Ch.3 - A Helping Hand

She sat at her dining table, holding up her phone in her hands with the phone-book open. She wanted to call her family to tell them about everything that happened. But she seemed to have lost all of her courage. 'I think they deserve to know, but what if they get dragged into this as well. I don't want them in danger because of me. What should I do?' She was scared for their lives.

She exited her house to go out and have a walk at the park in the fresh breeze so that she thinks with a light head. But as she exits the door and takes a step further under the dim-lit sky, she looks up to see all the neighbors and passer-by running away and hiding in their houses for the sake of their lives, and just within a few moments the whole street in front of her is empty. She looked a little pissed because of the 'special treatment' she received right now.

"Yeah, right. I forgot that I am supposed to stay away from them. After all, I am the bad guy" she tells herself the bitter truth and enters back into her place. This just got her mind even more messed up and now she was nothing but mad. She went back to the table and looked at her phone which rested on the table with the phone-book still open. Just as she was trying to come up with an idea her phone's screen started to glitch.

"Huh? What is happening to this phone now?", she said trying to exit the phone-book or switch the phone off, but nothing worked. Suddenly, the screen turned all black and an image popped up right afterward. It was a happy and sad joker mask on the screen through which spoke a really heavy voice. It was a voice filter anyone can identify.

"It is no time to suspect or inspect me right now. I know you are in trouble and I can only help you out. To be clear with you I am not the one to put you in this mess, it is someone else. And I know him. I am coming to you soon. I am telling you beforehand so that you don't point your kitchen knife at me when I come. Let's meet again soon" and the screen went back to normal.

Michelle was so confused that she was only left staring at the screen with her mouth open. After a minute she came back to her senses, she could only say," what in the world was that?". But suddenly her door bursts open revealing a man standing at her doorstep. He wore a black hoodie with which he covered half of his face. He also had a mask around his face because of which she couldn't see his face. He even carried a black bag pack with him.

She shouted," shoot! My door!" and rushed to the kitchen and bought the knife with her. She pointed it in his direction, but he only entered inside without bothering about anything. "Hey, you! Stop right there or else…...", she said while slowly backing off. "oh god didn't I already told you I was coming soon. And also, I said not to bring the knife. Geez," he ignored her and kept moving further towards the table.

She shifted away and went to the opposite side of the table parallel from where he was standing. He kept his bag on the table and took a seat. Michelle only stood and watched him as he arranged his laptop on the table and other things as well. "Would you care to explain who you are and what are you doing?" she asked with a frown. "my identity doesn't matter, and I am helping you" he said engrossed in his work.

"And am I not supposed to know how exactly you are helping me?" she dug in deeper. "I'll tell you only the necessary ones, not all of it" he didn't even budge. "don't you think it is a little disrespecting for you to just barge in and not even care to explain any of this to me?" she moved a step further, getting a little hyper. "hey, no need to be mad, just take a seat and calm down" this time he at least looked up at her and talked.

"That wasn't the answer to my question," she said ignoring his words. "well, if you want me to help then bear with it and keep a little patience, could you?" he stood up this time and moved one step. "you know what? I am in such a situation where I don't know myself why I am here, and I have no clue about how to get out of it plus you just barge in and don't even talk straight, so don't ask me to calm down. I am not in the state or moment to calm down!" she couldn't hold her anxiety anymore as she broke out.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have raised my voice. I am just really frustrated and stressed at the moment. A lot happened you know. And I was never prepared to face it" she held her head in her palms and sat on a chair covering her face. "well, don't be so hard on yourself. I know very well what has happened and I also know you are not a part of it in any way. I intentionally made you frustrated so that you vent and calm down. Also possibly don't lose your mind because I could see that coming. Let me explain it to you. Not everything just yet but enough to clear off your doubts for now" he said and went back to his seat.

"Ok so, ask me whatever you want to. Except about my identity. I think you won't want to be a part of another mess" he says and waits for her to speak. "well, definitely not so I won't nose into that topic. Tell me, how do you know about this thing I am stuck in?" she gives her undivided attention and listens closely. "well, you can say you have no connection to this in any way, but you were unwillingly made a part of it" he says a little hesitantly. "are you hiding something? You do seem to know who got me in this, but you look like you don't want to bring it up" she says with a serious look. "uh, alright, you got me there. It was me, Michelle. I was the one who did this. But don't get me wrong. I never knew any of this would ever even happen" he gets a little desperate when he sees her expression change.

"But, how do you even know me? As far as I remember I have never seen you ever in my life before" she kept questioning. "well, I suppose it is not the right time to answer that. I'll tell you everything. I promise. But maybe not now" he says in a pleasing tone. "But, don't you think I have every right to know it right now?" she again got a little hyper but kept her voice low.

"Wait. Let me get this straight. I was the one to bring you into this mess but not intentionally. The guy who is threatening you has a thing with Emma. And all I wanted to do is stop him. But I didn't know he could go to such extreme means to get me out of his way. So, I want to help you out because you never deserved to be included" he stopped abruptly to look at her and she seemed to have calmed down.

"Yeah fine. Well I am conflicted about a few things too right now"

"What is it? You can tell me if you want to"

"No, I'll pass"

"I understand, but let me explain the matter to you. The person who is threatening you about this whole thing, I know who he is. I even know him personally, we have a connection. But something was going on with me and he blamed me for all of what happened to him. I tried to explain things to him but he wouldn't listen and he supposedly thought you are my accomplice. He didn't exactly want to do anything to you but when he spotted you at Emma's place, he took the advantage of the situation and planned to pin everything down on you. He thought this would eventually bring me out of my shell and I will come to stop him. And I just couldn't bear someone innocent being in trouble because of me so I wanted to help out"

"Alright, I don't completely understand what you are trying to tell me but at least I understand this much that you are stuck into problems. Not one but more than one. It's fine by me if you don't want to tell me anything right now. I'll wait" she felt a little relieved knowing he wants to help her. "thanks, I promise to tell you everything one day but till then please don't get too involved with me or my personal life for your sake. And don't let anything divert your mind or make you doubt me. If you want to get through this problem then only trust me" he said in a serious tone as he meant everything he said. "sure, I will, I don't want my life turned to hell" she responds rather flatly like she couldn't feel anything at the moment and she was completely blank.

"Um... I have another favor to ask of you" he asks a little hesitantly.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Can I please stay here with you, I don't have anywhere else to go and live while hiding, I won't cause trouble I promise"

Michelle looked a little hesitant to let a man stay with her while she is all alone and she barely even knows a thing about him but she knew he is the only one at the moment who can and who is willing to help her out so she had no choice but to let him stay till things get back to normal. "Let me show you your room" she got up and walked upstairs. He followed behind as she led the way. They both stop in front of a door and she said, "here we are. Rest well" and walked away.

"Hey, Michelle! Thank you for letting me stay" he says and looks at her back, expecting a response from her. She stopped and turned to him and only smiled lightly at him in response and she continued to walk back to her room. As she entered her room, she turned the lights on and freshened up after such a tiring day. She walked to her bed and sat down with a blank face. She wasn't sure what should she feel at the moment. She was relieved to have help but also afraid to just feel relaxed after 'Mr. X' came.

She tried to ignore her thoughts for a while and not over-analyze everything. She stood up and went back to the kitchen and prepare some dinner as she hasn't eaten anything at all since morning. She went to 'Mr. X's room to ask him if he wanted to have some dinner. "Hey, I'm preparing dinner. Do you want some?" she only asked from outside of the room. "sure thanks" was all he said without even answering the door. "alright" she said and left but still, she looked a little puzzled.

'Hm, he sounded a little more serious and kind of…...scarier than before. What was he so busy with I wonder?' she thought to herself as she headed to the kitchen. After she was done preparing the dinner, she went to call him from his room. Just she was about to knock on the door, she heard him talk. "no, not like this, it could cause trouble. I need to make sure everything goes smoothly and no mistakes are made. One wrong move and everything is gone to hell". 'huh? What is he talking about? And to whom? Maybe himself, well I'll ask him later though' she let her thought slide away and lightly knocks on the door.

"Hey, the dinner is ready, I'll be waiting," she says in a soft voice and waits for a response. "oh ok, I'll be there in a minute," he says, but he sounded better than before, much more calm and polite. 'I guess probably he was busy with something at that time she kept wondering and quietly reached the dining table and took a seat. As she was waiting patiently at the table, he came down and took a seat as well.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, I was busy with something" he apologizes and looks at all the dishes in front of him.

"Wow, the food looks really yum"

"Dig in"

"It'll be after a long time that I'll be eating home-cooked food"

Michelle only smiled in response. She never used to be such a quiet person before. People used to call her a bundle of joy. She always had a bright and warm smile on her face and she always used to talk a lot once she found someone. She was friendly with everyone. But none of her old self was left in her after she shifted here.

She became tight-lipped and talked only if necessary. She barely smiled and didn't look as joyful as she used to be. She had always had a princess type of life. A very loving family, sibling-like friends, a good relationship with everyone, and no enemies ever. She loved to paint and sing but all of those colors and melodies were gone from her life after she got stuck into this problem.

***

Officer Bryson stopped his car and parked it on the roadside. He walked up to the door of the house and rang the bell. After a minute, the man who opened the door looked serious with a little touch of grumpiness on his face. "Good Evening Mr. Wilson, I'd like to ask you a few questions about the information I received from you this morning," he said rather sternly and seriously than before.

"Sure, please come in" Bill invited him with a little smile on his face, satisfied with the seriousness he finally started to show towards the case. He led him towards the living room where his daughter Ava and his wife Laura were already sitting patiently. The two stood up and greeted Officer John when he came in. They all took a seat and Officer John opened his diary to note down the important details he might get to know.

"Well, sir, before asking you about today's incident I would like to know a few things about Emma first. I want to make sure we are heading in the right direction" he stopped and looked at them, waiting for a response. "He spoke, well sure no problem but even though she was our daughter, her sister, Ava probably knows more about her than I or her mother does so I suppose she is the right person to be questioned with for these details. Ava dear, please be honest and don't hide a single thing. This is for your sister" he looked at her gently and squeezed her hand a little to make her feel comfortable.

"I know dad, I am ready sir" she smiled lightly in what seemed like forever to her parents because they could only see her dull and miserable since the moment when they saw their beloved Emma being taken on the stretcher in such a horrible condition. "good, so firstly tell me how was Emma as a person, her personality and her behavior with others" he was sitting already with his pen, ready to note down everything.

"She was a very lively and joyful person. We barely used to see her get sad or look unhappy. She always used to smile and she could understand others very well. She used to meet everyone sweetly and gently. Even as a person I cannot recall anyone who hasn't liked her. She was calm and patient with others too so she couldn't have any enemies" she said with a faint sad smile as she recalled her memories with her sister.

"Did she ever get into a fight with someone or someone you know who was jealous of her?"

"oh yes. it happened once when we used to live in the hostel. There was a girl in our friend circle who used to envy her a lot. She liked everything about her, be it her personality, her talents, her looks. She used to compliment her a lot but when she noticed how most of the students of our age wanted to be her friends and wanted to hang out with her, she started to feel a little jealous of her. She slowly started to hate her and then completely turned against her. Even once when we had to present our year-end projects in an exhibition, Emma's project was chosen and she got rejected. She was really angry at that moment because she was looking forward to this exhibition a lot"

She continued "That night before the exhibition she went to the exhibition hall where all the projects were and she spoiled her project. Right at that time, Emma went to crosscheck her project when she saw her and she got really angry. I saw her yell like that for the first time so bad. They both ended up in a fight and slowly started to yell loud that the school teachers heard them rushed to the hall. They stopped the two and suspended that girl for one week, of course, Emma couldn't even be a part of the exhibition because it was impossible to fix everything. Emma was upset too. Even after passing out, we met her a few times in the streets and at work in meetings and they both still used to start bickering on small things but Emma always stayed calm and kept her cool"

"Hmm, I understand. So, it is impossible for anyone who was in her contact to do that. This makes things a little more complicated and it can be more difficult for us to find the kidnapper" he said while rubbing his chin.

"But don't you already know who it is, then why is it difficult? "Bill irrupted his thought by his uncertain voice. "sir there is a difference between a suspect and criminal, we only doubt her, it isn't confirmed if it's her," he said in a tone full of pride with a hint of annoyance. "But then how are we supposed to confirm our doubts on her? Aren't you serious about this case, because I believe till now you could have been able to collect enough proof to put a serial killer behind the bars" Bill stated in a strict tone?

"Don't worry about that sir, we are already working on it," Officer John said leaning back in the chair with a smirk. "and how are you doing that?" Bill questioned raising an eyebrow after seeing his level of confidence. "I'm sorry but I'm not supposed to talk about it with anyone but my partner who is taking up this task at the moment" he seemed laid-back about this as he relaxed a little more in his chair and looked confidently into Bill's eyes.

***

Standing behind an electric pole near the curb, he peeped into their house through the open window near the kitchen where he saw her doing the dishes. "Aw, now she looks pretty devastated, I still don't believe she is behind all this but that mindless senior of mine seriously wants me to spy on her. It's not like I object to this but I do want to research more about it, could be that he was true" he talked to himself as he secretly continued to stare at her from afar.

Usually, the streets are all busy at this hour but it was really quiet and empty this night. It was all because everyone was scared for their lives knowing that serial killer lives in their neighborhood and they would not want to meet their end so soon. "Damn why is so quiet today? I am not able to get closer to her house to investigate more. God, this is going to be tough" he groaned in frustration as he tried to get closer to their place but right at that moment, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

It was John probably asking for an update from him. John knew very well he was skilled enough in the spying task that he could have been able to gain a lot of information by this time. But it was all different this time. He could barely get any important information about anything at all. But still, he answered the call and spoke in a low tone so that he is inaudible to others.

"Yes, what is it? You know I don't like interruption when I am working right?"

"Yeah, I know, but I just wanted an update, what all have you been able to collect till now? Some crispy spicy piece of information, indeed right?"

"Sorry, but I am afraid I'll have to let you down this time. The streets are much quieter and empty than usual because of the incident in the morning and also knowing the fact that a suspect related to a homicide case lives in their neighborhood could terrify anyone. So, they are not even daring to step out. I am not able to get closer to her house, I can only see her from a distance through only one window from her kitchen"

"Hmm, I see. This is a lot more tough and different than what you have dealt with before. It's okay, come back now, unlike you, I have some juicy news I want to share with you"

"Well, so you do have a brain and also have the ability to use it, huh? Well that itself is really big news for me now"

"Stop joking around in between of work and just so you don't seem to know but I was born with that otherwise I am would not have been where I am today, it'd you who has realized that so late kid"

"Yeah yeah funny"

"Stop mocking me and come to my office right away"

"Sure, I'm off"

***

She entered her room and after such a tiring day she only wanted to have peaceful sleep but she could even barely have peace after all that which started this morning. She reaches near her bed and looked out of the window at the night sky. Usually, the sky used to glisten with stars and she used to love gazing at them but today, she could only see clouds and nothing else.

'I guess it is better to sleep right now", she thinks and without looking, she puts her hand on the lamp's button to turn it off, but she feels a piece of paper touch her hand. Her attention immediately turns towards her side table and she picks up the paper to read it. "already started to trust him? I have to say you are naive to not question him about his identity and believe what he said. Don't be stupid. I'm warning you, he is here to kill you". Just as she finished reading it, she collapsed and sat on the bed.

She was scared, scared to death. "w-wait, how did this come here? Does this mean he broke in? he heard us!" she said and panicked. She wasn't sure if he was still inside or not. She shivered and felt terrified. "w-what do I do now? I can't decide whether or not to go and tell him? What if he is trying to kill me? I am not even sure if this guy is gone. I don't know what to do!" she hyperventilated, and her eyes turned red due to the tears. Just when she was about to exit the room, all the lights of her house went off and there was nothing else but darkness all around her.