"Doc said my lungs collapsed," Elizabeth said. Crow nodded. He decided not to sit, knowing that he would have to go meet with his… superior, at any moment. He took a second to examine the hospital room. It was mostly quiet, with the only noticeable sounds being the beeping of the heart monitor and the hospital blanket rustling as Elizabeth fidgeted. The grey drywall really locks this room into the hospital theme.
"I'm not gonna force you to tell me but…" He trailed off, probing Elizabeth into answering. "It's fine. It um… I-I–"
"You don't have to force yourself," Crow reminded her. She paused, nodding, and then spoke, "It's difficult to think about, y'know? I'd rather tell you later."
Crow sighed, but nevertheless complied with his sister's wishes. Should've known better than to be worried about her. His eyes flicked to the top of the door frame; in search of a clock. He was only met with plain drywall.
He clicked his tongue, then reluctantly raised his wrist.
I didn't want to use this thing… Emergencies only and all that.
A light blinked, then flickered for a few moments, before the watch on his wrist finally powered on. He stared into it and read the big symbols on the screen that dictated the time. 12:00 PM.
His eyelids drooped down, and then the screen's color shifted to black, and presented him with pending messages. He stared at the screen for a bit, taking the time to read messages left for him… and then his hands fell.
Crow felt droplets of sweat start to form… his heart had just skipped a beat. As he tried to exhale, a huge lump formed in his throat. His eyes drifted down to his watch-hand, but he didn't dare stare at the screen.
Haha… She'd understand right?
He did not need to confirm what he had seen. The text was already planted firmly in his mind.
"We're here. You have five minutes." Text sent at 11:45 by: Contractor.
"Hey Liz… I- I've gotta run, I'll see you later!"
"Huh? Crow, w-wait!" Sadly, her words were drowned out into the background as Crow dashed through the door and raced down the hallway.
As he was nearing the lobby he spotted two familiar figures. The first, a man in his mid twenties, dirty blond hair, and striking grey eyes. The second, a tall brunette woman, with an imposing figure and two icy blue eyes.
He recognized them immediately Christian Hunter, and Amelia Walker. They were waiting for him at the entrance of the building, standing just ahead of the sliding doors. Well, would you look at that. A contractor and her dog.
When they spotted him he slowed down, gradually coming to a halt. Amelia locked eyes with Crow. "You're fifteen minutes late," Amelia said. Crow smiled weakly. "Better late than never?"
***
"Here's the case file, skim over it and tell me what you think," Amelia ordered. She handed Crow a clipboard with three papers on it. He took it and scanned the papers quickly, flipping through all of them in about a minute. The most memorable parts were the ones describing the actual murder and a witness's testament: "Victim suffered blunt force trauma, and their heart and brain were removed… Witness describes an endless corridor as a masked figure chased them. Upon further inspection, it was concluded that the witness was not under the effect of any substances. He may be diagnosed with schizophrenia. "
That's unfortunate but it really isn't too unusual… Crow frowned. Just what is it that Amelia thinks is so strange about this case? Maybe the removal of the heart and brain?
As if reading his mind, she answered him, "It's the mask. Supposedly it's the mask of jeopardy, but that's not what's important. That exact masked figure has appeared across the Dome in fifteen different districts."
Through the rearview mirror, Amelia watched Crow's expression slowly shift from neutrality to confusion. She glanced towards Hunter, a slight frown also made its way onto his face. Her grip on the wheel tightened.
"We'll be arriving soon. Get ready," She said, her voice sharper than usual. Crow peered out the window as they pulled into the driveway of a small farmhouse. The rocky road caused him to jump occasionally as the car rocked from side to side, but as they had now arrived at their location, he no longer needed to pay any attention to that. He looked at the vehicles that the police had left parked in the front. I guess they're already here.
As he got out of the car, he let out a slight exhale. He looked ahead, staring directly at the giant farmhouse. An oppressive wave of dread emanated from the building. Nonetheless, he took the first step forward, and continued to walk to the house, Amelia and Hunter staying close behind him. It only took a couple of steps and a few seconds to get onto the doorstep, however Crow was stiff; it had felt like an eternity of silence as they walked onto it.
Finally his hand fell upon the doorknob before him. He gripped it tightly and turned the knob. As he did the door creaked slightly, but that was enough to make Hunter, still behind him, jump. "Creepy fucking house…" Hunter muttered under his breath. Crow glanced back a bit, before sighing. We aren't going to get anywhere like this. I'd better hurry.
He stepped inside the house expecting the police to be waiting there for them, but there was no one. Rather what welcomed him was the chilling embrace of the house. Inside the only noise was the creaking of the boards, and the faint hum of the refrigerator. Without looking back, he observed Amelia and Hunter bickering. I'll leave them to that… He thought as he spotted a staircase. Before deciding to go upstairs, he quickly scanned around the first floor. The kitchens' empty, the living room is a mess… And the dining table is split in half. Neat.
Using sarcasm to omit the obvious clue, he turned to the stairs and promptly began climbing up. He figured he would leave the first floor to his contractor, divide and conquer as they say…
When he reached the final step, he knew something was wrong. Facing Crow, was a brown broken down door, blackened by mold. It did not possess a handle, nor did it possess a knob. It seemed to radiate wrongness, like how you would react to finding out your organs were inverted or seeing an independent world through a mirror.
He felt a knot form in his throat. Shit… There's something seriously wrong with this place. Amelia and Hunter better hurry up and finish, I want outta here already.
Gulping down his worries, he pushed on the door with no handle or knob, and stepped inside the hazy room before him. The first thing he noticed was the cold. Inside the house it was already unusually cold for a day in June, but inside of this room, it was ten– maybe twenty times colder. There was a slight breeze as well, and every time it whizzed by, it felt like ice was clinging to Crow's skin.
To put it simply, this room housed something extraordinary… though he didn't know if it was in a good way… or in a bad one.