CHAPTER FOUR:THE CASE OF A MISSING TEEN

EIGHT HOURS EARLIER < HAMLET DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Deep within the classified sectors of the facility, the clinical lights hummed. The figure known as MK Ultra stood before a massive, imposing water tank machine, its glass refracting the harsh overhead lights. He gestured toward it, presenting it to Iz.

"This beautiful machine is a masterpiece," MK Ultra murmured, looking at the contraption they called The Maze. "It will help you remember."

Iz stared at the imposing structure in surprise. "How?"

MK Ultra smiled smoothly, kneeling down to match her height so they were eye-to-eye. "Tomorrow, you shall see how."

Iz could only look back at the looming machine, a deep sense of dread settling over her.

THE NEXT NIGHT

The missing pieces were finally forcing their hands. Following Norah's sudden and terrifying disappearance, the team sat in the Hugos living room, finally laying all their cards on the table.

Fabio and Sarah explained everything they knew to Rose, Charles, Owen, Kevin, Maria, and David. In return, David and Maria shared their theory regarding Melissa’s missing daughter, pieced together from the library archives.

With a plan in motion, the group split up. Maria and David drove down to the police station, preparing to break in and steal Melissa's official file. Fabio and Sarah armed themselves once more and headed straight back to the barn to search for any signs of Norah.

Meanwhile, Rose, Charles, Owen, and Kevin remained at the Hugos' to coordinate. The front door burst open, and Apollo hurried inside, breathing heavily.

Kevin jumped up, his voice dripping with frustration. "Wow, wow, wow. Look who finally decided to show up."

"I know, guys, I'm sorry," Apollo panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I was looking for clues."

Charles stepped forward. "And? Did you find something?"

"Tell me you did, man," Kevin pressed.

Apollo gave a heavy nod.

Rose stood up, her jaw set. "I have a plan, and I think you guys won't like it."

At the Hamlet Police Station, the night officer sat at the front desk, fast asleep with his head tilted back. Taking advantage of the silence, Maria and David slipped past the desk and crept into the holding area.

As they moved down the corridor, they passed the holding cells and stopped dead in their tracks. Locked inside one of the cells was Frank, his face heavily bruised and battered, looking as though he had barely survived a brutal street fight.

"Frank?" Maria whispered in disbelief.

Frank turned toward the sound of her voice, his eyes widening in surprise. "Maria? David? What are you doing here?"

David stared at his injuries. "Are you arrested? Or were you...?"

Frank gave a weak, nervous smile, shifting uncomfortably against the cell wall.

Back at the woods, Fabio and Sarah re-entered the hidden door inside the barn. Flashlights cutting through the gloom, they began to descend the stone staircase they had discovered earlier.

Reaching the bottom, they realized it wasn't just a simple basement or underground cellar. It opened up into a massive, deep tunnel system that stretched into the blackness.

Sarah gasped, her breath catching. "Oh my goodness."

Fabio raised his light, his face grim as they stared into the vast, hidden subterranean expanse.

Inside the Hugos house, Rose’s plan was met with immediate resistance.

"I think Ruth is a host," Rose declared flatly. "We should check that creepy house of hers."

Charles shook his head in disbelief. "Oh my God, Rose, no. That is so bad for us to do that."

"Why do you hate her so much, huh?" Kevin demanded, defending Ruth.

Owen paced the floor, thinking it over. "I don't know, but I think I'm with Rose. Have any of us ever actually been inside that house?"

Apollo stepped forward, raising his hand. "Yeah, and she never allows anyone in there. Even Kevin, her crush, isn't allowed to go inside."

Kevin blinked in utter confusion. "Umm... what? Crush?"

Rose crossed her arms, a knowing look on her face. "Yeah, Kevin. It's like she loves you and Charles so much."

"That is a big fat lie, Rose," Kevin snapped, throwing his hands up. "I think you all have lost your minds."

"Guys, please, let's focus and check it out now!" Owen urged, trying to stop the bickering.

"No, Owen," Charles argued firmly. "This is very wrong. Rose is just upset with her."

Rose’s temper finally flared, her voice turning sharp and venomous. "Oh really? I am the one trying to save your broken ass!"

The words cut through the room like a knife. Total silence fell over the group. Rose instantly went quiet, a flash of regret crossing her face as everyone absorbed the cruelty of the statement.

Charles stared at her, his face falling into a mask of pure hurt and anger. Without saying a word, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, leaving the rest of them standing in heavy, miserable sadness.

A few miles away, Maria’s car tore through the night. Maria kept her eyes on the road while David sat in the passenger seat, holding the stolen file on Melissa Krull. In the back seat sat Frank, nursing his bruises after they had successfully broken him out of his cell.

"Thank you, guys," Frank said earnestly from the back. "I promise, I would help you."

David turned around in his seat, his expression dead serious. "Just stay quiet. You know all of this... it's illegal, right?"

Frank nodded in somber agreement, looking down. Up front, a small smile played on Maria’s lips as she pushed the accelerator down, navigating the dark streets toward the Hamlet Hospital.

Deep beneath the earth, Fabio and Sarah continued their trek through the sprawling tunnel system. Their flashlights flickered against the damp earthen walls. Sarah held up her talkie, clicking the button, but only static hissed back at her. She had been trying to reach the kids, but the earth above was too thick.

"There is no signal down here," Sarah said, her voice echoing nervously. "We need backup, Fabio."

"I know it's scary," Fabio replied, keeping his shotgun raised. "But we are too far to turn back now."

Sarah swung her flashlight to the side, the beam catching a structure built into the dirt. "Look there. Another door."

Tucked into a corner of the tunnel was a heavy, out-of-place door.

Back at the Hugos', Charles sat alone in his room. He had opened his closet and pulled out an old picture from his last birthday—a photo of him and IZ smiling brightly. He stared at it, a profound sadness washing over him.

The door creaked open. Rose walked in quietly. In her hand, she held a mini music box, the upbeat, familiar tones of Billie Jean tinny but clear in the quiet room. Charles tried to force a smile to hide his hurt, but his eyes remained downcast.

Rose offered a playful, tentative smile. "The music girl is here for our own Captain Charles."

Charles ignored her, keeping his eyes locked on the photo.

Rose stepped closer, sitting down playfully beside him. "Okay, so... in a world of Trog, when a captain is helpless and feeling like a mistake, what usually saves him?"

Charles’s face remained downcast. "I don't know. A gift from loved ones."

"Wrong," Rose countered softly, her tone encouraging. "It's a music. A song of hope."

A spark of competitive spark flared in Charles’s eyes, exactly as Rose had hoped. He looked up, ready to argue. "Liar. Remember in Book I, Chapter 8, when the captain was abducted by his own creation? A gift of power saved him."

Rose smiled warmly. Seeing her expression, the tension finally melted away, and Charles broke into a wide, genuine smile.

"I am sorry," Rose said softly, her voice turning sincere. "I shouldn't have said that. You are not broken. You are the bravest of us. You survived the Grabber for a week without breaking... while I was only cursed by his minions, and I broke so easily."

Charles felt a surge of courage wash over him, the sting of her earlier words entirely forgotten. "Let's go and stop this music girl. Together."

Rose smiled. "Together."

They walked out of the bedroom and rejoined the rest of the waiting group. Leaving the house, they all hopped onto their bicycles, pedaling hard through the dark streets toward Ruth's house.

At the Hamlet Hospital, the sliding doors parted. Frank and Maria slipped inside the quiet lobby, leaving David behind to keep watch in the getaway car. Frank immediately smoothed down his shirt, leaning into his natural charm as they approached the front desk.

"Beautiful..." Frank began smoothly, his eyes dropping to her chest to read the plastic badge. "...Nancy. I know visiting hours are over, but please, can you help us meet Melissa Krull?"

The nurse blushed, a wide smile breaking across her face. She looked at Maria, then back to Frank. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Maria offered a tight, nervous smile. Frank stepped a fraction closer to the desk, lowering his voice. "Even if she is, then I think we just broke up because of you."

The nurse giggled warmly, completely won over. She stood up from her chair and gestured for them to follow. "Right this way."

As they walked down the quiet hallway, Maria leaned into Frank, whispering under her breath. "You are good at deceiving girls, right?"

Frank flashed a quick grin. "Umm... is that a compliment?"

Maria just smiled as they kept walking.

Across town, the screech of bicycle brakes signaled the kids' arrival at Ruth's dark, quiet house. They dropped their bikes on the lawn and crept toward the front door, finding it completely unlocked.

They stepped inside, their eyes widening in shock. Emerging from a hidden door in the floorboards—the opposite end of the subterranean tunnel—were Fabio and Sarah, their clothes covered in dirt.

But it wasn't just the hidden tunnel that terrified them.

The entire interior of the house was mutated. Thick, pulsating layers of Swamp Knight body fluid coated the walls, and dark blood stains were splattered across the furniture and floorboards like an active slaughterhouse.

Suddenly, Charles gasped, gripping his head as his eyes began blinking rapidly, a violent, overwhelming psychic connection slamming into his mind.

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