"Bridget, I'm glad I caught you." Rory looked like he might puke all over the floor. He had Stacy's dead body on his mind, the note in his locker, the bracelet, and . . .
"No," I gasped. Rory's eyes glared at every passing student. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown. I could feel my heart pounding. Why did this have to happen? Why today?
"In a way, we knew this was coming." He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. It was on the same white cardstock. Rory handed me the note. I looked around to make sure the hallway was clear before opening it. Although I already knew what it said, the writing was floating around in Rory's head, but seeing the words made me feel worse. The weight room at midnight. Bring the bracelet. No police. No tricks.
My eyes went wide. The bracelet hadn't left my house. How could anyone possibly know about it aside from Rory and me?
"Did you tell anyone else about the bracelet," I whispered.
"You think I'm that stupid? Of course I didn't. The only other person that knows about it lives a thousand miles away." Rory was conflicted. He didn't want to wait in the dark weight room alone. But he didn't want to know what might happen if he didn't.
"What if we left the bracelet there after school?" I spoke calmly. Rory still felt sick to his stomach. He knew that once Stacy's killer had the bracelet, the only other evidence to dispose of would be him, and then me.
"We could, but that doesn't mean I'll be left alone. It's not like the killer can erase my memory."
"What do you suggest we do?" I looked around. There were a few scattered students but none who were listening.
"My gut tells me that even if we do what we're told, things are only going to get worse. I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder." Rory and I had finally agreed on something. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life worrying about being stalked.
"Your gut sounds right on," I agreed. Rory took a breath. He was trying to calm down but he was having little success. "And I'm not being sarcastic or anything." Rory forced a half smile. The bell rang.
"I'll think of something. See you after class?" Rory waited for a nod. He nervously turned, keeping his head down. I gulped. My forehead started to sweat and suddenly I was back where I was yesterday, paranoid about the voice. Would it call my name today? Would it whisper a new threat? I did what I could to calm myself. Just relax, Bridget. That stuff is yesterday's news. Focus on school. Focus on Terrence.
I pulled the strap on my backpack, scared of sitting through another biology lecture. I didn't want to face that classroom again. There was a psycho in there. And I didn't know if I could sit through another round of torture.
Chapter Seven
Plans
"The entire squad is going tonight." Emma sighed and stared at her slice of turkey on wheat toast. The two of us sat with our backs against the wall at our quiet lunch spot. I'd sat through classes with a pounding chest, wondering what my taunter had in store. Nothing happened all morning. It was a relief but at the same it made me even more nervous. Either something crazy was about to happen or I really was just hearing voices yesterday. I wasn't sure which was worse.
"And that includes you right?" I asked.
"Yeah." Emma didn't want to go alone. This was her first funeral. Well, it was her first funeral being old enough to walk. "Would you come with me? I know that you didn't know Stacy that well, but would you?" I looked up. Footsteps were coming down the hall.
"I guess." I wanted to say a lot more. Emma nibbled at her wheat toast. "Don't worry. This Stacy stuff will be over soon." But I wasn't so sure it would be.
A group of guys paraded down the hall with paper bags full of burritos. I could smell their food long after they turned the corner. Emma coughed and whispered something in a raspy voice.
"What? Slow down, Em. You don't want to choke." I patted her on the back.
"I'm fine. I just need some water." She cleared her throat. There were a few more footsteps in the distance. I let out a huge breath. My paranoia had to stop. I'd been looking over my shoulder since the Stacy incident. Emma whispered something else in the same crackly voice, and I picked up her water bottle and handed it to her.
"Here," I said. "You're starting to freak me out with that witch voice." Emma looked puzzled.
"Bri, I didn't say anything. But I do need this." She took a swig of water. My chest went heavy. Emma's words filled my head. The voice was back.
"I'm sorry," I nervously said. "Did you say that you didn't say anything just now?" Emma swallowed another mouthful of water. And just as I heard more footsteps down the hall, a low voice entered my head. Bridget. I jumped up.
"Bri, what are you doing?" Emma watched me as I twirled around like a crazy person. My heart pounded even faster. My feet tiptoed down the hall. The voice entered my head again and I walked even faster. The weight room at midnight. Don't be late.
"Did you hear that?" I shouted. Emma gave me a strange look and shook her head. Anger welled up inside my chest.
"I'm sick of this," I muttered. This was it – I'd had enough. I knew I would regret it later, but I listened for more footsteps. As soon as I heard noise, I ran down the hall with my fists tightly clenched. I practically jumped around the corner hoping to face my attacker directly. But around the corner was a crowd of students getting ready for next period. And then I saw it, auburn hair and an orange backpack spin around and jet towards the nearest exit. That had to be him.
I bolted. The guy with the orange backpack wore jeans and a t-shirt. He was average height with an average frame, but he ran fast. I couldn't let him get away. I needed answers. I had to know why he was bothering me. This seemed like the only way.
"Hey!" I shouted and maneuvered through crowded halls trying to catch up. I kept an eye on his short auburn hair. I was eager to put a face on my anger. I could feel my lungs getting tired and I resisted the urge to cough. My leg muscles were getting tight and each step got heavier. The orange backpack turned a corner and I came to a halt when his auburn head disappeared. I let out a huge breath.
"Damn it!" I leaned over and rested my hands on my knees.
"You ok?" Terrence's voice filled my ears. I cleared my throat and wiped the disappointed look off my face.
"Yeah. I was just . . . uh, I was just trying to catch up with someone."
"If that was a race, I'd say the other guy's winning. Want me to wait or something?"
"No," I retorted. "I'll see him later."
"Him, huh. Is that Rory kid bothering you again?" Terrence chuckled. I caught a glimpse of his blue eyes and instantly thought about our kiss. The kid with the orange backpack would have to wait.
"Maybe." I smiled. My breath was catching up to me, but my heart was still pounding. I wanted to be with Terrence so bad but first, I had a lot of investigating to do. It was time for Rory and me to end this, and get back to our normal lives. There was a lot more at stake now. I had a shot at being normal, and having a normal relationship. "Look Terrence, I have something I need to take care off. But I'll see you Friday. I promise."
"Always running off somewhere," Terrence commented. "I suppose I can wait until Friday."
"Great," I replied with a smile. Terrence grabbed my arm and pulled me close. I felt my entire body blush as he pressed his lips to my cheek. "See ya." Terrence walked away with a smirk on his face.
"I have to find Rory," I muttered to myself. I ran towards the cafeteria, though it was one of places at school I truly hated. Every time I got close to that place, thoughts would bombard me, making me feel like my head might explode.
I searched through crowds, resisting the urge to cover my ears and scream at everyone. Every orangey piece of clothing that crossed my gaze, made me lunge in its direction. A guy in an orange shirt passed and I ducked out of way but still bumped his shoulder.
"Balance problem? Where were you?" Rory was standing outside the cafeteria checking his watch. He looked a little jumpy but he was anxious to tell me his plan. It was so jumbled
in his head that I couldn't understand it. I'd have to wait for an explanation.
"I think we're getting close," I replied. My face was still cringing every time I saw the color orange.
"We're about to. Do you have time to talk in private?" Rory was thinking of the science lab.
"Science lab?" I suggested. Rory nodded in agreement.
"You read my mind." Rory gave me more funny looks as I laughed at his comment. I watched for anything orange as we walked.
"Rory," I whispered. He looked at me. For the first time, I wanted to confide in him. It would make things so much easier. But of course, that was out of the question. I gulped back my words, stumbling with my speech. "Have you? I mean, do you . . ."
"Do I what?" Rory said. I knew my question would sound strange but it was worth a shot.
"You know a guy? He has auburn hair, wears an orange backpack?" Rory thought but no one came to mind. "Never mind."
"New interest of yours?"
"Not in the way you're thinking," I responded. Rory's brain was moving at a million miles an hour. Trying to keep up with it was exhausting.
"And you know what I'm thinking, huh?"
"Not at the moment, no."
"Whatever," Rory muttered. When we reached the science lab, he opened the door and waited for me to step inside. "Let's just figure this out before lunch is over."
"I couldn't agree more."
* * *
Stacy's funeral services were in the place she loved most – the school's gymnasium. It was where she'd spent most of her time. It was where she'd been the happiest. And the fact that it was near where her body was found didn't seem to resonate with the crowd.
"Are you going to stand in line?" Emma was waiting for my decision before she got up. I stayed glued to my chair.
"Uh, I'm gonna pass. I'm fine right here in my chair." I looked over my shoulder. Where the heck was Rory? He should've been back by now.
"Ok," she said looking down at her black skirt.
"But you go. Don't let me stop you." I nudged her. Emma thought for a minute and got up when a group from her squad joined the line. I searched again for Rory. He'd been gone for too long. I was starting to get worried. We didn't have much time to think out our plan before Stacy's services. Neither of us intended to come back to the school at midnight.
"Please promptly proceed through the line. Our program will begin in fifteen minutes." The Principal was up at the microphone. His face remained expressionless as he sat down again next to his staff and faculty. A long line of people stood in the aisle next to me. Thoughts of Stacy flooded the entire gym – good and bad. Stacy had a lot of friends, and lot of enemies. And a lot of friends who were also enemies.
"Why her?" A girl sobbed. She wiped the runny makeup from her cheek and let the guy next to her scoot closer. Her friend looked annoyed. Crying was a great way to get attention, especially from the guy you've been crushing on since school started. At least, that's what the sobbing girl thought. Her friend only wished that she'd thought of it first.
I kept looking over my shoulder. So much in fact that the guy behind was starting to think I was checking him out. I frowned at him as he sized me up. We're at a funeral, I thought. What a sicko.
More and more thoughts about Stacy were shoved into my head. I wanted get up and get some fresh air. I stood up and that's when I heard it. A thought was crammed in with all the others, but this one was different from the rest. The subject of this thought wasn't Stacy. It was . . . Rory? I got up slowly, acting as if I was getting in line to view Stacy's body. Where was this thought coming from. I tried to clear my mind and think of one thing. Rory.
The same thought was shoved into my head again. I saw a student in the back stand up. He had auburn hair and his eyes were staring off into nowhere. He had only one thought in his head. Rory. I must find him. I must kill him.
"Crap," I muttered. Students were blocking my way to the exit. It was him - the same kid that'd been messing with my head. And now he was off to execute the next part of his twisted plan. Anger bubbled in my chest like before. This kid was serious. He'd made up his mind and he was going to do it. He was going to kill Rory.
I shoved people out of the way and almost tripped in my black high heels. Emma had insisted that I wear them even though I was happy with plain ballet flats. My emotions were everywhere. Thoughts floated in and out of head my mind, and I was starting to lose track of what was real and what wasn't. I was stressed, and terrified. But most of all I was determined. Rory had done nothing wrong. The only thing he'd been guilty of was trying to help me. And now he was the killer's next target. This was all my fault.
I flung the heels off my feet. They flew to opposite sides of the aisle, but I left them there. My feet hit the cold gym floor. I concentrated on one thing, despite all the people now gawking at me. Look at that girl. What does she think she's doing? How disrespectful. I'd never do something like that.
I ignored the judgments and continued pushing through the line until I reached the exit. I burst through the doors and came to a halt. I looked left, then right. The weight room, my thoughts screamed. Where is the weight room!
I sprinted towards the locker rooms. The weight room was in the same hallway where I'd found Stacy's body. I hadn't been back since. I kept running despite my tired lungs. The locker room was ahead. I stopped. Inside I could hear yelling and an enormous CRASH! The noise beat so hard through my chest that I thought my heart might stop. I opened the door to the weight room and was horrified.
Rory was crouched in a corner, and the kid with auburn hair had resorted to throwing dumbbells. I'd been so eager to get to Rory in time that I hadn't thought of what to do next. What was I supposed to do?
"Bridget! Get out!" Rory was sweating like crazy. He didn't want to die. He had people that depended on him, but knowing that he could have prevented another death was worse.
Rory's attacker swiveled around, looking at me. I caught a glimpse at his eyes – glowing red. His face looked like it might catch on fire.
"What the . . .? Rory! What's wrong with him?" I shouted and picked up the nearest thing I could find, a five pound hand weight. The attacker's moves were sluggish but powerful. As soon as he turned towards me, Rory kicked his kneecaps. The guy buckled over but wasn't hurt enough to quit. Now he was furious. I could feel his anger and frustration almost like it was my own. He advanced towards me. I'd just made myself a target.
My nails dug into the five pound weight in my hand and I threw it with all the strength I had. The weight hit his shoulder and it knocked him to the floor. My eyes started to water. What did I just do? I backed away, heart still beating out of control.
"It's ok, Bridget!" Rory yelled from across the room. He made slow movements and kept an eye at the motionless guy on the floor. "I'm sure he isn't hurt that bad."
A quick head shake and the guy with the auburn hair and red eyes to match jumped to his feet. He rubbed his bruised shoulder and blocked Rory's way out. His mind was still set on one thing. I could hear his thoughts like he was screaming them out. He had a burning desire to kill. He had to kill. There was no other option.
I could see fear in Rory's eyes. He ducked a punch but the second punch came too fast. Rory fell to the floor, yelling out in pain. Rory bore what he could and focused on standing, but a foot had already pinned him to the floor. I watched as if it I was in some kind of dream. Do something, Bridget! Don't just stand there!
I ran to Rory and his attacker. The guy with the auburn hair wasn't much taller than me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and jumped on his back. He lifted his foot from Rory's back and struggled to push me off. He tried throwing me the floor, but I latched on with all my might. I grabbed a hand full of his auburn hair and pulled. The guy screamed. I couldn't tell if the scream was in his head or out loud. Either way, he felt pain and that was all that mattered. Through the corner of my eye, I saw Rory get up.
My muscles got weak. I'd held on as long as I could but my grip wa
s slipping. Finally with mountainous force, I was pushed to the floor. My back hit the hard ground of the weight room. It felt like a thousand knives had sliced through my back. I screamed. His red eyes got redder. He was pleased. His foot kicked my stomach and I yelled out again. This time I thought I might vomit. My stomach burned and my eyes filled up with tears.
"Stop!" I yelled. But begging for my life wasn't going to do any good. My vision was getting blurry. I saw the outline of Rory's face and it brought me hope. He had a metal bar in both hands. Rory held the bar like a baseball bat and took a swing at my attacker's face. The guy with auburn hair ducked, but Rory still managed to slam the bar into his back.
Then I heard a loud roar – a gunshot. Everything went quiet. I was still on the floor ready to puke. It took everything I had to sit up. When I did, a dark figure stood in the doorway. His right arm was raised and the gun was still in his hand.
Chapter Eight
The Test
"What's going on? Who are you?" Hearing Rory's voice, I felt relieved. He was ok. The dark figure in the door way kept his gun raised. He looked around the room and took silent steps forward. He had a pointy chin and a scruffy unshaven face. His dark hair was gelled.
"I'm the guy who just saved your ass." He took one last look around the room before lowering his gun. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and rubbed it on his shiny leather jacket.
"Is he dead?" I stared at the body on the floor – auburn hair and empty red eyes.
"No, just unconscious."
"But your gun." Rory pointed to the gun.
"Oh this!" He laughed. "Knock out darts. Pretty standard in situations like these."
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