5: Exit Stage Left

Although they had gone their separate ways, all of the survivors of the bus accident were watching the news that night.

So they all learned of Jerry's death.

Drew and Casper were in the kitchen, eating pizza, when they heard the voice say, "The Annual Summer Shootout was marred today by the death of the winner, Jerry Griever."

Drew and Casper both choked. They stared at the TV as a photo of Jerry appeared onscreen.

Sam and Danny saw it, too. They were watching the TV, open-mouthed, as the newsreader continued, "Barely half an hour after winning the competition…"

"… Jerry Griever was found dead in the changing room. He had been shot through the head." Seb and Alexa stopped making out to watch.

"Evidently, it was an accident. According to the police report, Griever dropped the gun…" Zoë was upset. She had finally got together with Zack, but now this news report had ended what was promising to be a night of passion. They watched the TV.

"… and it went off, killing him. We will update you if anything more comes to light." The report ended. Phoebe, Leo and Brett were all at Leo's house, and had been talking about the bus crash.

Tears were streaming down Phoebe's face. Brett buried his face in his hands.

Drew looked agitated, thought Casper. Zoë must be giving her a hard time.

Drew's first thought, after they had got over the shock of Jerry's death, had been to ring all the other survivors.

She was on the phone to Zoë and Zack now.

She hung up. Casper raised his eyes. "So? How are they?"

Drew shook her head sadly. "They don't care. Zack said that I should stop grieving over Griever. And Zoë laughed. They're heartless motherf-"

"Yes, they are," said Casper, clamping his hand over her mouth. "Forget them. They can go to hell for all we care. Who's next?"

"Seb."

Casper looked at her expectantly. "What?" she said.

"Don't you mean, Seb and Alexa?"

"No. Alexa will be just as horrible, I know it." Drew reflected for a moment. "The eleven of us… we're all bound together now. By Fate, almost."

"Right," said Casper, pushing the phone into her hand. "Now call Seb and Alexa."

"Is this a digger I see before me, the handle-"

"No, no, NO!" screamed the director. "It's a dagger, not a digger. What would McB do with a digger?"

"Run over the king?" Seb suggested.

It was not going well. Seb was awful at remembering lines, and so starring as Macbeth in the play of the same name was a bad idea.

Alexa had been a bit put out when she discovered that the minor role Seb had arranged for her was, in fact, one of the witches. However, she was much better at acting than Seb.

The director was a short, rotund man, with a face so red, it was a surprise he hadn't literally exploded yet. He held with the age-old superstition that the play Macbeth should never be referred to by name, so he called in "The Scottish Play". He also refused to call the character by name, and called him McB instead.

"Get off the stage, Mr Locke. We'll try again later."

Seb grudgingly moved off.

THUMP

Seb jumped. Alexa gasped. The director stared.

The theatre they were using was a very old-fashioned one. As a result, it still had sandbags to act as counterweights for the curtain.

And one of them had crashed to the ground, barely two feet from Seb.

"Who did that?" yelled the director.

Drew and Casper made their way to the theatre. "It was nice of Seb to invite us to his rehearsal. I heard he's really good now."

"Uh-huh," Drew agreed. "He sounded funny on the phone. I don't think he's over Jerry's death yet."

"What about Alexa?" asked Casper.

"I don't think she's too pleased that we're coming."

Casper ticked names off on his fingers. "So that's everyone, then?"

"Yeah," Drew nodded. "Most of them – apart from Zoë and Zack – are really upset about Jerry."

Casper bowed his head. "He was a good guy. He didn't deserve to die."

The taxi came to an abrupt halt. "What's wrong?" Casper asked the driver.

"Fire," was the reply. They looked out the window, and saw what he meant.

Right next to the theatre Seb and Alexa were performing in, a rubbish dumpster was ablaze. People were avoiding it, and standing to watch at a distance. But no one seemed to be in a rush. The fire wasn't doing any harm.

"We can walk from here. Thanks." Casper paid the driver and they exited the cab. The traffic was at a standstill. They ran through the cars to the theatre.

"A fire, huh? So it's stealing my thunder?" Seb smiled.

Drew waved her hands impatiently. "But how are you guys? Are you all right?"

Seb leaned forward conspiratorially. "We had a little accident yesterday," he said. He then related the sandbag incident.

Drew was horrified. "What now? Will you still use the stage?"

Seb nodded. "We tied the sandbags up in the rafters. They won't be going anywhere."

Alexa appeared. She tapped Seb on the shoulder. "The director told me to 'tell that asshole Locke to get on stage now!'. So I'd advise you get up there." She glanced disdainfully at Drew and Casper.

As Seb walked away, Drew suddenly remembered that she had never shown him the photographic evidence of how mean Alexa was. The bus crash had driven it out of her mind. She decided she would talk to him after the rehearsal.

Up in the rafters, a mouse discovered a rope for it to nibble.
Drew and Casper took their seats, sitting as far away from the director as possible. The little man was apoplectic that his leading man had nearly been flattened by a sandbag the day before. He was convinced it had been on purpose.

"Where will I begin?" Seb called from the stage.

The director sighed heavily. "Your dagger speech," he said.

Seb cleared his throat. "Is this a dagger I see before me, its bundle turned-"

"Its HANDLE!" screamed the director. "God, I can't believe the play opens next week! It'll be a disaster!"

Seb smiled weakly at Drew and Casper. Alexa was sitting nearby. He shot a look at her, and rolled his eyes.

"I saw that!" roared the director, springing to his feet. "You are going to stay there until you get the speech right!"

Seb shrugged.

He drew a deep breath, and began "Is this a dagger I see before me-"

It had happened so fast, but Drew recalled everything as though it was in slow motion. A sandbag had suddenly swung down and hit Seb square in the back. It sent him flying.

He crashed through the window at the side of the stage.

Alexa screamed, and leapt to her feet. So did Drew and Casper. They all ran to the window.

A terrible sight greeted their eyes.

Seb had fallen into the flaming dumpster.

And the lid had slammed down, closing him in.

The three of them ran outside as fast as was humanly possible.

People were already trying to open the lid, but it was stuck. Casper cast around desperately for something to prise the lid off, but there was nothing.

Seb's screams of agony slowly faded away.

When the fire engine finally arrived, and they cut the dumpster open, all they found were a heap of ashes.