TRINITY

Darcy stopped the car just outside the restaurant, which was now dark and the previously glowing sign dead. There had been police tape at the crime scene, and even as he stared, Jacob could make out the tape crisscrossing the front doors in the gloom. I forgot this place would be shut down during an investigation, Jacob realised as he got out the car and shut the door behind him. Darcy, Chloe and Vironica got out the car as well, all four of them turning to stare at the building. "It looks almost…haunted," Chloe murmured in both fear and awe, and they heard Darcy groan. "Better hope it's not, I'm not encountering any ghosts tonight," he grunted as he led the group to the front doors and tugged on the metal bar that was mostly shielded by police type. It didn't budge. "Locked," Darcy murmured, although they all expected this.

"Key cards don't work on the front door. Only a simple key does. The key cards are mostly for unlocking the doors at the back to get food into the kitchens," Vironica explained, and they all turned to her, eyes raised. "I used to work here for a summer…one of my first jobs," she said, and Jacob groaned. "Couldn't have told us that earlier?" he whispered as the group now started headed down the side of the restaurant, keeping their eyes peeled for sudden signs of movement. It took them barely any time at all to find the back door, made of steel and locked. There was a small black box next to the doorhandle with a flashing red light on the right-hand side. "Ready?" whispered Jacob, and when the others nodded, he scanned the card. The red light turned green, and Darcy pushed the handle down. The door swung open.

They hesitated, listening for any sounds of movement. None came. Only silence. "Alright. Search around for some sort of control room. It'll have monitors and keyboards inside I'm guessing. Split up." Darcy whispered, and the others nodded. Jacob headed to the right and down a corridor, Vironica behind him as Darcy and Chloe headed the opposite way. "So…is there a control room?" whispered Jacob as they crept along, careful to be quiet even if there was no one in the building. "I think so…I don't really remember a lot of the rooms," Vironica whispered back, their small voices echoing off the tiled walls. "Haven't you noticed Rachael's been acting strange?" Jacob suddenly burst, and the stopped walking and turned to one another. "What do you mean?" asked Vironica, her voice small but a hint of worry beneath the surface.

"Whenever she and Livia sneak off to talk alone, Rachael always comes back pale and scared. I think…it's a toxic relationship," Jacob breathed, trying to keep his voice even while emotion bubbled underneath. It pained him to watch what no one else seemed to notice. "I hadn't realised," whispered Vironica, confirming Jacob's suspicions. "I have…but we shouldn't do anything about it just yet. We should let Rachael figure it out on her own," Jacob murmured, and Vironica murmured in agreement. They began their slow walk down the corridor, both looking around wearily as their shoes squeaked against the rough and worn carpet. Light buzzed from a room ahead, and the two came to a sudden halt, watching the greyish white light flicker on and off from a doorway. Jacob indicated, and the two slowly crawled forward to peer around the corner.

Inside, sat before many buzzing TV monitors, buttons and keyboards was what looked like a security guard, head bent and apparently staring at the screens keenly. Jacob glanced at Vironica in surprise, but then the guard straightened, his back still to them. "Might as well stop spying on people. It's very rude, you know," the guard said, his voice worn but firm, suddenly spinning around in the chair to face the two before they could duck away. Jacob and Vironica stared in shock, and the guard sighed, standing and then reaching for the radio at his belt. "Wait!" Vironica suddenly cried out, and the guard paused, his fingers brushing against the radio. "We're not here to cause any trouble," Jacob murmured as the two slowly rose and raised their hands so the guard could see them. Slowly, the guard took his hand away from the radio and sat back, leaning against the wooden desk and careful not to sit on anything.

The guard sighed, then motioned to the small badge on his chest which simply said the words: Bailey. Jacob stared, eyes wide, and the guard chuckled. "I have heard a lot about you and your friends," the guard said, and then Jacob's eyes refocused onto the taser, radio and overall uniform. He wasn't a guard at all. He was a police officer, and now Jacob recognised why the name Bailey was so familiar. This was Rachael Bailey's dad. Their Rachael. Mr. Bailey noticed Jacob's eyes widen, and he chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm Rachael's father. Which brings me to the question…why are you here?" Jacob opened his mouth to respond, but Vironica got there first. "We wanted to know if there was anything that was missed on CCTV, so we came back to look around. We weren't sure how reliable the police were going to be," she added hurriedly, and it was a short while before Mr. Bailey nodded.

"Let me tell you what I would like to happen right now," he murmured, but before he could say any more, Darcy and Chloe entered the room before coming to a halt, staring wide eyed at Mr. Bailey. "You two walking in wasn't even close," he sighed as he nodded at Darcy and Chloe, then rubbing his tired eyes. "Look. I understand you guys aren't kids anymore. You've grown up, you're independent. But that means if you're caught by someone other than me, you will get into a lot of trouble. I know you guys want to help catch this guy, but you could get into a lot more trouble than police if you keep trying. You could find him…but what then? You've made it clear you don't think police are reliable, which is understandable, but if you find him without help, what then?" The group went silent. Even Darcy looked like he was at a loss for words.

Mr. Bailey sighed and stood, once again rubbing his eyes. "I know this means a lot to you…but there isn't much you can do without triggering several police investigations into your group. If you really want to catch this psychopath, tell us anything you know that will lead to his arrest." Again, no one spoke. All four of them were stunned into silence by his words, no one able to speak. Mr. Bailey chuckled, and then shook his head in apparent disbelief. "You didn't think any of this through, and personally I don't blame you for that either. I can't even imagine how much pain you're all feeling, but you need to stop snooping around like this." Slowly, Darcy took a step forward. "Mr. Bailey," he began, but Mr. Bailey lifted a hand to stop him. "Please, we're not in primary school anymore. I'm Andrew," he said simply.

Darcy nodded and corrected himself. "Andrew…we weren't sure who to trust with this…but we won't stop until this guy is either caught or dead." Andrew's eyes snapped up, and his expression darkened. "So, that's why you're so determined to catch up to him," he said slowly, his voice a reedy whisper, a murmurer in the wind. "We just want justice," Chloe said, but before she could continue, Andrew spoke. "You want justice. I understand that. But there's a big difference between capture and execution. Executing people for their crimes was ruled out two hundred years ago. His accidental death during a firefight would be different, but as you very well know it is very difficult to obtain guns in Australia. I have one, sure, as do other officers, but this is difference. Do you even know the gun policies here? Firstly, you can't walk into a gun shop and demand one.

"First you have to be a part of some kind of weapons club like hunting or target practise. Then, you have to prove that. Even after you prove it, there's an entire month on the waiting list before you're even considered. Then you're allowed a gun. Do you really think a firefight would ensue? It's too much risk for him, we would easily be able to track him down. There's always the case of him stealing a weapon, but when you think about it, a crazy man in a gasmask stealing guns is going to raise some very large eyebrows. Therefore, we can't kill him if he only has a knife. We could taser him instead and bring him in because that's what the law states." He looked around at the four firmly, and when once again no one spoke, his deadly gaze softened.

"You're still so young. To lose a friend is…hard. Believe me, I know. But you have to move on, for both your sake and theirs. If you want to keep the memory of them alive…you need to stop." Slowly, Darcy nodded. Then Jacob, then Chloe, then finally Vironica. They were agreeing. A small smile came onto Andrew's face, and he walked forward. "Now come on, let's get you guys out of here before we get into real trouble." There was humour in his voice, and Chloe found herself chuckling, the small group allowing the police officer to safely lead them out through the back door and into the cold night outside. "I know life has been harsh on all of you, but you always have two choices. Either run from it…. or learn and embrace it. I personally choose the second option. However, what you decide is on you."

Jacob found himself surprised at how wise Andrew was sounding, even if he was just thirty or forty years old. However, as they neared the main road where cars buzzed, something happened. A large and sleek black pickup truck came to a screeching halt, and a figure leapt onto its suit, their black coat waving in the wind, topped with fur at the neck and along the bottom, their black suit underneath gleaming and their breathes coming in short gasps. It was him. Andrew's eyes widened, and then several others in black suits leapt out the vehicle and rolled along the ground before rising, rifles in hand. "I thought you said it wasn't easy to get guns," whispered Darcy, his eyes locked onto them. "I think I accidentally lied," whispered Andrew, slowly reaching for the gun at his side. Then, the air lit up with muzzle flashes and bangs.

Andrew shoved Chloe to the ground and ducked for cover as Darcy grabbed both Vironica and Jacob, then hauled them behind a police car. Shouts came from the few nearby police officers on duty, but they were quickly silenced by the volley of bullets. "Fuck!" hissed Andrew, looking over his shoulder at the fallen officers. "Right, get behind me!" Andrew shouted so the others could hear him. Jacob kept crouched to the ground, watching as Chloe did the same. Darcy and Vivian backed up against the car, but Jacob was half-rising from the crouch as the bangs sang like a murderer's song. He heard footsteps, the sound of boots on crunching glass, and peeked up over the edge of the car's hood. The gunmen had vanished, as had the killer. Andrew led Chloe around the back of his car, gun raised carefully, trying to detect any sign of life.