CHAPTER SIX

"Am I the only one in this room who believes we already have all the answers we need?" Julynn asked, earning questioning glances from everyone. "You're all crazy," she added. John understood where she was coming from; he, too, was surprised he was the only one who did.

"I'm with Lynn on this one," he said as everyone turned to face him. "What do you plan on doing anyway?" he asked. Lucas looked at him as if expecting him to already know the answer. "I'll be going to her house," he responded point-blank. John and Julynn began laughing uncontrollably, but they stopped when they noticed everyone was looking at them like they were mad.

"You're all crazy," John said this time. Everyone now wore serious expressions. "What could we possibly gain from going there?" John asked coarsely. He peered into their eyes as if hoping to find an answer there. Austin then said, "Personally, I believe this is the right course of action. We go there, take a look, and get the hell out."

Everyone seemed to agree with this idea. Julynn still had a doubting look on her face, but it had eased a little. "So, when are you guys going?" she asked. Austin looked at her and tilted his head to the side while peering into her eyes questioningly. "Oh, please, there's nothing you can do to make me go there," Austin was about to respond when a sneeze interrupted him.

"What do you think, Dante?" Eve asked, as he had been quiet all this while. He steeled his face, staring at her indifferently, and said, "I'll stay back and watch Lily." He then noticed Julynn laughing at his response. "What's funny?" he asked. "That's a nice way of saying you're scared." He was about to respond when a scream disrupted the mood of the room. It was Lily. Everyone ran upstairs, with Lucas at the front, and they all stood in front of the shadowy confines of Lily's room. The door was slightly ajar.

He opened the door and stepped in. The room was quite spacious, which led him to question the financial status of its owner. The house itself was a custom luxury duplex, so it was obvious that John must be quite wealthy. Lily was on the floor, sitting at the side of the bed, hugging a pillow very tightly.

They all stood at the entrance and observed her actions. Eve left the room briefly and returned with a child-sized teddy bear. She walked up to Lily and offered it as a replacement for the pillow. "Have this instead," she said with a warm smile as she offered her the massive bear.

Lily looked at the bear in horror and opened her mouth as if to scream, but no sound came out. "She's worn out," Dante pointed out. Eve put the bear away, out of sight, of course. Julynn took Lily by the hand and into the shower. Everyone left the room, except Lucas. He found her in a dark street and felt responsible for whatever had happened to her. He believed he needed to stay close to her to provide some comfort, however little it may be.

"It reminds me of the case with Vanessa," he mused. Vanessa was a little younger than Lily and had experienced something similar. A deranged psychopath had killed her father. Lucas had been against the early release of Fletcher—the psycho's name—but the matter had already been decided.

Upon release, Fletcher turned over a new leaf in his life. He had been convicted of aggravated assault but was released early due to good conduct—or so the public was told. His family was very influential and had bribed the parole board. He got a job as a housekeeper to improve his family's public image.

That was when it happened. Vanessa came home from school one day and smelled food burning. She ran toward the kitchen and turned off the fire, but she didn't check the pot. When her dad hadn't returned from work, she became worried and called the police. They dispatched some officers, Lucas included, and what transpired would forever live rent-free in his mind.

He was impressed that the first thing that came to her mind was to call the police, and he didn't want to disappoint her. He was walking through the kitchen when he accidentally bumped into a pot, and its contents spilled on the floor. It was charred beef soup, but it had only one big piece of meat. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was a person's head.

He was about to tell the others when he saw the little girl standing behind him. "What's that?" she asked, as if already knowing the answer. He would never forget the expression she had on her face—the look of someone who had lost everything. He put his all into the case, and all the leads pointed to Fletcher.

His family bribed him to drop the case and even sent death threats. But Lucas was determined not only to put Fletcher in prison or to death but also to bring down his whole family. The proceeding case took four years and was closed more than three times, but he had finally gotten the desired result. He was drawn out of his contemplation when Julynn and Lily walked out of the bathroom.

Julynn was in a bathrobe, while Lily was dressed in pajamas. "Is there anything wrong with having a bath?" Julynn asked as Lucas stared in her direction. "Sorry, just lost in thought," he responded solemnly. Lily ran toward the bed and jumped on him, her face buried in his chest as she cried.

"P-please don't go," she said, her tears soaking his shirt. He looked at Julynn, who was looking at herself in the mirror, avoiding eye contact. He knew how she was feeling. Over a very short period, they had made a deep connection. She must have viewed him as some sort of savior. "If you go, you'll die," she said, staring into his eyes.

He was surprised at the sudden statement. Void of any uncertainty, she was sure he was going to die. "Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere," he said with a smile, which she reciprocated. "Just in case, I'm going to keep an eye on you," she said seriously.

Around twenty minutes passed before she finally fell asleep. Lucas went downstairs, where he saw the others discussing. He headed straight for the door. "Where are you going this time?" John asked. He simply looked out the window, determination oozing from him like blood from a ghastly wound.

"It's too soon," Austin said, as if reacting to his expression. "I know," Lucas responded, staring at him straight in the eye. "That's why I'm going alone." "You're utterly insane," Julynn said as she shook her head disapprovingly. "You're going to need this," Austin added as he reached into a black bag, pulled out a gun, and threw it to Lucas.

He didn't catch it. "At least now we know you aren't the main character," Dante said as everyone began laughing. Lucas shrugged off the comment and inspected the gun. It was a pistol, a Glock by appearance, lighter than the one he was used to, and fully loaded.

Austin handed a gun to Eve, but she declined. "I don't know how to use that thing," she said, looking at the gun with disgust. "How did you get all these, by the way?" Lucas asked, wondering if Austin knew people in the black market. "I was in the military," he responded.

Lucas, Eve, and Austin were about to head out when Julynn called out to Lucas. "Don't forget her," she said, still wearing her bathrobe. "I wouldn't," he responded. "Here I was thinking you couldn't be any more cliché," Dante said, rolling his eyes. "Here," Eve said, handing Lucas a piece of paper. It contained an address. "I got this from Julynn," she added.

He stared at the paper, wondering what use it had to him. "Sorry! I forgot," Eve said embarrassedly as she grabbed the paper from his hand. They hailed a taxi and were off. Lucas vigilantly monitored his surroundings, taking note of landmarks in case he found himself on his own. They finally reached the address about twenty minutes later.

It was a high-rise building. The area was very bright, and the streets surrounding it were bustling. He smelled freshly baked bread from a restaurant nearby and almost headed in that direction until he remembered he was broke. They entered the building, and he saw that its interior decor was no joke.

The waiting room was well furnished, the chairs looked like they were made of clouds, and the vending machines were well stocked. "Why is everyone I meet so rich?" he whispered to himself while Eve laughed behind him—she must have heard what he said. They headed straight to the elevator, and he looked at Eve. "It's the 15th," she said.

As he moved his hand to press the button, he felt something overwhelm him. Lily's words then replayed in his mind: You'll die. He ignored the feeling and inched his hand closer to the button when he felt insurmountable fear overcome him. Sweat poured from his face as he mustered all his courage, still trying to press the button.

He saw a shadowy hand emerge from the elevator door and move straight into his chest. He tried to grab it, but it was no use. Eve screamed behind him, and he heard Austin groan. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out. The hand caressed his heart and squeezed. With a resounding thump, his heart burst, and he felt life leaving his body.

He was dead.