Purgatory In NightFall

CHAPTER 1

Seattle Police Department, Washington State

Friday, March 7th, 1994

18 : 01 : 58 AM

The crisp night ticked by as the clocks swirled round their circumference, as it did so, it itched away at peoples skin. The humming of each and every dull light above was drilling into everyone's skulls, driving them nuts as it continued. Mild talking filled the waiting room, feet tapped against the floor as the legs bounced along with it. A blonde man's head was buried deeply into the palms of his hand while an anxious, same hair-coloured woman sat beside him, wanting to get out of that nerve-racking place. Her fingers were intertwined with one another, she peered down at the floor, zoning out.

Two more women sat the direct opposite of the married couple, both graying brunettes. One twirling a crucifix necklace around in her fingers while the other one stayed stationary. The stationed lady had a hand resting over her shoulder by her husband, another two couples stayed at the far end of the waiting room, they're backs against the wall as they waited. Their own expressions surrendering to the endless loop of waiting. It was all eerie in silence until one man broke it, the crucifixion woman glanced over to the man.

"You're kidding me?" A man scoffed at the front desk, waving his arms out ever so slightly. "You don't know?"

"I am sorry Mr. Wembley, but you will have to wait until the investigators are ready." The receptionist at the desk repeatedly told the middle-aged man in front of her.

"Ready, my ass." Mr. Wembley mumbled under his breath, elbows sitting on the receptionist's desk. He glanced around the waiting room, seeing that it was merely empty apart from a few families. "Is it so hard to know what happened to my son?"

"I understand your frustration about the department holding off the evidence, Mr. Wembley." The woman spoke in a soft and comforting tone to the man. "Take a seat until they are ready for you." she gestures to the seating area behind him.

"You keep saying that but nothing ever comes." His tone remained firm with the woman in front, but soon enough, he walked away from the front desk. Resuming his seat beside his brooding wife. "This department has gone to shit."

He plummets onto the metal-legged chair, starting to get frustrated with everything. "We've waited four fucking months and now their telling us to wait even longer??" He rambled on while exaggerating.

The woman noticed tension in her husband's voice, she stopped twisting the necklace as soon as Mr. Wembley forcefully sat down. "I know, dear. I know."

Mr. Wembley sighed until his body finally relaxed into the seat, hands clasped around his face as he rubbed it before sitting up properly. His hands now resting against each other, slowly but gently rubbing them together, letting the friction take over as he continues.

"I understand that my son can be reckless sometimes but---" He spoke in a gentler tone before getting interrupted by another man, sitting opposite to them.

"Reckless?" Mr. Hartland repeated, and shortly pulled his head up to look the other man in the eyes. "If it wasn't for your son being such a brat, my daughter would've been in University by now!" He blamed.

"It's not his fault." Mrs. Hartland tapped her intertwined thumbs against her forehead.

"I don't care that it's Morgan's fault." Mr. Hartland continued with a sinister smile on his face, trying to cover up his real emotions. However, it soon faded as he went on. "We should've never let him near her, let alone, her going out with a bunch of fuckboys--"

"Hey!" the woman beside Mrs. Wembley exclaimed. "Can we please...stop fighting?" her voice calming down but with slight cracks. "I just...need to cope right now and you guys aren't helping!" Mrs. Cuthburt's voice was being taken over by her gloominess.