Killer Party (Part Two)

By Jerome Noldin

The bloodied, headless, and mangled corpse of a 32-year-old advertising executive, and the spear-skewered body of a teenage bicyclist in a small town park were seemingly unrelated. However, more students are targeted and end up brutally murdered by what appears to be a serial killer. Students at Wayzata High School were stunned to say the least. They were living in a real life horror story, losing their classmates under gruesome circumstances.

The main character, 18-year-old Katherine, recuperating from her own traumatic event, is also compounded by the death of her classmates. Her friends’ attempts to persuade her to join them at a Halloween party were futile, until the baffling disappearance of her dogs forced her to leave her quiet evening at home. Katherine is drawn to the Halloween party, which is held in a lavish mansion of multiple mysteries, mayhem, and murder. After being trapped herself, she must use all her talents and secrets to find a way, not only to save herself, but to save her friends from a series of fiendish traps at the hand of a serial killer who set out to murder her closest friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jerome Noldin
• Release date: Dec 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310992490

Jerome Noldin

Jerome grew up in Burnsville Minnesota with his twin brother and four sisters. He attended the University of Minnesota and studied Speech Communications. After working several jobs he acquired employment at a prominent insurance company where he worked his way up to become a supervisor in their call center. Jerome suffers from depression and anxiety and decided to passionately pursue a career in writing.

Book preview

KILLER PARTY

Part Two

By

Jerome Noldin

Copyright 2015 © Jerome Noldin

 License Notes

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For John

I am grateful for the time we were able to share together

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

I quickly descended the iron ladder and made several turns until I came to the hellish corridor where the brick walls almost sealed my fate.  I stepped over the green light beam and studied the pattern in the bricks.  It gave me an idea and I hurried back to the tool room.

I noticed the pickaxe and then came upon a hammer and chisel.  I returned to the brick walls and started chiseling out the cement between the bricks.  After I had removed three bricks I saw that the thick wall was hollow inside.  I took out several more and then peered into the inner guts of the wall.  I saw where the cinder block walls were separated from the brick walls and there was a dirt floor down below.  It looked like a small tunnel inside the wall.  I picked up Zen and Zana and placed them inside the wall.

I want both of you to stay here, I scratched Zana’s ears.  Mommy has to look for a way out,

They showed their reluctance by nipping at my nose.  I set them in the hole in the wall and they looked up at me like I was abandoning them forever.  I untethered my scented blue scarf from around my neck and placed it on the backpack inside the wall.

Don’t worry babies.  I’ll be back soon to check on you.  I Promise,

I carefully placed the bricks back into the hole until I was on my last brick.  I looked at the small horizontal hole and it reminded me of my favorite Poe short story, ‘The Cask of Amontillado’ where Fortunato was bricked in by his friend and narrator Montresor.  I felt I was doing the same to my loved ones and couldn’t hold back a few tears that leaked down my cheek.  I placed the last brick and heard Zen and Zana whimper and bark. 

I wiped my cheek and said as a stern command, Zen!  Zana!  Stay!  I pulled the brick out and set it back in sideways so they could breathe and I could easily find them again.  I stood there a second and then hurried down the hallway.

Chapter 1

‘Let’s Dance’ by Lady Gaga blasted throughout the house.

Grab your beers, Layla said.  Whoever finishes last has to do a truth or dare, she tossed Jake, Skylar and Ryder cans of Foster’s Beer.  Ready?  Set!  Go!

They popped the tops and the four chugged their beers.

Layla finished first, burped, then crushed the aluminum can against her forehead and tossed it over her shoulder to drop accurately into a nearby trashcan.  Ryder finished right behind her, as Skylar and Jake guzzled the rest of their beers.  They were neck and neck, but Skylar finished a half second before Jake.

We have a winner, Layla said.  Or loser I should say, She rubbed her forehead.

Hurt your forehead, Layla?  Skylar asked Layla.

She’s okay, Ryder said.  She has a head like a rock.

Layla gave Ryder her middle finger.  So, Jake!  Truth or dare?

I don’t know.  Dare I guess?

Okay!  Sit tight while I chat with my friends here.

As Layla leaned into Skylar and Ryder to discuss a dare for Jake, Sarah, dressed as a hayseed farmer, passed a long line of revelers waiting for the downstairs bathroom.  Desperate for relief from all the beer she had drunk, and with a line that seemed to go on forever, Sarah hurried up the stairs as fast as she dared, given the pressure on her bladder.  After trying several doors along the 2nd floor halls, most of them locked, she noticed another door with a note taped to it that had Katherine’s name written on it, so she knocked.

Katherine?  Kat are you in there?  Sarah said.  Is there a bathroom in there?  I really gotta go so bad, after a moment Sarah opened the door and peered inside.  Katherine?  You in here?  Is anyone here?

She stepped inside and noticed a large bathroom to her right.  She hurried into it, sat down and took care of business.  Then as she was about to leave she noticed a large box sitting on a dark brown suede Roman bench at the foot of the bed.  The box had Katherine’s name on it in gold lettering, and unable to resist the temptation, Sarah opened the box, pulled back the layer of tissue paper, and discovered an elegant Cleopatra costume.

Holy shit!  This is so much better than what I threw together.  I could never afford such a posh costume, She quickly went to the door and peered into the hallway to see if anyone was around, then ripped down the ‘Katherine’ sign.

I don’t think Katherine would mind.  I mean I’m just borrowing it for a while, right?

Sarah hurriedly removed her hillbilly costume, then pulled the Cleopatra costume out of the box.  She held it out at arm’s length for a moment to admire it, then lifted the long cream-colored dress over her head and shoulders and let it slide down her body.  Also in the box was a braided wig and an elaborate headdress with a gold and jade cobra’s gaping head, opened as if to strike.  She arranged them carefully on her head, then noticed some makeup and an onyx pendant fastened to a thick gold chain.

This looks real, she whispered in awe, then went into the bathroom, where she applied turquoise and black makeup around her eyes to finish the Cleopatra look.

Sorry Katherine.  But god damn do I look good in this!  She tossed her old costume under the sink and quickly left the room.

# # #

Layla leaned into Jake and said, You lost the drinking game.  You have to do it.

You guys all cheated, Jake said.  Half of what you drank ran down your faces.

Bro!  Ryder said.  If you could handle your booze you might have won.  Plus, I thought you were used to a foamy white, sticky liquid running down your chin.

Usually while he’s on his knees, Layla croaked out with a laugh.

I heard you spent some time on your knees with Liam Lerner.

Layla turned red.  I was really drunk.  I’d never do that if I was sober.

Your words say that, but your mouth, lips and knees tell another story.

So, Jake, Layla said.  Ask him now.  Go, now!

What if he’s not gay?  Jake scratched his stomach through his Hercules outfit. 

Oh come on, you have good gaydar, right?  Don’t be such a baby and go.  Plus, you’re always right, so quit stalling.

Listen.  I heard it on the Internet or I got a text once from someone that he was gay.  Plus, even that whore Abby couldn’t get a rise out of him.  And she’s good at getting men to plump when she cooks ’em with her mouth.

Well- he is hot as hell.

Look at his costume.  A Roman Centurion showing off his smooth chest.  He might as well be wearing a sandwich board advertising his hot ass is open season in San Francisco.

Just give him a drink and test the waters, Layla said to Jake.  If he’s not gay, you only have to kiss him on the lips for a second.

Jake sighed, then headed for the Roman Centurion.

I hope he does get punched, Layla giggled.  This party needs more action. A little blood and guts, don’t you know.

Ya know you really do raise the term bitch to a whole new level!  Abby said.

Are you sure you’re not talking about yourself?  asked a smirking Layla.

Just then Leo and Hannah came by, carrying cans of Foster’s. 

Lovin’ this party!  What’s up kids?  Hannah said.

This is one killer of a party, Ryder said.

Just sent Jake over to that Roman Centurion, Skylar said.

That’s Vance Templeton.  He recently moved here from Michigan.  We’re both in Mr. Banks’ microbiology class,

They looked over at Jake and Vance talking.

They haven’t kissed yet, Skylar said.  That’s not a good sign.

Anyone know whose party this is?  Ryder asked.

Who cares, some rich kid is all I heard, as long as they have free beer and I have my blunts!  Skylar said.

How did Katherine take to your kidnapping her dogs?  Layla asked Hannah.

Umm, well sort of alright, I think.  Well okay.  Yeah she was pretty pissed! Hannah said.  But it got her to the party, I mean that’s a good thing right?  Plus, she told me her doctor wanted her to get out of the house anyway so she wouldn’t develop agroapophobia.

You mean agoraphobia?

Yeah, that’s what I said.

In another language and with like twenty syllables.

By the way, has anyone seen Katherine?  asked Hannah.

What’s she wearing?  Layla asked.

Ah, hello! You helped pick out the Cleopatra costume, remember?

Did I?  Oh yeah, I did, duh!  I’m so fucked up.  You guys better keep an eye on me so no one slips me a roofie.

Like that hasn’t happened before, Ryder whispered to Leo.

I thought I saw a Cleopatra talking to Cole and Trevor, Skylar pointed across the room.  There they are, over there.

They all turned to see Cole and Trevor talking to Sarah in the Cleopatra costume, but she was turned away from them.

Weren’t you wearing like a hillbilly costume earlier?  His words coming out with a hiccup.

Yeah, Trevor said.  I kinda liked it.

Well I like both!  said Cole.

I brought two costumes, lied Sarah.  I like to change it up.

Cole’s phone buzzed.  He looked at the screen that read, ‘Hey fellow gamer! Come to the moon room upstairs.  I got a surprise for you to die for.  He put the phone back in his front pocket.  Okay, I gotta abandon you guys for a bit.

What?  Hot date?

Him with a date?  Trevor said.  It would probably be with Shigeru Miyamoto.

Who’s that?  asked Sarah.

He’s the designer of games like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers, Cole said.  He’s the big shit in the gaming world.

How did you know that?  Sarah asked Trevor.

Oh, he puts a whole new meaning to the word gaming, trust me.  Trevor pointed his thumb sideways at Cole.  If you ever want to know the complete history of Atari, he’s your guy.

Yeah, I’ll contact him next time I have a problem playing Atari, whatever the heck that is.

I gotta go own some loser.  I’ll be back.  Cole strutted through the sea of partier’s, up the long stairway to the second floor, then down the hall until he found the room with a moon on the door.  A note read, ‘Reserved!  Do not enter.’

Wonder what nerds are inside?  thought Cole, then aloud, Well, I’m about to find out. and he turned the gold door handle and entered what was apparently a study, with bookcases along one wall, leather chairs, and a mahogany desk with a computer and large flat screen monitor.  A note was attached to a string dangling from one of several black helium filled balloons floating near the ceiling.  The note read, ‘It’s said that you’re a great World of Warcraft player.  I challenge you to see who the greatest WOW player in the world is.  Whoever does the most quests with the least amount of deaths in two hours wins the grand prize.  Are you up for it?’  Get started and I’ll be up to join you shortly.’

I’ve never lost a gaming challenge. So bring it bitches!  said Cole as he sat down on the chair, pulled it up to the desk, then punched a couple of keys on the keyboard to get the game underway.

Instead of the normal WOW home screen, however, a small black window popped up on the screen, with harsh black letters spelling out an ominous message:

‘So let the gaming commence.  Oh, there’s something I should probably tell you.  If you lose the game, then you die.’

I die?  If I die my avatar will resurrect, dickhead.  No biggie.

Another window popped onto the screen, ‘NO!  YOU WILL DIE!  Your chair is rigged to electrocute you if you can’t complete the ten quests listed in the time allotted.’

The fuck!  Am I being pranked?  All right guys ya got me. Very funny?  You can come out now!  and Cole looked expectantly around the room, but no one appeared.

More text scrolled on the screen, Let me introduce myself.  I’m the Scarecrow, A small nasty-looking avatar scarecrow peeked up from the bottom of the screen and continued, Time has started.  With each death you get an electric shock and each shock gets stronger until the two hours are up.  So here’s a little tip for you... Don’t die!

A timer appeared on the screen counting down from two hours.

Cole started to rise, but felt a fierce jolt in his thighs.  Holy fuck, this is for real!

Text scrolled on the screen, ‘You’re not a very good listener are you?’  The plate you are sitting on is pressure sensitive.  If you try to stand up again, next time you get a lethal shock, and die.  Happy gaming!’

As Cole started on the first quest he heard a scraping sound and turned to see a metal plate slowly slide in front of the door, making escape impossible, even if he could get out of the chair alive.

# # #

Jake kissed the Roman Centurion on the lips then returned to Layla and his friends.

My gaydar was right, right?  Layla said.

Uh yeah!  So was mine and I got his number, Jake said.  He came out of the closet just over the summer.  He’s from Ypsilanti, Michigan.  That’s just outside Ann Arbor.  He’s got an older brother studying architecture at the University of Michigan.

Yeah!  Layla said.  Thanks for sharing more useless information we could give a shit about.

God, you sure can’t shut that raving bitch mouth of yours for two minutes, can you?  said Abby getting in Layla’s face.

I said that out loud again, didn’t I?  Fuck!  I’m sorry Jake.  I’m happy you found someone.

You don’t really mean that, do you?

Not really, no, of course I do hon!

Just then Skylar received a text