Chapter 1 - Accomplices

Friday

7:51 A.M.

4.702 inches

Blake wasn't, in the least bit, surprised. Captain Perry, however, seemed to have a different reaction.

"It just doesn't make any sense..." Perry replied, stroking his balding head.

"It's not too hard to believe," Blake admitted, a smirk on his face. "Ethan Mars is the Origami Killer, and Norman Jayden is his accomplice. It explains why Jayden was always so protective of Mars when we accused him."

Perry shook his head. "Why would he have tried so hard to catch him during that apartment incident?"

Blake looked around Perry's office, contemplating this.

"Well..." Blake began. "It was just for show, what else? Listen, just give me the go ahead, and we'll add Jayden's name to the hunt. I want to bring these sick bastards in, for what it's worth."

Blake looked over Perry's face; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to change his mind.

"Hmm..." Perry sighed, looking up to meet Blake's gaze. "Do it."

"Yes si-"

"But," Perry interrupted, "If it turns out you were wrong about this... expect there to be consequences."

Blake's expression hadn't changed. The smirk on his face grew to an unbelievable length.

"I'm not wrong."

And with that, Blake spun around, and walked out of the captain's office, closing the door behind him.

Perry watched the shades slowly rock back and forth, hitting the door every few seconds.

And to think, I almost kind of liked that kid... Perry thought, accepting what Blake had told him.

XXX

Madison buried her face in the recently-cleaned pillow case. Hot tears flowed down her face, dripping onto the pillow.

He was the best thing that's happened to me since God knows when, and I failed him! she thought.

She sobbed, the room melting around her.

She should've just left the Cross Road Motel altogether; it would only remind her of her failure. Being an insomniac most definitely did not have it's advantages.

Her hotel room had barely been visited since she checked in. For all she knew, she had probably spent more time in Ethan's room. Or at least it seemed that way. Hell, she thought of room 207 before room 201.

Two days... two days of knowing him, and already it seems like I'm falling in love, she thought. She knew that it was way, way too early to have feelings like that about Ethan, but she couldn't help it.

If she didn't discover the identity of the Origami Killer soon, terrible things could happen to Ethan... not to mention Shaun; terrible things.

I've come this far... I'm so close. I can't give up now.

Summoning all the courage and perserverance she could, Madison got herself to sit up in the bed, her legs outstretched over its large body. She stared down at the disgusting, discolored carpet.

Can't give up.

XXX

The alley-way was more inviting to him then any motel room ever would be. Rain poured down from the over-flowing gutters, falling to the ground in large puddles.

"Well, I guess this is as safe as we're going to get," Ethan told Norman, sitting down against a brick wall. Because the entire alley was virtually one big puddle of rain, his pants became drenched. "Aw, shit..."

Norman looked around the alley-way, making sure they were the only people in the area.

"I don't mean to worry you Ethan," he began, "But we probably have less than twelve hours to find Shaun. We need to work fast if-"

"I know," Ethan told him, holding out his hand to stop him from talking. "I don't plan on waiting around. Like I said, I have an origami figure with an address on it; we go to the address, we find out where Shaun is."

I don't think he's going to be much help if he's going to complain the whole time... Ethan thought, reaching into his jacket's pocket. He pulled out the origami figure in the form of a rat. A rat, just like the bastard who took Shaun.

Hunching over so the rain would hit the back of his head rather than the origami figure, Ethan slowly unraveled it, marveling at the craftsmanship; it didn't look like your basic origami figure... whoever did this had had many years of practice.

Christ, it sounds like you're praising his work, Ethan thought, unfolding the last of the figure.

XXX

Watching Ethan unwrap the origami figure made Norman feel sick. This man was getting ready to read a message from the killer himself.

He shouldn't have to go through this, Norman told himself.

Thunder exploded in the skies overhead, causing him to jump.

"You alright there?" Ethan laughed, continuing to unwrap the figure.

"Huh? Oh... yeah," Norman replied, feeling foolish. "I just... I'm not used to all this shit... the weather."

He put his hands in his coat pockets, trying to hide the embarrassment he now felt.

"Well, after all that's happened," Ethan began, unfolding the final crease, "I wouldn't care if I never saw another drop of rain again..."

"Amen to that," Norman agreed.

Norman watched Ethan's lips move as he read the contents of the message to himself.

"What's it say?" Norman asked of him. "Where are we headed?"

Ethan picked himself up off the ground, and pocketed the now-unfolded piece of brown paper.

"The last letters are at 961 Rainbow Lane," Ethan told him, already making his way out of the alley.

"Letters?" Norman asked, completely lost in this game the Origami Killer was playing.

Ethan stopped in his tracks, and turned around to face Norman.

"I found a box with five origami figures in it, each labeled with an address; if I go to each location and complete the trial, I get letters to a hangman. Once it's completed, I will have the address of Shaun's location," Ethan told him in a "I'm not going to repeat this" tone.

"And this is the last one?" Norman asked, digesting all of Ethan's information.

"It had better be," Ethan told him, his eyes weary. "If it's not... I'm not sure how much more I can take."

XXX

Shaun opened his eyes with some difficulty.

So... cold...

He had been in the confined space for two years; or so it seemed. How long had he been there? He'd lost track of time, as if he'd kept track to begin with; as if it even mattered.

"Dad..." he muttered aloud. "Where... are you?"

He couldn't even cry... couldn't even yell...

The water was rising. The sky was filled with dark clouds.

Shaun was sure that by the end of the day, his heart would cease its rhythmic beating.

I love you, dad.

XXX

Author's Note: Yes, yes, I realize this chapter was extremely short. This entire week, I was incredibly busy. Non-stop busy-ness. I was lucky to get in what I could. Besides, had I taken any longer, I'm sure most of you would have lost interest. I'm afraid that with this being set so close to the end of the game, I won't be able to get in as many chapters as a full fledged fan-fic should have. Fear thee not, I will have a reasonable amount of chapters, though. Hell, there's still quite a few hours to go before it reaches the game's ending time. One more note: Yes, I know that I skipped seven hours and failed to explain what Ethan and Norman did during that time period. Just... we'll say that they hid out somewhere and got some rest. Hey, the game itself had many plot holes, too! As usual, if you could leave a review, it would be muchly appreciated! Thank you to those who reviewed the prologue! Honestly, had it not been for you, I probably would've put even less effort into getting this chapter out.