“Attention all passengers. We are now arriving at Helara. Please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark. Passengers headed to Zaiford, we shall continue our trip shortly. We ask you to remain seated as other passengers disembark and come aboard. We thank you for choosing the Zeltan Transportation Company and hope you choose us again.”
Nia’s ears perked up at the announcement and gently nudged Amara, who was dozing peacefully beside her. “Hey, we’re here.” She murmured as Amara’s frosty blue eyes shot open. Stretching, she reached for her bags before looking across from here, watching as Joren and Lucien both reached for their belongings. “How long was I asleep?” She asked Nia. “It felt like I just closed my eyes just a few minutes ago.”
“For six hours actually. You were sound asleep the entire time. The stewardess even tried to wake you for a drink, but you stubbornly remained asleep.”
Lucien chuckled. “You were even drooling and snoring louder than an old man. I feel sorry for whoever you end up–”
“For your own sake, I highly suggest you don’t finish that comment.” Amara interjected, glaring daggers at Lucien, who merely chuckled sheepishly in response. The screeching of the train’s brakes reverberated through the carriage as the train stopped in front of a busy platform. Almost in unison, multiple people stood up and began wandering to the exit, the four of them following the crowd out. As soon as they exited, the cool breeze swept through, providing a welcome relief from the stuffy atmosphere in the train.
“Evra said that the liaison from the HPD would be here to greet us…” Nia anxiously said as she looked around. “I don’t see anyone who fits the description that she gave us.”
“Maybe they’re running late?” Joren suggested. “After all, the train was about twenty minutes ahead of schedule.”
An unfamiliar, deep voice spoke up. “I assure you, I arrived ahead of schedule.” The group turned and watched as a bulky, tan skinned man strode up to them wearing a deep blue police uniform, his service weapon prominently displayed on his waist for all to see. “Welcome to Helara. Though I wish I could greet you under better circumstances, I must insist that you follow me to my patrol vehicle. We’d like you all to begin your investigation immediately.”
The four of them nodded and followed the man to a marked police SUV that was parked just outside the chaotically busy airport entrance. Getting into the vehicle, with Nia sitting in the front, Joren and Amara in the middle, and Lucien in the back, the man took off from the entrance, merging into traffic.
“The suspect struck again while you all were traveling here, just under an hour ago. There were injuries this time around. No fatalities as of yet, but one is in critical condition and undergoing emergency surgery in the hospital as we speak. I’m taking you to the crime scene to speak with my boss and begin your investigation from there.”
A tense silence enveloped the vehicle before Joren spoke up. “What exactly occurred?”
“The suspect used his ability on a small business that was busier than normal due to a sale they had been promoting for weeks prior. The suspect can be seen on CCTV from a neighboring business canvasing the business multiple times, walking past and peering inside the windows before finally unleashing his power. There were no provocations as well.”
“That’s different from his MO.” Nia stated. “We were told that he only targeted businesses that were closed and didn’t have anyone in there.”
“He must have changed his tactics. If I had to guess, he wants attention, and what he was doing wasn’t gaining enough attention, so he upped the stakes.”
“That’s certainly a possibility…” Lucien stated, more to himself, as he stared at the window, watching as they sped past other vehicles. “Though…why would he want this much attention?”
“That’s what we’re here to find out.” Joren answered, his face morphing to one of anger yet determination. “We have to find him as quickly as possible before he actually kills someone.”
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Several minutes later, the group arrived at the scene, spotting several news vans with reporters reporting live for their various channels. Nia looked on as a group of onlookers stood just beyond the police perimeter, recording with their phones and talking amongst themselves about what could have happened. With the police escorting them into the building, the stench of earth and dust filled the air as still live electrical wires sparked. A pepper-haired middle-aged man, wearing a navy blue uniform, noticed the group tentatively make their way into the building.
“Ah…I see you’ve all arrived. Let’s immediately get down to business, shall we?”
Motioning for the group to follow him, the man led them through the wreckage and towards the backroom. “It’s best we discuss this outside the range of the hyenas that is the press.” He stated before sighing. “The man arrived at this location about an hour and a half ago. Witnesses all state that he spent several moments staring inside the building, even discouraging a few children from entering, before using his power. He was then seen fleeing on foot heading north. However, pursuing officers weren’t able to locate him, and despite sending more officers to assist, remains unaccounted for.”
“So…just like what happened with the previous businesses…” Nia muttered. “Though, why did he discourage some children from entering if his goal was to cause as much destruction as possible? It’s quite obvious that–”
“We just don’t know unfortunately.” The man curtly replied. “Until we catch him, speculation is prohibited. Facts only.”
“That’s not how we do things…nor should any police force.” Joren responded, his voice calm and composed. “I’m not sure what your policies and procedures are concerning investigations, but you requested our help. As such, we will conduct the investigation our way.”
The man was silent for a moment before nodding. “Very well…we’ll provide you with whatever assistance we can provide. We’re finishing up our questioning of the witnesses. You can talk with them as soon as we’re finished. You also have access to the crime scene. Just…be sure to catch this guy quickly. The longer he’s out, the more incompetent we appear.” With that, he swiftly left the backroom, heading towards the front of the store.
“Well, we’ve certainly pissed him off.” Lucien stated. “Though I can’t say I’m lookin forward to cooperating with him.”
Amara nodded. “For once, we agree on something. Just by his demeanor and statements, he’s more concerned with his reputation rather than the safety of the citizenry.”
Nia cleared her throat. “We can talk about him later. For now, what do you all think is a possible motive?”
“Attention, plain and simple.” Joren responded, shaking his head. “He wasn’t getting enough attention from just hitting empty stores, so he upped the stakes by hitting a fairly busy business. Judging by the news vans outside, he got his wish. For what reason though…”
“Maybe…but there’s obviously something more to this than just being an attention seeker. Remember: he confronted multiple people who he claimed he knew, but not a single one remembered him. Do you think this could be a way for him to try to get their attention?” Amara asked, her brow furrowed.
“It’s certainly plausible.” Nia answered. “Maybe it’s his sick attempt at what he thinks is going to jog their memories. We should probably question those he got in contact with before his crime spree. Maybe they’ll have some insight that the police are overlooking. Until then: Joren, Amara, I want you two to canvass the entire crime scene. Document anything you think is worth noting or out of place. Lucien, you’re with me. I’m certain the police have finished questioning at least some of the witnesses. We’re going to question them as quickly yet accurately as we can.”
The three of them nodded, with Joren and Amara immediately heading towards the front. Lucien took in a deep breath before exhaling sharply. “Alright, let’s do this!”
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The afternoon sun shined down, illuminating the normally dark alleyway as a black-haired man confidently strode down its length, ignoring the curious yet wary glares from its residents. Upon reaching a filthy, dented door, the man knocked sharply. Moments later, a deep, gravely voice that instantly irritated the man responded. “As the sun shines brighter…”
“The bigger the shadows it creates.”
Immediately, the grating sound of metal scraping against metal could be heard before the thunk of a lock being pulled back caused the door to swing open, revealing a man with a scraggly gray beard caked with dirt and grime. The man recoiled from the smell emanating from him, using sheer willpower to prevent himself from heaving. “Whatda want?” The man asked, ignoring the reaction from his visitor.
“Hello there, sir. I’m Elias, and I was directed here by a few acquaintances of mine and yours. Said you found something that the church was desperately looking for.”
The man looked over Elias before nodding. “Yeah…what about it?”
“I’m here to see if I could convince you to give it to me. I’m not above paying you handsomely to relieve you of it.”
“Oh would ya now? An’ why should I do that? Seems obvious to me I could get a pretty penny out of it on the black market. Much more than yer willin to pay at least.”
Elias chuckled. “I’m confident that, besides financial compensation, I can provide something no one else could possibly provide: protection.”
“Protectin me from what? Ya think I’m afraid of some cops? I don’t need any protectin from–”
“It’s not the police you should be worried about. Rather…it should be my associate who should terrify you. I heard that you’re a survivor from Lonato and just arrived in town a little over a year ago.” 60Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwxhnyuVmC
“...what about it?”
“I would hate for a repeat of that incident from occurring here…with you as the target.”
The man’s eyes widened as he stumbled backwards, his breathing immediately becoming erratic. Elias used the opportunity to step inside the filthy building, his shoes crushing the brown wrappers of various fast-food restaurants. “Now now…no need to be TOO afraid. All I ask is that you relinquish the item to me, and I promise that besides the financial compensation, that no harm will come for you. Now then, do we have a deal?”
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Gray calmly drove down the road, arriving at Helara quicker than he thought he would. Making his way through the light traffic, he spent the next several minutes looking for businesses that offered free parking before finally finding one, claiming one of its parking spots as his own. Stepping out, the cool air was a bit of a surprise, causing him to shiver slightly before taking a deep breath. “How long has it been since I was last here? Six years? …No actually I think it’s seven.” He muttered to himself as he closed the car door behind him. “Still, for such a major city, traffic today was kinda light.” Continuing talking to himself, he began walking down the sidewalk, mindlessly kicking a rock down the sidewalk. “Now, what should I do to kill some time? He won’t be at his usual spot for at least another few hours…if he even still comes to the same spot at all.”
Almost instantly afterwards, the pleasing aroma of various foods filled the air. Looking to his left, he spotted a small diner at the corner on the opposite side of the street. After making sure there were no cars coming, he dashed across before arriving at the diner. Opening the door, his stomach instantly began growling. A young waitress smiled as he entered. “Welcome! Table for one?”
“Yes, please.”
“Follow me then!”
The cheerfulness of the waitress was contagious as Gray managed to smile as well, being led to a table in the far corner of the diner. After handing him a menu, she bowed slightly. “I’ll be back in a minute for your order.”
Opening the menu, Gray perused the options before the sound of a news broadcast interrupted his thoughts.
“The damage the business sustained is substantial, with some already speculating that the building will be demolished after the investigation is complete. This is the most recent incident in a string of bizarre occurrences in which the suspect has used his ability to destroy local businesses.”
Gray watched as the camera panned to the front of a destroyed business, with the reporter continuing her report. “Police haven’t released any footage of the incident, and any requests for more information have been deferred for the time being. However, in a prepared statement, the chief stated, before this most recent incident, that they had requested, and were granted, federal assistance, and that an arrest would be made sooner rather than later. However, local residents we’ve interviewed weren’t too encouraged, with some considering visiting family and friends out of the town until the suspect is apprehended.”
“This has been occurring the past few days. Made me terrified to come to work today.”
Gray glanced at the waitress, who had returned to his table with a small notebook in hand. Giving her a reassuring smile, he took one last quick look at the menu as she asked him what he would want. As she finished writing down his order and began walking away, Gray cleared his throat. “I’m sure that he’ll be behind bars sooner rather than later.” He added, taking another look at the tv, which had switched to a different story. “Just give them a little bit of time…”
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and then Add to home screen.