I didn't know how to react to the grip of that young man; he was stronger than I thought. For a minute, I thought it would be a walk in the park, like dealing with the typical potbellied Wellington policemen, but that was wishful thinking. I could fight against him, but he already had me pegged. The only thing that came to mind was the years I would spend in the dungeon.

"Tell me who you are," he commanded, "and don't come at me with any sweet talk about being a happy coroner, or you'll end up behind bars."

I looked at the ground, stalling for time. "Think fast, Lucas," I urged myself, racking my brains for an excuse. His imposing presence made me feel inferior, and I was at a loss for words.

He began to steer me towards the door. "Spill the beans, or do you want to spend the rest of your youth in prison?" He tightened his grip. "What's your game?"

"I'm Lucas, and I'm just looking for information," I stammered, trying to maintain composure.

"Don't beat around the bush; be straight with me. What are you after?!" he demanded, his voice gruff and menacing.

Disturbed, I struggled to come up with an answer that would satisfy him. "I'm looking for information about the hidden sect, I need to know more about them... I have a mission to fulfill."

"You are too young, don't waste your time picking around that cult. Even the cops have given up on it, you are playing with fire." He released me and lightly patted my back. "Alright, scram, young man."

"Are you taking my ass?" I asked, "even if I go home I have no intention of abandoning. I don't care how dangerous it is, I won't back down," I said with determination. "I'm sorry, but unlike the cops in this city, I won't quit."

"Wow, you've got guts," the rookie cop said, extending his hand. "I'm Marc Estrada."
"Lucas Darwell." I shook his hand, feeling thoroughly bewildered.

"You know, Lucas, I'm on your side. That cult needs to face justice," young Marc emphasized in a hushed tone. "What's your motivation?"

"What a sudden mood swing," I thought.

"I lost someone important."
"I understand you," he said, looking towards the ground, "I lost my parents because of that sect too."
"I'm sorry man."

"Well, I can lend you a helping hand, follow me" he said, and then began to walk. I doubted whether he was reliable or not but I instinctively followed him since I didn't had other way out.

We crossed the threshold of the door, emerging from that dismal cabin. I trailed behind him with unwavering steps, watching as he meticulously tamed his flowing long blond hair. After a brief stroll, we arrived at a peculiar room, partitioned into compartments where a group of policemen lounged about. Contrary to their occupation, they seemed more interested in devouring an assortment of donuts than in any pressing matters at hand.

I positioned myself near the door frame observing as Marc made his entrance with an air of confidence.

Upon spotting me, a female cop inquired, "Who's this you've brought, Marc?" She exuded an air of authority, akin to a regal homeowner in her own domain. She had a nonchalant posture, her feet resting on the desk and a plate of donuts perched on her lap.

Marc, engrossed in his search through the drawers, replied, "Just a friend, a good one."

"Welcome comrade," she said in a cheerful tone while executing the soldier's greeting with her hand.

"The girl looks vague, but also funny," I thought.

Expressing my gratitude, I raised my hand in acknowledgement, to which three policemen also responded in unison, "Yes, welcome!"

With some keys in hand, Marc approached me, declaring, "Lucas, we can leave."

One of the boys chimed in, "Don't be late, party tonight." Marc just nodded.

"Marc Estrada, wait and listen to me." A man coming from a door interrupted."When you come back, remember to do all the paperwork of the last two weeks. I'll be waiting for it this evening on my table."
"Yes sir," Marc replied. I assumed he was his boss.

We left that place and took a walk through the corridors of the police station.

"Marc, thanks for your unwavering support" I said.
"Don't worry, I think you're a good guy. Your courage is worthy of admiration, even I have not had the motivation to avenge my deceased parents."

"Thank you," I whispered, contemplating the irony of the situation. "It's odd to think that a mere few minutes ago, you were threatening me."

"True..., you probably thought I was very rude." He let out a laugh. "I don't know why I look so rude to strangers."
"I had some suspicion, but now, seeing you in this state you look friendly."

"Yesterday morning, you nearly had me hook, line, and sinker with your forensic trap," Marc chuckled. "I fell for it for a hot second, but then I remembered the staff schedule."
"I never thought you'd buy it, and to top it off, I already considered myself dead. Yesterday and today."

Marc let out a deep booming laugh that captured the attention of everyone in the corridors.

"Being on my own in practice, I'm not used to this much work. So, when I frequented the cabin, it was my escape from the madness, a place of reliefs. My boss is constantly breathing down my neck."

"Ah, I think I know who you're referring to and I t's funny, because it doesn't seem like there's that much work. Your pals or co-workers, I don't know, they seem to be on a different wavelength."

"They're clueless, that's the problem. So, when the boss needs something, he always comes to me," he said, stifling a tired yawn. "It's my own fault for wanting to make a good impression right from the start by doing everything perfectly. Now, I don't think I'll even finish my work today, so we'd better hurry up so you can take what you need."

"I could lend you a hand with your job."
"Appreciate it, we'll see."

We strolled for a while until we finally made an abrupt stop. Marc tried to open the door, but unfortunately, it required the fingerprint of some head of department.

Since I knew the layout of the place like the back of my hand I made a beeline for the lobby, taking a shortcut. When I arrived I retrieved my computer, which was still intact, and hacked into the police station's security systems, snatched a fingerprint, and slipped it into the password screen of the safe door. I stashed my computer in my backpack, grabbed all my possessions and went back to the safe's door. Marc couldn't conceal his astonished expression.

"On top of everything, you're a hacker," he uttered in awe. "Now, I'm not surprised you could have breached our security and slip in undetected other times."

"It's nothing."

"It's a whole lot, buddy."

We accessed the safe and stepped inside. The room we found ourselves in had towering ceilings and seemed vast. I thought it would take me ages to search until Marc asked me for the name of the victim. I mentioned that I was looking into the case of a certain Allegra Reynors, who perished on the fourth of April, two thousand and twenty-three.

Even though it had been nine months since the event took place, I still remembered it like it was yesterday.

"Hey Lucas, I think I found it." Marc gestured to a box on the shelf. "Here's Allegra Reynors, it's all yours."

"Exactly," I replied, slightly dazed.

After so long, I never thought I'd stumble upon the elusive clues to her murder. After numerous failed attempts, I was finally on the brink of obtaining the information I needed. It was time to reap the rewards of my efforts. As I took each step, my heart raced faster. Part of me wanted to turn back, but the other part insisted on bitting the bullet and hope to uncover more about those who brutally took my Tabby from me.

Marc picked up the box and placed it on the floor. I crouched down and reluctantly gazed at the white box before me. It was sealed with a red ribbon, which Marc promptly tore with one of the keys from his pocket.

Marc's removal of the lid felt long, at least to me. I was filled with dread and was uncertain of what I would find in that box. It's one thing to yearn for answers, but actually facing the clues of Allegra's murder left me feeling utterly exposed and vulnerable.

The first thing I laid eyes on was a photo of her, lying on her bed amidst a heptagon drawn with her own blood; her protruding bones with her femur, humerus, and radius visible and the murder weapon plunged into her heart.

******

Her legs were already dismembered and destroyed. You could see her bones, her tendons and inner flesh. The huge amount of blood she shed stained the lucid white sheets that covered the bed she was on, thus creating a disturbing image that I couldn't remove from my mind. I just didn't understood how we had ended up in that situation.

That doorman  approached her and licked her blood; and then with a sadistic smile he asked me if I didn't want to taste the exquisite blood. I..., I looked at him furiously, only God knew what I would have done to him if I had the opportunity. My girlfriend was being attacked and I could do nothing, she was already saying goodbye, her face already looked cadaveric and torn to pieces in the face of torture. She looked super bad.

I could no longer stand my nerves, and my body was no longer reacting and in a simple blink of an eye my head fell down, and my tired and crying eyes watched my lap. I couldn't take it anymore, I felt dead.

The man behind my back at the time flexed my head sharply upwards again, damaging me violently and threw me a bucket of ice water, which made me alert.

"What else do you want from me? Why do you want me to appreciate all this?" I was wondering intimately.

That man's grip was too strong, I couldn't do anything but look. I felt my eyes were going to fall as soon as I saw everything they did on her body. She had extreme cuts on her arms and forearms. There was blood all over the bed already.

Allegra was already dying.

After a few seconds, the man released the dagger and took out the tape that covered Allegra's mouth, causing her to sigh and cry in a painful and inaudible manner.  That pained me a lot. I couldn't believe that the person I loved the most would just disappear like that, I didn't get the idea.

"Last words, little girl!" shouted the man who tortured her.

"T-ted..." Allegra stopped. "Teddy, you'll find someone who will make you happy."

I conceived how an empty feeling assaulted every part of my body while I auscultated with great difficulty each of the syllables that Allegra vocalized. I struggled against the damn rope that held me and the grip of that man as a sign that I opposed what she said, but nothing was fruitful.

"Teddy," she said panting, "I love you."

My Tabby fell to the side and a last tear came out of her eyes.

The man quickly took the dagger again and with the edge full of blood penetrated Allegra, exactly in the heart and she bled even more, and gave her last sigh before succumbing.

Words are not enough to express the hatred, anger, and emptiness I felt in me. I cried internally and my sobs became intense and sharp, I couldn't believe it; Allegra had passed away, the love of my life, my sweet tender little Tabby. I couldn't believe it.

My heart was beating fiercely, well, did I said heart?, I didn't even feel like I had a heart, I felt like I had fallen. My mind tried to negotiate with reality, but it was useless, I wanted that to be a dream, or that it was simply a virtual reality game, but that was far from real.

I started to get dizzy and the last thing I heard was: "Now it's your turn."

******

I staggered to my feet, gasping for air as I emerged from the haunting memories. I didn't scream or rage, but the tears in my eyes refused to be held back.

     "Hey, Lucas, not to interrupt your emotional moment, but you've been weeping in your sleep for a good five minutes. Everything alright?" Marc inquired, his voice tinged with concern.

I wiped away the stray tears. "I'm sorry, it's just that seeing this picture brought it all back."

"I can tell she meant a lot to you," Marc observed.

     "She was my girlfriend... and before you start with the cliches, I know there's no point crying over spilled milk—"
     "I won't say that, man. Take your time. You'll never forget, but you'll learn to live with it and find strength in it," Marc reassured.

"Let me take a look at it." Marc grasped the picture from my hand. "They are heartless. I don't really know how it would feel to loss your adolescence love. It has to be something hard."

"I relive those scenes like nightmares almost every damn day," I thought, but I kept it to myself. Sure, the cop was kind, but I wasn't about to spill my guts to him. "Maybe with time, if trust grows," I mused.

"That's why I can't give up. I'll move heaven and earth if I have to."
"You have me here. Whatever you need I've got your back," Marc pledged.

Marc and I exchanged numbers rapidly and I then took the report of Allegra's death as well as the murder weapon.The latter of the dagger was still stained with her blood, it was gut-wrenching.

"How strange!" I blurted out once I noticed the handle of the dagger.
"What's strange?"
"Nothing, just that the symbol that is on the dagger's handle sounds familiar to me, but it's slipping my mind right now."

"Aah, it's the symbol of the Sect. This and the heptagon that they draw around all their victims made allusion to their name: 'The Lethal Heptagon'. We still don't know, at least in the police station, their motivations, neither objectives nor structure," explained Marc, "of course, we also don't know who is under that name.

"Wow, you're quite an expert. You speak like a twenty years seasoned cop."

Marc chuckled at my comment and then placed a hand on my shoulder. "Nah, I'm only twenty-one years old. I just like doing things accurately. By the way, if you want to dig deeper there's info stored in the Wellington High School Library."

"Confidential information in our school's public library? How come?"

"Don't be shocked. If you want to hide something in Wellington, the library's the place. People in this city are so lazy that hardly anyone sets foot in there," Marc explained.

"Fair enough, thank you I'll try to get in there and check it out."

"Well, grab what you need from the box, I'm already taking a long time, my colleagues will soon wonder about me."

I swiftly took the full report, the murder weapon, Allegra's mobile phone and a CD which I spotted at the bottom of the box, leaving behind the grisly crime scene photos and other irrelevant items. At the time, Marc closed the box with a red tape which he took out of his pockets and returned it to its place.

Although my mood was terrible after seeing the photos of Allegra's murder, I felt somewhat happy since after so much infiltration I had finally obtained information about the sect that killed Allegra and with it, an ally who would support me and help me in my perilous quest.

Author's Note

Hey guys hope you enjoyed this chapter. If so, don't forget to leave your precious vote and comments. It means a lot. Wish you are having a nice day. Stay tuned. Peace out. 🤙🏿