Don't Scream (Complete)

Chapter 51

Jonah Whitley

 "Jonah." 

Jonah sat on the bed in his room, staring at the wall. His uncle stood in the doorway, looking solemn. 

"Jonah, talk to me." 

Jonah felt like he'd lost the ability to speak. Ponnie's face kept popping up in his mind's eye. Even now, he couldn't believe she was gone. 

His uncle put a hand on his shoulder. "Jonah, I can't even begin to understand how you must feel, I really can't. I don't know what to do. I've never had kids, you know that. I don't know how to communicate well with you in a situation like this, I...I don't know how it would feel to lose someone you love so much like that. To lose someone you love so dearly...I'm so sorry." 

Jonah didn't answer. 

His uncle swallowed loudly. "I'll go make you something to drink." 

He patted Jonah on the back, trying to comfort him, before setting off. Jonah sat with his hands on his legs. His mind was a blur. Less than half of what his uncle had said registered in his brain. 

Jonah loved his uncle. But the grief of losing Ponnie was too much for Jonah to bear. He shut the door to his room. Putting his head between his knees, the tears arrived fairly quickly. 

* 

The next morning, Jonah awoke with a groan and a bad taste in his mouth. He'd passed out last night, the pressure of the day's events and the amount of tears being too much for him. He'd literally cried himself to sleep. 

His uncle must have come into the room and helped him into bed. Jonah looked over and saw a slip of paper with a message written on it, lying on the pillow next to him. 

"Jonah, I went to get some lunch. If you need anything, just call me. Your loving uncle." 

In spite of all the sorrow that he'd been through, Jonah smiled. He smiled and began to laugh to himself. He began laughing even as the tears trickled out of his eyes and landed on the slip of paper, making it damp and causing the ink to run. 

Jonah put the paper back down. He stood up. 

For some reason, almost as if it was a sixth sense, something told Jonah that he wouldn't be returning to his room. He picked up a pen and wrote a reply to his uncle on the slip of paper. 

"Dear Uncle, I love you. I always have. I loved you like a father. Thank you for being there for me always. But I'm determined to find out who killed Ponnie. I won't rest until I do." 

Jonah got dressed and went into the kitchen. The whole house was empty, silent. Grimly, Jonah reached into a drawer and took out a kitchen knife. He slipped it gently into his pocket. 

He wasn't going to take his own life. Jonah was smarter than that. But Jonah was going to find the person who killed Ponnie first. And Jonah would kill him. 

Jonah felt rage fill him up. Jonah didn't care at what cost it would come at. He didn't care if it branded him a murderer. He was going to use this kitchen knife. He was going to find Ponnie's killer. And he would kill him. 

* 

Jonah went first to school. Back to the construction site to look for clues that may have been overlooked. 

The pool of Sylvia's blood had been cleaned off, but there was still a visible stain there. 

Jonah wandered around the school. The whole place was empty and Jonah would have thought that to be true...except there was a red Honda in the parking lot. 

Someone had come here. Could it be the killer? Returning to the scene of the crime? Or someone else? 

Jonah continued walking when unmistakably, he heard sounds coming from the school auditorium. 

He slipped his hand into his pocket, smiling to himself as he felt the hilt of the kitchen knife there. Bracing himself, Jonah walked towards the large double doors of the auditorium.