Awake In The Shadows

Chapter 7

The wail of sirens broke the night's silence, their red and blue lights painting the trees in unsettling hues. A convoy of police cars skidded to a halt on the gravel road leading into the woods. Officers jumped out, their faces set in grim lines, hands hovering near their holsters.

Leading the pack was Detective Sarah. Her eyes were sharp, her jaw set. She'd been on the force for over a decade, seen things that would break most people. But tonight, something felt different, something that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Listen up, team," she barked. "We've got a body, and possibly a killer still at large. I want this area secured ASAP. Johnson, get the dogs. Miller, you're with me."

Sarah's flashlight cut through the darkness as she led the way into the woods. The beam landed on Emily, who was sitting on the ground, her arms wrapped around her knees, her face a mask or shock.

"Evening, ma'am," Sarah began, her eyes narrowing. "I'm Detective Sarah. Mind telling me what you're doing out here?"

Emily looked up, her eyes meeting Sarah's. A moment of silence stretched between them before Emily finally spoke. "I don't know how I got here. I woke up next to a body. I don't remember anything."

Sarah studied her, her instincts on high alert. "Alright, we're going to have to take you in for questioning. You have the right to remain silent –"

"Detective, you need to see this," an officer interrupted, urgency coloring his voice.

Sarah followed him to where the body lay. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene. No symbols, no messages, just a lifeless body that told a story of horror.

"Get forensics here. I want every inch of this area documented," she ordered, her voice tinged with a sense of urgency she couldn't shake.

As the officers scrambled to follow her orders, Sarah turned her attention back to Emily, who was now being led to one of the police cars. Her eyes met Sarah's, and for a moment, the detective saw something there, a flicker of something dark and unfathomable.

Sarah felt a cold dread settle in her stomach as she pondered the unfolding mystery. She had been in this line of work long enough to know that things were rarely what they seemed.

"Officer Miller, make sure Ms. Emily here is comfortable back at the station. I have a feeling we'll be talking a lot more," Sarah said, her voice carrying a note of finality.

As she stood there, contemplating the enigma before her, Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. She had the unsettling feeling that they were all pawns in a game they didn't yet understand, a game that was far from over.

She made her way back to the police cars, her mind racing with questions and theories. Who was the victim? What was Emily's role in all of this?

As she climbed into her car, Sarah took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She knew that the answers to those questions would come, but at what cost? And as she started the engine, pulling away from the scene that had shaken her to her core, Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that they were all on the edge of an abyss, teetering on the brink of a darkness that threatened to consume them all.