(ON HOLD) The Cult | EW CULT AU

starting a new life.

Waking up in the middle of the night was an unpleasant experience for Tord. He got up in a cold sweat, looking for his pills. Unfortunately, he had forgotten them back at home, with Edd and Matt. He sighed, knowing there was no way he would get his anxiety pills back unless he broke into his old house. He fell back onto the bed, forgetting that Nikki was laying right next to him. He covered his face in frustration, flipping onto his side in a desperate attempt to fall asleep again. As he tried, thoughts plagued his mind.

What did I get myself into? All of this would've never happened if I had just taken another case. Yet again, how would it be different? Would I spend the rest of my life remembering Nikki as a nice girl a once knew, never to be seen again? Would she have found me herself, anyway?

The possibilities swarmed Tord's mind, stressing him even more as he shifted in place. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Tord? Are you okay?" A very tired Nikki asked him, squinting her eye to try and adjust to the dim lighting of the room. 

"Yeah, sorry. There was just something on my mind. Oh, and I realized I left my pills at home."

"Did you? Figures. All of this investigating and running from your old co-workers must've made you forget, right?"

Tord tucked his arms under his head, staring up at the ceiling. "That could be it, yes. You don't happen to have any type of anxiety medication, do you?" He turned his head to face her, Nikki's eye now visibly open and focusing on Tord.

"No, but I could find a way to get you some. There's a drug store I frequent for getting tranquilizers and other drugs."

"Of course there is." He sighs. "How convenient."

Nikki lifted herself up, supporting her torso with her arm as she looked at Tord. She sported a smile. "Hey there's no need for sarcasm, Outlaw."

"Outlaw?" Tord raised a brow, somewhat returning the smile.

"Well, it wouldn't be appropriate to call you 'Detective' anymore, would it? And besides, you're living with me and Tom now, and we're both certainly criminals."

"You're right. Jeez, how did it get to this? I never thought I would become the opposite of what I wanted. And honestly, I only became a detective because of you."

Nikki's eye widened in surprise. "Really?"

Tord shrugged. "Yeah, actually. Edd had been in the police force longer than I have, and once I heard about your murders, I became interested. Then we met, and the rest is history by now."

Nikki got out of bed, taking off the covers and slipping some shoes on. She put on a coat and started to head out the door, when Tord stopped her. "Hey, where're you going?"

"I'm just going to get some water and pills. My wound is causing me too lose too much blood and iron, so I take medication for it. I'll help you find your pills tomorrow." She headed out the door, leaving Tord alone with his thoughts again. He lay back in bed, letting out a sigh and once again staring up at the ceiling. His eyes went down and looked at a wall, letting him see framed pictures he'd barely noticed before.

There was one picture of Nikki, wearing a different outfit and possessing both of her eyes. On both sides of her, there were two people who looked like they were her parents. All three of them were smiling happily, as if they were a perfect family. Next to that, was a picture of a man, probably Nikki's father. He was a brunet, with matching brown eyes and a small beard. Compared to Nikki, he looked very kind. He wore a soft smile, and overall looked like a pleasant man.

There were more frames, but the pictures were torn and the glass broken, or the frame was simply empty. Tord heard the door creak, turning his head to see Nikki there, walking back over to her bedside. "Are you not able to sleep anymore, or were you just waiting for me?" She chuckled slightly, sounding tired still.

"A little bit of both. Hey, who is that guy?" Tord pointed at the man's picture, Nikki turning to see.

"Oh, well, that's a picture of my dad."

"I thought it would be. And I guess that woman in the other frame is your mother?"

"That's right."

Tord looked over again, focusing on the mother this time. "You two look a lot alike."

"Do we? I always thought she looked really pretty. Such a shame she had to go."

Tord's relaxed expression turned to one of slight fear, looking over at Nikki and making eye contact with her. "What do you mean by 'had to go?'"

Nikki sighed, closing her eye and looking down. "Well, I guess I had to tell you at some point. The truth is, I lied to you. My first murder wasn't just some rando on the street. When I joined the cult, I had to sacrifice someone I loved. I couldn't bring myself to hurt you, so I killed my mom instead."

That did it. He stared at her in disbelief. "You... You killed your own mother?"

"Yeah. That's why it was so hard for me. I had to kill my last family member. But if by the end of it, I get my father back, maybe I could bring my mother back, too. If that happens, then all of this would be worth it."

"And, what if it doesn't? H-Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"Then I guess I'll have a time in hell. I know can never be forgiven for what I've done, and I know not even Billy can save me from my sentence. Even he's not that powerful. It's too much to go into right now, so I'll explain in the morning. Try and get some sleep, we have work to do."

"Okay, see ya." They both turned away from each other, being buried in the blankets once more. Tord found himself eventually falling asleep again, closing his eyes and losing consciousness.

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Oop, announcement time-

I've decided to stop writing this story, but it won't be the end. I will keep updating this, but instead of writing, this book will now be a comic.

I feel like it would be easier to make, and I would update this more frequently if i did. Besides, I find it easier to explain a story if I drew it out instead of writing.

Thanks for understanding