Crooked Halos

Screaming.

It wakes us up and Ryan, clearly not used to the disturbing wake-up call looks like he’s about to run and help but a look from Brendon keeps him in place.

It’s a guy, and it sounds like he’s in real pain… then there’s silence. Just a cold, rather creepy silence in which the ones of us that were woken up look around uneasily until Shannon notices something that the rest of us overlooked.

“Where’s Pete?”

I sit bolt upright, eyes wide and by the looks of it nearly everyone who’s awake at this ungodly hour has just had the same thought.

Much scuffling and the five of us are out the door, still not wearing anything besides our boxers.

Jared’s eyes are wide and he keeps looking around and twitching randomly, Ryan just looks like he’s about to wet himself, he’s even grasping Brendons hand for comfort – not that Brendon’s complaining, I imagine.

Shannon looks more alert than normal, muscles tensed as we pad down the corridor in the general direction the screams were coming from We pass a clock and, oh fuck, it can’t only be three in the morning, can it?

It’s so dark and Jared keeps whispering that we’re gonna die if the wardens catch us.

“We should go back.”

“What about Pete?” Shannon sounds stubborn, eyes flashing as he wheels around to face his older brother.

“Bastard’s probably in the toilet or something; let’s go back…”

“Let’s not.” We all turn to gape at Ryan.

His face set and his amber eyes glowing, he shifts his steely gaze to Jared.

“Even if Pete is in the toilet, whoever was screaming needs our help, we can’t just stand here.”

“Fuck this – fuck you guys.” Jared sets off down the corridor into the dark and the remaining four of us exchange glances, locked in silence, none of us wanting to break it.

Somewhere Jared stumbles and we hear cursing at first but within seconds it’s a scream, horrified; terrified.

We run to where he’s standing next to the limp figure on the floor, but it’s not Pete.

Kyla.

Eyes wide, Jared backs away from where the girl lies motionless in a pool of crimson, shaking his head.

“No, no, no… no…”

“Oh my god…” Shannon’s not looking at the body on floor and one by one we follow his gaze upwards.

The result is instantaneous.

Ryan staggers backwards and vomits, Brendon looks torn between shock and disgust, Jared goes sheet white and I find myself wishing I had a camera.

We found Pete.

***

We’re all called into the office, one by one.

Shouted at for not staying in bed, questioned as to why we were out of bed… questioned until I find myself trying not to go insane… but I’m not a suspect.

Neither is Shannon, or Ryan, or Brendon, or Jared.

They know who killed Pete, or they think they do anyway.

Why else would Kyla have been unconscious in a pool of Pete’s blood, mixed in with her own where she obviously tried to slit her own throat?

She failed.

I don’t know what’s happened to her, she’s been put in isolation and questioned even worse than me.

“Is this the body you found?” The warden puts a picture of Pete on the desk and I nod, the image of his corpse floating gruesomely before my eyes.

Whoever killed him was one sick fucker.

Dangling from the light by his arms, strips of his own flesh ripped off with a knife and forced down his throat… same knife as they found Kyla holding…

They have so much evidence against her, but it couldn’t have been her – she had nothing against Pete.

Walking past the room where they’re keeping her and I can hear her screams, muffled by the door and padded walls, but I can still hear them. She’s shouting at someone, screaming about blood, death…

“Don’t hurt me! Please…”

And then there’s just the flat out screaming.

I walk away quickly, not even wanting to think about what’s happening.

***

“She did it.”

“Excuse me?” wiLs eyes flash in the direction of Davey who just arches an eyebrow.

“I’m just saying, she’s the only one who had reason to.”

“I’m sorry, am I missing something here?”

Christ, he’s so stubborn.

“Jesus… wiL, have you even seen your nose recently?”

Yeah, apparently wiL and Pete got into a bit of a scuffle last night while I was outside. Whatever happened, Pete ended up breaking wiLs nose.

“Ky didn’t do it.” It’s Frank that speaks up this time. “She couldn’t have.”

“Oh my god, is Frank Iero actually sticking up for someone?” Jade spits sarcastically with almost unnatural venom in his voice before glancing apologetically at Gerard.

“I’m just saying, Ky never seemed like the sort of person who would be able to pull off a murder, let alone one like that.”

There’s silence while we try to digest what he’s saying.

“If she did it, she’d have needed help.” Brendon says slowly while Ryans amber eyes light up from beside him. “Think about it logically, she wasn’t all that strong. There is no way she could have restrained Pete, dragged him two hundred meters down the corridors and then strung him from the lights.”

Silence, and then…

“You know what, Urie? You’re right.”

We all consider what Gerard’s saying and suddenly it makes sense.

“We need to tell the wardens.” Ryan says, hopping down from Brendons bunk. “We can’t just let them-”

The door bursts open and Gabe runs in before anyone can say another word. His eyes are wild and his hair is fucked and he’s shouting something that doesn’t quite make sense and then he’s running again.

Only wiL and Shannon followed him.

Apparently they saw Ky for the last time.

She was being taken away, tears streaming down her face, hands cradling broken fingers and bruises littering pale skin.

We all heard the gunshot. We all saw the smoke from the bonfire.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened.