When we last left off, Kristopher, April and others returned to the town hall searching for Shane and Eyeless Silas. What will they find and will they get out alive?!
Atrium
The newest addition to the town hall's design is the atrium. Imagine how nice it is to have a little of the outdoors indoors, to look up and see the sun shining. Or course, you won't be able to in the middle of winter. But when the town thaws, hot dog! (Exotic Greenhouse)
Boiler Room
The boiler room, aside from housing, y'know, the boiler, is also where the town hall's power box is located. What you find is a mess. It's looks like someone tried to cut the fuses, bust wasn't successful. Now sparks are shooting, electricity spitting. You don't want to get near it, but it's very pretty. Almost otherworldly. (Time Warp)
Council Chamber
The council chamber is where Lake Cornwell's representatives meet to discuss town business. The last meeting held was to decide the budget for next year's corn festival, for which Lake Cornwell is famous. Though some worry the event won't be as big of a draw since the corn well was removed. (+1000g )
Document Room
Though not as pertinent as it used to be, the document room still holds physical copies of all of Lake Cornwell's current dealings and pressing matters. One example being the complaint made by Miss Chapman last May. She claimed a town worker ruined her flower bed, and asked for compensation. Little did she know that Norma June Cornwell had been responsible, who had ran over the flowers with her Rascal Scooter during one of her benders. (+1000g )
Laundry Room
The town hall laundry room is mostly supposed to be used for things actually pertaining to the town hall. Table cloths, curtains, kitchen attire, etc. But it's not uncommon for a town employee to slip in some of their personal laundry as well. (Peeblo's Laundry Heist)
Men's Room
The men's room is an odd place for these symbols to be. And yet there they are, seven of them. And on closer inspection... yes, you've definitely seen them before.
Storage Room
In the storage room you find a remnant from the spring play that was held at the town hall two years ago. Lake Cornwell Elementary's most talented young thespians were decked up as gnomes, pixies and fairies. The most elaborate piece being the Forget-Me-Not-Faerie Wings. Unfortunately, someone did forget them, and they never saw the light of day. (Forget-Me-Not Faerie Wings)
Treasury Office
Back in the late 80's, the people of Lake Cornwell were shocked to learn that Harold Kaplan, head of the treasury office, had been siphoning money from the town for his own gain. Though a smarter man would have used the money for vacations and luxury items, Harold spent all of it on the QVC home shopping channel. His most prized possession: A gold enameled masquerade mask. (Masquerade King)
Kristopher, April and the others wasted no time in returning to the town hall. Too many good people, too many friends had been lost tonight. But they wouldn’t lose Shane. It was nearing five. The winter sun would be rising in another hour or two. This was a night full of mayhem and confusion, but now Kristopher was certain of a single thing. One way or another, this would all soon be over.
For half an hour they searched the town hall, but there seemed to be no sign of Shane or Eyeless Silas. Could it have been a ruse? A trick so that he could attack Shane without interference? But the fiend could have easily done so at the library. No, they weren’t looking hard enough. And as the time ticked by, Kristopher was growing more frustrated.
Mikio: This is hopeless. We’ve looked everywhere, and there’s nothing.
Kristopher: Don’t say that! We have to find him!
April: Kris, calm down.
Kristopher: Calm?! How can I be calm?! How can you be calm?!
Miscreant74: This suspense is too much for my stomach. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the john. [exits]
April: [to Kris] We have to be calm, for Shane’s sake. Losing our heads isn’t gonna help us find him.
Kristopher: [frowns, but relents] I know, but…
April: Remember back when we were dating, and you were worried that you wouldn’t get into college? And so I helped you study for hours on end, even though I didn’t want you to leave Lake Cornwell. Do you know why I helped you? It’s because as childish as I was, I knew in my heart that it was important to you, and ultimately I wanted you to be happy.
Kristopher: What are you getting at?
April: I know that Shane is important to you. And I still hope for your happiness, Kris. You’ve always been stuck in your own head. But look around, we’re all here to help. Let the world in. Steady yourself, and know that we are all in this together.
Kristopher: [ponders for a moment, then nods] Thank you, April. [hugging her] Damn, when did you get so mature?
April: [smiling] Someone has to be the voice of reason around here.
Miscreant74: [running back into the room] Hey guys! Quick, come with me to the men’s room!
Professor Lily: Ugh, no thanks. We don’t need to see your handiwork.
Miscreant74: No, I found something! C’mon!
Through the vacant halls, Miscreant led them to the men’s room. Inside the recently renovated restroom all seemed normal. But at the far end, one stall stood open.
Miscreant74: So I came in here, y’know to download some software, and when I was done, I stood up and accidentally dropped my phone.
Damia Flagg : What were you doing on your phone, playing Snake?
Miscreant74: [flatly] It fell out of my pants. But when I bent down, I noticed this…
Miscreant leaned over and pointed. On closer inspection, seven strange symbols could be seen behind the toilet.
Eastriel: I noticed those when I was searching in here too. It’s those same strange marks we’ve been finding all evening.
Kristopher: [bending down] Wait… [studying them] Those are the Barrows family crest!
Miscreant74: And there’s more…
Pushing on the back of the stall, the wall gave way, revealing a hidden area behind the men’s room.
Kent: Are there hidden passages everywhere in this town? Am I gonna find something f’ed up underneath the Dairy Queen?
Quickly, but cautiously, they climbed over the stall toilet and into the secret room. Just like the library’s hidden storage, the room was made of rough stone. But here the way forward was perfectly clear. A narrow pathway opened up ahead. Kristopher once more took up his lantern and the led the group onward. Again the path angled downward, but at a steeper slope. Kris’ heart thumped in his chest. When he returned to Lake Cornwell years ago, he expected life to be boring, but hoped for some excitement. I suppose you should be careful what you wish for.
Down and down they traveled. The way opened up into a space that, though not too tall, spread out about 1500 feet. The walls, floor and ceiling seemed to all be made of hard earth. And in the center of the room was an opening, a large gaping pit. But most shocking of all, in front of the pit, a wooden gallows had been constructed. Shane stood on the scaffolding, arms and legs bound, with a noose around his neck. And holding the lever, the grinning figure of Eyeless Silas.
Eyeless Silas: [with glee] You made it after all. I wondered if you would be clever enough to follow the crests.
ghostPastry: You hid them in the crapper. It wasn’t that clever.
April: Let Shane go, you asshole!
Eyeless Silas: [shrugging] All right.
April: Wait… Really?
Eyeless Silas: Why not? After he’s dead, I’ll have no further need of him.
Kristopher: You f**king creep! We won't hide anymore! You can’t take on all of us! We’re taking you down!
Shane: Guys, run! Before it’s too late! Save yourselves!
Kristopher: No, Shane! We won’t leave you!
Shane: You don’t understand! He’s got explosives!
Eyeless Silas: Correct!
Pushing a button, the entry behind them detonated, sending rocks and debris down and covering the way out.
Eyeless Silas: No one is getting out. And if even one of you thinks about being brave, I have this entire room wired. All I have to do is push this button on my phone and the town hall comes crashing down.
hummy: Wow, they have apps for everything nowadays.
April: [sneering] Since when do ghosts have phones? Why are you doing this?!
Eyeless Silas: Retribution! For what the first families of [with sarcasm] “Lake Cornwell” did!
Kristopher: What did they do?! Who are you?!
Eyeless Silas: [chuckling] You want to know? Fine, I’ll show you.
Eyeless Silas grasped at his neckline and began to pull, revealing his horrible visage to be a mask. As everyone watched, their mouths dropped open. ‘He’ was actually a she, and in truth was…
Kristopher: Kay?!
Xo~GREMLIN~oX: Who the heck is that?!
Kristopher: [shocked] It’s… It’s Kay. She works with me at the library. I… I don’t understand.
Hadsvich: But wait, you’re… you’re supposed to be… Brian found your body in the Founder’s Museum!
Kay: That moron was too busy freaking out to realize I was still alive. But I am pretty good at playing dead. I fooled Sheriff Hamilton.
Kristopher: But Kay, why? These… were your friends. Why would you do something like this?
Kay: Because Lake Cornwell is a town built on lies! Everyone oohs and aahs over the people related to the first families. But do you know who my ancestor is? My ancestor is Silas Barrows!
Ava the Vampire: I can see now where the crazy comes from.
Kay: See! That’s exactly what me and my family have had to put up with in this town. For almost two hundred years, we’ve held the secret shame of being related to Silas Barrows, the Devil of Lake Cornwell. Generations ago we changed our name, and hid the sins of our bloodline. And for almost two centuries we’ve held our tongues as Silas was turned into a boogeyman, a thing of legends. – But then I learned the truth.
Kristopher: About Barrowsville…
Kay: [frowning] Yes. During the renovation, I found the hidden passageway in the storage room. I followed it to the secret chamber with the crests. And I discovered the truth about Lake Cornwell. The truth that there is no Lake Cornwell! This land, this very land we stand on is Barrowsville! The town my grandfather founded! And the town in which he was murdered! – In 1832, there was a killer on the loose, an unknown assailant. But one winter night, Edwina Barton discovered a blood trail on the snowy road. She followed it onto Silas’ property and discovered the body of Amelia Cornwell in his backyard. Amelia was Nathaniel Cornwell’s daughter. Edwina ran to Cornwell’s house, where she also found Josiah Campbell, Patrick Owen, Fletcher Chapman and Augustus Hamilton. She told them what she had found and Judge Cornwell flew into a rage. They confronted Silas, but he denied involvement. But Cornwell was blinded by anger, and he convinced the others that my grandfather was the culprit! They marched him to the gallows and strung him up! They all watched as Cornwell gave the orders and Sheriff Campbell pulled the lever! They convicted my grandfather without a trial! And do you know what happened that very same night?
Naisou: An after party?
Kay: The real murderer was discovered! An old man was killed, and the sheriff caught the criminal in the act. A vagrant who had been hiding in the woods, who confessed to all the slayings, including the murder of Amelia Cornwell! [crazed] Oh but wait, what's that?! They already executed Silas Barrows for that crime?! They made a mistake, you say?! Well ain't that a pisser! Now you're probably wondering what they did next.
Naisou: An after after party?
Kay: They couldn't hide what they had done. The whole town saw my grandfather hanged. What was left to do? Admit their mistake and accept the consequences like grown ass adults? No, they took the cowards way out. They made the real killer "disappear" and persisted in the lie that Silas was the Devil of Barrowsville... soon to be renamed Lake Cornwell. They burned down my grandfather's house, on this very property! They built the town hall over its remains, and they all vowed... Nathaniel Cornwell, Fletcher Chapman, Augustus Hamilton, Patrick Owen, Edwina Barton and Josiah Campbell... never to reveal the truth! And the town never spoke of Silas Barrows again. Oh, but there were whispers. And as time passed, those whispers became legends... and Eyeless Silas was born.
Angel Spirit Girl: This is madness. Why punish a whole town for something that happened so long ago?
Kay: Because of the humiliation the Barrows had to suffer! This town owes me! This is justice! The founding families thought they could alleviate theirs sins by leaving their confession underneath the library. But that doesn't make up for turning my grandfather's memory into a joke! And to top it off... Mayor Barton knew. And so did all those before him, the secret passed down from mayor to mayor. And in all that time they never once made it right! [Kay pauses, then becomes oddly calm] Those six sons of bitches turned my ancestor into an eyeless ghost, so I vowed to do the same to their descendants. Didn't quite work out, though. Randy was a run and gun. And that old Chapman broad jumped before I could get to her. As for Shane Campbell... [turning to him] I had something special planned for you. Your ancestor pulled the lever that ended my grandfather's life, and now i'm going to do the same to you.
Kristopher: You can't do that! He had nothing to do with that! None of us did!
Kay: I don't care. Revenge doesn't have to make sense. It just has to feel good.
ghostPastry: Read that on a Hallmark card somewhere?
Shane: Look, I get that you're pissed. Obviously. But what's done is done. You feel like you've been walking around with this burden because of your family name... Well guess what, so have I. Campbell used to mean something in this town. And then my great grandfather turned out to be a crook. My grandfather a criminal, my father a thug. And in the span of three generations, the Campbell named turned to mud. And in the aftermath, I was left with a legacy I thought I couldn't escape. Do you know what it's like for women to hold their purses tighter as you walk by? For parents to pull their children in closer? To see the stares and hear the whispers when you're near? ... I know the stories aren't the same. Silas Barrows didn't deserve what happened to him. But like you, I felt that humiliation. And at one time I thought I would give into revenge. If this town thinks i'm already a bad person, i'm gonna show them what bad really is. But that wasn't me. And this... the person you've become, this isn't you. You're avenging the life of an innocent, by taking so many more. The part of you hungry for retribution might think that makes sense. But the real you has to know that this has to stop. You've made a mistake, but it doesn't have to continue. Please, stop.
Kay: I... don't have to keep doing this?
Shane: No, no more hurting. We can leave the past where it belongs.
Kay: [grinning] Well here's a little FYI for you... THIS IS THE REAL ME!
With one quick motion, Kay pulled the gallows lever and the floor dropped out from underneath Shane. Shane frantically grasped at his neck, as the noose pressed at his airway. Kristopher shouted out and began to run forward, but Kay halted him.
Kay: [raising her phone] No sudden movements, any of you! Or i'll blow this place to kingdom come!
Kristopher: Kay, don't do this!
Kay: [facetiously] I think I already am. Now you all be good little sheep and watch your friend die.
April: F**k that.
Thinking fast, April reached into her pocket and removed a small plastic bottle. Then, pulling her arm back, she lobbed the object as hard as she could toward the gallows. The bottle struck Kay, knocking the phone from her outstretched hand, and sending the device to the ground below.
Kristopher: Was... was that a bottle of lube?!
April: Uh huh.
Kristopher: Why are you carrying lube?!
April: Free sample, for Mrs. Rand.
Mrs. Rand: Personal dryness is nothing to be ashamed of.
Mimmu: Would you stop chattering! Help Shane!
Everyone quickly scattered! Kay gave a roar of frustration and jumped from the gallows. Kristopher rushed to Shane and keeled.
Kristopher: Shane, hurry, stand on my shoulders!
Shane did so, gasping for air and holding his pained neck.
Shane: Holy shit, I thought I was done for. Thank you!
Kristopher: Don't worry, I'm here for you... though you're heavier than I imagined.
Shane: How many times have you imagined me on top of you?
Kristopher: ... This... This is no time for joking!
Meanwhile, Kay raced to the phone, but Hadsvich reached it only a second before.
Hadsvich: Keep away!
Weaving in and out, Hadsvich and the others tossed the phone back and forth, as Kay angrily ran at them.
Professor Lily: Hot potato! Hot potato! Yeah!
Ava the Vampire: Come and get it, you twisted jerk!
Kristopher's legs began to buckle with Shane's weight on his shoulders. But thankfully, hummy climbed the gallows and removed the noose from his neck.
hummy: There's you go, Shane. I think you look a lot more handsome without a necktie.
Shane: [smiling] Thank you, hummy.
Down below, the game of keep away continued, but soon Kay had had quite enough. She reached out and grabbed April. She struggled, but Kay pulled the knife from her back pocket and held it to April's neck. Backing up toward the pit, Kay bared her teeth.
Kay: Enough!
Kent: Let April go, you monster!
Kay: Not until I get my phone back!
Damia Flagg: And then what?! Let you blow up this whole place with us inside?!
Kay: Would you prefer to watch your friend bleed? It's your decision.
Shane: Let April go, Kay. It's me you want. My family wronged your family, so... I won't fight you, just please...
Moving away from the others, Eastriel stepped forward.
Eastriel: No, take me instead. I have your phone. [pulling it from behind her back]
Kay: [hissing] Give it back!
Eastriel: I will, just don't hurt April. Let her go.
Slowly, Eastriel crossed the distance between the group and Kay. Once within arms distance, Kay pushed April away and grabbed at Eastriel, holding her in the same grip. She grabbed the phone from her hand and laughed.
Kristopher: Eastriel!
Kay: You didn't possibly think this was going to end well!
Estriel: You know, I kinda did.
Kay: Then you're a fool. All of you! Now if you'd like to spare yourself the bloodshed, you'll do as I say. You're all going to jump down into this pit, like good sheep, and i'm going to leave. And as soon as i'm far enough away, i'm blowing this place back to hell. If you're lucky, you may survive inside the pit. And if you're even luckier, they might get to you before the weather does.
Mikio: Either way we're screwed. Why should we listen to you?
Kay: Because otherwise I start slicing people up. Starting with your friend here.
Eastriel: It's okay, guys. Do what she says. [to Kay] Oh by the way, are you sure that your phone works.
Kay: Why wouldn't it work... [turning it one] What, this isn't...!
Eastriel: Surprise!
Eastriel quickly twisted in Kay's grasp, loosening herself. Kay's eyes widened and she readied the knife. But the other woman was faster, and before Kay could react, Eastriel charged forward, headbutting her hard in the chest. Kay flailed, caught off balance, screaming "No! No!" as she stumbled backward and right into the open pit, dropping some ten feet below.
Kay: Nooooooooooo! [thump]
Eastriel: [looking over the edge] Who's the fool now?
The whole room erupted into cheers. Everyone ran to surrounded Eastriel.
Mimmu: Holy crap, East! You did it! You're a hero!
Eastriel: Aww, weren't no thing.
Angel Spirit Girl: What did you do to her phone?
Eastriel: I didn't do anything. It's right here. [taking it from her pocket]
Kristopher: Then what was...
Eastriel: I gave her Miscreant's phone. He dropped it again when we were climbing over the toilet. I just switched the cases.
Miscreant74: Wait, you did what now?
Xo~GREMLIN~oX: Quick thinking! You saved the day!
Miscreant74: My phone.
Kristopher: [taking a breath] Y'know, I learned something tonight. I've been sulking for too long. I always thought this town was suffocating my soul, stifling my creativity. But the truth is that I was arrogant. I wanted to be more than Lake Corwell, because in some way... I was embarrassed about being from such a small town. Writers live in big cultured cities, like New York or London or Paris. But having gone through everything tonight... This is where my friends, the people I love are. And it's from their love and support I should be able to draw my inspiration from. From all of you. Thank you for being their for me, and allowing me to be their for you.
April: Aw, Kris. That's such a sweet sentiment. But can we please get the hell out of here.
Shane: [pointing at the blocked entrance] How are we gonna do that?
Just then, a sound can be heard from behind the desbris. A loud 'HIIIIYAAAAA' splits the air and the rocks go flying, revealing...
Kristopher, April & Shane: Miss Chapman!
Miss Chapman: Where's that creep at?! I'll show him what's what!
hummy: Miss Chapman, you're alive!
Miss Chapman: What?! Of course i'm alive! You think a little fall like that was gonna do Tallulah Chapman in?! Ha! [laughing] I've jumped off hay bales that were more dangerous. Plus, this titanium hip could stop a bus! I was playing possum. I've been following you kids for hours, laying low so I could get the jump on that freak. But I kinda took a detour back to the electronics store. So where is he?
Kristopher: We already caught him. And 'he' was a 'she'. It was Kay, one of my co-workers. It's a long story, but it turns out she was a descendant of this guy named Silas Barrows and...
Miss Chapman: And she told you the truth about Barrowsville, huh?
Kristopher, April & Shane: You knew!
Miss Chapman: Oh yeah, my grandma told me all about that when I was younger. Lake Cornwell doesn't have many secrets, but the ones it does have are a doozy.
April: Can we even keep calling it Lake Cornwell? Kay is psycho murderer, but Silas Barrows didn't deserve what happened to him.
Miss Chapman: This may be hard to believe, but I was once young and idealistic. And when Grammy told me the truth about Lake Cornwell, I was conflicted too. How could we keep living a lie? Shouldn't justice be served? But Grammy told me that Lake Cornwell was more than the people who founded it. Lake Cornwell is no longer about Nathaniel Cornwell or any of those other jokers. It's a place where people hope and dream, live and love. They make homes here and build families. Lake Cornwell is a part of who they are. What those people did all those years ago wasn't right. Should they have paid for their mistake? Yes. But time moves on. And after all these years, would it be right to steal the identity from people who call themselves proud Cornwelians?
Kristopher: I... I don't know.
Miss Chapman: No one said moral dilemmas were simple. But let's get you all out of here. The state police should be arriving in a few hours.
Shane: Let's head on down to the Oslo. I'll fix us breakfast.
Kristopher: [smiling] I'll second that. Y'know, I won't say this has been the best secular, non-denominational, culturally inoffensive, all-inclusive, winter holiday ever, but it sure is one we'll never forget.
Yay! Our story is done! But there are a few people we need to acknowledge.
For saving the day and thwarting the mad killer of Lake Cornwell, let's give a big hand to... Eastriel
You survived to the end and found the most hidden symbols, 12 total. This gave you the strength to stand up to "Eyeless Silas" and save your friends! For your courage, you've earned... (+3000g) & (OMG! Head)
You were cunning and malevolent! You fooled the whole town and brought a curse upon Lake Cornwell! Let's all stop and point at... Kay
You pretended to die on the first day and left symbols all over town (of which you personally have 8, the most out of every day-one victim). Normally we wouldn't award such evil, but why the heck not. You've won... (+3000g)
&
(What's That? Head)
And finally...
star2000shadow:
Your ghost just could not catch a break. Out of seven day, you met the killer four times, more than anyone else! It is to cry. But don't be sad, here's a consolation prize! Totally IS Santa's Hat!
Last edited by Captain Howdy; 01-16-2018 at 05:56 AM..
This is the first HH i've done by myself. It took a lot of planning and work, but was ultimately pretty fun to write. I enjoyed it and I hope you did too!
See you next time!
Last edited by Captain Howdy; 01-16-2018 at 05:52 AM..
Howdy, this was AMAZING!! i was on the edge of my seat the whole time; your writing is so good. and damn this must have been a lot of hard work! also, i liked my witty retorts in the final installment. ;D thank you so much for the prizes, and the fun.
)
Mikio: This is hopeless. We’ve looked everywhere, and there’s nothing.
Kristopher: Don’t say that! We have to find him!
April: Kris, calm down.
Kristopher: Calm?! How can I be calm?! How can you be calm?!
Miscreant74: This suspense is too much for my stomach. If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the john. [exits]
Kristopher: [frowns, but relents] I know, but…
April: Remember back when we were dating, and you were worried that you wouldn’t get into college? And so I helped you study for hours on end, even though I didn’t want you to leave Lake Cornwell. Do you know why I helped you? It’s because as childish as I was, I knew in my heart that it was important to you, and ultimately I wanted you to be happy. 
Kristopher: What are you getting at?
Kristopher: [ponders for a moment, then nods] Thank you, April. [hugging her] Damn, when did you get so mature?
April: [smiling] Someone has to be the voice of reason around here. 
Professor Lily: Ugh, no thanks. We don’t need to see your handiwork.
Damia Flagg : What were you doing on your phone, playing Snake?
Eastriel: I noticed those when I was searching in here too. It’s those same strange marks we’ve been finding all evening.
Kristopher: [bending down] Wait… [studying them] Those are the Barrows family crest! 
Kent: Are there hidden passages everywhere in this town? Am I gonna find something f’ed up underneath the Dairy Queen?
Eyeless Silas: [with glee] You made it after all. I wondered if you would be clever enough to follow the crests. 
ghostPastry: You hid them in the crapper. It wasn’t that clever.
April: Let Shane go, you asshole!
April: Wait… Really?
Kristopher: You f**king creep! We won't hide anymore! You can’t take on all of us! We’re taking you down!
Shane: Guys, run! Before it’s too late! Save yourselves!
Shane: You don’t understand! He’s got explosives! 
hummy: Wow, they have apps for everything nowadays. 
April: [sneering] Since when do ghosts have phones? Why are you doing this?!
Kristopher: What did they do?! Who are you?!
Kristopher: Kay?!
Xo~GREMLIN~oX: Who the heck is that?!
Kristopher: [shocked] It’s… It’s Kay. She works with me at the library. I… I don’t understand.
Hadsvich: But wait, you’re… you’re supposed to be… Brian found your body in the Founder’s Museum!
Kay: That moron was too busy freaking out to realize I was still alive. But I am pretty good at playing dead. I fooled Sheriff Hamilton.
Kristopher: But Kay, why? These… were your friends. Why would you do something like this?
Kay: Because Lake Cornwell is a town built on lies! Everyone oohs and aahs over the people related to the first families. But do you know who my ancestor is? My ancestor is Silas Barrows!
Ava the Vampire: I can see now where the crazy comes from.
Kay: See! That’s exactly what me and my family have had to put up with in this town. For almost two hundred years, we’ve held the secret shame of being related to Silas Barrows, the Devil of Lake Cornwell. Generations ago we changed our name, and hid the sins of our bloodline. And for almost two centuries we’ve held our tongues as Silas was turned into a boogeyman, a thing of legends. – But then I learned the truth. 
Naisou: An after party?
Kay: The real murderer was discovered! An old man was killed, and the sheriff caught the criminal in the act. A vagrant who had been hiding in the woods, who confessed to all the slayings, including the murder of Amelia Cornwell! [crazed] Oh but wait, what's that?! They already executed Silas Barrows for that crime?! They made a mistake, you say?! Well ain't that a pisser! Now you're probably wondering what they did next.
Angel Spirit Girl: This is madness. Why punish a whole town for something that happened so long ago?
Kay: Because of the humiliation the Barrows had to suffer! This town owes me! This is justice! The founding families thought they could alleviate theirs sins by leaving their confession underneath the library. But that doesn't make up for turning my grandfather's memory into a joke! And to top it off... Mayor Barton knew. And so did all those before him, the secret passed down from mayor to mayor. And in all that time they never once made it right! [Kay pauses, then becomes oddly calm] Those six sons of bitches turned my ancestor into an eyeless ghost, so I vowed to do the same to their descendants. Didn't quite work out, though. Randy was a run and gun. And that old Chapman broad jumped before I could get to her. As for Shane Campbell... [turning to him] I had something special planned for you. Your ancestor pulled the lever that ended my grandfather's life, and now i'm going to do the same to you. 
Kristopher: You can't do that! He had nothing to do with that! None of us did! 
Kay: I don't care. Revenge doesn't have to make sense. It just has to feel good.
Shane: Look, I get that you're pissed. Obviously. But what's done is done. You feel like you've been walking around with this burden because of your family name... Well guess what, so have I. Campbell used to mean something in this town. And then my great grandfather turned out to be a crook. My grandfather a criminal, my father a thug. And in the span of three generations, the Campbell named turned to mud. And in the aftermath, I was left with a legacy I thought I couldn't escape. Do you know what it's like for women to hold their purses tighter as you walk by? For parents to pull their children in closer? To see the stares and hear the whispers when you're near? ... I know the stories aren't the same. Silas Barrows didn't deserve what happened to him. But like you, I felt that humiliation. And at one time I thought I would give into revenge. If this town thinks i'm already a bad person, i'm gonna show them what bad really is. But that wasn't me. And this... the person you've become, this isn't you. You're avenging the life of an innocent, by taking so many more. The part of you hungry for retribution might think that makes sense. But the real you has to know that this has to stop. You've made a mistake, but it doesn't have to continue. Please, stop.
Kay: I... don't have to keep doing this?
Shane: No, no more hurting. We can leave the past where it belongs.
Kay: [grinning] Well here's a little FYI for you... THIS IS THE REAL ME!
F**k that.
Kristopher: Was... was that a bottle of lube?!
April: Uh huh.
Kristopher: Why are you carrying lube?!
Mrs. Rand: Personal dryness is nothing to be ashamed of.
Mimmu: Would you stop chattering! Help Shane!
Shane: How many times have you imagined me on top of you?
Kristopher: ... This... This is no time for joking!
Shane: [smiling] Thank you, hummy.
Eastriel: No, take me instead. I have your phone. [pulling it from behind her back]
Eastriel: I will, just don't hurt April. Let her go.
Estriel: You know, I kinda did.
Kay: Why wouldn't it work... [turning it one] What, this isn't...!
Eastriel: Surprise!
Eastriel: [looking over the edge] Who's the fool now?
Eastriel: Aww, weren't no thing. 
Eastriel: I didn't do anything. It's right here. [taking it from her pocket] 
Shane: [pointing at the blocked entrance] How are we gonna do that?
Kristopher, April & Shane: Miss Chapman!
Miss Chapman: Where's that creep at?! I'll show him what's what!
Miss Chapman: What?! Of course i'm alive! You think a little fall like that was gonna do Tallulah Chapman in?! Ha! [laughing] I've jumped off hay bales that were more dangerous. Plus, this titanium hip could stop a bus! I was playing possum. I've been following you kids for hours, laying low so I could get the jump on that freak. But I kinda took a detour back to the electronics store. So where is he?
Kristopher: We already caught him. And 'he' was a 'she'. It was Kay, one of my co-workers. It's a long story, but it turns out she was a descendant of this guy named Silas Barrows and...
Miss Chapman: And she told you the truth about Barrowsville, huh?
Miss Chapman: Oh yeah, my grandma told me all about that when I was younger. Lake Cornwell doesn't have many secrets, but the ones it does have are a doozy. 
April: Can we even keep calling it Lake Cornwell? Kay is psycho murderer, but Silas Barrows didn't deserve what happened to him.
Miss Chapman: No one said moral dilemmas were simple. But let's get you all out of here. The state police should be arriving in a few hours. 
Shane: Let's head on down to the Oslo. I'll fix us breakfast.
It is to cry. But don't be sad, here's a consolation prize!
Thanks Howdy, this was really well done and you can tell you put a lot of effort into it. 
