Jim couldn't force himself to leave.

He knew he should've, knew that eventually, the demon that hunted him would find the church and strike him there. Perhaps Jim naively hoped that the sanctity of this place would keep the beast away, as well as his prayers, but it was too late to run. He remained alone in the church, kneeling and praying for salvation endlessly. Hano left, as did all others, leaving Jim a vulnerable target.

Yet if he were to leave the building, he could find himself at the heart of the dark streets of New Harmony. It was a small town, and the demon could travel much faster than Jim. If Ennard would hear, Jim would have to confront him here, within the walls of this holy place. This being was linked to the child he accidentally killed in 1987. Jim had no doubt of it. It picked its targets very selectively, first Mike, then Lamar; he was likely to have killed Blake and burned the attraction…He was out for blood. And this realization made Jim's blood freeze in his veins.

"Our Heavenly Father, hallowed be thy name…" He has been praying for hours straight now, and every second of it Jim spent seeing the bite again and again, just like in his dreams. Four grotesque, disgusting faces with wide grins emerging on them, cackling at the sight of a little boy screaming in pain. They could stop at any point, yet they chose to take it to the further extreme. "Forgive me my sins…" Perhaps they deserved to die after this, but the truth was, Jim couldn't accept death, not yet. Perhaps it was a selfish desire after what he did and the cause he dedicated his life to, yet he still yearned to live.

Despite his new cause and dedication to God, despite his own belief, at his core, Jim was still a man, a human being whose soul was weak and susceptible to temptation. He wasn't ready ready to go just yet.

But the demon wouldn't wait.

Jim heard the bell above him swing a little as if someone leaped right at it. It let out a distant yet still clear ringing sound, and it wasn't even the time for bells to chime. He couldn't look up, didn't want to stare into the face of his demise. No matter how much time will pass, a person's sins will always catch up with them.

Then, Jim noticed a shadow on the walls, the one that descended towards him with the speed of a restless predator. It was now or never.

Without looking upwards, Jim leaped away from the wooden bench on the church's stone floor, barely evading the animatronic's attack. It landed on the benches, rather surprised by its inability to catch the prey immediately. It tripped and fell on the floor behind one of the wooden benches, which finally allowed Jim to look at its 'face' for a moment. It was a being made completely out of metal wires that mixed and intertwined with each other, serving as muscles, skeleton, and skin at the same time. The creature let out a loud, vile hiss the moment its only purple eye collided with Jim's eyes, and this finally gave Jim the strength he needed to run. The priest rushed to the nearest exit as he breathed heavily and tried not to fall once again, this time to his certain death. Ennard followed him, rushing across the walls until, eventually, the monster stood right between Jim and the way out.

"No, no, no, you're not leaving, my friend!" Ennard spoke in a high-pitched, mechanical, disgusting voice, which immediately made Jim turn around. He had to find a place to hide as quickly as possible, and in the middle of an adrenaline rush, Jim got behind a candle stall just before Ennard got his eyes on him yet again. The monster jumped on the floor and continued to stalk his victim.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" He said in an amused, joyous voice. "I know you're somewhere here, Jimmy…Perhaps here!" The animatronic reached out and clawed the nearby candle stall, pushing some of the candles onto the floor.

One of them fell right beside Jim, causing him to scream from the burning pain. He had to take his coat off immediately and try to extinguish the fire from fallen candles before it spread around. This, of course, exposed him to Ennard.

"Here you are!" The animatronic ran towards him and put his disfigured hand forward, scratching Jim's skin. The man felt blood dripping from his hand and his teeth reflexively clenching, but he couldn't distract himself, not while there was still a chance to run.

"Look into my eye, Jim…Look at me!" The animatronic shouted as it jumped from one bench to another, trying to root his prey out from his next hiding place.

"What are you?!" The desperate priest screamed in horror as he realized that he was getting exhausted, and the metal monster got far too close. One wrong step, and he will be dead.

"I am your worst nightmare!" Ennard said, clearly savoring this gruesome moment. "I killed all your friends, Jimmy…Lamar, Blake, Mike, I killed them all, you hear that. I killed my own brother!" The animatronic screamed in fury.

"W…What?" Jim said with disbelief as the nightmare finally began to line up before him.

"Aren't you religious? I thought that means you believe in demons and spirits…Recognize me, Jim? Well, I'm here to kill you! I will punish you for what you did to me; you will meet your friends in hell! And don't try to resist; you'll only make it worse!"

Jim didn't care for the animatronic's words. He knew he would not surrender to death. When Chris gave him a momentary opportunity, Jim grabbed a wooden chair and tossed it right at the mechanical fiend. Judging by his screams, it hit him with extreme precision, but Jim didn't look back. All he cared to look at before him was another exit, the gateway to his freedom.

It was time to run.

…

Despite the shambles the old Afton house was in when Charlie and Elizabeth came there, soon the former realized that it was a good place. Before they could partake in any research and try to look at the message they stole from the police, they needed to give this place a thorough clean-up. They divided the tasks and worked together to bring the abandoned place back into shape. As expected, it included wading through piles of dust, tossing out a dozen or so spiders, cleaning the windows…It couldn't be perfect after twelve years, but it could be presentable. Charles and Elizabeth did their best to make it so. Once the job was finished, they decided to mark the occasion by drinking some refined tea Elizabeth made.

"That was lovely," Charlie said with delight as he took the last sip.

"My mother's favorite; glad you like it!" Lizzy smiled as she put away the cups. "I had some left in my home and brought it over." The two of them bought products that they'll need for about a week, so there wouldn't be much need to go into the city over the next few days.

"Thanks…"

"I also phoned my boss and took a leave for a week, just so I can help you however you need. You wouldn't want to be lonely, right?" She said with a smile.

"No, of course not…Thanks for being one step ahead. You're making a habit out of it." He responded before standing up. "Now, guess we're gonna start our work tomorrow. Which room will you be staying in?"

"Hm…I think I still fit in my old room's bed; I just have to clear it of all the toys. Not having the nicest thoughts pop up when looking at them." She sighed. "As for you, perhaps you could stay in my father's room? I cleaned it up for you."

"Haven't been there yet, let me check," Charlie said and stood up. They made their way upstairs together. Once he opened the door, Elizabeth pointed him to a neat room with a bed, an empty desk, and a lone window.

"That looks good! Nice job, Liz, that's perfect. Was it messy before you cleaned it up?" Charlie wondered as he walked towards the desk.

"Very messy. Which is strange, actually; father never left his room messy until he started drinking." Elizabeth sat on the bed and spoke with sadness.

"Was it after…Well, after Chris died?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'm sorry you had to see this at a young age."

"Eh, at this point, I've seen worse." Elizabeth shrugged. "And I'm expecting to see something worse still…We still don't know what exactly my dad did for Alison. I…I wouldn't be surprised if we find out he killed children with his own hands at this point."

"You said you believed that he had to do it to protect you, why not keep believing it?"

"I'm just preparing for things to turn out worse than they seem…Again." She sighed. "I'm tired of it, but I see the pattern."

"Keep your chin up." Charlie sat by Lizzy's side and held her hand. "I remember Will from when I was still a kid, he loved you and everyone else in his family. If she was the only one he had left, he'd probably do everything for you…I know I would for my parents."

"But what if this isn't true? What if he really is just a monster?"

"Then…You can be better than him. His crimes don't define you." He said confidently, making Elizabeth smile.

"Thanks, it helps a little. Funny, I am just as engrossed by this as you now…Partner." She encouraged Charlie in a playful voice. "I hope once this is all over, we can restore your good name as a detective. That kind of stuff Owens put on you…It's horrible, you don't deserve it."

"Thanks for the kind words, but it doesn't matter anymore. I got this job only to discover the truth about Alison one day. Now, this day gets closer, and if Owens wants to hinder me, I don't need him anymore."

"Decisive, I like it…But still, if you need anything, I'm right here."

"You already helped out a lot. You've kept me company as, for once, I met someone who actually cared about the truth as much as I did…" Charlie looked her in the eyes. "I feel more confident in our victory; that and having someone as beautiful as you by my side certainly keeps me reminded of the more…Pleasant side of our world." He said before sighing. "God, that was cheesy, but you get the point. You're as kind as you are pretty, and that is rare."

"Oh, you're too sweet." Elizabeth smiled and gave Charlie a light hug. He could feel her gentle touch on his back while her beautiful emerald eyes looked at him with the sweetest smile Charlie had ever seen beneath them. The young detective felt himself getting very aroused as his cock became hard. He looked at the woman before him with eyes full of thirst and placed one of his hands on Elizabeth's breast. She seemed to love it, judging by her smile getting even wider and her moving even closer towards Charlie. He hugged her and got closer, already imagining her lying naked before him. Eventually, Charlie moved towards her and whispered right above her ear.

"I want to fuck you…Hard." He said with anticipation, making Lizzy giggle.

"You're always so charming."

"Is that a yes?"

"Give me the best time."

Charlie didn't need to be asked twice. He slowly undressed Elizabeth, gently kissing every part of her body as he got even harder. She helped him undress, too, all while ticking him and making Charlie even more horny than he already was. In the end, Cody was right…When you have a friend as hot as her, this outcome is inevitable. After all they've been through, they deserved a night off.

When they were ready, Charlie didn't hesitate to pin Elizabeth down on the bed, making her let out a prolonged moan.

"Get ready; I won't be holding back!"

"I've been ready…For a while now!" She spoke through her breaths of joy. She was dying for sex. Charlie was happy to oblige as he penetrated her wet pussy, letting out a sound of primal satisfaction as he realized that he was inside of her. One thrust after another, Charlie got deeper and deeper as her moans got louder. She submitted to him utterly and completely, and both allowed themselves to forget the trouble of their investigation for just one evening and enjoy each other to the fullest.

It was a sweet night indeed.