Not finished

Just as the teens gathered before the old beat abandoned house, they glanced at one another not saying a word as an eerie breeze seemed to move about the motionless house. "Atlas! we finally made it to the house!" belted John. "Shhhhh!" hissed the other three as they looked around cautiously. "This house is still under investigation" said Ryan. "This is our chance to solve the case!?" exclaimed Rodney in Johns defense. "I just want to catch the person who is doing all of this to the kids!" as he wiped a tear from his face. "Where did CARTER GO!?!"



John, was a short stature young boy, he was the new kid of the group who moved from somewhere in New York. We liked to blame where he was from on why he acted the way he did. You know like a hard ass. He was your average New York teen hailing from Queens, New York. He could always be seen in Yankees gear, from the hat to the beanies and lanyard. He had jet black hair and scar over his left ear when he played baseball. It was like he never owned a pair of shorts just plain blue jeans that never were clean. "Stop being a wuss, they are obviously done with the investigation" "If they weren't they would still be here". It was like he almost made perfect sense, but something in me was saying run and NEVER COME BACK. Ryan was the oldest in the group. She was also the tallest in the group as well. She had fiery red hair that was seen from a block away. Really tough and rarely showed her soft side. She was like any coming of age teen wanted to be out and free with her friends unbothered. She would love to do things like a regular teen her age would. She always sported a necklace given to her by her father with a picture of the family of four. She never seemed accustomed to wearing a dress but loves vintage tees from the 80's. Most of her time she would be seen with her brother Rodney. They were inseparable due to the fact that their parents had passed at a young age to a terrible accident. Rodney was the younger brother and looked up to his sister for being strong for both of them from what happened. Rodney was a good kid but had to grow up very fast in a sense due to his parents untimely death. Even though people see his sister Ryan and himself as polar opposites they were blood siblings. He wore a green hoodie with a vest over. he had dark brown hair and freckles to match. Despite Rodney being as silent as he is he was really intelligent, and was the smartest of the group said by John but he would never admit it. He was also sort of the push over. Getting into trouble for not things he had done but for who he was associated with. Especially when it came to his best friend Carter. Carter was Rodney's best friend who happened to live next door. The slender dirty blonde haired teen always was spotted wearing a navy blue hoodie with some faded jeans. H was just as tall if not an inch taller than his best friend Rodney. To best describe Carter is to say he was the real life Dennis The Menace. Often getting into all types of shenanigans and as a result to being friends with Carter comes alot of trouble. Carter was believed to be acting out as a product of a broken home. His dad left his ill-stricken mother when he was just 8 years of age. His dad Mr. Davis used to be a stand up guy full of life not that drunken bastard Carter would tell us. He was actually a nice guy but what sent him over the edge was that he spent all their life savings on Mrs. Davis and their medical bills that he couldn't keep up and ended up doing time for petty crimes. He was in and out so much the town folk would actually make wages on how long he would be out for and when he would end right back in "the hole". He was so hurt from losing the money for his wife was still unresponsive that he just up and left and never came back. I give it up to Carter and how strong he is dealing with that but I had my own demons l was dealing with. After his dad left I my family and I moved into the house next door to Carter, ever since then it was all history from there. One night he had told me the whole story to me about is parents, I never looked at him the same. To have something so tragic happen and for him to be in a good mood always, that was the only time that I have ever seen him cry to do good no matter what. Amidst his tears he vowed that he would be better than his dad but was viewed at by the towns folk as becoming his dad instead.

One night the boys and Ryan were hanging out at Carter's aunts house, this was a weekend routine for the boys and that John would always be late coming over since he had very odd parents. So odd that they have only been seen a handful of times and the times that I have gone over there they are never home. Always struck me as odd but at the same time it couldnt be too weird since John was just like your average somewhere up state New Yorker. "Good evening ladies" said John as he carried in some bottles of apple cider that we would pretend was the finest champagne. "I have a special treat for you fellas" with an almost sinister laugh he shows a news paper from back in New York. "What is it?" we all asked in unison. "Its a paper from back in New York you wise guys.....and girl" We all knew that John had feelings for Ryan but he didnt want to admit cause he was embarrassed at their height difference. "Okaaaaaay, what about it?" replied Ryan with some irritation. "Lo and behold its about a group of kids that went missing and their bodies found scattered throughout the town" silence fell upon the group. "The kids went missing as they went in a supposed abandoned house". I grabbed the paper for myself tuning out the voice of John as I gaze over the paper. Title read "Bodies of missing teens found: Feet still missing and eyes and mouths closed shut". This intrigued me, not because of what happened but what was the main picture. It showed a scary looking house that looked as if it were staring at me through the windows of my soul. Crazy I thought to myself to think that a picture of a house could make me feel uncomfortable. I examine the picture further on noticing a crying elderly man. I was so into reading the paper my heart was racing and my palms beginning to sweat. The paper was so old that the ends were deteriorating. "Hey! be careful with that!" as John grabbed the paper. Ryan of course stands up to protest John and says " what is your point?" "Well I was eavesdropping on the teachers at school and they said that the same thing is happening in the next town over!!" John had this look of excitement that a puppy has seeing his master home from a long day at work. "Thats going to be a hard No!" said Ryan Abruptly.. "There is no way in hell I would go let alone let you go Rodney so dont even think about it" now with her arms folded she glared at John like he stole something. Carter then stood up and said quietly, "This....is.....my chance." "This is.....my chance.....to prove to everyone that im not going to be like my dad". Carter had always carried this chip on his shoulder, from people always looking at him like he was just a out cast he had something to prove, despite always finding trouble. "See Carter knows what im trying to do" John said "All im trying to do is be the one who catch this guy and bring him or her into justice" Carter grabs the paper from John and says "we need to get on the web and get as much information as possible". This sense of urgency just took over the two of them as they searched and looked up every kind of detail from reports. Ryan and I could only sit back and just watch the two of them dive deep. It was so intense that their tenacity was infectious so Ryan and I looked at each other and decided to join.

Now that we were all in the same boat we all had a system. John and Ryan would do the research and reaching out to the people out in New York that were interviewed in the paper. This was a big help due to the fact that John was the only one who could understand the people due to their accent. Carter and I would try and research as much about what was going on in the next town over that had the same situation. We would gather as much info from local news and reddit sites that Ryan would show me. We would also use the police scanner and listen to the scanners for hours at a time, till finally one night. As the buzzing from the police scanner seemingly put everyone to sleep I stayed awake hoping that there wouldnt be any activity in fear of John and Carter wanting to go to the police report. A robotic male voice comes from the scanner "Amber Alert is set in motion....Amber Alert is set in motion....Small female age 9 missing last seen Boltsville park, name is Phallen Jones" one by one each of the three awoken by the robotic voice. "Is that the call we been waiting for?" John asked in a raspy voice. "I believe so, now what do we do?"

That night was followed by weeks of preparation. We were going to finally go to the house where the body of Phallen Jones was found. Her body was described as mutilated to the full extent. Out of all of this the most gruesome was her feet missing like the bodies in New York that John told us about. When we heard about that detail we knew that this had to be the same person. John was convinced that it wasnt a copy cat. "I have a feeling that this is the real deal guys". John said while eagerly excited jotting down the information from the local news the night. "John how can you be so sure?" questioned Ryan, a question we all awaited the answer to. John then turns around and says "among her feet being gone......her mouth and eyes were sealed shut just like the ones described in New York's paper." Silence fell upon the room. Now after being said John went back to writing the rest of the report. I on the other hand was quite afraid that we might solve this case, but to what extent? I raise my head to catch a glimpse of the TV where John and Carter were glued, over hearing the voice of the news anchor. "Reports of the inside of the house from police chief Wiggins" said the reporter. There standing by the house was a plump older gentleman with a dirty snow like beard that blew carelessly through the wind and his beat red cheeks shined a rosy red due to the light from he camera. It was fixed on his face but in the background I can hear the sounds of the sobbing parents. The police chief continues "The body has been identified as 9 year old female Phallen Jones, who had been missing for 4 days is....." suddenly the attention of the cameraman goes over to the police chiefs left shoulder and you can see a man being apprehended by several police officers. The police chief now runs and joins the chaos, the reporter now trying to talk while other officers are trying to push back the media. "It has seem to be the person behind the gruesome murder of the little girl....I....Cant......Quite" studders the reporter as they fight their way back to the house against the force of officers. At this point and time we all decided that this might be it. This might be the end. Carter storms out of the room in disappointment. "Wow to think that we were going to solve this case and the police already catch the damn guy" John says as he gets his things "See you guys at school". In me was a bit of relief and the thought that they finally caught the person responsible for that poor innocent soul.


"Wake up!" a muffled voice from outside my door yells, followed by a banging on the door. Partially startled I cautiously open the door. "We got to go to that house!" said Carter while pushing the door open,. "we have to go to the house, they said that the guy they arrested was not the person". Now after hearing it over and over I ask myself "how can this be?". I look at Carter and he continues on saying "yeah they interrogated him for hours last night and he happened to check out." "he even has an alibi" said Carter while smirking. "whats up with you Carter? you seem to be acting like John" I replied without thinking. He then looks at me with watery eyes and says "well maybe I have another chance at doing something great and catch this guy and not be looked at as the messed up kid" "I am tired of people looking at me with some kind of pity or just feeling bad for me......I am not going to be like my dad" he began to clench his teeth in frustration and anger that for some reason he figured that Rodney had forgotten why he wanted to do this in the first place. "out of all people I thought you were my friend" said Carter as he stormed out the room. I quickly followed with "Just wait I know you want to do this maybe this isnt for us to figure out, this becam an obsession" I pleaded to Carter. "if you were a real friend, wouldnt you want to help me?". Ryan then emerges from her slumber saying "oh shut up you guys fight like a married couple!". I get on the phone and call John who is already by the phone as if he were waiting for me before I can even utter the words hello I was interrupted by "Rodney is that you!?....I mean hello?" says John as he clears his throat to speak. "yes, its me" I answer. I continue to ask about Carter and tell John that he was acting weird for some reason and I dont want to get him or any of us killed i explained. "John come on now, if that person is still at large then what happens when we find out who it is?". The phone call didnt last very long till I was interrupted by the TV that Ryan had turned on. "Rodney come here" said Ryan in a disturbing tone. "I'll call you back John" I said as I hung up the phone. I walk casually to the living room where the tv reporter was talking "Breaking news to the case of 9 year old Phallen Jones, new information has been released from statements given by the suspect. Suspect has claimed to be innocent with an alibi. Police are now questioning the mans reason the brown hair homeless man that was there and apprehended the night 9 year old Phallen Jones body was found....we will continue to cover the story here in Boltsville, Utah this is Dan song from channel 4...." as the reporter phased out I began to question what could have that man said for them to not see him as a suspect? Was he even a suspect? WHy would you be there in a place like that? I had so many questions but I had to get ready for school. Ryan had the car ready and was eager to get to the school. "hurry up slow poke!" she exclaimed. "Why are you so happy to go to school?" I asked with a wise remark. "We are not going to school, we have an interview with the guy that claims to know whats going on with these killings" Ryan explained "See Rodney I already asked to meet with him not at his place but a safe place you know like downtown Starbucks or something" Ryan then awaited my response, See Ryan was the type to let her tell me her plans and then wait as if she needed my approval for some reason. I then asked her " AND WHERE IN THE HELL DID YOU MEET THIS PERSON!?!" I asked with a puzzled look on my face. This was prolly the only thing Ryan has ever done without me. "Ryan dont you know you couldve gotten hurt!?" I continued "This seriously not okay....you are the only person I have left in this world" without hesitation of another word she stops me and says softly "I am sorry I figured you wanted this as much as Carter did" "He is your best friend and I know how you get when people talk about him". Shame and guilt filled my throat as I tried to say something "I....I didnt know,,,,,I was more worried for our safety and well being" were the words I tried ever so hard to utter. Ryan then took my hand and told me "you remember the night that Carter told you everything about his dad?" I nodded in agreement. "well I over heard everything and I also made a vow that night....I vowed no matter what to help people. Carter needs our help Rodney, so I took it upon myself to get things done so we can help him out. Dont you want that Rodney?" Ryan said this while looking at me with water filled eyes that tears could drop any moment. She then blurts out "isnt this what mom and dad wouldve wanted? to help a friend?". I then look at myself asking myself who am I to let my fears take a hold over me as I remember my parents were the type to help a friend in need. "Okay Ryan lets do this....for Carter".


It has been a few days since the last time Carter came over that morning. Ryan and I decided to skip school that day and go meet with a withered old man. The man claimed to be from New York around the same area of the first said incident of the killings. He was a janitor next to the abandoned house claiming to be occupied by what looked like groups of people, so he thought due to the orange light emitting from the corridors. He would see this every night and thought nothing of it. "I figured it was just a group of homeless people looking for a roof over their heads" he says while sipping his hot tea gingerly. "It was nothing to me so I thought till one nigt it seemed that what I thought was one orange light to several orange lights throughout the house as if they were looking for something. I thought to myself that is way too many people to be in that house. So I called the police to investigate but they said they would check. Well they did and they wont tell you in the news what they found previously in the house" Now by the time the man started was the same time my pen was jotting down everything that this man was telling my sister and I. Very intrigued we continued to let the man speak."I was appalled at was found in the house. It was like a cult was living there and doing rituals, you know all that devil crap" the man says laughing it off before taking another sip. "I'll tell you what though that wasnt the only thing that was weird to me. They had pictures of the victims already pinned in the house before those kids were even murdered there. Meaning they already had chosen the victims". After hearing that my stomach turned as if I had the stomach flu. I stand up with urgency and say "I have to step out and get some air"
"no thats fine young man lets all get out and get some fresh air" the man agreed as he gathers himself.
"Im sorry I didnt even get your name sir" I asked but in the back of my mind I was still focused on what he said
"My name is Aldus Stevie Johnson from Brooklyn, New York" He replied while lighting a cigar.
As old as he was he still moved about as younger aged man. He notices me observing his movements. He then inquires about my sister and I. "Where you from young buck?" as he takes a long drag from his cigar with the smoke casting a cloud like beard over his face. "Well my sister and I are from Portland Oregon but moved to Henderson, Nevada with my parents till...." then my phone vibrates viciously in my pocket. I proceed to check the caller and it was Carter. I then answer "Hey Carter, just finishing this interview with Aldus any new leads on the house?" He seemed to be equally eager to ask me how the interview was going. "I cant wait to do some of our own investigation, I will see you and everyone else at the meeting location" he said in a confident voice. I then told Aldus that I would be leaving soon with Ryan to meet with the rest of the group and to tell them the information he had given us. "oh before you go young buck I wanted to say this, remember that these kids were chosen specifically. They all had something in common..." His voice I began to tune out due to the nervousness that came over me. I was excited but most of all nervous for what we do not know what is going on. I kindly said thank you and Ryan and I excused ourselves and we were off to meet at the location.

Finally meeting up to see where everyone has been with their solo investigations, we decided to do it this way because it would be easier to cover more ground and then coming together to show and explain what we could all figure out about this supposed cult now. I still believed it was just one person. Still in the back of my mind the voice of Aldus and what he was trying to say to me as we left. I couldnt remember but figured it wasnt important. John speaks up first "well what I have found is that the kids bodies that they found were used in a ritual and had there blood in a pentagram. They also found the same thing inside the house where 9 year old Phallen was found". "That couldnt possibly happen!" Ryan rebuttled. "There was alot more bodies for the blood to be able to be used all over the house than that little girl" she continued "it is impossible to have one body to cover the whole house with her blood". Carter later added "well in the story John showed us in the paper, there was more than one kid so maybe there is more than just Phallen Jones and they just cant find them yet. I feel like it is up to us to find them" As much as I didnt want to agree I remember what Ryan said to me the day we met with Aldus. "I agree Carter" are the words I ended up word vomiting. "I feel we need to do this for the sake of the other kids safety, if Phallen Jones is the first we can stop whoever before they choose another victim" with high spirits I then ask myself what has come over me this feeling of bravery and hope that we can change an outcome of a horrible situation. We then start to map out a plan to actually go to the house and actually be there to find more clues. No one was more eager than Carter, it was like something took him over like an obsession to find this person or potentially persons. He almost became an addict trying to solve this case by always stating "I have this only chance to do what I gotta do to prove everyone wrong....I wont end up like my dad". With all that has been going on we noticed John the past couple of days he has been a little sluggish, he was still the same person just not as enthusiastic as he was in the beginning.We kinda just brushed it off, maybe he was having issues in his household. Whatever it was I wanted him to know as well that even though he was the new kid in the group I wanted to help out as many people as I could including John.