It felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room. For a fleeting moment, the temperature dipped, and the TV grew static.
Both Kyle and Zoey tensed.
However, the reaction lasted for a fleeting moment before fading.
“Why didn’t I think about it before…?”
Zoey muttered while staring at the phone screen. It seemed obvious in hindsight, but they had been so fixated on the image of a clown that they’d completely overlooked one of the most glaring signs.
The cartoon.
“It doesn’t matter anymore. See if there’s anything more about this guy.”
“Give me the phone and I’ll check.”
“Alright, but be careful. I’ll keep mine off while you navigate.”
Kyle’s strategy was simple. Since using the phone was necessary, but also dangerous, he planned to alternate between himself and Zoey. That way, if one of them fell under the effects of the hypnotization, the other could help snap them out of it.
There were, of course, issues with this strategy.
For one, the TV was still on. That was also a source of hypnotization.
Secondly, he wasn’t familiar with the rules of hypnosis. For now, he could only assume it was electronics. But what if it wasn’t?
Kyle was extremely alert as he watched Zoey grab the phone and search for the name of the cartoonist on the Guild Database.
While it didn’t contain detailed information on individuals, it did provide general profiles for nearly everyone in the world. That was only natural, given that the Guild Database was sourced directly from the BAU.
To some, it seemed like a massive breach of privacy, but it was a necessary measure the BAU had implemented to effectively combat the anomalies.
Privacy was a sacrifice for the world’s safety.
“Carter James… I’ve found something.”
As a profile quickly appeared, Zoey’s eyes lit up.
She quickly started reading the information.
“Carter James. Creator of Happy Life, an award-winning animation. He was from Sire Island and had only one notable success in his career. Everything else he created failed to gain traction. He died at forty-one, reportedly from a heart attack. Has one son, and his wife passed away early.”
Reading the details listed on the profile, Zoey’s face turned a little grim by the end.
“There’s no profile picture of him, but there’s an address of where he used to live. Gilmore Street 16. It’s not far from here. It also says he passed away not too long ago.”
“How long…?”
“About three years ago.”
The two paused for a moment, thinking the same thing.
Kyle was the first one to speak.
“This dates back earlier than the recent events, significantly earlier, in fact, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility that something had already been unfolding long before. Then again, we could also be chasing an empty lead. There’s no real guarantee that this will lead to anything.”
“…You’re right.”
Zoey nodded.
It was merely a hypothesis so far. But… It was also a hypothesis that the two felt was much closer to the truth.
“I’m sending all the information to the Guild,” Kyle said, his expression turning grim as he took out his phone. “But it looks like our communication is being blocked. It says that my messages got sent, but the fact that I’ve yet to receive a response from either suggests that communication is blocked.”
“…Same for me.”
Zoey replied quietly, still focused on the phone. After a moment’s thought, she pulled out a small black flip phone.
The moment she did, her expression turned extremely serious.
“Should I…?”
“Might as well.”
Kyle shrugged. The phone was a special item that bypassed any obstruction. However, this was only to be used in case of emergencies.
After all…
This was no normal phone.
“Alright.”
Zoey stuck out her tongue and typed a message on the phone. This proved to be a rather troublesome task. Each number had three to four letters, and she had to select each one at a time.
“Ah, fuck…!”
It was extremely frustrating.
“How did people even write in the past? Shit, fuck. No wonder you had me do it.”
Kyle just looked away, prompting Zoey to clench her teeth.
’Just you wait…’ She mumbled before finally typing out the message and sending it to the Guild.
“They should’ve gotten the message. Reinforcements will be here within the next hour. In the meantime, what do—”
Trr Trrr—!
All of a sudden, the phone rang.
Kyle and Zoey both paused while staring at the flip-flop.
A sudden tension swept over the surroundings as the phone continued to vibrate. One squeal, two squeals, and then—
—Hello? Is anybody there?
A voice.
—Can anybody hear me? Hello?
It belonged to a male, and it sounded rather soft.
—Hell-
Du. Du. Du.
Zoey hung up the call right after she found the buttons had started working again.
Both she and Kyle broke into a cold sweat as they stared at the phone.
“This is why I really hate using this stuff…”
Zoey muttered while Kyle nodded from the side.
“Tell me about it.”
The two wiped the sweat that had formed on their foreheads before turning to look at the door.
“Let’s go. We should go to the address and see if we can find anything.”
“Okay.”
***
“Give it to me!”
“No, me!”
Listening to the children playing, I forced a smile while standing by the side of the playroom.
’The rat should just about be getting to the basement. It won’t be long before all electricity is down.’
The reason why I was downstairs was that there were a few things that I was curious about.
Scanning the kids and looking around, I started to wonder… If Mr. Jingles were hiding amongst the children, which child would it be?
Was it even a child, or perhaps one of the staff?
I took a careful look around me, but there was nothing that really gave anyone away.
’If there’s someone that I’m suspicious of, though, it’s Chris.’
Watching the child sketch the same clown over and over, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. He was so utterly absorbed, so intensely focused, that it was as if nothing else existed beyond the lines he drew. The world around him didn’t seem to matter.
Only the clown did.
“Hm?”
Just then, I felt something touch my shoe, and when I looked down, I saw a small tennis ball.
“I blinked a few times and lifted my head, only to see a little girl staring at me from a distance. The moment our eyes met, a sudden twitch shot through my leg.”
’It’s her…’
The girl who cried the moment she saw me.
Slowly, she walked up to me as she asked,
“…Y-you’re not going to steal it, right?”
She looked to be on the verge of crying while looking at me.
“I… hate thieves! Whaaa!”
“…..”
“Waaa!”
By now, I really did feel like listening to the Section Chief’s words. I was so close to kicking her.
“Don’t mind her.”
A warm voice drifted to my ear as the Matriarch bent down to retrieve the tennis ball, gently placing it back in the girl’s hands. She spoke just a few quiet words, and that seemed to be enough to soothe the young child as she smiled happily at her.
I stared at the scene in bafflement before looking at her.
“…What sort of sorcery do you use?”
“Experience.”
The Matriarch replied with a small laugh before suddenly fixing her attention towards the corner of the room where a lonely boy sat.
The smile on her face faded soon after.
“…Despite it being three years since he’s come here, I’ve yet to see him smile once. It’s almost disheartening to see him like this.”
“Three years?”
I cocked my head.
“Oh, yeah.”
The Matriarch looked back at me.
“He’s been at the orphanage for only three years. His father, unfortunately, passed away three years ago due to a heart attack. It’s such a pity too…”
Covering her cheek with her hand, the Matriarch mumbled, “He had such a bright career ahead of himself. I heard he had even won an award for his animation. What a pity, what a pity…”
Eh?
I froze in that moment, blinking slowly while thinking back to her words.
An award for his animation?
Animation…?
“Oh…”