Thank you GoreBabe
for being such an amazing co-writer!
*WARNING*
Detailed torture is included in this story. If that's not for you, skip this one.If you read, please remember it's just a story. Don't come at me.
"What's up Losers" Richie cheered as his best friends Beverly, Eddie, Bill, Ben, and Mike showed up on his laptop screen. He took a quick swig of his beer then sighed happily. They all joined in a chorus of greetings. "How's it hanging?" Richie carefully readjusted his laptop so his webcam got a better angle of his face. "How's college treating my dudes?!"
"You're really calling us on a weekend night to talk about school?" Beverly groaned and rolled her eyes. Richie let out a hard laugh and rolled his eyes too. Beverly readjusted her sitting position closer to the open window and lit a cigarette. Eddie sighed heavily but didn't say a word about it.
"It's been too long! I miss you guys!" Richie whined playfully.
"We miss you too, Rich" Ben informed him. Richie smiled wide and they all summed up the beginning of their own school years.
"Ya know, senior year was fuckin' rough. College is nothing like high school" Richie's words slurred lightly into each other. The alcohol was finally kicking in.
"You've got th-that right" Bill responded.
"I'm surprised some of us even graduated" Eddie commented, his eyes staring right at Richie's face even though nobody else could tell but they still knew who he was hinting at.
"I'm good in school!" Richie retorted with a snort. "Fuck you Spaghetti man!"
"You're smart but you never applied yourself. Senior year was like a joke to you" Mike defended Eddie while Eddie was too busy laughing.
"Ahhh, shut up!" Richie chuckled and stumbled over to his mini fridge to grab another beer.
"Are you really getting another one?" Ben asked.
"No, I'm fuckin' getting me a girlfriend to bone" Richie turned back to the webcam with a beer in hand. "Of course I'm fuckin' getting another one!"
"Don't you think you've had enough?" Mike chuckled at Richie's sarcasm.
"This is my last one, I promise" Richie held up his pinky finger. Mike held his pinky up too and they curled their fingers with the air.
They talked about everything and anything. It was as if they were in the good old days. That is until a new user logged in.
On each members' screen, a little box popped up. Each of them averted their eyes to the box and after reading, their faces filled with pain and discomfort.
"Stanley Uris just logged in" Beverly spoke softly, her voice wavering. Everybody fell silent and Richie bit his bottom lip.
"His account must've been hacked" Mike sighed heavily and shook his head. "No respect for the dead" he muttered, hurting himself and the rest of the group with his words. Stan Uris, a boy who was every one of their best friends, had committed suicide eight months ago.
"That's fuckin' bullshit!" Richie snapped and moved his mouse over Stan's name. He stared at the profile picture. It was the picture he had taken of Stan when they went bird watching. If he looked closely, he could see the blue jays in the background. A tear stung his eye and a ball formed in his throat. "I'm giving this hacker a piece of my damn mind"
"Richie, there's no use" Eddie mumbled. "You could just get blocked off the account and lose all of your messages with him" Richie sighed heavily, knowing the little man was right.
"God, I miss him" Richie sighed and pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. The others agreed sadly and the mood of the video chat dropped severely. "Remember when Stan brought us apple picking? Junior year"
"Oh my god yes!" Beverly smiled even though her eyes were still filled with the pain her heart felt "He was getting so pissed off because you and Eddie were having a damn apple war"
"Hey! I was just defending myself" Eddie jumped in. The rest laughed together before quieting together. They continued reminiscing about their high school days with Stan. The conversation came to a halt when Stan's account joined the call uninvited.
Everybody went absolutely silent. They stared at the added screen which was just a black box. Six pairs of eyes looked from person to person. Richie was the first to snap.
"Alright who the fuck is this?" Richie glared at the screen, staring at the black box. "You fuckin' know Stan is dead right? You're being a disrespectful bitch!"
Stanley Uris is Typing...
"Oh yeah fuckin' type, don't show your damn face huh?" Richie continued.
Stanley Uris: Do you miss me?
"This isn't funny, asshole" Beverly snapped. "Get the fuck off Stan's account!"
Stanley Uris is Typing...
Stanley Uris: Ah now, calm down Beverly. Don't you remember all of the fun times we've had?
Files then started to be shared with the group. Pictures of Stan and Beverly started filling the chat box. They all watched each picture show up and tears filled Beverly's eyes.
"Fuck you" Beverly snapped and went to leave the group.
Stanley Uris is Typing...
Stanley Uris: I wouldn't leave if I were you.
Stanley Uris: We are just getting started.
"What the fuck do you mean just getting started?" Richie glared at the words on his screen.
Stanley Uris is Typing...
Stanley Uris: We're going to play a little game. You're one for games, right Tozier?
"Fuck you, leave us alone!" Eddie jumped in.
Stanley Uris is Typing...
Stanley Uris: Ah... You've gotten braver. Hm, Kaspbrak? Good for you. But we're playing a game. And if any of you leave, well...do know there are severe consequences. Would one of you want to take that risk to show the others what happens?
Everybody stayed silent and with defeat in their eyes, they shook their heads.
Stanley Uris: Thought so. Let the games begin. We're going to play Truth or dare. But, I'll be the one hosting. Truths will not be lied about. Trust me, I will know. Don't follow through with a dare? Then you'll be punished greatly.
Everybody stared in disbelief. Were they really going to follow along with this troll? The worst they could do is send a virus to their laptops. Right? They're college students, they couldn't afford a new laptop and they had a ton of work saved. The game couldn't be that bad...
Stanley Uris: Richie. Truth or dare?
Richie rolled his eyes.
"Truth" he mumbled.
Stanley Uris: Have you ever slept with anyone in this group? If so...Who?
"What are we? Twelve-year-olds? This is such bullshit" Beverly rolled her eyes and watched Richie on her screen.
"Eddie. Woah! What news! Not like nobody else could have figured that one out!" Richie rolled his eyes too. Eddie blushed and rested his head on his hand.
Stanley Uris: Beverly. Truth or dare?
Beverly sighed and rubbed the back of her neck some before answering.
"Truth" she muttered.
Stanley Uris: Did your feelings ever really fade for Bill before jumping into your relationship with Ben?
Mike jumped in before Beverly had time to speak.
"No hard feelings after this. Agreed?" Mike asked, scanning over his friends' faces. "Doesn't matter what we say tonight"
"Agreed," the rest said in unison.
Stanley Uris: the clock is ticking.
"Shut up" Beverly mumbled nervously. She twisted her hair around her finger.
"Beverly just say it. We agreed on no hard feelings" Mike frowned. Ben frowned, already assuming the answer.
"This is such bullshit" she bit her lip and took out another cigarette. She lit her cigarette, took a long drag, then let the smoke out in a long steady cloud toward the window.
"No, I wasn't over Bill" Beverly stared out the window, afraid to make eye contact. When Ben didn't say anything, she glanced at her laptop screen then looked back out the window and took another drag. Ben's lips curved downward and he gulped. Bill awkwardly rubbed the side of his neck.
"No hard feelings" Mike reminded them. Ben nodded and Beverly looked at the screen.
"I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to reject me. I really liked you and I love you now," Beverly stared at Ben on her screen. "That's never been a lie. I just wasn't completely over him"
Stanley Uris is Typing...
"I love you too," Ben stated with a nod. "I forgive you"
Stanley Uris: How beautiful. Bill. Truth or dare?
"Truth" Bill hugged his knees, curled up in front of his laptop.
Stanley Uris: Wow, you're all quite boring.
Stanley Uris: Who was the last person you hooked up with?
"I can't remem-...remember" Bill muttered softly.
Stanley Uris: Should I remind you? Jog that memory of yours?
"I'd ra-rather you d-don't" Bill's stuttering was slowly getting worse as his nervousness grew. "It was a secret. He didn't-" Bill cut himself off, his tears rolling down his cheeks.
Stanley Uris: I'm feeling nice. I'll make it easier on you.
"St-St-Stop. Please" Bill could feel his heart break. Before he could protest anymore, pictures were being sent through. Everybody stared at the chat box hesitantly.
Pictures of Bill and Stan kissing filled the screen first. Everybody's eyes widened and jaws dropped. But the pictures got riskier over each file sent. Soon enough, photos of their nights together were being leaked to the rest of the group and there was nothing Bill could do.
Bill's cheeks reddened and tears streamed down his cheeks. He hid his face in his hands and his sobbing breaths were sloppy.
"You and Stan?" Richie asked. "Holy shit!"
"Richie, don't" Eddie frowned, staring at his screen at Bill.
"Sorry" Richie sighed. "Bill, it's okay" before they could say anything else, Bill quickly leaned forward and logged off. His box disappeared, leaving six screens up.
"Shit" Beverly quickly grabbed her phone and tried to call Bill but the call disconnected instantly.
Stanley Uris: And it looks like we have a loser. What a shame.
"This has gone on long enough" Richie snapped. "You better fuckin' leave me and my friends alone! That was such bullshit! I'll fuckin' call the cops and they'll-" Richie stopped as Bill's screen returned. Bill was pacing in his room and from his movements, the rest could tell he didn't know he was back in the chat room. "Bill?"
Bill didn't hear him. He kept pacing. He cried harder and held himself as if he was about to fall apart. Then there was a knock at his door. Bill stayed silent and ignored the knock. But it happened again.
Bill rolled his eyes, wiped his face with his sleeve, and walked to his door. Before he could even reach the door, the door opened and slammed into the wall behind it. Bill jumped back, blocking the camera's view of the intruder.
"Bill? Bill!" Everybody in the group chat yelled at their screens. Beverly quickly dialed the police. Loud screeching noises played into her ear as she lifted her phone to it and she quickly tossed it onto the bed.
Stanley Uris: Cute of you to think you can call the police. Your phones are no longer active. Now. Just sit and watch.
They watched in horror as a man in a black cloak walked into the room and shut the door behind him. Bill backed out of the view of the camera in fear. The man jumped forward, exposed his knife to the camera, and moved out of view too. Bill's terrified and pain-filled screams could be heard with a lot of movement.
The rest of the group screamed and cried at their screens but were worthless for anything else.
The man returned on screen seconds after the screaming from Bill stopped. He leaned down, turned the laptop, and aimed the camera at Bill who was slouched on the floor against his closet door. His neck was slit, his shirt was cut open, and a bird was cut into his chest. He was dead.
More screams came from the rest of the chat. More sobs. Bill's death proved just how real this chat intruder was.
"You fucking sick bastard!" Richie shouted through his tears. His body was shaking. Everybody was shaking.
Stanley Uris: That was his own fault. He had been warned.
"Who the fuck are you?" Beverly screamed at her laptop and pulled at her hair, curling up on her bed.
Stanley Uris: Your worst nightmare. Now, let's continue our game.
"I think it's time you fuck off!" Richie yelled at his screen, his eyes glaring at the chat box.
Stanley Uris: New rule. Talk out of turn and you are given a strike. Each strike is a punishment. After your third strike, you'll end up like your dear friend over there. Tozier, watch yourself.
Richie opened his mouth to talk but quickly shut it. Everybody else stared at him with uneasy eyes. They knew how much harder it would be on him.
Stanley Uris: Eddie, truth or dare.
Eddie couldn't talk. His eyes stared at Bill's dead body. His breathing turned into wheezing, something that hadn't happened since he moved out of his mom's house.
Stanley Uris: We don't have all night. You either answer or take a strike.
"D-Dare" Eddie stuttered out between wheezes. He quickly reached into his nightstand and pulled out his inhaler. He used it, his body trembling with fear.
Stanley Uris: Finally, somebody brave.
Stanley Uris: Eddie, for your dare, you'll need to walk to your door and receive an item from the floor. Do this now and you'll be given the dare when you return.
"Be careful Eds" Richie warned, staring at his screen closely.
Eddie eyed his door cautiously before sliding his laptop from his lap. The camera has a decent shot of the door. Eddie got out of bed and tiptoed over to his bedroom door. He looked out through the peephole for a few seconds. One deep breath and then he opened the door and looked around in the hallway. Nobody could be found.
Eddie looked down at the floor and noticed the slice of cake sitting on a paper plate. Eddie carefully picked it up, backed up into his room, and kicked the door shut. He turned back toward his laptop and walked to his bed.
"What is this?" Eddie asked. A closer examination told him his answer. Little bugs crawled over the piece of cake and inside. A worm could be seen still trying to move inside of the cake. A small spider crawled down the side and across the plate. Eddie dropped the plate, jumping back away from it. "What the hell!"
Stanley Uris: Eddie, you'll be eating this mud cake.
"You're fucking kidding" Eddie yelled after leaning close to read what the intruder had to say. He felt his stomach turn and stared down at the cake that had fallen over on top of the plate.
Stanley Uris: You have fifteen seconds.
Eddie picked the cake back up and tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Eddie, you have to do it" Beverly frowned. She looked at Bill's death cam then at Eddie.
"Eds, think of it as a nice chocolate cake. People do this. You'll be okay!" Richie cried.
Eddie slid the plastic fork into the end of the cake and gagged as more bugs flooded free from the disgusting creation. He scooped up a bite and looked at the screen.
Stanley Uris: 5..
Stanley Uris: 4..
Stanley Uris: 3..
Stanley Uris: 2..
Eddie shoved the bite of mud cake into his mouth. His eyes squeezed shut as he felt the crawling creatures roam over his tongue. He gagged more harshly and held onto the nightstand for stability. The rest of the group cried silently as they watched their best friend suffer.
Eddie quickly swallowed the bite, struggling to force the little critters down his throat. He stared at the rest of the slice. Though it was small, it was filled with hell. Eddie pushed through. He took bite after bite, each one becoming harder to swallow. He could feel the cake and bugs gathering in his throat by the time he got to his last bite. He ate the last bite. He then quickly grabbed his water bottle and chugged as much water as he could to force everything down.
His stomach had twisted into knots. His body shook and his eyes hurt from crying. He gagged harshly again and held a hand over his mouth to stop from letting anything come back up. He tossed the plate and fork into the trash bin. He sat down and grabbed some juice from his fridge, hoping the taste would help him from getting sick.
"You did great, Eds" Richie tried to comfort him. Eddie just shook his head and hunched over his knees.
Stanley Uris: We will move on while he's recovering. Ben, truth or dare?
"Truth" Ben stared at Eddie, jaw tensed.
Stanley Uris: What were you really doing the night of Stan's death?
Ben swallowed hard and his hands turned to fists. Eddie slowly turned toward his laptop and watched him on his screen. Mike shook his head and rubbed his face.
"This is stupid and nobody's business" Ben glared at his screen.
Stanley Uris: Since that wasn't an answer, I'll be stating that was a talk out of turn. Strike one.
"No, stop, I'll answer!" Ben yelled. "I was-"
He stopped when his door busted open. He stared at the doorway with wide eyes and moved back on his bed further.
"Ben? Ben, what's going on?" Beverly asked, staring at his fear-filled face.
"Who the fuck are you? No! Don't!" Ben shouted. The laptop was shoved to the side, showing another man in a black cloak. The man grabbed Ben by the shoulder and pulled a razor from his bag. He turned it on, the buzzing picking up over his mic and playing in the other members' speakers. The man ran the razor over Ben's head roughly. His hair fell free from his skull, falling over his face, body, and bed. Cuts were made from the roughness.
Ben yelled and cried, staying still to avoid any more cuts. The man shaved half of Ben's head and then a bird on the other side before shoving him over onto his bed and exiting the room. The door was shut behind him.
Ben moved a shaking hand to his bald skull and touched the cuts, wincing harshly.
Stanley Uris: give an answer.
"I was out drinking!" Ben cried, tilting his head forward to hide his face. But it only exposed the damage that had been made on his head.
"Out drinking?" Beverly asked. "You told me you were sick"
"I went to a bar that didn't card instead" Ben sniffled. Blood ran down the side of his head.
"Why would you lie to me about that?" Beverly frowned.
"Guys, stop" Mike instructed. "No hard feelings. Remember?"
"Right" Beverly sighed heavily. "Yeah, Ben are you okay?" Ben didn't answer.
Stanley Uris: Mike, truth or dare.
"Dare" Mike mumbled instantly. Eddie stared in shock and shook his head a bit to try to protest Mike's choice. Mike ignored him.
Stanley Uris: Interesting.
Stanley Uris: Mike, open your door. Your item awaits.
Mike sighed heavily, stood up, and walked over to his bedroom door. He slowly opened the door, looked out around the halls, then down at the floor. A box sat in front of him. He eyed the halls once more and without a second to think, he dashed out of his room and down the hall.
"Mike!" the group yelled at their screens worriedly.
Stanley Uris: hmm... We have a runner. As if I wasn't prepared.
Mike scanned ahead for open doors. Up ahead on the right, a door was slightly ajar. Mike threw himself to the left, hitting against the closed door on that side, and stumbled ahead. A man in a black cloak exited the room and followed Mike quickly.
The rest of the group stared with big eyes. Mike's fate was unknown and that scared every single one of them.
Stanley Uris: We'll continue our game without him. Richie, truth or dare.
Richie stared at his screen blankly. His eyes kept shifting back and forth between Mike's empty cam, Bill's death came, and Eddie's worried and sick face. Richie opened his mouth to talk but for once in his life, words wouldn't form.
Stanley Uris: Oh? Richard Tozier actually has nothing to say? Now isn't the best time for the cat to catch your tongue. I repeat. Truth or dare?
"Truth" he whispered weakly.
Stanley Uris: Ah, see, you chose truth last time. So I'll pretend you said dare.
"What? What's the point of answering if you switch it?" Eddie snapped.
Stanley Uris: Are you talking out of turn, Eddie? Was the mud cake not enough for you?
"No, no I'm sorry. I'm sorry"
Stanley Uris: Apology not accepted.
Eddie's door opened and tears streamed down his pale face. His screams of protest caused the other members of the group's speakers to crack.
"Eds!' Richie leaned close to his screen and watched him in fear. Screams of protest came from the rest of the group.
Eddie tried to get up from his bed but was thrown back onto it by another man in a black cloak. He struggled on his bed, crying and kicking his feet. The man shoved Eddie's legs down and moved on top of him. He took out a lighter and a metal rod shaped into a bird.
"NO! Don't! Leave him alone!" Richie begged, crying harder as he watched Eddie's fate.
The man burned the metal rod for a long few seconds before grabbing Eddie's shirt, snapping it up, and pressing the rod against his bare waist. Eddie screamed, his body shaking heavily and tensing all over. The rod was held in place for a few seconds before it was removed and the man exited the room.
Eddie's breathing staggered and his cries started loud and faded to hopeless whimpers. He laid there helplessly.
"Eds" Richie whined and squeezed his eyes shut to escape the horrific scene.
Beverly shook her head and pushed her laptop away. She quickly jumped to her feet on her bed and kicked at the screen that was in her window. Ben watched, filled with hope. The screen snapped free and fell to the ground below. Beverly climbed out.
"I'll get you guys out of this! I love you!" Beverly called back before disappearing.
"Stay safe! I love you too!" Ben yelled, praying to anything listening that she heard him. He then looked out his own window in hopes to see Beverly running.
Stanley Uris: This night is really crashing down. Hm? Three of six left. Now that the entertainment is done, Richie, you must take a dare.
Stanley Uris: Open the door.
Richie sighed heavily and got up from his bed. He walked over to the door and opened it. A clown stood there with a wide grin. Richie jumped back and trembled harshly. The clown entered the room and shut the door behind him.
"Fuck you, get out!" Richie snapped, backing up to his bed.
Stanley Uris: I dare you to spend the rest of your night with this clown. Good luck.
The clown laughed loudly and stepped as close to the bed as he could get without getting on it. Richie moved back in the farthest corner of his bed against the wall. He stared at the clown and gulped. The clown took out a knife and held it to the corner of his own mouth then dragged it across his cheek. Blood poured down his cheek but the clown just laughed, tilting his head to the side.
Stanley Uris: It's your turn again, Ben.
"Dare, don't have much of a choice do I?" he asked, his voice cracking.
Stanley Uris: Open your door.
Ben sighed and stood up. He walked over to his door and opened it up. There, Beverly stood, bruised and cut up. A man in a black cloak stood beside her, holding her arms. Ben's eyes widened and filled with tears instantly. The man shoved Beverly inside and entered the room as well. Ben quickly but cautiously cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes.
"Are you okay? What did they do to you?" Ben cried. Beverly teared up and fell against Ben's body, hiding her face into his neck.
The man in the black cloak shoved the two closer to the laptop to read the incoming messages.
Stanley Uris: I think she deserves punishment. Right Ben?
"No, you've done enough" Ben snapped, holding Beverly protectively.
Stanley Uris: I don't think we have. Ben, you need to engrave a bird in her skin. Anywhere you choose.
"I'm not doing it" Ben stated firmly. Beverly trembled.
"Just do it" she mumbled. Ben looked at her and widened his eyes.
"What? No. I can't" he frowned and looked into her eyes.
"Bill's dead. We don't know what happened to Mike. Eddie's burnt. Ben, just do it" her eyes teared up and her jaw trembled. "
"I-I can't"
"Fucking do it!"
Stanley Uris: I'm getting tired of waiting.
The man in the black cloak held out a knife. Beverly took it and carefully but firmly placed it in Ben's hand. She stared deep in his eyes and pressed her lips against his.
"Just do this so you're not punished worse" she whispered. He cried harder and his hand shook. Beverly sat on the edge of the bed and pushed out her thigh. Ben sat beside her and rubbed her thigh gently, soothingly.
"I'm so sorry" he whispered. She just nodded and looked away. Just as he touched her skin with the knife, there was a knock at his door. His eyes shot up to it then at the screen.
Stanley Uris: Do not answer it.
"This is the police. Open up!" Ben's eyes widened and he stared between the man in the black cloak and Beverly. Beverly jumped up, dashed to the door, and opened it up. A police officer stood there, his hand on his hip where his gun waited.
"Oh my god" Beverly cried, tears rolling down her face.
There was a knock soon after on Richie's door and on Eddie's after. Richie scrambled to the door and opened it. Eddie struggled to get to the door but managed to get it open. Police raided each of their rooms.
Ben held Beverly close and handed over the knife to the authorities. The police found nothing but the laptop in their room. They turned to the love birds. Ben and Beverly looked around for the man in the black cloak.
"Where did-" Beverly cut herself off in shock.
"Are you two alone in this room?" the officer asked.
"No, no there was a man" she pointed at where he stood before. Her finger shook. "He attacked me and brought me here"
The officer checked every area in the room, though there wasn't much to check. The window was closed. The closet only contained clothes.
"I don't see how a man was in here" the officer stated, safely tucking his gun back into it's holster.
The police in Richie's room found no trace of the clown or its blood. The police in Eddie's room never found the metal rod but called for medics to come to check him out.
The chat box was empty as if nobody had ever entered the room. Bill was still dead on screen and each member of the group was taken in for questioning. Mike was safe at his local police office.
Any trace of the hacker and minions didn't exist. Every story that the group said matched up with each other but not with the clues.
Every trace was gone. But Eddie, Beverly, Ben, Mike, and Richie could hear the soft tweeting of birds in the back of their minds. Even in their separate rooms in the mental institution where no birds could enter.