Enid's last words barely registered. The phone fell out of my hand and my blood ran cold. Tyler caught his phone and I could hear him talking to Enid. He hung up, put his phone in his pocket and grabbed my hand, dragging me outside and putting me in the passenger seat of his car.
Nevermore - Beekeeping Clubhouse - Night
He was definitely speeding as we made our way through the gates of Nevermore. We stopped outside the Beekeeping Clubhouse and rushed inside. Enid was already there, her hands covered in blood and face pale as a ghost. Ajax was next to her trying, holding her shoulders to stop her from shaking. I leaned down next to Thing, his unmoving hand laid out on a cloth also covered in blood. My eyes watered and threatened to spill tears. Uncle Fester was next to Thing attempting to revive him, but with no luck.
"I'm sorry Wednesday. He's gone." I couldn't believe it. I wouldn't. He wasn't gone. He can't be. I pulled the cloth towards me and talked to him.
"You listen to me. If you die, I will kill you." I pushed the cloth back towards Uncle Fester. "Again! Please!"
He rubbed his hands together, creating a small electric current that went through Thing's small form. Once. Twice. My eyes continued to well with tears. But then, a small twitch, a finger lifting. Thing slowly made its way to his fingertips, slowly facing me.
"Who did this to you?!" He slowly did his series of sign language movements.
"Knife behind the back. Cowards!" I wiped my eyes and continued to look at Thing.
"I promise, whoever did this to you, will suffer the most excruciating pain possible. They will beg me for mercy." Thing signed again and then held out his pinky finger. I looped mine in his, sealing the promise.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Tyler next to me. His face was full of relief.
"I'm glad to see your okay Thing. I thought we lost you." I could tell he was a little misty eyed as well. He changed his hand into a fist bump and Tyler gladly obliged. I pulled a needle and some thread from a box in the small shed.
"I'll sew him back up. Thank you for bringing him here Enid. And thank you Uncle Fester for saving him." Both of them looked surprised to hear a thank you coming from me but didn't say anything because of the state I was in.
Once Thing was properly patched up and Enid was cleaned up with the help of Ajax, I turned back to Uncle Fester.
"The police found your bike in the woods. Which means they won't be far behind." He shook his head and sighed.
"Gotta hate small towns. They always have the best investigators. Anyway it was great to see you again Wednesday. You will always be my favorite." The compliment made me muster up a small smile.
"Make sure to tell Pugsley that. It will give him a complex." He snickered at that remark. He grabbed his gear and waved goodbye to everyone before slipping into the night.
After all that was dealt with, I stood across from Enid and Ajax, while Tyler sat on a stool in front of me.
"We need to talk to you both about something." It was Tyler who said this. I cocked an eyebrow while looking at him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. If you trust them, I trust them. I'd rather they hear it from me than anybody else."
I looked over at Ajax and Enid, their faces a mix of confusion and concern.
"What do you mean? Tell us what?" I heard Tyler sigh and I placed a comforting hand on Tyler's shoulder, making sure he knew I was there for him. Enid saw this and silently squealed.
"Are you two da-"
"No."
"Oh."
"We're not?" I looked at him with my familiar cold gaze, hoping it would get him back on track. He definitely got the idea.
"Anyway, as Tyler was saying." I stopped talking and nudged him.
"Right right. Okay. I don't want you guys to freak out. But Wednesday and I figured out that I'm the monster who's been killing people." Both of their jaws dropped, neither saying anything. Enid cleared her throat.
"Haha. Very funny guys. That was a good joke." She began to laugh but realized from our unchanged expressions that we weren't lying.
"But. But it can't be you Tyler. You're such a nice guy? And Wednesday you've been hunting the monster this entire time and finally found out who it is and don't immediately put him in jail!" She starts to raise her voice as she and Ajax begin to back away, Ajax's hand instinctively going for his beanie.
"It's not so simple anymore. Tyler may be the monster but he was not acting of his own volition. He's being controlled by someone. A woman named Laurel Gates. She was presumed drowned but after a little digging we've come to the conclusion that she faked her death in order to gain access to Jericho and take revenge on everyone she deems responsible for her family's deaths. The mayor, my father, Nevermore. They're all pawns in a bigger game." I watched as their expressions turned from fear to confusion to understanding. They slowly made their way back over and sat down.
"Wow. That's a lot to take in Wednesday. But if you have all this information on Laurel, do you know who it could be?" I was about to say something when Enid's phone rang. She picked it up quickly.
"Hello. Oh my god! That's great news! Thank you. We'll be there right away!" Her tone suggested that it was something positive.
"That was the hospital. They just called to say that Eugene just woke up!" My eyes slightly widened in surprise. I grabbed Tyler's arm and pulled him out the door, Enid and Ajax following as we hopped in the car and headed to the hospital, not caring about the curfew.
Jericho - Jericho County Hospital - Night
We finally made it and went into Eugene's room, the glasses wearing, black curly haired boy was looking at a bee shaped balloon someone had given him. I busted through the door and he jumped.
"Sorry Eugene. Did not mean to scare you." He just smiled and shrugged.
"It's all good Wednesday. I'm just happy to see you. And Wednesday's friends." He waved happily and Enid, Ajax and Tyler waved back.
"I heard you visited me all the time."
"Don't ever mention it again" His smile grew even wider.
"Your bees missed you. We all did. How are you feeling by the way?" He sat up and rubbed his head.
"Well, other than a few scratches I'm okay. Last thing I remember was scoping out the cave when someone showed up and burned it. Then I was running and the monster attacked. I blacked out." I looked over at Tyler and his head hung low, scratching the back of his neck.
"Why did you go without me? I told you to wait."
"Hummers never shy away from a fight. And the person who burned the cave was definitely interesting to say the least." He said this scratching his head.
"What do you mean interesting?"
"Well, they pulled up in a car, but not just some regular car. It was older, kinda looked like a Cadillac. Also it was blue." My eyebrows furrowed as I looked back at Enid and Tyler, their faces full of surprise.
"A blue Cadillac? Isn't that the car that killed the mayor? And we found it in the old Gates garage a few days ago?" Enid said this as she started to nervously chew her fingernails.
This time Tyler spoke up. "Well that just confirms our theory. The person trying to control me has to be Laurel Gates." Eugene looked at us confused.
"Who is Laurel Gates?" I turned back to Eugene, my unmoving expression staying the same.
"It's a long story. I'll explain everything later. But now we have our proof. And I know exactly who Laurel Gates is." This time everyone looked at me confused. Before anybody said anything I continued.
"Who is the one person who had the ability to get into the hospital to kill the mayor, has access to confidential records and sees Tyler on a daily basis?" This time I looked at Tyler. I watched his face go from thinking to realization.
"Oh my god. But she's so nice and helps me with my issues and-." He stopped abruptly. "-and can use those emotions against me to hurt people." Tyler walked to the other side of the room sitting a visitor chair, his head in his hands. I walked over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. I watched as Enid and Ajax came to the same conclusion.
"Dr. Kinbott is going to pay dearly for this." The anger in my voice was apparent. "Let's go. We'll be back later Eugene. Get some rest." The four of us began to leave but before we could Eugene spoke again.
"Wait Wednesday! There's something else." I stopped, knowing full well we had all the evidence to put Kinbott away but owed it to Eugene to hear him out. I came back over to the bed as he sat up a bit.
"I wasn't able to get a good look at the person because they were wearing all black. But when the explosion went off, I caught a glimpse of their boots. But interesting enough, they weren't black, they were red."