Zodiac Infection

Part 7

I felt it before I heard it. The feeling that my back was being lifted up from my bed and then, "Harps! Harps! Harper!" I was still stiff from my deep sleep. I fluttered my eyes open and then shot up.

"Tommy? What are you-?"

"Someone entered the room, the locked room, well the now unlocked room and Billy is dead!"

"What?!" I ran out of my room and outside. I ran straight to the intercom box.

"Everybody wake up! This is an emergency! Billy is dead and someone entered the room! Come immediately!" I ran towards the wide open door. It was too dark to see what was inside. Everyone ran as quickly as they could. They all halted before me and Tommy. The crowd exploded with questions.

"Calm down, one at a time please!"

"I say it was the scorpio kid!"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah!"

"His name is Red and no, I doubt it was him. We were all asleep."

"Then how did you know that someone opened the door and killed Billy?!?"

"I was awakened by Tommy who probably woke to the sound of someone dying, or the door opening, or whatever. But listen! We aren't going to assume murder. There could be something inside that killed Billy."

Tommy spoke up then, "No! I heard a brawl occurring and the sound of someone being stabbed. When I got outside, Billy had his horn ripped off and had it through his chest already. Also he's covered in bruises, like around his neck, his chest, his nose, his mouth-." I cleared my throat. I stole a look at sweet Kristen. She was trembling like a leaf. Jeromy put an arm around her. "Oh..uh right. So I went back inside, grabbed a blanket, and covered him since I didn't see anyone else. Then I went straight to Harps." Tommy put a hand on my shoulder with a hard clap. I tried not to cringe away from his touch.

"See everyone. Nothing to be afraid of."

"Except that someone is killing people! It could have been Red, it could have been Tommy, heck it could have been Johnny!" Hugo said. From Hugo saying that, a roar of accusations erupted. Almost everyone started to point fingers. The loudest being Alex who screamed "You are quick to point out the three other boys! Why is that!?!" I had to calm this flood. I threw open the intercom box.

"You have to realize something though! The person ripped off a horn! A horn! That's at least three inches of pure, hardened, calloused bone! Just like that! No human can do that." This calmed them a bit. They started to size up each other. No one could have done that.

"So whoever opened the door may have let out a monster that could?" Alex questioned. Hailey ran by me and entered the room. "HAILEY!" I ran after her but stopped before the room. There were two painstaking heartbeats before she answered.

"There's nothing but a meadow in here- wait! Don't come in! I hear something." Silence hung in the air then it was broken by the sounds of struggle. She ran out of the room and closed the door. She locked it with the key still in the lock. She turned sharply to face me.

"What happened!?!" I tried to give her space but I hovered closely near her.

"Nothing." Her answer was too abrupt, too short. She was lying.

"Hailey, what happened?" My voice softened, if she didn't trust me or didn't feel safe...I wanted to change that.

"Nothing! It's just moss" I noticed that her ear was dripping a gray liquid.

"Haliey, I know something did happen in there and now I would like you to tell me for the better-!" My air was cut off by her hands. She was choking me. I dropped to my knees.

"HEY!" Johnny roared from the crowd and stepped forward to grab Hailey's arms. It took a lot of effort from him. More effort than he would have thought was needed by 10 folds. She let me go but fiercely punched John's face. It drew blood and knocked him back. Hailey gasped. Her eyes started to tear up and she ran away. The others cleared a path for her, not wanting blood to roll down their face. She ran to her house. The crowd stood there, stunned, just as I was. John lifted me to my feet.

"Are you ok, Harper?"

"I'll have bruises later but I think I got off easier compared to you."

"Ah I'll just have a scar through my brow. It's fine." I turned towards the audience and their eager faces, "Well now we know there's no monster. But is it moss?" No one answered. I looked out to the crowd but someone, besides Hailey, was missing. Kristen's face was buried in Jeromy's chest and arms. She clung to him like air. Alex and Alec wore the same zoned expression. Tommy looked at Kristen's house still, he was the only one still staring. Red watched me and Johnny. Hugo stepped forward.

"Ok everybody let's all just calm down here. Yes that was very intense but it's all ok now. So we-." I placed a hand on Hugo's shoulder cutting him off.

"Hugo," I looked around the crowd, "Where's Seth?"