Chapetr 3 : Of Desperate Souls

Joseph's POV

'I can only hope that Helen is doing fine.' I thought to myself... and Inheritance

*You are currently doing all you can for the girl. There is no need to go overboard. Any more may result in issues with the other residents.* It replied

'You saw her, didn't you? We have to do everything we can. I mean, from I saw, she didn't look too good there...,' I argued mentally, 'I have no clue how to help her more covertly, though. If I help her and her parents see me, I won't be able to help her at all.'

*So what now? Do you plan to play detective?* it asked, in an almost joking manner.

'Yeah. We need evidence, of course. Those people weren't exactly the most welcoming. They also didn't let their daughter talk about what she was going through.'

*We meant that as a joke... you realize that right?*

'Yeah, I got that, but I'm serious. I need evidence. Evidence that didn't involve the kid. If I do get her involved with this, things might get worse if I don't win.'

*Even if you don't associate her with this, if you lose, you'll face problems here.*

'I can leave.'

*Can you?*

'Right, they have a hostage.'

*So we need to win.*

'Yeah, need to win.'

In the background, I thought I heard a muffled scream... I wasn't sure though so I just kept walking.

I would regret that soon enough.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got back some time past midnight, climbing through the window.

"AAAAAAAAH!!!!!" I heard... a battle cry?

*THUMP!*

*THUD!*

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" I heard come from a voice on top of me, pinning me down, then the voice, one of a girl so I probably know who it is, calmed down. "Joseph?! Where were you at this time of day?"

"What are *you* doing up at this time?!" I asked Tessa...

'More importantly,'

"Um, w-well, also, uh, first th-things first," I stammered, my face becoming a deeper shade of red with every passing second, my hands covering my face, " y-you're... sitting... on... m-m-me."

That's when she realized where she was sitting...

She was sitting on top of me...

Yeah, that was awkward.

In a minute, we were up and sitting at the table. Then right outta the blue, she slammed the table, "Where were you?!," she yelled out, "I was worried! I mean. I wake up, go to get some water, and when I passed where you were sleeping, you were gone. What was I supposed to think, huh? For all I knew, a demon got you. God knows how they work. For all I know, they can go through walls, or teleport, or bend reality, or- or-,"

"Calm down, I'm fine," I reply, "See?"

She sighed, "Just tell me what made you go out there at this time."

'What do you guys think? Yay or Nay?'

*It appears you have no choice, then why present us with the question?*

'Just thought that I should, is all. Common courtesy, ya know.'

"Hello?" She asks, seeing me just contemplating the idea of telling her why I was out late.

"Remember the family I was with?" I asked her, shifting in my seat and leaning forward.

"Yeah, what about them?" she asked in return.

"Their kid, Helen, she needs help."

"What do you mean? She didn't seem like there was anything wrong with her."

"That's just 'cuz it's not a problem about her. It's her parents."

"What do you mean?" she stood up, concern on her face.

"They don't know I saw them when I woke up. The parents don't care about the kid. They see her as a drag, if not an obstacle. When I saw it going down, I was hoping that it was only an isolated incident or something so I stuck around them to see if she was in any danger but before I could do anything, we got here," I paused for a second, "All I'm trying to say is that she's got shit parents and I wanted to help her with a little care package. I'm also trying to find solid proof that those assholes need to be kept as far away from the kid as we can put them."

She just stared at me.

"Yeah, I know that it's hard to believe that story, but it's the tru-." she cut me off

"You could've just said that before you left," she said, "I wouldn't stop you. In fact," there was a spark in her eyes, "if you need help, I could try my hand in your investigation."

"Yeah. You know what? I'd like some help. Those two already suspect me for snooping into their business. So, how good are you at gathering intel?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Helen's POV

I threw away the container of food that the man had given me before I went to sleep. I knew that if I had it, my parents would think I stole it. If that happened, they would beat me again.

'I had to keep going.'

'I had to make sure no one gets hurt.'

'I can't let Them take over.'

'So I have to make sure my parents don't get angry at me all that much.'

*Is that really the best way to deal with this? Block out your only friend? I mean seriously, who would you have if I wasn't there?*

'That guy is helping me too. I have a friend excluding you'

*And why would *he* help *you*?*

'He gave me his food...'

*Really kid? You are trusting a stranger because he gave you his precious rations? I might be crazy for suggesting this, but I don't think that he would give you anything, especially something that scarce, without an ulterior motive. I'm the only one you can trust. You know why? I am you. I-*

'You just want everything that everyone else has. I don't want that. I don't want to take anything from anyone. Only if they give it to me themselves.'

*Heh, have it your way kid. I'll see you in a bit. You won't last all that long without me. After all, I am you.*

It's voice disappeared.

I was alone again.

'I won't be alone anymore soon, right?'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tessa's POV

I know I told him I'd help him, but that was not what I expected...

"So you'll have to talk to people," he said, "Anyone and everyone that you can. And don't just talk about Helen and her family, spend most of your time on small talk. Regular stuff, the weather, your old life, preferably with some fabrication on the details to make sure they won't find you back home. Make sure that no one suspects you. Also, try spreading some small rumors, just minor stuff. And not to everyone. And make sure to tie the rumor to someone else so no one person can be pinned for this. Also..."

And he continued droning on and on about it for almost an hour...

But how am I supposed to do this alone? I mean, he sounded like he knew what he's doing so shouldn't he at least help me on the first day...

Then I remember:

"Can't you come with me?" I asked.

"Of course not, we need to distance ourselves from each other or people will suspect that we're plotting something," he replied, "Also, I have to carry out the same investigation parallel to the one you're doing. I have some work to do bugging the room." He grinned. He had a plan. At least I hoped he did. He could've at least told me he'd watch me from a distan-.

Then a scream rang through the streets, breaking my train of thought and cutting my mission short before it even started.

A corpse was found in an alleyway, slits across the young girl's chest. Her body was left there nude, her limbs positioned in odd angles, almost like the person was making a twisted mural using her body.

I stepped back on seeing it, trying to get away but the crowd that formed blocked my path.

I had nowhere to go.

It's almost like the world wanted me to see.

I saw it.

Her body was positioned in the shape of an 'I'. Not the straight-line capital 'I', the one with a line on the top and another on the bottom.

Her arms and legs were both broken at the elbows and knees, like it was snapped perpendicular to the direction that the joint is supposed to go, to lay them sideways in a way that formed the top and bottom lines of the 'I' while the rest of the body was the vertical line in the 'I'.

Then I realized it.

The body was hung on the wall, not propped onto it.

Small fish hooks.

Little tiny fish hooks.

They were held with lines that ended on the rooftops.

Then someone knocked over the body, making her fall face first.

The fish hooks kept her body up, pulling up skin and flesh like goosebumps on a cold day. The hook at her nape rips off, taking flesh with it. I felt sick.

'Why?'

'Who did this?'

There was someone who used to be a coroner back in our world on the scene. He said that from the signs the girl died somewhere around midnight, though he couldn't give a proper range due to his lack of equipment...

'Could it be?'

'He wouldn't...'

'Would he?'

----------------------------------------------------‐-------------‐-------------------------------------------

Joseph's POV

I got news from Tessa that someone died around midnight the day before, or would that be today...

I can see why she was suspicious; the kid I'm trying to help can't talk about her problems or about what happened last night so she can't back up my alibi, I guess that I would've thought that it was too convenient as well. I didn't tell her I was going and was all secretive about it either, and now, around the time I was going back home, someone... was murdered...

Wait, was that what I heard last night?...

Still, her suspicion hurt.

I mean, it sounded like the work of a seriously messed up person. Turning corpses into a mural... Either it's a demon with some messed up tastes or it's a serial killer with messed up tastes. Either way, it's got some messed up tastes. Guess it's worse with the latter though.

If it was a human, the people would blame it on demons anyway.

That would make it harder to call for peace. I should probably give up on peace if that does happen, but I want to save everyone I can, demon or human.

He... or she would just stand on the sidelines, watching, or maybe if the culprit felt a bit spicy, the person would go on and help apprehend someone for their own crime.

The people searching for the culprit would take a person who they hate and get the person to confess.

Even if the person is innocent they'll have to confess.

The culprit would sit back and watch, maybe they'll feel pity for the poor fuck who they put through the wringer... who am I kidding, the guy probably enjoying hearing the girl scream while he killed her.

The people would drag the accused to be burned at the stake, while the accused goes out kicking and screaming all the way, or walking calmly. Walking with their spirits broken at the sight of the ones they trust betraying them and leaving them to die.

The poor culprit would have to stifle a good laugh as all it goes down.

Just the thought of it made me grit my teeth.

*So you're going to chase the culprit?*

'Of course, I will.'

At least that's what I had hoped. All I can do is make an argument. The rest is up to the people, but that wasn't the time to think about that. I needed to prevent the worst from happening, whatever it took.