Duncan blames him for what happened to Scott, which is just the icing on a cake in this whole situation.
So Noah was walking with Kitty, Emma, and Gwen behind them. He was mostly just heading to his own house, not wanting to think about this mystery until tonight. He felt like he's been focused on this mystery for awhile, that it's now starting to affect his own personal life. But is it worth putting a majority of the town in danger, because a bully blames him for a friend's death? He didn't fully give up on this whole ordeal, thankfully enough.
"So...what's the plan from here?" Kitty asked. "We just left without a word."
"I know...but I just need to be by myself, alright? I...with Duncan coming to my house to be protected by me...I feel like...I just need some time to rethink my thoughts right now." Noah said. "I'm...sorry if it sounds like I'm turning my back on the town, but I'm not. Things have...gotten...real bad for me, after that talk in the office."
"Is this because of that package with Lightning's head?" Gwen asked. "Chris told me all about that, and he said that that pretty confirms that this culprit knows where Duncan lives."
"Yeah. Now Duncan's going to be staying at my house until...this guy is taken care of..."
"Damn, that can't be good."
"It's not Gwen, it's not. But I only asked to try to be nice, but then...I indirectly revealed that...I saw Scott get attacked..."
Gwen's eyes widened at what she just heard Noah just say there. "You saw him die?"
"No...just attacked, and...before you go blaming me like Duncan and his friends are doing, I know I had blood on my hands. But...I never been in that situation before, I couldn't help but be sitting there, and...just..." Noah threw his hands in the air, clearly frustrated. "...I just had no idea what to do! And...I'm sorry..." Gwen took a sigh, before crossing her own arms.
"Well...I'm not mad, I'm more...disappointed...But truthfully, if I was in your shoes...I wouldn't know what to do either."
"Thank you Gwen..."
"Anyways...I'll try to find more of those papers that whoever that is might be placing around the neighborhood. That, or maybe one of his or her items that he might drop along the way around town."
"Gwen, since you haven't been there for the conversation, I think it's best that you let Detective McLean handle this situation along with the cops. It's too dangerous to go investigating at night."
"With you needing to rest, I feel like I should take over until then." Gwen pats the man on his shoulder, before nodding her head. "Now go get some rest. I know what I'm doing, and I know exactly how to defend myself."
Emma looked at Gwen, then to Noah. "Hey, Noah...I hope you don't mind me tagging along with you on the way to your house. It's just that...I really need to talk about the conversation that we had through the forest?" Emma said to him. "Is...that alright with you?" Noah blinked a couple times.
"Of course, Emma." Noah said, before the two ended up walking off.
"Okay. Guess I'll meet you back at our house then!" Kitty shouts. "Stubborn Emma...doesn't even tell me where the bus stop is before she walks off with some guy she ended up falling in love with."
Kitty walks off, as Gwen shook her head, walking off as well. Unknown to the four that were talking, Bridgette was actually about to turn the corner of the street she was on, overhearing the entire conversation. To her, it doesn't seem like she was the only person who was involved in this situation either.
Gwen walked pass her, not even acknowledging her there. Which is what she was expecting. Bridgette decided to go and follow Gwen to her house so that she can have a conversation with her about her involvement in this whole ordeal as well.
Note: My apologies if this chapter came out later than expected. I am also working on another fanfic while working on this one as well. Not only that, but with Christmas, I was away from my computer for a majority of the last few days. But, don't worry, I'm still continuing this fic still.
Either way, hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy New Year as well.