Zaine Casiano

Part 1 Six years later They say that time heals all wounds. I beg to differ. Some injuries don't scab over; they fester, they throb, with pus oozing out of them intermittently to remind you of their painful presence. Such was the impact of the events that had transpired more than half a decade ago that it seemed like my life had gotten stuck that night, with my mind acting like a broken record and reliving the deaths of my father and sister dozens of times a day, every day. For years. You see, death isn't really the end. It is just the beginning of a lifetime of pain and suffering for those left behind. I am reminded of that each morning I wake up in bed with a start, covered in cold sweat and shivering as flashes of that damned festival haunt my nightmares, right before my conscious mind peruses them all over again. And believe me, those are the good days, because as traumatising as those dreams are, it means that I'm at least getting some semblance of rest. Most nights are like this one however, where my body absolutely refuses to get even a wink of sleep. But that suits me just fine, because on nights like these, sleep is the furthest thing from my mind. Just like it is for Mr. Rathi here, who by all counts is a hard working, productive member of our isolated society, except for one little oddity. He doesn't sleep. At all. Never has in all his seemingly 40+ years on earth, a fact that is lost on the rest of our town. But not me, for I have spent the last six years investigating anomalies like him who have infected this town like a persistent virus. The one advantage of being so utterly fixated on that festival six years ago is that it has helped me convince myself that I hadn't in fact been hallucinating when I saw that masked man's razor sharp canines. My conviction only grew stronger when I started observing the people around me. Average, ordinary townspeople going about their lives, trying their hardest to deal with the horror that comes around annually. You wouldn't notice anything weird about them if you weren't paying attention, but I was, quiet keenly at that. It took me a while, but I caught on, noticing certain irregularities about some of the people I had grown up around. People who smiled the wrong way, almost artificially, who never seem to eat, or as I later found out, even sleep. And at the centre of this swirling, all encompassing storm was one man, our Mayor. I focused the lens of my SLR and quickly snapped some clicks of Mr. Rathi who had finally come back home after running god knows what errands the whole night. It was 4:30 in the morning, and the sun's first rays were soon going to sneakily claw their way out of the black blanket of the night sky. A couple of hours from now, the man I was following would show up at work, looking fresh and well rested, almost inhumanly so. I had a couple of theories about what this man was upto, mainly involving vampires and blood, but I wasn't sure of anything just yet. My progress had been slow, I had to carry out my work while maintaining the facade of a grieving, yet hard working member of society, if only for the safety of my mother. However, slowly but surely, I was beginning to unravel the mysteries of this place like the manic obsessive I actually was. As my quarry shut the front door of his house, I put my camera in my backpack, slipped out of the bushes, and started jogging back home with my hoodie pulled up. I had to get back before the curious and roving eyes of those on their early morning walks caught sight of me. The cold mountain breeze from the Himalayas was slowly retreating from the valley and a subtle warmth was beginning to creep in by the time I descended onto the winding cobblestone street that curved its way to my home. I froze as I saw my mother ambling about aimlessly on the pavement outside our house, streetlights harshly illuminating her distressed face. Shit. What was she doing outside? I picked up pace and began running. Her eyes widened as she saw me, her long and disheveled grey hair trembling as she began sobbing and blubbering. "What happened ma? " I asked, squeezing her shoulders comfortingly. "Your dad! " She cried. "I can't see him anywhere. I woke up and he wasn't there! " "Shh… It's okay. " "No it's not! " She protested angrily. "He has never done this. Where could he be? We have to find him. " "It's okay ma. " I replied. "Let's go back inside. He'll be back soon. " I helped her get back inside the house as she clung to me desperately, like she was drowning and I was a lifeless piece of wood floating in a turbulent sea. It had been like this ever since that night, her mind had been completely broken and I have been looking after her ever since. And this damned town wouldn't even let us leave to get her some much needed help. All I could rely on were the sedatives prescribed by a doctor I suspected was also one of them. I fed her the medicine after counting and realising that she had indeed skipped a dose and tucked her in, staying with her until she fell asleep. I was cleaning the tables at our restaurant when he walked in. It was early enough in the day that sunlight had just begun streaming in through the glass windows, creating little golden cones for dust particles to dance in. None of our staff had showed up yet, and we had our first customer already. A tall and muscular man, probably my age, he was dressed in black and wearing a thick beanie that he had pulled down to his forehead. "I'm sorry sir. But we are not open yet. " I said apologetically. He waved his hand dismissively. "That's okay. I'll just wait. " Without bothering to wait for a reply, he plopped himself down at a table I had just cleaned and began tapping away at his smartphone. I had been so taken aback by his sudden appearance that I didn't even notice that I had never seen him before. The fact that a perfect stranger had walked into my restaurant slammed into me with the force of a small truck. Strangers are rarer than four leaf clovers in these hills. Who was this guy? How did he make it all the way here? Was there a safe way in and out of this town, or was he working for the mayor? Fear began to claw its way up my spine as I considered the various possibilities. I cleared my throat. "Are you new here, sir? I have never seen you before. " "I am. " He replied without looking up. "Just passing through. " "Passing through? " He looked up, his lips stretching into a warm smile. "Just graduated college. Wanted to 'explore' myself, so hopped into my car, and well, here I am. " He stretched his arms wide. "And you just rode in? " He nodded. "Drove up the road? Just like that? " "Why? " He asked, his eyes twinkling. "Don't see many strangers in this town? " "It's not that…" I was cut off as the front door was once again flung open, and in walked the Mayor, his head brushing against the wind chimes. This day just keeps getting worse. "Ah.. Good morning Raghav! " He strode towards me and vigorously shook my hand. "How are you doing today? " "I'm fine Mr. Mayor, how about you? " I replied as I craned my head slightly to look outside, and saw the mayor's security people keeping watch. "Good, good. " He replied, before turning to look at the stranger. "Good morning to you too, sir. Welcome to our town. " "Thanks. " The stranger said. "I guess it really is true that strangers are rare in this town if the mayor himself is able to recognise one at first glance. " The mayor laughed. "Touche. We are a very close knit community, after all. " He looked back at me, his brow furrowing with fake worry. "How's your mother doing, Raghav? " He asked softly. This part of the conversation was clearly meant just for the two of us. I clenched my teeth, before relaxing. "Some days are good, some not so much. " He patted my arm. "Terrible business; what happened to her. " I could see tears forming in his eyes. The bastard. "Please know that we all still stand with you. If there's anything you need, you only have to ask. " "Thank you Mr. Mayor. " He hesitated, the movement seeming very rehearsed. "It's just…. I am worried about you. I have been hearing… things. Troubling things. " "Like what? " I asked warily. "You've been seen at night, roaming around. Some people are starting to get scared that you might, well, snap. " Goosebumps shot up my arms. Oh. No. I had been so careful, no, scratch that. It was foolish of me to think that they wouldn't find out what I was doing all this time. Was I being followed on my nocturnal outings? I shuddered at the thought. "And now this…" He gestured at the stranger. "You can see why I'm worried, right? " "I have never seen that man once in my life. " I whispered furiously. "I swear it. " His eyes hardened disbelievingly. "You are not a child anymore, Raghav. You have responsibilities now. A sick mother who needs you. Don't do anything so reckless that you might end up endangering it all. " Rage began welling up inside me at the implied threat, but I forcefully pushed it down. He gave me that smarmy smile of his and walked out, after giving a terse nod to the stranger. Fuck. Just when I thought I was getting close to the truth, he comes out and destroys all progress I had made. Wait. Had I made any progress? Or was he just letting me do all this? Indulging my nighttime activities like a doting father. I had never hated him quiet as much as I hated him then, not even on that night. "Interesting fellow, isn't he? " The stranger asked, jolting me back to reality. "He sure is. " I mumbled and got back to my work. "Tell me something, Raghav. " He continued. "What exactly happened to Aditi? " I jerked back, surprise worming its way through the cracks and spreading on my face. "Wh… What? " I stammered. "How did she die? " He asked patiently. "That Mayor was involved somehow, wasn't he? " "I.. I don't know what you're talking about. " "What is happening in this town? Something is dangerously wrong with this place, and you know what that is, do
Run this town spotify. Great song. Iluminnati. Run this town 2020. Not well equipped but well trained. For some reason I had the same dream but in math class. Run This town blog. Run this town by jay-z. Run the heaven town Kobe. Run this town derrick rose. コモリのバク宙やばい！ 隼love. Run this town audio. Run This town hall. Run This town website. Imnandi leConcert. We Miss you Kanye! Get well soon. GOAT MAN.

Run this town movie. Legend says that Jay-z still yelling YEAAAAHHHHH. Run this town rihanna lyrics. Run this town song. Run this town remix.

Run this town tonight. “.. last thing. If it ever goes dark in the middle of the day, just stay in your house, and hide, ” the driver said before falling silent. I chuckled at the bizarre suggestion. As if it hadn't been enough to instate a ridiculous, nighttime curfew, and forbid any romantic attachments with the inhabitants of the town. They also wanted me to hide from the dark? “This ain't no joke, Detective. If you can't follow these instructions, we're turning around, and I'm taking you back to the city. ” He slowed down the car, and looked back at me. He hadn't been the friendliest person. Hell, he hadn't even given me his name, but the pure intensity of his stare made it clear how serious he actually was. “Alright, as you wish. Why would it go dark in the middle of the day anyway? Last time I checked, there wasn't a solar eclipse scheduled for this year. ” Before the driver could answer my half serious 'jab, ' at his rules, a van came speeding towards us. He pulled us to the side of the narrow road, allowing the van, wish its flashing blue lights, to pass unobstructed. In the split second where it drove by, I noticed two police officers occupying the vehicle. “They seem to be in a hurry, ” I said, expecting the driver to explain. “Seriously, why are they driving out of town in such a rush? ” I continued. “They're looking for Patrick. Dumbass tried to leave town a few days ago. I guess a local hunter must have found him. ” His second comment piqued my curiosity. The ominous insinuation said in such a casual manner, meant I had to keep digging. “What, you trying to tell me that he's not allowed to leave? ” “Of course he is, don't be stupid. It's just that... ” he trailed off. “Just that... what? ” I asked. He sighed. “Listen, I'm just the damn driver. If you have any questions, the Sheriff will be happy to fill you in. ” He seemed on edge just having me in his car. I had offered to drive into town myself, but the powers that be, had insisted I get picked up, as the road was treaterous and confusing. Based on what I'd seen that far, they hadn't lied. The road was broken, and in dire need of maintenance, and there were almost no signs to guide our way on our journey. Before long, we passed by the first roadsign I'd seen in hours. Just a simple, piece of wood with the town's name written on it: Tenebris. Not a particularly welcoming sight, but it served its purpose. After another mile or so, we pulled onto an almost empty street. No more than five, miniscule buildings that were supposed to be houses. The driver parked outside one of them, and got outside. “After you drop off your stuff, I'm taking you down to the Sheriff's department, ” he said. Before we entered my humble abode, the driver walked over to a powerbox, and flipped the switch. Dim lights flickered to life, barely illuminating the dark interior. The place was run down, and barely comparable to a two star motel. Not that it mattered while I was on the job, luxuries had never been a part of my work. As we entered, bugs and insects scurried away from the wet doormat covering the floor. The place only seemed to have three rooms. The main one was a living room with a sofa-bed and a stove. A hybrid room for all purposes. Other than that area, there were two doors: One leading to the bathroom, and one with a sign reading 'Curfew Pantry. ' I tried to open it, but the door wouldn't budge. “How come its locked? ” I asked. Without speaking a word, the driver walked over, and gave it a solid pull. After the third or so attempt, it flew open, revealing hundreds of canned, non-perishable goods. It was enough to feed a family for about a year. “I'm only staying a month, you know that, right? ” I asked nervously. He sighed, and nodded. “It's just for emergencies. If it suddely goes dark, there's no telling how long we'll be stuck for. ” “So, incase the sun vanishes, I just stay here? For how long? ” I asked, half sarcastically, still scaptical to the whole situation. He thought for a moment before responding. “Usually, just a couple of hours... “Usually? ” “God knows, could be longer. ” “How long? ” I asked firmly. He fell silent again, not willing to answer the stream of questions I kept producing. “Just drop your damn bags, and let's go visit the Sheriff, ” he ordered. Without further argument, I put my bags down on the table, careful to keep them away from the bug-infested floors. I chuckled briefly to myself, thinking that in the very least I wouldn't be lonely. As we drove through town, I got a better look at the tired looking buildings. They all seemed so ancient, as if they'd been built back in the fifties, and subsequently forgotten about. There were a few people out on the streets, all looking cold and exhausted beyond measure. None of them particularly excited to have a stranger visit them it seemed. The Sheriff's department didn't fare much better than the rest of town. It was a mix between an office building and a jail, too small to keep many criminals in place, but I supposed that in a town that small, crime wasn't much of an issue. At least officially, the deaths had all been ruled accidental. An older man came to greet us as we arrived, accompanied by two younger officers. He wore a thin smile on his face, a tired one at that, but the first sign of friendliness I'd met. I reached out my hand, and he gripped it firmly. “You must be Robert, ” he said as he shook my hand. “The name's Bill Riley. I'm the Sheriff around these parts. ” The other two didn't smile, they just stared at me with suspicioun in their eyes. “Why's he here anyways? ” one of them asked. The Sheriff turned back towards him, with his smile vanishing, replaced by a stern look. The man fell silent, and the Sheriff redirected his attention towards me. “Don't mind them. It's good to have you here, we're in dire need of a forensic pathologist, especially after - “ he said before I interrupted him. “Hold on for a moment, I'm not a pathologist, not anymore at least. ” “But your file said - “ “That was a long time ago, ” I said quickly. The Sheriff took the hint, and didn't push the issue any further. Before we could get inside, a van pulled up behind the building. It was the same one I'd seen speeding past us as we entered town. The Sheriff rushed over to assess the situation, and they pulled a covered stretcher out from the back. “You found him? ” the Sheriff asked surprised. The officers nodded, and carried the stretcher inside. We followed them in through a set of metal doors, which led to an old fashioned autopsy lab. The distinct smell of formaldehyde burned through my nose as we got inside. The Sheriff pulled the covers off the stretcher, which revealed the pale corpse of a middle aged man. While the cause of death wasn't immediately apparent, I suspected some sort of cardiovascular condition, with his eyes deep red from subconjunctival bleeding, and his legs swollen. “Where'd you find him? ” the Sheriff asked. “Just at the edge of town, he didn't even make it across the border. Poor bastard. ” They all stared helplessly at the dead man on the table, before directing their attention at me. “Robert, would you mind assisting us with the autopsy? ” I took a step back, and the Sheriff noticed my trepidation. With a look of mild concern, he put his hand on my shoulder. “Look, I wouldn't ask if I had another choice. I'll stay behind and help, but I just can't do it on my own. ” After an eternity of uncomfortable silence, I put the discomfort aside, and agreed to help. I realized that while most of the officers in the room had dealt with dead bodies, none had ever dealt with dissecting a cadaver. Just the act of cutting a human being up into their most basic parts, was something entirely different that I'd never gotten used to. Together, we jotted down all the basic information regarding the man, who I had come to known as Patrick Lawrence. After taking down his weight, height, age, and observed all the minor wounds, brusies and other recognizable marks on his body, time had come to get the scalpel. “You don't have to be here for this, ” I said as I looked at the profusely sweating Sheriff. “I'm fine. ” “So, you have an autopsy lab, but no pathologist on site? ” I asked, more to get his mind off the sight in front of him, than out of curiosity. “Yeah, we do... “Then, where is he? ” “You're ? you're looking at him, ” he said as he gestured to the corpse infront of me. I felt ashamed. Being from a larger city, meant that all my cases had dealt with strangers, but in a town as small as Tenebris, everyone was either a colleague, friend or family. “I'm sorry, ” I mumbled. Without further ado, I sank my scalpel into the man's abdomen. The blade cut through the skin, and fat without a problem. I created the typical 'Y' shaped incision necessary for easy access. Then, I put my hand down the newly formed hole, ready to expand open his cavities. Inside, I expected resistance. I fumbled around for a bit, with the wet, and slightly warm sensation of decaying organs brushing against my hand. Panic started to rise in my body, as I realized that instead of half rotten organs, I felt... nothing. “No, no, no, that can't be right, ” I mumbled to myself. “What? ” I kept expanding until his entire abdomen and chest cavity were visible. There, within Patrick Lawrence, instead of a heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver, there was nothing. Just a few chunks of what resembled minced meat, as if something had shredded him to pieces from inside. The two of us stared at the empty corpse on the table. The Sheriff, as disgusted as he must have been, he didn't seem all that surprised. “Did you know? ” I asked him quietly, but with a demanding tone. “Know what? ” “What state the corpse would be in? ” I continued, more agitated than before. “No ? no I didn't. ” According to the vague reports about the town that I'd been given, at least a
Her voice is unique Love you Riri. Take me hand and. Run this town jay-z lyrics. Run this town jay-z rihanna kanye west. Run this town lucy hale. Run this town lyrics jay-z. I remember seeing on a site that K second season was greenlit, I think for march. One of my favorite nba players, this man was the first basketballer i knew now a lakers fan, its tragic accident what happend rip kobe forever 24. Run This town center. Run this town alabama. Smoky forever??. The perfect quack doesn't exi. Run This town. Love it 2019 who still watch. Run this town rihanna jay z kanye west official music video.
I keep thinking of PLL when I watch Lucy Hale... shes my favourite. Run this town jay z lyrics. Run this town mv. Anyone recognise this from Battlefield 4. Run this town movie cast. Run This townsend. この片寄くんの髪型服装雰囲気全部好き. I miss you Riri ? please come back, who's with me? 2019 June. Run This town council. Thanks dad! Now I know that this song exists. 涼太くんかっこよすぎる??♀???.