'✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ t h e  m a s k .ᐟ
episode two.  ▌ 𝙱𝙸𝙻𝙻𝚈 𝚂𝚄𝙼𝙼𝙴𝚁𝚂

it was a new day and the pogues were gathered at the wreck, the pogues usual hangout spot. they were sipping on sodas and devouring bowls of fries.

daisy leaned against the bar, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders at something jj had said.

finn was perched on a stool, tapping his foot nervously against the floor.

"you okay there finn?" kiara asked, she was sitting cross legged on the bench, a half eaten burger in her hand.

"yeah just—you know when you get those weird feelings?" finn replied, his eyes darting to the window. he was always thinking, gazing off.

"you're always saying that." jj teased, going behind him and massaging his shoulders, "relax a little, nothing bad happens in the summer."

"tell that to hurricane season." john b muttered, earning a chuckle from the group and a side glance from jj.

the laughter was interrupted by the sound of a police siren wailing in the distance. everyone went quiet, the fun atmosphere dying in an instant.

in a town like kildare, sirens could usually mean trouble—and trouble wasn't uncommon on the cut.

"you hear that?" daisy asked, her voice quiet.

"we're not deaf." finn commented, earning a glare from daisy.

"could be anything." pope replied, though his knitted eyebrows suggested he didn't believe his own words.

the sound of hurried footsteps approaching, broke the pogues out of their trail of thoughts, "guys!" sarah cameron, the kook princess, gasped, clutching her thighs as she tried to catch her breath.

"there's...been a murder—" her voice trembled, "out by the docks."

the group exchanged glances, murder? murder wasn't a common topic in kildare, it was enough to send shivers down all their spines.

without another word, they all grabbed their things, following sarah out the door.

the air was heavy with humidity and tension. the pogues stayed close, their usual banter replaced with an uneasy silence.

when they reached the docks, they were met with the flashing lights of police cars and the low murmur of a gathered crowd.

"stay back." a police officer warned.

but the pogues managed to weave themselves closer, blending into the curious people. what they saw, left them frozen and stopped in their tracks.

a body laided on the wooden planks, covered by a white sheet stained with crimson. the victim was a teenage boy, a little older than the pogues.

she heard from the whispers, billy summers, he was vaguely familiar to daisy— she'd see him around, and at kook parties she'd attend.

his blood pooled beneath him, seeping into the cracks of the dock, this wasn't a suicide. "oh my god." kiara whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.

finn's face was pale, his knuckles white as he gripped the railing, daisy stood right next to him. "this is bad." he muttered.

"what happened?" jj asked a woman who was nearby, she was wearing a long cardigan, sunglasses placed ontop of her head.

"they say it was someone in a mask—" her voice was hushed, "a knife, slashed him up real bad, just like in the movies."

daisy exchanged a look with finn, his unease just as noticeable as hers.

"this wasn't random—" pope spoke up, "—whoever did this, it was a targeted attack!"

a woman's scared voice cut off pope as he was about to speak.

"my son! that's my son!" she cried, rushing over to the officers, who held her back from seeing the body.

tears pooled down her eyes as she caught sight of her only son's body lying there, covered in blood, a white sheet placed on top of him.

"poor woman." jj commented, "that was her only child."

kiara let a tear slip hearing jj's words, daisy glanced to kiara who stood next to her, she reached for her hand, squeezing it.

the crowd parted as sheriff peterkin stepped forward, her expression stoic.

"listen up!" she announced, her voice carrying over the murmurs. "we've got an active investigation, so i need everyone to clear out. go home, lock your doors, and stay alert! if you see anything suspicious, report it immediately."

the pogues lingered for a moment, the weight of sheriff peterkins words drove them to retreat.

they started to drift away from the crowd, keeping close to eachother, daisy glanced back, seeing a familiar face.

rafe cameron.

he was lingering by the crowd, glancing around, when he caught daisy's eye, he kept his gaze on her, which she quickly broke, turning back around.

the pogues arrived back at the chateau,gathered around the porch, the usual warmth of their hideout replaced by a chilling sense of dread.

"a masked killer?" jj paced back and forth. "this is some horror movie type shit. i mean, what the hell?"

"we need to figure out who it is."
daisy spoke up. "what if they're targeting people on the cut, it could be any one of us next!"

"but how and where do we even start?" kiara asked.

finn cleared his throat. "maybe we start by figuring out why this guy was targeted. was it personal? or random? it was definitely not accidental, they wouldn't of wore a mask for no reason."

the group nodded in agreement, a shared determination, kicking in.

after shared good nights, the pogues made their way to their beds for the night.

the usually coziness feeling instead felt quiet. daisy laided on her bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling.

her mind swirled with thoughts of the activities of earlier that day, images of the blood stained dock replaying in her head. she tried to piece together what happened, and who would commit such a thing?

a masked killer, a knife, what kind of person would do such a thing? why billy?

daisy rolled on her side, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. the time read: 1:17am.

she considered going to either finn or jj for comfort, but she shook it off. instead she pushed herself up, and padded silently out the room, trying not to make a sound.

the kitchen was dark, but the moonlight shined through the window, casting dim light into the kitchen. daisy made her way to the sink, pouring herself a glass of water.

her hands trembled slightly, as she sipped she gazed out onto the porch, the trees swayed gently in the night breeze.

a sudden movement caught her eye, her heart leapt into her throat as she froze, for a moment— she swore she saw a figure.

a tall shadowy figure to be exact, it reminded her of when she saw frank at the lighthouse. this wasn't the same as frank's.

when she blinked the figure disappeared, she shook her head, blinking repeatedly.

"get it together." she muttered, clutching the counter for support.

she finished her water, placing the glass gently into the washing up bowl, trying not to make a sound.

daisy crept back to her room, closing the door quietly behind her. she lied back down into bed, pulling the covers up to her for warmth.

daisy tried to calm down her racing heart, about to jump from her chest.

it was just her imagination, maybe an animal? she took a shaky breath, lying on her side, closing her eyes.

AUTHORS NOTE 🪽
first murder 👀👀👀👀 , listening to music helps me write 🤗🤗 do we
all like this book so far? PLS TELL ME.

vote & comment for next chapter <3