A Descent into Darkness

False Hope

I lift my head up from the bushes as Veronica heads back into Nate's house after he drove away. I have no idea what just happened. One minute I was outside Nate's car, getting ready to plant a GPS tracker in the tire well, the next minute I hear the sound of screams coming from inside and I had to dive for the bushes next to the driveway as the front door opened.

Emerging from the bush, I slip around to the side of the house in order to have some peace and quiet and to think for a moment. I thought Veronica and Nate were supposed to be best friends. What the hell caused them to fight like that? Also, why the fuck did Veronica dye her hair purple? Did Nate insult how she looked and that's why they were fighting?

I feel a sense of cautious optimism building in me. One of my biggest concerns with winning over Nate has to do with his connection to his family and friends. Based on his doctor's notes, as well as the appointments I've been listening to, they're the main reason he's even trying to change who he is. But if a rift forms, or if any tension arises between them, I may find a weakness I can exploit. I'm usually great at breaking people up. I orchestrated all kinds of breakups between classmates in high school. And back then it was just for fun. Now, I have a deep personal interest in the matter. But I've never been able to find an opening with Nate and his friends, or his family. Maybe this is the chance I've been waiting for.

Though I have to know more before I draw that conclusion. For all I know, that was just the world's most elaborate game of tag. Or something else benign enough that I'll get nowhere with if I try using it to split them up.

Frustrated, I lean against the side of the house and consider my options to acquire that information. I could take my mask and hood off and just knock on the door. Veronica considers me a friend and has confided in me before. But the bond she thinks we share (I can't wait to slit her throat) is enormously outdone by the one she shares with Nate. She may not be willing to confide in me about him. Plus, it could trigger some questions about why I'm meeting her here for the party and not at the bar. Hell, now that I think about it, I don't remember if Nate ever even told me where he lived, even though he's been to my house once. So, I guess that could raise some awkward questions if I just showed up here. Okay, that option's out.

Logically, I could just wait for an opportunity to learn more, but time is no longer on my side. If Dr. Sanchez is as good as everything I've found suggests, I need to fix Nate quickly.

My plan begins tonight at the party, which is why I wanted to place the tracker on the car. But it will take a while to come to fruition, and a lot could go wrong. Fucking unreliable human nature. Nate will require my full attention if I am to stand any chance of saving him. Therefore, I won't have as much time for looking at ways to break the bond between him and Veronica.

I could break in to try and find information, but what good would that do? Sure, with Veronica alone in there, this is a great chance to kill her, but Nate would never forgive me for that at this stage, though I'm hoping he may give permission a little bit down the line.

Refocusing on the matter at hand, I don't see any way I could get information if I were to break in. Plus, if I made any mistakes while searching and knocked something down or left a trace, the police could be called.

Shit, that's it!

I smile under my mask as I realize the perfect plan to figure out what happened. I reach into my tool kit and when my hand comes out it's holding my "play" phone. It's prepaid, not linked to my real or any of my fake Ids. I unlock it and do the last thing a serial killer should ever do.

I dial 911. I listen to the sound of it ringing.

"York Region 911, which service do you require?" comes the voice on the other end.