(Alan POV)
I opened the door to let the policewoman in. I noted her badge which was a state authority rather than a local authority, but did not worry too much. It wasn’t uncommon for them to take on easier jobs that locals would do when it was a slow day. Anything was better than being bored waiting at a speed trap. I also noted her name just in case that became important. She seemed a bit surprised, but cautiously entered. I stepped out into the open so she could see I wasn’t hiding any weapons or foul intentions.
My intentions for inviting her in were two-fold. One was simply to clear any suspicion. If I ended up using the rifle on an intruder and they had a small note by my name in the office that I was supposedly a necrophile, something which I am absolutely not, it would be quite troublesome in court. The second reason was to test what I had learned earlier today. My video on Sofia failed because a clause in her contract with the demon prevented people from connecting the clues to her. I wanted to specifically test the extent of that by showing someone in person my evidence and arguments.
The main area of my apartment was a mixed living room and kitchen space. It wasn’t decorated and I became partly subconscious of that fact with her taking note of everything she saw. She stopped though when she saw my corkboard. It sat behind my small dining table with two chairs and looked like something you might see from a conspiracy theorist. It was admittedly the most suspicious part of my apartment. I quickly walked over to it and pointed at two labels I had printed and thumbtacted to the top of the board. It read ‘Dark Explorations’ above in a larger font then a second separate paper in smaller font beneath wrote ‘Sofia Bercowisz’. I spoke before she could make assumptions.
“This was me planning my latest video. I post videos on YouTube about True Crime and unsolved mysteries.”
Her eyes seemed to glaze over as she read it. They grew unfocused for a bit before moving towards me. She turned her head in a confused manner.
“You’re a YouTuber?”
I nodded and smiled awkwardly. Something about Officer Gartner’s tone made me feel embarrassed or subconscious. It was a totally fine career to have for someone of my young age. She didn’t seem much older than me and her odd amount of judgement stung. Her eyes were odd in how they behaved whenever they looked at the board. At cursory glances, they seemed to be fine and could absorb images alright. That was a picture of a broken window. That was a sticky note which wrote a date. That was a picture of a bodybag. But whenever she seemed to try to piece it together, her eyes would freeze and grow cloudy. I couldn’t tell if it was the infohazard or her own lack of context causing it. I decided to press the issue.
“Have you heard of Sofia Bercowisz’s case?”
She nodded and seemed to be purposely avoiding looking at the board if possible. There were some graphic pictures of dead bodies with notes about their commonalities which could be at fault. She was a State Police though and should have a stronger stomach than most. She spoke to answer my question and provide context.
“I remember when it happened in senior year of high school. It was all over the news for a week.”
She was familiar, which was good. Context wasn’t the problem. I decided to walk her through my findings. Sofia fell from the bridge and the car’s window shattered while sinking. She escaped the vehicle while underwater and the person in the passenger seat was the car’s previous owner. She then would murder her way throughout Tennessee until finally disappearing in 2019 before the pandemic.
I walked her through it slowly and tried my best to explain the connections between events. I showed evidence including matching finger prints on glass. Similar crime scenes with consistent modus operandi. Footage by neighbors showing a similar figure who was never tracked down. Looking at these now, it only made me more confident in my theory. Not only because Sofia herself confirmed that I was right. Blurry ring footage was never convincing years later, but that was definitely a younger version of the Sofia I knew.
Officer Gartner’s eyes tried to follow, but something was in the way. I did my best to keep her interactive and make sure she can follow. I may have spent five minutes during this process. Every time I seemed to connect it all back to Sofia, her eyes showed the same fog. She couldn’t connect any of this back to Sofia. Was it all connected? Maybe. Was it Sofia Bercowisz? A literally unfathomable claim. This seemed to confirm what I was informed of and assumed from it. Interestingly, she seemed to be receptive to the concept of another serial killer being at fault, but unable to believe it was Sofia.
“I get what you’re saying. But Sofia Bercowisz doing all this? It all hinges on the assumption she survived. I just don’t believe it.”
That fog faded from her eyes as she looked towards me with a smile that mirrored looking at a small child declaring he’ll be a cowboy or pirate when they grow up. It ticked me off slightly. Still, I couldn’t blame her. The magical force of the demonic contract prevents her. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. She seemed somewhat taken aback by my attitude. She raised an eyebrow, a little shocked. I took a step away and motioned for her to follow.
“Let me show you the recording equipment. That should be enough proof, right?”
She seemed to snap out of her shock and return to her serious law enforcement character.
“Oh? Yeah, where is it?”
“Just at my desk.”
I walked towards the only hallway in my apartment. It was small and had two doors. One led to a bathroom and the other to my bedroom. I opened the door and walked in. My bed was still a mess and I hadn’t removed the handcuffs yet. I tried to not draw attention to that and instead pointed towards my desk. A microphone sat in front of my laptop and a rolled up green screen sat next to the desk. Right next to it was the new rifle I purchased. I made sure to stand away from it to show I wasn’t planning to reach for it. She didn’t enter the room and remained at the cusp of it. I don’t think she looked at my bed except to see it wasn’t made. She seemed satisfied seeing everything.
“Okay, I think I’ve confirmed there’s no danger here. But if you wouldn’t mind, why’d you buy a rifle?”
I took a deep breath. I didn’t want to lie to a police officer, but a truthful answer would make me sound crazy. I noticed her body cam was recording. I decided a simple lie would be best.
“That Sofia Bercowisz video didn’t go great online. Some nasty comments were left and I decided that I might need protection in the future.”
I scratched the back of my head and tried to seem embarrassed about it. She seemed to nod and accept that answer. It was good enough for her and she began to turn around so that we both could exit the room.
“Well Mr. Anthony, thanks for letting me in to perform a welfare check. I’ll let you get-”
She suddenly pauses as she’s speaking and stops in the living room. I follow behind her and watch as she forms a surprised expression on her face and reaches for her belt where a taser is located. I catch up to her to see what causes her shock. Standing by my open door is a figure I absolutely did not want to see. She was in the same clothes as before but had washed them off the blood since last night. She was leaning against the wall and seemed to have a face displaying annoyance mixed with curiosity. Sofia’s eyes lazily looked between Officer Gartner and me. Her eyes then moved towards the phone on the kitchen counter. I had been speaking with Alice before the policewoman came in. Sofia sighed before speaking.
“You left the door unlocked so I thought I'd just let myself in.”