✓ maple street murderers || h.styles

seven

[this will be partially confusing but everything will fall into place (hopefully) by the final chapter]

Delilah's dazed look in her eyes is anything but feigned. She's been coughing for hours now and the paramedics told her it would be weeks until all of the smoke is clear from her lungs.

Right now she's sitting on the floor of the 48th precinct. Her head is down and she's got no shoes on her feet. She can't get the bright ambulance lights out of her head. Can't seem to forget the wild flames that nearly consumed her just hours ago.

With fidgeting fingers, she plays with the hem of her bloodied shirt and cringes. Luckily, it's too burned to look as bloody as it really is.

The officer sitting at the table in the center of the room coughs gently and she hears his chair move against the floor. The sudden sound makes goosebumps arise on her skin but she doesn't say anything about it.

"Why don't you sit at the table?"

She doesn't bother looking up. "I'm fine."

"You've been sitting there since we got in. You're going to have to cooperate with us, Ms. Porter, so that we can send you off to the emergency room. The sooner you help us is the sooner you get the medical attention you need."

"I'm not hurt."

"I'm not referring to your physical condition."

"I'm not crazy." Delilah pushes her hair back away from her mouth to keep the loose strands from touching her tongue. Every time it falls past her lips she tastes smoke and blood and it makes her remember everything she's been through.

"You're mentally scarred and there are doctors who can help you. All you have to do is cooperate."

She says nothing.

The officer sighs out loud. "We understand that there were three bodies found."

Delilah bites her tongue.

"Is that true? There should only have been three bodies in that house?"

"Yes." The answer is forced out of her. Her chipped nails find their way between her teeth as an anxiety tic of hers.

"And these three men are responsible for the murders of forty five different people, is that right?"

She licks her lips. "Yes."

"I'm going to need you to speak up so the recorder catches your response, Ms. Porter."

"I said yes."

"And these three men worked together in trying to-to," he pauses. "How do I word this? They worked together to-"

"Try to kill me. Yes, they all tried to kill me."

"Would you be comfortable establishing the way in which you managed to kill all three of them?"

"No." the answer is quick.

"Okay. We'll try again in a few weeks when you've recovered some. I just have a final question to ask you."

Del stops biting her nails.

"The names of these men are Adam West, Andrew Hanes, and..."

Delilah closes her eyes as her heart beats a little faster.

"Eric Court?"

She pushes her hair back and finally stands to her feet, reopening her eyes slowly. She avoids eye contact with the officer as she points at the door. "Yes. Can I go now?"

"I'll show you out."

"I know the way."

The officer stands up and walks closer, hesitating a bit when he's close enough to smell all of the soot and blood on her. "Can I ask you one last thing, Ms. Porter?"

Delilah whips her head to look at his gray eyes. "You said you only had one question left."

"Yes, but this one isn't related to your case."

She bites the inside of her cheek and looks down at the floor. "What is it?"

"Would you happen to know the whereabouts of Harry Styles? We've been told you two were pretty close, and he's disappeared a few days ago. About two days after you went missing."

She's momentarily stalled. She went through all of the scenarios of how this conversation would unfold and Harry wasn't supposed to be mentioned at all. She didn't plan to answer any questions about Harry, and she definitely doesn't want to.

"Ms. Porter?"

"He told me he was leaving town for a while."

"Is that right?"

She turns back to the door slowly. "Can I leave now?"

"Of course." He opens the door with his key and she bolts down the hall with her head down.

In the front of the lobby is a whole team of paramedics. They all look up at her with curious gazes, all pretty hesitant as she nearly passes them.

"Are you Delilah Porter?"

She looks up at who seems to be the leader; a man with dusty brown hair and light blue eyes. The soft look in his face makes her feel out of place.

Her silence is confirmation enough for him and he signals for her to look at the group of other doctors. "You're going to need to come with us."

She feels like going straight home but the thought of being left alone makes her scared so she complies with his order and allows him to lead her to the truck.

[unedited]

[one more chapter, guys!]