Artificial Tears

Chapter 22

Victory!

The page has been found!

Victoriously he takes another sip of his coffee, still cold, still disgusting.

He opens his laptop, looking at the place he had last seen Edith Shaw with the tracker on her phone. It seemed to have disconnected soon after she left the train station, perhaps her phone had been turned off. After a couple of minutes it could be found somewhere just outside the city, though no camera footage of Edith Shaw was found.

She might be underground after all.

Liam wonders a bit about the theory of his father, but then again, this whole case is nothing short of bizarre.

In the back of his head he remembers a thought long lost: Maybe his son could be down there as well...

It was just a hunch, nothing more but a glimmer of hope or a passing thought.

But if he really is there, alone in the dark, as his father, Liam should get him. No he will get him.

Dark thoughts start to enter his mind, but he quickly shakes them off: "I have some investigating to do." He says firmly to reassure himself.

It takes a little while to get to the place marked on the old map. It's just outside of the city in a much older part then the rest.

He gets out of his car, this part seems even more abandoned than he had imagined beforehand. Buildings are slowly crumbling down and nature is doing its best to take over everything.

Liam takes out the map and places it on the newer map on his phone, making it the right size.

So the entrance should be... over there, by the old skyscraper.

Is this really going to be safe? He wonders, knowing the answer.

Of course not, he doesn't even have the right equipment to go urban exploring and the mold might not be the most dangerous thing there.

The serial killer might have their hideout there.

Still he takes out his flashlight and taser, leaving the safety of his car to go to the dark, overgrown building.

Step by step, vigilant of any noise, he enters the old, decrepit building.

The crunching of small stones underneath his feet seem to be the only noise filling the empty place, making it echo.

Liam turns on his flashlight, it is getting more and more dark and it might not be safe if he can't see the ground.

He checks room after room, but all of them seem to be empty and after having checked the first and second floor, he thinks about the door that he had seen close to the entrance.

Is that the basement?

If so, then I need that door.

Could Johnny be there? Liam quietly wishes even though knowing it's impossible.

He wildly shakes his head, nothing is impossible.

Silently he walks back, back down the stairs and back into the other empty hallway.

His heart starts beating rapidly when he places his hand on the doorknob, he really has no idea what to expect of his father's old notes.

What he will find is at the moment a mystery, good or bad, anything can happen.

Behind the door a dark staircase leading somewhere he doesn't know greet him coldly, it might even be smiling.

Staring down he almost wants to give up, but then a picture of his kid flashes in his mind. Edith might be down there all alone as well. It's rather surprising she hasn't been found yet, maybe she has been abducted by someone other than the serial killer he was searching for.