Chapter 2

MYSTIC HOLLOW

Homicide

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BY NAOMI INNOCENT

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CHAPTER 2

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The cops were taking samples what were left at the scene, taking shots of whatever that was available.

Sheriff Ruth was still taking down reports from another student who seemed to be the little boy's sister.

"Jack was a good kid. A really good kid. He doesn't deserve to die. He doesn't.. He.."

"Come on kid, don't cry, Tell me what happened" Sheriff Ruth asked as she sniffed.

"He only wanted to play outside, close to the woods, I asked him not to but he... He.. "

She continued crying as Ruth patted her back.

"Its Ok kid, Gimme your parent's number" she said as the little girl who would be 15 years old brought out her cell phone.

"I saw him! I saw the killer! He was putting on a blue mask" a little boy said as Detective Dennis walked to the boy to get more info.

The ambulance came as they took the lifeless body from the rock.

"Is that my Jack? Jack! Jack!" His mom screamed as the lifeless body was rolled on a Stretcher to the ambulance.

"Dad!" Agnes, the boy's sister ran to him, he hugged her as she cried.

"You must be Mr. James?" Sheriff Ruth asked offering a handshake to him as he received it.

"Yh Sheriff" Mr. James said sadly.

"What happened to my little boy?" Mrs. James cried as they took the body away.

"Come on sweetie, pull yourself together" Mr. James told his wife who hugged him as the family cried.

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"Elena are you okay?" Alex asked again as she stared at what her attention was upon.

"Mmm.. I'm.. I'm fine" she stuttered and blinked her eyes.

"Hey guys!" Peter said and observed Elena as she blinked back tears.

"What's wrong with her man?" Peter asked as Alex shrugged.

"I don't know. She's just behaving weird lately" Alex said.

"I have to.. " Elena said as she rushed inside the school building while her friends followed her not knowing what she was up to.

She went straight to where Sarah was seated but couldn't find her again. She searched round the cafeteria but couldn't get a glimpse of her.

"Elena! You're behaving strange. What are you actually looking for?" Peter demanded.

"Sarah was here right?" She said asking no one in particular.

"What now? You're looking for that psycho?" Alex said out of frustration.

"No no no no, you don't get it. I think that kid is strange. She's... I mean she's.. "

"Cut it out Elena, we all know she's a strange weirdo, everyone knows that" Laura walked towards them.

"No no, you don't understand. I think there are more to that. She is just.. I think mysterious. Yes mysterious. That's the right word to use" Elena said excitedly as her friends gave her a weird look.

Peter gave a faux laugh and rolled his eyes.

"Come on Elena, I think you need an ice on your head. You are just shocked. Remember you just saw a dead body which you are actually scared of?" Alex said as they held her by her arms and took them away to the parking lot.

"Seriously I know what I saw. I do" she protested but they wouldn't listen to her.

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"This is the third death we've recorded in two weeks. Two kids and a teenager and you haven't gotten a clue who this damn killer is!?" Mayor Bellos screamed at Sheriff Ruth who seemed annoyed already.

"Mayor, you should know am doing my best. Am not happy picking dead bodies every now and then. The CCTV camera footages were tempered with. I think this killer is up to something" she summarized.

"Well I don't fûckin care if this killer is a pro or what ever. That's why you are here to do your job. Just get this killer caught as soon as possible. I won't like recording anymore deaths! " the Mayor snapped angrily and left as his guards followed suit.

"I hate it when he commands me like this, as if I'm some kind of High school Teenager! Damn him!" She soliloquised and walked out of her office, straight to her Detective squad, called *Team Alpha*

"Gather round y'all" she commanded as they did.

She brought out a map of Mystic Hollow and asked Kate to pass her a marker.

"The first death in Mystic Hollow was on the 9th of July, 2023, at some teenagers' camp fire party" she said and circled the spot red.

"The other was on the 11th of July, at the woods, in a treehouse. Another teenager, aged 17" Detective Kate said as Ruth circled that spot.

"And today was a 9 years old kid, close to Mystic Hollow High school" detective Crane said

"All CCTV camera footages were tempered with" Sheriff Ruth said bitting her lower lips.

"I think these killings might be done by one person, like a serial killer" Detective Crane said

"And suspect? " Detective Philip asked.

"None yet, except a guy on a blue mask. That's what a kid said but I see that as a figment of her imaginations" Sheriff said waving it away.

"We have to put our ears close to the wall and be more careful not to loose more lives. Damn, this is just freaking me out! Its just two weeks and we've recorded 3 deaths! Seriously we have to act fast lest we might record more deaths" Sheriff Ruth further stated.

"I think this killer is up to something" Detective Kate said.

"And that's what we are gonna find out" Sheriff Ruth said as she nodded at them and they all stared at the marking on the map of Mystic Hollow.

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Elena's friends took her to her house, her mom, Sheriff Ruth Gilbert wasn't around was still at the station.

Elena lives with her mom, her dad and mom divorced when she was a kid and she doesn't know her dad neither has she heard any news about him, her mom forbids talking about him.

Her friends lay her on the couch as Alex pressed an iceberg against her forehead.

"Seriously guys I'm fine. I know what I'm saying and what I fvcking saw!" She said raising her shoulders as Laura and Peter pressed her down.

"Will you stop using the F word please?" Peter who was stucking a chocolate bar in his mouth said as he opened the fridge to get more.

Elena huffed out of frustration as she removed the iceberg from her forehead and placed it on the stool.

"Then what did you see?" Laura asked.

"I saw it, Sarah Bellos drew that shit that happened out there. She drew a kid shot on his forehead, lying on a rock even before it happened, she drew it on her fvckin drawing book!" Elena said half yelling.

"What now, are you tryna say Sarah is some sort of Banshee or a psychic? Seriously Elena, those shits doesn't exist. They only do in movies and not in Mystic Hollow! " Alex said as Peter nodded enjoying the sweet flavor of the chocolate bar.

"Come on guys, y'all gotta believe me. I saw it. Sarah is no ordinary kid. I think... I think she's a mysterious girl. Maybe she might know something about these recent deaths in few weeks, what do you think guys?" Elena asked.

"Look Elena, yh, we all know Sarah is a psycho and a weirdo, but there's nothing mysterious there!" Laura said sitting beside her as she face palm her self.

"Come on guys! I'll never joke with stuff like this! And maybe we could help my mom solve this death puzzle. She's been having sleepless night lately, trying to figure this out. Maybe we could be of help to Mystic Hollow and properly solve this shit and stop the next death that might occur" Elena persisted.

"Well, If she is still insisting, I guess we should keep an eye on Sarah. Maybe we might find out something. At least it wouldn't cost us a thing right? " Alex suggested.

"Yh, and we might find out something about her weird lifestyle, don't you think?" Laura added as they all nodded.

"And I think we'll start by checking her birth history to know why she decided to stay mute. We'll check her mental history, health history and anything we can find about her at her place of birth" Peter added.

"Then I guess we would have to visit Mystic Hollow Hospital (MHH) where she was born" Elena said with a smile on her face.

"And how are we gonna get past the cops in the hospital?" Alex asked.

"We'll figure that out tomorrow" Elena said as they felt so connected.

"Oh my gosh! I love moments like this" Peter said as they all laughed.

"Stop being a jerk will you?" Laura said amidst laughs.

"I feel we are super heros already" Peter said as they gave him a weird look.

"Come on, not that we are saving the earth from a falling asteroid, or Is your name, Peter Parker affecting you right now?" Alex said as they all laughed.

"Come on guys! We are more than the spider man. We are!!! The Freaks!!!!!!" Peter yelled.

His friends stared at him weirdly as he shrugged.

"Ok, I guess not" he said.

"Come on guys! Who wants pancakes?" Elena asked as they all screamed out of joy.

"Me!" They all yelled.

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Sarah Bellos walked into the woods as she went straight to the cemetery, she sat close to one of the tombs and brought out her pen and dairy as she started writing.

*Date: 19th July, 2023.

Dear Dairy..

She continued writing as the whole place got foggier and she couldn't see, she stood up and observed that the whole crows had left and she was the only one there.

She heard some rustling from the woods and she felt it, someone was spying at her from behind the woods.

She dusted her butt and dropped three flowers on three different tombs, took her drawing book, bag and dairy as she walked out of the cemetery and headed home on foot, hastening her footsteps.

The anonymous lady walked to where Sarah Bellos was sitting down. She saw the three tombs she dropped the flowers and bent down beside one of them.

"Now what do we have here" the anonymous lady said and read from the tomb.

*In memory of Jane Phillips*

*In memory of Finn Loix*

*In memory of Jack James*

"Hmm" she whispered to herself and got up and stared at the direction Sarah took.

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Sarah got home and her guard, Zoe walked up to her

"Welcome little Miss, heard there was a killing in your school today, hope you're fine?" Zoe asked as she tried to relief Sarah of what she was carrying, which means, her bag, drawing book and dairy.

But Sarah didn't allow her touch her drawing book and dairy, she only allowed her to carry the bag as she went straight to her room, upstairs.

Her parents were not at home, so she would have breakfast alone after taking her bath.

She got to her bathroom, and was taking her bath as some shadows passed her. She stopped and looked around but saw nothing. She continued bathing as the shadow passed again, she quickly took her shower and rushed out of the bathroom to her room.

She opened her big chest, and in the chest was a big strange mirror, she brought out one of her favorite dress to wear, she was observing the dress when she looked at the mirror and saw a little girl putting on a white gown stained with blood, looks like she was shot at her forehead. She panted and panicked as she turned to face the little girl but she was no longer there. She got shocked and stared at her mirror and still saw nothing. She tumbled and fell to the ground as a wood with pierced edge torn her dress she brought out to wear.

She huffed out of frustration staring at her favorite dress. She went down stairs and took some needles and thread from the store room where her mom normally seam their dresses, then she headed back to her room.

"Do you need anything little Miss?" One of the maids in the house asked her.

She stopped and stared at her for a while and shook her head sideways.

She went to her room and was about passing the thread through the needle but she stopped and started breathing heavily as she saw the little girl again. This time not through the mirror but face to face.

She ran downstairs and took a knife from the kitchen and headed back to her room.

"Hey Sarah, what do you wanna do with that? " one of the maids asked but she didn't spare her a look neither did she halt, she just went straight to her room.

She got to her room and locked the door behind her as the maid followed her upstairs and knocked on her door.

"Sarah! Sarah! Please open up" the maid said banging on her door and received deaf ears from Sarah.

Sarah got to the middle of her room and sat down like an old witch. She cut her wrist with the knife as she used her blood to write the number 15 and circled it. She kept using her blood to paint the 15 very well as blood dropped from her wrist.

The maid kept knocking on the door as Mr. And Mrs. Bellos walked inside the living room.

"What's happening up there?" Mayor Bellos asked as the maid stopped.

"Its Sarah, she went inside her room with a knife" she said hastenly.

"What?" Her mom said as they rushed upstairs and banged on the door, pleading on her to open up but she refused as she kept painting the number 15.

"Are you nuts? What were you doing that she took the knife huh? Y'all careless. I'm gonna fire you all right away" Mayor Bellos bawled as he kicked the door with force and it sprang open immediately.

Both parents ran inside the room seeing blood all over their daughter.

"Sarah! What are you doing!?" Her mother cried as Sarah raised her chin up, seeing a necklace on her mom's neck, the number 15 was written on it.

She stared at the number 15 for a while and fainted.

"Sarah!!!!" Her mom screamed her name.

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Tbc