The first thought in my mind when I fell into the trash:

Ow.

I was still bound to this stupid log, and for the life of me, I couldn't get the rope to break.

Plus, the log was almost lying on me, so that didn't help matters in the slightest.

I struggled and twisted my wrists around, but the ropes must've been made of freaking steel or something.

I suppose that would make sense if they didn't want the killers or, *cough* "killer" to escape.

But seriously, though.

How the crap was I supposed to get out?

Suddenly, a door I hadn't noticed to my right, the only direction I could see, opened.

Sky and Barney walked in, and my God, they looked so guilty.

I don't blame them.  I'd probably be ashamed too if I killed someone only to find out the reason I killed them was invalid.

I don't know if they saw me or not.  Maybe it was dark in here?  I never really noticed.  I think I've been here for, like, 20 minutes, so I guess my eyes are just used to the darkness.

Anyways, they were looking around, unsure as to where I was.

"Guys!  Sky, Barney, over here!"  I called.

Sky and Barney looked my direction and immediately ran over.  Sky actually tripped on something and Barney had to help him back up, but they came over.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man, Jerome, I'm so sorry!"  Sky said sadly.

"Me toos."  Barney agreed.

I scoffed.  "Well, um, can we talk about that later?  I seriously cannot get this rope to break.  It's like made of freaking steel."

"Oh, yeah."  Sky said awkwardly.

Sky untied my wrists while Barney got the rope around my torso off.

I kinda fell a little since I was bound to the log.  I was kinda just diagonal to the ground, so...yeah.  Physics.

I gripped the log and pushed myself up, rotating my wrists.

"Ow."  I said again.

Well, again in this ch---I mean, in this situation.

"How did you guys even get down here?"  I asked.

Sky and Barney started walking to the door, me in close pursuit.

"MonoKirby showed us."  Sky replied.

We started climbing stairs.

"My old enemy...."  I mumbled.

Sky and Barney looked at each other and then at me, smirking.  We said it all at the same time.

"STAIRS."

We laughed as we continued climbing the stairs.

Eventually, we got to an open doorway that led...into the kitchen?

I walked out last and closed the door.  It was a secret door!  I was having a hard time seeing where it was anymore.  It was camouflaged really good!

Sky glanced back at me as we walked through the door into the Grand Hall.

Everyone looked up, but Mitch wasn't in here.

Quentin swiftly stood up.  "Jerome!"

I smiled sheepishly.  "Uh...Quentin?"  I replied, unsure of what he said my name for.  Usually, they'd continue the sentence, but I don't even know anymore.

Quentin looked relieved before his face fell.  Off.  His skull was cle----

I'm joking.

...yeesh, the fact the author won't tell us to quit is starting to scare me.  I feel like the fourth wall is on its last stand.

Anyways, Quentin's face fell and he looked away.

"I...I'm so sorry, Jerome...."  Quentin said sadly.

I walked up to him and gave him a big, fluffy, bacca hug.

He stood frozen in shock.

I took a step back and grinned.  "Aww, come on, fish!  Give me soma dat Quentiny goodness!"

He frowned at the word fish, but he burst out laughing when I finished.

"That...sounded so wrong!"  He laughed.

I chuckled, glad to have made him happier.

But...the moment had to end at some point.

"Where's Mitch?"  I asked quietly.

Quentin looked at the others then at me.  "He locked himself in his room.  I think he's beating himself up for doing what he did.  He knows you're not dead, but he is so upset at himself."

I sighed.

Do I really want to go see Mitch?  He seemed so...different!

No.  I had to go see him.

He's my....

....

I...don't even know anymore....

I shook my head at the thought and turned away, walking out of the Grand Hall and towards Mitch's room.

I knocked on the door.  "Mitch?"  I called.

No sound.  Well, the rooms were soundproof.

A few moments passed before the door opened, revealing a red-faced Mitch.

He'd been crying.

"J-Jerome?"  He asked quietly, his voice breaking.

I nodded and hugged him tightly.

He accepted the hug and wrapped his arms around me.  "Oh, God, biggums, I'm so sorry!  I don't know what came over me!"  He cried.

My heart hurt at every sob he released.

I pulled back, holding him by the shoulders.  "Biggums, I'm not dead.  That's what matters."

He sniffled and wiped his face on his sleeve.

I realized that he had switched out of his bloody one.

"Hey, where's the one you were wearing before?"

He froze before sighing.  "It started smelling weird, so I knew I needed to change it."

He looked me over.  "Speaking of change...."

I looked down.  I still had dried blood all over my suit.

I rubbed the back of my head.  "Ah, um...yeah...I'll be right back."

Mitch smiled as I turned away from him.

I entered my room and quickly changed my suit to an exact replica of the suit I was previously wearing, just a lot less bloody.

What?  I'm not telling the specifics of me getting undressed and redressed!

Anyways, I left the room to see Mitch leaning up against the wall across from my door.

"We need to figure out who actually killed Ian and Crainer."  He said simply.

I nodded.  I had a feeling of who did it, but I didn't want to point claws yet.

We entered the Grand Hall to see everyone talking to one another.  They looked over when we entered.

Quentin stood up.  "We need to figure out the true killer of Ian and Crainer."

I nodded.

MonoKirby appeared, but he didn't look like himself.  He seemed...depressed.

"You want me to pull up the podiums, boyo?"  He asked.

Quentin stared wide-eyed at MonoKirby before nodding his head.

Everyone stood up and backed away from the table.

The table and chairs disappeared to once again show the podiums.  And, of course, 10 creepy portraits of our dead friends.

We stood at our respective podiums.

I looked around.

There were once 16 of us.

16.

Now there were 6.

Sub, Mitch, me, Sky, Quentin, and Barney.

And one of us, excluding me, was the true killer of Ian and Crainer.

MonoKirby sat on Jess' (Jess's?) podium.

Quentin sighed.  "Ok.  We know Jerome isn't the killer due to...events....  We need to figure out who killed them."

I frowned.  "I had gotten up this morning...."

I stopped and looked at the clock.  It was 7:15 AM.

All that had happened in an hour and a half.

I resumed speaking.  "...and it was about 5:50 AM.  I couldn't wait, though.  I felt absolutely horrible.  I went out in the hall and ended up stopping in front of Crainer's door.  It was unlocked, so I went in.  The room was empty.  I left the room and continued a couple more doors down to Ian's room.  I went in there, saw the bodies on top of each other, and a black line coming from the back of the one on top.  The lights turned on...and, well, the rest is already known."

Quentin frowned.  "The wooden axe was sticking from the back of Crainer, correct?"

I nodded.  "Bob."

Quentin sighed playfully.  "Ok, 'Bob' was sticking from the back of Crainer.  Jerome, did you hide your axe when you weren't using it?"

"Of course!  I didn't need anyone taking it and using it against me...which didn't work.  Both situations.  The...hiding the axe and attempting to frame me fail....  Could we even consider the framing a fail?  Anyways, yeah."

I was just rambling at that point.

Sky looked up at me suddenly.  "Did anyone at all know where the axe was?"

I froze.  So did Mitch.

Everyone noticed that we froze at the same time.

"...Mitch knew, didn't he...?"  Sky said quietly.

I bit my lip.  "Umm...yeah...he was the only other one...but...it...couldn't have been him...?"

We stood silent for a little bit.

And then there was a chuckle.

It was quiet at first, but I knew immediately where it was coming from.

I turned to Mitch.  "Mitch...?"

He then laughed evilly.  "Dang, you're a really dense bacca, you know that?"

Everyone stared in shock at Mitch.

"Please, someones is tellings me that Mitch isn't the mastersmind?"  Barney asked, slight hope apparent in the question.

Mitch sighed and jumped up.

But he didn't jump.

HE FLOATED UP.

No, no, no, no, no, no....

He flew above the center of the circle and looked around.

"You've caught me.  I killed Crainer and Ian."

I felt my heart pounding, like it was trying to beat its way out of my ribs.

Then, Mitch stared directly at me.  "And I'm the mastermind."