Chapter (33):under the table part 1
Sometime in the faces forest
"Let's review first what we found in the cave, okay Smiley?" Emma asked.
"Okay," Smiley replied, looking curiously at the ground.
Emma and Smiley were inside the treehouse, discussing what had happened to them. Emma was pulling out a long sheet of paper with badly drawn sketches of a house, trees, and a deep black circle.
"First, we discovered the lair of the lycan deer. Second, we found out they have a leader, and he seems to be the one responsible for killing Jack and Sarah. Third, he's intelligent and seems to have a huge grudge against the Scorpion Man," Emma said as she drew.
"Yeah, and I named him Malphas!"
"Ugh, Jesus, this place is crazier than I imagined!"
"Exactly! Hey Emma, speaking of crazy-why didn't you use your magic shoes to get out of here?"
"My shoes?"
"Yeah? You said you'd use them in the worst-case scenario, but I never saw you use them."
"Oh! That! Because I was in a bad place to use them."
"The cave was narrow, and the ground was full of bumps. Plus, the light was nearly non-existent. And did you forget it lights up when it works? It's like saying: 'Hey monsters, I'm here, come get me!'"
"Oh," Smiley replied simply.
"Also, I need to focus my mind to activate it, and I didn't have time for that. You saw what happened when we entered," Emma explained.
"Yeah," Smiley said with a mysterious tone.
"But there are strange points here," Emma said as she looked down.
"About what?" Smiley asked, tilting his head.
"About everything here. The forest. How could a forest like this keep its disasters and oddities hidden from the world? Even if we assumed there's a secret organization, there's a limit to what can be hidden. And here's part of it:
"First, the scorpion. Huge and scary? Sure. Maybe people didn't notice it because it digs and hides like a rat and attacks when it's too late.
"But... what about the factory? It was full of supernatural tools, stuff people before the 20th century couldn't even dream of achieving.
"And the most important thing... the hanging corpses!"
"There were many hanging corpses from the trees as we moved forward. Especially when I was in the cave-there were lots of human corpses. But what about the lycan deer? There were corpses that looked old, but it didn't seem like anyone had done anything about them."
"If you connect all these dots, it means it's impossible for the government to ignore such things-they would've confronted it. But they haven't heard anything about this forest. I only heard it was dangerous... unless... something's stopping them... it's like..." Emma said as she thought deeply.
"Like the Bermuda Triangle?" Smiley joked.
"Wait... that's it!" Emma exclaimed.
"Huh?" Smiley replied, slightly surprised.
"What I'm about to say is just a theory, but it might explain some things."
"Like what?" Smiley asked.
"The forest is like the Bermuda Triangle-it has a mysterious magnetic field. When I first came here, there was no signal. But when I was in the cave, the signal was strong-meaning the magnetic field is random," Emma said, pointing to a place on the map. "Also, your home is a plane, right? The magnetic field must've somehow caused the plane to crash here."
"But that still doesn't explain the other weird stuff happening here."
After Emma made her statement, Smiley stayed silent, staring at her with a blank expression.
"What? Smiley, is there something on my face?"
"Are you Doctor Who? Or James Bond?"
"Smiley, I don't know if that's a compliment or an insult."
"Well, can you tell me how Malphas learned to hang his friends?"
"Well, that's obvious," Emma replied.
"Oh, and what is it?" Smiley asked.
"That's because he didn't do it because he knows-but for another reason."
"Another reason? What do you mean?" Smiley asked curiously.
"Think with me, Smiley. He didn't even know what names were until I told him, yet he knew the concept of hanging? That's a huge contradiction."
"Unless..."
"Someone must've taught him that, or he saw someone do it and copied them," Emma said. "But the real question is-who?"
"As far as I know, there weren't crimes like that... like that?" While Emma was thinking, she suddenly remembered something. Her eyes widened and a shocked expression appeared on her face. "Oh crap... I know where he learned it from."
"Do you know who taught him how to make a piñata?" Smiley joked.
"Someone who's supposed to have been dead for ten years."
"Ten years? You know him?" Smiley stared with a strange expression.
"He's-"
"Trrrrrrn! Trrrrrn!"
"Is your phone ringing again?"
"This place is definitely strange. I swear there was no signal when I was in the Forest of Faces. How is it so strong now?"
"Are there certain places unaffected by the field, or is it caused by something?" Emma asked as she looked at her phone. "That doesn't matter now."
"Hi Mom? Why are you calling me? Is it about Dad?"
"What, Mom? I'm coming back soon..an..."
"What?" Emma said, standing up in surprise. "Are you sure?... Okay, bye, I'll be home soon."
"So, what's the matter?"
"They found him..." Emma muttered.
"Oh, what did they find? Your lost diary?" Smiley joked.
"They found the killer!" Emma replied, shocked.
"Wait, what!? They found the killer? How?"
"He has surrendered himself.!" Emma said while packing her things. "I guess... it wasn't about this place. Smiley, I'm heading home to see what's going on-bye!"
After Emma left, Smiley was completely silent... quiet as a rock-until his eyes twitched, his smile widened, and he tilted his head.
"Really, this is strange... hahaha... strangely funny." Smiley stood up, walked to the edge of the plane, and jumped down, landing somewhere among the trees.
"What do you think about that, my dear friend? You've been eavesdropping on us since... wait, what? Are you a bike... or animal?wait are you the both"
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Elsewhere in Emma's house, Mrs. Blackwood and Andrew were sitting on the couch watching the news. Marcus had left after Niles' call.
At first, Mrs. Blackwood didn't understand what was happening, but when Mr. Blackwood said that the police had found the killer's house and that he had turned himself in, and that the police had already started searching his home—he decided to leave immediately after hearing that.
Mrs. Blackwood looked at Andrew. He was quieter than usual. He had been like this ever since his father entered his sister's room, where he had also been present. His friends had also left when Marcus was upstairs. She grew suspicious.
"Andrew..." said Mrs. Blackwood.
"Yes, Mom?" Andrew replied.
"What did your father say upstairs?" Mrs. Blackwood asked worriedly.
"Nothing," Andrew answered in a calm tone.
When Mrs. Blackwood noticed his unusual tone, her suspicions grew stronger, and she looked at him.
"Andrew, look at me," Mrs. Blackwood responded.
"What?" Andrew asked, turning to her.
"Tell me what your father said upstairs."
Andrew hesitated as he looked at his mother, remembering what had happened. "He said..."
"I'm back, Mom!" Emma said as she hurried into the house. "Did they really catch the killer?" she asked.
"Ah, yes. I heard from Marcus that they managed to catch him, but it wasn't—"
{Breaking News}
"Hmm?" Andrew, Emma, and Mrs. Blackwood all reacted upon hearing this.
(Note: { denotes the broadcaster, while [ denotes the news ticker.)
{We interrupt today's news broadcast for breaking news. The criminal responsible for the ■■■■■■ school crime has been found by local police.}
"What? Has the news already been released?" Emma said in surprise as she sat with them on the right side of the couch.
[Breaking: The criminal responsible for the ■■■■■■ school crime has been found by local police on 33rd Street in...]
{The criminal responsible for this is a man named Brett Osborne, a man in his seventies. Police raided his home after noticing blood on the gloves he was wearing.}
{When the police entered, he attacked them and opened fire. Brett died during the confrontation with the police. Another child's body, identified as Barry Homola, was also found—a victim killed by the criminal.}
"Barry?"
When Emma heard Barry's name, she felt like she had heard it before—but where? She had heard that name not too long ago, but she couldn't remember. As she was thinking, she glanced at Andrew and saw his eyes wide in disbelief, his hands trembling.
{Police found a barrel filled with acid, containing the partially dissolved body of a likely teenager. Everything had melted away, leaving only bones. DNA analysis confirmed it was Homola.}
"Oh my God, this is horrible!" Mrs. Blackwood said in shock.
"Oh my God..." Andrew muttered in terror.
{Currently, police are investigating the house for further evidence or possible accomplices. This crime will remain in our hearts.}
{We will now show photos for a moment of silence, in remembrance of those who will never see the future again, and to honor that they were once with us.}
Photos of three people—Jack, Sarah, and Barry—were displayed. They were smiling at the camera, the best pictures taken while they were still alive.
Andrew looked down in sorrow, his head hung low with grief. Mrs. Blackwood stared at them with mixed emotions, saddened that they were younger than her but had not lived long enough, dying too soon.
Meanwhile, Emma was in her own world, silently watching the broadcaster with her hands clasped together. Ever since she saw Andrew's reaction, she suspected he knew him. And when Emma saw Barry's photo, she froze for a second, staring deeply at it.
Emma felt no sympathy or pity for him—not because she was cruel or emotionless, but because she focused on his clothes, particularly his shirt.
When Emma examined Barry's photo closely, she quietly pulled something out of her pocket—the exact same logo as the shirt Barry was wearing—and silently put it back.
{And another new}
"Another one?" Mrs. Blackwood asked tensely.
{Schools are scheduled to reopen starting the day after tomorrow.}
"What?" Andrew, Emma, and Mrs. Blackwood all reacted in shock.
{The police investigation unit has decided to close the case since the killer is dead. They will continue searching for any evidence of possible accomplices. During this time, rest assured that the police are doing their best for the town's safety.}
"Mom, is it normal to close cases right after the criminal dies?" Andrew asked.
"No, Andrew. That's unusual," Mrs. Blackwood replied strangely.
Emma glanced at the TV for a second before getting up from the couch and heading straight to her room via the stairs. Her mother hadn't noticed her until she realized she was gone a short while later.
"Ah, since when did she leave? I forgot to tell her about your friends, Andrew," Mrs. Blackwood said.
"What? Yeah...I....forget it" Andrew replied.
"I hope you weren't messing with her things. She doesn't like anyone touching her stuff."
But what he didn't know is Emma what focus about something very dangerous.