Omniscient POV
Damien stood at his bathroom sink, staring at his reflection. His tie hung loosely around his neck, and his shirt collar felt tighter than usual. He adjusted the tie, pulling it snug, then loosened it again, unsure why he even cared today. Last night's encounter had shaken him. He felt different, as though something had shifted inside him, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what.
The buzz of his phone on the countertop pulled him from his thoughts.
"Yeah?" Damien answered as he slipped on his jacket.
"Bad one this morning," Adam's voice came through the line. "You might want to head straight to the scene. I'm already here. It's... grim."
Damien closed his eyes briefly and sighed. "Define 'grim.'"
"Dead body, young woman. Just come over here first, you'll see."
---
The morning sun had barely risen, casting long, golden streaks across the cracked pavement as Damien arrived at the scene. The air smelled faintly of garbage and damp concrete, typical of the alleys in this part of town. Adam stood at the edge of a police cordon, waving Damien over.
"She's over here," Adam said, his voice low and grave as he led Damien past the crime scene tape.
The alley felt oppressive, the buildings on either side towering over them like silent witnesses. In the middle of the narrow space lay the body of a young woman. Her auburn hair fanned out around her pale face, and her lifeless eyes stared up at the sliver of sky above. Her left arm was bent unnaturally, and there were faint bruises around her wrists. Blood had pooled beneath her head, soaking into the gritty asphalt.
Damien crouched beside her, his gaze scanning the scene. Her fingers were clenched tight, as though she'd tried to hold on to something—or someone.
"Preliminary guess is she fell," Adam muttered, standing a few feet away. "But something doesn't add up. Those bruises on her arms... they tell a different story. Almost like her arm was grabbed tightly prior to when she fell."
"So you're thinking murder?"
"Detective 101: Never rule out any possibilities."
"Shall we?"
Damien reached out to examine her arm, but the moment his fingers touched her skin, the world around him blurred.
---
Suddenly, Damien wasn't in the alley anymore. He was inside a dimly lit room, standing where the victim must have stood. He could feel her fear as though it were his own, her heart pounding in his chest.
The scene played out like a vivid dream. He could see a man—large, broad-shouldered—hovering over a younger girl who sat trembling on the edge of a bed, clutching a bedsheet around her. Judging by the way she was moaning, it definitely wasn't rape.
The victim's voice was his voice now, trembling but sharp. After recording them for a short while without their notice, she finally spoke. "You've gone too far this time. I'm showing this to Mom and Dad."
"No please, is this about me stealing Jasper from you? I'll break up with him. Please don't say anything to them. It'll ruin my life."
"You've ruined your life already." she said as stormed out of the room.
"Wait! Please!" the man pleaded, stepping forward. But the woman—Damien—was already backing away, about to end the video of them she recorded but didn't as she saw the gateman running towards her, dragging his trousers up.
She turned, rushing toward the stairs. Her pulse thundered in Damien's ears, her breath hitching. Then, suddenly, a violent force hit her from behind.
Damien felt himself stumble. He tried to grab the banister, but her—his—fingers missed, and the world spun as she tumbled down the staircase. Pain erupted in her skull as she struck the bottom step. The phone slipped from her grasp, its screen capturing one final image: the man's face, contorted with panic, standing at the top of the stairs before it finally went black.
---
Damien gasped as he snapped back to the present, nearly falling over in the alley. His chest heaved, and sweat dripped down his temple.
"Damien!" Adam's voice cut through the haze. He crouched beside him, gripping his shoulder. "Hey! Are you okay?"
Damien nodded shakily, though his body betrayed him, still trembling.
"What the hell was that?" Adam asked, his voice laced with concern.
Damien swallowed hard. "I saw it."
Adam frowned. "Saw what?"
"Her last moments," Damien whispered. "It was like I was there... like I was her."
Adam blinked, his skepticism evident. "You touched her and suddenly knew how she died? Damien, that sounds crazy, even for us."
"It's not crazy." Damien's voice was steady now. "The gate man pushed her. She caught him... with her younger sister. He didn't mean to kill her, but
... well, murder is murder."
Adam stared at him, his mouth opening and closing like he couldn't decide whether to argue or laugh. "You're serious."
"Yes! Do you think I'll joke about something like this?"
"Knowing you, yes you can joke about something like this. You joke with everything. At least when River was here she kept you on your toes."
When Damien's countenance changed, Adams knew it was a sensitive subject. "I'm sorry." He apologized.
"For what? She's not dead yet. That, I believe. We're going to get her back. I'm sure of it."
"I really hope you're right."
"The victim unlocked her phone right before she started recording," Damien said. "I remember the digits that her password consists of."
Adam raised an eyebrow. "Her password? How does that help us?"
Damien met his gaze. "It's the only way we'll get to the truth. She recorded them and the phone didn't stop recording until it hit the ground. Some details about the whole thing must've been recorded there without knowing."
"Resetting her phone would've been the first thing they'll do after she died."
"They can reset the phone but resetting the cloud wouldn't be that easy. From the look and make of the phone I could tell that it was an iPhone 14. They have built in iCloud that most files are backed up to." Damien started. "If we're lucky, she put it automatic backup and we'll be able to get what we need to put them behind bars."
Adam sighed heavily but nodded. "Alright. Let's go ask some questions."
---
At the victim's house, Damien and Adam were greeted by the younger sister, a petite girl with tear-streaked cheeks, and the gate man, who avoided eye contact.
"We just need to clarify a few things about what happened," Damien said calmly, though his eyes were sharp as they darted between the two.
The sister sniffled, her hands wringing nervously. "I don't know anything. I was in my room."
"And you?" Adam asked the gate man, crossing his arms.
"I was outside," the man said quickly. "Doing my job."
Damien tilted his head. "Funny. A neighbor said they saw you near the stairs around the time it happened."
The gate man's face paled, his lips pressing into a thin line.
"Mind if we look around?" Damien asked, his tone polite but firm.
The sister hesitated, glancing at the gate man before stepping aside.
At the staircase, Damien ran his fingers along the banister. It felt solid, unyielding—too sturdy to explain the bruises on her arms or the way she'd fallen.
"Her phone?" Adam asked, turning back to the pair.
"It's broken," the sister said quickly. "She dropped it when she fell."
Damien took the phone, examining the cracks. Some were consistent with a fall, but others looked deliberate, as though someone had tried to smash it further. Just tampering with evidence was a crime on its own. He didn't say anything though, handing it back with a nod.
"Thank you for your time," Damien said, his tone neutral.
---
Damien and Adam stopped at a phone repair shop when they left the house, the technician frowned at the damaged device. "It's in bad shape. If there's any data, it'll be in the cloud, but you'll need her password."
"I'm aware." Damien stepped forward. "I know the password."
The technician handed him a tablet, and Damien entered the code. The cloud synced, and the files appeared.
Adam leaned over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as they scrolled. "There," he said, pointing.
The video played, revealing the victim catching the gate man and her sister in the room. It showed their desperate pleas, the victim's defiant resolve, and the moment the gate man hit her and made her fall down the stairs.
---
Back at the house, Damien and Adam stood at the door as the gate man and sister were taken into custody.
"What's going on?" the victim's parents cried, rushing to the door.
"We're arresting them for your daughter's murder," Damien said flatly.
"No!" the mother wailed. "It can't be. My daughter wouldn't—"
"We have evidence that suggests otherwise, she might not have been the one to kill her but covering up for a crime and being an accomplice to murder is a crime on its own." Damien said, his tone softening slightly. "I'm sorry."
The parents collapsed into each other, sobbing as the suspects were led away.
---
Later that evening, Adam found Damien outside, leaning against his car.
"Alright," Adam said, hands in his pockets. "I believe you now. But how did this happen? How did you suddenly get... psychic abilities?"
Damien stared at the horizon, his expression unreadable. "That's what I'm planning to find out." He turned to Adam, a faint smile on his lips. "Have a pleasant evening, Mr. Adams."
And with that, he walked into the darkness.