"So when Kevin went missing, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. They figured he ran away?" Mike questioned, looking sternly in Ke$ha's direction. She knew something he didn't, and he could feel it. Since the survivors could not be located. She knew so much detail, so much precision as to what happened that night. It was like she was there – but she wasn't.
"What are you hiding?" he said, his mouth twitching at the side.
"Nothing. You have my alibi; you have my sources and references. There is nothing that would possibly lead anyone to believe it was me, and you know it" she said, looking Mike dead in the eyes. The fact that her vision didn't move, her voice didn't falter, and her hands didn't shake with fear were surefire signs she was telling the truth.
"I'm sorry for my outburst," he said, apologizing to her. "Continue."
The smell of smoke and booze wafted through the house, reaching even the highest rafter. The friends were all dispersed throughout the large downstairs. Mauro was in the kitchen, doing the dishes. He despised his ranking within the help. Vivian treated all of them as equals but him, and he was always the singular one left to do the dirty work. He hated Vivian's friend as well. They made a mess of the house, leaving bottles and cans littered throughout the long halls. Jane had decided to drink even more after her mini-hookup session with Mary and ended up puking all over the kitchen floor. While Mauro was compensated for his job, he always felt left out of the fun that the rest of the help got to experience. He didn't party with them, although he desperately wished to get closer to Claire, a girl he was beginning to develop feelings for. He sighed, getting back to his work.
A shout came from the hallway. Vivian was screaming in a fit of rage. Miranda had taken it upon herself to graffiti the walls in bright red. Mauro approached the hallway, scared to see what he would find.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Miranda questioned, admiring her creation.
Written on the wall in front of Mauro, the bright red letters read '#collegeswag'
Christine had decided to initiate a game of spin the bottle. Jan tumbled over to the group, follow by Vivian, Nicole, Alex, Peter, Steven, and Michelle.
"You know, he's not really drunk," Alex whispered, motioning to Jan. "He does it all the time – he pretends to get shot up and acts a mess. Nobody actually knows when he's really drunk. I guess it's open for interpretation" he mused as he pushed his long brown hair out of his eyes.
"Ready?" Christine asked.
"Aye Captain!" Michelle gurgled, clearly inebriated.
Christine gave the bottle a spin. It pointed its head at Vivian. The group 'oooOOooo'ed' at the bottles decision.
Vivian spun it this time; it's rotating cap becoming lost in a frenzy of motion. It landed on Jan.
"I only do tongue" Vivian slurred, smiling at Jan.
"Fine by me" he said back. The two kissed while the group groaned. Gaby wolf-whistled from the corner of the room.
"Slut" Christine mumbled.
Vivian broke the action.
"Excuse Me," she said, glaring at Christine, her blonde locks curling around her ribs, nestling themselves on her chest.
"I didn't say anything" Christine retreated.
"Yeah, you did" Vivian shouted. She picked up the empty Svedka bottle from the floor.
"What the fu-" Christine began to say, before Vivian smashed the bottle over her head. Christine reeled back, screaming. Vivian tumbled out of the room. Jane yelled at Vivian, chastising her for her actions.
"You fucking cunt" Jane yelled at her over the music, cornering her in the kitchen by the windows. The bass throbbed in Vivian's ears.
"At least my breath doesn't smell like one" Vivian giggled, motioning towards Mary.
Jane looked at Vivian and decided whether or not to smack her right then and there, but decided it wasn't worth it. She pulled out a 'First-Aid' box from the fine-polished wooden cabinets and gave Vivian a cold stare before leaving the room. Jane tended Christine's wounds as her face puffed up with tears. Luckily, Vivian didn't hit her hard enough to require stitches, but she drew enough blood to cause concern.
The rest of the party continued as normal. Michelle leaned against the railing, smoking a cigarette. With every puff she blew out, she exaggerated the pucker of her lips. A twig snapped in the distance, reverberating off of the hollow porch and sullen trees. Michelle took no notice – thinking it was an animal.
The figure had escaped the house after the fight erupted, thinking it was unsafe to be in such a crowded area. He was waiting outside with baited breath when Michelle appeared on the porch.
He watched her sway side to side, her hips moving melodically to the rhythm of the drums emitting from the house. Her dark brown hair swung from shoulder to shoulder; carry itself with every move she made. Her green eyes lit up from the reflection off the moon bouncing off the lake, making her appearance more cat-like. Her dark skin contrasted the white tank top she was wearing, and her daisy duke jean shorts ruffled with every movement of her hips.
Another twig snapped, this time closer and louder. She snuffed out her cigarette, realizing that the noise was too loud for any animal inhabiting the island to make.
"Hello?" she shouted, her voice quivering. A breeze drafted up from the lake, sending goose bumps up her arms. She asked the same question again to the woods, and they returned no answer.
A figure grabbed her arms. She whipped her head around and screamed.
"JESUS CHRIST" yelled Claire, silencing her. Michelle was shivering and her eyes watered. "I just saw you out here and wanted to say hi."
The figure retreated back into the darkness, approaching the back porch, attempting to make its way inside again.
After talking to Steven and Nicole for what seemed like hours, Jan retreated to the shower. He undressed, turning on the tap, waiting for the water to warm itself. Once inside the shower, he began to hum along to the music emitting from the first floor, the noise so loud it drowned out all other sounds. He washed himself up, running shampoo through his hair, making sure to keep his eyes closed to avoid burning.
The door creaked open.
A shadow emerged out of the darkness. It stood facing the curtain, Jans singing and the music below drowning out any noise other than itself. The figure drew closer and closer, trying to visualize the body within the water.
Jan turned his face, opening his eyes. He saw a shadow outside of the curtain.
"Who is it?" he yelled, worry creeping through his voice.
The figure retreated back out of the room and slammed the door. Jan jumped when he heard the noise, and quickly got out of the shower. He tried himself off, making sure his short, jet black hair looked presentable, and throwing on a loose J-crew sweater, a pair of dark brown jeans, and some red Vans.
He ran down to the living room and slammed the power button on the speakers, his hair still dripping wet with water. Everyone in the room let out an exasperated moan and yelled at him to turn it back on. Mauro shouted 'Gracias' loudly from the kitchen.
"Who the fuck was just in the bathroom while I was taking a shower" he questioned. "And don't even bother with this 'It was a ghost'shit because I know damn well it was a living, breathing human being"
"Boo I be a ghost arrr" Claire stuttered, spilling her drink.
"No, you're Claire," Lauri lectured.
"No, this is Patrick!" Miranda shouted from the back of the room. Jan shot all of them a death glare.
"Everyone was down here" Nicole said, looking innocently at Jan. "We would have seen someone walk up the stairs since they're literally right in front of us," she said, highlighting her expertise on the layout of the house.
"And besides" Mary chimed in. "Who would someone intentionally spy on you in the shower?" she asked quizzically, her blue eyes giving out a look of curiosity.
"Yeah." Vivian added. "It's not like your some prized Adonis." Michelle spit out her drink.
"You were all up on him less than an hour ago" Broo Broo sassed. "I ain't here for triflin' hoes," he said, snapping his fingers. Sammi gave him a 'right on' fist bump, glaring at Vivian.
"I pay for you," she said. Both retreated into their seats.
"Either way, whoever did it, don't do it again" Jan shouted, giving the group a warning stare. They all shrugged, and the music began reverberating through the house again.
A young woman lounged, bathing in the pool. The bright moonlight reflected off of the surface, outlining the contours of her body. She twirled and spun, flicking tiny droplets into the air. Her hair dragged behind her, wisping around in the bubbling water.
A figure stood a few yards away, watching her, examining her. The music thumped loudly from the house. She was alone in the pool, with nobody to see her. The figure took into consideration that somebody could be at the window, but they would have to be pressed directly up against the window to see anything. The figure crept closer, the sound of the bass-booming music inside drowning out his footsteps.
The girl rose out of the pool, and began to make her way to the table. The figure rushed out of the darkness, grabbing the girl and slamming her into the deck. Before she could scream, the figure punched her in the face, rendering her mouth temporarily unusable – the only sound emitting from her - a soft grunt. The figured duct-taped her mouth shut, and made sure her wrists and legs and bound by wrapping the tape in circles around both extensions.
"This won't hurt a bit," the killer whispered with malice, as he slung the girl over his shoulders. The figure began the descent down to the beach. "You'll be joining your friend Kevin soon" he said.
It was at that moment that the young girl knew her fate. She had suspected it all along, that Kevin had been murdered. There's no way he would've swam the length across the lake, and there's no way he could have made it back to mainland on his own. She tried to scream and yell, but to no avail. Her jaw was throbbing and she was bound.
The figure threw her on the ground and gave her no time for a final word. The figure drove its blade straight into her heart, twisting it at the core. The girl let out a final, muffled scream before her head lolled, and her limbs went loose. The figure picked her up and tossed her into the lake, pushing her towards the depths. Her body would go on to lie next to Kevin's on the warm lake floor. The figure was less picky about the blood this time, and picked up the piles of sand, tossing them into the lake. The deed was done.
By the end of the night, the party had simmered down. The drinkers had passed out, asleep, and the help left the house, beginning their trek home. Anyone awake and half-functional said goodbye.
At one in the morning, the phone rang. Jane picked it up
"We cant find Sammi" Nicole said, the phone shaking in her hand.
"She probably passed out in the woods, go to bed," said Jane, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, a headache pounding through her head.
"No, we don't even think she walked home with us. Broo Broo and Mary said they didn't see her. Gaby said the last time she saw her was when she went swimming."
"She's not out there" said Jane, scanning the back porch and the pool, the floodlights making the water dance with refracted light.
"Just go to bed. We'll find her in the morning. Chances are she's sleeping on the beach."
"Okay" Nicole said, thanking Jane and hanging up.
That night, Nicole lay awake in her bed. Her mind was racing, her heat beating at an unhealthy rate. The forehead was sweaty and her palms were clammy. She knew something was wrong, and she could feel it in her gut. This sort of feeling wasn't wrong, and she was right.
A figure stood outside of her window, watching the delicate girl twist and turn. It smiled as it faded into the darkness.