I jolt awake in a cold sweat, and fragments of a nightmare cloud my mind. Although I'm unable to picture anything from the nightmare itself, somehow I just knew it was about the Organization. I look to my side, seeing Nis has curled up next to me, I smile and slowly sit up, the sun rising through my blinds. Today is the twenty-seventh of December, and I still owe fourteen million. Through the walls, I can hear faint arguing from downstairs. I carefully step out of my room and head downstairs.

I get to the bottom step and see the Patron and Mr. Giles arguing; they both stop when they see me. Mr. Giles softens and nods while the Patron smiles widely and waves me over. I take a deep breath and walk over.

"Buddy! It's been a while!" He says with a cheerful tone before his expression turns into a frown and cold stare, "How are ya?" He says robotically.

Before I can respond, Mr. Giles steps in front of him and pushes him towards the door, clearly not wanting him inside the shop.

"I don't care where you two do your business as long as it's not here. Do not come back here ever again, Patron," Mr. Giles slams the door shut and shoots me a glare.

"Careful," He warns, and I nod.

"Always am," I respond, and Mr. Giles walks away.

I throw my coat and boots on and step outside, shutting the door behind me. The Patron is standing on the edge of the road, looking towards the East side of town. I clear my throat, but he doesn't turn.

"Have you seen the Church?" He asks.

"The one on the East side? Yeah, briefly, why?" I respond, stepping next to him, following his gaze towards the East.

"It's where Mary stays, the base of the Organization," He says.

"Fitting," I mumble.

"They've been hunting me for a while," He says, looking down at his hands.

"For the debt?" I ask.

"Partially, and because I tried to lead a rebellion after your parents died, some of the members fought back against the Organization...A lot of people died," He says, turning to me.

My heart freezes in shock, and for a moment, I remember how human the Patron is. Tears stream down from his eyes, a face innocent and full of raw pain. He looks down again, avoiding eye contact and kicking the ground.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore," He sighs and falls to the ground.

"What about the money?" I ask.

"I have one last request of you, and then I'll give you all of the rest," He says.

My expression lights up; all the rest? All fourteen million? Perfect. I step closer, ready to hear what he has to say. He points to the North side of town, where Nis and he originally came from.

"My house is on the North side, past the railway station, collect my things and bring them to me, I'll meet you over at Sinbad park," He says.

"Just that?" I ask.

"Just that..." He responds.

"Why don't you do it?" I ask him.

"I am scared, and I can't go back there," He whimpers, like a child.

"Understood, see you at the park then," I say, wasting no time getting a move on.

I start the walk on the North side of town. I walk by the old toy store again, and it's boarded up, unlabeled, devoid of all life. I look down and keep walking, slightly tightening my hand into a fist. I continue the walk, passing by the cemetery. I go to step in, looking at the plot of land where my parents are buried, but pause and shake my head, continuing the walk. My fist tightens even more.

I walk past a group of people reading the newspaper, the headline reading "Serial killer found dead, apparent suicide," With a picture of Anshi. I consider reaching for one of them to read how they came to that conclusion, but ultimately decide it's of no use. My fist tightens again as a few drops of blood spill from my hand to the snow below me.

Everywhere I look, I'm reminded of how rotten this world is, the corruption and evil plaguing each road and corner. This Organization is at the root of it all. If they declared Anshi's death a suicide, it means either the cops are just idiots or they were paid off to say that. The way Coy stabbed her couldn't have been seen as a suicide.

I stop and let out a long sigh, relaxing my fists and staring up at the sky. It is clear and sunny. A beautiful day. I shouldn't be thinking about Anshi or the Organization right now; it doesn't matter.

"Excuse me?" A voice calls out to me.

I look down and see an older lady, bundled up in a heavy coat and holding onto a cane. She holds out an envelope and smiles.

"He said you'd be along, I was told to give this to you, Kyne," She beams.

"Who?" I ask, reaching out for the envelope.

"Why, the Patron of course! He said you'd need this," She places the envelope in my hands and walks off, waving goodbye.

I look at the envelope all that's written on it is my name. I flip it around and rip it open, pulling out a letter. I hesitate, debating running back to the Patron before even reading this, and an awful feeling of dread overwhelms me. I bite my bottom lip anxiously and begin reading.

Dear Kyne,

I realize how sudden this may be, but I am afraid this is our last goodbye. By the time you're reading this, I will already be gone. No, not dead, but gone. I am sorry, I can't trust anyone, not even you. Don't worry, I have hidden the money you still need. I have split up the remaining fourteen million into four separate locations, so listen up.

The first location is to the North, where a puzzle left and a heart was crushed.
The second location is to the East, where the voyagers of a time long forgotten made their final stop.
The third location is to the South, where two flowers wilted away, leaving only their memory behind.
The fourth location is to the West, where a place forgotten by time was full of fun and life, now rotting and empty.

I know you have the strength in you to recover the money. But I cannot meet with you again. I hope that in time, you'll learn to forgive me. I never wanted to hurt you, but my mind is weak and damaged. To save you and Nis, I have to go far away...from the Organization...and my family. I will never forget you.

When you pay back your debt, take Nis and Mr. Giles and run, far away from the Organization. Goodbye, Kyne.

-Love,
Juuiek Fracteo

I stare down at the paper, a single tear falling from my eye onto the page. I shake my head and look around for the lady who gave me it. She's long gone, faded into the crowd. I fold the paper and tuck it back into the envelope, and place it in my pocket. I turn back around and venture back home.

"The first location is to the North, where a puzzle left and a heart was crushed."

A puzzle? Hmm... I glance around as I walk before I stop at the now deserted toy store. I remember the feeling of reaching into the body. A heart was crushed...a puzzle left. Nis took the puzzle box from there. I approach the front step and peer through the boards.

"What are you doing?" I heard a voice from behind me.

I turn around and see a cop standing there, raising an eyebrow as he approaches me. I step back down the steps and look around. It seems he was just passing by and saw me. This place isn't under surveillance.

"Sorry, sir, I was just curious about what happened here," I lie.

"So you wanted to get inside and have a peek for yourself?" He asks suspiciously.

"No, I was just passing by, I'll leave," I respond.

"Good. Don't want a repeat of what happened on the West side," He says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"Some kids thought it would be a great idea to sneak into the abandoned carnival grounds on the West side and hurt themselves pretty badly. They were climbing the old rollercoaster and part of it broke off, sending them plummeting," He says.

"I didn't hear about that," I respond, and he nods.

"It was all over the news, stay safe and stay out of trouble, okay?" He pats me on the shoulder, and I smile and nod.

"Have a nice day, officer," I call after him, and he tips his hat and steps into his patrol car before speeding off.

"The fourth location is to the West, where a place forgotten by time was full of fun and life, now rotting and empty."

That must be the old carnival site! Truthfully, I never knew about that place. We didn't have a lot of money, so we mostly stayed on the South side of town, where I grew up. The only time I visited the West side was to see my mother's parents before they passed away in a fire. Which, knowing what I know now, might have been intentionally done by the Organization.

So that covers the North and West side. I can only guess what the other two locations might be. I look at the abandoned toy store again and walk towards my place. I'll come back at night; it's too dangerous right now, I might draw some unwanted attention.

As I continue the walk, I think more about the other two locations; the South could be a reference to my childhood home. The Patron said my mother's favorite flower was a daisy, and I remembered my father would buy her flowers for special occasions. (Or when he'd come home late and she'd chew him up for working too late, those flowers were like his secret weapon.)

I smile at the memories, yeah...and the vase being left behind would be the house. Since it was in a bad part of town, it was on the market for a few years before they decided it was too much work and abandoned it. Lots of houses on the South side are left to rot into dust.

"The second location is to the East, where the voyagers of a time long forgotten made their final stop."

I think back to Coy's words, showing me the ship that crashed on the shores of the beach. Emmalien's Constellation. I might as well check it out again; it couldn't hurt. But that's also where the Organization hides its own money and supplies; it would be difficult to sneak in and find three and a half million dollars.

So four locations: Toy store, Emmalien's Constellation, My childhood home, and the abandoned carnival. The hardest seems to be the East and West sides. I'll start here with the toy store and then move on to my childhood home, and go from there.

One thing I know for sure is that if I ever see the Patron again, I owe him a good, solid punch to the face for putting me through all of this. I walk back inside the shop, making it back before Nis wakes up.

"Well, what did he want?" Mr. Giles asks.

I hand him the letter, and Mr. Giles reads it. His face softens, and he looks up at me.

"The flowers...does he mean..." Mr. Giles can barely finish his sentence.

"Yeah, my parents," I respond.

He lets out a soft cry and wipes the tears from his face. I guess he knew them pretty well. I decide not to pry him on the subject as he hands the paper back.

"Do you want help?" He asks.

"Nah, I don't want anyone else involved more than they are. I'm going to the first location tonight. Alone." I say.

"Alright, kid. Just let me know if you change your mind," He says.

"I will, I'm going to check on Nis, once she's back in bed, I'll head out," I say, and he nods, walking to the back to work on whatever it is he does.

As the day drags on, I keep thinking about the toy shop and what could be waiting for me there. Nis still plays with Mr. Buns throughout the day, occasionally asking me to play with her. Mr. Giles spends the day working and drinking; it's one of the wonders of the world how his business stays afloat, probably the Organization funds.

Eventually, Nis gets sleepy, and I tuck her in. I check my watch. 10:54 pm. It's the perfect time, the snow is starting to pick up, and most everyone's lights are off. Mr. Giles is asleep on his couch, passed out like a rock. I put my winter gear on and take a deep breath. Here we go.