Detective Squad.

CHAPTER 1: NEW START

It happened fast.

Too fast for anyone inside the Robertson house to understand what was even going on.

The front door was forced open like it didn't matter if it broke. Inside, everything turned into chaos almost instantly. Someone shouted from the living room, something heavy crashed to the floor, and the TV shattered like it was nothing.

A woman screamed from the kitchen, but it didn't last long. Footsteps rushed through the hallway. Someone tried to run, tried to hide, but there was no time for either.

Things broke everywhere. Glass, furniture, anything in the way. The house didn't look like a home anymore—it looked like something had been destroyed on purpose, piece by piece, until there was nothing left that felt normal.

And then... it stopped.

Silence filled the rooms one by one until there was nothing but stillness left behind.

When the killer finally left, they didn't run. They didn't look back. It was like they were done with something that meant nothing to them.

The Robertson house stayed like that.

Quiet.

Broken.

Empty.

Lana didn't know any of that yet when she arrived at college.

She just knew something had happened. Something people kept whispering about in low voices whenever the word Robertson came up. A case. A family. Something bad.

But she pushed it to the back of her mind because today wasn't about that.

Today was her first day.

She stood at the college gate for a moment, just watching everyone else move like they already belonged there. Groups of friends laughing, people hugging, students rushing inside like they weren't nervous at all.

Lana tightened her grip on her bag and walked in.

She didn't feel like she fit in.

Not even a little.

Everything inside was too loud, too fast. She kept walking straight, trying not to look lost even though she definitely was.

Then someone stepped right in front of her and she almost bumped into him.

"Hey—watch it," he said quickly.

Lana stepped back. "Sorry."

He looked at her properly now, like he was trying to figure her out.

"You're new, right?"

"Yeah."

He nodded toward the hallway without making a big deal out of it. "Freshman classes are that way."

"Oh," Lana said quietly.

There was a short pause. He looked like he was already moving on with his day, but then he sighed a little and tilted his head.

"Come on. I'll show you."

Lana hesitated for a second... then followed him.

Not because she trusted him.

Just because she didn't know where else to go.

They walked through the hallway without talking much at first. Just footsteps, doors opening and closing, people passing by.

Then he glanced at her.

"You don't talk a lot, do you?"

"I don't know anyone here," Lana said honestly.

"Yeah, I can tell," he replied, not rude, just blunt.

When they reached her classroom, he stopped.

"This is it."

Lana looked up. "Thanks."

He nodded once. Like he wanted to say something else—but didn't.

And before he could, she already stepped inside.

The door closed behind her.

That night, Lana sat on her dorm bed staring at nothing.

The room was quiet in a way that made everything feel louder.

So she turned the TV on just for noise.

And then the news came on.

The same case people had been whispering about all day.

Robertson family.

The screen showed headlines, police updates, blurry images of a house sealed off with tape.

"Multiple casualties confirmed. Authorities continue investigation..."

Lana listened without much reaction at first. It just felt like something far away. Something that didn't belong in her life.

But then the reporter's voice changed slightly, more serious now.

"The suspect remains unidentified and extremely dangerous. Officials warn he may still be active and could be anywhere."

That line stuck for some reason.

Could be anywhere.

Lana stared at the screen a bit longer than she meant to.

Then she turned the TV off.

Silence came back instantly.

She lay back on the bed, eyes open, trying not to think too much about it.

But the silence didn't feel normal anymore.

And somewhere outside her room...

a faint sound moved down the hallway.

Slow.

Then gone.