The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)

Chapter 26: Detective on the Scene

Part 1/2

“So what in the world happened here?”

Thick sheriff boots pounded on the blacktop concrete, and the snapping of cameras reverberated throughout the air. Yellow caution tape surrounded the perimeter of Terran High and dozens of police officers were on the scene inspecting the area.

Detective Darren was inspecting a drop of blood with his trusty sidekick, Sam. Detective Darren was a tired-looking fellow who always looked like he was going through crazy hair days. It was as if he was so busy with his work that he couldn’t even be bothered to brush his hair. But he always smelled nice and all the old ladies at the restaurant fawned over him as if he were Adonis himself.

Sam, on the other hand, was a young, bright, and clever lady who was the butter to Detective Darren’s bread. Sparkly blonde hair like Goldilocks that was braided in a ponytail, Sam was always by Detective Darren’s side. It always felt like they were together at all times. A lot of officers at the station speculated that the two had something secret going on. Lovers? Or maybe they were secretly siblings. Many hoped it wasn’t the latter, because then that’d just make things weirder.

“Well hello… Deputy Warren,” Sam sneered as a sheriff approached the two, “What are you doing here? What is a lowly sheriff doing here on the officers’ turf?”

Detective Darren looked at the two of them, then stepped away.

“Should I give you two some space?”

“No. I think you should stay here while I berate this pathetic excuse of a man,” Sam answered while staring at Warren’s face. But Sam’s words made Warren’s heart sting. Warren had ALWAYS wanted to be an officer. But he never passed the bar exam, and he was forced to become a sheriff.

It didn’t really help that the words were coming from his ex-wife.

“Sammy, please-”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Sam. I’m not trying to intrude on anything, okay?! I know you blame me for our son’s death, but I just don’t want our other son to be hurt!” Warren cried, “This is my responsibility just like it is yours-”

“You don’t DESERVE to be Samuel’s father,” Sam shouted back, “Ever since his poor brother passed away he’s never been the same. You changed him, Warren. You can never redeem yourself.”

Warren was silent, and he rubbed his face violently, feeling his heart pump loudly and a clump in his throat.

“Please, Samantha. I just want our son to be safe. I want to find out where he is. I don’t want him to end up the same way. Please, let’s just put our differences aside. You can hate me all you want, but I just want to get to the bottom of this.”

Darren looked at the two of them, then shrugged.

“Well I could help with that.”

Sam looked at Darren and fluttered her eyelashes.

“Of course, Detective. This can be another crime we solve. Why don’t we start by counting up the numbers, how many disappeared?”

“The numbers are pretty high, ma’am. All of the seniors who were set to graduate Terran High disappeared in a flash, including some of the faculty members such as the principal. We could start with the camera evidence, how about that?”

“Of course, Detective. Let’s get to it.”

The two of them walked off, and Warren followed closely behind like some third wheel chump. Warren couldn’t help but feel regret for the whole situation. Two of the sons he had raised, gone, one because of him and the other because of some mysterious circumstance. He hated it.

“I would like to save at least one of my sons,” Warren thought as he rubbed his whiskers.

The three made it to the principal’s office, where all of the footage was stored. The door creaked open, making a loud, creepy noise. It was dark and gloomy in there, as if nobody had been in there for a while.

“Turn on the lights, would you, Warren?” Darren said while nodding his head toward the light switch. Warren flicked the switch and an old light bulb flickered on, a buzzing noise radiating throughout the room. It looked like a typical principal’s office.

The only thing that really set it apart from any other school was the fact that there were scratches and markings all over the wooden walls.

“Oh my,” Sam said, gulping at the sight. The markings consisted of strange lines and sketches, some had dinosaurs and others had weird diamond-shaped artifacts that had scribbles all over them. Desperate messages were plastered all over the wall.