EXPOSED TO THE F.B.I.

Halloween. The time of year when people come together to scare away their odds and reunite as a whole of humanity. To fight the cold dark winters together. 

Halloween has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated on the night of October 31st. This day was celebrated to denote the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the new year to ward off evil spirits and ghosts. 

Nowadays, the Halloween we enjoy is mostly about glowing pumpkins, vampires, bats, and Jack-o-lanterns planted around the houses. This is accompanied by children in fabulous costumes trick-or-treating in their neighbourhoods. It is a time when people release and let go of negative and lower energies that hold them back and celebrate the new hope that will take over its place. 

However, the Halloween we were experiencing consisted of a psycho killer wandering on the streets, making people do stuff they wouldn't have ever imagined. The worst of all was it seemed like a game to him. 

As a pawn of his dirty game, he used us two nights before to pay the ransom for Grace's life by hiding one of his murders. But never in our dreams did we imagine that we were hiding Maddy's murder. 

Our very own batchmate. Our very own friend. 

We stood in front of the door behind which a wounded Maddy's body was laid. Janice cried his eyes out, screaming Maddy's name occasionally.  

Soon there was an addition to the intensity of the screams and cries. Maddy's family was informed about her, and they all rushed here too. Silently, we watched the whole scenario with numb feelings. 

If only we could do something. If only we weren't involved in this. 

I felt like digging a hole to hide, deep enough so that no one could find me there. No, don't get me wrong, it wasn't because I was afraid of the police. Instead, it was the guilt that kept tearing me up with its sharp bites. 

I felt devastated. We all did. Nevertheless, we played along. 

Maddy's family had arrived. They insisted on taking her body home for a proper funeral right away. But the police and forensic doctors prevented them from doing so. 

It was a murder case. And a proper autopsy report was a must to gather necessary details. After a long argument with the cops, Maddy's mother finally agreed after hearing a cop say, "Ma'am, we respect your wish to provide a proper funeral to your daughter. However, if you wanna know who did this to her? You have to let us do our work." 

The station echoed with the sounds of sniffs and cries, which gradually decreased as her family headed back. But the news spread like fire amongst the students. 

No more than an hour later, the whole campus knew Maddy's dead body was found in Kaslo Park. Messages filled with well wishes, prayers and R.I.Ps swarmed through the groups. Maddy's parents had a lot of visitors too. 

From the teachers to the staff and the students, everyone gathered around Maddy's house, which was not so far from our college. These murders were turning the city upside down. 

My heartbeat painstakingly as some silent tears slipped down my cheeks. Hannah was known to be the least expressive when it came to emotions. But, the way tears welled from her eyes made my heart break into pieces. 

Clenching her fists and jaw, Hannah stood with her eyes turning red as a result of holding back her feelings. Grace quietly shed tears with interrupting sniffs and hiccups as she held her hand in between her collar bones, feeling her heavy breaths. 

Eventually, the day passed, and the sun trailed its path towards darkness. With every moment that slipped and every tear that was shed, the burden on our chest heaved. We were turning vulnerable with our little secret dying to be exposed. 

When I could no longer take the pricks of my conscience, I ran from the whole scenario. I literally ran from there without thinking twice. Hannah and Grace followed me worriedly. I thought it could not get any worse when I bumped into Martha on my way back towards my dorm. 

She was baffled by my expressions and held me by the shoulders to make me stand upright. My eyes have turned sore, and I can feel them puffed up. My nose was red like a joker. As soon as I saw Martha, the things I held inside me started bursting. Clinging to her, I cried my heart out without caring that it only increased in her worry. 

After a while, we were inside my dorm room. The whole way until we reached here, I was too dizzy to understand what happened around me. Now that we were here, Martha sat in front of all three of us. With worried and puzzled expressions, she kept staring at our faces. 

"I understand she was your friend, and whatever happened was too abrupt and shocking to take, but," Martha paused, carefully judging our brain-dead looks. "Is there something extra to what is happening?" She finally asked, narrowing her eyes.

Her gaze was still fixed at our dreary faces. 

My head slowly sprung up, and I looked into her eyes. Hannah turned towards her, about to burst out. But because she was more habitual of suppressing emotions than any of us, she contained it. Finally, it was Grace who first leaked it.

"It's all my fault. Everything is happening because of me." Grace cried. 

Her voice was hoarse, depicting that she had cried a lot in the past few hours. She expressed her guilt with a ball of tears choking her throat. 

Grace was intelligent and witty yet kind. But she was also from the few girls who treated themselves as fragile. She lacked the quality of bravery. On the contrary, neither Hannah nor I had ever felt low or less powerful about ourselves just because we were girls.

Someone once told me that you should never ever stall the pains in your heart before anyone. You should be enough for yourself as a consolation. 

But Grace differed from me on this point. Hence, she couldn't take all the mess that was created. 

"What was that supposed to mean, eh?" Martha asked, turning her attention towards Grace. 

Grace sat in a way where her head faced downwards so that her hair covered her face, falling from both sides. Occasional voices of sniffs were heard. 

"They saved me and did this to her." Grace blurted before her voice broke due to the flooding tears that began streaming down on her cheeks. 

Martha's head turned towards us with a jerk as we glared at Hannah in shock and grief. Noticing Martha's gaze, I turned my face towards her to answer the storm of questions that spun in Martha's mind. 

The next one hour passed, as we explained to Martha all the events that took place with us two nights before. After hearing all the details with changing expressions, she glanced at us for a few seconds.

"I know someone you should share this information with," She said thoughtfully. 

I threw a questioning brow towards Martha. 

"F.I.B." She replied, and I felt goosebumps wriggling on my skin. 

*******
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