Detective Arc wasn’t sure when she snapped out of it. She heard a muffled voice, the type of sounds you hear when under water. It was coming into clarity, that moment you look up to the water’s surface and swim towards it and you break through into the air. A fireman was saying her name: “Detective Arc, Sophia Arc? Nod your head if you hear my voice. Detective, nod your head if you hear my voice.”
With her head still down in her knees, Detective Arc opened her eyes. The voice became crisp and clear. She lifted her head up slowly. She tried her best attempt to nod. A flashlight was pointing to the floor at her feet. She looked down the long corridor but nothing was there.
“Whee...where...where’s Charlotte?” Detective Arc asked.
“Detective? You’re going to be okay. Let’s get you out of here.”
“She’s dead. She’s dead,” Detective Arc said in a monotone whisper.
“Who?”
“Samantha. She’s down there,” Detective Arc turned her head and pointed down the corridor.
“Let’s get you out of here Detective Arc,” the fireman looked at the other two firemen, “Need a check down there.”
The firemen moved fast and started down the corridor. They flashed their lights along the corridor walls and jagged, sharp shadows danced down to the dungeon.
“Detective, wrap your arms around my neck. I’ll help you up.”
Detective Arc put her arms around the fireman, his thick yellow jacket and broad shoulders were comforting. He lifted her up with him and she hugged him harder, laying her face onto his shoulder. She let out defeated tears and he welcomed it. He patted her on the back, “It’s going to be okay.”
She lifted her head, wiped her face, and kept one arm around his neck. He put his arm around her waist to hold her up as they turned their backs to the dark. They walked up the cement stairs and through what used to be the red door. There was nothing left of Freedom House except burnt remains of a house once lived in with the ash of human flesh and bones mixed in. Detective Arc looked around,
“Was he in here?” She asked the fireman.
“Who?”
“The Darius,” Detective Arc asked.
“I don’t know. I’m going to pick you up and carry you out of this mess, okay?”
Detective Arc gave a slow nod. He picked her up and carried her out. The walls were stripped to skeleton frames with piles of wood, broken appliances, and deteriorated furniture in mounds across the floor. The back wall was gone and when standing inside what used to be the living room, Freedom Park could be seen through the remnants of the kitchen. The red and blue flashing lights from the police cars out front knocked at the door of memories Detective Arc tried to keep locked away. She remembered those same lights flashing along her street when she was a little girl. She remembered Charlotte, and now Samantha.
The fireman carried her out the front doorway and she looked up at the blue sky hidden behind dark clouds of black smoke. The sound of ambulance sirens and firemen working through the rubbish were muted out as Sophia Arc stared up at the sky. Detective Salvino ran up to them.
“You okay to walk?” asked the fireman.
“Yeah.”
He set her feet down first and held her arms as she stood up.
“Detective Arc, I’m so glad you’re alive,” Detective Salvino said.
“Did you find him?” Detective Arc asked.
“Not yet. It’s was a mass suicide,” Detective Salvino stared into her eyes.
“Samantha Watson is dead. He killed her. Eviscerated her right in front of me,” Detective Arc’s eyes widened. “There’s a survivor down there. His name is Miles. Let’s go.”
Detective Arc turned toward the house but Salvino grabbed her arm.
“Sophia, the firemen are down there. They’ll get him out. We’ll let paramedics know about Samantha.”
Detective Arc turned back to Freedom House and ran back in.
-Written by Sterp
All Rights Reserved
With her head still down in her knees, Detective Arc opened her eyes. The voice became crisp and clear. She lifted her head up slowly. She tried her best attempt to nod. A flashlight was pointing to the floor at her feet. She looked down the long corridor but nothing was there.
“Whee...where...where’s Charlotte?” Detective Arc asked.
“Detective? You’re going to be okay. Let’s get you out of here.”
“She’s dead. She’s dead,” Detective Arc said in a monotone whisper.
“Who?”
“Samantha. She’s down there,” Detective Arc turned her head and pointed down the corridor.
“Let’s get you out of here Detective Arc,” the fireman looked at the other two firemen, “Need a check down there.”
The firemen moved fast and started down the corridor. They flashed their lights along the corridor walls and jagged, sharp shadows danced down to the dungeon.
“Detective, wrap your arms around my neck. I’ll help you up.”
Detective Arc put her arms around the fireman, his thick yellow jacket and broad shoulders were comforting. He lifted her up with him and she hugged him harder, laying her face onto his shoulder. She let out defeated tears and he welcomed it. He patted her on the back, “It’s going to be okay.”
She lifted her head, wiped her face, and kept one arm around his neck. He put his arm around her waist to hold her up as they turned their backs to the dark. They walked up the cement stairs and through what used to be the red door. There was nothing left of Freedom House except burnt remains of a house once lived in with the ash of human flesh and bones mixed in. Detective Arc looked around,
“Was he in here?” She asked the fireman.
“Who?”
“The Darius,” Detective Arc asked.
“I don’t know. I’m going to pick you up and carry you out of this mess, okay?”
Detective Arc gave a slow nod. He picked her up and carried her out. The walls were stripped to skeleton frames with piles of wood, broken appliances, and deteriorated furniture in mounds across the floor. The back wall was gone and when standing inside what used to be the living room, Freedom Park could be seen through the remnants of the kitchen. The red and blue flashing lights from the police cars out front knocked at the door of memories Detective Arc tried to keep locked away. She remembered those same lights flashing along her street when she was a little girl. She remembered Charlotte, and now Samantha.
The fireman carried her out the front doorway and she looked up at the blue sky hidden behind dark clouds of black smoke. The sound of ambulance sirens and firemen working through the rubbish were muted out as Sophia Arc stared up at the sky. Detective Salvino ran up to them.
“You okay to walk?” asked the fireman.
“Yeah.”
He set her feet down first and held her arms as she stood up.
“Detective Arc, I’m so glad you’re alive,” Detective Salvino said.
“Did you find him?” Detective Arc asked.
“Not yet. It’s was a mass suicide,” Detective Salvino stared into her eyes.
“Samantha Watson is dead. He killed her. Eviscerated her right in front of me,” Detective Arc’s eyes widened. “There’s a survivor down there. His name is Miles. Let’s go.”
Detective Arc turned toward the house but Salvino grabbed her arm.
“Sophia, the firemen are down there. They’ll get him out. We’ll let paramedics know about Samantha.”
Detective Arc turned back to Freedom House and ran back in.
-Written by Sterp
All Rights Reserved
