Sydney Bay Janes

I'll tell you about how I got to the basement in a second. To know why I was there, I need to take you back a few hours. . .

In memoriam

Wesley Adam Prescott
Omar Ansh Patel
Miranda Dawson
Karina Fuentes

I shuddered as I walked by the memorial bleacher in the park.

"Sad, isn't it?" A stranger talked out loud.

"It's tragic," I entertained her.

She mumbled a prayer and then walked away, pushing her baby in their stroller.

It wasn't a particularly sunny and hot day in Nevada, but I needed to go for a jog to clear my head.

I hadn't heard from Wilson in a few hours, he said he was going to catch up with Damian. I tried telling him to stay away from our close friends and loved ones as there was a [another] killer out there. He wouldn't listen, claiming there was "nothing to worry about."

I sprinted down the path until I neared the pond.

Doubled over, I held my stomach. My baby didn't seem to like the rigorous activity too much.

A girl appeared on the grass, standing over the water. Her dark brown hair blew in a gust of wind.

From the back, I could tell who she was.

"Malena," I whispered, walking up on her.

She let my hand stay softly on her shoulder.

Karina's little sister just sniffled.

It was hard to face the sister of the girl I just killed, but she was my friend too. We were both grieving.

"How are you holding up?" I asked, tucking some hair behind her right ear.

She hardly looked up at me.

"I know, dumb question, right?" I talked gently. "When my parents died, everyone asked if I was okay. Like, of course I wasn't fucking okay. It hurts, and you're allowed to take as much time as you need to process it. I normally wouldn't say this, but I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" She asked in a bark. "You didn't kill her."

I laughed in my head at that. If only she knew...

Except, I hard to say that line, too.

"I can't believe she's gone. The worst part is, as much as I want to, I can't bring her back. She was all I had," Malena sobbed.

I felt what she felt, it was all too familiar.

Part of me almost felt annoyed she was even venting to me of all people about it. When my parents died, I couldn't tell anyone I felt bad or that I regretted it. No one would hear me out, I killed them.
Malena was innocent in this, but her grieving almost made me jealous. And still, I gave her a shoulder to cry on, but only because I knew what it was like to have no one.

Tony was the only person I had to turn to in my time of need and he told me to get over it the next day.

It also didn't help that Malena looked just like her deceased sister.

Then I almost laughed remembering she was dating Hunter, AKA Anna's son, so this is all one big mess.

"I was around your age when it happened, too. Listen," I said, adjusting to her height. "your life is about to go or two ways: you're either going to shut everyone out and never love again. Or, you're going to be overly affectionate to strangers, trying to make them you're family. Take it from me, both suck. Stay exactly how you are. Easier said than done, I'm sure, but don't lose yourself."

"I should've been there-"

Standing back tall, I said, "And don't blame yourself. Again, easier said than done. I know it's super cliche, but it will get better over time."

She stopped weeping and looked up at me. "Why'd you say better like that?"

I gritted my teeth at the truth. "Honestly? 'Cause it never fucking gets better."

Our heads synchronized to rotate so we could look away from each other with nothing more to say.

My nostrils took in some fresh air.

I listened to the buzzing conversations of passing walkers and the sounds of the flies whirling about. That's when a phone call interrupted the peaceful silence.

Malena and I patted ourselves down for our phones.

"It's mine," she said, retrieving her phone from her pocket.

I wasn't a expecting a phone call, anyway. Since I didn't quite want to leave her, yet, I stayed behind while she answered the call.

All I heard was "a-huh" and "okay" before she hung up.

"That was Hunter," she let me know.

I smiled small.

"He wants me to come over to his place," she talked. "Can you take me?"

"Uh," I pondered.

It wasn't until I looked into her eyes and saw Karina, that I agreed. How could I deny her anything after what I'd done?

"Sure," I agreed.

Malena tried to smile back but it seemed to take a lot out of her. I laughed faintly though to lighten things up.

We walked to the parking lot and on the way, when Malena linked her arm with mine, I said, "Word of advice?"

Her small voice went, "yeah?"

I cleared my throat, looking at the top of her head.

"Never lie."

She laughed so I asked what for.

"Well that's random," the girl said.

I bobbed my head with a sarcastic frown. "Just saying."

***

I dropped Malena off at The Taylor residence where Hunter now lived.

It was nice that he and Malena had a little romance, it was cute and innocent. They made me wish I could redo my high school years and experience something like that.

Hunter opened the car door for Malena and let her out.

He gave her a hug and then waved bye to me.

I grinned, sending them off. So pure.

"Oh, Sydney!" Diane yelled from the top of the front steps.

I sighed, annoyed.

Please don't talk my ear off, I said in my head.

Rolling the window down, I put on a smile and greeted her.

"Hey, Diane, how are you?"

She handed over some papers. "Can't complain," she talked.

I sorted through the mail, all addressed to Hunter or his mother.

"What's all this?" I asked.

"Just some mail for Hunter and Anna, could you take it to her on your way? She needs to sign and then make sure she gets everything straight with changing his address and the school," Diane bossed.

I wondered why she couldn't do this herself but didn't question it out loud.

"Okay, sure," I agreed with a nod of my head.

Diane didn't seem too bothered by anything outside of her world. She only allowed in what she wanted. I kind of respected that about her, how she protected her idea of peace.

She gave me a pageant-esque wave as a final send off.

At first, I was driving with the pile of envelopes in my passenger seat, minding my own business. Though, when I slowed upon the next stop sign, I realized an envelope to Anna. Of course all the mail was for Anna but this one was from Diane and it had no address, no stamp. It wasn't meant to be mailed. That let me know there was probably money in it.

Anna was a stripper, and a pretty good one in the area, or so I heard. Sure she lives in that ghetto apartment complex, but that's just because she likes it and is close to her drug dealers and guys who pimp her out.
I don't think there's any good reason Diane should send her money, especially if it's for that God awful wig business.

A car came behind me beeping, I honked my horn back and waved my hand out the window for them to just go around and they did.

With an impatient growl, I contemplated invading Anna's privacy, or not.

Oh, what the Hell. She's a shit human being anyway.

So I did. My finger nail sliced along the paper and I was shocked to see a check for five hundred thousand dollars. My jaw almost dropped, that's insane.

With the check, a handwritten letter from Diane, signed by her husband like the check.

It read:

I understand your frustrations and concerns about my Wilson. However, I can assure you you have nothing to worry about. As for his missing friends and the recent criminal activity, my son would never. You may think you know him due to a lapse in his judgement when he agreed - if he even did agree- to sleep with you, but you don't know him. My son is precious, quiet, hardworking, and keeps to himself. He knows how to let bygones be bygones. Do you?
About Hunter, he'll be safe continuing to live here with me. Please respect that.
Attached is a check for five hundred thousand dollars. You accept it, you leave my my family alone. Those are my terms. If you're not going to get clean and start up that dammed wig business then do us all a favor and skip town. It's for your own good. I will send more once I know you're out of the country, or at least off the west coast for good. Anna, I deeply urge you to act on this immediately or else and that's a promise.

Sincerely,
Ralph and Diane Taylor

I picked my jaw up to close my mouth and sealed my lips shut.

Anna knew something, or at least thought she did. It made my blood boil that she would accuse Will of doing something as heinous as murder. Not my boyfriend. And I was tired of her trying to remain relevant in his life.

"Oh, that's it!" I grumbled, punching the gas.

Something had to be done about this girl once and for all. While Mister and Mrs.Taylor may have offered her that five hundred thousand, I had a feeling it would take more than that to keep her quiet.

***

"Open up, Anna!" I yelled outside of her door.

My fist hurt from banging on it so hard.

"She's not here," a neighbor let me know from their stoop, laundry basket on their hip.

"Oh," I said small, descending the few concrete steps.

I dropped my hand and relaxed my voice and shoulders.

Walking towards them, I asked, "Well, do you know where she might be?"

The brown woman puffed her cigarette and looked me over.

"Yeah," she answered dry.

I rolled my neck impatiently. "Well can you tell me?"

"Yeah," she said again.

"I don't have time for this," I growled with the flailing of my arms. "Are you going to tell me now?!"

"She says she's looking for a detective Paul Buckle?"

I knew that she meant Paul Buckler. But why was Anna looking for him, she usually hid from any sort of law enforcement?

I narrowed my suspicious eyes on the Hispanic woman.

"Did she say why?"

The woman, in her one pink house slipper, blew smoke my way.

She batted her short, dark eyelashes slowly. "Sure. She say to expose what Willis did to the people; said he's a killer."

Shit! But Willis, who's Willis? Oh. Wilson, perhaps?

I was thankful for my inherited long legs that carried me across the rocky driveway to my vehicle.

Then, I remembered something.

So, I ran back to the lady at her doorstep.

Out of breath just that fast, I told her, "Wes."

She looked at me crazy.

Catching my breath, I said, "Wes. Wesley is the one she said is the killer. He is the killer - Wesley, not Willis."

I just needed to create that doubt in her mind, she wasn't sure of the name and told me "Willis" but if that got around, someone smarter could've interpreted that to be Wilson and put two and two together. Not that it's him, but still.

***

Anna wasn't on any corner I searched. That's a first.

I'd been essentially everywhere in town. She hid well.

I called Detective Buckler but he was out of town due to a family emergency. That was good for me, though, bought us some time - Will and I.

Anna tried to drag a good man through the mud, stir up controversy and say he was a murderer. I don't like that as much as I don't like liars.

Finally, I thought to stop by Will's and let him know what's going on. He didn't answer the phone or my texts but I knew he was off so I figured it was because he was just taking a shower.

As I neared the house, I spotted a red car down the lane. I recognized that red car but didn't think she'd be so stupid.

Pulling into the driveway, I quickly cut off the car and gently closed the door but first, I hid the check in my console.

Will wasn't home after all, neither vehicle in the driveway, so that cleared that up. Anna was popping in for a visit, only I was going to be the one to surprise her, not Will if that's what she thought.

I knew where Will kept his spare key, but I didn't need to go looking for it because the door was left unlocked. Stupid girl, can't even break in successfully. But she's lucky it was me instead of Wilson. He may have a soft spot for her but he doesn't play about his privacy or uninvited people in his home, so I've learned.

As quiet as possible, I let myself inside and shut and locked the front door.

No Anna in the living room.

No Anna in the kitchen where I stopped to grab my weapon of choice: a chef's knife. Sharp to the touch. Used for cutting meat, slicing and dicing vegetables, disjointing cuts, and carving.

And she wasn't in the half bathroom downstairs, nor the guest room.

I shook my head, just hoping she wasn't dumb enough to be snooping around in his bedroom.

No, she can't, I thought in my head. She knows him too well for that.

Then again, it is Anna we're talking about.

My eyes darkened as I walked up the staircase, trying my hardest to believe I was light as a feather and not cause them to creak.

"Looking for something?" The sound of my voice made Anna jump up.

Startled at the sight of me rested against the doorframe, she put her hand to her chest.

Anna looked ill , still. It's the drugs, I'm not dumb. And I don't feel bad.

"Sydney! Stop fooling around, get in here," she gritted, pulling me inside the master bedroom.

I wondered why she was expecting me to just let her be inside my boyfriend's house but I'd get those answers soon enough. So I let her go on, acting like I was listening.

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but you have to believe me," she went on.

Her eyes were big like she was really scared and didn't know what to do.

Don't ask me why she'd come to me - her biggest hater- with this information, she's just stupid.

Anna was still squeezing my wrists for dear life and didn't let go as if she couldn't.

"Hit me," I challenged her.

She gulped hard. "I think Will is the killer."

"What?" I laughed at her.

She smacked her dry lips. "Listen! Will is the killer, I know it! I-I saw him, he was there. It's all coming back to me. Wes, Omar, who else do you think is doing it?!"

"Oh my God," I gasped, stumbling backwards until I hit the wall.

"I know," she cried. "I didn't want to believe it, either. I told his mom, but I think she doesn't want to believe it either. Help me look for clues, hurry!"

Anna began frantically tearing the place apart in search of said "evidence."

"Anna," I spoke up.

"What?!" She barked, raiding his walk-in closet.

"I think I know where we should go. F-for evidence."

She jumped at the chance to get some dirt on Wilson. I hated how enthusiastic she was about it, too. It's not like she wanted justice for anybody, she only wanted to "prove" Wilson wasn't a good guy.

My lip curled as she went on about their past and how she always knew there was something off about him. I said nothing the whole time, just let her waste breath.

An hour and some change out, we finally arrived at the old Beta house. AKA where it happened.

Memories of how I first saw Miranda came back to me. I remembered thinking she was dirty and didn't love herself, that she had no morals. A lot like Anna.

I remembered her boyfriend and those guys who wanted to do unimaginable things to me. It made me cringe.

My feet glued themselves to the soil.

"Well, come on,"Anna bossed, hopping out the Audi.

It was dark and one of those nights were the stars were playing hide-and-seek. They were just shy, like the half moon.

She was almost at the front step when she noticed a truck on the side of the condemned home.

"That's Wilson's truck!" She exclaimed all too happily.

I grabbed the knife from under my seat, the one I had taken from Wilson's kitchen earlier, and put it behind my back.

She got her phone out, I asked what she was doing.

"I'm going to call Buckler," she answered, searching through her contacts for his number.

"Anna," I called out, inching forward.

Her back to mine, she didn't even look up from her Android to wonder what I wanted. Good, she didn't want to see this coming.

"Why were you in Will's house?" I asked, toneless.

"What?" She asked with a lot of breath.

"How'd you get in?"

"Are we really talking about that right now? Shit, I can't find this number! Look in your phone. Now," she roared, patting down her pockets.

I pretended to do just that.

"Anna?"

"Sydney! Jesus Christ, what?"

"Did you break in?" I questioned, putting my phone back in my pocket.

"Yes, Sydney. God, are you happy? I broke in, who the hell cares, he's a killer?"

I felt my right eye twitch at that.

That was the last time she talked about my man like that.

"Anna?" I uttered her soiled name one last time.

"What?!" She raged, this time turning around to face me. And when she did, the chef's knife punctured her chest.

She croaked, blood spilling from her mouth and streaming down her torso.

"I-" she tried to speak.

"Shh," I sounded, twisting the knife.

She spit and ultimately choked on the blood that pooled in her mouth.

I pulled the knife out of her chest and watched her body drop on the ground, kicking up dirt.

Her phone. Ah, I stomped on it and left it there. If I was going to stick to my story that Wes was behind this, as he liked to bring his victims here, it would make sense he destroyed her phone if she tried anything noble.

I put the knife back in my pocket and worked myself up to get Anna's body inside which was a tasking event but I managed. She didn't weigh much at all, it was just the act of getting her up the stairs.

Winded, I took some time to wash the knife off in the dirty old sink that only produced brown water.

I left it there.

Anna's body needed to get to the basement, it's where I know it would make sense. Wes and those guys would've gotten her down there to have their way with her. The only way she'd end up unscathed upstairs is if she put up a fight and escaped but there would need to be evidence of that and I knew the detectives and coroners would find none on her body.
However, the deed could've been done downstairs. I was going to spin it that Wes had just gone off the rails. That like a lot of other serial killers, he was porn obsessed early and that led to hunting easy prey like prostitutes who they would kill and think they'd get away with it. I had learned in a documentary (or an episode of Criminal minds, I can remember) that serial killers like that tended to stab their victims, kind of as a way to get off, so it checked out.

It mentally took a lot out of me but I dragged Anna's body to the door that led to the basement.

I opened it and heard some shuffling down there, but ignored it believing it to be rats or something.

With a final huff, I kicked Anna "Star" Cohen's lifeless body down the wooden stairs.

Once I heard that final 'thud' I knew she was dead for sure.

Well there's some sign of struggle, I thought in my head to add to the storyline. Still check's out.

"ANNA!" I heard a masculine voice holler.

Unsuspecting this other presence, I ran and got the knife from the sink.

The whole house was dark but I wasn't taking any chances. I killed before and could do it again.

Obviously it wasn't Wes or Omar, but it was a man who sounded just as winded as I.

The only other people who apparently knew about the place were Wes's friends, but I hadn't heard of or seen them long since.

Feeling brave, I trekked down the stairs and into the basement.

I instantly covered my nose with my free hand. Oh, God, the smell was evil.

Suddenly, I was tackled to the ground and got my arms pinned down but I never loosened my grip on that knife. And I planned on using it on the psycho that had their knee in my damn stomach. There's a baby in there for Christ's sake!

"Get off of me," I said through struggle.

"Sydney?"

I gasped. "Will?"

He got off of my body and switched on the lamp in the bar corner of the warm room.

It was, in fact, Wilson. I couldn't believe it.

In his hand, a rubber mallet.

What the hell?

At the sight of each other, we were both relieved, and almost hugged.

Then, at the same time, we lunged backwards about six feet.

Engaged in a serious staring match, Will and I both didn't know what to say or think.

What were either of us really doing there, that's the question?

I swallowed, trying to put on a convincing smile.

"What are you doing here, honey?"

"I could ask you the same thing, babe," his uninterested tone shot back.

I giggled, looking around for an explanation.

Damian's unconscious body sat against the wall, handcuffed.

"I asked you first, sweetie," I argued passively, keeping my eyes on the mallet in his hands.

Will dropped the mallet onto that filthy couch and threw his head back, having a good laugh.

He tossed his arms up, waiting for me to join in.

I guess it was kind of funny. Ironic, actually.

A smile cracked on my lips and I had to laugh. We became hysterical, meeting in the middle of the floor.

Will palmed both sides of my face and asked if I was alright.

I nodded. "Yeah. Are you?"

He shrugged, eyes darting to his sleeping opponent showing that he clearly won. I was proud, never thought he'd be able to take Damian.

Will put his lips to mine and then locked our fingers.

Our four eyes together scanned the room.

"It stinks in here," I finally noted.

He nodded in agreement and then used his foot to kick Anna's body over on her back and saw she was no longer with us.

"Why Anna?" He asked me.

"She knew too much," I answered with no hesitation. "It was you or her. I know you saw something in her, but she was going to rat you out."

"Aw, babe, you did this for me?" He grinned.

I smirked. "Well, I couldn't let my man go to prison. What about you, why Damian?"

"He knew too much," Will said, hunching his shoulders again.

I laughed through my nose. This is a mess.

"We should go," he suggested, putting his hand at the small of my back. "I'll deal with this later."

"We'll," I emphasized, looking back at him.

"I don't want you in this, Sydney," he tried to make me understand but I wouldn't.

"Look out!" I screamed, seeing a figure of a man moving in on Wilson.

Will jumped and ducked but not fast enough. Damian had grabbed him and flung his body across the floor.

They began to wrestle, rolling across the floor with no regard for Anna's body under them.

Damian, fueled by rage after being tied up and knocked out cold, threw his weight around, overpowering Wilson.

It simply wasn't fair.

So, I stepped in. There's no telling what Damian would've done to me afterwards if he was fighting his best friend like that.

I instinctively grabbed what I could. I didn't want to kill him, I left that to Wilson. Only, I needed to get Damian off of Will.

I picked up the mallet and wildly swung it at Damian's head. I think it connected twice, he went down the second time. Hard.

Will coughed, dusting himself off to stand.

Damian, again, was unconscious.

He knew too much, there was nothing differentiating him from the others now.

That said, I revealed the knife from my back pocket.

It caught Will's eye. He titled his eyes and squinted on it. "Is that my knife?"

However he knew that. Must've been new or he really cared about his kitchen appliances. That, or it was his weapon of choice, as well?

I threw it down beside Damian's body so Will would know what to do with it.

He sighed.

I watched his jaw clenched and hands stick to his hips.

"Wait in the car," he insisted, dropping to his knees.

I slowly started up the stairs, shyly looking back at Will who sniffled as he raised the knife above his best friends chest.

Gulp.

"GO!" He yelled at me, his words pushing me out faster.

The sound of the knife piercing through flesh and blood gave Will the realization he was a killer and went as far as to take the life of his business partner and chosen brother.

He cried out loud as he continued.

That time, I didn't look back.