The Darkside

Of Man and Beast

"Melissa, you're here? We've been searching for you and you've been hiding all this time?" Chief Samson asked. "Sorry, Chief, I was planning to drop by the station after visiting Octavia," replied Melissa. "What do you mean, 'after visiting Octavia?' You weren't here all this time?" Chief Samson asked. "No, I wasn't. When I woke up at the hospital, I was confused as I had no recollection of anything that happened, and what I was doing there. So, I did the only thing I could, and that was to get out of there. I sneaked out and went to my getaway cabin in the woods," she said. "So, you were in the woods this entire time?" Chief Samson asked. "Yes, until I gained my memory back," she replied. "You didn't speak to anyone? Not even Octavia?" Inspector Alfred asked. "No, I had what you call retrograde amnesia, which means I didn't even remember her," Melissa replied. "Can a doctor confirm this?"Chief asked. "Yes, I can," Brian replied, appearing from nowhere. "Oh, this is Doctor Brian; my cousin who's visiting," I said, trying to make the best of the situation. "Well, I guess it's time to leave. Come by the station and give a statement," the chief said before leaving.

"Wow, nice save," Melissa said, hugging me. "What about you, how did you come up with that story so fast?" I asked, amazed at her quick thinking. "I say that was damn genius," Aunt Cassie said. "Well, I am a journalist, so I improvised," she replied. "We have to be careful, the cops are suspicious of us," I said. "Where is Charlie?" Jared asked. "Charlie? I have no idea," said Melissa. "Let's take a look in the room," I said, but by that time, Jared had already run up the stairs. "Melissa, Aunt Cassie, and I followed him, but before we could enter the room, Jared came out panicking and said, "Charlie's missing!"

We looked all over, but had no luck. "Maybe he overheard us talk with the cops and left because he's supposed to be dead," I said. "You're right, he must have thought that we would get into trouble if he was found here," Jared said with a sigh of relief. "But how did he leave? The only way he could have left was through the balcony. He would have had to jump off it," Aunt Cassie said. "That's right, that was the only way to leave," I said. "Do you think he's still able to jump off without hurting himself?" Jared asked. "Maybe, why don't you go home and check if he's there?" I said. "Alright, I'll let you know if he's there," he said, leaving.

We sat down and talked about what had happened. Melissa apologised for her behaviour during the time she was a Juangrand and thanked me for helping her get back to normal. I apologised for keeping her chained, explaining the reason for it. "No, you don't need to apologise after everything you did for us. You even got yourself in trouble with the cops," she said. "Well, you need to call your parents. And your fiancé, he came here shouting and I had to put a fake memory spell to make him believe that you were  at a wedding. I also made your parents believe you were on an assignment. I did the same to your parents because I didn't like lying to them," I said. Melissa said I did the right, and not feel bad. "You spared my family of unnecessary grief; I'm thankful to you for that," she said.

"Can I interrupt, it's important?" Brian said. "Sure, what is it?" I asked, but then my phone rang. "Hold on, Brian, let me check my phone; it maybe Jared calling to say Charlie's at his house," I said, picking up my phone from the stool. "Octavia, Charlie isn't at home," Jared said in a panic-stricken voice. "Don't worry; I'll help you find him. Just come here," I said, feeling concerned. "Let me help, too," said Brian. "Sure, why don't you do your thing while Jared and I drive around looking for him? Can I come, too?" Melissa asked, and so did Aunt Cassie. "Sure, but you need to speak to your family and your fiancé, first," I told Melissa. She had just finished talking to her parents when Jared arrived. She then called her fiancé and spoke to him while I spoke to Jared. We then decided to drive around looking for Charlie.

Jared and I took his car, while Melissa and Aunt Cassie took mine. We drove all over town looking for Charlie until we ended up near the cemetery. "Let's take a look," I said, getting out of the car. We walked in and there he was, seated at his grave. We spoke to him and managed to convince him to go home with Jared. When we got home, we sat down to speak and Brian said that he was able to locate the dwelling of the witch. "Where is it?" I asked impatiently. "She lives in the Marv Rogur: the Hidden Forest. It's a place of dark magic," he said. "Wait, the Hidden Forest is real? I thought it was a myth," I said, surprised. "It is a real place, and white witches cannot enter as it could destroy their purity," he replied. "Now that your friends are OK, I don't see the need to go after a dark force like her," he said. "Well, we never know whether she will strike back, so we need to find a way to get her out of her comfort zone," I said.

I was lying in bed when the phone rang. I looked at the time; it was 2:00 a.m. I answered the phone only to hear Jared panicking yet again. "He's gone again, and he's not at the cemetery!" he said. "Where are you now?" I asked. "I am near your house," he replied. "Stay there," I said, grabbing my coat. "Melissa and Aunt Cassie came out of their rooms asking what was wrong. "Charlie is missing again and he's not at the cemetery," I said. "So, you're going out again? They wanted to join me, but I said, "No, there's no need for that. You two rest. I'll call if I need you," I said, going down the stairs. "Poor thing has no rest," I heard Aunt Cassie say to Melissa. "Yes, she's got to take care of everyone, but no one to take care of her," Melissa said, going back into her room as I opened the door and walked out.

Jared was pacing impatiently when I arrived at the gate. We drove around aimlessly until I noticed the light in the butcher shop on. "Stop," I said. "Why? Did you see him?" Jared asked, stopping the car. "No, but why is the butcher shop light on at 2:30 a.m.?" I asked. "Maybe he's got a last minute order, or he's doing inventory," he replied. "No need to be snippy, let's just check it out; maybe he's hurt and that's why the light is on," I said. "Sorry for being snippy, I'm worried about Charlie," Jared apologised. "It's alright," I said as I tapped at the door. As there was no response, we went around back and peeped through the window, and what we saw stunned us.