Simon Death High

by Blair Burden

  “Do you really think Dr. Smith had something to do with the murders?” Michael asked Linda.

  “Um, I’m not sure. But, I’m starting to think it's very unlikely.”

  “I just feel like the person is right underneath us. I can like feel him...or her...or it.”

  “Like Adam?”

  “Or Lucy.”

  Linda giggled, “Lucy is a wimp...a geeky wimp. If it weren't for me, you, and Hannah, she would be a loner.”

  “Loners make the best killers.”

  “If you want, I can talk to her in the morning. Lucy is just obsessed with Adam. He is her first love—I understand. So, she may have told a lie about being pregnant to keep him around.”

  Michael nervously bit his lip, “I'm not sure anymore. I can't trust anyone.”

  “Well, true.”

  “Did you talk to Cassidy?”

  “Um, yeah...she didn't know much. I kept her number to keep in touch with her. She's still with Jordan.”

  “Aw, Jordan was a cutie.”

  “He's bald now...he's going to the army...sucks for her,” Linda paused to sing her favorite song. “Also, she said that site wasn't an adult site. It was a dating site. And I guess rich men would pay some of the women.”

  “Like...women who need money?”

  “Well, yes.”

  “Like women who have no income and are emancipated.”

  Linda lifted her eyebrow, “YES!”

  Michael kissed Linda on the cheek and got out the car. He ran to his home, trying not to get wet from the rain. It would be common sense for someone to own an umbrella—but, no one seemed to.

  Linda laughed as he struggled to unlock his home door. He did it every time, it just seemed more amusing every time. As she continued to laugh, her phone rang. She usually turned her phone off when she was driving so she wouldn't have any distractions. So, she turned her car off because the text was a hefty one—it took five minutes to be delivered fully.

  Nervously, she opened the text message that was from an unknown caller. She hated unknown calls, because it was either a prank or bill collectors. She looked out her foggy window and saw Michael peaking out his front window, wondering why she was still parked there.

  She rolled her eyes and saved the video that was sent to her. She opened the untitled video and screamed in disbelief as the first seconds played.

  She looked around her as if someone were watching her and stopped the video. She scrolled down to the text at the bottom of the video that said: watch until the last second. You'll be surprised.

  Not wanting to watch the gruesome video until the end, she fast forwarded the video and surprise surprise—her heart probably skipped a beat.

  12 | Liar Liar

  Lucy had her things packed and enough money for her to travel out the country. She made sure her passport was new and that all her windows were locked. She smiled at herself in the mirror as she was unrecognizable with slick long straight hair and pink lipstick. Quickly, she tugged on her v-neck white shirt to even out the wrinkles and fixed her pink hair flower.

  As she placed her hand on the doorknob to leave, Linda slammed her door open. “You're leaving?”

  “Um, Linda?” Lucy said as she dropped her suitcase. “My family is sending for me to come visit them in Rome.”

  “Liar!” she snapped. “You don't have a family—you're emancipated.”

  Lucy laughed anxiously, wondering how she knew that. “How'd you know that?”

  “As what you would say, don't worry about it...”

  “Linda, I don't have time for your games. My plane will be leaving in an hour and I need to make it to the airport.”

  “Why are you leaving during the middle of the school year? Are you hiding something?”

  “I told you I’m going to see my family in Rome.”

  “I find it odd that you're leaving the day the detectives are planning to come to the school for more questioning.”

  “You really don't understand—”

  “Are you leaving because of this—” Linda threw the printed papers from the dating site. “We know about it.”

  “What?”

  “We know about it, so explain it! Why is Mandy on there and from a little research, a few other girls including three out of four who were murdered are featured on this site.”

  “That site is a joke—it was Mandy’s idea. Well, less of a joke and more of a money thing. I had asked a few of the girls how they made money and they told me about the site—it's nothing bad though—I promise.”

  “If it's not bad then why are you leaving?”

  Lucy grabbed her suitcase and shoved Linda back with it. “Leave me alone, you bitch!” she screamed as she smack her with the back of her hand.

  In shock, Linda grabbed her face in pain. “Ouch, you hit me!”

  “I told you to leave me alone, and I swear if you tell the police I left the country, you will be so over,” she threatened.

  “But, why?”

  “Because I know things I shouldn't know.”

  “Then, tell the police, don't run away. Running away just makes you look more guilty. Then, we all look guilty.”

  “What I know can hurt all of us. It's better if I leave now before it's too late.”

  “But...”

  “Linda, you're smart. You have the answers with you, Hannah, and Michael. You're so close that it's scary. I don't want to be around when you find out and I can't tell you. I’m way too ashamed.”

  “So, are you admitting to being involved?”

  “I'm not admitting to anything, but if you know what's best, you would avoid the police as much as possible. Well, until I’m gone,” she whispered. “I have to go—good luck.”

  Linda grabbed Lucy's shoulders and pulled her back. “You can't leave without telling me the truth.”

  Lucy threw her suitcase to the ground and grabbed Linda’s petite wrist. She twisted them as hard as she could and threw her back onto the lawn with all her force. Linda screamed in pain and began to cry as Lucy jumped into her car and drove away.

  As Lucy was long gone, an expensive sports car pulled up to the curb. Linda stood up, as she wiped her tears away, not realizing she had been crying on the lawn for ten minutes.

  “Hello?” said a woman with long dark black hair from the window. “You're not Lucy—it's been so long since I’ve seen her. I can barely see though.”

  “Um, and you are?” Linda said as she walked toward the window. “I'm not trying to be rude, but I’m just wondering why you're looking for her?”

  “I'm her mother, Vanessa.”

  “But, she said she is emancipated.”

  “Emancipated? Why would she say that?”

  A man who was driving, got out the car and greeted Linda. He looked as if he just got off vacation in his Hawaiian shirt. He pulled out a wheelchair from the backseat and easily moved Lucy's mother from the car to the chair.

  She was an older looking woman. She was beautiful though, with long black hair to her waist—almost Indian like. She had smooth skin with fine lines.

  “Are you Lucy's friend?” Vanessa said as the gentleman pushed her toward the house door. “This is my nurse, Josh.”

  “Um hello and yes I am her friend,” Linda waved. “Uh, Lucy just left.”

  “By herself?” she gasped. “Alone? But, how? Why?”

  “She drove.”

  “Oh my gosh! Please tell me you're kidding. Why on earth would Bailey let her drive?” she said. “She isn't capable of doing such things!”

  “Excuse me, but who is Bailey? I think we are talking about different people. You are talking about Lucy Jackson, right?”

  “Bailey, her aunt—her caregiver. She lives with Lucy. You see, I’m in a rehab convalescent in California because of my illness. I gave my youngest sister custody of Lucy six years ago because I couldn't care for her anymore. They used to visit me all the time but then, they stopped about four years ago. I don't have family, so I had no way of contac
ting them.”

  “I've never seen or heard of Bailey and I’m one of Lucy's best friends.”

  “When I heard on the news about what was going on here, I made it my duty for me to come see her. She doesn't answer her phone and I have no one else to contact. I know my sister hates me, but she can't just abandoned Lucy with her mental disorder and all. I hope she's been taking her medication.”

  “Mental disorder?”

  “Yes, Lucy has severe chronic schizophrenia.”

  “WHAT?” she gasped and then she paused and remembered coming across boxes of medication. Then she remembered the daily visits to her house—the smell. “Oh my GOSH!”

  “What is it?”

  “You said Bailey hasn't called you in about four years? Well, that's when I started to become close to Lucy and she was never around. We come to her home every day and I hate to say it...but...there is a smell—”

  “What type of smell?” Josh said.

  “Like rotten...animal...death—”

  Vanessa screamed as if she were being murdered and neighbors ran out their home to see what was going on. Of course they stared in fear, noticing Linda was standing in front of her. As if she did something wrong, Linda walked to the curb and dialed 911. Josh was insisting for Linda to go down to the basement but, she didn't have the stomach for it.

  Instead she hyperventilated over the phone, hoping she were dreaming. But, even the scariest dream couldn't have been that real.

  13 | Ha Ha

  Michael turned off the radio with Lucy Jackson as headline news. She was now on the most wanted list and what frightened them even more was that she knew where they were.

  “What if she comes back for me?” Michael said. “I mean, us.”

  “Don't talk like that,” Hannah said as she stuffed ten tiny cookies in her mouth. “I'm so scared right now. Can you tell I eat when I’m nervous. I would have never guessed it.”

  Linda rubbed her wrist, which Lucy had bruised when she grabbed them—the bruises looked more like the murder victims rather the ones the jocks did. “Can you imagine how I felt when I found out. I think I peed my pants,” she said as she peaked through the window of her jeep. “It's going to be awkward from now on. Everyone will hate us even more. Now, they're really going to think we were involved.”

  The gang grabbed their papers, ready to leave school for good. Detective's thought it was best if they all joined some sort of protection program—sort of like a witness protection program, until Lucy was found. That meant, they would have to split up and live a different life for a while. Since no one knew Lucy's intentions, they didn't want to risk her coming back for them.

  Hannah shivered as she walked into the school. She was either cold or frightened to be on campus with no one else there. “Let's do this quick so we can leave.”

  Michael dragged his feet to his locker and struggled to open his locker—he always had issues with it. “Do you guys know where you'll be staying until graduation?”

  Linda dumped all her items from her locker into a trash bag, “I believe I’m staying with my aunt. She's a tutor and travels a lot. That's my only option. I bet my dad won't even notice when I leave.”

  “I'm going to California to be with my other family. Like Linda, that's my only option for now,” Hannah said.

  “But, Lucy knows you have family there,” Michael said as he cleaned out his locker.

  “True, but she doesn't know where. California is huge.”

  “Well, I’m not sure where I'll be going,” Michael said. “Unlike you guys, I have no options.”

  Linda stayed silent as she heard the sound of footsteps coming from the cafeteria. “Is someone else here besides us?”

  Hannah looked at her Gucci watch, “It's only five in the morning. No one should be here—it's pitch black outside. School doesn't open until eight.”

  “You would think they would lock the door,” Michael said.

  “Yeah, huh?” Hannah giggled. “Anyone could just walk in.”

  “That's odd,” Linda said. “The door should have been locked. Detectives said security would be here today.”

  “Maybe that's who is making all that noise,” Hannah said as she continued to clean her locker. “Or maybe the lunch ladies are here. They have to come early.”

  “Not at five. They have lives too. They tend to come at seven because that is when all the faculty shows up,” Michael said. “I'm sure it's just the security checking the place out. I’m sure they're scared too.”

  “That doesn't make me feel better,” Hannah said as she rubbed her cold hands on her faux fur coat.”

  They stopped and stared at each other as the sound of someone jumping into a pool made a loud splash. Linda ran over to Hannah and wrapped her arms around her.

  Michael screamed like a chick and ran over to the girls. “Someone is here!”

  “I know,” Hannah whispered. “We should leave—”

  Hannah tried to grab nosy Linda to stay as she walked toward the pool, which was located in the gym. They followed behind her like puppies, already regretting it.

  “Linda, let's go!” Hannah said. “I'm scared.”

  Stubborn like always, Linda opened the door that lead to the indoor pool and narrowed her eyes, trying to see in the dark. The room was quiet but, then another splash made them all shout and bump into each other as they tried to leave.

  “Wait, it's just me!” said the voice of what sounded like Lucy. “Don't run!”

  “Me who?” Michael said.

  “Lucy!”

  “AHH!” they all screamed as they heard her getting closer.

  As they tried to run, Lucy jumped in front of them, dripping wet and smiling as if nothing happened. “What is wrong with you guys?” she questioned, this time her eyes didn't blink at all. They were bulging out, bright red, and her hair looked like it hadn't been combed.

  “What are you doing here?” Linda snapped. “Are you crazy?”

  “Well, we figured that out a while ago,” Michael mumbled.

  Hannah elbowed Michael to shut up, “You're the last person we would want to see, Lucy.”

  “Why? Is it because of the rumor. You guys know I would never do anything that crazy,” Lucy said. “It's the police trying to pend stuff on us.”

  “No...we spoke to your mother—”

  Lucy cut Linda off by smacking her in her mouth as if she were disciplining a child. Hannah and Michael jumped back but, Linda tried to push her down. Lucy grabbed Linda’s wrist like she did before and with all her power twisted them harder than before, causing the bones to crack.

  “Please stop!” Linda cried.

  “Don't ever speak about my mother! She's dead to me!” Lucy said. “And if you guys believe what is on television, you're stupid!”

  As Lucy tried to attack Linda, Hannah used her two-hundred dollar boots for something good—she kicked Lucy as hard as she could in her stomach, causing her to fall onto the ground. They gasped in pain, as they heard her bones crush onto the hard cement.

  They all ran as quick as they could toward the exit. Michael looked back and saw Lucy running toward them. So, he ran faster, this time getting ahead of the girls.

  “Oh crap, I can't find my keys,” Linda cried as she saw Lucy behind them.

  Hannah led them to run down the other hallway instead of the exit—which was a dumb idea. “Let's go this way.”

  Michael pulled out his cell phone to dial (emergency) 911 but, he dropped it as he ran. The entire phone broke into pieces. “CRAP!”

  They all looked back and Lucy wasn't in sight. There hearts felt like they were on fire as they saw their life flashed in front of them—a short life, eh.

  Hannah began to hyperventilate. “What if she has a gun?” she cried as she looked through her purse for her cell phone. “I'm way too young to die. I haven't even fallen in love yet, or did something so stupid like in the movie the Hangover. My life is too short—”

  “Shut the hell up and call 911!” Linda
said. “I left my phone at home.”

  “Shh,” Michael said. “She might here us.”

  Hannah peaked and spotted Lucy going back into the gym with the pool. “Shh...”

  “Do you see her?”

  “Yes, she went back into the pool room,” Hannah said.

  “Let's go kick her ass,” Linda said.

  Hannah pulled back on Linda to stay put, “No, are you insane? You were about to cry when she bent your wrist. Let's stay here until the cops come,” she nagged as she tried to turn her cell phone on. “Crap! My phone is dead.”

  “Are you serious? This is like an awful teen horror movie and we are the idiots who die in the first scene!” Linda cried. “What are we going to do?”

  “How about, we leave? The police station is down the street—literally,” Michael said. “Did you see how crazy she looks? She has totally lost her marbles and she ain't gonna find them anytime soon!”

  The all stayed quiet as they thought about a new plan. Their hearts began to beat more rapidly as they could hear Lucy now kicking lockers. The sound got louder and louder, so they began to run back toward the gym. They ran into the gym and hid behind the huge doors.

  “If she comes in here, I'm going to grab her and push her into the pool. We have to keep her in there until the police come,” Linda said. “They shouldn't take long, the station is down the street.”

  “Why would they come if we didn't even call them?” Michael snapped. “They have no idea we are in trouble!”

  “He's right,” Hannah said three minutes later.

  The tension built as they waited for her to come inside the gym. They were more in fear based on the fact that they didn't know what she would do to them. However, they all tried to think positive.

  “AH!” Michael shouted as Lucy came running into the gym, swinging her arms.

  Linda took her anger out by grabbing Lucy and shoving her back into the pool. Fighting was no big deal to Linda, since that's all she used to do in middle school. As seconds felt like minutes, she screamed for Michael or Hannah to help her.

  Lucy chewed on Linda’s fingers, not letting go. As Michael panicked, he ran over to Linda and shoved Lucy's head under the water by kicking her head back down.