Dead by Daylight - Killer x FemReader - Before the Killing

Dr. Herman Carter - Part I

I decided to take a walk in a nearby park to calm my nerves.

I had been growing concerned for Herman's well being. He hadn't been home in weeks and the only thing he left was a letter stating that he had a really important project to work on and he wasn't able to disclose any more information to me but that it would all make sense in time.

I trusted it.

When I met him I understood that he put his work before everything. He excelled in the psychology field and I always knew he was destined for great things and would be able to change the world. It's something I always admired about him, his dedication.

"Ma'am? Are you alright?" A male voice broke me from my trance and my eyes darted to meet his.

"I'm fine, I just have a lot on my mind at the moment and seemed to space out." I smiled politely  to the man and promptly stood up from the bench I was sitting on and headed home.

You see, I understand Herman can get deep into his work and seem to lose sense of time. It just hasn't been this bad since that one time he published one of his works to a well known gazette. We celebrated by going out to one of the fancier restaurants. I loved those little moments we got to share together. I hoped that we could do them again soon.

I approached my door and put the key in and noticed the door was unlocked already. I found it strange as I was sure I locked it before I went out today. I slowly pushed the door open and peeked in. I walked into the foyer and then the living room. I grabbed the poker that rested near the fireplace. Now armed, I slowly proceeded into the kitchen. I was met by silence.
I let out a sigh and chuckled at myself until I heard a loud thump from upstairs.

My heart began pounding and my blood ran cold as I heard the footsteps making their way to the stairs, I readied myself to face the intruder. With each decending thud it became harder to breathe. I wound up my arms, ready to strike.

There was a pause at the bottom of the steps, I took a deep breath and swung with all the force I could muster. The poker came to a sudden halt.

I opened my eyes and was greeted by the sight of my partner who was holding the poker, his composure unchanged.

"Jesus, Herman!" I raised my voice, letting go of the fire poker. "I could've seriously hurt you."
I embraced him. It had been so long since I smelled his scent. It was warm and comforting. I pulled away and looked at his face. I noticed his eyes were dark and a little dull. That was normal for him though, he did work very hard after all.

"Are you alright my dear?" He said as he came back to life and looked at me with concern. "I apologize for startling you, I just came by to get a few things for my research"

I looked down at his side where he clutched the handle of a briefcase.

"I'm alright now that you're here." I replied.

He gave me a nod and went towards the door.

"Wait a minute!" I yelled as I went to grab his arm and just as I did that he dropped his briefcase and turned around and gripped my arm tightly. I felt shock and fear wash over me. Usually Herman was pretty docile, I've never seen this look before. My kind, caring partner was now standing in front of me looking like a predator ready to strike its prey.

He blinked hard and his expression softened. "I'm.. I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me." He let my arm go and gently placed his hand on my shoulder.
I brushed him away and went to the living room. I needed some space and time to process what just happened.

It could have been easily summed up to him just being stressed, but there was something concerning about that look. I couldn't get it out of my head. What had he been doing while he was away? I continued to ponder, taking a seat on our sofa.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat and took a seat in a chair adjacent from the sofa. I could feel him staring at me. "Dear, I-"

"Don't." I muttered.

I could see him turning his head to look at the floor. He clicked his tongue, stood up and began to walk towards the foyer.

"Wait..." I said.

He turned around to face me again.

"At least spend the night at home with me. It's the least you could do after that and maybe I'll think of forgiving you." I shrugged.

He gave me a weak smile and replied, "Sure, I'd love that."