SECRETS IN DEREK'S HOUSE

That night, after the tense conversation at the police station, Avery and Ethan moved into Derek Langston's home. They were still shaken by the day's events, with suspicions swirling in their minds, but there was no time to analyze them further. Derek's house was on the outskirts of town, hidden behind tall trees that made it feel isolated from the outside world.

"Are you sure we're safe here?" Avery asked, glancing at the house, unable to shake her feelings of suspicion about Derek.

Ethan, looking uncertain, turned to her. "For now, it's the only place that might be safe. At least we're far from that hotel and closer to the information that could help us unravel this case."

They walked toward the door, and Derek greeted them with a blank expression, as if the exhaustion he had been hiding was finally taking over. "Come in. I've prepared a room for you."

Avery and Ethan stepped inside, immediately sensing a different aura than they had expected. The house was silent—too silent. There were no signs of life apart from Derek.

"Do you live here alone?" Avery asked, her eyes scanning the simple living room filled with photographs on the walls. One photo stood out, showing a woman and a young child smiling brightly.

Derek tensed for a moment before nodding slightly. "Yes, I've lived alone for years."

Avery examined the photo more closely. "Who are they?" she asked cautiously, trying to find a way to delve into something more personal with Derek.

Derek stared at the photo for a long time before responding, his expression heavy with sadness. "That's my wife, Marissa, and my daughter, Lily." His voice cracked slightly as he spoke their names.

Avery held her breath. She could sense that there was a dark story behind the bright smiles in the photo. "What happened to them?" she asked softly.

Derek took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving the picture on the wall. "They were victims of the mystery that haunts this town. Marissa died mysteriously several years ago, and a year later... Lily followed." His voice trembled, as if old wounds were reopening. "That's why I'm so afraid of this case. I've seen what this power can do to families."

Avery and Ethan fell silent, a chill running through them. They had always known the case was dangerous, but hearing Derek's story gave them a new perspective—how personal and devastating this tragedy was for those involved.

"What really happened to them?" Ethan asked, trying to extract more details. "Are there any clues that could link their deaths to this case?"

Derek shook his head slowly. "Nothing is clear. Marissa was found dead with the same signs as the other victims—no physical wounds, as if life just drained out of her body. And Lily…" Derek's voice broke off, and he shut his eyes, trying to hold back the pain that still felt very real. "I couldn't save her."

Avery felt a deep sympathy for Derek. But beneath that sympathy, there was an unshakable suspicion. She felt that Derek might know more than he was letting on. Perhaps his loss had caused him to withhold information, or maybe… Derek was hiding something darker.

They sat in silence for a moment, the atmosphere in the house growing heavier. Ethan finally spoke, trying to break the silence. "We need to act quickly. If this pattern of death repeats every year, how long until the next victim?"

Avery pulled out a small notebook from her bag, jotting down various dates from the documents they had previously found. She looked at Ethan seriously. "If we follow the established pattern, the next victim is likely to occur around eleven months from now."

Ethan nodded. "That means we have time, but not much. We need to find a way to stop this cycle before the next victim falls."

Derek, who had been listening intently, looked shaken by this revelation. "Ten months… that means we have little time. But trust me, time will move faster than we think if we don't act soon."

Avery eyed Derek with growing suspicion. "What makes you so sure, Derek? Is there something you haven't told us?"

Derek fell silent. His gaze was vacant, as if there were many things he wanted to say but was held back by his own fear. "I know you're suspicious of me. I've felt it from the beginning. But I'm not involved in this; I'm just a victim—like everyone else."

"But why have you never tried to stop this case?" Avery pressed. "Why haven't you, as the police chief, ever managed to solve this mystery?"

Derek lowered his head, as if the question had struck a deep wound within him. "Because I was afraid. After losing my family, I was too scared to dig deeper. I knew there was something bigger behind this, but I never had the courage to face it. And now, seeing you both fight against it… I feel ashamed for not trying before."

Ethan stared at Derek, searching for honesty in his eyes. "We just want to know the truth, Derek. If there's anything you're hiding—whatever it is—now is the time to tell us. Because if we don't work together, more people will die."

Derek sighed deeply, then finally said, "There's something I want to show you."

They followed Derek to the basement of his house, a hidden place that felt cold. Dim lights flickered on as Derek opened a worn wooden door. Inside, there was a large safe tucked away in the corner.

"I've kept this for years," he said as he opened the safe. Inside were stacks of files and photographs, some of which looked old and faded.

Avery and Ethan stepped closer, examining photos of victims showing similar signs—hollow eyes, bodies that looked normal yet lifeless. Among the documents, they found paperwork that appeared to be from the government, adorned with faded seals and stamps.

"What is this?" Avery asked, her voice low but filled with curiosity.

"These are pieces of evidence I never submitted to the authorities," Derek replied quietly. "I found these after Marissa died. There are documents about Project Raven, photos of other victims, and strange markings mentioning alternate dimensions."

Ethan quickly skimmed through some of the documents, his eyes widening. "This is what we've been looking for. This evidence could help us understand more about the experiments and the forces behind these deaths."

Avery looked deeply at Derek. "Why have you kept this all this time?"

Derek looked down, weary and filled with regret. "Because I was afraid. Afraid of what would happen if I dug too deep. But now… I know I can't run away anymore."

Silence enveloped the room, but beneath it lay a growing sense of urgency. They had to move quickly. Ten months might seem long, but with every step they took, they became increasingly aware of how dangerous the secrets they faced truly were.

Avery stared at the document in her hands. On the faded yellow paper was a strange diagram, with much of the writing smudged, but one term stood out clearly, sending a chill down her spine: Dimensional Portal.

Ethan, standing beside her, quickly scanned the pages, occasionally taking deep breaths as he tried to process the information they had just uncovered. "This... this is insane," he murmured. "Project Raven isn't just an ordinary experiment. They were trying to open a portal to another dimension."

Avery nodded, her eyes fixed on the document. "Just like the old woman said—that they succeeded," she replied quietly. "But they couldn't control what they opened."

Derek stood in the corner of the room, his hands trembling slightly as he pointed to a thicker folder, distinct from the others. "That document... contains the final notes from the scientist who led the project."

Ethan opened the folder to reveal a series of handwritten notes, along with increasingly complex diagrams. But one thing that caught his attention was a warning written in bold letters at the bottom of a page:

"Do not let this portal remain open for too long. The forces that escape may spread, and grow stronger each year."

"This explains the annual pattern," Avery said, taking a deep breath. "Every year, something from that dimension comes out and claims a victim."

"What is that entity?" Ethan asked quietly. "Is there a way to stop it?"

Derek looked increasingly uneasy, his footsteps heavy as he approached a small table in the room. He opened an old wooden drawer and pulled out something—a small object resembling an ancient key, with symbols etched along its handle.

"I don't know exactly what we're dealing with," Derek said, his eyes fixed on the key as if it held secrets greater than anything he could imagine. "But this... this key. I found it shortly after my wife died. I believe it's connected to Project Raven, but I don't know what its purpose is."

Avery looked at the key with a mix of curiosity and fear. "Is this key meant to close the portal?"

Derek shook his head. The room suddenly felt more suffocating, as if something unseen was slowly drawing closer. Outside, the wind began to howl, rattling the windows of Derek's house.

"But fundamentally, we need to close that portal before the entity gains more power, right?" Ethan asked.

Derek nodded slowly. "But closing the portal might not be that simple. There's something bigger lurking behind all of this. I feel that the entity isn't just relying on the portal's power—it may already be rooted in this world."

Avery and Ethan exchanged glances, the fear that had once felt vague now became palpable. They realized this was not just a mystery they could solve with logic or ordinary investigation. This was something far more dangerous.

"Where do we start?" Avery asked, trying to suppress the anxiety creeping into her voice.

Derek gazed at the key in his hand before handing it to Avery. "I don't know where the portal is now. But I'm sure this town holds more secrets than we know. And if there's a place that still hides the key to the answers, it might be at the heart of this city, where it all began."