Duskwood: And Beyond

29. Here We Go Again

ORYN

After the initial outburst, I informed everyone of the situation. Jake made sure no one was at the house. He had a badge and an official gun now which weirdly made me less secure than before.

"We should call the police!" Of course, that was what Lilly wanted. It was such a typical response from her, and it was the logical thing to do. But a part of me was still mad at Ana.

"I am sure Ana already got that covered." I know my remark was unnecessary but I was not thinking clearly.

"You are lashing at me for no reason right now."

And she walked out of the house. Anabelle was the type of person who would avoid arguments if she cared about the person. She was scared that someone would say something irreversible in the heat of the moment. I admired her for that especially because she had trouble with anger management in the past.

Jake already started investigating the house. Anabelle returned shortly. She checked the surroundings and took a few suspicious pictures.

"Do you want me to tell Alan?" Jake asked. He was too focused on the footprints.

"May I?" I knew Alan would freak out so I wanted to be the one to tell him.

Jake nodded.

"Will you be okay with staying here tonight?" Anabelle asked.

I never thought about that so I was unsure. I thought about it but the fear kept coming back. So I decided to spend the night at Phil's. Jake was not happy but he tried to act as if he understood.

Anabelle called Phil and asked him to pick me up. He picked me up in half an hour and took me to his house.

His apartment was way more decent than I imagined. He had dark-colored furniture that weirdly matched each other. It was decorated nicely. There was some pop of color here and there thanks to Jessy. Jessy initially moved in with Phil because she was struggling to be on her own, but now that she was in Colville her stuff felt like the remains of a ghost. Honestly, I missed her so much.

"She is doing better. I miss her too." Phil appeared behind me and that's when I realized my eyes were watering. I nodded and sat down on the couch.

Phil offered me his bedroom for privacy but I didn't feel comfortable with him sleeping on the couch. After some weak arguments, he agreed to keep his bedroom. He brought me some pillows and a blanket.

I couldn't sleep that night. I kept thinking about Richy and the incident. When it was time to get up, I started making coffee and Phil joined me shortly. He didn't ask anything last night and I felt like I owed him an explanation so I told him everything. He just listened, without sharing his opinions or guesses. It was easy to talk to Phil, after everything he started to listen more than he talked. That is why I decided to confess my real fear.

"I am scared, Phil. I don't get spooked by these things a lot. But Richy really hurt me. I cared about him, I mourned for him. I blamed myself when he faked his attack. I put everything on the line to find him. And he was the one all along. He tricked me and played me. And I am scared of trusting or believing him again."

Phil took a moment as if he was considering what he was about to say.

" Oryn, I don't think it's him... " he whispered.

"Why do you think that?" I also had that feeling but I didn't know who else it could have been.

"Richy was sorry for what he was doing, he was consumed with regret. This person is sending you weird flowers and breaking into your house. They are prideful, not regretful."