chapter 27:looking to answer part 1

chapter (27):looking to answer

The next day...

At Blackwood's house.....

9:30 AM

Emma was sitting at a specific table, quietly observing her surroundings.

All of Emma's family was sitting together at one table. It would have been a lovely family gathering if it weren't for the heavy silence hanging over the room.

Her father, Marcus, had asked them to gather to discuss something important that morning.

The silence was still heavy in the room, and Andrew was still reeling from the shock of his friend's death.

The first to break the silence was Marcus, who was sitting at the table and had just finished drinking a glass of water.

"Andrew, Emma, you won't be going to school for a while, until the situation is safe enough," Mr. Blackwood spoke.

"What?! But what about the football club!" Andrew shouted.

"That can be postponed. There's no need to go since the school is closed indefinitely," Mr. Blackwood said coldly.

"Yes, Dad," Andrew replied, resigned.

"Also, don't try to go too far from the house. We don't know who the killer's next victim will be."

"Wait, Dad," Emma raised her hand.

"What is it, Emma?" Mr. Blackwood asked.

"I want to go outside."

"Didn't I just say it's forbidden—"

"I'll be back before sunset. What do you think? Killers rarely target people in broad daylight, right?" Emma said.

"Besides, keeping us locked up won't change anything."

Marcus looked at his daughter for a few seconds, seeing the determination in her eyes. He sighed and gave in. "Alright, you can go, but be back before sunset!"

"Thank you, Dad. I'll get going then," Emma said, heading to her room to prepare her clothes for the trip.

"I'll go too. I want to hang out with my friends for a while," Andrew said.

After Emma and Andrew left, Mrs. Blackwood looked at her husband worriedly. "Honey, about the killer... is it...?"

"No... we haven't found him yet. We searched with the police all day but found no trace. There were no witnesses. The killer planned the crime well," Mr. Blackwood said anxiously.

"If they're late, call them and make sure they're okay."

"Alright, but—" Mrs. Blackwood replied.

"Bye!" Andrew said as he left through the door.

"That was quick," Mrs. Blackwood said, surprised.

"He must have been ready to leave," Mr. Blackwood replied coldly.

"And about Andrew... do you know that he—" Mrs. Blackwood asked.

"Is lying? Yes, I know. But I won't say anything to him. Not now," Mr. Blackwood said.

"So, do you think it has something to do with Emma being bullied?" Mrs. Blackwood asked worriedly.

"After hearing what she said, yes, definitely. It was more than he could ignore. But I don't know why or exactly what," Mr. Blackwood said with some anger.

"But I think it's because—"

"Bye, Dad, Mom," Emma said as she closed the door.

"Since when did these two become so quick?" Mr. Blackwood said in great surprise.

"I'm just as surprised as you are. It's strange that Emma left so quickly too," Mrs. Blackwood replied, astonished.

"Speaking of that, there's something strange going on with her," Mr. Blackwood said seriously.

"Something strange? What is it?" Mrs. Blackwood asked.

"Those two were the ones who bullied and hit Emma, and the next day they were found dead," Mr. Blackwood said.

"Marcus, our daughter would never do something like that. You know very well how traumatized she was after she killed someone for the first time. She wouldn't dare do something like that again," Mrs. Blackwood said angrily.

"I know, but I fear she might have had a hand in it."

"Marcus! Do you think our daughter would do such a brutal act? Only a monster would think of doing that."

"Sorry... you're right about that. (Sigh) It's just that this is the third time I've faced a case like this."

"A murder case? I don't mean to sound heartless, but aren't most of the cases you deal with murder cases?" Mrs. Blackwood asked curiously.

"It's not about the murder, it's about the evidence," Mr. Blackwood said, resigned.

"Yes, a case with no evidence is like chasing a shadow. No matter how much you search, you won't find anything if there's no evidence about the perpetrator."

"This kind of case can't be solved. The only way to end it is to close the case."

"But isn't that wrong?" Mrs. Blackwood asked worriedly.

"There are actually many cases that haven't been solved, and there are others like me suffering from the same thing. This is just the tip of the iceberg."

"I can't believe this!" Mrs. Blackwood replied in shock.

"Yes, I was like you, but after working as a detective for a few years and facing this kind of case, you have no choice but to give up and let it go," Mr. Blackwood said in a resigned tone.

...

After a while, in the faces forest...

Emma was walking through the Forest of Faces.

She was wearing her usual clothes with her backpack on her back, making her way forward. She had stopped briefly near her school and saw that it was closed, with police officers cordoning off the entire school.

Earlier, as she was leaving the house, she had seen some police cars, but that didn't mean anything to her. She ignored them and focused on her path, but she felt a strange sensation as she walked through the forest.

She didn't notice anything unusual. The forest was the same as always, with nothing out of the ordinary. But as she approached Smiley's house, she noticed that some rocks and trees had been destroyed along the way, as if something huge and terrifying had passed through.

She saw that the tree holding Smiley's house was completely intact, but the ground around it was completely destroyed, as if a fierce battle had taken place there.

"What the hell happened to cause all this?" she thought in shock.

Emma looked at the tree and climbed it. When she reached the top, she saw a familiar face drawing in the notebooks she had given him.

"Oh! Emma! I was wondering where you were! What happened last night? Did you go to a party without me or what?" Smiley asked cheerfully.

"Can you tell me if there was a war here or something?" Emma asked in amazement.

"What? No, just the usual," Smiley said innocently.

"The usual? Really, Smiley?" Emma asked sarcastically.

Emma put her bag down and took out a sandwich from her bag, handing it to Smiley.

"Oh, thank you!" Smiley said as he ate.

"Can you tell me now what exactly happened here? Anything unusual?" Emma asked in a more serious tone.

"Something unusual... hmmmm, oh right! Our friend came to visit us," Smiley replied while eating.

"Friend? What friend?" Emma asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

"You know, the scorpion thing,guy whatever?" Smiley said.

"Scorpionman?! He came here?!" Emma asked in shock.

"Yeah, he really caused some chaos while you were gone. You should have been here. It was a crazy fight," Smiley said, his smile carrying a sinister feeling.

"And what happened? Did you fight him alone?" Emma asked.

"Well, you could say I managed to kick him out of my house," Smiley said jokingly.

"So, what did you do? What kind of parties were there?" Smiley asked.

"Smiley, I didn't go to any stupid party," Emma replied.

"What? Then why? Were you bored of our adventure?" Smiley asked with fake sadness in his voice.

"What (sigh)... no... there was a crime at my school," Emma said tiredly.

"A crime? someone stealing candy" Smiley asked suspiciously and worriedly.

"Two students died at my school last night. That's what happened," Emma said with some tension.

"Oh...Died? Socially or physically?"

"Maybe both. They were hanging on the school's pillars on the roof, and everyone saw their bodies. Trust me, it wasn't a good sight to start your day with," Emma replied tiredly.

"Wait, did you just say they were hanging? Really... that's weird. It reminds me of something I saw earlier, something very similar," Smiley said, stroking his chin.

"Where exactly?" Emma asked seriously.

"Hmm... let me remember... let me remember... oh, I remember now! It's in the big cave," Smiley said innocently.

"Wait, a cave? Are you saying you saw something like that near a cave?" Emma asked in amazement.

"Yeah, it's in that direction," Smiley said, pointing his finger in that direction.

"Good, at least I know where to start," Emma replied, preparing her bag with some things.

"Start what?" Smiley asked as he finished his sandwich.

"Our adventure? Or do you want to stay in your house?" Emma asked.

"Are you kidding me? I almost died of boredom!" Smiley said with a twisted smile.

"Good, get ready, Smiley. It looks like we're going to take a look at the mountain and see what kind of things we'll find this time," Emma said as she put on her new shoes.

"Oh, oh, did you decide to test the shoes you found at that factory? You haven't tested them since yesterday," Smiley said.

"Yeah, I'll take them with me, but I won't use them unless I'm in a life-threatening situation," Emma said.

"I'll take that as a yes," Smiley joked.

"Whatever, let's go," Emma said as she climbed down the stairs.

"Hey, Emma," Smiley called.

"What?" Emma replied.

"About the strange code in the factory, did you crack it?" Smiley asked.

"No, but I left it to a group of people," Emma said.

"What kind of people?" Smiley asked with interest.

"People who will stay up all night cracking it for free," Emma said.

After Emma and Smiley climbed down to the ground and started walking, they were being watched by something from afar, keeping an eye on them.

....

At the same time, in a certain restaurant...

Andrew and Nathan were sitting at a table, drinking, but the atmosphere was not celebratory. The mood at the table was as gloomy as a cemetery, and they were staring at each other.

"So, Nathan, about Jack... have you found anything new?"

"No, just more theories and accusations without any substance," Nathan replied, resigned.

"I still can't believe he's really dead," Andrew responded, equally resigned.

"Just two days ago, we were talking, and nothing happened," Nathan spoke, his voice filled with sadness. "A bad person? Yes, he was a bad person, but he didn't deserve to suffer like this!"

"And don't forget Sarah either," came a voice.

Both Andrew and Nathan turned to the right and saw Sarah approaching them, sitting down as well.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?" Andrew asked.

"Am I banned from coming to a restaurant to order a meal?" Chloe asked, irritation in her voice.

"No, no, I didn't mean that. I mean, how did you know we'd be here?" Andrew asked, surprised.

"There are only two places you guys usually discuss things: the park and this restaurant," Chloe replied.

"Oh....."

"Let me guess, you're here discussing your sorrows? How pathetic, boys."

"I came to tell you two things.

"First, Jack is an arrogant fool. He deserves what's happening to him. I mean, he bullies girls, and a scoundrel like him deserves to die.

"Second, Sarah, Jessica's friend, isn't entirely innocent. She bullied your sister, whom she considers a criminal in her eyes, and plays the victim despite the things she and Jessica do. You should expect them to meet an end that suits them.

"Hey, how can you say such things about them—"

But before Andrew could finish, Chloe raised her index finger, stopping him.

"But! They didn't deserve this brutal torment from that thing!"

Andrew looked at Nathan suspiciously before speaking."Thing? What exactly do you mean by 'that thing'?"

"Let me tell you something. When I opened the messaging app last night, I received a voice message from Sarah."

"What? What was the message?!" Andrew asked, shocked.

"But the strange thing is, the message lasted only half a minute before it was completely deleted!"

"Huh?" Andrew asked.

"But! It seems the message wasn't just sent to me. It was sent to all her friends! Of course, they were all deleted too," Sarah spoke.

"Wait, how do you know if this is true or not?" Nathan asked skeptically.

"Because I have three friends who know Sarah on the messaging app. They received that message and heard it before it was deleted."

"But even if they heard it, it wouldn't be complete evidence unless it was her voice," Nathan replied.

"That's because one of them has an older version of the app, which automatically saves any audio. The message was saved on his phone, and he sent it to me," Sarah spoke, showing her phone.

A play button appeared, and Chloe pressed it. The following played:

[Help me.....please....just kill me...from this torment, I beg...no..no..that thing is coming..please stop...stoooooo00p zzzt]

"Dear god!"

"Jesus Christ!"

"And now you know what I'm talking about when I say 'that thing.'"

"Wait a minute? What if it's not real? How do we know this wasn't made by some AI app?" Nathan asked.

"Now, that's the right question," Chloe spoke.

"What do you mean?" Andrew asked.

"The older version had some concerning features that were removed. Among them was the ability to share your location for others to see, and the location was a specific place," Chloe spoke with some seriousness.

"It's the faces forest."