Chapter 1

"Her eyes glisten as she stares into the darkness, and thus it stares back."

Rain heavily falls on the roof of her car, making a loud thudding sound that can be heard even against the blasting music coming from the stereo. The Sound of Silence by Disturbed is playing in the background as Menace travels through the dark road. She yawns, feeling so tired from driving almost nine hours from Idaho to Portland, Oregon. Only got one hour of sleep inside her car after parking outside near a small lodging, along the way. She thought that renting a room would just be a waste. Sleeping inside her car will help save the money she gathered before leaving the home she inherited after her parents died. Not even considering taking a plane. After all, she doesn't know what fate has stored for her future.

It has been years since she started digging into her past. Starting from the records of her adoption, she went back to the orphanage she was adopted from. Found out that it was before midnight on May 14, 1993, when a woman came knocking at the orphanage door. Upon opening the door, the Director was greeted with the sight of a woman holding a newborn child wrapped in a thick white blanket.

She remained silent for a moment, before muttering something...

"Her name shall be Menace." the woman stated as she looked down at the child.

Upon hearing that from the Director, Menace thought that her biological mother might have truly despised her for naming her that and also without a last name.

Yet the Director thinks and says otherwise...

"She gazes at you with eyes filled with warmth. Her smile was wide as she listened to your short small laugh, then started crying when you grabbed her fingers as if not wanting to let her go. All I see in your mother's eyes that night was love and nothing less."

After hearing that, Menace felt a sudden urge to find her. She thought that if a mother who loves her child felt the need to leave them, there must be only two reasons. It's either they can't bear the responsibility or they're running from something. Something worth giving your child away.

✓

Menace pulled up in front of the police station. Her eyes glisten with anticipation upon the thought of finally meeting a man who could lead her to her mother.

She searches and searches everywhere. Checking every place her mother was last seen. Using an image she sketched through the Director's memory, which was not a very big help. Since it's been 22 years since she was last seen, but there were pieces, scattered everywhere.

Even hazy memories from people who remembered her mother, such as staff from an apartment she stayed in for just a few days were all a big help. The small hope of fire inside her was slowly igniting.

That was until the last place she had been before traveling back to Idaho. She met a couple from Nebraska who witnessed a trailer truck entering the woods. The same trailer truck the Director described seeing as her mother drove away.

Stopping in the middle of the road, she remembered entering the woods alone. Traversing through thick high trees, in search of something. Something that will show her how close she is to finding her mother. Thinking of the first thing she'll say the moment she sees her. Like in the lines of 'Hi. It's me, Menace. The child you left in the orphanage', or like 'Hey Mom. Miss your daughter?'

Then she arrived at a small rundown cabin, standing in the middle of the woods. Tall thick trees hovered over it and her.

She let out a sigh of disappointment at the sight of the empty cabin. Not even hesitating to go inside. Menace was completely sure no one was going to be inside. After all, no one will live in a cabin with no roof.

There was nothing inside, aside from dirt, dust, and debris. Not even a fireplace, like it, was truly meant to be nothing, but a hiding place. There was nothing important inside at all. Just a table with one broken leg, and a supposed chair, but there are no legs now.

But then Menace stepped on a wood that broke under the sole of her shoes, and when she looked down she saw what looked like paper. Only to realize that it wasn't. It was a photograph. A photograph of a beautiful woman with black long hair and shining blue eyes. Her smile was bright as she looked into the camera. A boy was sitting beside her. Maybe around 11-15 years of age. They were both smiling at the camera.

Menace doesn't know how, but her instinct tells her that it is her mother in the picture. Whoever was the boy, that's something she'll figure out. Now, all she needs is to start with the name written in handwriting behind the picture.

'Nick Burkhardt.'

It was messy handwriting, probably of the boy in the picture.

She then began her search using the name she found. Nothing came out for a few months until she went back to her home in Idaho planning just to grab more cash she could use for her travel, where she saw the name in multiple newspaper articles.

Menace grins at the discovery she made. Turns out, Nick Burkhardt is a detective who solved cases regarding mangled, severed, cut bodies, and more unusual cases. Cases considered to be gruesome, yet all familiar to her.

All that research led her to where she is now. South Precinct, Portland Police Bureau.

✓

Her eyes roam across the place, as she walks down the corridor leading to their main office. Menace looks at the room where officers are either sitting at their table looking through files or walking around.

"Can I help you?" a voice came from behind her. Upon turning around, she met face-to-face with a man wearing a red and black checkered polo over a gray shirt, and jeans. A badge hanging on his chest.

"Yes. Uhm, do you know Nick Burkhardt?" she noticed the man furrowed his eyebrows upon the mention of the name.

Instead of answering, the man walks past her, and she follows. Leading her to a table with two computers, two chairs, and a couple of piled papers. The table is probably for two officers. The man took a seat before looking back at her.

"May I know why you're searching for him?" Menace notices the Detective's hesitance. About what, that she doesn't know.

"I need to talk to him about something. Is he here?" she answered, shortly looking around for the face of Nick Burkhardt she memorized from the newspaper articles.

"He's out taking care of a case. Do you want to tell me what you want to tell him?" the man said, leaning in his chair.

"It's something important. Do you know where I can see him?" the man frowns, looking at her like she's somewhat of a person he needs to be on guard.

"I'm sorry. We don't give out personal information regarding our officers or detectives. I'm afraid you'll have to wait for him to come back." Menace started feeling annoyed.

"Well, do you know how I can contact him?"

"How about you give me your name and number, and I'll tell him to contact you?" Menace clenched her jaw. She wanted to protest, but that would bring her nowhere.

She fished out her wallet from the back of her pants, then pulled out her driver's license, and handed it to the man.

The man glances between the I.D. and her, before writing down on a piece of paper, then handing back the I.D.

"Menace Whittaker. Such a name." Menace stopped herself from rolling her eyes upon hearing another comment about her name.

"Just please make sure he knows and that he needs to call me. It's something important." She didn't wait for an answer and headed out of the precinct.

Once she got back in her car, she grabbed the folder in the passenger seat and browsed through the newspaper articles that had Detective Nick Burkhardt on them. There was a lot.

There were about two people clean cut in half, two people burned alive, people turned frozen solid, men with their heads cut off, and more.

If she wants to find her mother, she needs to talk to him.

✓

She drives through the neighborhood, searching for a place she can stay while she figures out what to do after finding her mother. After all, Menace doesn't expect her mom to take her in once they meet.

She then found one. It was a two-story building, a few miles away from the precinct. The room the owner showed her wasn't that big. It was a small studio apartment. Just one room with a small kitchen, and a bathroom. There were a few items of furniture left by the previous tenant. A bed just a few steps away from the kitchen. Just the right place for her.

It wasn't that cheap considering the free furniture, but it wasn't that expensive too. All Menace brought with her are bags full of clothes, along with some important files she'll need to prove to Nick Burkhardt who she is. Not that it will be a big help.

Once she dropped all her things inside, she took a quick bath, before heading to bed. Her phone on her hand as she stares at the ceiling. All she needs to do now is wait for a call.

✓

"Menace, run!"

"No! Dad! Mom! Don't!"

Menace jolted awake, quickly sitting up from the bed when she didn't recognize the room. She then sighed and rubbed her face with her hands upon remembering what was going on.

She searches for her phone, which she finds on the bed, disappointed to see no calls or even messages. It's either the man she talked to didn't tell Nick Burkhardt or the detective doesn't care. Whatever it is, Menace is too impatient to wait it out.

After grabbing her coat, she left. She drove back to the station, hoping to see Detective Burkhardt back, if not, then maybe just give out some piece of her mind to the other detective she talked to yesterday.

As she was about to step out of her car, she saw the man from yesterday, along with two more, running down the stairs towards a car. One of them is wearing a police uniform and headed to the police car. The other one wasn't.

She grabbed the newspaper left on the passenger seat. Glance at the face of Nick Burkhardt in the article, before looking back at the man heading to a car with the man from yesterday. It was him. The Nick Burkhardt she needs to talk to.

The moment the three of them got into their cars, they drove off. Menace is right after them. She followed them to a hospital named St. Joe. She kept following them without them noticing her. She made sure to keep a slow pace.

They stop in the middle of the hallway and are greeted by a nurse pushing a wheelchair of a man who looks like he got beat up. They all followed the nurse into a room, and so did Menace.

She waits for the nurse to leave, walking up to the room. The door was closed, but Menace could still see inside through the small see-through glass on the door.

There are four people inside the room. Including the man in the wheelchair who's currently lying on the bed. Nick was talking to the man, about what, that's something she doesn't know. She can't hear them from outside the room. However, she is sure it has something to do with a case.

Sighing to herself, Menace decided that she'd get nothing from watching them. Besides, if they caught her looking through the glass, they might think she had something to do with what was going on, but as she was about to turn her back, something happened.

The man on the bed... started somewhat panicking while staring at Detective Burkhardt, and then he leaned his head back to the pillow and changed. Menace frowns at the sight of the man's change.

It was somewhat unbearable to look at. More than the things she used to see everywhere. The man's head got bigger. His face turns into what looks like a blobfish. Now, in Menace's defense, she doesn't think a blobfish is ugly and disgusting, but to see it on a human is a different matter.

But that wasn't the odd thing in all. See, Menace believes that no one can see them, and only she does, but something about Detective Burkhardt's reaction says otherwise. The moment the man changes, he quickly looks away. As if he doesn't want to see something.

Menace stared at him for a moment, until the man changed back. Menace didn't stay longer for more. Something's going on. Something she needs to know.

✓