Max walked back to his dorm, hands in his pocket. He was cold, and the snow that was starting to fall was no comfort to him.
He usually loved winter, it was his favorite season. He loved the holidays and the feel it gave him when he was with his family.
He knew that all that would change this coming year. Could he even compete in sports or try for pro after this kid? He would be traveling the country, going to different tryouts. Was it something he could do with a baby on the way?
It was close to February now, what would that make Mona? Three months? He had to ask.
He shook his head. He really didn't want to think about her at all. He wanted to believe Roxanne about Mona but he just somehow couldn't. What did that say about him?
As he approach his dorm room he heard a scream.
He froze in place, not knowing where the screaming was coming from. He turned to look behind him and saw other guys looking out of their dorm room doors, curious about the sound too.
"Max?"
Bobby and PJ had just opened the door, surprised to see him standing there.
"What was that?" Bobby asked, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. "It sounded like a scream,"
"It did," Max said, goosebumps running down his arm. "I think it came from the common room,"
"There's a dead body in the common room!" He heard someone shout.
"It's Peter the Freshman!" Someone else commented.
"Oh my gosh," PJ said, covering his mouth.
Max ran past the group of guys that were beginning to fill up the hallway. He knew Peter. He had stopped by during one of his parties over the summer. They weren't friends per say but he knew the guy. This couldn't have happened. Not in here.
He pushed his way past several guys who were standing over Peter's mutilated body. His harms and legs had all been detached from his torso and missing. Max felt light headed as he heard someone throw up behind him.
"Someone call the police!" He yelled, trying to compose himself. "And stay away from the body! It's a crime scene!"
He turned and saw PJ and Bobby pushing everyone out.
This had to be the ghouls. There was no way. They needed to do something. Too many people were dying on campus and these bastards were running free.
"Max... look" PJ said, pointing a shaky finger to something on the wall. Max turned and saw a severed hand, hammered to the wall. In between the fingers was a folded piece of paper.
"Max, don't," he heard Bobby whisper.
He moved slowly towards it, feeling his stomach sink. Somehow he knew it was meant for them. He reached and carefully removed the paper without touching the hand.
He opened it, blood covering the corners.
We want our revenge
"What does it say?" Bobby asked, looking over his shoulder. Max could hear the sirens getting closer.
Max showed it to them, Bobby gasping and PJ turning pale.
"It's the ghouls, isn't it?" PJ asked. His voice was low. "How were they able to get into the dorms?"
"And with no one knowing," Bobby stated.
Max looked down at his watch. It was almost nine pm. The sun had set hours ago.
"We need to give this to the police," Max said. "I know they won't believe us but they have to do something,"
"The police have failed to do anything yet," PJ whispered. "What is this? The third death this year?"
"That we know of," Bobby responded.
Roxanne and Stacey sat in Bradley's living room, anxiously waiting for the guys to come over. Jasmine was up taking a shower. She hadn't heard the news yet.
The rest of the gammas were huddled around the fireplace, none of them talking. They all knew this sounded bad. A death inside the dorms.
A knock at the door made them all jump. One of the guys went and slowly opened it. Bradley stepped through with Cora, followed by a taller, bulkier guy that Roxanne had never seen before.
"Gammas, ladies," Bradley said, grabbing their attention. This is old Gamma brother Tanks. He will be staying with us for the remainder of the year."
Tanks gave a slight bow. "Bradley was gracious enough to offer me my room back. The dorms on campus are clearly not safe to be in right now,"
"Yeah, what happened to that freshman was terrible," Cora said, shaking her head.
The Gammas all came up to Tanks, welcoming him to the house.
He looked familiar, but from where?
"Tank, these are my dear friends Roxanne and Stacey," Bradley said coming over to them. "It sucks that under such circumstances I have to introduce you, but we have no control over life's event's do we?"
"Pleasure," Tanks said shaking their hands.
"You used to be a Gamma," Stacey said. "I remember seeing you on tv."
A memory quickly passed in Roxanne's mind. Tank grabbing Bradley their freshman year and throwing him high onto a blimp.
"Yeah, I was. Best time of my life." Tanks said giving them a small smile.
"I'll show you up to your room," Bradley said.
"I still remember where it is," Tanks replied but let Bradley lead him anyways.
Cora sat in front of them, not bothering to take her jacket off. Snow covered her shoulders.
"I cannot wait to go back home," Cora whispered. "This school is too scary,"
"When are you leaving?" Roxanne asked.
"After the X-Games, at the end of the semester." Cora responded. She took a deep breath in and slowly let it out. "I hate having to constantly look over my shoulder."
"I know the feeling," Stacey said. "If the ghouls aren't caught-"
"We can't tell how many of them are out there," Cora said. "You do remember the large group that had gathered at the asylum- there were so many!"
Roxanne nodded. She had a point.
"They need to catch the ring leader, the person that is clearly behind these attacks, and maybe they'll stop." Roxanne said. "We got most of them locked up, but someone obviously has to be in charge."
"You think we could find any clues at the asylum?" Stacey asked.
"That the police haven't already found?" Cora asked. "Are you crazy?"
"She has a point," Roxanne stated. "I don't think the police explored that place to the fullest. We could go ask them what they have in terms of the investigation,"
"I'm not going back to the asylum," Cora said softly. "I can't."
"That's understandable. I wouldn't expect you to." Roxanne said, knowing she didn't want to think about going back there either.
"I remember the sound of their voices so clearly," Mocha said, walking into the living room holding a blue mug. "And the scent on one of the guys clothes. Very dark and woodsy,"
"I wouldn't make you go back there," Roxanne said softly, knowing how bad her friend had been traumatized by it all.
"I'm not afraid," Mocha said, taking a seat next to Cora. "I was caught unaware, blindfolded and left completely helpless. That won't happen again,"
"I'm not doing that to you," Roxanne said.
"Doing what?" Max asked as the three guys walked into the house. She hadn't heard them knock.
Roxanne's heart began to race as she saw Max standing there, looking defeated. She got up and ran to him, throwing herself into his arms.
She hugged him tight, relieved that he was okay. That body could have easily been him.
"I'm sorry,"she said, feeling the tears forming. "I'm glad you're okay,"
She looked up at him as he bent over to give her a kiss. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, feeling safe. He made her feel whole. She couldn't give up on him.
"It's okay," he said. "I'm sorry too, for making you feel bad earlier."
She smiled at him and looked around to see Stacey and Mocha embrace their men too. They had all been worried. It could have been any of them.
"Roxanne thinks there are clues at the asylum that the police haven't looked into," Stacey said as they all sat down. The Gammas were listening into their conversation, interested.
"You can't be serious," Max told her. "We can't go back there."
"These killings have to stop. By the looks of it I highly believe it's someone on campus. This is not a coincidence. You need a badge to get into the guys dorm. This wasn't a random death," Roxanne said.
"I hate to say it, but she's probably right," PJ said, squeezing Mocha's hand tightly. "That must have been their hideout. We didn't explore the whole place, and I doubt the police did."
"You guys must be mad," Cora said. "We barely made it out of there last time,"
"If someone had been going back to the asylum they would have left tracks," Max said. "This is actually our best chance to try to figure this out."
"I agree," Roxanne said, feeling nervous.
"But, you're not going." Max said firmly.
"What?"
"Yeah, we can't put you in danger," PJ said. "I almost lost you last time,"
Mocha gave him a sad smile.
"We can't let you guys go alone! Robert, tell them!" Stacey said, looking at him.
"They're right sugar, we can't put you in danger," Bobby said, clearly shaking.
"You all have gone mad! Why can't we tell the cops to go look over there for us?" Cora asked, her face turning red. "It's too dangerous."
"They'll be too busy trying to figure this out on their own. I tried. They said they don't think it's ghoul related. They believe they locked most of them up." Max said, laying back on the couch.
"I don't know what to say," Cora said, crossing her arms. "You guys are really going to do this."
"You're not going without me Max," Roxanne said angrily. "You can't."
"The less of us are out there the better," Max responded, closing his eyes. She heard him sigh.
"Nothing much has changed, eh boss?" Tank said as they made their way to the top level.
"You don't have to call me that," Bradley said, trying to suppress his smile. "I'm not your boss anymore."
"Old habits die hard." Tanks responded.
Bradley said nothing as he lead Tanks up to his old room, right across his.
"It's never been occupied," he said as he opened the door. "I just couldn't find someone worthy enough to reside in it."
Tanks stepped into the room, looking around. Bradley hadn't touched anything. He had left everything where Tanks had left it the night he left. The housekeeper would come and clean the room, freshen the sheets and air out the room, but other than that no one had been it for the last three years.
"You kept everything the same," Tanks said as he placed his luggage in one corner. "Even my old calendar from that year,"
Bradley watched as Tanks moved around the room, touching the items he had left behind. His trophies still lined the dresser, along with his alarm clock and coffee mug. On his bed he still had his Gamma Jersey he had taken off and left.
"I'm sorry I left," Tanks said, turning to look at his old best friend.
"No, I'm sorry," Bradley said. "I had changed that year, I'm not going to lie. I know that now, and it's haunted me."
"Yeah, you were obsessed with the Max kid." Tanks said, opening his dresser. He pulled out his old journal and a few other trinkets.
"Don't remind me," he said, placing his palm on his forehead for a dramatic effect. "Worst time of my life. Honestly the last three years were the worst for me. It's this year that things are finally turning around."
"I'm glad, you deserve it." Tanks said turning to look at him. "I'm really touched by all this,"
"Now, don't get all sentimental on me," Bradley joked. "I'll let you get settled in. I'm expecting Goof any moment."
"Goof? Here?" Tanks asked surprised.
"Did I forget to mention that we're kind of aquatinted now? Not friends per say, but he is Roxanne's boyfriend and all. It's a long story- I'll catch you up on it later."
"I'm coming down with you," Tanks said. "Making up for lost time and all."
"You had always been a sop haven't you?" Bradley joked. "But you might as well get up to speed about these murders."
Jasmine was shocked to hear that there had been another murder in the guy's dorm. She had come down thinking the house was empty when she saw everyone gathered in the living room. Roxanne was the one to break the news to her.
Now she sat in between some Gammas, listening to the awful plan Max was trying to put together. There was no way she was going to go back to the asylum. She would have to be dragged.
"We are not going to go at night," Max said.
"Yeah, we would have a better chance at seeing everything with enough daylight." PJ said.
"What are you scheming now, Goof?" Bradley asked as he walked down the steps. Jasmine gasped to see Tanks coming down behind him.
"Tanks?" She said, standing up. "Oh my gosh, it's really you,"
"Jaz!" He said and she ran towards him, embracing him. "It's been so long. Why haven't I seen you around?"
"Busy with my studies. Plus you were always with Max." Tanks said. Jasmine smiled.
"That's done and over with," she responded looking over her shoulder. "Sorry, Max."
"None taken," Max said, his face turning red. He stood up. "Thanks for letting us meet here," Max said, greeting Bradley with a slap shake. Bradley was taken aback. Max had never greeted him like this.
"Uh, it's no trouble," Bradley responded, trying to shake off the strange feeling he was getting. "Goof, you remember Tanks,"
"I do," Max said, grinning.
"You're one heck of skater now," Tanks said. "I watched all the Games. Good for you,"
"It all started with you guys," Max said. "If you guys would have let us all join the Gammas it would have been a different story,"
"Can't cry about the past now," Bradley said, trying to change the topic. He felt awkward. Why did he feel like this?
"You're right," Max said, taking his seat. "I was just telling everyone about our plan."
"A plan I thought of," Roxanne said crossing her arms. "You can't keep me from going."
"What plan?" Bradley asked, motioning Tanks to take the seat near the window. He would stand for this.
"They want to go back to the asylum," Cora said, frowning. "It's absurd."
"I agree," Jasmine said "We barely escaped and now they want to run into the place thinking they'll find something."
"I don't think it's a bad idea," Bradley said. Jasmine noticed how he was avoiding her gaze. "I could get my security to follow behind us.
"See?" Max said, turning to Roxanne, "We'll have Brad's security!"
"That does make me feel better," Stacey said, her arm entwined with Bobby's.
"You are all crazy," Jasmine said. She didn't want them going. It was too dangerous.
"I'll tag along if you don't mind," Tank offered.
"That would be great," PJ exclaimed.
"So we're really doing this?" Bradley asked.
"I guess we are." Max said.
Max knocked, waiting for her to open. He felt nervous, but he had to come up with some sort of agreement with Mona.
When she didn't open he decided to try the knob, just in case. To his surprise, it was unlocked.
He walked in, taking in the room. When was the last time he had been here?
It smelled awfully different. It wasn't the familiar scent he was used to. It was darker, more masculine. Had she had a guy over?
There were clothes piled up next to her desk. He walked over and noticed a guys short and long black shirt. She was doing laundry, not just for herself but for another guy too. Did she have a boyfriend?
He didn't want to snoop around but he was curious now. Roxanne's voice kept replaying in his head.
"She's not a good person Max. How can we be sure she's not lying to you?"
He ran his fingers through his hair frustrated. What if Roxanne had been right this whole time?
He opened one of the drawers and saw two journals. One was worn out and the pages were crinkled. The other was blue, with pretty white flowers on the cover. He reached for it first.
Dear Diary,
It's strange being here and knowing Max is just across the street. As much as I try to seem indifferent, it's hard to pretend he didn't make my heart flutter. Crazy I know! I feel like a school girl again and I hate and love that feeling at the same time. For once I feel semi- complete.
I can't help but also feel jealous and detached. He has created a life for himself here. Everyone knows him and the X-Games King, and his last girlfriend was so beautiful- like how could I compare with that? Stacey keeps telling me that Jasmine and I were related because the resemblance is crazy- and now that I know her better I can see what she's talking about. It makes me wonder.. what does that say about Max? Was he attracted to her because she reminded him of me?
Max gasped. This was Roxanne's private journal. The date on it September of last year. There were more entries. Why was it in Mona's room?
He placed the notebook in his pocket and pulled out the other one. He opened it. The handwriting was different. This was Mona's journal.
January 17
He's making it difficult to stay calm. I didn't tell him about the miscarriage. He wouldn't care anyways. He would probably just force himself on me - but how would I explain that to Max? Lake is handsome, but evil. The only reason I put up with him is because he swears he will keep Max safe. I don't care about the rest. I'm writing to keep my nerves down.
I'm in love with Max. That's all I care about. I -
Max felt his blood run cold. This couldn't be. She had lost the baby and didn't bother to tell him? A page was sticking out of the notebook. He unfolded it and noticed that it was from the doctor. Apparently Mona had only been about seven weeks pregnant. That meant that he couldn't have been the father. She had lied to him.
He stuffed the notebook into his pocket and walked out the door. He knew stealing other's property was wrong but he had just found out that he had been lied to. What else was she hiding from him?