Hooooooooooooooooooooooooo boy! Last chapter was intense, wasn't it?

Well, keep your shirt on, cuz the nightmares aren't over!

Chapter 14: The Murderer

Dana's POV

We followed the maned wolf down the sidewalk, not saying a single word. The silence was awkward, but what can you talk about when you're tracking down a criminal?

Apparently, Yuri found something to talk about.

"S-So, you l-like Natsuki?"

And it had to be the question I dreaded most.

"Yeah, I like her."

She nodded. "Why d-don't you tell h-her?"

I fought back tears as I answered her question.

"I did. She said that we can't be a couple."

Yuri seemed shocked as to my response. She was silent for a while, before asking another question.

"Do you p-plan to a-ask anyone out?"

"No, Yuri. My heart is bleeding too much already."

"I'm s-sorry, Dana."

I only nodded. It was all I could do.

Scarlet then diverged off the sidewalk to a house across the road. My senses returning to normal, I followed her.

The house was a modest size, and very well-maintained. Scarlet walked up to the front door, standing expectantly, waiting for us.

"Good girl, Scarlet," I said, patting her back. I knocked on the door, trying not to let my anger knock it down.

No answer. I tried the doorknob. Unlocked.

We walked cautiously into the house, me first, then Scarlet, then Yuri. The house was very clean; almost everything shined. It was like a model home in an advertisement.

"Hello?" I called out at a polite tone. "The door was unlocked, so we just came in. Hope you don't mind."

"Dana," Yuri said. "Look near the wall."

I did, and right next to the wall was an outlier to the house's cleanliness; black scuff marks on the floor. I ran my finger on it to find that it was rubber.

"Sneaker tracks," I noted. "From a black shoe."

"The shoes in the foyer are white," Yuri added.

"Why would the tenant leave these marks and clean everything else?" I looked over to where the scuff marks led. "Unless they were made after the tenant cleaned."

"W-What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking there's a case in this house." I pulled out my phone and dialed my brother. He picked up at the second ring.

"What's up, Dana?"

"Thomas, I need some backup. Can you track this phone?"

"I always do. What's it about?"

"I'll explain everything later. Right now, I suspect that the tenant of this house has assaulted someone."

"I'll bring a small squad. Be careful."

"I always am." I put the phone back in my pocket. "It will be about half an hour before the cops get here. We've got to keep the suspect occupied until they get here."

"O-Okay. What do I do?"

I walked into the kitchen area. I looked in the cupboards until I found a bottle of pills.

"This is melatonin, a sleeping hormone." I handed the bottle to Yuri. "Crush five pills, put them in a glass of water and stir until the powder is dissolved. Once it's done, bring it to me."

"What are you g-going to do?"

"I have reason to believe that the suspect and their victim are in the basement, if they have one." I started walking away. "I'm going to scout ahead."

She nodded and started going to work. I walked into the hallway, opening each door until I found the basement.

It was dark, but I could faintly see a white light at the bottom. I walked down slowly with Scarlet close by, being careful not to let her nails make too much noise.

"You thought you would stop me?" a voice asked. "He's all mine! I will not let you take him from me!"

"You're insane," another, more familiar voice said. "He has already gotten together with Sayori. You've already lost!"

I peeked down to see two figures. One was standing in the darkness, her appearance indiscernible. The other was in the light, strapped to a chair.

It took me half a millisecond to realize that the one in the chair was Monika!

"You think I don't know that?" the other voice said. "I've already set up a little something for that bitch."

My blood turned hot.

"One day, she will be eating her lunch, and shortly after she takes her first bite, she takes her last breath and dies."

My blood started to boil.

"Not that you can warn her, because you'll already be dead."

My heart felt like a furnace in my chest!

"But first, a little fun."

The figure disappeared from sight. Yuri then walked down quietly next to me with a glass of water.

"I-I added a sixth, for good measure," she whispered. "I-Is that OK?"

"It's fine," I replied. "OK, Scarlet. The person in the dark. Underoos."

Scarlet understood and slinked silently down the stairs. As maned wolves are naturally nocturnal creatures, she was able to locate her target.

Scarlet now shrouded in darkness, I held my breath. I was relieved to hear growling and panicked shouting.

I lept off the stairs, careful not to let the water spill. Locating the person's mouth by sound, I held their mouth open with one hand while I poured the tainted water into their mouth with the other.

After a few moments, the figure stopped moving, their panicked screams replaced by sound sleeping. I sighed in relief as I stood up.

"Yuri, turn on the lights, please," I said.

She did so, revealing a girl with black hair, average weight, and average... everything.

It was Ayano Aishi!

"I didn't expect it, either," Monika said. I turned to face her.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"I had my suspicions about her. Turns out, I was right."