Chain's

chapter 2

The Orphan's Nightmare

Kavin pushed his toy car along the floor, its wheels clicking softly against the wooden boards. The orphanage's playroom was filled with the laughter and chatter of children, but Kavin remained focused on his game, his mind drifting to happier places.

Suddenly, the warden's voice echoed through the hallway, soft and almost melodic. "Kavin, my little boy, come play with me."

Kavin froze, his eyes widening in fear. The room fell silent, the other children’s faces mirroring his terror. There was something sinister behind the warden’s sweet tone, something no one dared to speak of.

Kavin stood up slowly, his heart pounding in his chest. He cast a pleading glance at his roommates, but they avoided his eyes, too scared to intervene. As he walked out of the room, he mumbled under his breath, "Someone save me, please..."

The warden's office was at the end of a long, dimly lit corridor. Kavin’s footsteps echoed eerily as he followed her, each step bringing him closer to an unknown horror. The warden glanced back at him, her smile never reaching her cold, calculating eyes.

The next morning, the orphanage was a scene of chaos. Detective Mark Hastings and his team arrived to find the warden's lifeless body slumped in a chair, her face frozen in the same expression of terror as the man found dead the previous night. Reporters crowded the entrance, their cameras flashing incessantly, capturing every grim detail.

Hastings surveyed the scene, his mind racing. The similarities between the two deaths were undeniable. Both victims had the same look of horror etched on their faces, and both had died without any visible cause.

As he moved closer to the body, something caught his eye. A small, tarnished piece of chain lay on the desk beside the warden. He picked it up with a gloved hand, examining it closely. Just like the chain found with the previous victim, this one was ancient, the metal worn and etched with strange symbols.

"Sir, we found another piece of chain," Officer Sarah Mitchell said, joining him. She handed over a bag containing the first chain for comparison.

Hastings compared the two pieces. They were identical, both in age and in the eerie symbols that adorned them. "This can’t be a coincidence," he murmured. "There’s a connection here, something we’re missing."

Mitchell nodded, her expression serious. "We also reviewed the orphanage’s CCTV footage, sir. It shows the warden leading the boy, Kavin, to her office. But just like before, there's nothing that shows how she died."

Hastings sighed, rubbing his temples. "We need to talk to that boy. He might have seen something, anything, that could give us a lead.

"As the investigation deepened, the sense of unease grew. The warden’s lifeless eyes, like the man’s before her, seemed to hold a dark secret. And the ancient chains, now two in number, hinted at a mystery far more sinister than anyone could have imagined.

Kavin sat alone in the playroom, clutching his toy car. His eyes were wide and fearful, haunted by whatever he had witnessed the night before. As the detectives approached him, he whispered, "Someone save me, please..."

Hastings knelt beside the boy, his voice gentle. "Kavin, we’re here to help. Can you tell us what happened last night?"

Kavin’s eyes darted around the room, as if expecting the warden to appear at any moment. He took a deep breath, his small hands trembling. "She... she used to hurt us," he stammered. "Every day, she would take a new boy to her office. She said it was a game, but it wasn’t. She hurt us... in ways I can’t say."

Hastings and Mitchell exchanged a grim look. "And last night?" Hastings prompted softly.

Kavin nodded, tears welling up in his eyes. "She took me to her office. I was so scared. I thought it was going to happen to me too. But then... she just looked at me and said, 'Go to sleep.' I don’t understand why."

Mitchell placed a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder. "It’s okay, Kavin. You’re safe now. We’re going to figure this out."

As they left the orphanage, Hastings couldn’t shake off the feeling that they were dealing with something far beyond their understanding. The ancient chains, the inexplicable deaths, and the fearful whispers of the victims all pointed to a dark and terrifying mystery that was just beginning to unfold.