= Murder III =
By StarFoxRocks
Chapter Four
The Setting: Yellow Comet HQ, up in the Mountains
The Time: 8:01 PM
The Situation: Max solves the case
===
"Proposterous," Hachi said. "How do you know anything?"
"I know who the killer is," Max repeated himself.
"We do to!" Hachi protested. "A madman!"
"There's more to it," Max said quietly.
"Then explain it," Hachi said, irritably.
"I would, if you'd let me," Max replied. "Now, be quiet and allow me to do it."
Hachi backed off, almost bumping the wall, his expression concerned.
"Alright," Max said, clearing his throat. "Now, remember when we got here?"
Everyone nodded in an unsure way.
"I mean, the Orange Star COs," Max corrected himself.
Sami and Flak nodded, everyone else puzzled.
"The first real thing that caught my mind was your expression, Flak."
Flak looked up from the floor. "Huh?"
"When the read the paper, you gasped."
"Oh... that," Flak said. "The headline just shocked me, that's all."
"Enough out of you," Max said. "Let's turn to the first murder... Jess..."
"Don't remind me!" Drake said, his face still tear-streaked.
"Just let me explain, Drake," Max said. "Now, we all saw Jess being taken by the killer by the window. Sonja was upstairs at the time, right?"
"That's right, I was," Sonja said.
"Well, we were all inside," Max said. "It couldn't have been any of us."
"So who the hell is it?!" said Hachi.
"And when Andy left during the blackout, we were all still in the room."
"Answer my question, damnit!" Hachi yelled.
"I'm getting to it," Max calmly said to him. "And the conflict with Sensei, then me and Eagle? I heard Eagle's dying words. He began with the letter H."
Hachi gasped. "You can't possibly accuse me of this!"
"Who said I was?"
Everyone was confused.
"What?" Nell asked.
"The killer is in this room right now..."
"Um..."
Everyone looked at each other uncertainly.
"You can come out now."
"Absurd! Nobody's hiding!" Hachi said loudly.
"That's what you think," Max said. "Come out, please."
The cabinet door opened. Out stepped the hockey-masked killer!
"Holy crap!" Drake yelled. "He's come to finish us all off!"
"No, he isn't," Max said. "If you would, take off your mask?"
The killer slowly obliged, undoing the straps of his mask, until he finally did take it off, revealing his face. Everybody gasped.
"Hawke?" Lash said disbelievingly.
Hawke's face was all sweaty, with his hair messy. "Yes, it was me."
"No way! I didn't hear at all that you escaped!" Lash said.
Max grinned. "That's because Flak wouldn't let us find out."
Flak gasped, and everyone turned to look at him.
"What is he talking about?" Sami asked.
"The reaction to the news article," Max said. "He had that expression because the main headline was Hawke's escape from prison."
"Is this true, Flak?" Nell questioned.
Flak hesitated. "Uh... yes... it is... I didn't think it would be a problem, so I tore the article up."
"You idiot!" Sami shouted. "You should have told us, then none of this shit would have happened!"
"I'm sorry!" Flak said.
"I think this explains just about everything, eh, Hachi?" Max said, turning to the merchant.
'Erm... sure," he said uncertainly.
"Hawke, you bastard," Drake said. "You killed Jess, and Eagle! Not to mention Andy and Sensei! You cold hearted..."
"You're right," Hawke muttered. "I was too blood thirsty, being in that damned prison! I couldn't spend another minute in there, so when I broke out, I vowed revenge on those who had sent me there in the first place! But what would the use be? I've ruined Wars World..."
"That should be a major accomplishment for the old Black Hole," Max said with no pity.
"This is all too much, I need some fresh air," Hachi muttered.
He stepped outside.
---
"Is it all really over?"
Sami and Nell were outside, again.
"Man... who else will be corrupted and forced to murder someone?" Sami said. "I don't think I really can take any more of this."
"Don't worry... it'll be fine, I hope," Nell said, looking up at the night sky.
Max, Flak, Sami, Drake, Lash, and Sonja came outside, Hawke being dragged along with them.
"Let's go," Max said. "We've got a long ways to go before getting to the nearest Police Station."
"Are you kidding?" Sami protested. "You aren't suggesting we walk?"
"No choice, we're gonna have to either way," Max said. "Might as well get it over with."
"I don't believe this..."
---
They began their descent downhill through the dark forests.
"Man, it is creepy," Sonja said, shivering. "And cold..."
"Don't rub it in," Hachi muttered.
Max was in the lead, with the only flashlight, and stopped the group when he heard leaves rustling.
"Who's there?"
He stepped forward, aiming the flashlight.
"Anyone there?"
Hawke suddenly pushed his way through the crowd, raising his axe behind Max...
The flashlight hit the ground and broke, covering everyone in a sheet of darkness.
Screams pierced the night, causing the thing that had made the rustling noises to scamper off. It was a coyote.
The whole group was killed because of a coyote stepping in their tracks.
---
A bright, sunny day was the results of a few months later down in Yellow Comet. Inside a local shop, the cashier watched as someone picked out his chosen items items: a bag of potato chips, a small cylinder container of salt, and a bag of napkins.
"Ready for a barbeque?" the elderly cashier asked, as he walked up to purchase the items.
"Erm... in a way, yes," the man said. He had dark black hair, and wore a casual suit. His eyes looked cold, and his face's expression told the cashier he was rather tired.
"Are you okay?" the man asked, as he placed the items in a paper bag and handed it to him. "Oh, and that'll be $4.75."
The man handed him a five. "Keep the change, pops."
Taking the bag, he quickly left the shop.
"Some people, these days..." the elderly man said, opening the cash register.
---
High up in the mountains, the strange man was walking down the road. A yellow comet recon slowly drove up to him, stopping. A soldier stepped out of the car.
"I'm sorry sir, this area is off limits."
The man's eyebrows raised. "Is it?"
"Yes, ever since all the Commanding Officers went missing up there. Don't you read the news?"
The man thought, then shook his head. "My apologies."
"It's no problem," the soldier said. "Do you need a ride down?"
"No thank you, I can walk," the man said, turning around. "I need the exercise, anyway."
"Whatever makes you feel best," the soldier said uncertainly, stepping into the recon and restarting it. He drove off downhill, passing the man by as he began his descent.
Once he was sure the recon was gone, the man quickly turned around and ran into the woods.
---
Stepping up another path, the man ascended until he finally stopped, giving a victory smirk when he found what he was looking for.
The Yellow Comet HeadQuarters was boarded up and dusty. It looked rather alone. The man gave no notice, as though he had been there many times. Carrying the bag with him, he tore off the board that blocked the door, and stepped inside.
Once inside, he took off his suit coat, revealing his white shirt and dark tie. He looked around, then entered the kitchen. Hitting a switch, the lights turned on, brightening the room. He sat down at the broken table, taking out the bag of potato chips. He was only able to eat one, before a voice rang out.
"Hawke, I presume."
Hawke turned to the door, smiling. "Why, Colin. You're just on time."
The End?