The Darkness comes hunted

Chapter Two: Body Double

"Many of us in Lakewood, perhaps the whole town, had been clinging to a faint hope that the last surviving member of the football team was still alive. Maybe he could shed some light on what happened to his teammates that fateful day in the tunnel. The day that would forever haunt Lakewood’s history. But that hope was shattered this morning when another body was discovered. It was Nathan Prescott, the captain of the Bulldogs and the heir of the richest family in town. His corpse was found by the scout group led by Mike Sinclair, floating down the Lakewood River. But there was something different about Nathan’s death. He had a bullet hole in his forehead. The missing case of Lakewood’s star player had turned into a murder case. The only way to unravel the terrible and mysterious secrets behind these deaths was to examine the cold evidence of a coroner’s autopsy…or to expose the guilty conscience of a killer."

As he typed the truth into his diary, he felt a surge of passion to tell the people what really happened. He was a man who valued honesty above all else. He was Mike Sinclair.

Back at his house, he tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep. He ran a hand through his hair, recalling the horrific sight of Nathan’s body. He couldn’t get it out of his head. He reached for his cell phone on the nightstand and sent a text to Betty Wheeler.

“R U up? Can we talk?” He hoped she would reply. She was the only one who understood him. In Betty’s bedroom, a phone in a mint green case buzzed on the bedside table. Betty heard the noise, and put down the book she was reading. She picked up the phone and checked her messages. It was from Mike. She sighed. She knew what he wanted to talk about. She typed back:

“NO and NO”. She set the phone down, and lay back on her pillow, resting her hand on her forehead. She wished he would leave her alone. Mike saw Betty’s reply and felt a pang of rejection. He got out of his bed and paced around his room.

He sent another text to Betty. “Please”. He needed to talk to her. He needed her to listen.

Betty looked at her phone again and saw Mike’s plea. She rolled her eyes. She went to her bedroom window, and sat on the sill, gazing at the full moon. She texted back: “The answer is still NO. Stop bothering me.” She turned off her phone and hoped he would get the message.

Mike felt his phone vibrate and checked it. He saw Betty’s response and felt a surge of frustration. He grabbed a pair of black shorts that were lying on the edge of his bed and put them on. He decided to go to Ted’s house, one of his scout friends. He needed to talk to someone, anyone, about that day. He ran shirtless in the middle of the night, dodging the streetlights and the cars.

He reached Ted’s house and knocked hard on the door. Ted opened it, and looked surprised. “Mikey, what are you doing here? You can’t be here!” He whispered, afraid of waking up his parents.

“I know, Ted, but I need someone to talk to, about that day. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a firework. It was a gunshot we heard that day.” Mike said, his voice urgent.

“Dude, you can’t come to my house like this in the middle of the night. It makes us look suspicious.” Ted said, pulling Mike inside.

“Ted, listen. That shot we heard is probably what killed Nathan Prescott.” Mike said, his eyes wide.

“Mikey, come on. We know what the police and the rest of the scout team know. That a gun was fired, that a boy was shot, but we don’t know by whom. So we stick with the ‘it was a firework’ statement,” Ted said, trying to calm Mike down.

“But we know when it was fired. That’s something the police still don’t know, but we do, Ted,” Mike said, his voice rising.

“They’re performing an autopsy right now, Mike. There’s nothing we can do,” Ted said, shrugging.

“But, Ted, we can call them anonymously. We can tell them what we know. We can help them catch the killer,” Mike said, his voice desperate. “This is not a negotiation, buddy.

Everyone on the scout team that day agreed on this. And the cherry on top is, I’m not supposed to be there with you guys. If anyone finds out that I was there, hanging out with the scout team, I could lose my spot on the Bulldogs.” Ted said, his voice firm. They stared at each other for a long minute in Ted’s kitchen, and finally, Mike decided to leave.

He realized that Ted was not going to help him. He felt alone and betrayed. He walked back to his house, feeling hopeless. The next morning, at Mike’s house, Fred, Mike’s father, fed the dog, while Mike slowly came down the stairs and joined them in the kitchen. “Morning, Dad.” He said, trying to sound normal.

“Hey, bud, where did you sneak off to last night?” Fred asked his son, Mike, as he made his coffee in the kitchen. Mike poured milk and prepared his breakfast before school. He knew his dad had heard him leaving the house.

“You, uh, heard that last night?” Mike said, trying to sound casual.

“Son, I’ve been hearing you sneaking out since you turned 10, going to Ted’s basement,” Fred said, with a hint of amusement.

“I couldn’t sleep, dad. I went for a jog to tire myself out.” Mike lied. He didn’t want to tell his dad the real reason he had gone out.

“All right, bud. Got something on your mind?” Fred said, sipping his morning coffee. He could tell his son was troubled.

“Nothing really, Dad. Just all this stuff with the football team and Nathan.” Mike said, referring to the recent deaths of his classmates.

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. No more midnight runs until the police catch whoever it was that shot that poor kid. Or the group that kidn*pped and killed the football team. I swear to God, this town.” Fred shook his head, still in disbelief over what had happened in his small town.

Meanwhile, in Betty’s room, she was getting ready for school, when her parents came into her bedroom and talked to her about their late-night date.

“Hey, Betty girl, we just wanted you to know, it’s gonna be a bit of a late night for us. Your mom and I.” Roy said, smiling at his daughter.

“Dad? Late night? There’s a murderer on the loose, I mean, come on.” Betty said, rolling her eyes. She didn’t approve of her parents’ lifestyle.

“I mean, an accidental drowning, who cares? But the sociopath son of the wealthiest family in town was murdered. That’s a national obsession waiting to happen. With a big headline.” Roy said, shrugging. He didn’t care much about the victims either.

“The kid’s barely in his grave, honey,” Joyce said, scolding her husband.

“Can you go downstairs and wait for me there, Roy? I need a minute with our daughter.” Joyce said, sending her husband away. Roy left Betty’s room, and Joyce walked up, sitting on the bed facing her.

“Betty, you know what I love about you the most, honey?” Joyce asked, looking at her daughter.

“My make-up skills?” Betty joked, knowing her mom hated her make-up.

“No, not that. I love your mindset.” Joyce said, ignoring the sarcasm.

“What mindset?” Betty asked, curiously.

“It’s that you always want to see the good in people, even people like the Prescott family,” Joyce said, with a hint of disdain.

“What did they do to you, Mom, that makes you so mad with them?” Betty asked, wondering why her mom hated the Prescotts so much.

“They act like good, helpful citizens, but deep down in their dirty hearts, they want to burn this town to the ground. You’ll see their true colors soon enough.” Joyce said, ominously.

“I’ll keep an eye out for them, Mom. Don’t worry.” Betty said, trying to appease her mom.

“From this moment on, no backsliding. That means, no Valentina, and any of her friends like Cheryl, Suzi, and especially no…” Joyce said, trailing off.

“No Cole, I got it, Mom,” Betty said, cutting her off. She knew her mom hated her boyfriend, Cole. Joyce kissed her daughter on the forehead and left the room. Betty sighed. She wished her mom would accept her choices.

A moment later, Cole’s doorbell rang. He answered his front door and was surprised to see Betty standing there. She said the famous catchphrase to him: “Walk me to school.” He smiled and grabbed his backpack. He was happy to see her. They walked along the quiet neighborhood street on the way to school. “I needed time to process. To separate what my mom wants from what I want. I think I want.” Betty said, breaking the silence.

“Which is?” Cole asked, curiously.

“My mom says I should never speak to you again. But I… you know, even though we haven’t seen each other for three months, I just want you to know I still love you.” Betty said, confessing her feelings.

“But why did you ditch me and Cheryl yesterday, after we saw each other in the hallway?” Cole asked, feeling hurt.

“Uh, sorry about that. I was too nervous, you know. I thought I’d never see you again. And I heard you were moving to Arcadia Bay with your dad to pursue your art career there. Is that true?” Betty asked, anxiously.

“Yes, that’s true. I got a scholarship there, and my dad and I already packed our things. Until the last minute, Cheryl showed up at our front door and said I got my school scholarship back. Sorry, I didn’t tell you sooner, Bett.” Cole said, apologetically.

“That’s okay, no need to worry. I understand. And I’m still happy you’re back, Cole.” Betty said, forgiving him. “You are?” Cole asked, hopefully.

“Yeah, smackhead, I am.” Betty said, teasing him.

“Oh, I mean, that’s great, Betty Bat, me too,” Cole said, smiling.

“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt when I first heard the news, that you moved out,” Betty said, honestly.

“And I’m sorry again, Bett. I should have told you first. But back then, I thought it would be better in the long run, if you didn’t know. And it would be easier for me and you to move on. But now we don’t need to worry about that, because I’m here now. No more moving out.” Cole said, reassuringly. They hugged each other and continued walking to school.

"I'll hope it stays that way until we graduate high school together."

"Yeah me too, my Betty bat."

"And oh, don't tell my mom that we're dating again, promise."

"Promise."

*--------------*

Later that morning, students got off the school bus and entered Lakewood High School. In the hallway, there was a makeshift memorial for the Bulldog players near Cole’s locker. Photos, stuffed toys, and candles were arranged in a sad tribute. Cole stood near his locker, looking at the memorial.

Mike approached him, and said: “Hey, Cole, do you think I could use Nathan Prescott’s death as an excuse to get out of PE class? Like…”

“Like what?” Cole asked, not amused.

“Sorry, coach. I’m just too depressed and freaked out right now to do pull-ups.” Mike said, mockingly.

“Don’t joke about their deaths, Sinclair,” Cole said, sternly.

“What? Sardonic humor is just my way of relating to the world.” Mike said, defensively. While talking to Cole, Mike spotted something down the hall.

“Hey look, it’s the rich kids from The Goonies,” Mike said, sarcastically. Cole followed his friend’s gaze and saw the new Bulldog team that Principal Parker had recruited.

“All right, I’m out. Your new minions are coming, Cole.” Mike said as Anton, Reggie, and Nial headed their way. Mike tried to get away, but Anton shoulder-punched him.

“Watch it, Monday Spang,” Anton said, rudely. Mike didn’t want to make a scene, so he quietly walked away. It always happened to him. It was like a daily routine. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Betty were talking to each other in the cafeteria about Mike and Cole.

“Now that you and Cole are back together, I’ll say it. Are you a hundred percent sure that Cole will be okay when he finds out that you and Mikey dated when he was not around? Because I don’t think he will be okay with you dating his best friend behind his back.” Jimmy said, concerned.

“It’ll be fine, Jimmy. Cole is a chill guy, and also a forgiving type. Don’t you worry about me?” Betty said, confidently.

“And what about Mike? Are you guys done with each other?” Jimmy asked, curiously. “I broke up with Mike two weeks ago, Jim. Even before Cole came back to school.” Betty said, casually.

“So that means Mike is single now. Hmm… Bett, do you think Mike is straight ‘straight’? Because no straight guy has that kind of body.” Jimmy said, flirtatiously. Betty smirked, and replied to her gay BFF: “Speaking of bodies, have you recovered from finding Dustin’s corpse floating down the Lakewood river?” Betty said, teasingly.

“It was more traumatizing having to explain to my dad what I was doing with Nial at the river that night. Yet another perk of being the captain of police’s son.” Jimmy said, sarcastically. Betty smirked again, and patted Jimmy on the shoulder, as they walked into the principal’s office. Back in the principal’s office, Jimmy saw a beautiful bouquet of yellow roses sitting on the ledge of the front desk.

“Oh, my God, those are gorgeous. Are those for Betty, Mrs. Potts?” Jimmy said, admiring the flowers.

“That’s why I called her, not you, Jimmy boy.” Mrs. Potts said, smiling. Jimmy examined the bouquet and found a letter that read: Dear Betty, sorry for my behavior toward you at the party last Friday. Please forgive me. XOXO M."

Jimmy looked at Betty, and asked: “Who the hell is M, Betty?”

“Mason.” Betty and Mason said at the same time. Mason entered the room with a pack of donuts in his hand.

“The yellow is for friendship. I also got you a donut that you love from Two Whales Diner, because, as my mom likes to say, there’s no wrong that the right donut can’t fix.” Mason said, sweetly.

“Well, thank you so much, Max,” Betty said, politely.

“And I also got you two diamond tickets to the Twilight Cinema, tonight, if you want to go… with me, or Jimmy, or anybody else you want to go with. It’s your choice. And again, I’m so sorry for my behavior at the party toward you, Betty.” Mason said, sincerely.

“It’s okay, Max. I’m fine.” Betty said, reassuringly.

“I don’t know what happened to me that night. It was such a basic-asshole move. It was like I was possessed by…” Mason said, regretfully.

“The lord of the underworld, Satan,” Jimmy said, jokingly. Betty turned and looked at Jimmy’s eyes.

“Jimmy’s right. It was like that night, the ‘Old Maxin Mason’ possessed me. But I’ve changed now. I’ll try my best to keep it that way. And I’ll never, ever do anything like that to you again. I swear on my mother’s pearls. Just… can you please give me one more chance?” Mason said, pleadingly.

“Okay, Maxin Mason. You’ve got my forgiveness.” Betty said, generously. Both Jimmy and Mason gasped.

“WHAT?” They said, in unison.

“Really? WOW. I’ll take it. And you won’t regret it. And I’ll bring the donuts to lunch, so we can celebrate.” Mason said, happily.

The teens shared a smile, and the bell started to ring. Mason exited happily with the box of donuts, while Jimmy shook his head disapprovingly.

“It’s the path of least resistance, Jimmy. And I also don’t want him and Cole to hate each other because of me. They need to work together for the opening season.” Betty said, rationalizing her decision.

“But it’s not that easy, B.” Jimmy said, skeptically.

“A week ago, he was a jerk to everyone in school. And now he tries to make amends. I think he deserves it. Everyone deserves a second chance, Jay.” Betty said, optimistically.

A moment later, through a speaker, Principal Parker had an announcement to make to his students.

“Good morning, students. This is your principal speaking. There have been many inquiries about the upcoming pep rally, so let me state clearly. It is happening as scheduled.” He said, firmly.

Standing with him in the office were Valentina Prescott and Captain Hopper. “Now, on a less felicitous note, if you give your attention to Captain Hopper.” Principal Parker said, solemnly. Captain Hopper leaned over the mic on Principal Parker’s desk and spoke.

“Most of you already know the details, but your former classmate and former Bulldog team’s captain, Nathan Prescott, was found dead late Saturday night. He was the fifth body that had been found in the past five weeks. So, as of the weekend, all of the five bodies that have been found are now being treated as homicide cases. It is an open and ongoing investigation, and five more students are still missing. May God bless them and bring them back.” He said, gravely. Before he could finish his speech, Valentina interrupted him.

“And may I interject? This is Valentina. Neither I nor my parents will rest until Nathan’s death is avenged, and his cold-hearted killer is walking the Green Mile to sit in Old Sparky and fry. And I, for one, have my suspicions. Hashtag ‘Bring Nathan Justice’.” She said, angrily. Captain Hopper stepped back and continued his speech.

“If you know anything that could help us find and apprehend the one who is responsible for the Bulldog team’s disappearance and Nathan’s murder, or anything about what happened to them in the Lakewood highway tunnel, I strongly urge you to come forward immediately. You can speak with me or Principal Parker. A tragic crime like this wounds us all.” He said, earnestly. In the hallway, Mike peered into the office.

Principal Parker noticed him, but Mike stepped back and went straight into the bathroom. He splashed water on his face, trying to calm himself. Cole came in, and saw him.

“Sinclair,” Cole said, coldly. Mike turned back and looked up at Cole.

“Weirdest thing, this Saturday we were supposed to go on a road trip, which you bailed at the last minute. Is there something you want to tell me, pal?” Cole said, suspiciously. He looked straight into Mike’s eyes.