A/N: WARNING! Somewhat light sexual content in this chapter! Please skip the section labeled with ~~~~~ if you are uncomfortable with NSFW material such as sexual intercourse/themes! Additional notice: The following chapters may or may not be shorter than most as they are part of one "case file" and thus are being split into separate chapters- 5, 6, possibly 7. Thank you for your acknowledgement.
Word Count: 4336
Time- 8:40 p.m.
Alfendi had forced Lucille to stay until the next day ("It's too late to search now, it'll be dark before we find them!"), much to her despair. Blaine was sent home and Alfendi agreed to bring Lucille to his apartment, which sent the girl into a blushing mess.
When they made it there, Alfendi chastised himself for leaving the room so messy. Lucille didn't mind however ("I've been through worse, Mr. Alfendi, sir."). He went on to show her what was where and other basic things before they went to bed.
Or at least, try to go to bed.
Lucille became incredibly flustered at the thought of sharing a bed, so, after several minutes of failed assurance, Placid attempted a compromise.
"Lucille," he said, "Perhaps you should sleep in the bed, I'll take the couch."
"No."
Potty was beginning to get frustrated, but it vanished at the realization that Lucille had not been the one to respond. He, instead, saw Loopy, looking around until her gaze landed on him. She gave him a sultry smirk.~~~~~
"Well then~" she cooed in a teasing manner, slowly strutting up to the now blushing inspector, "Never thought you were th' type t' jus'... take a girl home at night~ Into yer apartment~ Wi' no one around~~"
Both Potty and Placid blushed, albeit very different reasons.
"Loopy..." Placid struggled to say, backing up and falling on the couch, "I only brought you here because it's not safe back at your house..."
Loopy sat in his lap, facing him so that her chest was nerve-rackingly close to his face. "Comin' from you, I believe that," she said, giggling before lifting Alfendi's head so that his eyes met her, "But I'm not so sure your other side wants t' think that~"
In seconds, Potty was out, breathing heavily and eyes clouded with lust.
"Like hell I don't~" he said, grabbing onto her hips without warning and grinding.
Loopy grunted, grinding back in return before releasing a soft moan.
"God, you feel so big..." she whispered, "I'd fucking love it if you could pound me senseless wiv' it~"
Just those words were enough to drive Potty mad with pleasure. Placid, on the other hand, was having none of it. While he did wish to give in, he didn't believe now to be the proper time. He wrenched control from Potty, "L-Loopy..." he said feebly, "This-This isn't right..."
"And?" Loopy put her chest closer to Alfendi's face, "I know Mr. Original's a red-blood," she trailed her fingers up his chest, "And if 'e's one, there's a good ol' chance you're a bit red-blooded too~"
Without hesitation, she captured him in an aggressive lip lock, grabbing the sides of his head and forcing her tongue into his mouth. He moaned in response.
"You need it, don't you~?" Loopy teased, "You've been beggin'~". She slowly put her hands underneath Alfendi's sweater, letting them roam his body.
She lightly grinded him. "Go on~" she purred before getting closer into his ear, "Why don't we take this t' bed~?I've been dyin' to feel ya~"
*mini skip cause I can't write good smut for shit. STILL LIGHT LEMON WARNING THOUGH CAUSE WE'RE AT THE CLIMAX*
Time- 9:03 p.m.
"O-Oh God~!" she couldn't stop moaning, trapped in the ecstasy Alfendi's length gave her, "Please~! 'arder~!"
Potty obliged, grinning as he knew she was close. Perhaps too close for his liking. He slowed down, hoping to delay her orgasm, but Loopy squeezed around him, bobbing up and down.
"D-Don't you dare be a f-fuckin' tease!" she barked, "I-I wanna cum~!"
The moment those words passed her lips, she felt something inside her snap. With a loud moan, she came, white spilling onto Alfendi's member.
That combined with her tightness only triggered Alfendi's orgasm as he felt himself empty into her. They both collapsed, Alfendi pulling out and rolling onto his back, breathing heavily.
~~~~~~~~~"Well!" Loopy suddenly said, "That were good fun~ Never knew someone as 'ot as you could be so good~"
"I'm never forgiving him for that..." Placid responded, completely ignoring Loopy's compliment.
"Ah don't be 'arsh on yerself," Loopy comforted, "It were bound t' 'appen wiv' Longstockin' anyway; I jus' fast forwarded it a few months or years."
For a moment, there was a still silence before Placid asked a question that had bothered him, or rather Potty, for 10 years.
"Why did you insist on murdering the other me all that time ago?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she asked in response, "A killer not bein' careful an' not disposin' 'er evidence ends up gettin' caught! I wanted t' kill ya before ya exposed me."
At that moment, Potty appeared.
"Oh I'd never turn you in," he said, "I preferred to see your crimes up close, and I adored you like some love sick fanboy. If I turned you in, I'd never get to witness it again."
"I'm fla'ered," Loopy said, Alfendi unsure of whether or not she was being sarcastic, "Not a lo'a people who're willin' t' get close an' inspect a serial killer; the ones that do usually become a victim themselves..."
She sighed, cuddling closer to Alfendi with a content smile. "If Lucille isn't up by tomorrow, tell whoever is that you need Lucille," she said, "They'll try an' force 'er out."
He chuckled, "Alright..." he said, before finally drifting off to sleep.
Time- 6:22 a.m.
Alfendi was awaken by a soft hand smacking him. He opened his eyes to see a blushing Lucille, dressed and wide eyed.
"We go'a leave!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone, "We're already late!"
With those words, Alfendi leapt from the bed, quickly getting dressed himself. As he did, Lucille asked in a whisper, "Did-Did we...?"
"Yes," Placid responded, knowing what she was trying to ask, "Although, in my defense, it was mainly Potty and Lily in control."
When he got no response, he turned to see Lucille blushing madly, almost glowing, with her face in her hands.
"Lucille, it's fine!" Alfendi exclaimed, putting on his lab coat, "It was..." he paused, trying to find the right words, "A spur of the moment event between people who were us but at the same time, not."
Lucille giggled, "Tha's one way t' put it... Now come along! We go'a hurry an' ge'em before dusk or they'll be dead!"
Alfendi retrieved his shoes, slipping them on with ease and grabbing necessities, water, phone, identification...
Then his eyes landed on something he hadn't used in four years.
"N-Not to be rude, Mr. Alfendi, um sir, but I suggest ya bring that gun," Lucille said, "My-My dad's pre'y dangerous, an'-an' I wouldn't want ya ge'in' 'urt..."
Alfendi glanced at the girl before looking back at the weapon on the dresser, barely in it's holster. Finally, after some thought, he grabbed it, strapping the holster on. They headed out the door.
Time- 6:38 a.m.
After a quick phone call to Blaine, they were in front of Big Ben. Lucille was first to speak.
"Does everyone 'ave their wagons?" she smacked herself upside the head, realizing her mistake, "Weapons, I'm-I'm right s-sorry..."
Blaine and Alfendi smiled before flashing their guns for Lucille to see. She gave a look of acknowledgement.
"I forgot t' mention tha' it's in Preston, Lancashire, so we go'a take a train. I'll take us through a shortcut t' th' train station."
Alfendi and Blaine nodded in response, and with that, they were off.
Lucille lead them down a variety of alleyways, albeit Lucy and Loopy coming out from time to time and having to be reminded of what they were doing (Loopy flirting with Alfendi and fueling Blaine's hatred all the while, of course). At some point, they passed by Lucille's work place. Upon passing it, a young woman came out the front door.
"Lucille?" A voice called out, and Lucille recognized it to be Mariana.
"Mariana?" Lucille questioned back, "¿Por que estás aquí?"
***(Why are you here?)***
"¡Yo trabajo turno de la mañana! Y tu, ¿Que haces aquí?" Mariana's tone was critical, "¿Con dos hombres en la mañana temprano?" Lucille blushed deeply, as did Alfendi as he understood what Mariana was implying.
***(I work the morning shift! And you, what are you doing here? With two men in the early morning?)***
Mariana then approached Lucille and placed something in her hands. Lucille, being curious, peeked into her hand and made a noise of embarrassment. Alfendi peeped over her shoulder, managing to barely see two brightly colored wrappers as Lucille looked at her friend and squeaked, "¿Por que?"
Mariana simply put a hand on Lucille's shoulder. "Cuidate, Lucille. Cuidate." And she went back into the cafe.
***(Be safe, Lucille. Be safe)***
It was silent before Lucille shouted. "¡Vamos a mi casa tortura!"
***(We are going to my torture house!)***
Silence once more. As they turned to leave, they heard from the window, a thick Spanish accent, "Then whatever god you believe in be with you..."
A chill was sent down Alfendi's spine. Lucille, too, shivered before briskly walking in front of the inspectors, tossing the items from Mariana into a nearby trash can.
"Lucille..." Blaine said, "Does she know?"
Lucille nodded solemnly, "Caught me cuttin' myself... She weren't 'appy an' forced me t' tell 'er everythin'..."
She continued on, leading the two men through the alleyway maze she seemed to know so well. Soon, they came across the street where the train station was. Heading inside, they found to there delighted surprise that the next train came in ten minutes. Hurriedly purchasing tickets, they boarded a train to Nottingham. Nottingham turned to Manchester, and Manchester finally turned to Preston.
As the train to Preston began move, Alfendi felt the urge to question Lucille. On what, he couldn't decide, but he felt the urge either way. After a while, with Blaine asleep and Lucille soon following, he finally plucked up the courage.
"Lucille," the girl's eyes snapped open and looked at him, "Why did your father abuse you?"
Lucille cowered slightly at the question. In a whisper, she answered.
"Daddy were super religious; 'e didn't like weird eye colors. Black, yellow, white... But out of all colors, 'e 'ated red th' most. Said it were th' true demon eye color." Looking to see if he was listening, she continued, "'e always said 'e were God's chosen One, or summat. A lo'a th' kids thought 'e went mad at some point. I know I thought so..."
She stopped talking after that. Alfendi felt no need to push her any further either. They were all silent for the remainder of the journey.
Time- 9:41 a.m.
Upon reaching Preston, Lucille took them to a town. The town itself wasn't very modern, with minimal street lights and a dirt road, but it did give off a calming, relaxed feeling, like the sort of place where everyone knew everyone and everything about them. Lucille sighed.
"I've missed this owd place..." she said, memories flooding her head. She turned to the inspectors, "It's somewhere int' woods. Jus' follow me an' don't stray."
They continued, various hellos and hugs from residents who had missed their now grown Lucille. They walked and walked until finally, they stopped at a house, next to the woods.
"My 'ouse..." Lucille said in a melancholic and fearful tone. Despite this, however, she continued on, dragging along Alfendi and Blaine. After a few moments of trailing along the edge, they stopped.
"'ere..." she said, standing in front of the woods. As Alfendi examined the area, he realized that the place where Lucille stood was littered with twigs and pine straw, branches that were still up looking disturbed and strewn about.
As if people had constantly been coming through them.
"C'mon..." Lucille said, "Th' trail's this way..."
They followed her into the trees without hesitation, the streetlights soon disappearing behind them.
Time- 10:01 a.m.
They had reached a trail, not very wide, but from where they were it seemed to go on endlessly.
"This way." Lucille said firmly, heading in the uphill direction of the path. Alfendi and Blaine gave each other a quick glance before hurrying after her.
They walked for what seemed like hours before Lucille suddenly stopped, staring at a root intensely. Alfendi looked at it as well, Blaine following suite. It was a rather large root, gnarled and twisted up, slight splinters rising from it's surface.
Lucille said nothing, only running off in the direction they had faced to see the root.
"Lucille!" Alfendi shouted, soon running after her alongside Blaine. Even so, she sped ahead of them, the only thing to keep track of her being her blinding white pants.
She ran with a speed that made it seem like she had done this many times before.
With heavy panting, they finally caught up with her. She stood at the edge of a lake, green with algae and dark with clustered weeds.
"Th'- Th' boat's gone..." Alfendi heard Lucille stutter, "D-Daddy..."
"I guess we swim." Alfendi said.
Blaine did a double take in disgust, "In that sick mess of germs?! Layton, have you lost your-"
Splash!
Alfendi and Blaine snapped their heads to see that Lucille had dived in, already swimming to the other end. Alfendi gave Blaine a smug smirk.
"Swimming, Bratwright. Unless you want to get bitten by snakes and spiders."
He dived, not even bothering to remove his lab coat or shoes. Blaine, albeit hesitant, followed them across the lake.
Once across, Lucille continued running, not caring for the wet clothes that clung to her skin. Alfendi and Blaine took chase until they saw her standing on the porch of an old, ratchety house in a clear opening.
It had the feel of an old cabin home, with it being isolated and all, but looked very similar to some of the suburban, two story houses near Scotland Yard. It appeared to have been painted a light shade of blue, perhaps a cerulean or lapis shade, but whatever color had been there was fading, only leaving the pale remains of paint behind.
The foliage and ivy that swarmed around the porch almost seemed as though it were trying to snatch them up and drag them into the depths of the house. Its beams and stairs were splintered and warped, while some were missing entirely. The roof was caving in, and in the brightening daylight of the early morning, Alfendi could make out the tinted, shattered and dusty windows that made the inside of the house appear pitch black. There were vast amounts of spider webs which clung to the ceiling and the arch above the porch, some still having their fairly sizeable residents living with them.
One such deciding to come down as they approached.
The spider wasn't very large, although it was big enough to be uncomfortable. Its hair was a light brown, darker brown stripes and spots decorating its legs and around its big black eyes.
It landed on a rail, an unnerving distance from Lucille, who stood the closest to the top of the porch. Lucille, however, seemed unfazed, instead giving a look of surprised recognition and approaching it.
"I remember you!" she exclaimed, holding out her hand as the aracnid slowly creeped on. She giggled, "Guardian Spider~" she cooed.
"I hope you know that that thing can bite you at any given time..." Blaine said, trying and failing to sound brave.
"Oh 'e 'as," Lucille replied bluntly, "Several times. But after a while, 'e star'ed t' come by regularly. When 'e began t' bite some o' th' kids tha' bullied us, I star'ed t' call 'im our 'Guardian Spider'."
She giggled again and looked at the spider. "Listen, Lucifer an' th' others are down there again," Lucille told the spider with a tone of urgency, "I need ya t' make sure nowt too bad 'appens to 'em."
With a sense of understanding, the spider lifted its frontmost legs and waved them about before crawling off Lucille, scurrying across the porch and disappearing under the house.
There was a moment of silence, save the chirps of the early birds. Suddenly, Lucille spoke.
"A'ight," she said, "Let's start movin'."
She approached the door and took hold of the knob. She rattled it for a bit before cursing under her breath, "'e locked th' damn door..." She took out a pen and began scribbling a note on her hand. Once done, she stood still for a bit before sighing in slight frustration. She turned and looked at the inspectors.
"Stress me out!" she demanded.
Both men gave her a concerned look.
"I beg pardon?" Blaine asked in utter disbelief. Lucille made a distressed gesture; no words came out for a few seconds before she repeated herself.
"Stress me out! If there's nowt t' stress me out, then Loopy or Baker won't appear an' break down th' door!"
There was a silence as they thought of something stressful. Alfendi's face suddenly twisted into one of horror.
"You still have all your student loans to pay off..." he said eerily. Lucille's eyes widened. Her hands slowly went to the sides of her head as Alfendi continued.
"You also have taxes... and you can't drive to a bank to pay them off, so you try to pay them off online..." he noticed Lucille's increasing panic, "But there's no WiFi..." Lucille froze in terror. Alfendi saw it fit to deliver the final line.
"And they're all due tomorrow..."
Lucille fainted.
Blaine panicked, "Layton, the point was to stress her, not terrify her!"
As Alfendi was about to respond, Lucille's body stirred; she got up, wobbling slightly. Then, lifting her head, she looked at Blaine and Alfendi before speaking.
"Prof?" Lucy had come out, "Blaine? Wot are we doin' 'ere?"
"Lucille needed to break down the door." Alfendi responded.
"Ah, a'ight... Wot'd ya do t' stress 'er?"
"Worse scenarios with student loans."
"Oh God, Prof, no! We still 'ave so many t' pay off!"
"Oh."
Blaine suddenly butted in, "See!? I said it was terror and not stress! Layton, you idio-"
"C'mon, Blaine, it got th' job done!" Lucy interrupted, "Now, stand back; I'm bout t' bust down th' sucker!"
And true to her word, Lucy began backing up. Down the stairs, past Alfendi and Blaine, backing up, backing up...
She finally stopped at the edge of the opening, poised to sprint. The air became silent, and the leaves ceased to rustle.
Suddenly, with a loud battle cry, Lucy began running to the door at full speed; she zoomed past the inspectors, bounding over the steps and onto the porch. Then, with a great ferocity, she rammed her entire body into the door, effectively busting it off its hinges as she stumbled and fell into the house.
"I'm in!" she shouted.
Eyes wide and jaws dropped, Blaine and Alfendi cautiously strolled inside. Upon entering, Alfendi got a peculiar feeling. It wasn't entirely bad, no; in fact, it was the same feeling he got when returning to his apartment from a vacation or when entering an empty hotel room.
A sense of tranquility.
The inside of the house fared no better than what the trio had seen on the exterior. The wooden floored hall was narrow, seeming even more so with the large, ceiling high closet on the left.
From where they stood, they had a clear view of the dusty and dull kitchen, illuminated in the morning light. Alfendi took note of the damaged floors, loose tiles scattered about and stains everywhere. The torn and scratched wallpaper, seeming to have once been a deep purple, was now a faded lavender. The wood corridor was scratched and graying in some spots, and the rug they stood on that covered the floor seemed stiff and musty.
Overall, in Alfendi's eyes, this house looked as if it hadn't been inhabited for years. And it was so quiet!
Where could Lucius hide in a house like this?
Before they could continue further into the house, Lucy pointed to the closet.
"There..." Lucille said, "We 'ave t' 'ead down th' closet..."
Alfendi turned to gaze at the closet. It was rather thin, but what it lacked in width was made up in height. In fact, the more Alfendi studied it...
The more it looked as if he could just fit inside.
"You're about as tall as my dad, so you'd be able to get in there..." Lucille said, "But I'd mentally prepare myself if I were you... Depending on 'ow many 'e's got down there, the screams might give ya a fright..."
With the warning in mind, Alfendi approached the closet; a thought came to him.
"Why would the entrance be so close to the door?" he asked Lucille. She smiled sadly in response.
"False 'ope... The door could only be actually opened by a key. Puttin a small chance to escape jus' outta reach. That were the real torture..."
Alfendi's heart clenched. He wondered if the Bakers had ever tried to escape more than once. He wondered if any of them had made it close to safety. His knees began to tremble as he opened the closet.
There were a variety of suits and aprons. This only confused Alfendi more. It wasn't the fact that there were clothes in the closet, although that was slightly puzzling, but rather...
Every suit in the closet was clean.
Lucille and Blaine seemed to notice it too. Lucille stood there, paralyzed, before Blaine spoke.
"Was your father an uptight and strict man?" he asked, "I've never seen so many suits in one closet!"
Loopy gave a dark chuckle in response. "Aye. Said that 'e ''ad t' look 'is best for God'. Bunch o' bullshit, if ya ask me."
Her face twisted into a disgusted scowl. "Thinkin' 'imself to be God's Messiah... Ha! Like 'ell 'e were; in fact..." She paused, searching for the right phrase. Then, her eyes grew wide, and she clenched her teeth from within her mouth.
"I'd say 'e's more o' th' Son o' th' Devil 'imself."
Her eyes shifted to the suits and back to Alfendi. "I donno if Baker or Barde 'ave warned ya, but there's bound t' be alo'a screamin' down below."
Alfendi only nodded in reply. He moved the suits to the side, searching for something that proved an entrance was there. Suddenly, he noticed a slip of white paper at the bottom of the closet. Picking it up, he read the message on the front, in a loopy and elegant font:
Only for the eyes of Angels and the Christ Savior
Holding back a laugh at the childish note, he unfolded it, reading it to himself. It read:
To enter Hell, one must look for the demon faces in the warped voids.
The fanged will bite the one who stabbed the snake with his horns.
This immediately frustrated Alfendi. He had never been too good at puzzles, despite his family name. He searched and searched, but nothing seemed to jump out at him. The back of the cabinet was old and faded, three spots scorched, knotted and warped.
It hit him at that moment.
He began inspecting each scorched spot, over and over. To his increased frustration, however, he still could not find anything of notice. He suddenly had an idea.
"Lucille," he began, "Are you and your father, in anyway, imaginative? And or creative?" He turned to his assistant.
"Aye." she said shyly, "Lucifer told us 'ow Daddy would see faces on marble walls or wood. I star'ed doin' the same thing after a while."
Alfendi gave a triumphant grin. "Come here for a moment." he beckoned her over. As she approached, he pointed at the scorched circles.
"Do you see any faces, Luce?" he asked
In response, Lucille began studying the black spots, twisting and turning her head as she looked. A look of surprise came upon her face as she pointed to the highest one in the right corner.
"Ay, that one looks like someone with horns or summat!" she exclaimed, next pointing to the lowest right spot, "An' that one looks like a snake!"
With this information, Alfendi immediately pressed the spot Lucille hadn't mentioned.
Something clicked.
He pressed the spot in the top right corner. Another click. He pressed the last scorch mark.
There was a low rumbling as the back of the closet slid, revealing a cave leading downward. As he was about to step forward, he heard it.
A loud, piercing scream. His blood ran cold, growing colder as he realized the scream had come from Loosha.
He heard a growl. Lucas was trying to fight back. He then heard the desperate cries of Lucifer.
"Stop it! Stop it! Leave 'er alone!" Alfendi heard Lucifer shout. He, Blaine and Lucille rushed down the cave, careful not to trip on the stray rocks that jutted out from the floors and walls.
After a few minutes, they came out and into a stone hall. Countless jail cells adorned the sides, all of them empty yet drenched in the dried blood of previous victims. The stench was terrible, the combination of urine and defecation overbearing for the trios' noses. They began walking down the hallway, quickly as to reach the screams that grew ever louder.
They soon reached an intersection, three more stone paths, all looking the same. The screams echoed, neither Alfendi nor his two comrades could tell where they came from.
Then they heard footsteps.
Clip, clop, clip, clop
Loud, heavy footsteps of heeled shoes connecting with stone.
Clip, clop, clip, clop
Alfendi and Blaine heard Loopy whisper behind them, the fear dripping from her mouth.
"Oh God...! 'e's 'ere!"
Before he or Blaine could ask, gas poured from the vents and filled their lungs. Moments before passing out, Alfendi looked up to see the blurry, shadowy figure of a man no taller than himself.
Giving up all resistance, his vision turned to black.
