The Quietus

Chapter Five

"I swear I'm not going to murder you kid, now will you please stop cowering in the corner?" Tristan sighs, leaning against the wall his bed was up against. Hope and Damian had both left (not until after Hope started freaking out over a man sitting on River's bed, Tristan ended up having to kindly threatened Damian into taking her back to her room.)

"How do I know you're telling the truth!" River whimpers, hugging his knees closer to his chest, tears gathering in his eyes. Tristan decided this kid was way to emotional. One minutes he was screaming, the next he was crying.

"You're just gonna have to trust me, 'Kay Shortie?" River glances at him, eyes glistening with tears.

"I just wanna go home! If I die I'll never see my family again. I won't be able to cuddle with my kittens and I won't get to play with my older brother. I just want to be with my brother and sister, they'd know what to do. They're so much better at dealing with these kind of things then me."

Tristan watch the younger boy for a second, not making a sound. The only noise in the room was the smaller boys sobs.

"Come on, don't cry. I'm sure everything will be fine." Tristan finally speaks, he might be kind of sadistic and mean but he couldn't stand seeing this kid so upset- his constant crying was really annoying.

"But what if it's not."

"If I'm the murderer and I tell you everything will be alright than wouldn't that make you believe me?" He asks and River shakes his head.

"Well then it's a good thing I'm not the murderer." He smiles slightly. River looks at him skeptically. "What do I have to do to prove it to you?"

"I... Give me your knife. I'll hide it." Now it was Tristan's turn to give him a cautious look, not sure if he was willing to do that. "I promise I'll give it back as soon as I trust you." He shifts so he's sitting on his calves, his hands flat on the floor in front of him. "I just- I'd rather not stay in here with you when you have you're knife well I know there's a murder..." The smaller boy looks at the ground, letting his legs slide out from under him him so they're on either side of him, his fingers curling into fists.

"I get it. You're one hundred percent vulnerable right now. Even the way you sit screams weak. But I guess if it makes you stop cowering, here." Tristan holds out knife.

Hesitantly River climbs to his feet, walking closer until he's only a couple feet away.

In one quick motion Tristan stands, grabbing Rivers wrist, stuffing a clean rag that had been lying on his bed in his mouth and spinning him around, and holding the knife to his neck, wrapping his free arm just above his stomach, pinning his arms to his side so he couldn't move them.

"You trust people way too easily. What if I was actually the killer? You'd be dead." Tristan chuckles quietly and releases him. "Just because you've got a cute, innocent little face doesn't mean everyone is trustable and can't hurt you." He states, taking the rag from the younger boys mouth and smiling. "Here's your knife."

River takes the knife and glares at the older boy. "You're a jerk." He states and Tristan grins.

"Now hide that knife well." The taller boy winks, collapsing back onto his bed, a smirk playing at his lips.

River scowls at him and walks out of the room, closing the door behind him quietly.

"Going somewhere?" Damian asks. He appeared like he just left or was about to enter his room.

"I'm hiding something from Tristan. He's trying to prove to me he isn't the killer, getting rid of his knife seemed like a reasonable way to prove innocence." He mumbles.

"His knife?" Hope questions, causing River to jump.

"How long have you been there Hope?"

"Not long. You have his knife?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure what to do with it now."

"Do with what?" A tall red-headed girl had just walked up the stairs. "What's going on here?"

"Who are you?" Damian questions, not recognizing the girl. She appeared to be one of the girls in the Lindsey/Liberty room.

"My names Lindsey. Do you know what's going on?" She asks, crossing her arms over her large chest. She was taller then River, shorter the Damian, but not by much. "I was looking around I met a few people, I don't know you three though."

"I'm Damian. There's supposedly a killer hanging out in this house with us, in order to escape we have to find him. Scaredy-cat and crazy here are trying to keep someone they think might be the killer away from weapons." Damian shrugs.

"My names Hope, we need to get away from here or he'll kill us! He's watching us!" Hope cries.

"Ok, your input, um... Kid?" Lindsey asks, looking down at River and frowning.

"All I have to say is be weary of Tristan. Oh, and my names River, I'd rather not have another person refer to me as 'kid' all the time."

"Right. Well, I'm guessing the knife is his. How about I help you hide it, we can keep it in my room." Lindsey says, wanting something to protect herself if needed. Rivers nods and she leads him and Hope into her room, Damian just rolled his eyes and left to his own room. "Hide it in here." Lindsey says, opening a drawer in the dresser by her bed.

River nods, placing the gun in the drawer. He trusted her, she had like a feeling to her that seemed calming and just... Trustable.

"Don't tell anyone where this is." River frowns and hurries away.

"Kids kinda jumpy. I don't he'll last long if a killer really is around here." Lindsey says, looking over at Hope who nods her head. "We're gonna move it right?" She asks, and once again Hope nods her head.

"Is it really smart to hide a dagger in here?" Liberty asks, glancing at her roommate, who simply shrugs.

"It's safer if we know where it is." Lindsey says, watching as Hope left the room, waving goodbye to the two and mumbling something incoherent, probably along the lines of 'I don't wanna know where it is.'

"I guess that true." Liberty smiles, then the sound of breaking glass is heard downstairs. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go investigate that." She quickly scurries out of the room.

Lindsey smiles slightly and moves the dagger to a new location on a shelf in the closet of Liberty's side of the room. "I feel so much safer being the only one who knows where this is..." Lindsey mumbles to herself then goes to lay on her bed, falling into a deep sleep.

She completely tuned out of the soft click of the door as it was finally shut completely.
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