She could hear Detective Salvino’s feet not far behind her. Her shoes crushed the remains of burnt carpet and wood and sticky black flesh stuck to the bottom of her shoes.
“Detective, wait,” Salvino called after her.
Detective Arc got to the doorway that led down to the dungeon and with no hesitation she made her way down, past the firemen.
“Should we stop her?” one asked Salvino.
Detective Salvino brushed past the fireman and said, “No. Let her go.”
Now the corridor was lit up with portable lights all the way down. Detective Arc briskly walked down the corridor without looking back. The underground tunnel that was once a lifeless void of darkness was now transformed by bright lights and the many firemen working down there. No rats, no darkness, and no more melodies echoing that of childhood ice cream memories.
Detective Arc got to the end of the corridor that opened into the wide dungeon. She could see the bright yellow jackets of two firemen who were kneeling down inside of the cell that Miles was in. She peered around the wooden table that sat in the center. Her eyes scanned the ground.
“Detective Arc. We found a young man,” one of the firemen said as Detective Salvino walked up.
“That’s Miles,” said Detective Arc, “Samantha Watson is down here too, dead.”
The fireman gave a long stare before speaking, “Detective, only Miles is down here. We found a deceased female in that cell but she doesn’t look of age 12. We also found two deceased adult males in the other cell.”
“Samantha was killed in front of me. She died right there on the floor.”
“There was no dead body there when we arrived on scene.”
Detective Salvino chimed in, “Sounds like we just need to look harder then. Detective Arc, why don’t you head back upstairs and -”
“I’m staying right here. Samantha Watson died and her body was right there. Maybe Miles saw something.”
They walked over to Miles’s cell.
“We need to speak to Miles,” Detective Arc said.
The two firemen stood up. “I wish you could but he’s gone. We tried but he lost way too much blood.”
Miles sat against the wall, his body stiff and covered in dirt and blood as if he bathed in it for days.
“The female victim is Jody. That’s probably not her real name but that’s what they called her,” Detective Arc said, “Salvino, let’s check the backyard.”
They made their way back through the corridor and up the stairs. They walked out to Freedom Park and down the stone path.
“This is where he stayed. They called him The Darius,” Detective Arc said.
“The Darius?” Salvino said out loud.
They walked into the room and small tea light candles brightened the perimeter along the walls. It was one large room and there were no doors leading anywhere else. It was quiet and desolate and the only movement was that of the candle light flickering around them, giggling at them as they tried to find The Darius. There was a table at the other end of the room, where the long carpet ended. The darkness made it difficult to see but Detective Arc could make out an object underneath the table.
She walked down the carpet and when she got to the table she bent down to see what it was. A small black safe. The safe door was cracked open.
“It’s a safe. It’s been opened,” Detective Arc turned back to Salvino. We’ll need to get forensics over here to check for fingerprints.
---
Detective Arc and Detective Salvino stood back as forensics pulled the safe door fully open. Whatever had been in there was long gone and had disappeared with The Darius. They checked for fingerprints and got nothing. No traces of him were left behind except the piles of a burnt up house once known as Freedom House.
“He’s gone,” Detective Arc shook her head.
“Looks like we’ll be on a manhunt,” Salvino said, staring down at the safe.
-Written by Sterp
All Rights Reserved
“Detective, wait,” Salvino called after her.
Detective Arc got to the doorway that led down to the dungeon and with no hesitation she made her way down, past the firemen.
“Should we stop her?” one asked Salvino.
Detective Salvino brushed past the fireman and said, “No. Let her go.”
Now the corridor was lit up with portable lights all the way down. Detective Arc briskly walked down the corridor without looking back. The underground tunnel that was once a lifeless void of darkness was now transformed by bright lights and the many firemen working down there. No rats, no darkness, and no more melodies echoing that of childhood ice cream memories.
Detective Arc got to the end of the corridor that opened into the wide dungeon. She could see the bright yellow jackets of two firemen who were kneeling down inside of the cell that Miles was in. She peered around the wooden table that sat in the center. Her eyes scanned the ground.
“Detective Arc. We found a young man,” one of the firemen said as Detective Salvino walked up.
“That’s Miles,” said Detective Arc, “Samantha Watson is down here too, dead.”
The fireman gave a long stare before speaking, “Detective, only Miles is down here. We found a deceased female in that cell but she doesn’t look of age 12. We also found two deceased adult males in the other cell.”
“Samantha was killed in front of me. She died right there on the floor.”
“There was no dead body there when we arrived on scene.”
Detective Salvino chimed in, “Sounds like we just need to look harder then. Detective Arc, why don’t you head back upstairs and -”
“I’m staying right here. Samantha Watson died and her body was right there. Maybe Miles saw something.”
They walked over to Miles’s cell.
“We need to speak to Miles,” Detective Arc said.
The two firemen stood up. “I wish you could but he’s gone. We tried but he lost way too much blood.”
Miles sat against the wall, his body stiff and covered in dirt and blood as if he bathed in it for days.
“The female victim is Jody. That’s probably not her real name but that’s what they called her,” Detective Arc said, “Salvino, let’s check the backyard.”
They made their way back through the corridor and up the stairs. They walked out to Freedom Park and down the stone path.
“This is where he stayed. They called him The Darius,” Detective Arc said.
“The Darius?” Salvino said out loud.
They walked into the room and small tea light candles brightened the perimeter along the walls. It was one large room and there were no doors leading anywhere else. It was quiet and desolate and the only movement was that of the candle light flickering around them, giggling at them as they tried to find The Darius. There was a table at the other end of the room, where the long carpet ended. The darkness made it difficult to see but Detective Arc could make out an object underneath the table.
She walked down the carpet and when she got to the table she bent down to see what it was. A small black safe. The safe door was cracked open.
“It’s a safe. It’s been opened,” Detective Arc turned back to Salvino. We’ll need to get forensics over here to check for fingerprints.
---
Detective Arc and Detective Salvino stood back as forensics pulled the safe door fully open. Whatever had been in there was long gone and had disappeared with The Darius. They checked for fingerprints and got nothing. No traces of him were left behind except the piles of a burnt up house once known as Freedom House.
“He’s gone,” Detective Arc shook her head.
“Looks like we’ll be on a manhunt,” Salvino said, staring down at the safe.
-Written by Sterp
All Rights Reserved
