December 17, 2020
He gasped for air and awoke on the ground, feeling dirt in his lungs. His mind felt fuzzy but he could feel someone forcefully throwing his arms around to his back and handcuffing him. Why was he being handcuffed? Wasn't he just in the forest?
"Where am I?" Edward muttered.
Two men forcefully lifted him to his feet and held him up. His vision was blurry. All he could see was the outline of a man standing in front of him, saying something to him. He couldn't hear the man though. His head was throbbing, his throat was dryer than a desert, and his whole body felt like he had just spent an entire day at the gym. He needed water, some food, and, most importantly, he was desperately in need of sleep.
"Hey, can you hear me?" The man in front of him asked.
Edward struggled to keep his head from falling. He would shake his head vigorously to try and keep his eyes from closing but he knew that it wasn't worth it. These two men would have to torture him if they wanted him to stay awake. He shook his head one more time, somewhat able to focus on the man in front of him. He looked a bit younger than Edward, probably somewhere in his thirties. He had dirty blonde hair and a little bit of stubble on his face. Edward felt his eyes fall down and he saw that the man was wearing a black vest and red tie tucked underneath. Then, he saw a badge, which would explain the handcuffs on Edward's wrist.
"He must be drugged out. Let's get him upstairs," The man said.
Edward felt a gentle push on his back and felt his eyes shut.
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He was laying on a stretcher when he woke for a second time. Several EMTs were standing around him and a few other officers. Lights were flashing all around him and he could see two more officers were standing above him.
"He's a bit dehydrated and has mild frostbite on his hands," One of the EMTs said. "He also have several bruises but we don't see any internal bleeding."
"Does he need to go to a doctor?" The officer from earlier said.
"Well, no," The EMT said. "Not necessarily. But it wouldn't be a bad idea to have him checked up on. There's no telling how long he was down there and if he suffered from any trauma."
The officer huffed. "If he isn't in need of any immediate medical care, we'll be taking him. We don't want this man running around."
The officer made eye contact with Edward before Edward couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.
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"Jordan?" Edward said. He awoke once more. This time he was in a police car, locked in the back seat. This time he was more awake and had come to reality with the situation.
What the fuck?
Edward looked all around the car, seeing numerous officers chatting with other officers. He began panicking.
They don't think I killed him, do they?
Then he paused, trying to think back.
Wait, killed who?
Edward knew he was in the forest. He knew that someone died by a Faceless and he knew that it was someone important to Edward. But who was it? He fell onto the seat and pressed his head into it as hard as he could. The pain that he was feeling was unbearable. He needed some ibuprofen or anything. It was the worst headache he had felt in a long while.
He couldn't remember the name. Gabriel was there but he didn't die. At least, Edward didn't see him die, despite wishing he could have. But who else was there?
He rose up once more and noticed that the manor was standing in the background. Numerous lights were flickered on across the house except for the attic window. He saw a shadow standing in its window, the shape of a woman.
"Rebecca?" He muttered.
The shadow moved away from the window and Edward felt the weight of his eyelids once more. He didn't resist this time. He fell to the seat once more and fell asleep.
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"You awake back there?" A voice in the driver's seat asked.
Edward opened his eyes, feeling an itch on his nose. He tried reaching for it but remembered the handcuffs restraining him. "I suppose." He replied.
"Good to know that you're actually awake this time. You've been muttering for the last half hour," The officer said.
"Sorry about that," Was all that Edward could manage.
The car was silent for a few moments as they drove through the darkness. Edward looked out the window, wondering when another Faceless would appear. Would they attack the police and kill him too?
"Where are you taking me? Edward asked.
"Down to the sheriff's office," The officer replied. "The sheriff and detective have a few questions they want to ask you."
"Why am I under arrest?"
The officer glanced back and looked at Edward. "Well you were pretty out of it but, in short, you were at the scene of a crime."
"A murder?"
"Yes..." The officer replied. "Four murders."
Edward thought back to the people he saw killed. Aaron, Robert, Rebecca, and... He still couldn't think of the fourth person.
"I..." Edward kept his silence. He knew they wouldn't believe him if he told them that the Faceless killed them. In fact, who would believe him. He was at the scene of every murder, right alongside the Faceless. Only, most called the Faceless a myth, even Edward at one point. Edward knew for a fact, they were not a myth.
"Can I get some water?" Edward asked.
"Sure, we'll get you some as soon as we get to the office."
Edward felt his body shake. Something was wrong and his body felt cold - icy cold. The pain in his head intensified and he felt like something was clawing at his mind. He screamed in pain.
"Hey," The officer said. "Is everything alright back there?"
The officer spun his head and, to Edward's terror, his face was gone. "Mr. Porter?" The faceless officer said.
His mind felt like it was being shredded to pieces but, despite all the pain, his head dropped to the seat and his mind went silent for a while longer.
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Edward took several large gulps from the paper cup, feeling the water run down his throat. He was given several refills before he was satisfied. He looked at the officer who drove him, his face now back on his body.
His head began twitching and he had begun to wonder if that man was a Faceless. Perhaps they were all Faceless. Edward didn't know what was happening but he could feel his mind collapsing in on itself.
"They're going to hurt you Edward," A voice in his head said.
He desperately wanted to pound his head into something. The cuffs on his hands prevented him from at least squeezing his temple.
"Kill them, Edward. Kill them for me."
Edward wanted to scream. Something had intruded into his thoughts. They had to be here. The Faceless could be anyone of the officers that were standing around him. One of them, maybe all of them, were in disguise, waiting to finally kill Edward. They were going to kill him like they killed...
He paused. Who did they kill? He shut his eyes to think. Rebecca. Yes, they killed Rebecca but who else?
Was he losing his mind?
"Alright, that's enough water," An officer said. "Let's go take your picture."
Edward could feel the muscles in his jaw twitching, followed by his eye, and then his nose. He felt his legs turn to jelly from underneath him and felt much more forceful hands pull him back up. His own body was failing him.
The officers were yelling at him to stand but he couldn't obey. There was a new voice in his head and it had taken control.
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