cloversworld (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cloversworld) wrote2009-03-31 03:41 pm
cloversworld) wrote2009-03-31 03:41 pm
Entry tags:
Fic: Who Dunnit? {Day 3}
Title: Who Dunnit?, Part 3/4
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
clover71
Pairing: David Cook/ David Archuleta
Rating: NC-17 for the entire fic
Beta:rajkumari905
Description: A mystery/thriller fic that revolved around a 'who dunnit' or 'clue' theme.
Summary: AI Season 7's ten finalists spent a weekend at a house in a private island for their reunion four years after their season ended, likewise reuniting Cook and Archie almost a year after they broke up. However, people started to mysteriously disappear and the remaining members of their group began to suspect each other of being responsible for the disappearances. Will the thrilling events bring Cook and Archie back together?
Disclaimer:
1) Please note that this is purely fiction and none of the contents are real except for some of the characters used in this story.
2) Most characters used are based on real people but the details within do not purposely imply occurrences in real life; thus, anything here that concurs with real events may be completely coincidental.
3) This fic is created based solely on the imagination of the author and for non-profitable purpose.
4) Some establishments and/or organizations used in the story are existent but in no way owned by or connected with the author. Everything written in line with those establishments/ organizations are fictitious and are only created by the author.
* Day 1 *&* Day 2 *
Author's notes:
- Thanks to my lovely beta Pri (rajkumari905) for all her help. Please note though that due to my eyesight's limited capacity, I may have overlooked some corrections she had made; thus, if there are still mistakes, please blame it on me.
~ begin ~
=========================================================
Wanna find out what happens in the end?
Leave me a comment and let me know you're still with me on this story.
Author:
clover71Pairing: David Cook/ David Archuleta
Rating: NC-17 for the entire fic
Beta:
rajkumari905Description: A mystery/thriller fic that revolved around a 'who dunnit' or 'clue' theme.
Summary: AI Season 7's ten finalists spent a weekend at a house in a private island for their reunion four years after their season ended, likewise reuniting Cook and Archie almost a year after they broke up. However, people started to mysteriously disappear and the remaining members of their group began to suspect each other of being responsible for the disappearances. Will the thrilling events bring Cook and Archie back together?
Disclaimer:
1) Please note that this is purely fiction and none of the contents are real except for some of the characters used in this story.
2) Most characters used are based on real people but the details within do not purposely imply occurrences in real life; thus, anything here that concurs with real events may be completely coincidental.
3) This fic is created based solely on the imagination of the author and for non-profitable purpose.
4) Some establishments and/or organizations used in the story are existent but in no way owned by or connected with the author. Everything written in line with those establishments/ organizations are fictitious and are only created by the author.
* Day 1 *&* Day 2 *
Author's notes:
- Thanks to my lovely beta Pri (
rajkumari905) for all her help. Please note though that due to my eyesight's limited capacity, I may have overlooked some corrections she had made; thus, if there are still mistakes, please blame it on me.~ begin ~
=== Day 3 ===
The light that shone across the living room had a misty effect, with a grayish cloud of smoke floating along the sunbeams. Its gentle warmth crawled across the room like tentacles reaching out to the seven individuals sprawled out on the carpet and the couch.
Cook was the first to stir. He tried to move an inch but pain suddenly shot all throughout his body. It felt like a ten-story building had fallen on top of him. He felt a weight on his right arm and when he turned to look, he realized that it was David, who had used it as a pillow. He had gathered the younger man in his arms when he was dozing off during the early hours of the morning.
He slowly pulled his arm from underneath David’s head, careful not to wake him up. He grabbed one of the couch pillows that were scattered all over the floor and replaced his arm with it. Cook gazed at David, and it was only then that he noticed the little changes on his boyfriend’s features. Though the younger man had maintained the soft curves of his cheeks, the edges of his jaw had become more prominent, more manly. He could see the faintest traces of stubbles along the sides of his face and his lips looked fuller than they had.
Cook remained propped up on his elbow for a while marveling at his boyfriend’s beauty before he sat up to glance across the room. Michael was out cold on the carpeted floor just beneath their feet and Jason lay near him. The three remaining women were snuggled up on the couch, their breaths heavy and even.
Everyone had refused to sleep after they discerned that Stacy was missing. They’d searched the premises together, agreeing to stick together as a group. Carly and Ramiele, having been the last two people who saw Stacy before her mysterious disappearance, had relayed their stories but they couldn’t find any connection that could help them determine what happened.
Cook made his way to the kitchen. He was in desperate need of his daily dose of caffeine. He kept himself preoccupied, preparing the first pot in the morning, as he pieced together in his mind all the information he had gathered from the articles that Michael had shown him and Jason the night before; all the clues Michael had found from the area where Chikezie had been last and where Syesha had disappeared from and the things that Jason had found in the hidden cabin by the river.
He was pouring himself a cup when he heard someone clear his throat, slightly startling him that he almost dropped the pot he was holding.
David stood at the kitchen’s entryway with a tired smile gracing his face. He walked up to Cook and allowed himself to be enclosed in his strong biceps.
Cook planted a kiss on top of David’s head when the younger man buried his face into Cook’s neck, inhaling deeply.
“I missed your scent,” David muttered against Cook’s skin.
“My scent?”
“Mhmm… You know… that musky, masculine way your skin smells and the sweet scent of your sweat,” David kissed a spot on Cook’s collarbone softly, then grazed his teeth lightly on the surface of his neck, sucking and licking his way to Cook’s ear, and swirled his tongue along the outer shell sensually before nibbling at his earlobe.
Cook felt his pants tightening and he ignored the fact that it felt uncomfortable since he had slept with jeans on. He was too focused on the pleasure that David’s tongue and lips was giving him that he wasn’t aware of the gratifying moans that escaped his lips and the way the sounds he was making spurred the younger man on.
David slowly ran his palm on Cook’s belly, lifting his shirt as his hands made their way up Cook’s torso; then he playfully flicked his nipples with his thumb, making Cook arch forward, offering more of himself to his lover.
Too delirious to pay attention to David’s every move, Cook had not noticed that the younger man had dropped to his knees, had not been aware of his jeans being unbuttoned and its zipper being lowered, had not sensed the front waistband of his boxers being pulled down, but he definitely felt something warm and wet engulfing his pulsating erection and his eyes shot open when he felt warm fingers giving a gentle but stimulating tug on its base.
The slurping sound soon followed and Cook watched as his cock constantly disappeared and reappeared into and from David’s mouth. He could hardly control the whimpering sound that vibrated in his throat and he couldn’t stop himself from exclaiming, “Fuck baby! That feels good!”
Before he knew it, his body was shivering as he spurted his come down David’s throat.
They were back to kissing, their tongues battling wildly for dominance, when someone gasped, “Oh my God! Can’t you guys do that in your room?”
Cook frantically zipped up his pants and David combed his hair with his fingers in an attempt to make it look decent, and not like Cook had been grasping at it.
“Jeez guys, don’t bother straightening up,” Carly grinned at them and started meandering around the kitchen. “It’s not like I’m not used to it.”
“Gee, thanks Carly. That’s pretty encouraging,” Cook grinned back at her while David buried his face in Cook’s chest to hide the tinge of pinkish color that was rapidly spreading through his face.
Carly grabbed the pot of coffee from the counter where Cook was leaning and poured the dark liquid into a mug. She smiled at the two men who were then snuggling and she uttered, “I’m just glad you two are back together. You’re so meant to be, you know.”
“Good morning guys.” Brooke was practically dragging herself across the floor. Some hair strands were stuck on her tear-stained face and her arms hung limply on her sides. Cook could tell she was exhausted, even if she had denied it countless times.
“Hey Brooke, how are you feeling?” David greeted before opening the refrigerator and poking his head inside it.
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck,” Brooke’s voice croaked.
Carly set her coffee mug on top of the island and quickly rounded it to get to Brooke. “Oh sweetie,” Carly said, placing her arm around Brooke’s shoulders while her other hand grasped lightly on their hostess’ arm, “Why don’t you get back to sleep? I’ll prepare breakfast.”
“Oh no,” Brooke broke from Carly’s half hug, “I need to keep myself busy, otherwise I’m going to end up being schizophrenic.”
David’s head snapped up and met Cook’s gaze; his hand holding a slightly tilted carton of orange juice over a glass paused in mid air.
Schizophrenic. Cook knew that the word had sparked something in David’s mind, the way the younger man looked apprehensive at the mention of it. He had told David about the articles that Michael had shown them and he had given him bits and pieces of the information they had gathered.
Ignoring David’s reaction and Cook’s silence, the two women had started preparing food, pushing them both out of the kitchen. Cook couldn’t help but smirk when Carly suggested, “Why don’t you two continue what you were doing in your room? But don’t get separated okay? We all have to be cautious.”
=== &&&&& ===
Around twenty minutes later, David’s back was gliding against the tiled bathroom wall, his mouth open in a silent scream, his fingernails scraping the surface of the tiles as he desperately searched for something to grab so he could hold on for dear life, his heart beating rapidly as the sensation of Cook’s thrusts overwhelmed his fervent mind.
Cook continued to drive his burning cock into David, adjusting his hip on an angle that allowed him to hit David’s sensitive spot, which sent shivers of pleasure throughout his body. David tightened his legs around Cook’s waist when he felt his orgasm building up. And soon they were screaming their release.
They were toweling each other dry when they heard a knock on their bedroom door, followed by Michael’s voice calling out their names.
“Be right there, Mikey!” Cook yelled in response and he quickly slipped on a pair of fresh boxers and jeans before running to the door to let Michael in.
David closed the door to the bathroom while he got dressed, listening to the sound of the two men’s voices outside.
“Carly asked me to call you guys down for breakfast,” David heard Michael uttered solemnly.
“Thanks man,” Cook responded. “How are you holding up?”
David decided not to listen to the rest of the conversation. It pained him to see Michael panic in the most appalling way when Stacy did not return to their room after midnight. He couldn’t bear to watch the man who he was most accustomed to seeing in high spirits breakdown in fear that something dreadful might have happened to his wife.
Breakfast was relatively quiet. The only words heard were ‘please pass the syrup’ or ‘more coffee please’ or ‘anyone want more eggs?’
David volunteered to clean up while the rest of the group resumed their task of searching for their missing friends or at least trying to find clues that might help them determine what was really happening. Cook didn’t want to leave him but David pointed out that he was certain he’ll be safe as long as he stayed inside the house and he promised to do just that when he practically pushed Cook outside to join Michael and the rest.
He had finished rinsing the utensils and had placed them in the dishwasher along with the plates and glasses and mugs when David had an instinctive feeling that he was being watched.
He whipped his head around and gasped when he saw a hooded figure outside the kitchen window. But it was gone quickly before his mind could even register that someone was out there. His heart pounded so loudly that the sound reverberated in his ears.
His first impulse was to walk over to the window and see who the stranger was. It could be Dave. Or Kristy. Or Syesha. Or Chikezie. Or even Stacy. They must have had a good reason for hiding. That was the simplest explanation David could come up with to explain their disappearances. Because he refused to believe that something as serious as an inheritance conspiracy as Cook had suggested or as bizarre as a supernatural occurrence as Michael had insinuated were probable causes. But intuition kicked in and he felt like his feet were planted on the ground.
His self-control over his curiosity did not last long, however, because David found himself walking along the corridors that led to the southern part of the manor, which he had not gotten a chance to explore. He could hear footsteps, like several pairs of feet rushing about inside one of the rooms. He could hear whispers, like foreign languages spoken in hushed voices.
He could hear…
“David.”
He could hear someone calling his name. Or Cook’s name. It had been a common practice to wonder whether the ‘David’ being called was he or Cook every time they were at a same place. But Cook wasn’t around. He was the only David…
“David.”
Someone called out again. The voice didn’t sound familiar but the way it uttered his name was. The voice, in fact, sounded like it was coming from afar, or more like it was muffled. A cool breeze went past him and he could feel an eerie tingle rushing through his veins and down his spine.
The rational part of his brain was telling him to get the hell out of there. David backed up slowly. He could see the door to the study at the end of the hallway shaking. He knew he shouldn’t just turn his back on it because he’d seen horror movies, and that was how the victims usually ended up being victims.
He reached out his hand and felt for the wall, using it as a guide to find his way back to the manor’s frontage. When he saw the slightest hint of movement on the door to the study, he spun around and made a dash for it, turning to the passageway leading to the living room. He was almost at the foyer, his mind racing with the unthinkable, distraughtly hoping that the others were near the premises, when he felt something cold suddenly grabbed his arm and the force made him bounce back and collide against a body and the impulsive scream escaped his throat, “Aaaahhhh!!!”
“Whoa, whoa,” the voice gave David the courage to open his eyes and look up and relief swept over every fiber of his being when he saw Cook’s face, etched with worry, but it was still Cook.
“Omigosh!” David crashed into Cook’s chest, his arms encircling Cook’s middle, which he unknowingly squeezed tightly.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Cook’s asked in a calm and caring tone, gently pushing David at half an arms length to study his face, squeezing his biceps in reassurance.
David relayed what had happened after a lot of coaxing from his boyfriend. And Cook simply gathered him in his arms. Cook’s embrace had a certain calming effect and David’s breathing soon returned to normal, and his heartbeat got back to its usual pace.
“Are you guys all right?” A girl’s voice made them both jump. “Oh… sorry. Was I interrupting anything?” Ramiele asked timidly.
“It’s okay Rami,” Cook responded with his lop-sided smile. “Did you guys find anything?”
“Yeah, Stacy’s scarf,” Ramiele’s face turned somber.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?” David had not meant to say it out loud but his thoughts had unintentionally slipped through his lips.
“The…” Ramiele paused and decided to study the floor for a while. Then she sucked up a breath, and looked up, her voice quivering, “The scarf we found had b-blood on it. We don’t know if it’s Stacy’s but…” Her words faded as she went back to gazing interestedly on the floor patterns.
“Hey,” Cook stepped forward and slung an arm around the petite girl. “Let’s try to be positive and hope that she’s fine, that they’re all fine.”
“What else did you find other than the scarf, Rami?” David asked. Judging from the look on the girl’s face, David somehow had a feeling that she had more to say.
“Jason found a rusty knife beside it,” Ramiele muttered. “It… it was likewise covered in blood.”
=== &&&&& ===
They had agreed not to separate, but the newly found clues had made Jason restless and he had tried to convince everyone that they search throughout the island once more.
However, the clues they found had driven Michael to a crying fit and Carly and Cook took turns consoling the Australian. Brooke had weakly sank on the couch and likewise wept. So David sat with Brooke, trying to calm the woman down.
Ramiele felt so useless at the moment. She couldn’t even work up a nerve to console her friends. So she stood in a corner and watched the others deal with the fucked-up situation.
“What the fuck is going on anyway,” Michael spat. “Does anyone else other than me think that this is beyond normal?”
“Sssh… We all think so too, Mikey,” Carly said as she continued to rub circles on Michael’s back. “And we don’t like it any more than you do.”
“Somebody must be behind this,” Michael straightened up and gazed around the room. “Maybe it’s one of us.”
“Now, now. That’s the silliest thing to say,” Carly cooed.
“Silliest thing, huh?” Michael looked at Carly with bloodshot eyes. “Maybe you had something to do with Stacy’s disappearance.”
Carly’s mouth dropped open. “Me? You’re accusing me? Well, fuck you Johns!”
“You already did sweetie,” Michael snapped back sarcastically.
“Well…” Ramiele spoke up, knowing she’d regret what she was about to say but she had to express what was going through her mind. “You were the one who last saw Stacy, Carls.”
Carly narrowed her eyes. “What about you Rami, you were there too. How can I be so sure you did not wait for me to go back upstairs so you could move in on Stacy?”
“For what? I have no motive!”
“Or maybe you’re the one who abducted Syesha,” Carly hissed, her eyes darkening. “Don’t think I didn’t hear your little fight yesterday.”
“Yeah, I heard that too,” David piped in but quickly recoiled when Cook looked at him in a stay-out-of-this kind of way.
“Well I bet you know why Kristy’s missing,” Ramiele could feel her temper rising. “What did you do to her Carls? Did you drown her?”
“Excuse me, but you were there when Kristy apologized. And I accepted her apology,” Carly retorted, her face now reddening in anger.
“Where were you when she was at the lake?” Jason, who had been watching the silently, asked in an almost hushed voice.
“I left the lake with Syesha. Rami, again, was the last to have seen her. Then I got dressed and joined Cook and David to search for Dave.” Carly then paused and looked at Jason accusingly. “What about you Jase? You also had a run in with Kristy, like the rest of us, the other night. Where were you when she was at the lake?”
“I was with Ramiele!” Jason said in a raised voice. “We went out to search for Dave together, remember?”
“Uhm… Jase?” Ramiele started. “It took me around twenty minutes to shower and change before we left.”
“That means you had twenty minutes to go down the lake and drown Kristy,” Michael said, pointing a finger at Jason.
“Are you accusing me? You fucking piece of…” Jason’s voice trailed away. He remained silent for a couple of minutes, looking around at his friends. Then, with a sigh, he spoke, “It’s happening. It’s the island… fucking with our brains.”
As if a certain revelation dawned on him, Michael tugged on his hair with both his hands and said, “Fucking shit. You’re right Castro. We’re turning on each other.”
“That’s why I tried not to say anything,” Cook finally spoke up. “I think the more you surrender to the temptation, the more it feeds on your anger.:
“What? What temptation? What island? What the fuck is going on?” Carly blurted out, looking alternately between Michael and Jason.
Jason briefly explained what they had discovered based on the articles that Michael found.
Brooke looked disheartened. “Uh-I… I never knew… I didn’t know. Oh gosh. If only I knew.”
“Of course, that’s just one theory,” Jason shifted from his position at the entryway. “We shouldn’t rule out the possibility that we are not alone on this island. I’m going back to the cabin I found by the river. Who’s coming with me?”
After they had lunch and spent half an hour recuperating from exhaustion, they all took the three remaining vehicles and headed out towards the western part of the island.
Jason took the car with Ramiele while the rest rode on one of the SUVs. Jason drove ahead, having been there before.
They were almost at the clearing that both Ramiele and Jason had declared their landmark when they drove through it the day before when an alarming explosion suddenly broke the silence of the vicinity.
Having been caught by surprise, it took a while for Jason to maintain control of the car as it swerved off the path. When it finally stopped, Ramiele and Jason hurriedly got off to confirm their suspicion that the blast they heard was issued from the vehicle. Sure enough, they found both tires at the right side of the care deflated.
Jason bent over to inspect the damage and discovered something stuck on the surface of the rubber. He picked one of the tiny objects and brought it closer to his face. “Spikes,” Jason mumbled. “Well that proves my theory that there is certainly someone else on this island, unless one of the guys were brilliant enough to put spikes on the road before we got here.”
“That’s impossible. We left ahead of everyone else,” Ramiele stated. She looked around as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
“Something wrong?” Jason got up and stretched his legs.
“I need to pee.”
“Why the hell didn’t you go before we left the manor!”
“Well, I’m sorry. You were in a hurry so I had no choice but to follow you.”
“Fine!” Jason ran a hand over his face in frustration. “You go behind those bushes. I’ll keep watch.”
Ramiele did as she was told. Her voice floated from behind the bushes as soon as her head disappeared behind them. “You know Kristy was right the other night…. You should have asked Mandy to marry you when you had a chance.”
“Will you just freaking hurry up!” Jason yelled, his voice bouncing against the trees. He could hear the rustling behind the bushes. Several minutes had gone by and Ramiele had not emerged from the bushes. He hadn’t even noticed that the rustling had ceased.
“Rami?” Jason called out and when he did not get a response, he called out again. And again. But there was no sign of Ramiele. He swallowed his fear and walked over to the bushes where she had been and found nothing.
Ramiele was gone.
Jason started wondering where his friends were. It hadn’t occurred to him that ample time had passed and the others should have driven by already. He made his way back to the car to search for his phone, but then he hit his forehead on the side of the roof when he remembered that their phones were useless since they could no longer pick up a signal to get service.
He felt his stomach clench when he heard something growling from a distance. He stood still and waited for the sound to arise once more. And this time, the growling was coming nearer and he felt that whatever it was that emitted the hair-raising sound was coming towards him. He whirled around but there was no sign of life or whatever.
Finally deciding that waiting around would probably get his name up in the obituary the next day, Jason sprinted along the path he had driven the car through. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him, not noticing the log protruding from the side of the road. He tripped on the fallen branch of a tree and fell face down with an, “Oomph.”
He tried to move, but his leg hurt. And both his arms felt numb, and he presumed it must have been because he used them to break his fall. But then he thought of the growling sound and he struggled to rise. He was on his knees, propped up on both arms when he felt something suddenly yank him from behind. Before he knew it, something cold covered his mouth and nose and the smell that resembled something decaying made him feel dizzy. The ground spun under his feet. His last thought was of his mother.
=== &&&&& ===
“If we walk ahead, we won’t know where we’re going because Jason might already be there by now,” Carly assessed the distance from the area where the vehicle lost their tires due to spikes that were scattered across the ground
“I think we should head back to the manor,” David said, his hand curled around Cook’s arm. “We have only driven for like fifteen? Twenty minutes? It shouldn’t be far.”
It wasn’t far indeed. Cook found a slope which they climbed to see better where they were going and they immediately spotted the manor and simply followed the trail, keeping the house in sight.
“Jason and Ramiele are probably wondering where we are by now,” Michael uttered as he collapsed on the couch.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll head back once they realize we’re not behind them,” Brooke said, sitting beside Michael.
Cook, David and Carly occupied the couch across from them. David scooted beside Cook and nuzzled the crook of Cook’s neck.
They didn’t realize they had dozed off until Michael was roused by a loud thud somewhere in the house and noticed that it was almost dark outside. He could see through the window that the sky was a mixed color of orange and dark gray.
His eyes fell on the men across him. Cook and David had their arms wrapped around each other; Cook had lain on his back while David had lain on his stomach on top of Cook. He had always thought when the two got together during the idol tour that they were meant for each other. He had never seen two people who loved each other as much as the Davids did and he had felt bad when the two had broken up. He and Stacy had often talked about them and hoped that they would get back together. He could only smile at the thought that they were now back in each other’s arms.
He broke his gaze on the lovers when Carly stirred awake.
“Oh God, how long were we out,” Carly asked, yawning at the last word.
Michael sat up and stretched his arms over his head. “Must’ve been hours since it’s almost sundown.”
“”Are Jason and Ramiele back yet?” Carly likewise sat up and rubbed the sleepiness out off her eyes.
“I dunno…” Michael failed to stifle a yawn. “Just woke up.”
He realized that Brooke wasn’t beside him, or anywhere in the room.
“Where’s Brooke?” asked Carly. She must have sensed Michael’s lingering thoughts.
Michael half shrugged. “She’s probably in the kitchen preparing dinner. I heard some noises when I woke up, so I assume that she was the one causing it.
“I’ll see if she needs help.”
“I’ll go with you,” Michael got up and followed Carly to the kitchen. They were both baffled when they found it empty but they could certainly smell the food that wafted through the air.
Carly found a note on the refrigerator and read it out loud. It was from Brooke. She said something about her back hurting so she needed to lie down properly on a bed. “She says here that if we need anything, we can find her in her room,” Carly read on. “Oh, and she said something about dinner. She cooked for us before she went back to sleep, I guess. And she likewise mentioned here that she won’t be joining us for dinner since she has already eaten.”
“Hey guys,” David’s voice almost startled them out of their wits.
“That smells good. What’s for dinner?” Cook was behind his boyfriend, raising his head as he sniffed.
=== &&&&& ===
When dinner was over and the kitchen had been cleared, Michael decided to check on Brooke. Since they had agreed not to separate, his three comrades trailed after him.
“Brooke?” Michael knocked once. But when he did not get any response, he knocked again. And Carly knocked on the door with him.
“She’s probably still asleep?” David said, leaning his ear against Brooke’s door.
“Maybe we can just go in and wake her up,” Cook suggested.
Carly went in first. The room was dark and rather cold. Michael felt for the light switch on the wall and when his hand found it, he flipped it up and sighed as light flooded throughout the bedroom. He almost ran into Carly when the woman halted. He followed her gaze to the bed and realized that Brooke wasn’t there.
“Where is she?” David inquired.
They looked everywhere in the room but Brooke was obviously gone.
“I’ll check downstairs,” Michael volunteered. “You guys stay here. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Before Carly could protest, Michael was already out the door. Cook was supposed to follow him but David had his shirt in a vice grip.
Carly had decided to look around to keep herself busy, that way she wouldn’t be restless while waiting for Michael to return. She never went through anyone’s stuff, but for some reason, she was tempted go through Brooke’s. She casually opened drawers and decorative boxes on the dresser and her eyes went wide when she saw a stack of papers with Brooke’s teenage picture stapled on it.
During tour rehearsals some years ago, they all went through a week of photo exchange, so Carly pretty much knew how her fellow finalists had looked like when they were younger. So she was certain it was Brooke’s younger self she was staring at. She took the papers from the box and skimmed through the pages. She wasn’t sure if her eyes could go any bigger when she read the context of the documents.
“Oh. My. Good. God,” Carly couldn’t help but exclaim. She stared at the page with her mouth hanging open.
“What’s that Carly?” Cook asked and he was soon standing beside the Irish woman, with David behind him.
Soon, both Cook and Carly were gasping. David curiously took several pictures of Brooke from one of the boxes on the dresser and looked through them.
“Wait a minute,” Cook suddenly exclaimed as he peered over the photos David was holding. “Wait just a minute.” He took one photo of Brooke hugging Dave from behind. “Where the fuck is Mikey?”
“He said he’d be back right away,” Carly said contemplatively.
“It’s been more than his ‘right away’ Carls,” Cook grumbled as he sorted the pictures he’d taken from David’s hands. “You and Archie stay here. I need to get something from our room.”
“NO!” David quickly grabbed Cook by the sleeve of his shirt. “We’ll go together.”
Cook nodded in agreement and they all made their way to the room he and David occupied. He was rummaging in the vanity drawer, searching; then he yelled, “Yes!” as he pulled out a plastic bag containing a cell phone and a bracelet.
Carly and David exchanged confused glances.
“Babe, hand me that picture I was looking at,” Cook held his hand out to David, who slipped the photo into his hand. Cook took out the silver bracelet with linked hearts and laid it on top of the picture.
“Oh my Gosh.” David breathed out.
The bracelet that Michael had found when Syesha vanished looked exactly the same as the one Brooke was wearing on the photo.
“Whose cell phone is this?” Carly had taken the phone out of the plastic.
“Michael presumed it was Chikezie’s,” Cook explained thoroughly where Michael had found it.
Carly was shaking her head. “This isn’t Chikezie’s. I know what his phone looks like, I was playing with it the other night.” She pressed the switch to turn the phone on and she gasped, tilting the gadget for the Davids to see and they all clearly saw the welcome message: ‘Welcome David Ray’.
=== &&&&& ===
“Michael!”
They’d been calling out the Australian’s name for the past half hour but he was nowhere to be found.
“Guys! Over here!” Carly was at the den staring at something on the wall. “Look,” she started as soon as Cook and David entered, “I knew there was a map here somewhere.” They were all staring at a framed map of the island.
“I remember Dave mentioning that there was another boat house somewhere,” Cook ran his finger on the surface of the map. “He said there’s a small motor boat that may be used for emergencies.”
“I think this is it,” David was pointing at a mark by the edge of the river.
“You’re a genius, babe,” Cook kissed him on the temple. “Come on, let’s go!”
They all rushed out into the night and Cook led them to the SUV. Cook slid on the driver’s side while David got on the passenger seat and Carly took the rear.
Cook inserted the key in the ignition and turned it, but the vehicle only made a screeching noise. “Fuck!” Cook got out and opened the hood and yelled a more strident, “Fuck!” before slamming it shut.
“Somebody messed up the starter,” Cook said as he opened the door to his side.
“We can take the jeep,” Carly said and added, “The keys are on the hallway table,” when Cook grumbled that he did not have the key.
Carly sprinted back to the house before either Cook or David could stop her.
“What was written on the papers that Carly was reading?” David said as he got out of the SUV and went around the front to stand beside his boyfriend.
“You wouldn’t want to know baby.”
“Please, Cook. What was it?”
Cook bit on his lip and pondered for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and stated, “Those were psychological analysis reports… on Brooke. Apparently, when she was a teenager, she suffered from schizophrenic disorder.”
David gaped at Cook, the look of dread spreading throughout his beautiful face.
“The report also said that Brooke had a tendency to hurt people. And it had been the doctors’ observation that these occurrences only happen after she spent time on this—“
Cook’s words died on his throat when they heard a terrifying scream from the manor.
“Carly,” the name that escaped David’s lips was accompanied by nothing but terror.
The lights throughout the manor flickered. Then Cook and Archie found themselves standing at the pale shadow of darkness.
Cook was the first to stir. He tried to move an inch but pain suddenly shot all throughout his body. It felt like a ten-story building had fallen on top of him. He felt a weight on his right arm and when he turned to look, he realized that it was David, who had used it as a pillow. He had gathered the younger man in his arms when he was dozing off during the early hours of the morning.
He slowly pulled his arm from underneath David’s head, careful not to wake him up. He grabbed one of the couch pillows that were scattered all over the floor and replaced his arm with it. Cook gazed at David, and it was only then that he noticed the little changes on his boyfriend’s features. Though the younger man had maintained the soft curves of his cheeks, the edges of his jaw had become more prominent, more manly. He could see the faintest traces of stubbles along the sides of his face and his lips looked fuller than they had.
Cook remained propped up on his elbow for a while marveling at his boyfriend’s beauty before he sat up to glance across the room. Michael was out cold on the carpeted floor just beneath their feet and Jason lay near him. The three remaining women were snuggled up on the couch, their breaths heavy and even.
Everyone had refused to sleep after they discerned that Stacy was missing. They’d searched the premises together, agreeing to stick together as a group. Carly and Ramiele, having been the last two people who saw Stacy before her mysterious disappearance, had relayed their stories but they couldn’t find any connection that could help them determine what happened.
Cook made his way to the kitchen. He was in desperate need of his daily dose of caffeine. He kept himself preoccupied, preparing the first pot in the morning, as he pieced together in his mind all the information he had gathered from the articles that Michael had shown him and Jason the night before; all the clues Michael had found from the area where Chikezie had been last and where Syesha had disappeared from and the things that Jason had found in the hidden cabin by the river.
He was pouring himself a cup when he heard someone clear his throat, slightly startling him that he almost dropped the pot he was holding.
David stood at the kitchen’s entryway with a tired smile gracing his face. He walked up to Cook and allowed himself to be enclosed in his strong biceps.
Cook planted a kiss on top of David’s head when the younger man buried his face into Cook’s neck, inhaling deeply.
“I missed your scent,” David muttered against Cook’s skin.
“My scent?”
“Mhmm… You know… that musky, masculine way your skin smells and the sweet scent of your sweat,” David kissed a spot on Cook’s collarbone softly, then grazed his teeth lightly on the surface of his neck, sucking and licking his way to Cook’s ear, and swirled his tongue along the outer shell sensually before nibbling at his earlobe.
Cook felt his pants tightening and he ignored the fact that it felt uncomfortable since he had slept with jeans on. He was too focused on the pleasure that David’s tongue and lips was giving him that he wasn’t aware of the gratifying moans that escaped his lips and the way the sounds he was making spurred the younger man on.
David slowly ran his palm on Cook’s belly, lifting his shirt as his hands made their way up Cook’s torso; then he playfully flicked his nipples with his thumb, making Cook arch forward, offering more of himself to his lover.
Too delirious to pay attention to David’s every move, Cook had not noticed that the younger man had dropped to his knees, had not been aware of his jeans being unbuttoned and its zipper being lowered, had not sensed the front waistband of his boxers being pulled down, but he definitely felt something warm and wet engulfing his pulsating erection and his eyes shot open when he felt warm fingers giving a gentle but stimulating tug on its base.
The slurping sound soon followed and Cook watched as his cock constantly disappeared and reappeared into and from David’s mouth. He could hardly control the whimpering sound that vibrated in his throat and he couldn’t stop himself from exclaiming, “Fuck baby! That feels good!”
Before he knew it, his body was shivering as he spurted his come down David’s throat.
They were back to kissing, their tongues battling wildly for dominance, when someone gasped, “Oh my God! Can’t you guys do that in your room?”
Cook frantically zipped up his pants and David combed his hair with his fingers in an attempt to make it look decent, and not like Cook had been grasping at it.
“Jeez guys, don’t bother straightening up,” Carly grinned at them and started meandering around the kitchen. “It’s not like I’m not used to it.”
“Gee, thanks Carly. That’s pretty encouraging,” Cook grinned back at her while David buried his face in Cook’s chest to hide the tinge of pinkish color that was rapidly spreading through his face.
Carly grabbed the pot of coffee from the counter where Cook was leaning and poured the dark liquid into a mug. She smiled at the two men who were then snuggling and she uttered, “I’m just glad you two are back together. You’re so meant to be, you know.”
“Good morning guys.” Brooke was practically dragging herself across the floor. Some hair strands were stuck on her tear-stained face and her arms hung limply on her sides. Cook could tell she was exhausted, even if she had denied it countless times.
“Hey Brooke, how are you feeling?” David greeted before opening the refrigerator and poking his head inside it.
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck,” Brooke’s voice croaked.
Carly set her coffee mug on top of the island and quickly rounded it to get to Brooke. “Oh sweetie,” Carly said, placing her arm around Brooke’s shoulders while her other hand grasped lightly on their hostess’ arm, “Why don’t you get back to sleep? I’ll prepare breakfast.”
“Oh no,” Brooke broke from Carly’s half hug, “I need to keep myself busy, otherwise I’m going to end up being schizophrenic.”
David’s head snapped up and met Cook’s gaze; his hand holding a slightly tilted carton of orange juice over a glass paused in mid air.
Schizophrenic. Cook knew that the word had sparked something in David’s mind, the way the younger man looked apprehensive at the mention of it. He had told David about the articles that Michael had shown them and he had given him bits and pieces of the information they had gathered.
Ignoring David’s reaction and Cook’s silence, the two women had started preparing food, pushing them both out of the kitchen. Cook couldn’t help but smirk when Carly suggested, “Why don’t you two continue what you were doing in your room? But don’t get separated okay? We all have to be cautious.”
Around twenty minutes later, David’s back was gliding against the tiled bathroom wall, his mouth open in a silent scream, his fingernails scraping the surface of the tiles as he desperately searched for something to grab so he could hold on for dear life, his heart beating rapidly as the sensation of Cook’s thrusts overwhelmed his fervent mind.
Cook continued to drive his burning cock into David, adjusting his hip on an angle that allowed him to hit David’s sensitive spot, which sent shivers of pleasure throughout his body. David tightened his legs around Cook’s waist when he felt his orgasm building up. And soon they were screaming their release.
They were toweling each other dry when they heard a knock on their bedroom door, followed by Michael’s voice calling out their names.
“Be right there, Mikey!” Cook yelled in response and he quickly slipped on a pair of fresh boxers and jeans before running to the door to let Michael in.
David closed the door to the bathroom while he got dressed, listening to the sound of the two men’s voices outside.
“Carly asked me to call you guys down for breakfast,” David heard Michael uttered solemnly.
“Thanks man,” Cook responded. “How are you holding up?”
David decided not to listen to the rest of the conversation. It pained him to see Michael panic in the most appalling way when Stacy did not return to their room after midnight. He couldn’t bear to watch the man who he was most accustomed to seeing in high spirits breakdown in fear that something dreadful might have happened to his wife.
Breakfast was relatively quiet. The only words heard were ‘please pass the syrup’ or ‘more coffee please’ or ‘anyone want more eggs?’
David volunteered to clean up while the rest of the group resumed their task of searching for their missing friends or at least trying to find clues that might help them determine what was really happening. Cook didn’t want to leave him but David pointed out that he was certain he’ll be safe as long as he stayed inside the house and he promised to do just that when he practically pushed Cook outside to join Michael and the rest.
He had finished rinsing the utensils and had placed them in the dishwasher along with the plates and glasses and mugs when David had an instinctive feeling that he was being watched.
He whipped his head around and gasped when he saw a hooded figure outside the kitchen window. But it was gone quickly before his mind could even register that someone was out there. His heart pounded so loudly that the sound reverberated in his ears.
His first impulse was to walk over to the window and see who the stranger was. It could be Dave. Or Kristy. Or Syesha. Or Chikezie. Or even Stacy. They must have had a good reason for hiding. That was the simplest explanation David could come up with to explain their disappearances. Because he refused to believe that something as serious as an inheritance conspiracy as Cook had suggested or as bizarre as a supernatural occurrence as Michael had insinuated were probable causes. But intuition kicked in and he felt like his feet were planted on the ground.
His self-control over his curiosity did not last long, however, because David found himself walking along the corridors that led to the southern part of the manor, which he had not gotten a chance to explore. He could hear footsteps, like several pairs of feet rushing about inside one of the rooms. He could hear whispers, like foreign languages spoken in hushed voices.
He could hear…
“David.”
He could hear someone calling his name. Or Cook’s name. It had been a common practice to wonder whether the ‘David’ being called was he or Cook every time they were at a same place. But Cook wasn’t around. He was the only David…
“David.”
Someone called out again. The voice didn’t sound familiar but the way it uttered his name was. The voice, in fact, sounded like it was coming from afar, or more like it was muffled. A cool breeze went past him and he could feel an eerie tingle rushing through his veins and down his spine.
The rational part of his brain was telling him to get the hell out of there. David backed up slowly. He could see the door to the study at the end of the hallway shaking. He knew he shouldn’t just turn his back on it because he’d seen horror movies, and that was how the victims usually ended up being victims.
He reached out his hand and felt for the wall, using it as a guide to find his way back to the manor’s frontage. When he saw the slightest hint of movement on the door to the study, he spun around and made a dash for it, turning to the passageway leading to the living room. He was almost at the foyer, his mind racing with the unthinkable, distraughtly hoping that the others were near the premises, when he felt something cold suddenly grabbed his arm and the force made him bounce back and collide against a body and the impulsive scream escaped his throat, “Aaaahhhh!!!”
“Whoa, whoa,” the voice gave David the courage to open his eyes and look up and relief swept over every fiber of his being when he saw Cook’s face, etched with worry, but it was still Cook.
“Omigosh!” David crashed into Cook’s chest, his arms encircling Cook’s middle, which he unknowingly squeezed tightly.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Cook’s asked in a calm and caring tone, gently pushing David at half an arms length to study his face, squeezing his biceps in reassurance.
David relayed what had happened after a lot of coaxing from his boyfriend. And Cook simply gathered him in his arms. Cook’s embrace had a certain calming effect and David’s breathing soon returned to normal, and his heartbeat got back to its usual pace.
“Are you guys all right?” A girl’s voice made them both jump. “Oh… sorry. Was I interrupting anything?” Ramiele asked timidly.
“It’s okay Rami,” Cook responded with his lop-sided smile. “Did you guys find anything?”
“Yeah, Stacy’s scarf,” Ramiele’s face turned somber.
“There’s something else, isn’t there?” David had not meant to say it out loud but his thoughts had unintentionally slipped through his lips.
“The…” Ramiele paused and decided to study the floor for a while. Then she sucked up a breath, and looked up, her voice quivering, “The scarf we found had b-blood on it. We don’t know if it’s Stacy’s but…” Her words faded as she went back to gazing interestedly on the floor patterns.
“Hey,” Cook stepped forward and slung an arm around the petite girl. “Let’s try to be positive and hope that she’s fine, that they’re all fine.”
“What else did you find other than the scarf, Rami?” David asked. Judging from the look on the girl’s face, David somehow had a feeling that she had more to say.
“Jason found a rusty knife beside it,” Ramiele muttered. “It… it was likewise covered in blood.”
They had agreed not to separate, but the newly found clues had made Jason restless and he had tried to convince everyone that they search throughout the island once more.
However, the clues they found had driven Michael to a crying fit and Carly and Cook took turns consoling the Australian. Brooke had weakly sank on the couch and likewise wept. So David sat with Brooke, trying to calm the woman down.
Ramiele felt so useless at the moment. She couldn’t even work up a nerve to console her friends. So she stood in a corner and watched the others deal with the fucked-up situation.
“What the fuck is going on anyway,” Michael spat. “Does anyone else other than me think that this is beyond normal?”
“Sssh… We all think so too, Mikey,” Carly said as she continued to rub circles on Michael’s back. “And we don’t like it any more than you do.”
“Somebody must be behind this,” Michael straightened up and gazed around the room. “Maybe it’s one of us.”
“Now, now. That’s the silliest thing to say,” Carly cooed.
“Silliest thing, huh?” Michael looked at Carly with bloodshot eyes. “Maybe you had something to do with Stacy’s disappearance.”
Carly’s mouth dropped open. “Me? You’re accusing me? Well, fuck you Johns!”
“You already did sweetie,” Michael snapped back sarcastically.
“Well…” Ramiele spoke up, knowing she’d regret what she was about to say but she had to express what was going through her mind. “You were the one who last saw Stacy, Carls.”
Carly narrowed her eyes. “What about you Rami, you were there too. How can I be so sure you did not wait for me to go back upstairs so you could move in on Stacy?”
“For what? I have no motive!”
“Or maybe you’re the one who abducted Syesha,” Carly hissed, her eyes darkening. “Don’t think I didn’t hear your little fight yesterday.”
“Yeah, I heard that too,” David piped in but quickly recoiled when Cook looked at him in a stay-out-of-this kind of way.
“Well I bet you know why Kristy’s missing,” Ramiele could feel her temper rising. “What did you do to her Carls? Did you drown her?”
“Excuse me, but you were there when Kristy apologized. And I accepted her apology,” Carly retorted, her face now reddening in anger.
“Where were you when she was at the lake?” Jason, who had been watching the silently, asked in an almost hushed voice.
“I left the lake with Syesha. Rami, again, was the last to have seen her. Then I got dressed and joined Cook and David to search for Dave.” Carly then paused and looked at Jason accusingly. “What about you Jase? You also had a run in with Kristy, like the rest of us, the other night. Where were you when she was at the lake?”
“I was with Ramiele!” Jason said in a raised voice. “We went out to search for Dave together, remember?”
“Uhm… Jase?” Ramiele started. “It took me around twenty minutes to shower and change before we left.”
“That means you had twenty minutes to go down the lake and drown Kristy,” Michael said, pointing a finger at Jason.
“Are you accusing me? You fucking piece of…” Jason’s voice trailed away. He remained silent for a couple of minutes, looking around at his friends. Then, with a sigh, he spoke, “It’s happening. It’s the island… fucking with our brains.”
As if a certain revelation dawned on him, Michael tugged on his hair with both his hands and said, “Fucking shit. You’re right Castro. We’re turning on each other.”
“That’s why I tried not to say anything,” Cook finally spoke up. “I think the more you surrender to the temptation, the more it feeds on your anger.:
“What? What temptation? What island? What the fuck is going on?” Carly blurted out, looking alternately between Michael and Jason.
Jason briefly explained what they had discovered based on the articles that Michael found.
Brooke looked disheartened. “Uh-I… I never knew… I didn’t know. Oh gosh. If only I knew.”
“Of course, that’s just one theory,” Jason shifted from his position at the entryway. “We shouldn’t rule out the possibility that we are not alone on this island. I’m going back to the cabin I found by the river. Who’s coming with me?”
After they had lunch and spent half an hour recuperating from exhaustion, they all took the three remaining vehicles and headed out towards the western part of the island.
Jason took the car with Ramiele while the rest rode on one of the SUVs. Jason drove ahead, having been there before.
They were almost at the clearing that both Ramiele and Jason had declared their landmark when they drove through it the day before when an alarming explosion suddenly broke the silence of the vicinity.
Having been caught by surprise, it took a while for Jason to maintain control of the car as it swerved off the path. When it finally stopped, Ramiele and Jason hurriedly got off to confirm their suspicion that the blast they heard was issued from the vehicle. Sure enough, they found both tires at the right side of the care deflated.
Jason bent over to inspect the damage and discovered something stuck on the surface of the rubber. He picked one of the tiny objects and brought it closer to his face. “Spikes,” Jason mumbled. “Well that proves my theory that there is certainly someone else on this island, unless one of the guys were brilliant enough to put spikes on the road before we got here.”
“That’s impossible. We left ahead of everyone else,” Ramiele stated. She looked around as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
“Something wrong?” Jason got up and stretched his legs.
“I need to pee.”
“Why the hell didn’t you go before we left the manor!”
“Well, I’m sorry. You were in a hurry so I had no choice but to follow you.”
“Fine!” Jason ran a hand over his face in frustration. “You go behind those bushes. I’ll keep watch.”
Ramiele did as she was told. Her voice floated from behind the bushes as soon as her head disappeared behind them. “You know Kristy was right the other night…. You should have asked Mandy to marry you when you had a chance.”
“Will you just freaking hurry up!” Jason yelled, his voice bouncing against the trees. He could hear the rustling behind the bushes. Several minutes had gone by and Ramiele had not emerged from the bushes. He hadn’t even noticed that the rustling had ceased.
“Rami?” Jason called out and when he did not get a response, he called out again. And again. But there was no sign of Ramiele. He swallowed his fear and walked over to the bushes where she had been and found nothing.
Ramiele was gone.
Jason started wondering where his friends were. It hadn’t occurred to him that ample time had passed and the others should have driven by already. He made his way back to the car to search for his phone, but then he hit his forehead on the side of the roof when he remembered that their phones were useless since they could no longer pick up a signal to get service.
He felt his stomach clench when he heard something growling from a distance. He stood still and waited for the sound to arise once more. And this time, the growling was coming nearer and he felt that whatever it was that emitted the hair-raising sound was coming towards him. He whirled around but there was no sign of life or whatever.
Finally deciding that waiting around would probably get his name up in the obituary the next day, Jason sprinted along the path he had driven the car through. He ran as fast as his feet could carry him, not noticing the log protruding from the side of the road. He tripped on the fallen branch of a tree and fell face down with an, “Oomph.”
He tried to move, but his leg hurt. And both his arms felt numb, and he presumed it must have been because he used them to break his fall. But then he thought of the growling sound and he struggled to rise. He was on his knees, propped up on both arms when he felt something suddenly yank him from behind. Before he knew it, something cold covered his mouth and nose and the smell that resembled something decaying made him feel dizzy. The ground spun under his feet. His last thought was of his mother.
“If we walk ahead, we won’t know where we’re going because Jason might already be there by now,” Carly assessed the distance from the area where the vehicle lost their tires due to spikes that were scattered across the ground
“I think we should head back to the manor,” David said, his hand curled around Cook’s arm. “We have only driven for like fifteen? Twenty minutes? It shouldn’t be far.”
It wasn’t far indeed. Cook found a slope which they climbed to see better where they were going and they immediately spotted the manor and simply followed the trail, keeping the house in sight.
“Jason and Ramiele are probably wondering where we are by now,” Michael uttered as he collapsed on the couch.
“I’m pretty sure they’ll head back once they realize we’re not behind them,” Brooke said, sitting beside Michael.
Cook, David and Carly occupied the couch across from them. David scooted beside Cook and nuzzled the crook of Cook’s neck.
They didn’t realize they had dozed off until Michael was roused by a loud thud somewhere in the house and noticed that it was almost dark outside. He could see through the window that the sky was a mixed color of orange and dark gray.
His eyes fell on the men across him. Cook and David had their arms wrapped around each other; Cook had lain on his back while David had lain on his stomach on top of Cook. He had always thought when the two got together during the idol tour that they were meant for each other. He had never seen two people who loved each other as much as the Davids did and he had felt bad when the two had broken up. He and Stacy had often talked about them and hoped that they would get back together. He could only smile at the thought that they were now back in each other’s arms.
He broke his gaze on the lovers when Carly stirred awake.
“Oh God, how long were we out,” Carly asked, yawning at the last word.
Michael sat up and stretched his arms over his head. “Must’ve been hours since it’s almost sundown.”
“”Are Jason and Ramiele back yet?” Carly likewise sat up and rubbed the sleepiness out off her eyes.
“I dunno…” Michael failed to stifle a yawn. “Just woke up.”
He realized that Brooke wasn’t beside him, or anywhere in the room.
“Where’s Brooke?” asked Carly. She must have sensed Michael’s lingering thoughts.
Michael half shrugged. “She’s probably in the kitchen preparing dinner. I heard some noises when I woke up, so I assume that she was the one causing it.
“I’ll see if she needs help.”
“I’ll go with you,” Michael got up and followed Carly to the kitchen. They were both baffled when they found it empty but they could certainly smell the food that wafted through the air.
Carly found a note on the refrigerator and read it out loud. It was from Brooke. She said something about her back hurting so she needed to lie down properly on a bed. “She says here that if we need anything, we can find her in her room,” Carly read on. “Oh, and she said something about dinner. She cooked for us before she went back to sleep, I guess. And she likewise mentioned here that she won’t be joining us for dinner since she has already eaten.”
“Hey guys,” David’s voice almost startled them out of their wits.
“That smells good. What’s for dinner?” Cook was behind his boyfriend, raising his head as he sniffed.
When dinner was over and the kitchen had been cleared, Michael decided to check on Brooke. Since they had agreed not to separate, his three comrades trailed after him.
“Brooke?” Michael knocked once. But when he did not get any response, he knocked again. And Carly knocked on the door with him.
“She’s probably still asleep?” David said, leaning his ear against Brooke’s door.
“Maybe we can just go in and wake her up,” Cook suggested.
Carly went in first. The room was dark and rather cold. Michael felt for the light switch on the wall and when his hand found it, he flipped it up and sighed as light flooded throughout the bedroom. He almost ran into Carly when the woman halted. He followed her gaze to the bed and realized that Brooke wasn’t there.
“Where is she?” David inquired.
They looked everywhere in the room but Brooke was obviously gone.
“I’ll check downstairs,” Michael volunteered. “You guys stay here. I’ll be back before you know it.”
Before Carly could protest, Michael was already out the door. Cook was supposed to follow him but David had his shirt in a vice grip.
Carly had decided to look around to keep herself busy, that way she wouldn’t be restless while waiting for Michael to return. She never went through anyone’s stuff, but for some reason, she was tempted go through Brooke’s. She casually opened drawers and decorative boxes on the dresser and her eyes went wide when she saw a stack of papers with Brooke’s teenage picture stapled on it.
During tour rehearsals some years ago, they all went through a week of photo exchange, so Carly pretty much knew how her fellow finalists had looked like when they were younger. So she was certain it was Brooke’s younger self she was staring at. She took the papers from the box and skimmed through the pages. She wasn’t sure if her eyes could go any bigger when she read the context of the documents.
“Oh. My. Good. God,” Carly couldn’t help but exclaim. She stared at the page with her mouth hanging open.
“What’s that Carly?” Cook asked and he was soon standing beside the Irish woman, with David behind him.
Soon, both Cook and Carly were gasping. David curiously took several pictures of Brooke from one of the boxes on the dresser and looked through them.
“Wait a minute,” Cook suddenly exclaimed as he peered over the photos David was holding. “Wait just a minute.” He took one photo of Brooke hugging Dave from behind. “Where the fuck is Mikey?”
“He said he’d be back right away,” Carly said contemplatively.
“It’s been more than his ‘right away’ Carls,” Cook grumbled as he sorted the pictures he’d taken from David’s hands. “You and Archie stay here. I need to get something from our room.”
“NO!” David quickly grabbed Cook by the sleeve of his shirt. “We’ll go together.”
Cook nodded in agreement and they all made their way to the room he and David occupied. He was rummaging in the vanity drawer, searching; then he yelled, “Yes!” as he pulled out a plastic bag containing a cell phone and a bracelet.
Carly and David exchanged confused glances.
“Babe, hand me that picture I was looking at,” Cook held his hand out to David, who slipped the photo into his hand. Cook took out the silver bracelet with linked hearts and laid it on top of the picture.
“Oh my Gosh.” David breathed out.
The bracelet that Michael had found when Syesha vanished looked exactly the same as the one Brooke was wearing on the photo.
“Whose cell phone is this?” Carly had taken the phone out of the plastic.
“Michael presumed it was Chikezie’s,” Cook explained thoroughly where Michael had found it.
Carly was shaking her head. “This isn’t Chikezie’s. I know what his phone looks like, I was playing with it the other night.” She pressed the switch to turn the phone on and she gasped, tilting the gadget for the Davids to see and they all clearly saw the welcome message: ‘Welcome David Ray’.
“Michael!”
They’d been calling out the Australian’s name for the past half hour but he was nowhere to be found.
“Guys! Over here!” Carly was at the den staring at something on the wall. “Look,” she started as soon as Cook and David entered, “I knew there was a map here somewhere.” They were all staring at a framed map of the island.
“I remember Dave mentioning that there was another boat house somewhere,” Cook ran his finger on the surface of the map. “He said there’s a small motor boat that may be used for emergencies.”
“I think this is it,” David was pointing at a mark by the edge of the river.
“You’re a genius, babe,” Cook kissed him on the temple. “Come on, let’s go!”
They all rushed out into the night and Cook led them to the SUV. Cook slid on the driver’s side while David got on the passenger seat and Carly took the rear.
Cook inserted the key in the ignition and turned it, but the vehicle only made a screeching noise. “Fuck!” Cook got out and opened the hood and yelled a more strident, “Fuck!” before slamming it shut.
“Somebody messed up the starter,” Cook said as he opened the door to his side.
“We can take the jeep,” Carly said and added, “The keys are on the hallway table,” when Cook grumbled that he did not have the key.
Carly sprinted back to the house before either Cook or David could stop her.
“What was written on the papers that Carly was reading?” David said as he got out of the SUV and went around the front to stand beside his boyfriend.
“You wouldn’t want to know baby.”
“Please, Cook. What was it?”
Cook bit on his lip and pondered for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and stated, “Those were psychological analysis reports… on Brooke. Apparently, when she was a teenager, she suffered from schizophrenic disorder.”
David gaped at Cook, the look of dread spreading throughout his beautiful face.
“The report also said that Brooke had a tendency to hurt people. And it had been the doctors’ observation that these occurrences only happen after she spent time on this—“
Cook’s words died on his throat when they heard a terrifying scream from the manor.
“Carly,” the name that escaped David’s lips was accompanied by nothing but terror.
The lights throughout the manor flickered. Then Cook and Archie found themselves standing at the pale shadow of darkness.
=== continued on the Finale ===
=========================================================
Wanna find out what happens in the end?
Leave me a comment and let me know you're still with me on this story.
no subject
no subject
not complaining, not at all. just kinda surprised. be back with comments as soon as i finish.
NB: place my "work" on hold. don't tell my boss. :D
no subject
enewez, the start was pretty uhmmm.. daring i might say. as i got over that scene, took awhile, tbt; i found myself holding my breath. my mind kept saying one of them is behind these, but who that i have no idea.
imagine my surprise when some medical records were found! but for the life of me i am still holding off judgment until the very end. *shrugs* i keep thinking that it is one sick, cruel and diabolical practical joke. whoa!
can't wait for the conclusion... :D
no subject
Holy crap, I really can't wait until the next chapter. ♥
no subject
no subject
I didn't thought it woul dbe Brooke... It would have been anyone, really, but Brooke... Why?
Is it tomorrow already? I need my fix of this series!
no subject
no subject
And the Davids are so cute together. please continue!
no subject
damn, i was totally right hahaha i knew it would be the adorable, innocent one <3
THIS STORY, I AM STILL IN EET.
no subject
no subject
♥
no subject
I'm tres excited for the next installment. You're doing great, hun!
no subject
Everyone's disappearing, and to be honest, I'm always relieved that Cook and Archie are still OK!!
The boys are so dear to my heart. I'd fall apart if something happened to one of them!
Oh, the kitchen scene was hotttt,and oh so daring with everyone in the next room!
Please update soon! This is so addictive (a real page-turner!)
Clover! I'll be waiting........<3
no subject
I love this fic. More soon? Please?
no subject
Just..OH MY GOD. This chapter was so epic and surprising in so many ways. Way to build the suspense :O
(And the Davids were absolutely adorable in this.)
no subject
I LOVE THIS SO FREAKIN MUCH!
I've been waiting all day to read it!
*dies* at the part where David was taking about Cook's scent. omg....LOVEEEEEEEEEEED IT!!!
I can't wait for the next part!
no subject
no subject
Dear AI 7, how many times do I have to say, "Don't split up!"?? *wibbles*
I kinda want this to be a movie. Think of it! Dave and Archie running around all being the heroes and stuff. YES.