The Freaks | Sally Face

Chapter 15: Friends?

A/N: This chapter contains gruesome descriptions, death and murder. Please read at your own risk! I have marked this story as mature due to language and description so please read at your own digression.

Thank you to all the love and support on this story thus far, it means the world to me!

Sal's POV:-

I stayed awake for a couple more hours, keeping an eye on the flashing lights outside and my ears listening to the sound of deep male voices in the hallway by us. I replayed the night over and over in my head, thinking about what I had exposed River and Larry too, not even I was expecting something so sinister in the room opposite River and right down the hall to me. Flashes of that thing in the bath, soaking in its own pool of blood made me feel sick, to the point I thought I was going to have to get out of the bed and go and vomit.

Every time I closed my eyes I saw the body in the bath, it's throat slit and small clots forming all over the wound. The eyes of the man staring widely and full of fear at the three of us that were then face to face with it. But to me, that wasn't the worst thing that was there. That red eyed demon was. It's grisly exterior looking back at me, through my mask and into my soul. It's thick and pointed teeth smiling grimly at me but then turning it's attention to a vulnerable and frightened River. I then wondered if she saw it standing there, see it's grotesque exterior wanting to eat her alive. I had only seen this demon a few times whilst living here, often when death was involved or a ghost had resurfaced. Megan will sometimes mention her fear of him but she has every reason to think this way. Megan is or better yet, was only 7 before she was killed. Killed in the most gruesome way that makes my stomach turn. Naturally over the year, well just over, that I've been living in Addison Apartments, I have grown very protective of her, not wanting to scare her but still wanting to help her in any way I could.

I remember a few months into seeing her, shortly after she had introduced herself to the gang... I caught her one evening whilst I was snooping on the fifth floor. I was surprised to see her out of her apartment but apparently she could only leave to explore the fifth floor as she was bound to staying there until her murder was fully solved. I managed to get her to talk about the night of her death, she was very unsure of the exact details but remembers being by the lake and the next minute, waking up soaking wet and dead. Megan described the feeling of being dead extremely cold and lonely. Even for a seven year old, you can tell she was quite a bright girl. The way she speaks, the way she behaves is very childlike but sometimes she'll spout words that an adult would use, assuming it's linked to her dead for many years beforehand so most likely has picked up language from the residents.

Megan once told me that the fifth floor was going to be in development, just before her family lived there, that's what lured her parents into staying at the apartments. She'll often tell me her Mom wanted to leave due to the weird and unsettling presence at the apartments but would never be allowed to do so because of her Dad. Whenever Megan mentions her Dad, which isn't very often, she becomes extremely closed off and slightly anxious. I am unsure completely as to why yet but I've been digging for months trying to solve her case as I want nothing more than for her to move on and finally feel free.

I toyed with my emotions for a while, thinking about what would be said about the scene in 403. I hoped I did enough to not be associated with the case, especially excluding Larry and River. I cleaned all the door knobs, the small patch of blood on the bathroom floor that belonged to River and left to call them. Nockfell Police were never very intense with their searching but something like that would be seen and they would have to test the blood sample. I would hate to drag River into something so intense after only being here for a short amount of time. Another half an hour went by and I looked at the time to see it was now nearly 5am... the police were finally leaving the apartment and I at long last, heard them drive away which meant I could now sleep knowing there was no knocking on the door. I looked down at River who was sleeping peacefully on my chest. I watch as her shoulders lift gently indicating she was at peace in her dreams which meant I could try and catch a couple of hours without her worrying or having a nightmare. There were a couple of occasions when I thought she was close to waking up, but after stroking her hair she calmed herself down and cuddled in before breathing peacefully again.