Firecracker

-28- ✔️

THE DOOR TO THE EVIDENCE LOCKER OPENED WITH A slow creek, as if taunting my movements.

"Do you want me to come in with you-"

"No," I cut Michael off quickly, smiling softly at him, yet I didn't turn around to face him, "I need to do this on my own. Don't worry"

I could hear Michael take a step back, putting a small distance between the two of us as if to respect my wishes.

"Yeah.. alright. Whatever you want. Whatever you want. I'll be waiting out here for you when you're ready" he reassured, and I waited until he got back into the car before continuing on.

What I was even looking for,I had no idea, but a part of me wanted to know if I should do it. Marry Michael.

As I got closer to the door of the small unit, splashes of Lydia flashed in my mind. I still couldn't wrap my head around it all. What happened to her? What messed her up so badly as a child that she got to be that crazy?

I was never going to find out.

I got to the door and stopped, glancing over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of Michael seated in the car. His head was resting against the steering wheel, his knuckles clenching it as he sat there. What he as thinking about, I had no clue. I had no clue of anything these days, it seemed.

I placed my hand on the doorknob, taking a deep breath before twisting the pre-opened knob and pulling the heavy metal door open.

The room automatically lit up once I was inside, and the sight before me was nothing like I expected.

There were about six aisle in total, each containing shelves stocked with crates and papers and boxes. A desk stood in the corner, piled high with posters. Posters that ranged from my face with scratches on it to Michael's face with hearts on it. The whole room was somewhat organized, each aisle dedicated to a particular subject or person that connected to the case.

There's no better place to start then aisle one, I guess.

I walked over to where aisle one began. It wasn't particularly long, about the 8 meter sticks, and under each box, sticky-noted to the shelf was a label. The aisles in itself were labeled, each one with a different category on them. First childhood, second was early years, third was middle school, fourth high school, then into one named after me, and finally 'OTHERS' was the label on the last aisle.

I don't know what it exactly was, but something in me pushed me to go in the direction of the very last aisle. What 'others' were they talking about? Other people involved in the case? Other people who might've conspired with her? Other people who might be linked to her? Whoever these 'other's' were, I wanted to know.

I rounded the corner of aisle six an-

"What the f*ck!?"

He turned at my scream, papers dropping from his hands and combining with the others that had pooled around his feet.

"C-Calum?"

Calum stood, bloodshot eyes, a five o'clock shadow and all, in the middle of the aisle. I didn't even know anyone was in here with me, let alone one of my good friends.

"Cal... what are you doing here?"

He didn't answer me, and instead, looked back to the papers that had scattered to the floor, his posture slumped.