"Shit!" It was no happy news with the new chapter for the trio. Chad read out loud for them to hear.
'As Kelly drove back home, after the argument with Liam on Eugene's funeral, she drove way above speed limit. The only thing gave her some peace was driving so she did, she drove and drove but little did she know it was her last drive. An oncoming truck, after running a red light impaled onto her car, leaving her faith hanging in the balance.'
"Okay! You were right, this is all stupid. Nothing happened after Adam's funeral. We didn't have a fight and here I am." Kris ignored the chill went through her body hearing those words and denied it persistently.
"That wasn't a fight?" Chad asked her.
"And it's not happening word by word. We can't take any chance."
"Okay you know what, just for your sake and to prove you wrong I'll drive you. It says you were driving alone, and angry. So..."
"So, I don't drive alone." Kris finished his sentence.
"In fact, let's all just stick together until this is all over. And when it is, I don't wanna hear another word about any of this." Chad said.
They all drove to Kris's place soon after that, all of them were at the edge of their seat through the way, getting a jump on every car or bike that over takes them or passes by speedily. Chad had his hands gripped right on the wheel, making sure to check twice at every intersection.
"What the hell?" He finally broke the silence as the car started breaking down not a mile away from home. He quickly moved to the side of the road. They all got out together. The girls stood at the side walk as Chad tried looking for a problem with the car.
"Are you scared?" Sal asked a clearly anxious Kris.
"You are doing that thing with you nails again, scrapping off the nail paint." She told her.
"Wouldn't you be scared if you thought you knew how and when death is coming for you?"
"Somebody needs to call the roadside assistance, I can't fix with a wrench that Sal has in her car in the name of tools." Chad informed the girls, Kris took out her phone to look for a number as Sal went to Chad.
"I have more tools, I mean I don't know where they are but they are here I am sure." She helped Chad look for them as Kris searched for the number.
"Ah! See I told you there were more tools." Sal having found the tools under the back seat called out to Chad. Unbeknownst to them or may be Kris, she has walked to the center of the road.
"Kris!" Chad called out to her as the speeding unstable car rushed in her direction. Chad dropped everything he had in his hand and ran to her. Kris's feet froze to the road in fear. Screeching of tires on the road was so loud as the driver pushed breaks, that Kris had to cover her ears as passersby shouted at her to move. Her head said move but her legs unfortunately didn't receive the message as the car hit her. Chad and Sal ran to her unconscious body.
"Kris! Kris... no no. Wake up!" Chad shouted as he lifted her head up of the road. The crowd gathered around them as Sal called the emergency. They didn't care about the driver at that moment, the passersby took care of him, all they wanted was for kris to open her eyes.
Sal and Chad spend the night at the hospital right by Kris's bed. The doctor has told them she had broken her left arm but there was no serious damage but a few bruises and that she was lucky. But they knew better, they knew this wasn't the end and that their window of time was getting smaller and smaller.
"You should go home, I'll stay with her. Your parents must be worried." Chad said to Sal who was sitting right next to Kris.
"No that's okay, I called my mom and told her what happened."
"It's not just that, you need some rest. You look like hell. Go home and get a few hours' sleep, I'll stay with her and call you if something happens."
"Did you call her parents?" she asked.
"I didn't get a hold of them, I'll try again tomorrow."
"What are we gonna do, Chad?" She asked him, running out of hope, her optimism was running out of her fingers.
"We'll save her, we'll figure this out I promise." He consoled her.
******************************
During the next whole week, the gang spend their time taking care of Kris. Her parents were back but this wasn't something they could fix so she didn't tell them. She was home now with her broken arm. All three of them kept this secret to themselves which weighed on each of them.
They waited and waited for the next chapter, as Kelly's life hangs in balance so did Kris's. But all they got was silence, it was killing them. But also giving them, some relief knowing nothing was going to happen. It also kept them on their feet constantly checking their phones. They already lost one friend and were nowhere near ready to lose another. Kris tried her best not to be alone, Chad and Sally tried not to leave her alone, fearing the undetermined future.
Then finally arrived the event, the meet and greet of the people for the website, the trio decided to go anyway. The wait was killing them so they followed the only lead they had, the author.
"So, it turns out we need a pass which sold out a week ago. We need to find some other way to get in." Chad informed them as they stood outside with bunch of other random strangers waiting to get in.
"Where are we going to find the passes now?" Sal sat on the hood of the car disappointingly.
"There might be some other way." He told them as he read the text with a victory smile they hadn't seen in days.
"What?" Kris asked him.
"Danny from tech club, I asked for his help about the author's identity right after that chat, he said it's hard but he'll try and he found something." He happily told them.
"How? I thought the author was super secretive?"
"Nothing is ever completely hidden on the internet; He found out an address, it's not far from here. Let's just go there." Chad was eager as he jumped straight in the car while talking.
"That sounds illegal." Sal said.
"Oh it is, super illegal. I had to trade in three of my X-Box games. He doesn't come cheap I tell you that."
"Also, he gets to hold your hand for five minutes in front of his chess club buddies." He told Sal before quickly jumping back in the car as Sal looked at him in rage filled eyes.
They reached the house at the quite street with only two other houses in the view. They all stood out nervously looking at each other hoping one of the other two would have enough courage. Kris did the knocking getting anxious of the mystery.
"Yes?" A girl of about same age as them, peaked through the door.
"Hi, we are from Ravens town." Sal greeted her with a smile.
"Okay?" she looked at them confused, filled with questions.
"Sweet they sent our costumes—Sam." Mark joined Sam at the door.
"IWriteForYou?" That's all Chad said, Sal and Kris both looked at him, angry at him making these rash decisions without consulting them.
"Excuse me?" Sam said now alert at her feet.
"Is that you, the author from Writeup?" Kris asked as polite as direct Chad was.
"I think you should go." Mark pushed Sam aside and slammed the door on their face. They stood there in shock and kind of blaming Chad for this.
"Who's at the door?" Jess came down wearing orange jump suit in the name of costume.
"That's what you got her for Halloween?" Mark looked at Sam, who shrugged helplessly.
"Who was at the door?" She asked them again.
"I think the creep who messaged you." Sam told her as they looked out the window next to the door and saw Sal and others standing outside the car talking.
"What! How in the hell could they find me?"
"They don't really look dangerous. They said there were from Ravens, remember we went there few years back for the carnival thingy." Sam said.
"Are kidding me? They are at the house looking for her. You want them to knock with an axe in one hand and machine gun in other." Mark said, stunned at her lack of alert.
"C'mon look at them, it is just a bunch of friends like us, one of them has a broken arm."
"Just call 911." Mark made a sensible suggestion to Jess. Jess looked at the window once again before calling the number but they were gone.
"They are gone...what the hell?"
"Okay you know what just call the cops the next time you see them. There are many creeps on the internet. They don't seem like any exceptions." Mark said to her.
"And you are not wearing this to the party." Sam was quick to change the topic.
"No I like it, no one is gonna go as a criminal."
"You are such a dork." Mark mockingly messed up her hair on his way out.
"Let's go I am starving."
"I'll meet you guys outside, gonna go change first." Jess rushed upstairs.
****************************
"I really wished you had gone to the convention, it seems like fun in the pictures." Sam said three of them enjoyed Joey's burgers for the lunch.
"I am the secret author, I can't go and parade around in a room full of people who know me by my username." Jess said swallowing the big bite of her burger. Mark just quietly sat there stealing their fries.
"Stop stealing my fries you jerk." Sam slapped his stealing hands. Jess had an uneasy felling all throughout the lunch after Sal and others rang her doorbell. She didn't get a good look at them so she just looked at everyone in suspicion, thinking she should call the cops even if they are gone.
She went back to her empty place, after some objection from Sam and Mark. She laid comfortably on her dad's lazy-boy chair.
"Hey mom, just wondering when are you coming back. I am a little worried that's it. Oh, and say sorry to Aunt Janice, tell her I'll come see her next month. Max is at his friends for sleepover I dropped him off this morning after you left. And well... call me. Bye." She left a message to her mom, as she waited for them switching through channels thinking she should have taken Mark and Sam's offer and not be a brave idiot coming to an empty big house.
And just like in every horror movie in an empty big house of suburbs, she heard noises in the kitchen after dark. She did what sounded like a sensible idea at that moment 'grabbing her little brother's hockey stick he left on the couch and her phone on the other hand ready to call 9-1-1.' She tip-toed to the kitchen. She saw some shadows and after taking a deep breath she turned on the light taking a stance with a hockey stick. For the next thirty seconds, there was just yelling on both sides.
"Okay, okay calm down. Calm down." Chad finally yelled trying to quiet down the girls.
"You freaks, you got into my house. What is wrong with you all. I am calling the cops." Jess started yelling, keeping them at distance while looking for her phone she dropped while screaming in fear.
"No no, we are not freaks. Just listen to us for a minute please." Sal begged.
"Oh you are not freaks, what kind of people break into some one's house and stalk them."
"It's not like that, all we need is a minute please just give us a minute." Jess paused for a minute, nodded to give them a chance to talk but keeping them at distance ready to hit if any of them walked a step closer to her.
"Look here, if it makes you feel safe." Chad threw her phone which she caught with her clumsy hands.
"This is going to sound a little crazy, but you have to understand okay? We are scared." Sal said politely
"Oh yeah?" Jess said with an obvious sarcasm in her tone.
"Look, we don't know what's going on either and we are just here to find some answers. We already lost one friend and now we are trying to save the next one." She said looking at Kris. Jess saw the fear she was talking about. She saw fear in their eyes and not murderous creepy rage. She slowly lowered the hockey stick.
"What are you talking about?" she asked them.
"It's kind of hard to explain...or believe really..." Sal tried explaining her trying find the sanest way possible.
"Chad." Kris who was quite at the back the whole time finally called out to chad before falling on the ground.
"Kris!" Chad rushed to catch her. Jess watched all this in confusion.