FRAT HOUSE: LIVING AREA
Juliet screamed.
I wasn't ready for it, and I scrambled backward; I heard Rodrigo literally fall over onto the floor.
Juliet grabbed her bloody hair and thrashed and wailed. Rodrigo recovered and ran over to her, holding her arms to keep her from hurting herself.
I thought Juliet wasn't saying words, but I realized she was. It was just "Why? Why? Why?" over and over again.
"Friend Juliet!" Rodrigo stammered. "Please! You must tell us what happened!"
Juliet's scream faded into just a rasp, and she started banging the back of her head against the wall. "I can't!" she shrieked. "I can't I can't I can't!"
Nearly panicked, Rodrigo pulled her away from the wall and grabbed her in a tight embrace. She flailed against him weakly, then suddenly went limp.
He pulled back, his hands on her shoulders, and we tried to look her in the face. She stared back at us with dead eyes, lolling her head. There was just blood everywhere, crusting on her cheeks and in her hair and on her dress.
"I'm sorry," she said, nearly inaudibly. "I'm sorry I'm sorry." She moaned and nearly fell, but Rodrigo held her up. "Told me... told me I could choose." She looked up. "I said... I said not me." Her voice collapsed into a sob, tears leaving streaks in the blood on her face. "I said not me! I'm sorry!" She writhed, sobbing, in Rodrigo's arms, and then she seemed to just go catatonic again.
I stepped back, and I nearly slipped. I looked down and saw, lying among the wreckage of the room, a black poncho. I reached down and picked it up, and what I saw caused me to nearly drop it in shock. Not only was it covered in blood, but there was a rubber mask duct-taped to the neck part: a horrible, green gremlin face.
Juliet's staring eyes saw the mask, and she screamed again, louder than she had before. "No no no!" She pushed against Rodrigo in a vain attempt to run away, but he held onto her tightly.
I dropped the costume where hopefully she wouldn't be able to see it, and I walked up to them, putting my hand softly on her shoulder. "Juliet... Juliet, please, what happened?"
She buried her face in Rodrigo's robe, shivering violently. "In the music," she squeaked. "In the music in the music in the music..."
I stepped back. "Rodrigo, I think you need to stay here with her. Keep her from hurting herself, all right?"
Rodrigo nodded. I gave him what I hoped was a determined expression before running back out the door and around the building to the party.
FRAT HOUSE: MAIN ROOM
As soon as I stepped in, I decided I was done trying to convince people of things nicely. I walked right up to the dance floor, where Ashley was jumping up and down, and I grabbed her and physically dragged her away. None of the other dancers seemed very bothered.
"Hey!" Ashley yipped, kicking at me. "What are you..." She saw the expression on my face and fell silent.
"Oh, Christ," she said.
ARTS CENTER: ENTRANCE HALL
There was only one thing I could think "in the music" might mean, but I hoped I was wrong. I hoped I was wrong because I hoped nothing was happening at all; this was just a normal night; this is just a normal college; this is just a normal life.
We stood in front of the door to the music section, not going inside. I looked over at Ashley; she was expressionless.
"Saya," she said, looking straight ahead at the door. "Can you do this?"
I chuckled nervously. "Walk through a door? I think I probably..."
"Saya." She looked at me, pure steel in her eyes. "Can you do this? Or am I doing it alone?"
I fell silent, coldness settling into my chest. "I can do it," I said.
She pulled open the door and we went inside.
ARTS CENTER: MUSIC STUDIO
The door to Rocky's studio was open, the light was on, and a droning, simple, 4/4 beat played from inside. We walked towards it, and just without hesitation went inside.
I said I could do it, but I was wrong. I couldn't.
There were bloodstains all over; on the walls, the floor, the control panel, even the ceiling.
And sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, head thrown back, a gruesome dagger sticking out of her chest... the sweetest person I had ever met.
Emily Voss, the Ultimate Astronomer, was dead.
welp