Birds chirped outside my window and the sun filled the whole room with light. In fact, it shone directly on my face. I hid my face under the blanket, trying to get more sleep. But my eyes fluttered open as if my inner alarm said it was time to wake up. With a groan I sat up. After a few seconds I stood up. I stretched once before walking out.

The scent of pancakes filled the hallway. It seemed like Eliza's mother was already awake. I didn't know the time because my phone was still in the living room.

When I entered the kitchen, I noticed the clock showed 6am. Great. It was summer break and I still couldn't sleep until 8. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" I mumbled something in response, hoping she would understand. "That's good. How about you watch some morning cartoons? I still need some time." With a sigh I turned around. A shiver ran down my spine as a bad feeling settled in my chest.

I sat down, took the remote and turned on the TV. Before I was able to switch channels, I heard the name of my hometown. The morning news played and from the looks of it, they reported something from where I lived.

"Last night in Kalispell a madman terrorized the outer skirts of the town. He killed five people, injured eight more and when police found him, he committed suicide."

Despite it being an almost everyday occurrence in the US, even though it shouldn't be, I felt fear creeping up inside me. Was my father alright? The woman reported from our neighborhood. I could see my house in the background.

"The man went on a killing spree last night at about 12:40am. He used a long knife and stabbed everyone in his path. Attempts to calm him down failed, said one of the survivors. She said, he approached her with a knife and mumbled something before stabbing her repeatedly in the abdomen."

With every passing moment I stood more and more on the edge. I needed to know what happened to my father. Was he alive? Please, let him be.

"The killer was identified as Nathan Travers."

My world stopped as I stared at the screen with wide eyes. They showed a picture of my father. I started to tremble. No. It couldn't be. It wasn't true.

"Neighbors said they can't believe he has done this. He was a nice and kind man with a family and friends. But neighbors also report that they haven't seen him for about two weeks. They don't know what drove him over the edge, but police found many crude drawings and scriptures scattered in the living room."

The photo shown next knocked the air out of my lungs. Our living room looked like a hurricane swept through it. Shattered plates and glass covered the floor and papers were scattered. The couch and everything surrounding it were in shambles.

"One of the drawings show a picture that reminds police of the Slender Man killings last month."

On the paper, I recognized a figure I would have never thought I'd see in a drawing of my father. It was tall, wore a black suit and didn't have a face. My knees gave in and I sacked on the floor. My vision blurred. I bit my tongue as to not make a sound.

"It seems that he too, was obsessed with this figure."

No. No, he wasn't. He didn't even believe in him. This was wrong. I wanted nothing more than to jump at the person reporting and punch her.

"Nathan had a daughter, who, thankfully, wasn't at home at the time of the incident. From what we know, she has been at a friend's house down south for the past three weeks."

Something about this broke my dams. I screamed at the top of my lungs before it turned into sobs. Someone hugged me and without hesitation I returned the gesture. It was Eliza's mother. She rubbed circles on my back while I bawled like a small child.

It just couldn't be. This was a nightmare. He was gone. He committed suicide. But why? He had me. If he had called me, I could have helped. Was this the reason why he hadn't answered? Did he break? What was the cause? There wasn't a reason. Or maybe I couldn't think of one. But my father didn't deserve it. I knew it.

It seemed like an eternity before I calmed down somewhat. The sobs turned into sniffles. I wiped my tears away. "Oh, I know how you feel", Eliza's mother whispered as she looked at me. She cupped my face. The sincerity in her voice nearly caused a second wave of tears but I held myself together. Out of the corner of my eyes I noticed Ray and Eliza sitting on the couch right next to me. Their faces showed a sympathetic smile. They knelt down next to me and hugged me.

"We're so sorry", both said in unison. I shuddered when I heard that. No, they shouldn't be. They weren't responsible for that. But I let them. They just wanted to help me. So, I returned the hug. It was difficult to hug two people at the same time, yet I managed it. "Thank you", I whispered. Ray and Eliza were truly good friends. They had always been there for me. Now I needed them more than ever.

Hours passed by and I had collected myself as best I could. My friends stayed silent which I was thankful for. I need time and silence to sort out my feelings and other thoughts. Police would soon come by and I had to brace myself.

Soon enough there was a knock on the door. Eliza's mother stood up to let them in. She returned with two police officers. Both were men. "Miss Travers?" I nodded, not feeling ready to talk yet. One of the officers asked Eliza's mum if they were allowed to talk to alone. She looked over to me, wordlessly inquiring if it was okay. Once again, I inclined my head. Then my friends left the room with her.

The officers sat down. "First of all, I want to speak out my condolences. It must be hard for you. But we need to ask you some questions. If, at any point, you feel like you can't answer them, we understand." I began trembling. "Okay."

First, they questioned me about how the relationship between me and my father was. "We... we got along just fine. S-sure there were some... arguments, but nothing too bad." One of the officers noted that down. The next question they asked was if I had ever noticed odd behavior from him. To that I answered that I couldn't remember any occasion in which he had acted weirdly. By now I shook like a leaf in the wind. Tears stung in my eyes.

"Has he ever mentioned this creature?" I denied, saying that he hadn't ever had interest in this cryptid. This awoke some kind of anger in me. They said my father was a madman who hid his true personality all this time. They called him a psychopath. I grit my teeth and slam the table with my hands. "HE IS NO FREAK!" This caught the officers off-guard. "Just because he snapped doesn't mean he is insane!"

"Calm down Miss Travers." "Then don't talk about my father like that", I retorted and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

They asked me why my father would do something like that. "I don't know. He was always kind and loving. I can't imagine him doing anything that goes against the law." By the end of the sentence my voice broke and I felt tears welling up. "I-I just can't b-believe, he'd do this." I sniffled and tried to wipe the tears away. "Sorry, I-I can't..." They said it was okay. Thank god because I wouldn't have been able to continue. Then they thanked me for my cooperation. Just then, Eliza's mother looked inside the room, asking if she could come in.

The officers nodded and stood up. "We will be on our way and report the answers. Services will contact you, Miss Travers." I didn't answer. The two left the room and said their goodbye. Ray and Eliza entered in their place; concern clear on their faces. "Are you okay?" I nodded, despite the obvious answer being a no. Thankfully they just let me be.

I'd need more time. So much more time.