scream; malec au

chapter four

A few days had passed, and no more victims of the killer had surfaced. This didn't stop the press and media from speculating the next move of the mysterious murderer, while the police did near to nothing. Many parents were outraged that no precautions had been made to protect the teenagers who were being targeted.

While the police failed to do anything, Alec's parents had set a strict curfew on him and his siblings, which he found kind of annoying, but knew it was for his own safety. Alec opted out of going to the cinema with his family, as he went with Magnus not that long ago and he liked the idea of being home alone for a few hours.

If he knew his parents were out for longer he would've invited Magnus over, but he didn't know a certain time that they would be bursting through the door. He did, however, call him, from the phone that he shared with Isabelle in their room. It was pearl white and attached to the wall by a long twisting coiled cord.

Alec picked up the phone, pressing it to his ear, using his other hand to dial Magnus' number that he had written down in the phone book. It rang for a few moments before he picked up with a cheery, "Hello," that stretched for at least two full seconds, making Alec immediately smile.

 "Is this Magnus? The person speaking sounds way too happy; Magnus is much moodier." Alec replied, Magnus feeling his words stretched into a smirk as he spoke each syllable. Magnus said, "That's kind of rude." Alec laughed, "I'm just kidding, I like the moodiness. Much more exciting."

Magnus insisted that he wasn't with a glum tone, making Alec laugh more. They spoke for a while longer, about anything and everything. They talked about the serial killer case for a moment, Alec joking that maybe Magnus was next. Magnus asked why he would be, as both victims had been girls so maybe that was the guy or girl's deal.

 "According to the rule of horror movies, any guy who isn't an asshole will probably die. It tugs on heartstrings." Alec said, like it was obvious, Magnus pausing for a moment before 'aww'ing, saying that he accepted that compliment. 

Alec heard someone moving around downstairs, figuring that Jace probably got bored of whatever movie they went to see and came back early. He tended to do that a lot. "I'm up here, Jace!" Alec yelled after putting a hand over the phone so Magnus didn't go completely deaf in one ear.

He heard no response, thinking nothing of it, continuing to speak to Magnus. A few minutes passed before Alec said that he was going to go and greet Jace, as he hadn't come up yet. He said that he would leave the phone on the line, resting the phone so that the back of it laid against the bookshelf.

Alec left the room, hearing the floorboards creak beneath his feet, that were covered in grey socks. He called out, "Jace?" Alec couldn't see Jace in the living room or the kitchen, which was where Alec could usually find him. He wondered if he had heard a stray cat somehow smuggle itself into the house, and had escaped before it was discovered.

A sudden wave of uneasiness hit Alec, feeling like he was being watched. He turned around to go back upstairs, gasping as he was face-to-face with someone else. Well, face-to-mask. The person was wearing a long black cloak that skimmed the floor, the hood up, wearing a mask that looked like a screaming ghost. Alec barely noticed the dagger they were holding, he was so scared.

Alec bolted towards the stairs, suddenly feeling blessed that he was born with really long legs. The articles about Alice and Diane whirred through his mind, imagining his grinning high school picture plastered across every newspaper with 'VICTIM' written next to his name. He was jerked out of the thought as the masked person grabbed the back of his shirt, Alec's back slamming against the carpeted floor.

He didn't let the pain that soared through his lower back stop him from trying to escape, scrambling to his feet. Alec knew that he would never get past them to the kitchen to retrieve a knife to use a weapon, and so improvised. He picked up a flower vase from the coffee table, dumping the flowers and water out quickly, trying to ignore the loud thumping of his heart in his ears.