The Worm Murder Mystery Pt. 4

I left Tarrene's dingy office, the heavy weight of his words pressing down on me. One creature. Just one. How could something so singular cause such chaos? People vanishing, corpses with no signs of decay, black magic swirling in the shadows—none of it added up. And yet, I had this gnawing feeling that whatever was happening at Ravenbrook Lane had more to it than anyone was willing to say.

As I made my way back through the wet streets, my mind raced. The city, with its grime and decay, felt different tonight. The chill in the air was sharper, the shadows longer. Every alley seemed darker than it should be, like the city itself was holding its breath, waiting for something terrible to happen.

I reached the abandoned mansion I called home and slipped inside. The creaking door echoed through the halls, mixing with the faint whispers of the ever-present ghosts. I ignored them, their soft murmurs fading as I climbed the stairs to my room.

Something had been off for a while now, and the pieces were beginning to fit. The bodies with the hollowed-out heads, the strange emptiness I'd felt when I examined them—it was like their souls had been sucked out, leaving nothing but a shell. But why hadn't I connected the dots sooner?

I paused at the door to my room. I couldn't shake the feeling that something had been following me, watching me for days now. The encounter with the bodies, the strange disappearances... and the eerie calm I had felt throughout it all. It was as if I was floating through the events, detached from the fear I should've been feeling.

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog. As I stepped inside, I noticed the faintest rustling of my coat, like a whisper I couldn't quite place.

Sitting at my desk, I stared at the pile of papers I had collected. Maps, notes, and clues spread across the table, leading me nowhere. My hand twitched as I reached for a cigarette, but before I could light it, something stopped me.

A cold realization began creeping over me.

I... hadn't been myself lately. Every action, every decision I had made, had felt automatic. Like someone—or something—else had been guiding me. My hand still trembled, but it wasn't the kind of fear that comes from realizing a monster was lurking nearby. No. This fear was worse.

It was the fear that I had been compromised.

I jumped up from the chair, pacing the room. My heart pounded as the pieces started to click together. The creature Tarrene had mentioned—an entity that possessed people, something not quite black magic, something hungry.

My head felt light as the realization hit me like a blow. I was already possessed.

But when? I racked my brain for answers. I tried to think back to the first moment it happened. Ravenbrook Lane. The bodies. The holes in their heads. I had felt fine then... hadn't I?

No.

I hadn't felt anything.

A laugh bubbled up from inside me, a cold, mocking sound that wasn't mine. I froze, staring at the reflection in the cracked mirror across the room. My eyes... they were white. Devoid of pupils, just like the corpses I had found.

And then, from deep within me, something stirred.

I backed away, tripping over the old chair, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My coat began to move. No, not move—it was shifting, bulging as something pushed its way out.

"No..." I whispered, my voice cracking. "This can't be—"

Before I could finish, it emerged. A small, writhing worm slithered its way out of my coat, its glossy body twisting unnaturally. It dropped to the floor with a sickening squelch, and then, slowly—deliberately—it turned to face me.

A grotesque grin stretched across its small, featureless face, as if mocking me for taking so long to figure it out. I had been its host all along.

The worm smiled.