Duskwood: And Beyond

28. Unsafe

ORYN

The sudden knock on the door almost gave me a heart attack. Everyone was here and we were not expecting any visitors. But Anabelle quickly and surely opened the door. She greeted Alan and invited him in.

He was not wearing his uniform, which was unusual for him. He looked concerned and curious.

"What happened, is everyone okay?"

Anabelle nodded. She asked Alan to sit while she made all of our coffee. It was very early in the morning. I offered to sit outside to not wake anyone up. Alan and I sat on the porch and Anabelle joined us shortly with three cups of black coffee.

"Will someone tell me what is going on?" Alan asked before taking a long sip.

"How do you drink that, it's too hot..." Anabelle giggled. Alan responded with a smile.

We remained silent until Anabelle cleared her throat.

"Oryn is getting flowers. She thinks it's Richy. I am worried."

"I am handing it," I responded with a bit of frustration. I knew at some point I would have to inform Alan, but I wanted that to be my decision and my words. I was a bit bothered by Anabelle. I knew she was worried, especially after the Richy thing, but I didn't like that she went behind my back and invited Alan immediately.

I was lost in my thoughts until Alan started laughing.

"So... so... you invited me here, ASAP because Oryn has a fan?"

I knew he would think that. Flowers were harmless. It could have been anyone sending them for any reason.

"I still think you should look into it.'' Now it was Anabelle's turn to be bothered by this conversation.

"Look, I am sure it's fine. We will look into it if it gets out of hand." I concluded our conversation, causing us all to drink our coffee in silence. After a while, Alan got up.

"Oryn, I am not working today. And you look like you can use a break. I will visit an old friend. Would you like to join me?" Alan offered. We were close ever since Richy happened but I was still not expecting him to offer me this.

Regardless, I decided it would be fun to go on a trip with him and excused myself to pack a few things. He told me we would return tonight but I still packed an outfit just in case. Jake woke up when I finished packing.

"Good morning. Are you running away?" his voice was deep. His eyes were still closed. He looked peaceful.

This was not the first time I saw him wake up. But during the time we lived together he always looked worried and exhausted. Now he looked at peace.

I realized I was staring and decided to answer him.

"Alan is taking me on a field trip."

He slowly got up and stretched.

"So he won't be there on my first day?"

"Oh. I forgot about that. Yeah, I guess not." I felt guilty for leaving on his first day but Jake seemed okay with it.

"Well, have fun. You shouldn't keep him waiting." He smiled softly. I kissed him goodbye and good luck and joined Alan.

Alan was already in the car. Anabelle pulled me in for a hug.

"I am not happy about your decision to go behind my back and talk to Alan," I remarked as we were hugging.

"I think it is important and I don't want to lose you again".

"Again?" what did she mean by again?

Anabelle was about to respond when Alan asked me to hurry up. I took my place in his car and we drove away.

We were driving to a small town next to Duskwood. It was an hour-long drive.

During the ride, Alan kept singing and telling me things but I was focused on what Anabelle said. I kept thinking about how I handled Richy. Did I leave her alone? Did she feel alone? Was she talking about after the Richy thing?

"Are you going to tell me what you are thinking?" Alan pulled me out of my thoughts.

I told him about what Anabelle said. He told me she would talk about it tonight. I also told him that today was Jake's first day and he said to me that was why we were leaving.

Alan told me that a couple of weeks ago he received a letter about Jake. He agreed to accept Jake into his unit and supervise him. He never mentioned this to me because he wanted to give Jake a chance to explain everything. But he also said that he was not emotionally ready to face Jake just yet. He was still trying to get used to the idea that Jake was a fugitive not that long ago. So he assigned Jake to Matt, I never met this person, and decided to take the day off. I was partially upset that he left Jake alone today but a part of me understood where he was coming from. I decided to not get involved in their relationship.

We arrived at our destination and it was beautiful. Alan took us to a small house in the woods. The house had a large garden full of fruits and vegetables. The moment we parked, a woman opened the door and rushed to us.

Alan hugged her briefly before turning to me.

"Oryn, this is my childhood friend Beth. Beth, this is Oryn." Beth smiled and pulled me in a hug.

Our visit was delightful. Beth was such a sweet person. She told me all about Alan's childhood. We laughed a lot, ate a lot of yummy food, and enjoyed this little getaway. When it was time for us to return back Beth took my number and told me to visit her whenever I can.

I slept through the car ride. The main reason I agreed to join Alan was that he was always here for me and I wanted to do the same. But I returned feeling refreshed and energized. Alan dropped me off at home and left.

I walked in but the house was empty. I texted Anabelle and Jake. Anabelle was at Aurora with Lilly. Jake was still at work. I decided to watch some TV and I fell asleep halfway through the weird romance movie that I chose.

I didn't realize how late it was when I first woke up. Someone put a blanket on me so I thought everyone was back. The house was silent which meant they were asleep. I got up to drink some water when I noticed some muddy footprints on our front porch. It didn't rain today so that was weird. I wanted to check the time but I couldn't find my phone. I slowly made my way to my bedroom, thinking I had left my phone when I noticed Anabelle was not in her room. I walked into mine and it was empty. Lilly was also not here.

I continued searching for my phone when the realization hit me. If none of them were back, who covered me with a blanket? I rushed to the kitchen to pick up a knife. My hands were shaking. I carefully walked to the phone in the living room and called Anabelle. She responded immediately.

"Oryn? Why aren't you here, we were waiting for you?" she sounded confused.

"Ana, can you come home?" my voice was shaking. My heart was beating so fast I thought she could hear it.

"I am on my way." She hung up. I rushed and checked Lilly's room. After making sure it was empty and safe, I locked the door and sat in the dark until I heard Anabelle rush through the door.

I was used to dealing with the Man without a Face. But this felt dangerous. I walked out.

"What happened? Are you OK?" Anabelle rushed to me. Jake and Lilly followed.

"It is happening again. He is back." I wanted to tell her but I couldn't keep my tears back any longer...