Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“rrring… rring… rrring”

An ear piercing alarm rang out in the morning silence. Gone was the lovely, peaceful ambiance that allowed the person lying in bed to rest longer.

“Ugh…” An unhappy groan emerged from under the covers of the bed. She shuffled around a bit but didn’t quite get up out of bed, it was after the alarm rang for another minute or so that she finally removed the covers of the bed and sat up.  As much as she wished to sleep longer, there were many important things in the day that she couldn’t miss.

She rolled out of bed, the other occupant of the double bed having left some time ago with a different alarm. From there, she followed her usual routine. Brush her teeth, brush her hair, start breakfast, eat, do her makeup, wake up the baby, pack up, and head out.

Simple right?

The little toddler in her arms woke up in a defiant mood today. There was no food that didn’t go flying as soon as it touched her tray. Lillian sighed and glanced at the clock. She still had some time, but this little one wasn’t making it easy for her. She now wished she’d gotten up with the alarm rather than dozing off for a few more minutes.

“C’mon…. Here comes the airplane~”

She brought the spoon of applesauce to the toddler’s mouth.

She nearly breathed a sigh of relief as the little one finally opened her mouth and ate the food. Lillian only had enough time to give her a few more bites, at least enough to tide her off until lunchtime, before quickly packing up all the things she needed and rushing out to the car.

The sun had risen by now, the cool dewdrops from the early morning were beginning to fade. “Okay, it’s time to go! Are you ready?” She spoke to the toddler. The child was still in a grumpy mood, but nodded with a serious expression. She was never too angry for fun.

Lillian cracked a smile at the funny look on her face. “Okay then, let’s hurry. We don’t want to be late!” After buckling the toddler into the seat, Lillian returned to the driver seat of the minivan and set off.

She drove down the roads without hardly thinking about it. Once you do things enough times, they start to become habit, a subconscious action. The little one in the back of the car became excited too, once she started to recognize where they were.

Lillian pulled into the daycare center shortly afterwards. She unbuckled the now excited toddler and pulled along her supplies. The employees at the front desk greeted her with familiarity and she signed her daughter in as usual. They waited for a little while, only a minute or so, before the head daycare worker came out to get her.

Once the daycare worker came into view, Bella ran past her mother and over to him. Lillian laughed at her excitement and gave a word of thanks to the teacher.

Once Bella had been sent on to her class, Lillian got back into her car and headed to work. She didn’t have any kind of special job, an office manager at a local firm. But it was a good job that helped their family maintain a good life.

She sighed as she looked at the clock inside the building when she entered. Still late…

Hardly anyone blamed her though, aside from those who didn’t have kids themselves. Everyone else knew just how hard it could be sometimes.

“Ugh, that took forever.” She mumbled, rubbing her shoulders.

Another day of work, completed.

She bid her coworkers farewell before she got into her car and drove back home. It was her husband’s turn to pick Bella up from daycare. He worked longer days than her, but since he left earlier, they usually got back at similar times.

She set to work, preparing a nice meal for them all. She baked the chicken, tossed the salad, and put together enough food to bring the leftovers to work tomorrow. There was only the three of them after all, two, really. You couldn’t count the stomach of an almost two year old on the same level as an adult.

Just as she was finishing up the last of the preparation, she heard the sound of her door unlocking. Her husband stepped through a moment later, the little one in tow. “Welcome back.” She called from the kitchen.

“Hey!” Soren greeted. He shuffled off his coat and set the little one down. She knew how to walk already, though she was a bit unsteady at times.

The toddler waddled into the kitchen with haste to find her mother, smiling brightly when she found her. “Hey Bella!” Lillian greeted softly, moving carefully around the clumsy child to ensure she didn’t knock into her.

She set down the rest of the plates and pulled Bella’s chair up to the table. Soren passed upstairs while she finished up, probably to change, before he came down and joined the two of them.

The meal was good. They spoke about how their day was, what plans they had in mind coming up, and took care of Bella. She was in a much better mood now, all the morning grumpiness was long gone, replaced by her usual smiles and laughs.

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She sighed as she set her groceries down on the kitchen counter. Now she had to get everything away where it needed to be and start the meal prep. The food from the day before had been expended for lunch that day. She and Soren both took a portion for their meals, what little was left over wasn’t enough to sustain a meal, so she needed to make something else for tonight. That and- she didn’t want to eat the same meal 3 times in a row.

She had just gotten off of work and picked up Bella, also taking a quick stop by the grocery store to pick some things they were missing, Soren would probably be back a little later than usual. He called from his work line to let her know.

She’d been feeling somewhat stressed today. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but she felt tense. On edge.

One bag after the other, she slowly emptied the contents. It wasn’t until the end of the last bag, when she got up to put the last of it away, that something abnormal appeared in the corner of her eyes.

She had probably ghosted over it before, not aware of it, but there was this little voice, a tiny alarm bell ringing in the back of her mind.

The color… the shape… She knew she was just imagining it. She knew her mind was just filling in the blanks. But she still couldn’t help the nauseous feeling that grew in her stomach. The sour emotions filling her heart.

She knew that once she looked at it, that haunting image would disappear, that it was just nothing… A figment of her over stressed imagination.

She couldn’t help herself as her eyes moved to meet the phantom.

But when she looked. It didn’t change. It didn’t disappear like all the others. All the shadows of the past that she thought had finally grew tired of their chase, that she thought she had finally forgotten about. Everything looked so real. Form the old, dented tin of the can, to the worn and stained wrapping, to the wide, toothy smile stretched across the form.

Her breathing was growing labored, she felt sick.

How… how is that here?

She lurched out of the room and up to her bedroom, Bella all but forgotten, left alone in her walker. Her steps were unsteady and her fingers were trembling. She mindlessly rummaged around her drawers searching for that thing. It had been so long since she needed it… why would it come back now?

She finally spotted the old pill bottle near the bottom of a drawer. She didn’t even stop to read the label, already aware of what lie inside, far too familiar to forget. She shook out two of the pills and swallowed them down without going to find water.

She sat on the floor for a long time. Her thoughts were clouded by fear, by the pain and horror of the past. It wasn’t till she managed to calm her breathing and slow the shaking of her hands that she got back up.

She felt like all of her energy had been sapped as she stood on trembling legs. The terrible memories of that place were dug up from the deepest recesses of her mind. She had spent so long trying to forget, to bury the past and move on, why did it have to start again now?

The hallucinations.

At least the medicine made them go away.

When she walked back down the stairs, she paused as she scanned the counter. But the monetary calm she had ushered onto herself was swept away in and instant.

Why…

Why is it still there?

The black and brown wrapper, adornded with a sweet toothy smile, the old font reading Bacon Soup!

It was straight out of her nightmares.

It will go away soon, just let the medicine do its job. She comforted herself. It wasn’t abnormal, for the medicine to take a while to work, and for the illusions to remain for a while longer.

Yeah, this was not a strange occurrence. It took years after the incident for her to stop having the nightmares and panic attacks. To stop waking up in cold sweat at the slightest creaking of the floor boards.

She had finally moved on, started a better life. Why did this s*** have to come back now!?

She forced herself not to think about it, not to even look in the direction of it. It would disappear soon enough, it wasn’t real. None of it was.

The Next day, Soren came home a bit later than usual, again. Bella was asleep in his arms as he entered the door. Her head lolled lazily off to one side while a trickle of saliva dripped down her chin. Soren looked tired. His job must’ve run long. It was lucky for them that the daycare workers were familiar with them and took care of Bella for a little while longer despite how everyone else had already come to pick up their children.

Lillian greeted him once he came in. She didn’t say much, she could tell he had a bad day. Soren gently handed Bella over to her while he lumbered over and collapsed on the couch in the living room.

He slid his hands over his eyes and sighed.

Lillian cast him a glance of pity before slowly nudging Bella awake. She wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if she took a nap now.

The toddler woke up groggily, her utterly confused expression bringing a slight smile to Lillian’s face. “C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up.” She said. Guiding her off to her room.

It was a bit early for pajamas but they weren’t going to be going out of the house anyways. Lillian helped her change her clothes into a pair of llama printed pajamas, one of Bella’s favorites.

Once she woke up fully, she busied herself, running all about the house.

Lillian made sure she wouldn’t disrupt Soren and got out the food for dinner. Leftovers from the night before along with some fresh fruit and vegetables. “Food’s ready!” She called.  Swift tipper-tappers sounded from above as Bella came tumbling (safely) down the stairs. Soren too, he hadn’t fallen asleep yet, so he joined them at the table soon after.

It was a quiet meal.

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The morning sun shone through the curtains and onto the resting couple. The ringing alarm blasted only for a few moments before a heavy hand caused it to stop. The couple continued to lounge in bed for longer. It was the weekend. While they still wouldn’t be idle, they had at least a little more time to rest.

A quiet pitter patter entered Lillian’s ears.

She listened as the sound came closer. Something opened their bedroom door.

The footsteps vanished, but within a minute, there was a new weight on the bed.

It moved slowly, clumsily, but with a mission.

It tripped and rolled over their feet, but kept going until it reached is desired location. Lillian cracked her eyes open a pinch as she watched Bella settle down between her and Soren. She cradled her favorite stuffed toy and her special blanket in her hands as she situated herself.

Lillian closed her eyes and continued to rest.

Within an hour, Bella clearly had enough of her parent’s sleeping peacefully, and started shifting about. She hovered over Lillian, debating how to go about waking her mother up.

As she sat in deep contemplation, she was unaware of the creeping movement to her side.

In one swift motion, an arm swept her up and she tumbled onto Lillian’s body. Bella yelped in surprise, though it quickly turned into a bubbling giggle once she saw the smile on her mother’s face at her successful sneak attack.

Lillian followed Bella down the steps, smiling indulgently at her energy. She stepped into the kitchen to get breakfast ready. Rather than the usual cereal and coffee, she opted for cooking an actual meal this time. She wiped down the countertop and started to get out the eggs, bacon, everything else, when her hand paused over one particular spot on the counter.

She had pushed the incident out of her mind, forgetting about it after that evening two days ago. She had kept it out of sight and out of mind.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s gone. There’s nothing to worry about. The medicine worked.

It was just my imagination… as always.

She knew. She knew that it was all in her head. But she still couldn’t help but feel like it was real. To believe that some part of that dark place was real.

“Mommy, wad are you dooin?” A soft voice asked. Lillian looked back down to her daughter who was looking at her quizzically. “It’s nothing sweetie, is daddy getting up yet?” “I go check!” the light, swift footsteps grew distant as Bella went to go see if Soren was getting out of bed yet.

Lillian hummed as she continued to set out the food on the table. Soren and Bella came down the stairs a few minutes later. “You’re up now?” Lillian called over the sound of the sizzling bacon in the pan. Soren hummed in response. “Good morning.” He looked groggy, but not quite grumpy. It was a bit of an early start to their weekend, but hey had kinda gotten used to being woken up since Bella came around.

Today they had planned an outing to drive over and stay at her in-laws house. They moved out of town some time ago, opting to spend their retirement in a nicer place.  They were closer to Nashville, though not quite in the confines of the city.

It would take a few hours to get there, Bella was undoubtedly going to have trouble with the ride, but otherwise, it was tolerable. They’d be staying over for the weekend and coming back before the next week of work began.

Soren packed up the last of their things while Bella bounced around in the car. Lillian shut off the lights in the house and locked the front door. She had this feeling that she couldn’t shake off. Like someone was watching them.

She even glanced around because the feeling was eating at her, but aside from the neighborhood kids playing in the streets, the occasional cars passing by, and the neighbors working to finish their chores, there was nothing.

I’m just being too sensitive. She sighed. The incident from the other night must have put her on high alert for her to be overreacting like this. She shook her head dismissively.

In just a moment, once everything was ready to go and Bella was safely buckled into the car, they set off down the street.

When they arrived, Soren’s parents came out to greet them and they all spent the day taking walks around town, catching up with what was happening with everyone, and spending time together.

In the evening, they sat around the television, watching an old movie. One of her mother-in-law’s favorites, though Lillian might have suppressed an eye roll at the repeated choice. She always wanted to watch that one whenever they came over. Something about how they should learn to “appreciate the classics”. Either way, the acting, filming, and virtual effects were almost ancient in Lillian’s opinion.

Lillian’s phone rang loudly, interrupting the ambience. She smiled apologetically and left the room with her phone quickly. She looked down at the id on the phone screen and sighed before picking up. “Yes?” She greeted. “Hi Lillian, its Mandy. I just wanted to say, I don’t mind you listening to music, but it’s really loud and our kids are trying to sleep. Do you think you could turn it down?” Mandy Garloff, Lillian’s neighbor, a lovely woman (pain in the a**) who lived directly next door to them.

Lillian frowned in confusion. “Mandy, uh, I’m not sure how to say this but… We aren’t home right now. Do you have the wrong house?” She asked back. Seriously, how hard could it be to remember who lived on what side of you.

“Huh?” Mandy mumbled in confusion. Lillian could hear some shuffling on the other side of the phone. She listened as Mandy pushed side some blinds and looked out the window. “No, it’s your house, is there someone there right now? Should I call the police?” She asked. She seemed to be getting a little carried away. Probably fueling some imaginative scenario in her mind that Lillian and Soren were being robbed or something.

Lillian stood still for a moment. What do you mean it’s our house?

“Wait Mandy, you say there’s music coming from the house?”

“Yeah, some old, peppy tune. Really retro.”

Lillian thought deeply. Did she leave something plugged in?

“Should- should I call-?” “-No, thank you Mandy, We’ll take care of it. Sorry for the noise.” Lillian stopped her and quickly calmed her down. It would be a disaster if Mandy went and raised the alarm for them and the police showed up at their house. The neighborhood wouldn’t stop talking about it for weeks! It would be so embarrassing.

She sighed.

They needed to take care of this quietly. There was no way someone broke into their house to play music. No, clearly it was just something that malfunctioned.

“Goodbye!” Lillian hung up the phone.

As much as she would love to leave it alone, someone was bound to end up calling the police on them if they were playing loud music all night, so something had to be done.

“Hay babe, what was that?” Soren asked as he stepped into the kitchen. He held an empty glass in his hand while he approached the sink. “Mandy.” She waved her hands with some exasperation. “Mandy? Like, Mandy Garloff?” “Yeah, that Mandy.” She rolled her eyes. “What did she what?”

“Oh, nothing, just for us to turn our music down.” She sighed half sarcastically. “Music? Did she get the wrong house?” He asked.

“ugh... it seems not! Had to stop her from calling the cops for us.”

Now Soren rolled his eyes. “Really? So what’s the problem?”

“I have no idea, but I guess something is playing inside the house.  But if we can’t get someone down there to make sure it shuts off, we’re either going to have some very tired and angry neighbors when we get home or a whole bunch of cops at our house with some gossipy neighbors.”

She crossed her hands over her chest and leaned back against the wall.

“Why does this happen the moment we leave?” she sighed, letting her head tilt back and thump gently on the wall.

“C’mon babe, just some bad luck. Should I call Tompson and see if he can take his buddies over to take a look?”

Soren crept over to her, abandoning his cup on the counter and rubbing her shoulders. “Yeah.” She sighed. “Just make sure he stays quiet, I really don’t want any weird rumors.” She reminded him.

Soren nodded along while pulling out his phone. He flipped it open and dialed his friend’s number. After a few rings, the line connected. “Hello?”

“Hey man, Soren here. So, uh, Lillian just got a call from one of our neighbors that there was some kinda music coming from our house, but we’re not there right now. Not sure if there’s an intruder or anything. I mean, it’s probably nothing, but d’you think you could bring some guys over there to check? It’s really pissing off the neighbors.”

He explained.

“Oh, yeah sure, just finished up over here at the station anyways.” A voice replied over the phone.

“Oh, that great. The spare key should be under the potted plant just next to the door. Uh, do me a favor and be a little subtle about it. The neighbors can get real mouthy when they got something to talk about.” Soren added.

Thompson barked a laugh. “Hah! I know what ‘cha talkin’ about. Yeah, I’ll head over there in a minute, let you know if I find anything’.”

“Thanks man!”

“No problem.”

The phone call ended and Soren folded it up and put it away. “Thompson says he’ll head over in just a few minutes, he’ll take care of anything that’s there.” Lillian nodded and breathed out a small sigh.

What could it have been anyways? A disk she left in their old stereo? She couldn’t think of what it was playing the music.

Wouldn’t it be something if there really was a break in?

Lillian and Soren both returned to the room and continued to watch the movie. A few minutes later, Soren’s phone rang and he left the room. Lillian couldn’t help her attention being drawn to his figure as he paced around the kitchen on the phone.

She knew it was nothing, so why was it bothering her this much?

Once Soren put down the phone he wandered over to her chair to tell about it. “Hey, Thompson and the guys went to check. Said it was just some old radio that started playing for some reason. He made sure it was turned off.” Lillian visibly relaxed after hearing that. So it really was nothing.

That’s good to hear.” She smiled. “I don’t remember us having a radio though, did your mom give us one?” He asked. Lillian paused. Come to think of it… I don’t recall seeing one around…. Did I forget we had one?

“Probably.” She sighed. “I’ll make sure to get rid of it once we get back.” She waved him off. No point in keeping something that was already broken.

“shhh! We’re trying to watch the movie!” A hushed cry silenced them.

The both turned their attention back to the TV screen. For now, the issue was resolved.

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Soren fumbled around his pocket for his keys while trying to balance the trays of lasagna that his mother sent back with them. She always overcooked when they went over and then sent them back with the leftovers.

It did make for an easy meal prep the next few days, though they quickly got tired of eating the same foods consistently. Lillian helped Bella out of the car, stepping to the side as she zoomed past to join her father at the front door.

Lillian chuckled while she unloaded the rest of their stuff. “Careful Bella, don’t trip and fall.”

The door creaked open and Soren flicked the lights on as he entered. Bella practically ran up to her room to put away her new things. Her grandmother had been generous with her gifts during this visit.

Soren and Lillian worked together to quickly empty the car and sort out what they brought back.

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“So where did Thompson say that radio was again?” Lillian asked. “Oh? I’m pretty sure he said he left it over on the counter…” Soren looked up from what he was doing to check. “How weird, did he misplace it?” He mumbled, seeing nothing.

Lillian just shrugged. “Maybe he took it with him, I don’t really care, if it’s out of the way that’s enough for me.” She shook her head. Whatever Thompson did with it, she certainly wasn’t worried about it.

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It was another long day at work, Lillian picked Bella up from her daycare and drove them back home. It really wasn’t that long of a day, but it felt like it took ages. There was just something she couldn’t shake, a feeling of paranoia. Like she was being watched. It was stupid, she knew, but something was just really getting on her nerves. The sensation had only grown the past few days since she got back from her visit to her in-laws, and she was suffering from it.

She opened the door and let Bella inside the house. “Go play in your room.” She shoed the toddler upstairs. Lillian just wanted to get her out of her hair for a moment.

She needed to get things set up and sit down for a little while.

To take a deep breath and get some air.

She wandered into the kitchen and started getting out the lasagna to re-heat. They wouldn’t be eating for another few hours, but she planned on getting the oven pre-heated and letting the lasagna bake until Soren got home from work.

She hated microwaving food that should be baked.

She did the dishes and cleaned up the rest of the space before plopping herself down in the couch and flicking on the tv. There was nothing interesting on the news. Just the usual boring stuff, sports channels, incessant advertisements, overrated movies.

She watched mindlessly for a while. Bella was in and out, sometimes popping in for a few minutes before getting bored and dashing off somewhere else to play.

Lillian hardly payed any attention. She was feeling stressed and tired. She couldn’t possibly have the mind to remember where Bella was at all times.

She mumbled to herself as the television continued to flash.

She wasn’t sure how long she had sat there, just letting herself loose a little, when she saw something on one of her bookshelves, easily within her line of sight while looking at the TV.

It was a small thing, yet once it entered her sight, she couldn’t ignore it. Her very first instinct was to go upstairs and take her medication. Afterall, something like that shouldn’t be here. It wasn’t real.

But she didn’t.

She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t run from it like usual.

It’s not real anyway. She forcefully pushed aside the creeping fear and boldly stood up. She had spent so long trying to get away from that nightmare, she wasn’t about to let it come back and claim her again.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away from it as she approached, as if it would disappear the moment she even so much as blinked or looked away.

She half hoped it would.

That she could prove to herself that she could overcome it through her own strength.

But as she stood before it, it looked more real than ever. From the tiny, loose stitches that adorned its body to the small ink stains that brought the little devil plush to life. She stretched out her fingertips to touch it.

“Babe, I’m home!” Soren voice cut through the air and threw her out of her reverie. She snapped back to her senses and looked down at the little stuffed toy. Its smile, though lacking the enchanting // it had before, still bore through her. “When will we be having dinner?” He called.

She turned her attention away from the plush with great difficulty. “It should be ready about now.” She answered, walking back into the kitchen.

Soren hummed in response.

It wasn’t till dinner was over and she was putting away what was left that she remembered the little bendy plush. She hesitated for a moment, debating whether to tell Soren or not. If she was relapsing, she needed to tell him.

She put down the dishes in her hands and peeked into the living room. After scanning the shelves on the wall, she confirmed that it was gone. She felt slightly relived and also quite surprised.

Normally, it wouldn’t disappear until the medication kicked in.

She shook her head to herself. It was hardly anything, if it got any worse, she’d bring it up to him, but she didn’t want to cause a fuss over nothing.

//She flopped down onto the bed while Soren continued getting dressed, shedding his work attire for his sleepwear. “Tired?” He asked. She hummed into the pillow. “Long day?” “Always…” She mumbled. ///

The next day:

Lillian groaned as she awoke. The movement beside her told her that Soren was currently waking up. She turned over and searched in the darkness for the glowing face of the digital clock.

5:25.

She could still lay down for longer, but since she was awake, she figured she might as well accompany Soren as he took off.

She sat up groggily in bed while Soren began getting dressed for work. If she wanted to send him off she’d have to get up quickly, he didn’t stick around for long after he was up.

She threw her feet over the edge of the bed and stretched. It was a bit of an early morning, but it didn’t make much of a difference for her. A few hours wouldn’t do her any more good, who knows if she’d even be able to get any more sleep before Bella decided to wake her up.

She followed him down the steps, moving to collect his lunch from the refrigerator. He bustled about, ensuring he had everything else he needed and pulled on his coat. With a wave goodbye, he stepped out the front door and into the morning chill.

As she waved goodbye from the kitchen window, something caught her eye.

It was starting to get concerning really. A can of bacon soup rested on the counter just like before. She again stared at it as if the strength of her gaze would make it disappear. But it didn’t.

Maybe, like the plushie, it would just go away.

She stepped closer.

And closer.

Until she stood before it.

She reached out her hand and grabbed it.

It felt solid in her grasp, not like the illusory phantom she had imagined.

It’s… Real?

She froze for a moment.

No… She must be holding something else, it’s just that her eyes were deceiving her into thinking it was bacon soup. It was probably just a can of vegetables from the other night. Once the hallucinations went away, she would know for sure.

Still, her logical conclusion didn’t prevent her mind from running wild. It felt heavy in her hands, weighted. Her stomach churned uncomfortable at the thought of it all.

She put the can down and chose to retrieve the medicine from her bedside drawer. She thought she could handle it, she did. But the fear and nausea was too much. Any more of it and she felt like she was going to throw up. She had to make it go away.

She swallowed the pill with a tiny swig of water from the bathroom sink and moved back downstairs.

It was still there.

So the medicine had become less effective since the last time she had this problem. It was years ago though, so was that really strange?

That voice in the back of her head wouldn’t stop, couldn’t. It was real, it was too real.

Open it and you’ll know.

She approached it again.

Taking it into her hands, she suppressed the renewed urge to gag. She stuck her fingers under the metal tab and pried the lid up.

“clunk!”

The can rolled to the ground, spilling its contents all over the floor. Black fluid mixed with lighter, clumpier pieces splattered out and dripped onto her.

“urgh!” Lillian gagged.

The smell!

It felt real. She could almost taste the weird, tangy lumps in her throat.

Her hands were shaking as she looked at the dark substance splattered across her skin while tears blurred her vision.

No… It was real.

With trembling hands, she picked up her phone and dialed her husband’s number. The black fluid on her fingers slipped across the keypad and her shaking hands struggled to press the keys.

The few seconds it took for the line to connect felt like ages. “Hello?” He answered. She couldn’t help the sob that left her at the sound of his voice. “Lillian?! What’s wrong?!” He nearly slammed on the brakes of the car.

The dark substance swam in her blurry vision, seeping across the floor, wafting that god awful smell. It wasn’t even a strong smell, but it seemed to carry so many horrible memories. Bringing an instinctive fear. She couldn’t muster any words and simply cried. Soren certainly realized something was wrong. In their years of marriage, she had never been like this. The tires screeched as he turned around and began driving home.

“Lillian, what’s wro-?!”He froze in the doorframe.

Lillian was sitting on the floor, covered both in tears and a black gooey substance. His words caught in his throat. His first instinctive thought was that he was seeing things. He needed his medicine.

But Lillian started a new bout of tears when she saw him. He couldn’t leave her.

“Lillian are you okay? Can you tell me what happened?” He rushed to her side, trying not to step in the black substance. As he crouched down to her, he saw the -now empty- can of soup lying to the side, as if it were confirming his fears.

Lillian was breathing heavily, body trembling as a panic attack wracked her system. Soren tried to distract himself from the can and focused on Lillian.

“Lillian, listen to me, can you hear me?” He grabbed her hands and her face, trying to use his touch to bring her back to reality. To calm her down. “I’m here.” He had a hint of hesitation when his hands brushed the slick substance on her hands, but he tried his best to ignore it.

It took a few minutes for her to calm her breathing and start actually hearing his voice.

Only once she had totally calmed down did Soren release his grasp. “I need to go take my medi-“ “I already took mine.” She stopped him from standing up. He looked back at her pleading look and then down to the dark substance staining the floor. “but-?” “It’s real.” She breathed. A tinge of fear and horror colored her tone. Soren froze too.

Real?

But it’s….

“I thought I was imagining things, but then it…” A cry welled back up in her throat as she looked around at the mess on the floor. Soren was shocked. He put aside his fear with the rationale that it was just a trick of the mind, that just like the can of soup he saw a few nights ago, it was his imagination acting up again.

He took an unsteady step back. Waves of disgust and horror washed over him with a deep chill. “That’s not possible.” He mumbled.

Where could it have even come from, this didn’t make any sense?!

“mom? Dada?” A dreary cry came from the top of the stairs as Bella looked down in confusion. “Whas dat?”

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Lillian stepped on the gas pedal with vigor. Her expression was just short of enraged. Bella had been dropped off at daycare, but Soren sat in the passenger seat. He wasn’t about to go into work with what had happened that morning. All it took was a quick call to the office and he was good to go.

He stayed silent, both to remain out of the way of Lillian’s rage and to stay in deep contemplation. He still hadn’t quite gotten his head around the idea that that was real.

How could it be possible?!

He thought it was strange that he started seeing things again… but could they have been real?

No… now he was just over thinking things. Those things had disappeared after some time, if they were real, he would know.

The car drove into the parking lot at a pace just fast enough to make him tighten his grip on the armrest. They already gave Jamie and Eve a call, they said they had already made it to the bar.

It was still early morning, so the bar part of the store wasn’t quite open for business. The bar served as a restaurant in the mornings and afternoons, until the folks started to get off work, then it became a full-fledged bar.

The two of them hopped out of the car and walked inside. The bell atop the door chimed upon their entry. “Hey there! Jamie ‘n the others are upstairs.” Mr. Walkins called from behind the counter. Lillian spared a terse smile before she quickly filed up the steps. She wasn’t really able to spare any more courtesy at the moment.

The upstairs area of the bar were all private rooms. They weren’t soundproof or anything, but they did provide a bit of privacy compared to the main floor. They were mostly used for birthday parties or business meetings, what few went on around here.

Lillian stomped over to the room they always used at the back of the hallway and swung the door open. The individuals inside all jolted as the door noisily swung back against the wall. “Hey Lil, what’s up-?” “Which one of you F***s put that in my house?!” She demanded.

Through the opened door, Soren was pretty sure that everyone in the building could hear her.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“What is this all about?”

Inside Eve, Jamie, and Jamie’s girlfriend were sitting and chatting while waiting for Lillian and Soren. Of course, the chatting was cut short when Lillian barged in.
“Don’t play dumb! Which one of you did it?!” She sneered at their reactions.

The three people sitting at the table looked around in confusion.

“I mean, we just got your call this morning, did something happen? You said we needed to talk about something.” Eve slowly spoke, her voice raised to a pitch at the end, pressing for information.

Lillian looked closely at all of them, searching their expressions for anything to give them away. Not seeing anything, she finally reached into a plastic bag and pulled out the empty can of bacon soup. She slammed it down in the middle of the table for them all to see.

“This was in my house this morning.”

Though she wasn’t yelling at them, her voice had an unconcealed anger and impatience.

Everyone went quiet at the sight of the small tin object.

“Is this some kind of a joke?” Jamie finally spoke, his voice had a strange, shaky tinge to it. “That’s what I want to ask all of you! Which one of you did this?!” Lillian shrieked.

“Whoa, hey, I’ve- I have nothing to do with this! You mean you found -this- in your house?” Jamie quickly shook his hands. “Yes!” Lillian exclaimed. “Does anyone care to explain why?”

Another bout of glances but Eve and Jamie both shook their head.

“Are you trying to tell me that this magically just showed up in my house!?”

Soren raised his hand to calm her down. “I have no idea!” Jamie defended, throwing his hands up. “I would never joke around with something like that!” He added. It was true. He wouldn’t put it past himself to play pranks on others, he had before, but involving anything from that place. That was a step too far.

Multiple if you ask him.

Even if you didn’t know them personally, no one in town would ever joke around about that place. Not with what happened back then.

He truly had no idea what was going on with Lillian, or why this thing had shown up in her house.

“You haven’t been over there… to that place… right?” He asked tentatively.

“Are you s****ing me?! Of course not!” She huffed.

“Whoa, just… just making sure.” He mumbled defensively and looked away from Lillian’s almost accusing gaze.

She turned her glare from Jamie and back to the can. “Whoever did this though, if I find out who it was, is gonna be sorry!” The others in the room could tell just how serious she was. She was practically seething.

Still, she had hoped to catch the culprit, confronting the most likely suspects. There was no point in wasting her time here anymore if they weren’t the ones who did it and didn’t have anything else to offer her.

“This s*** is pointless.” She muttered. She had never sat down, but she turned around with a huff and left the room. Soren followed quickly after her.

Once she left, Jamie let out an audible sigh. “What was all that about?” The girl next to him asked. “It’s nothing, just Lillian bi****** about something.” He shook his head. “Are you still up for tonight?” He asked, though his smile looked a little more tensed then before. She gave a shy smile. “Of course babe, see you then.”  Jamie grinned a little more naturally. Lillian’s problems were her own.

The past was the past, and he was not going to let it bog him down anymore.

.

.

Lillian drove back home in silence. She had no idea what to say. She thought that it had to have been Jamie or Eve that thought it would be funny to prank them like that… but it wasn’t. It wasn’t funny and it wasn’t them that did it. That now left the gaping question. So how did it get there?

It couldn’t have just appeared… right?

She wasn’t sure how to find the answer to that though.

The car pulled into the driveway and the two of them hopped out.

“Oh hey!”

Lillian almost groaned as she heard the cheerful greeting come from next door. “Mr. and Mrs. Williams! Fancy seeing you two at this time, no work today?” Asked their neighbor, an older woman with ears like a hawk and a mouth like a parrot. Mrs. Hawthorns.

She herself had kids, though they were a good few years older than Bella. Mrs. Hawthorns waited until later on in her marriage before having kids. She always said “I wanted to enjoy my youth a little more before having kids.”

She was also the source of a great many gossiping rumors across town.

“Oh~ Hi Ms. Hawthorns, didn’t think I’d see you either!” Lillian still greeted nonetheless. She had an image to uphold!

“Wonderful weather these past few days, no? Especially after that big storm.”

“Yes, it’s nice to see the sun like this.” Lillian chatted back with her.

“So did something happen the other day?” She asked. Lillian paused. “No, why?”

“Oh, well, it’s just that I woke up the other night and saw some police cars parked near your house, so I was just worried that something happened.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, recalling the incident. Lillian’s smile faltered a little. This is exactly what she wanted to avoid!

“Oh, no, it was nothing, just an old radio that malfunctioned.” She gave through gritted teeth and a fake smile. This hag. She’s going to go blabbering to the whole neighborhood… if she hasn’t already!

“Oh, that’s good to hear, I was really worried you know.” She said.

Lillian resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Worried my a** you look disappointed that there wasn’t anything else to gossip about. “Thank you for your concern, it really was nothing though.” With a smile and a cordial wave good bye, Lillian finally left and re-entered her house.

She tossed the bag holding the can onto the kitchen table, not caring whether it rolled off or not. She honestly didn’t want to bring it back, to have it so close to her. But what other choice did she have? It was hard proof, evidence that what happened in the studio was real.

They weren’t able to prove it back then, it was almost silly that they found evidence now.

She scoffed at herself. And just what was she trying to prove, after all this time? Years after the incident, years after she finally moved on?

I’ll throw it away tomorrow.

The rest of the day was a blur. She slept throughout most of the day, pausing for meals and to pick up Bella. Soren hardly did anything different, since he was out of work anyways.

.

.

.

.

“Ugh” She groaned, shifting around in the bed. “Turn that thing off.” She grumbled sleepily, in a barely audible tone. The sound in her ears didn’t stop though. “C’mon, turn it off!” She groaned. Still, no movement came from her side. She lie there for a moment longer, her mind slowly coming to wakefulness.

The sound of peppy piano music, muffled by distance, played in the darkness. “Soren?” She called. All she got back was a grunt as he turned over in bed, not disturbed by her call. She sat up in bed, listening to the sound.

Is it that darned radio again? I thought Thompson got rid of that thing.

She sighed unhappily and rolled out of bed. She had to find that sucker before it shut off and before the neighbors started to kick up a fuss again. She glanced over to the digital clock on the nightstand by the bed. 2:40, how great.

She put on her slippers and quietly tip toed out of the bedroom and over to the steps. I thought it’d be louder. She commented to herself. She thought that the radio must have been blasting music and that was what disturbed the neighbors, this wasn’t very loud at all. Sure, it’s loud for something playing at 2 A.M., but it wasn’t “wake the neighborhood” loud.

Lillian listened as she crept down the steps, not wanting to wake the others in the house at this hour. It was purely piano music, with no supporting instruments. The tune, though peppy, gave her a nauseatingly familiar feeling. She tried to shut out the thought. It was probably just some old disk that she got from her mother when she moved and cleared out their house.

Something she tossed to the side and quickly forgotten about. Her mom did give her a whole lot of things.

As she went down the steps though, the sound was becoming clearer. To the point that it didn’t sound like it was playing from an old radio. She couldn’t hear the usual telltale flatness of the sound, accompanied by fuzzed out, static hisses. Lillian grew somewhat hesitant. Something in the back of her mind was warning her. Telling her not to go down. Something just felt wrong.

The music stopped.

She stood still for a moment, halfway down the steps, before continuing her movement. Guess it finished on its own?

She stepped onto the floor and walked around to the living room. It sounded like it was coming from here…

She scanned the room cautiously. There weren’t any intruders in sight. Of course there wouldn’t be. Who would break in to play music not one, but twice?

She then began to search for the culprit of her disrupted sleep. But search as she might, she didn’t find it. Seriously, where the f*** is this thing?!

In passing, her gaze ghosted over the old piano in the corner. It was a piece of furniture that came with the house, collecting dust all the while since neither she nor Soren knew how to play. It gave an elegant touch to the house though.

She wasn’t sure what possessed her, but she approached the piano, pausing her search for the missing radio. She looked down at the untouched keys. Idly pressing one or two.

Much to her growing unease and constant nausea, the sound it made felt just like the tune that was playing mere seconds ago. She looked at the stand, her eyes pausing on the sheet music that rested there. The worn, yellowed pages didn’t quite seem to fit with the elegant presentation of the piano. She picked up the pages with scrutiny. She didn’t recall putting any here.

As she scanned the words and notes on the page, she felt a bubbling sense of déjà vu. A growing sense of unease. An icy cold gaze.

Her mind stuttered and the paper in her hands fell to the floor. The other side of hell landed facing upwards. Her breathing quickened as she recalled where she last saw that title.

In there.

That place.

Her breathing quickened. Her vision was trembling, yet she could not bring herself to look around. Her heartbeat was thumping in her ears like a deep drum.

The shadows in the corners of her eyes swam. It was like ink, seeping through the walls, coating the floors, crawling all over her. He was there. That terrifying smile peered back at her from the shadows. A look of amusement… and hunger. She screamed.

“Lillian are you okay?” Soren’s voice shook her awake.

Lillian breathed heavily, tears on her face and panic in her breath. Wha… what is-?

“You looked like you were having a nightmare. Is it because of what happened yesterday? Don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t happen again.” Soren pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. Lillian slowly came to terms with reality. It was just a dream.

…

No…

Not all of it.

The memories from the night before came back slowly.

When she dropped the pages, she made a break for the stairs. She didn’t know what was happening, she freaked out. She shut herself in the room and hid under the covers. She lie there trembling for who-knows-how-long before finally being claimed by sleep.

Then there was the nightmare.

But the music, the feeling of being watched… that was real.

She didn’t look at Soren, throwing his arm off her as she stood up staggeringly. She had to be sure.

Without another word, she hurried down he steps, Soren trailing after her with worry and confusion. She stood in front of the piano, a complex of emotions across her face.

There was nothing.

Nothing on the stand, nothing on the floor, no sign of what she saw that night.

Was it all a nightmare?

But-?!

But I remember!

It was real!

“Lillian, are you feeling okay?” Soren caught up to her and again hugged her lightly. He looked at her with worry. “I-” She looked around in confusion, a hint of hesitance.

Was it really all a dream?

“It’s nothing…”

“Just a nightmare.”

Chapter Text

Lillian sighed as she stepped out of her supervisor’s office. This was the third time she made a mistake today. Normally, she wouldn’t be like this, but she just couldn’t seem to concentrate.

Her co-worker gave her a supportive smile, trying to cheer her up a little. She smiled tiredly in return.

She tried to focus, she did, but between the horrible night sleep she got last night and the haunting fragments of the past that were resurfacing, her mind was in a terrible place.

It was pretty obvious on her face too. Makeup could only cover so much of the dark circles under her eyes, and it certainly couldn’t cover up the tiredness in her eyes. No matter how much she put on.

She felt confused. It would have been simpler to chalk it all up to her mind playing tricks on her, but the alarmingly real memory of the soup spilled all over the floor, all over her, was a glaring truth that she couldn’t ignore.

All the phantoms of the past felt so real now. What if that cut-out she swore she saw while driving home the other night was actually real, or that flashing projector light she saw bobbing in her neighbor’s house.

She knew!

She knew they weren’t!

But that seed of doubt had begun to fester, and boy was it messing with her mind.

She sat down at her desk with a huff. The weekend felt so far away. How was she gonna survive?

Well, her bonus sure wasn’t going to survive if she couldn’t get her act together. Her supervisor was a man of efficiency. He had no problems entertaining occasional requests for leave and holidays and the like, but constant slipups were bound to get her out of his good graces. A place she had worked hard to get to in the first place.

She rolled a hand tiredly over her brow. Why did this all have to start happening now?

She really didn’t get it. It had been years since everything happened. Normally they say it’s the first few months that are the hardest, but once you’re out of that, it gets pretty smooth sailing. She had experienced it too and could attest. So why…. Why after all this time?

But no matter how much she asked, there was no one who could answer.

She sighed for the umpteenth time today and continued with her work. Hopefully, without making more mistakes.

The door opened aggressively as Lillian trudged inside. No mistakes my a**. She may as well have screwed up every task she had. It was going to take months of recovery work to return her boss’s gaze to the trusting look it had before.

Just my luck. She groaned internally.

With a quiet pitter patter of steps, Bella came around the corner, cradling her favorite unicorn plushie in her arms. “Moma!” She cried excitedly, certainly missing the exhaustion on her mother’s face. Lillian looked up a bit surprised, her gaze shifting again as Soren came from the living room. “You’re home?”

“Yeah, got out early today. Figured I’d get some stuff going. I can’t cook much, but I did go pick up some dinner from ‘Ol prowler’s. It’s in the kitchen if you’re interested.” Soren spoke a little softer than usual, probably out of consideration for the rough day Lillian had very obviously had.

It worked out well, he had just planned on making Lillian a bit more comfortable since she had such a rough night last night, but who knew she’d have a rough day too. That and- he had been craving the signature shrimp dish from the restaurant for a while- but unable to find an opportunity to eat out instead of Lillain’s homecooked meals.

Lillian felt a certain weight off her chest, knowing that she would be able to relax for the majority of the evening without needing to pick up Bella or cook. She felt thankful, but couldn’t quite manage to plaster a smile on her face. Her facial muscles too sore and her mind too foggy.

She sat her stuff by the door, not bothering to hang it up as she usually did. The bag and coat slumped to the floor. She could clean it up later.

She followed Soren into the kitchen. Before turning the corner though, she glanced back to look at the front door after spotting a hint of movement.

She let out a small but genuine laugh as she watched Bella standing on her tiptoes, trying with all the might in her little body to hang the fallen belongings on the coat rack by the door. Her face was scrunched as she exerted herself, determined to clean up after mommy, but still unwilling to put down her stuffy.

Soren followed her gaze and let out a light, indulgent sigh. He shuffled back through the doorway, passing Lillian, and took the coat from Bella’s hands. She was going to be there all night trying to hang it up there, and Soren still needed her at the table for dinner. He hung the fallen objects while Bella watched. Like she was supervising him, making sure he did the work well.

Lillian smiled warmly as she watched them. Bella was undoubtedly a joy in their lives, something that changed them forever.

Soren scooped Bella up into his arms and brought her over to her seat at the table, buckling her in so they could all enjoy their meal. Lillian felt that maybe not everything had gone bad, it was just a rough day. There were still plenty of good things to look forward to. She just had to shove the past behind her and let the shadows be shadows.

The call she got the next morning threw a bit of a wrench in her plan though, a call from Eve. Not much was shared, side from an urgent need to meet up again.

Lillian still had to go to work though, she couldn’t keep telling her boss she needed time off. She would simply have to wait till the evening.

She thought yesterday was bad, the work day had never felt so long. Eve didn’t share a whole lot of details about her situation either, just that something had happened and they needed to talk. It was eating her up inside, nipping at the corner of her mind. The amount of times she wanted to stand up and storm out of the office was unreal. It took all her willpower to continue to focus on work.

She nearly dashed out of the building once it was time to leave. She got into her car and sped over to the usual place. She already talked with Soren, he was going to pick up Bella once he got off work and Lillian would meet with Eve, filling him in on whatever happened after they both got back.

Lillian gave a customary wave to Mr. Walkins and headed up to the second floor. The old wooden floorboards creaked beneath her feet. The sporadic sounds forming a familiar tune in her ears after years of climbing these very steps.

She walked past the other rooms, selecting the door at the very back.

Eve was already waiting inside, but no one else was there yet. She had a milkshake in front of her and some untouched fries sitting on the table. She looked up when Lillian entered the room, a hint of hope. Or maybe just relief, flashing across her otherwise nervous expression. “No one else is here yet?” Lillian asked. Eve shook her head. “Jamie got called back in to work for an emergency, so he might be a little late.” Lillian nodded and sat down. “Soren won’t be coming today, he still has to pick up Bella.” Eve nodded like she had expected it.

“So what is this all about?” Lillian asked. Her curiosity had reached its breaking point. Any more suspense and she was gonna start tearing her hair out. Or maybe just Eve’s.

Eve let out a shaky sigh. She had been dying to tell the others too, unable though, because of their mismatching schedules. “It’s…”  She shifted around uncomfortably. Lillian was seconds away from grabbing her by the collar and shaking her around when she finally pulled out a bag. Lillian could hear things clunking around inside. “What is that?”

“I-I’ve been seeing… seeing the things of the studio again. I thought it was just my imagination going nuts, but after you brought that can in…. I decided to actually check my dorm too.” Eve looked tired, fearful. She looked like how Lillian felt, just with less anticipation.

Eve peeled back the top of the bag to show the things inside. It just a bunch of small, ordinary objects. But when they entered Lillian’s sight, she could feel her blood running colder.

“All of this?” She asked, almost tempted to reach in and push the objects around to see what all was in there. She was held back by her ebbing fear and nausea.

“Yeah… some of it I had seen around and just thought I was seeing things… others… I never even knew where there.” There was dread in her voice. How had all these things found their way into her apartment? And why was all of this happening now?!

Lillian suddenly wondered if she would find the same things if she went through her house. The thought chilled her.

“I don’t even know how this stuff got here. My roommates hadn’t noticed anything, they just thought it was some weird deco that I got.” Lillian cast her eyes back down into the bag. It wasn’t anything that screamed abnormal. A dirty looking mug, an old inkwell, some pens, even a few pieces of paper with little drawings and scribbles on it. There was more at the bottom, but that was all Lillian could see. Each one of the objects undoubtedly held that familiar mark, that scent, of the studio.

“I made sure my roommates looked over everything, because I still couldn’t believe that all of this was real, but… It is.”

“They were all looking at me like I was crazy.”

The two of them fell silent.

The silence was broken within a minute by a knock on the door. It wasn’t Jamie, since none of them ever knocked on the door. “Come in!” Sure enough, it was Joshua, Mr. Wilkins waiter. He was a cheery near-graduating high school student that Mr. Wilkins had grown fond of, he’d been working here for quite a while too.

Lillian ordered something small, hopefully just enough for her to distract herself while they still waited for Jamie. “He said he’d be coming soon right?”

“Yeah, he should be here soon.”

Lillian waited for her order and Eve pushed around her food. They couldn’t have been waiting for more than 10 minutes when Jamie finally arrived.

“So, what happened, what’s the big deal?” He asked with a twinge of breathlessness as he walked into the room. He slid his jacket off his shoulders and took a seat on the worn, red vinyl benches. It wasn’t quite cold enough to need coats, but you never knew what the weather would be like around here, any poor weather was only worsened in the evening chill.

Eve sighed and pushed the bag of stuff towards him. “Take a look.” He cocked an eyebrow but reached for it.

“Fu**ing he**! What is this!?” he ripped his hand way like he had been burned. Perhaps he was a little too spirited, reaching into the bag before getting a good look at what was inside. “Found it all around my dorm.” Eve added. Jamie paused and looked at both of their faces, scanning for any hint of lying or joking. “Are you kidding me?” He asked.

He didn’t really think that they were lying, but how else was he going to explain all of this? He would certainly prefer if they were lying even if it were a sick joke. But no, he knew them too well. They hated the studio more than anything… all of them did.

They had lost so much in there, buried even more.

The serious looks on their faces told him that they really weren’t joking. He leaned back and ran his hand down his face. In thought, he began to massage his temples too. Lillian and Eve gave him time to let it all sink in.

“So… what about your house?” he asked Lillian. Lillian shifted uncomfortably. “I haven’t checked… I just saw the one can. I was right out in the open, on the counter.” She was certain that there was more in her house. That she hadn’t seen. Or maybe she had? But simply and foolishly passed it off as another trick of the mind, a wakeful nightmare, an illusion.

Jamie ran his hands across his face again and mumbled curses. “I can hardly even tell with all this stuff, I’ve been seeing things lately, but now you’re telling me that some of it might be real?” Lillian almost paused. “Seeing things?”

Jamie just sighed. “Yeah, just like before… when we just got out. Nightmares too.”

It was nothing strange. It shouldn’t be… So then why was it?

Because she and Lillian both looked at him, and at each other in unnerved confusion. “So I’m not the only one?”

Something was wrong.

​

The door clacked shut as Lillian arrived home. “You’re back?” Soren peeped his head in from the kitchen, a tired Bella bobbing off to sleep in his arms. “Did something happen?” He asked, seeing the gloom of complicated emotions across her face. Lillian opened her mouth to respond but couldn’t help a quick sweep of the room first. Are there more of those things in here?

Tucked into the corners, hidden just out of sight…

“We… we should talk.” She finally settled with a deep exhale. Soren definitely caught onto the grim seriousness of her tone and began looking for a place to set Bella down.

They both went to their room and sat on the edge of their bed

Soren looked to her seriously, awaiting whatever news she had received.

“You… have you been seeing things lately?” She started off. “Like, from the studio?”

She looked at him with a hint of hopefulness on her face, yet she truly hoped with every fiber of her being that she was wrong. Soren paused. Hesitance and discomfort in his movements. “How did you know?”

His words felt like a bucket of ice water over her head. She had expected it, but still. Her breath quickened and she found herself clenching her fingers into the sheets below her. “Is- is something wrong?  What did Eve want to talk about?” He asked, rubbing his hand in a soothing motion across her back.

“She searched her house…. And found more stuff from the studio.” She kept her gaze to the floor, but she could hear the stutter in his breath, the pause in his movement.

“She and Jamie also said they’ve been… seeing things.”

“Having nightmares…”

“… Me too.”

Soren undoubtedly was beginning to realize the urgency, or perhaps the morbid reality of the situation. “So... she found more of that stuff? Like the can… just, lying around in her apartment?”

“Yeah, she thought she was going crazy, but all her roommates confirmed it. I- I’m worried… of what we’ll find if we look here. And… I’m scared. Of what’s happening. What is happening… Why?”

“Why now?”

Soren pulled her closer, clearly still taken aback by the shocking revelations, but trying to calm her down a little. “I don’t know what’s happening or why, but we can stop this. We’ll search the house, throw out everything that doesn’t belong. If nothing else, we’ll go to the police. If we show them evidence, they should be able to do something.”

Lillian crinkled her brows. AS much as she wanted to hand this issue off to someone else, to let them handle it. They couldn’t go to the police. “And what would we tell them? They’ll think we’re crazy. And then rumors will spread across town, they could even take Bella if we aren’t careful! How would people think of us then?!”

Soren paused. He hadn’t thought of that. “Anyways we can’t go to the police, not unless we can prove the issue.” Lillian shook her head.

Soren gave an agreeing nod. “Yeah, you’re right. So should we start looking? For the items I mean?”

Lillian pursed her lips anxiously but nodded. They had to do this, even if it was hard to face. They had to get this stuff out of their lives… for good.

She and Soren quickly got to work, not willing to waste time. She was unsure whether they’d be able to search the whole house in one evening, but they were going to look through as much as they could. They started in one corner of the house and began to work their way up, and in.

Bella woke up as they started their search, following them around curiously, though she eventually grew bored and wandered off to other parts of the house.

The very first abnormality they found, a small potted plant at the back of a counter top, was the start of it all. After that, a pile of mundane yet off-putting items began to pile up in their living room.

And pile up it did.

The bag of stuff that Eve brought to the bar was almost pitiful compared to what Lillian and Soren were collecting. Maybe it was the size of what could be hidden in their respective homes? Lillian wasn’t convinced, and she was definitely not happy.

Neither was Soren. But they had to complete the search. To rid themselves of those haunting memories.

It took hours, but they finally finished combing the main floor.

The basement, more of a cellar really, had yet to be checked and they hadn’t gone upstairs yet. Lillian looked down at the sizable pile on their carpeted floor. She felt disgusted, horrified, that all of this had been lurking in her home.

How long had it been there? How did it get there?

She sighed, rubbing her hand across her face. Just what is going on?

A quiet pitter patter alerted her to the approach of her daughter. She glanced at the clock on the wall casually. It was far past her bedtime now, she and Soren were too busy looking around to remember to put her to bed. She wasn’t hanging around much for the last few hours, probably either nodded off to sleep or preoccupied with her toys.

Her footsteps were slow, telling of her drowsiness.

“mma? She called blearily, one of her soft hands coming up to rub her eyes. Lillian chuckled a little breathing a small sigh.

“wais dat?” She mumbled, clearly attracted to the strange pile in the middle of the floor. Lillian twisted a wry smile on her face. She definitely couldn’t let Bella near this. She opened her mouth to answer, to brush her off and silence the issue. But then she froze.

“Bella sweetie?” She called, her voice trembling.

“Uh?”

“What is that? In your hands?” She took a numb, unstable step forwards.

Bella looked down to her hand, more specifically, to the small plush she held in her other hand. It was a little dirty, a bit lopsided, but the unchanging smile and pie-cut eyes bore into Lillian’s own like a red hot burning iron. From the small black form, to the gleaming little bow tie, to the dark horns atop its head… she knew that figure All. Too. Well.

Stumbling across the rest of the distance, Lillian crouched down to her level, gripping her shoulder a might too tightly.

“Where… where did you get that?” She gasped, panic flowing in her eyes. Bella looked frightened, and confused by her reaction. “I’s my toy… I’d wa in my woom.” She responded timidly. A hint of guilt showing on her face. Had she done something wrong? Was this mommy’s toy?

Soren entered the room then, having left to get them both waters. “What’s-…”He stopped, seeing their position. They both looked up at him and his eyes caught sight of the doll in Bella’s arms. “What is tha-?” Lillian stood up abruptly, leaving Bella and marching over to Soren. “It was in her room.” She emphasized. The raw horror in her tone was enough to pull them both out of any second guesses.

She and Soren didn’t have to think about it, they shared a single look before rushing up the stairs. They flew to the end of the hallway, flinging the door open, and marching inside. The light pink paint on the walls and colorful toys across the walls and floor were far from what they were looking for. But they didn’t stop there. They moved with urgency, even throwing toys about the room to check each and every corner, no inch was left unchecked. No stones unturned.

Bella watched too, once she caught up with them, with tears in her eyes. Lillian only paused for a moment assuring Bella that she hadn’t done anything wrong. That mommy and daddy just needed to look for something. But all of her attention was soon poured into the room.

It was late, Bella had long dropped off to sleep, unable to keep her small body awake to that late hour. Lillian looked about the messy room. It was just short of being trashed, really. Toys, clothes, and furniture covered the floor, piled and flung haphazardly.

Bella would have to sleep with them for the next few days, till they could clean up the mess that was once her bedroom. It would be better that way anyways. They still had no idea how that stuff was getting there, and the last thing they wanted was to let it get anywhere close to Bella.

Lillian looked to the small pile of… anomalies… stocked just outside the bedroom door. There wasn’t as much as they feared, but still more than they hoped. The pile consisted of numerous plushies, Alice, Boris, and Bendy, even multiple of some, from there it went on to things like paper, pencils, other small trinkets, even some random gears.

It was different from what they collected from downstairs, though still not by much. It was off putting, how well suited most of the objects were to the rooms and places where they were found. They didn’t find a plunger in the main rooms but in the bathroom, they only found paintings on the walls or in the rooms where they could have hung. They didn’t find any paper or pens in the bathroom, like whatever force was bringing these things here knew how a home ought to be furnished.

Soren made a low knock on the door to get her attention. “I settled Bella into bed, you coming?” He spoke lowly, though he was certain that Bella wouldn’t be woken so easily considering how late it was. She was out like a light.

Lillian nodded tiredly. She still had work tomorrow, whatever rest she could get was well needed. She just couldn’t stand the thought of those things being in her daughter’s room. Watching her as she slept.

She followed Soren back to their bedroom and they both settled in, careful not to disturb Bella. Soren lie down on one side and Lillian on the other, keeping their daughter securely between them.

Lillian thought she would have trouble sleeping, but maybe it was all the exercise she got, clearing out the house, she fell asleep quickly.

If she hadn’t been so exhausted, perhaps she would have noticed the movement of the shadows in the corner of the room, the tiny creak as the closet door slowly swayed in the nonexistent wind.

“Momma, momma! s’ time for breakfasht!” An energetic voice roused Lilian from her sleep along with a rough shaking, almost jumping movement. Even if she could shut out the sounds, she couldn’t ignore the shaking. Lillian groggily opened her eyes, peering straight into the glass blue eyes that peered back at her in wonder and amusement. She paused. The eyes blinked.

Then-

“Mommy, yourw awake!” The face, much too close to Lillian’s own, backed away. The energetic bouncing and shaking of the bed continued as Bella bounced around the bed.

Lillian groaned and sat up.

She was still, slowly joining the land of the living, when she finally thought to look at the clock. She half expected to see a large number, an indication of her tardiness to work, but was met with an early 5:15, a solid 15 minutes before their first alarm ought to be going off. And even then, she didn’t need to be up for that one, but the next one.

Now that she listened more closely, she could hear the shower running in the bathroom. Soren no doubt. He must have been woken up by Bella, or perhaps he was the one that woke her up. Either way, Lillian knew that sleep was no longer an option.

She slid off the bed, followed happily by Bella, and began to move downstairs. She could feel the weight on her eyelids, she was going to need some crazy amount of coffee to keep herself awake today.

On another note, it was Friday. Time for the bi-weekly neighborhood meeting. It’s supposed to be a community event to let everyone get to know each other and stay connected. Really though, it’s just a festering ground for gossip and bragging. That’s what it always comes down to, the neighborhood house wives all trying to one-up each other…

Lillian already wasn’t looking forward to it.

Normally, she would be the star of it, the object of envy for many of the ladies, but she was tired and already distracted by the weird stuff that had started happening.

Bella planted herself in her chair and Lillian set about getting her a bowl of cereal. Waking up this early, she was probably going to take a long nap today. Lillian just hoped they’d be able to get her to daycare without any hiccups.

She poured the flakes and the milk into Bella’s bowl and made sure she took a few bites before she started getting Soren’s lunch prepared. A simple sandwich meal and some fruit, nothing special. She heard the shower snap off upstairs, Soren would be coming down soon, once he got dressed and took a comb to his hair.

As she set the food out, she also took her time to set some of the misplaced objects and décor that had been displaced during their scouring of the house back into its place. The kitchen wasn’t all too bad, despite the amount of unnatural things they found there. Cleaning everything up wasn’t much work.

She found a few things that belonged in the living room and by the foyer, so she brought them over to where they should be. She dropped the extra coats and hats on the coat rack and stepped into the living room to put away the books and plants.

Her steps stalled as she passed the pile in the center of the room.

It was still there. Nothing really looked different.

But…

Right in front of it on the floor. Looking up at her with lifeless pie cut eyes, was a small bendy plush.

She knew for a fact that she did not leave that there.

And there was no way in hell that Soren did either.

Her heart thumped in her chest as she stared at it, chills seeping through her bones. It’s dark, ink black eyes were looking straight through her, threatening to swallow her whole. Amidst her reverie, she heard something on the steps, familiar footsteps.

“Soren?” She called shakily.

“Yeah?” He called mindlessly from the steps.

“Come here.” Her eyes didn’t leave the plush, like she was afraid it would vanish the moment she looked away. Or perhaps, the moment she turned her back, it would change into that twisted form that haunted her dreams, to come to life to hunt and devour.

Soren wandered into the living room from the kitchen, coming up behind her, not seeing the toy until he stood right by her side.

“What’s the-?”

He paused on the plush.

“I’m not seeing things, am I?” He inhaled shakily.

“Not unless we’re both seeing the same thing.” Lillian almost wanted to take a step closer, to reach out and make sure that it was real. But she was afraid. Terrified that it was. That she would somehow make it more real by physically acknowledging it.

Bella peered into the room, curiously, her parents had been acting funny lately.

Soren caught sight of her, like a drowning man grasping desperately for that lifesaving raft, he rushed to her side. “Bella, did you touch the doll last night?” His words were spoken quickly, hardly restaining the panic that threatened to overflow, his eyes searched hers for her response.

She shrunk back a little, confused by his enthusiasm. “No…” She shook her head. Soren’s expression faltered a little. “Are you sure? Did you put that there?” He continued to press. She looked past him to the plush that sat undisturbed on the floor and again shook her head. “I didn toush id.” She insisted.

Soren paled a little. If she didn’t do it…. Then how did it get there?

It felt like they stumbled upon something terrible, a dark truth that was slowly creeping up on them, hunting them down.

He and Lillian shared a look.

Just what on earth is happening to us?

Lillian stood in front of her bathroom mirror applying her makeup with expert precision. She glanced down at her phone as it buzzed against the sink. She put down her mascara, screwing the lid back on and picked up the phone. A message from Soren.

Picked up Bella, be home in 10.

She sent a simple ok in response and set the phone back down. She turned her attention back to her complexion. She had to look perfect tonight, or at least presentable. The dark circles under her eyes had to go, along with the unwashed hair and ink splotted clothes. If she looked out of place, rumors about her family relationship and marriage were bound to fly, over exaggerated and blown out of proportion by the telephone pole of gossip.

It would be embarrassing, especially after all the work she put in to look like the perfect family.

She hoped that the substance across her face could hide the exhaustion and discomfort she was battling.

The meeting, more of a party, was going to run late. She and Soren would have to continue cleaning out the house tomorrow, much to their discomfort. The piles of unnatural objects remained untouched both in the living room and atop the stairs. She had stopped to check multiple times a day for anything strange after the incident in the morning.

Nothing had happened yet, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

She smoothed out her skirt and applied a final layer of lipstick before collecting her purse and heading downstairs towards the door.

Soren pulled up to the driveway minutes later, leaving the car along the side of the road. Lillian left the house while Soren got out of the car. “I’ll be there in just a second, just need to grab something real quick!” He called as he rushed into the house.

Lillian settled herself into the passenger seat and waited for Soren to come back. He came out quickly with a different coat on, making sure to shut and lock the front door behind him. They started up the car again and headed down the street to the event.

The location it was held changed periodically, families could sign up for the role, but it still often fell to the same few households. They were currently a few streets away from one of the usual locations. The Malnic family house.

Their house was nice and their yard was well sized to host the event. Many houses around here were too small to host such a party, either that or they were simply too old and messy.

The Malnic’s were a nice family, an older middle aged couple whose kids were beginning to leave the nest, to go independent. Their oldest had gotten married last spring and moved to the other side of town, but he still showed up occasionally to the event when his parent’s hosted though he wasn’t quite considered a part of the neighborhood anymore. Their middle child was away at college, only ever coming home of holidays and breaks, while their youngest was going to be starting their freshman year of college this year.

They didn’t have much in common, but news was always quick to spread around, so everyone knew a little bit about everyone.

They pulled the car alongside the road, not willing to park the car in the driveway even if there was a spot open, too easy to get blocked in by other cars. Soren got out and started unbuckling Bella, while Lillian did one last final check in the car mirror.

“You look great babe.” Soren assured. She glanced at him but said nothing. The way he saw things was not the same way all the ladies would see things; she had to be certain that she didn’t look below standard.

Some of those ladies might be willing to let their standards down when they were too tired, but not her. She wouldn’t be caught dead looking ugly.

She got out of the car with the snack that they brought and entered the party with ease. Bella was going to be passed out after the party, she always was. She played so hard that she would drop right off to sleep by the time they were heading home in the car.

There were other children around her age that would all play together under the joint supervision of a couple of the nearby parents.

The cacophony of voices and music attacked then as soon as the door opened. Bella shied back a little, hiding behind Soren’s leg, but Lillian took to the scene like a fish to water. She slipped in and out of conversations, listening and nodding along, showing the right amount of interest and shared her own tidbits.

She glanced frequently to the door, not straying far from it either. Eve lived too far away to be bothered with this kind of event, but Jamie should still attend. She had to share what happened with someone who wouldn’t -couldn’t reveal it to others.

She sent him a message, but he hadn’t responded, she was now just hoping he’d show up so that she could talk to him.

As if sensing her impatience, a small group of ladies approached. Lillian’s smile twitched.

“Lillian! So great to see you, I’m glad you made it!” One of the women leading the charge greeted. Lillian smiled with a textbook polite smile. “of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

“oh, that’s good to hear, how have you been doing  lately?” She asked. The other ladies arounder continued to talk and mumble to each other in small conversations.

“Oh, you know how it is…”

It was at least ten minutes later and Lillian still hadn’t seen any sign of Jamie. Where on earth is he?

She continued to converse with the other women in the neighborhood, though she wasn’t very invested in the conversations.

Normally, she would be talking about her upcoming promotion at work, talking about how smart and well behaved Bella was, or simply gushing about her happy marriage life. The envious looks had always been a boost to her ego, not to mention the kind of things people would say about her.

Some of the ladies had certainly noticed her distracted state, like wolves smelling fresh meat, they continued to speak, poking and prodding at her. Lillian knew they were just a whole bunch of losers and wannabes, jealous of what she had.

Her attention was drawn away from the door when one of the ladies spoke. “By the way, I heard the police stopped by your house the other day, is everything okay at home?”

Even if she didn’t want to, Lillian snapped back to attention. The question: How did they know? Hardly even surfaced in her mind. F***ing Linda Hawthorns.

Of course she’d run her mouth and blow the situation out of proportion. If she couldn’t explain this well, crazy rumors about her were going to spread!

“Oh, that… well, we were all out of town to visit my in-laws right then. I guess something must have malfunctioned, there was music playing and disturbing the neighbors at night. Soren just called one of his friends and had them go make sure it turned off.”

There were some oh’s, ah’s, and I see’s. Lillian was tempted to roll her eyes at the disappointment in their eyes, they were so looking forwards to some more gossip.

“You should probably get that fixed then, I heard something the other night. I would have told you, but it stopped and then I kind of forgot about it.” One of the ladies said. It was Mrs. Carthy, a young married couple that lived just across from them. Lillian nodded along noncommittally.

“Wait…” She paused.

“When was this? That you heard the sound?”

Mrs. Carthy looked at her with some confusion and tapped her chin in thought. “It was… two days ago I think?”

“I’m not really sure. I just thought it was weird that someone was playing music so late at night, but I guess it was just a malfunctioning radio.”

Her words meant nothing to everyone else, but Lillian felt chills. A sensation she had grown quite accustomed to at this point. Then… That wasn’t a dream?

No, it had to have been….

So then, how much of it was a dream?

She felt confused. Her mind felt like it had been spun around on its head, the things she knew, jumbled up like an ominous puzzle. One that she wouldn’t like the final revelation of.

Amidst the muffling voices, laughter, and sounds that began to fade away from her, she finally spotted her target.

Jamie had spotted her, and was making his way over, it seemed that he gotten the message.

She hurriedly excused herself and grabbed Jamie’s arm, dragging him with her. She needed to find Soren and then find a private space for them to talk.

She found him quickly, over by the drinks table with a glass of alcohol in his hand. She mustered up the most polite smile she could, greeting his conversation partners before stealing him away.

She brought the three of them out of the densely packed areas and tried to find somewhere more isolated. She eventually opted for an unoccupied gazebo in the backyard. It was a distance from the house, so she wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard.

“Lillian? What’s the matter?” Soren asked. Jamie too, had an expression that asked the same thing.

She finally took a deep breath. Jamie first.

“Remember the stuff that Eve showed us last time?” She asked. Jamie grimaced, clearly recalling the incident. “We searched around our house… and found so much more.”

“We haven’t even finished, but we already have piles of stuff! It was in Bella’s room too!”

Jamie looked troubled. “You mean that s*** is in my house too?” He asked. “Most likely.”

Jamie let out a sound that could only be described as a combination if a sigh and a groan. “How is this even possible? I mean, the police searched the whole darn place. None of this stuff should exist, so how is this happening?!”

It didn’t make sense, none of it. But they had to do something about it.

She then turned to Soren. “Do you remember hearing anything two nights ago?” She asked. Soren paused. “I’m not sure, why?”

She shook her head. “it’s…Nothing… I just… I don’t know what’s real and what’s not anymore.”

Did she ever leave her bed that night? Or was it just a dream formed by her subconscious after hearing the music. Was there really sheet music on the piano? Or was it just as empty as it always was. Did she really see the ink demon? Or was it… no, that part was definitely a dream.

If it weren’t, she would be dead right now.

“What are we even supposed to do with all of this, go to the police? We sound crazy!” Jamie exclaimed. His feelings towards anything related to the studio were nothing short of loathing and fear.

“Maybe if we show them the things we found, surely it has to count for something? Right?” Soren mulled. “What are they even supposed to do though? We have no idea what is happening and why. Besides, we still have more to lose than to gain by going to them.” Lillian snapped. Everything was going so wrong, this isn’t fair!

The other two went silent. She was right.

They didn’t know what was causing this, what were the police going to do aside from think that they were off their rockers?

“So what are we supposed to do then?” Jamie asked.

…

“I still think we should bring this to the police.” Soren finally spoke. “And what would they do?” Lillian asked him. “We don’t know if anyone else is dealing with this either, we are the only ones in town who have been in there, and know that that stuff has to look like. Maybe we aren’t the only ones, maybe there are others dealing with this too, they just haven’t caught on yet?” Lillian hummed in thought. It made sense. “If we at least tell he police now, it’ll make them aware of the problem, even if they can’t do anything.”

Lillian still looked hesitant. “But what if word spreads? What are people going to think about us?”

“Is that really what matters right now? I mean, I don’t want to keep dealing with this. We already got s*** for what happened back then, I don’t want anything to do with that hellhole in my life anymore.” Jamie waved his hands in emphasis.

He didn’t give a s*** what people thought about him, well, he did. But not more than he despised the studio and everything with it. Even if they found out, people forget, eventually, it would fade out of their minds and it would be like nothing ever happened, just like before.

“I don’t care what you do, but once I get home, if I find any of that s*** in my house, I’m going to the cops.”  He said. Lillian could fuss all she wanted, she had her head too far up her a** with her social image and Jamie wasn’t going to go along with it.

She finally agreed with them to go to the police. But first, she wanted to search their house. She wanted to be absolutely sure of everything that had somehow found it’s way inside. She originally planned on searching though the basement first, but the discomfort of knowing she was potentially sleeping in a room with some of those things was enough to change her mind. Once they finished with the bedrooms and such on the second floor, they would go back down to the basement.

They took it at a slower pace, allowing the two of them to get adequate rest before the work days. The next few days didn’t have any strange occurrences, nothing new seemed to appear in the rooms they had searched either, though they didn’t look too closely.

By the time the weekend came back around, they had cleared out the abnormalities on the upper floor of the house. Normally, she might feel a bit distressed that her precious weekend would go to waste clearing out her basement, but she honestly didn’t feel as much regret as she did relief knowing that her home would finally be clean of those hellish props.

They woke up and had a leisurely morning, Soren made eggs for her and Bella and she took it slowly. If all went well, they’d be heading up to the police by tomorrow, maybe even tonight, if they finished quickly. The basement was poorly furnished, though still nice enough that she had no qualms storing their things down there and even placing their laundry machines down there. She always felt that it was a little… spooky, but weren’t all basements like that?

She started down the stairs, letting the light streaming in from the top of the steps illuminate the passage. Her own body shadowed the stairs as they reached down beyond the reach of the morning sun.

The steps creaked a little as she descended, by the time she reached the bottom, little light was left to illuminate the space. She wasn’t unnerved and simply pulled the white string near the bottom of the steps, illuminating the space around the bottom of the steps. Beyond the vicinity of the steps, the light again gave way to shadows, but multiple dangling strings indicated the lights that ought to be turned on.

She moved around the basement, flicking on each of the lights, illuminating the space. They had planned on getting the lighting fixed, adding some switches to light up the whole space, but never really were so inconvenienced by it that they got it done.

The basement was separated into a few rooms. One was a dimly lit room with the water tank and other heating appliances inside, they rarely went inside except to lead the hired contractors there for maintenance and regular checks to ensure their house wasn’t going to burn itself down. The rest of the basement was separated into two large rooms, one just opened up straight from the stairs while the other was separated by a wall that ran down, almost through the middle of the space. The doorway to the separated room was just to her right as she came down the steps. The doorway to the maintenance room was around the other side behind the steps. Again, she and Soren hardly ever went in there.

The steps clunked as Soren began his descent. Lillian didn’t even have to look to know it was him by the sound of his footsteps.

Lillian glanced around the basement room, running her eyes along the cardboard boxes and laundry machines. She hoped that they didn’t have to search through their stored stuff, it would be such a pain to go through all of it only to put it all away again.

She picked up a large laundry bin and brought it into the main area. They could start piling anything they found in there, that way it’d be much easier to bring it back upstairs.

She and Soren wandered over to one side of the room and began looking. Lillian was half expecting every corner to contain something that didn’t belong, but surprisingly, there wasn’t much. It only took a few hours and they had cleared out the majority of the basement. The most disturbing thing down there was an entire shelf stocked full of bacon soup, but side from that, there wasn’t much.

Lillian finished up in her corner of the room and looked to see Soren sorting through his last shelf. She mulled around a bit, waiting for him to finish so then they could go back upstairs. They sent Bella over to one of her friend’s house for the day, giving them the space they needed to deal with this stuff.

She paced around, impatient to finish this up and communicate everything with Eve and Jamie. See if they found anything new, anything that could tip them of as to what was happening.

She paused as she passed by the steps. They hadn’t checked the boiler room yet had they?

She stepped over to it and creaked open the door. Inside was dark, a constant low rumble came from the machinery, though it wasn’t anything disturbing or obnoxious. She stepped into the room a little, drawing closer to the mechanical structures that filled the room.  Splash! She looked down as she stepped into something.

Ew

She removed her foot, leaving a wet footprint. Is there a leak somewhere? She thought back to the conversations she overheard between Soren and their contracted workers. I think they mentioned something about minor spillage and leakage. It didn’t seem like a big deal, else they would have done something about it. She still wished she’d seen it sooner though, and not gotten dirty water or mysterious fluid on her shoes.

On the bright side though, the water wouldn’t do anything to the cement floor of the basement, so even if the system continued to leak, it wasn’t a big deal. The puddle was small anyways.

If it were leaking on any other floor of the house, in fact, any other room, she would be freaking out and calling someone to fix the problem before it rotted away the structure of the house.

She reached for the hanging cord and gave it a tug.

Snap

The light overhead blinked on, illuminating the space. The room was quite cramped with all the machinery, not to mention the ceiling was lower than the rest of the basement. Since the room was tucked right under the stairs, the ceiling had an awkward slope to it.

She peeked around the machines, looking for anything out of place. She didn’t think there would be anything, after all, there was very little out in the rest of the room.

She peeked around a few metal boxes, plucking up some spare gears that probably didn’t belong, but needed to be inspected under better light. She looked down at the puddle beneath her feet. She thought it had seemed dark, though she knew it was just the shadows on the water. Now that the room was illuminated, she realized that the fluid was opaque, devoid of the glassy, clear appearance of water. Her stomach churned at the sight. As she backed away from it uneasily, the dark liquid trailed along her footprints, a reminder that she had already stepped into it. There was no doubt about it.

It was ink.

Chapter Text

She peeked around a few metal boxes, plucking up some spare gears that probably didn’t belong, but needed to be inspected under better light. She looked down at the puddle beneath her feet. She thought it had seemed dark, though she knew it was just the shadows on the water. Now that the room was illuminated, she realized that the fluid was opaque, devoid of the glassy, clear appearance of water. Her stomach churned at the sight. As she backed away from it uneasily, the dark liquid trailed along her footprints, a reminder that she had already stepped into it. There was no doubt about it.

It was ink.

“SOREN!” She shouted, probably much louder than she needed to be, but she had to be sure her voice reached him over the sounds and hums filling the room. Soren paused his task and quickly went to her, sensing the urgency in her voice. “Did you find something?” he asked.

Lillian simply pointed downwards to the puddle inside the room. He looked and saw it. “Is that…?” “Ink.” She confirmed. She didn’t have to touch it, to get in close or smell it. She had seen more than enough of the substance to make her sick just thinking about it. This was undoubtably ink. She did her best to control the pace of her breathing. It was nauseating, suffocating even, to see it here.

Soren stepped closer to look at it. He inspected the surrounding machinery with a more trained gaze than Lillian. He was no engineer, but he could spot it if something were terribly wrong. There didn’t appear to be any leaks or spill marks, but somehow, the puddle had gotten there. Where did the ink flow from?

How much is there? Or is this everything?

Soren couldn’t find the answers with his assessment though, he would have to call someone over to have a look.

“Where is it coming from?” Lillian asked, leaning over to look past him warily. “I can’t tell, I don’t see anything…”

“Then we have to call the plumbers or something, because this is a problem!”

Soren nodded. “Yeah, but we should finish up with this and get to the police first.”

“Aren’t you done over there yet?” Lillian sighed, glancing anxiously over to where Soren still had his unfinished part of the room left. Why was he taking so long? They had to get this ball rolling!

“I’m working on it!” He grumbled.

Lillian left him to finish up and returned upstairs to wait.

She sent a few quick messages to the others to inform them of the progress as well.

It was just past the afternoon, when the morning chill had faded away and the afternoon sun was teetering between its place high in the sky and falling below the hills.

Soren pulled into the parking lot of the police station. Lillian could spot Jamie’s car already parked and waiting in the lot.

She didn’t see Eve’s yet, something that changed before she even got out of the car. Eve parked alongside them and hopped out of the car quickly.

“Did you bring everything?” She asked. Lillian grunted and opened the side door of the car, pulling out a large plastic bag that clunked and shifted as she picked it up. Eve herself plucked a smaller bag out of her passenger seat.

Jamie must have seen them arrive because he too got out of his car and joined them. He didn’t have anything with him, but just by looking at the bruised shadows under his eyes, they could tell he was in the same situation as the rest of them. He looked like he hadn’t slept… or at least had a terrible night.

“Okay, let’s go then.” Lillian handed the bag to Soren and smoothed out her hair before starting for the entrance.

A bell chimed atop the door as they entered the station. The ambience inside was quite relaxed, this wasn’t the crime ridden inner city after all. A young officer dozing off by the front desk snapped to attention at the sound of the bell. “uh, Welcome! Good morning, is there anything I can -uh, I can help you with?” Though he tried to be welcoming, he couldn’t hide the tired blinks of his eyes.

Lillian opened her mouth to speak, but Soren cut in before she did. “Is Thompson here? Or sheriff Marcus?” The officer thought for a moment. “uh, Sheriff Marcus is out on patrol right now, but Thompson should be over there in his office. Is there anything that I should tell him?” He asked, pushing himself up from his chair.

“No, thank you, I would like to talk to him myself.” Soren quickly refused, heading back to Thompson’s office without saying much else. The other three followed behind him. The officer’s gaze followed them back, but in the end, he just shrugged and went back to his nap -er, work.

Soren gave two short knocks in quick succession on the ajar door. Thompson turned his gaze from the papers on his desk to the door. “Soren? What’s the matter?”

He hadn’t expected to see him here.

“Derrick, do you have a minute? We have some... things we need to show you.” Derrick Thompson swept his gaze around his office. “Yeah, sure. It’s a little messy in here right now, we can head over to the conference room.” He slipped the papers onto his desk and led them out and down the hallway. One of the lights overhead in the hallway was dimmer than the others, emitting a light buzz. Lillain did her best to ignore, she couldn’t help it though, everything was putting her on edge.

In the conference room, Thompson took the lead in sitting down at the head of the table, the others followed his example as they took their seats around the oval table as well.

“So to what do I owe this pleasure?” He good naturedly asked, giving each of them a casual assessment. Soren shuffled in his seat, perhaps a little more nervous now that he was actually telling someone about what was going on. “Well, you see…”

.

.

.

Thompson held a hand to his head, frowning deeply. The conference room was now empty and the afternoon had since crossed over to evening. He looked at the miscellaneous objects sitting before him on the table.

“This doesn’t make any sense…”  He mumbled. The others had left long ago, leaving an impossible tale with even more impossible evidence. He wasn’t sure what to think about it all. It couldn’t be possible, yet there was clearly something happening. They wouldn’t pull a prank with something as serious as this.

It defied what he knew.

When Soren and the others first explained the situation, he almost thought it was a prank. He did really, he almost left the room before they finished. But once they showed him what they brought… what they supposedly found in their homes, he wasn’t so sure.

He met Soren a few years after the “incident” but even then, he had heard a lot about what happened.  It was a huge deal for their small town.

A group of teens went missing one night. Their car was found some distance away from where they were last spotted, parked near an abandoned building, but there was no sign of the kids.

The police searched everywhere, even sending teams into the woods to search, but they found nothing. Everyone had given up on the teens, when one month later, 4 out of the 9 teens returned. They were brought to the station by a passing driver and later sent to the hospital for examination. Their return sparked as much alarm as their disappearance had, especially since less than half of the ones who went missing returned. The police spoke to each of the “survivors”, trying to get the whole story. But all they got was a nonsensical story of monsters and demons.

Still, all their stories eerily matched up. The Police sent teams into the abandoned building they called “the studio” and searched the thing top to bottom, but no trace of any of the things that they described were found. Heck, the building was a single-story building, which directly refuted their claims of endless floors reaching into the earth.

The best solution that the police could think of was that they got lost in the woods somehow, and between injuries and confusion, were likely affected by unspecified hallucinogenic plants and imagined the whole thing.

Still… it couldn’t explain the matching stories or the still-missing teens. The police searched the woods again, but no bodies were found.

It was the talk of the town for a long time, but it had been years since then… People eventually got tired of it, forgot about it, or just stopped caring. They had never dealt with a situation like that before, and nothing like it had happened since.

So what is this then?

It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t.

There was nothing he could do about it either, what they described was nothing short of supernatural. What could he even do about that? He said that to them too, he couldn’t do anything for them. They had all expected his response, none were surprised. But it still bothered him.

Something was happening. And none of it made sense.

He sighed heavily and swept all of the things they left into the bags. He told them to let him know if anything else happened. Maybe if something was really going on, they would be able to find out as things went on. For now though, he just needed to finish up with his paperwork and get home.

Everything was surprisingly smooth the next few days. Lillian and Soren hadn’t spotted anything new around the house. Eve and Jamie both kept in close contact with them as well and hadn’t seen anything either.

Their regular schedules continued as usual and their sense of normalcy gradually returned.

Until that day.

Lillian wandered down the stairs, she rubbed her eyes tiredly. She and Soren watched a movie last night and she might have pushed herself to stay awake for just a little too long. It was the weekend, but she had things she had planned for the day, so she couldn’t sleep in too long. Soren was still out like a light and Lillian hadn’t heard or seen Bella yet.

She was prepared to get ready for the day at a leisurely pace.

She stepped into the kitchen doorframe but froze as she caught sight of it. Her breath hitched in her throat and her movement stilled.

She faced the cardboard form like it was her greatest enemy. It was impossible to miss. Placed perfectly at the very front of the empty table, facing anyone entering the kitchen. Lillian moved.

She took shaky steps to approach the table, the sound her feet made on the tile floor now echoed in her ears. She felt a kind of tunnel vision. All she could see was that… thing… in front of her. The painted smile, the mocking eyes…

Her cold, numb fingers reached out to touch the surface.

“tap”

It was real.

Sh*t

Sh*t

Sh*t

Sh*t!

She sat on the living room couch while Soren spoke on the phone. It was early, but Soren went and called Thompson after hearing the story. His annoyance at losing a long desired sleep-in morning could not compare to the urgency of the situation. He quickly reported everything to Tompson.

Hanging up the phone, he went over to sit beside Lillian and placed her hand in his. “Derrick said he’d be over in a few minutes, he’ll handle this.”

She nodded dumbly, not trusting herself to respond verbally.

When Thompson arrived, they showed him the cut-out of the little devil, unmoved from its original position. His expression was serious and he diligently searched the whole house for any signs of break in. He felt that the most likely possibility was a questionably motivated burglar or trespasser who was breaking into their homes to place these things and torment them.

But he found nothing.

Normally, that would be great, but now it just left more dangerous possibilities.

Again, all he could tell them was to update him on anything that happened, taking the freaky “bendy” cut-out with him. He was planning on briefing sheriff Marcus today. He had briefly mentioned it to him before, but now he felt that it would be best to share the whole incident with him. He was one of the officers that was involved with the original incident after all.

He would probably know what to do better than him.

Lillain was stressed. She thought going to the police would help, but they couldn’t give them a good answer as to what was going on.

She cancelled some of her plans for the day, though under Eve and Soren’s instance, she kept some of them. They said it would help keep her mind off of things. Even so, she felt paranoid. No matter where she went, she felt like the walls had eyes, watching her every move. She felt like she was prey being stalked by some hidden predator, one with the power to reimagine her worst nightmares.

Needless to say, though their week had already been looking down, this weekend was going to be rough if the start was anything to go by.

By evening, she crawled into bed exhausted, not from physical exertion as much as the overwhelming mental stress she was dealing with. She was on edge, she was so sick of this. The worst part was that they still had no idea how or why any of this was happening.

She slept lightly, waking up frequently throughout the night. Her mind was thrumming, keeping her awake despite her body’s protests. Every few minutes and every few hours, she would awake. It felt like eternity yet also no time at all.

With her light sleeping, she was quickly awoken by the sound in the middle of the night. Soren, though he probably slept better than she did, was awoken too. He squinted around the room as he pulled his half sleeping body up into a sitting position. “What is that?” He mumbled sleepily.

Lillian woke up much faster. She listened to the sound before realizing exactly what I was. It was music. Not the same kind as what she heard a while ago, it was much louder and certainly consisted of far more instruments. Not an orchestra, more like a band. Obscured by the walls of the house, she felt like it sounded more muted, some clarity missing from the notes. Once her mind had enough time to come to full clarity, she frowned. Is it that darn radio again? She rolled out of bed, but paused by the foot of it. “Soren, get up, we need to go check it out.” She called. No need to go downstairs by herself was there?

He grunted but also began to pull himself out of bed. “What is it?” He asked tiredly as he trudged to follow Lillian. His mind was beginning to clear as he went, the drowsiness slowly clearing from his mind.

She shushed him with her finger. It could be a coincidence, but with everything else that was happening to them, and the eerily familiar music that was playing, she wasn’t about to believe it so easily. The music was unmistakably and undeniably off. The peppy music only brought a suffocating feeling to her, like dark, inky hands were reaching up to claw at her throat; to block the air from her lungs, to drag her back down to that dark and terrible place. She shuddered.

She almost wanted to tear her ear off. To rip her face apart until she couldn’t hear it anymore. It was worse than any ringing in her ears, any agitating sound, any triggering noise. But in her hatred was an overwhelming fear. She couldn’t bear to face the studio and the horrors within, and so, she could never escape from the dark hold it had over her.

That was why she tried to forget. To push it all away and move on.

It had been working so well.

She and Soren crept down the steps. They were convinced that something supernatural was going on, but Thompson still believed it was most likely an intruder. Honestly, they would all be relieved if it was an intruder in comparison to the potentially cursed influence of the studio. But how could an intruder bring these kinds of things here…? they shouldn’t even exist!

The sound was coming from the living room, undoubtably. She hardly had to put effort into moving quietly, most sounds were quickly drowned out by the peppy music.

Unlike last time, the music didn’t stop even as they closed in on the source. She would have scanned the room for the source if it hadn’t been so obvious. It was like it was intentionally placed right there, just like the cut-out from the morning.

The moment she saw it, she knew her fears were confirmed.

It sat on the center of the bookshelf along the back wall near the tv, if she didn’t know any better, she might have thought it was just an antique decoration. But she also knew that she hadn’t seen it there before, this was new.

She had seen it before though, she knew it. She wanted to rush forwards, to rip it off the shelf, to shut that horrible sound off, but her legs wouldn’t listen to her. Her bones felt like jelly and her muscles were numb. It felt so wrong.

The walls were closing in around her as mocking, hungry smiles leered from the shadows. The darkness was encompassing. In the darkest parts of the room she could swear she saw eyes, smiles, shifting bodies, inky forms. Her breathing became rapid, though she tried to remain calm.

Soren took the first steps towards the old radio.

His movement caused a chain reaction in Lillian. She remembered what they were doing, they were turning off that damn music so everyone could get a good night’s sleep.

She let out a shaky breath. There was nothing to be afraid of… it was just a radio.

She finally had feeling back in her legs, she stepped behind Soren, afraid of being too far away from him in the dark.

They hardly ever turned on the lights inside the house at night. The streetlights shining in through the window were usually more than enough to illuminate the room for whatever you needed to do at that hour. It was what they had always done, for as long as either could remember.

Now, she felt too scared to so much as approach the light switch.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she froze again. Something was watching.

She could feel it.

She subconsciously held her breath. She couldn’t see anything. Her hand gripped her shirt with a tight grip, but she didn’t dare to move. Soren kept onwards, unaware of her predicament and of the cold gaze watching them.

One part of Lillian’s mind was crying at her; Nothing was there, she was just being paranoid! But the rest of her was screaming that something was there. Her instincts were going haywire.

It’s behind.

It’s behind me

Is it moving?

Is it hunting us?

Should I run? Can I even run?

Her eyes trembled, her gaze flicking all about the room. She knew it had to be behind her but she couldn’t move, she didn’t want to turn her head.

Her eyes fell on Soren, now reached the radio by now, trying to find the button to turn it all off. Should she make a break for it? Leave him and run?

“click”

The music stopped.

Soren curiously turned the radio over in his hands. “Oh? It just stopped by itself.” He mumbled. Then he turned back to Lillian “Looks like that’s solved.” Lillians breath hitched. He was looking right at her, he should be able to see behind her… did he not see it? Was she really just being paranoid?

She couldn’t accept that, that chilling gaze couldn’t be her imagination.

“Lillian? Are you okay?” Soren stepped over to her, placing a testing hand on her shoulder. Her face was pale, dribbles of cold sweat saturated her heck and face, her eye seemed out of focus, distracted. When he touched her, he could feel the stiffness of her body, like steel under his touch. “Lillian?”

She trembled, but willed her body to move. Even if she didn’t trust her legs to walk, she could still turn. And so she, with eyes filled with trepidation, shakily turned herself to look behind her. There was nothing against the walls, but her eyes quickly fell to the dark crack of the coat-closet door. It was just barely opened… just enough for something to lurk behind.

“Something is in here.” She whispered. She was certain. It had to be. Soren was barely even able to make out what she was saying. As her eyes stained to reach into the darkness, she saw it. It moved. Something shifted in the shadows behind the door.

“something is… in here?”

He followed her gaze to the door. He didn’t see anything, but her reaction wasn’t normal. He kept his eyes trained on the door as he shuffled past her carefully. She made a hesitant grab at him but let him go on ahead.

His body was tense too now, at the ready for anything as he slowly approached the door. Once he got close, he realized he had no weapon, he wished he could go and get one, but he was already at the door. He couldn’t turn back now.

He reached for the handle-

-And swung the door open in one swift movement.

The dark closet stared back at him.

He paused, flicking the light on after a moment of observation. The direct light felt bright compared to the dim light from the streetlamps outside. Soren had to squint to see in it, fighting the burn, but a quick glance told him all he needed to know.

“there’s nothing here.” He said, pushing aside the only coats in the closet that could hide someone (or something).

Lillian stumbled up alongside him. Her sore eyes searched each corner of the closet. But -But I could have sworn I-

“There was something there! It had to be! I know it!” She shouted desperately. Soren looked at her hesitantly. “Look we’re both tired, I’m sure it was nothing.” Though he spoke softly to her, he couldn’t hide the hint of tiredness and exasperation. He wasn’t exasperated with her, truly, but he was tired. He knew Lillian was having a rough time, and clearly, she needed some more rest. “But-!” She wanted to argue. She had seen something. She swears.

…

Is it all really just my imagination?

.

.

.

Derrick was awoken to a sharp ringing in his ears. He groaned, but dutifully sat up in bed. He had expected it to be his alarm, but was surprised to find his phone ringing instead. He rubbed a tired hand over his face, providing a little physical stimulation to wake himself up, before picking up the phone. “Hello?” His voice was rough, deepened in his drowsy state. “Derrick, I know it’s your day off, but something else happened last night.” Soren’s voice rang though the speaker.

It took a moment for the words to translate into his mind. “Something happened? Is it big?” He frowned. Soren called the other day because 1: he was still on duty that day, though it was a bit early of a call, and 2: it was a very notable change in their situation. He was a bit surprised that Soren would go call him at this time, he glanced at his nearby alarm. 8:30 a.m. wasn’t an unreasonable time, but for someone who planned to sleep in on their weekend, it wasn’t ideal.

“I- I’m not sure but… you might know a bit about this so I wanted to get your thoughts on the matter. I think you’ve seen this before.”

“I might know about this?”

“Yeah, uh, you’ll see. Do you have time today to meet?”

Derrick blinked away the last of his fatigue and sorted through his plans for the day. “I have some time, when were you hoping to meet?”

“…The sooner the better.”

“copy, uhh… how’s 10:00 at Buster’s?”

“How about Wilkins place over on north st?”

“Yeah, that’s good too.”

“Okay then, I’ll see you there.”

“click”

The call ended and Derrick fell back onto his bed. Glancing over to his alarm clock, he saw that he still had more than an hour before then. He pulled his blankets back over himself, even if he couldn’t sleep, he would at least give his body the rest it deserved.

“Ching!” The bell above the door rang as Derrick entered the restaurant. Joshua, the waiter, looked up from the table he was wiping down with a smile, “welcome! Heading upstairs?” “Yeah. I’ll be down later, think you could get me a… breakfast roll an a large black coffee?” He ordered. “Sure thing!” Joshua mock saluted before turning to move behind the counter.

Derrick stepped up the stairs. Walkin’s wasn’t a great breakfast place, but it was better than nothing, and besides, his main goal here was to talk to Soren about whatever went on last night.

He opened the door at the end of the hallway to find Soren and Lillian already inside. Soren gave a tired smile, but Lillian made no such greeting, her eyes dim and unfocused. “Derrick, thanks for coming.”

He answered with a nod, moving to sit down on the other side of the table. “So, what’s the matter?” He asked, getting straight down to business.

Soren paused. “You remember… a few days ago? We were out of town and apparently there was some music playing inside the house?” Derrick nodded and answered. “I didn’t hear anything though, the music had stopped by the time we got there. Why?”

“What did you do with the radio? You did say it was radio right?” Derrick looked at the two of them suspiciously. That’s a strange question. “Nothing? I mean, it stopped, and nothing seemed wrong with it, so I just left it there.”

“Where exactly did you leave it?”

“Ok, what is going on here?”

“Where did you leave it!?”

“… On the kitchen counter.

Right where we found it.”

The silence in the room became deafening.

“Why?” Derrick glanced between the two of them, looking for answers.

Soren swallowed heavily, though the stone blocking his throat remained. “There was nothing there when we came back home.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean. We came back home and there was no radio!”

“But that’s not…”

Derrick twisted his face in confusion.

Soren reached down to the bench beside him and set a sizable object onto the table. The furnishings atop it clattered with the movement, but no one cared about that right now. “Is this the radio you saw?”

“Yes.”

That small word brought to light their worst fears. Lillian held her hand tightly over her mouth and held back an instinctual gag. It was sickening.

“… Is there something wrong with it?” Derrick asked. “Is it…?”

Is it like those other things you brought to me? Things from that “studio”?

“yeah” Soren answered the unspoken question, his voice croaked. “Yeah, it is.”

“Does that make this the earliest occurrence of… these things?” Derrick questioned with some confused hesitation.

“I think so.”

…

The tension was palpable.

Derrick sighed and slumped down in his seat.

“So now there is not only strange things that shouldn’t be real appearing around you, there are also strange things disappearing and/or re-appearing.”

“This needs to stop man, what do we gotta do?” Soren looked at him almost pleadingly. He was desperate, they both were. No, all of the survivors were. They were in the same situation here after all.

They couldn’t keep doing this. Lillian hardly got a wink of sleep last night. Like a child alone in the dark, she trembled, unable to look away from each of the shadows in the corners of the room lest a monster emerge from them to take her.

It may have been irrational, but everything going on here was straight up supernatural.

“I’ll bring this up to the sheriff today. You… Just keep an eye out for anything else. And check in with the other two. Let me know if they found anything new.”

Soren nodded along. “Okay.”

With that, Derrick left the room and went back downstairs. Joshua was just finishing up with wiping down another table, likely to finish the whole store soon. “Your order is over on the counter sir.”

“Ok, how much?” Derrick asked, pulling out a worn leather wallet.

“Ehhh, don’t worry about that. It’s on the house!”

Derrick quirked a brow but accepted the goodwill. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad for a breakfast place after all.

.

.

.

Marcus Evans was in his office sorting through paperwork. He had already been out for a few hours this morning, patrolling the streets, keeping a lookout for shoplifters, vandalizers, and other petty crimes. Or- I suppose- the off chance of something more serious.

That was their job after all, to stop crimes from happening and prevent issues before they snow-ball and become worse. A steady knock on his office door brought his eyes up to meet his new visitor. The door was hanging open and the visitor stood politely just outside the frame.

“Thompson? Aren’t you off today?”

Derrick gave a quiet, tired sigh. “Are we ever really off?”

Marcus shrugged in agreement with an amused quirk of the lips.

“So what brings you here?”

Thompson took that as an invitation and stepped into the office, closing the door behind him. “I need to have a word with you. It’s about that thing I mentioned last time, with the Willaims.”

“hm?” Marcus folded his hands and placed them atop his desk while Thompson moved to sit down. “You mentioned that something strange was going on last time… did anything happen?”

“Yeah… well, kind of.”

“That’s not a great answer.”

“I know. I know.” Derrick shook his head. He almost felt stupid bringing this up to Marcus, maybe afraid that he would think differently of him after what he was about to say. But something was going on and he couldn’t ignore it.

“This also… likely… has a connection to the incident 7 years ago.” He added.

If he didn’t have Marcus’s attention before, he did now. That incident wasn’t a nightmare for only the teenagers, there were many more who were involved on the other side of things. People who were tormented not by monsters or creatures of ink, but by hopelessness and failure as they searched fruitlessly. Those whose skills and qualifications were questioned no matter how hard they searched. Those who were all but torn apart by the shouts of gossipy reporters, the cries of distraught families, and the blaming gaze that met them every day in the mirror.

Derrick hadn’t joined the team yet, he was still finishing up his education at that time. He was in high school, hardly any older than the teens that went missing. If it weren’t for that essay, the one he had forgotten to write and was thus forced to stay home from the event, he would have likely disappeared with them. Following them out of the party to have some fun.

The thought made him shudder even now.

“Thompson, do you know what you’re saying right now?” Marcus spoke with deep seriousness.  Like, lose-your-job-if-you-say-the-wrong-word serious. His brows furrowed and his gaze was sharp, boring into Derrick’s head.

But Derrick nodded.

“I… can’t say for sure what is going on, but There is undoubtably a connection here.”

Marcus shifted his weight in the chair, all of his attention was focused on Derrick was about to say. He had never forgotten that incident. How helpless he felt.

Even afterwards, when everyone had given up, and when half of the teens returned, he didn’t give up on the case. He was the last one to drop it.

Even when everyone knew that the story told by the returning teens was nothing but fairytale, he still kept looking. The amount of times he searched through that old building was second only to the number of times he was berated for wasting energy and resources to do it again.

“I have no idea when it actually started but… I guess the first time they noticed it was a few weeks ago…”

.

.

.

Marcus hummed thoughtfully while Derrick finished speaking. “So… you saw this radio too?”

“Yes. Absolutely confident it was the exact one.”

Marcus frowned. “But the next day… when they came home, it was gone.” It wasn’t a question, more of an affirmation. “yes.”

“Were there any signs of intrusion? It’s strange for someone to break into a home, let alone multiple homes, just to decorate it with… this.”

Derrick shook his head. “I did a casual check at the time, nothing stood out. I stopped by yesterday too but there was no indication of a break in.”

“Still, it’s the most likely scenario.”

Marcus nodded in agreement. “I think so too.”

“Has anyone spotted any strange or suspicious individuals around the compromised locations?”

Derrick could only shake his head. “Aside from the objects they all found, we haven’t had much to go on. I plan on looking into this more, but as of so far, this is all I have.”

Marcus and Derrick both went quiet.

“I just don’t understand……” Marcus finally said after a long time. “Why now? After all this time.”

“It doesn’t seem planned… timed… It doesn’t line up with the anniversary of the incident or anything… I just don’t get it.”

Derrick paused in the solemn atmosphere that had formed. “I was thinking the same thing.”

…

“If anything happens, just let me know. I’d like to speak with the victims if possible.”

Derrick nodded. “Of course. And you let me know if anyone else reports anything similar.” He lifted himself up off the chair with his arms.

“Sure.”

As Derrick reached the door to leave Marcus called out to him. “Wait! Those… objects… The ones they found in their homes, you still have them?”

“Third drawer down in my desk.”

They both gave each other a quick goodbye and parted ways. Despite the bright and sunny weather outside, Marcus could feel there was a storm brewing. It was something dark and strange. Not unlike the things he had faced once before. The inexplicable circumstances of the incident and the survivor stories. This time, he wasn’t going to let it happen. He was going to close that case that had haunted this town. That had haunted his life. And it wasn’t going to be some best-guess or estimation like last time. He was going to find the truth.

If not for his own comfort, then for them. The kids and the families who didn’t recover from the incident. And the ones that never got to come home.

.

.

.

Lillian squinted in the sunlight, wishing she had brought a hat or something. She sat on a bench in the park idly shuffling her feet while she looked out across the open space. Screams, shouts , and laughter lept across the field from where the children played and fought. It was one of the only playgrounds on this side of the town, a favorite of any child under the age of 12. Bella was no exception, she huddled on the ground with a few other girls of varying ages, dolls in hand.

Though she was some distance away, Lillian could make out a wide smile across her face as she played with all the others.

A set of footsteps approached and Lillian looked up to see Soren approaching. He had a brown paper bag in his hands. Little dark spots on the bag spoke of the –no doubt unhealthy- oily contents. Once he grew closer, Lillian started to smell it too. He slid onto the bench alongside her. “Here.” He picked a wrapped item out of the bag and passed it to her.

She grimaced a little, seeing the fast-food burger.

It took more than just a little bit of intent to keep oneself in shape. The thought of getting out of shape horrified her. She would be a laughing stock. She would rather suffer through eating salads daily than to end up like all those other moms who threw away their figure once they managed to saddle someone down with them. She would hate being that ugly.

Soren saw her hesitation and rolled his eyes. “C’mon, one burger won’t do sh*t.” She scowled in return. “You should be careful too, not unless you want to grow fat and ugly.” Soren didn’t comment and just took a bite into his own burger.

As he chewed, he spoke again. “You need to get some time out of that house, just relax a bit, yeah?” Lillian stalled a little, before finally taking a small bite of her burger. The oil and grease was almost suffocating, but after that first bite, her body remembered that delectably unhealthy taste and invited her to take another.

Bite by bite, her stomach became full. Setting the last of her food aside, she sighed while letting the warm rays of sunlight caress her face. The light and cool breeze regulated her temperature and prevented the sunlight overhead from baking them all alive. It was calming… if you tuned out the unceasing shouts and screams from the playground… she really did need this.

Just to sit outside and enjoy the sunlight. No worrying about work, about rumors, about appearance, about the studio. To just empty her mind and relax.

She hadn’t realized just how nice the weather had gotten lately. The early morning chills were what she usually felt whilst leaving the house for work, not returning until the sun was beginning to wane and the heat of the afternoon was fading.

Bella needed the time outside too. She could only do so much inside the daycare. That and- it had been too long since they all came out to spend time together as a family.

“HEY BELLA!” Soren’s shout interrupted the peaceful ambiance she had engrossed herself in. She peeked over at him while he waved his arm in a wide (embarrassing) motion to get Bella’s attention. Once she looked up Soren raised the drown paper bag and waved it as well. She must have recognized the look of the fast-food because she quickly left her friends and came stumbling over as fast as she could.

Soren fished out some fires from the bag and let her eat them one by one. She excitedly swallowed down each of them.

Lillain made a mental note to make sure her next few meals were healthy ones. She couldn’t have Bella getting fat either.

She had about as much disdain for the parents who allowed their children to grow fat and chubby as she did for the ones who grew out of shape themselves. They would go about bragging about how great their kid was -as if they didn’t look like a pig on two legs.

She could never handle the embarrassment.

The afternoon flew by faster than she realized. Before she knew it, they were headed back home to prepare for the next day.

That evening Soren got a call.

The person on the other side was speaking unintelligibly between deep breaths and half sobs. It took some time for Soren to realize who it was. “Jamie? Is that you?”

The indistinguishable shouting and speaking continued, though the speaker seemed to calm down only slightly.

Soren strained his ears, trying to tell what was being said.

The speaking came to a stop after a minute or so and the labored breathing slowed somewhat. The person on the other side was borderline hyperventilating. Soren might have thought it was a prank call, whether someone stole Jamie’s phone or he was doing it himself, but the voice and the breathing contained far too much panic and fear to be fake. Once the person finally calmed their breathing to a heaving, trembling breath, they spoke again.

“You..”

“You get the f***! Over here right now!” His voice nearly cracked under the strain of his voice, the tone border lining hysterical. His breathing was just short of becoming sobs, in fact, Soren could swear that was exactly what he was hearing.

He didn’t have time to say anything else before Jamie hung up. Soren wasn’t sure he’d ever heard Jamie like that before. He froze for a moment, staring at his phone without knowing how to react.

“What the..?”

He gave an annoyed huff before marching off to grab a jacket and collect his keys. He promised Lillian that they would watch a movie tonight, he was going to f***ing kill Jamie if he messed up his plans for something stupid.

It didn’t sound that stupid though. And Soren could make a good guess as to what could’ve made Jamie react like that. The studio.

Something probably happened.

Soren almost audibly cursed when Lillians voice reached him from the top of the stairs. “Where are you going?” She called. He whipped out a casual smile that wouldn’t alert her to anything. “Oh, I just wanted to drop by Jamie’s place for a minute. I have something I want to talk with him about real quick.” Lillian raised her eyebrows but bought the excuse.

Once she turned away from him, Soren beelined it for the door. He had finally gotten Lillian’s mind off of the studio, he wasn’t about to drag her along into this too. She was waking up in the night and acting paranoid all day. Honestly it was getting on his nerves too.

The car ride didn’t take long, but it felt like ages for Soren who was left wondering what on earth had happened with Jamie.

The streets were darkening and some of the streetlamps had turned on already. He pulled into the lot of Dylan’s apartment complex at the same time as a cop car.

The lights and sirens were off, but the car still looked like it was up for more than just a regular patrol. Soren exited the car and made his way to the elevator inside the building. He moved quickly. Not resorting to running, but without the patience to walk slowly anymore.

Jamie’s apartment was on the 3rd floor, a balcony in the main room looked out over one of the streets behind the building. His parents had helped pay for the place when he got it, though once he found a decent job, that responsibility became his. His current girlfriend, a girl named Harley that he met a few years ago, often lived with him too. They split the bills, but it was still mostly Jamie. He had the job after all.

Harley just worked part time as a waitress.

After what happened in the studio… what happened to Noelle… they weren’t really sure that he would be alright. It took him longer than the others, but he did find for himself a new normal. And it seems that he managed to forget about Noelle. At least, he would if he were smart.

Soren knocked twice on the door in quick succession.

For a moment, he didn’t hear anything, then there was shuffling. Soon, the door was pulled open and Soren was met with Jamie’s reddened and exhausted face. His eyes were nearly bloodshot and he certainly looked like he had some kind of break down.

“wha-?” Soren didn’t even get a chance to say anything when Jamie pulled him into the room and silently marched across the apartment. “Hey! What the fu-?” Soren was caught by surprise and yanked himself away. Jamie didn’t care. He took another few steps and yanked open a door. It was the bathroom, inconveniently placed outside of the master bedroom, a point of annoyance for Jamie especially when he first moved in. Now, through the opened door, Soren saw something that could only have come from his worst nightmares.

Slick black fluid dripped from the white porcelain sink. A sizable puddle had already formed on the floor. There was hardly a thought given to the likely irreversible condition of the bathroom furniture because of the fluid. Soren stumbled back on instinct. Bile rose in his throat and his head started buzzing.

What the f***

The surface of the ink was calm, but he could swear there were bubbles forming. Like pussing boils rising up ready to pop. Like the next thing to emerge from the overflowing sink was the hand of one of those dark creatures, pulling itself out of the ink.

There was a heavy knock on the door that snapped them both away from the ink. Soren was still catching his mind up to what was happening as Jamie stepped past him to open the front door.

Soren missed the first part of what they were saying, but when he turned around he saw two police officers standing in the doorway. “It’s over here.” Jamie directed, guiding them into the apartment and over to the bathroom door.

Soren came back to himself and moved to the side, out of the way. He watched the grimace of disgust form across their faces when they saw the mess. “What on earth is-?”

“I think it’s ink.” Jamie’s broken voice answered.

“Ink? Why the heck would there be ink in your bathroom? This much of it too?”

“There shouldn’t be! I don’t have any of that sh*t in the whole apartment, but now it’s here! This wasn’t like this when I left home….” HE trailed off. “Then how do you know it’s ink?” One of the officers questioned.

“Because sh*t like this has been popping up all over my house lately! It’s driving me nuts, there has to be a way to stop it right?”

“well, I’m not sure exactly what’s going on here, but this looks like an issue to bring up to your plumbers or something. I’m not sure what you think we can do?”

The officers were polite enough, but they were making their position on this clear. “This isn’t a problem for us.”

“It’s not the water! I’ve lived here for years and never had a problem with it, leaking or otherwise.”

The officers weren’t convinced, they looked about ready to turn around and walk out.

“This isn’t the first time weird sh*t has happened like this. Stuff appearing around my house! I don’t even own anything like it!” Jamie continued to exclaim. In afterthought, maybe going to the police over this wasn’t a great idea. They didn’t even know what was happening let alone have a way to explain it all to the police.

“I’ll go to bed one evening and then wake up to find things like this around the house!” He waved his arm energetically at the bathroom door.

The officers were clearly a bit annoyed, but they tried to be reasonable. At the very least, since they were here, they had to be sure there was no real problem.

“Do you know anyone that would -or could- pull pranks like this? Anyone so long as they have access to your home.”

“No! The only other person with a key is my girlfriend. But she wouldn’t do this! Besides, She doesn’t have a key to Soren’s house and this stuff has been happening to him too, right?!” Jamie’s desperate explanation suddenly turned to Soren. Soren was them met with the questioning gazes of the two officers along with the pleading look from Jamie.

It took him a moment to adjust and start speaking. “Yeah, it has. We’ve been finding strange things all around our home for the past week…”

Then, remembering something he spoke again to the officers. “We spoke to Derrick about it too… Derrick Thompson. He said to keep him updated if anything else happened.”

The two officers’ expressions changed a little at that.

Hearing about a strange occurrence was one thing, hearing that a fellow officer was paying close attention to the case was another. If nothing else, it told them that this whole thing wasn’t an unhumorous prank.

“While I still don’t think there is anything we can do for you, tell us everything that happened and we’ll pass the message back to Thompson.” One of the officers relented. Jamie relaxed a bit more at that.

It took him a while to explain, Soren had to stay for the whole thing since they wanted to hear from him as well.

.

.

.

Soren sighed heavily as he got out of the car. The night was beyond ruined, with another day of work going on tomorrow, watching a movie with Lillian was no longer an option. He was going to be dead tired too.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He hadn’t smoked in a while. Lillian said he had to stop, it gave him a bad image. He told her he did, but every now and then, in the late nights, early morning, or at work, he’d take a break and let lose a little.

The lighter he always kept with him flicked a few times before he lit a significant flame, igniting the end of the cigarette. He took a dep inhale of before blowing out the smoke with a long exhale. He glanced at the lights in the house. Their bedroom lights seemed to be off but the downstairs lights were still on. Lillian must have waited for a while, but then forgot to turn the lights off.

He leaned against the front of the car while he continued to breathe in that soothing smoke.

A creaking door to his left alerted him to the presence of another person. He lowered the cigarette but didn’t put it out. He needed this.

He looked over anyways and saw Mr. Hawthorns stepping out of his house with a trashcan in tow. He must have forgotten to take it out earlier. Soren said nothing, not exactly looking for a conversation right  now. Mr. Hawthorns hadn’t spotted him, either not bothering to acknowledge his presence or entirely unaware of it.

He hoisted the trash bag out of the can with a grunt and lifted it into his large outdoor trashcan. The contents jostled and clunked, and once the bag was inside, the lid went back onto the larger can. He let out an exhale before turning to go back inside. “augh!” He jumped in fright when he turned and saw Soren. The streetlights nearby illuminated the space, so although he quickly recognized Soren, he was still surprised by his presence. “Oh, Soren. When did you get out here?” Soren’s face tightened into a terse smile, but it wasn’t easy to judge his expression in the limited light.

“Oh, out here for a smoke are ya?” He barked a laugh. “Get’s rough don ‘it?”

Soren just nodded along half heartedly. Whatever Hawthorns thought, it didn’t matter. He honestly couldn’t give a sh*t about any of that anymore right now.

“Really gave me a fright there. I just saw ya out by yer living room when I passed by just now. How’d you get out here to quickly?” Mr. Hawthorns chuckled.

Soren stopped himself just as he was about to nod along. “Wait, what?”

“Ah, I didn’ mean to intrude, just saw ya through my window.” Mr Hawthorns clarified. He just happened to see Soren’s figure through the window while he was getting the trash can to take it outside. Their lights were still on, so even if the curtains were down, he could see the shadowed form.

Soren didn’t notice as the ashes from the cigarette in his hands fell to the ground, some clumps landing on his shoes. His blood felt cold, he could feel his heart beating in his chest. No…no, it must have been something else. It was probably just Lillian……

But that couldn’t convince him.

No, no it’s nothing I’m sure. He could have seen a -a lamp or something and mistaken it for me…

“Ah, It must have been Lillian. I just came home, I haven’t been inside yet.” He said with a chalky laugh, his voice came out with a rasp. A result of his attempts to suppress his growing paranoia and fear. Jamie’s issue wasn’t helping his mind to rationalize this either. Everything was making him feel anxious somehow.

Mr. Hawthorns went quiet. His brows twisted in confusion. Could it have been Lillian? …but… wasn’t the shadow the figure of a man?

“hmmm… I couldv’e sworn…” He trailed off. Perhaps he was mistaken… it was hard to judge the true size of something through a shadow or a reflection, maybe he saw it wrong?

Here was a budding feeling of unease in his chest, one that Soren certainly shared. Soren couldn’t stand the terse atmosphere anymore, -and- coupled with the paranoid anxiety he felt, he left to go back inside.

The door was locked.

Of course, he had the key, but seeing that it was locked and no obvious signs of break-in gave him great comfort. See. You’re just overthinking things.

He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The light burned his eyes a little, but it was just a minor discomfort. Inside the house, it felt eerily quiet. He should know this place like the back of his hand, but for some reason, it all felt off today. He shrugged off his feelings of unease and headed towards his destination. He would have turned off the lights downstairs, but he knew he could come back down to get to it in just a few minutes.

Besides, Lillian might still be down there if Hawthorns saw her just a moment ago. He didn’t want to turn the lights off on her.

He padded up the stairs, trying to be quiet. It was almost 11, the last thing he wanted to do was wake Bella up. Once he reached his bedroom door, he stalled and brought his and up to his face. *sniff* Yup, smelled like cigarettes. Lillian wasn’t going to let him hear the end of it if she caught a whiff of it. He had to take a shower before heading off to bed… he would much rather do it in the morning though.

The lights inside the bedroom were off. Soren stepped inside quietly. He didn’t turn the lights on, not wanting to blind himself and shuffled over towards the bed. He went to his side of the bed to pull a small bottle out from his bedstand. A men’s cologne. It smelled a little strong, and he couldn’t say that he loved it, but it helped to mask the smell of smoke.

Something shifted on the bed and his heart nearly dropped into his stomach. After half a second of panic he realized that it was just Lillian. “Baby? You’re back?” She mumbled in a sleepy tone. Soren placed a hand over his thumping heart to calm himself down. She really scared the sh*t out of him.

“Yeah, sorry I-“

Wait…

A dreading feeling washed over him as he realized something. Lillian was up here. In their bedroom. And she clearly had just been asleep.

So then… who did Mr. Hawthorns just see downstairs? The back of his neck felt cold. He just walked straight past them, an intruder in the house. How long had they been there? What were they doing? Why..?

With a grip too heavy for her, He yanked Lillian up in bed. She was stunned by the movement, too distracted to even cry out in pain. She struggled against him somewhat, an instinctive response to the sudden jostling. “Someone is in the house.” He whispered, his dread creeping into his voice.

If Lillian wasn’t awake before, she was now. Her mind still felt fuzzy, not quite acclimatized to her physical state. “…what?” what was he talking about? He just came back and…

“We need to get out and call the cops.” He said urgently. He had no idea where that f***er was, what he was doing, or what he was capable of. Was he even still inside the house? Or did he run when Soren came back? Or… is he waiting for them?

Waiting in ambush… ready to attack.

Soren got up and pulled Lillian with him. She seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation. She blinked quickly to ground herself. Meanwhile Soren pulled out his phone to call the police. He didn’t give a s*** if he was wrong about this. But he sure as hell wasn’t taking any chances.

“911, what’s your emergency?” The operator on the other side answered after a few rings. A female voice. “I think there’s someone in my house!” Soren called into the device with a low voice. The operator on the other end didn’t seem startled but certainly became more serious at the likely implications of what she was hearing. “Sir can you tell me your name and where you live? we can send someone over immediately.”

“uh, yes, yeah, um. My name is Soren Williams, and I live on **** Bridal path.” He stammered. He had never practiced calling the police before, it almost felt strange to him.

“Okay, we are sending someone over, they should be there in a few minutes. Can you tell me anything about the intruder?” The operator asked. “No… no, I haven’t seen him. My neighbor saw someone through our window and… I just realized that it couldn’t have been my wife and there’s no one else home.” Soren tired to swallow down the stone that seemed to be blocking his throat, to no success.

“Is there anyone else that could have access to your house? Friends or family that you could have mistaken?”

“No, they- they would have told me.”

“-And there were no other cars here!”

“Don’t worry, everything is going to be alright sir, our officers will be there shortly. Please take your family with you and barricade yourselves into a room to stay away from the intruder if you can. IF you are close to an exit, make your way out and go to a neighbor’s house or something. Do not approach the intruder. Try to stay out of his sight and be quiet.” The operator instructed. This didn’t sound like a phony call to her, even if it was, she had a job to do and she would do it well.

Now the callers just had to hold tight until the police arrived.

“If you would like, you can stay on the line and tell me if anything happens.” She added. Soren nodded hastily, though the operator certainly wouldn’t be able to see him. “yeah, yeah, we- well stay on the-“ He caught sight of Lillian, staring at him with apprehension and alarm. “Here, you take this!” He passed the phone on to her. She took it and kept it close to her ears in case the operator had anything else for them to do. “We gotta barricade the door just in case.” He whispered, immediately turning towards one of their taller dressers and starting to pull it across the door. It was halfway there when Lillian suddenly turned pale. “Wait!” She cried, almost breaking their barrier of silence. “Bella! What about Bella!?”

“She’s still out there!”

Soren paused, for a second longer than he would have needed to simply process what Lillian said. “What are you waiting for!? Go get her!” Lillian screeched at him through a whisper.

His movement’s were almost hesitant, but he indeed slid the dresser back out of the way and went for the doorhandle. It made the tiniest “click” as it turned and the door moved to reveal a tiny crack. Wary eyes peered through, darting cautiously in each direction before pushing the door wider. Everything was dark and quiet, no sign of movement, no hint of life.

It was too dark. Soren realized. For the lights downstairs to be on.

They weren’t.

The lights that he had left on down stairs were now off.

If he wasn’t sure if someone was in his house before, he was certain now. They had to have seen him come home, they had to have heard him enter the house. Why hadn’t they done anything?

In the darkness that his eyes had adjusted to, he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Slowly, he stuck his head out of the door, followed by the rest of his body. He slipped all the way out of the door and started quietly for Bella’s room. His every movement felt like gunshots going off in the dark with how silent everything was.

When he finally reached her room, he threw a nervous glance over his shoulder before opening the door. He approached swiftly, not willing to waste any more time than he had to. Who knows when the intruder might come for them! He didn’t even know if the intruder was armed. Perhaps in another situation, one where he wasn’t already losing his mind because of the re appearance of the commodities of the studio, he would defend his home from the attacker. Now though, he wasn’t entirely convinced that the intruder was even human. If it was the same individual responsible for their blight.

The police were coming, they could handle whatever monstrosity was down there.

Soren didn’t wake Bella up, she was in deep sleep and wouldn’t easily wake. He simply picked her up and quietly made his way back to the room. He moved faster going back, less concerned about the noise that he made and more worried about getting back before whoever was in here came after them.

Step by step, each movement was testing of his patience and his courage. He clutched Bella in his arms tightly, she shifted slightly, either in the throes of a vivid dream or slowly drifting to wakefulness.

He moved to open the door, since nothing appeared to be coming after him, but was shocked when it didn’t give. He pushed, and then tugged, and after going back and forth a few times he realized…

Lillian had locked the door.

Chapter Text

Lillian had locked the door.

“Lillian, let me in!” Soren whispered into the door. Whoever –or whatever- was in here could probably hear him!

“Open the door!”

Bella shifted again, now most certainly waking up, though she had yet to truly join the land of the living.

Silence blanketed the house but Soren couldn’t bring himself to trust it. Couldn’t it mean that this person -or thing- was silent?

It felt like an eternity, though perhaps it was only a few moments, before the lock clicked. Soren didn’t wait a moment longer, he pushed open the door and slammed himself inside. The door almost hit Lillian as it opened. She stumbled back, mumbling a sling of curses under her breath.

Soren slammed the door shut, quietness forgotten, and leaned up against it as he breathed heavily. Not from exertion, but just from the adrenaline and fear. Once he had time to take a few breaths he looked to her. “What. the. f*ck.”

She avoided his gaze. “I had to make sure no one came in here!” She reasoned. Soren continued to glare at her. What if they were being chased? What if there was something right behind them? He and Bella would both be dead because Lillian had locked the door.

“You-!“

“Ma’am? Ma’am did anything happen?” The operator on the phone called, no doubt alerted by the sound coming from their end. Her voice easily audible to everyone in the room.

“No… everything is fine, we’re all in the master bedroom right now.”

Lillian answered after a short pause, meeting with Soren’s gaze.

The operator hummed in acknowledgement. “Aright, just hang on, the police will be there at any minute now.”

Lillian’s shoulders drooped a bit hearing that, relieved to hear that help was almost there. Just a little longer and everything would be over.

.

.

Soren stood in the living room as the officers mulled about. No sign of break in, no sign of theft, no trace left from the supposed intruder. Soren was almost inclined to believe that he had imagined it all up. But Mr. Hawthorns saw something. And those lights couldn’t have turned off by themselves.

He sat down on the couch, eager for some rest, but dreading what they might find. He wasn’t sure which he would prefer; being right that someone was in the house, prove their issue to be a serious one, justifying the police call, or finding nothing and ensuring that there was no danger within the house.

He sighed. Why has it come to this?

“tic”

He leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling. Why did this sh*t even start… really… when did it start?

How long had this been going on before they realized it? Before the force or being responsible decided to make its work apparent.

“tic”

Was the person in their house the same one that was doing all this or was it just some petty criminal?

“tic”

Did they also pay Jamie a visit to leave all the ink in his sink?

How could they break in without leaving a trace like this? Was he overthinking all of this? Is any of this even related? A random break in, poorly timed with potentially supernatural influences intruding on their home?.

“tic”

And what the f*ck is that sound!?

Something in his mind flipped and he racked his eyes across the room to find the source of that irritating sound. A flash of movement drew him in and he knew he found the source. F*cking hell.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

He knew his clock didn’t sound like that, unless maybe it was acting up or something. But that wasn’t his f*cking clock.

“tic, tic, tic”

The device ticked with each passing second, with each swing of the arms, each sway of the legs. The lifeless pie-cut eyes stared down at him with a mocking smile, a dark mirth hidden in the depths of its visage. It’s stomach was the clock itself, the two hands of the clocking ticking slowly towards the next mark around the edges.

Lillian finished speaking to the police officer and began turning her attention to the rest of the room. A couple of officers still prodded and ambled around, any evidence of their suspected intruder evading them. It didn’t take long for her to find Soren, to follow his gaze, to feel that bile rising in her throat at the sight of it. She choked on a gasp, snatching the attention of both the officer she had just stopped talking to and Sheriff Evans.

Soren snapped. He charged forward to the place on the wall where their own appliance should have been, a housewarming gift from some faceless family friend that wasn’t important enough for them to remember, now stained with the presence of that place. He all but ripped it off the wall, damage to the paint be damned.

Before he truly did manhandle it down. Sheriff Evans and another officer pulled him back. He struggled against them “No! No! I am gonna crush that thing!” All the rage and tension from his evening was trying to find its release.

“Calm down!” Marcus commanded, the authority in his tone grounding Soren despite his uncontained rage.

“This is evidence and we need to ensure that it stays intact!” He used his years of experience to pull Soren all the way back off of the wall and push him down onto the couch. A quick, stern glance to one of his other officers had them rushing to the wall to gently remove the offending object.

Once he hit the cushion, Soren stopped struggling. His breathing was still tight and his hands couldn’t unclench. “Did that f*cker do this?” He grasped. “Did the *sshole that broke into my house do this?” He eyes looked frantic, desperate, the kind that Marcus had seen before from drug addicts and mental health patients. He knew that wasn’t the case here. But the raw panic, fear, and rage, the desperate grasp for sanity wasn’t an unfamiliar look to Marcus.

The look in his eyes, on his face, reminded him of the first time he saw him… after they returned. Only this time… there was more anger, more hatred… less fear. Their memories of the studio had their time to hurt, to fester, and to heal, now it was all being ripped back open again. Like a grim reminder that they couldn’t escape. That they could never truly be free.

A pang of guilt hit Marcus’s chest. He hadn’t been able to do anything for them before, he promised himself to do anything that he could to make up for it now. To at least catch the perpetrator. To find out what really happened back then. If all those ghost stories were true.

“It sure looks like it son, but we still need to keep investigating.” He looked over to Lillian, still holding on to Bella’s hand. Bella wiped her eyes blearily, she probably didn’t understand what was happening. She wobbled on her feet a little, threatening to collapse at any moment. Lillian didn’t seem to realize, her gaze following the officers that were removing the dancing clock from the house.

“It’s already late. If you have time tomorrow, I’d like for you both to come down to the station to help us understand what’s happening here.” He gave a deep look to Soren who seemed to try to collect himself. He nodded, though he still looked a little bit out of it. “yeah, yeah, we’ll have time.” Work would have to wait.

He glanced to the wall where their clock should have been to get the time, only to be met with a spitefully blank space. Regardless, it was an obnoxious hour of the night, there was no way he could make it through an entire day of work with the energy he had. That and -he couldn’t let this go on any longer. Something needed to stop.

He stood up from the couch, his legs felt like jelly, but at least his bones kept him upright. He auto piloted over to Lillian and Bella, extending a comforting hand that could provide neither with the confidence they needed. Marcus could only sigh.

What could they have done to deserve this?

He turned back to speak to some of his officers, giving further instruction. They were almost done with their investigation, just a few more places to check.

.

Bella nodded lazily as her little head kept swimming on the border of sleep. She didn’t really have the mind to keep herself awake, it was more the uncomfortable sleeping position that kept her from passing straight out. By uncomfortable sleeping position, that of course refers to her standing position.

Mom and dad were saying something, the other people, she couldn’t even make them out anymore, they were still moving about, looking around. Her hazy, doubled gaze fell to the floor, she was tired… when could she go to sleep?

Then she saw something. She thought it was nothing at first, but the little black spec in her vision became more and more clear as she looked at it. It must be a little bug. She though idly. Most things that looked like little black spots usually turned out to be bugs once she got a closer look. This one too, though her sleep skewed vision could make out nothing other than the dark shape. Suddenly, her view of the little creature was obstructed by a large shoe. She didn’t need to look up at the offender to know who it was. That was daddy’s shoe.

“daddy, noooooooo.” She drawled quietly, the hand not attached to her mother’s reaching out to push at his light gently. “u step on id.” She pouted. Little bug was probably dead now.

Soren glanced down at her. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He mustered up some exhausted reassurance, moving his leg back away from where he just stepped.

The little dark spot came into view again, was it dead now? It didn’t look different. Bella strained her eyes. She wanted to look, she wanted to see what it looked like. Soren looked down as well, searching for whatever spec of dust happened to catch her eye.

Then he saw a little dark spot, smaller than a coin, probably only the size of a nail head.

Then he saw another one.

And another one, and another one.

And more, of varying sizes.

He frowned and crouched down to it. A probing finger stretched out to one of the spots and swiped across it. Cold, slick fluid clung to his finger as it did, smearing the substance across their wooden floor. He could feel his breath tighten. He knew exactly what this stuff was.

He looked out at the floor, eyes searching for the dark spots. He even glanced up to the ceiling, but nothing was dripping down.

Then he found a larger spot, and a few more, and… one that disappeared under the basement door. His heart was thudding in his chest as his eyes slowly rose from the base of the door upwards, raking up the front of it.

It was like he had come face to face with a natural predator or some fearsome beast, though it was only a wooden door. One that he had traversed more times than he could count. It was what was behind the door, the mere thought of it, that scared him. The implications of what it could be.

His movements did not go unnoticed by Lillian and by Marcus. He was observant, that was for sure. His heavy footsteps approached “What’s the matter?”

Soren couldn’t draw his eyes away from the ink droplets, even as he managed to return to his feet. Marcus’s words went entirely ignored as Soren’s hand reached for the handle. He was slow and if you looked closely, you could see his hand trembling.

Marcus quieted, watching Soren’s actions.

“creeaaaaak”

The poorly oiled hinges of the door protested as the door slowly swung open. Soren might have been ready for it, but he couldn’t silence the sharp inhale when he saw it. He couldn’t stop his entire body from going stiff, muscles taught.

Black fluid pooled from the very top of the steps and cascaded down. A puddle formed at the bottom of the stairs from the runoff of the steps. The bottom of the stairs were dark, the light was off, but the illumination from upstairs pierced into the darkness just enough to reveal the dark substance.

The last few steps remained shadowed from the light, vanishing into a dark void.

Soren’s vision swam, a nauseating feeling rising from the pit of his stomach.

It wasn’t a nausea born from disgust, though disgust was certainly a factor in his emotions, but one born of fear.

He could almost see them, the dark, inky hands crawling out of the darkness, clawing at them. He could hear it; the whispers, murmurs, the screams.

A sturdy hand on his should snapped him out of his spiraling mind-space. “Son.” Was all Marcus said. Soren acquiesced and moved back from the door. Marcus stepped up and took his place to peer down into the lower floor. His eyebrows settled into a frown, a grave expression donning his face, not that he hadn’t had one before.

Natalie Porter, the officer that he had just been speaking to, came up alongside him. Her added frame blocked out enough of the light that little could still be seen aside from the subtle difference in color between the small parts of the steps that had evaded the ink and the parts slicked with the substance. She naturally pulled out a flashlight and flicked it on to observe the abnormality. “oh, what is that?” Her nose scrunched in repulsion.

Marcus’s expression was unreadable. “Make sure you get a sample to send to the lab.” He reminded her. Natalie nodded swiftly, turning away from the doorway to go get her kit.

Lillian and Soren made room for her to pass them. Lillian hadn’t gone up to the steps to see the ink, but she knew it was there, she didn’t want to see it. She knew she was going to have to anyways, to clean it up no doubt, but just for tonight she wanted to be done.

She didn’t want to think about it, to worry about it, to have the nightmares of the past breathing down her neck. She just wanted to forget It all.

Marcus crouched down to the steps and ran a finger along the substance. It was thicker than water but didn’t have enough thickness to be gooey. Just enough viscosity to feel unpleasant. He smeared the fluid between his finger and his thumb in contemplation.

Natalie bounced back over with the kit in hand and now Marcus moved out of the way to allow her access to the spill.

Another one of his officers approached him. “Sir, we’ve checked everywhere aside from the basement, no sign of intrusion yet.” Marcus nodded. Then, turning to Lillian and Soren, he asked “Does your basement have any windows, doors, or anything else that could serve as an entryway to your intruder?”

Lillian looked to Soren who in turn drifted his gaze upwards in thought. No one of them ever spent much time in the basement, some features were hard to remember. Especially when memories of his childhood home would overlap with his own current one in his head. “I think here are some windows, small ones, but only two.”

Marcus hummed. “Do you know what the substance on the stairs is, is it dangerous?” Soren flinched but nodded. “It should be ink… and no, not to the touch I don’t think.”

“Alright. James, Riley, you two with me. We’re going downstairs.” He motioned to the other two officers. The ones that had been searching through the rest of the house.

They responded in affirmation, once Natalie was done with collecting a sample, they approached the door and moved in past the doorframe. Marcus led them down as they went. He kept a tight grip on the hand rail as he went down. He didn’t trust the slick surface beneath his feet. Once the light stopped reaching them, Marcus was about to pull out his flashlight when he noticed the white string hanging from the ceiling. He gave it a good tug and the light overhead flashed on.

The three of them squinted against the sudden addition of light and peered about the space. It took the other two officers a beat longer to adjust to the light since they hadn’t been prepared for it.

The rest of the basement was still dark. The light seemed to barely reach beyond it’s direct surroundings, everything else swallowed up in the darkness. Marcus ended up pulling out his flashlight anyways to get a better view of the room. The beam of light arched from side to side across the room. He could see one of the small windows from where he stood, the other not in sight.

He gave an indicative nod to Riley, who pulled out his own flashlight and headed to the doorway to the right. The puddle at the bottom of the steps was about 3-4 feet in diameter. The light overhead illuminated it easily, showing a smooth glossy surface. They spread out across the space, flicking on the light switches as they crossed them. Within a minute, the entire basement was lit up.

The three of them scoured the room for any touch or trace of the supposed intruder. “Sir, the back room is clear, the window is untouched, no sign of entry or tampering.” Marcus looked across the room. They were almost done down here. There were considerably less places to search, so it went much faster than the other floors.

He sighed. Not a tired or sad sigh, but an aggravated one. It didn’t break the constant control he always seemed to have over himself but it spoke volumes of his agitation and confusion with the current situation. “How is there nothing?”

No traces, whether on the top floor, the main floor, or the basement. All they found was evidence of the intruder’s activities while his methods and whereabouts remained entirely dark. The only footprints on the ground were their own. “Is it possible that there is no intruder?” James asked. Marcus crooked an eyebrow at him. “You think that these people are being haunted by a ghost then?” James flushed a little.

Of course he didn’t think that. Marcus knew that too. What James was getting at was the idea that maybe the couple was setting it all up. Maybe for attention, or to sue someone… who knows. They had seen it before. People playing pranks, setting up “Scenes” and then going to the police like it was a game. Well, that was mostly just rowdy teens looking for trouble. But still, they’d seen adults do it too, less for fun and more for some other agenda usually.

But Marcus didn’t believe that‘s what was happening here.

He couldn’t boast himself to be good at reading emotions, but he knew terror when he saw it. And those people upstairs, their friends too, they were terrified. Whatever this was, they weren’t the ones doing this.

However, once he crossed out the possibility, he was left with an impossible case. “I don’t get it, there’s no trace of him.” He mumbled.

“You’re sure that there was nothing on the upper floors?” Marcus asked. James nodded. “Down here is the only place he could have gone.”

Marcus only frowned further. “No, he didn’t.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” James questioned.

“It’s the puddle right?” Another voice chimed in. Riley.

“The puddle?”

“There weren’t any footprints of anything leading away from the puddle. If he did come down here to make his escape, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid leaving footprints.” He gestured over the array of dark splatters that had formed as they trailed the ink from the puddle about the room.

Even if someone was able to dodge the cascading ink on the stairs, a nigh impossible ask to start with, they wouldn’t be able to avoid the puddle that blocked the bottom of the stairs.

“Well, what if he just jumped over the puddle?” Riley gave him an unimpressed look. “The stairs are covered in the stuff too, you think he could have jumped all the way from the top of the steps down over the puddle?”

James flushed again at his oversight.

Marcus gave Riley a heavy nod. “I’m not disregarding the possibility that he entered through here, but he couldn’t have exited after pouring that stuff down.”

“Just how on earth did he get in here? And where did he go?”

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.

.

Lillian and Soren sat side by side in the usual booth at Wilkin’s. Lillian shifted uncomfortably in the vinyl bench. She was tired, hardly got a few hours of sleep last night, but she knew she wouldn’t be getting any more of that no matter how hard she tried. She was on the brink of snapping, any more of this… torment, and she was going to break. Her mind had been going into overdrive, digging out the memories that she had buried, ones she would have much rather let die.

They waited for the other two to arrive, a deep discussion was in order at this point. The sheriff had asked them to stop by the station when they had a chance, an invitation that no doubt was for all of them. So they decided to meet up, to discuss what changes had occurred and discuss what should and shouldn’t be said.

Lillian entertained the idea of ordering something to eat, but aside from the half a granola bar that she forced down her throat this morning, she didn’t think she could stomach anything else. Soren didn’t say anything about it, but she was sure he felt the same. Tension and anxiety were eating them up from the inside, making them unable to do even the simplest of tasks. Lillian almost drove Bella to her own workplace instead of the daycare.

She knew her face looked bad. Dark circles aside, she didn’t have the energy to put on any makeup. Well, not no makeup, just not her usual amount. She was able to manage a minute amount that helped lift her face, she simply couldn’t be seen outside without any makeup.

The door squeaked as it opened. “Jamie…” If she looked bad, he looked horrible. He probably hadn’t had an ounce of sleep last night, if the bruises under his eyes said anything. Harley walked in just behind him. She looked considerably better than he did, but still tired. She had probably at least tried to stay up with Jamie.

Soren told her a little bit about what happened the other night, why he was out so late. Jamie must have been hit hard. Out of all of them, after they got back from the studio, he had it worst. He was nearly sent to a mental hospital.

The loss of Noelle was only part of it. Though they had left the studio, the monsters continued to chase through their minds. There were many sleepless nights, waking up after hardly a moment of drifting off to escape the nightmare of their minds.

Jamie in particular, he felt constant regret… guilt. Was even afraid of Lillian for a while. But he didn’t want to get in trouble, he couldn’t come clean about everything without putting himself into an iron box as well. And that was exactly what they needed to go over now.

To make sure that everyone knows their story, what happened and what didn’t happen. No mistakes.

He shuffled over to an open spot around the table, Harley scooting up right along side him, placing her hand in his. Harley was probably one of the things that really told Lillian that he had finally moved on. For the longest time, even after she and Soren and gotten back on their feet, he was still dredging along.

It left a bad image for her to associate herself with him when he was like that, if he hadn’t pulled himself together, she probably would have stopped associating with him. But he settled down a bit, and then Harley came along, and he really picked himself up when they got together. He had brooded over Noelle for too long, so once they got together, Lillian knew he was past it all.

He sat there in silence too, there was no way he was feeling alright enough to put anything in his stomach after that. Everything that he tried to push down just tasted and felt like that horrible ,black lumpy substance. And of course, it all came back up. He knew that it wasn’t the bacon soup, but his mind wouldn’t listen. Eventually, he gave up on trying to eat anything.

The two of them had barely sat down when the door swung open again. Eve stepped in this time. While she certainly didn’t display the same physical distress that they did, the look in her eyes and the expression on her face said that she too had experienced something notably abnormal.

She slid down inter an open spot with a defeated huff. “Do you not have your phone on? I was trying to call you.” Eve started, looking at Lillian. Liliian looked at her, an ounce of confusion on her face.

“Call? I didn’t get anything…” She pulled her phone out from her purse and- it was dead. It would seem that amongst the many tasks she had somehow forgotten, plugging in her phone was one of them. “It’s dead. Why did you call?”

Eve’s face twisted to the unpleasant thought. “Did something happen last night?” Soren added on. There was no way all of this could have happened to them at once… right?

She paused. “last night? No… it was this morning.” Her gaze was quizzical, asking them how they knew something happened. They hadn’t told her or Jamie details on the meeting, just that they all needed a talk and were probably going to police station again. “f*ck.” She cursed under her breath just thinking about it. “It was f*cking everywhere.”

“What was?” Lillian asked, her voice coming out in a horribly hoarse croak, but no one cared at this point. Though she asked, she was sure she already knew the answer.

“Ink! It had to be! It was all over the outside of our dorm. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to get the stain off.”

Everyone shared glances with each other. “so what happened to you guys?” She asked “Did something happen last night?” Something had clearly happened. Everyone looked so… uncomfortable.

Soren looked at Jamie and gave a small nudge with his foot under the table. Jamie gave a small jolt at the contact but got Soren’s message. “I-” He opened his mouth to speak but his voice too, was hoarse and rough. He gave a small cough to clear his throat. “Last night… I got home from work and in my bathroom… It was everywhere. The… ink… was pouring out of the sink, all over the floor. I called Soren, he saw it too, and I called the police.”

Soren acquiesced to his statement. “The police didn’t find any sign of break in.” He said, recalling Jamie’s conversation with the officers that evening. Then he turned to Jamie. “They said they’d look over the security feed right? Did they ever come back and tell you if they found anything?” He asked. It was unlikely. They would probably take a few days to go through the recorded feed and then come back to them, let alone it being done in a singular evening.

He shook his head glumly. “No, I went out and stayed at a hotel instead.”

Why didn’t I think of that?

Eve then turned to Lillian and Soren. “So what about you?” Jamie looked at them too, a hint of curiosity coloring his misery.

Soren gripped Lillian’s hand a little tighter, rubbing his thumb across the back of her hand. “Some time around when I was at your place and when I came back, someone broke into our house.” He sent a look to Jamie. “It seems like they were the one responsible for all the sh*t that’s been happening.” He spat. Eve and Jamie looked at them in shock. Even Harley, who didn’t quite understand the depth of the whole situation, looked a bit surprised. “What? What are you talking about? How is that even possible?” Eve stuttered. “This… stuff, shouldn’t exists, it shouldn’t be real! How could a human be doing this?!” It didn’t make any sense. It couldn’t be a human!

“It might not be.” Lillian spoke. Everyoen looked to her. “But Hawthorns saw something, you saw it too, the evidence that he left! Heck, he even turned off the lights while we were right there!” Soren argued. Lillian of all people should understand that, she was there and saw it all! Well, the aftermath anyways.

“That doesn’t mean it was a human.” She let the words settle. “No one actually saw anything more than his shadow, we don’t actually know who or what it was.”

Jamie interrupted here. “Wait, so the police didn’t catch this guy?” Soren ground his teeth. “No, they couldn’t even find trace aside from the sh*t he left behind. There was ink all down our basement stairs!”

“When was he in your house? Did no one else see him?” Jamie asked, trying to get a grasp of the situation. Soren let out a huff. “You need to hear the whole thing…”

.

.

.

They all sat in silence for a few minutes after Soren finished telling what happened. “What the f*ck man, who the f*ck would do this?” Jamie mumbled. It was already out of hand… but it just kept getting worse.

“What are we supposed do to now?” Eve added. “I can’t let this go on, if this keeps happening , I’m gonna get kicked out of the dorm. I already almost got in huge trouble for this morning.” She rested her forehead in her hands. It didn’t matter to the staff if she had done it herself or not, if it had something to do with her and there was no one else to blame, then she was going to get a hard time for it. Besides, damage to the school facility was no joke. “We’re going to go to the police.” Lillian answered. “They can’t just ignore this anyways. We called you out here to talk before we all go.

I just wanted to make sure you all remember what to say and what not to say.”

Her words sunk like a heavy stone in the pool of their thoughts. A grim reminder of the things that they should never say. Of the things that never happened.

“I think we’re done here, I’m going to head over to the station now, I suggest you come along too.”

She added while standing up from her seat, Soren quick to follow.

Eve and Jamie went soon after, each to their own vehicles.

Now here they were, sitting in the same conference room that they had first talked to Thompson in. where they showed him the objects they discovered in their home. Apparently planted by some potentially inhuman intruder.

Sheriff Marcus Evans sat on one end, next to him the female officer from the other night. She had a strange looking computer in front of her, prepared to document the following discussion as it pertained to the case. Thompson sat closer to them on the other side, a kind of buffer between them and the intimidating aura from the other two.

There was another officer, Lillian couldn’t remember his name, Thompson introduced him. Ripley or something. He looked intense too, grumpy maybe. He was leaned up against the wall, arms folded, instead of sitting down. She was pretty sure he was at their house last ni-…earlier this morning. She tried not to make eye contact with him.

“How did you sleep?” Marcus asked. An almost customary greeting, but he was checking to ensure that nothing apart from what he had already been made aware of last night occurred. He left Riley and James out there to maintain watch over the house just in case anyone came back, or the couple reported anything else, but it was quiet the whole rest of the night. He sent a quick glance over to Riley where he stood up against the wall. How the man was still functioning? He had no idea. Riley was signed to work today, he had offered to take it down since he stayed on duty all night even though he should have been off, but he refused.

He was a hard worker, a bit difficult to get a read on sometimes, but he was a good officer. Marcus chuckled to himself when he saw his dark and intense gaze. Riley had a bit of an intimidating gaze normally, but most of it was no doubt attributed to the tired shadows under his eyes. As much as he tried to hide it, when he wasn’t leaning up against the wall, he swayed on his feet ever so slightly. He really ought to have a talk with him about overworking.

For now, his energy drink infused coffee would keep him going, and, chances are, they’d probably need him for this case. If the start was anything to go by.

“Fine…” The non-committal answer along with the dark circles under their own eyes told him that they did not sleep well. But at least nothing seemed to have happened.

There was no point in beating around the bush, Marcus himself was hardly a man for excessive pleasantries. He wasted no time and jumped into the matter at hand.

“So, tell me when this all started.”

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.

.

The female officer, now known to the others as officer Porter, typed furiously to document everything that had been discussed. From the very first occurrence, to the reoccurring hallucinations that they could no longer be certain were only that, to the most recent circumstances of the vandalism with ink.

Theories, suggestions, and guesses about the supposed perpetrator flowed about. There was hardly anything on him though. Aside from the part where he certainly had something to do with the studio. It was a place that quite literally didn’t exist, only brining about a darker unnatural tone to the whole case. The building used to be an unfinished house, with no other history. The place they called “Joey Drew Studios” had never existed.

Marcus would know better than anyone. That old building held nothing. Not so much as a functioning light, or a bottle of ink. He still planned on sending a team down there, even going himself, just to be sure. As if he hadn’t already done that a hundred times a few years ago.

“So is there anyone who you might suspect this intruder to be? Someone you have issues with, someone who might hold a grudge against you?”

Some glances were shared amongst the victims but it all came down to murmured “no”s and the shaking of heads.

Seriously, who was this guy, what was he trying do, where did he come from… and why? Even Marcus’s wealth of experience couldn’t offer any answers. More intel, we need more intel and more time. Hardly anything could be done right now. They discussed what they could do though, preventatives, security measures. He strongly suggested each of them to install security cameras at the main entrances of their homes. The first step to catching this guy was figuring out how he was getting in.

All four, well, five including Harley, of them seemed welcome to the idea. The way they reacted, Marcus doubted that there was anything they wouldn’t do to be rid of the torment.

“Do you know what his goal could be?” Marcus asked. There had to be something. A person wouldn’t go to such lengths to get to someone without actually getting them. The appearance of the objects from the studio only deepened the chances of a personal relation to the victims.

But, they couldn’t even think of someone who would –or could- do this, let alone a reason why.

“No… I have no idea.”

“no”

“I can’t think of anything.”

Marcus let out an internal sigh. He didn’t want to put any other stress on the group in front of him right now. He picked up the papers in front of him, tapping them against the top of the table to even out and align the pages. “Alright then, out next step for now is to set up surveillance cameras.” It was going to get done today. There was no point in giving their criminal more opportunities to break in. He sent a glance to Riley and Thompson. “Riley here and Thompson can help you set them up. They will know where to put them.” He pushed his chair back and stood up, initiating a chain reaction as everyone else also began to collect themselves and stand up.

“I will give your names and numbers to the line operator. I will be informed of any urgent call immediately. You have Thompson’s personal number if anything non-urgent happens, yes?”

Nods and agreements passed through the group.

“good.”

The next few hours were spent finding security camera’s that fit the bill, setting up the camera at each of their residences, and rigging an alarm to be sent back to the station. Less of an alarm, more of a notification really. A similar alert would be sent to their phones to also ensure that they were aware of the intrusion as well.

It was mid afternoon by the time they were all done. Each of the survivors felt more at ease knowing that the police were really and truly on the case. The camera’s felt like a long awaited defense. A measure to finally begin their counterattack after being faced with this inexplicable harassment.

Lillian sat before her table stirring a bowl of sugary cereal. She felt much better after going to the police, was able to set out and get a few decent bites of her cereal. Still, she felt tired. Her lack of sleep now truly catching up to her.

She also couldn’t say that she was completely at ease. Their discussion with the police had also shown her just how little they knew about the perpetrator. From his appearance, to his motives, to his methods. It was all a big, unpleasant mystery. She had little confidence that it was human, though the police wouldn’t assume so unless irrefutable evidence was presented.

It really put a constant damper on her mood. She still had work tomorrow too. She was considering putting in a leave request but was still a bit hesitant. Wouldn’t she then just be left to worry about it all day long? But could she even manage to focus on work with everything eating away at her mind?

And what would people say about her if she took time off her job. There would be rumors that she quit, or that she couldn’t handle the working life. That “of course she couldn’t do it. I mean taking care of a kid while both parents work? That was never going to work”

There was sure to be a forest fire of rumors already. What, with police showing up at their house in the middle of the night multiple times, with their stressed appearances, and the strange occurrences around them?

She was never going to hear the end of it.

The mere thought of all the things people were going to say about her was already giving her a headache. She was always sure to give the impression of a perfect family. Any less was worthless. She put so much effort into it, from her appearance to their family behavior. And now all this sh*t has to came back and start ruining it all!

Everything felt like it was too much for her right now. But life wouldn’t stop moving just because she was tired. “I need you to go pick up Bella, I have to fill out some tax forms.” Soren spoke to her as he walked through the room, an armload of paper in hand. Lillian wanted to groan.

Just what she needed, another task, another burden.

She begrudgingly put away her cereal and put on enough clothes to make herself presentable. Today was just her bad day, she wasn’t going to put as much effort into everything as usual. She slid the keys into the ignition and was quickly on her way.

When Lillian got to the daycare though, she was greeted by a tired but apologetic worker and a screaming toddler.

Lillian could already feel the headache intensifying.

The worker quickly brought Bella over to Lillian, grateful for the unconsolable child to be taken off their hands. Though Lillian asked what the problem was, the worker could only shake her head. Whatever the problem was, they had tried everything they could to fix it, now it was someone else’s responsibility.

Lillian also tried to console Bella as best as she could, but nothing could stop the shouting, crying, and screaming. The whole ride home was a nightmare. Like being trapped in a small room with 20 blaring fire alarms, only the fire alarms have clever hands to pick up and throw anything within reach.

Lillian could swear she had aged a few years by the time she pulled into the driveway of her home. Bella had quieted a little, though not much. Less screaming and more yelling now. It really just wasn’t her day.

Her and Bella.

Soren closed himself off in his office. A room he hadn’t used in a while because of how his work was going lately. On the second floor, it was the room between their own room and Bella’s room.

So, that was about how Lillian’s evening went. Feeding a screaming toddler, attempting to pacify the screaming toddler, giving up on acknowledging the screaming toddler. Once the sun sunk below the horizon, Lillian felt honestly relieved.

Hopefully with a good night’s sleep, Bella would finally be at peace.

It was a struggle for that too, to get her ready for bed and then to actually get her there. Once the sounds from the room finally quieted, Lillian made no effort to cover up to half relived groan. She felt exhausted. It was like her neat and orderly life had been torn apart the past few weeks. Like everything was coming at her at once. She knew that wasn’t the case. Sometimes kids just throw tantrums. But it didn’t change how it all felt.

Bella’s temper this time was no doubt because of what little sleep she got last night. Something must have set her off at the daycare and it just never stopped.

Lillian ambled down to the kitchen, grumbling.

She shuffled around in some of the drawers until she found something that could satiate her.

.

Soren came downstairs a few hours later, forms and paperwork had always been a bane for him, but it was unavoidable. As a functioning adult, it had to be done.

When he came into the kitchen however, he was met with the strong smell of alcohol wafting both his wife and her cup. “Are you drinking?” He asked, perhaps a bit overly blunt and rude. He too was feeling stretched and pulled, unable to muster enough patience or compassion to appear polite.

Lillian mumbled something in response, slurred by the alcohol in her system. Soren looked at the drained bottle of wine next to her. A pang of annoyance grew in the back of his mind. Was it that hard to take care of a kid for a few hours? He huffed and snatched the bottle off the table. “that’s enough, we both have work tomorrow.” Though he did pour himself a glass before he put the bottle away. He started up the steps, looking back at Lillian in silent invitation. At her refusal to acknowledge him in any meaningful way, he gave up quickly and left her to sit in her drunken stupor. He would have at least offered to help her up he stairs, (so he told himself) if she had come with. But now he determined that there was nothing that would convince him to interrupt his sleep schedule for her.

Lillian mulled downstairs a little longer after Soren left. She was tired, yes, but her mind was finally feeling loose. Even when she thought of the concerning circumstances as of late, she still felt that anger and distaste, but she gnawing fear and anxiety were notable absent.

Everything felt… better this way. She reached the bottom of her cup and looked for the bottle. Right, that *sshole took it.

She grumbled to herself.

Nope, still sh*t.

She let the cup back down onto the table heavily as she slumped onto her hands, elbows resting on top of the table. Tomorrow was gonna suck. She was definitely going to get a hangover. She was probably going to have to call out of work. In fact… she was still deeply considering taking extended leave. She shook her head at the though. No… it’s still too soon for that. If we catch this guy quickly, then it’ll be pointless.

…man, f*ck that guy.

He’s a real psycho. I hope he dies a miserable death… or a stupid one

Like tripping over his shoelaces into traffic or something.

Yeah, that’d serve him right.

Piece of f*cking sh*t.

She sat still for a moment before she got an idea. Was it a good idea? Probably not, was it a smart idea? Definitely not. But did she have the conscious stability to care about that? Also no. She stood up to march across the room but had to quickly shoot a hand out to steady her wobbly feet. She huffed but kept true to her goal once she was back on working legs.

Out of a knickknack drawer, filled with miscellaneous objects, tools, and junk, she pulled out an index card. Why those were in there? She had no idea. Then, with a dark sharpie, she wrote down her truest feelings for the intruder. Once her handiwork was completed, she set it smack dab in the center of the table. If that f*cker came back and tried to get in he would; 1: alert the police who would come to arrest him, and 2: if he did get in, he wouldn’t miss her note.

With a sneer and a middle finger towards the note, she wobbled up the steps to her bedroom.

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.

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Lillian awoke with a headache to the familiar sound of their blaring alarm. She winced, trying to ignore it and get back to sleep but as it continued to play, she was unable to ignore it. Again, the faint sound of rushing water told her that Soren was already awake and taking a shower. She whispered out a slew of unpleasant words at him. Couldn’t he have at least turned off the alarm?

Her head throbbed with the telltale sign of a hangover. It wasn’t too bad, she hadn’t even finished the whole bottle, but it wasn’t making her morning any better. There was an ache in her stomach too. A gnawing hunger that was only enhanced by her tiny escapade the night before. A nearly empty stomach with nothing but alcohol in it wasn’t a pleasant sensation.

She pushed the covers off of her body and slowly slid out of bed. She blinked for a few moments before standing up and heading for the door. The lights outside in the hallway were off, but peering downstairs, she could see light from the early morning sun shining into the house. She had some time before she needed to worry about Bella, so she went straight for the stairs.

She was still blinking the tiredness out of her eyes when she reached the bottom. She moved forwards habitually, directing herself to the kitchen where her goal lie. But hardly a step past the bottom of the stairs and she froze.

What?

Her sleepiness was torn from her almost violently. Replaced with a thudding heartbeat and shallow breaths.

What the f*ck?

Her eyes couldn’t rest on one thing, they flitted all across the room, at the mayhem that lie before her.

Ink, ink was everywhere. Splashed all across the walls and floor, even the ceiling carried some splatters. There was stuff strewn everywhere. Decorations that were lined neatly on the shelves were enow broken and scattered across the floor, some of the picture frames and paintings that they had on the wall were hanging crookedly or fallen to the floor altogether, some of the furniture too was marred and broken.

Even aside from that, cans of soup, papers, and other paraphernalia that could have only come from the studio joined the chaos.

And this was just the living room.

Her feet trembled, legs threatening to give out beneath her as she took tentative steps forwards. Crackling sounds came from beneath her feet as she stepped across pieces of broken glass with her slippers. Some of the pieces poked up at her feet as though it would break through her shoes to reach her flesh at any moment.

Still, like a man possessed, she fumbled into the kitchen. The twisting pit of her stomach only churned more as the signs of destruction continued even here. Ink coated the floor. The white tile now nowhere to be found. It was like the ink machine itself threw up in here.

Lillian’s breaths were coming out in terse gasps now. She wanted to scream, to shout, to cry, but her body wouldn’t listen to her. Once her trembling gaze caught sight of the landline phone on the counter, she finally found it in herself to move. She clutched the phone and pressed it tightly to her head while she punched in the number with shaking hands. In the rings it took before the line went though she could hear her own panicked breathing on the receiver.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

Lillian gasped like she was drowning  “Some-something happened.” She choked out. The operator on the other end shot back quickly. “What happened? Can you tell me where you are?”

Lillian paused for a moment before remembering what she was to do. “I- my name is -is Lillian Willaims, som- I think someone broke into my house again. I-I need someone to come here…” She rambled.

The operator took a moment without responding, but seemed to realize something. Just yesterday, the sheriff came to them to give specific instructions if any of the people on a particular list were to call in. It hadn’t even been a day.

“Hold on for just a moment ma’am.” The operator quickly replied. Lillian remained clutching the phone while waiting for the operator’s return.

The operator was quick, she made a call to the sheriff, informing him of the call, and went about routing a team to the Willaim’s house. “**** Bridal st, yes?” She asked Lillian. “yes! Y-yes it is.” Came the stuttering response. “okay, hold on just a moment, the police are on the way.”

Lillian took a deep breath and placed the receiver back down onto the phone. There was still that twisting pit in her stomach, but at least she felt like she could breathe now. The police were going to be here in just a matter of moments, everything was going to be okay…

She lifelessly stumbled back into the living room, her footsteps staining the floor even darker with the ink trail from her slippers. A shocked exclamation came from the steps as Soren came down only to see the horror of their house. “what..?” His voice shook unmistakably. The two made eye contact, the shock, fear, and disgust shared in equal measure. “What the..-“

“I called the police, they’re on their way.” Lillian found her voice coming out more easily now. Maybe now that she knew help was on the way her body had started to relax. It still took Soren a moment to adjust. To truly realize what had happened.

He slumped down on the stairs, using the steps, one of the few clean places to sit. He rubbed his skin in disbelief. How could this happen? Didn’t they set up precautions just yesterday?

Within the next few minutes, the police arrived at their house. Lillian got up to get the door. She was hardly relieved to see Thompson though, not when everything looked like this.

She sat alongside Soren some time later while the police searched the house. They collected samples, searched for evidence of the intruder and his identity, and helped clear up the space a little. Lillian grasped Soren’s hand as they watched. What had gone so wrong?

Why was this …thing so intent of tearing them apart?

Thompson stepped around the corner to face them with a complicated expression. “hey, uh- I think you’re gonna want to see this.” They both looked up at Tompson and then back at each other. See what?

They followed close behind as Tompson brought them around to the playroom. It was one of the bigger rooms, it was almost turned into he living room, but Lillian and Soren didn’t want to go through the trouble and money of removing the appliances in the current living room to the new one. So it became the playroom once Bella came around.

Ink was everywhere here too. There was slightly less mayhem, maybe only because there were less things to smash and destroy aside from the children’s toys. What was truly striking however, was the writing on one of the walls.

Judgement

The dark words, like many others, brought chills to the observers. “…does this mean anything to you?” Thompson asked hesitantly. The question sounded almost damning, but he wasn’t sure how else to say it. As of right now, this was the closest thing they had to communication with the perpetrator, and the closest thing that might indicate his intentions or motive.

Lillian and Soren both shook their heads while staring up at the writing. “No... I have no idea why any- why anyone would do this?”

“It’s the same writing that was all over the studio though.” Soren added in a more hushed tone. Thompson lifted his brows at that. Not that he hadn’t expected it.

“Then do you know who wrote the stuff in the studio down? That might help us find out who is doing things here.”

Lillian and Soren again looked at each other. “Sammy? Right? He wrote some stuff…”  “But what about Alison, she wrote too. and they didn’t look any different. None of the writing did.”

Lillian thought for a moment too, but had to agree. None of the writings were particularly distinct from what they could remember. Not that she wanted to remember.

Thompson huffed a breath of disappointment. They were just going to have to look deeper into it then. Lillian again stood near the back of the room while they continued to assess the damages. She felt almost disconnected. Like what she was seeing wasn’t even real, but just another one of those nightmares.

Soren went and spoke with Thompson about other things while Lillian stayed to herself. They muddled about in her mind while she watch idly. Suddenly, a dim glow caught her eye.

It was nearly buried under the mess in the room. Lillian took a few steps to reach it and picked up the object. A wave of familiarity washed over her before she realized what she was holding. The object was little more than a broken stick, the top of which held a fractured piece of glass. The light on it came from the flickering and buzzing light bulbs that stood near to the edge of the glass.

The looking glass tool!

It was in horrible condition though. The majority of the glass pane was gone, and a good portion of the frame was missing. A few bulbs were gone where the frame was missing, and one was out. The handle too, had been broken in half. She could only guess that the shards of glass on the ground nearby were from the tool.

No one was looking at her.

She lifted the tool ever so slightly, just enough to pan it across the room.

And then she stopped short.

There was something there. Written on the adjacent wall from where the other writing was.

More writing.

I know what you did

Murderer

Chapter Text

I know what you did

Murderer

Thompson came towards her. In a split second reaction, Lillian pushed the tool behind her. He had an apologetic expression but spoke seriously. “So none of you heard anything in the night?” He asked. He must have just asked Soren the same question. Lillian swallowed down the heavy stone in her throat to respond. “no… I didn’t hear anything.” She hoped that nothing was showing on her face.

She could feel her heart beating heavily in her chest though. Loud enough that the whole neighborhood could probably hear it.

“I- I was a little drunk too…” Lillian trailed off. She strongly regretted her decision to drink last night. Maybe if she weren’t so drunk, she would have heard the sounds of the intruder and been able to call the police on him. But even Soren hadn’t heard anything.

He did have a drink too though…

“I-“

wait…

The note

She suddenly took off towards the kitchen. It was a good thing she moved so quickly, because Thompson might have seen the broken tool she had otherwise. Once she started moving, she completely forgot about it.

Thompson watched in surprise before taking off after her. “Lillian?! Hey, what’s going on?”

She stood again in the ink stained kitchen. Most of the ink that had been covering the floor had been somewhat cleaned up a bit. Black streaks were still smeared all across the surface from the halfhearted mopping job. It was only just enough to remove the flooded ink so that no one would have to soak their shoes. Luckily the ink level was low, an inch or less, so the clean up was quite bearable.

She stopped between the doorway and the table.

It… it’s gone

She crossed the remaining space between her and the table and stroked her fingers across the slick surface just to make sure.

d-did He- it- whatever it is…

see it?

She suddenly had a bad, bad feeling. “Lillian?”

She snapped up to meet Thompson’s gaze. It was at this moment that she also belatedly remembered the fractured tool in her hands to hide it. Luckily Thompson was on the other side of the hand holding the tool. Still, she gulped uneasily.

“What’s wrong, is something different?”

A look of concern and suppressed alarm decorated his face. She didn’t want to say it… she didn’t at all. But she had to.

Her own panicked reaction gave her no choice.

“I-Last night I remember… before I went to bed, -I-I was angry okay! Stressed. It was a bad day! I- I wrote a little note- A-a stupid impulsive message cause I was just so sick of this -and-and I was drunk too!” She stumbled and stuttered. Soren was hearing this too, having followed close behind after the two of them dashed to the kitchen in no subtle manner.

“Wait, what note?” Soren stepped in and asked, confused. Lillian wanted to curse or scream at something, someone. Why was any of this happening!?

“I just got a little drunk and left a note on the table.”

Soren only glanced at the table for a moment before looking back to her, he was well aware that there was nothing there, he just didn’t know that something was supposed to be there.

“What did the note say?” Thompson asked.

“f*ck you”

“wha?

“huh?”

The two men were startled by her sudden choice of words. Did they upset her somehow?

“It said f*ck you” She re-iterated. “On the note.”

There was again, a pause. But now the men were looking at her with a mix of incredulousness, disbelief, and disappointment. Thompson didn’t say it, but he felt like this note might have had something to do with the… extremity of the current development.

All three of them were thinking it though. “s’cuse us.” Soren squeezed past Thompson and grabbed Lillian’s arm pulling her along with him towards the steps. They were going to have a talk. Thompson made no move to stop either of them, leaving it to them to discuss their matters privately. Up in their room, Lillian sat herself down on the edge of the bed. If she was going to have to talk about this, she should at least be comfortable.

Soren didn’t sit, opting to stand, pacing about the room as he rubbed his hands over his face in exasperation.

“You did what?”

Lillian rolled her eyes slightly. “I left a note for the a**hole breaking into our house to f*ck with us!”

Soren paused his pacing. “And you didn’t think that might be a bad idea?”

“I was drunk! And sick of all this sh*t!” She defended, waving her hands.

“He probably would have still done this anyways, even without the note.” She added on in a mumble.

“And!?”

“Did you even stop to think about what that could do!? What if he went after us because you said that!?”

“He’s already after us!” She insisted.

Soren groaned while pressing his palm to his head again. “That doesn’t make it any less of a stupid decision, what were you thinking?”

With a huff, Lillian stood up. “I was thinking that I was done with all this sh*t! We don’t even know what is going on! The police aren’t able to do sh*t either! This f*cker still got back into house under the police’s nose, are we even safe anymore!?” She shouted. She didn’t care if the officers downstairs heard her.

Soren’s expression told of how he wanted to refuse, to deny it. But she was right.

They said that the alarms would go off if someone tried to break in again, and that the police would know. But nothing of the sort happened. “We will deal with that another time, just don’t go around and to stupid sh*t like this again.” He said.

Lillian felt wronged. Unwilling maybe. Yeah, he was right. But was she really so wrong?

She didn’t think so.

A patter of footsteps interrupted whatever they were going to say next. Both of their heads whipped around towards the door to their bedroom, though it was shut.

Bella was awake.

Lillian stood up, whether Soren liked it or not, their conversation was over now. She quickly walked past him to their bedroom door and swung it open. Bella paused where she stood in front of it, tired eyes blinking up at her mom. “ma ma?”

Lillian squeezed out a smile. “good morning sweetie.”

Soren looked at the familiar broken tool on their bed where Lillian had left it. “Lillian?” He called. She stopped outside the door “what?” but once she turned to look back at him, his questioning gaze between her and the broken seeing tool spoke volumes despite the unspoken question.

She inhaled but turned to look back at Bella. “We’ll talk about that later.”

“no, I think we should talk about this now.” Soren insisted, he too recognized the tool. This was no small matter.

“Later. Okay?” Lillian sighed. She couldn’t do this right now. She had to take care of Bella and stop her from going downstairs yet.

“And… don’t show that to anyone yet… there is something I need to show you first.”

With that, she left sight of the bedroom and walked Bella down towards her room to help get her dressed.

Lillian didn’t end up having time to talk to Soren again. By the time she was done with Bella, Soren had already taken off for work. She was a little surprised, maybe miffed, that he actually went in today. 

I mean, did he not see the state of their house!?

While he was gone more officers came over, Marcus too. They probably got enough pictures to fill up a museum.

She also called her boss. She planned on taking that extended leave now.

Her boredom was probably going to eat her alive, but she still needed the job to support their lifestyle. It wouldn’t do her any good to lose it with poor performance. Better to take a break instead.

She took Bella to the daycare, though with everything that was happening that morning, she was late to hand her over. The assistant just gave an understanding smile and brought Bella along to her group.

She spoke to Eve and Jamie over the phone too. Neither of them had experienced anything last night. She really couldn’t help but think that maybe it really was because of the note.

And if that were the case… wouldn’t she have just pissed their tormentor off more and put a target on herself?

Once Soren came back home, Derrick stopped by to discuss everything they found with them. It was a short conversation. The only thing to note was that the police really hadn’t received an alarm for the person’s entry. They still had to go through the recorded video to see when it could have happened. A conversation that would have to wait for another time.

It wasn’t till Thompson waved goodbye from his car that Lillian breathed out that little breath she had been holding in the whole time. She needed to show Soren the hidden message on the wall. She couldn’t tell the police. She would get in trouble herself then. She couldn’t let that happen.

She brought the tool downstairs while Soren put some easy food into the microwave. He seemed to have forgotten about the tool. Lillian almost was tempted to not show him. But he was bound to remember that she had the tool at some point. It would be better for her if she just got this over with. They were in the same boat anyways. It wasn’t like she was the only one at fault for what happened.

“Soren.” She called. He paused his movements to look at her. All she had to do was pull the tool into view and his expression changed. Now he remembered. “It’s over by the other writing.” She said.

In breaks when the house wasn’t crawling with police she had gone through and scanned as much as she could. Save for a few forgotten corners, she had checked the whole place. There were no other hidden messages, thankfully, but that didn’t make the ones that were there any more welcoming.

Soren’s hands began to tremble once he saw the golden glowing message on the wall. He knows. Whoever this person –thing- was… they knew.

Their uneasy gazes met. “There’s nothing else, I checked everywhere.” Lillian finally added. Soren could only feel the slightest hint of relief. Whatever was happening to them was much bigger than they thought. “We need to tell Eve and Jamie about this.” He said. The tension in his voice obvious. “…have you?”

“No, I haven’t. I- how would I even explain it?” she sighed. “You’d have to see it to understand…” She trailed off while looking back up to the dark, striking Judgement on the wall. Even I wouldn’t want to believe this.

It wasn’t till mid day the next day that Lillian got the call. The police went though the security cameras. It was record time really, multiple officers stayed up into the night to watch through every second of the video. They couldn’t miss a single bit or they might risk missing the moment that the perpetrator got though.

However:

“What do you mean there’s nothing?” She asked incredulously. Was she hearing this right?

“We checked through the footage carefully. There was nothing caught on the cameras.” The officer replied. He sounded quite baffled too.

“How can there be nothing!? Are you trying to tell me that a ghost broke into my house!?” She exclaimed. “I’m sorry ma’am. There’s not much we can do. The sheriff is looking into solutions, so just keep an eye out in the meantime. We also recommend keeping your mobile phone on your person at all times in case of an emergency.”

With a telltale “beeeep” the call ended.

Lilian breathed heavily while looking down at the now silent phone. “god f*cking d*mn it!” She screamed. Throwing the phone down. It bounced harshly off the couch cushion and fell to the ground. Lillian couldn’t even find it in herself to pick it up. If she did, she was sure she would just feel the urge to throw it again.

She brought her hands up to her hair and clenched her fists, borderline ripping it out. “What the f*ck!” She whispered to herself. This is sh*t! What the hell is happening!?

Is this not a f*cking human!?

She thought they had finally taken a step forwards, towards catching this f*cker, but now they were sliding backwards, even farther backwards than they were before. What the hell is happening?

When Soren came home, he too got the news. He was hardly any more receptive of it than Lillian. He looked out blankly. “So we’re supposed to just accept that this psycho can come into our house at any time without our knowledge and do nothing?”

Lillian unhappily shrugged. “Then what are we supposed to do? Stop him? We can’t even find him for hells sake!”

Soren groaned into his hands in response to that. It was true. The closest they’d come to him was the other night when Mr. Hawthorns saw him too. It was like they were dealing with a ghost.

“How can we be safe like this?”

.

.

.

Though the night after the incident was calm, Lillian had expected him to come back. The entire next week however, he did not appear to intrude.

Eve and Jamie both reported more strange sightings in and around their homes though, just as intrusive as before, a clear indication that their intruder was still at large, but Soren and Lillian saw nothing.

The first few nights after the incident, they had a police car waiting outside their house in case anything did happen, but when nothing did, they eventually withdrew. Lillian and Soren were none too pleased, but the Sheriff explained to them that they simply didn’t have enough officers to send teams to each lodging at night and still manage their day-to-day work.

They also changed the camera set up at each of their homes. It was a money pincher, but there was no way this one would mess up in whatever ways the other one had.

Lillian had gotten somewhat used to not going in to work over the past week, though she often felt restless throughout the day. She had things to keep her busy now. The ink splatters everywhere were no easy task to clean. She had to get Bells’s playroom back in order quickly. The little girl was getting feisty about not being allowed to play with her toys.

She wondered constantly about how or why this was all happening. It wasn’t like she hadn’t pulled her hair out over this before, but now they knew something different. This “person” knew what happened in the studio.

It had to mean something.

Right?

Lillian shoed Bella upstairs after diner to get ready for bed. Bella at least seemed to be sleeping well, so Lilian didn’t need to worry about her. Lillian on the other hand, was still struggling to make it through the night. She would awake up all throughout, listening to every creak and rustle, the echoing chirp of the crickets outside, the thrum of power running though their appliances. Soren woke up some too. She could usually tell. He normally slept almost completely still, but once he awoke she could feel him shifting and shuffling in bed.

That was what she thought would happen tonight too.

Her eyelids flicked open in the dark haze of their room. Her eyelids felt heavy and sore. Like they were made of led. Even so, they wouldn’t let her go back to sleep.

She knew it too. She would wait. Wait until her body gave up its resistance and gave her back the rest she needed.

So that is what she did. She waited.

The house was quiet.

The air was warm.

The bed was comfortable.

The crickets were…

Silent

.

.

.

Her eyes snapped open as she shot up in bed, blood beginning to thump through her body unlike before. The silence was deafening. There was a ringing in her ears as she subconsciously tried to search for any sounds.

Where were the crickets?

It was like the night had gone dead silent.

No, as she listened closely, she could hear the faintest chirps and screeks, but it was so far away. Like they were staying away from her house. There was not a single caw, croak, or chirp of any form anywhere near them.

It was beyond abnormal, for the creatures of the night to be so silent. It was like they sensed something. Something dark and primitive. Something they instinctively knew to fear.

Her heartbeat was the loudest thing in her ears. The heaviness of the sound felt crushing. Even if it was her own.

But then…

She heard it.

Something that cried out volumes over anything else in her ears despite how quiet it was.

A creak.

And then another.

And still another.

It had a rhythm. Like footsteps.

She could hear it down below.

She held her breath. Trying to silence even the smallest sounds. To focus on that one. It was quiet… almost null, but she knew it was there.

Her heartbeat didn’t follow her will however, it accelerated like she was racing for her life, rising up into her throat.

She swallowed it down as best as she could and listened closely.

“Creak”

“Creak”

“Creak”

Then- “thunk”

…

“Creak”

“Creak”

“Crrrrrk”

Oh no

Oh no no no no nononono

She knew that sound. Ingrained into her mind like many others. A consequence of growing accustomed to this home. Of years of traversing the same path though her house and hearing others do the same.

He was coming up the stairs.

Her mind flew into a panic. He was already halfway up. Should she stay still? Play dead? Find some where to hide? Call the police? Yeah, that was what he needed to do… Call the police. But who would get to her first. The police… or him?

Her hands shook as, despite her desire to move, her body refused to listen to her.

“Thp”

That was it. He was at the top of the stairs. A mere few feet from her bedroom door.

“Thp”

“Thp”

“Thp”

He’s getting closer

She could barely hear his footsteps now. Both because of how much less creaky these floorboards were and because of how loudly her heart was beating.

“Tmp”

He’s right outside…

She could hear it. She could hear him. And by god she could swear on her life that he could hear her too.

The footsteps paused.

Lillian gripped her sheets in her hands with white knuckles, her heart felt like it was going to burst. She wanted to breathe, needed to, but her body wasn’t listening. She couldn’t breathe.

The silence that took over in the absence of the quiet footsteps burned in her ears, like lava in her mind. She could feel hot tears pricking in her eyes from the crushing fear that was consuming her.

“Thmp”

“Thmp”

“Thmp”

“Thmp”

A tiny gasp left her as she realized he was moving away. The air filling her lungs little by little feeling more painful than refreshing.

He was leaving

“Tmp tmp”

But he wasn’t going back downstairs

Where is he-?

Then she froze.

No…

No, no he couldn’t be!

Bella!

Her body jolted. She had to do something!

She had to-!

…

Did she?

Weren’t they his targets?

Wouldn’t he kill her the moment she went out to stop him?

But bella…

She won’t know

But

She won’t know

But

I can’t

I can’t

I don’t wanna die.

I don’t wanna die

I don’t wanna die

I don’t wanna die

I don’t wanna die

I don’t wanna die

.

.

.

.

“Ring rrrirng ring!”

“ring!”

Lillian’s eyes fluttered open to the sound of an alarm. A habit she hadn’t gotten rid of yet despite being free from the duties of her job now. She yawned and stretched, trying to drag her sleep deprived self all the way back into the land of the living. She wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore anyways. She tried a few times before, but even before the constant nightmares and festering insomnia, it had never worked well.

Soren hadn’t gotten up yet, still dozing off in spite of the blaring alarm. She took a minute to get her bearings before going to wake him up. As she sat there, something unnerving began to seep into her mind. Something wasn’t quite right.

She frowned to herself.

Bella

Lillian bolted out of bed.

Bella!

She ignored Soren’s waking form and made a frantic few steps towards the door. Ones that stopped short as she also recalled the haunting presence that had stood outside her door.

When did she fall asleep? When did he leave?

Did he leave? Or is he just outside waiting for me to open the door?

“Babe?” A gravely morning voice called. Soren looked at her quizzically from the bed while one arm searched around for the blaring alarm.

She only glanced back at him for a moment, her attention claimed by the door before her. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she reached out to it. She couldn’t hide from it. She had to see. She had to get to Bella.

Bella…

Her trembling hand twisted the doorknob slowly.

“creeak” The door edged open.

Lillian remained motionless, her beath quickening as she saw the ink.

Soren was getting out of bed now, somewhat alarmed by her abnormal behavior. “Baby? What’s going on?” He asked. Lillian said nothing, but she turned to look at him with a pale face. Her expression was nothing short of horrified. As her body turned, Soren saw what was behind her, beyond the doorway to their room.

In just a moment, he was scrambling up and out of the bed entirely, lurching towards the door. He gripped the door frame tightly as he stared down at the ink splotches that marked the hallway.

No, they weren’t simply splotches. They were footprints.

They led all the way from the stairs, down and across their hallway and over to-

Soren felt all the blood drain from his face.

Over to Bella’s room.

He broke through the barrier of fear that had built up around them, a few large strides was all it took to reach Bella’s door. He swung it open desperately, terrified of what he might find.

“Bella!?” He called.

The ink footprints stopped. They led all the way into the room, but didn’t quite reach the bed. The tiny fragment of hope in Soren’s chest, nearly crushed by the sight of the filth entering his daughter’s room, flared again at the tiny hope that this person- this thing-  hadn’t touched his daughter. “Bella!?” He called again, rushing all the way into the room, straight to the bed.

He couldn’t see her.

His heart was thudding like it was on its last leg, breath caught in his throat.

“mm… dadda?”

A tiny, messy head poked up from under the pink covers of the bed.

She didn’t have time to adjust to the situation because Soren was there in an instant. Nearly crushing her in his grip. He hugged her close, feeling the small heartbeat and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out. She was alive.

She was alright.

Lillian was there right behind him, she let out a sound most similar to a gasp and a sigh, relieved beyond words that Bella was alright. The moment Soren moved, Lillian was there, throwing her arms around Bella as well.

Lillian sighed hugging Bella tightly to her chest. She was okay. Everything was alright.

Everything was alright.

.

.

.

Since when had Police officers roaming about their house become a normal thing? Lillian watched as the uniformed men and women, for the n-teenth time, searched the house and documented traces. It wasn’t even a strange sight anymore, she had pretty much gotten used to it.

What she couldn’t get used to, however, was the ever encroaching ink. She looked down at the extensive plot of dark footprints that led around the house. There were more than just the ones upstairs.

The police were still trying to pinpoint where they started, to find his point of entry and then follow the trail.

They trailed all around the main floor of the house and both upstairs and down into the basement.

She sat on the couch, as had become habit to remain out of the way. Bella sat alongside her. She didn’t think she was going to get Bella to daycare today. She didn’t want to leave before the police got here, wanted to be sure that Bella was okay, but by now it was a little too late.

The police had already spoken with them all. Bella displayed nothing but confusion and ignorance as to what went on that night. She was asleep the whole time, she never saw anyone or heard anything.

Lillian hadn’t said anything, but she knew it was coming. She wouldn’t be able to hide that she heard him last night, that she did nothing and left Bella alone. But she couldn’t admit that in front of her daughter, she couldn’t.

She heard from Thompson, overheard him talking to Soren really, that they were all set to meet at the station later today. Apparently, some other sh*t had also happened with Eve and Jamie. They had to go over and investigate there before holding the meeting.

Hopefully she could divert the conversations until then.

She and Soren needed to have a talk though. Hopefully before the meeting at the police station.

She waited for a while, giving the police plenty of room for their investigation, before trying to get their morning back on track. She at least needed to feed and dress Bella, though she also took time to get some food into her own stomach.

She had just finished getting Bella her breakfast, now trying to secure her into her walker for her to play safely, when someone approached. It was that officer Riley. He looked at her and sent a glance to Soren, who was also in the room. “We found something. You might want to come see.” He said. Though his words may have sounded like a suggestion, his tone told them it was more of a command.

Not that either of the two would want to stay out of the loop with what was happening to them.

They had no complaints (aside from his customer service attitude) and followed him as he led them around.

He sent another glance at them before he led them down the stairs and into the basement. Lillian felt uneasy.

They followed him down, step by step, as if they didn’t know their way around their own house. She couldn’t help but look at the dark footprints that marked the stairs, undiscernible if they had led up or down or perhaps both. She was annoyed that there was more now, it hadn’t been that long since she scrubbed the steps clean of the stuff.

Once they got down to the bottom, they could see a few other officers standing around. The lights lit up the space well enough, but some of them weren’t turned on. If either of the two looked closely they would see the shattered bulbs with glass fragments littering the floor under those unlit lights. The officers had flashlights out anyways, pointing up at the wall next them. Lillian didn’t have to get close to see the dark writing on the wall but she couldn’t make out what it said yet with all the people in the way.

She felt nervous. She felt watched. The eyes of the officers gravitated towards them as they came close. The gazes were heavy, judging. The thudding in her chest and heat rising to her face was whispering to her. They knew. They knew what she did. They thought she was a terrible person. ‘How could she do that?’ She could already hear the whispers, the murmurs. ‘That’s awful’ ‘She is horrible’

I-

I-

I had to!

I had to do it! It wasn’t my fault!

They were getting in my way!

Each step she took towards them all felt like she was walking the plank. Like a death sentence. It was the police, would they really let her go if they knew what had happened in there? What really happened?

The officers parted, giving the couple room to approach and see.

Death will be your only mercy

Was it crazy that she actually felt relieved to see a threat on the wall instead of a depiction of the past or something?

A large pool of ink rested beneath the writing, dried dribbles ran down from the wall to the puddle in dark streaks.

The both looked at it silently, not even sure what to say anymore.

Thompson set his hand down on Lillian’s shoulder, making her jolt in surprise. He stilled for a moment, but went on patting her shoulder anyways. Trying to offer a small comfort.

Even the other officers down there looked uncomfortable with the grim message. It was the most threatening one they’d seen yet. The obvious threat, however, meant that the case could be taken into higher consideration.

They led the couple back out of the basement and the remainder of the investigation was quickly finished. They were left with a message that they would be called to the station later once they finished up with their other investigations.

Lillian sighed, feeling completely drained.

Bella was down in her walker, clamoring against Lillian’s leg for attention. Lillian gazed at her for a while. Soren came into the room and took a seat, giving her a look that said “we need to talk”

“What do we do?” She asked numbly.

Soren remained silent for a few beats. “We could send her out? Over to my parents… or over to yours.”

Lillian looked up at him at that. “You want to send her away?” She asked. She felt sour, she couldn’t agree to that.

“How else can we keep her safe?” He argued. “She clearly isn’t safe here.” It hurt him too, but he couldn’t just let Bella get hurt. They would send her somewhere safe and then devote their full attention to catching this creep. Once he was out of the way, things could all go back to how they were.

“but…” Lillian wanted to refute. “Would sending her away really make her safe? What if this guy still goes after her?”

Soren had a bitter look on his face. “He should be targeting us… If we send her away, he might decide to leave her alone.” He said. It was a gamble, but he knew for certain that she wasn’t safe here. Last night was more than enough to prove that.

He never realized just how awful this feeling was. The feeling of helplessness and fear. Unable to stop, mitigate, or even redirect the horror coming for them. They didn’t know who it was, where they were , or when they would strike. Soren hated it, he hated that he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Lillian finally dropped her head. Yeah, it would be for the best… right?

At least she would be safe this way.

But what would people think? First she takes extended leave from her job and now she sends her daughter away?

But… what other choice was there?

“Do you want to call your parents?” She asked. Soren silently got up and punched in the numbers to call.

He didn’t have to explain much, he just told them that they had some important business to take care of and couldn’t have Bella with them for a while. They believed it, had no reason not to really, and were ready to take her at any time.

Before they left to drop Bella off, Lillian handed her over to Soren and took the seeing-tool downstairs to the message on the wall. She was nervous of what she might find, her heart was thumping in her chest as she lifted the broken glass. But-

There was nothing. No hidden messages anywhere in the basement. She even double and triple checked to make sure. Was that good news? She hoped so.

Lillian figured they’d have time before the “meeting” the police scheduled with them later in the day to drop Bella off. It wasn’t enough to drive all the way there and all the way back, but they asked Soren’s parents to meet them halfway, to save some time on Lillian’s side.

Bella understood nothing, only excited that she got to see grandma and grandpa again. She grumpily turned away from Lillian when she tried to give her a goodbye kiss. Lillian’s smile warped, but she maintained her expression in front of everyone. Everything was going to turn out alright, Bella would be back with them again in no time and she would crush any of those nonsensical rumors.

Lillian made sure to send all of the essentials with her, her favorite toys, blankets, stuffies. She also wrote out some notes for Soren’s parent’s to keep in mind while watching her. They weren’t sure how long it would be, but they hoped it wouldn’t be too long.

The handoff was quick, Soren and Lillian had to head back quickly to make it to the meeting. They both wished Bella well, and began the painfully quiet ride back home.

.

.

.

Lillian glanced around the conference room at all the other people present. There were more than last time, both officers and others. Either way, they must have had some relevance to the case.

The meeting started shortly after they arrived. The first thing that was discussed was the glaringly obvious failure of the security measures on each of the homes.

“-He has to be getting inside somehow, we plan on placing cameras and sensors at any and all possible entrances. The costs will be shouldered by the department.”

Hums and murmurs of acknowledgement echoed in the room. “So nothing at all has been found on the cameras?” Someone asked.

Thompson nodded this time. “We haven’t finished with the recordings from Mr. Jamie Leswin and Ms. Eve Narcol, but the film from the Williams household has revealed nothing.”

“And the cameras already cover the main entrances?” Another voice asked. Thompson nodded. “Yes, we stationed them around the main points of entry to the house along with a few other areas.”

Thoughtful noises spread amongst them. “Have there been any more sightings?” someone asked. Thompson shook his head, but turned to look at the others for input. Eve and Jamie both shook their heads. Lillian could see that they were looking worse for wear, tired and no doubt stressed.

Harley wasn’t here this time, whether busy, uninvited, or otherwise unavailable, she had no idea.

Soren shook his head too.

It took Lillian a moment before she realized that everyone was looking at her and waiting for a response. She jumped to it and shook her head lightly. “I-I didn’t see him.”

A tiny flush crept onto her face.

They turned back to the matter at hand. “So then is there anything that we know about this guy? Are we even confident that it is a man?”

Thompson stepped forwards again. “We really don’t know much, just that he is a master at B&E and holds mal-intent towards the individuals here.” He gestured towards the four victims. “As for the other part, we find that this individual is most likely male, though we have no substantial proof.”

“A witness claimed to have seen a figure through the window of the Williams’ house. He stated that it looked like a man.” Marcus added. He wasn’t one to jump to conclusions, but he was quite confident that this person was likely a man just from what they had seen and gathered so far.

“Did the witness see anything else? Any details?”

It now occurred to Lillian that some of the people, perhaps most of them, were unfamiliar with the current state of the case. It brought both relief and anxiety for her to see how much bigger the case was getting. Relief that it might finally reach hands capable of bringing it all to an end, but anxiety and fear that all would truly be revealed. That more people would condemn her for doing what she did in the studio. It wasn’t her fault though, those f*ckers deserved it..

She just had to hide it well.

“No, no details were confirmed, just a shadow in the window.”

“This doesn’t sound like good grounds to prompt such an intensive investigation.” Someone stated. Lillian glanced at him. He had asked a few questions earlier in the meeting too. Testing, poking, doubting, couldn’t he see that this was a real problem?

“I understand what you mean, but with the undeniable break-ins and the appearance of death threats, we believe this case should be taken more seriously.”

“Our biggest concern is-” Marcus paused to make a gesture at the man who had spoken up “-As you said, that we have no profile on the perpetrator.” The motion was almost mocking, half sarcastic, but it drove the point home. He was aware of their dilemmas, but in light of all that was happening, that had happened, he knew it had to be taken seriously.

The talk went on. Thompson briefed them all on the case as it was so far, Marcus seemed to be giving him the opportunity to lead the charge, though he still spoke up now and then.

Lillian was quite dissatisfied that the sheriff wasn’t handling it all himself, Thompson was far too young for him to hold her confidence.

Once that was done though, they also described the discoveries of the morning.

Apparently, Eve had woken up to writing outside her dorm, while Jamie had been woken up by loud music playing from a familiar radio. The radio, along with images of each incident were spread out on the table and passed around. “We already checked for prints on the radio, found some, but no matches.” Marcus added.

“-And I wouldn’t turn that on if I were you.” He said, effectively stopping one of the non-officers present from switching it on. “It’s loud and you can’t turn it off. Can only wait till it finishes.”

Lillian didn’t touch hardly anything, but her gaze lingered on the images laid out on the table. Most especially, the dark, dripping You can’t run that appeared to be written on the outside of Eve’s dorm. She had to go there later with the seeing tool… She had to look for any hidden messages before it was all cleaned up.

When they started talking about the incident at her house Lillian was actually surprised by a few of the things they said.

Of course, the ink footprints all around the house brought great attention and concern from the attending individuals, along with the known presence in the daughter’s room while she was sleeping. But Lillian already knew about that.

“The footprints also led into the basement, it was here that we found another message from the intruder, perhaps the most alarming yet.” He pulled out of a yellow folder and passed around the images of the scene. “He also broke 3 of the 5 lights in the basement area. Not sure of the method or tool, but the bulbs were broken.”

She didn’t know about that. Was that why only half of the lights were on?

But… why break half? Actually, why break any at all?

This guy was starting to driver her crazy.

No, he started doing that a few weeks ago, now he was just draining her sanity more and more with each passing day.

She just couldn’t understand… why was this happening?

Well, she knew why now.

The real question was… how did someone know?

Who was this?

She looked across the room at all the faces, deeply engrossed in the pieces of evidence and the particles of information they found, and at Jamie and Eve.

Everyone who knew was either… well, dead, or here.

Would they do it?

No… it’s not a question of whether they would, but whether they could.

None of them had the guts to dive back into the studio to drag stuff out to torment each other. Besides, all of them were being targeted, no exceptions.

… and she knew that it was impossible for anything to leave the studio.

But that only brought more confusion.

She was holding the “seeing tool” in her hands when they felled the ink demon and finally escaped. Everything shook and buzzed, before it all went white and they all opened their eyes, lying on the grass in front of the studio. None of the things they had or held that originated from the studio came with them, all that they had were the things they entered with, with the addition of rips, tears, scars, and ink stains.

Naturally, her confusion as to how the perpetrator managed to bring the things here was great.

It also fueled the idea that this stalker might not even be human… a monster from the studio… maybe even the ink demon himself. No, it couldn’t be him. He was almost animalistic, sick and twisted enough to pull shit like this, but not patient or caring enough to wait this long or to do it for the purpose that was so claimed.

And if it were him… she would have heard the heartbeat last night. But there was nothing, even alarmingly so. The footsteps she heard were quiet, and that was despite the creaking of their stairs. Without the poorly laid down wood to give it away, she might not have heard them at all.

The meeting went on for a while longer, Lillian tried to pay attention, but couldn’t help being distracted as they spoke of the incidents and parts she was aware of. They asked them some questions. Any suspects? Any grudges? Anyone who could be responsible?

And the answer was always no.

There were plenty of neighbors they didn’t like, relatives they couldn’t understand, or bosses they hated, but no one that was capable of something like this.

Eventually, it came to a close. Lillian and the others were asked to stay for a moment longer while the unfamiliar attendees left. All that remained now aside from them was Derrick, Marcus, and Riley. The female officer from last time was absent, left the room along with everyone else. Probably had put off work for too long while attending the meeting.

“Is there something else to talk about?” Jamie asked. He felt that they had explained everything pretty well.

“We just want to make sure that the details are clear. We got your testimonies of the incidents this morning, but is there anything that you could have forgotten, remembered, or perhaps misinterpreted?” Marcus asked. Naturally, everyone shook their heads.

And most did it with a relatively clear conscience.

Marcus looked back down to his documents like he had expected that much. He didn’t seem deterred though. “And I guess the other reason is to get your full opinion on who or what it may be that is doing this.”

Derrick glanced over at him, but said nothing.

“Who or what?” Soren repeated. “Yes.” Marcus nodded. “You heard me.”

“I know you said that you can’t think of anyone who would go this far, but I’ve looked over the old case. You all said, with matching certainty, that there were monsters and humanoid creatures down in the studio. I’m wondering if you think any of those things could be responsible.”

Derrick looked unconvinced, but he still let Marcus do what he was doing.

“I think that it is crazy, and I know that it doesn’t make any sense at all. But I know that something happened back then, explicable or not, and I want to know if that is what is happening here.”

Despite the strange and frankly unnatural circumstances around the incident 7 years ago, the only thing he did know was that they hadn’t just made up their story.

It was impossible for the things they said to be true, he had checked so many times, searching though the old wooden building, even to the point of tearing up the floorboards in search of the entrance into the deep dark pit below. But there was nothing.

And so their story became a delusional dream, a hallucination.

But something had to have happened.

It couldn’t make sense otherwise. Four perfectly matching stories, scars and ink stains to boot. Another five missing teens, without any bodies or traces. And even then, when they first went missing they had searched for the kids for days to no avail. The whole area surrounding the town was searched thoroughly, but no sign of them was found. If they were there, they would have been found.

The only thing they did find was Soren William’s car parked a short distance away from the site of the supposed studio.

The same car that all nine teens were last reported being seen getting into. (How they managed that in a five-seat car? Marcus wasn’t entirely sure, but it couldn’t have been legal.)

The evidence was all against them. But now something wasn’t quite right.

The four of them went into deep thought. They shared glances, mutters and murmurs. Finally Eve spoke up. “I think it could have been any of them… except that –that other Alice and the a**hole Boris. They didn’t seem like they would.”

Her answer prompted a wealth of opinions from the other three too. “Didn’t Sammy write on the walls?” “All of them wrote on the walls dipsh*t.” “I don’t get how they could even be real.” “I think Bendy or Alice might do it.” “I agree, they probably would.”

Marcus had trouble keeping up with it all.

“I couldn’t be Bendy.” Lillian shook her head, responding perhaps a bit too excitedly. “What do you mean?” Marcus probed

 “I would have heard him if it were!” she insisted. They were all looking in the wrong direction! It really couldn’t have been Bendy!

… There was moment of silence.

“Heard him?” Marcus questioned. “I thought you said you didn’t hear or see anything on the night after he was spotted in your window?” He glanced at Soren as if confirming this information. Soren looked at Lillain confused too, they hadn’t heard anything. Not so much as a single footstep. Sure, they probably would have heard the heartbeat if it were Bendy, btu since they hadn’t been able to tell where he was and when, it was a bit of a stretch to claim so strongly that it wasn’t Bendy after not hearing anything once.

Lillian sputtered. She hadn’t meant to reveal that, if they knew what she heard last night…

Before she could think of another response, Marcus, perceptive b*stard that he was began to follow up with more questions. “Did you hear him last night?”

Everyone’s attention was on her again. How was she supposed to respond? What was she supposed to do?

“Lillian?” There it was, the condemning tone. They knew she was hiding something. Screw Marcus.

Lillain did you hear something last night?” Soren echoed Marcus’s question. But it was doubting, probing, afraid of what he might hear. He was looking at her in poorly restrained disbelief. There was no way right? She would have woken him up, or at least told someone right?

Lillain panicked. “I- I didn’t know what to do okay!” It was pointless to hide right? They knew, at least Marcus did, he had to have seen something on her face when he first asked. “I thought he was going to come for us! I heard him coming up to our door!” She finally broke.

Derrick and Riley’s expressions both morphed into surprise, an emotion rare at least on Riley’s face. “Wait, wait, wait.” Marcus stopped her. “So you did hear something last night?”

Lillain had already said so, there was nothing to hide anymore. “Yes… he was coming up to attack us!”

“What exactly did you hear?” Riley piped.

“I- Just.. footsteps? And floorboards…”

“Did you see anything?” Marcus asked.

“No… I didn’t, He- he didn’t come inside our room.”

“If he didn’t go inside your room then where did he go?” Derrick asked. Some of them were pretty sure they already knew the answer.

Lillain hesitated, clamming up with a nervous gulp. She couldn’t say it, she couldn’t! But her response, or rather, the lack of, told everyone all they needed.

Derrick couldn’t believe it but Riley’s lips just pursed into a thin line while he looked at the nervous woman. Marcus… was hoping against this outcome, but it was plainly obvious what happened. He did his best to disguise anything he was feeling and tried to keep in mind the context to the situation. He wasn’t in the position to judge someone’s parenting right now.

Soren on the other hand was shocked. “You… you didn’t…” His voice trembled. There- there was no way… simply no way! That was our daughter! Lillain wouldn’t just-

…

But she did.

Soren’s face fell when he saw the look on Lillian’s face. She had heard the intruder, had known where he was headed, and had done nothing.

There was a feeling beyond disappointment curling in the pit of his stomach. Something reminiscent of horror, or even anger, perhaps disgust. There had always been things about Lillian, things she did, things she said, that he never liked, but this was something else entirely.

This was their daughter.

.

.

.

The atmosphere was rather stale as they all left the station. Soren in particular seemed upset. It wasn’t till they got into the relative privacy of their car that they spoke to each other again. “What did you expect me to do?” Lillian snipped, unhappy with the way Soren was treating her. Soren glowered and only gave her a small glance before turning back to the dashboard of the car. “I don’t know, maybe protect our daughter?” He sneered. Lillian sighed. “You know I care about her, I just got scared okay? She wasn’t even his target either. She was fi-” “She could have been killed!” Soren shouted in a spurt of rage. He turned to face her. “You left her alone even when you knew! You knew someone was out there! And then you f*cking fell asleep?!”

Anyone outside could undoubtedly hear the yelling even with the sound insulation from the car. Lillian looked outside and saw a few people looking over confusedly. Her face flushed with embarrassment. Still, she felt indignant. “Look, I didn’t want to leave her, okay? I was scared too!” She argued. Soren just scowled at her while he turned the keys to the car. “I don’t want to hear it. Bella could have died. She could have been taken or worse! You didn’t wake me up, you didn’t call the police, and you didn’t even try to help Bella! I can’t f*cking believe you!”

Lillian opened her mouth to say something, but a look at Soren’s face told her it was a bad idea. He might actually be willing to throw her out of the car and make her walk back home.

Wisely, she stayed quiet for the rest of the ride, though anger and indignance painted both of their faces.

Even once they got to the house, Soren strode inside without so much as a glance in her direction and shut himself into his office.

Lillian was left alone in the now empty house. Without Bella around everything felt so quiet. But despite no longer needing to take care of, coddle, and comfort a small emotional child, she couldn’t bring herself to truly enjoy the silence.

At one point she messaged Eve to ask about the writing near her dorm, only to find out it had been cleaned up already. At least as much as they could clean up dark ink stains. That meant bringing the seeing-tool over was pointless. The invisible ink probably washed off long ago.

She tried to take a nap, to sleep off the tension and discomfort. She would hardly fall asleep for a moment before some tiny, sometimes even nonexistent sound would jolt her out of sleep. She tried for a while, letting her eyes drift closed before they would snap back open a moment later.

Finally, she gave up. She left the bedroom and went downstairs. The entire house was still so quiet. Soren hadn’t come out of his office yet either. Lillian considered talking to him, trying to go in and reason with him. But on top of his explosive anger, she herself didn’t feel like it.

She didn’t get hurt anyways… What is the big deal?

Is he really thinking that he would rather me have risked myself and potentially gotten killed for her? I’m his f*cking wife! And Bella……. We… we could always have another one.

She did feel some kind of regret for what she had done but at the same time, she didn’t feel that it was wrong. She just wanted to survive! Is that so wrong? Bella would have never known anyways.

She looked outside at the waning sunlight. Her stomach growled impatiently as if only now realizing just how empty it was. She didn’t want to make a full meal, especially not after the way Soren was being right now. She nosed around in the fridge until she found something to calm the restlessness of her stomach. Once she was done eating, the sun had already vanished over the horizon, though the moon had yet to be seen.

She sat there for a moment, almost relishing in the faint sounds of the nighttime wildlife, basking in the comfort of its presence, before standing up to return the her bedroom.

As she passed the top of the stairs, she noticed that the office door was open. Soren had come out. She didn’t see him, but a light shining under the guest bedroom door told her all she needed to know. Her mood soured even further. Is this how it’s going to be? Going this far just to avoid me? Fine, see how you like it when I stop being nice to you.

She glowered and stalked into their-her bedroom. She lazily brushed her teeth and rolled onto the bed. Again, everything felt so quiet and empty. The bed felt so wide. Much wider than it should be. She would never admit it, but there was a bitter coldness, a clinging loneliness that buried itself in the pit of her stomach.

She rolled over and tugged the blanket up over her body. Soon enough, Soren would get over it. He would be begging for her to come back to him like the pathetic man he was, as usual.

The next morning Lillian woke up with a groan to the familiar ringing alarm. She rubbed her eyes before turning to turn the darn thing off. It wasn’t till she sat up in bed and glanced around in confusion, that she remembered that Soren was sleeping in the other room. Petty bastard.

Since the alarm was shut off, she rolled back into bed and pulled the sheets over her head to shield her weary eyes from the morning light.

Lillian woke up again a few hours later. The morning sun had fully risen and beams of soft golden light streamed in through the window. The birds chirped playfully outside, bringing the faintest touch of life to the silent house. Lillian groaned and got up. Though she had woken up a few times in the night, she was able to get a decent amount of sleep in.

Her body felt refreshed compared to the day before. She stepped off the bed and onto the floor. Before going downstairs, she slipped out of her pajamas and into another set of clothes. She stepped out of the bedroom door and sent a glance down towards the guestroom. The door hung open slightly, lights off, and seemingly empty. Soren must have left already. She almost felt it was a shame he still managed to wake up on time despite the lack of familiar space and usual alarm. Serves him right if he gets late for work.

She strolled into the kitchen and snatched up a box of cereal and a bowl. It was simple, but again, all she felt like making.

Her morning was slow, leisurely, boring even. She cleaned up around the house while searching for any signs of tampering with her house once she got bored with the tv. It was times like this that she almost regretted turning in her leave for work.

She busied herself until noon, even called Bella in the meantime. She shared a few words, talked for a bit and got the mission report from her mother in law. Bella was doing alright, a little off since her parents weren’t with her, but still happily doing well with the care of her grandparents.

Once all that was done, Lillian sent a message to some of her friends. For those she knew didn’t have work today, she asked to see if they were available to go out. She didn’t care where, she just wanted some time to relax. She wasn’t able to enjoy her last outing so much, so she hoped this one would be better.

She got a few takers and scheduled some times to meet up and go out.

By 2 in the afternoon, she was prepped and ready to go out. She had taken her time to doll herself up for her day out. Had to make up for her sloppiness from before.

She hopped into her car and drove off to the café her friend had offered to meet her at.

She pulled into the parking lot of the cafe and headed inside. Her friend was already here, waiting. Her friend waved over to her from where she was sitting and Lillian headed over. They both weren’t exactly close but it was enough to call each other friends.

They took their time eating and chatting, gossiping about their friends, their neighbors, and such. After that, they went to go and watch a movie at the local theatre and did some clothing shopping.

The evening was as silent as the one before. Once Soren came home, Lillian was still lounging on the couch after getting back from her outing, he went straight upstairs after dropping his things by the door.

He eaten out instead of eating at home, allowing himself to stay out of the main areas of the house. He didn’t say a word to Lillian to entire time, disappearing quickly into the guest bedroom.

Lillian scoffed at him once he was gone. Sulking for a day? Yeah, she could understand that. But for him to still be acting like this?

Grow up.

The next morning was hardly any different. Soren was gone by the time she woke up. Still not a word passed between them. Lillian was getting annoyed ,but brushed it all off. She had made more plans for the day, going out to engage with a few more friends. If all went well, she would be out all day.

The day passed quickly. She talked and gossiped, did all she could to reduce the amount of rumors she could tell were spreading about her. By the time she was winding down and growing tired, the sun had gone down. She didn’t feel any pressure though. Soren was probably still sulking. If he wasn’t, then serves him right if he gets worried.

He was being a petty b*stard over something that was no big deal and throwing a tantrum like a toddler. She did eventually find it in herself to get going home though. She didn’t want to be out too late for the sake of her own sleep.

As she left, she waved her friend goodbye, turning back out into the cool nighttime air.

Her friend had been the one the chauffeur her today, so she didn’t have a ride back. It was going to be a longer walk home, but she wouldn’t be caught dead calling Soren to pick her up. Home wasn’t too far away anyways. It would be a good walk.

Lillian looked out at the moon shining brightly in the sky. She hadn’t meant to stay this long, but she just had a lot on her mind. A lot to talk about.

The cool breeze felt nice on her skin, she couldn’t help but stand there for a moment longer before drawing herself back to reality. The chill settled in pretty quickly. Though the spring days were decently warm, the nights still tended to be a bit cold.

She suppressed a small shiver as she started down the sidewalk.

It was a bit of a walk to her house, but she honestly needed some time to take things slowly. Forcing herself to walk home was an easy way to do that.

She stuffed her hands into her pockets to keep them warm and began to make her way home. She enjoyed watching the nightscape of her town. The well lit buildings, the constant bustle, the people going here and there.

The scenery didn’t last long though; the fastest way home didn’t follow the main roads and shops. She cut through familiar alleyways and across empty streets as she went.

She wasn’t a fool, she knew where she should and shouldn’t go at night. She always made sure to follow a well lit path. Avoiding the darkened streets, paths, and alleys, she followed the sporadic streetlamps that lined the roads.

There were few other people out and about here. Only every now and then would she come across someone. Be it another person like her, out for a late stroll, or a tired soul taking their dog for a late-night walk, or maybe a young couple, heading out to enjoy the town’s nightlife.

She and Soren used to do that too. They were the life of the party in high school, everyone wanted to be like them. But after the incident, everything changed. Lillian hated the way they all looked at her. From gazes of admiration and jealousy, to looks of pity and judgement.

It was never the same again. No matter how much alcohol they snuck into parties, no matter how many laws they broke in their pursuit to have fun, no matter how many drugs.

She couldn’t stand those noisy places for a long while, struggling to escape from the grasp of the nightmares that plagued her for so long. It was the same for all of them.

It took her a long time to get back on her feet. To wipe away the “crazy” impression people had of her and start anew. Now, she was really getting back to that same kind of life. Not the life of the party, no. But an enviable person that makes others jealous of what they don’t have, always wishing they could live or at least look like her.

She heard something behind her… a rustling. It shouldn’t have set her off the way it did, but something about it sounded distinct. In an uncomfortable way.

She quickened her footsteps slightly but chose to direct her attention elsewhere to prevent her imagination from running wild. She was still a few minutes walk away from home, it wouldn’t do her any good to be running herself paranoid.

She didn’t hear the noise again as she walked, so she quickly threw it out of her mind.

The moon hung in the sky as she hurried along the street. Familiar roads that she had known ever since she was young had never seemed so scary. She clutched her purse, reminding herself exactly where her tools of defense were. Surely she was just overthinking this, everything would be fine.

She flinched as she heard footsteps from somewhere behind her. A quick glance told her that it was another pedestrian walking along the sidewalk some distance away. She gripped her phone in her hands but made no other movements as she continued forwards. It’s nothing, it’s nothing! Just someone else going home late!

 Still, her thoughts couldn’t rest. What-ifs and terrible scenarios erupted in her mind. She listened constantly to the sound of those footsteps, always a distance away.

Alarm bells tolled in her mind and she finally picked up the phone and dialed the emergency number.

“This is 911, what’s your emergency?” The operator answered from the phone.

“Hello, this is Lillian Williams, I’m on *** street right now and… I- I feel like someone is following me.” She dropped her voice at the end to avoid being heard. The operator paused.

“Hold on ma’am, we’ll send someone shortly. Stay on the phone and tell us if anything happens.”

“Okay.” She spoke quietly. She didn’t want to alert the man walking behind her.

Smack!

Something made harsh impact with her arm and her phone was knocked out of her hand.

She hardly had time to register, a heavy gloved hand grabbed her wrist tightly in a painful grip. She cried out in pain, wanting to scream, but the other hand grabbed her face with a vice like grip, silencing her. Powerful thumbs dug into the sides of her jaw, rendering her jaw immobile. Her phone screen was shattered on the ground, the sound emitted from it was scrambled, but the situation on the other side was chaos too.

They had to have realized that something happened.

She struggled against his grasp, unsuccessfully as he effortlessly shoved her to the ground, brining himself down with her, continuously pressing her down. Pavement dug into her skin, though the pain was secondary to the terror she felt.

The man was wearing a hood, in the shadows cast by the street lamps and the moonlight, she couldn’t see his face.

She kept trying to scream, to call for help, to call for someone, anyone, but her voice could not penetrate that wall of flesh, nor could her head move in the vicelike grip of his hand. Tears were welling up in her eyes, her body shook with fear as she looked at him pleadingly. Or at least where his face should be. All she could see was the faint, cold glint of what had to be his eyes, still too enshrouded in darkness to reveal their true appearance. Her free hand clung to the one holding her face, pulling scratching, tearing at it to get him off.

The grip on her hand loosened, she felt a touch of relief. And then a sharp pain shot up her arm.

She stifled a scream. Well, she tried to scream, but again, the hand borderline crushing her face choked out almost all sounds before they left her body.

She tried to look down at her aching arm, but the man only pushed down harder, digging the back of her skull into the cement. Tears fueled with pain and fear came streaming down her face. She couldn’t see anything, but she could feel something warm and wet dripping down her arm, though drowned out with the burning pain she felt.

When the man brought his hand up her worst fears were realized.

He had a knife.

Chapter Text

When the man brought his hand up her worst fears were realized.

He had a knife.

The silver blade, shrouded in the shadow of the man’s body, still glimmered in the faint moonlight. Something dark tinted the blade already and she knew it was her own blood. Her body was trembling, shaking. She watched as he brought the knife up to her face. Her pupils shrunk with fear. Adrenaline was coursing through her body, yet it did nothing to enhance her odds of survival.

Somewhere in the distance she could hear police sirens. It gave her the smallest fragment of hope. The man didn’t waver though, unperturbed. He must have known that they were coming for him, but he made no move to run or escape.

The blade of the knife slid across Lillian’s cheek. The pressure was just enough that she could feel it scraping her skin, but just light enough not to break the surface.

She whimpered and tried to still her movement. Any jostle or struggling movement could send the blade piercing through her skin. What was happening? Why was this happening? Who was this? This wasn’t some figment of her imagination, this wasn’t some creature of the studio… this was human… right?

It so looked and seemed.

The pressure on the blade increased and the sharp point dug into the side of her face. She flinched and tried to pull away from it, but her motions got her nowhere. More tears prickled her eyes and she again tried to let out a cry.

The knife dug and moved down from the top of her cheekbone down to her jaw. The knife moved just beyond where his fingers where dug into her face. Through the pain she could feel more blood dripping down over her ear. It hurts

I’m scared

I’m scared

It hurts.

The knife left her face and she almost breathed a sigh of relief. She could barely breathe. Not only was the fear and panic interfering with her natural functions, the hand on her face was blocking too much of the air entering or leaving her body.

Her chest was heaving with the short shallow breathes that she managed.

Her panic stricken eyes followed the knife as it trailed down until it left the range of her sight. Then she was back to looking for the man’s face. As if catching any hint of the flesh shadowed by the hood would somehow bring her reprieve from this horrible situation.

She couldn’t stop the way her breathing quickened as she lost track of the weapon, though she had even less control over the way her breaths stuttered when she felt the solid, sharp point of the knife poking into her abdomen. A whine left her throat, pleading and terrified.

The light pressure increased and she felt a sharp pain exploding across her stomach. She twisted and squirmed, she couldn’t take it. She couldn’t stop it.

Her struggle loosened his grip. Or maybe it didn’t. But her jerky, desperate movements couldn’t be contained in his grasp. Her legs kicked out and she managed to get some movement around her whole body.

The sirens were getting closer. Lillian felt a surge of something in her bones. She just had to get away. Help was right there. She could be rescued.

Her thoughts were cut short by the expanding pain as the knife raked across her stomach, opening a large gash. At least that was what she assumed, she couldn’t see what he was doing. He didn’t stop, now most certainly aware of the approaching aide. The knife dug back into her stomach and she screamed in pain. The hand on her face was loosening with her desperate struggle.

She flailed, kicking and hitting wherever she could. She didn’t want to die here. She couldn’t! The man’s grip was nearly lost, now mostly reduced to the hand holding her jaw. He didn’t seem to care that she was writhing away.

Lillian barely saw flashes of movement before more bouts of stinging, burning pain bloomed across her torso, arms and legs. There was nothing methodical about it, just random gashes at wherever he could reach.

 A lucky kick forced the bulky figure off of her, tumbling a few feet away, the iron grip finally leaving her face. She gasped and turned over to claw at the ground to get away. She couldn’t trust her legs to carry her, not that her mind could even think straight enough for her to think about that. All that was left was pain, fear, and the desperation to get away. She didn’t care that her potentially egregious injuries were digging into the ground. Her pruned nails snapped and dug into the rough cement, pulling her farther away from the recovering man.

Sobs and mumbles, pleas for rescue, for mercy, left her as she scrambled, blood seeping into the cold cement. The sirens were so close now, they nearly drowned out the sound of everything else with the volume in her ears. She glanced back only to see the man lurch forwards at her. She screamed, now with the full capacity of her lungs and struggled backwards. The darkened knife plunged into her leg with a stab and a scream of pain replaced the cry of fear.

There were lights. Blue and red, flashing and floating. She recognized it as the sound of rescue, of safety. She reached out her hand and clawed towards it.

It was everywhere, so bright. All around her. Everything was getting fuzzy, it was all getting darker. There were voices, muffled and drowned out by the blaring of the sirens. She couldn’t make out much of what they said. Someone shook her, saying something to her, before turning to someone else and saying something about “emergency” and “hospital”. She hardly paid attention as it all slipped away.

“brrring bring brinining”

“Brrring bring, bringinging”

“bri-”

“Hello?” A gravelly voice picked up the phone with no small amount of annoyance. The remnants of sleep still clung to it like a vice, unwilling to let go of its victim. That was why it took Soren a bit longer to process the voice on the other end of the phone. It was far too early in the morning for him to be getting calls like this. He had no idea who could be calling him at this hour and hardly cared anyways. The only reason he picked up was because he was worried, had been for the last few nights, about getting bad news about Bella. Was she doing okay over at his parents? Had the phantom haunting them followed her?

It took him a moment to process, but the voice wasn’t unfamiliar. Once he let the words settle, he suddenly bolted upright in bed all hints of slumber banished from his mind. “What did you just say?!”

Derrick’s voice came in over the phone, repeating what he had just said. “I said, Lillian’s been attacked. She’s in the hospital right now. We don’t know what happened, we’re still looking for the culprit.” Derrick sounded like he had more to say, but Soren hung up the phone too quickly. It took him seconds to snatch his keys and bolt out of the house.

His car raced down the highway with near disregard to the listed speed limits. He had his phone with him, but almost nothing else. He was lucky that he had fallen asleep in his casual clothes and not pajamas since the thought of changing hadn’t even passed through his mind before he bolted out the door.

He was also lucky there were no police stationed along the way or he would have certainly been pulled over. He nearly screamed in frustration as he tried to find parking. Of course everything had to be difficult. At least it was early. There weren’t quite as many cars at this ungodly hour as there were in the heat of the day.

It took him a matter of minutes to get his directions and find the room they said housed his wife. He all but burst through the door, breaths uneven and rushed. Lillian looked up from the officer sitting near to the hospital bed at his entry. The other two officers in the room too, whipped around to assess the intruder. Upon seeing him, they both relaxed considerably. “Soren…” Lillian’s voice broke as she said his name. A renewed sense of grief filling her. Soren stepped forwards quickly, though intending to wrap his arms around her, he stopped short when he saw the bandages.

Derrick stepped into the room just behind Soren, having been down the hall to make a private call. “Soren, you’re here.” Soren took a quick glance back at him before turning back to Lillian. “What on earth happened? Who did this?!” He demanded. Ribbons of white gauze wrapped around numerous parts of Lillian’s body. Her arms, her legs, there was even a large patch stuck on the side of her face. Some of the bandages had dark, reddish bloodstains seeping through slowly, though not substantially enough to cause any concern to the doctors that had treated her.

Derrick stepped forward and put his hand on Soren’s shoulder. “Calm down. We-”

“Calm down?! Do you not see this?!” He slapped Derrick’s hand off, wheeling around to shout in disbelief. Derrick took his hand away in a small surrendering motion and took a small step back. “I do, and that is exactly why you need to calm down and help us take this seriously.” He said sternly.

Soren huffed helplessly but his shoulder slumped after a moment, losing the high-strung tension they held. “So what happened?” He asked, considerably more patient than before.

Derrick stepped around the hospital bed to stand on the other side, still within Soren’s range of sight as he remained looking a Lillian. “Someone attacked me! I thought I was gonna die…” Lillian choked. Soren looked up at Derrick. “Lillian was walking home last night when someone attacked her on the side of the road.” Soren’s knuckles clenched the fabric of the sheet on the hospital bed as Derrick spoke.

“Luckily, she had already dialed 911 under the suspicion of being followed and-” “You didn’t call me?” He cut Derrick off. Lillian looked up at him confused. “No… I- I mean, I just thought I was being followed. I didn’t know anything was gonna-“

“You still should’ve called me! You should have called and asked me to pick you up if you were going out so late!”

Lillian frowned sourly. “And who is it, I wonder, that has been avoiding me the last few days?” she snapped.

Soren paused. That was right. He had done everything in his power to stay out of her way the past few days. Unwilling to interact with her after what she did. “I don’t think you would have even picked up!” She added.

Soren made a noise of protest, but Lillian spoke again. “And besides! Am I supposed to call you before I even call the police? What could you do to help me compared to the police?!” She shouted. Her voice taking on a disdainful tone. Derrick awkwardly cleared his throat. The bickering couple snapped around, as if only now remembering that they were not the only ones in the room. And even if they were, that this place did not have great soundproofing privacy.

They both flushed and went quiet.

“As I was saying-”

Derrick told the recount of what happened. Everything that they had gotten from Lillian so far. “- fortunately most of the wounds weren’t very deep, with the exception of the stab wound to the leg. The others were light and required minimal stitching. We are still trying to get as many details as possible. We will be documenting everything that we can from all parties present.” He said.

“Officer James Chalson here was one of the first officers to reach the site. He claimed to have seen something, in this case, believed to be someone, moving away from the scene. It was dark and the figure was gone before their headlights could reach it. Once he and his partner had ensured Lillian’s safety, he attempted to follow after the figure. Unfortunately, they were long gone and he could not locate where he had gone.” As he spoke, the male officer standing against the back wall of the room nodded along. Officer James Chalson, if Soren had to guess.

“We currently have another team going over the area. Our plan for tonight is to do initial checks and investigation, while the rest, the more thorough search, will be handled later when we have more hands at the station.”

Soren exhaled heavily. He sat down on the chair that one of the doctors brought over for him while Derrick spoke and slumped down. “So you’re telling me that some guy… some normal, human guy did all this?” His eyes again washed over the horrible sight of Lillian’s wounds. She had some nasty bruises forming on her face too, near and around her jaw and the sides of her face.

“From what we can tell.” Was all Derrick could offer. “We’ve gotten everything that we could from Lillian physically, DNA and all that, all she  needs to do now is make sure that she’s told absolutely everything she can remember about what happened, and focus on recovery.”

Soren was silent for a moment before he looked back into Derrick’s eyes. “But what if something like this happens again? What if-…”

Derrick nodded. “I know what you’re concerned about. I still need to discuss longer term best solutions with Marcus, but for now, stay here with Lillian. We will have a team of officers to protect you nearby.”

 “And I would recommend trying to get some rest. Today is going to be a busy day.” He added.

While it would be a busier day for him than it would be for them, they weren’t going to have it easy. He wasn’t confident they would get any rest anyways, but a reminder always helped. He stepped back over to Soren and settled his hand on his shoulder. “I also have something to talk with you about. Let’s head outside while James finishes up in here with Lillian.”

Soren stood up from the chair and followed him out. They walked a few yards down the hallway before slowing to a halt. Derrick stalled against the wall for a moment. “So what did you want to talk about?” Soren asked, a bit impatient. Being out of the hospital room he could almost feel a growing sense of unease. He felt like something was watching them. Watching him. Someone went after Lillian, couldn’t they also go after him?

He brushed the meaningless thoughts out of his mind and looked to Thompson for his answer. Derrick looked a little reluctant, but he eventually opened his mouth. “Look, I know you and Lillian have been having… trouble with each other, but at least for now, until we can figure out what is happening here and get things straightened out, you two should stick together.” He hated that he had to give marriage advice to a bickering couple while he himself lacked a relationship.

“-I know. I-“

“You need to keep in close contact until we can find out who is targeting you.”

Soren just nodded along. He knew that he made a mistake, he was too fueled by his own anger and disappointment that he almost let it get in the way of Lillian’s life.

If she had called him first… would he have answered?

Or, finding sleep a better pursuit, ignored the call entirely.

What would have happened to her?

He shuddered to think about it.

He wouldn’t forget about what she did, but the one truly at fault for this, the one who really put their daughter in danger, who put them in danger, was the one haunting them. He or it, whatever they were, they were the one responsible.

That bast*rd had better hope that he stays hidden. Because I swear I will kill him and put his head on a stick if I ever see him.

.

.

.

Throughout the day, Lillian received calls from the officers, sometimes about certain details, trying to confirm things that they found, other times for confirmation of hints and clues of the attacker’s behavior or direction of escape.

Her day was otherwise spent in bed, trying to sleep.

At least the pain meds they gave her helped a little with that. If it weren’t for them, she would be having a much more difficult time. She couldn’t leave the bed, not yet. The stab wound on her leg. The “final blow” of the attacker, was no small injury.

The knife was left in her leg when he ran away, and though she was panicked and horrified to find out about that, the doctors told her it was a good thing. She didn’t get how having a knife left in your leg could be a good thing, but they said something about blood loss and blocking in it… sounded like bullsh*t to her.

Since the wound was deep, she had to lay in bed, not stressing the wound, until it had healed to a certain extent. The other injuries didn’t help her case either. They weren’t nearly as deep or life threatening, careful almost, but she still needed stitched for most of them. The shallow gash on the side of her face was one of the exceptions.

You might think that with the addition of the pain meds to the relatively quiet and isolated environment that she might be able to sleep, but try as she might, she only ended up worse for wear.

As she drifted off, her mind would start to pick out the shadows from the wall, forming the creatures of her nightmares. The tiniest sound of footsteps passing by the door left her heart racing in suspense, believing it to be the attacker, or some inkish monster, coming back to finish the job.

Throughout the next few days, though there were fewer calls and more time to rest, it was only worse. If she did manage to fall asleep, but woke up with someone else in the room, a doctor, nurse, or assistant, she would start screaming frantically, desperately thrashing in her hospital bed. It would take a few minutes, Soren shouting over her and trying to wake her up, the nearby personnel helping to hold her down so that she wouldn’t aggravate her injuries, before she would eventually calm down.

She tried to convince herself that he was gone. He wasn’t coming for her, that everything was alright. That the team of police officers that Marcus had assigned to keep them safe would be able to protect them. But the moment the soft thud of footsteps entered her ears, all those thoughts flew out the window. Leaving only fear and desperation.

Dark circles had settled and become a regular feature on her face. She still tried to take care of herself a little though. Soren brought a whole bunch of things from home to make her more comfortable. They had a few other squabbles because of it. He brought the wrong thing, she wanted something else, she didn’t want that. But in the end, both of them succumbed to the fear of being alone.

Lillian had to stay in bed for a few days. Once she was able to walk around without issue, the discharge process was expedited. So Lillian and Soren went home for the first time in days. For safety’s sake, a police car followed them back and was prepared to do a quick sweep of the house to make sure everything was normal.

Sherrif Marcus had discussed with them, they planned to give the security cameras more time to prove whether they could catch anything before seeking other alternatives, but a police vehicle would be sitting nearby to their house in case anything happened for immediate responses.

Lillian wasn’t too happy with it, she felt they could be doing more, but it wasn’t like she could have the officers sleeping in her house each night just to make sure they were safe.

She did bring up something of the like, but it was quickly shot down. The officers were already working frequent overtime for this case, having them stay inside of a target’s house to stay on duty all night, especially with what little information they had on the case and the attacker, was too much.

The recent incident though, was enough to put the case on extremely high priority, not that the sheriff wasn’t treating it like that already. It was already a key focus.

It could easily be considered an attempted murder, a crime that warranted considerably higher concern than the others their attacker had committed.

Thompson had been busy since the incident, he didn’t have much time to talk to them about the current situation, only asking about Lillian’s experience and sharing the need to know details about what they found, Lillian was doubting that they found anything at all. They were probably set for another meeting, even if they didn’t find much.

Soren took the key out from his pocket and unlocked the door, however, he didn’t go in. He made room for the officers and let them step into the house first. The house was dark, quiet, and empty. Lillian and Soren followed behind while the officers looked about, checking all the obvious places for any hints of tampering.

The further in the officers went the more relaxed the couple became. It would be a relief if nothing was wrong with the house. Maybe their sick f*cking stalker had decided not to do anything while they weren’t at home?

“Hey, we got something!”

Of-f*cking-course not.

The other officer was quick to make his way over to where the first one stood at the doorway of the playroom. Lillian and Soren shuffled behind. Lillian walked slowly, trying to avoid putting stress on her leg as the doctors had insisted. In the few steps it took to get over there, her stomach was churning. It was twisting with nervous anticipation. The sense of disgust and fear was strong now. Now that she knew that this… phantom had a physical form. She simply couldn’t lose the feeling of helplessness that she felt as the knife pushed into her skin.

She peered past them into the room.

Again, dark, dripping writing was etched across the walls.

Welcome home

.

.

.

The tv hummed as a show played, providing background noise in the back of Lillians mind. She was bored, but she still couldn’t’ move much. The soreness aside, she reaaaaally didn’t want to damage her wounds any further.

Soren was in the playroom, visible through the doorway every now and then whilst he cleaned off the wall. Lillian handed him the supplies since she couldn’t do it herself.

Once the officers had taken photos and reported it, Lillian was quick to shoo them out. Only once they were gone did she bring out the fragment of the seeing tool. They still hadn’t told them, so far, Lillain didn’t see any need to. There was nothing mentioned in those hidden messages that would make a difference in the case aside from her own d*mnation.

She held it up to the wall as she had many times before. Sure enough. Gold lettering shone in the fragment of glass on the tool. The new wording

Welcome home to hell

He was toying with them. She hated it. She hated how helpless they were. How were they supposed to stop this?!

She gritted her teeth. She couldn’t decide whether she wanted to scream and tear her hair out, to cry in self pity, or to shout obscenities into the sun. She shoved the tool into Soren’s hands for him to check himself while she stormed (slowly) up the steps to her room.

She couldn’t take this anymore. How could anyone expect her to live like this?!

She flopped into bed, carefully, in consideration of her injuries. Luckily the gashes on her stomach and torso weren’t too deep, and were on their way to healing quickly.

Hot tears built up in her eyes as she laid there silently. Despite the tears she felt anything but sad. Anger, indignance, fear, hatred. “How is any of this fair?” She mumbled to herself. What did they do to deserve this?

For once, she let her mind tread back to those haunting memories, the nightmares she would rather forget.

Was it because she mumbled curses at each of the statues whenever she got the chance? Because she ripped apart a few of those ugly plushies when no one was watching? Was it because she wanted to leave Boris behind and find an escape?

That was hardly unreasonable. That stupid thing had been living down here well enough. It was where he belonged, but not her. She belonged up at the surface, in a bright world of sun and sky. One filled with people and fun and parties… not down there.

Was it because she didn’t warn Lumien and Dylan when she saw the door of the maintenance area closing on them? But what was she supposed to do? Go after them? But she didn’t want to get stuck in there. She heard what happened inside there. Some massive sh*t show between bendy and the projectionist if it was anything to go by.

Was it because she left Lyra defenseless on the porch when Bendy showed up? But she couldn’t risk getting herself caught! And besides… Lyra was as good as dead anyways.

Was it because She pushed Dylan out and he got hit by Boris’s attack? But she didn’t do it on purpose. She was just trying to save herself! What if she was too close to the edge and he spotted her?

Was it because She killed Lumien? Pushing him into the ink even when he re-surfaced? She didn’t have a better choice. He wasn’t letting them through. It was the logical choice to leave Lyra behind, she wouldn’t even know, she would be dead before she even knew what was happening while the rest of them, the physically capable ones, could continue on. Lumien was the one causing problems. She just solved it.

Was it because of what she did to Lyra? But Lyra was already a deadweight. She wouldn’t have lasted the final showdown with the ink demon anyways. And if she did get out, she would have told people what they did! She would have never been able to go back to her regular life if word got out about what she did. And what if the police found out!? She would be treated like a criminal.

She didn’t regret a single thing, it was what she had to do to keep her life the way it should be. Is this some kind of karma?

But I had to! I didn’t make the wrong decision, that why I made it out isn’t it?! I’d f*cking do it again if I had the choice. Dylan was an accident, but those other two f*ckers were a**holes the whole time .They deserved exactly what they got.

Her anger only grew as she felt the angry tears stream down her face. She looked pathetic didn’t she? She would rather be angry, but her tears were spoiling her wrath, making her feel weak.

Who in the f*ck is this… and what the h*ll do they want?

.

.

.

*two days later*

Charles kept his eyes trained on the hiker as he led back through the rails. The hiker was talking a lot at first, describing what he found, but after exhausting the details a period of silence passed. The hiker was a bit concerned, unnerved, but didn’t think it was actually a big deal. A prank or the like. He figured that it was still something he should report and thus hiked all the way back the trail to get Charles, the current ranger on duty.

They didn’t actually used to have rangers on duty in this area. They were there from time to time for maintenance or events, but it wasn’t a regular thing. The missing teens incident a few years ago brought about a huge change in that area. Families didn’t feel safe going out into the woods after they vanished, the law enforcement was worried that more would happen too, so they set up positions with considerably more coverage than before.

Charles had worked here for a few years, only the past 4 as a ranger, but he had been in some similar lines of work for a while.

He didn’t need the hiker, Harrison, to show him down the path, he knew the trails around here like the back of his hand, but he had mentioned that he found something, of no small concern, somewhere off the main trails.

He followed quietly, marking in his mind which trails they were crossing and how far they were going. Just in case he needed to come back or to guide others here.

Harrison came to a stop alongside a small creek. “I think this is it, it’s where I left the trail.” He looked over again it closely. “Yeah, I’m sure.” He then began to walk off the path with testing steps that searched for the familiarity of the surroundings.

Charles wasn’t surprised to see him off the trail. It was pretty common for frequent trail goers to branch off and go off the trail. He had also specified to Charles that the thing he found was off the trail, but not too far away.

Harrison began to lead him uphill, there were some thorny bushes that they swerved to avoid and some fallen branches they had to step over, but the path wasn’t difficult for the two hikers. “Yeah, I uh, I came up here a bit ago, it looked like there’d be a nice view. I didn’t think I’d find those things.” Harrison laughed awkwardly as they went up. Charles nodded along, listening. Hiking was a great way to take one’s mind off things, to take a break from the world and embrace the beauty of nature. He could strongly agree with Harrisons motives, there were some gorgeous spots around here if you knew where to look.

They crested the hill, more long than it was high, and the trees became a bit sparser. The lush green grass took over the earth with the lack of trees and roots to prevent their growth. Speckles of bright color littered the space, decorating the ground in the lovely spring hues that brought so many families onto the trials around this time of year. The light breeze flowed across their skin and Charles couldn’t help but sigh. It had been a little too long since he got out to stretch his legs purely for his own satisfaction. Perhaps it was due time he went out on a picnic or something. He had some time off coming up, maybe that was a good time?

“It’s over here!” Harrison called as he picked up the pace over to where he knew his destination was.

Charles blinked away his distraction and moved to follow the man.

Just a bit farther into the relatively open clearing, he found Harrison stopped before a series of stones. Though he brought back his focus, he had to admit, it was a beautiful spot, the kind he would imagine being in some kind of fairy tale. Kids would love it here.

The view of the sky from the cleared space, decorated with a few sparse trees, was sure to show a beautiful sunset. There was a stream nearby, a small waterfall if the sound was anything to go by, providing a soothing amount of white noise.

When he came up to Harrison, he drew his full attention to the set of wooden objects in front of them. As had been described.

They stood in a row, a few feet apart from each other. Each evenly set in the shape of a cross. They protruded from the ground in a way that showed they could have only been buried there. One of the more concerning parts was the names etched messily onto cross. There wasn’t only etching, something dark, either dirt or paint was wedged into the etched letters, making them further readable. But even then, perhaps the most concerning part were the aligned, rectangular plots of tampered dirt lying in front of each stone. All four of them. But maybe worst of all, was the shocking familiarity one each of the names on the stones.

Name Charles knew well though he doubted he had ever met the owners of them.

The names of each of the five missing teens that never returned 7 years ago.

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.

.

Police sirens blared as the police car pulled into the lot of the trail park. The sirens snapped off once the car was parked, joining a few other cars that had already arrived. Derrick got out of the driver side while Sherrif Marcus hopped out of the passenger seat. They both slammed the car doors shut and, taking a moment to glance around, zeroed in on the approaching forest ranger. “Charles!” Derrick called familiarly. Charles stopped when he reached them, giving a polite nod to both. “Thompson, Sheriff Marcus.”

Derrick opened his mouth to say more but Marcus beat him to it. “Is what you said true?” He asked. There was a deep severity in his tone. Charles straightened up a bit from the pressure emanating from him but nodded. “Every word. But I think you should see it for yourself.” Marcus nodded curtly. “Show us the way.” Charles didn’t question his eagerness, he had known him for a while, even if they weren’t close enough to call each other friends. He knew what this kind of thing could mean to him, so he did his best to stay out of the way.

He knew just how big that incident was, and just how much it meant to him.

He led the two men into the woods following a trail now lined with caution tape. The caution tape did not block off the trail, it was just one strip that weaved around the brush and trees to the clearing. Marking the path for any authorized personnel who weren’t familiar with the way. Everyone was quiet as they walked, there was a strange tension in the air too. Charles understood why Marcus would be acting like this, but he couldn’t guess why Thompson seemed so heavily concerned about it too.

He led them off the trail, following the tape. The pathway off the main trail had become slightly more pronounced with how many people had started traversing through. Multiple officers had stopped by to take pictures and survey the scene before Marcus arrived.

Once they made it up, he led them over to the row of what he was confident were graves. A few officers mulled around the space, but seeing the approaching men, made some distance. Marcus stepped up to the row, slipping his hat off his head. His expression was hard to read, solemn but… there was a hint of something that Derrick didn’t want to pry into, not when it looked so sore and guilt ridden.

“The guys over there brought up some shovels. We wanted to make sure you got to see them first before we got anything started.” Charles added. “If you want to dig them all up, you’ll have to work on it by hand, no way any kind of machinery is making it’s way up here.”

Marcus put aside the swirling thoughts in his mind and softly set his hat back onto his head. “Yeah, we can start now.”

His voice was rougher than it was a moment before, but neither of the two other men in earshot commented.

Derrick beckoned the other officers back over, bringing along with them the shovels they got from the ranger station. Some more personnel came up while they worked, many, many pictures were taken, the scene was analyzed, poor Charles had to speak to at least 6 different people, one at a time, telling them all the same things. The hiker who originally discovered the graves had left after giving his statement to the first officers to arrive.

They started at the end, working one at a time. The first one was marked Dylan Holmes. Marcus didn’t know the kid personally, but again, after the incident, he became extremely familiar with their features. Just seeing the name written in front of him prompted forgotten memories of late night searches, flipping though pages of personal information. The folders for each of the teens worn down from consistent use and care.

He couldn’t even imagine what this would mean for the case. Both the one from 7 years ago and the one dancing around the remaining 4 survivors. Whatever they found here might just change everything.

And maybe….. there would be some answers to find.

They dug into the dark plots of tampered earth. Bit by bit, they dug down. Before reaching the 6 foot mark though, they hit something solid. Unreadable glances were shared amongst the men. “There’s something here.” One of them called

“It could be a stone.” Derrick argued. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to admit that there might just be a body down there, he was just making sure they didn’t jump to any conclusions.

“It doesn’t feel like it.” The officer shook his head. He tapped the shovel on the hard surface. Indeed, it didn’t sound like a stone.

With a clear target in hand, the men worked to dig out the solid object. Marcus supervised while the rest of them dug around. After a few more minutes, they had cleared enough dirt to lift the object up and out of the hole. Some strapping was tossed down to be tied round the thing and then it was pulled out.

Marcus didn’t know what to think as he looked at it. He didn’t know what to feel. The old wooden coffin in front of him seemed to whisper of something that he had long left behind. He wasn’t sure what he expected to be inside, wasn’t sure what he wanted to be inside, but he knew he couldn’t run from this. Not if there was something very real and very dangerous attempting to harm the ones who had managed to return. Perhaps whatever was here would shine some truth on either of the cases.

“Do we open it or de we want to get the other ones out first?” Derrick asked him in a more hushed tone. Marcus thought silently for a moment. “We’ll get the other ones out first. Leave this one for now.” He let out a deep exhale. Maybe the time it took to dig the other caskets out would give him enough time to process what might lie within them.

It took a few hours, the afternoon was fading to the evening and nearly all of the officer’s, staff, and volunteers were dying of exhaustion. Everyone was sweating buckets under the exertion of digging for so long. Marcus hadn’t remained idle during this time either, he replaced some of the exhausted men and dug while they rested.

Now there were four old wooden caskets sitting near four identical pits in the ground. Admittedly, it wasn’t as difficult as it could have been. The dirt was still somewhat malleable from whoever last moved it. Most likely the one to bury them. He ran his hand along the wooden surface. Though the wood was damp, the wetness of the surrounding earth clearly had yet to settle into the fiber. It couldn’t have been in the ground for more than a few weeks.

The revelation was both alarming and quite confusing. Who would create graves for the missing teenagers, presumed dead, seven years after their disappearance? Why wait seven years?

One of the officers approached with a crowbar. “Do we open them now?” He asked. Marcus breathed and nodded. “Yeah, we can start now.” The officer acknowledged and stepped towards the first casket.

.

.

.

Derrick sighed shakily as he sat down on a chair in the station. His thoughts were a mess. He hadn’t had much time to himself lately, but this thing was throwing him for a loop. How was he even supposed to go about this?

He hadn’t realized that anyone approached until someone sat down next to him. He glanced up from his hands to see officer Riley sitting there. “sir.” He greeted halfheartedly. “You alright? You look like sh*t.” He responded. Derrick resisted the urged to sigh again. He must have looked real bad if Riley came over to talk to him about it, as standoffish as the guy was.

“it’s…” He debated talking about it. He felt hesitant to say it, but reminded himself that this was something Riley was going to hear soon anyways. No harm in speeding up that process. “It’s about what we found.”

“The report of the suspected graves?” He asked. Derrick nodded. While he and Marcus went to address the issue, Marcus put Riley in charge of operations back here. He probably hadn’t heard too much back yet, not the important parts anyways.

“Yeah… It-it was…

it was f*cked up man.” He finally said.

“And it doesn’t make any sense.” He groaned, hanging his head and brining his hands up to rub his face.

“What is it?” Riley prodded. “Does it tie to either of the two cases?”

Derrick looked back up to him, peeking over his fingers. “I have no clue but honestly… I don’t see how it couldn’t be related to them.”

Riley said nothing back and waited for Thompson to say what exactly had shaken him up so much.

“How do I even…?” He trailed off. “Start from the beginning and tell me everything.” Riley offered.

Derrick collected his thoughts. “yeah. Okay.”

He let out a deep exhale before starting. “You know that we got the call, a hiker found something off the trail in the woods, showed the ranger on duty, who in turn reported to us.” He left a small pause for Riley to acknowledge. “They said it looked like graves. Not old ones either. They left everything alone till we arrived.”

“It was weird. The wooden crosses didn’t like anything we have locally, a little crude but not terrible, but the dirt where the people would have been buried was… it wasn’t fresh, but it had clearly been done sometime within the last month or so.” 

“Ther were four of them too, lined up in a row, with the names of four of the five missing teenagers on them.”

“So who was missing then?” Riley interrupted.

“It should be Noelle Evans. There was no grave for her. But the four other ones did.”

“Not our stalker then.”

“No, it shouldn’t be.” Derrick shook his head.

“But then why not her? Why bury the others?”

Derrick could only shrug. “I don’t know. But that’s not even the worst of everything.”

“We dug it all up, four caskets, one for each plot. Two were empty. Nothing inside aside from dark gooey stains. Ink, we presumed. Considering the circumstances.”

“And the other two?” Riley was quick to notice that whatever Thompson was freaked out about had to do with what they found in the other two rather than the empty ones.

“What do you think you’d find in a casket?” He sarcastically teased. There was a hint of humor what flashed across his expression before the same dark, repressive, helpless look took over. “We found bodies.”

Riley certainly pricked his ears up at that one. “Bodies? Whose?”

Derrick looked around a bit. “That’s the thing… It was the bodies of Dylan Holmes and Lyra Melaine.” Riley looked surprised. “Really?” it was a rare look on his stubborn face. One Derrick couldn’t quite take the time to appreciate.

“Still, not the worst of it.”

Riley couldn’t even imagine how things could get any more surprising than that, let alone worse.

“Then what else was there?”
“We sent the bodies to be examined but… man it’s so f*cked up.” Derrick ran his hands over his face again. “I won’t know what ‘s going unless you tell me.” Riley reminded him. He knew Derrick would get it out eventually, but at this point, he was also dying to know what they found.

“The bodies were exactly how the survivor’s stories said. The boy, Dylan, was … crushed. To put it simply. And the girl, Lyra, was… was a real mess. Their clothes or whatever remained of them perfectly matched what they wore the last time they were seen before disappearing.”

“Poor Timothy was the one to open that one, He was retching so bad, I’m not sure that he’s gonna get any good sleep any time doon.” He barked out a laugh.

“The real freaky thing though, was that they looked fine.”

“That doesn’t exactly sound fine Thompson.” Riley said with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s not what I meant. I meant that they were hardly decayed or anything, just as fresh as the dirt over the coffins.” Riley frowned deeper at that. “What? But how is that possible? It’s been years…”

“They didn’t look a day older than when they disappeared either.” He added. A strange, ominous aura settling into their conversation.

“Like some sleeping beauty sh*t. but there was nothing beautiful about it. I have never seen a body as mangled as that. Seriously, the girl was in pieces!” He exclaimed. He doubted he’d ever see something like that again too, it was something else. He joked about Timohty gaging at the sight of the body, but he was hardly any better honestly. He tried to ignore it at first, but the more he looked, the more gruesome the sight was.

Even now just thinking about it sent his stomach churning. He lowered his eyes to his clenched fists, covering up the true turbulence of his feelings.

Riley was quiet. If he had any less trust in Thompson or any less involvement in this freak show of a case, he’d ask Thompson if he was screwing with him. “So then the question we need answered are how, who, and why?”

Derrick looked back up at him.

“We need to find out how this is happening. How bodies from 7 years ago have shown up fresh and unaged. The other two questions should feed into each other. If we can find out who -who is behind all of this- we can probably find out why. And if we find out why -why someone would do this- we can probably use that to find out who is responsible.”

Derrick blinked at him. He hadn’t even thought that far yet. It occurred to him a little bit, but he was too preoccupied with the growing abnormality of the whole situation to really put his mind towards it. It was moments like these when he held a strong admiration for men like officer Riley and Marcus. Always focused on the task at hand, nothing seemed to escape their sight.

It also made him wonder why Marcus would train him to be the next Sherriff when he had a perfectly good candidate in officer Riley. Who was also technically the deputy Sherif. They’d just been calling him officer for too long to adjust to calling him deputy. That, and he had never made a move to correct anyone.

He felt like it didn’t seem fair, even brought it up to Marcus once after Marcus had talked to him about his intentions. Marcus shrugged it off, said Riley wasn’t interested in the title or responsibilities of a sheriff. Said he’d be happier staying as a deputy.

It wasn’t that Derrick didn’t believe him, just that he had a hard time imagining why Riley would want to give up an opportunity like that. To him, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, he couldn’t possibly pass it up.

But Riley’s own behavior as Marcus started guiding him all but confirmed Marcus’s words. The man had no interest or jealousy towards the position. In fact, if anything, he seemed to be on board with helping Derrick learn and train, though it took Derrick some time to differentiate it from his usual quiet attitude.

“That sounds good.” Derrick agreed. Riley then stood up and patted Derrick on his shoulder roughly. “Get up, you should head back and get some rest.”

Derrick looked up at him quizzically. “But, with the new discoveries, we need to get the input from the survivors. And we’ll probably have to hold a meeting too-”

“Let it rest Thompson.” Riley interrupted with a stern tone. “With what you just told me, the guys watching over the survivors and the rest of the officers here are going to be busy the rest of today. The meeting will happen –at soonest- tomorrow. And that’s only if Marcus is desperate enough to push for the results of the examinations. Go back and rest now, you’ll have your day cut out for you tomorrow.” He urged.

“But I still need to help out here-“

“Do you think you can? With your state of mind? You’ve been pushing yourself Thompson. If you won’t take a day off, at least get a few extra hours to put towards your sleep.”

Riley was right. He was tired, mentally and physically, all the digging from earlier didn’t help. He just felt unproductive not putting an effort towards the investigation. Everyone knew he did though. He had been working longer and more frequently than usual, clearly very determined to resolve the case. Maybe it was a part of Marcus’s expectations of him that kept him pushing himself. Riley suspected that it also had something to do with the inexplicable situations that seemed to be happening.

Nothing made sense, nothing lined up, Riley himself was hard pressed to find out the answer to it all if not to put a dangerous criminal behind iron bars, then to satisfy his own growing curiosity. Well, curiosity wasn’t the right word. He was thoroughly alarmed and similarly dumbfounded by the discoveries they had made, seeming to misalign with the reality he knew well. Despite his years of experience in this role, he just couldn’t understand how this guy was doing it all, and how they hadn’t found hardly anything to lead them to him…

Except this.

Riley watched silently as Derrick walked away, finally taking his advice. He had a good head on his shoulders, he just had to be careful not to weigh his shoulders down with the weight of the world and all it’s problems. Because no one was capable of handling that kind of weight.

“It’s kinda hypocritical y’know, to send him off like that.” A female voice spoke. Riley turned to see it was Sarah. One of their civilian staff members.

“As if you actually take care of your body like you should, Mr. making-coffee-with-redbull-instead-of-water.” She teased. “I saw you sneaking it into the machine the other day.” She tacked on. Riley rolled his eyes at her. “That’s none of your business.”

She didn’t take his rough words to heart at all and simply walked by with whatever task she was working on with an unfaltering but taunting smile.

He sighed at her childish behavior and walked back to his office. He still had a long evening ahead of him.

Chapter Text

Juliana Darrell smiled with a stiff, fake smile as the customer left the store. It was a stupid thing that they had to do, no one ever looked at the cashier past grabbing their groceries unless they were ogling. Once the customer was out of sight past the glass doors of the small mart, she slumped down onto the chair behind the counter with a sigh. These shifts felt like they never ended. They never really did. She’d be here just about all day, and then once she got home she’d either be going straight to sleep or heading out to another job.

She didn’t have much of a choice though. Her family had it rough, she and her sister were barely paying the bills with the jobs they worked now. Can’t do much better without a college degree. But again, they can barely handle the cost of living, let alone an education. They were behind on the rent, as low as it was. It was pure luck the landlord hadn’t kicked them out yet. Though Juliana was pretty sure that their time was running out.

She was thankful that they had at least managed to stick it through high school, because without a high school diploma, she probably wouldn’t have even gotten this sucky job.

Her family’s life was already a bit rough, but it was like everything decided to wreck her life all at once. Her mom was in the hospital with poor health for almost as long as she could remember and her father was never a factor in her life. She never asked and her mom never told her.

Her brother, the real pillar of support for their family, went missing while she was just starting high school. Her grades plummeted because of how worried she was. Constantly distracted. Things didn’t get any better when a month later, four of the missing teens reappeared claiming that everyone else was dead. She didn’t want to believe it, not at first. But as time went by… and he never came home. She had to accept it.

Without her brother though, things became even more difficult. Especially with her mother’s health worsening day by day. The hospital bills only continued to rise and, with her poor health coupled with the loss of her son, she passed away during Juliana’s senior year. Then it was just Juliana and her twin sister Jessica.

They still lived together, lowering costs by sharing a home, but it still got exhausting at times.

“Did you hear about that Woman that got attacked a few days ago?” One of her co-worker’s voices stood out in the empty store. They weren’t talking to her, likely on the phone with someone, but she didn’t care to peek into the staff room to check.

“I know, crazy right?”

They continued to speak and gossip, unconcerned that anyone might hear. Juliana didn’t care much either. She listened to what she could hear out of boredom. It sounded like she was talking about the incident from a few days ago. Apparently some woman was attacked on the street on her way home. Like, serial killer style. She had multiple stab wounds and had to be rushed to the hospital. Or so the rumors say.

The police hadn’t caught the guy either, so everybody was a little concerned about it. She was too, but she couldn’t stop working late or walking home to save gas. I mean, what are the odds that it’d happen to her?

In a town like this, quite likely actually. Especially if she was the only one walking home alone late at night after the incident.

She had paid slightly more attention to the whole incident too because of the victim involved. No one had said anything explicitly yet, but a lot of people were saying that it was Lillian Willaims, one of the only four of the missing teens that came back.

She knew it would do her no good, staying around them, or even thinking about them, but she couldn’t help it. It wasn’t fair.

Why did they get to come back when Oliver couldn’t?

But life just isn’t fair, is it?

She would know that well.

She could still remember the feeling of cold rain sticking to her skin as she waited outside the hospital. The whole area was crowded with reporters, curious onlookers, and law enforcement. All she wanted was to get inside. To ask them where her brother was, when he would be coming home.

But they wouldn’t let anyone inside. She had spent hours out there, in the cold, before everyone was finally shoed away. The teenagers didn’t want to see anyone yet.

It was killing her, but she waited patiently.

She had waited an entire month, surely she could wait a few more days.

But it wasn’t days, it was weeks. Any time she tried to go see them at the hospital, or even at their own homes, she was always turned away. “They are still under recovery.” they would say. As if she didn’t see them going shopping just the day before. As if she didn’t hear one of them gossiping with their friend over the phone.

She had confronted them once at school, demanding answers. It didn’t end well. She was nearly suspended for her “misconduct”. Was she really supposed to sit still while they said those things about her brother?

And what punishment did they receive? None. Because they had been missing for so long… Because they were victims… “Lucky to be alive!” They said.

What about her? What about her brother?

Did they mean nothing?

She jolted back upright as a new patron opened the door to the mart. “Welcome!” She chimed in her practiced customer service voice. The man gave a tiny nod of acknowledgement to her as he passed. She couldn’t tell what he looked like with the hood over his head since he was also facing away from her. She wasn’t bothered though, hardly glanced at the guy. He shuffled around out of sight and she did find herself peeking over to guess what he was looking for. It wasn’t like she had anything better to do.

She was minutely thankful that her coworker had finally got off the phone. Well, she was still on her phone, just not gossiping on a phone call anymore.

Some self-important customers got ticked off by that.

The news always had a way of circling back around to the store owner.

He rummaged around for a solid minute. Sometimes she could swear she felt someone looking at her, but brushed it off. She was just on edge because of the incident a few days ago. Nothing had happened since though, so maybe it was just a one-time-deal?

A few minutes later, the man walked up to the counter with his items.

She couldn’t help ghosting her gaze over the guy. He was tall, at least 6 ft, he also had a decently wide frame. His clothes were covering, but just the way that it hung on him seemed to indicate that he was more than just skin and bone. Contrary to his imposing physical stature though, his dark hair hung down over his eyes in a covering manner. It didn’t block them from view, but they were certainly shadowed, hard to see.

He placed the items he had onto the counter with a choppy movement. Like he wasn’t used to this or maybe just shy. She didn’t get paid enough to care, so she quickly started to scan the items. “Did you find everything you were looking for?” She asked. Again, a useless part of their rule book.

He glanced up at her, his gaze having been glued to the countertop or maybe the floor. “uh, yeah.” He said quietly. His voice was softer than she’d imagined, though he sounded tired. She focused ger gaze back down on the items he was buying. Duct tape, a lighter, and a small pack of bottled waters. As she finished scanning and poking through the register, she could feel his eyes on her. “That would be $10.58.” she said as she slid the last of his things into the plastic shopping bag. His eyes darted away once she looked back at him.

He reached into his pocket and bumbled around a bit, eventually pulling a ten and a one out of his pocket. Most people paid with card, but cash wasn’t a rare sight. She accepted the money and began digging through the register to collect his change. Again, she could feel his gaze on her. It didn’t feel as lecherous as it did assessing. Though she had no idea what this stranger would be assessing her for. She’d certainly never seen the guy before.

This time, when she lifted her head to hand him the change, she asked him. “Is there something I can help you with sir?” Her tone was curt but prying. Clearly showing that she was aware of his gaze. His eyes met hers for a moment (a long one, she might add). “um, no…” His eyes turned back downwards as he accepted the change from her. There was something about his eyes that bothered her.

“You… you just…” He struggled to find something in him. “You look like him.”

Juliana was confused to say the least. By the time she processed what he said, he had already grabbed his things and was heading out the door. “Hey, wait!” She called. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say. Maybe just find out what he was talking about? Who was he talking about? Who is “he”?

And… you forgot your receipt!

Whether he heard her or not, he didn’t stop. In mere moments, he left her range of view. She was left a bit dumfounded. What was that all about?

Within a few minutes, another person entered the store. This time, it was her sister, Jessica.

“Hey.” She greeted. Juliana blinked a few times before responding a bit stiffly “hey.”

“What’s up with you? Did something happen?”

Juliana hesitated before shaking her head. “No, its- it’s nothing… just some weird guy.” She muttered. Jessica let out an exasperated sigh. “Never know when to stop to they? Freaking perverts.” She rolled her eyes. Juliana wanted to correct her. This guy wasn’t hitting on her, or so it seemed. He was just… off. She wasn’t sure how she’d explain it though, so, she just stayed silent. It wasn’t like she’d ever see the guy again.

Jessica walked away into the staff room where she went to both document her hours and get ready for work. Their co-worker, Amelia, came out soon after, tapping away on her phone as she stepped out the door. Amelia hardly ever did full shifts. She was a bit younger than them, still in school, so she needed more free time to study. It did give the two sisters more opportunities to earn money though, picking up the remainder of her half-shifts in addition to their own scheduled ones. So they weren’t unhappy with the arrangement.

Jessica walked back out of the staff room a few minutes later with the store apron on. “Have the shelves been stocked?” She asked. “I did once in the morning, Amelia was supposed to do it again an hour ago but I don’t know if she actually did anything when she went back there.”

Jessica nodded. “Do you want me to check the shelves or take over for you?” Juliana thought about it for a moment before standing up. “You take over here, I need to stretch my legs anyways.”

Jessica nodded and they walked past each other as they switched places.

Juliana walked further into the store, inspecting the shelves for any products that would need restocked. It took her a few minutes to check and a few more minutes to restock the draining items. Before she had finished putting the new items onto the shelf, Jessica called her.

She left the box of refill items on the floor by the shelf she was working on and peeked round to see the counter. “What’s up?”

“Is this yours?” she asked. Juliana quirked a brow and stepped over to the counter. Jessica was holding something, and as she reached the counter, she found that it was a *very* full envelope. “No?” She answered. She certainly hadn’t seen that before. “Really? But it has our names on it.”

“It has what?” Juliana said in surprise, leaning around to look at the top of the envelope. Sure enough, in dark, semi cursive writing was written:

To: The Darrells.

“Did someone leave this here during your shift?” Jessica asked. Juliana shook her head, “I don’t remember anyone giving anything where did you find it?” Jessica pointed over to the side of the counter. “It was over here, almost slid under the candy rack.”

Juliana looked. “Yeah I don’t recall anything like that. What’s inside?”

“Didn’t check.” Jessica pulled at the half sealed flap of the envelope before pulling it open. Once she peeked inside, she gasped.

“What!? What is it?!”

“Oh my god.”

“Jessica what!?” Juliana leaned half over the counter, grabbing the envelope to tilt it towards her. Her eyes went wide when she saw the inside. “Is that… what I think it is?”

Jessica snapped out of her trance and quickly reached into the envelope to pull out some of the contents. She ran her fingers across the smooth green bills almost delicately. “It doesn’t feel fake…” she mumbled shakily. She looked back into the envelope at the stacks of green bills. “f*ck! this… this has got to be at least 2-3 grand!”

Juliana looked up at her sister “We’ve got to return this to whoever left it here!” Jessica wavered as she met her gaze. She knew she was right but still…  “But isn’t it addressed to us?”

“We don’t know who left it here either.” Jessica continued.

Juliana frowned in thought. There had been quite a few customers that day so far, right now they were in a lull. She knew it couldn’t have happened before noon, some kid spilled a smoothie on the counter and she had to wipe off the whole thing. She would have noticed it if it had been there then. Someone might have put it there during the afternoon rush but… there wasn’t anyone she knew. Or that she thought would have a reason to give them something like this. They hadn’t even given it, just left it there. It couldn’t have been their boss, money grubber that he was. He was hardly ever there, only stopping by to do random checks on the employees and such. He kept up with their salaries too.

There was no one else who…

Could it have been that weird guy from earlier?

She couldn’t help but think back on it. He said something strange, about her looking like someone… Could he have left the money?

But he didn’t look that well off. Not enough to be throwing around thousands of dollars to some girls who had never met him before.

“Julie, were already behind on the rent, with this, we could pay it off for another few months!” Jessica argued. She understood that it wasn’t the “good Samaritan” decision, but they did need this. Besides, hardly anyone had ever been a good Samaritan to them, why couldn’t they just take the opportunities when they came their way?

Juliana had to agree somewhat. “But what if… what if someone comes back for it, or if someone planted this here to see what we would do with it?”

“Julie, no one would do that. If someone really was testing us, they wouldn’t have put our names on it. It is addressed to us, it shouldn’t be a problem for us to take it.”

Juliana still wasn’t quite convinced. They really did need this, but the consequences of this turning on them…

“Then how about we keep it here, secure and hidden, and if no one comes back for it within a week, we take it.” Juliana compromised.

Jessica gripped the envelope in excitement at Julie’s agreement. She could work with that. “Okay then, I’ll move it over to my locker!” In seconds, Jessica had vanished from sight, dashing into the staff room.

.

.

.

Lillian rubbed her eyes when she awoke. There was no alarm to wake her up this morning, Soren had called out of work the past week to stay with her, so he didn’t need one either. He would be going back in soon though, he still had to make money for them.

She rolled herself out of bed, slow and careful with her movements. Most of the injuries were significantly better, but the last thing she wanted to do was tear anything open again. At least now she was able to shower, though she had to place a plastic bag around the gash on her leg. It was taking the longest time to heal.

She finished her shower quickly. There was no point in staying longer if she couldn’t really relax and enjoy herself under the stream of water. She carefully dried herself off and got out the roll of clean bandages that had made itself at home in her bathroom cabinet. She wrapped it delicately around her arms, then legs, then torso as the doctors had instructed.

The slice on her face was doing okay, but based on how it looked, it might leave a scar. She wished she could kill that f*cker for that alone. Scars? Those ugly things on her body? Her face?

“just kill me now.” She mumbled with a twinge of disgust.

Once she got dressed and got out of the bathroom, she could smell something in the air. The bed was empty now, muted sounds coming from below alerted her to Soren’s location. She tipped down the stairs and stepped into the kitchen where Soren was cooking eggs.

“What are you making?” She asked as she approached. “Eggs.” He answered simply. She reached him and peered over to see the scrambled yellow pieces slowly frying in the pan. She looked about the stove for anything else, but there was only the one pan with the eggs. Just eggs, really? What about… I don’t know, meat? Vegetables even?

She opted not to say anything and just stuck with the bland meal. It didn’t take long for the eggs to finish, Soren scooped some out on her plate and the rest out on his. They both ate quietly.

Soren ate faster than she did, so once he put the last bite of his own eggs in his mouth he began speaking to her. “I’ll probably be going back in to work tomorrow.” He said.

She paused her eating. “But it’ll be Friday. Can’t you just take off?” she questioned.

He sighed quietly and gave a tiny roll of his eyes that he couldn’t catch himself from doing. “No, I can’t. I only have so much leave and I’m not going to waste it if you’re feeling better now.”

“…Waste it?” She asked a bit incredulously, putting down her fork. “You think using your leave to spend time with me after I was almost f*cking killed is a waste?” She spat with a bit more venom than she needed. The lack of good sustenance in her stomach wasn’t helping her mood.

Soren fully rolled his eyes this time. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Do i?” She sneered. This tactless f*cker. what? She forgives him and then he thinks he can just go on acting like nothing happened. She almost died because he had his head stuck too far up his own a** to worry about them being killed! It wasn’t like Bella even got hurt anyways, so what was the problem?

Soren chewed the inside of his lips, clearly also having a bit of a rough day. Lillain didn’t give a sh*t though, was it worse that walking around after being f*cking jumped and finding out you’re gonna have scars from it?

He finally spoke. “Look, I plan on keeping my job. They aren’t gonna want me to stay working there if I have to constantly take time off.” He snapped back. “you don’t even need help anymore, you can move around yourself, shower yourself-“ he looked down and the remnants of food on the table and stood up, smacking the table as he did. “You can f*ckign cook for yourself too!” He continued, raising his voice further. His hand waved in a gesturing motion over the table.

He made her f*cking food and this is how she responds?

“I have a reputation to uphold at work, and I don’t plan on stunting my career because you think the world revolves around you!” his voice was louder than it needed to be, but with how Lillian behaved, it had to be al least this loud to reach that snobbish brain of hers.

Lillain also huffed and stood up from her chair. “So your work is more important than I am now?” she demanded.

“If you can take care of yourself then I’m not gonna throw away my career to baby sit you.” He sneered. He didn’t wait for a response, didn’t care to hear it. He left the kitchen and went back towards their room. That b*tch could watch over herself. He wasn’t going into work tomorrow, he was going in today, screw that woman.

.

.

.

Juliana sat on a chair in the police station. Part of her mind was busy wondering why she was here. She hadn’t done anything had she? All she knew was that she got a call this morning, from a police officer’s personal number, requesting her and her sister come to the station by 10:00. While she had showed up, Jessica had a bunch of work today, she wouldn’t be able to come. Juliana just hoped that whatever this was didn’t actually require the both of them.

No one had told her much so far. Someone was supposed to be speaking to her in a moment, or so the person that led her here said, but for now, she was left alone in a chair while people bustled about around her.

She didn’t spend a lot of time in the police station and didn’t know what it looked like normally, but she felt like it seemed busier than it should be.

She wondered if it had anything to do with that one case, with the attempted murder.

Someone finally approached her. “Hello, miss Darrell?” She stood up and gave a polite smile, “Yes, that’s me. I am Juliana. Jessica couldn’t make it today, I hope that’s alright?”

The officer didn’t give her a hard time and nodded. “It should be fine, I am Officer Derrick Thompson. Please come on over this way.” He said, taking a few steps forward and gesturing her to follow. He brought her into a medium sized conference room “Please have a seat. I just want to ask you a few questions.” He said. “Don’t worry, you aren’t in trouble or anything.” He assured after seeing her apprehension. She relaxed a little at that. But only so much, being called here without any apparent reason wasn’t something that put her at ease.

She pulled out a chair around the table and settled into it. “So may I know what this is all about?” She asked. Though she tried to be calm the knowledge of where she was and the lack of about the situation that prompted her to be there cause her back to straighten.

“Have you heard about the attempted murder case from last week?” He inquired. She nodded. “Just a bit.”

“We have found some… new information and we are trying to sort out what it could possibly mean.” He explained cryptically. She still didn’t understand what this had to do with her though. She nodded along anyways. All would come clear with time surely.

“This may seem like a bit of a broad question but, have you seen anything or anyone strange lately?”

She paused thoughtfully. “No? I don’t think so?” She could feel her nerves spiking even though he had already assured her that she was in no trouble. The weird guys she saw while working weren’t the kind of thing he was asking about, she was sure, they weren’t criminally weird, just old perverts. The other guy she met yesterday… he was a little weird too, but again, nothing significant.

If there was anything especially weird, it would be the money. But she didn’t want to mention it unless it actually was relevant. Jessica would never let her go if she mentioned it to the police and they took it away.

“Okay, your sister too, do you know if she has seen or experienced anything strange?” Juliana dutifully thought back on their conversations but couldn’t think of anything in particular. “I don’t think so either. Is- is there any kind of incident you are looking for in particular?” She probed. His questions didn’t sound like a shot in the dark. He seemed to be digging for something in particular. “Hard to say.” He responded. “I’d say what we’re mainly asking about is if anyone has been following you or tried to make contact with you.”

Her brows furrowed. “Am I- Are we being targeted by this killer? You said this had to do with the case. Is something happening?” Thompson was quick to refute her thoughts. “No, no, we don’t believe so. Sorry if I gave that impression.” She still looked at him for an explanation, the alarm in her body language hardly dimming. He inhaled in preparation for what he was about to say.

“We… have some suspects… one of which may be related to you and your sister.” He summarized. Juliana let out a small scoff despite her tense emotions, though it didn’t come out as smoothly as she would have liked. “someone related to us? I’m sorry but we don’t have any close relatives, it’s just me and my sister.”

The officer’s expression looked a bit troubled. Less by the revelation of information, but more by something he clearly wasn’t sure how to say. Sometimes there were things he would rather not have to say to someone… but he couldn’t avoid this. “…It’s your brother… he is currently one of our suspects.”

The silence stretched between them for a moment. Derick was already grimacing internally. He couldn’t decide whether it sounded more stupid, rude, or insensitive to say sometign like that. He could tell how she would react to something like this, how she would feel. Most people all felt the same way.

She looked at him in half stunned silence for a moment. Like she was waiting for a punchline or a laugh. “Is- Is this some kind of a joke?” She stuttered. What the hell was this guy talking about?

He pursed his lips like he had expected that response. “I understand that this might not make any sense, we are not confident that this is your brother’s doing, but at the moment, we cannot overrule the possibility that he could be suspect or at least relevant to the current case. That is why you are he-“

“My Brother? Oliver?” She gaped.

“Yes, Oliver.” He answered. He tried to appear as calm and steadfast as he could, to not leave any room for misunderstanding with what he was telling her.

She continued to look in shock, confusion, and disbelief. “You mean my brother who died 7 years ago?”

She tried to keep her voice even, but she couldn’t help the spittle of grief and something resembling anger from creeping in.

“Yes.” He answered resignedly, seemingly aware of how crazy and impossible this all sounded. He turned to his computer that had been sitting untouched beside him since the moment he sat down and began clicking through something. In less than a minute, he turned the screen towards her to show the image displayed on it. “A hiker going through the woods near to the studio found a makeshift gravesite. There were graves, freshly dug, for 4 of the 5 missing teens. Each had coffins buried below, but two of them were empty. One of them being your brother’s.” He explained.

“I know it’s a bit of a stretch to conclude that, but at this time we are looking for someone with a strong connection to both the studio mentioned by the survivors and the targeted survivors themselves.”

Juliana struggled to wrap her head around what she was hearing. “Wait… someone is targeting… the survivors?” she had heard that the victim of the recent attack was Lillian Williams, but… to be targeted? Something more had to have been happening to them as well.

Thompson nodded. “Yes, up till a week ago it amounted to repeated break ins, vandalism of property, and threatening messages. Each event held clear ties to the studio and the events described by the survivors 7 years ago.”

“Then… the recent attempt… it was a part of that too?” She pieced. Thompson gave a slight nod. He normally wouldn’t share this much information with a civilian uninvolved with the case, but for the sake of ensuring that anything she could have missed or brushed off was brought to light, he could share a bit. Besides, if nothing else, it would make her aware of the potential dangers that might come her way.

 “We believe so.” The words were spoken like he had been told not to bank on it, yet she felt like he personally was quite certain of it.

“But how can you be sure? I mean, it’s a big deal-” Shy pried. She knew she had no rights to this case, no real reason she had to know, but it was human nature to be curious wasn’t it? Besides, if this was related to her brother in any way… she really wanted to know.

“I can’t tell you much.” He spoke. Tsk, he’s actually good at his job, dang it!

“but-” He continued. Oh?

“The same substance found at the scene of most of the other crimes, ink, was also discovered on Mrs. Wiliams’ clothes and wounds after the incident.”

That is pretty incriminating. “But if he is leaving behind so many traces, how come you haven’t caught him yet?” She asked innocently. Normally something like that was a dead giveaway for someone committing crimes, right?

Thompson eyes twitched. Like he’d heard that one a few too many times. “As much I would like, things just don’t work that way. We are doing the best that we can with what we have.”

“Again, if you have anything to add to this, we need your help.”

Juliana again, thought back on everything. Should she tell him about the money? It was weird… but… was it really what they were looking for?

There really wasn’t anything else though. Unless she just hadn’t noticed. That wasn’t hard to do either, with how busy she was, she hardly ever had enough time to glance around her before she had to hustle over to the next minimum wage job to keep herself afloat.

Rent wasn’t going down and neither was their pay going up. It got hard to earn enough for rent each month while also paying for all the food, clothing, and other necessities they required.

“I still can’t think of anything.” She shook her head. Thompson sighed defeatedly. “Well, thank you for your time.” He said tiredly but with a genuine gratitude. He had probably heard about her family struggles when looking into their new suspect. If he did, he’d know how hard it was to make time like this. She smiled politely and stood up from the chair.

She may have looked relatively calm now, but her mind was still spinning form the news that her brother might still be alive… somehow. She took a few steps towards the door with Thompson’s guidance. “you-…” She paused. She inhaled deeply before continuing, though she already had Thompson’s attention. “My brother… he would never do something like this… you know.” She murmured quietly.

Oliver was… he was smart, gentle. Even if he didn’t believe in it himself, he always made what was deemed as the right decision. He would never raise his hands against someone like this.

Thompson stayed quiet for a moment. “I understand. But this might not be the same person you once knew.”

She opened her mouth to say more but he beat her to it.

“The survivors described that place as something worse than hell, it took them months of nightmares, medication, and panic attacks to finally adjust to being out of there. And they were only gone for a month.”

“If… it is him. If he has been in there the whole time… he won’t be the same person.” Still, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. It wouldn’t be something easy to grapple with and- again- they weren’t even certain that was Oliver, but if it was… He could only hope for the best for the two sisters.

Juliana didn’t meet his gaze after that. He guided her out and watched her begin walking down the street before turning back to the work he still had to do.

It was mostly just preparation for this next meeting. When was it? You might ask. In just a few minutes actually.

He quickly became busy with sorting out the evidence that they had, old intel, new intel, things to go over, and people to address. Once people started arriving, he only became busier. He wasn’t even doing most of the busywork, that was left to other officers, but it was still energy consuming.

He tried to take Riley’s advice last few nights, but his mind refused to fall to sleep for the longest time. He was really feeling it now.

Before 11:00, the room had been re-set to hold the meeting, most of the people having arrived and were sitting on chairs inside. Again, anyone relevant to the case. There weren’t many new faces from last time. Mostly the addition of a few doctors of respective crafts that could prove beneficial to the upcoming discussion.

Each of the survivors were present again, this time Harely was there too, positioned next to Jamie.

Once Marcus arrived, everyone settled down to listen. Marcus led the charge this time, stern, serious, and determined to find the culprit. A figure of authority and experience that no one could doubt.

“Before we start, I want to make note of some of the key reasons as to why this is being held right now. The first of which, as I am sure most of you have heard, is the recent attack on Baker Street. The suspect is the same individual responsible for the repeated harassment of the Willaims family, Mr. Jamie Leswin, and Miss Narcol.”

No one interrupted Marcus’s speech, a slight contrast to Derrick’s own experience.

“The other of which, is some startling new evidence that we have discovered and we believe may shine a … different light on this case.”

He stopped speaking, leaving open an opportunity for another to speak up, and of course, someone did.

“You say the Baker Street attack suspect is the same person targeting these people, what evidence is there to support this? Or did you assume it was him because he is already targeting them?” The one who asked was an officer from a different station.

“Evidence, Mr. Marley. There were notable traces of ink found both on the clothes Mrs. Wiliams was wearing and in the wounds she received.”

“That doesn’t sound quite enough to be certain of it though. Do we have any kind of profile or image for the man?” He asked, though he looked towards Lillian for the latter part of the question. Asking her if she found anything about his appearance.

Marcus continued to answer though. “It isn’t enough to be certain, but I believe it is enough to deem it likely. We unfortunately do not have any kind of profile on the man,” He gestured to Lillian. “Mrs. Williams testified that she could not make out his appearance with the chaos of the situation and the darkness obscuring his features. However, we can be absolutely certain that the individual is a man. One with considerable strength too.”

He took out a printed image, this one was a cropped photo of Lillian’s face. It was post-op, so you could see the padding on the side of the face. But apart from that, the true main element of the photo were the dark bruises that had formed across her face. They weren’t crazy, but for something like that to form after such a short amount of time, he had to have had considerable strength. It was something to be wary of.

There were some pensive hums throughout the room.

“Deputy Riley will now brief you on the other incidents that have happened since the time of our last meeting.”

Even Marcus rarely called the man his deputy, only pulling the title out now to keep everything orderly, letting everyone know the authority he had there. (Riley himself had told him that the title was a bore and that he was just filling in until they got someone else to do it)

Riley kicked himself off the wall from where he was leaning. He took long strides to the front of the room, giving a slight nod to officer Porter at the back. She acknowledged him and clicked a button of the keyboard before her. With a click, the beam of a projector lit up the front wall of the room. The light skimmed the heads of some of the people near the front of the table while Riley’s entire body cast a shadow on the wall behind him.

He shuffled to the side, enough to show the image being projected from the box on the ceiling while still being at the front of the room.

From there it was smooth sailing.

As smooth as it can be while someone describes increasingly concerning incidents of supposed B&E supplemented by vandalism and threats.

There were plenty of questions, mostly about certain details, or suggesting more approaches to the incidents at hand. They had tried everything though, they weren’t sure what else they were missing. How was this guy doing it?!

“Here’s the thing I don’t get.” Someone said. “If this guy is literally sneaking around in their house while they are sleeping, why doesn’t he just attack them… if he is the same one responsible for the Baker street attack?”

There were murmurs of discussion, doubt, theories being passed around the room until Marcus spoke up again. “We aren’t sure exactly. Maybe there is something he is trying to achive-” “He’s messing with them.”

Multiple pairs of eyes turned to look at Derrick. He looked at all of them for a moment. “I mean, from the start… Leaving things around the house, playing music, writing on the walls… he is taunting them. Taunting us.”

The more he thought about it the more it became clear to him. “The attack was either him losing his patience and trying to end it or… just another way to mess with them.” His words sparked a new kind of discussion. Lillian spoke up now, despite having rather stayed quiet. “Messing with us?! I was almost f*cking killed!” She cried.

“But you weren’t.” He sounded cold, he knew he did. He could Feel Soren’s gaze on him, anger growing with each word out of his mouth.

“I am not making light of the incident. I am aware that your life was in danger. But he was fully capable of killing you. At any moment. He proved that. Based on your testimony, he knew the police were coming too, but he didn’t speed up, he didn’t end it quickly. Only once the police actually got there did he leave.”

Marcus looked like he wanted to stop him, but was conflicted now, as he could also see what Thompson was pointing towards.

“If he really wanted to do it, even if he wanted to draw it out, he would have done it when he heard the sirens, not waited until the last second to run.”

It was a sick take on the attack, but it answered just about all of their questions about it. The perpetrator is just screwing with the victims. Getting inside their heads… driving them crazy… slowly increasing the intensity.

Until something broke.

Either his patience or theirs.

“Whoever this is has to have some kind of crazy grudge against them then.” Someone asserted. The person next to them nodded.

“But we haven’t done anything that would piss someone off like this?!” Lillian exclaimed. Her cries were echoed by the others. “Yes! That’s right!”

One of the doctors spoke up. “I may be overstepping my role here but, what seems like something small or insignificant to you might not appear the same way to the other person. This is also quite possibly a deranged individual who would process these things differently from how you might.”

This caused Lillian’s shoulders to sag. So it wasn’t even their fault? What were they supposed to do!? What did he want?!

“So none of this is even our fault?!” Soren exclaimed shakily.

The doctor shrugged. “Not necessarily. Something had to set him off.”

Jamie groaned and tugged aggravatedly at his hair. “Then what does this mean?!”

“We would still need to find the caus-”

“We found something else!” Riley interrupted the debate.

“Something that might change our perspective a bit.” He added, quieter, now that he had everyone’s attention. He gave a curt nod to Thompson who stepped forwards to take his place at the front of the room. He gave a small wave to officer Porter at back and the slide changed to a picture of the grave markers. Untouched, before they were uprooted.

“A hiker roaming off the trail of some of the path in a local trail park, a park with close proximity to the building of the studio, found what he described to be a line of gravestones in the middle of the woods.”

He took a long breath, allowing his words to sink in.

“We were alerted and came to investigate. There was great concern that these were not only genuine, but also recently dug graves. The dirt was fresh and there were to weeds growing on it yet”

The slide changed and the image was now closer up to the graves.

“As you can see, the names depicted on the markers are none other that the names of the other missing teens that were never found. Dylan Holmes, Lyra Melaine, Lumien Grey, and Oliver Darrell.”

The image sparked great interest in the room. The four survivors were nearly gaping in shock, eyes wide in something between shock and horror, but even the others could not escape the feeling of surprise.

“We-” Derrick went to continue.

“Wait! What about Noelle?” Jamie stopped him, shooting to his feet. Harely watched him with surprise before moving to tug him arm to pull him back into his chair. He still had to behave himself. Jamie, however, didn’t so much as spare a look in her direction.  Nor did he follow her tugging.

On the screen, the four graves stood, clearly without a fifth.

“Noelle Evans, why isn’t there one for her?” He repeated. There was a strange, desperate touch to his tone, like it was something that mattered to him deeply. Harely stopped trying to get him to sit back down, though she looked a little dissatisfied with his extreme attention to this subject.

“We don’t know, the surrounding area was searched thoroughly but nothing else was found.”

Confused and defeated, Jamie slumped back into his chair.

“Then did the graves reveal any other clues?” Someone asked.

Derrick pursed his lips. “Yes. They did.”

“We dug up the graves. Under each one was a coffin.” The image changed to display the old wooden coffins, still closed tightly, and caked with dirt.

Lillian could hear her heart thumping in her chest. The tightness was hardly any different from what she felt when she was being attacked that night. This was wrong. Something was wrong. None of this is supposed to be here.

“But was there anything inside them?”

“There couldn’t actually be something right?”

Derrick spoke up again, quieting the murmurs in the room. “Two of the coffins… were entirely empty.”

“These were the two belonging to Lumien Grey and Oliver Darrell.”

“Then what was in the other two?” Someone impatiently asked. While Derrick did appreciate someone asking the question so he could directly address it, he also wished they would just let him talk.

Still, he had to take a deep breath to steady himself. “First, I would recommend that anyone with a weak stomach look away. The following images are graphic and disturbing.”

There was probably only one or two people who actually looked away, trusting whoever was next to them to tell them if it was really that bad, or if it was something they could handle. Everyone else was far too curious (and confident) to look away, even if they weren’t sure if they’d be fine with it. Lillian for sure as hell wasn’t going to be looking away… she couldn’t. What if they found out the truth somehow… the truth of what she did?

Thompson began speaking before the slide changed, hoping to give a description before the real shocker came. “Inside of the other two were the respective bodies of the two teens.” Lillian was sitting at the very edge of her seat, cold sweat building against her neck.

The image flashed, and again, audible gasps filled the room. There were a few gags too. One of which most certainly came from Harley.

“What the hel-?!”

“Oh my goodness.”

“what?”

“Is that really-?”

He gave them a moment to process. And then another moment to regret not turning around when they had the chance. He sent the tiniest glance behind him to ensure that they were seeing what he thought they were. The two images of the two bodies, both still in the wooden coffins, stood side by side in the projections. They would have used a picture of them outside of the coffins, but the body of Lyra Melaine couldn’t be removed easily. This was… the nicest picture they had of her body.

The mutilation was severe, and even Dylan’s body was nothing pretty to look at.

“I believe this is a good time to turn it over to our consultants Dr. Trevor and Dr. Willis.” At his call, the two doctors sitting in some of the chairs placed around the edges of the room stood up. Eyes were drawn to them as they mindfully approached the front of the room. Derrick stood a little further to the side.

Any medical or scientific related questions could be answered by the two, but anything pertaining to the case, he still had to answer himself.

“To be entirely honest, before I say anything else about this, I just want to say that I have seen many things, but still nothing like this. This is a freak incident unlike anything I know.” Dr Trevor started. It was no way to reign in the case or to provide a sense of calm to already agitated listeners, but it was his honest thoughts. Something like this shouldn’t be possible.

Perhaps the inquiring gazes from the audience were too obvious, but he sighed and gestured to the images behind him. “don’t you see it?”

“See what?” A few people whispered amongst each other.

“These are the bodies of two youths, circumstances of such brutal deaths aside, it looks terrible, no?

So how is it… that a body from 7 years ago has managed to turn up today as fresh and unaged as if they were killed not seven years ago but seven days ago?”

Suddenly the room got a lot colder.

“It is not even a question as to whether the two were still alive until recently and were only just killed. They would be over 20 by now!” just looking at the images, one could tell that wasn’t the case, The body of Lyra Melaine aside, nearly unidentifiable as it was, the body of Dylan Holmes was clearly that of his 16 year old self.

Everyone could now see the problem clearly. “So then how is this possible?” Someone muttered.

Trevor could only shrug. “It isn’t. I have no idea how this has happened.” Dr. Willis stood by him, offering no disagreements with his case.

“There is no sign of the bodies having been frozen or preserved in any way, so that couldn’t be the case. The blood and the wounds on their bodies are still fresh, the estimated time of death just about matching the estimated time of the burial. I believe it was determined that the bodies had not been in the ground for longer than three weeks, both by the freshness of the dirt and the level of decay on the corpses.”

Derrick nodded here. They had asked multiple people to be sure of that, to tell when the graves had been made.

“Well, aside from being spooky as f*ck, how does this affect the case?” One of the officers asked.

“It’s a connection to the suspect. We knew he had something to do with “the studio” in some way, but this is a direct tie to the incident from seven years ago.” Marcus answered. Next to him, Riley nodded. While he didn’t think Marcus’s fixation on the incident was healthy, he was undoubtably correct in this situation.

“Whoever this is likely has a strong personal connection to the four survivors, and hence, he is targeting them.”

“But! We didn’t do anything! And besides, everyone else died in there!” Lillian waved her hands. She didn’t get what they didn’t understand. No one else was with them. They all either died or made it out, and it certainly isn’t the doing of any of the ones who made it out.

One of the other officers spoke up here. “I find the two empty coffins more intriguing… why are they empty? And what about the other missing teen? There were five that didn’t make it out, right?”

Marcus nodded. “I feel the same. According to your stories-” he addressed the fours survivors. “Lumien drowned and Oliver was “taken” by the one you call the “ink demon”, yes?”

“Yes.” Soren answered. “But none of you saw what happened to Oliver, Lumien was the only one there at the time.” Marcus continued.

“Also yes.”

“You don’t think that the perpetrator is Oliver Darrell, do you?” Someone asked. That would be… impossible… right?

“I think he should be considered a suspect. He is the only one we know of who holds a connection to the incident from seven years ago that there isn’t a living witness for to confirm his death.”

“But then why make a grave for himself?”

“Why make not make one for the Noelle girl?”

They were questions gnawing away at them, making them all itch with as much curiosity as it did confusion. But those weren’t questions that couldn’t be answered until the person responsible was caught. “Noelle was also “taken” right?” Marcus asked Jamie, who had become very quiet after his previous outburst. He nodded.

“Did he not make one because she is actually alive? But no-… if that were the case then again, why would he have made one for himself?”

No one could understand what was going on. What this potential killer had at play. Why was he so intent on this. What kind of hatred did he have anyways?

“And you are certain that nothing happened between you?” Marcus prodded again. Everything they were looking for now was all dependent on the information the four survivors gave them. Any missing details or forgotten information could be devastating for their investigations.

“No! We did nothing!” Soren defended. Eve shuffled in her seat a bit though, and her eyes told a different story. “Well…” she tailed off. Everyone looked at her. She gulped a bit nervously. “We did have a few arguments…”

“Arguments? What kind?” like hyenas catching the smell of fresh meat, each of the personnel in the room narrowed in on her words.

Lillian rolled her eyes. Eve didn’t need mention those, that was hardly anything. “On some of the upper floors we got into a fight with Oliver. He ended up getting pissed off for no good reason and broke a cue stick over Soren’s head. It was just a small disagreement, I don’t know why he reacted like that. He probably is crazy.” She explained.

“And that’s all?”

“Pretty much. I mean, none of us were exactly living it up down there. The only other arguments were Lumien or Lyra picking a fight because they didn’t agree with us. But that was also after Oliver died -or- I suppose he didn’t.”

Jamie remained uncomfortably quiet the whole time while she spoke. But considering the kind of things he had just learned no one found it odd.

“Then for now, until we see any hints to any other suspects, I think it is best that we consider Oliver Darrell the primary suspect.”

.

The rest of the meeting went swiftly. Most of it revolved entirely around the new discoveries, no one quite able to accept the impossible situation.

By the time everyone was flooding back out of the room Derrick felt exhausted from all the discussions. They kept asking for the details over and over… they just couldn’t believe it! He had no choice but to believe it. I mean, he couldn’t not believe it with what he saw right in front of his very eyes.

Marcus was rubbing his neck too, sore from being in here so long.

He opened his mouth to say something to Derrick and Riley but froze as something else caught his eye from across the room. Riley took a glance and stepped away, heading back to his office without a word. Derrick watched as a young woman approached, clearly having also spotted the sheriff.

Marcus straightened his back and level his shoulder as she did. “Suzanna? What are you doing here?” He sounded something between nervous and happy, a rare sight for Derrick.

The woman finally reached where they were standing outside the conference room, people still spilled out slowly. “Dad.” She returned.

It took Derrick two seconds to process what she said before he had his: Oh sh*t! moment. Now he knew why Riley had left so quickly. It was too late to leave without looking either awkward or rude, so he tried his best to keep himself out of the way while the two spoke.

“I just came to stop by, why are there so many people here?” She wondered, glancing around curiously at the population of people that currently filled the station. They would be gone soon, most anyways. A few would likely remain longer for some private conversations or to collect some copies of the data they collected.

“Oh, we just had a meeting for our current case, they’ll be gone soon.” Marcus assured. Derrick felt strange. He wasn’t used to seeing the stern and capable Sheriff Marcus so… soft? Weak?

He wasn’t sure if that was the best way to describe it, but it was certainly different.

“Is it the stabbing incident?” She asked, probing or more information. “Something related to it. It’s complicated.” Was his only answer. She eyed him at his vague response. “I heard you’ve been busy lately, a lot of cases or just this one?” Marcus sighed. “Just this one right now.”

She paused her talking to shuffle out of the way as the four survivors finally made their way out of the conference room. Her gaze lingered on them as they passed. Once they were out of earshot she spoke again. “Aren’t they..?” “The survivors from the incident 7 years ago, yes.”

“You mean they’re apart of this mess too? Wow, what luck.” She shook her head. “Must’ve really done something, huh?”

Marcus quirked a brow “What does that mean?”

“Didn’t they do something? Isn’t that why they’re here?”

Marcus shook his head. “I don’t know what gave you that impression. They are the victims for this case too.”

Now it was Suzanna’s turn to raise her eye brows. “Wait seriously? That must be awful… But then… why did they look like that?”

“Look like what?” Derrick butted in, regretting it the moment her gaze locked onto him. He couldn’t help it though. Her eyes were clear and he felt like they could see through him at a glance.

“Guilty. Like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar… no…” She trailed off, trying to think of the best way to describe it. “More like… I don’t know how to put it. It looks like a deep and haunting kind of guilt.”

Marcus pated her shoulder. “That’s hardly strange. Feeling survivors guilt after what they’ve been through.”

She squinted her eyes but said nothing else about it. “So what’s going on with this case then?” She asked casually. Marcus rubbed between his brows when she asked. He knew she was going to ask, she was always too interested in his work. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.” He said. She frowned. “Really? You can’t tell me anything? I thought we were over this already?” She scoffed. Her tone had started out friendly, but some Marcus said must have opened an old wound.

Marcus sighed sternly. “This doesn’t concern you.”

Suzanna scowled up at him. “As far as I’m aware, someone just got attacked and stabbed on the street. The same kind of streets that I walk around on. Maybe it does have to do with me? Who knows, maybe I’ll be next.” She ended with a sarcastic roll of the eyes.

“And then I won’t know what’s happening because you won’t tell me anything.” Her voice was accusing but also sounded hurt.

Marcus looked apined too, like this was a conversation neither of them enjoyed. “Suzanna, this isn’t the place for you-”

“Also,” She went on, despite the awkward air that had taken hold. “I not some little girl who can’t take care of herself anymore. I am an adult, you should start treating me like one.”

She then turned and walked away, not resigned to begging for details from Marcus. Derrick regretted his choice to stay here even more now. He wished he had taken Riley’s same kind of escape when he had the chance.

Marcus watched her back as she vanished into the crowds of people still filling the space. He looked conflicted. Like maybe he regretted whatever he just said.

Derrick edged away, hoping to get out of here before anything else happened.

“Thompson.” Marcus’s commanding voice destroyed his plans in a single word

“Yes sir?” He answered, turning back to face Marcus. “My office.”

Derrick groaned internally. He sincerely hoped it was work related and not something to do with what he just witnessed.

He followed Marcus back to his office. Marcus waved over to some documents sitting on his desk. “Take a look at those.” He directed. Derrick felt a bit relived that Marcus called him over for work. He calmly picked up the pages and did a quick glance through them. It was some secondary documentation for some of the things that they found, a thorough report of the full discovery and excavation process of the graves too.

“Have a seat while you read through it.” Marcus offered. Derrick took his offer and seated himself on one of the free chairs to the side of the room.

Marcus seated himself at his own desk, sifting through another pile of paperwork.

After a few minutes of silence, both of them looking through their respective tasks, Marcus spoke.

“Do you think I’m doing the right thing?” He asked.

Derrick paused for a moment, but quickly realized that Marcus was referring to what just happened outside the office.

Still, he answered him. “I’m not sure what you mean sir?”

Marcus let out a kind of long exhale.

“She…

She always wanted to be a police officer, like me.”

“Her mother left when she was young and I had to raise her myself. It wasn’t easy to manage a kid along with my job, things were a little tough back then…” Marcus spoke, reminiscing on the memories of the past.

Derrick wasn’t sure he should be listening to this, btu Marcus was telling him now, and he didn’t think he could avoid it.

“You know how things can get in this line of work though, it’s dangerous, and its hard. I didn’t want her to experience that. I didn’t want her to get hurt.”

“Stopped her from pursuing this path, even by unreasonable means. She knew that I did it too, she’s been angry at me since.”

Derrick listened, unable to do anything else. He had no idea about any of this. Heck, he was vaguely aware that someone had told him in passing that Marcus had a daughter, but he had never met her nor had Marcus ever really talked about her to them.

“I was relieved when she gave up on it and chose a different path, but she keeps poking around for more. She involves herself in cases whenever she can, I can’t tell if I’m doing the right thing by keeping her away from all of this.” This was by far the most personal conversation he had had with Marcus. It was the first time he’d seen him so vulnerable.

“I…” Derrick started. He wasn’t even sure if Marcus was genuinely asking for his thoughts or just seeking someone to vent to. “Think that both of you are right.”

Regardless of what Marcus was looking for, he looked curiously at derrick for him to continue, to elaborate on his thoughts. “You should be keeping her safe, and what you are doing is –at least partially- working. But you can’t keep her out of it. If you block all of the safe and easy ways for her to involve herself and be a part of it, she’ll eventually get herself hurt trying to use other methods.”

He didn’t have a daughter himself, he couldn’t exactly relate to how Marcus felt, but he tried to make it work inside of his head. What if it was his younger sister? trying to follow in his footsteps, what if she was like Suzanna, deeply enamored by what they do and determined to make herself a part of it?

“You should try to talk to her.” He said.

Marcus huffed a sigh. “I’ve tried. It never goes well.”

“Then try apologizing.” Derrick suggested.

“I mean. I know you’re trying to protect her. I’m sure that to a certain extent, she knows that too. But it doesn’t change that you destroyed her desired career path and forced her to choose another. You might not truly regret it, but you should at least apologize.”

Marcus was silent. It wasn’t like he’d never tried apologizing. Its just that things always devolved before he really got to it. He would come off too hard and she would snap back just as hard. The apple really didn’t fall far from the tree.

“But even when I try to explain myself, she doesn’t listen. She just gets mad.”

“Then don’t try to explain yourself. I don’t know exactly how your conversations go, but if you try to explain yourself before apologizing, it probably just sounds like excuses to her.”

Marcus went quiet again. Pondering over Derricks words.

“Just try talking to her and apologizing. Look at things from her perspective. I think she’d be willing to listen.”

“Would she? She’s always been stubborn, just like her mother.”

“Just like her father too, I’d say.” Derrick added. He hardly knew anyone as driven and as stubborn as the sheriff. It was part of why the town liked him so much. He was stubborn to resolve the issue, whatever problem it was.

“Besides, if she really hated you, she wouldn’t have come to see you. You should ask her yourself; How she feels about what you did, and if it still upsets her. If you don’t communicate, it’ll be hard to understand what you have to fix to ease your relationship.” He said.

Marcus nodded quietly, still processing everything Derrick said. Derrick didn’t feel like there was anything left to say, Marcus could probably use some time to himself too. He stood up from his chair, brining his nearly forgotten papers along with him and headed for the door.

“Thompson?” Marcus called to him just as he passed through the frame.

“yes?”

“Ever considered changing careers to a therapist?”

Chapter Text

Harley hummed as she set her bag down on the island counter. She was lucky today, her shift ended early and she was able to beat the usual traffic that held her up on her way home from the diner where she worked. She fished her phone out from her bag, typing out a quick message for Jamie. who knows when he’d see it though.

“Over at your place! Can’t wait to see you ;)”

It was a message that reflected her usual flirtatious nature. It could easily be interpreted as her seeking something more for the night, or just as easily pushed off as a casual message.

She set her phone down and pulled her takeaway food from her other bag. She got enough for the two of them, but she didn’t plan on waiting for Jamie. He often took too long to get home from work, so she was going to eat her food first while it was still warm. She could make sacrifices for him, but some things were a little unnecessary right? She was hungry now.

It was a fried rice from her favorite Chinese restaurant. Jamie wasn’t too keen on them at first, but he slowly developed a taste for them due to her insistence.

She dug in, relishing the taste of her usual order, one that she just couldn’t seem to get tired of. The sound of her eating was loud in the silent apartment. Normally, it wouldn’t’ve bothered her much, but now… She had probably attended a few too many of those investigation meetings with Jamie, she couldn’t help but feel paranoid.

She was minutely grateful that nothing had been happening to her. Most, if not all, of the harassment was all directed towards Jamie and his friends. Even so, with it being directed at Jamie, that meant that she had still had her fair share of waking up in the morning after spending the night over here instead of her parent’s place only to come across a shower full of ink or a new mural on the wall.

It was certainly off-putting to say the least.

She was quite worried, with how this guy was continuously stepping up his harassment, that he might actually start targeting her just to get at Jamie. Don’t get her wrong, there was a lot for her in this relationship, but maybe… if this couldn’t be resolved maybe she had to consider cutting it off?

Anyways, it worried her.

She tried to comfort herself that the police were on the case, it was only a matter of time before he was caught. But they hadn’t caught him yet. And he was still out there.

She tried to shake the thoughts out of her head as she continued to eat. It wasn’t great for her appetite to think about that kind of stuff while she ate.

She found herself pausing numerous times while she tried to enjoy her food, making sure that the little creak or rumble she heard wasn’t from somewhere inside the apartment. Always a false alarm though. Cars passed by outside, voices could be heard mutely every now and then from the ground, and the wind occasionally beat the side of the apartment, but it was all null in her ears, nothing to make note of.

Once she finished her food, she threw away the leftover trash and stepped over to the living room before flopping down on the couch. She had been eating reaaaaly slowly but Jamie still hadn’t even seen her message.

Looks like work was going to be extra late today.

He was doing pretty rough lately too, one of the reasons he asked her to come over no doubt. Things from the past were… weighing on his mind. He had mentioned to her before, how she was the first thing to really tear him away from it, “a distraction” He said. Which he then re-phrased to “A well needed break” after she smacked him angrily. She was no distraction.

She had heard about it from him, heard everything.

That was one of the reasons why she steered clear of Lillian, wouldn’t want to stay close with someone like that. Of course, she had also promised not to tell anyone about what she learned, she knew how this could affect them all, her too, if she wasn’t careful. Besides, it wasn’t like there was anyone else around to say that their story was false. No one would know.

It took Jamie a long time to tell her about it, not just because of his own actions that he didn’t want to be known, but also because of the bad memories he had of that place. She handled it well, but it did annoy her whenever he spoke about Noelle. First love or not, they were together now, his mind should be on her, not some other dead girl.

There hadn’t been much of it before. He let it off his chest and she kept quiet about it. But lately with all the harassment, he’d been getting worse. It didn’t help that all of the writings and such that the psycho was leaving behind all seemed to point at what he did. What they did. Like they knew everything that had happened “down there”. But unless someone told him, there was no way that was possible. In all honesty, even she wasn’t quite convinced that it had actually all happened. She had assured Jamie when he first let it out that she believed him. But she had plenty of doubts.

The recent events, revelations at the past meetings, seemed to say that it was all real though.

She pulled out her phone and began flipping through it to entertain herself.

She wasn’t sure how long she spent there, idly entertaining herself on her device, the sun had already gone down and now the moon fully illuminated the sky. It really was a late day for Jamie, poor him.

She finally put away her phone and just lie there, listening to the sound of the silence, only interrupted periodically by the cars passing by on the street below, the headlights also catching on the sheer curtains of their balcony. The voices that once reached up from the streets were silenced now. The company long disbanded in likely pursuit sleep or whatever the next task of their day was.

She watched the shadows dance across their floor, chased away by the light. She followed the shapes and contours, the forms made by each obstruction of the light.

As she trailed her eyes over the shadow of the curtain, she paused on something. It was a shadow of course, darker than the other ones around it. It wasn’t noticeable normally, but when the light passed by the curtains, the way the light shone through wasn’t the same. Like there was something with more mass on the other side of the curtains blocking the light.

Well, shadows were nothing if not deceptive.

Since it was the curtains over the door to the balcony, it was hardly strange for the light to be blocked by the furniture. They only had two chairs out there and a tall coffee table, but they brought the table back inside whenever they needed it. They only had so much furniture to go around.

The table was a solid piece, though it was tall, the legs were short, stubby things that only sprouted at the bottom inch or so of the table. Nearly a solid block of wood. She thought the thing was ugly for the longest time, but going through the effort of replacing it felt like too much for her.

She could make out the two chairs in the passing light, so the other shadow must have been the table. Aside from the dark frames imprinted on the curtain, the shadows they cast into the room were elongated and warped, shifting with each pass of light. As in-frequent as they were.

She dozed in the silence a bit longer, her eyelids were beginning to grow heavy. She wouldn’t be awake when Jamie got back, screw him for taking so long. She had been hopeful about tonight.

She let her phone lie to the side of her as her eyes began to close, her mind was beginning to lull and her body was growing lax. In the corner of her vision she spotted something though. A familiar table, tall enough to be used comfortably whilst sitting on a tall stool or while standing up.

An ugly thing with short legs that failed to match any kind of modern beauty.

It took a few more seconds for her lazy mind to process it. Once she did. All of her tiredness was gone in a snap. The warm comfortable lull of sleep was gone, replaced with a bone chilling cold. Her heart skipped a beat before kicking back in with a nervous ferocity. Her gut was twisting as her mind caught up with her instincts. She listened closely in the silence and –hearing nothing- slowly sat up. She sat up just enough to see the balcony door in full.

It was dark and silent, only now did the silence feel so oppressive. Only now did she feel so alone.

Another passing car light up the apartment through the balcony window.

Only now, knowing that there shouldn’t be anything else out there, did she recognize the figure of a person standing in the corner. It had to be; it was unmistakable.

How long had they been there? Why were they there? Who was it?

No… she knew who it was.

It was him.

It had to be right? Or was she just losing her mind like all the others he was going after. Consumed by the fear that nowhere was safe? That something dark and terrifying would be lurking around each and every corner?

With a trembling hand, she picked up her phone quietly and slid off the couch onto her shaky legs and stepped towards the door.  

“step

Step

Step”

Her hands clutched her phone tight to her chest.

Her light footsteps sounded like drums in the silence. She breathed was heavily but even that was drowned out by the sound of her heartbeat. The shadow didn’t move even as she approached, still as a statue made of ice, but the faint glow of the moon, of the passing cars dwindling in number, told her that it was still there.

Perhaps it really was her imagination. Maybe Jamie had just left something else out there on the balcony? Or- was she dreaming already? A nightmare she would remember for the rest of her life?

She was shaking as she reached out silently as possible, towards the door. She felt like she was reaching her hand into a viper pit, the open maw of a ferocious beast. It would be over before she could even blink, a strike from the dark she was helpless to stop.

The lock snapped with an audible click. Harley shakily exhaled before taking a few slow steps back. Her heels barely touched the couch when a sudden vibration from her phone almost sent her to the ground, her heart along with her legs nearly giving out on her.

The buzzing, almost inaudible during the day, sounded louder than a siren in the uneasy silence blanketing the apartment.

Her heartrate quickened and she snapped her phone on, hoping to silence it quickly. The light illuminated her face, burning into her sore eyes. But she couldn’t care.  “Srry, late niht omw” A new message read. She didn’t have to unlock the phone to know who it was, the misspellings indicative of the exhaustion plaguing the writer.

Her hand paused over the phone, fingers shaking, before she opened it up, her home screen now greeting her face. She tapped, missing the icons multiple times due to the shaking in her fingers. She cursed herself silently before she finally managed to open her messaging app. She hurriedly typed out a message, before pressing send.

Then she moved quickly.

Once she made it a few steps away she began moving faster, she all but threw on her coat and grabbed her bag as she dashed out the front door. She didn’t care if she left her things behind, they weren’t worth it.

.

.

.

Lillian watched listlessly as the engineers stepped about the house, followed by two police officers. They spoke, pointed, and gestured about as they discussed the placement of the new additional cameras. Nothing was showing up on the current ones. They had seriously placed them everywhere, over every possible entrance, but the f*cker was still getting in somehow. Getting out too apparently.

In some part of her mind that she wished she could pay more attention to right now, she wondered when this would all be over.

When the police do their f*cking job. She answered herself.

Seriously. She didn’t want to go to the police at first because of how people would think about her if the other things came out. Under the pressure of growing harassment and threats, she finally gave in and went to them. She had expected some kind of results by now, but they knew no more than she did!

In fact, it might be correct to say they didn’t even know as much as she did.

 But there was no way -no f*cking way she could tell them about all of those other things that happened.

It shouldn’t be important anyways. The one doing this was Oliver, none of those incidents had hardly anything to do with him. The only big conflict they had with him was in the Music Department. When Oliver snapped because of what Soren said about his sisters and got Physical. Yeah, that was probably it. That psycho probably would hold a grudge over something that miniscule.

I hope the last seven years sucked for you motherf*cker.

The guys seemed to have decided upon some placement because they were now getting out the cameras and preparing to set them up. They planned to hide these. If the attacker was trying to avoid being caught by camera, he wouldn’t be able to if he didn’t know where to find them. These ones were also facing inside the house. However that f*cker was getting in, he wouldn’t be able to hide it for much longer.

She looked down to her phone once the telltale vibration of receiving a message sounded. She opened it up and read the message from Eve. She had asked both Eve and Jamie what added security measures they were going to set up. Just to be on the same page. She obviously mentioned the extra camera’s they were setting up as an example.

Eve had just gotten back to her. Said she was going to move over to her parent’s place for now. They already had a security system installed, it wouldn’t take much to even it out to ensure full coverage.

Jamie -the b*stard- hadn’t answered yet. Hadn’t even read her message. She was starting to get pissed off. The meeting was two f*cking days ago. He shouldn’t still be down in the dumps about Noelle. He had to get his sh*t together. She thought he was already over this, but she guessed that she thought too highly of him.

If he doesn’t respond by noon I’ll give that wh*re of his a call and get her to baby him into answering me. She wasn’t just wondering what they were doing, she wanted ideas. She was making sure that nothing would get to her no matter what. And if they had a good solution, she could implement it as well.

Lunchtime rolled around and the message she sent was still unread. What the hell is that b*stard doing? Can’t he see me messaging him? F*cking *sshole.

She grumpily punched in the numbers of Harley’s phone number. “rring… rinnggg.. .rring”

“click”

“hello?” A sore female voice answered.

“Hi! Harely? Lillian Willaims here.” She greeted with a cheery voice that did not match her b*tching expression. A few noises came from the other end of the line, some kind of sputter. “I was wondering if you knew where Jamie was? He isn’t responding to my messages.”

Ther was a cough, like she was clearing her throat before she answered. “I- I don’t know. Don’t aske me-”

“Well I need to ask you.” Lillian interrupted, her voice growing snappy and ignoring the strain in Harley’s voice. Sick, busy, tired, whatever, she could get back to that once Lillain had what she wanted. “I have some questions that he won’t f*cking answer. So you go over and talk to him, and get him to answer me.”

All that came after was a click.

Lillian looked down at her phone in angry shock. “That f*cking b*tch hung up on me!”

She slammed it down, only just light enough to not damage it. She couldn’t afford to be throwing this around when she was out of work and they were already spending so much on the cameras. Everything was just trying to piss her off today wasn’t it?

.

.

.

“Awwww, C’mon man. Do I really have to?” Mason whined to his partner. “You lost the bet, now get to it.” James laughed, not an ounce of pity spared for the man.

Mason groaned. He shouldn’t have made that bet. No point in complaining about it now though. He slid out of the patrol car and made his way into the building ahead of him. “316…316…316” He muttered. It wasn’t hard to remember actually, he’d been here numerous times over the past month or so. An extra set of eyes and an extra pair of hands on the case.

The weird one.

He and James were supposed to go check in with Jamie Leswin today. A casual check, just to make sure he was safe and everything was going alright. They had been doing the same darn checks periodically over the past few weeks for the victims. Most times it was nothing, though there were some cases where they would enter to a scene of a new incident to be reported. Usually nothing though. The victims called them whenever it happened.

He and James made bets sometimes, loser has to do the boring menial task they were assigned with. This time, it was Mason’s loss.

He trudged over to the elevator and punched in the button for the third floor. He wasn’t about to climb up the stairs, even if it was just two flights.

The elevator climbed slowly, dinging once it reached the third floor. Mason hopped out of the elevator and turned down the hall where he knew the apartment was located. He came to a stop outside the door and gave three sharp knocks. There was no way that the man was asleep, it was nearly midday. After waiting a minute and hearing nothing from beyond the door, Mason knocked again, harder and louder this time.

Still nothing.

It was the weekend, he figured the guy would be home. Had he gone out? Mason thought that if he was in this kind of situation be probably wouldn’t be comfortable taking so much as a single step out of the house.

“Excuse me? Is anyone home?” He called. He used his authoritative tone, one he had to use frequently with rowdy teens or belligerent back-talkers. It usually got the job done pretty well.

A few beats of silence passed, but no sound was heard from inside the apartment.

 He must really be out of the house then. That just meant that he’d have to come back another time today. Their instructions were to see the individual face to face and ensure their safety. He turned to leave.

As he did, his eyes passed over the bottom of the door. If it had been an ordinary month, he wouldn’t have thought anything of the dark stains under the door, but he was no fool. Present at every one of the crime scenes was ink. In some way. In some form. He crouched down to run his fingers across the bottom of the door. There wasn’t much, but the black fluid that coated his finger couldn’t have been grease. Without much further hesitation he reached for his radio. “James, I think we might have a problem.”

James, lazy as he was, was quick to respond. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”

“I think so, Haven’t gone in, Leswin doesn’t seem to be home. Theres’s ink coming from under the door though.”

“Hold on, I’ll report back then we’ll both head in together.”

“Copy that.”

Mason waited impatiently for James to arrive. It felt like ages, more like minutes though, before James showed up at the top of the stairway, having bolted up the steps instead of waiting on the elevator. James stepped forwards swiftly. “Have you seen anything else?” He demanded. A quick headshake was all he needed before they both turned their attention fully towards the apartment door.

James pulled out his gun and held it at the ready. Mason, in the meanwhile, fished through his tools to find his trusty lock pick. He had to use it on occasion. Wellness visits when no one came to the door, getting a trapped person out from a locked room, breaking into their station snack cabinet –I mean what? I didn’t say anything.

Anyways, it could get most doors open so long as there weren’t any other bolts and locks in place. He slid the tool into the doorknob and began his work. Within a few seconds, there was a click.

Mason glanced to James to make sure he was ready before twisting the handle and opening the door. James stepped forwards immediately, filling up the doorframe, gun now pointed ahead.

Normally, he would have gone into the apartment carefully, keeping his eyes open, searching for either the resident or the suspected intruder, as unlikely as he was to be in there at that moment. However, this time had to be an exception.

The moment the door opened, James took his place right in front of it, but his eyes were immediately drawn downwards to the ink that began spilling out of the door.

It covered his shoes quickly as it spilled out into the corridor. “What the-?”

It was too late to stop the ink. He watched with no small amount of exasperation and shock as what had to have been a good few inches of ink flooded out of the room. He was not cleaning that up.

He was still quick to re-avert his attention to the inside of the apartment. Man, the whole thing was flooded. Black ink was everywhere, coating the floors, splashed on the walls, on the furniture. It was going to be a nightmare for the poor guy to clean up. If that was even possible at this point. Moving out might be a better idea with this much damage. Might not be a choice actually with how much just spilled out into the hall.

He was slow and careful with his steps as he entered the apartment, the last thing he wanted was to slip on ink and fall. Mason moved in along behind him, now also holding his gun at the ready. “Hello? Mr. Leswin?” James called out to the empty apartment. Again, no response was heard.

They hadn’t exactly checked for his vehicle, so he probably was out and about. They had to be sure though. He could have been attacked like Lillian Willaims.

Their footsteps sloshed in the ink as they went forwards, sweeping the area.

The ink level shrunk as it spilled out the door, but in the areas with downward steps or adjustments in the floor level, the ink remained deep. James reached for his radio while Mason kept forwards. “dispatch, This is team 2. We’re inside the apartment of Jamie Leswin for a check-in, no sign of anyone yet. The whole place is flooded with ink though. It’s everywhere. We might need another set of eyes to look over all this.” He reported.

A buzz of static came from his radio before the dispatcher’s voice responded. “Copy that, we’re sending another team over to you now. Marcus should be on his way soon too.”

“Alright, we’ll start looking aro-“

“clunk!”

Jammes cut off abruptly as he heard something from the left. He and Mason both whipped around towards it. “James? Are you there? What happened?” James kept his hand on the radio while the other rested on his gun. Mason was the one to step forwards this time, posture ready and prepared for whatever might be there.

They moved towards the bedroom, where the sound seemed to have come from. They were on high alert. There was a high chance that it was the attacker they were looking for. If it were Jamie Leswin then he should have responded when they were knocking and calling for him, not excluding the possibility that he could be in a poor state and unable to respond.

There was another sound, more like a rustle, or something shuffling. Mason sent a warning look to James. The unspoken words, you heard that?

James’ grim, pensive expression told him all he needed to know.

Something is in there.

As he approached the door, Mason moved in an arch. James remained facing he door, but he moved along the side of it. Both at the ready, but keeping out of any direct lines of sight from the door.

Taking a deep breath, Mason whirled around the corner and into the room, gun poised at the ready. Blank walls and boring pictures greeted him. No indication of anything off. The covers on the bed were neat and untouched, though there was ink that still trailed across the floor and on some of the furniture.

He stepped further in and James followed behind him. They both swept the area, taking note of everything.

…

…

“click”

James whirled towards the sound gun first, while Mason took a moment longer to react, having not heard it. Swift steps brought James right up to the closet door just along the leftmost wall. The door was closed, the previous sliver of light he caught glimpse of as he assessed the surroundings, gone.

He didn’t have to look back at Mason to know he was ready where he should be. James put a hand on the doorknob, then, resting it there for just a moment to prepare himself, he twisted his wrist and swung the door open, repositioning his hands to bring the gun back up into position.

What met them both however, was yet another empty space. No living beings in sight. The clothing on the racks were a bit sparse, enough to see that no one was hiding there, the built in cabinets too, were too small to house someone. But… there was no one there. Was it a trick of the mind?

He and James did another once over of the room and closet, but no source of the sounds they heard was found. By the time they finished, backup had arrived. They were informed on the radio and the two of them made their way back to the entrance to share information and meet up with the others.

Things went pretty quickly from there, they searched the whole place, extra attention being paid to the bedroom James and Mason flagged. Ink, ink, and more ink was what they found, no presence from either the intruder or Jamie. They started making calls trying to reach him, each were unsuccessful.

The reason why was discovered when, during an attempt to call, another officer nearly jumped out of their skin saying that something moved under the ink. After some bickering about who would reach in and find out and Marcus shouldering past them to do it, calling them a bunch of wussies while he was at it, they discovered it was Jamie’s phone.

Like it was mocking them, hardly had they brought it out of the ink when the glowing interface went dark and unresponsive, further calls failed to go through. The phone was still cleaned and prepped to head back to the station for further investigation.

A notice was given to all the officers, the victims too, to be on the lookout for Jamie. To notify them immediately if they found anything.

However…

Multiple days passed, yet no sign of him was found. At least, that was until…

Derrick stepped into Marcus’s office quietly. The man sat quietly at his desk, mind deep in the pages before him. He looked tired, he probably needed more sleep too. Derrick cleared his throat. “You called for me sir?”

Marcus snapped back up from the papers in his hand, his expression loosened a bit. “ah, yes, I did.”

He must have been really focused to have not seen or heard me come in.

“So what’s the matter?”

Marcus let out a long exhale. “They found Leswin.”

“What?” Derrick gaped.

“He…”

Derrick had a bad feeling. I mean, going missing was hardly a good indication, but the way Marcus spoke, the way he looked right now. He looked to be the bearer of bad news.

“He’s dead.”

“what?”

Marcus just closed his eyes, he too was shocked to believe it. “They found his body in an old cellar near where he worked.”

“It was… a messy scene.” He took another deep breath and slid the papers in his hand over to Derrick. Derrick picked them up quizzically and instantly narrowed in on the images there.

“Oh my god.” His eyes went wide and he flipped through the pages with haste.

“That’s all we have for now. We still need to do some deeper investigations into the scene and get the reports back from the people at the hospital.”

Derrick heard him but the words barely registered. Someone died. Someone he knew. Someone was just brutally f*cking murdered right under his nose… He felt sick. Shocked. But more than that, he felt worthless. He was supposed to stop this. He wasn’t supposed to let this happen…

“Thompson!” Marcus’s voice finally broke him out of his stupor. There was a hint of worry on his stern face. “There’s no point in blaming yourself. We all have been doing our best. Right now we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

He always seemed to know people too well. Maybe he had been in a similar situation once before, caught up in fear and blame, feeling responsible for everything that happened, as unstoppable as it was. But they weren’t here to throw a pity party. They had to keep their heads on straight to catch this psychopath. -now murderer.

“We still don’t have many leads, but we have noticed some differences about the scene from usual.” Marcus went on. Whether he himself was affected by the murder, it was hard to tell. The man knew his purpose, and perhaps his years of experience had helped him to learn to put the emotional things behind him to focus on the matters at hand, what there was to find in each case.

“differences?” Derrick questioned.

“For starters, we don’t know how he’s been getting in or out of each of the homes, he’s never shown up on the camera and he’s never been seen directly by anyone else.” Derrick nodded, he knew this much. “Some of the cameras were broken this time.” Marcus continued.

“Broken?” Derrick did a double-take. Was that true? This was the first time they’d seen him counteract them. The first time he’d made any indication that their attempts of catching him were actually even inconveniencing him in some way.

“One near the balcony and one inside the apartment pointing to the living room.” Marcus nodded. “We haven’t gone through the last of the video yet. We probably won’t get anything from the one inside, but the one on the balcony is connected to our system, so we should be able to get the last of the recorded video before it was broken.”

Derrick frowned a bit despite his excitement at having finally caught a whiff of this guy. “But if he didn’t get in through the balcony, then it won’t catch much. At least the one inside would have been able to tell us where he came from, what he did, and where he went.” Marcus only shrugged. “We’ll see what we can find, but we can’t help that.”

“Then is there anything else?”

“Too soon to say, again, we’re still waiting to hear back from each of our teams for this.”

Derrick pursed his lips but hummed in understanding.

“We need to let the families know, The Willaims and Narcol too. Since they’re the other potential targets.”

Derrick nodded.

It would be hard. But he figured it was something he wouldn’t be able to avoid forever. The only thing harder than receiving news of family passing, was probably giving the news. No one ever thought of the matter from his side really. How hard it was to watch the horror don on the faces of confused and expectant families. A deep grief settling over the house that might not subside for weeks, even years.

“I’d like to leave that to you.” Marcus directed. Derrick clenched his fist at his sides. He could do this, if for no other reason then to try to make up for his failure to save Jamie. “Yes sir.” He acknowledged.

“Alright then, you already know the Williams address, Jamie’s parents’ and his girlfriend’s address are here.” He slipped small piece of paper to him. “Let them know that the body is still under investigation, but visitation should be available soon.

Derrick nodded, not really taking his eyes off the paper.

“Hey!”

He snapped up.

“Remember… this is a part of the job as well.” Marcus told him. His tone told of a whole nother story though. One where he faced the same fire, bringing what had to be grim and inexplicable news to yearning families, watching them each descend into grief that he felt responsible for not preventing.

Derrick let out a small exhale. “yeah… yeah, I know.” Informing the family of events like this was something he couldn’t avoid in this line of work.

 “I mean failing to catch the criminal. to stop the crime." Marcus corrected. "You can’t stop every crime before it happens. You know that too, you rarely catch shoplifters before they take something. In this case… it is the unfortunate loss of life.”

Derrick went quiet. He knew that, logically. A person doesn’t usually become a criminal until after the damaging deed is done… but he couldn’t help the guilt of having let this happen. He was supposed to stop this wasn’t he?

“We all did what we could, and we are going to continue doing what we can. We will stop whoever is doing this.” Marcus declared, standing up to clap a steady hand on Derrick’s shoulder.

It was incidents like these really that could make or break the officer.

He remembered when it first happened to him. There was a terrible car accident early on into his career. He was one of the responding officers. He could still think back and remember the horrific scene. The blood everywhere, the mangled body that could hardly be identified as a human. It was by far the goriest sight he’d ever seen. Still, nothing could quite compare to the helplessness of the case 7 years ago. That weighed on him even still. He hoped Derrick would not be the same.

That wasn’t a burden he would wish on anyone.

As Thompson left his office Marcus was again thrown into the quiet serenity of his solitude. He let himself fall back into his chair and re-collected the pages he was searching through. They had to find something that could lead them to the perpetrator. There was no way he could be that clean with what he did.

“But there’s still somehow nothing.” He mumbled to no one but himself. The only thing the broken camera proved was that it had either disrupted or annoyed the perpetrator. None of their defenses actually deterred him.

It was shocking actually, just how little they found considering how much he left behind. Every single scene he had been involved in all carried the same traces, yet they still couldn’t tie it back to him! Sure, they considered Oliver Darrell the primary suspect, but that was all he was, a suspect. They still couldn’t be certain if it was him at all. Or if he was alive.

Uncertainty was never something Marcus was fond of.

This entire case was full of it though. How he was doing these things, getting past them, and why he was doing it… it was all borderline supernatural. But… stuff like that isn’t real.

So there had to be an explanation… right?

Ugh, it was really giving him a headache.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Jamie massaged his forehead tiredly as he fished though his pocket for his keys. Work had gone on for forever, he even missed Harley’s message. He wouldn’t be able to spend time with her today, he was just too tired. Maybe he could spend a minute or two on the couch, but he was about ready to hit the hay. And nearly a curb, if he hadn’t managed to pull himself together.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside. He was careful to lock the door behind him. He no longer felt safe even in his own home with Lillian’s attacker, apparently their stalker, still on the loose. The door was supposed to automatically lock behind them, but he now always made sure.

The apartment was dark. Harely must’ve gone to bed already.

He dropped his bag by the door when he entered.

He debated honestly just going straight to his room, but chose instead to at least check the living room to see if Harely actually was awake or not. She wouldn’t be happy with him if he just ignored her like that.

He stepped into the room and glanced around. Isn’t she here? He wondered. Maybe she left when I didn’t come back. He couldn’t help it though, his work sometimes demanded more hours and it wasn’t something he could just say no to. He fished out his phone from his pocket and opened it up to see his last used screen. The messaging interface glowed in the darkness, his most recent conversation laid before him.

“Over at your place! Can’t wait to see you ;)”

“Srry, late niht omw”

“waiting for yu”

The messages glared back at him. She should be here shouldn't she?

The message had been sent just moments after he sent his, and it hadn’t been long since then, did she go to bed in his room?

A cool breeze caressed his skin, distracting him from the device. He quickly located the source.

Why is the balcony door open?

Didn’t Harely know better than to leave door and windows open with all that has been going on?

He had only a moment to be disappointed in his girlfriend’s reaction before another question popped into mind.

Was it even Harely that opened the door?

His body jolted into motion, quickly rushing for the front door, a movement that was cut short.

“bang!”

A heavy weight slammed into his head and he had only a moment where his vision doubled before he felt his body fall as everything went black.

Everything was dark and swimming. Jamie couldn’t focus his eyes on anything. His head was throbbing, the pain growing almost sharp near the right side of his head. The rest of his body felt sore too. He was on the ground somewhere, he couldn’t see. The hard surface ground into his lying form, the cold surface sucking the heat from his body. He went to raise his hand to his head, to find the source of his pain or better yet, sooth it. To his confusion, quickly morphing into a growing alarm, he realized that he could not move his arm.  A quick tug revealed that he could not move either of his arms, both of them bound somehow behind his back.

Frantically, he struggled to move to find some kind of give. All his struggle proved to him though, was that not only his hands, but also his feet were tied. He was laying on the ground, concrete, it felt like, and entirely immobile. There was something also draped over his eyes, it shifted against his skin slightly during his struggle, explaining the complete darkness he saw.

He spent a few minutes struggling against his binds before falling limp, exhausted.

What even happened?

Harley sent a message…

I was at home…

And then…

The door.

He got inside.

What about Harley? Did he take her too?

What does he want…

He went quiet and tried to listen for any clues as to where he was … that would help right?

He could hear something dripping, the sound echoing off hollow walls, water probably, but it had been a little while since it last rained…

The sound echoed, what did that mean?

There was almost nothing else, just some scuttering, a rat maybe? He imagined that was what they sounded like, but with his vision usurped, he had no way to tell.

Where had this guy brought him… and why?

The silence was cut with the sound of footsteps. They came suddenly, and from far too close. Whoever they belonged to had to’ve been in the room already. From the beginning even. They had watched his scuffle, watching his every movement. His futile struggle, writhing helplessly across the floor.

“Hey? Is- is someone here?” Jamie called.

It was a shot in the dark, a desperate hope that the footsteps didn’t belong to who he dreaded it did. His voice shook more than he hoped, the normalcy he wanted to display coming out in a frail, shaky tone.

When the footsteps reached him, mere inches from his face by the volume, and still no answer came from him, he felt that he had received the answer anyways.

“ple- please don’t hurt me! I- I don’t know what you want. I-I I’ll do anything! Just please don’t hurt me…” His voice broke pathetically as he spoke, his throat more parched than he had realized.

“Please, I haven’t done anything!” He pleaded.

He could feel the cold gaze boring into his skull, though he couldn’t see. Who was this guy? What did he want? Wait… they said… at the meeting… they said it’s Oliver right?

“Oliver!”

It was quiet before but the silence now was deafening. Whether it was his imagination fueled by his baited breath, or he had genuinely gotten the man’s attention.

“It-it’s you isn’t it?”

“I-I’m sorry, we – we all thought you were dead. I- we would have looked for you if we knew you weren’t. You- you know that!”

“Lumien said you were dead so-so we thoug-”

His words were abruptly cut short by a sharp tug on his arm. The tug pulled him straight up off the ground, nearly into a sitting position. His weight wasn’t under him though, he was held up entirely by the painfully harsh grip on his arm. If the man let go, he would go hurling back to the ground.

He was held there for a few seconds. Jamie’s face was contorting with pain though he tried not to react. The grip on his arm was bruising, the twisted position they were being pulled into making it no better. He muffled the cries and the groans behind poorly clenched teeth. The silence went on, to the point that Jamie was genuinely considering that he had the wrong person entirely.

But then who else could it be?

In the darkness of the blindfold, he could feel the intense gaze looking at him. What is he doing?

Without his sight, Jamie could have never seen it coming, not that there was much of anything that he could do even if he could see.

Jamie’s head snapped back at the sudden force that impacted with his face. “AAUGH!” he groaned. Pain blossomed all over his face and something warm trickled down over his mouth. The bitter taste of iron told him it was blood. Hardly had the taste touched his lips when the force came again.

A heavy fist landed again on his face, punching his head back again. The moment he instinctually tried to raise his head back upright- “bam!” again. And “bam!” again. “thwack!” again.

Someone was sobbing, gurgling cries for mercy, pleas to stop, and apologies spewed out in some choked mumbled mess. It took him a moment longer to realize it was coming from him. He was the one sobbing, begging for mercy. “p-p-ple-ease. Please s -top”

He doubted it was because of anything he could have spewed under the relentless assault, but the fist finally seemingly relented.

“I- I ‘m sorry. Please, just p-please don’t k-kill me!”

He was scared when he woke up here, knowing who it -likely- was doing this to him. But he remembered what they said at the meeting. This guy was toying with them. Tormenting them. Maybe… just maybe, like Lillian, he would just scare him and let him go. He just had to hold on.

The punches woke him up.

This guy could kill him. By his messages, he wanted to.

No… he was going to.

The dull pain of his headache, nearly forgotten with the pain radiating all over the front of his face, was renewed as the back of his head hit the floor. “uhg!” he grunted.

The clawing grasp had finally left his shoulder. He was almost thankful, despite having been dropped heavily to the ground.

Jamie could hardly feel his face. He felt so battered and sore.

“please- pleas -e i-I’m begging you… Oliver please!”

It had to be. It had to be him.

Cold eyes looked down at the bloodied figure writhing on the floor. He was so desperate wasn’t he? Wouldn’t he do anything to survive?

He reached down again to the bound and blindfolded man. He ignored the blood as if it weren’t there and tore off the blindfold. He didn’t need that anymore. Hardly needed it to begin with. Jamie had to adjust to the change of scenery, though the dim light of the barren room didn’t give him much to look at.

He watched as the fearful eyes of his victim caught sight of the room before latching onto him. There was a pause, before some confusion and maybe more fear took over his expression.

“What’s wrong?” His voice came out hoarse but full of intent. Jamie jolted at the sudden use of his voice, that he finally spoke.

He reached his hand down and gripped Jamie by his hair and pulled him up close again. Their eyes met. Dark eyes filled with hatred and rage and grey eyes trembling with fear. The moment dragged on and then-

Oh

Oh

He watched as the blood drained from Jamie’s face as recognition trickled in. Even his trembling stopped as his body froze up. A twinge of grim mirth twinkled in his eyes at the reaction. Oh… he knew.

“I look different from what you remember, don’t I?” his tone dripped with malice. All the rage from all the years of suffering he went through, all the rage from what they did to the others, bursting forth from a dam of restraint.

“you-”

Jamie had barely opened his mouth when the grip on his hair yanked him to the side before he was pushed down. “splash!”

Jamie spasmed, struggling against the harsh grip as water invaded from all around. The hold was unrelenting.

His eyes were cold as he watched the man flounder and struggle. His movements grew increasingly urgent as time ticked by. Only once the struggle began to slow did he lift Jamie back up.

Jamie gasped for air like a dying fish. Each gulp of oxygen burned yet it never felt so sweet. He had hardly taken two shallow breaths when the man standing over him forced his head back into the water.

He screamed against the hold, his volume going nowhere from within the water. Trapped in a prison of silence.

He tried to open his eyes underwater, but the blood mixed with the grime in the water stung his eyes.

It felt like ages before he was pulled back up again by his hair. Black spots were dancing across his vision, his mind reeling from the loss of oxygen. He again gasped for breath, nearly retching from the overexertion of his lungs. “yo-” Between gasps, he tried to speak again, only for his head to be submerged yet again.

And he did it again.

Over

And over

And over

And over

Jamie felt like he was dying.

Over

And over

And over

And over.

The thought of death almost sounded like a relief…

Almost.

He gasped for air, the oxygen feeling more like poison now with how it burned and stung. It would only be a split second more until he was shoved under again. How long? How long was he going to do this? How long?

When the seconds passed and his head remained above the surface of the blood-tinged water, he only tensed further. Why hadn’t he done it? Was it over now? Was he done with his sick torture? He hoped so.

But when had things ever gone how he’d hoped?

The man pulled him away, not loosing the grip pulling him by his hair. Jamie struggled with what little strength he could manage. His kicking and squirming did nothing as the man kept forwards. Jamie’s eyes still burned from his desperate attempts to open them under the water, to get some semblance of his bearings, but the pain didn’t help him now. Rough hands shoved down till he was face to face with his own dark reflection in a new pool.

The broken bloody face almost looked alien to him, before he realized the looming figure behind his reflection. “What do you want!” He sobbed with a broken voice, his vocal cords were screaming in pain, he would be too if he weren’t trying to beg for his life. “anything! I’ll give you anything just please! I- I finally moved on from that place. It was hell! You would know! Please, I don’t wanna die!”

The man tugged his face back up to make eye contact. “Moved on?”

“Of course you would.”

Jamie whimpered. “no, no! I- I didn’t mean tha-!”

He pulled Jamie in closer, far too close for comfort. He could see everything in his eyes, all of the emotions, all of the resentment, he could see it all. It was probably then that he realized… he really wasn’t going to make it out of here. No, none of them were.

“You know nothing of hell.” He spat. Dark memories surfaced in his mind. No… you merely got a taste.

“You spent one month and you think it’s hell? Imagine Seven. F*cking. Years.” He growled. His words were seething with suppressed rage. Hatred. Pain. The memory of it all was haunting.

“It’s time to deal with the devil you created.”

“splash!”

Everything went black.

All the sounds were gone.

It was almost like he was floating in a dream or perhaps the empty vastness of space. It was cool, almost refreshing to the skin.

Until it started to burn.

His mouth, his nose, his face, everything. It burned like fire, unquenchable through any ordinary means. He screamed. The darkness flooded his mouth, claiming his air as he did. He struggled, moving frantically against the harsh grasp holing him under the ink. It burns! It burns!

Please please please make it stop!!!

Make it stop!!!!!!

He couldn’t breathe. Ink was flowing everywhere. The slightly viscous substance tainting everything it touched.

Then there it was again, the force that pulled him back out into the air.  His gasps sounded more like a dying beast’s than it did a human’s. He dared not to open his eyes as the substance flowed down his face. Still, the ounces of oxygen he could send to his lungs were like poison.

“It hurts doesn’t it?”

“it burns.”

“As the ink mixes into your blood, flows through your body, and claims you. It will fill your eyes, your nose, your mouth. It doesn’t matter if you scream, the ink will take that from you too. No one will hear it, no one will come.”

“And Jamie-”

He pulled Jamie close again. Jamie tried to open his eyes despite the ink running down his face. Their eyes met once more, the striking hatred in his eyes chilling Jamie to his core once more. “I hope it hurts like hell.”

The next moment, Jamie was hurtling towards the surface of the ink again. He didn’t even have time to pity himself, to beg for mercy, to plea for his survival, before it all descended to darkness again.

It hurt, as he said, the ink flowing into him, mixing with his blood.

But oh, nothing could compare to when it breached the delicate membrane protecting his eyes.

He screamed, all attempts of self preservation, oxygen preservation, vanished before the uncontrollable pain. IT BURNSSSSS!

IT BURNS MAKE IT STOP!

PLEASE

PLEASE

JUST STOP

END THIS

PLEASE

IT BURNS!

He watched the floundering body beneath him struggle. His grip was tested by the frantic struggle as it reached it’s peak. The slickness of the ink didn’t help either. But it was enough.

The body struggled, kicking and thrashing with all its might, before the fight began to still. Soon all that was left was lingering twitches and jolts as the life left the person below, swallowed by the ink.

Still, he held him there for a minute longer. Before dropping his grasp and letting the body sag against the old rusted tub that held the murky fluid.

Enough of the weight was over the edge of the tub, so the body didn’t slide out. It remained hung over the edge, face deep in the dark substance.

He stood up from his crouched position, not bothered at all by the strained position he had maintained throughout the process. His dark gaze passed over the body one last time before he shifted his feet and moved to the side of the room. Here he picked up the tools that he had left, a can of ink and an old, yellowed brush.

The faint dripping sound was the only noise that accompanied the swishes of the brush. Mark after mark he made. With this, each and every one of them will know… exactly what was coming.

The brush clunked as it landed back into the drained ink can. Silently as ever, he stepped away from the wall, admiring his work, before turning and stalking out the door. It was far from finished. There was still much more work to be done.

Soon… there would be judgement.

anywho:

now some pictures!

(i have no idea if they will actually show so.... fingers crossed)

Norman Polk my beloved

Chapter Text

Derrick sat quietly in the car while his partner for the day, Mason, drove. They planned to stop by Jamie’s parents first. Then the girlfriend, and last, the Willaims and Eve Narcol. 

The entire ride was quiet actually, both with the anticipation and nervousness of being the ones to pass on the message and with the chilling and depressing reminder that someone had been killed.

Mason and Derrick both gave each other a quick nod once they reached the house. Derrick led. He marched on up to the door, perhaps a bit more stiffly than he had intended, and knocked on the painted wood.

“tuk tuk!”

He stood and waited for a moment, shifting his weight between his feet as time dragged on. Then, before he knocked for a second time, he heard shuffling. The noise came closer and more pronounced before the door finally opened.

“Hello- oh… Can I help you?” The elderly woman who answered the door clearly hadn’t checked who was outside before opening the door, and she certainly didn’t expect to see two police officers there. Derrick slid his hat off of his head as he cast his eyes downward. Was there ever a day where this woman thought she’d receive news like this?

“Good morning ma’am, you are Mrs. Leswin?”

The woman still looked a bit nervous in front of the officers, if not more so now since they were looking for her specifically. “Yes, that’s me, is… is there something wrong?” She wasn’t in trouble was she? No… She- she hadn’t done anything wrong had she? Surely nothing to warrant two police showing up at her door for her.

But her instincts were telling her something else. Something that made her chest tighten in disbelief, rejection. It couldn’t be…

“I’m sorry to inform you…”

 It couldn’t be…

“Your son, Jamie Leswin, was… unfortunately killed by an unknown individual just a few days ago. His body was only discovered recently, and in light of an active threat against other individuals, has been sent in for examination. He is currently in the morgue at the NorthBeth hospital, should you wish to see him.”

It felt strange to say those words as he forced himself not to feel. It was… almost alien, like he was watching a play through someone else’s eyes. It was actually easier than he thought to get the words out. He just… pretended it hadn’t happened, that he was reading some kind of script, that he wasn’t currently informing a family that someone they loved was brutally murdered. Well, he did leave most of that out. No good would come from stressing them further.

He tried not to look, not to watch as the dumbfounded shock, horror, and grief crept over her face and into her entire person. The disbelief hardly had a chance to show, because she knew. Her heart was telling her it was true. And it was devastating.

By the time Derrick and Mason got back to their car, they felt like they’d been in a train wreck. But they weren’t done yet. They still had to speak to Harley Dimore and the other victims. “The girlfriend’s parent’s house should be nearby, we’ll go there next.”

“tuk tuk tuk!”

An unfamiliar man opened the door this time. “May I help you?” He asked. “Yes, this is the home of Harley Dimore?” The man squinted at them a bit “Yea, it is. Why, what’d she do?” Derrick did his best to smile politely despite the emotions hurling around inside of him. “She hasn’t done anything wrong, there is just something we have to tell her, do you think we could speak to her for a moment?”

The man stood still for a moment, thoughtfully. Then he moved out of the doorway, gesturing them inside. “She’s been freaki’n out abo’ somethin’ lately, hasn’t been leaving ‘er room much.” He spoke with his back to them. Derrick and Mason stepped into the house behind him, giving the inside a precursory glance. He brought them up a flight of steps and over to a closed door. “tuk tuk!” He knocked. “Harley! Ye got some visitors! Need to talk to ye for a minute.” His voice rang out in the small house, a volume that matched his physical stature.

If the girl had been asleep, she sure wasn’t now.

There was a shuffle behind the door and it creaked open. “These officers wanna talk to you for a bit.” He said, gesturing over his should to Derrick and Mason, who nodded politely in greeting. Harely looked tired. Dark circles were painted under her eyes and she looked exhausted.

The color drained from her face, seeing the officers. Derrick noticed and was quick to follow up. “You aren’t in trouble or anything, we just need to speak with you.” That was one of the downsides to being a cop. Plenty of people, even if they logically knew they had done nothing against the law, would treat them like a harbinger of doom. Ya’know, sometimes they just wanted a quick snack while out on patrol. Just because they were standing in line behind you doesn’t mean you’ve done something. No need to act like I killed your grandma.

Besides, our job is to protect people.

Mr. Dimore left them alone once he knew Harley wasn’t about to slam the door in their faces. They stepped into the room at her invitation and she settled down on the edge of her bed.

She looked nervous, incredibly so. Derrick couldn’t help but feel bad for the news she was about to receive. This time, Mason was the one who spoke. “We are here to regrettably inform you… that your boyfriend, Jamie Leswin, was found dead yesterday.”

Derrick saw clearly the spark of fear that ignited in her eyes. Poor girl, she probably would have never thought it would turn out like this. And it’s all because we failed to stop it.

Her hands started shaking though she had them clasped tightly.

“If it’s alright with you, could you tell us the last time you saw or spoke to him?” Mason continued. His tone was gentle, trying not to aggravate a response. They weren’t sure if Jamie had been in recent contact with his parents, they could ask about that later once they had time to process the news, but it was more likely that he had been in contact with Harley around the time when it happened.

She sat stiffly, her eyes now flickering about the room. “no, I- I don’t know.” She mumbled quietly. “Harley?” Mason called. She didn’t look at him, her eyes glued to the floor, yet still unable to remain in one place.

“I- I don’t know anything, I don’t know.”

“Do you know when the last time you spoke to him was? We just want to try to find out what happened.” Mason reiterated. His tone was softening even still, trying to express his intent to work together with her to receive her help.

Harley’s breathing was getting heavier as she reached the brink of hyperventilating. Derrick reached his hand out to grab onto her shoulder, crouching down as well to try and give her a greater sense of security. “It alri-” The moment his hand touched her shoulder she jolted. Her head shot up and her fear filled eyes met his own. Something is…

“I’m sorry!”

She cried.

“I- I- didn’t mean to… I  I- just. I didn’t wanna die!” Tears began falling from her face as her trembling continued.

Something is wrong.

“I- I’m sorry!”

The fear in her eyes wasn’t sorrow and despair, it was flighty, guilty.

Derrick’s ears buzzed, he grabbed a hold of both of her shoulders, leveling her to look him in the eye.

“Harley. What did you do?”

.

.

.

.

Derrick sat in the hallway of the station, there was always a chair right there, no one knew why, or who had put it there, but no one ever tried to move it. It now proved useful, as Derrick allowed all of his weight onto it while he started off into space.

He was startled by the sound of a door clicking open. He looked up to see Marcus approaching. He looked intense, complicated emotions brewing across his face.

Derrick didn’t need to ask, his gaze said enough.

“Was she telling the truth?” Derrick asked, still pleading for another answer though he knew there wouldn’t be. Marcus sighed heavily, no small amount of exhaustion coloring his face. “yes… it would seem so.”

Derrick slumped back into the chair a little. “How… how could someone…?”

“Thompson, don’t even worry about that. That won’t get you anywhere.” Marcus interrupted.

Derrick still couldn’t accept it. “But! They were- they were dating! Didn’t they love each other? How could she- at the first sign of danger- leave him to be caught?”

“Thompso-”

“She unlocked the door to let the attacker in even though she knew he was there! She didn’t even run or call someone, she just gave him up!”

“Thompson!”

Now Derrick stopped. Marcus exhaled deeply before speaking. “First of all, while what she did might not be right, she was scared too.” “but-!” “And-“ Marcus continued, cutting off Derricks words. “-She still isn’t the one responsible for Jamie Leswin’s death. The weight of what she’s done will follow her for the rest of her life, and depending on how the rest of the investigation goes, she might just have to answer for it. But she wasn’t the one who killed him. That is what we are trying stop. That is who we are trying to catch.”

“The one who really caused all of this.”

Marcus spoke wisely, his words again reminded Derrick of the true issue at hand. Not that he had forgotten, but he was far too taken aback by what he had just heard from Harley.

He just couldn’t understand how she could do something like that.

“The slim silver lining of this is that we at least know how he entered.” Marcus added. Make no mistake, he was not vouching in favor of Harleys actions. But he had to choose where to focus his attention, and right now, that was on the real problem at hand. Harly could be addressed at another time, but they didn’t have an ounce of manpower to spare from the case.

“But… The camera looking at the balcony has been installed for a while… While it was still there, we also received reports of more incidents occurring but nothing showed on the recording. So even if he used the balcony this time… it shouldn’t be his main point of entry… right?” Derrick was quick to change gears and delve into the discussion.

Marcus let out an unnoticed breath seeing that investigative spark light up in Derrick’s eyes again, the clouding gloom that had been lurking there, for now subsided.

Marcus nodded. “Yeah, That’s what it looks like.

I also doubt that he was able to transport Jamie, conscious or unconscious, down the wall from three stories up.”

Derrick nodded thoughtfully. “But there aren’t any other entrances or exits… How could he have…?”

Marcus could only shake his head. “I have no idea, just give it a rest for now, the rest of the teams will be coming back with their results soon.”

“You should take some time off while the info is being processed, take an actual break. Once we get our direction, we won’t be having much more time to rest.” Marcus advised. “I won’t be here tomorrow and Riley is taking off the next two days after, so take some time for yourself.” He added, in case Derrick was feeling to pressure to keep going. Everyone had their breaking points, it was important to rest before you reached them.

Derrick relented. “Then… tomorrow and the next?” He asked. Marcus nodded. “Sounds good, I’ll submit the request for you, you can head on out of here if you want.”

Derrick shook his head. “No, no, I can do it. I still need to finish up some paperwork back in my office. Might as well handle both matters.” He stood up from the chair, patting his thighs.

“I’ll see you later, sir.” He waved, before turning down the hall to disappear into his office. Marcus gave him a wave back, before also turning to head to his own office. Harley’s statement had to be recorded and processed before he could work on anything else.

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Derrick opened up the fridge in his apartment with a yawn. Once he actually took some time off, he realized just how hard he had actually been pushing himself. He was again grateful for Marcus’s frequent attempts to convince him to take off. Riley too, they both seemed to understand the turmoil his mind was going through.

Derrick sighed as the barebones contents of his fridge looked back at him. He was clearly very much due to stock back up on groceries.

Still, he was hungry, so he plucked out three of the few remaining eggs, cracked them over the side of a pan, and let them slowly cook on a low heat while he got the rest of what he needed. He pulled out some lunchmeat ham and threw it onto the pan as well. It was no bacon, but it would do. He grabbed the very last of the shredded cheese hiding in the lowest drawer and added it to his “omelet” as well.

From there, it was quite simple. He let it cook, stirred it, flipped it, made sure everything was well cooked but not burnt.

He scooped the messy but fragrant smelling eggs off of the hot pan and onto a plate he had prepared. While the smell was tantalizing to his sore senses, he gave it a minute to cool down before starting to eat.

He didn’t really have any big plans for the day. He might take a walk, call up some friends, or take a few naps. He definitely needed to go out shopping though. The remainder of what he had in his fridge wouldn’t last him another solid meal.

He prepped his jacket and grabbed his wallet and phone off the table before also collecting his keys and stepping outside. Once he opened the door, he paused, letting the cool morning air caress his body. Only standing there for a moment or so, he decided to ditch the jacket. It was already late morning, the day was only going to get hotter from here out. He tossed his jacket back inside and finally shut the door behind him.

Once he got out to his car, he reached another debate. His apartment wasn’t far from the shopping centers. Should he just walk? It was a pretty nice day. The clouds gathering overhead spoke of their disagreement, but there didn’t appear to be any strong danger of rain in the near future.

Screw it. He shoved his keys back into the pocket of his jeans before approaching the sidewalk. He could use some mindless exercise.

It was a while later when he reached the shopping center. He slipped inside one of the nearest stores to start with. He planned to leave the groceries to last, so that he wouldn’t be lugging around the produce for longer than he needed to. He wasn’t going to buy much anyways, it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle to carry it back home.

He continued to pass through stores, window shopping now and then. Mothers day was coming up soon. He could at least take the time to buy his mom a gift since he was here. He found a store that looked nice enough to have something his mom might like and stepped inside. Would she prefer jewelry? Maybe candles? Some fancy soaps? It was hard to choose. Hard to understand the appeal either, but hey, this was about her, not him.

And in the end, it was the thought that counted right?

His eyes lingered on the fresh flowers near one side of the store. It was too soon to buy them right now, but they would definitely pair well with a mother’s day gift.

After picking out what he was going to give her, a nicely decorated candle with a refreshing scent stained in his mothers favorite lavender purple, he started for the counter, the candle itself came with its own flower assortment, so he didn’t need to swing by the other flowers. Once he turned out of the isle though, he ran smack into a large body.

“Oh! Sorry.” He quickly apologized. His eyes met the other person and he was stunned. “Riley!?”

Riley looked back at him with the same unmoving gaze he always seemed to have. There was a bit of surprise, or maybe it was just recognition, that colored his expression. “Thompson, didn’t think I’d see you here.”

His eyes raked across Derrick’s body before reaching back to his face. “off duty?” He asked. Though the answer was quite obvious by the way Derrick was dressed. Nicely enough, but not in uniform.

“Yeah, I heard from Marcus you’d be off too.”

“hm” Riley hummed in response.

“What are you doing here?” Derrick asked, peeking around to see if Riley was holding anything to buy yet. This hardly seemed like a store a man like him would frequent. “Just… picking some out.” Derrick followed his gaze to see the shelves of flower bouquets.

“Oh? For who? What’s the occasion?” He couldn’t help being curious, he didn’t know much about Riley personally.

“…Birthday. For family.”

“Oh.” Derrick couldn’t help feeling the tiniest bit disappointed that there wasn’t any relationship juice going on. He was hoping to hear about a girlfriend or a wife. Whelp, family works too.

“Need any help then?” He asked. “You seem undecided.”

Riley glanced at him before turning his gaze back to the flowers. “I’m not great with flowers.” He admitted.

“Hmm, then I’d say…” Derrick pointed over to a bouquet of bright and colorful flowers. “Those, if they’re younger, those:” He now pointed over to a bouquet with assorted white flowers. “For teenagers or young adults. And those if they’re older.” He now pointed over to a striking bouquet of red roses. “of course, if you know their favorite flower, that’s the better alternative.” He added.

“You seem to know your flowers.” Riley commented, though he seemed to mull Derricks suggestion over.

“Hardly, just some tips I got from my mom.” Derrick scoffed, but the smile on his face was unmistakable. “Always works like a charm though. Whatever you chose, I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Now he stepped away and continued to the front desk to pay for his own selection.

Once he finished paying, he took the receipt from the cashier, thanking her. When he turned to leave, nearly ran into Riley again. “Jeez! Why do you move so quietly?” Derrick exclaimed. One of these days the man was going to give him a genuine heart attack.

Riley gave a sly smile -the cocky b*stard. “’cause it’s funny to watch ‘em panic when they realize I’m right there.”

Derrick rolled his eyes. “Weirdo.”

He moved towards the door while Riley took his spot at the counter, but he stalled at the doorway.

A minute later Riley joined him. “You have any plans for the day?” Derrick asked casually as they both exited the store. “Not much.” Was all Riley offered. He turned his wrist to check his watch. “Not quite lunchtime, but we could stop by somewhere for some food if you like.”

Derrick shrugged. “I don’t mind. Got nothing else to do really.”

“Alright then.”

With that short conversation, the two of them started off down the street. They passed by a few more clothing and souvenir shops before Riley seemed to spot something. “Over here.” He directed, leading them towards a small convenience store. “They got good slushies here.” He praised.

“Slushies? didn’t take you for a slushy guy either.” Derrick commented. Riley said nothing, focused on crossing the road.

The bell jingled as they both stepped inside. The cashier at the counter, a young woman, called out to greet them as she attended to another customer.

Riley led him over to the fresh food and deli section. There were some different selections but the variety was limited. “Their deserts leave a lot to be desired but their sandwiches are pretty good. Just don’t get the turkey one.” He advised.

“You know this place well?” Derrick questioned. Hardly seemed like a 5 star restaurant.

Riley shrugged. “I work late, its one of the only 24-hour stores in town.”

Ah, now that made more sense.

“What’s your favorite then?” Derrick asked.

“I like the honey barbeque sandwich. Only here on Tuesdays though. Out of the current selection, I’d probably go for the grilled chicken.”

“Alright then, if you say so.”

While Derrick and Riley pondered over their selection of food, the bell at the front of the store chimed again.

The two of them came to a decision, and while Derrick went about collecting the sandwiches they wanted, Riley let his eyes wander. When they first entered the store he already recognized the girl manning the counter. If his memory served correct, she was one of the relatives of Oliver Darrell.

Before that though, she was one of the hardworking employees of the store. He wondered if Derrick had noticed yet. He ought to be a little more aware of his surroundings.

As his eyes moved on, he took note of the different products in stock, the customers mulling about, the hum of the refrigerators keeping some of the food cool.

He absent-mindedly fiddled with the lighter in his pocket. Snapping the lid on and off in idle motions.

One of the customers near the fridge at the back pulled out a package of water bottles. Riley hardly paid attention to what they were doing until he turned and closed the door.

Their eyes met. It was only for a split second, the other man looked away quickly, but it was enough to make Riley pause his movements.

His gaze was glued to the man as he walked back up farther towards the front of the store. Even as he disappeared behind the shelving units, Riley didn’t give up tracking his location.

It wasn’t till he received a hard smack on his arm that he finally looked away. Derrick was looking at him with some confusion and worry. “You in there?” He joked.

Riley looked back down to the items in Derrick’s hand. He already had their food and drinks, he must have been very distracted to not notice.

“You’re ready then?” He asked. Derrick began moving towards the front of the store. “Yep! Let’s go.” Riley followed after him, though he still sent another glance in the direction of the man he saw earlier.

Once the two of them paid (Riley had offered to cover the expense and it was offer that Derrick was happy to receive) they both headed for some shaded picnic tables across the road. It was another building or two down from the convenience store, but they could still see the door from there. Derrick wanted to sit farther away, the shade was better if they moved just a bit farther down, but Riley insisted they sit there. In the end, Derrick didn’t push it, he didn’t really care where they sat.

As they both unwrapped their sandwiches and ate, Derrick couldn’t help but notice that Riley seemed distracted.

“Hey.”

Riley’s eyes snapped back to him. “Are you good? you seem… out of focus.” Derrick mused.

Riley blinked slowly before answering. “No… just… keeping an eye on something.”

While his answer hardly satisfied Derrick’s question, he opted to just roll with it. Derrick was more worried that he was causing trouble to Riley on his day off, to know that it wasn’t due to his influence was already a relief.

They ate quietly. Derrick had to admit, Riley was right about the slushies, they were divine. Still, never thought he’d be one for slushies.

Riley straightened up a bit when he saw the Darrell girl chase the customer he had taken notice of outside. He were too far away to hear, but they looked like they were talking.

He watched carefully, but subtly.

Only once the man went on his way and the girl returned to the store did he relax a bit. Still, he stood up from the table, excusing himself.

He walked back over to the store and stepped inside.

The store clerk didn’t call out her usual greeting. He checked to see where she was. She had found her way back to the counter, but she still looked distracted.

“Everything alright?” He probed.

She was startled by his voice. “huh?”

“Is everything alright?” He repeated calmly. He gave her a once over. It didn’t look like anything had happened between the two of them, but you could never be too certain.

“um, yeah?” She answered slowly.

“That guy didn’t do anything?” He added.

She looked to have grasped his intentions now. “Oh, no. nonono, it- everything is fine.”

He noted her reaction. She didn’t look pressured or weirded-out. It seemed that nothing really did happen. “Aright then, just making sure.” With that, he turned around and left. He just wanted to ensure that nothing had happened.

When he slid back into his seat across from Derrick, Derrick was finishing up his sandwich. “Did you forget something?” He asked.

“No, I was just checking up on something.”

“Oh.”

Riley knew it was a bit out of character of him to do something like that. He normally wasn’t so sensitive, but there was something about the way that the man looked that set off the alarm bells in his mind. Just the look in his eyes told him that he had seen the dark sides of humanity. The kind of look that someone who had already acted against humanity would have.

But just because someone looks like a bad guy doesn’t mean they’ve done anything criminal, or even bad for that matter.

“If you don’t hurry up with that slushie you’re going to be drinking fruit punch instead.” Derick warned. Riley looked down at his melting slushie blankly, disappointment clouding his features at the sorry sight of what remained.

Riley let Thompson out of his car as he paused on the curb. Derrick collected a few shopping bags from the back seat and slammed the door shut. He gave a strained wave as he left and headed inside his apartment.

Riley shifted his car into gear and pulled away as well. The flowers he bought earlier that day sat on the now cleared back seats. He glanced at them once before turning out of the lot and down the road to his destination.

When he reached the cemetery, the sun was well hidden in the clouds. He parked his truck and hopped out silently. It was a short walk to the entrance , but it took another minute or so after that to find what he was looking for.

He came to a stop in front of the worn stone. There were some other flowers resting beside the gravestone, old, nearly withered. He reached down and plucked them out, resting the lovely assortment of white and yellow flowers down in their place. He never liked the color yellow, but it was her favorite color.

He had something else with him though, a small pink flower from the same store. The clerk saw him eye it as he was checking out and handed it to him. He said he’d pay for it, but she insisted it was a free gift. He placed the pink flower on the small stone next to other.

He crouched there for a moment in silence, before letting out a sigh and flopping his rear onto the ground. The silence continued to stretch, though he opened and closed his mouth multiple times.

Finally, the sounds escaped him.

“I know you were anxious… afraid… but I know you would have made a great mother.” His gaze rested on the grave before him with the yellow flowers, before glancing down at the smaller grave. “And I know that she would have been the perfect daughter.” He rasped, a flood of sorrow and regret washing over him.

He made a mistake, he never should have pushed her. He never should have skirted the responsibility, he never should have led her to make that decision. But he did. And now he was forever alone. The one person he loved ripped from his arms. Because he failed to be the man he promised to be.

Growing up, his family life was nothing desirable. He disliked talking about it since nothing good would ever come of it. He had believed that nothing good would ever come of him. But then he met her. Rachel. She was everything he wasn’t. Kind, beautiful, compassionate. She showed him what love really felt like and he learned to give it back.

They had been together a few years when it happened. She got pregnant. She was overjoyed. Nervous, but filled with happiness for this child. He… he was hesitant.

He didn’t think the child was a good idea.

He wasn’t sure if it was something either of them would really be able to handle, and in a period of rather intense financial instability, he recommended to her an abortion.

She didn’t want to, she loved this unborn child with all her heart. But he was insistent. They weren’t ready for it.

The issue caused some strain between them, but their love never failed them. Eventually, perhaps it was her self doubt and anxiety that she really wouldn’t be able to care for the child that she gave in and decided to get the abortion. It broke her heart, but she didn’t know what to do and the other person that should have been there, supporting her though it, was encouraging the opposite.

HE was planning to go with them, to be with her though everything, but he was delayed. He sent her on ahead, whispering to her that he would be right there in just a little while.

…

The taxi that she took got in a car accident on the way to the clinic. Hit by a truck.

The three passengers. The driver, Rachel, and their unborn child… all died.

He didn’t remember that time very well. Drowned in grief and alcohol. It was his fault wasn’t it? If he hadn’t insisted that she carve out this blessing of life that she had within her body she wouldn’t have even been on the road that day. She would be safe! She and their daughter would be alive!

Their daughter would have been 11 this year.

But she never even got to celebrate a single birthday. And it would have been because of him.

He could never forgive himself for that.

Even if they never made it to the clinic.

His head hung as he sat there in prolonged silence, warm happy memories playing in his mind, tinted with the pain and grief he could never erase. Tears didn’t flow, he had grown numb enough to it that they had ceased to flow. Now just a numbing pain that stabbed into his very heart. But a pain he couldn’t bear to forget.

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.

Derrick rolled over in bed and shuffled his blanket higher on his body. He was still kind of tired, whatever time it was, he had woken up a few too many times during the night. He was really trying his best to let himself rest and take his mind off the case, but it just kept tugging at him, giving him both dreams and nightmares.

He felt he should at least be allowed to enjoy his last day off for a little while.

He didn’t have any plans for today. He figured once he got himself rested, he could shoot a message to some of his buddies. See if anyone was available or interested in hanging out. The only problem was, it was a workday. Most of his friends would be busy with their jobs.

A problem for awake Derrick, not sleeping Derrick.

When he did get up, some time later, the sun had risen high in the sky. He tried messaging some friends, but as he expected, he either got no response or answers that they were preoccupied for the day.

He declined the offers to reschedule, he probably wouldn’t have a lot of time to mess around anytime soon. Even if he did have time, he wasn’t confident he’d really be able to put the case behind him and focus on the moment.

He’d gotten his shopping done yesterday, but he still entertained the idea of going out.

Maybe a hike would do him some good.

He took his time to make himself a solid breakfast, toast, some fried vegetables and some bacon. And only after finishing it did he start really thinking about what to do.

He had some letters from his grandmother, he’d already written the replies. When he went out today, he could also drop those off at the post office. Sure, he could call her or just shoot her a message. But she strongly enjoyed communicating via letters. A joy he was well willing to entertain.

He had forgotten to get some more instant coffee while he was shopping the other day, probably forgot because he rushed himself to not make Riley wait too long. The man offered to drive him back home and- after walking around in the heat of the day- he found that he was quite thankful for the offer.

So that was another stop he needed to make.

Maybe he could take a quick swing by the station to see if anything had- No! no no no no. Keep yourself out of it! I’ll be going back tomorrow, I won’t be getting involved in any of that stuff today.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. None of that would be happening. A good police was a well rested police, and he really did want to take this time to step away from the case for a moment.

He left his jacket behind again today, but brought his car keys with him as he stepped out the door.

He started up his car and drove towards the post office for his first stop.

He dropped off the letters, and headed over to the grocery store. He was quick to find what he needed and returned to his car. Hardly an hour had passed by then, he wasn’t feeling tired yet, but he held hope for a nap later in the day. I mean, what better way to spend a day off right?

He looked up into the sky as he stood outside his car. A walk through the woods did sound nice. It gave a different feeling than walking around town. He toyed with the idea a bit before humming to himself, getting back into his car, and heading off towards some of the trails.

He wasn’t sure if any of the local pools had opened up yet. If they were, maybe he could also spend some time to relax in the water after the hike. He didn’t count on the idea though.

After driving for a few minutes, he found himself in a far more heavily wooded area. Not too long after that, he also spotted the small parking lot he was looking for.

There were quite a few unofficial trails throughout these parts, where he was now was one of the official ones, fully furnished with a ranger station and resting area.

Since it was still a weekday and in the middle of the day, there weren’t too many cars there. Between the 6 or so trails, it was likely for him to not meet anyone during his trip. He got out of his car and locked it before approaching the old, worn trail map that stood before the entrance of the trails. He had a few choices, different lengths and different sights for each one.

He decided on one and once he found the mouth of the trail, started down it. There was something deeply soothing about the canopy of trees that obscured the light. It was quiet, but not silent. Soft rustles, chirps, and hums broke the otherwise intimidating ambiance brought from the lush overgrowth and the towering trees. Though it was midday, Derrick could still feel a hint of dampness as he went. He had to agree that spring was one of the best times to go hiking. Neither too cold nor too hot, hardly ever too dry. It was ideal conditions.

He let himself relax as he walked, emptying his mind and idly enjoying the scenery. His distraction worked for a while, but somewhere in the distance, he heard the sound of rushing water. It reminded him of the hill. The one where they found the graves of the other teenagers.

It wasn’t at this trail though, it was another one of the official trail parks, miles away. Some of the trails probably came close to each other, but they didn’t connect.

Some of these trails run closer to the studio though, right?

He hadn’t closely checked, but he was pretty sure that at least one of the trails in this park passed within a few yards of the old building. Of course, unless you knew it was there, you’d never actually notice it, it couldn’t be seen from the trail.

His thoughts continued to run as he kept on down the trail.

The hike really was a great idea on his part. He felt much more energized after all of it. He was on his way back now, most of the trails formed loops that led straight back to the lot where they entered. He was coming up on an intersection of some of the trails. Many of them converged into one single path to reach the exit.

As Derrick approached this intersection, he heard voices. There were two. A man and a woman, speaking back and forth. Once he moved farther forwards, he was able to see the hikers, no longer obscured by the trees and foliage.

He thought their voices sounded familiar, but he also couldn’t hear them well enough to be certain, not that he particularly cared. Once he saw them, however, he immediately recognized one of them. “Sheriff?” He blurted out without thinking.

The man was surprised and turned around to see him. It really was Sheriff Marcus. “Thompson? What are you doing here?”

“Just out for a walk, you sir?”

“hm, Just came out here to spend some time with my daughter.” He responded. Derrick glanced behind him to see the woman standing there. She was watching the two of them with a piercing gaze. He recognized her too, now that he could see her face. She had visited them once before at the station.

“Right, I never formally introduced you.” Marcus stepped to the side to stand between the two of them. “Thompson, this is my daughter Suzanna, Suzanna, this is Thompson, one of my officers.” They both smiled in greeting. Derrick stretched out his hand cordially.

“Nice to meet you Thompson.” Suzanna smiled, taking his hand with a light shake. Derrick laughed a bit. It felt strange to hear someone that wasn’t a work associate calling him that. “Please, call me Derrick. And it’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

“Which trail did you two just go on?” Derrick asked, engaging the two of them. “The Pipers trail.” Marcus answered. “What about you?”

“I think I just went on the Southern March trail.” Derrick answered. Again, the trails were old and the signage had yet to be replaced. He was pretty sure that was the trail he just went on, but the old, worn designator at the mouth of the trail didn’t exactly give him much confidence.

“Ohhh, I know the one. I like that one.” Suzanna commented. “It has good shade, it’s nice for some of the warmer seasons.” She added.

Derrick had to agree. The heat of summer could become a lot without the protecting shade of the trees.

“Want to finish up the walk with us?” Marcus invited. They were all headed down the same path now anyways, it would be pointless to move separately. Not to mention awkward.

“Of course, that sounds great.” Derrick sincerely replied. They kept chatting as they moved along the trail. Derrick got to know a lot as they went. Suzanna was a psychologist and worked locally at a ward. He happened to learn that Marcus actually had a honey bee allergy and that he was afraid of wasps. Marcus was groaning as Suzanna all too happily shared the stories. Derrick couldn’t hold back his laughter at some points, perhaps earning him some extra patrols, but he wouldn’t find out until tomorrow at least.

He shared some stories of his own. One time in his youth where he thought that the tooth fairy was real, and woke up once when his mother was taking a recently lost tooth from under his pillow to put money there instead, but thought she was stealing the tooth. Or the time when he enthusiastically painted his whole body blue with face paint for a sports event, only to find out afterwards that it was a difficult to remove oil based paint that he was scrubbing off of his body for weeks afterwards.

He in turn received the laughs of the other two.

They reached the end of trial quickly, too quickly for Derricks liking. He nearly mourned the loss of his conversation partners. Between the three of them, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Suzanna chose to speak up then. “There’s another trail right around here, small, unofficial. It goes over to one of the rivers. Wanna go?”

Their draining enthusiasm was rekindled. The three of them followed Suzanna down the hidden path that they never would have spotted if she hadn’t told them it was there. After a short walk, they heard the water, and after going a bit further, they found the stream.

Suzanna was first. She took off her shoes and socks, rolling her jeans up to mid-calf, and set her feet into the water before sitting down on the bank. “Ohh it’s cold!” She shivered. She still didn’t remove her feet though. Derrick also peeled off his shoes, and tentatively dipped into the water.

Marcus kept his shoes on, but he leaned down to dip his fingers into the cold current.

While the water was cold, it was quite refreshing after they’d built up some heat during their respective hikes.

“You come here often?” Derrick asked Suzanna. She seemed familiar with the place. At least enough to know of some secret trails.

“Sometimes.” She shrugged. “I like hiking though, I’ve been to most of the trails around town.” Derrick hummed in acknowledgement. “What about you?” She asked back.

“Me? Oh, I enjoy it, but I don’t do it often. Kinda feels like a waste with how nice these trails are.”

The conversation lulled and they all just took the time to relax into the scenery.

Feeling a little bored, Derrick naughtily reached down into the water and splashed the nearest target, Suzanna. She gasped at the sprinkle of cold water before splashing some back, but much harder than Derrick had. He laughed and the two of them went back and forth, getting progressively wetter.

Marcus seemed content to watch the fun, and- while not thrilled at watching his daughter get splashed- he was happy to see her having fun.

The water was indeed cold and Derrick’s feet were beginning to suffer. He tried to shift them, maybe step out of the water, but the stone he stepped on slipped under him.

Derrick wobbled for a moment before he went down with a splash. All he saw was the world tilting before an ice cold shock encompassed him. He was able to quickly get his feet under him and his head shot up out of the water as he gasped. It was less for air and more from the freezing cold quickly invading his body.

“Sweet Jesus!” He exclaimed. There was deep laughter coming from the shore, along with the squeals as Suzanna was hit by the splashes of cold water from his fall.

He quickly beelined for the shore, unwilling to stay in the frigid water. Once he got out, he hardly felt any better. What was once a nice, soothing breeze now felt like glacial claw digging into his skin. He shivered in the cool breeze. “Man, that’s cold!”

Marcus was stifling his laugh from where he was watching, any previous disgruntlement gone.

“I didn’t bring any towels, wasn’t exactly planning on getting in, we should probably head back to the ranger station to see if they have anything.” Suzanna managed out despite the residual laughter still wracking her body.

Derrick Shivered again and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’s freezing out here.”

She shuffled to her feet and dusted herself off. Marcus turned back and started back the way they came when she shouted to him. “Wait! Wait! Let me get my shoes on first! Don’t go without me.”

She hobbled to get her shoes back on, having patted her wet feet off on the sides of her pants. She wrestled with her socks to get them back over her damp feet.

Marcus waited by the entrance to the trail leading back, Derrick standing behind him. He didn’t even try to put his shoes back on, they would only get soaked. He held them in his hands to carry them back instead. Hopefully there weren’t any thorns on the trail that he was unaware of

Once Suzanna was ready, the three of them walked back out the way they came, though one of them was now completely soaked.

Once they re emerged from the trail, Marcus headed onwards to the ranger station, He greeted the ranger, clearly an old friend of his, enthusiastically. Suzanna and Derrick waited a few meters away, to both give Marcus some time with his friend and so Derrick wouldn’t be trailing water near the station.

“Nick! Didn’t know I’d see you here!” Marcus called.

The ranger turned to meet him once he heard the greeting. A matching smile was spread across his face. “Evans? Good to see you! You sure seem to be in a real chipper mood?” He responded. “The ever solemn sheriff, out here having fun… Who would’a thought?” He teased.

Marcus rolled his eyes as he brought his hand up to pat the ranger’s shoulder. “Can’t a man enjoy some time with his daughter?” He asked.

His friend perked up. “Oooh, Is that little Suzie?” He asked, peering behind Marcus to see the other two waiting outside. They didn’t see him, deep in their own conversation.

“She’s really grown up. Wow! I remember when she was this tall!” He held his palm up to his waist for emphasis. Marcus let out a fond smile at the memories of a tiny Suzanna running around. “Is that her boyfriend?” Nick guessed.

“What?” Marcus peered around to see Suzanna and Derrick chatting away about something. Derrick was still shivering, but both had smiles on their faces.

“Looks like a good lad.” Nick commented.

Marcus narrowed his eyes a bit. Suzanna was certainly enjoying herself, but that brat? With his daughter? He scoffed. “No, they aren’t together.”

Nick gave a little “oh”. “Well, let me know when they do get together, I’ll stop by with a gift.”

Marcus gave him a look. “Who says they are getting together?”

“20 bucks says so.”

Marcus hmphed. “Well, 20 more says they don’t.”

“Oh, you’re on.” Nick grinned. He knew two young lovebirds when he saw it. No doubt. Ol’ Evan was gonna be walking someone down the isle soon. Whether he realized it or not.

“What are you here for anyways?” He asked. Marcus jolted like he only just remembered something. “Oh right! I came to see if you had a towel or anything.”

Nick let out a short laugh. “For the boy aint it? I was wondering why he was so wet.” He chuckled.

He glanced around the interior of the station. “hmm, not sure if have much…” After a quick nose-around, all he was able to return with was a half-sized towel that wouldn’t be nearly enough to dry him off. “Sorry, all we got right now.” Nick offered as he handed the towel to Marcus. Marcus waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it, he’ll live.”

He turned to head out of the hut. “I’ll bring this back later!” He waved the towel at him. Nick just gave him a nod of acknowledgement and watched him head back over to the two young adults.

Once Marcus was gone, Suzanna spoke. “Thank you.”

Derrick paused his shivering. “For what?”

“You spoke to my dad, didn’t you?

Thanks to you we were able to talk some things out.”

He let the silence go for a minute. There was no doubt that Suzanna knew. “How’d you know it was me?” He asked, fueled by bored curiosity more than anything.

“It just felt like it? I mean, it’s my job to get inside people’s heads and understand what they’re thinking. My dad clearly spoke to someone, and I felt like that someone was you.”

“Almost sounds supervillain-y” He joked. She scoffed a smile at that.

“You live near here?” She asked. Derrick shook his head. “It’s a little further away, over in the east side”

Suzanna grimaced. “You should come over to my place, At least get dried off before you head back. At least, I presume you’d be headed back?”               

“Yeah, I don’t any other plans.” He answered. “You have any clothes you think would fit me?” He joked. “I don’t think these are drying anytime soon.”

“Some of my dad’s might.” She responded honestly. “There should still be some in one of the spare bedrooms.”

“That’s nice.” He commented idly. His shivering had long resumed, though he was able to suppress the chattering of teeth.

Marcus came back over with a small towel. “This was the best they got.” He announced. Derrick still took it anyways. Pressing it around his shoulders and waist.

“Why don’t I drive us all back to my place and we can stay there for a bit?” Suzanna suggested. Though now It was more so and invitation to Marcus since Derrick was already on board. “Sounds alright with me.” He shrugged, though he sent an odd look at Derrick.

As they started again for the parking lot Suzanna spoke to Derrick. “Just ride in my car. You can stay till we get your clothes dried. My dad can drop you off over here once you’re ready to go, he’ll be passing by this area when he leaves anyways.”

“Okay.” He agreed. It would at least save his car seat from getting soaked, so he had no complaints.

Suzanna approached her old blue car and stepped into the divers seat. Marcus silently claimed the front seat, Suzanna must have driven him here, so Derrick moved to the back. He laid the dampened towel across the seat before sitting down. At least the seats were leather, so he didn’t have to worry about really soaking the chair.

The drive was short, soon the car was pulling into a patchy but quaint driveway. The house was a slate grey with dark shutters and a red door. The red wasn’t obnoxious, but brought a touch of color to the building instead.

Once the car was parked, the three of them got out and approached the door. Suzanna called Derrick inside and so he followed them into the foyer. The foyer was tile, fortunately leaving out the possibility of ruining any wooden flooring with the remaining wetness dripping from him. There were two stairs in front of the foyer, one extending up and the other leading down. One to the basement, and the other to the main part of the house that was on the upper floor.

“Stay there for a moment, I’ll go grab another towel.” Suzanna instructed. As she whipped up the steps she also gave instructions to Marcus. “You go grab some extra clothes from the guest room. Make sure they’re clean!” She disappeared in seconds after leaving her message.

Marcus lumbered up the stairs after her, also turning out of sight from the foyer as he moved to the guest room.

He rifled through the drawers to find suitable clothes, ones that were more likely to fit Derrick anyways.

After a minute of searching he shouted. “I can’t find my grey sweatshirt! Do you know where it is?” Another cry answered him a moment later. “Oh, It’s gone, I gave it to someone, sorry!”

Shame, I really liked that sweatshirt.

Learning that the object of his search was gone, he selected some different clothes and brought them back out to the foyer.

He saw that Derrick had now run a new towel through his hair and wrapped it around his waist to soak of the majority of the water as it gravitated towards the ground. Suzanna was with him, facing away, busy trying to coax his shirt off him. The thing was sopping wet and would definitely drip as he tried to move over to a bathroom to shower or change.

Marcus cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the two of them. Suzanna quickly stopped her actions and made a small step away from Derrick. Glancing away shyly as she realized the image that they made.

Marcus stepped the rest of the way down the stairs and handed Derrick the change of clothes. “The guestroom is the second door on the left, Shower or get changed. Whatever you want.”

“Okay.” Derrick took the clothes and moved past him up the steps.

He opted not to take a shower, He wasn’t planning on staying long, enough to dry his clothes, he would rather spend the time talking to Suzanna or Marcus instead of in a shower. He could take one back home if he really felt like it.

He removed the last of his soaked clothing and, ensuring that he was dry enough, put on the spare clothes. They were a little loose and certainly not his style, but it was nice to be out of the cold, wet clothes he had been confined in.

He rifled through his pockets and removed everything inside. He opened his wallet and was pleasantly surprised that the inside was actually mostly dry. He still had to remove some bills to air out and dry. Luckily, He had left his phone in his car for the hike, not wanting to be disturbed on the low chance that anyone did call him.

He picked up his wet clothes along with the damp towel and walked back out of the guest room. He wandered towards the larger rooms on the other side of the stairs up from the foyer. “Hey! I’ve got my clothes, do you know where the dryer is? Or if I should just leave it to hang somewhere?” He called to Suzanna once he spotted her. She was in the kitchen, clearing some dirty dishes out of the sink. “Oh yeah, dryer should be fine. I’ll show you where it is.” She wiped her hands off and waved Derrick to follow her down the steps. The two of them passed the foyer and continued down into the basement. The basement was carpeted but furnished like another room of the house. It only looked a little extra dreary. The main room of the basement had a glass sliding door to one side that opened to a small backyard. The house must have been built on a hill since the basement door led straight outside.

She led him around to the other side of the steps, a much smaller room, and revealed the twin clothes-machines side by side. She pointed to one of them. “This is the dryer. Here, dump your stuff in there.” She said as she pulled open the door on the front of the machine. Derrick obediently tossed the bundle of wet fabric inside.

Suzanna closed the door heavily and went about pressing a few buttons on the machine before it started to thrum.

“There we go!” She exclaimed, patting off her hands. “It should be about an hour till it’s done.” She informed.

“Well, I’ve got nowhere else to be.” Derrick joked. It was true, he hadn’t planned anything else aside from a nap.

Suzanna laughed. “That’s good.” With a slight tilt of her head, she led them both back upstairs. Marcus was now mulling around too.

“You sit wherever you want. If you’re hungry I might be able to get something out, otherwise, I have a bag of pretzels and half a pot of coffee if you’re interested.” She said to Derrick.

“Pretzels sound nice.” He smiled.

Suzanna disappeared into the kitchen to find the snack. Derrick decided that he should probably go bring his wallet and personal items out of the guest room lest he forget them when it was time to go. He quickly went back down the hall while Suzanna was gone.

“So who’d you give the sweatshirt to?” Marcus asked Suzanna once she entered the kitchen. Now it wasn’t that he really cared that much about the sweatshirt. I mean, it was a favorite of his, but the choice of topic was just an attempt to start a conversation with Suzanna.

She glanced at him while she headed for the pantry. “No one in particular, just some guy. I found him on a hike and brought him back because he was injured and didn’t have anywhere else to go.” She casually responded.

However, this made Marcus pause. “You what?” His tone had changed slightly. From a blind curiosity, to a pressing concern and incredulousness. He hoped she was joking. But no, it didn’t seem that way.

“While I was hiking I came across this guy, he was injured and seemed confused so I gave him some first aide and let him stay the night.”  She furthered her story, shrugging.

“Zanna, you let a stranger into your house… And you let him stay the night?!”

This was the first thing Derrick heard as he came back from getting his things.

“What were you thinking?!”

Zanna half rolled her eyes. “He wasn’t dangerous dad, everything was fine!”

“Suzanna, you don’t know this person, he could have very well been a serial killer! What would you have done?!”

“It’s my job to understand the kind of a person someone is and to judge their behavior. In case you’ve forgotten. I can tell someone who’s up to no good from a person that’s just in need of help!” She gestured at him, an irritation growing in her voice.

Marcus sighed angrily. “You should still know better than to let random people into your house! And letting him stay the night?! You’re the daughter of a police officer, I know that you know better than this!”

Now Suzanna snapped. “yeah? Well, I’m not an officer myself, am I? So maybe I don’t.”

Marcus could only sigh again. Hadn’t they just managed to get past this? Why were they going right back to square one?

In the brief moment of silence that Marcus refused to respond to, Suzanna turned around and left. She wasn’t as angry as she looked actually, just… annoyed. She could take care of herself. She wasn’t made of glass. She was well aware that what she did wasn’t ideal, but in the situation, she trusted her feelings. And what do you know? Nothing happened.

Her father just… He had to understand at some point that she was going to make decisions that he might not agree with. As a father, she would accept his suggestion, but she wouldn’t blindly follow his opinions.

Once she left the kitchen, she spotted a very-awkwardly frozen Derrick sitting stiffly on the couch. She scoffed a small laugh. She could see the myriad of conflicting emotions on his face. Mostly embarrassment, confusion, concern, and regret. Yeah, he probably regretting being here to hear that argument.

She felt a little embarrassed being heard too, but it wasn’t enough to deter her, not when she could see how much more it affected Derrick. She turned and walked over to him and sat down next to him. He might’ve flinched when she did, still utterly horrified that he had to hear all that. No one liked witnessing a personal, family argument.

“Sorry about that.” She apologized. Derrick smiled stiffly. “Oh, no no no no, I- It’s fine, Don’t- don’t worry about me.”

She was mildly amused by his behavior, since he was considerably more awkward about it than she was. Still, she sighed, slouching against the back pillow of the coach and letting her head fall back. “Just some… personal disagreements.”

Her eyes traced along the lines of the ceiling, drawing invisible patterns.

“I- I don’t want to pry- but… I think your dad is right.” Derrick spoke quietly. He knew it wasn’t his place to say anything. But he also felt bad to do nothing and let the two of them battle.

“It’s not that he doesn’t trust you- it’s just- he’s really worried about you and would be devastated if anything happened to you.” He tried to put things into perspective a little.

Suzanna sighed. “I know.”

“you- you know?”

“Yeah, I know. But it doesn’t make me feel any better when he tries to undermine my decisions as if I’m not an independent adult.” She wasn’t particularly interested in pursuing this conversation though.

Derrick let out a small breath, having also relaxed a bit more now that he wasn’t listening to the two of them argue. “I’m sure he’s just a little bit worked up because of the recent case. You know, one of the victims of the guy we’re looking for was jumped by him while walking home at night.”

Suzanna blinked. “Oh, yeah, I heard about that one.”

“Found anything on the guy?” She asked.

Derrick paused. Caught between answering her question honestly or sticking to Marcus’s will to keep her distant from it all.

In the end, he realized there was hardly a difference in either option.

“No… nothing. No leads, no traces, no nothing. Nothing conclusive anyways.”

She hummed.

“He really is overacting though, this happened a while before any of that.” She mumbled.

“When’d you meet him?” Derrick asked. If nothing else, he’d be able to match with the dates in his head and further solidify that this person she helped had nothing to do with it.

She frowned thoughtfully, moving her head back into upright position.

“It was… at least a few weeks ago… maybe a month, I don’t remember the date…” She mused. Derrick counted back in his mind, but once he reached the end he wasn’t quite satisfied with the results he got. That could be… within a few days of when the first “strange occurrences” started happening.

“You said he was injured right? Was it bad, did he go to the hospital?”

“Oh, yeah, well, no. It was a pretty nasty gash on his arm. He didn’t want to go to the hospital. He looked kinda overwhelmed, nervous, I didn’t want to push him. I mean, If he were bleeding more I would’ve sent him anyways, but the bleeding was mostly gone by the time I bandaged him.”

She paused before speaking again, explaining what derrick may have missed. “I came across him when I was out on a hike, same park as earlier.”

“Oh?” Derrick quirked with concern. “Did he fall while on a trail or something?” He didn’t think there were too many heights in the area, so did he just have a bad trip?

She shrugged. “Not sure. Found him in the river actually, the same one you fell in.” she ended with a joking jab to his ribs. Derrick gave a small laugh.

“He didn’t look… too banged up. I mean, there were a lot of scars. I mean, a lot, probably ex-military or something. Other than that, there was only this black goo.”

Derrick could swear his heart skipped a beat. “Black goo?” He asked. He was quick to remind himself that there a plenty of other things it could have been, but now he had to be sure.

“Yeah, it was all over. His clothes were stained and he had a lot of it on his skin. Not sure what it actually was though. I thought it was just mud at first, but I guess some of it must have rubbed off onto one of the bathroom towels when he showered here, I washed it multiple times but it wouldn’t come out.” She explained.

Derrick sat up alertly, this ominous feeling only growing. “Do you still have it? Could you show me?” Now the growing intensity and urgency in his voice couldn’t be hidden. Suzanna certainly noticed. “Why? Is… something wrong?”

“I… It’s really hard to explain right now, but please. I need to see and make sure it’s not what I think it is.” She could easily hear the honesty and desperation in his tone. She didn’t question it further. Believe it or not, she knew when to be stubborn and when to do what she was told.

She nodded and quickly disappeared into the basement. Derrick waited impatiently. It only took her a minute to grab the towel, but it felt like longer.

“Here.” She handed it to him.

It was a light beige bath towel with no distinct features aside from the unnatural black stains smeared across it. The stains weren’t large, not a work of intention if he had to guess. He brought the towel up to his nose to smell, but all he could make out was the smell of detergent. “I tried washing it multiple times, the only thing I can be certain of is that is wasn’t mud and I don’t think it was car oil.” Suzanna offered.

That didn’t leave too many options and Derrick was getting increasingly worried as the option he was guarding against had yet to be eliminated.

“I need to know everything about this guy that you can remember.” He said, a twinge of authority that she hadn’t heard from him before in his voice. He wasn’t joking around, and this wasn’t a casual question out of curiosity.

“I-” She didn’t know where to start, I mean, she hardly knew anything, he was a stranger after all. She still thought back on it and tried to recall all that she could.

“He… had had dark hair. A little long, well, not long-long, just messy and untrimmed. He didn’t talk much, he seemed shy. Again, lots of scars and lots of dark stains…”

“Oh! Uh- a few odd things…

He didn’t have a shirt, at least when I found him. None of the scars looked like bullet wounds either. They were all slashes or gashes of some kind.”

“No bullet wounds is weird?” Derrick inserted.

“For someone I presumed to be ex-military, yeah. To have that many scars and for none of them to be bullet wounds.”

Derrick hummed thoughtfully with a frown. It was true.

“Umm. He said… He said he’d been in an accident. I assumed that was where he got hurt from. He didn’t react much when I bandaged it. Didn’t even seem worried about it at all. I guess he must have been used to the pain, which only furthered my assumption that he was military.”

“An accident...” Derrick mumbled. He was pretty sure he’d have remembered if one happened recently. Even when he thought back, he had no memory of an accident report at that time in this jurisdiction.

“We spoke a little bit… He said he had family in the area and that he was coming to visit them. Said his name was Oliver-“

“Oliver!?” Derrick couldn’t help raising his voice.

“I- yes, Oliver… Is something wrong?”

Also: just bc i can. 

this is my excuse for why the previous chapter took so long... i decided to cram to get this costume done

(so worth it tho, srry not srry)

Chapter Text

“We spoke a little bit… He said he had family in the area and that he was coming to visit them. Said his name was Oliver-“

“Oliver!?” Derrick couldn’t help raising his voice.

“I- yes, Oliver… Is something wrong?”

Marcus had heard Derrick’s shout. He paused his lamenting on how he had already managed to break their fragile family peace and exited the kitchen. He quickly spotted the two of them sitting on the couch of the living room. But when he saw Suzanna he felt the guilt and regret coming back to him. He ought to give her some space right? She probably didn’t want to talk to him right now.

Derrick spotted him quickly. “Marcus!” He called. Screw their family argument, this was much bigger than that.

Marcus was mildly alarmed by the urgent and non-humorous tone. Something wasn’t right. Suzanna had turned to see him too, having been facing Derrick.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

Derrick stood to speak.

“I think you need to hear this.” He said solemnly.

Suzanna was now both concerned and confused. “What? Did something happen?” NO one had given her a solid answer yet, just given increasingly more alarmed reactions to every question that she answered.

She looked back and forth between Derrick and her father.

“I think… this might be the guy we’re looking for. The one responsible for the harassment and attacks. Jamie Leswin’s murderer.”

The father and daughter both startled. Both for different reasons though.

Suzanna was surprised to hear that someone had been murdered, even more so surprised that it seemed to be the harmless young man she had helped and brought home.

Marcus was surprised because this was the last place he had ever expected to find a clue.

“What are you saying?” He pried.

Derrick glanced back at Suzanna. “We were talking about the person she found. The one she helped and let stay here.”

Marcus felt a buzzing in his mind. It couldn’t be… right?

“What do you-?”

“He said his name was Oliver, he was covered in a strange black substance and was littered in scars… His appearance matches the timeline of when the oddities first started appearing around the victims too…”

The chills Marcus felt was quickly replaced by a heat. A burning anger. How dare someone like him get so close to his daughter.

“Wait! You’re saying what!? Look, I’ve seen him, he didn’t look like he’d hurt anyone!” Suzanna exclaimed. She trusted her father on his judgement, and her father clearly trusted Derrick, but she had seen him. This person that she met was- was strange yes, but not a murderer!

“I certainly wouldn’t let him in my house if he were a criminal or even seemed dangerous for that matter.”

Derrick knew that. But he also knew that something was amiss here.

“Suzanna-!” Marcus started.

“I think you’re right.”

Derrick’s words caused the other two to pause.

“What?” Suzanna didn’t think he would agree with her.

“Thompson what are you-!?”

“He wasn’t dangerous when you found him. It was something after that that may have triggered him.” Derrick theorized. “When was the last time you saw him?”

She thought about it. “I mean, it was the next day. I handed him some cash to get a haircut. I thought he would’ve come back, it was set to storm really hard later, but he didn’t. I thought about driving around to look for him, but it would have been pointless.”

“Half of the reason I let him stay was because I didn’t want to leave him out in the storm and he certainly didn’t have anywhere else to be.” She added. Yeah, she’d have still offered to help the guy, at least would have helped with his injury. But letting him stay over? That was because she knew he didn’t anywhere else to stay and couldn’t leave him out in a storm.

“You never saw him again? He never came back?” Marcus pressed.

“No. I haven’t seen him since.”

 Well that was a relief.

“Still,” Marcus looked back to Derrick. “What makes you so confident that he was fine and normal when he came here?” He asked.

Derrick readily answered. “Well, I don’t think he would have shared his name or so much as followed Suzanna home if he knew he was planning to murder someone. Anyone decently smart would know that leaving a trail before doing something like that is dumb. Besides, as Suzanna said. She can probably tell a bloodthirsty killer from a normal guy, I think she has at least enough skill to know that.”

Marcus couldn’t disagree with him. Suzanna was good at what she did.

“Zanna, I need you to tell me everything you can remember about your whole interaction. From start to finish.” Marcus pressed.

Suzanna didn’t object. This was clearly bigger than she thought.

She told them everything. How she was following what looked like an extra trial leading into the woods, how she stumbled across the shirtless man standing in the river. Marcus scowled then, but she ignored it. She described his appearance as best as she could, diving into more detail with his physical quirks that she noticed, an occupational habit. She told them about how she treated his injury, how she brought him back.

She did omit extra details that she knew meant nothing and would only get on her father’s nerves. Like how they ate together.

“The next day I gave him a bit of cash and told him to get a haircut. There is a salon nearby, still walking distance. It was kinda getting on my nerves with how poorly cut it was. I thought he’d come back, I mean, the storm was coming and you’d have to be blind to not see it, but he didn’t come back.”

“Never saw him again.”

Marcus and Derrick were both listening intently. Now that they’d heard the whole thing, they were even more confident that this was the person they were after. The location of the river too, it runs close to the studio. Marcus even pulled up a amp to be sure. He could have easily left the studio and followed the sound to the river only to meet Suzanna.

While Marcus was upset, he was happier that Suzanna was safe and didn’t seem to have gotten on the bad side of this suspected killer.

Derrick noted some of the important points. “You said that he admitted to being from out of town and was in town to visit and stay with some relatives. But it was supposed to be a surprise.” It was likely an excuse. He wouldn’t have been able to explain what really happened so he just made something up.

“Yes. But… I guess he never said he was out of town, I just asked if he was and he nodded.” Suzanna affirmed.

“I think we should make another visit to the Darrell girls.” Marcus said, looking at Derrick. Derrick hummed in agreement. If Oliver had reached out to someone, it was most likely them. Of course, that didn’t mean they were in trouble, but they were the next most likely source of information.

Despite all of it, Derrick had to admit, it was nice to be able to pin down the identity of the killer, even if they were lacking the most crucial part of the evidence. It finally felt like they weren’t just chasing a ghost.

By the time the three of them had finished talking and brainstorming through their new information, the evening had arrived. Derrick retrieved his long forgotten -but now dry- clothes from the drying machine. He made sure to thank them both for the… delightful? Afternoon. He wasn’t sure if that was what he should call it. Learning that your new friend had accidentally invited a murderer into their house to stay the night was hardly a delightful experience.

Still, he enjoyed the other conversations. He and Suzanna had also exchanged numbers while Marcus went to the bathroom. He left with the promise of going out for another hike sometime soon.

Marcus drove him back to the trail lot for him to drive his own car home. Derrick thanked Marcus again as he got out of his car. “See you tomorrow Thompson.” Marcus called. “Yes, sir! See you then.” Before he turned away, Marcus stopped him. “Thompson!”

“hm?”

“…I don’t wanna see you nosing around my daughter, alright?”

Derrick froze for a second. huh?

Marcus narrowed his eyes at him. “No funny business.”

“None here sir!” Derrick responded as seriously as he could manage with a mock salute. Marcus could and would fully double his patrols. No funny business here? Whatever you say! He stepped away as Marcus put the car back in gear and started off. He marched over to his own car and sat himself into the driver's seat.

Derrick flipped through his messages while sitting there to ensure there was nothing urgent for him to see. The only new things were the belated responses from some of his friends that he had missed.

Once he was in the clear, he started up his car and pulled out of the lot to drive himself home. The sun was down by the time he got there, but at least it saved him from having to decide on how to spend the remainder of his day. He allowed himself a small meal before slipping into bed, dreading yet also anticipating work tomorrow.

.

.

.

Derrick drove into the station early the next day. There was a lot happening today. The lab reports and the autopsy report for Jamie Lewsin’s body would be out either today or tomorrow, depending on how things went the past few days, and he and Marcus had found a new lead.

They planned on officially documenting Suzanna’s statement and then paying a visit to the two Darrell sisters. Derrick had spoken to the one before, but now they definitely needed to see both. No stone could be left unturned.

Entering into the office, there were more people than usual. Marcus must have made sure there were extra on duty anyways since the two of them would be fairly pre-occupied today. Derrick headed straight to the sheriffs’ office and knocked on the door. True to his expectations, Marcus’s voice called him in. He stepped inside.

“Derrick, have a good rest?”

“Good enough, what’s the plan for the day?”

Marcus flashed a glance at his wristwatch before he shuffled through a few papers on his desk. “It’s about 7:30 now, Suzanna should be here before 8:30. We’ll get her statement and add it to the case evidence. I don’t think it’ll take more than two hours to get everything we need.”

He paused to filter a few pages out from the stack in his hands and back down to the desk. “Directly after that we’ll be heading to the Darrell residence.”

Derrick nodded in understanding. “Will they be home though?” He asked. The sisters didn’t exactly have time to schedule with them and as far as he was aware, they were pretty busy.

“They should be.” Marcus answered. “I had one of the officers on duty last night give their number a call to let them know we’d be stopping by. If they aren’t there, we’ll give them another call and if we can’t find them, go another day.”

Derrick agreed. “That sounds good, do we know when the lab reports will be coming in?” He asked.

Marcus shrugged. “We’re expecting them tomorrow at the latest. I’ll leave Riley in charge of that if they come in while we’re out.”

Derrick nodded. “understood.”

Marcus didn’t seem to have anything else to say to him, so he turned and left. Until Suzanna arrived, he had his own work to do.

True to her word, Suzanna arrived before 8:30. To be exact, it was 8:15 when she strolled into the station. She knew her way around enough to know where her father’s office was. She approached the door and made a few soft knocks.

Inside Marcus glanced at his watch before standing up to open the door himself. He too figured it was most likely Zanna knocking. The door creaked open and Marcus found Suzanna waiting on the other side. “Where do we need to go for this?” She asked, straight to the point.

“Over here,” Marcus led her down the hall, giving a quick, impatient knock on Derrick’s office door as he passed. The man knew that kind of knock meant business –Now-.  So he scrambled up and joined them down the hall, trailing behind Suzanna. He offered her a quick, cheerful smile when their eyes met. More sincere than he thought he could manage on a day like this. She smiled politely in return.

“In here.” He directed. Suzanna stepped in alongside him into the empty room. She hadn’t exactly been in a situation like this before, if she ever did need to give some kind of statement, it was usually a written document of her observations submitted through her workplace as an official psychologist. She was expecting the grim, “interrogation room” but found a (still rather bleak) office instead.

She sat down in the chair Marcus offered. “I was expecting something a little more… intimidating?”

Behind her Derrick huffed a small laugh. “You mean the interrogation room?”

“Yeah, isn’t that where you’d do things like this? Or do I get special treatment?”

Marcus also joined in the conversation. “Well, the main question is: Do you need the interrogation room?”

Suzanna made a little “ah” sound as she understood what he meant. No need to intimidate someone eager to share all they knew and was being undoubtably honest.

Marcus opened up a laptop and set up a few machines in the room while she sat there. Derrick was standing against the wall behind her, he helped Marcus with any of the set up that was near to him. “What’s all this?” She asked.

“Recording equipment.” Marcus answered. “It ensures that neither of us can lie about what happened in here and serves as a second reference for everything from this session that we add as evidence.”

Suzanna soaked in the knowledge curiously. She continued to ask a few questions, poking at wires and questioning their usages. Derrick felt a bit warm seeing the eased interaction between the two of them. He wasn’t quite sure how things went before, but it seemed that Marcus probably did let up a little on keeping Suzanna out of his business.

Once everything was together, it was Derrick actually, who moved to take the seat across the desk and in front of Suzanna.

“Oh? Are you the one doing it?” she asked.

Marcus answered again this time. “As your father, I can’t be the one distributing the investigation unless no other options are available. Besides, Thompson needs practice.”

She nodded and settled back into her chair.

A while later, she stepped out of the room and stretched her arms wide above her head. It was surprisingly exhausting to sit in a chair answering questions for over an hour. She looked at the clock hung high on the wall of the hallway. 10:05. So about and hour and 45 minutes had passed. At least they were thorough.

Marcus and Derrick had nothing else for her to do, so they sent her off with a wave. Before they went out to look for the Darrell girls, they had to sort through and finalize the information they just collected. With some elbow grease, but they finished just before 11.

The both of them wasted little time and set off in the direction of the address they had received.

While they drove, Derrick spoke. It was something that was bothering him, and for a good reason too. “I know that this is all pointing to Oliver and all, but the way Suzanna described him doesn’t match up well.

I mean, she said he had dark, if not black hair. But Oliver had light brown.”

Marcus had considered that too. When he passed Suzanna a picture of Oliver and asked if that was the person she saw, she was confused.

“It’s hard to say.” She said. “I mean, this is a much younger picture. But he also kind of hid his face with his hair, but even that aside, his hair was dark, much darker than this.”

It was strange, but the only other boys with hair that could pass for what she saw was either Dylan, a confirmed deceased, Soren, a victim of the case, or with a bit of a stretch, Jamie, a victim and recently confirmed deceased.

Even so, Marcus was quite convinced. “If we consider that everything that happened to those kids in that place, whatever happened, and however that’s possible, then I wouldn’t say it’s out of the realm of possibility that his hair was dyed black after spending 7 years in a place supposedly flooded with ink. It’d probably take more than a shower or two to wash that out.”

There weren’t other options. Oliver’s hair was actually the lightest out of the boys on the hair spectrum, still a brunette though, followed by Lumien, then Jamie, then Dylan and Soren.

“As for the rest of it, yeah, it’s hard to connect the dots perfectly, he could have changed considerably with his stay in “the studio”. But right now, it’s the closest thing we have to him.”

Derrick listened as Marcus explained. That was true, it was hard to say what all had changed with his supposed stay in the studio. Especially after that period of time, assuming he had been there the whole time, anything could have happened.

It’d honestly be weirder if he came out looking the same as he did before. Though, it would make things easier for them.

They passed through the shopping district as they approached the address. Derrick eyes lingered on the restaurants lining the street. It was close to lunchtime; he was getting a bit hungry.

His eyes caught sight of a familiar store. It was the one Riley took him to last time. If he remembered correctly, one of the Darrell sisters was on shift that day. He had nearly missed it, but after thinking back on it, realized he recognized her.

Could they be working today? He wondered.

“Hey, think we could stop for a minute? I want to grab something real quick.”

Marcus quirked a brow but dutifully followed Derrick’s instructions to park near the storefront.

Derrick hopped out and headed inside. He could get himself some food and check to see if either sister was working here today. They had told them they’d stop by today, but what were the odds they’d have the entire day free to sit and wait for them?

The bell chimed as he opened the door and a voice greeting him. He looked over and saw it was indeed one of the Darrel sisters. What luck.

Still, he moved towards the back and picked out some food, he didn’t want to keep Marcus waiting. He brought his things over to the checkout. Juliana smiled and started checking out his items. He was about to open his mouth and mention the meeting with Marcus, but paused when someone walked out of the staff room door located behind the counter.

It was the other sister!

Well, guess there was no need to make the trip to their residence.

The one sister finished printing off his receipt while the other one busied herself between the aisles.

He went off outside and approached the car. Marcus was tapping his finger on the wheel a bit impatiently. His eyes watched the door of the store.

“C’mon officer, we have places to be.” Marucs ushered.

Derrick just smiled. “Really? I think this is the place to be.”

Marcus looked at him grumpily. “get in, we aren’t done with our trip.”

Derrick smile didn’t waver. “I don’t we’ll find anyone even if we go though.”

Now Marcus seemed to sense something was off. “What do you mean?”

Thompon leaned in closer, sticking his head through the opened window of the passenger side. “I mean both are on shift right now.” He quirked a thumb behind him. “in there.” He added.

It took a Marcus a second to process. “You couldn’t have just said so?” He grumbled, turning off the car and getting out.

Derrick’s smile grew bigger with amusement. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Marcus just huffed and walked inside, ignoring Derrick.

The bell rang and both of them entered the store. Derrick could see a flash of confusion on Juliana’s face. Wondering why he had come back in and why he brought someone along.

Marcus definitely recognized them too. He approached the register straight away and began speaking.

“Good morning.” He greeted. “I’m Sheriff Evans, this is Officer Thompson. We were hoping to be able to have a word with you and ask a few questions.” Juiliana straightened up a bit. That was right, she had almost forgotten, they got a call sometime the other day that the police were looking to stop by. She just didn’t have the luxury of being at their beck and call.

“Yes, of course.”

Marcus glanced around a bit and spotted the other sister, Jessica. She was looking at them, having heard at least a bit of their conversation as she finished her work on the shelves.

“Would it be possible to speak to both of you?” He asked. “Or does one of you need to stay here?”

He question was directed at both of them.

Juliana answered. “One of us needs to stay here.” She said. She definitely wanted to speak in a more private area, but she couldn’t leave the store unattended to. That would be a quick way to get fired and she needed this job.

“We can do one at a time.” Marcus nodded.

Juliana called Jessica over. It was almost her turn with the counter anyways. “You handle this, I’ll go first.”

Jessica had no arguments. She took her place behind the counter while Juliana moved out from behind it. “Do you have somewhere we can talk privately?” Marcus asked. She gave an affirmation and led them back into the staff-only room.

Luckily, they didn’t have another co-worker on shift today. Well, if there was, maybe one of them wouldn’t have had to stay with the register.

She didn’t over think it. She made sure there was space around the dinky table that they usually sat around during breaks. She cleared off the excess stuff and politely gestured for them to sit.

“So what is this about?” She asked. She was quite confident that she hadn’t done anything recently, unless it was some absurd parking ticket she somehow missed, so she was quite calm this time. Well, calm-er. She was still a little apprehensive.

Marcus and Derrick both knew that was going to be one heck of a conversation. Marcus led it though, much to Derrick’s relief.

“We need to ask you some questions. Please answer honestly.”

“Around late April or early May did you see, interact with, or come across any strange or suspicious individuals?”

Juliana twisted her face in thought and in confusion. “no..? I don’t think so.”

“Is- Is this about the incident from last time?”

Marcus didn’t answer. “Next question; Have you at all seen or interacted with Oliver in any way after the events of 7 years ago?”

Juliana’s mood visibly soured. What the h*ll were they hinting at? Oliver was gone! Why were they asking this!?

“No.”

She answered bluntly. Har annoyance, anger even, could be heard clearly as she made no effort to dilute it.

“My brother is dead. I don’t know what part of that you don’t understand.”

She was feeling bitter. They kept saying things like this, as if it wasn’t a nightmare in and of itself for her to get over. As if they weren’t the ones to tell her that he was dead and gone.

Marcus sighed softly. “I understand, and believe me, we aren’t fools either. If we suspect Oliver, it’s because there aren’t any other more feasible options. We might be barking up the wrong tree here, but I’d rather at least ensure it’s not him, than to disregarding the possibility because of the unlikely circumstances.”

He understood that these questions sounded more like jabs at a poorly healed wound, but they had to be certain. To stop whoever was responsible, and to protect the town. They had his name, a profile on his appearance now, and evidence that all pointed back to him. No matter how impossible it seemed, it was the only possibility.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a small incident, anything strange, anything at all that you think could help, we would be grateful for.”

Julianna again, could stop herself from remembering the man in the hoodie. Well, he was weird wasn’t he? But…

Did she really want to tell them about him?

He knew something, he had to. What he said to her last time when she followed him out to return the money was hinting at something.

She needed another talk the next time she saw him.

“No, nothing apart from the usual.”

Marcus let out a quiet, but disappointed sigh.

“What makes you so certain it’s him?” She asked. Before either of them could answer and shut her down, she continued. “If this has to do with my brother I think that I have at least a right to know this.”

Derrick looked sideways at Marcus. Were they going to tell her? Or since the case was so difficult right now, keep it from her.

“I already heard about the graves, but that can’t be all you have for this.” They would be destroying someone’s reputation with their suspicion, his very memory tainted with these accusations. If it were purely based on the fact that her brother’s grave was empty, that would be too much.

Even if they were just investigating, anyone who heard about it would start to think of Oliver like that, they would change their opinions of him, and even of her and Jessica. Saying things like: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” and “They’re related, they must be the same.”

Marcus came to his decision. “An eyewitness came across a strange individual who we believe is the one responsible for the recent events and this case. The description alone makes them highly suspect. I understand that this may sound abnormal. Unaware that the information would be relayed to us, he reported his name was Oliver, hence, your brother is still considered one of our key suspects.”

She sat stupefied as she heard this. So… there actually was someone. Could it really be Oliver?

“But… why would he reveal his name if her was going to do… that?”

Derrick spoke up this time. “We are still searching for the details, so we can’t say for sure, but it looks like he had no intention of committing these acts when he came into contact with the witness. It was some time after that that we believe he became motivated to act out in such a way.”

“Then what happened, why would he do that?”

Derrick could only purse his lips. “We don’t know. It’s just speculation.”

“Speculation?” She asked. Almost incredulously. “Rumors like this could destroy our family. And you’re just speculating?”

Marcus interrupted before anything could devolve. “We know that. And if we had any other leads, believe me, we would be chasing those first. But this is all we have right now. Realistic or not.”

He didn’t like the situation any more than she did. But Oliver was highly suspect at this point. It had to be him.

“So are you absolutely certain that you haven’t seen Oliver or anyone that could look like him? We think it is highly possible that after parting with the witness he may have gone to visit you.”

Juliana shook her head. “No… I haven’t seen anyone.”

Marcus couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed at the lack of information. No fault of Juliana’s of course, he certainly didn’t blame her for this.

“Alright. But please let us know if anything starts happening or if you see your brother. This is of utmost importance.”

Marcus stood up to motion her out. She left and within a few moments, her sister, Jessica entered.

“You’re Jessica, yes?” He asked to be sure. He was confident he knew their names well though.

She nodded “yes.

What… is all of this about? Did we do something?”

She was quite nervous and considerably more apprehensive now that she was here in the room, alone with them.

Before Marcus could start his questioning, Derrick spoke. “Did Juliana tell you about what we spoke about last time?” He asked.

He had anticipated a positive reaction, but her confused expression told him that she really didn’t know.

“But you know that I spoke with Juliana some time ago? She was called to the station.”

This time she nodded affirmatively. “I had a shift that I really couldn’t miss at the time.”

Derrick shook his head. “It’s alright, I understand.”

“Since you don’t know what we talked about, I’ll tell you now;”

This was gonna be one heck of a day for her, especially since this is the first time she was hearing this.

“As I’m sure you’re aware, we have been trying to catch a criminal. He has been harassing and even attacking some of his victims, survivors from the events 7 years ago. We naturally place great importance to finding and catching this person.”

Jessica listened closely. What did this have to do with them?

“This might be hard to understand, but our current top suspect is your brother, Oliver.”

Derrick paused, to let the words sink in fully. It took Jessica a little while to understand what he was saying. “You… what? Oliver?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

She paused, still processing. “You’re telling me that my brother, someone who’s been dead for nearly 7 years is your suspect?”

She would almost think this was all some sick joke if it weren’t in such a serious situation. Juliana for one, wouldn’t have ever joked around with something like this, or let her walk into this.

“Again, it might be hard to understand, absurd even, but given the circumstances, he is the most likely suspect. The reason we have come to see you today is to ask if you have seen anyone or anything strange. Or if you’ve seen Oliver himself.”

“What...?” She scoffed out. She could hardly believe this. There was no way this was true. “Are you serious?”

The solemn expressions of the two officers told her all she needed. They were dead serious. While she wasn’t familiar with the younger officer, she knew the Sheriff, she knew he would never prank like this either.

But how could that be possible?

There was no way.

“But… Impossible aside... Oliver would never! Why would he do that, not even coming home?”

“And why would he wait till now, why didn’t he come back sooner?!”

She couldn’t suppress her emotions if she tried. All the suppressed feelings that she had been avoiding were flowing out. If Oliver was alive… If he was-!

“A few days ago, we discovered graves belonging to the remaining missing teens from the incident 7 years ago. While two of the graves contained bodies belonging to two of the teenagers, the other two were empty. One of the empty ones belonged to your brother”

“Does- If there are two empty, doesn’t that mean there another suspect?” She grappled.

“Well, the teenagers who returned had seen the other one die, no one who returned was able to confirm your brother’s death. Even that aside, we recently found more evidence that indicates his recent exit from the studio. We spoke directly to a witness who spoke with him. They said that he didn’t seem dangerous or malicious in any way at the time, but his characteristics pointed unmistakably to this case. We learned from the same witness that his name was Oliver.”

He let that sit for a moment.

“So you see, Oliver is currently our prime suspect.”

Marcus continued. “We believe he may have found or experienced something after parting ways with the witness. We also believe that he may have come to visit you.”

“So if you have seen anything remotely strange, we need to know.”

Jessica could feel herself getting lightheaded. This was too much information. Oliver was… alive? And he was… hurting people?

No way! There had to be another explanation!

Still, no matter what she said, she knew it wouldn’t change anything.

“I haven’t seen anything.” She said almost numbly. “This- there has to be a mistake, I- I know what it looks like, but there has to be a mistake here. Oliver. Oliver is dead. He- He’d never do something like what you’re saying.”

Marcus spoke again. “I understand, and we will try to get to the bottom of this. But for now, if you have seen anything or if you see anything, be sure to let us know.”

She nodded defeatedly. What else could she do?

The two officers left, having asked all they needed and Jessica stumbled out of the room. She was still dazed, stunned by what she’d heard. She found Juliana waiting behind the register. There were no customers in the store, though as noon approached, that was likely to change.

“Julie did you… know about this?”

Juliana’s eyes flicked away for a moment. “When they called up to the station last time, they mentioned it.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” Jessica’s anger grew.

“What was I supposed to tell you?! That the police were suspecting our long dead brother for a crime he would never do?! I couldn’t believe it myself!”

“You still should have told me!” Jessica argued.

“I didn’t know how to tell you!” Juilana responded. “If it were all just a big misunderstanding wouldn’t it be better for us to not get our hopes up? I didn’t want you to hear about  it and expect something. I didn’t know it would still be like this by now.

There is no way it’s Oliver! I don’t know how they haven’t realized that.”

The doorbell of the store chined and the two sisters quickly went quiet. They couldn’t be caught causing a ruckus on the job.

They both took up their roles and started working. That conversation could be continued at another time.

.

.

Derrick slumped down a bit once he was back in his seat in the car. “They had nothing...” He trailed off. He thought that they would be able to find something even if the sisters hadn’t seen Oliver himself. Maybe ink stains, or some other indication of his presence, but they weren’t able to find anything of value from them. Had he not gone to see them? But he told Suzanna…

Marcus didn’t say much and started up the car. “We still have other work to do.” He said succinctly. The findings of this trip were indeed lacking, but there was no point in crying about it. Derrick was quick to bounce back. “any news from the station?”

Marcus gave him a side eye. “You were with me the whole time, if I heard anything, you’d know.” Derrick chuckled. “yeah, yeah. I’m just looking forward to the reports. Hopefully we’ll get something out of it.”

Marcus didn’t respond, but he shared a similar sentiment. They had so much evidence left at the crime scenes yet so little to actually lead them to him. With any luck, maybe they could find the last piece of incriminating evidence to finally pin Oliver down as the perpetrator. A single witness statement wasn’t enough to incriminate him. They needed more, even just a little bit.

.

.

.

The ride back was quiet. Once they got there, Derrick was called away to help another unit before he was able to check if the reports had come in yet. Working his way into the station, Marcus didn’t go far before running in to the man he was looking for.

“Do we have the report?” Marcus asked.

Riley nodded handing over the slab of papers in his hand. “Yeah, you’re going to want to take a look.” His voice was grim, face tight. Marcus was apprehensive hearing Rley’s tone. What is it that’s got him like this?

As he started to flip through the pages, Riley continued to speak. “They found he was, unsurprisingly, killed by drowning in ink. However, they also found traces of water in his system. The traces reflect that of drowning in water, yet he clearly had drowned in ink. They suspect that the victim had choked on a considerable about of water before being submerged in the ink.”

Marcus paused, reading over the same information in the report. “Water? There was a considerable amount at the scene…” a tub full of it nearby in fact, just like the tub of ink that they found Jamie submerged in.

“I think it’s very possible that the perpetrator used water to torment Jamie Leswin before ending his life with the ink.” Riley input.

“Severe damage to the face, shattered nose… seems like he was either getting out something, trying to drag it out, or simply psychotic.” He continued. This was a combination of his own observations along with the information detailed in the report that Marcus was now flipping through.

“So not just some anger fueled incident, huh?” Marcus muttered. It was sick, whatever Oliver’s purpose was, whatever his reasoning was, for him to do this kind of thing?... Inhumane doesn’t even begin to describe it. It wasn’t just a murder, but torture.

He recalled what Derrick put forward at one of their other meetings. “He’s messing with them.”

“The attack was either him losing his patience and trying to end it or… just another way to mess with them.”

Perhaps he was closer to the mark than they thought. Oliver wasn’t just messing with them to screw with them. He was drawing it out, lengthening the pain. Torturing them. Both in mind and body.

.

.

.

Juliana sat in the employee room, her head was resting against her arms on the table. Today was a full day shift for her. She was working in the back room and her other co-worker, was manning the counter. They were going through some of the nighttime routines. They weren’t closing up the place, they’d be open all night, but there were certain tasks they had to do before the night shift really started.

She and Jessica hadn’t spoken much about the argument, she hoped that some time to think about it would help cool her sister down. She wasn’t intending to hide anything, she just didn’t think that it would still be a big deal.

She could pass the first accusation on her brother as very poorly misplaced judgement, but for this much to have happened and for them to still be on his case? She just didn’t get it.

She had hoped that it would pass just like all the other bad dreams and leaver her and her sister in peace…

She groaned and stretched her arms up over her head. There were a few snaps and pops as her sore joints stretched. She had to get up soon. She had spent too much of her time sitting down and doing nothing, she needed to get up and stretch her body fully.

She wandered out of the employee room to busy herself until her shift ended and she could get home for the night.

.

.

.

The rest of the reports came in by the following day. There were no cameras in the vicinity of the location of the murder, so they still didn’t have anything on video. They checked the cameras in Jamie’s apartment, but the one that was on the balcony had been disabled the day before the incident, while the other ones showed nothing.

Nothing that didn’t confirm what they already knew.

Harley entering the apartment, staying for a while, then her swift, panicked exit. Jamie coming home… then nothing. Not until the two officers went knocking on his door.

The only camera that would have given them insight to what happened to the disabled camera was, conveniently, the one that was broken. They weren’t able to collect any feed from it, the memory had been destroyed, completely irrecoverable.

The remainder of what they found was all related to the cause and events leading up to Jamie’s death. He had clearly been tied with duct tape, as he was when they found him. They determined that it was likely that the perpetrator had used water to torment him, likely threatening to drown him, before actually drowning him in the ink.

The discarded roll of tape itself was found at the scene. They checked for fingerprints on it, not expecting much, but actually found some! However, it matched nothing in their database. No surprise there. Oliver wouldn’t have anything in their databases since he went missing before the age of 18 or doing anything that would require his fingerprints to be taken.

Marcus was a patient man, but even he was getting worn out by this case. How was there nothing?

They were up for an emergency meeting today. Not as big as the other ones, just whoever could come on the short notice. They had to ensure everyone involved knew that the case had developed into a murder investigation. The other survivors, naturally, had to attend. He hadn’t heard much from them over the past few days. It had been quiet, even oddly so.

The air was tense when everyone finally sat down for the meeting. Marcus stepped to the front of the room.

“Some of you may be aware, but for any of those who aren’t, this meeting has been set up because one of the victims, Jamie Leswin, has died.”

“He appears to have been taken from his home and brought to a remote warehouse before being killed. The perpetrator is likely the same one we have been looking for thus far. The telltale signs of ink were present at the scene.”

The three remaining victims were trembling in their seats. They had been informed a few days ago, but the shock had yet to wear off. Someone had died. One of them. And he was coming for the rest of them too. It was hard to focus on what they said after that.

They were anxious and afraid.

Lillian was shocked, despite this being the expected outcome from the killers actions. She knew, from his messages, that he was clearly dead set on making them suffer, even threatened them with death. But knowing that someone was dead, that he had actually done it? That was different.

Now she didn’t feel bad for Jamie, he was dumb enough to get himself killed, she was afraid that the killer would be coming for her next. He probably hadn’t forgotten about that note.

How come they hadn’t caught him yet?

He was trying to f*cking murder them!!

It couldn’t be that hard.

“Taken from his home?” Someone asked.

Lillian was hardly paying attention, but the question brought her spiraling thoughts back to the present.

Yeah… what did they mean by that?

Marcus knew there was no easy way to tell it to them, so he went straight for it, they had kind of gotten past that point anyways. This was hardly the strangest thing they found in the case.

“We believe that Jamie was initially attacked in his home as a witness claimed to have seen a figure on their balcony. However, we only have video feed of Jamie entering the apartment, not exiting. There was a camera set up facing the balcony, but as it turns out, that was disabled the day before. As of right now, with no confirmation, we believe that the intruder both entered and exited through the balcony.”

Soren scoffed. “The balcony?”

“You’re telling me that not only did someone climb up three floors to break in to someone’s house, they also climbed back down with another person in tow?”

Marcus didn’t like his tone, but that was the same issue they were grappling with. Either the killer had entered through his usual hidden methods or had indeed gone through the balcony. They had deeply considered him having used his usual methods as mysterious as they were, but it didn’t feel right. Sure, dragging a person down the floor on the outside of a building sounded wrong, but it wasn’t impossible now was it?

The main thing that stopped them from disregarding the idea of him traversing three floors was the destruction of the camera. Something he never needed to do whilst causing problems for any of the victims. It left them to assume that there was another reason he needed the camera gone… and the only place it was watching was the balcony.

It was a rough assumption, but at this point, half of the case was running off of rough assumptions and connectionless evidence.

“The intruder disabled the camera pointing at the balcony, while I don’t believe that was his method of entry previously, I think he did use it here.” Marcus answered. Regardless of how the survivors felt though, it wouldn’t change their deductions.

“Going by that logic, I think we can safely assume that his usual methods of getting in were not viable this time around.”

Now this was not something he had gone over with the rest of the team before. It was his own theory that he had just realized.

“So either his method is unable to accommodate two people, or the balcony was simply the easier option of the two.”

Things made a little more sense now, but the survivors still weren’t convinced. “So you’re telling me he has multiple methods the enter our homes and can apparently scale three stories while dragging along a person?” Soren was still flabbergasted, intimidated maybe. Mostly unconvinced. There was no way!

“You don’t have to believe it.” Marcus shrugged. “But the one to suffer if you aren’t prepared is going to be you.”

The survivors were quieter now. What were they supposed to even do, someone was coming for them and even the police couldn’t do anything to stop them.

“That is all we have to share.” Marcus stepped back from the table. If there was anything else they wanted to add, that the survivors wanted to know, now was the time.

After a beat of silence, someone spoke.

“So… he’s going to be coming for the rest of us right?” Eve asked with a tremble in her voice.

Marcus nodded grimly. “Based on his behavior thus far, I believe that is his intent.”

“Do we even know who he is yet!? You guys said it was Oliver right?” Lillian jumped in anxiously.

This made Marcus pause for a moment. “As of so far, he is still the most likely suspect.”

Should he tell them?

For some reason, he was almost afraid to officially put an identity onto this ghost.

It had to be Oliver… who else could it be? But even so, there were many points of their investigation that allowed room for assumptions, guesses, and likely options, but when it came to identifying a suspect? Or to put it more directly, identifying the perpetrator. There was little to no room for mistakes.

It was that easy to destroy an innocent person’s life. All it took was one misled accusation or poorly judged circumstance. Even if the people in charge of the case realized they were wrong, once the identity of the “criminal” got out. It wouldn’t matter if they went back and corrected the mistake. Once the world knew their identity, that was who they were. Even if it was false.

That was why Marcus was hesitant to share the most recent news. They might consider Oliver as the perpetrator straight away, but they really had yet to confirm. They needed more, more than a possibility, more than a likeliness, they needed proof. He believed Suzanna, he himself believed it was Oliver in action too. But arrests need more than just belief.

Derrick was watching him now too, to see how he would respond.

Truthfully, in any other situation, Marcus wouldn’t dream of sharing it. But here, now. Someone was threatening people’s lives, taking them, and he was unable to stop them thus far. Sometimes knowing the criminal’s identity could open up more possibilities to defending oneself.

“More evidence was found, pointing to him again as the most likely suspect. Someone supposedly saw and even spoke to Oliver a few days before the first of the strange occurrences began.”

The three survivors were shocked. What!?

Someone not only saw… but also spoke to him!?

“how-!? I mean- did he attack them!?”

“No, they described to us that he seemed very calm and even friendly.”

“What?” Lillian scoffed. “Friendly? Were they blind?”

Marcus leveled her a stare. “It was a professional psychologist. They noticed nothing wrong with him.”

“If there was nothing wrong then why is that psycho attacking us!?” She snapped.

Marcus could only sigh. “I can’t say for sure. We don’t know what happened.”

Lillian slumped down and rested the weight of her head in her hands. “Then what are we supposed to do?”

“Don’t worry, we are going to keep a close watch on you. If you need to go somewhere, make sure someone either knows about it or goes with you. If you’re at home, again, make sure someone knows or is with you. Try not to be alone if you can help it.”

Chapter Text

A few days went by with the same stressful routines. Lillian –no- all of them, felt watched. Like a hungry wolf was waiting just outside the false safety of their cement pasture for the lost little sheep to step too far away from each other to devour them whole.

Every time Lillian would see another stain, another prop, it would make her heart go wild. She would feel nauseous.

Not that it wasn’t bad before, but now it was a certified murderer walking around her house whilst she was unaware.

It was off-putting and horrifying.

Disgusting

Disgusting

Disgusting

Filthy f*cker!

Leave me alone!

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.

.

Marcus made sure to check in on the two Darrell sisters periodically throughout the following week. Just because Oliver hadn’t shown up around them did mean that he wouldn’t. He made sure to keep it causal and light, just checking in to make sure nothing had started happening.

The repeated visits were enough to make the girls realize that something was truly going on and the current suspicion of Oliver was no small matter.

Sometimes Juliana couldn’t help but wonder what was said or found to have made them suspect him. Despite it not being him. It wasn’t him.

It was probably the survivors right? Thay had always hated Oliver, they made that clear with their attitude towards his death as well as to the two sisters. They probably kicked up some big fuss trying to pin it all on him. That was something they’d do. Heck, they kept blaming the whole incident 7 years ago on everyone but themselves. Juliana didn’t believe it for a second that it was somehow everyone’s fault but their own.

They said it was Oliver that kept leading them away from the exit. She already knew that was wrong because Oliver wasn’t someone that would make mistakes like that. He was intelligent. So either what he did was intentional and they were refusing to tell the real reason by would have done that, or he hadn’t done it.

They said one of the other teens, Lumien, started the whole fiasco because he started screwing with the machinery. She was doubtful of that too, they were probably screwing around as well and just shoved the blame all onto him.

The girl, Lyra, they said kept causing fights and slowing them down. Dylan they didn’t have much to say about, but somehow she found it hard to believe that they weren’t at fault.

But who was to tell them otherwise?

Everyone else was dead.

Well, perhaps not anymore.

If Oliver was alive.

If….

…

He’s dead.

Gone.

What part of that hasn’t sunk in yet?

Whatever was going on now… had nothing to do with him… right?

.

.

.

Days passed and no news came about that case or Oliver. She didn’t think they had dropped it, wasn’t naive enough to cling to that. Still, she could hope.

Most of what she heard was through the grapevine anyways. The whole thing with the graves was something one of her gossipy co-workers mentioned. She didn’t know any details, just that they found graves pertaining to the case 7 years ago.

One afternoon, while cleaning up the store, she came across a lost wallet. There was an id, but no number with the wallet. Her shift would be ending momentarily, so she didn’t want to wait for whoever it was, no- Maric Zalgers- to realize it was missing and come back.

She opted to head over to the police station on her way out. They could handle contacting the owner.

It took her a few more minutes to get off her shift, making sure her duties were completed and that the next shift workers were ready to go. This was one of the few nights she was able to go to bed early, no extra shifts, no additional hours, just sweet, sweet sleep. Something she was well overdue for.

She wanted to make the stop quick, but unfortunately no one was available to help her when she arrived at the station. The person at the front desk pointed her over to an office to wait for someone. She didn’t need to speak directly to an officer, anyone would do, but the desk manager was quite preoccupied with another issue, so she pointed her back to wait for one of their officers. They seemed a bit short staffed at the moment for whatever reason.

She sat down on a chair in the office she was pointed to and made herself comfortable. She didn’t expect to be here long, it didn’t seem like the officers would be out for a long time, they couldn’t leave the station with so few people for long.

As she sat, she tried to entertain herself. Staring at the wall was a good pastime, but it wasn’t enough to keep her attention. Her eyes glinted over the furnishings in the simple office, before eventually landing on the desk.

In her casual search, she was a little startled to see her brother’s face looking back at her. But she supposed she should have seen it coming considering how deeply entrenched he was supposed to be in this ongoing case everyone kept whispering about. Curiosity got the better of her and she leaned forwards to take a better look. Whatever it was, it wasn’t the new stuff. It looked like the file for the case from 7 years ago. It happened to be open to one of the pages describing details related to her brother, mostly from the statements of the four survivors.

She glanced through it, she had already read most of it before, just presented in a less “part of an undetermined case” way. On one of the other open pages though, was one of the other teens.

Lumien.

His picture was missing, but she read through the bits of his story. Apparently he was the only one with Oliver when he was “killed”. They said it was his fault. That he might have even killed Oliver himself. Juliana wasn’t so sure of what to think.

He made it longer than Oliver did though, farther into “the studio” that they claimed to be in. They said he drowned in a river of ink. She struggled to imagine it. The sheriff and the officer he frequently dragged around asked her about it a few times; if she’d seen black stains or gooey substance. But she found it hard to imagine a river of it, like these reports were describing.

She wished more than anything that Oliver could have come back alive, but even if he couldn’t, at least this guy would be able to tell her what happened right? She would never trust the others. They couldn’t be trusted. She would know.

She sighed a bit quietly. As her eyes left the folder, they were drawn to something lying on the floor. Oh? She leaned down to pick it up. It seemed like a picture, and by the size of it, the one missing from the folder. She picked it up and turned it over to see the face

The picture had clearly been cropped at some point, a group picture that had been shrunk to show only one person. The figures of other people and extra limbs crowded the edges of the image, leaving only the boy in the middle in clear view. He had a reserved but happy smile, she wondered what event had taken place when the photo was taken. Her brother’s was just a school photo from the year before he disappeared, he hadn’t changed much in that time anyways.

She had never met him before, she was pretty sure of that, but something did strike her with familiarity when she saw the picture. She shrugged it off.  The feeling was probably because of one of those newspaper reports on the incident that happened to include pictures of the victims. She set the picture back down into the file.

There were a few other folders stacked beneath this one. Still bored and still curious, she picked up the top to take a look.

Now this was certainly from the new case. It looked like chaos, from what little she could tell. Everything looked… unsure.

She skimmed over it, only so interested in the case, she was more curious as to why everyone was so convinced it was Oliver. It wasn’t! …Right?

She zeroed in on an image and opened the folder wider to take a look. It was a row of graves. She peered closely at the image, trying to read the details on the small picture. She didn’t need to really, as a detailed description of what they found was written under it.

A passing hiker stumbled across the site a short ways off of canburry trail. He reported the scene to the local ranger, who in turn reported to us. The graves appeared to have been dug some time within 2-3 weeks of their discovery. The gravestones were somewhat crude. Wooden crosses inscribed with the names of the deceased teens from the incident 7 years prior. Upon unearthing the graves we found…

It ended there.

Juliana gaped. Found what!? What did they find!?

The paged ended there, she had to turn the next page to take a look.

Of course, she did just that.

… wooden caskets that- according to the statements of the survivors- were identical to others seen in the studio. Two showed considerably more wear and tear than the others. Also to note: There were only graves for four of the presumably deceased teens out of five. The one missing is Noelle Evans, however, the suspect is suspected to be male, per witness reports. Unsure as to why she is missing here.

The caskets of Lyra Melaine and Dylan Holmes contained their respective bodies, as young and fresh as if they had died a mere week or two ago. Determined to have been in the early stages of decomposition, matching the timing of the supposed burial.

No clues as to how this was made possible.

Juliana wasn’t even sure she read that right. Bodies from seven years ago fresh as if they had been dead for mere weeks? It wasn’t possible. Freezing could prolong it, but based on the attached reports, she wasn’t sure if that was the case.

What she was really more concerned about though, was her brother’s grave. They said those two had bodies inside, did his not?

Reading further down, she looked for it.

… The caskets belonging to Oliver Darrell and Lumien Grey were both found empty. Empty could be alluding them being alive or their bodies being unretrievable by whoever buried them. Oliver was supposedly “taken” by the one called the “ink demon” but the only witness to the incident was Lumien. Lumien was said to have drowned in a river of ink, likely leading to a difficult if not impossible recovery of the body.

Is that why? Is that why they think it’s Oliver? Because his body was missing? She was sure there were other reasons, that was far too flimsy of an assumption to have pushed them this far with that assumption, but she had no time to check further. She heard the doors at the front of the station open and a group of people entered, busy chatter and footsteps filling her ears. Based on the sounds, it was the officers. Juliana quickly put down the files and sat back down in the chair.

Hardly a few moments later an officer peeked into the office. “Ah, hey, is there anything I can help you with?”

The one at the front desk must have told them that she was waiting in here.

Juliana put on a polite smile. “I just came here to drop off a lost wallet.”

The officer nodded. “Sure, give it here, well get it back to them. Is there anything else?”

She shook her head as she stood up and handed the wallet over. The officer stepped away from the doorframe to leave her plenty of room to pass. “I hope you have a good evening.” He willed politely.

She gave a smile in return before she passed him and exited the station quietly. The sun had yet to go down, its life prolonged by the long evening hours of the warmer months. It was still spring though, not too long now and the flaming sphere would disappear over the green hills, casting them in shadows and sunbeams.

She contemplated what she had just read while she walked. She wished she had read more of the file, the one for the new case, before she left. But that was all she had time for. She wanted to know what exactly made them so confident that Oliver was alive. They had to understand, he wasn’t this kind of person, he would never-

“If he really did stay in that place for 7 years… he might not be the same person that you once knew.” The words of that young officer rang in her mind.

Before she knew it, her movements had come to a stop. Could it be?...

No…

No it’s…

It couldn’t be.

Oliver he- if something had happened! If he had come home, he would have told them! He wouldn’t still leave them like this! Oliver he-!

Bitter droplets of water washed down her face. She blinked, almost caught off guard by the saline fluid that spilled from her eyes. She softly brushed them away and began moving forwards again. No… it wasn’t Oliver. It wasn’t.

.

.

Juliana was out of it for the next few days. Jessica could tell. She tried to ask her about it but she didn’t give a clear answer. Just that she was thinking about some things, it was nothing to worry about.

Jessica was skeptical, but aside from her acting funny, nothing seemed to be really wrong, so she didn’t pursue the matter.

Juliana made sure that her schedule favored the extra shift openings at the convenience store over her other gigs, despite there being a few that paid better. Though, she couldn’t say the working environments were exactly ideal at those places.

Working late shifts as a bartender or a waitress were never enjoyable jobs. Too many people, weirdos, and problematic situations. Still, she couldn’t not do them. They needed the money.

She felt bad about pushing those roles onto Jessica, but Jessica didn’t mind too much. She definitely knew it had to do with her odd behavior lately, and was content to deal with it in hopes that Juliana would get over whatever was bothering her soon.

Juliana kept an eye out while she worked, more than usual, but it didn’t give her the results she desired. She kept waiting, watching, and looking.

She had to speak with him.

The opportunity came sooner than she expected. She didn’t miss it when the familiar figure stepped through the doors of the store. He had to know that what he had said to her last time was suspicious, he had to know that she would be wary of him. Yet he kept coming back.

Was it for the money?

Or maybe… just to make sure they were still okay.

No. that was too delusional of a thought.

Whatever the reason was. She was going to find out what happened back then. He had to know something. And she was finding out today.

.

.

.

When Eve left her dorm to stay in her parent’s house, she had hoped that the horrors haunting her would stay with it. Unfortunately, but not unpredictably, it didn’t. It only took a few days for the abnormalities to make their appearance there too. Perhaps one of the worst, or weirdest parts was; everything was still targeted at her.

Her parents naturally came across a great many other ink stains and vandalism, but none of it was ever directed at them. Not once. There was never anything in their room, on their things, only hers.

It was starting to –no, it had been driving her nuts for a long time now. Just what kind of focused hatred did Oliver have for her!? She hardly did anything at all! Had she even spoken to him!?

At this point, she was waking up daily to plushies on her bedside table, cans of soup on her bookshelf, and ink stains on the walls, floor, and ceiling. She set up a camera in her room, no longer averse to the idea of having her personal space under surveillance.

The first night she put it up, she found it broken and mangled the next morning with more vandalism in her room. She tried a second time, but it went just about the same. Broken the next morning. She stopped going out as much, trying to keep to herself, unable to stand the feeling of being watched whenever she left the house. But even then, he could get inside, there was nowhere truly safe from him.

She started keeping a knife under her pillow, that way, if he tried to attack her, she might have something to defend herself with.

But hadn’t he taken down Jamie? What chance did she stand if even he was helpless against it? What the f*ck were the police doing!?

She told the police about the broken cameras and it actually seemed to garner some interest. After all, none of the other cameras set up seemed to impede their killer. However, she also learned that the only other time he had disabled a camera… was right before he killed Jamie.

The police sent some officers to stay outside the house for the next few days after, but nothing happened. Nothing aside from the usual untraceable break-ins anyways.

She tried to stay in contact with Lillian and some of her other friends, but it was getting harder. She spent so much time worrying and in a constant state of paranoia that it was getting too much to handle.

She put her studies on hold for now as well. She simply wasn’t able to attended classes while this was happening. Mental stress aside, the final straw was finding a half a shelf of books in the school library doused in viscous black substance. She knew it could only get worse from there, so she left. Once this was over. Once they finally caught Oliver, then she could go back.

The nightmares were frequent, and growing more so. Some of the lines between reality were blurring as things went on. More than once she was found in a panicked state, claiming she’d seen something, but a quick investigation showed that it was all her imagination.

Sometimes she would imagine the ink warping on the walls, the flickering lights in the hallways, the twisted smiles around every corner. It was too much. Even the medicine they used to take couldn’t help.

There was one night where she, knife in hand, tried to stay up and wait for him. She waited and waited, but heard nothing. Even so, when she stumbled down the steps in the morning, an array of paper and ink was waiting for her. She just about ran to the police to tell them. She was awake and listening for him, how had she heard nothing!? It’s not like he was a ghost!

There was little they could do. They couldn’t afford to keep an eye on all of them at all times, and they had no idea when the killer could strike.

But really… she should have never let her guard down.

Her parents had little to do, them being retired already. They had her quite late into their marriage, and so her parents were older than most of her friends’. They were home often, and when they went out, they would often invite her with, especially now. They could tell she wasn’t going out as often, so they made a point to give her some opportunities here and there.

She really didn’t have to worry about being by herself.

Still, she remained closed off in her room for much of the time. When she was with people for too long, she could see their faces beginning to melt and drip.

At first, they would be unaware, going about their day, smiling and laughing as their flesh turned to ink. But not long after that, the screams would begin. Agonizing, painful screams. They looked like the ink monsters, the lost ones, the searchers, but also human. Like they were undergoing some sickening transformation.

But the worst part… the worst part was when those faces became familiar in an entirely different way. There was Noelle, Dylan, Lumien, and Lyra. “Why did you do it?”

“Why did you kill us?”

“Why did you let us die!?”

“It hurrrrtsss!”

“help me!”

Their screams haunted her. Even as their clawlike hands reached for her, pulling her down into ink puddles, even as her parents tried to calm her, tried to bring her back to awareness. To tell her it was all in her mind.

It became so bad that she could hardly tell when she was awake or not. Nightmares plagued her both in sleep and wakefulness.

.

.

.

Eve woke up with a sharp inhale, her eyes flying open. Another dream, another nightmare. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could handle this. She sat up in bed listlessly, trying to ground herself in reality. If that was what this even was. She could hardly ever be sure anymore.

There was a growing pain in her stomach. She could imagine the source as she couldn’t remember the last time she ate. She had been losing her appetite lately.

She turned to get herself out of bed. She should at least try to find something to eat, maybe she could keep it down this time. The halls were empty as she left her room, but she paid no attention. Her parent’s weren’t exactly busybodies, they wouldn’t be tumbling about. They usually sat in their rooms or in the lounge chairs around the house with a book, a puzzle, or some other activity.

She moved down the steps and into the main floor of the house, following the rooms and doorways until she reached the kitchen. There were some leftovers from her parents last meal laid out for her. They knew she wasn’t eating well, but would leave some extra in case she was hungry. She looked over and poked around the plate of food, their lunch had been sandwiches with apple slices and fruit juice. The food didn’t look bad, but she still wasn’t confident that she would be able to keep it in her stomach.

She still brought it from the countertop to the table and sat down to take a few bites. It was just like the nightmarish illusions where she could swear she saw things that apparently weren’t real. The food she ate, while fine at first, would morph into the blackened and gooey bacon soup, clogging her throat, blocking her lungs…

She ate slowly, small, tiny bites in an attempt to prevent that same feeling from happening again.

It wasn’t too long after though, that she felt finished and put what remained, at least half of it, back. As she set the plate back down onto the countertop, she realized just how quiet it was. Even for her parents, it was a bit too quiet. There was a spike of nervousness that she was unable to suppress before it bubbled up. “Mom?” She called. “Dad?”

To her growing unease, she heard no response. Could they have been taking a nap? She glanced out the kitchen window. No… it was too dark for that. That was something her parents were quite particular about. They never took naps or rested too late into the day. They didn’t like lying down for a nap only to wake up the next morning –or worse yet- in the middle of the night. It was too late for them to be resting, she glanced at the clock hanging in the kitchen, and too early for them to be sleeping.

Her heart was starting to race.

They said to be with someone at all times… Did her parent’s not know that!?

Just as she was beginning to truly panic, ready to call the police, she heard something from the basement.

It was small, but not concealed. Like a person was sorting through things down there. Instantly, her heart calmed down. There were many things a killer would do, but rummaging through her parent’s chaotic basement was not one of them. The whole basement was filled with things from extra furniture, to old toys, to memorable items, but it was all a huge mess.

Mom or dad must be down there looking for something. Maybe cleaning up a bit. She let out a deep breath. Yeah, they wouldn’t leave her alone like this. With a smile more nervous than anything else, she walked into the living room to sit down.

She didn’t feel tired, maybe a bit drained, despite the fact that she just woke up. She hadn’t meant to fall asleep then, nor for the nap to last as long as it did. Now she had to entertain herself for another few hours before she could justify going to bed for another restless night.

The sun was about to go down, most of the town was already getting dark. There was nothing that could make her go outside in the dark, so she was content to turn the tv on and distract herself with the show that was playing.

The noises from the basement came intermittently, a solid reminder that she wasn’t alone in here.

She wasn’t sure how long she was sitting there, she had been too engrossed in the show and now, before she knew it, it was over. The sun was completely gone now, but she knew it couldn’t have been that long since she sat down. She still hadn’t seen anyone, either of her parents, which was a little odd since they preferred sitting and lounging in the living room over the other rooms.

She also couldn’t hear any more noise from the basement. Did they come upstairs while she was distracted? That was quite likely, she just didn’t like how quiet it all was now.

She got up and turned off the tv, she was going to try and eat a little bit more before heading off to bed. She walked into the kitchen and got the sandwich back out again. She noticed that something smelt funny, maybe a bit chemical, she scrunched her nose in displeasure but pushed it out of her mind to focus on her food. Before she could start eating though, her phone buzzed with a notification.

Glanced over and picked it up.

Ther was a message from her mother.

She opened it.

“Hey! Just wanted to let you know we’ll be back soon, had to run over to the Wellman’s house for a bit.”

Eve paused.

“we’ll be back soon?”

We?

Was she with dad?

Then…

When did they leave? Wh-

Her phone buzzed again.

“Sorry we left without telling you, we didn’t want to wake you.”

Suddenly she felt cold. Chills ran up her spine.

If they left… both of them… while I was asleep…

Then who was that downstairs? She didn’t want to find out, though she was quite certain now that she knew who it was. The food on the table was forgotten, she quietly stood up, far more stiff than she could ever want to be.

She had to get out. Where the police outside watching the house? Probably not, they went back a few days ago. Once she was out she could run to the neighbors or something. Call for help.

She started moving towards the door. Every step was earthshakingly loud in the silent house, if Oliver was here, he had to have been able to hear her.

But she wasn’t quiet earlier either… maybe if he didn’t realize that she knew he was there, she could make it to the door before he realized.

Her legs were stiff and her movement felt awkward. She didn’t know where he could be, was he still in the basement? What did he even want from there?

She didn’t have time to care, she had to get out of there.

She tried to walk calmly, in case he was listening nearby, but that was a hard ask with how terrified she currently was. I don’t wanna die!

I don’t wanna die.

Please no

Please no

She made it out of the kitchen, all she had to do was go through just a few more rooms to reach the front door.

But then, something in front of her shifted. A shadow moved.

She halted, torn between whether it was a trick of the light, another illusion brought about by her mind, or something real.

She didn’t have to answer that question though, because a moment later, a figure stepped out from around the wall, moving between her and the door.

Her heart caught in her throat.

That wasn’t her mother or her father, or anyone else she could recognize.

She didn’t bother to look for familiar features actually, because all she needed to know could be seen through the axe in his hand. She turned and bolted. If she couldn’t get out through the front door, she could always aim for the back. She had only gotten a few steps when a heavy force sent her hurling to the ground.

She didn’t have time to get her hands under her and her face made heavy contact with the floor. She would have groaned in pain, but the wind was knocked out of her with the fall. She gasped instead, fumbling to regain her breath, to get herself together.

She could feel him more than she could see him looking down over her. A frightening gaze boring into her.  She scrambled to move, her hand outstretched to claw at the floor and drag herself away.

The next moment, something fell, sharp and fast. All Eve could feel was a spike of pain before numbness took hold of her hand. She stared, in wide eyed horror at the axe blade that was now embedded into the ground. There was a scream rising up somewhere inside of her, but all that came out was silent gasps of pain and shock. My hand! My hand!

The bloodied stump of her arm retreated as she pulled herself away from the looming blade. Her hand, however, did not follow.

She wanted to scream, cry, beg, call for help, but she couldn’t muster any sound to leave her body besides the rasping breaths and whimpering huffs.

Her arm, no, her entire body was shaking, she couldn’t breathe.

With a “thwick”, the axe head was dislodged from the floor. Blood pooled beneath it, flowing from both the severed hand now lying abandoned on the floor and the stump of Eve’s arm. She grappled with it, trying to stop the blood. Her fingers slipped over the warm, slick substance. The pain was unending. Tears were running down her face now, more from the fear than the pain. She couldn’t feel hardly anything in her wrist, but that was no good thing.

She didn’t even notice when she started to make noise again, her breath coming out in sobs, too distracted by her missing hand and bloody arm.

Too distracted by the towering figure looking down at her with an icy cold hatred.

She felt a shiver go through her at the sheer overwhelming rage emanating off of him. Though it was actually the indifference of his eyes that truly scared her.

They had a moment, where neither moved, a quiet standoff. But it wasn’t a battle between two equals, it was a one sided slaughter. A moment made by the killer’s choice not to strike to end it all on his own whims.

A wave of pain washed through her, the numbness of her arm beginning to fade, the agony of her lost limb coming back to her. She couldn’t stop the cry of pain. That was all it took to break the delicate balance they had just found.

He stepped towards her again and she cried out incoherently. “no! No! Please, please don’t do this! I- I didn’t do anything to you! I- I never-!”

Her pleas were cut off by his heavy hand grabbing her hair and dragging her across the floor. She cried out in pain again, but no mind was paid to her.

She flailed as much as she could, though most of her movements only served to bring her more pain. His grip was unfaltering, even as her remaining hand clawed at his arm, he didn’t so much as flinch as blood began to seep through the scratch marks.

He was strong, Eve knew that she could naturally not stand against a man, but the difference in strength as he easily lugged her across the room was disparaging. She never stopped begging, pleading for him to stop. “I don’t wanna die, I don’t wnna die, Please please-!”

He threw her head to the ground like he was tossing a filthy rag. Her cries were interrupted as she braced herself onto the ground.

Pain. Insurmountable pain jolted through her from where she instinctively used both “hands” to support herself and she went plummeting back to the ground with a cry of pain.

“O-Oliver! Oliver I know it’s you! It’s you right? Please! Please don’t do this!” She pleaded desperately. She didn’t know what he was going to do, she was growing more terrified with each passing moment that he didn’t kill her. Why hadn’t he done it yet?

No, I don’t want to die!

“I- I’ve never done anything to you!” She sobbed. It was Lillian and Soren that picked the fights, she didn’t! Wasn’t this so unfair!?

“Be- besides, it was Lumien’s fault right!? Lumien was the reason you got kille- hurt!” She grasped at her final straw. Oliver’s rage was misplaced. It was Lumien that caused him to die, not them! “We- we did you a favor, we- we killed him for you! Please I- I never did anything!”

He stopped moving, simply staring down at her instead.

“Favor?”

“Killed him?”

The voice was cool and almost quiet, but there was something else brewing underneath the composed surface. Something dangerous, if that wasn’t obvious enough.  

Eve stuttered. Had she made the wrong gamble, did she say the wrong thing? But why?? Oliver should hate Lumien right?”

“Y-yes.” She stumbled, still trying to inch herself away while she spoke. It was small, unnoticeable movements. The doors were some distance away, as were any phones, but she couldn’t sit there and do nothing. Every second she stalled, every inch she gained, was a greater chance of surviving.

Her hand scooted back while Oliver continued to gaze down at her with growing intensity. It shifted over something metal lying on the ground and in an instant she was back on the floor without her hands to support her.

“AAAHHHH!” She screamed, loud and pained.

If she still had her other hand, she would have used it to clutch and cradle the remaining hand. There were hissing and bubbling noises coming from the melting flesh on her hand while smoke rose from it. She still tugged it towards her chest, curling over on herself as she continued to cry out in pain. What-? What is going on? What?

What did she touch?

Her eyes left the killer standing over her to see the metal ornament lying on the ground next to her.

Her face was contorted in pain and confusion. …what?

Suddenly all of her unspoken questions were answered as a flickering orange flame rose up from around the basement door on the same side.

Fire?

He… he set fire to the house!?

Now that she thought about it, the floor beneath her was feeling warm, and the smell, the smell of smoke and chemicals was stronger than before.

Th-that’s what he was doing in the basement?

.

.

.

When the call came in, Marcus was unfortunately out of the station. It sent the whole station into chaos though. A fire? At the Narcol’s house? Something was happening.

Thompson was scrambling to the scene in seconds after getting notified on what was happening. It could also be considered their poor luck that Riley was off today as well.

Thompson was able to get Seth, their youngest, into his patrol car before heading off ,while the others were quickly moving to follow. They couldn’t afford to be late, Thompson just hoped that everyone was okay.

He doubted that this was a simple fire. He actually managed to get there before the firemen, hardly a surprise actually, considering the amount of  traffic laws he broke in that trip alone. Seth was a little unsteady on his feet as he got out of the car. There were people from nearby houses either peeking out of their windows or moving to stand at their doorways while watching the smoke and flames rise up on the house. A few from the nearest had even exited already, just in case the fire spread to their own homes. He noted that the Narcol family was absent from them. A bad sign.

The fire was dangerous to approach, but it hadn’t gotten too far yet. The call came pretty early on into the start of the fire. If the fire department came quickly, they might be able to salvage a lot.

Derrick got close and kicked down the front door with a strong, precise kick. It caved inwards and more smoke billowed out through the door way. Derrick had to take a step back and covered his mouth with his arms to protect himself from the smoke. He couldn’t help coughing on the thick hazy air.

Still, he held his gun in hand, at the ready for whatever he may find. He peered inside, trying to get a look past the smoke. There wasn’t much he could see. Behind him on the street, more alarms approached as the fire department arrived. Derrick moved back away from the house, getting out of the way of the firemen to let them do their work.

He didn’t relax though, he swept the building with his eyes, searching for any hint or sign of anything abnormal. The contrast of the burning flames and the dark surroundings didn’t make it any easier to see.

He approached one of the firemen keeping post outside the truck. The fire department and they frequently worked together, so when he approached, the fireman was quick to address him. HE wanted to tell them about the possible circumstances of this fire. There was a possibility that it wasn’t so simple. Especially since he didn’t see Eve anywhere around here.

“What’s going on here?” The fireman asked.

“I don’t want to intrude, but I want you to know that there is a high likelihood of this fire being a work on intention by a wanted murderer. If you see any-“

HE was interrupted by a car pulling up to the scene. The lights were flashing and the siren was going. He saw Marcus, James, and Mason exit the car and begin making their way over to him.

“-If you see anything, we’ll need to know. Do you know if the residents are inside?” Before the fireman had time to answer, another shout took Derrick’s attention.

“I- I see someone!” Seth shouted. Derrick whipped around towards him. He was standing to the side of the house, looking into the backyard. Derrick was still too far away and couldn’t see whatever he saw. He was going to ask him if it was one of the residents but he felt that his question was answered when Seth’s hand flew down to his gun.

.

Seth watched Derrick approach the house and then begin searching the perimeter while giving the firemen room to work. He too, tried to calm his spiking nerves. James and the others would be coming soon, Marcus too, once they could get ahold of him. Right now he was just a support.

He hadn’t dealt with anything like this before. The most he had handled were some teenage shoplifters, some rowdy drunks, and the station chores. He was so new to all this, so he was getting into it slowly.

He could feel the anxiety rising in his stomach, a grim suggestion of what could be happening here. There was a lot he didn’t know about this current case. A lot of details he didn’t know about since he wasn’t directly involved with it all, but he still heard some things. Seen other things.

For both his sake and for the victim’s sake he hoped that this was just an unfortunate fire.

He glanced back at the other houses around the block. Most neighbors by now were aware. The residents of the directly neighboring houses had gotten out and moved far back lest the fire spread to their own homes. A few firemen were going to the nearby houses that hadn’t been emptied and informing the residents to move for their safety.

He could hear more sirens in the distance, probably the other officers, approaching. He was relieved to know they would be here, for some more reliable officers to support the situation.

It wasn’t like he felt that he shouldn’t be here, he was just nervous since he and Derrick were the only two officers here. Derrick was now sharing a word with one of the firemen, likely explaining the possible crime on hand.

Seth turned his attention back to the house. He couldn’t make out any human movement in the windows, the growing flames obscuring the view.

Soon, strong bursts of water began to douse the building. Seth didn’t stop looking around in the meanwhile.

Another police car pulled up swiftly and the passengers all got out to join the scene. Marcus, James, and Mason all quickly set their sight on the house, each with complex expressions. They started heading over to Derrick and the other firemen to see if there was anything they needed updated on.

Seth made a move to follow them, but was distracted by motion in his peripheral vision.

He followed it quickly, only to see what was probably the last thing he had ever hoped or ever thought he’d see.

Somone was moving though the backyard of the house, heading directly towards the shadowy woods behind the house.

“I- I see someone!”

Someone that couldn’t have been one of the residents. Too big, too fast, too…wrong. No one would be going out there, they would surely head towards the obvious safety of the police and the firemen.

He moved quickly, Seth didn’t have time. His hands were shaking and his stomach was doing somersaults, but he followed his instincts and reached for his service weapon. He had to blink away the cold sweat forming on his skin, trying to maintain his focus.

“bang!”

The shot rang out in the not-so-silent night.

The heads of all of the officer whipped towards him instantly, Marcus was at him in seconds, he had never seen the man run so fast. “What’s-!?”

“I- Someone was running from the house, towards the woods!” Marcus had to have been worried about him potentially shooting a civilian, but Seth wouldn’t have made the shot if he wasn’t sure.

He immediately scanned the backyard for signs of the man, only managing to catch a glimpse of a figure before he disappeared into the woods. “He- he’s still going! He’s in the woods!” Marcus squinted into the dark. Seth wasn’t sure if he saw anything.

Marcus made a swift decision. “James! You call for backup, bring the dogs. Thompson! With me!” Before anything else, he grabbed Seth firmly by the shoulders. “Did you get him?” Seth ignored the continuing trembling in his hands. “I think so, I saw him stumble.” He had just shot someone didn’t he? He’d hurt-

“Good” Was all Marcus said before dashing back to the backyard, Derrick close behind. Left with no further instructions, Seth wavered. Should he stay with James or try to Follow Marcus?

Marcus didn’t rush into the woods just yet, but slowed and started looking about. Likely searching for traces of their intruder. Seth saw this and moved after him, he couldn’t see that well, but he knew the general location of where the man was shot. “It should be over here!” He called, leading Marcus and Derrick over to the fence line.

“Somewhere along here…” He muttered. Then he saw it, a dark splatter that stood out from the worn white fence. “Here! Blood!” Marcus moved in and took his place as he stepped back from the spot. Marcus was careful, inspecting the area without interfering with it too much, aiming to lessen the alterations to the crime scene.

“Theres a good bit of blood here, do you know where you got him?” Marcus asked without turning to look at Seth “Not sure.” Seth could only shake his head. He was still surprised that he actually managed to shoot him. Still surprised that he shot someone. It was pure adrenaline and respect fueled duty that was keeping him from spiraling right now. He had never had to use his service weapon before. He’d trained for it. But nothing could have really prepared him for this.

Marcus had to know what was going on in his mind. He straightened back up and turned to Seth. “You stay back with James, rest for a bit.”

 “But I-“

“Rest.” His words contained no room to argue. “You’ve done enough this evening. You did well.”

There was a part of him that breathed a sigh of relief when he said that, the mounting tension deflating as feeling started to come back to his fingers. He offered a curt nod and walked back towards the flashing lights of the cars.

Marcus poked around for a little while longer, before turning to try and map out their target’s path from the house. The flames in the house were dying down now, the home and everything around it now shrouded in water. Heavy smoke still rose, but the fire’s life was drained, another minute and it would be gone entirely.

He stopped short of his thoughts though, when he caught sight of the inside of the house though the opened back door. Planks and debris, charred from the flame, had fallen from the upper floors, destroying what little the ruined house still had to offer.

What made him pause, was the burnt but unmistakably human arm sticking out from under one such fallen plank.

He made a quick judgment. The fire was nearly gone, the floor on the ground level clearly hadn’t given way yet, even with the added weight from the collapsed parts, and he was certain that it was a human hand under that rubble. He couldn’t confirm that the upper level of the house still had integrity, but he made his decision and was willing to take the risk.

He ran into the house, followed by Derrick’s panicked shouts. Marcus was quick, he didn’t look around, focused solely on the arm. The firemen would be the ones to search the house for any victims of the fire, but if this had anything to do with his current case, he couldn’t afford to wait for their procedures to be completed.

He kneeled down at the collapsed area, observing it all closely. It was an arm, whose? He had no idea, but he sure could make a guess.

He set down his gun and stuck his arms under the collapsed area. It took a lot of strength, using his whole bodyweight, to shift the charred pieces off of whoever was beneath. He wanted to pull them out, but the material in his hands was heavy, he wouldn’t be able to hold it up for much longer.

But suddenly someone was there, they slid to the ground beside him and began pulling at the body beneath the rubble. It was Tompson, of course that idiot followed him inside of a burning building. He could be angry about that later though.

Derrick shouted a “clear!” And Marcus swiftly dropped the rubble, kicking up some ash. He could hope that the person was still alive, but he didn’t count on it. If their perpetrator was making his escape when they arrived, there was ahigh chance that he had completed his goal.

He huffed a breath after the exertion it took to lift the rubble. He really wasn’t as young as he used to be. He looked over to where Derrick held the person that he pulled out.

He thought he had seen his fair share of gore with the last murder, but nothing could have prepared him for this. His breath hitched in his throat, and clearly Derrick saw it too, because he froze with the body in his arms, before letting go and scooting back a bit. “What the h*ll?”

Marcus still couldn’t tell exactly who’s body it was, but he could tell, beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were dead. After all, it was missing its head.

The body was burned in many places, charred and scorched by the flame, but still nothing could distract from the open and empty neck where a head should have been. Though distracted by the missing head, Marcus didn’t miss another detail. A missing hand. Just like the neck, the chop appeared clean, though it would need further inspection. It didn’t seem to be the handiwork of anything fallen in the fire.

But he was pretty sure he knew what it was that did it.

The sound of the running firehose stopped just in time for Marcus to hear the sound of tires screeching to a halt, before barking joined the night chorus.

Backup had arrived, in record time… it was time to give chase.

Marcus and Derrick left the house through the back door, leaving the body as it was. Any more interference with the scene and they would have trouble with the fire department. The victim was dead, so now they were going to focus on catching the one responsible.

The officers led the dogs out of the vehicle and they headed back around the house per the direction of Seth and James. There they met Marcus and Derrick, looking a little worse for wear. “Sir, we’re ready to go. Where did he run off to?” Marcus pointed off into the woods, “Think he went that way. He was shot; he should be bleeding. We got some blood over here, let the dogs smell him out.” Succinct nods was all the communication they needed.

“And we’re sure this is the guy-?” Marcus swiveled back to look at the officer that spoke. “Yeah, we’re sure.”

The body was explanation enough.

“We don’t stop searching till this guy is found!” Marcus called, loud enough for all of the officers to hear. They’d search through the night if they had to. “Now let’s get moving!’

And so they entered the woods. They followed the dogs’ leads, passing though the leaves and underbrush. Every now and then flashlight beams would sweep through the trees, casting tall shadows. The killer had a few minutes head start on them, but so long as they kept up the trail, they could catch up. They were right on his trail after all.

Fire?

He… he set fire to the house!?

Now that Eve thought about it, the floor beneath her was feeling warm, and the smell, the smell of smoke and chemicals was stronger than before.

Th-that’s what he was doing in the basement?

“P-please!” She cried. If she didn’t get out of here soon, Oliver aside, she would burn to death!

“I-it was Lillian! Lillian and Soren and Jamie that hurt them, I- I didn’t do anything!” She started pleading again. Was he angry about the other’s deaths too? He liked Lyra didn’t he? Was that what he was so upset about? But she didn’t do it! It was all Lillian! It was all their fault!

“But you stood with them didn’t you? You watched it all happen.”

Eve tremblingly shook her head. “No, no, noo I- I-“

“You let it all happen.”

“What about their families? Why do they have to lose their loved ones?” His voice was dark, a tone dripping with malice and pain.

“They- they all moved on…” Eve voice trailed off. “T-Their parents are- they already either moved out or died anyways so they won’t miss the-”

She didn’t get to finish her sentence when a heavy blade fell, separating her head clean from her shoulders.

Blood splattered everywhere as the figure above her body heaved, it was visible now, the palpable rage and anger. The icy indifferent hatred was gone, a boiling rage taking its place.  He remained there for a few more deep breaths before straightening back up and taking a slow step back.

The anger was receding quickly and a different look replaced it on his face.

He hadn’t meant to end things so quickly.

He lost control of himself.

He looked down at the lifeless body, now no more than a rotting obstacle instead of a human. It was something he could never understand. Why all the good people had to suffer while the wicked ones walked away like nothing happened.

Why innocent lives were lost because of the selfish ambitions of others and why those evildoers faced no punishment for their crimes.

Hot flames began to lick up the walls and across the floors, the fire was slow to start, but once it got going, it moved quickly. He would have to leave soon too, to avoid being crushed under the burning rubble. The police were most certainly on their way by now, if not because of the screaming, then because of the thickening rising smoke.

He wished he had waited longer. Let her burn slowly. So she could feel the agonizing pain across her whole body.

He couldn’t hear well enough to tell if there was anything on its way, the sounds from the burning house drowned out everything else.

He walked away from the body, moving towards a plain door on the wall. The fire hadn’t reached it yet, but a little longer and it would likely engulf the wood as it would the rest of the house. He grabbed the door handle and opened it.

If Eve were still alive, she would have recognized the space beyond the door, but not because this was her childhood home. Beyond the wooden frame, the colors of the house nulled, leaving only a warm monotonous tone instead. Creaking hallways covered in dark stains lie beyond, stretching much farther into the wall than the house should be able to allow.

His hand trembled, a shaking he failed to notice. His body swayed on his feet, like a wave of dizziness had passed through him. In a moment it was gone and he stood straight again.

He stepped forwards, his foot passing the threshold of the door, but he froze.

Down somewhere in the winding hallways and rooms, something was moving.

In just a moment, dark shadows began to race along the walls, flowing and shifting as the presence of something dark and terrible drew near. They crept towards the open door, towards the flaming house, the edges of the creeping ink slipped over the frame and began dancing across the walls of the house.

The man stepped back quietly, carefully moving the door to close it. Only once latch napped into place and the ink vanished did he relax. If the ink demon was so near then there was no way he could enter into that realm. Not in its current lawless state.

But…

He had to get out of here… now.

He moved quickly, things may not have gone according to plan, but he wasn’t without options. He found the back door and moved it open. Flames were beginning to rise higher, most of the walls were being engulfed quickly, much longer and the house would start collapsing.

He stepped out of the back door and dashed towards the back fence. Now outside of the house, he could hear the police sirens. They had arrived already. There were no emotions on the man’s face, but he did pick up the pace. He wasn’t done with his mission yet.

Behind the backyard fence was the woods, once inside he would be a hard target to catch.

As he approached the fence he heard shouting behind him, he didn’t have the time or luxury to turn and look. They had either found Eve’s body or had seen him, either way, he had to get out of the quickly.

He vaulted over the fence is a smooth motion, but hardly had his feet touched the ground when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

He stumbled and had to grip onto the spokes of the wooden fence to keep himself upright. Pain was radiating out of his arm as blood dripped down to the ground at no slow rate.

He didn’t need to look at the wound, didn’t have time for that, to know it was a bullet from one of the officers. He quickly redirected his strength and kept moving. There was still an expanse of grass before the edge of the woods, he had to get across before he was shot again. He figured he was lucky that the bullet had only gotten his shoulder and not somewhere vital.

There were more shouts when he started running, someone had no doubt spotted him again, but he was past the tree line before anyone could stop him.

His hiding place was now compromised, the woods were the best option to get the police off his trail, but it was no place to hide. He didn’t stop running. The police had seen him enter into the woods, they would be following soon.  

In just a few minutes, he started to hear barking in the distance. Dogs. They could track his scent and no doubt the smell of his blood. His only choice was to keep moving, to keep running.

But he had plenty of experience with that didn’t he? And he was willing to bet that those monsters were much harder to deal with than the police.

.

.

.

The police spread out a bit, covering more ground as the dogs hunted down the smell of blood.

Marcus slowed a few times, finding droplets of blood splattered on the ground or caught on nearby leaves. He felt like something was off. He couldn’t quite place it, but something was going off in his subconscious and he was far too experienced to ignore such a feeling.

He wiped some onto his finger and smudged it a bit. In the darkness, he couldn’t see much, so he shone his flashlight over the splotch. Then he frowned. “Is blood supposed to look like that?” He mumbled to the officer next to him. They looked over and followed his gaze to his hand before frowning as well. “It looks…” They trailed off. “It looks off.” Marcus commented. Something wasn’t right about the substance on his hand. The identifiable red hue was… dimmed. Or at least darkened. Like old blood, but this stuff was fresh.

Marcus made a mental note of it, but wiped the blood on his hands off onto a tree. His questions could be answered once they caught this guy.

It wasn’t till they were at least an hour in that Marcus started to have some doubts. He had someone fish out a map of the area and tried to pinpoint where they were. They were still finding blood, still on the trail, so Marcus didn’t understand why they hadn’t caught up yet.

He couldn’t have been running the whole time, heck, Marcus was walking and he was already having a hard time. That would be the only explanation as to why they hadn’t found him yet though. They were traveling at pace and covering wide ground, still they had to be on track.

He glossed over the map, trying to determine the perpetrator’s most likely course of action, to find his destination. He narrowed in on a small mark a few miles away from their current location. The studio… it’s in this direction. Could that be where he is headed?

Likely.

But he wasn’t going to abandon the trail they had. He called in on their radio and directed another team to drive around to the studio and wait to see if he showed.

Not long after he routed them though, he came across a not-so-small problem.

They lost the trail.

The dogs followed it right to a riverbed, but they lost it there. No more blood, no more scent.

Either their target was one lucky man, or he was aware that they were after him and used the river to throw them off. Marcus directed the other officers and had them pass up and down the sides of the river to see if the dogs would pick back up a scent, but they found nothing. Derrick came up to stand alongside him. “We’ve lost it completely, what do we do now?”

Marcus opened up the map again. “We just have to follow the river until the trail picks back up.” He said. “But how do we know which direction he went?” Derrick asked. Marcus met his eyes for a moment. “We don’t.”

He turned his eyes back down to the map. He laid his finger on the river and followed it along. One side led back towards town, tapering off to a small stream before leading over to a small lake a few more miles out of town. The other end, however, led right past the studio building before joining with a few other small rivers and continuing off the map.

If it were anyone else, a thief, a runner, he would send the team back towards town to search the riverside for any traces. But this wasn’t some thief. This was a murderer with a deep and supernatural grudge on a select few people. One with strong ties to the studio.

Marcus had taken a few officers to scout out the place a while back, to check for any signs of their intruder but found none. Perhaps they had missed something. It was quite possible if not likely that the criminal was using the abandoned building as a hideout.

“We’ll head north, up towards the studio. Follow the river until we get close. Let me know if any of you find anything!” He shouted his directions to the stalled officers. They prodded the dogs back into motion and the team started walking along the riverside.