Killer Geek (SLOW UPDATES)

Nineteen

She shook her head, her voice trembling. “Billy, we can’t just...sit here. We have to do something. Call someone.”

I clenched my jaw. “We’re not calling anyone.”

“This is serious!” she yelled, her voice breaking. “What if they—”

“They’re not going to do anything,” I interrupted. “Not to you.”

The room was silent for a moment, the weight of everything pressing down on us. Finally, Stu broke the tension with a shrug. “Guess we’re all just sitting ducks, then. Should’ve brought popcorn.”

“Shut up, Stu,” I snapped.

Yn looked at me, her eyes wide and filled with something close to panic. “Billy, what do we do?”

I didn’t have an answer. Not one I could say out loud, anyway.

Whoever was on the other end of that call wasn’t going to stop. And if they wanted to get to Yn, they’d have to go through me first.

The phone rang again, sharp and intrusive. I grabbed it before Yn could, my voice sharp. “What?”

“Billy, it’s me.”

My grip tightened on the receiver as the voice of our father came through the line. His tone was calm, but there was an edge to it—one that sent a chill down my spine.

“Hey,” I said, forcing my voice to stay even. “What’s going on?”

“I just got a call from the police,” he said, his voice lowering. “They said someone reported...something. Something serious. What the hell is going on over there?”

My chest tightened, and I glanced at Yn, who was still standing frozen in the kitchen. Stu leaned against the counter, his usual smirk replaced by a faint look of concern.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said carefully.

Our father didn’t buy it. “Don’t play dumb with me, Billy. The cops are on their way, and I swear, if I find out you’ve been keeping something from me—” He cut himself off, his voice thick with frustration.

For a moment, my mind raced. Did he know? Did he somehow figure out it was me and Stu who killed Casey Becker and Steve Orth? Did he suspect we were the ones who’d messed with Sidney the night before?

The thought hit me like a punch to the gut. I couldn’t let myself get caught up in it. I pushed it all down, burying it deep, too afraid to let it surface now. I couldn’t deal with it. Not now.

“I don’t know anything,” I said, my voice flat. “We’ve just been here all night.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, then a heavy sigh. “If the police find anything, you better be ready to answer for it. Both of you.”

The line clicked, and he hung up before I could respond.

I set the phone down, my thoughts swirling. What if he knew? Had he figured out what I’d done? And what was this about the cops being on their way?

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was unraveling, and fast.

“What did he say?” Yn asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“Cops are coming,” I muttered, staring blankly at the phone.

“What?” Her eyes widened. “Why? Who called them?”

I didn’t answer. The question had been gnawing at the back of my mind since the phone rang. Who had called the cops? And why? Whoever it was had set this whole thing into motion, and now the clock was ticking.

Stu let out a low whistle, breaking the silence. “Well, that’s a twist. Guess we’re in the third act now, huh?”

“Stu,” I growled, turning toward him, my patience wearing thin.

“What? Just saying,” he grinned, his tone light despite the tension in the air.

I didn’t have time for this. I was too preoccupied with everything spinning out of control. Before I could say anything else, the phone rang again.

Yn flinched, her breath hitching. I grabbed the receiver without hesitation.

“Hello?” I barked.

But it wasn’t anyone I recognized. The voice on the other end was distorted, low, and mocking.

“Billy, it’s me again,” the voice said, as if we were old friends.

I froze, my blood running cold. “Who the hell is this?”

“I think you know exactly who it is,” the voice responded, a wicked tone lacing their words. “But that’s not the point. The cops are on their way, Billy. And if you don’t put Yn on the phone right now... someone else will die. It’s your choice.”

A sickening wave of dread washed over me. My grip tightened on the phone as I tried to steady my breath. “You don’t know anything.”

“Oh, I know plenty,” the voice mocked. “I know it was you. You and Stu. Casey Becker. Steve Orth. You really thought you could get away with it, didn’t you?”

The words hit me like a blow to the chest, but I didn’t let it show. “You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?” the voice sneered. “I’ll prove it, Billy. And if you don’t put Yn on the phone, I’ll make sure the next one’s on you. Or maybe your dad will be next.”

I could feel the heat rise in my chest, but I held back. My mind raced. I couldn’t let him get to me. Not now.

The line clicked, and the call ended.

I slammed the phone back into its receiver, my breathing heavy. “Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

Yn stepped forward, her eyes wide with fear. “Billy, what did they say?”

“They know,” I muttered, my thoughts a whirlwind.

“Know what?” she pressed. “Who?”

“Doesn’t matter,” I snapped, turning away. I needed to think. I couldn’t do this. Not like this. Not with everything falling apart around me.

Stu grinned, but this time, there was something different in his expression. “Well, that was... unexpected.”

“Stu, I said shut the hell up,” I snapped, my voice rising.

Yn’s eyes flickered back and forth between me and Stu. “What’s going on, Billy? Please.”

I didn’t know how to explain it. The panic, the fear, everything unraveling in front of us. Whoever was behind this wasn’t going to stop until they had what they wanted. And we had no idea what that was.

But one thing was clear—everything was about to get a whole lot worse.