Caitie looked at her friend incredulously, both at the fact that she didn't think the guy was asleep and the fact that, because of that, she wanted Caitie to go poke him. But, lest she look chicken in front of Maddie, she swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and walked forward, staring at the man like he might leap up and attack her at any second.
As she got closer, she realized that Maddie's theory... might have been right. "There's... there's b-blood..." she whispered. "All over his sweatshirt..."
Against her better judgement, though, she reached out and poked her index finger against the guy's shoulder. But he didn't move. She tried again, pushing a little harder this time. Nothing. After another try, she stepped back and stared at him for a few seconds.
"O-oh my god, he's..." she didn't need to say the next word. Maddie knew. But she said it anyway. "He's dead."
Caitie's heart pounded in her chest. "He's... dead..." she repeated. All the blood on his sweatshirt poured down from his throat. That... wasn't something that someone did to themselves.
"Someone killed him."
She went to take another step back, but the body slumped forward, toward her, and she screamed, leaping back. "L-let's—let's get out of here!" she shouted, grabbing Maddie's arm and pulling her in the general away direction.