Thank you for coming back for the next chapter. Personally, this one is one of my favorite chapters in this story... I hope you like it too:
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Gale cursed under her breath as she stared out the windshield at the headlights of the car Xavier was driving back toward their motel, "and he told me we'd stick together," she continued a rant which she had started before they had even lost sight of Sidney's house, "He said it an entire day ago, and yet every time I want to be there to look out for him, he tells me I should go somewhere else. If he doesn't care about himself enough to let me watch out for him, why should he expect me to do anything he suggests? He says he wants me safe, and I told him I want him to be safe too. If he doesn't care about what I want, why should I care what he wants?"
"You're right, Miss Weathers," Xavier agreed as he kept his eyes on the road.
Gale narrowed her eyes. She didn't think he usually even meant the things he said. He just wanted to agree with her to keep her happy. While that was nice, it often got annoying at the same time. Sometimes she was wrong, and sometimes she needed someone to say so. That's what she loved about Dewey. If he thought she was wrong, he'd usually tell her.
She wasn't wrong this time though. She didn't care if Dewey had to work. She didn't care if he had to process yet another crime scene. There were more cops than just him. He couldn't stay working forever, and he certainly would at this rate. The killer was murdering more and people, creating more crime scenes faster than the cops could process them. The reporter and cop had made a deal with one-another that they would protect each other. If Dewey wasn't going to let her protect him, she wasn't interested in his idea of who should be watching out for her, which is exactly why when the cop had suggested that she ask to stay with Randy and Sidney, she had yelled at him and stormed off. She wasn't a college kid. She wasn't going to have a slumber party with kids who probably still hated her on whatever level. If Dewey didn't want her with him, she'd just have to fend for herself.
"He's going to be sorry if I end up getting killed," She grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest and slumped down in the seat.
"Of course," Xavier agreed, "but the motel has strong doors. You'll be safe there. It's not technically in Woodsboro either. It's right outside the city limits. Maybe the killer won't even kill anyone not in the actual town."
Gale frowned. She still worried about Dewey. But how could she help someone who didn't want help? She couldn't exactly follow him around while he worked on crime scenes and dealt with sensitive information not meant for public eyes. The sheriff would never allow her to be made aware of such information, even if Dewey himself didn't mind.
As they pulled into the motel parking lot, Gale sighed. Xavier was right. They probably were safe here, safer than Dewey would be in Woodsboro at least. Including Gale and Xavier, it looked like there was only one other person staying at the motel, as only one other car was parked in the lot, in front of the room right next to Gale's. Xavier's room was on the other side of hers. Those were apparently the only rooms rented out, which wasn't at all surprising considering that there was nothing to do in Woodsboro. Gale figured the other room was probably being rented by another reporter. What other reason could someone possibly have for coming to this town?
"I'm going to go back to my room if you don't need anything else, Miss Weathers," Xavier informed her, "unless you want to try to plan out another news story. You could get a really great, one of a kind story if we get back to the Prescott house. I know Sidney's your friend-"
"No," Gale interrupted him, "I'm not reporting on that. She'd never forgive me."
"She forgave you for reporting about her mother," Xavier shrugged as he stepped out of the car, "you guys seem to be on pretty good terms now. She knows you're just doing your job."
Gale climbed out of the passenger seat and closed the door behind her, "it's too soon, and too personal," she explained as she looked over the car's roof at Xavier, "it was different when I did my reports on Maureen. That was just a popular case people cared about. It was a hot topic back then, which I took advantage of, and only happened to stumble upon my belief that Cotton was innocent by chance. All it was to me was a news story, fame, and a pay check. And I didn't know Sidney back then."
Xavier laughed as he and Gale made their way around the car and toward their rooms, "look who's finally developing a conscience."
"I am not," Gale shoved him as she made her way passed him and toward the door to her room.
"See you in the morning, Miss Weathers," Xavier called after her.
She ignored him as she unlocked her room's door and let it slam behind her. She flipped on the room's light and put her key card on the table next to the bed. She wasn't growing soft... She just didn't think it was appropriate to report on something she was so personally close to. Sure, she had reported on herself just hours before, but that was different... She didn't use her name. She called herself an unnamed witness. Sure, she knew it was her own experience she was speaking of, but the public didn't. It was totally different... Or maybe it wasn't... Maybe the fact that she was willing to report on her own trauma, but was unwilling to intrude on Sidney's meant that Xavier was right. Perhaps she was developing some sort of conscience and respect for others' pain. Maybe she really was changing, just like Sidney had suggested...
For a moment, Gale paced back and forth in the small motel room. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't exactly just go to sleep after all that had happened today. She was exhausted, but knew sleep wasn't going to come easy tonight. She felt awful, for so many reasons. She had left Randy and Sidney alone, and the killer had shown up at the Prescott house. The two college students could have been killed. If the killer had wanted to kill them, he easily could have and would have. Gale didn't stay behind to keep their strength in numbers greater. She had left them to fend for themselves... At the time, when she had left, she was thinking that they'd be safe, and that she was putting only herself in any danger... She hadn't even considered that she was leaving her two young friends at the mercy of the killer.
Gale frowned as she thought on this even more. If she had stayed with Randy and Sidney, could she have prevented Neil's death? It was likely the killer had gotten to him before the three of them had even arrived at Sidney's house. There was most likely nothing any of them could have done... but she didn't really know that with certainty. Did her leaving cost Sidney's father his life?
She shook her head, ridding herself of these guilt-ridden thoughts. She couldn't blame herself for what a homicidal monster had done. Even if she could have somehow prevented Sidney's father's death, the fact that she hadn't didn't mean the man's death was his fault. Every single one of those who had survived any of these killings could drive themselves crazy thinking of what they could have done differently, but it wasn't going to change anything.
Gale took her phone out of her pocket and put it on the table next to the key card. She shrugged out of her blazer, tossed it over onto the motel room's desk, and settled down on the bed, turning the channel until she reached the news, which was by chance a repeat of the six o'clock broadcast. The broadcast started with an update on sports. That meant she had a few minutes before her own segment would air.
So she made her way across the room, toward a mirror that hung over the sink. She looked at her reflection, frowning at how much she didn't look like herself. Her own eyes stared back at her, with what looked like fear filling them. She feared for Dewey's sake most of all. What if the killer came for him tonight? She may have already shared her last words with him. Gale inhaled a slow, steady breath, smoothed out her hair and forced herself to smile. Everything would be okay. Dewey would probably be working with other officers. He wouldn't be alone. The killer wouldn't try anything.
Instead of continuing to stare awkwardly at her own reflection, Gale chose to make her way back to the bed. She could re-watch her news report, which would remind her that she was still in control. She was still the calm, collected, professional reporter she always had been. Gale leaned back against the pillows and focused on the television. On the screen, she saw herself and immediately smiled a genuine smile. She had to admit that she looked pretty good. Gale always loved watching herself on television. She was proud of her work, and with good reason. She didn't feel at all too humble to admit that she was pretty much the best reporter out there.
She smiled as she watched herself report with stoic professionalism. Her hair looked great, and her outfit did too. Her voice was strong and her eye contact was perfect. Other reporters probably aspired to be more like her. She bet most other reporters wouldn't be so professional while reporting on a topic so close to home. No matter how chaotic her life was right now, she still had this. She still had the fact that she was a well-know, successful reporter.
But the longer she watched the recording, the more uncomfortable she felt. She could see in her own face a hint of doubt when she got to the part about Marcus and to the part where she gave her profile of the killer. Anyone who didn't know her well wouldn't have noticed the tiny shift in her demeanor, but Gale had watched her own newscasts so many times. She could see it in herself that this story wasn't just news. It was personal.
Frowning, she turned the channel. It was on some sort of infomercial now, which was better than the alternative. For a moment, Gale stared at the screen, forcing herself to watch the show, for no other reason than the fact that she didn't have anything better to do at the moment. The man on the screen was advertising various knives. He was quickly slicing up tomatoes, and then a tin can, while he claimed the knives were the sharpest knives in existence. He went on and on about how they never went dull, and could cut through just about anything.
The reporter grimaced. Now probably wasn't a great time to watch a show about the sharpest knives around. She switched the channel again, this time to some sort of documentary about the civil war. That was good enough.
She tossed the remote down next to her on the bed as she stared at the screen. She was listening to the narrator, but didn't really comprehend anything he said. Instead, her mind was full of feelings of dread, regret, and uncertainty. Maybe coming back to town had been a huge mistake. She wasn't really helping matters. She was unable to protect anyone she cared about, and her reports didn't seem to be helping to catch the killer. All she had done was upset people and possibly inspire the killer to murder Bethany and Marcus. Maybe if she had just stayed away, those two at least wouldn't have died. Why was she even here?
Gale sighed and closed her eyes as she leaned back against the pillows. She kicked her shoes off and just laid there for a few minutes. She hoped Dewey was alright. She hoped Sidney and Randy were too. They probably would be if they were staying at Randy's house with Randy's family there. And surely the killer would have killed them when he had the chance if he really wanted to. They were probably safe... for the moment anyway.
Poor Sidney. Gale frowned as she thought about her. Both of her parents were gone. She didn't even have any siblings to share her grief. She was all alone. But at least she had Randy. That kid was completely in love with her. Gale could tell. He looked at Sidney the way Gale looked at Dewey, but Gale was lucky that Dewey returned her affection. It didn't seem like Sidney thought of Randy the same way he thought of her. Gale wondered if Sidney even realized how obviously in love with her Randy was. She seemed oblivious.
Gale's eyes shot open as she was yanked back out of her own mind, when she heard a crashing sound in the room next door to hers.
She pulled herself up on the bed and listened closely. It wasn't Xavier's room. It was on the other side of her room. For a moment, she heard nothing more. The person had probably just bumped into their desk or knocked over a lamp on accident.
The reporter was just about ready to settle back down and close her eyes again when she heard a thud sound.
Climbing off the bed, Gale took a step back and stared at the wall her room shared with this person's. She took a step forward and placed her ear against the wall. The sounds she heard weren't entirely violent-sounding... But she was on edge. What if the person in there was being attacked? What if the killer had followed her and Xavier here and was killing the person next door? Gale had to make sure they were okay.
She knocked softly on the wall and pressed her ear up against it again, "you okay?" she called out with a shaking voice.
No answer.
"Fuck," Gale hesitated. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't call the cops because someone in the next room dropped a lamp or tripped over their shoes. She would look ridiculous. But what if they really were being killed?
Walking slowly and softly toward her room's door, Gale pulled back the curtain on the window next to it. There were no other cars in the parking lot other than the ones that had been there before. She opened the door very slowly and peered outside. No one was there. Everything looked normal.
It was then that she heard a muffled scream. She couldn't just let this person get killed. What if it were her in there? Or Dewey? She'd want someone to help if they were within earshot. She had to do something.
Gale ran over to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. This motel had the sort of doors that locked when they closed. So how had the killer gotten in there if this person didn't let him in? "Are you alright?" Gale yelled as she knocked on the door, "hello?"
"Fine," she heard a faint reply, "just killing a spider. Sorry 'bout the noise."
Gale nodded. The voice was so quiet she could barely hear it, "okay," she spoke back.
Now she felt like an idiot, but was so glad she hadn't called the police due to her neighbor getting excited over a spider. She sighed as she walked back to her room, only then realizing that she had locked the key inside, "Fuck," she grabbed the handle anyway and jiggled it, hoping somehow that it hadn't locked itself when the door slammed shut. But of course, it had.
She leaned her back against the door and closed her eyes in frustration with herself. She supposed she would have to make her way to the motel's office and request another key.
Unfortunately, her room was nowhere near the office. With no shoes on her feet, Gale walked down the sidewalk in front of all the other rooms' doors, then turned the corner where the outdoor pool was. Fortunately, there wasn't a fence all the way around it, so she was able to walk right next to it, between the wall and the water, instead of having to go around.
As she made her way past the pool, which was glowing blue with its underwater lights turned on, Gale shivered. The lighting was so eerie, and she seemed to be the only person awake at the motel. It didn't help her nerves at all that this place didn't even have any houses or neighboring buildings within sight. Everything about Woodsboro and its surrounding towns and country side was eerie at night. Gale was used to being in the city, not in the middle of fucking nowhere.
She wrapped her arms around herself and turned the next corner, where the office was. It was kind of cold out, and she was wearing short sleeves. She hadn't planned on getting locked out or else she'd have kept her blazer and shoes on at least. She walked inside to find that no one was at the desk. There was a bell though, which had a sign next to it which read "please ring bell for assistance." She pressed down on it and it chimed once.
No one came out to greet her though, "hello?" Gale called, leaning over the desk to see if anyone was in the back room attached to the office, "is anyone in here?" she asked. There was no answer, "Hello?" Gale could hear that her voice was becoming impatient, "I locked myself out. I need a new key..." there was still no answer. Gale sighed and rang the bell again, "I paid for this damn room," she grumbled, "it would be nice if I could get into it."
After a few more minutes of her arguing with a person who was clearly not there, Gale stomped her foot and made her way back outside, "shit," she grumbled under her breath. Now what was she supposed to do? She supposed she could knock on Xavier's door. Did his room have two beds? Her's did. Or maybe they could try using his phone to call the front desk. Maybe the owner would actually come out if the phone was ringing.
So she made her way back past the pool and down the sidewalk. She was about to knock on Xavier's door when she noticed out of the corner of her eye a piece of paper hanging off her own room's door.
Narrowing her eyes, Gale stepped toward the paper and looked at it. It was a plain piece of notebook paper, taped to the door with masking tape. There was something written on it. She read it.
"MEDDLING REPORTER'S ROOM."
Gale felt her eyes grow wide, her heart grow ice cold, and her breath hitch in her throat as she took a step back. She glanced nervously around herself and then made her way cautiously back toward Xavier's door.
She knocked very quietly as she continued to look back and forth from her left to her right as well as behind herself to ensure she wasn't about to be gutted, "Xavier?" she hissed in an urgent whisper as she knocked again, "damn it," she was forced to knock louder, but as soon as she did, the door on the other side of her room opened and a shadowy figure stepped out into the light of the lamp posts which were sporadically placed around the parking lot.
Gale whimpered as she took in this person's appearance. They were dressed in the same black robes and ghost mask as she had seen before when the killer murdered Marcus right in front of her.
"Xavier!" Gale screamed, pounding on the door as hard as she could, "let me in!"
She looked to her left, where the killer still stood. He tilted his head slightly as though confused or amused by her actions.
"Xavier!" she screamed again, "please!" she banged on the door, "dammit! Let me in! NOW!" she was beginning to feel actual anger now on top of her desperation. Couldn't her camera man hear her? Wasn't it obvious that this situation was kind of urgent?
When the robed figure began taking steps toward her, Gale had to give up on her hope that Xavier would help her. Maybe he was in the shower. Or maybe the killer had already gotten to him... She didn't have time to contemplate that much. The killer was coming toward her. She had to get out of here.
Gale took a few steps backward as she kept her eyes on the killer moving slowly in her direction. She didn't have the keys to Xavier's car, and her own car was still at the park. She couldn't get out of here, so she had to find a way to survive without leaving the motel. She immediately turned around and began to run back toward the office. There had to be a phone in there. If she could make it there and lock the door behind her, maybe she could call the police and barricade herself in the attached room until help arrived.
Pounding footsteps echoed through the night, and they weren't just Gale's. As she ran around the corner, she glanced behind herself, horrified to find that the killer was quickly gaining on her. His legs were simply longer than hers. She was running past the pool now, but it didn't look like she was going to make it to the office.
Gale gasped as she felt a hand grab her arm and pull her back.
As she stumbled backward, she lost her footing, and would have fallen if the person behind her hadn't caught her and slammed her quite roughly up against the motel's brick wall.
She cried out in pain as she stared up at her aggressor, who had a knife in one hand, and Gale's arm still gripped tightly in the other.
"No running next to the pool, Gale," the killer mocked with a laugh. His voice was of course still disguised, but even so, it was horrifying. The knife he held glinted threateningly in the blue light radiating from the pool, and it looked like it was already coated in someone else's blood.
Gale whimpered again. The gloved hand circling her upper arm held her so tightly. She reached her other hand up and grabbed the killer's wrist so that he couldn't stab her with the knife he held in that hand.
The killer immediately let go of her arm in order to pry her hand off of his.
Gale took this opportunity to bring that hand over to her other in an attempt to disarm her assailant.
To Gale's complete and utter shock and surprise, she was actually able to knock the knife out of his hand. With wide eyes, she stared into the black void where his eyes would be under the mask. He immediately moved to reclaim his knife, which the reporter promptly kicked into the pool. She was rewarded with a harsh punch across her cheek.
Gale stumbled back, bringing her hand up to her cheek as tears formed in her eyes. She turned to run, but the killer was not going to let her get away this easily. He was grabbing at her arms in seconds flat, and seemingly trying to pin them against the wall he had slammed her back against again. She was completely trapped, unable to move even an inch.
"Please don't do this," she begged as she struggled to pull her arms free, "you can just go right now. Just get out of town and enjoy the fact that you got away with the other murders. You don't have to do this," she was quite out of breath, "if you keep killing people, you're going to get caught. It's inevitable. Now's your chance to go, to get away with it all. No one ever has to know who you even are, and if anyone does suspect you later, just deny everything. No one has any good ideas on who you are right now... You can put an end to this. Everyone you already killed, they're yours... you got them. You win... Just stop while you're ahead."
Gale could hear her own voice shaking as she spoke. She knew this person wasn't just going to let her go. Whoever it was, they had gone through a lot of trouble to make sure all the right people were back in Woodsboro for his killing spree. Whatever this person's plan was, it almost certainly involved certain people dying, and it was looking very much like she was one of the killer's essential victims. He wasn't just messing with her this time. Tonight, he hadn't come here just to kill someone in Gale's presence in order to scare her or prove anything to her. It seemed like he as here entirely for her this time. He meant to kill her tonight, and Gale wasn't sure if she was going to be lucky enough to be able to get out of it this time.
The killer's bruising grip kept Gale held firmly in place as she stared up into the mask's eyes, which were made out of some sort of dark, but almost slightly transparent material that she could just barely see through. She squinted as she tried to see whose eyes were behind the mask, but she simply couldn't see through the material well enough to claim any guess as to who it was.
Whoever it was must not have liked her attempt at seeing who he was. He squeezed her arms tighter for a moment, causing Gale to wince as she struggled to pull her limbs free of his grasp. When he moved his hands up to her throat, Gale began to panic even further. She wasn't ready to die. So she screamed, hoping someone might hear her. Anyone... the motel's manager, Xavier, someone driving by on the road... anyone at all. But no one came to her rescue.
"Please," she rasped as the gloved hands wrapped around her neck and prevented her from breathing. He shook her slightly as he squeezed his hands tighter and tighter. At this point, she could no longer even plead for mercy. All she could do was claw at his hands while she tried desperately to intake even the smallest breath.
Gale could see her vision clouding over as she grasped at his forearms. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused on trying to free herself by pulling at his arms. His grip was tight and his arm muscles tensed. There as no way she could overpower him. So in a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand, she slammed her knee up between the killer's legs.
He growled as he lost his grip on her and lost his composure for just a moment. Gale took this moment to began running away again. As she stumbled forward, she put her hand up to her throat as she breathed in some painful, desperate breaths. She felt quite light-headed as she moved away from her attacker, but she knew she had to keep going. She had to get away... but she hadn't been fast enough. She was grabbed from behind almost immediately and thrown harshly to the ground with the killer now on top of her. He easily flipped her onto her back and was now staring down at her as he straddled her.
In a frantic desperation, she threw a punch at his face and whimpered when he threw one right back at hers, hitting her harshly across her cheek. He grabbed both of her wrists in one of his hands, slamming them powerfully over her head, against the concrete ground. He pinned her hands there in a grip that was impossible to escape and moved his other hand back to her neck, squeezing her throat again. Now she definitely couldn't move.
Gale groaned in frustration as she attempted to thrash her body out of his grip. She felt the rough concrete painfully grating her arms as the killer crushed her limbs against the pool's deck, "get off me!" she screamed in a weak, strained, panicked voice as he squeezed his hand tighter around her throat.
As she gasped and struggled with futility to release her arms, her vision began to fade again. No air was reaching her lungs, no matter how hard she tried to breathe. Gale could feel tears falling from her eyes and down her cheeks, and would have likely heard a sob coming from her own throat if the killer had allowed it. Her lungs burned and desperately begged for her to fill them with oxygen, but she just simply couldn't. She could feel her limbs growing heavy as her vision became even more clouded. She couldn't even struggle to pull her arms free at this point. They felt like lead. She was going to die right here, right now, and there as nothing she could do to stop it... As he limbs grew limp and her body relaxed, the last thing she saw before her sight and consciousness left her completely was what looked like a car's headlights...
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Wowza... I had to read over and edit this chapter a lot of times to make sure I got it just right, because I was so excited for this one. It's one of the more eventful and violent chapters of this story. I hope you guys liked it. Is someone going to save Gale? Whose headlights are those? A second killer? Someone who can help her? Just a random car passing by? !?
Please review. :)