Chapter Text
(Y/n) - Your name
(L/n) - Last name
(H/c) - Hair color
(H/L) - Hair length
(S/c) - Skin Color
(N/n) - Nickname
(E/c) - Eye color
(F/c) - Favorite Color
Content Warning: This fic contains blood, gore, death, excessive swearing, torture, slasher movie vibes, crackhead energy, gay shit, stinky men, and big titties. This is your only warning. If that kind of content bothers you, please don't read this fic.
Edit: 11/28/20: Here's a six hour playlist that encompassas this whole ass thing. Enjoy.
Edit: 9/8/21: Hey, serial re-reader! If you want more of our stuff consider reading syg's spiritual successor: The Hunt Is On (EJ, Clockwork, Jane The Killer x reader) or check out our other (mega dark psychological fuck fest) proxies x reader: You'll Catch Your Death These links lead to Quotev readers but if you're from ao3, just check out our profile they'll be there!
Update: 9/25/25 You bitches are still here? Damn. Anyway, we write superhero fic now, that's crazy.
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The road stretched on ahead, long and narrow. The roads were unpaved, uneven, and your already rickety 2008 Toyota Camry wasn't enjoying the excessive abuse on its tires. With caution you navigated around a pothole filled with muddy water. It wasn't the first and it wasn't going to be the last. Everything in your life leading up to this point felt like getting your foot stuck in pothole after pothole. Tripping over the mistakes of others but also your own negligence. Sometimes the line was too blurry to tell which was which.
When the crumpled letter arrived in your mailbox all those days ago, you felt like the one haphazardly paved pothole in your life opened deep and narrow. The kind you get half your shin stuck in and end up falling so bad that you crack your bone and walk weird for a month. You can't go to a doctor. You and the other poor bastards stuck in your shitty group pothole are the only ones who should know about it. So you just have to walk with an ever persistent pain and wait for it to go away. There was no waiting for this to go away though. Not anytime soon.
The thing about a partially crushed human skull being found in a shallow grave is that people want to know why it's there in the first place. The law, the people in town, wannabe Reddit detectives, they all want to know, who died and why. Waiting for it to blow over is an option but a shitty one. You needed a plan if the law caught onto you and the others. Dan Baker sent out a letter to each and everyone of you. It was poorly worded and filled with plenty of grammatical imperfections but it got the point across.
Come Home.
Come back to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The town was a populated one for sure. Modern, normal, decently sized. It wasn't the towns fault it left such a sour taste on your tongue. It was the fact that on the back roads of your childhood town you'd crushed some poor son of a bitches skull with a rock. You didn't even know the kids name at the time.
The 'Old Gang' as Dan called it was to meet in a cabin deep in the woods. It was supposedly some sort of 'get away from society' vacation spot. Before setting out on the long journey home, you looked up the place. There wasn't much on the place. All you knew is that it had enough space to house all of you and the 'Old Gang'. As well as what past visitors thought of the place from the three Yelp reviews.
***** 5/14/14
Beautiful woodlands and hiking trails you could explore for days!
*** 3/9/17
Great place. A nice little get away from it all. Occasional rolling blackouts and outdated tech. Who uses house phones anymore?? You get what you pay for I guess.
* 9/19/19
If I could give 0 stars I would. Theres no fucjking wifi!1!! Best hope your data provider covers the area but dont get your hopes up. Theres nothing to do but look at trees n' shit. Therews only thrEE!! 3! THREe channels on the chunkiest TV ive ever fucking seen. I hope i never get my faaat asS dragegd out there again.
You'd just have to hope you'd have signal. Holding out hope was quite pointless as the cabin was in the middle of nowhere. The closest civilization being a dingy Dunkin' Doughnuts you'd picked up a grainy coffee from a hour prior.
Your car slowed as you approached a partially rotted wooden sign. "Ro swo d Lo ge 1 Mile ahe d" The sign read in faint yellow letters. It pointed towards a dirt path that didn't look well traveled. Weeds swayed lazily in the breeze and thin tree branches from above followed their slow and repetitive pattern. You weren't going to walk the uneven path for a mile, it'd take too long and when this little getaway was over you wanted to leave this place behind as quickly as possible. With a huff you slowly pulled your car onto the path. There was a cacophony of thuds and crunches as your car shifted back and forth on the uneven path.
The path was fairly straight and you were grateful it wasn't windy or steep. You didn't know if your car could take that much abuse. She was already old and on her last legs. Sometimes she'd leak an unknown fluid and leave an iridescent puddle for you to marvel at in the mornings. Maybe you could convince Dan to have a look at your car, he was a wiz with the things. The man fixed a man-sized dent in his parents mini-van overnight, you were sure he could plug up the mystery leak.
There'd been a growing pit in your stomach ever since you got the letter. Dread, fear, horror, regret, with a side of excitement. You hadn't seen these people since your high school graduation. Deep down, you knew all of you wished it'd stay that way. It was for the best. Although, seeing the familiar faces of those in the same partially sunken ship as you would be a bit cathartic. Playing catch-up won't be so bad. It's been roughly three years since you'd all seen one another. They've changed, so have you, you just hoped they'd changed for the better. Some of them weren't your favorite people in the world.
Alexis Harrison put Regina George to shame. She was a real mean girl. Sweet to your face but loved to spread rumors and shit talk to anyone who'd listen. You knew vaguely of her toxic home life. It didn't give her a free pass to be horrible but having a general explanation for why she was like that was comforting. It was good to know the evils of the world weren't random and had a reason behind them. She was still a mega bitch though. You wondered if she'd grown into a mature woman. Did she still dye her hair a new color every other week? Was she still awkwardly gangly and flat chested?
Pushing aside old resentments for Alexis from your mind, you marveled at the cabin that was slowly inching into view from behind the foliage. Creeping ever closer you noticed a few cars parked in the sorry excuse for a driveway. One was a large white van, the type kids used to joke about being kidnapped in. Another was a teal Chevy, with a few light dents peppered on its side. To the right of the Chevy was a Jeep caked in mud with massive wheels. You pulled your car carefully next to the jeep, it was even dirtier up close.
Pulling the keys from the ignition and throwing them into your bag, you swung the car door open. Relief flooded your legs as for the first time in an hour as you got to stretch them out. As you contently sighed you took in the cabin. It was massive. Made of a dark wood you couldn't identify. The cabin seemed to have at least two floors, the second being rimmed by an outdoor walkway. Approaching the front door located on a cozy and modest front porch you caught the musk of wet dog. Scrunching your nose for a moment, trying to adjust yourself to the scent as you slowed your advance.
"Well, here we are." You spoke to yourself, trying to play off the scent. You picked up the pace and hopped up the two front steps of the porch. You rose a fist to knock on the wooden door. Before you could the door screamed in disagreement as it was torn open.
"(Y/n)!" A male voice boomed with a laugh. Before you could formulate a response you were pulled into a bone crushing hug by the large male. "It's good to see ya!" He released you from his tight grip before you could return the hug. Henry Martinez stood tall before you, a grin spread across his brown cheeks and a spark of mischief in his eyes. He'd gained weight since high school, that was obvious but other then that he looked practically the same.
"Henry." You shot back a smile, not nearing the warmth of his, the situation made you feel tense, awkward and at a loss for words.
"Come on in to our," He shuffled out of the door frame and into the cabin,"Oh so humble abode!" he said with a dramatic flair, partially bowing and rolling his arm towards in interior of the cabin. Back in high school he was always looking for ways to get people to laugh and smile, guess that didn't change.
You drunk in the sight of what you guessed was the living room with mild interest. Two medium sized brown couches faced one another and between them sat a black knee height coffee table. Across the room on a sturdy wooden shelf sat a chunky TV with two metal wires sitting atop its plastic frame. "Cozy." You murmured to nobody in particular.
"Come on!" Henry said while ushering you along. You past a carpeted set of stairs that you assumed would lead to your rooms. You both entered a dusty kitchen.
Your eyes met with hers. Jennifer Baker, your closest friend in the world, before the incident that is. She used to have ratty dirty blonde hair that was always tied up into a tight ponytail atop her head, a back brace wrapped around her torso, silly bands and whatever colorful and childish jewelry she could get her hands on. Now she stood tall behind the kitchen island. Her hair was down, brushed, and chestnut brown. She looked like she was headed to pitch a revolutionary money making idea to a filthy rich backer. God, she's gorgeous.
"Jennifer!" You barked with a bit too much enthusiasm for the tense air. You couldn't help it, you were the most excited to see her again. Although you knew it would be awkward.
She store at you a moment, drinking in your appearance, before a small smile adorned her thin lips,"It's Jen and you know it." She spoke with the familiarity that you show to a relative you only see on holidays. Friendly but distant. You left Henry's side and Jen made her way around the kitchen island. You pulled one another into a hug, back pats were exchanged before you pulled apart with a smile.
"You look great," You complimented and looked back at a smiling Henry,"You both do."
"I know," Henry smiled,"You look," He looked you up and down with a look of contemplation across his face,"Hmmmm... Alright." He threw his voice up an octave as he spoke.
Jen let out an amused huff,"If she looks just alright then you look like a homeless man."
"Then I'm the most fashionable homeless man you'd ever met." Henry grinned. A moment past, no one knew how to continue. Acting as old friends having a get together in the middle of the summer just for the hell of it was getting hard. The elephant in the room weigh heavy on all of your minds.
"Aha.. So, how've you-" You started but stopped as you herd heavy thuds from above you. The sound traveled closer and you could identify the sound of someone heading down the stairs. You shot a curious look to the empty doorway waiting for the fourth person to enter the room.
In walked in Micheal White or if you were still a childish highschooler you could call him Micheal Whitehead. Back then his entire body was covered with the things. He'd gained a hefty amount of weight and his skin was somewhat clearer. His face donned thickly rimmed glasses, a bulbous nose, and a uneven wispy mustache. He'd changed alright.
"Hey Micheal," you forcibly chirped and approached him. You were quickly hit with the stench of his body odor with a hint of axe body spray that didn't seem to be working too well. "How've you been?"
You outstretched your arms for a hug but he took a step back with a look of distaste upon his face. You let your arms fall limp at your sides. "If you must know," His voice was still just as nasally as it was all those years ago,"Absolutely horrible."
"Oh!" You weren't expecting such honesty so soon, you thought you'd get the pleasantries and small talk out of the way then talk about how much life sucks and the bones.
"Oh come on, man," Henry spoke with his usual upbeat cadence but there was an edge of annoyance in his voice,"Lets' not get all doom and gloom so soon." Henry put a chubby hand on Michaels shoulder which he regarded with a curl of his lip. "We just got here, how 'bout we talk about," Henry hesitated a moment, choosing his words with care,"That.. After we catch up and everyone arrives."
Before Micheal could utter out a most likely rude reply the door swung open. "Hello!"A feminine voice called. The group filed out of the kitchen, Micheal lagging behind a bit with an unreadable look upon his face.
Standing in the entrance of the cabin with a hand resting on her hip stood Alexis Harrison. Her hair strawberry blonde and her chest double D's. It was almost cartoonish how large her breasts were in proportion of her body. You forced your gaze away from her chest and into her eyes. She knew what everyones' eyes were drawn to and you could tell from the growing smile on her cheeks that she was shamelessly proud of her new assets. She'd always liked attention.
"Alexis! It's nice to see that you've grown these past few years." Henry joked.
"Ooh you!" She swung her hand up while she spoke.
"Good to see you." Jen said with her lips pressed into a hard line.
"Yeah!" You echoed with a bit more enthusiasm.
"You look uh.." Micheal started eyes still on her breasts, no subtly at all,"You look good." He finished.
"Thaannnk yoooou! Oohhhh it is sooo gooooood to see ya'll again!" She jogged up to Henry and pulled him into a one armed hug. She quickly let go and one by one gave everyone a halfhearted hug. "You all look soooo good!" She said with a little gasp. "(Y/n) you have got to tell me where you got that top later, it looks absolutely adorable on you." A compliment from Alexis to you meant one of two things, either she was bettering you up to get on your good side for her personal gain, or she actually meant it. You hoped it was the latter.
"Aha.. I just got it at-" You started looking down at your simple (F/c) windbreaker.
"OOOH and Jennifer! You look simply gorgeous." Alexis disregarded you, some things never change. Jens transformation was genuinely the most surprising and drastic, there was a partially unspoken agreement there. She had an air of importance and confidence about her now, you'd bet she was no longer the crybaby you knew her as.
"Thank you." Jen spoke evenly,"Please call me Jen." She reminded the blonde.
"Jen, Jennifer, Tomayto, Tomahto," Alexis dismissed her, adjusting the strap of her purse,"So! Where are the rooms and is anyone willing to help me unpack." She clapped her hands together with a grin.
It was quiet for a moment before Micheal raised a sweaty palm,"I'll help."
"Great!" Alexis chirped,"Shall we?" She turned and swung the door open and padded out of the cabin, Micheal in tow.
"My stuffs' still in my car," You spoke to no one in particular,"I'll be right back." You headed for the door, not before sparing a glance at Jen over your shoulder. She regarded you with an unreadable look, you hoped it was one of softness.
----
Stuffing the last of your clothes into the wooden dresser, you let out a little sigh of relief. Unpacking had taken some time and the sun was starting to disappear over the forests horizon. Before you unpacked you'd changed into more casual attire that provided your body with a bit more warmth, the cabin looked cozy but it was drafty and you had a theory that the heating systems' busted. It was surprising that the cabin was cool in the first place, it was the middle of summer in Alabama. Maybe it was the area or global warming fucking up the weather. The windbreaker and shorts combo simply wasn't cutting it. You now donned a (F/c) and (Second F/c) checkered flannel, black leggings, fuzzy socks with little cartoon (favorite animal)s adorning them, covered up, for the most part, by comfortable (F/c) slip-ons.
You checked yourself in the full-body mirror mounted on the wall next to the dresser. You ran a hand through you (H/c) locks for a moment, fixing a few stray hairs in the process. Feeling a bit more comfortable with yourself you hoped that it'll help with feeling more comfortable in your environment. A cabin in the woods, surrounded by people you used to know, only bound by a bloody mistake, not the best place to be.
The door to your room opened with a creak as you pushed it open and entered the barren hall. The smell of wet dog was still in the air, though you'd grown more used to it. Passing by the many closed doors, wooden doors on wooden walls that turned to glass overlooking the outdoor walkway. You stopped a moment to look at the forest surrounding the cabin. The thick evergreens swayed lazily in the breeze. You turned from the large window and made your way to the stairs.The sound of voices drew you towards the living room. As you descended the last few stairs the rooms occupants looked to you.
"Ah (Y/n), finally come to join us," Henry patted the spot next to him on the couch,"Kind of amazing how Alexis was faster then you. I damn near taught she was moving in with all that luggage." Henry looked over at Alexis who sat legs crossed on the opposite couch, Micheal a few feet away, eyes glued to her form.
"It helps to be prepared for anything," Alexis said curling a loose strand of her hair on her index finger, she shot a glance Michaels way,"Thanks again for the help Mike." Her small smile shot pure dopamine into his veins.
"Anytime." He mumbled. You turned your gaze away from the pair and onto Jen who stood beside your couch, her brow furrowed and lost in thought.
Opening your mouth to start a pleasant yet awkward interaction with the brunette, you were stopped by the squealing of the front door and the thud of it colliding with the wall. In the entrance of the cabin stood Dan Baker. Taller, tanner, more muscular, donning a patchy 5 o'clock shadow, and deep brown bags beneath his eyes. He looked like a million bucks but also like a gutter rat at the same time.
"He-" Henry started with a weak wave.
"Save it." Dan barked and marched into the living room, slamming the door shut behind him. He threw his luggage to the side and threw himself on the couch between Micheal and Alexis. Micheal shot him a dirty look. Alexis looked at him with raised brows and a puckered lip. In one of his hands he held a tan file with papers sticking out of it every which way. He slapped in onto the coffee table in front of him. "Lets' just cut the shit and talk about the bones."
He flipped the file open and spread a few black and white photos across the table. The one your eyes instantly shot to was the crushed skull of Isaac Jenkins. You could still remember the sickening crack of his skull ringing in your ears, the grunts of effort from you, the gasps of those around you, the blood splattering across your face. You forced your eyes away and pushed the memories away, that was a different time, you were in shock, you weren't thinking straight. There were photos of the shallow grave he was found in.
You may have been stupid teenagers, kill a stranger stupid, but not stupid enough to bury the entire body and all the evidence together. That night you'd chopped up the poor boys body, everybody got a few pieces, then you went your separate ways to hide them across the state. You remembered it took you a week to think of a good hiding spot for the torso you wrapped in trash bags and kept in the trunk of your car. It was a stressful week to say the least. If they'd found a thigh bone, that'd be alarming to the group sure, but this was the skull. The body part with the most trauma to it and something that was sure to have the media all over it.
"I fucked up by rushing the burial," Dan admitted, a rare occurrence back in the day, maybe he'd grown into a better man,"But we all fucked up so does it really matter?" There it is.
"What are we supposed to do exactly?" Alexis turned towards him, hands gripping her knees, knuckles growing whiter by the second.
"We come up with a story if the cops find anything that can point towards us. We were careful enough but if they find more evidence we all might all get fucked." Dan spoke, his voice gruff, sounding like he'd been chain smoking since graduation.
"How are they going to connect this to any of us. None of us even knew Isaac." Jen chimed in, allowing herself to sit on the couches armrest.
Henry pulled his lips into his mouth and sucked on them a moment,"I did." He admitted, running a chubby hand through his hair.
"WHAT!?" Dan slammed his hands on the table.
"Why didn't you tell us this, uh I dunno, four years ago, Henry?" Alexis tugged on a few strands of her hair, lips pressing into a line.
"You better be shitting me right now, Martinez!" Dan flew up from his seat, leaned over the coffee table and gabbed a fistful of Henrys' shirt. You scooted away from the pair with wide eyes.
"I-I'm not I swear!" Henry held up his hands in surrender,"I didn't want to worry you guys anymore then was necessary at the time. No one even knew I dealt to Isaac. We all know he was a weird kid, a loner, no one talked to him! So I though to myself, what does an acquaintanceship matter, ya know?" Henry looked at you with pleading eyes.
You sucked on your bottom lip, debating if it was worth it to defend Henry against Dan. It was a small connection, but still, it was a huge liability if anyone ever caught glimpse of Henry dealing to Isaac. "Fucking ridiculous." Dan huffed, lips curled into an ugly snarl. He let Henry go reluctantly. Looks like you don't have to speak up after all. It was a bit of a relief, Dan was always scary when he was angry. You couldn't say no to him back then, you don't know if you have it in you even now.
Jen put a hand on her older brothers shoulder with a look of concern. "Daniel, lets try to discuss this calmly. We won't get anywhere by yelling." She delivered the message with a softened tone.
He smacked her hand away with a frown. "Don't tell me what to do." He growled and threw himself back on the couch.
With a glance towards Jen, you started,"She's right. We need to be levelheaded if we want to come up with a good plan." You weren't looking at her anymore but you hoped she was giving you a look of approval.
Dan just huffed and didn't speak. Everyone turned their attention towards the photos on the table. There wasn't much. The crushed skull and a few vertebrae caked in dirt. You saw the news a few days before you got the letter from Dan. It was found by a Father and son walking their dog. Their dog dug up the bones on accident actually. When the dog approached its owners with a skull lazily hanging beside its maw, holding onto the vertebrae, they were reasonably alarmed. It was unlucky the bones were found in the first place but it was lucky the dog slobbered all over the damn thing. Maybe the contamination would be of aid. You highly doubted any of your DNA would be on the skull. Maybe if it still had bits of flesh where your hands had touched it but any flesh was to be rotten away and eaten by worms at this point. That skull was in the ground for four years, it had to have been picked clean.
The real danger is that now police units were looking for bones in the area. You'd herd something along the lines of within a thirty mile radius they'd be combing for sometime. You knew that Micheal had hid the bones a few miles away from a major highway, that is defiantly within the search radius. If they were discovered it wouldn't be game over per say but the police would get confirmation that the body parts are scattered in a large area. Thus intensifying the search and expanding the search area. All the bones, maybe the murder weapon , and the tools used to crudely tear up his body told a story that could lead to your group. A story none of you wanted to see to fruition.
"Any bright ideas?" Dan cut through the thick silence, looking at everyone of you with a questioning glare.
"Maybe Micheal should move his bones." You suggested, looking down at your hands and rubbing them together.
"No way." His nasally voice always annoyed you to a small extent, but whenever he was in a particularly sour mood it'd get impossibly nosier. He'd always speak with an air of irritating confidence and finality.
"Why not?" Jen questioned.
"What if the cops catch me in the act? Then what genius?" He extended his sweaty palms out and shrugged. He looked your way, he always had such a punch-able face.
"Go at night maybe?" Henry suggested,"Maybe tonight even? The sooner the better."
"He's right." You agreed, leaning forwards and resting your head on your palm. "The quicker we move the bones out of the cops path the better chance we have of them not discovering them."
"What if the cops are in the area tonight?" Micheal urged.
"They probably won't be," Dan spoke up,"I've been keeping up with the investigation. Got a buddy in the force. They're checking a different area at the moment. Don't remember the exact details but we have give or take two days before the possibility of them checking that area comes up." He scratched at his jaw for a moment and yawned.
"We could head out tomorrow." Jen suggested, getting off of the couches arm rest.
Watching Jen lift her arms above her head and stretch, you didn't see as Henry began to speak,"As much as I'd like to be safe as soon as possible, I've been driving all day and I could really use something to eat and a good nights sleep." He rose from his spot on the couch, leaving a large ass-shaped indent in his wake.
Seemingly on cue, your stomach let out a loud grumble. Henry patted you on the shoulder with a laugh,"Ya feel me don't 'cha (N/n)?"
"Hah," You stood and met his friendly gaze,"Yeah, I could eat. Who's gonna cook though?" The answer was obvious but it still felt polite to ask.
Jen let out a soft chuckle and made her way into the kitchen,"Do you even need to ask?" You followed her into the kitchen, not paying mind to the others.
"So, what's for dinner?" You leaned partially on the kitchen island watching her open the fridge, eyeing the groceries you assumed she picked up. She'd always been the responsible type, you liked that about her.
Jen hummed a moment, considering the contents of the fridge. The others in the living room made their excuses to go up to their rooms until the food was ready. You heard Micheal saying something about going outside to smoke. "Maybe BLTs? Or if you're feeling really nostalgic and lazy, like me," She closed the fridge and opened a pantry beside it,"Ramen." She pulled a orange package from the shelf and placed it on the counter.
"Sounds good to me." You said with a warm smile, you'd really missed her. You spared a glanced towards Micheal as he walked past the kitchen in the joined dining room. He swung open the sliding glass door to the back porch, flicking on the light before sliding it shut and disappearing from view.
The clatter of pots and pans shifted your attention back to Jen as she struggled pulling them down from the rack that hung above the island. With a smile you padded to her side, standing on your tip-toes, you reached up and grabbed onto a pot and pulled it from the hanging rack with ease. "What? How?" Jen questioned with a smile. She may look put together but she was still that silly kid underneath her business casual attire.
"I have one of these in my apartment. I'm used to 'em." You spoke casually, turning from her and placed the pot in the sink. Twisting the knob and watching the rushing water that had a faint smell of rotten eggs fill the pot. You hummed quietly to yourself for a moment. Out of comfort and out of habit. This wouldn't last forever, being by her side again. Every time you thought about the circumstances and how short of a time you have together your stomach would feel like it was made on concrete. You hardly knew each other now but you held out a tiny hope in the coming month you'd grow close yet again. Reignite your long lost friendship and maybe pick up where you left off before the incident for a short time. The night before everything went to hell. The night when you rest your hands on her soft checks and pulled her close. The night when you held each other like the world was going to end. Her skin on yours, her touch, her smile, her lips.
"Apartment? Look at you having your shit together." Jen said with a laugh.
"I wouldn't say that I have my shit together entirely. It's more like I have some of my shit together but some of it's still scattered to the winds." You turned off the water, and lifted the now much heavier pot from the sink with a grunt of effort. "Hey, turn on the stove would ya?" Jen let out an amused huff from her nose as she walked past you. She turned the plastic knob on the stove top with a few clicks and moved out of your way as you lumbered forwards. "What a relief..." You sighed as you placed the pot on the stove top. Stopping a moment to rub your back.
"What have you been up to all these years, (Y/n)?" Jen asked as you stepped away from the stove.
Rubbing the back of your neck and shifting your weight to your left leg, you opened your mouth,"Working at a diner as a waitress," You swayed back and forth as you spoke,"Working towards a degree in (Major) at my local Uni. You?"
Jen nodded a moment before speaking,"I've been working towards a degree in business. Working at a little startup company." Her attire practically screamed business major.
The conversation allowed itself fall into a lull. You continued to sway back and forth while Jen idly looked at the pot on the stove. "I think Micheal brought alcohol," You shot your thumb over your shoulder towards the grey refrigerator,"We should set some out for everyone for when dinners ready. God knows that we all need a drink."
With a shrug Jen said,"Alright." She swung the refrigerator door open and pulled a white box from the lower shelf. The cans inside clanked and rattled as she set the box on the granite counter top. Flipping the flaps of the box open she grabbed the top of a can before pausing,"Aren't you still underage?" She turned to you with an unsure look.
"Hardly! I'm twenty and my birthday is somewhat soon so...." You made grabby hands towards her,"Gimmie, gimmie. Also, it's not like any cops are here to stop us and I swear on my left boob that I'll drink responsibly." You finished, slapping a hand on your left breast and watched as a smile graced her cheeks.
"Just one kid." She past you a cool black and white can that read "(Favorite fruit) Blast". You smiled as you fidgeted with the tablet of the can, watching her pull out four more cans.
"You not gonna have one?" You asked, the hiss of carbon dioxide escaping the can filling the air. "And you're only like, a year older then me, don't call me a kid." You softly scolded with a false pout. This isn't as horribly awkward as you thought it'd be. Thank God.
"Tch." With a smile, Jen grabbed the four cans and made her way towards the dining room. You expected a quick-witted response, something along the lines that you'll always be a baby in her eyes but it didn't come. You expected at least a response to your question, you weren't given one. She looked towards the glass sliding door that Micheal disappeared from minutes before,"Hm, I wonder where he went." She spoke to herself. Nevermind.
With a inaudible sigh, you turned towards the now boiling water. "How many packets should we use?" You yelled, ripping open the orange package, taking note it was your favorite flavor.
"Hmmm.." You herd her as she padded over to your side. Her soft hands entered your view, brushing past yours as she grabbed five packets. "This should do," She quickly tore them open and dumped them into the pot,"I can take care of it from here," you heart sank a bit as she dismissed you,"You know I make ramen better then you do." She commented seemingly sensing your disappointment, grabbing a wooden spoon from a woven basket next to the stove.
"Alright, alright..." You didn't bother playfully rolling your eyes as she wasn't looking your way. You entered the dining room, pulling out a cushioned chair and throwing yourself into it. You looked to the porch, Micheal really had disappeared. Back in the day, it wasn't like him to go for walks in the wilderness, maybe he'd changed. He was the type to hardly leave his room unless it was for school, smoking with Henry, or buying the latest gore-fest video game. Seconds melted into minutes as you store out the window. There wasn't much of a view, just the rotting wood porch, a plastic lawn chair, and dirty glass table sat next to it. The sun had fully set by now the dim light from the porches light didn't cut through the darkness very much.
The sounds of footsteps filled the room as Jen worked quietly on the ramen. "Dinner almost ready?" You turned your gaze towards Henry, taking a sip of your sugary beverage.
"Mhmm." Jen hummed as Henry entered the room, pulling out a seat across from you and sitting down. He grabbed on of the cans on the table and cracked it open.
"Who brought this?" Henry took a swift swig before setting the can down.
"Micheal." You responded, the clatter of dishes entering your ears.
Henry let out a short laugh,"Of course he's the guy that brings white claws to the murder meeting." Two sets of footsteps sounded from the direction of the stairs. Jen started setting bowls full of delicious looking ramen in front of each of the chairs.
Dan threw himself into the chair next you, you found yourself shifting away from him in your chair. Alexis sat across from him with a smile, a soft pink smudge around her lips, hair a bit more matted then when you last saw it. They reunited their old high school romance quickly or well they probably were using each others bodies as a way to cope with their shitty situation, just like in high school. Either way, it's basically the same. You felt a pang of envy but it was a bit too early in your opinion to be fucking the stress away. Jen placed six forks upon the table and multiple hands shot towards them wordlessly. No one seemed to want to talk more then necessary tonight. Jen sat herself on the other side of you, sparing you a quick glance before turning her attention to the meal before her. You smiled at the short burst of attention, twirled some of then ramen on your fork before popping the noodles into your mouth. It tasted like 3 A.M in her kitchen, it tasted like laughing at dumb blondes in the slasher movies you both loved so much, it tasted like hints of paprika. It tasted like the bittersweet past.
You held in a content hum as you ate ravenously. You didn't eat much on the many hour trip to the cabin, it was catching up to you. Micheal still had yet to return for food. He was missing out on a perfectly good meal. He'd have to eat it cold or eat it after heating it up in the dingy microwave that would probably give it a weird aftertaste.
Before any of you knew it, your bowls were partially clean. Residue from the ramen stuck to the sides of the bowls, dying them an off color orange. "I can take care of the dishes." You offered.
"No it's ok-" Jen started but stopped as the lights shut off.
"What the fuck?" Dan growled somewhere next to you.
"It's alright guys," You reassured,"I read on Yelp that this place has rolling blackouts. Nothing to worry about!" You were glad you read those reviews, when Dan got afraid, he got angry. An angry Dan was a scary Dan.
"Ah ok." Henry spoke through the darkness. He pulled his phone from his pocket and switched on the flashlight. "I can do this dishes by the way." He offered.
"No really," You listened as Jen began, holding your bowl in your hands,"I can take care of them."
The lights flipped back on almost as quickly as they flipped off. There was a sign of relief from Alexis, you relaxed your shoulders as you made your way to the kitchen. Hellbent on doing at least your own dishes.
"(Y/n) seriously I can do them it's--" Jen started, annoyance lacing her tone.
"H-hey guys." Henrys' voice was soft but his tone held a level of terror you'd never herd from him. You placed your bowl on the kitchen island and turned to him. It was silent. Everyones' eyes were glued to the sliding glass door. Alexis let out a few soft whimpers, Dans' lip curled into a snarl. Curious you slowly made your way back into the dining room. Passing their standing forms, you turned and saw what they were staring at.
On the plastic lawn chair sat Micheal. A rag tied tight around his head, arms behind his back and a dirty brown rope wound around his torso. He let out a few pathetic sobs that were partially drowned out by the rag. A thin trail of blood dribbled from his ginger locks down his sweat slicked face. Angry red marks peppered his face, you couldn't tell between the forming bruises and blood. On the center of his torso sat a yellow sticky note. In black ink sat a note in perfect cursive.
'If you don't want him to die, await further instructions. Do not come outside.'
The group stared at the sight before them. The younger version of you would be sobbing on the ground already, curled into a ball. You'd grown over the four years since the incident though. So you used your latest coping mechanism, laughing and dropping a bad joke. With a few shaky laughs as your palms grew sweatier and your mouth grew drier, you opened your mouth to speak.
Beating you to the punch Dan launched his body towards the door. He gripped the sliding doors handle and spoke grimly,"Await further instructions my fat fucking ass."