Well the story's almost done. Just this chapter then the next. Hope you've like it thus far and thanks for the reviews. Now without further ado.
Part 3: The Showdown
Gerald clutched the crowbar tightly in his hand as he tailed Curly's trail. Vengeance killed all sense of logic. 'This ends here, Curly. Arnold, Phoebe, Stinky, Sid, Harold, I hope you're all lined up to see this confrontation. To see the death of your tormentor.' Gerald was losing it but he didn't care as he ran to find the insane boy.
-The Hillwood Cemetery-
Helga stood before the grave of her best friend Phoebe. She couldn't believe it. In just this week she had lost both her love and her best friend. Just then Helga remembered the note that Phoebe had given her before she went off to her house. Phoebe had told her not to open it until the time was right for it could get them both killed.
'If the truth is in here, Phoebes, I'll make sure your death wasn't in vain.' She slipped open the envelope and pulled out a piece of crumpled paper. Helga's eyes filled with undying fear as she read the hurried handwriting. The words of a dead girl. It consisted of a deranged plot that involved all of them and the identity of the killer. 'My God! It can't be! Why?' She dashed away from the grave with newfound knowledge of what was happening and who was behind it all.
-P.S. 118-
From everyone he questioned along the way, Gerald had found out that people saw Curly running into the school. 'No place to hide, Curly! Just you and me!' He smashed open the double entrance door with his foot and stepped inside. It was a saturday so the school was abandoned say for the two kids planning to kill each other.
"Curly! Come out, you rat-ass son of a..." Suddenly he heard frantic footsteps run down the hall and he followed quickly. "No use running, Curly! One of us is gonna be dead by the end of today and it ain't gonna be me!" Footsteps going up the flight of stairs and Gerald followed with a twisted obsession. He would kill Curly. "Come on, man, don't run! Let's talk!" Gerald began to beat lockers with the crowbar as he followed the killer.
"Come on! COME ON! COME ON!" Suddenly he heard a body falling down a flight of stairs right into the hall. Gerald saw Curly sprawled on the floor gripping his leg. "Awww what's wrong, Curly? Hurt your leg?" Gerald slowly walked towards the boy as he tried desperately to crawl away. "It ends here, Curly!"
"Wait! Gerald, wait!" Curly scrambled to the wall to try and get to his feet but to no use. "You don't understand! I'm not the killer!" Gerald raised the crowbar but whatever sanity he had left stopped him from driving it into Curly's skull. "Gerald ya gotta believe me! I didn't kill any of them!"
"What the hell did ya say? You didn't do it? Liar! I saw you there when Phoebe died!" Pain filled Gerald as he remembered that horrible moment. Phoebe's poor lifeless body cradled in his arms. "You killed them!"
Curly looked around the hall desperately with fear. "You don't understand! I didn't kill her or any of 'em! He forced me to be his fall guy!"
Gerald's mind hurt with questions new and old flooding it. "Who's he? What are you talking about?"
"Gerald, this is all a set-up. A lie! He told me if I didn't help he'd kill me! I found out and he said he'd kill me unless I helped!" He once again frantically scanned the hall with large beads of sweat pouring down his face. "He might be watching us!"
Gerald was growing concerned and angry. "Curly! Who did this? Who are you protecting?"
"You're right, Gerald. By the end of this day one of us will be dead." A single tear rolled down his face. "Listen! The one who did all of this is..." Suddenly gunfire roared through the air and Curly died as two bullets collided with his head killing him. Gerald looked to the source of the gunfire and saw the real foe run up the stairs. 'Damn! Who is this!' Gerald quickly followed the newfound killer to the roof.
-Hillwood Hospital-
It had days since Arnold was shot and fell into a endless coma. He was lost in dreams. Dreams of his final moments in that alley. But this day the dreams would stir life back into his body and he sprung up screaming. Nurses and doctors ran into the room to see the football-headed kid sit up gasping for air. "I know who did it! I know who did it! It was-"
"Eugene?" Gerald had followed the killer to the roof to only have a gun pointed to his back and to see the face of his enemy. "You...you did all this?"
Eugene's face grew into a large sadist grin as he walked with back to the door and gun to Gerald's chest. "Why of course, oh dear Gerald. I am the mastermind behind the shooting of Arnold and the deaths of the others. Ironic isn't it? The one person you'd least expect turns out to be a deranged killer. Oh irony is so sweet."
Gerald now was confused. All feeling of anger filled with confusion. "But why? Why shoot Arnold? Why kill the the other kids!"
Eugene's smile suddenly washed away. He was no longer the Eugene he had known for all those years. "Why? WHY! I'll tell you why! Arnold's the reason for all the crap I've been dealt all these goddamn years! Every time something horrible happens to me it's because Arnold's there! He's the reason for all of this! That's why I shot him!" Gerald soon realized how insane Eugene truly was.
"Are you completely insane?" Gerald soon regretted his words as Eugene ran up to him and beat him in the face with his gun. Feeling warm blood run down his face, Gerald slowly got to his feet to see the gun once again pointed in his direction. "Why...why kill the others though? What the hell did they do to you?"
Eugene's smile suddenly returned. 'Sadistic little freak.' "Now that is where the story gets interesting isn't it? You see they were all there when I shot Arnold. They all saw me. Stinky, Helga, and of course you weren't there though. Had to threaten the rest of them to keep quiet but it just wasn't working. They were gonna spill their guts and I had to silence 'em!"
"But why kill Stinky then? You said he didn't see you shoot Arnold."
"Well, dear Gerald," Eugene went on, "that bullet wasn't meant for him. It was for you." Gerald's blood went cold. "The stupid bastard got in the way. Almost had you too. You were snooping in places you shouldn't have. You were too close and you had to die."
Gerald felt a sharp fear strike him. "But why put in Curly as your fall guy?"
"Why not?" Eugene said with a laugh. "Who wouldn't suspect Curly when it comes to crimes. He was perfect. Stupid idiot had to get himself killed by trying to tell you. I also forgot to mention that I planted the evidence that got the police on your backs. Now I'm afraid this is the end of our story. The end for your part anyway. Goodbye, detective." Gerald felt the fear once again as Eugene raised the gun to kill him. 'This is the end.'
Suddenly Eugene was smacked to the ground and Helga stood behind him with a bat. But Eugene dove for the gun and before Helga could do anything he shot her in the leg. "Stupid bitch!" Gerald dove at Eugene and tried to wrestle the gun outta his hands. The two struggled for half a minute until the barrel got shoved into Gerald's chest and fired.
What could happen? Is he dead. All will be revealed in the final chapter of this suspenseful mystery. R&R and see ya soon.