The house on the hill was a torch that could be seen across the waters and the smoke billowed thickly to the twilight clouds. By the dawn light it was a pool of hot ash, no more sound than a thousand year old ruin. One wall stood, black and ugly, the others were jagged and low, too stubborn to fall just yet. After the winter storms no-one doubted it would be gone entirely, the dark ash soaking in to enrich the soil below.

It was two weeks ago when, the body of four children were found in the ruins of what used to be the nice, charming old lady called Ms. Griffin's house. The bodies were already burned to an extent where it can't be identified wih the human eye, you can just see the outline of what used to be lively children, full of hopes and dreams, until it burned like the rest of them.

The nice old lady Ms. Griffin was really nice and generous, a type of person that would smile at you when she leaves her house. Greeting every neighbor she occasionally sees, a person who greets twice if she sees you twice. The person who would bake cookies and brownies and share it with the rest of the neighborhood. But what the rest of the townspeople did not know is what goes on behind the façade of her house, the truth beneath the white picket-fenced backyard and behind the beautiful rose decorated gardens.

She'd kidnapped six young children from the ages 10 until 16. Made them do such horrible things to each other, torturing them for example. Who knew all these things were happening right before their own eyes, covered and concealed by polite smiles and encouraging greets. If only they'd been more aware about all the horrible things she'd secretly done, they could have saved the fallen four.

They've been called The Fallen Four, most likely because the kids themselves wanted the whole town to name them that way. The two young victims, who are alive and survived all of the torture Ms. Griffin had implemented, told the police that it was the least the town could do for not trying their best to save them.

The young boy was silent. He couldn't speak, everything was stressing him out. All the things that happened were too much for a young boy like him, what he'd seen in there made him shiver just by remembering. He thought it was better to not remember anything that happened in that horrible house, but again, suppressing all that emotions down the pit in his brain is not healthy. He didn't know what to do.

"Are you doing okay there?"

His thoughts were disturbed by the young detective standing in front of him, a clipboard resting by his arm. The detective, known as Max, encouragingly smiled at him. Trying his best to squeeze information out of the traumatized kid in front of him. Trying it in a gentle way as to not scare or freak the poor kid out. He's already been through enough. Max thought.

The kid gently looked up, his blonde, silky curls bouncing up and down his forehead. The pale highlights of his hair shinning, shimmering under the fluorescent light above them.

Detective Max Fletcher smiled even further, the corner of his lips reaching both of the dimples attached to his skinny face. He blinked slowly, showing the little broken kid that he wasn't threatening and that he can be trusted.

But the kid quickly looked down.

Max's head dropped to his shoulders in disappointment. He thought he had the momentum going, he thought after a week after the horrifying coma the kid was put in, the kid would finally speak. He thought that he can finally find the bastard who managed to escape and kill the fallen four.

He thought revenge was at his reach.

Ms. Griffin was nowhere to be found after the horrifying incident of her house crumbling to pieces. The town thought that she and her sins died with the children she murdered and tortured but sadly, she disappeared.

She was nowhere to be seen.

The jolly Ms. Griffin got away with all of it.

Max sighed. He closed his eyes and tried to remove the thumping in his temples, the constant rhythm of pounding in his veins. The horrifying migraine was still present, and possibly never going to stop and go away.

"Alright, maybe you need some more rest." Max smiled, he needed to. The kid was certainly affected by what he'd seen in that house, and Max knew remembering it would mean remembering all the torture that took place in the house. And Max didn't think the kid was really ready for all of that reminiscing. A certain thing disturbed him, one thought that would set all the demon on his mind free.

What if Griffin would be back to kidnapping children?

He grinned in anger, thinking that the possibility is highly likely. That psychopath's brain is a really complex one, and she would try her best to keep it secret once again. Hide it between her short and polite smiles and her joyful vibe. Max stopped walking back to the door when he thought of it, what if there were more kids hidden and they've only found one group?

But that's not entirely the reason he stopped moving from the spot he was currently standing in, it's the light, silent voice that called out behind him.

"I think I'm ready to talk, Detective Fletcher."

Max smiled. After everything he'd done, he finally managed to make the kid speak. After two whole weeks of silence, he finally had the energy to scream and shout in victory. He'd been waiting for this moment ever since he was assigned to this case, he needed to taste the glory of putting that bastard behind bars.

"But can you promise me one thing?" The boy spoke, silently but with determination present in his voice. "Please make sure that you find that sick bastard."

"Of course, we will make sure Griffin stays behind bars for the rest of her life." Max stated, his voice filled with hope, pride, and reassurance. He was finally getting something.

"Oh no, not Griffin." The kid shook his head lightly, his messy blonde hair swaying with his head. "Her partner, Gunther."

Max was beyond shocked. He was speechless of the information the kid has blessed him with. He had millions of questions he wanted to ask him, but what the kid said to him next couldn't have prepared him for anything else worst.

"Griffin can't be killed, she's a demon. But that Gunther, I think he's a real human being."

***

New story! I know it's really boring but this is the first chapter of the story, showing what happened after the horrific events that will be explained in the story's upcoming chapters. Please be aware that the chapters can transition between the events in the kidnapping and the investigation itself. Please bear with me!!!

Thank you for reading and please vote the story!!!!

-author