Chapter 1

In the ominous hush of Richville's moonlit streets, pandemonium erupted on that fateful evening. The shrill, piercing wails of police sirens shattered the tranquility, sending shockwaves reverberating through the neighborhood. One solitary gunshot, like a sinister omen, shattered the stillness, heralding a night of unrelenting darkness.

As the police vehicles converged on the scene, their crimson and blue lights cast eerie, ever-shifting shadows. Illuminated by the flashing lights, the tableau that unfolded before them was nothing short of macabre—a lifeless body sprawled on the unforgiving pavement. It was none other than Nate, a notorious 18-year-old student of Richville High.

Chaos and commotion gripped the crime scene, as the police officers struggled to maintain a semblance of order among the gawking, anxious crowd. Amid the tumult, the sheriff and the seasoned investigator knelt beside Nate's lifeless form, their expressions etched with grim determination.

After a meticulous examination, the investigator delivered his chilling verdict—a fatal bullet piercing Nate's heart. As they whispered among themselves, the scene took a sinister turn. A frantic policeman rushed over, bearing yet another startling revelation. A hit-and-run incident had unfolded only blocks away, adding an unsettling layer of complexity to the already enigmatic night.

"Find out how these two horrors are intertwined; my gut tells me they are," the sheriff ordered the officer, his voice heavy with foreboding.

"Sir," the officer saluted and departed into the murky night.

The sheriff was haunted by an ominous premonition. Richville, a haven of tranquility with an almost non-existent crime rate, had been thrust into a nightmarish abyss. He sensed that the horrors of that night were merely the harbinger of something far more sinister, lurking in the shadows.

***

Beyond the witching hour on a desolate Saturday morning, Damon found himself ensnared in a restless slumber, tormented by the events of the previous night. Nate, his fellow student at Richville High, had been a tyrant, and Damon couldn't shake the nagging suspicion that someone within their school's walls held the key to his violent demise.

A series of knocks on his bedroom door jolted him from his grim reverie.

*Knock, knock.*

His mother's persistent summons finally coerced him from the clutches of sleep. Damon awoke, his neck aching from an unnatural contortion.

"Is he trying to strangle himself in his sleep?" she mumbled in bewilderment.

"Hey, sluggard, rise and shine!" she declared, clapping her hands above his head. Startled, Damon sat up abruptly, a sharp pain coursing through his neck.

"Ouch!" he cried out, rubbing the sore spot.

"That's the price you pay for sleeping like the dead," she scolded, taking a seat on his bed.

"When did you get back?" Damon inquired. His mother, a tireless doctor at Richville Medical Hospital, often bore the weight of exhausting shifts, leaving little time for her family.

"6:00 AM," she replied. "I had planned for you to pick up the laundry, but since you were in a coma of your own, I prepared breakfast and stashed it in the fridge. I'll be off to work in 30 minutes."

"Mom, you just returned, and you're leaving again?" Damon questioned, his disappointment evident.

"There was a hit-and-run incident last night. I need to check on the patient. We managed to save her, but she lost a staggering amount of blood and is now in a coma," she explained.

"Whatever," Damon muttered, his tone laced with bitterness. His mother understood the frustration her job instilled in him, but she also cherished the understanding that flowed between them.

"Hey, don't be mad, okay? I promise I'll be home tonight," she tried to console him. Damon managed a reluctant smile.

However, her gaze fell upon some papers beside his pillow, and curiosity got the best of her. She picked up the papers and began to read. It was Damon's analysis of the previous night's events.

"Damon, what is this?" she demanded, her voice tinged with anger.

Damon hastily retrieved the papers, concealing them in his drawer. He turned back to his mother, attempting to downplay their significance.

"It's nothing, Mom. Just some thoughts about last night, that's all," he replied casually. "I was brainstorming, you know, putting together a list of what might have led to the events last night."

"Are you out of your mind? What are you, Sherlock Holmes?" his mother exploded. "This isn't a missing pet case; this is murder, a gunshot, and it might even involve a gang riot!"

Damon had never witnessed his mother so agitated. She had risen from the bed and was now berating him.

"Mom, please, just hear me out. I knew Nate from school, and he was a bully. It seems like an open-and-shut case," Damon tried to explain.

"Listen to me carefully," his mother interrupted sternly. "There will be no 'finding out who.' Let the police do their job. Is that clear?"

Damon attempted to argue further, but his mother's unyielding resolve silenced him.

"Have I made myself clear?" she demanded.

"Yes, Mom," Damon relented, realizing that his pursuit of the truth wouldn't be as straightforward as he had envisioned. "I better go get that laundry." With that, he left his mother, alone with the secrets of the night.

***

Abigail descended the creaking staircase, her father's weary voice echoing ominously through the house as he engaged in a somber phone call. The weight of the previous night's case was palpable in his voice, and Abigail couldn't help but feel a shiver of dread. She entered her father's dimly lit home office, prompting him to conclude his call hastily. He didn't want his daughter to bear the burden of his worries.

"Are you okay, Dad?" she asked, taking a seat before his desk.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Don't concern yourself," he reassured her, though his eyes betrayed his fatigue.

"You look exhausted and troubled, Dad. You need to rest," she insisted.

Oliver sighed, explaining, "Nate was the son of one of the town's founding families. If I step back now, they might strip me of my position."

"But you're from a founding family too, Dad. Don't you have any influence?" Abigail inquired.

"It's not that simple, darling. They could unite against me and decide to replace me. Besides, when I took the oath as sheriff, I vowed to protect this town and seek justice for the wronged," Oliver explained. Just then, a series of knocks interrupted their conversation. Oliver signaled for Abigail to answer the door. She opened it to find Damon standing there, a faint smile on his face.

"Hi," he greeted.

"Hi, Damon. What brings you here?" Abigail inquired.

Damon hesitated for a moment before replying, "Well, I thought we were supposed to study for our Monday tests. Did you forget?"

"No, it's just that my dad's going through a tough time, and he might need my help with this case, so I want to assist him," Abigail replied as she let Damon inside. They walked through the dimly lit corridor towards her father's office, engaged in a hushed conversation about Nate.

"You know," Damon began, "Nate didn't exactly win any popularity contests. He was a bully, and many kids at school despised him."

Abigail nodded in agreement, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's true. He tormented so many of his classmates. But even so, does that mean he deserved to die like this?"

Damon pondered her question before replying, "No one deserves this, Abigail. But sometimes, when you push people too far, they snap. Maybe one of the kids he bullied got angry enough to pull the trigger."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a stern voice from behind them. "What do you know about Nate?"

Startled, Abigail and Damon turned to find Mr. Oliver standing in the doorway of his office, his expression a mix of curiosity and suspicion. Damon knew he had piqued the sheriff's interest, and now he had to share what he knew about Nate.

Damon knew this was his chance to bring what he knew to light without directly getting involved.

*****