Chapter 2
Bucky drives, unsure where he's going until he ends up on the edge of town. He thinks for a minute, staring at the welcome sign. He doesn't even recall seeing any type of notice saying they were filming here or any day where there was a crew blocking parts of the town. How'd they do this? And why? And how did Steve get his hands on it?
Steve.
Just as he thinks of his name he feels his phone vibrate. Sure enough it's a message from the man.
Steve: Left your house and heading back to mine
Steve: So.. you can come back now
Steve: You weirdo
Bucky takes it into consideration but doesn't listen. He drives around a little more, then finally parks somewhere to walk around. Walk around with plenty of people around as well. It's a small town but not so small everyone is going to know his name...or that his boyfriend is a potential murderer. He sighs, maybe he shouldn't have ran out. Or maybe you saved yourself his inner voice mocks and he's not sure if it's truly mocking or logic.
He walks around a bit, does some window shopping while not going into stores (in case he was the only one in them). Then as he walks near one of the electronics stores he sees people gathering around the group of display tv's that happened to show the daily news. It's not as if everyone didn't have a cell phone but he appreciated people getting their direct news the old school way occasionally.
He manages to catch the end of the sentence the news caster reads as he gets in earshot of the tv's
"...-other body found by nearby lake with same circumstances as other 2 victims. With 3 victims total so close together this case has now officially been classified as the work of a serial killer. We ask that all citizens stay vigilant especially the residents of-"
Panic makes Bucky's brain go blank at the confirmation that it was indeed his town who had to worry. He knew when the video of the lake where the victim was found was shown. Bucky was trying to remember how the first victims in the movie came.
But no that was completely different. That was a movie, as freaky as the coincidences were, it was just a movie. This was real life. And he knew Steve most of his life, he loved Steve. He couldn't be a killer.
Just then he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket again, but this time it goes longer. A call. Someone is calling him. Who the hell calls him anymore besides-
"Steve?" Bucky doesn't mean to choke the words as if he was talking to someone he was terrified of when he answers.
"Heyyy…" Steve draws out. "I thought you'd make it go to voicemail."
"Yeah," Bucky gulps. Stop it, Barnes. This is Steve. Your boyfriend. He's not a killer. It was all just a coincidence.
"I'm sorry about the movie," Steve says. "I just thought it'd be funny. When I heard about it... I'm sorry. I know you're mad."
Bucky sighs. "I'm...not mad." He says. It kinda was a lie kinda wasn't. "It just...freaked me out a bit," he laughs nervously.
"Yeah," Steve says. "I shouldn't have..." He sounds guilty, sounds sorry, not something a killer would.
Bucky clears his throat. "It's okay." Then pauses for a bit. Hour or two apart and he already misses him. "Where are you now?"
He hears Steve let out a light chuckle. "I'm uh actually by the lake by your house."
"You're...what?"
"Yeah I was heading home but then I didn't really feeling like just sitting in my place all day so I just thought I'd get some fresh air."
"By a lake..." Yes technically it was a different lake than the one Bucky just saw on the tv but it didn't sit in Bucky's stomach any better that Steve just so happen to be at one.
"Yeah...why? You don't like lakes now? I thought Loch Ness Monster was tame for you?" Steve jokes.
"Um I'm actually next in line. Cashier is waving me down," Bucky makes up, he was still outside.
"You're in a store? Oh are you in town? I can meet you-"
"Sorry. Gotta go! People behind are rushing me." Bucky hangs up quickly and puts his phone on DO NOT DISTURB. He puts his phone in his pocket and wipes the sweat from his hands that formed in the past few minutes on his pants.
Bucky doesn't know what to do. He can't go back to his house. Steve was nearby and if he suspected Bucky was still upset he'd come over but he also didn't want to stay here because if Steve did figure he was at the town's ONLY shopping square he'd come here too. Maybe he just needed some time for logic to catch up with him before he freaks out at every out of context thing Steve does.
He thinks maybe he will stop by his mom's like he lied about but it was an hour away and she'd want to know why he was there unexpectedly. He didn't have a knack for just showing up. So he drives around for a bit hoping to ease his mind. Halloween stores were up and running now, finally, with teasing all of August. He decides to go in the most kid friendly looking one. He could always pick out some more decorations for the place, maybe even get a pumpkin or two to carve.
About an hour and half later he arrives back home to no one there but himself. He breathes a sigh of relief. He dumps the bags of décor he picked up and places the pumpkins on his counter. He takes out the carving kit to lay next to them so he doesn't throw things about looking for it later.
He checks his phone forgetting he had it on DO NOT DISTURB and forgetting why.
4 missed calls from Steve
2 from his mom (yikes he'll get back to that later)
a voicemail each from his mom and Steve
and a total of 15 text messages. Shit.
He opens the messages first in hopes it will make it so he doesn't have to listen to the voicemails.
There's 3 from his mom, one from an unknown number referring to him by the wrong name asking about voting for something he didn't sign up for, several from the group message with his coworkers and the rest from Steve.
Bucky sighs. He opens his mom's first.
Mom: Hey, honey. Steve called her looking for you. Hope everything is okay.
Mom: Told him I haven't seen you. Was I supposed to say otherwise :( ?
Mom: Oh and please call or email me back so I know you're okay too <3
Well fuck. Now Steve knows he's avoiding him and is confirmed he lied about seeing his mom. He goes to open his coworkers messages next. Just a few inside jokes and a picture of someone on the side of the road holding posters about the rapture. He texts "STOP' to the solicitating message, texts his mom hes okay, and prepares himself to open Steve's messages.
Steve: Hey we got disconnected. Call me when you can?
Steve: How long does it take you to check out haha
Steve, 30 minutes later: Confused because I thought we were good ?? Did I read it wrong when you asked where I was? Thought I was forgiven and you wanted to meet up
Steve: I'm sorry again. Can you just answer the phone ?
Steve: Okay fuck it I called your mom because you said you were going there for dinner and yeah she says you're not there so I guess you really are mad at me.
Steve an hour later: Okayyyy soooo...yikes. Just got home and saw the news. I swear I didn't know!
Steve: So I did call you a few times and left a voicemail umm no need to listen to that voicemail. I really am sorry Bucky. I swear this is just a coincidence.
Steve: Call me when you want. No rush I just want to make it up to you.
He thinks he should call Steve back...was it really just a crazy coincidence? But he checks the time and it's late...or rather the sun has been down for a few hours and Bucky isn't sure he wants to chance it, so he holds off on calling Steve back.
He decides to sit down and watch something more his type-a Medical drama show, but before he does he decides to check the news again. See what the weather will be like the rest of the week, events that will be going on this weekend. Of course he should've known better. More news about the killings, who the victims tended to be, where the killer might strike next. They apparently didn't have enough information to give a full rundown of what the "unsub" might be but they'll be sure to keep the residents updated with any information that will be useful to help them catch the killer. Great news Bucky thinks sarcastically, now he doesn't even know what or who to look for. Would've also been great to rule out his boyfriend, the deep dark back of his mind thinks.
And as if on cue he hears a knock at the door, the noise making him jump from his seat on the couch. Bucky damns himself for not turning off all the lights but even so it doesn't explain why he doesn't decide to look to see who it is before he opens the door. He regrets it as soon as he opens it but then it is too late.
He opens the door to a man holding out his hands, red with blood.