Disclaimer: I do not own Redrum. Redrum is a game developed by Anarchy Enterprises. I only own the OC characters.

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Ravenwood was already walking out by the time she made it to the front of the precinct. He looked at her incredulously as she approached, confused as to why she was hurtling along at breakneck speed. "You alright?" he asked when she stopped in front of him, breathing heavily. "You look as if the devil himself was on your tail."

Maddie glanced back towards the way she had come. "It was something like that," she said between gasps. She didn't elaborate further as she took a few moments to catch her breath. She looked back towards the detective. "What's up? Did something happen?"

Ravenwood drew a set of car keys from his coat pocket, twirling the ring on his finger. "Something like that," he replied. "We're going to a crime scene."

Maddie's face hardened with apprehension. "What?" The detective sighed, clenching the keys in his fist. "There's been another murder," he said.

She didn't have time to process that statement before the detective made his way to the black 1960's Cadillac parked on the street in front of the precinct. She hurried after him, slipping into the passenger seat as he started up the car. After she secured her seatbelt, she asked, "What the hell happened?"

Shifting it into gear, the car rolled into the street. "Body was found in the Daily Dread, slumped over the printing machines," he answered. "His throat was slit."

Maddie gulped. "Then why are you bringing me along?" Ravenwood glanced over at her, briefly, and shrugged. "Thought you might want to take a look."

The young pseudo-human stared at him as if he just grew a second head. "Why would you think that?" she said. "How could you possibly come to the conclusion that I'd want to look at a fucking dead body?"

"I don't know," he said, gesturing exasperatedly at her, "to see if something was out of the ordinary." Maddie side-eyed him. "There's nothing supernatural killing these people," she stated bluntly.

"I know that," the detective sighed, sinking into the seat. "It's just... this has been the third homicide in the past month. It's not normal in a place like this." Maddie could think of nothing to say to that, and the rest of the trip was spent in silence.

Police cars were swarmed around the town's only newspaper company, yellow tape stretched across the entrance. Officers had surrounded the perimeter, keeping out any trespassers. Bystanders had gathered around the police line, gawking and taking pictures. Others were muttering to each other, somber looks on their faces.

Ravenwood pulled up a little way from the barricade, removing the key from the ignition. He looked over at the teen sitting next to him in his car, her gaze fixed on the building. "You don't have to come in if you don't want to."

Maddie took a deep breath. "No, I'm okay," she said, and got out of the car. Ravenwood sighed as he did the same, catching up to her brisk pace. The officers patrolling the area recognized him and let him through, explaining to them that the young woman with her was a private investigator. Together, they ducked under the tape to get inside.

Forensics had already arrived. They scoured every inch for evidence, snapping pictures with large cameras. The place itself was old and rundown. The ground floor, which held the printing machines, looked more like a warehouse than a newspaper office. The floor was dirty, and cracks snaked along the walls and ceiling, the only illumination came from the huge fluorescent lights above them. There were people scattered all over the room, but Ravenwood was focused on most of the activity at the back, where bloodstains added life to its bland surroundings. He made his way towards the scene of the crime, Maddie following close behind.

A human-shaped lump was stretched out onto the floor, covered with a white sheet. It laid below the assembly line, where most of the blood had spilled. Maddie noticed that the lettering on the papers on the rolls were printed in red ink. It appeared that some of the victim's lifeblood had gotten into the machine.

"Looks like Haunted Springs's next issue will be written in blood," Ravenwood commented. Maddie couldn't help but grimace. The detective leaned over the body, grabbing the edge of the sheet near its head. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" he asked, looking up at the young girl standing above the victim. She fixed him with a determined stare. "I can handle it," she said, clenching her fists. Sighing, again, Ravenwood lifted the sheet to reveal the victim's face.

Maddie looked away quickly, but she had already caught a glimpse of the damage. She put a hand to her mouth, averting her gaze, desperately trying not to think of the grisly image imprinted into her brain. The sinewy tissues of the man's neck were exposed out into the open air, the skin around the edges of the wound jagged and torn. His mouth was open, eyes wide and unseeing. She had never seen a neck injury that large before. She was surprised that the head didn't fall off.

Ravenwood narrowed his eyes in disgust. "Poor bastard was attacked from behind," he mused. "Cut's quick and clean, aggressive. But there's no sign of the murder weapon." He dropped the sheet back over the man's face, hiding the gruesome sight once more. He straightened to look over at the girl standing next to him. "I thought you said you could handle it."

Maddie lowered her hand, traces of horror in her expression. She didn't meet his eyes. "I've seen dead bodies before," she said. "I've never seen someone nearly get decapitated."

Ravenwood closed his eyes and put a hand to his chin. If there was another nutcase on the loose, things would get complicated. If this kept up, the whole town would be overrun with serial killers. Something wasn't right about this. There had to be something bigger going on.

Maddie could practically see the gears turning in his head. "What're you thinking?" she asked. Without opening his eyes, the detective moved his hand away from his mouth to speak. "I'm thinking about how none of this is adding up. There's a piece of the puzzle here that we're missing."

The young pseudo-human looked back down at the still figure on the ground. "I agree," she said. She vowed to get to the bottom of this mystery, no matter what terrifying secrets she would discover. She would do it even if it killed her.

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"Wake up! Wake up!" The voice was high-pitched and shrill. It was accompanied by a fervent shake of her shoulder. She scrunched her brow, trying to discern who this stranger was.

The shaking didn't cease. "C'mon, please! Wake up!" With enormous effort, she finally cracked open her eyes, dazzling light assaulting her vision. She blinked twice, face giving way to confusion.

"Rose?" Maddie questioned, mind scrambling for some sort of explanation. The details she could make out in her peripheral vision told her that they were inside the Daily Dread. She was laying on her back, the aforementioned girl beaming down at her once she had awoken. "How did we-? What?" She sat up slowly, cautiously. "How did you – we – get here?"

Rose blinked up at her, unfazed at their current location. "I brought you here," she answered simply. "We need to help the man who died here. I can't do this on my own."

The young pseudo-human fixed her with a blank stare. "How do you kno-"

"I talked to him." Her eyes held desperation, bright green orbs trembling. "We need to find out who killed him. Otherwise, he won't move on."

Maddie rubbed at her head, wondering if she had hit it somehow. But no soreness popped up. She tried pinching herself, but that didn't work either. She was alone in an editorial building, with a girl who was supposed to be locked up in an insane asylum. With no other choice, she rose to her feet, Rose taking it as acceptance. She turned her heel and quickly moved towards the back of the old warehouse. Maddie could only follow her.

"Uh, so, Rose," the young pseudo-human started, looking around the interior, "how did we get here?" The eleven-year-old stopped in front of one of the printers, where the murder had been discovered. She turned around to glance at Maddie before her cheeks lit up in embarrassment. "Oh, that's right," she said. "You're the first person I've taken with me for one of these."

That just made her more confused. Rose continued despite Maddie's reaction. "We're not actually... here-here. You're still asleep." She turned back towards the conveyor. "We're just dreaming."

Maddie had no clue what the girl was talking about. She moved to stand next to Rose, gaze wary. "This is what happens when someone dies violently," Rose said. Suddenly, a transparent display of the murder materialized in front of them. The attacker's face was shrouded in shadow. Maddie covered her mouth with her hands in horror as the knife sliced through flesh like bread. A fountain of blood sprung forth from the victim's neck. She thought it was going to douse them, but it phased right through her, as if the figures in front of her were ghosts. Rose was calm throughout all of this, pointing at the blood-stained knife. "We need to find that," she said. "It'll lead us to whoever killed him, I'm sure of it."

As quickly as it had come, the scene vanished. Maddie did her best not to gag, the horrible act she had witnessed burning into her retinas. She glanced over at Rose standing next to her, hand to her chin in thought. "I haven't been able to find any clues so far," she said. She turned to face the older girl, green eyes shining. "That's why I need your help."

The young-pseudo human stared down at the girl with wide blue eyes. The expression on Rose's face was desperate. It was enough to convince her that this was real. She sighed. "Alright. Let's get to work."

They hunted up and down the whole structure, scanning every inch. However, there was absolutely no trace of a murder weapon. Not even a blood trail. Maddie straightened, her back cracking from its bent-over position. Funny that I can still feel pain in a dream. She joined Rose in the center of the room, who had similar results. She was clearly agitated. "I don't understand," she muttered. "There's always something that helps point me in the right direction."

Maddie rubbed the back of her neck. "Criminals are clever, Rose," she pointed out. "There are a lot who know how to cover their tracks."

The eleven-year-old stood in contemplative silence for a moment, until something dawned on her. "That's it!" she exclaimed, rushing towards the back door of the building. Maddie hurried after her, waiting for the girl to explain herself. "What? What is it?"

Rose threw open the door, stepping out into the alleyway behind the Daily Dread. She headed towards one of the dumpsters lining the area. "They would've covered their tracks!" Maddie caught up to her as soon as the eleven-year-old plunged her hand into the stinking pile of trash, rummaging around. The young brunette stared at her quizzically, until she pulled out an object, covered in dried blood. It was the knife.

Maddie's face lit up in surprise. "Wow! Good job, Rose!" A familiar warmth sprang to life within her, something she had felt for only one other person before. Pride. "Seems like you're just as much of a detective as your uncle!"

Rose blushed, appreciative of the praise. "No, I'm not like Uncle," she said. "I could never be as good as him." Maddie was about to ask the girl to elaborate but was stopped short by the look of gratitude in her eyes. "Thanks for all your help," she said, eyes twinkling. "I can handle the rest from here."

And just like that, she jolted awake, still in her hotel bed. The sheets were tangled around her, as if she had been tossing and turning violently. She sat up, the early morning light streaming in through the window. Running a hand through her hair, she contemplated the events of her "dream." That was way too real to be just a dream. She decided that she would keep this to herself for now, especially if she couldn't make any sense of it. She sighed and rolled out of bed, preparing to face another day. She did not feel refreshed.

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Ravenwood stood up from his seat as soon as she opened the door to his office. "There you are!" he exclaimed. "I've been calling you for nearly an hour."

Maddie blinked at him, bewildered. She reached into the pocket of her hoodie and withdrew her burner phone, flipping it open. Sure enough, seven missed calls from Detective Ravenwood flashed on the screen. She must have been so preoccupied from the night prior that she didn't notice. "Sorry," she said, putting away her phone. "Didn't see it."

The detective simply snorted before picking up a fresh newspaper sitting on his desk. He walked around it, approaching her. "Take a look at this." He held it out for her to take. Grasping it firmly in both hands, she let out a gasp of shock at the headline:

Daily Dread Killer Caught!

Her mind flashed back to Rose's words in her dream. I can handle the rest from here. Rose was responsible for this, there was no doubt about it. Somehow, she managed to get a confession out of the murderer. The newspaper went on to detail how the murder weapon was discovered hastily thrown in a dumpster in the back alley.

Maddie's grip tightened. "When did this happen?" she asked, tone low and trembling slightly. Ravenwood noticed Maddie's change in demeanor, wondering why she was having such an intense reaction. "Around five AM this morning."

The girl's expression was unreadable, eyes hidden behind her bangs. She handed the newspaper back to him. "I have something I need to tell you," she said, voice grave. The next words that came out of her mouth stunned him into silence.

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Author's Note: A sizable chapter this time. That's cool.

I should be sleeping right now.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower