An Old Friend

Chapter 8

Taylor's POV

Lockdown!? Why is there a lockdown?! What's going on!?

No. Taylor, don't freak out. Everything is fine. It's probably just an accident in the culinary class. No big deal. It feels like hours before the principal's voice comes back. "All students and faculty please report to the gym. Please do not leave the gym without one of the officers present." Everyone starts following the teacher out as we grab our stuff.

"Taylor!" Ethan's eager voice almost screams through the gym as he and Ash come over to me. "Are you okay? Do you know what's going on?"

"I'm fine," I nod. "I- I was hoping you guys did."

"None of us were able to get on our phones until now," Ash messes with his hair a little, looking around.

"What about Morgan and Hayden?" Ethan asks as we all start looking around for them.

"There!" I point to the girls coming through the doors with their hands interlocked. Finally!

The three of us run over to them, wrapping them up into a big group hug before Hayden moves us away from the doors. "We have a big problem."

"I knew it. Something happened didn't it?" Ethan calls out.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Mr. Jones was murdered," Morgan whispers, she looks like she's seen a ghost.

"That sadistic fuck left him in his office like he was an animal," Hayden adds, pissed.

"Oh shit," Ash runs his hands through his hair as Ethan scratches the back of his neck and I mess with my bag strap.

"Oh my god," I mutter.

"Why? Why Mr. Jones?" Ethan wonders.

"I don't know but this is too fucked up to be a stupid kid," Hayden starts. "Whoever did this has a plan. They gave Morgan that flashcard because that's how many people are dead because of this. We need to bust this bitch before more people get hurt."

"Agreed," we all nod.

"Hey!" Some guy in a varsity jacket calls over to us, making us all turn to look at him. "Clark, you seem to be in a lot of places lately." We all give Hayden confused looks, besides Ash as we go over to the jock.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hayden sounds pissed.

"It means, this is the second body you've found and you're somehow not a suspect," the guy's friends watch from behind him.

"Oh, upset because he won't be able to let you off the hook every time you get caught drinking in class?" she mocks him.

"You better watch it, short stack!" He points his finger at her.

"Or what? You'll beat me up? Wow, I'm so scared."

"Last chance."

"Try me," with that he swings his fist just over her head as she ducks and rams her shoulder into his ribs. They both let grunts out as they punch at each other.

"Hayden stop!" Morgan yells as the jock's friends cheer for him.

"Hayden, come on," Ash tries as Hayden hits the jock even more.

"Hayden, seriously," Ethan adds to the voices as we all watch.

"Wow! Break it up!" A few officers come over as the jock gets a few hits into Hayden. They pull him away as the two glare at each other with blood on their faces and knuckles.

"Dude, what the hell?" Ash and the rest of us go over to Hayden as the officers tell the two to stay away from each other before leaving to get the school nurses.

"I didn't swing first," Hayden puts her hands up in surrender as she sits on the lower part of the bleachers.

"What were you talking about?" I ask as we join her. "The drinking thing, I mean."

"The whole soccer team gets drunk every sixth period," she shrugs. "Mr. Jones figured it out but didn't care."

"Does he think you did this?" Morgan sits next to Hayden as Ash and Ethan stand by them and I sit on the bench below theirs.

"I mean, I did sort of find a body behind my house. Now this," she shrugs. "It wouldn't surprise me if half the school suspected me."

"But you didn't," Ethan says. "Did you?"

"What? No, I would never do that," we stop talking when the nurse comes over to give Hayden an ice pack, tissues, and a bottle of water. They can't go to the actual nurse's office so they're using what they have.

"So who would do all this?" Ash wonders as Hayden shoves a tissue in her nose and the ice pack over her eye. Her mom is gonna be pissed.

"Someone with a serious grudge," I can't help the statement.

"What?" Morgan turns to me as the rest of them do the same.

"Maybe someone's doing this to hurt one of us," I shrug. "Or all of us. They could be someone we've wronged in the past trying to get revenge."

"Anyone come to mind?" Hayden glances around.

"Well," Ash starts. "When they called me they said they were an old friend of my new friends. Maybe one of you guys' old friends?"

Before we can keep thinking about it, the chief of police and the principal walk into the gym. "If you will all please give me your attention, Chief Brookes would like to explain the situation." Everyone turns to them as he hands the chief the microphone, the room going silent until he starts explaining that Mr. Jones died and we're going to be stuck in here until they rule out that anyone in the school is the suspect. Basic cop stuff when it comes to murder.

God, why is this happening!? "Any ideas?" Ash asks quietly as the chief finishes his speech.

My bag starts vibrating as my muffled ringtone comes through. I dig through my bag to grab my phone and answer it. "You're a smart group. I'll give you that."

"Wha- what do you want?" I stutter as I look around the gym. Nobody has a phone to their ear but all my friends look at me, intently listening to my side of the conversation.

"Don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt any of your little friends. Not physically that is. Not yet," I shift under everyone's gaze. "Just remember, when you figure it out, I'll already have won, and if you go to the cops. There won't be your typical survivor." The line goes dead.

"What? What'd they say?" Ethan eagerly asks.

"Th- they aren't going to hurt any of us yet. By the time we figure out who they are, it'll be t- too late, and if we go to the cops no one survives," I stare at the floor.

"Okay, we need to start thinking of everyone we've ever hurt. This can't keep going," Hayden says. "We can't be torn apart again."

"Again?" Ash gives us all confused looks.