The Forgotten Ones

Chapter 7: The Neet

"You think you can handle it?" Rocco rose a brow, making the entire room go silent as everyone looked at them.

Elias could see Sunshine nodding excitedly in his peripheral view and he smirked. "Yeah."

"Good." Bausy walked off, retreating to the dusty table covered in papers. Everyone else followed except for Harley, who slid beside Elias.

"So you're part of the club now. I should probably get to know you, right?" She nudged him. "What do you think? Getting up super early and stalking people...Is it everything you hoped for?"

"I dont know." Elias replied. "It's a little surreal." He watched the others pull up tiny chairs, surrounding the table. "How do you all know so much?"

"Bausy." Harley followed his gaze. "Well, her father-Sheriff Decan. She found his files and that's where we get most of our info from."

"She's his daughter?" He tilted his head, suddenly noticing the resemblance between the two.

"Yeah, you've met him?" She asked.

"Not in the traditional way, no, but I found Holland's body and he asked me a few questions-"

"That was you!?" Everyone looked back at Harely and Eli scratched his head answering softly.

"Yeah."

"Sorry." She let out a nervous laugh. "I didn't know that was you. No wonder you wanted to join."

Elias looked away. Is it wrong that finding a victim wasn't the reason he wanted to join? Clearing his throat he asked, "So who are you guys? Why are you here?"

"Bausy and I found this place near the start." Harley looked around, grimacing. "It's not much-it was never supposed to be. Just bestfriends playing out a silly dream in an abandoned toy shop, but the more bodies that came the more her father stayed out and the more she worried about him. She kept holding onto the thought of someday catching this killer so that her father could finally rest. I felt bad for her. So I played along..."

Eli's eyes followed her gesture towards Porter. "That geek over there is pretty savy with computers and really good at research. He was suspended for hacking into the schools system and changing his grades."

"They let him back in?" Elias rose a brow. "Usually they'd expel."

"Yeah, but they figured since he was only in elementary school he deserved another shot." Elias leaned back, impressed. She nodded towards Beverly. "That girl is our supplier. Anything we need, she can get. She knows a lot of people-she's got connections."

"Rocco's here because...his sister, Madison, was the final victim last year." Her eyes fell.

"How did she die?" Elias recalled what Sunshine said before. "I know she wasn't strangled."

"Well it's really not my story to tell, but no one else will so..." She let out a heavy sigh. "She was brutally murdered. Stabbed over one hundred times...her face was barely recognizable. She was found in a lake not too far from here. The only thing that gave her away was her ankle bracelet."

His eyes widened. It didn't seem real.

"Rocco became the boy who's sister was slaughtered by a serial killer and the press never let him forget it. After a while, he cracked." She paused. "He tried to kill himself...but he failed and when Bausy found out, she told him. She wanted to give him some hope-a goal-something to hold onto at least."

Elias glanced over to Rocco letting a wave of sympathy pass through him.

"He does nothing for us...just complains all the time. I wouldn't feel sorry for him." Harley shrugged. Elias gave her a look and she rolled her eyes. "It's sad, yes-I'm not denying that, but I've seen worse."