Detective Jesse Thornheart, lesser known as Chastiser Jesse, can only protect his people from what lies in the forest for so long. He slips behind, murder after murder passing him by. Unexplainable human death, and yet the townsfolk turn to him for answers, help, protection, anything.
He's drowning. Guilty, sick to his stomach. Searching for answers, turning up empty.
And in that desperation-that need to redeem himself-he finds himself far across borders, chasing a rumor and a gut instinct. A town, buried deep in the forest-a violent, festering woods not unlike his own-nowhere on the maps, safe from sight of humans and monsters alike. What were they doing differently? What... was he doing wrong?
These people are strange. Safe but frightened. They don't take kindly to strangers. And as he searches this angelic village, eyes burning against his back, he finds a crumpled note.
"Engel Glas Engel Glas Engel Glas. They won't let him leave. You said you would help."
What kind of place is this?
TW for depictions of gore, child negligence/abuse, religious abuse
Jesse's from Michaela Thiston's games, everyone else are my silly little guys.
When Jane Madarang's neighbor Natalie kills herself and leaves behind cryptic instructions, it's up to Jane and her classmates to unearth deadly secrets.
*****
Natalie Driscoll is dead.
She threw herself out a window and left her neighbor Jane to unravel their town's darkest secrets. Following Natalie's instructions leads Jane to three other high school students who all have something to hide. The four of them must carry out Natalie's final errand while solving the mysteries written in her diary. But the secrets they unearth may be far more dangerous than what they ever imagined.
Content and/or trigger warning: This story contains scenes of suicide, violence and murder that may be triggering for some readers.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]