𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬: 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞

Part of the Family

Finally home, Y/N dropped their things down on the ground near their front door with an audible huff. Kicking off their shoes they sat in front of their door massaging their feet. Rubbing and squeezing the parts that hurt, they let out a groan. They wouldn't admit it, but the encounters with Wally seemed...strange. Maybe he was having a bad day? Or maybe... No. Tomorrow's another day to think about this. Pushing the thought aside, Y/N got up to make themselves a quick meal, making sure to stretch their feet and walk on their toes from time to time. Feeling the muscles become less aching felt so nice.

Looking around the kitchen, Y/N could only find cereal. Y/N would've preferred something warm, but this was all they had. Grabbing the Cap'n Crunch, they got their favorite bowl and filled it with the sugar breakfast food. Grabbing the milk from the fridge, they pour just the right amount of milk. Grabbing a spoon, they snake their way to their living room and sit on the couch, making sure not to spill their cereal. Turning on the TV, they flip through the channels until they land in the news. They were going to change the channel, but morbid curiosity got the better of them. Details about the murders were all they were talking about. The conditions the bodies were in, some headless, some missing limbs and most being drained of blood. "It's like it's a vampire..." Y/N said, munching on their cereal. It was odd that the killing kept taking limbs, but most serial killers have a pattern and trophies of their kills. This one was no different.

Just when it was getting into something about a disemboweled woman, Y/N changed the channel with a sharp inhale. Feeling their heart race, they put on some random drama show. Taking a deep breath to calm their anxiety, they tune out the overly dramatic angry woman screaming at her assumed husband. Mindlessly eating their food, their brain circled back to Wally Darling. Everything was so weird today. Was he meaning to be condescending? Was he always so violent when angry? Why does he drink cold coffee and how the hell could he tell it was sweet? Why the hell do you have to wake up earlier than normal? Growing annoyed, they looked at the time on their phone. 10:OOpm already? With a sigh, they finished their cereal and drank the sweet milk. It would help them fall asleep faster. Plus it was yummy and cereal before bed just tasted better. Y/N almost made a second bowl but decided against it.

Putting their bowl and spoon in the sink, Y/N made their way to their room. Taking off their clothes from today, Y/N scratched their skin with a satisfied sigh. It felt good to not feel fabric in their skin. Tossing the clothes to a random corner in their room, they plopped down on their bed. The bed sheets were soft and cool against Y/N's skin. Checking their phone they had no new notifications. Well, not important ones anyway. With a deep sigh, they put their phone on their night stand, plugging it in to charge for tomorrow. Wrapping themselves in their blankets, their body suddenly became very heavy. The milk helped.

A sudden, annoying sound woke them from their slumber. It was their alarm. Seeing it was 3:30am they sighed. They had 30 minutes to get ready. Stretching their body out, they slowly got up from their bed, letting out a big yawn.

They groggily walked towards their bathroom and got ready. It was so cold- the heater must have shut off during the night they had been asleep. They sighed and shivered, feeling the goosebumps slowly forming along their skin while drying off and pulling out a fresh set of clothes to wear for the rest of today's work day. They decided to skip out on breakfast entirely and went for a quick cup of coffee before heading out the door, grabbing their things. Why did Wally want you to come in an hour early? They started the car up and took a moment to enjoy the warmth it provided them from the car's vents compared to their cold apartment. There was barely any traffic along the roads and highways, granted it was still pitch dark outside when they started heading towards their destination. But as they got closer to the studio traffic began getting heavy and filled with more cars, their headlights seeming like daylight had come, blinding them slightly from the many lights in each and every direction.