The Darkness comes hunted

Chapter Eight: Negative Thought

"Guilt, Innocence... Good, Bad, Evil, Death, Destruction... As the shadows around Lakewood deepened... the lines that separated these polar opposites blurred and distorted." Said Mike, sitting in a booth alone at Wipeout Arcade & Coffee, chilling, relaxing, and exploring the place.

The next morning, arrived alone like usual at school, Mike walks down an empty hallway of Lakewood High, but he stops midways, peeks into the Cafeteria window where Betty, Cole, Mason, and Jimmy hanging in there before their class come, Mike watching Betty for a moment, thinking back to the past, to the moment when he still has Betty's heart, he regretted that he didn't treat her well back then, but it over now, it just a past, and proceed to walks aways.

Meanwhile, at Principle Parker's office, one of the scots members that found Nathan Prescott's body with Mike and Ted decide to come forward to Principle Parker and Captain Hopper, telling them what he really saw back then.

"I think I know something that can help with Bulldog investigation." Said Dustin.

After hearing that sentence, Captain Hopper leans forward, really close to Dustin's face, and asks him" Why wait all this time, just to tell us now?"

"I didn't say anything, because at first, like everyone in the scots team, we thought we heard a gunshot but it turns out to be a firework, I can confirm because everybody busying calling the police, I saw Mr.Keen on the other side of the river carrying a bag full of firework, you can ask him to confirm what I said." Said Dustin.

"Yeah, we already know about that kid, Mr.Keen come forward to us, and tell us the story exactly like you just said... he told us that, the days the scots team found Nathan body floating down Lakewood River, he and his family go to the riverside to have picnic and to celebrate his wife birthday, and he also launched a few a firework for his kids." Said Captain Hopper.

"But I also saw something else, I saw the people who dropped Nathan's body to the river?"

"People? how many people do you see?"

"I saw 2 people, wearing a black suit, with a blue van parking behind them... they pull Nathan's body out from the back of the Van... and they dropped the body off the bridge."

"Which Bridge?"

"The Bridge near the highway tunnel entrance?"

"After they dropped the body? do you see where they heading?"

"No----I don't see where they heading, I just run off, run back to the team after I saw they dropped the body...I swear, that all I see?"

"what were you doing down at the river alone, and not with your team?"

"I'm the team's Map navigator, I come out first to scots the place."

"The man in black, do you see them fire the shot?"

"No, sir, I only see them dropped the body, that all."

Later that morning in the Cafeteria, Jimmy tells his friend about Dustin's coming forward to his dad about the men in black.

"Men in black, Like in the movie, Men in black, Starring Chris Hemsworth." Said Mason.

"No, you i***t, not the movie, this is serious," Said Jimmy

"Do you think Merrick Biotech has anything involved in this?" Betty asks.

"Maybe, that company gives me a bad guys vibe, not gonna lie." Said, Jimmy

"Do your dad consider them a suspect?"

"I don't know, man."

"Guys, should we maybe rebinge Making a Murderer on Netflix tonight?" Said Mason, turning around looking at everybody's face, causing everyone to laugh.

"Ha, ha. Sorry, no can't do, Gotta stay late to work on the article... I don't want Cole busted his ass walking on the article alone." Said Betty.

"Count me out too, Mason. I got a date tonight." Said, Cheryl

"Which Lakewood hottie made the cut, and go on a date with the Principle daughter," Mason asks, with a sad face and confused face at the same time.

"It's me, I go on a date with Cheryl tonight."

"Since when you guys dating each other hah?"

"It not dating, Mason, this date is like *getting to know each other* phase, not dating phase, Yet."

"Well, enjoy your date, Colie, have fun."

"Thanks, Betty... and maybe tomorrow we can continue our research at the Arcade, you, me, Mason, and Jimmy, like usual, can't we?"

"Yeah---Sure, whatever you say, Colie,"

After that, the time comes, the bell ring, everyone starts to go to their class, but Betty seems sad, but she tried as hard as she can to hide it, don't want Cole to see the sadness side of her.

Later that, Betty Texted Mike to come to the school's old stock room that have been locked away for years.

Walking down the hallways toward the old stock room... he stopped for a second, he seem to know what in that room, the flashback in Mike's brain start to roll, it seem like the old stock room that Betty invited him to it used to be the school new paper office, The Golden Red school New Paper,

"Hey Betty, you know this place too?"

"Hey Mikey, Yeah Principle Hiram give me key last year, I never had a chance to open it... He said f I ever need it, it all mine, and now I think it a good time to bring the truth back to the people of Lakewood."

"You want to re-open it, I thought people don't read school new paper."

"The Golden red isn't dead, Mikey, It's just dormant, but waking up."

"I still think nobody read school new paper." Mike laughed, Joking at Betty.

"You're still writing crime stories, right? crime in this town...and especially about the Philson's murder, that happen like 5 years ago." Betty asks.

"I'am.The Lakewood's very own in Cold Blood."

"Which started out as a series of articles....and I'm hoping you'll consider come and write that kind of story for the Golden Red" Betty leans toward, Mike... making a cute face, trying to lure Mike into saying yes.

"I just don't think the school new paper is the right fit for my voice and my storytelling style." Sadi Mike.

"Come on Mikey, you know The Bulldog case, Nathan's murder really changed Lakewood...people don't want to admit that, but it's true. We all feel it... Nothing this bad was ever, ever supposed to happen here, but it did anyway...and I wanna know why, and your voice, your style of storytelling are the perfect set to tell those stories."

"Would I get complete freedom? write whatever the hell I want?" Mike asks.

"Yeah...Totally, and I'll help and edit and suggest...but it's your story, it's your voice."

"Ehhh... Doesn't sound like complete freedom...but ahhh...screw it, okay I'm in."

"Okay, great, Um, in that case, I have your first assignment, there is a rumor that said, Mr.Keen, the guys fired the firework on the day you found Nathan's Body, is also saw the men in black on bridge-like Dustin too, I want you to confirm it and asks him can he make out the identity of the men in black, because from what I know, the place he and his family have a picnic at is really close to the bridge, and my instinct said he might saw the...?"

"See their face, who are the mysterious men in black? got it."

"Exactly"

Mike bruises his nose with his tamp, slightly smirking, and exits the room.

In the afternoon, Cole come back to his house for lunch and saw his dad sitting on a couch.

"I texted you, boy, why won't you reply to me?"

"Got training dad, Then I was writing. left the phone in the locker, haven't checked it since."

"Story, investigation about that new company in town?" His Dad gets up, walks over to Cole" I thought your principal told you to drop it, Cole."

"Dad, I was gonna drop, but..."

"You should have come to me, about this, trying to expose a multi-million dollar company dirty secret, alone... it too dangerous son, I---I been there, done that---not a lot of good results come back."

" I didn't wanna drag you into it, Dad."

"That was an error in judgment, son, you know I'm used to being a cop, right"

"Sorry, Sorry, Dad, I'm not perfect, like you dream your son will be."

"You're pretty far from perfect lately, Cole, that's why you're grounded."

"What? Are you serious dad?"

"Yeah, I'm dead serious, Son... So in this house every night, For two weeks... 7:00 pm."

"This is ridiculous, Dad."

"You want alone time to write your diary? now you got it."

"I'm not ten years old, You can't just...."

"You wanna go for three weeks, Huh?" Fred stare firmly at Cole, and then Cole, He doesn't want any more argument with his dad, so run up the stair and go to his room.