Looking at the dresses scattered around the car with narrowed eyes, David connected his comms and asked the control room to send a patrol team to the old church.
He didn't believe what Darry had said earlier, but now he was sure there was a stalker following the siblings.
'This kid must be frightened after seeing something in the church where stalkers hide out... probably some drug dealers.'
As for Darry's complaint, David had brushed it off earlier, not taking it seriously.
Currently, David's primary suspect was some drug dealer who had been caught off guard by Darry entering his territory, and who might have scared the boy out of his wits.
Perhaps it was drug users unconscious from excessive substance abuse that Darry had stumbled upon.
sigh~
"Kids... let—"
After requesting assistance from the control room, David looked at his deputy, Dana Lang, giving her a nod.
He turned back to the siblings and was about to suggest escorting them to the police station when something caught his attention.
"Is this a handprint?"
Noticing his sister staring at the door handle with narrowed eyes, Darry stepped closer to examine it.
His eyes widened when he saw a clear handprint on the doorknob and exclaimed in surprise.
"____"
"____"
Hearing Darry's mention of a handprint, David hurried forward along with his deputy, Dana, to take a closer look.
"____"
Looking at the handprint, David narrowed his eyes.
The print looked strange as if dusted with an unusual powder.
sigh~
"Kids... let us escort you to the police station so you can be safe."
With a deep sigh, David turned to look at Darry and Trish, urging them to get into the car so they could be escorted back to the station.
David and Dana planned to follow behind in their patrol car.
"But... he asked us to stay here... until he arrives."
David's momentary relief was interrupted by Trish, who informed him of the phone call they'd received.
"Who???"
Dana, overhearing Trish, asked her with a confused expression.
"Well... we received a phone call from a mysterious woman. She warned us about a strange man and told us to run if we ever heard a certain song."
As Trish recounted the call, Darry chimed in, explaining what had happened at the hotel while they were waiting for the cops.
"After that call, another call came. Trish answered it..."
Darry hesitated, glancing at his sister to continue since she had been the one to take the second call.
huff~
"Well, this time, the caller was probably a teenage boy. He told us to stay at the hotel until he arrived, saying only he could save us from... the Creeper."
Taking a deep breath, Trish finished explaining what she had heard from the second caller.
"____"
sneer~
"The Creeper? A demon? Don't tell me you believe that nonsense. He's probably the stalker trying to manipulate you into staying at the hotel so he could carry out his plan."
Hearing Trish's explanation, David and Dana were momentarily stunned.
Then, with a sneer, they exchanged incredulous glances before David raised an eyebrow at Trish, mocking her belief.
"____"
Looking at the disbelief etched on their faces, Trish hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Their expressions made it clear they thought her story was ridiculous.
There was a point in the claim that the mysterious man might have been trying to trick the siblings into staying at the hotel.
After packing up the scattered dresses, David once again urged Trish and Darry to follow them back to the police station.
With a little hesitation, Trish and Darry left the hotel, with the police car following closely behind them.
cree~ cree~
"Hello... is this David?"
cree~
Just as they were about to head toward the police station, a voice suddenly crackled through the walkie-talkie on David's shoulder.
"____"
click~
"This is David... who are you?"
Not expecting someone to contact him through the police intercom, David narrowed his eyes as he answered the call, a trace of unease in his voice.
"Listen, Mr. David. I don't have much time, so let me get straight to the point. The siblings have been marked by a demon who will come for them at any cost. You cannot protect them. Let them stay at the hotel. Only I can stop the Creeper. If you don't believe me, contact Sheriff Dan Tashtego..."
cree~ cree~
After the cryptic message, the call abruptly ended, leaving all four of them staring at each other.
"Hey... who are you? How did you manage to connect to our police intercom?"
Dana, frustrated by the sudden disconnection, attempted to question the mysterious caller, but all they got in return was the static hum of the line being cut off.
"____"
"____"
This time, both David and Dana were deeply concerned.
Whoever had contacted them could hack their secure communication system.
"Sir, the caller mentioned we need to contact Sheriff Dan Tashtego for more information."
After a brief silence, David nodded, signalling Dana to reach out to the sheriff and get to the bottom of the situation.
Meanwhile, Trish, who had overheard the voice on the walkie-talkie, was confident it was the same person who had called her at the hotel earlier.
Wee~ oww~ WEE~ oww~
As Dana stepped aside to contact Sheriff Dan Tashtego, a police car pulled up at the hotel.
Following David's instructions, the forensic officer who arrived with the patrol car carefully lifted the strange handprint from the doorknob, using his years of expertise. Once the sample was secured, the officer and forensic expert left the scene.
A Few Minutes Later...
Deputy Dana Lang returned from her call with a dark expression etched on her face.
Seeing her reaction, David instantly understood they were in serious trouble, and it was only a matter of time before the storm came knocking.
"Sir, I've spoken with Sheriff Dan Tashtego... He's asked us to stay put. He's on his way here with backup."
Dana's grim tone matched the tension in the air as she relayed the sheriff's message.
nod~
"Kids, get back inside."
With a firm nod, David pointed at the hotel, instructing the siblings to return to safety.
He then unholstered his Glock 17, checking the ammo in the magazine before reloading it with practised precision.
Half an hour before...
Los Angeles...
Airport...
Currently, Jojo was seated in the waiting area, preparing to board the plane.
After hearing the call from Darry and her sister, along with the mysterious woman's warning about the Creeper, he immediately contacted Freya to inform her of his decision to head there first.
He then instructed Sara, his AI assistant, to keep a close watch on the siblings.
ding~
"Sire... the police have arrived at the hotel and are now speaking with the siblings."
While Jojo waited for the plane, Sara notified him of the police's arrival at the hotel where the siblings were staying.
"____"
"Sara... I want to hear their conversation."
After some thought, Jojo requested Sara to relay the conversation between the officers and the siblings.
From the conversation, Jojo could tell that the two police officers didn't believe Darry and her colleagues.
The situation was escalating quickly, and the siblings were about to attempt travelling to the police station through the highways—exactly where the Creeper was lying in wait.
sigh~
"Sara, connect me to the senior officer there."
With a sigh, Jojo directed Sara to establish a connection with the senior officer on site.
"The senior officer's name is David, and his deputy is Dana Lang... I will now connect you to Officer David."
After a brief pause, the call was answered by the officer Jojo wished to speak with.
"Listen, Mr. David, I don't have much time, so I'll get straight to the point... The siblings are being targeted by a demon who will stop at nothing to kill them. You won't be able to protect them. Let them stay at the hotel. Only I can stop the Creeper. If you still don't believe me, contact Sheriff Dan Tashtego..."
After confirming that David was on the other end, Jojo wasted no time in giving his warning, urging him to contact Sheriff Dan Tashtego—an officer who had dedicated his life to hunting the Creeper after the demon ruthlessly took his family.
During this time, Sara continued gathering information on anything related to the Creeper and kept Freya, who was stationed at the base, informed.
Jojo knew that this was the only way to stop the police from unknowingly leading themselves into the Creeper's trap on the highway.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
Thanks for reading the chapter!
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