“It starts with just a whisper
A crack inside the frame
The smallest spark of chaos
And nothing stays the same“
Hollywood Undead – SAVIOR
Detective Taylor has made his way from the Willowreach Park to the precinct. He not only has the Polaroids he’d found as this case has gone on, as well as the random text messages, but now an anonymous tip. Pointing him towards Grayson Park, but first he needs answers from Detective Pullman. No more waiting…
If you missed previous chapters of the story, check them out here!
The precinct lights buzzed softly when Alex spotted Pullman near the front of the building, her coat still on despite the heat working overtime inside. She stood by the window, phone pressed to her ear, eyes distant. When she noticed him, she ended the call and turned.
“You look like hell,” she said, taking him in. “Funny,” Alex replied. “I was thinking the same about this case.”
He adjusted the navy peacoat at his shoulders, the wool still dusted with snow from the walk over. His navy hat was pulled low, shadowing his eyes, beige suit pants creased sharply despite the weather. The brown boots he wore were scuffed and practical, already marked by salt and slush. He looked more like someone heading to a funeral than a park.
“I got a tip,” he continued. “Anonymous. No return number. Says I should check out Grayson Park. South end. Benches near the pond.”
Pullman’s jaw tightened immediately. “That’s not a tip. That’s a setup.” “Yeah,” Alex said. “Which means it’s meant for me.” She reached for her gun. “Then I’m coming.” He shook his head without hesitation. “No. You stay here.”
“Alex…” she said fearfully. “If this turns ugly, I need someone not standing next to me when it does,” he said. “You stay at the precinct. Eyes open. Phone on.” Pullman held his gaze, irritation giving way to something closer to fear. Finally, she nodded. “Fine. But I’m walking you out.”
They ended up sitting in his car, engine idling in the lot, the heater clicking and rattling as it pushed back the cold. Snow slid down the windshield in slow, uneven lines, distorting the city beyond into a smear of gray and white. “You’ve been avoiding me,” Alex said quietly, hands resting on the steering wheel. Pullman exhaled, fogging the glass between them. “I’ve been trying to keep you out of something.”
“That’s never worked before,” he said. “No,” she admitted. “It hasn’t.” He turned toward her then, the weight of the Polaroid in his pocket impossible to ignore. “Are you involved, Pullman? Be honest with me.” Her eyes didn’t waver. “No. But I think whoever is doing this wants you to believe I am. If you start doubting me, they win.” The words sat heavy, but they rang true enough to hurt. Alex nodded once. “Then don’t disappear on me.”
“I won’t,” she said. “Just, don’t go chasing ghosts alone.” He opened the door, the cold rushing in like a reprimand. “I don’t think they’re ghosts anymore.”
Grayson Park was completely empty when he arrived. No joggers. No dog walkers. No bundled-up couples pretending winter was romantic. The snowfall had erased footprints, leaving the paths smooth and untouched, as if the city had forgotten this place existed. Alex stepped out of the car, boots sinking into the snow with a dull crunch. The navy peacoat cut the wind better than most, but it still found its way in at the collar. He pulled his hat lower and started toward the pond, breath steady, deliberate.
The park felt wrong in its stillness. Too quiet. Even the trees seemed frozen mid-thought, branches stiff and bare against the sky. He moved slowly, eyes sweeping from tree line to benches to the faint outline of the frozen water. South end. Pond-side benches. At first, there was nothing. Just snow, smooth and unbroken.
Then he saw it.
A single Polaroid lay centered on one of the benches, resting on untouched snow like an offering. No footprints approached it. No marks suggested how it got there. Undeveloped. Blank. Waiting. Alex stopped several feet away, listening. Nothing. Not even wind. He scanned the park again, longer this time. The trees. The paths. The playground swallowed in white. There was no one. Not hiding. Not watching. And somehow that was worse.
He approached the bench and picked up the Polaroid carefully, the cold biting through his gloves. The white square stared back at him, empty but charged with meaning. He flipped it over. Written faintly in blood red ink were four words: “Some pictures need time.”
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He did not need to look to know it was Pullman. “They’re here,” he muttered to no one, sliding the Polaroid into his coat next to the others. Somewhere beyond the trees, unseen and patient, the mystery waited for the image to develop…
To Be Continued…
The mystery deepens, the string of Polaroids and messages continues on. Still no sign of Christopher Nixon either. He has to be involved doesn’t he? The last time he saw Nixon he was in the alley. Where was that bastard hiding now. At best, at least Pullman isn’t involved, or so she says. Eyes up always. Until next time…
Credits for everything can be found below as always. Stay tuned for more soon.
“I’m a shadow on your wall, never fully seen
A ghost in every corner, haunting every scene
And if I get to heaven, will it set me free?
You say that I’m your savior
There’s no saving me”
Hollywood Undead – SAVIOR
Credits:
Head: LeLUTKA.Head.NOA.4.0 ~ Jaden Nova
Head Applier: VELOUR: OMAR Skin for Evo X (TAN-NB) ~ Kiria Mama
Hairbase: LeLUTKA.EvoX.Hairbase.044 (BOM) ~ Jaden Nova (Comes with the LeLUTKA NOA Head)
Eyes: Avi-Glam. Prism Eyes – Pack 2 ~ Eye Daddy
Ears: ^^Swallow^^ Gauged S Ears ~ Luciayes Magic
Ear Tattoo: RichB. Ears Tattoo #08 ~ Salvy Hexem
Beard: [MAGNIFICENT] Ducky Skunk Beard & Stache – LeBarbier Alpha
Beard Layer: [MR] Jimmi Facial Hair for EvoX Heads Style 1 ~ Daniel Whiskers
Body: [LEGACY] Athletic Edition (1.7.1) ~ MeshBody Resident
Skin: VELOUR: PICASSO HOMME Skin for Legacy (FIT/TAN) Picasso Neck ~ Kiria Mama
Hand BOM: K.O.K.O.S SHOP – SEXI MAN HANDS-BOM ALL BODY. ~ Aleric Dallas
Nails: Pare.Cure Mesh Nails Both Hands [Short] – Legacy ~ Flazedo Resident
Torso Tattoo: DAPPA – Zebani Tattoo. [FADED] Lelutka EvoX. ~ Devil Fae
Jacket: //Ascend// Vincent Long Coat. ~ AscendFashion Resident
Pants: [Deadwool] Spade trousers ~ Masa Plympton
Beanie: VRSION SLS56 [A] Beanie ~ Badon Rain
Glasses: :: DS :: Heath Glasses ~ Deep Static
Earrings: = DAE = SXD1 ~ Naomi Darkheart
Backdrop: MINIMAL – Snow Park Scene ~ MINIMALgroup Resident
Pose: SP – Matthew ~ SweetDaniellee Resident