The Summer Bay Massacre

[Perry]

WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES!

50:

THE FINAL CHAPTER?

Friday, 27TH APRIL 2007

“THERE IS JUST NOOOOO WAY OF LETTING YOU KNOOOO YOU’RE THE ONE THING I KNOW I CAN’T LIVE WITH-OU-OUT...” Roo sang into the microphone in a studio with his band behind him, Drummer Luke with the broken leg, Bassist Tabby and with himself on lead and vocals, they ROCKED as well. “THERE IS NOOOO WAY OF LETTING YOU KNOOOO YOU’RE THE ONE PERSON I OWE MY LIFE ABOU-OOOOOOOOOOUT!” When Roo finished he looked at his father who was looking in from behind the glass and smiled.

His father who himself was standing next to another man around his age looked at his son, still proud.

“I hate to say it but you were right!” The man said. “It’s a risk- doing a cover of one of your songs but...” He hesitated.

“But?” Andrew asked worried.

“He does it better!”

Andrew didn’t know how to respond.

**************************************

Candy struggled to carry a large roll of material from her car. She tried her best to carry it while closing the door of her Echo with her feet before heading for the door to the house but before she got to the door, Cooper opened it and ran into the garage carrying his surfboard and knocking Candy down in the process.

“Uh sorry!” Cooper said before heading down the driveway.

Candy laid down covered by the miles of floral material she was carrying. She slowly clawed her way out of it and used a hand to help her up off the cold cement floor.

“Thanks sweetie!” She smiled before kissing Colby.

“Anytime babe!” He grabbed his surfboard which was leaning against the wall in the garage.

“Hey! Hey!” Candy said. “And where do you think you’re going?”

“I go surf now!” said Colby, slightly worried.

“No!” Candy shook her head before wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. “You go carry my material into lounge-room so I finish assignment on time!”

“And then surf?”

Candy nodded. Colby immediately put his board back down and grabbed the material and ran inside with it. When he left Candy laughed and shook her head in amazement. “I can get use to this.”

**************************

“Any letters?” Andrew walked into the Dining room and asked.

Candy was at the table using the white sewing machine, not hearing her father or possibly just ignoring him. Andrew looked down at the envelopes at the paper. He grabbed them and looked through them.

“Bills... Junk... Another letter for your brother from that lawyer from Yabbie Creek... and some more bills.” He put one envelope separate to the others. “Candy?” He talked a bit louder so she could hear over the sewing.

“Dad, it’s due on Monday!” She said to him.

“Well don’t worry then!” Andrew snapped and headed out of the room just as Roo was heading in. “There’s a letter for you on the table, from that lawyer from Yabbie Creek.”

“Great!” Roo said sarcastically.

Andrew shrugged before leaving the room. Roo grabbed the letter from the table and threw it in the small bin next to Candy.

Candy stopped what she was doing and looked up at her brother. “Why don’t you just read it?”

“I don’t want to be reminded of it...” Roo admitted, Candy looked at him. “...Besides if it is that important I’m sure he can track me down and tell me himself.”

“You didn’t even go to his funeral!”

Roo walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “You going to come see us play tonight?”

“Depends how much I get of this done but Colby will be going with Cooper.”

“I really want you to be there...” Roo said to her with a smile. “...That Producer would be there, the one who is doing our album... I have an idea...”

Candy looks at him, intrigued.

*****************************

Cooper and Colby walked into the crowded club, The ANgEL bar, as the neon sign above the stage read.

“You couldn’t get Candy to come?” Cooper asked feeling slightly out of place as most of the crowd were young women in their late teens or early twenties.

They got closer to the stage where the saw some familiar faces setting up.

“Hey sexy!” Cooper yelled out.

Tabby looked down at the crowd and spotted the two boys, she smiled. She placed the microphone stand down and jumped off the stage, she ran to Cooper with her arms open, wrapping them around him when she made it to him. He gave her a short kiss on the lips.

“You look hot!” Cooper told her.

“You don’t look too bad yourself but it’s strange seeing you not wearing a singlet, boardies and thongs.”

“Well don’t get use to it.” Cooper laughed.

“Good to see you again cheese.” She smiled at Colby who faked a laugh. “I got to setup.”

“Okay sexy but do us a favor?” Cooper smiled. “Break a leg!”

They looked up at Luke and laughed.

Tabby gave Cooper a short but passionate kiss before getting back up on stage.

“Let’s get a drink!” Colby yelled.

“Nervous?” Candy asked Roo as they waited backstage.

“Not really. You?”

“Petrified!” Candy confessed.

Tabby walked backstage. “We’re on!” She said to them.

Roo took a deep breath before stepping out on stage.

The crowd cheered. Roo walked up to the microphone. “How are you all doing tonight?” He asked, causing them to cheer some more. “We’re Tri-Kanga and we’re going to rock for you tonight!” Roo continued which caused them to scream. “This song is a personal favourite of mine, ‘Don’t the Fear the Reaper’.

They started playing a faster, up-beat version of the Blue Oyster Cult song.

‘All our time has come

Here but now they're gone

Seasons don't fear the reaper

Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain’

‘we can be like they are’

‘Come on baby’

‘don't fear the reaper’

‘Baby take my hand’

‘don't fear the reaper’

‘We'll be able to fly’

‘don't fear the reaper’

‘Baby I'm your man’

‘All our time has gone

Here but now it's gone

Romeo and Juliet

Are together in eternity’

‘Romeo and Juliet’

‘40,000 men and women everyday’

‘like Romeo and Juliet’

‘40,000 men and women everyday’

‘redefine happiness’

‘Another 40,000 coming everyday

‘we can be like they are’

‘Come on baby’

‘don't fear the reaper’

‘Baby take my hand’

‘don't fear the reaper’

‘We'll be able to fly’

‘don't fear the reaper’

‘Baby I'm your man’

The crowd clapped, loving it.

“Thank you, you’re being brilliant. Tonight we have something special for you all. I won’t be singing this next one...”

Cooper looked at Colby, a bit confused as to what was going on.

“...I’d like to introduce to you, my beautiful sister Candy.”

Candy walked onto the stage, looking like an angel. She walked up to the second microphone stand. The crowd cheered for her.

The band played something a little more mellow.

Candy begin to sing, like Roo she had a gorgeous voice.

‘It was a monday, when my brother told me,

"never pay the reaper with love only."

What could i say to you, except, "i love you."

And "i'd give my life for yours."

‘I know we are... we are the lucky ones.

I know we are... we are the lucky ones.

I know we are... we are the lucky ones, dear.’

‘How could i ever love another, when i miss you every day...’

‘How could i ever get over you, when i'd give my life for yours.’

‘I know we are... we are the lucky ones.

I know we are... we are the lucky ones.

I know we are... we are the lucky ones.

I know we are... we are the lucky ones, dear.’

‘My dear, It's time to say i thank god for you.

I thank god for you in each and every single way.

And, i know...’

‘i know..’

‘i know..’

‘i know...’

‘It's time to let you know. time to let you know.

Time to let you know. time to sit here and say...’

‘I know we are... we are the lucky ones.

I know we are... we are the lucky ones.

I know we are... we are the lucky ones.

I know we are... we are the lucky ones, dear.

We are the lucky ones, dear...’

Roo notices someone in the crowd, his father he looked at them and smiled.

“Okay guys we’re just going to have a short break...” Roo told the audience who sighed with disappointment. “...We’ll only be a minute.”

Roo hopped off the stage and walked up to his father. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

“Your sister was brilliant!” He said.

“She was, wasn’t she?” Roo smiled. “Still, dad?”

“I read the letter you put in the bin...”

Roo rolled his eyes back, disappointed with his father.

“Roo!” Andrew said in a stern voice. “It’s big news...”

“ROO!” A familiar voice called out from the crowd.

Roo turned to see Jason Cameron, an actor from Logan’s show standing amongst the crowd with another man, Mitchell Welsh. They walked to him “Hey dude.” Roo smiled and shook his hand.

“This is Mitch, he’s a producer on the show.” Jason introduced him.

“Hey.” Said Roo as he shook the young man’s hand.

“You did well up there.” Mitch complimented.

“Thanks...” Said Roo with a smile. “Glad you’re enjoying.”

“I know Logan would think so, he was always telling us how good you were.”

Roo’s smile faded at the mention of his late brother’s name. “What do you want?” He asked slightly rudely.

“Your brother’s last episode aired last week...”

“I know I caught the tasteless promos for it.”

“...Well you may or may not be aware of the negative feedback we received after it aired...” Mitch continued. “...I’ve talked with your manager and he thinks it would be a great idea...”

“Yeah?” Roo’s patients were being tested.

“We would like you to take over the role and give your brother’s character the send off he deserves.”

“I’m not an actor.” Roo told him before beginning to walk off but his father held him back. “Dad?”

“Just hear him out.” Andrew told his son.

“Dad, I’ve got the band, the album...”

“...We’ll try to work around your schedule, we’re not talking a long term contract just three months, to tie up all the loose ends and continue with the story-lines we had planned before we found...” He corrected himself. “Before your brother decided not to renew his contract.”

“Dude...” Jessie said. “...Think about it for Logan at least.”

“Dude!” Roo said mockingly. “If I do this it won’t be for Logan.” He thought about it for a moment. “I won’t be playing a ghost will I?”

Mitch shook his head and laughed. “No, Brady simply faked his death to help with the capture of the Seaberry Beach Serial Killer.”

Roo shook his head. He’ll ‘almost prefer playing a ghost’ he thought to himself. ‘At least that would be more believable. “I’ll get back to you!” He told them.

Mitch nodded and the two boys walked off.

“Are you going to do it?” Andrew asked his son.

“I don’t know yet.”

“Well if you worried about your acting skills, don’t, you did well playing straight for seventeen years.”

“Eighteen!” Roo tried to correct him.

Andrew shook his head. “Seventeen!”

Roo laughed.

“Serious now...” Andrew said. “That letter from that Solicitor, I don’t know how to say this but you own a farm now.”

“What?” Roo asked confused.

“The letter said that Charlie saw his solicitor in Yabbie Creek the day he died and changed his will, before it stated that Greg Swales would get the farm but he changed it so you would.”

“Are you serious?”

Andrew nodded. “You own a farm in Summer Bay!”

****************

“I can’t move my legs!” Cooper complained.

“Well you didn’t have to come.” Roo told Cooper.

“Are you kidding? I’m checking out your new digs.”

Roo was driving Candy’s Echo, Tabby sat beside him and Cooper was cooped up behind him.

“I should have went with Colby and Candy in his van.” Cooper whined. “At least then I could have room to stretch my legs and breathe and...”

“You know you are starting to sound more and more like Logan each day.” Roo told him. Tabby laughed but Cooper didn’t find it funny.

“How about you trade in the Conveyor Belt for a Mini Cooper?” Tabby asked. “That way if it breaks down you’ll be able to just pick it up and carry it home.”

“You’re funny.”

“Why don’t you have a car of your own. Something homo like a...”

“No homophobe jokes Coop!” Tabby warned him.

“I meant homo as in HOMOSAPIEN not HOMOSEXUAL!” Cooper lied.

“We’re here!” Roo said as he stopped the car.

“This isn’t a farm.” Cooper said as he looked out to the cemetery.

“I’ll only be a minute.” Roo said to them.

Roo looked through the graves he couldn’t spot a CHARLIE MCKINNON by looking but there were quite a few names there.

“They haven’t put up a tombstone yet.” A voice told him.

Roo turned to see Kim standing at one of the graves.

“He’s buried here though.” Kim told him. “Rachel and I came and saw the burial.”

“Was anybody else there?”

Kim shook his head. “A few of the staff at Reefton Lakes... oh and Lucas showed up as well.”

Roo smiled. “What’s it been like here since the murders?”

“One thing about Summer Bay is that there is always something happening. One thing after the next.”

“Do you visit him often?”

Kim shook his head. “To be honest I usually only come here to visit Drew and Belle but even then my visits are few and far between. I really don’t know why I’m here today.”

“I do.” Roo said. He knelt down and placed his hand on the unmarked grave. “I know we are we are the lucky ones!”

Kim nodded.

*********************

“Your step-mum told me you’ll be here.” Roo said as he sat down next to Lucas.

They were at the same place in the beach where they shared that kiss a few months before hand.

“Did you get my emails?” Lucas asked. “I sent you hundreds of them.”

Roo shook his head. “I don’t remember giving you my email address.”

“I got if from the Shepherd Boys website.”

“That hasn’t been updated for years.” Roo admitted to him. “If I’d known you were trying to contact me I would have...”

“Would have what?”

“Would have contacted you back.” Roo took a breath. “How are things with you and Ric?”

“What you mean about the whole pretending to have amnesia so he didn’t have to face up with the whole having sex with me thing? Yeah it’s good.”

“Hey, I’m trying here...”

“He hasn’t talked to me since I admitted to hitting him over the head with a baseball bat.” Lucas admitted.

“You what?” Roo asked a little shocked.

“I thought he was the killer.” Lucas looked at Roo and smiled. “He wasn’t right for me anyways. I need somebody a little less straight and a little more willing to be with me.”

“Where are you going to find somebody like that?” Roo teased.

“Not in Summer Bay that’s for sure.”

“I don’t know about that. I was in Summer Bay for like two days and fell for two not so straight boys.”

Lucas smiled.

“One was shy, quiet, a bit reserved but wasn’t really a nice guy when off his medication. The other one was shy but in a slightly more confident way, he was very cute and one hell of a kisser.”

“I’m not going to kiss you!” Lucas told him.

“Well that’s good because I wasn’t talking about you anyway.”

“Well who?”

“Kim Hyde!”

Lucas laughed. “Now I know that’s not true.”

“Okay I was talking about you but seeing how you won’t kiss me...”

He was interrupted by a kiss, a long passionate and one hell of a kiss.

“Umm!” Said Lucas as he pulled away. “Maybe we should take this slower.”

Roo nodded in agreement. “I have to go anyway but I would like to see you later.”

“A date?” Lucas asked.

“Possibly is that going too fast?”

“Not the dates I go on.” Lucas confessed.

Roo laughed. “I better go, I will see you later, meet me here in a few hours.”

“Will do!” Lucas said before giving him a short kiss.

****************

“About Time!” Candy said as Roo walked into the Mckinnon home.

“Sorry.” Roo apologized. “Had a few things to take care of.”

“So how was he?” Candy asked.

“Who?”

“Don’t play dumb!” Candy laughed. “There was two guys you haven’t stopped going on about for the last two months and seeing how one of them isn’t around anymore it just leaves the other one.”

“He’s fine if you must know, in fact we’re going on a date later.”

“That a boy!” Candy said.

“Where are the others?”

“The property is HUGE!” Cooper said as he walked into the house with Colby and Tabby at his tail. “You know you can sell a lot of this land and be like an instant millionaire?”

Candy nodded. “He’s right. You really need to think about that. What you want to do?”

Roo nodded. “All I want to be is a Rock Star!”

“Rock Stars need investments!” Tabby added her two cents.

Roo started to have a wander around his new home. He walked into the kitchen and saw a briefcase on the kitchen bench. He opened it. Looking at the piece of paper inside it.

He read the words printed on the paper. “Take your time, think a lot, think of all the things you’ve got cause you’ll still be young tomorrow but your dreams may not!”

“You’re so lucky to have this place, you know how rich you can be? I’ll give up anything to be that lucky...” Cooper confessed to him. “I’ll give up my beloved Kombi!”

“Yeah and I’ll give up my beloved Echo!” Candy joked.

“You know what?” Roo asked them both. “You have a deal!”

“Funny!” Cooper said laughing it off.

“No I’m serious.” Roo told them. “It’s yours.”

*********************

“So let me guess this straight, you gave them a house?” Lucas asked before hitting a golf ball with his putter club.

“Pretty much!” Roo said as he watched the ball go through the clown’s mouth and into the hole. “Good hit!” he said. “I made them give me their cars though.”

“But they can sell it, what about all the money?”

“I don’t care.” Roo said. “I was pretty much happy before I arrived at Summer Bay I just never realized how much so. Of course meeting you has made me happier.” Roo thought that needed clarifying. “I got offered a three month contract on a soap opera, I have an album coming out. I don’t need a house, I don’t need money. I’m going to be a star!”

“A modest one too. So tell me Mr. Star...” Lucas joked. “Do you need a boyfriend?”

“What happened to taking things slow?”

“I’m just asking!” Lucas stated.

“No I don’t.” Roo admitted to him. “But I wouldn’t mind having one.”

Lucas smiled and they kissed again.

*****************

Roo was driving the Echo, Tabby sat in the passenger seat next to him.

“It’s a shame we have an early start at the studio tomorrow.” Tabby sighed. “I would have liked to of stayed here tonight.”

“Tell me about it.” Roo said almost to himself.

*******************

Andrew whistled a tune as he drove. He took his eyes off the road to look down at the passenger seat. A small hand gun and a photograph. The photograph was of him about 20 years ago with a young boy, a toddler. He turned the photograph around.

‘GREG AND I, 1987’

He began to sing the words to Father and son. “Take your time, think a lot, think of all the things you’ve got cause you’ll still be young tomorrow but your dreams may not!”

He stopped the car outside the McKinnon home.

*********************

Roo pulled the car up on the side of the road and ran out in a hurry, he unzipped his jeans and began to urinate.

Tabby looked through Candy’s CD collection when all of a sudden she heard Roo screaming. She dropped the CD’s and ran out of the car towards Roo.

He was white, sweating and holding his chest in pain.

“What’s up?” Tabby asked him looking almost as worried as Roo was.

“COOPER!”

THE END?

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