Martha

The Ruined Evening

Simon examined himself in the mirror with a sly grin as he finished brushing his hair.  This was the first time any girl had shown interest in him, and he was going to take advantage of it.

He didn't care what his sister thought.  He deserved to be happy, even if it was only for one night.

He whistled a happy tune and walked down the hallway, sucking in a deep breath as he prepared to knock on Halle's door.  The two other guests were gone for the evening, and his sister was most likely already asleep; so he had no worries about anyone eavesdropping on their spontaneous love session.

He knocked on the door and waited for an answer, but none came.  The smile on his face widened.  She was probably waiting for him to take charge and go into the room without an invitation. 

Wanting to please her, he used his key to unlock the door.  He stepped into the dark room.  "Halle."  He said, taking a step toward the bed. 

She was hiding underneath the blanket; at least that was his assumption.  But when he pulled the blanket back, she was no where to be seen.  In her place was a pool of blood, covering the white sheets.

Simon gasped and threw his hand over his mouth, turning on the light switch so he could see the awful mess that was left behind.  There was blood all over the floor and footprints that lead into the closet.

"Oh, God."  He moaned into his hand.  "Please, no."

He slowly pulled open the closet door, but there was nothing inside except Halle's clothes. 

Where the hell was she?

He went back into the hallway and headed to Lucy's room, quietly knocking on her door.  She answered a few seconds later, wearing a pink night gown, curlers in her blonde hair, green goop on her face.

"What is it?"  She asked.

"Lucy," He choked, leaning his hand against the wall to keep himself steady.  "Halle is gone."

"What do you mean she's gone?"

"She's disappeared," He had to suck in a long breath of air.  "And there's blood all over her sheets."

"What!?"  Lucy cried, "Tell me you're joking!"

"Why would I joke about something like that!?"

"I-I don't know.  I guess you wouldn't."

Simon grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into Halle's room, showing her the blood. 

Lucy wrapped her arms around her stomach and looked away.  "This cannot be happening."

"It is happening."  Simon said, "And we both know who is responsible."

"But how?  She's locked in the basement."

"She must've gotten out somehow."

"Oh, God."

"Let's not panic.  The others are gone and probably won't be back for a couple more hours.  We need to search for the body."