Clocks flashed 1:30a.m.; alarms echoed, catching the eyes of many residents. Apparently an incident had occurred that alerted officers to the scene. Police cars surrounded a singular home and drew their guns, calling out to anyone most likely still inside.
"THIS IS THE POLICE! COME ON OUT AND IDENTIFY YOURSELF!" Officer Mason yelled, roaming around inside with two other cops. Scoping through, Mason noticed couches were slashed and glassware was scattered everywhere.
An officer named Author checked the kitchen and realized nothing appeared to have been stolen, but there were chairs and tables flipped over, showing signs of potential struggle.
Meanwhile, Officer Charlie scans for any exit points. He moves through the dark hallways and decides to go upstairs. Everything around him was pitch black, as the only light brightening the way came from his flashlight. As he reached the second floor, to his surprise, there was blood on the floor. Before Charlie could react, one of the doors slightly moved, which caught his attention.
Officer Joshua was the fourth police officer who went inside; he searched around the first floor with Officer Mason by his side, finding a door leading into the basement.
Captain Morgan, who is their supervisor, radioed them in from outside, allowing them to demonstrate the knowledge they've accumulated during training before taking action himself. More officers pulled up to the scene with guns drawn as residents watched in concern.
Roaming through the dark corners of the basement, Officer Joshua had his flashlight in hand, hearing his own breathing. The place was cluttered, showing no sign of human life. Over time, Joshua believed none of them would find anything suspicious, which changed the moment Joshua saw the cellar door leading to the backyard wide open. He cautiously approaches, noticing a suspicious trail leading to someplace else.
Out of nowhere, in the span of a couple of seconds, Mason heard a loud scream coming from upstairs. Within an instant, he rushed over, hearing it abruptly stop. The first few minutes were completely silent afterwards. Mason, not having a good feeling, called for his backup, making sure they were okay.
"OFFICER JOSHUA, AUTHOR, CHARLIE, ARE YOU GUYS UPSTAIRS?" Mason calls out, hearing no response back from his companions. "IF YOU GUYS ARE UPSTAIRS, PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR WHEREABOUTS. I NEED EVERYONE TO GET DOWN HERE!"
Mason, concerned about his recruit's well-being, gathered all his courage and slowly walked up the stairs.
Before reaching the second floor halfway, he got a strong whiff of some kind of vulgar scent. Mason took one step, feeling a strange, squishing liquid underneath his shoe.
Lowering his flashlight, he saw there were trails of blood heading into two separate rooms. Mason, holding his nose, stopped in front of the closest door, reached for his taser gun, and headed straight inside.
When he enters, Mason is faced with a horrific sight of blood smeared on the wall. Adding to the horror, he noticed beneath his feet were two of his partner officers who came with him. Josh, the first officer, was found on the ground, lifeless. Next, Officer Charlie is found barely breathing, having trouble talking as blood pours out from his mouth.
Mason rushes over, drops the flashlight, and calls for backup on his walkie. His next instinct was to apply pressure on his wounds to make sure Charlie did not bleed out. But even though his attempts were all he could do, it wasn't enough. Mason watched as Charlie took his final breath in his arms before closing his eyes.
Out of sheer desperation, Officer Mason decides to run back and alert the others. By accident, he places the palm of his hand on a puddle of blood beneath him. Mason grabs his flashlight from off the ground and dashes for the staircase when he hears another door creak open.
"What the hell?" Mason whispered.
Being cautious, Officer Mason quietly approaches, holding his gun ready. He does a quick countdown before storming inside, pointing it across the room as he notices a shadowy figure in a hoodie and mask jump out the window.
"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Mason yelled. He ran towards the window in an attempt to stop whoever it was and accidentally tripped over something on the ground.
Mason straightened up, confused at what made him fall over, and realized with his flashlight that blood was all over the wall, revealing strange writing. He then looked around the room and noticed anime posters, comic books, and several plushies on the bed, indicating that it was a children's room.
Looking down, he noticed what made him trip; it was a blood-soaked blanket. Mason slightly moved the blanket away when he spotted a small hand holding a small plushie covered in blood. His heart sank, causing him to crawl back in fear, witnessing the traumatic sight of a child's deceased body.
Captain Morgan, getting the message, came storming inside with his gun already drawn. He took it upon himself to investigate; seeing the house look like a tornado had ransacked the place, he headed upstairs when his eyes landed on the gruesome massacre that had taken the lives of two officers. Morgan, looking away, radioed in on his walkie.
"THIS IS CAPTAIN MORGAN! A MURDER HAS TAKEN PLACE! I HAVE JUST FOUND THE LIFELESS BODIES OF OFFICER AUTHOR AND OFFICER CHARLIE. WE NEED BACKUP NOW INSIDE! I REPEAT, WE NEED BACKUP NOW INSIDE!"
Suddenly, Morgan heard a subtle whimper coming from another room. He went to the next room and noticed Mason was leaning up against a wall. Morgan approaches him, ensuring he maintains his composure while they are still inside.
Just then, Captain Morgan gazed at the lettering on the wall; he flipped the light on, which revealed an ominous sentence.
YOU DID THIS, ALL OF YOU!
WE GAVE YOU A CHANCE, AND YOU ALL FAILED.
MAKING US LIVE UNDER YOUR LIES,
HIDDEN BEHIND TORMENT!
THAT WILL BE NO MORE GOING FORWARD,
THIS IS OUR TOWN!
WE ARE THE FACELESS WALKERS
THE ONE WHO SHALL RISE.
Officer Morgan read the eerie message and stared blankly before turning back to Mason.
"I—I s—saw that as well..." Mason stutters, pointing at the deceased body, hidden underneath blankets.
Morgan pulls the blankets from off the dead body; it's a young boy who has been stabbed several times in the face, hardly looking identifiable. Regardless of being disgusted, he examined the body, which held a plushie and a picture frame.
Officer Mason, still in shock, turns his attention towards the open window and notices something odd hanging. He crawls over and picks up a strange-looking mask covered in blood. As Morgan loosened the young boy's lifeless grip off the broken picture frame, he placed the body gently back down.
Three officers entered, with their guns drawn as their crosshairs fell on the child's body. Mason emerged, showing them the unknown mask he just found. They all were beyond dismayed, having to keep a level head.
Captain Morgan stared at the photograph, which featured a mother, father, and their son—three members of the family—smiling together. A note was also attached showing all their names written in big bold letters.
'Welcome Mister & Misses Martella and their young boy Fred Martella.'