Arising Problems

Michelle sat on a chair with handcuffs and her hands placed on a table. Right on the opposite side was Officer John Bryson reading up the post-mortem report of Emma. He settles the file on the table and moves to Michelle. He stands beside her and keeps one of his hands on the table. "Why did you murder Emma Wilson?" he asked with a straight and serious face. "I have been telling this to you for the past half an hour, I didn't do it." She said feeling tired of the same question being repeated again and again.

"But, to the ones whom we talked about this, they clearly said it's you." He added moving back to the file. "oh yeah? What proof do they have to conclude it's me?" she asked a little triggered. "Tell me, what were you wearing yesterday?" he took a seat across her as he began questioning and interrogating further. "a white dress" she answered feeling uncertain about his question. "And your hair was open?" he added to her answer waiting for her to confirm. "y-yes, but that doesn't mean I was the only one. There could be others as well with something similar." She counter answered.

"of course, that isn't enough proof to bring you in for investigation like that. I want to know more; did you meet her yesterday?" he said looking straight into her eyes sharply. "I did, but really, I promise I didn't attack her I swear." She was on the brink of bursting out. "What was the time when you visited her?" he continued without caring about her emotions. "It was about 3:46 P.M.," she said, tears slowly welling up in her eyes. "That's right, and exactly at that time, the cameras of her house were turned off. The last clip we see is the doorbell ringing and then right when she goes to open the door, the screen is all hazy." He was continuously investigating her without a pause, making the situation intense than it already was as Michelle felt the tension rising and the interrogation becoming more and more difficult for her to bear.

"Let me show you something interesting." He said and turned the screen on the wall right in their middle on. It was the footage from the street cameras which displayed Michelle standing in front of her house. "hm, looking around to check if someone saw you doing your task huh?" officer John said smirking, without averting his gaze from the screen. "well, what is that you are looking at? Maybe someone saw you, are you planning to kill them too?" he was being brutal and rude to her. She felt insulted and disrespected. But more than that, she felt sad and hurt to hear such accusations being raised against her upon the death of her very own best friend.

She was already stressed with this incident she witnessed right in the morning. And it was hard for her to sit here and talk about it. Also being falsely accused of something she has never been a part of was difficult. Moreover, the officer made it hard for her to keep herself from bursting out into tears. It was getting hard for her there. She just felt like running away.

"I suppose these are enough proofs against you to consider you a suspect now? Or no? if not then I will show you some more of it" he says as they turn their attention back onto the screen. Another footage is displayed. It was night-time and this time the camera on the backside of her house was showing someone run out of the house after a female scream was heard. The person was fast so it was not visible who exactly was the person or what they were wearing. But the video was rewind and zoomed.

There they saw someone in a black long cape-gown escaping. The officer circled a laser light to show open hair and a little portion of the frills of the white frock. Also, it was no doubt to tell it was a female by the body shape. "I will ask you again, are these proofs enough to consider you a suspect and bring you in for questioning now? the officer asked in a playful tone and turned to her only to find her silently crying with her head low. "are you crying now? Scared for your life? Well, should've thought about that before killing this young girl" he just bluntly said it all and left the room leaving her all alone. His words were like daggers just piercing through her heart.

"I am not a murderer. I didn't kill Emma. I didn't do it. It was not me in the camera footage just now. I was sound asleep by then. I just want to go home. This whole thing is like a nightmare to me" she cried, continuously whispering the same sentence again and again without a pause. She bought her knees close to her chest and cried her heart out. There was nothing she could do. She never felt so helpless in her life ever before. "Someone please helps me, please, please, please" she begged for help knowing no one will ever do it for her.

Right when she was just letting her tears out, officer John enters with a contract in his hands. "You are allowed to go back home but you cannot leave the town until you are out of suspicion and you have our consent as well. Sign in and you may go" he said as he keeps the paper in front of her and hands her a pen.

She slowly moves her feet down, picks up the pen, and signs the consent. Swiftly moving from her seat, she wipes her tears and walks out weakly without even sparing a glance at her surroundings. She was all blank. She couldn't think of a single thing of how to help herself out.

Just as she got out of the police station, she looked up at the sky which had turned to grey and cold from blue and bright as it was looking like this morning. She looked down and just walked to a nearby park to clear her mind off. She marched around for hours, thinking of ways to find some evidence against the real killer. The scenes from the morning came to her mind as she harked back onto the house which was filled with misery and pain. She recalled Emma's body on the stretcher, the distressed neighbors carrying guilt all over their faces, her family drowning in agony.

"I feel so sad for her family. She truly was sunshine for everyone. But I bet now they hate me as they believe I am the one to murder their daughter. But what if I try explaining things to them and tell them whatever has happened? I hope they would understand and help me out in getting justice for their daughter" she assumed and made her way to them.

She stood in front of the door feeling highly timid, but she still gained all her courage and rang the bell. The door was answered as a young woman stood in front of her. She was looking precisely like Emma, but she wore a frowzy expression and looked at Michelle vacantly. Michelle teared up as she saw Emma on the door, or that was what the sight looked like. She tried to talk but she couldn't find the right words and only could take her name in a whisper. "what are you doing here? And just so you know, I am not Emma. I'm her younger sister, Ava Wilson" was all the woman said in a broken voice.

Michelle's brightened face became downhearted as Ava spoke. She believed for once that it was all just a misunderstanding and Emma still lived, that she was fine and with her family, but she realized that she had only seen her corpse this morning, so it was hopeless to have a thought like that. It was difficult for Michelle, but she held her emotions and opened her eyes to see the dim-lit woman still looking at her, without diverting her gaze to anywhere else but her eyes.

Michelle could understand she had been crying for real long. Her eyes looked red and tired, she could barely even gather the strength to stand and she looked pale. Her condition was miserable and hard to witness. "I need to talk to your parents. It is super urgent and important" Michelle told and waited for her response desperately.

But as she feared, Ava declined the offer and was about to shut the door, but Michelle blocked the way and begged for her to let her in and explain herself. Just as she had lost all hopes of getting a chance to talk to Emma's parents, Emma's mother came out from one of the rooms and asked, "Ava dear? What's taking you so long? Who is it on the door?". She looked certainly confused as she walked further to have a look at the person on the door.

Her confused look turned to a shocked and fearful one when she saw Michelle on the door. She pulled Emma back and stepped away from her making the door move and hit the wall hard. "W-what are you doing here? Please don't do anything to Ava at least. She is the only child we have now, I don't even know why you had to kill my sweet Emma, but I sure will get you sued for that. Just you wait" She said as she slowly turned mad. The old lady tried her hardest to look brave but the fear to lose her only daughter took over that fake façade of courage and her attempts failed.

Michelle noticed her eyes well which were still a little teary indicating she might as well had cried a lot. But that of course is not at all of any surprise to her. It was obvious for any family to sink into such anguish. The only difference is that it was the first time Michelle had witnessed it with her eyes and felt the pain in her heart of losing a loved one.

Hearing the loud noise, the door made, Emma's father entered the scene yet rather disoriented. "Lora, Ava, what is the issue? Why are you both—" he was interrupted midway as his gaze landed upon Michelle standing at their doorstep. He burned with rage as he saw his wife and daughter on the verge of breaking down, looking horrified.

"Get out of my house right now you inhuman murderer!" he moved with fast steps to shut the door and get her off his property. Michelle pleased him to let her stay but she was already a red rag to all of them, so her efforts availed no use. She was kicked out and sent away with disgust and hatred. She felt pathetic and monstrous of herself at that moment knowing she hasn't done anything at all. Maybe an effect of the situations she experienced, she started to consider herself as an outcast and shut herself down. After all the only people she looked up to for help had turned her down so why would the others whom she hasn't even met want to help her.

She wanted to meet her neighbors and create a friendly relationship, but she got her firsthand impression in their minds as a hideous murderer. She only wanted to start her own new life and she had some expectations from it as well, but she never expected something so unreal and miserable to happen to her.

***

Emma's father shuts the door hard and peeks out from the glass window to check if she was gone. After making sure she was seen no more around their house, he rushed back to his wife and daughter, and in a worried tone, he asks them if they are okay. Both of them nod and they have a family sandwich hug, but it was not the happy reunion hug, instead, it was a hug full of pain and loneliness. They breathed heavily and try to comfort each other. Ava stops crying and without moving her head she gazed at her parents from the corner of her eyes who were still scared. She looks at the door where Michelle was standing minutes ago. Her expression changes as she looks at the door much more heated.

Her father stands up and moves to the telephone on the side stool in the living room calling at the police station. The call was answered shortly as the receptionist in the police station speaks, "yes sir how can we help you?". "I need to speak with Officer Bryson please," he said in a hurried tone but tried to sound calm. "Sure, sir just a moment" the man speaks and puts the call on hold. "Bill, honey, what are you doing? Why are you calling at the police station?" Lora, his wife, asks again rather confused.

He only looks at her and raises his hand to tell her to hang on for a moment. The Officer speaks from the other side, "yes sir, do you have something to tell us?" he said in a carefree tone. "We surely do, otherwise we wouldn't have called right?" Bill was yet really mad at the moment and the question sounded senseless to him. "Sorry sir, what is it that you want to tell us?" he asks as he waits for Bill to speak up. "why was that suspected girl Michelle here? we thought you arrested her. Did she break out of the police station or something?" he slowly was getting more heated by every minute. "what?! She went to your place?" the officer was caught off guard as he didn't expect any such news to hear from them. "oh yes she sure was here until I just had to kick her out. Do you know how badly that could have got my family into trouble? She wasn't even willing to go away. My wife and daughter were white as a wall when I entered the hallway. They both were scared as if their lives were on the line and doing anything could get them killed!" he scolded the officer, blaming him for being irresponsible in his task. "I am deeply sorry sir. Thank you for informing me. I will surely look into it and I might as well stop by later on to ask more on this matter" he was surprised as he gets serious about the matter.

"Sure, no problem. But consider this a warning, if she comes to this house ever again then I might have to report you for not doing your work properly and as well as consider you as a part of what had happened to my daughter, do not forget this" he added and ended the call without waiting for a reply from the other line. Bill was a strict man. He always has wanted things to go perfectly and he has never liked it whenever people do not take responsibility and do not do their work as it should be done.

***

Officer John felt humiliated and angry after getting scolded and judged by the dead girl's father. He walks in fast steps towards his office and drops on the chair with a triggered look on his face. "that old fool, thinks he knows all. He doesn't even know how difficult it is to get evidence against someone to arrest them. He is judging my protentional! I am going to show him now. I will find a piece of strong evidence against that girl and tell him of my capabilities in no time!" he talks to himself and dials a number through the telephone on his desk.

"come to my office right now. I got a new game for you" he says, and the person on the other line only drops the call without saying a single word. Soon after the call, the door to his office opens as a man wearing a long, cream-colored trench coat, black pants, and black shoes enter the office. He was a tall man with blonde hair. He had dreamy blue eyes and rich skin. He looked no less than a prince or model. He walks further and sits on the chair, leaning back and keeping his feet on the table. "Is that even a way to enter someone's office? I am your senior Ash, so give me some respect okay?" Officer John says raising an eyebrow at him giving him a bossy look.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. I believe people should be respected based on their potential and knowledge and not their ranks or posts" Ash says with a playful grin on his face as he looks at him unbothered. "oh, just keep your extraordinary thoughts to your pretty self and get down to business now" Officer John sits straight and talks back even more angered as his potential was judged again and this time by his junior.

"Oh, we sure can if you tell me what task you got for me now," he says and rocks in his chair looking at the ceiling above him.

"You have to follow someone and get me all of the information you notice about the person, be it her family, her close ones, her lifestyle, everything you get"

"oh, so it is a 'she' huh?"

"right, here is her photo"

"hm, pretty I'd say"

"stop admiring her looks and do as you are told to"

"But why though? I mean what purpose is it going to serve?"

"she is a suspect in the new murder case I got assigned to this morning"

"hmm, innocent on the outside, evil on the inside, how interesting. Okay I am down to work straight away, send me her file's copy quick"

"Sure, get going now"

Ash stops mid-way and turns around as a question arises in his mind.

"don't you think it is illegal to go stalk someone like that, even though a suspect?". Officer John stands up and walks to the window on the other side. "It sure is. I am well aware of that, so you do not have to remind me of it. But I want to show that old man that I am much more capable of solving this case than he thinks me to be"

"But I think involving personal ego into professional matters is not right" Ash added and turns himself completely to face him.

"Stop telling me what to do and how to do! Just do as you are said, and it is not like you are doing it for the first time either. I have given you a task of your liking so I think you shouldn't be questioning much about it and move to work now"

"hm okay if you say so, chop-chop!" Ash says and moves out of the office to carry out his work.

***

She only held her head low and walked away from the house not even sparing a glance at it. Again, she was so unsure of what step should she take next. Just busy in her thoughts she was walking on the streets when suddenly the letter struck her, and she looked up from the ground with some expectations and hopes and ran straight to her place.

She breathed heavily and stopped when she just saw the house right in front of her. She looked at the place where the letter from the real murderer dropped but her rising hopes fell apart when she saw the paper on the ground in flames. It was burnt to ash. As she looked up, she saw the same hoodie guy in all black standing quite far from her. She looked at the burning letter once again and back in his direction. But only to find him standing there no more.

Her eyes widened as she looked around but couldn't see a single soul around her. And as she had expected the neighbors to react like; Only a few people peeking from their doors and windows to look at her and hide once she looks in their direction. It was just as she would have expected it to be. She heaved a heavy sigh and entered her house. 'I thought any of them, at least one of them would understand and stand for me but I guess I am keeping hopes for nothing. I already see them fearing me. There is no chance now that they'd ever even look in my direction for once' she was only feeling more helpless and becoming more isolated from others knowing no one will stand with her.

She walks in and goes straight to her room. Locking the door behind her, she walks inside the washroom. She looks at herself in the mirror and only sees a broken and dull woman standing in front of her. She turns the tap on and splashes water several times on her face trying to stay calm and controlling her tears. She takes off her clothes and walks under the shower. As the cold water comes in contact with her skin and she slowly start to get wet, she drops on the floor and sheds her tears out. She couldn't hold herself back anymore. She was so unsure and uncertain of what to do to get herself out of this mess as the killer always seems to take the lead and she is left defeated. But little did she knew; her help was on its way to her.

***

Looking through the cameras of the streets, he leaned back in his chair. He looked at the helpless and broken girl. "well, isn't someone in trouble. I tried to stop her, but she seemed terrified and now look what she got herself into" he said as he hacks into the police database to find her file. "let's have a look here" he moved closer to the screen and read the report. "Woah, that is messed up. The investigator is only trying to prove her as a suspect. He is not even trying to look for someone else more suspicious. Well, she does seem the most as a suspect as she is the only person who visited Emma yesterday, but he is not even considering her sentences and doing as he believes. The others sure questioned his potential fairly. Why is he even an investigator?" he says standing up from his seat. Keeping his hands in his pocket, covering his head with the black hoodie he was wearing, and covering his face with a black mask, he moves out picking his black bag pack.

"well, I have no other choice but to help her. Or else she might lose her mind; I mean why not? Getting stuck in such a mess, it isn't easy to get out of it by only one person's efforts and she seems helpless at the moment. I don't even understand why she is dragged into it because I do not see any connection between Emma and her. I will find my answers soon though so let's not waste your mental energy on such topics" he picks up a small remote type thing from the table and moves out. He doesn't lock the door but just simply leaves it open.

After walking a little distance, he looks at the place from the corner of his eyes and opens the lid from the remote thing. There was only one button in the middle of the remote and just as he presses it, the whole place behind him blasts off leaving flames and smoke all around. "Here I come. Even though unwillingly, I have to be a part of this game he is playing. After all, I am the special piece. This game isn't complete without the bonus. So, let's play" he smirked behind his black mask and made his way to Michelle.