Silent Sorrows II: The Investigation

Dr. James Thompson walked the road up to his office on the 4th floor of Ligsunburg Police Inv. (LPI for short).

It was the first rain the city had gotten in a while. It was always sunny and peaceful there. Kids playing with one another, birds chirping in the trees, and flowers in all different colors. Nothing to worry about...

Today was the opposite...

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Chapter 1

"So... what do we have here?" The doctor asked the four people sitting before him. The first person was a young male, around 25, with black hair and a uniform stating "TAXI DRIVER 039?. The second was a short, plump man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sun-hat. The Third person was a South American women with her hair dangling down onto her dark and worn-out orange dress and strange necklace dangling around her neck. The last of the four was an older man then the rest, obviously a train conductor.

"You all know why you're here", the doctor stated. "Reports say you were all related to the disappearance of a little girl's family in another city. I called you here so we might... start the investigation..."

The old women stood up, brushed her dress, and looked at the doctor.

"We all 'ave different reasons for be'ng at deh ceety of Corazón del Fuego, yes, we admit eet. But every story is different, and if you want to know deh truth, you must leesten to all of dem."

"And can we make this fast?", the round man in the Hawaiian shirt asked. "I have this thing in-"

"Enough!", the doctor said. "This is serious business, and if this little girl's family can't be found, we're assuming someone in this room did something to cause that."

The door opened and a girl named Nancy brought in a little girl, about 7 years old. She was scared of the faces she saw, and hid behind Nancy.

The doctor sighed. The lady in the orange dress was right. This would take time and different stories to listen to. He had to leave the city in 6 days, and needed to solve the case before then.

"My assistant here," he gestured to Nancy, "-Will give you all a time and date of when I will need to see each of you. I will meet with one of you everyday, starting Monday. You cannot leave the city. You cannot run. You must face this little girl's Silent Sorrows"

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Dr. J. Thompson walked the quiet streets of his town to his office that Monday morning. The town... usually wasn't quiet at all... Where were the birds? Why had the flowers turned blue and... grey? Where were the children, running and playing on the 3rd day of summer? Where was... anyone?

It was just too... Silent

Chapter 2

"Alright, Nancy. Bring him in," said the doctor, more tired then usual.

Nancy led in a man, about 6 foot 1, with Black, messy hair and an orange shirt and cargo pants. He had a small goatee on his chin, and was looking as depressed as the rest of the town of Ligsunburg. He sat down across from Dr. Thomas, and rested his head on the desk, looking down.

"Why the handcuffs? I ain't done nothing," the man stated.

Ignoring him, the Doctor read trough some papers on his desk.

"Hmmm... you're a taxi driver, Mister-"

"The name's Tony, and yes, I do drive 'em yellow trucks."

"What was your involvement with the little girl's family?"

"Now what makes you think I remember what you're talking about," Tony asked, laughing. "I drive tons of people everyday, what is so significant about that little girl?"

"What's so significant is that you dropped them off in the middle of no where and that you could be in big trouble if we don't find that family," Dr. Thompson said, sternly.

"Okay, okay! Don't have to get so pushy," Tony stuttered.

Nancy wrote all of this down.

"Now then, what did you notice about her family, and where you exactly dropped them off?"

" Let me think... There was a boy, teenager... Didn't talk to much... and a girl, there was a girl, no, wait, 3 of 'em, one little, two bigger. Then there was their mom that was crying during part of the trip, but I couldn't focus much on them 'cuz I had to watch the road-"

"That led to...?"

"Look, here, Doc. I dunno what the heck you're talking about most of the time, you are, what, British? Ain't matter, just know that I stayed up 4 hours at night driving that family to wherever I was heading. The gas meter was almost out, and I had to do something and-"

"And what?!"

"Well, I...dropped them off- But I ain't dropped them off at nowhere, I saw a town in the distance, Amigo! It was a dark little Town, then again, everything was dark. And it looked a bit... spooky, y'know? But I had ta do something!"

"That's enough Mister, erm, Tony. I think we've got enough from you today. Nancy?"

Nancy, obedient as she was, led the man out of the room, who kept muttering words under his breath. The Doctor leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and put the evidence he had so far in his mind, and went to sleep...

Chapter 2 1/2 Introduction

Darkness... Light... Darkness... Light... Darkness... Light... Darkness... Light... Darkness... Light... Darkness... Light...

The ongoing battle throughout the world that had been active since the beginning. There was no winner, for there had been no defeat, but everyone had chosen their side... whether they knew it, or not...

Chapter 2 1/2

They were both dancing in the moonlight. Both laughing as they struggled in the darkness, the only light in the forever darkness coming from the Crescent Moon, high in the sky...

They did not speak to each other. Just smiles and silent laughter, as they danced and occasionally took a sip of their drink, brushing against their lips.

The World Was Quiet Here, without a sound from anywhere. The girl didn't mind, though. She wasn't thinking straight, anyway...

When they were finished, The boy, with his perfect cropping of hair and his dark black clothing, leaned down towards the lake, looking at his reflection and smiling. She saw her's too, with her black, short-cut dress, her sparkling earring that seemed to beam everytime the moon got a glimpse of it, and her dark hair flowing in the wind.

Her took Her hands, as She took His.

They Kissed.

But when She looked back, he was gone...

She opened her eyes, lieing in the deadly, white snow around her.

It was just a dream, but it had felt so real. Her only escape since-

She wept Silent Sorrows in frustration...

She might as well die in the cold frozen wasteland that surrounded her, but she had to keep trying. After what happened to her sister, she couldn't bear it... It was only a matter of time.

Chapter 3

It was another rainy day in the quiet (normally hot and life-like) town of Ligsunburg. An old man with grey hair walked up the steps to 1127 Garmatto Ave., home to the Ligsunburg Police Investigations offices (LPI for short).

He opened the door, grabbed a newspaper sitting on a desk, and headed up the stairs to his office.

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"Dr. Thompson, you look like you were up all night...," said Nancy, Dr Thompson's Secretary and "Right-Hand" woman, who had just walked into the Doctor's office, with her usual laptop, notepad, and pen.

"Take a look at this," Dr. Thompson said as he handed her today's newspaper.

Nancy took it, and was shocked at the front headline:

APARTMENT SETS ON FIRE

THE APARTMENT BUILDINGS DOWNTOWN, "YELLOW-WATER SPRINGS", BURNED TO THE GROUND LAST NIGHT AROUND 2:06 AM FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE, KILLING ONLY A MAN NAMED HENRY "MAURICE" GILBERT. INVESTIGATORS AND THE FIRE BRIGADE ARRIVED MOMENTS LATER, TRYING TO KEEP THE MAN ALIVE, AND TRYING TO TAKE OUT THE FIRE. FOR MORE INFO. SEE A3 "FIRE".

Nancy stopped at that. She sighed, "Well, that cancels today's appointment, but why so soon I wonder..."

"The quicker we find this family, the better, and that's all I have to say on the subject."

Nancy looked at the paper once more before going to make numerous copies of it.

"You Know, Tom, that nightcap looks good on you," Nancy said with a small laugh.

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A motorcycle was speeding down the road. It was dark blue, with white lightning strikes on the sides of it.

The driver was hunched over, and kept looking behind him to see if he was being followed.

Hes was wearing a puffy white shirt with a brown vest, hidden by the brown jacket he wore. His brown shoes danced in the moonlight next to his brown pants, being held in place by a belt with a rusting belt buckle, and he was wearing a black helmet, with a visor covering his face. All that could be seen was his long black hair , going past his helmet, blowing in the icy cold winds.

He took a quick swerve into a forest of dead trees, barely missing a few as they toppled over from the snow.

"Damnit! If I had known this was the way, I would have reconsidered not coming...", the man said in a Latino accent.

He saw a tall church in the distance, only by the light of the motorcycle and his flashlight. It was night, and the bats were already going out to hunt.

Bells run in the distances. He knew he was close...

Chapter 4

Dr. Thompson woke up to see that he had fallen asleep in his office. With evidence, papers, photos, artist's sketches, and old fairy-tale books cluttered on top of his desk, he still did not have all the research he had hoped for about Corazón del Fuego.

Nancy knocked on the door, waited for the doctor to respond, heard nothing and walked in, with an African-American woman, wearing a purple dress, strange necklaces, golden earrings, rings of all shapes and sizes on her fingers, and bare feet, but most importantly, she was handcuffed.

"What do you 'dink I am gonna do, shoot you to death?' The woman said sarcastically.

"Dark Green eyes, African American, 5 foot 9, female... you must be Lucinda...," Dr. Thompson said, without looking up from his computer.

"Call me Tia Lucinda-"

"It doesn't list a last name on here," The doctor interrupted.

"Then you're modern devices are more clever then I thought," she said with a smile.

The Doctor didn't have time for this. "Our reports show you were the one that spent the most time with the family, or, at least Amanda and another sibling. Tell me, what happened, and how did you wind up in that God-forsaken town yourself"

Tia Lucinda sat up in her chair, and shook her handcuffs in annoyance. Without a response from the Doctor but a glare, she began the tale.

"All I was doing was bar tending, like I always do, but one day, after days... or months... or was it years? Anyway, after a long time without service, I see a man. It is no ordinary man. Dis man looked young, but had a balding head. His clothes were ripped, and he was holding hand of little girl, what did you call her, Ashley- No, Amanda. He was holding her hand, and she looked scared. I would 'ave assumed dis was daughter, no? But his eyes, oh his eyes were as red as blood! He must not noticed me, for he took big axe out of belt, yes. But lucky for little girl Amanda, I had not cleaned the beer glasses yet, and threw one at his head. He look at me, then fall to the ground."

Nancy and Dr. Thompson didn't know what to say. Tia Lucinda took this as a compliment, and ate a peppermint from the little bowl on the desk, as Nancy scribbled away.

"Hmmm... another person involved? What happened to this man?" The Doc finally asked.

"I was hungry, so I-"

"-Don't mean to, erm, interrupt," Nancy said quickly ", but you did not mention what your purpose was in the town, or how you got there."

"As you may know, Mister Thompson, Corazón del Fuego is a city that you can-"

" 'Only find when you most desperately need it' " They both said in unison.

"But what does that mean?" Nancy asked without looking from her notepad.

"It means," Tia Lucinda, The Gypsy Bar-tender, said ,"That to get to Corazón del Fuego, you eesa gonna need al zeh 'elp you can get."

Chapter 5

Silence. Silence. More... Silence.

Where were the kids running to their moms about a splinter? Where was the ice-cream truck and it's annoying tunes? Where were all of the birds that usually sat on the tree branch of the great oak outside the window of the 3rd floor of the Ligsunburg Police Investigations Offices?

It was quiet... too quiet...

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An old man was sitting across from Dr. Tom Thompson, with Nancy sitting a few feet away, in her bright pink suit, with her long, blonde hair dangling off and on her glasses as she took notes.

The old man had a long, grey beard, and was wearing a train conductor's uniform that was obviously way too big for him.

"Mister... Crumb, I think it was?" Dr, Thompson asked the man in front of him.

"Carol Crumb, sir," the old man said politely, obviously having trouble breathing.

"Ah, yes... that's right... And do you know why you're here, Mister Crumb?"

"Let me think...," Mister Crumb started ", Oh right! I'm here concerning that one girl?"

"And her family, yes," Nancy stated.

"What was your involvement with them, Mister Crumb?" The Doctor asked.

"Um... It's coming back to me... yes... there was a boy, and a little girl..."

"... Amanda"

"Yeah, her... The teenager told me to put her on the next available seat, and he left..."

"Wait, what teenager? This boy was a teenager? Where would he have gone?"

"... And then it was 6:00, time for my train to go... and I left..."

"So you left her sibling? And was your train on it's normal route?"

"I had no choice, Sir... And regarding the route, there was a giant tree on top of my normal route, so we switched tracks, and we ended up in a dark and gloomy place, what was the name?"

"Corazón del Fuego."

"Yep, that's it," Mister Crumb said, coughing.

"Well, that wraps up about everything, Doctor," Nancy declared ", And I've received word that Mr. Tony Rubio and Tia Lucinda have arrived. Are you ready?"

Dr. Thompson, pleased with himself, pressed the button on his desk, and spoke into the microphone.

"Send them in..."

Epilogue

It was the first sunny day in all of the first few weeks of June in Ligsunburg, New York. It had been rain, rain, and more rain ever since a 7 year-old girl by the name of Amanda showed up in the town, without any parents, nor siblings.

She was discovered by Ms. Nancy Henderson, of the Ligsunburg Police Investigations (L.P.I. for short), and was taken to the office of Dr. Tom Thompson for help and support.

Turns out, her family was last spotted in the old "fairy-tale" place of Corazón del Fuego, a dark and gloomy town, which very few know very much about.

Legend has it, it was founded by a man and a woman who loved each other, until the man was killed in a fight that broke out in the city in 1402 A.D., causing the woman to be depressed for days on end.

According to Jennifer Caldwell (who died a week after publication)'s Stories Not For Nightime!, the town grew Silent after that, until wierd things started to happen. Those who entered seemed to never come back, and seemed to live forever.

Only 4 had returned.

One of the was little Amanda, who was being cared for at Nancy's house at the edge of town. The Second and third had just walked in Dr. Thompson's office, on the 3rd floor of the L.P.I. HQ. The 4th died in his apartment.

The second and third were Tony Rubio, a local taxi driver, and Miss (Tia) Lucinda, who was reported missing 18 years ago. They were each involved with Amanda's Family's stay at Corazón del Fuego, along with dead #4, and( Conductor of the Midnight Monorail) Mister Carol Crumb.

Dr. Thompson stood up from his desk. He was ready for this. Today was the day.

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"Are we not m's'ng somebody?", Tia Lucinda asked Dr. Thompson.

"I believe that Mister Crumb had some 'business' to attend to in the restroom, so I will start without him," Dr. Thompson said with a small chuckle, as Nancy left the room, leaving the offices for the day, and back to her home.

"Now then," he started. "For the past week or so, I have been gathering information on the story of Amanda's family, and from what I have heard from all of you, after two years, 3 of them are still alive today. It is my duty to send the local law enforcement to pursue them. Unfortunately, they won't get there. They need my knowledge of the city, Tia Lucinda's experiences, Tony's knowledge of location, and Mister Crumb's expertise."

"So, yer sayin' that I'm gonna be drivin' you folks to a mythical city, that might not exist, to find 3 people that wouldn't affect the world, with or without?"

"Leesten here, Rubio, Corazón del Fuego does exist, you and I are liv'ng proof! If we don't show up, they never find them in time," Tia Lucinda said, anger in her eyes.

"That's the spirit," Dr. Thompson said with a weak smile.

"Now then," he started. "If we are to get there successfully, we will-"

A man in a navy blue uniform, a blue cap on, a badge on his shirt, and a thin goatee burst in the room, with the door swinging open to reveal that a fire was consuming the building.

"FIRE," he yelled, explaining that a fire started on the first floor, and that they all had to evacuate.

A woman was trying to awake a man, who was suffering from heat exhaustion.

"Miller?! Miller?! Damnit! We lost Miller!"

"Evacuate everyone! Get the hell out of here!"

"The front door is shut!"

"It's blocked from the outside!"

"This was no accident, this was a set-up!"

Dr. Thompson didn't know what to do, shocked by the sudden burst of flames in the 80-year-old office building.

An officer, with a tag reading "MAYES" was running up to the Doctor. "C'mon, Tom! Ford is in the chopper on the roof, let's go, go, go!"

Dr. Thompson had no choice. He grabbed his files, phone, and other items, piled them in his arms, and urged Tia Lucinda and Tony Rubio to follow.

Wood was falling as the climbed up the stairs, and they could see that the whole building was now on fire as they reached the roof. Flames were shooting out of windows, people were screaming, many jumping out the windows, some getting caught on fire themselves.

A helicopter was at the end of the roof, with an old man sitting in the pilot's seat, with a tag reading "FORD". He gestured for them to get in, with Tia Lucinda jumping in the co-pilot's seat with a laugh, Tony jumping in the side of the chopper, Mayes helping Dr. Thompson in, with Mayes in last, shutting the door behind him.

Tia Lucinda grabbed the Mic, and said with a laugh "Next Stop: Corazón del Fuego!"

Dr. Thompson looked out the window, realizing that Mister Crumb was still in there, in the restroom, on the toilet. How could Dr. Thompson had been so foolish to forget him? He sighed, realizing that his evidence kept going down in flames.

"Hey! You know where we're going, Gypsy lady? We're heading east, not west," Mister Ford asked Tia Lucinda, who had grabbed the wheel.

"'Course I do. We has to get lost, that's how you find a lost place, or everyone knows where it is. Get it? He he...," she said with a laugh.

Fire or no fire, Dr. Thompson realized that this case was not officially closed just yet...

The End

Disclaimer: This story is not property of Will's Tech. It is by A.L.M. from http://www.silentsorrows.wordpress.com/. Please leave any comments that you may have on this story here. Any sent in via my contact page will NOT be relayed to this site.