Sabrina sat on a chair near the front windows, a paper cup of water held between both hands. An ambulance worker had already checked her for injuries, and although she had no serious wounds, her fingers still trembled whenever she thought about what had happened in the corridor.
She could still hear the creature’s jaws snapping shut. She could still see Nyx standing in front of it, a fractured arm and a face that showed none of the terror Sabrina herself had felt.
And she remembered the moment Nyx had shoved her into the restroom, ordering her to lock the door and stay inside.
Sabrina had obeyed because there had been no other choice. She had remained there, listening to the crashes and shrieks outside, certain that every sound might be the last thing she ever heard.
Then everything had gone quiet.
When Nyx returned, she had been covered in blood, her clothes torn, and her plaster cast gone. Yet she had looked at Sabrina and told her it was over.
Sabrina tightened her grip on the cup.
She didn’t understand what had happened. She didn’t know what Nyx had fought, how the fog had appeared, or why the street had vanished beyond the restaurant’s front doors. But she knew one thing with absolute certainty.
Without Nyx, she would probably be dead.
"Miss Sabrina?"
She looked up.
Detective Lena Voss stood before her, notebook in hand. Beside her was a uniformed officer who introduced himself as Officer Bennett.
"We’d like to ask you a few questions about what happened," Lena said. "Would you mind coming somewhere a little quieter?"
Sabrina swallowed and nodded.
They led her to a small seating area away from the other witnesses. Lena sat opposite her while Theo remained nearby, ready to record any additional details.
"Let’s start with your name and your position here," Lena said.
"Sabrina Ellis. I’m a waitress."
"How long have you worked at L’étoile?"
"Just recently."
"And where were you when the incident began?"
"I was in the restroom at the back."
Lena wrote something down.
"What happened when you came out?"
Sabrina hesitated.
"I couldn’t see anything. There was fog everywhere, so I thought something might have happened outside or that there was a fire. Then someone told me to step back into the restroom."
"Who?"
"Miss Nyx."
Lena’s pen paused.
"Miss Nyx?"
"Y-yeah."
"Do you know her personally?"
"No. She’s been here before."
"Was she a customer today?"
Sabrina glanced down at her hands.
"Yes."
Lena waited.
"She came in hours earlier," Sabrina added reluctantly.
The detective studied her face. "Do you know why she went to the restroom area?"
"I-I don’t know."
Sabrina kept her gaze lowered, hoping the detective would move on. She wasn’t particularly good at lying, and she had no intention of inventing an explanation that could later be used against Nyx.
Lena leaned back slightly.
"Miss Ellis, I’m trying to establish what happened inside this building. A person is missing, several people are traumatized, and the physical damage suggests that something violent occurred. If you know anything that could help us understand the incident, now is the time to tell us."
"I’ve already told you what I know."
"Did you see the creature?"
Sabrina’s face paled.
"Yes."
"What did it look like?"
She described what she could remember, stumbling over a few details as she recalled the creature’s bloodied jaws and the unnatural shape of its head. Lena listened without interrupting, occasionally asking her to clarify something.
"And Miss Nyx fought it?" the detective asked when Sabrina finished.
Sabrina looked up sharply.
"I didn’t say that."
"You told us she was in the corridor with you, carrying knives. Other witnesses reported that a creature appeared in that area. You were later found in the restroom, and Miss Arden was seen leaving the restaurant injured. I’m trying to establish the sequence of events."
Sabrina fell silent.
She didn’t like the way the detective was looking at her, as though every pause were an admission of guilt.
"Did she hurt anyone?" Lena asked.
"No."
"Did she threaten you?"
"No."
"Did she force you to help her?"
"No."
"Then why are you reluctant to tell me what happened?"
Sabrina stared at her.
Because you weren’t there, she thought. Because you didn’t hear that thing trying to tear through the door. Because you didn’t see her standing between it and me when she could barely use one arm.
She swallowed the words.
"I’m not reluctant to tell you what happened. I’m telling you what I know."
Lena held her gaze for another moment before closing her notebook.
"All right, Miss Ellis. We’ll speak again if we need clarification. In the meantime, please remain available while we finish taking statements."
Sabrina nodded, relieved that the questioning had ended, at least for now.
As Lena stood, another man approached from the corridor. He had long blond hair, an open collar, and an expression of mild curiosity that seemed strangely out of place.
He stopped beside Lena and glanced at the notebook in her hand.
"Is this the waitress who was in the rear corridor?"
"Yes. Sabrina Ellis."
Julian turned toward her.
"Miss Ellis, I’m Julian Mercer. I work with the Special Investigations Bureau. I’d like to ask you a few questions of my own."
Sabrina’s stomach tightened.
There was something different about him. Detective Voss had asked questions like a police officer trying to reconstruct an incident. This man looked as though he already suspected that the incident was something else entirely.
"Of course," she replied cautiously.
Julian pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down, resting one arm on the table.
"I understand you were in the restroom when the fog appeared."
"Yes."
"And a woman named Nyx told you to go back inside?"
Sabrina nodded.
"Did you know her before today?"
"No."
"Interesting." Julian’s expression remained pleasantly relaxed. "And what was she doing in the kitchen?"
"I don’t know."
"Was she carrying any weapons?"
Sabrina hesitated.
"Yes, but just kitchen knives."
"Two of them?"
She looked at him sharply.
Julian smiled faintly. "A few witnesses mentioned that detail."
"Oh."
"Did she use them?"
Sabrina stared at the table.
"Um... she didn’t—I mean, I’m not sure, but—"
"Miss Ellis, do you not want to answer, or can’t you remember?"
Sabrina realized her mistake. Even if she tried to evade their questions without lying, these people were professionals. Julian had probably already realized she was keeping something from them.
He leaned back, regarding her thoughtfully.
"You seem rather protective of Miss Nyx."
"She saved my life."
The words escaped before Sabrina could stop them.
Silence settled between them.
Julian’s gaze drifted briefly toward the damaged corridor before returning to her face.
"Did she?"
Sabrina pressed her lips together.
"I’ve told you what I know."
"Yes, you have." He rose from his chair, smoothing the front of his suit. "For now, that will do."
She watched him walk away, her pulse still unsteady.
She had not lied to the police. She had not invented a story or denied that Nyx had entered the kitchen. But she had deliberately withheld the one detail that mattered most: Nyx had fought the creature, and the creature had not survived.
Sabrina didn’t know whether keeping quiet would help Nyx or make things worse. She only knew that the woman who had saved her deserved the chance to decide for herself what others were allowed to know.
Across the restaurant, Captain Darius Cole was examining the corridor again when Julian joined him.
"The waitress knows more than she’s saying," Julian remarked.
Darius didn’t look up from the damaged wall.
"That’s hardly surprising. She was in the middle of an incident."
"She admitted that ’Miss Nyx’ saved her life."
Darius straightened.
"Did she say how?"
"No. She refused to discuss what happened after the creature appeared."
"Fear?"
"Possibly." Julian slipped his hands into his pockets. "Or gratitude. The two aren’t mutually exclusive."
Darius glanced toward the kitchen.
"Have we confirmed the identity of the woman?"
"Not officially. Lena is checking the records. But the name is useful."
"Why?"
Julian’s expression turned thoughtful.
"Because this is the first unexplained incident in which someone arrived shortly before the phenomenon began."
Darius studied him.
"You think she caused it?"
"I think we should find out why she was there."
"That isn’t the same thing."
"No, it isn’t." Julian gave him a faint smile. "I’m glad we agree."
Darius ignored the remark and crouched near the floor again. Something had caught his attention: a deep gouge in the tile leading toward the kitchen, followed by several more. The marks were irregular but consistent with something heavy dragging or striking the floor as it moved.
He followed their direction with his eyes.
"Whatever happened here," he said quietly, "it wasn’t a simple structural failure."
Julian’s gaze followed his.
"No," he agreed. "It certainly wasn’t."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Outside, the police perimeter had widened, and the last of the fog was disappearing into the air. Paramedics moved between the restaurant and their ambulance, while officers collected witness statements and tried to establish the identity of the missing man.
The restaurant was gradually returning to the ordinary bustle of Alder City. Traffic continued along the street, and customers from neighboring businesses watched from a distance.
Julian glanced toward the front entrance.
"Find out where she went after leaving the restaurant," he told Lena as she approached with another set of statements. "I want to know everything we can establish about her movements today."
Lena nodded. "I’ll look into it."
"And don’t approach her yet," Darius added. "We don’t have enough information to know whether she’s a witness, a victim, or..."
Julian’s smile returned, faint and unreadable.
"Of course, Captain."
As he turned away, his attention lingered on the damaged corridor.
Ninety days of unexplained incidents had brought them no closer to understanding what was happening. Now, a woman who had entered L’étoile shortly before the fog appeared had emerged alive, injured but composed, while a creature no one could properly explain had vanished from the scene.
Julian intended to find out why.
Whether ’Nyx’ would cooperate remained to be seen.