We're sitting on the floor in a shed in his backyard.  I watch Brendon put the hammer in his bag, then proceed to wipe some blood off of his face with a maroon stained white cloth.  He throws it aside and sighs, catching my eye.

"You tricked me."  I sign.

"That doesn't matter," he signs and says.  "He had it coming."

"Why?  Who was that?"

"His name is - was, Ryan."

"You knew him?"

"No, but he pissed me off."

"How?"

"He's a snitch.  I had to kill him, because he was going to tell on me."

"For what?  Tell me!"

"Do you think that's the first time I've killed anyone?"

I freeze, not knowing what to say.  "You killed someone he knew?"

"His girlfriend."

"Why?"

Brendon looks around the room, trying to direct his attention to other things and digress the question.  "Why not?"

My heart is hammering in my chest from fear.  I'm face to face with a murderer.  "Why did I have to help you?"

He shrugged.  "Ask yourself.  You're the one who offered." 

Shit, he's right, I did.  No good deed goes unpunished.  But, this wasn't exactly good, now was it? 

"Come on." He says lifting me off the floor.

We walk back into his house and he hands my backpack over.

"Go upstairs to the bathroom and take a shower, then change into the clothes you have in here."

"What's gonna happen to my old clothes?"

"I'll deal with them, just go."

Not wanting to lose my life, I follow orders. 

After about 20 minutes of showering, I walk back downstairs in the sweatshirt and jeans I packed.  Brendon's sitting downstairs on the couch in new clothes too, watching television.  I see my aids on the coffee table where he left them.

"What do you want?"  He signs and says.

I'm trying to sign back, but my fingers are trembling.

Eventually, he stands and walks over to me.  "Stop shaking. What is it?"

I can't stop.  Brendon grabs my hands, startling me.

"Look, I'm not gonna kill you.  I won't hurt any of your loved ones unless you tell on me. You're not going to tell on me, are you?"

I shake my head and he lets me go. I guess he believes me.

I muster up some courage.  "Can I have my hearing aids back?"

He hesitates.  "Sure."  He gives them to me.

I put them in my ears and turn them on.  "T-thank you."  I say aloud.

"Anymore questions so I can ensure you'll keep your mouth shut?"

I'm so afraid to ask, but my mouth travels faster than my brain.  "Did you kill Sarah?"

His face goes blank, looking at me condescendingly.  "Ryan was Sarah's boyfriend."

I swallow hard.  "You killed the Way family too, didn't you?"

He locks eyes with me, answering my question simply from that cold glare.  "I'll leave that for you to figure out."

A lump of saliva gets caught in my throat.  "Can I go home?"

Brendon nods and opens the door for me.  As I step down to the sidewalk, I feel his eyes burning into my back.

"Ruby!" 

I stop dead in my tracks and turn.

"The son chose his family's fate."

"Gerard?"

"If only he kept his mouth shut, could've saved so many lives."  He lets out a dark chuckle.  "Instead he got scared, put himself in a psych ward.  Let that be a lesson to you, Ruby.  Don't be a snitch."

He goes back inside, closing the door. 

I no longer perceive Brendon Urie as another friendly neighbor.  He's the murderer next door.