Ryder’s room looked atrocious. “Venit tempus!” was written all over the walls in black ink, leaving no space empty. As for what this phrase meant, Sadie had no clue. However, she was able to deduce that it was probably Latin. As she continued to look, she could see large claw marks on the floors, walls, and bed. It looked like a giant animal had come through and trashed the place. If you were to look closer at Ryder’s bed, you would see that his sheets were torn, and his pillow deprived of it’s insides. Sadie suddenly stumble into a book on the floor. Its title read, “The Satanic Bible”, and Sadie kicked it across the floor. The book slide straight into the center of a distinct pentagram written in the floors dark wood. Ryder’s blood was smeared across the pentagram and the wall next to it. What was the creepiest about this entire room, was that her picture was pinned in many different places with a pentagram, and what looked like blood, across her face. One said picture, was attached to a smaller pillow on Ryder’s bed and Sadie didn’t want to think about why it was there.
Footsteps could be heard leaving and entering the doors across the hallway. This caused her panic, but out of the corner of her eye, she could see another book hiding underneath the bed (It looked like it could’ve been a journal). She quickly grabbed it and dashed back out under the caution tape. “Excuse me!” Someone called as she continued to make her way down the hallway. Sadie turned around and tried not to look suspicious. The man started walking towards her and with each footstep, she could feel her heart skip a beat. “What were you doing in Ryder’s room?” the guy asked. Thinking quickly, Sadie replied with, “Ryder was my friend and had some of my belongings, so I just went to pick them up before the police take everything from the room!”. This was the best response she could come up with, but the man didn’t seem persuaded.
As she looked behind this stranger, she could see smoke emitting from her deceased classmates’ room. “Fire!” She shouted before running back towards the room. Sadie turned back to see if her inquisitive stranger. To her surprise however, he was gone! “Great!” she thought, “He probably thinks I started the fire and went to inform the landlord!”. But, wouldn’t she have heard him running down the hallway? Let alone opening the door to the stairs because you could hear it close from inside the room! None of that mattered at the moment and Sadie pushed it to the back of her mind. She needed to get out of the building and call someone. Someone was already ahead of her for by the time she had left the building, the fire alarms were on and the fire department was there. Sadie watched as the flames eroded from Ryder’s bedroom window and she tried to think of what could have started the fire.
Sadie wanted to get the hell out of there before the firefighters began questioning students how the fire started. She couldn’t see the man from earlier, so she just assumed he had gone elsewhere on campus. Now was not the time for an alleged arsonist to “pop-up” on campus. Especially if she were the one suspected of starting the fire. More than likely, it started from a faulty electrical outlet, as these apartments were very old. Even so, she thought it best to head back to her apartment like the police had ordered. Plus, her curiosity urged her to hurry back so she could investigate the contents of Ryder’s journal.
At last, she made it to her apartment. Sadie rode the elevator to the fourth floor and then to her home in room 447. To her surprise, the door was unlocked. Not like she had anything to steal, but thieves will take anything. With that, Sadie entered the room to confront her unwanted guest. “Hiya!” said Kat who was perched on the couch by the window. A wave of relief rushed over her as she realized it was just her friend. “How did you even get in here?” Sadie asked. Kat laughed as she waved her spare key around her slim finger, “You should really find a better hiding place for this other than on top of your door!”. Sadie sheepishly walked over and retrieved the key before asking her friend why she had come over. “Well,” Kat began, “Nikolai and I got into a huge argument that resulted in him walking out. I didn’t feel like being alone with the whole Ryder situation, so I came here. I hope that’s ok!”. Sadie plopped down beside Kat and poked her forehead. “Of course, you’re welcome to come here! Why wouldn’t you be? Honestly, I love you, but I wish you would dump that cunt waffle already! He always causes problems!” Kat rolled her eyes before noticing that Sadie was hiding something. As if she were a cat, she snatched it from Sadie’s hands.
“Give that back you thief!” Sadie cried. Kat leaped off the couch and scurried behind her counter isle. “This has Ryder’s name on it? How did you—Sadie you didn’t!” Sadie froze before explaining everything to Kat. “So, you think that guy is gonna accuse you of starting the fire?” Her friend asked as she began to investigate the journals contents. Sadie sighed, “I’m not sure, he just disappeared. When I left the building, he was no where in sight, so I just went on my way.” Kat had stopped talking and Sadie could tell she was very enthralled with the book. “Sadie, that dude had an obsession with you!” Kat said as she pointed out one of the journals entries. It read:
12th September 2019,
She sits in front of me with such grace. If I were to reach out my hand, I would be able to run my fingers through her long brown hair. Every now and again, I would catch a whiff of her sweet-smelling perfume that would send my emotions a flame. Just recently, I confessed my feelings for her despite being warned not to by my master. To his relief, she rejected me, and I was left with nothing but her picture to relieve myself to. I’ve longed for so long for our bodies to become one, but alas, my master says it can’t be so.
I’ve known my master for quite some time. He has never given me his name and has insisted I call him master. I can only assume he is the son of perdition whom I worship. But because he hasn’t given me his name, I decided to not pry. Master tells me my sweet Sadie is promised to another. She is apart of the “bigger picture” I have yet to see. Still, I’m sure he wouldn’t be displeased if I keep entertaining myself with the pictures and bits of clothing, I have from her. How I got these items is unimportant. What is important, is that I have been instructed to keep a close eye on her and to not let her meet any other man. I hope that master will tell me what this plan is soon.
Ryder Miller
She was repulsed by the way he talked about her and concerned about the remainder of the journal entry. Whoever this “master” person was, sounded like they were insane and brought Ryder on the crazy train with them. Yet, she was puzzled as to what the, “bigger picture”, was and why this poor man was instructed to do such bizarre things. Kat skipped a couple pages since they talked about the same things. Each entry discussed a number of unholy things Ryder did in the confines of his apartment. It wasn’t until the last entry, that Sadie felt an abundance of anxiety. The entry for March 1st, 2020 read:
1st March 2020,
How could I have not known this sooner? Sadie, if you are reading this, that means I am dead, and you are in danger! Ignore everything else that you’ve read in this journal and listen to me! I have learned things from my “master” that have caused me distress and I can no longer be apart of it. The things they have planned for you could result in the end of the world and ARE NOT to be taken lightly! I advise you to do as I’m about to tell you to save yourself my love.
Your family is hiding a great deal of information from you. I suggest you go talk to them. I can not share this information with you as it will hasten my upcoming demise. Once you’ve talked to your family, you need to do everything in your power to keep the balance of our world. Trust no one, not even your friends. Ugh, I know I’m running out of time, but I need to tell you that what is about to happen tomorrow is not a suicide nor is it a murder than can be solved by the police. I got involved in a lot of stupid shit I had no business messing with. My behaviors have changed and I’m not the person I once was when I started school here, so this needs to happen. I can’t tell you much more, so I’ll finish by saying this…venit tempus!
Ryder Miller
The urge to throw up overwhelmed her and Sadie rushed to the bathroom. After she finished, she washed out her mouth and re-joined her friend. “You aren’t taking any of that, seriously are you?” Kat asked with concern in her voice. Sadie shook her head, Ryder obviously had a lot of issues and failed to seek help. However, the part where he talked about his death not being a suicide was a red flag. It would probably be wise for her to head down to campus police and tell them she had found the journal in the bushed of Ryder’s apartment complex since it did suggest murder. Another unsettling part was the line that said her family was hiding something from her. Sadie knew her family would never do that because they shared everything with each other. Well, some personal things (like her losing her virginity) were shared only with her mother. Then there was that phrase again, “Venit tempus”, she still had no idea what it meant and decided to google it. Apparently, in Latin, it meant “The time has come” and flashes of the phrase all over Ryder’s room plagued her mind and made her nauseous again.
“Could you please put that thing away, it’s making me sick! I think I’m taking it to campus police tomorrow.” Sadie said as her stomach began to rumble again. Kat put the book in her bag and suggested she stay the night with her and accompany her to campus police tomorrow. “Are you sure? Won’t Nikolai get upset again?” she asked. “Nah,” Kat began, “he’ll get over it like he does everything”. Sadie hugged her friend tight and thanked her. They spent the rest of the night drinking wine/beer, eating sushi and ramen noodles, and watching rom coms. It was close to two o’clock in the morning before they decided to go to bed.
The next morning, Sadie woke up and stretched. Beside her, her best friend Kat was drooling on her pillow. She took this opportunity to take a picture of her to use in their graduation video. After taking the picture, Sadie gently shook Kat until she woke up. “Ugh it’s too early, go back to sleep!” Kat said annoyed. She reminded her that she had agreed to go with her to campus police. “Why do we need to go there?” her friend asked. “To give them the journal remember?” Sadie replied. By this time, Kat sat up and stared at her before asking, “What journal?”. She assumed maybe it was the hangover altering her memory, so Sadie went to grab the journal.
After finding it, she brought it back to Kat. After flipping through it, Kat said, “Who the fuck is Ryder and why is he saying all this shit?”. Baffled, Sadie responded with, “You’ve got to be kidding me? Kat, I know you drank a lot last night, but your memory usually isn’t this hazy. Ryder Miller? The guy who just got murdered in the apartment complex across from mine?”. Her friend looked at her with the most confused expression she had ever seen. “Sadie,” she began, “what the fuck are you talking about? I’ve never heard anything about the guy or even a murder? Are you alright?”. The joke had gone far enough, so Sadie urged her friend to get dressed and walk with her to campus police. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Nikolai has already blown my phone up with voicemails and text. I really don’t feel like dealing with him being pissed again, so I gotta go.”. What was happening? Whatever prank Kat was pulling on her was not funny at all. If she wanted to go back to Nikolai, she could’ve just said it instead of making her feel like she was crazy.
After Kat left (there was a deathly silence between her and Sadie the rest of the morning), Sadie decided to turn in the journal by herself. She set out on her way passed Ryder’s apartment. Oddly enough, there were no signs of there being a fire. Even so, she continued on her short journey. Suddenly, she bumped into someone causing the journal to fall to the ground with a large thud. As she bent down to retrieve it, a masculine hand grabbed it and stood up. “Sorry about that,” began a masculine voice, “I’ve been so scatter brained after moving in!”. Sadie stood up to find the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His eyes were the color of fresh honey and underneath these eyes hid a white smile under a scruffy, but tidy, mustache. Said mustache was connected to a very well-kept black beard. The man’s think black hair was brought back in a man bun which exposed his slightly tanned skin. Sadie was so entranced that she nearly forgot about her mission and the journal!
She refocused and apologized for not paying attention. “Sorry about that, I was so focused on where I was going, that I ironically didn’t watch where I was going!”. The man smiled before returning the book to her and outstretching his hand. “The name’s Allister Barbatos, I just moved to the 3rd floor of the apartment complex over there.” Allister said pointing to her apartment complex. “That’s cool Allister! My name’s Sadie and I live on the fourth floor of your apartment complex!” she replied with a smile. With the book now back in her possession, she turned to head to campus police. “Wait, where are you going so fast?” Allister said as soon as she turned. “Sorry, I’m really busy at the moment, but maybe we can talk later!” she replied. Before she knew it, there was a tiny piece of paper in her hand that had a phone number written on it. “Text me whenever you’re done with what you’re doing and maybe we can hang. I have zero friends here, so I would really like to make some before I start class tomorrow.” He said with a smile. Sadie nodded and agreed to text him. Before she knew it, he was on his was and she on hers.
Finally, Sadie made it to campus police. She opened the door and requested she speak with an officer as she had very important information to give them. Once an officer was assigned to her, she showed him the journal. “I found this hidden in a bush yesterday as I was heading back to my apartment, I think there is information in here that can be useful.” The girl said as she handed the journal to the officer. The officer flipped through it before returning it to her. “Ma’am,” he began, “I don’t know why you’ve decided to waste my valued time with this. There is no student here by the name of Ryder Miller, so I would advise you to trash this journal and not spout this nonsense to anyone else.” “Oh, come on!” She thought. Sadie politely tried to explain everything to the officer, but he just looked at her like she was crazy. Before long, the officer began getting suspicious and started asking her is she had done something she possibly regretted. By this point, she gave it up and apologized for wasting the officers time.
Sadie had no idea what was going on, but she didn’t like it. It was as if Ryder never existed. On her way back to her apartment, she decided to take another look at his apartment for more evidence to prove to herself that she wasn’t crazy. When she got to his floor, she noticed that his door was no longer covered in police tap. Sadie tried to open it, but it was locked. So, she resorted to banging on the door only for a female student to answer. “Um, can I help you?” the girl asked. Sadie mentioned Ryder and the girl explained to her that she had lived in that apartment room since she was a freshman. Thus, she apologized and left.
She was getting pretty pissed off with the whole situation and angrily threw the journal in the trashcan. What if she was crazy? What if Ryder was imaginary? As a psychology student, she had only studied these things, but she didn’t think they would happen to her! She shook her head, there was no way that could be possible as she remembered the incident between Ryder and a fellow biology student. Ryder was a real person and why he has suddenly been “forgotten” she couldn’t comprehend. However, she decided that everything was always better after drinking an iced caramel macchiato. This time, she decided to go to the campus Starbucks, so she didn’t have to travel so much. Once there, she ordered the biggest cup of her favorite drink the store offered.
After a while, she remembered Allister. How could she forget such a beautiful man! Sadie reached into her pocket and retrieved the little piece of paper he had given her. She hoped it wasn’t a fake number as she carefully typed in the numbers. For some reason, she decided to call him instead of text him, but to her surprise he responded rather quickly. The, slightly annoyed, girl explained to him that she was free now and that he was more than welcome to come grab a coffee and chat. Allister happily excepted and told her he would be there momentarily. Little did she know, that her journey had just begun.
ns 18.68.41.141da2
