Nothing More Contagious Than Love

Chapter 3

As Jerome and I walked down the steps of Paul's trailer, I stood there maybe for a minute analyzing his statement with confusion. The servant of the devil lies in the garden of the iron sisters. Seriously, what could that mean? Why did physics messages have to be so cryptic? I sigh in frustration.

"Come on, Isabelle. We don't have to worry about it right now. Why don't we go back to the trailer and I'll cook us up something?" Jerome asks.

This snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Jerome, last time you tried cooking, you almost burned the trailer down. It smelled like smoke for a week" I tease.

Jerome laughs.

"Oh come on. I'm not that bad. Plus, I've been practicing. I'm hoping for that day where we can have a nice romantic dinner together, without the food tasting charred" Jerome says.

I didn't catch the last part of his statement.

"What?" I ask.

"Let's just head to the trailer, shall we?" Jerome asks leading the way back.

I sat there at the table with a plate of Mac n cheese right in front of me and Jerome sitting across from me. It was really good Mac and cheese actually, especially since Jerome cooked it, but I had hardly touched it. I was still too busy contemplating on Paul's message. It could be worthless, but it was the only thing that we had, so I was going to use it. I just had to decipher it is all.

"You like your Mac and cheese Isabelle?" Jerome asks.

"Iron sisters....iron sisters...." I say out loud.

Jerome sighs and puts his fork down and walks over to me.

"Are you still thinking about Paul's message? Even though I told you we should worry about it later?" Jerome asks.

I sigh.

"I'm sorry Jerome. It's the only thing that's currently on my mind. I know you said not to, but I'm just concentrated on trying to find Lila's killer" I say.

"I understand. I feel the same way. However, if you keep thinking about it like this, it's eventually going to lead to obsession. And that's not a good thing. Let's relax and have a nice time" Jerome says.

I take a deep breath.

"You're right. We'll worry  about it some more later." I say. 

Eventually, it got late and Jerome and I decided to call it a day. Once all the lights were shut off and everything was put away, I got into my bed. Lila and I shared a room, being that we were both girls. Now it was just me. It felt quieter and colder and more awkward. I also felt safer with Lila in the room. I wasn't a huge fan of the dark. It was the first night Jerome and I were in the trailer alone. I decided to call him into my room.

"Jerome!" I yelled.

No answer. I wait a few seconds before I call out again.

"Jerome!"

A few seconds later Jerome trudges in my room.

"What?" he says half asleep.

"Can you stay here with me?" I ask.

I couldn't see his face well in the dark, but I think he smiled.

"Of course" he replies.

I hear him walk over and slip into the bed right next to me.

I smile.

"Thanks" I say quietly.

I hear Jerome yawn. 

"No problem. Now, try and get some sleep" Jerome says.

He rolls over and it sounds like he immediately falls asleep. After all I did wake him up. I turn the opposite direction of him and stare at the wall. With all that was going on right now in my head, I never thought sleep would get to me. But then, not too long later, my eyes began to grow heavy and the net thing I know, I was asleep.

*Dream*

I didn't know where I was for a second. But then I realized I was dreaming. Right now, it just seemed like I was in the middle of nowhere. But then I saw a figure appear not too far away from me. I felt myself walking towards it. I got closer to it and then I recognized who the figure was. It was Lila.

"Lila!" I shout.

I then find myself running towards her. She hears my voice and turns towards me. I stop immediately once I saw her turn towards me. Blood dripped from her neck and spilt onto her clothes. She looks exactly as she did when I first found out she was dead.

"Do not fear me child. It is I, Lila" Lila speaks.

"Lila? Where are we? Who sent you? What's going on?" I ask.

"Listen, I don't have much time. All you need to know is that I was sent here to help you. I'm here to give you a message" Lila says.

"We already received a message from Paul that was supposedly from you. That the servant of the devil lies in the garden of the iron sisters" I say.

"Yes, but you're having trouble analyzing it so I'm here to analyze it for you. The iron sisters is Arkham Bridge" Lila says.

"Wait, how?" I ask.

"The towers are called Mary and Betty. The iron sisters. Then there is a park under the bridge. A garden" Lila finishes.

I take in what she says for a second and realize it all makes sense.

"You're right!" I shout.

"Go now child. Go while there's still time" Lila says.

She then begins to disappear.

"But wait, Lila. Who killed you?" I asked.

Too late, she already has disappeared, and then I realized that I had awoken. I turn to my left to see Jerome still there, fast asleep. He's going to hate me for it, but I have to wake him up.

"Jerome, wake up!" I say as I shake his arm.

He groans and rubs his eyes.

"What is it?" he asks.

"I know what the message Paul gave us means. The iron sisters represent Arkham Bridge and the garden represents a park underneath it. I think we have to go there. That's where our clue is" I say.

"How do you know?" Jerome asks.

"Okay this is going to sound ridiculous but Lila visited me in my dream and told me about it. She told me to go now and I want you to come with me" I say.

"Isabelle, how can you be so sure? It was a dream" Jerome asks.

"That's the thing, I'm not. But my guts are telling me to do so, and they're usually never wrong. Come on we have to go!" I say.

"Alright fine, just let me get my coat" Jerome says.

He slips out of bed and heads back to his room. I grab my coat from my headboard and put on shoes. Jerome comes back with his coat and shoes on as well.

"Come on, let's go catch a killer" I say.