𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙶𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝚃𝙷

Chapter 9

Arianna knocked on the door of the shop

Ms Bevis opened the door. "You again,huh? Sorry, but the artist job has been filled already." Ms Bevis said.

"I'm not here about the job. I'm here about her." Arianna said, showing Ms Bevis The Lost Girl card.

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"Milk or sugar?" Ms Bevis said, pouring them some coffee.

"Milk, please."  "So, you're Jessie Sinclair's sister. I didn't see it the first time, but I do now." Ms Bevis said.

"We're half-sisters." Arianna said.

"I see. And you say she took you to the Ruin?" Ms Bevis asked.

"Yes, i'm her apprentice now." Arianna answered.

"The first time in the Ruin is always a shock." Ms Bevis said, taking a sip of coffee.

"It definitely.. changed my perspective on things." Arianna said sadly.

"I bet. Did she take you to Garden Springs?" Ms Bevis asked.

"She mentioned it, but I don't know what that is." Arianna said.

"If Jessie didn't mention it then it's not my place to tell you about it." Ms Bevis said. She quickly changed the subject.

"So why do you want to know about The Lost Girl?"
Ms Bevis asked.

"My friends think she's dead, or just a ghost story, but.. I think she's real. I just know it." Arianna said.

"Tell you what, kid. You help me prime some of my canvases for painting, and i'll tell you what I know. Deal?"

"Deal."

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"What's this stuff anyway?" Ari said as she held a brush covered in some white substance. (A/N: 😏)

"It's homemade gesso." Ms Bevis answered.

"What the hell is.. gesso?" Arianna asked.

"It prepares the canvas for painting. Without it, the paint would soak into the weave." Ms Bevis responded.

Arianna nodded. "So tell me, is The Lost Girl real?"

"Yes." Ms Bevis said.

"She alive?" Arianna asked.

"I can't say. But she was a couple months ago." Ms Bevis answered.

Arianna whipped her head around to face Ms Bevis. "Wait, you saw her recently?" She said.

"Yes, saw her for about half a minute in the Ruin. I came back and painted her for the trading card. Jessie helped me remember any details I forgot." Ms Bevis said.

"Wait, you were with Jessie when you saw her?" Arianna asked in shock.

"Look kid, you and I had a deal. And I WILL tell you about her, but not all. Some of it needs to come from your sister." Ms Bevis said.

"From Jessie? Why?" Arianna asked.

"Because Jessie's been hunting her for 5 years."

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"Be patient Ari, if I tell this out of order you might not understand." Ms Bevis said.

"So, like I was saying, I used to do forensic art for the Los Angeles Police Department. During First Night, I was working at the station, when I heard screaming. Now, in a place like that you get used to crazy noises. But the scream I heard that night.. it was different." Ms Bevis shivered after that last line.

FLASHBACK: 15 YEARS AGO

"GET BACK!" A female officer yelled *BLAM BLAM*

"What the fuck is going on!?" Ms Bevis yelled.

"I.. I don't know. Some guy died in the drunk tank. Then somehow.. he came back." The officer responded.

"..What do you mean he 'came back'?" Ms Bevis asked.

"I can't explain it, but they're everywhere now." The officer said.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Ms Bevis asked. None of this was making any sense.

"There's no time to explain, trust me. Lets go." The officer said.

Present Ms Bevis: The station was a mess, blood all over the walls and floors. Men screaming, cops shouting, guns firing. All the colors. Blood red, the blue uniforms of the cops. The pale white and grey of bloodless skin. Dead faces and soulless eyes. The colors blurred and I don't remember much else inside the station.

*flashback over*

"But how'd you escape? And what happened to the cop?" Arianna asked.

"I remember that she led me to an exit, and told me to get in my car and wait. She said she was going to help others, and to keep my car motor running. I waited for a long time. There was more screaming, and a shit ton of gunfire. And then.. i saw the cop again. When she came out of the station, she was eating a severed arm." Ms Bevis paused for a second.

"I spewed out all my lunch and got the hell out of there. I didn't look back. I can't remember the route I took out of LA, but I managed to beat the traffic jams that locked down the city. I heard later that thousands were trapped in their cars on blocked streets. The dead just came up and.. well it was a buffet." Ms Bevis said.

"On my way out of the city, I saw a large group of army helicopters headed downtown. I could hear their gunfire as they opened up on the city. I ran my car till the tank was was empty. Then I started running toward a farmhouse that was out in the country. When I finally made it, I found other survivors there. Refugees like me. Hiding. Surviving." Ms Bevis finished.

"Thats.. fucking insane. Y'know, adults never tell us any details about First Night. Now I see why." Arianna said.

"Most of us want to forget, Arianna. Not remember." Ms Bevis said sadly.

"I get that Ms Bevis, I do. But please finish your story. Who were these other refugees you found?" Arianna asked.

"Well there's one you'll find particularly interesting." Ms Bevis said.

"Who?" Arianna asked.

"The Lost Girl."