Kill For You // Stu Macher

"Want To Play A Game?"

Tuesday

You sat in your living room huddled up in a blanket, with a warm cup of coffee.

The TV was turned down to almost silent, so your parents wouldn't wake up. The clock read exactly 6:43 a.m. Meaning school started in less then two hours.

"Young Casey Becker and her boyfriend Steve Orth were brutally gutted and killed last night." A young reporter said on the news, "But this isn't the first time something like this has threaten our peaceful community. Almost a year ago this week, Maureen Prescott, loving wife and mother, was raped and murdered."

Her name was produced in the bottom right hand corner of the screen, Gale Weathers.

This name made you stop where you were, the coffee cup a few inches from your lips. You got up from your comfy spot on the couch and reached into your backpack, pulling out the slip of paper from Gale's famous book.

Red ink still brought your attention to the back, Want to play a game? It wrote, somehow more forcefully then as a question.

The knock on the door made you jump. Tatum was outside peeking her head through the glass on top.

You walked over and opened the door for her, "Be quiet! My parents are still asleep." You whispered.

She smiled, rolled her eyes and invited herself in, "Listen I've got to be at school early this morning so do you want to ride with me today or take your own car?"

"Their still having school today?" You asked, making sure the slip of paper was out of sight.

"Uh- Duh. Why wouldn't they be?"

You motioned to the TV and sat down on the couch with Tatum following behind.

"Holy shit!" Tatum gasped looking at the two pictures on the screen, one of Casey and one of Steve. The caption read, Young Couple Brutally Gutted and Stabbed to Death.

"Dewey didn't tell you?" You asked looking at her shocked face.

"He was out all night, probably working on this." There was a short silence where the two of you stared at the TV.

"Well shit, I'm so sorry I know you were close to her." Tatum pulled you in for a hug.

"You don't have to be sorry Tate, I just feel bad for Mr. and Mrs. Becker, they were the ones who found her."

"That's some straight up horror movie shit." Tatum sighed, "Can I borrow your phone?"

"Yeah sure." You replied as Tatum got up and walked towards your kitchen phone. You sat there for a few minutes debating if you were up to school or not.

Tatum came out of the kitchen and stood next to you, "Dewey says they've got no fucking clue who the killer is."

"Gale says there wasn't any evidence." You chimed in.

"Isn't Friday the anniversary of Maureen's death?"

"Oh my gosh!" You gasped, "Do you think someone is trying to repeat what happened?"

"How could they?" Tatum crossed her arms, "Maureen is dead."

The words hung in the air, neither one of you wanted to say what you were both thinking, Maureen might be dead but there is a whole new generation of kids to kill.

"I've got to get out of here." Tatum said looking down at her watch, "I'm supposed to meet Stu before class."

"Oh alright." You said laughing to yourself as Tatum twirled her hair thinking about Stu.

After you grabbed your school stuff, you and Tatum headed out to school.

"Hey baby!" Stu sung running up to you and Tate, "And well hello sugar." He looked at you this time.

You shoved his shoulder and he threw an arm around the two of you.

"Oh shoot!" Tatum cried, "I left my books in the car, be right back." Tatum said running towards her car.

"What's wrong?" Stu asked, you watched Tatum turn the corner, trying to avoid an awkward talk with Stu.

"Oh- it's nothing."

"I don't believe that." Stu put a hand on your shoulder.

"It's just everything with-" You motioned your head towards the news crews surrounding the school.

A tear slid down your cheek. It was now, standing here with Stu, that you realized how close you used to be with Casey. And some part of you even was sad because of Steve.

Stu embraced you in a big hug, and stroked your hair. "I guess I didn't realize how close you two were, sorry."

"It's fine Stu." You said wiping a tear off your cheek. "It's not your fault they're dead."

"Well no shit." Billy's voice said from around the corner, "The Maureen Prescott killer probably came back for his one year anniversary."

"Cotton is in jail Billy." You responded, eyeing Tatum as she came back to join the group.

"Cotton is obviously being framed, the dude checks out." Stu said, "Trust me I've read Gale's book a hundred times."

"Guys if you know what's best for you I would drop it." Tatum said, nudging her head in the direction of Sidney walking up to the group.

Billy patted Stu's stomach and the two of them left heading for the school.

"What the hell is going on here?" Sid asked you and Tate.

"You haven't heard?" You asked.

Sidney shook her head. "Casey Becker and Steve Orth were killed last night." Tatum said before you.

"And we're not just talking killed-" You chimed in, the conversation was now just going back and forth between you and Tate.

"We're talking slasher movie killed, ripped open from end to end."

"Oh my gosh-" Sidney gasped, "Casey Becker sits next to me in English class."

"Not anymore." You shook you're head.

"It's so sad, her parents found her hanging from a tree, her insides on her outside." The words Tatum said made your stomach turn, you remembered driving past the house and seeing Casey getting zipped up in that black bag.

"Do they have any idea who did it?" Sidney asked.

"They're fucking clueless. I mean Dewey was saying this is the worst crime they've seen in ages even worse then-"

You nudged Tatum before she could continue.

"Well it's bad..." She said playfully nudging you back.

"Why did it have to happen this week, of all times." Sidney said rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with... that." You said, trying your best to comfort Sid. 

"Oh my gosh!" Tatum said turning back to the two of you, "You guys have to see this!"

She grabbed you and Sidney's arms and tugged you both down the hallway.

There was a large crowd around your locker, "What the hell?" You gasped.

Staring down at your locker, it was covered in books pages, your guess the pages were from Gale's book. In big red paint on the locker it read, Ready To Play?