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song of the chapter: 90s american superstar by wallice
"break my heart. shouldn't be that hard."
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I was in extreme denial. I made the phone call to his mother, which was worse than seeing him dead. The scream on the other end of the line left me numb and speechless.
I was left at the police station without a boyfriend or a ride. I took out my phone and called the person that first came to mind.
Mickey pulled up to the station a few minutes later. I got into the car and tried not to break down. After a few minutes of silence, he decided to speak up.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I've had three best friends my whole life. Three people that stuck with me from preschool to high school. And now they're all dead," I broke.
"I'm sorry, Bronny," he sighed.
"Maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame," I said numbly.
"Don't blame yourself," he comforted. "It's not your fault."
We got to my dorms and he parked the car. He leaned over and hugged me.
"Thanks for this," I smiled weakly.
"It's no problem. Let me know if you need anything else," he smiled as I got out of the car.
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About an hour later, Gale called me. She'd sounded desperate, so I met her where she told me to.
"What do you love birds need?" I groaned as I approached them at the entrance of the school.
"We think the killer might be in this footage," she explained.
"You made me get out of bed and come here just to look at footage?" I clarified.
"Sorry, but we could use all the help we can get," Dewey said, looking at me pitifully as we entered the building.
We bolted down the halls looking for a place with a VCR.
"Video archive!" Gale pointed out. Dewey tried to open the door.
"It's locked," he groaned. I stepped forward.
"I can pick it," I said, pushing him aside.
"That would be breaking and entering," Dewey pointed out.
"No shit," I responded as he tried another door.
"There's got to be a VCR around here somewhere," Dewey sighed.
"Professor Keller's classroom! He leaves it unlocked at night," I remembered.
"How do you know that?" Dewey asked.
"Lucky guess?" I tried, remembering that he's a policeman.
"I don't want to know," he sighed as I led them towards his classroom.
"Now we're getting somewhere," Dewey said shining a light on the VCR.
"Perfect!" Gale exclaimed. We went down the stairs to the front of the classroom.
"Let's start with this one," Gale said. They both reached down and bonked heads on accident.
"Sorry," Dewey laughed. They were looking into the eyes of each other and it was terribly awkward.
"Did I hurt you?" he chuckled. "No," she smiled.
The sexual tension was through the roof. It reminded me of when Randy and I started dating. I felt a stab in my chest at that thought.
She handed him the VHS tape and they both chuckled awkwardly as they put in into the VCR.
We all watched as the footage went on. I knew I was supposed to be looking for the killer, but I couldn't help focusing on Randy.
He had his arm around me, and he was looking at me with so much love and admiration in his eyes. I wish I'd caught him looking at me like that when he was alive.
I glanced down as I felt Gale and Dewey looking at me apologetically. We watched Gale and Dewey shoot insults at each other.
"You're cute when you're angry," Gale smiled.
"I was rude. I was being rude," Dewey said.
"Dewey, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. Hey," she said turning his head toward her with her hand.
They quickly started making out like I wasn't even there. I turned away from them and kept looking at the screen.
"Guys," I sighed as I saw something. The other VCR started playing different footage. They didn't respond. "Guys!"
"What?" Gale asked looking up. I pointed at the screen.
"Dewey, that's not my footage," she realized.
I felt my stomach turn as I realized that the person on the screen was CiCi Cooper. She was on the phone and the person with the camera was in the bushes. The footage changed to Randy who was on the phone in the park.
"Oh my God," I groaned wanting to look away, but at the same time not being able to.
The footage changed again to the three of us standing there watching our footage. I groaned, turning around. There in the booth, was the killer.
"Stay here," Dewey instructed running up the stairs.
"No Dewey, don't," Gale and I yelled. He ran into the video booth.
"Dewey!" Gale yelled again.
"There's no one there," he shrugged.
I barely had time to register before the killer popped out behind us with his knife up. He took a swing at Gale, who got out of the way. He then turned and chased me up a few rows and into the chairs. He took a swing at me, but I dodged.
He took another swing, but I jumped down into the chairs below me, my head slamming on the floor. There was a sharp pain in my shoulder where I had been stabbed a few days prior.
I tried my best to ignore it, running to where Gale and Dewey were. I followed Gale out the door and prayed Dewey was behind me.
"Dewey, hurry!" I yelled.
We ran down the narrow hallway and tried every single door until we found one that was unlocked. We quietly went inside and closed the door behind us.
It was pitch black until I found the light and turned it on. Gale held onto the doorknob as a way to keep anyone from getting inside.
She kept holding it while I went to look around. I saw tons of equipment, but nothing we could use as a barricade. I sighed in relief when I found another door.
"Gale, there's another door over here," I whispered.
She ran over from her spot and entered the doorway with me. I closed the door behind us. We were in a sound booth of some sort.
I noticed there was a door on the other side of the room, so I walked over to check if it was locked. It wasn't, unfortunately. I went to walk back and jumped as I saw the killer on the other side of the window.
I motioned for Gale to follow me to a place where he couldn't see us. There was a maze-like thing behind us. We entered it hoping and praying that he wouldn't find us. I jumped as I heard the door open and I realized he was in the room with us.
We heard footsteps approaching and quickly moved through the maze as quietly as humanly possible. We could hear him following us.
The sheer terror I felt was worse than it had ever been. We continued to walk through swiftly until I saw yet another door.
I pointed it out to Gale and we quickly jumped into the small room slamming the door behind us loudly.
"Fuck!" Gale exclaimed as we realized there was no lock on the door.
We backed up and tried to find something to block the door. I looked around the clean room, hoping to see if there was anything to use as a barricade.
I jumped in fear as I heard someone behind me yell, "GALE!" through the microphone.
Gale and I exchanged a glance before turning around. I screeched as I saw Dewey getting forced against the glass, blood spewing from his mouth as the killer stabbed him in the back.
"Dewey!" we both screamed as tears came to our eyes.
I was frozen where I was standing, but Gale ran toward the glass. She moved down as he fell, sobbing as she did so.
It didn't take me long to realize that the killer would soon be in the booth. I wiped my eyes to clear my vision and continued to mercilessly search for a suitable barricade.
"Help me with this bookcase!" I screamed at Gale. She ran over and we both pushed it to fall over in front of the door.
The killer fit his arm through and swung it around with the bloody knife in his hand, thirsty for more. We watched as he gave up on the door and went to the window again. Gale shrieked as he began making his way over.
I tried my best to pile for things in front of the door, though I wasn't sure if it would help. I could hear soft thumps of things hitting the heavy glass as he chucked objects to break it. Gale backed up screaming as he threw himself at the glass.
"It's soundproof glass, Gale! He's not gonna break it!" I screamed, frustrated at her.
After a second, the sounds stopped. Gale, who had been huddled in the corner, came out from hiding. We looked around but didn't see him anywhere.
"Let's stay for a while longer. Just to be sure," I whispered.
She nodded slowly. After about fifteen minutes, we decided it was safe to leave. We walked outside quietly. I went over to Dewey and checked his pocket for a gun or something.
"Damn it," I muttered when I didn't find anything. We cautiously left the room looking around for signs of the killer.
"We have to get the police," Gale mumbled.
I nodded, wishing I had looked for a phone in the other room. We began to run when we ran right into someone. We both screamed in fear that it was the killer.
"Hey," we heard.
I looked up and saw Cotton Weary, his hands covered in blood. Gale and I looked at each other eyes wide. We began to back up slowly and were even more alarmed when he started following us.
"Get away from us," Gale cried.
"No. This isn't what it looks like. I found Dewey. I tried to help," He began, but we were gone. We ran to the end of the building.
"No, Gale, Gale!" he screamed as we ran out of the building. We ran down the steep steps of the building.
"You wait here, keep watch. I'll make the call," I instructed her.
She nodded as I ran toward the pay phone. I saw my mom on the phone talking about curfew or something.
"Give me the fucking phone!" I screamed grabbing it from her.
"Bronwyn, you're covered in blood," she said looking concerned.
"Yeah, no shit," I yelled as I dialed 911.
"What happened?" she asked. But the phone was picked up before I could respond.
"Operator! This is an emergency. Get me the police!" I yelled.
"What's happening?" Mom asked.
"The killer. It's Cotton-fucking-Weary," I yelled as the operator transferred me. Gale walked towards us as she heard the yelling.
"Cotton Weary," Mom responded looking impressed. The police got on the phone, and I told them everything with help from Gale.
We were waiting for the police when I heard a gun cock behind Gale and me. We turned around quickly and saw my mother holding a gun out with a look in her eyes that I recognized right away. It was the same look Billy had in his eyes the night of Stu's party.
"Too bad you're wrong, again," Mom said.
"Mom, what the hell?" I asked in shock. It took me a second to realize that I wasn't surprised.
"Mrs. Loomis?" Gale realized.
"Let's stop with the introductions. We will be going to room 218," she instructed continuing to point the gun as we walked towards the theatre with our hands up. I felt betrayed, but not as betrayed as I had felt two years ago.
We opened the door and entered the theatre. The sight before me caused me to tense.
"Gale. Bronwyn," Sidney said looking confused. I was shocked by my surroundings.
Sidney and Mickey covered in blood, and Derek hanging from a star, looking dead. The second time I looked through the room I realized Mickey was holding a gun.
"Mickey," I muttered.
"Surprised?" he smirked. I thought about it, then shook my head. My mom entered a few seconds later still pointing the gun at us.
"Mrs. Loomis?" Sidney asked, seeming more shocked than I was.
"Nice twist huh? Didn't see it comin', did ya?" Mickey yelled.
"It can't be. I've seen pictures of you," Gale recalled.
"This is about 60 pounds and a lot of work later," I said uncouthly.
"It's called a make-over. You should try it. Look a little tired yourself there, Gale. And Bronwyn, you could use it more than her," Mom insulted.
"You killed Randy?" I asked.
"Yes, I did," she admitted almost proudly.
"You've known him since he was in preschool. He was my best friend, and you just killed him?" I clarified.
"Darling, your brother was your best friend," she reminded me.
"Yeah, and you took him away from me, too," I glared.
"Excuse me?" she narrowed her eyes.
"He did what he did because you left. He wouldn't have died if you hadn't abandoned us," I scowled, completely filled with hate.
She smacked me across the face. I stared at her, eyes wide. She'd never hit me before. But I guess there was a lot I didn't know about her.
"So you two are in this together?" Gale asked them.
"Yeah, well. Had to have financing. Tuition's expensive. Deb there, my backer. We met on the Internet. Psycho Web site. Classifieds," Mickey explained.
"There are only an estimated 97 active serial killers in the country today. So Mickey, here, was quite a find. Definitely one on the way up. All he needed was a little guidance and nurturing," Mom said.
"As only a mother can do," Sidney muttered.
"Told you it was gonna work. Wait till the trial! It is gonna rock!" Mickey exclaimed.
"Oh, Mickey. There's not gonna be a trial," Mom said cocking the gun.
We all jumped out of the way as she aimed the gun behind us at Mickey. She shot him three times till he fell to the ground unconscious, but not before he took his opportunity to pull the trigger on his own gun.
I felt a bullet hit my hip and send me into the orchestra pit. I screamed in pain. I hit the ground and felt a jarring pain in my shoulder and hip.
I groaned and tried to stand, but failed. I could vaguely hear what was happening above me. I could hear Gale and Sidney screaming my name. I heard another shot and felt someone fall next to me.
"Bronwyn," I heard Gale whisper next to me.
"Gale," I shuddered.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I think so," I groaned trying to stand up. The minute I put my weight on my right leg, I fell over and shrieked because of the pain. "Never mind. You?"
"No," she said holding her side.
"What are we gonna do?" I asked.
"We have to wait until the police get here," she whispered. I prayed we wouldn't bleed out by then. I tried to listen to what was happening above.
"You're as crazy as your son was," I heard Sidney say.
"Was that a negative, disparaging remark about my son? About my Billy?" she asked.
I couldn't believe she was still in denial. I tried to explain at the funeral, but just got mad at me. She couldn't wrap her mind around the simple truth.
"No, Billy was a good boy. Billy was perfect. You did a bang-up job, Mrs Loomis," Sidney deadpanned. I felt the pain in my side intensity as I tried my best to stand up again.
"Stop it, Bronwyn. You're gonna hurt yourself even worse," Gale hissed.
"It's not wise to patronize a woman with a gun, Sidney. Randy spoke poorly of Billy, and I got a little knife happy," Mom continued.
I felt anger and sadness and pain all at once. I covered my ears and closed my eyes, refusing to listen to them talk about my brother or Randy any longer.
Gale wrapped an arm around me while we waited. I jumped as I heard a sudden gunshot. We sat there helpless while the gunshots continued.
When they eventually stopped, I heard something crash to the ground. I flinched sharply. I covered my ears more harshly as it felt like all hell was breaking loose around us.
"We need to help Sid," I sobbed.
"Are you kidding? You can't even stand," she reminded me. Everything quickly became quiet. I uncovered my ears and opened my eyes. "What happened?"
"I don't know. Should we look?" I asked.
She thought about it for a second. Before she stood up we heard another scream that made her fall back onto the floor.
I covered my ears again until Gale tapped me on the arm. I opened my eyes and heard the voice of none other than Cotton Weary.
"Don't you fuckin move," he said. I felt a pang of guilt for calling the police on him. "Goddamn it!"
"Cotton," I heard Sidney say.
"Okay, okay, okay. Everybody slow down. I have had a very, very bad day, and I would like to know exactly what the fuck is going on here! Sidney?" he wondered.
"Cotton, meet Billy and Bronwyn Loomis' mother. She's the killer," Sidney said.
"What?" he tried to clarify. "And who's that?" I assumed he was referring to Mickey.
"The other killer, Mickey," Sidney said.
"Okay," Cotton scoffed.
"Look, Cotton," Sidney started.
"Shut up," he cut her off. "So, hi. You're not Debbie Salt, are you? You're not with Post Telegraph."
I heard another gunshot and my mother scream. Both of us flinched. I heard Cotton and Sidney begin to talk above us.
"I'm gonna get out. They can help me with you," Gale whispered. I nodded. She stood up and put her hand on the stage, which scared Cotton and Sidney.
"Shit!" I heard them both scream.
"Can someone help us out of here?" Gale yelled.
"Are you guys all right?" Sidney asked.
"We were shot. Of course not," Gale responded. "Help."
"Give me your hand, Gale. Jesus, you scared the crap outta me," Cotton said. "Is anyone else down there?"
"Bronwyn. She can barely stand," Gale explained.
"So much for reporting from the trenches," Cotton joked as he jumped down into the orchestra pit.
"Shut up, Cotton," Gale and I said in unison. He lifted me up. I put an arm around him and used him as support.
"Sidney! Can you lift her up?" he yelled.
"Yeah!" she yelled grabbing my right hand.
They lifted me onto the stage where I laid down, not able to get up. Sidney lifted me up and I used her for support.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Emotionally or physically? Cause either way, no," I shook my head.
"I'm sorry. That must be rough. First your brother, then your mom," Cotton started.
"Yeah Cotton, I get it," I snapped, irritated and in a lot of pain.
"Sorry," he said, looking away.
"How bad is it?" Sidney asked us.
"It just bounced off my ribs," Gale said.
"I think the bullet's still in there," I told them.
"We need to get you to a hospital if it is," Cotton said.
"Wait. Give me one of those," Gale said gesturing to the guns in Sidney's hand. Sidney handed one to her. "Is she dead?"
"I don't know," Sid said.
"They always come back," I whispered.
We all jumped as we heard a yell behind us. Mickey was running towards us covered in his own blood. Sidney and Gale began shooting at him.
I hid my eyes in Sidney's shoulder while they mercilessly murdered him. By the time they were done, there was no possible way he was alive.
"Woah!" I heard Cotton yell.
We turned back around to face my mother. I looked at Sidney, knowing what she was about to do. She pointed the gun at my mom's head, and quickly pulled the trigger. I flinched at the gunshot.
"Just in case," she said. dropping the gun. I nodded. It was probably better that way.