Jason woke up that morning feeling somewhat refreshed. His immediate instinct was to head down to the kitchen, but a thought nagged at him. Mikad had promised to show him his hideout in the recreation room yesterday. Barely opening the door and ensuring the coast was clear, Jason made his way to the recreation room.
“Ah, good morning, Jason!” Mary said politely upon noticing Jason enter. Oh you've got to be kidding me, Jaosn thought.
“Good morning, Mary. What are you doing in here so early?” Jason asked.
“I suppose I could ask you the same,” Mary replied. “I am in here because the only copy of the Holy Bible in this house is here, and I must pray today. Today is Sunday, after all!” She said with a small chuckle.
“What?” Jason was surprised. “How do you have any track of the time anymore?”
“I don't sleep a lot to begin with, and this whole ordeal has not helped,” Mary explained. “And to me, the greatest of crimes would be to not pray on the Lord’s day. So if you'll excuse me…” Mary concluded and returned to the book. Jason sighed. It looked like Mikad would have to wait for now. Seeing no other option, Jason headed downstairs.
Aside from Mary, everyone had gathered in the dining room.
“Oh, Jason!” Navini exclaimed. “You haven't seen Mary this morning, have you?”
“Actually, yeah, I just-”
“Perfect! As long as she's alive, we’re good,” Navini interrupted. “To be quite fair, she can get a little irritating with all her religious blather…”
“What was that about religious blather?” Mary said, having just walked in. Navini looked extremely embarrassed. She excused herself and rushed into the kitchen. Jason followed, eager to get some food. When he returned to the dining room, he was intercepted by Michael, who had also taken Cole aside.
“So!” Michael began, “you two seen Mikad at all last night?” Jason shook his head no.
“Nope, we didn't see anyone, ha, ha…” Cole stammered in his usual demeanor. His eyes narrowed when Michael’s head was turned, and Jason had to wonder if he doubted Jason. It was then that Jason noticed how small and round his eyes were, almost like - and this did not help Jason’s comparison - a small puppy’s.
“Well, that's kinda disappointing…” Michael replied. “Ah well! Can't be helped, I guess. I still have to talk to Bobby and Axel, so maybe they had better luck. See ya!”
“You know…” Cole began once Michael was far enough away, “ I-I've been thinking… Doesn't putting two people alone together only increase the chance of another death happening?” Jason looked at Cole for a second. “Ha, um, I mean, it's a good, ah, plan to, uh, catch Mikad, isn't it? Ha, ha…” Cole stammered. “I was, uh, just, uh… Thinking out loud, is all, ha…”
“You don't think the killer is Mikad either, huh?” Jason asked. Cole nodded, his eyes watering, as if he were afraid of something.
“I mean… If it is him, then, uh, good for us, but if, uh it isn't, then think about it…” Cole explained. “If I were the killer, which I'm not, ha, ha,” Cole began and stopped for a moment. “Oh, uh, sorry. Well, us having a suspect only helps them, right? Cause if we all think it's Mikad, we’ll go on thinking every death is caused by him, and that will only help our suspicion grow, and the killer will have freedom to do whatever they want,” Cole finished. Jason though for a moment. Cole was right - Mikad only had a one-in-twenty-five chance of being the killer. It could be anyone else! This only strengthened Jason’s desire to see Mikad. Politely excusing himself from a nervous Cole, he made his way back to the recreation room, where this time, to his delight, he was alone.
“Mikad?” Jason asked, unsure of where to direct his voice. “Um… It's Jason. I'm alone, and I'm here, so…” Jason thought he must have looked stupid. Here he was, alone in the recreation room, yelling to who knows where. He waited a few minutes. Nothing happened. As Jason was about to exit the room, he heard the bookshelf in the left corner of the room move. It pivoted onto itself, and Mikad appeared, clinging onto the shelf as it pivoted. The bookshelf placed itself back as to not give away that there even was something there.
“Ah, you came! I was wondering when you would show up,” Mikad said, overjoyed. “It gets awful lonely in there, you know. Well, guess I'll show you, like I promised! Cling on to the shelf, ok?” Jason, unsure, gripped the shelf with his two hands. Mikad stepped up to a book and pulled it. Jason heard a click, and Mikad quickly gripped onto the bookshelf before it spun. Jason kept his body pressed up against the shelf, as to not hit anything on the way. Finally, the bookshelf came to a stop. Mikad hopped off, and Jason released the shelf.
The room he had just entered was about half the size of the recreation room. The walls were made of cold stone, and the floor was of the same material as the recreation room. Despite being above ground, the room gave off the impression of being subterranean, with the only light sources being two candles and a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Another bookshelf was at the very back wall, this one very sparsely filled with books of a thick size. The titles were very general, ranging from a dictionary to a book entitled Survival Skill - Basics. On the wall, a trunk lay in the room, this one covered in dehydrated food packets and cartons of food. A small sink and a toilet was in the corner of the room. Overall, it gave the impression of being a bunker, designed to last. Mikad walked over to the trunk and picked up a pack of dried fruit. He opened it and began chewing on dried cranberries.
“So? What do you think?” Mikad asked, as if awaiting approval. Jason nodded.
“This is a nice hideout,” Jason remarked. “It's got everything you need.”
“Except company and decent food. Oh, and a bed,” Mikad mentioned. “I have to sleep on the floor. There are blankets in the trunk, but no mattress,” Mikad explained. “Either way, um, now that you know where I am, will you come visit me more often? I get real lonely here…” Mikad asked. Jason got the sense that Mikad hated more than anything to be alone - the loud and pompous act was clearly just to get attention. Jason nodded, and Mikad smiled gratefully. Jason took another look around the room. There didn't seem to be anything odd in here at all. Except-
“There's no camera in here,” Jason noticed. Mikad looked around for a bit.
“Oh yeah… I hadn't noticed. Huh,” Mikad admitted sheepishly. “Wonder why? Maybe it's because there's a toilet here? I wonder…” Mikad pondered. “Anyways, what say you and I play a board game? I mean, you'd have to get it, of course, but you can bring it back in here to play,” Mikad suggested.
“Sure, but what if there's someone on the other side of the bookshelf?” Jason asked.
“Ah, that's where this comes in!” Mikad said triumphantly and walked over to the bookshelf. He took one of the busts on the shelf and bent the head so that he could peek inside the head. “You're all clear!” He announced. Jason went over and looked inside himself. Inside the bust was a narrow pathway that with mirrors inside, eventually leading to a concave mirror on the other side of the bookshelf that gave a perfect view of the whole room. No one was visible in the mirror. Jason gripped onto the bookshelf and gave the correct book a tug. The bookshelf swung, and Jason exited into the recreation room. No sooner had the bookshelf gone back into place and concealed the entrance, Lavender walked into the room.
“Ah, that's where you are!” Lavender said. “I've been looking for you. What are you doing in here?”
“I was just…” Jason thought of an excuse. “...looking for a book. Yeah. I was trying to find…” Jason tried to think of a title that would be in the room. “Midnight of the Rose,” Jason said the first book that came to mind.
“Ah,” Lavender said, clearly not convinced. “Well, you're looking on the right bookshelf… But it's on the top row, you see,” Lavender explained.
“Anyways..,” Jason tried to change topic. “What did you need me for?”
“Well, I was hoping you could help me look for Mikad…” Lavender explained. “But…” Without warning, she reached for the book on the shelf that led to Mikad’s hideout and gave it a tug, Jason being unable to stop her. The bookshelf pivoted, and Jason barely managed to grab onto it in order to accompany Lavender in. “It seems like you've already found him,” Lavender finished her sentence to Mikad’s horrified expression.
“Jason!” Mikad exclaimed. “I thought I could trust you!”
“Don't blame him. I figured that there was a secret room in here when you vanished. I would have found it sooner or later,” Lavender explained. “Jason would never be looking for a romance novel, so he gave it away a little, but I would have found it. Don't worry,” she added, seeing Mikad open his mouth in protest, “I don't think you're the killer either.” Somehow, Jason doubted she trusted Mikad fully, but he played along and shrugged. Mikad sighed.
“Well, the more the merrier, I suppose,” Mikad said, defeated. “Jason and I were about to play a board game. Care to join us?”
“What can it hurt?” Lavender answered. “Jason, why don't you go get the game for us?” Reluctantly, Jason left Lavender alone with Mikad.
“So, tell me about your talent,” Lavender asked Mikad. The three had balanced a board game on top of the trunk and sat around it.
“My talent? Well, it has to do with my eyes, I suppose. I can see further away than most, and I have a-MAZ-ing aim. So, when I picked up a gun for the first time and managed to shoot down the horrible flower pot my mom had on the second floor of the house, my parents were surprised, to say the least. It was just a toy gun, but it was still impressive, and it kind of just spiraled fro, there,” Mikad told Lavender, who nodded along. “What about you two?”
“Mine is pretty self-explanatory,” Lavender replied with a slight chuckle. “I'm a Hawaiian style dancer. I can dance, and that's about it,” she finished. Jason suspected it to be much more than that.
“I'm a detective. I solve crimes and stuff, I guess,” Jason answered. Two can play at that game, he thought. Mikad looked at him, as if expecting more, but seeing that that was the end of his story, Mikad looked back down at the board game in disappointment.
“Well then, um…” Mikad searched for a new conversation topic, as if afraid to let the conversation drop. “How is everyone else? I haven't been out of this hidey-hole in quite a long time, you know,” he asked.
“Everyone is fine. Slightly on edge, but fine. No one else had died, if that's what you're asking about,” Lavender answered. “Michael has started guard shifts to try and catch you, so don't go trying anything,” Lavender suggested.
“Yeah, thanks, I al-I mean, thanks for the heads up! I'll make sure not to go out!” Mikad answered. Nice save, Jason thought sarcastically. Lavender raised an eyebrow, but did not press the matter any further. “So, aside from that, um… Read any good books lately?” Mikad asked.
The rest of the game passed fairly similarly to that, with Mikad asking trivial questions and Lavender replying with ambiguous and incomplete answers. Jason stayed silent for most of it. After the board game was done (Lavender won), Jason and Lavender politely excused themselves. (“Come back and visit me soon!” Mikad had added desperately). Once they had exited the recreation room, Lavender turned to Jason.
“I don't trust him at all,” she confessed. Jason had figured she would say something along those lines. “I doubt someone who's as bad of a liar as he is would be the killer, but still… Something is nagging at me, and if there's anything I've learned over the years, it's that my instinct is never wrong.”
“And what does that instinct say?” Jason asked.
“My instinct is telling me it won't be long before another murder,” Lavender revealed. Jason looked at her incredulously.
“Oh-ho! Jason and Lavender sneaking off on their own, huh?” Bobby had just walked up the stairs and into the hallway when he saw Lavender and Jason. “Always knew you two would end up together,” he admitted. Jason looked at him, dumbfounded, and Lavender sighed.
“No thank you,” Lavender replied politely. “This isn't a romance simulator, Bobby.”
“But isn't it fun to predict? Try and predict who's going to make a couple! Some are obvious, but some really aren't! Like, who would Cole end up with? Or Axel? Or Navini? So many choices!” Bobby, having completely ignored Lavender’s criticism, fantasized. Jason sighed. Lavender, seeing she couldn't help, left to her room. Bobby nudged Jason.
“Bobby, stop,” Jason sighed. “No wonder Axel is avoiding you like the plague,” Jason whispered under his breath. He then excused himself and left to his room.
After a quick nap and reading Midnight of the Rose, Jason didn't know what time it was. The book turned out to be actually very good, with one of the most gripping plots ever conceived. He had spent quite a long time with Mikad, and he figured it must have been dinner or perhaps later. His stomach agreed, growling in hunger. He went downstairs to try and get some dinner. No one was in the dining room, which led Jason to believe they were all asleep. How late is it? Jason asked himself. There wasn't a soul to be seen. Jason silently made himself a sandwich and headed to the dining room. He sat down and ate in silence. Aside from his own breathing, the house was completely silent. That was when Jason heard someone coming downstairs. Curious, he observed, careful not to make any movement. He hadn't bothered to turn the dining room light on, so the darkness concealed him nicely. The lit chandelier in the center hall illuminated the hall, but stopped just short of where Jason was seated. Lola came down the stairs, glancing to her left and right to ensure she wasn't followed. Jason expected her to head to the kitchen, but instead, she headed to the hallway leading to the three rooms, careful to close the door behind her. His curiosity took over, and Jason crept his way into the library, careful not to make a single sound. After having closed the hallway door, he had to choose. Which of the three doors had she entered? The door to the right was still locked, and the center door led to the wide open room Jason had declared the details of the first case in. Jason chose to look in the library, and he opened the door. Thankfully, the door didn't creak at all, and Jason was able to enter and close it with only the slight click of the knob going back to its original place. If Lola was here and she had heard something, she didn't make it clear that she did. Jason peeked over the bookshelf. Lola sat in one of the chairs at the end of the room, an unopened book on her lap. She looked anxious, as if she was waiting for something. Jason stood in silence, waiting. This went on for several minutes. Lola did not open the book, and she kept glancing nervously at the door. Eventually, she let disappointment overtake her face. She put the book back into the shelf she had taken it quite violently and stormed out of the library. Jason had just enough time to change bookshelf before Lola passed the one he was hiding behind. She slammed the door behind her, frustrated. Curious, Jason tried to find the book she had been reading beforehand. The book he thought it was was entitled The History of Malaysia. Clearly, this did not interest Lola, and she had just picked up a book in order to make a plausible excuse if someone had walked in. Jason had to wonder why she had just shown up to the library for a few minutes, and then left as spontaneously as she had arrived. Jason left the library with a lot of questions in his mind. He returned to the dining room to finish his sandwich. He lingered in the dining room after having finished, waiting to see if Lola or someone else would show up, but no one did. Jason returned to his room, took a shower and fell asleep once more.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
The following morning, Jason awoke after having been in a deep sleep. He couldn't quite remember what he had dreamed of, but he knew it was a dream that had made him happy. He woke up with a smile on his face. He got dressed and walked out of his room. When he walked out of his room, he got out to the sound of two people arguing ferociously. Michael and A were currently arguing with each other, a small crowd having gathered around them. Jason inserted himself amongst the others to see what they were yelling about.
“Where the hell were you last night?!” A furious Michael asked an annoyed A. A shrugged. “It was our guard shift! Everyone else showed up for theirs!”
Whoops, Jason thought to himself. He had completely forgotten about the guard shift. He made a mental note to apologize to Cole later.
“I didn't think it was necessary,” A answered in his gruff tone. Michael looked somehow even more frustrated. His face had taken on a dangerously red hue. The shape of his face and the color it had taken reminded Jason of an bright red apple.
“Not necessary?!” Michael yelled. “Do you not realize that there's a murderer on the loose?!”
“If that's the case, a guard shift would do very little to help that,” A replied. “Besides, I needed my sleep, so your guard shift can piss off.”
“WHAT?!” Michael was practically screeching. His face now resembled more of a tomato. “Our guard shift is there to make sure that Mikad doesn't kill anyone! What part of that DOESN’T help us catch someone?”
“Every part of it,” A answered. He seemed a lot more calm about the matter than Michael. “Have you thought that maybe Mikad isn't the killer?”
“It has to be Mikad!” Michael answered, unsure. “I mean… Who else would it be?” The uncertainty in his voice made everyone think for a moment. Jason was now convinced Mikad wasn't the killer, but he knew not everyone was privy to the knowledge he had. Eventually, A broke the silence.
“Well, judging by your reactions, you're thinking the same as me. Well, let me ask you all this - what if Mikad isn't the killer? That means one of us has free reign on who they choose to kill, while everyone else lives in the fantasy that we’ll catch an innocent man and convict him,” A said dramatically. “Food for thought. Anyhow, I'm gonna catch up on my sleep. Michael here disturbed me in the middle of my nap, and I'd like to sleep a little longer.” With that, A went to his room and slammed the door behind him.
“It seems we aren't the only one questioning Mikad’s guilt,” Lavender whispered to Jason. Jason hadn't even noticed that she was part of the crowd, who was now beginning to disperse.
“Should we tell him about Mikad?” Jason whispered back.
“No. Something tells me A wouldn't hold back on Mikad if we told him where he is, even if he might be innocent,” Lavender answered in a hushed yet firm tone. “For now, let's keep it between us,” she added, and not wanting to seem suspicious, she walked away. Jason took one look at a defeated-looking Michael and went to find Cole.
“I'm starting to think this is intentional,” Jason sighed. Once again, Cole had burned something on the stove. This time, the smell of burnt pasta lingered in the air. Jason took a bowl of water and doused the fire. Cole mumbled something about electrical fires before his eyes welled up with tears.
“I'm sorry, Mr. Harlon, I just tried to, and then I, but then it, and I, um, uh… Waaaaaahhh!” Cole burst into tears, wailing like a toddler. Jason patted him on the back in a feeble attempt to calm him down. Cole stopped wailing long enough for Jason to apologize.
“Hey, Cole, relax!” Cole looked up at Jason, tears welling in his childlike eyes. “You didn't do anything wrong, okay? I'm sorry for getting mad at you, okay?” Cole nodded, sniffling frequently. Jason sighed, and then he smiled at Cole, which seemed to cheer him up. “Oh yeah, that's why I came here!” Jason thought aloud, remembering why he had looked for Cole in the first place. “About last night… Look, it totally slipped my mind. I'm sorry. I'll be there tonight, okay?”
“What are you talking about, Mr. Harlon?” Cole seemed confused. “Last night..? Were we supposed to do something?”
“You forgot about it too?” Jason asked in disbelief. Cole looked at Jason, apparently having no idea what Jason was talking about. “We were supposed to be on guard duty last night, remember?” Cole’s eyes widened.
“Oh no! I totally forgot! Oh, I'm sorry, uh, um, ha, ha, it, uh, won't happen again, ha, ha, um,” Cole blurted out an excuse. Jason patted him on the back to get him to calm down.
“It's okay, Cole. Look, I completely forgot too, so no harm done, right? If Michael asks, just pretend you were there, okay?” Jason asked.
“But… That would be lying to him!” Cole said. He wore a surprised expression on his face.
“Yes, Cole, that would be lying,” Jason confirmed. “Do you think you can handle that? You don't have to say anything unless Michael asks, okay?” Jason asked. Cole nodded, uncertain. Jason sighed. “Why were you even making food anyways? No one else is eating… Did you think you were having an early lunch?”
“I was hungry… I know, I shouldn't be eating unless I have to, but… Waaaahhhhhhh! Please don't hurt me!” Cole wailed again and rushed out of the kitchen. Jason scratched his head in confusion. Thankfully, no one was in the dining room, so no one saw Cole’s outburst. Jason sighed and went to the recreation room to try and find something to do.
On his way to the recreation room, Jason met very little people, which he found odd. Most people tried to appear antisocial (or maybe they were simply over suspicious). Entering the recreation room, he saw Audrey tending to a fire she had made, with Mary praying in its light, a Bible at her feet. Jason decided to occupy himself by pretending to look for a book. In reality, he had no idea what he was looking for. Audrey was extremely focused on the flames, and Mary had her eyes squeezed shut, silently mouthing a prayer. Jason thought there would be very little chance that they would notice anything. He got the bookshelf that concealed Mikad’s hideout, and tried to locate the bust with the mirrors on this side of the bookshelf. Suddenly, he heard a voice.
“Psssst! Jason! Can you hear me?” A voice whispered loudly. Jason, startled, looked at Audrey and Mary, who hadn't noticed anything. Jason whispered back.
“Yeah! Is that you, Mikad?” Jason asked.
“Yes, it's me! Think you could get me some food? I ran out!” Mikad answered. “Anything dehydrated goes!” Jason thought of the giant pile of packs of food on the trunk and wondered how Mikad had burned through all of them. Regardless, Jason agreed to go get food. He rushed down to the kitchen and grabbed packs of food, that he hid under his shirt. Careful not to spill anything, he headed back to the recreation room. Audrey had left, leaving Mary alone in silent prayer. He prayed that Mary wouldn't notice him, and he crept his way to the bookshelf. Silently, he placed the packs on the bookshelf, subtly hiding them from view. Then, the bookshelf started spinning, and Jason had to jump out of the way to avoid being swept away. The bookshelf had just clicked back into place when Mary looked up.
“You're making an awful lot of noise,” she said calmly. “Do you mind? Well, I just finished, so lucky you. But don't do it again while I'm in prayer, please.” She left the room, her head high. Jason sighed in relief and then talked aloud.
“What were you thinking?!” He asked Mikad angrily. “If she had seen you-”
“But she didn't, did she?” Mikad answered. “Look, no harm, no foul, okay? I was just so hungry…” Mikad’s voice softened. Jason looked sternly at the bookshelf, forgetting that Mikad could see him. He rolled his eyes.
“Look, it's fine. Forget about it. I'll be seeing you,” Jason told the bookshelf. He then left, closing the door behind him. He then retreated to his room, losing himself in a book once more.
It must have been past dinner time when Jason’ stomach growled so much that Jason needed food, because Jason found himself alone in the dining room once again when he descended for food. He sat in the dining room, not having bothered to turn the lights on. After a few bites, he heard the sound of footsteps. Once again, Lola was headed down the stairs. Jason observed her, but did not go after her this time. He figured she would aimlessly wait in the library once more. Several minutes passed, and Jason remained in the dining room, silently awaiting Lola’s return. However, after about double the time she had spent there yesterday had gone by, Jason was starting to ask himself questions. He was about to get up when the door to the library burst open, and Lola sprinted out of there, her hands covering her face. Jason could have sworn he heard her sniffling. She ran up the stairs before Jason got a chance to stop her, and he heard the sound of a door slamming, indicating she had returned to her room, and that she probably wouldn't answer Jason’s questions. Instead of uselessly pestering Lola, Jason headed to the library. The library was empty - all the lights were turned off. Jason flicked the light on and looked. The library seemed completely empty. A lamp at the very back was turned on as well - someone had been there. Jason figured it must have been Lola, and left the library, questions filling his head. Why had Lola been to the library a second time? Even then, was it her second time, or had there been prior visits? Why had she rushed out crying? When Jason had spied on her, she seemed frustrated, but not in the verge of tears! And even then, Lola didn't seem like the kind of person to genuinely shed tears at all! With all of these questions in his head, Jason headed to the hallway, where he bumped into Cole. He quite literally bumped into him - he was so deep in his thoughts he did not notice Cole at all, and crashed right into him. Cole lay on the floor, rubbing his head in pain.
“Owowowowowow…” Cole muttered. “Please watch where you're going, Mr. Harlon!” He whimpered.
“Sorry, Cole,” Jason apologized, “but I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't see you. Why are you up so late anyways?” Jason asked.
“Well… It's our guard shift, isn't it?” Cole asked, uncertain. “Or is it someone else’s..? No, Michael told me we were first, he got really angry, and I, oh, uh…” Cole nervously stammered, forgetting Jason and remembering an earlier event.
“Oh yeah, you're right!” Jason realized. “Wait, Michael got angry? Cole, you didn't tell him that we forgot, did you?” Jason asked. Cole looked up at Jason shamefully, tears welling in his eyes. He began whimpering like a hurt animal. “No, Cole, please don't cry…” Jason said fruitlessly. Cole was sniffling frequently, and tears streamed down his face.
“I can't do -sniff- anything right!” Cole wailed. “I always -sniff- mess up and I-I just want to… To… Waaaaahhhhhhh!” Cole burst into a crying frenzy. Jason tried to aimlessly calm him down.
“Would someone please turn off their- oh, it's just you two. Hey guys!” Dahinko opened the door to his room, his expression completely changing when he saw Cole and Jason. Without his wing suit on, he actually looked like a normal human being. “Jason, what did you do to him?” Jason shrugged, unsure of what to say. Dahinko hurried over to Cole and put his arms around him. Cole flinched at the touch.
“Hey, look, it's okay, alright? No one’s going to hurt you here, okay? Hey, look at me,” Dahinko said in a soft tone. Cole stopped wailing, and looked at Dahinko with tear filled eyes. “You're going to be alright, okay? We're all going to be okay.” Cole nodded. Dahinko smiled and turned to Jason.
“Be careful with him,” Dahinko whispered. “He's awfully sensitive to pretty much anything.”
“Hadn't noticed,” Jason whispered back sarcastically. Dahinko giggled and headed back to his room, taking one last look at Cole before closing the door. Cole looked up at Jason with watery eyes.
“I'm sorry, Mr. Harlon, I just…” he began, but Jason interrupted him.
“It's alright, Cole,” Jason said in the same soft tone Dahinko had used. “Everything is okay. I won't hurt you. Ever. Do you understand?” Cole nodded. Suddenly, something very unexpected happened.
Jason heard the sound of trumpets coming through the speakers. Cole looked up at the speakers in worry. “What?” Jason said aloud. The trumpets had played the same little fanfare that they had played at the party. Back then, Jason thought that they had meant the party had begun. Here, though, they were clearly used for a different purpose. Jason and Cole spent the rest of the guard shift sitting in silence, wondering what the trumpets meant. After a while, Axel and Bobby came out of their rooms for their guard shifts.
“Did you hear the trumpets?” Axel asked. Jason nodded. “They played really loudly in my room, to make sure I heard them. Kind of annoying, but hey, guess I'm awake now. Wonder if Michael got them installed for guard shifts,” Axel wondered. Jason doubted Michael had anything to do with this. Bobby laughed, apparently laughing at his own joke.
“Ooh! Ooh! I got one! What do pirates and trumpet players have in common?” Bobby asked. Axel rolled his eyes and Jason ignored him.
“I don't know. What?” Cole asked. Axel and Jason immediately stared at him, as if to say why would you say that? Cole’s eyes welled up with tears, but Bobby didn't notice, having finally been given an audience.
“They both kill in the high C’s! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!” Bobby told his joke and immediately burst out laughing before anyone could process the joke. The three of them stared at Bobby, disappointed at such a lame joke. Jason and Cole felt that this was their dismissal, and left Axel to suffer in Bobby’s presence. Jason crashed into his bed, and fell asleep to the sound of trumpets playing on loop in his head, like a broken record.
The next morning, the trumpets were still as fresh in Jason’s mind as they had been the night before. However, a night’s rest hadn't given any sort of revelation as to their meaning. Jason walked out of his room, hoping to discuss with the others what the trumpets had meant. He walked down to the dining room to find Skyler, Lavender and Dahinko having a conversation about just that.
“I'm not sure what to think of it,” Skyler said. “It could honestly be anything.”
“Maybe Brian’s finger slipped and he pressed the wrong button?” Dahinko suggested. Lavender shook her head.
“Somehow I doubt it,” she said. “I think something important to note is that Brian cranked up the volume of the speakers so we would all hear it,” Lavender added. “Clearly, whatever it is, it's meant to be important.” Skyler nodded, and Dahinko squeezed his eyes shut in concentration. Jason sat next to Lavender, joining in on the conversation.
“Axel suggested Michael had installed them,” Jason said, “in order to get our attention for the guard shifts.”
“I doubt that too,” Lavender replied. “Does anyone here think that Michael would know how to do that?” No one answered, ending in a silence that told everyone the answer. “Still, I wonder…” Lavender added, and got lost in her thoughts. The four stayed in silence for quite a while. Suddenly, Lavender shot up. “Jason, come with me.” Leaving Jason no time to protest, she dragged him out of the dining room. She headed to the recreation room, and making sure no one else was inside, she headed to the bookshelf concealing Mikad. She yanked the correct book and grabbed onto the bookshelf. Jason barely had time to hang on before the bookshelf swiveled.
“Oh! What a pleasant surprise!” Mikad exclaimed, seeing the bookshelf pivoting. “To what do I owe the honor?”
“Did you go out of here at any point last night? Did you stay in here the entire time?” Lavender asked.
“Um… No, I stayed here the entire night,” Mikad answered. “Why do you ask?”
“Perfect,” Lavender replied. “Well, goodbye,” she added, and grabbed onto the bookshelf. Jason hurriedly said goodbye and hung on as well. Once the bookshelf had pivoted to concealed a very puzzled Mikad, Jason started asking questions.
“What on Earth was that?” Jason asked. Lavender looked at him for a few seconds.
“I had a thought,” she began. “What if the trumpets signaled a dead body?” She asked. Jason froze. A body? Then, who..? “Forget about who’s for now,” she said, as if reading his mind. “I wanted to make sure Mikad hadn't left the recreation room.”
“Why?” Jason asked. “What would change if he had?”
“Well, this is more for him than anything else,” she replied. “If he's got a good enough alibi, maybe he'll be able to stop hiding from everyone else.”
“Hang on,” Jason interrupted her. “This is all assuming there is a body, right? What if there is none?”
“Then I've never been more happy to be wrong in my life,” Lavender answered. “Come on - help me search the house.” Leaving Jason no time to protest, Lavender rocketed off downstairs. She headed into the kitchen. Suddenly, something clicked into place in Jason’s head. Last night, the library had been a hotspot for action. Could something have..? Jason stepped up to the doorknob and stopped. Why was he suddenly so nervous? He had nothing to fear. There was no way someone else had died! No way at all! Confident, Jason pushed the door to the library open. He looked around for a few seconds. Everything seemed normal. His nerves still tense, he looked into the rows made by the bookshelves.
There was no way, right?
The first row he had checked had been the jackpot. The victim lay, back up against the wall, head drooping. Their hair was a tangled mess, dropping to cover their face, something Jason was thankful for in that very moment. Books lay sprawled across the floor near their body. Blood covered their hair, and at their feet, an equally bloodstained tome lay. Jason recognized the book immediately - The Study of Talent, by Francis Helmsburg. Finally, right through their heart, a camo combat knife stuck out. Jason couldn't help but stare at it, as though it were covered in bright lights, attracting all the attention. The victim’s hands were clenched together, as if they had been preparing to fight back, or they were holding onto something. Jason dared not open their hands right now. Instead, he did something that would have been natural to anyone.
He screamed.
Lavender was the first to arrive, presumably because she had been expecting it. She let out a small gasp upon seeing the victim. Others started filing in, with equally shocked reactions. Jason noticed that out of all the surviving house guests, one person had not come when Jason had screamed. Considering who lay at Jason’s feet, it was understandable that Lola had not shown herself.
The world’s best author’s corpse lay at Jason’s feet. In a mess of blood and hair, Vicki Ingrid was almost unrecognizable. Almost.
SURVIVORS : 24