Demented ➳ h.s [Editing Starting Soon]

KILLER’S POV

Of course Charlotte would believe Harry. She always does, doesn’t she? She’s captivated with his vague character and lost soul. He’s the lost one, not Charlotte. I’m trying to save her from what the world is; the outside world. That’s what will get her killed, the outside world. No one cares about her or anyone out there. They want to eat her up and out. Until she’s nothing left except a pretty face, if she’ll even have that left.

Charlotte’s never been one to look around. Although no one looked at her, everyone looked at her. I’ve been there all along. Looking after her mistakes whether she knew it or not. I’ve always cared for Charlotte which is why I’m trying to get her away from that scum, Harry Styles. He will never break what Charlotte and I have. She loves me. Even if she did know that I was going around killing people, she couldn’t kill me even if she tried. She loves me too much.

And love is exactly what is going to fuck her over.

CHARLOTTE’S POV
THURSDAY

I spent the next twenty-four hours wallowing around trying to think who could possibly be the killer. I’ve thought of so many people that are deathly close to Harry but the only people I could think of with a motive are Johanna and Louis. The mother-son duo. That would be one hell of a story to tell. Anyway, I gave up on thinking about people close to Harry and started thinking about people close to me who wouldn’t want Harry to be released or would just want someone to take the fall.

I thought of many people. Close people like Celia or Liz. For all I know, Liz is still in the hospital, but I don’t think so. I hope she’s given up drugs by now, I won’t visit her next time. Hopefully there isn’t a next time. My eyes were straining after looking at a laptop for hours and hours yet again. I didn’t fully believe Harry yet I had a gut feeling that he couldn’t kill someone.

Harry is very… mystical, if you will. He’s captivating and stunning. He’s unorthodox and perfect in his own sadistic way. I think I love Harry. Not love him, but love him. I love the idea of Harry Styles but I do not yet love Harry. Just Harry. Harry’s authentic, not like many other people in the world. He means what he says… most of the time. He’s a genuine person. A liar, but genuine. He’s probably the best liar I’ve ever met. Next to Liz or Frankie or something. Otherwise, the best liar.

I rubbed my eyes multiple times. They were becoming drunk off of tiredness and slurring the words together on the screen. I haven’t been to work in at least two weeks yet I’ve never been more tired in my life. Helping Harry is a job; I should be getting paid. My phone buzzed under my thigh, it was Liz. “Hel—”

“Well. You don’t even call to check up on me when I get out of the hospital?” She was speaking sarcastically but it made me quite upset since I made it a little clear that I didn’t even want to associate with her anymore.

“Not really. I didn’t feel obligated since you became a drug addict.”

“Woah, woah there, Alaska. No one said you were obligated, I was just saying it’d be nice to get a visit or a call from a friend after nearly dying.”

I scoffed, “Friend.”

“Well, I should go. Just wanted to tell you that I’ve finally been let free. Whatever, love you.” I hung up. Liz has always been clumsy both physically and mentally. I’m not saying she’s slow or stupid, she’s clumsy minded. Always getting her thoughts confused and concocted in a way only she can untwist. She’s properly insanely genius in a way.

She has to be some type of a genius. I’m not saying I’m smart or anything but I’ve been to college, I’ve stayed in school. Yet, she still seemed to fool me over and over again without my consent or knowing. It was impossible for her not to be the clumsiest genius in the world. She was as much of a manipulator as Harry.

Manipulator.

I’d allowed Liz to use me for years. Who says she didn’t tap into files she shouldn’t have been in? Who says she was ever reading that book she always had her face stuffed in? What if it was just a cover for her thieving? Is that why she didn’t want me to read it? Or was it because it’d give too much away; would she kill me too? She used me. I paid the bills—she had all the fun. Liz is a Class A manipulator and can get anything she wants using anyone she wants. Even me.

I was so blind that I could have possibly allowed her to kill another person. Another innocent family that has to grieve over their child being gone. Would it be my fault that she’s dead? Whoever she is. Celia came into my room, still coughing up her lungs that were supposedly inflamed. “Help.”

“Don’t die in my room,” I smiled although death shouldn’t really be spoken of at the moment.

“I won’t. I can’t wait for this to be over, this is Hell.”

“I’m going out,” I ignored her plea, “if anyone asks, I only went out. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Where are you going?” I was gathering things I’d need. A flashlight, my ID, my phone, charger, etcetera.

“To the facility. If the cops don’t let me in, I’m sneaking in. Nothing seems right about this. I’m calling Jack, he has this cop friend who is willing to somehow trace fingerprints for a fee. If I can get fingerprints from the scene, I can possibly find the killer.”

Celia watched me and even followed me down the stairs to the front door before grabbing my shoulders. I thought she was going to talk me out of it but instead she said, “Be careful,” and coughed her way back up the stairs.

****

Jack met me at the front of the facility, our cars parked on the grass next to the woods. “You have everything?” He asked me. I showed him the supplies. “Good, Steve said he’d meet us at the police station at the back entrance. We better hurry, time is money. Literally.”

We walked casually up the stone to the front where tape was lined across the building. A cop stood in front of us, “I’m sorry but I can’t let you in. Against my better judgement and orders.”

“Excuse me but we are very important in this case.” Jack noted.

“I don’t care if you’re the President of the United States, leave.” I’ll take it he doesn’t like America. We sighed and left into the woods where the car was parked.

“That wasn’t hard. Alright, Act Two.” Act One was to distract the guard who was now talking to a group of men about how we just seemed to disappear. “Let’s get going while they’re still talking.” We grabbed our bags and ran to the back of the building where I slid my keycard and opened the door, it didn’t beep too loudly. We entered and the lights were all on.

“Shit,” I swore. The lights weren’t supposed to be on. But it would make sense since they’re investigating.

“Okay, Plan B. We split up like I said and I’ll find the light switch. I’ll meet you back here. If you need to knock a cop out, don’t be afraid. Stay safe.” He handed me wire to attach to both sides of the wall in case someone walked by, they could trip. I pulled out the map for Jack and let him keep it. I’d pre-circled places he might need to go just so he wouldn’t get lost. Harry’s room, the bathroom, and the basement.

“You stay safe. I can hide.” He left after giving me a hug like it’d be our last one. It could possibly be our last one if anything goes wrong. We could get arrested for trespassing and obstruction of evidence. I’d like to not go to jail. I heard footsteps near the door outside and my breath instantly caught in my throat. It was not yet dark meaning Jack hadn’t reached the lights yet.

I prayed to whatever God that I didn’t believe in that he wouldn’t find me. The door opened with a beep and a click and he saw me. He didn’t scream or yell for help, he bolted towards me. I then ran over the string and he tripped over it. I’d learned this self defense thing from Liz to put a person to sleep and it worked. Thank God for shitty friends with good defense skills. The lights went off after I pulled the body flat against the wall to hide him in the dark.

Jack returned to find the body against the wall. “Well then, you took my advice, I see.” I smiled in the dark even though he probably couldn’t see me. “Alright, lead the way.” I did and we snuck past few cops and guards. We expected it to be harder once we got to the actual scene but it wasn’t. I’d reached his room, “This one it?”

I nodded. “Alright,” I whispered, “I’ll get the prints and you keep a look out.” He agreed and stood around the corner holding the cheapest flashlight we could buy. We wanted it cheap so it wouldn’t be as bright. Bright means more attention and more attention means higher risk of getting caught. I made sure to clean the dust I’d put around the room once I was done collecting evidence and signaled for Jack to come on.

We almost made it until Jack decided to leave his position to get the bags I’d told him I didn’t need help on, “You! There! What’re you doing here?!” A cop was yelling at us and Jack swore under his breath.

“W-We were just…” Jack trailed off and looked at me, making sure all the bags were secure. “Running!” We ran through the halls, past my position and the cafeteria. Since we heard him call backup to come to the back door, we left out the front which was also the longest way to the car in the woods.

Thank God I’d done Track in high school and Jack was pretty tall or else we probably would have gotten caught. I yelled at Jack to just throw the remaining bags into the backseat and to drive. “Go! They’re getting in their cars!” It wasn’t hard to escape once we’d gotten back on the road. My hands and legs were shaking.

“Holy shit.” That was basically all Jack could say for the next five minutes, “Holy shit,” he’d repeat.

I found the map under the seat and told him the directions to the back of the police station where we met Steve. Steve was tall with a bald spot in the middle, definitely older than Jack and I. “Well, Jack, nice to see you. You must be Charlotte, pleasure to meet you.”

“Come on, Steve. Our asses are wanted by the cops, we need you to hurry.” I gave Steve the fingerprint samples I collected while Jack went outside to try and make something different about our car so the police wouldn’t suspect anything. He returned around ten minutes later noting that he’d added a dent or two plus some scratches. Poor car.

“This is weird.” The wrinkles in Steve’s forehead bunched together in confusion.

“What is?” I asked.

“The fingerprints for this. They keep coming up as the same person.” Jack said that was normal and that they’d found the owner then, “No, that’s not good. It’s weird. The fingerprints are dead. Literally dead.”

“Come on, what the hell are you talking about?” I was somehow still out of breath and my adrenaline rush wouldn’t calm.

He sighed before turning around in his chair, “They belong to Raven Townsend.”

My heart stopped. I’d thought maybe I was just imagining her being alive in the court tapes, maybe I was just too tired to think. Jack was confused and said, “And…?”

I responded, “—And Raven’s been dead since the summer.”

Notes

Yay, longest chapter in a while. Nearly 50 votes, guys and 77 subs like wtf, you're amazing!! I love you all and go check out Paper Stars that will be the story after Demented if you like it. Also got check out The Resistance by my girl @XOXOH :*

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