January 7th, 2022: 100+ reads on this one chapter! Thank you all so much!
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New Orleans, Louisiana. September 13th, 1929.
"Sam, where's moma and papa?" The then 4 year old girl asked her brother. His heart broke.
Just a few days ago their own beloved mother and father had abandoned them in the middle of the city with no way to return home, Samuel hadn't the courage to tell his sister what had really happened.
The two people they counted on for guidance and love had given up on them. Out of money and out of energy, their parents had left them on the streets.
However, Samuel knew he had to tell his sister the truth, no matter how hard it was on him. When he did tell her... she cried; and cried; and well- cried. She couldn't seem to even comprehend the thought of being abandoned. It hurt. Her brain could barely process it. She didn't know what to do, say, or even think.
Samuel however, knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to fight. Fight for his and his sister's survival. He would do whatever it takes to keep them alive in this world that wanted him dead. After the stock market crash... almost everyone has run out of money, lost their businesses, their homes... everything.
~2 months later~
The two children were sitting in an alleyway, the sun beaming down on them. The girl used her skirt to cover their legs while the boy used his vest to cover their heads from the sun's harmful rays. Even that didn't seem to help.
"Come on Edith, we can't stay here." Samuel said standing up, holding out his hand for his 5 year old sister to take. She did but not without being confused. "Where are we going?"
"We're going to the cafe, we can't stay in the sun. It won't be for too long, the sun will be going down shortly anyway." Samuel said, as they made their way down the street and into the cafe. When they got inside it was quiet. It was normally quiet around this time. Families who could afford it would be at home making dinner... or trying to. Most people couldn't even find a job at this point. Men would be so desperate they would have their children stand in the streets with signs that say 'Why can't you give my dad a job?'
It was around this time when those families would start hurrying home because at night New Orleans was not a place where you wanted to be out and about, because behind the scenes this town had a secret. An evil secret...
A serial killer nicknamed the Smile killer was on the loose and no matter how hard the police tried, they couldn't seem to catch whoever it was. So all they could do was encourage everyone to stay off the streets at night and keep themselves and their families close and safe.
But unfortunately for Samuel and Edith, they didn't have a home or family to run to, to keep them safe so they had to do so themselves... well... with some help of course... As the two made their way into the small cafe there was a man behind a bar-type counter who's eyes lit up when he saw the two.
"Samuel! Edith! What a pleasant surprise! Come in, come in!" The man exclaimed, waving for them to come and sit in the seats in front of the counter.
"Hello, Gus!" Sam said, lifting his sister onto one of the chairs before sitting on one himself.
"What can I get for you two youngsters?" Gus asked, leaning on the counter.
Sam smiled at the man. "Just a newspaper and some tap water will do for today." He said.
"Oh, come on! How about I get little Edith here, a glass of orange juice, all tabs on the house!" He said, looking at Samuel for approval.
Sam looked at his younger sister, her face lit up with joy as she looked at her brother with eyes pleading for him to approve the request. The teen thought to himself for a second, what was the trouble? It was going to be free for them after all, plus during the Stock Market Crash anything free was practically a miracle gift of the lord.
"I guess a little treat wouldn't hurt." He said with a smile on his face, rolling his eyes at his sister. Gus laughed before giving Samuel a newspaper and going to the back to get their drinks.
The young thirteen year old looked at the front page headline that read: "THE SMILE KILLER STRIKES AGAIN; 4 MORE FOUND DEAD"
Soon Gus comes back, giving Sam a glass of water and Edith a glass of orange juice which she very happily takes. "Edith, what do we say?" Sam asked with a parental tone.
"Thank you!" She exclaimed, her cute high pitched voice filling the small, almost empty cafe around them. Gus just chuckles, patting the girl on the head before seeing the headline on Sam's newspaper. He sighs to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a bit of frustration.
"To think that killer is still on the loose and the police aren't even helping." Sam says, also sharing the frustration. Though, while they're talking about the news, little Edith tunes them both out, just sipping her juice that tasted like a rainbow to her, it's been a while since she's eaten or drank anything with such flavor.
Her tiny head started looking around the cafe, looking at the decorations which included lots of paintings, a hat rack, an umbrella stand, plants, and a radio that sat on a shelf. It was off at the moment though. The four o'clock radio show that everyone loved and always spoke about had ended about an hour ago since it was exactly 8 o'clock at this time.
While looking around, her eyes fell upon a very nicely dressed man with brown hair, caramel brown eyes, spectacles that were right under the bridge of his nose, and a bright smile on his face. He was sitting alone at a table next to the window, reading a newspaper while drinking a cup of hot coffee. The sight of him was enough to completely fascinate her, it wasn't often she'd see someone as fancy as him. It wasn't often that anyone would see someone as fancy as him in these times. He must have a really neat job!
"Edith, what have I said about staring?" Her brother asked, pulling her out of her trance. She nodded, turning back to her glass and quickly drinking the remaining juice from it. The two siblings were there for a couple more hours until the cafe was completely empty and Gus started to clean up. The man had left by now and they had to leave as well.
When Gus had gone home Samuel had led Edith to an alleyway he thought would be a safe place for them to spend the night. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best place as it was already occupied by a group of wild dogs that had chased them away. Sadly, they were used to this. It happened to them quite frequently as now families couldn't afford to take care of their pets any longer so they would kick them out onto the street.
Luckily, by now the two had a meeting spot next to a rather large forest where they would meet when this happened. Edith got there first, as she waited patiently for her brother to arrive something had startled her... a scream. A terrified scream that was muffled after a second.
When Sam got to the meeting spot he was confused and concerned to see his little sister staring at him with wide, teary eyes as if a demon had just grabbed her and told her she would die tomorrow.
"Edith? W-What's wrong? What-What happened?" He asked, pulling her into a tight and comforting hug. However, she didn't have to answer his question before another deafening scream was heard from the forest next to them. Samuel looked into the woods with a shocked look on his face.
"W-What was that?" She whispered to her brother.
"I don't know." Samuel replied.
"SOMEBODY HELP ME! PLEA-" The male voice came screaming again, only to be abruptly cut off, sending Samuel into an impulsive panic-rescue mode.
"Edith, you need to stay here." Samuel said, taking off his dirty brown jacket and handing it to the young, horrified girl. She shook her head quickly. "No. No. No."
"Someone might be in trouble or hurt, Edith. If they are- as a man it's my job to try and help them however I can." Sam said, making his way into the trees. "Stay there, I'll be back." His sister stared in fear as her brother went off. She was too scared. A 5 year old sitting alone in the dark next to a scary forest?
She couldn't.
She went after her brother, eventually catching up to him. His eyes widened when he saw her. "Edith! I told you to stay there!" He whispered, quietly scolding her.
"I-I couldn't. I-I'm too s-scared!" She whispered back. Sam just picked her up and held her tight as he kept cautiously making his way towards where the sound was coming from. Though, it eventually stopped, but then there was a light source. A small red kerosene lantern just bright enough to reveal an absolutely graphic and horrific sight.
A person... well... what used to be a person... cut into pieces, their limbs almost completely separated... Their eyes that had once before told a story whilst showing light and intelligence, were now silent and dark. Even more horrifying, a tall, skinny man stood looking over the body, no doubt the perpetrator of this inhumane crime.
Edith buried her head into her brother's neck as he brushed his hand through her hair and covered her eyes with the other, in an attempt to comfort her. He was thinking about just running away as fast as possible, hoping the man didn't see or hear them, but just then he remembered something else about the case which he saw in the paper just hours ago, there was a $5,000 (about $67,000 today)reward for anyone who provided clues or tips about who the Smile Killer was. This was definitely the guy, Sam could tell by how a smile was carved into their lifeless victim's face.
He just needed to find out what the guy looked like. But the only light illuminating the scene was that small lantern, he needed to get a better look.
To Edith's dismay and horror, Samuel carefully placed her down behind a tree, motioning for her to stay put and quiet while he did whatever he was planning to do. Whatever it was, the young girl was not on board, she grabbed her brother's hand with terror in her eyes. Though, that didn't stop Sam. He knew they needed the money and knew they would probably die soon if they didn't get it. Knowing this, even if he was risking his life, he made the decision and tried his best to quietly climb on top of one of the large tree roots in order to get a better view of the mysterious criminal. Unfortunately for them both, a little bit of rain during the early hours of the day was enough to seal their fate, as he slipped and fell into the dead leaves below, causing several loud crackling and crunching sounds below him.
The two children's hearts all but stopped as they stared at each other with wide eyes. To their horror the man clearly heard his slip up.
"Seems we have company, don't we? I think our unwelcome guest should show themself before I go and drag them out." The man warned. Though, his voice wasn't at all menacing... it was... light?? But still threatening at the same time- in fact- it almost sounded... familiar?
Not wanting to make things any worse, Sam instructed his sibling to stay still and not move a muscle, while he slowly and carefully made his way out from behind the large tree and into the view of the criminal. His large, unfaltering smile was now brightly illuminated by the lantern as he faced the teen.
"Now what would a little yearling like you be doing out this late alone?" The man said, walking very slowly towards him.
Before he could answer another crunch of leaves was heard from behind the tree. His heart stopped as he saw the man stop and his smile widened, if it even could.
"Seems you're not alone! Haha! I think whomever may be with you, should come out as well! Do join us!" He said sprightly.
Samuel looked behind the tree at his sister who had a mortified and tear-stained expression on her face. After a bit of harsh thinking he slowly held out his hand towards his sibling. She hesitantly took it and Sam slowly pulled her out into the open. When she saw the man she immediately recognized him, that was the person she saw in the cafe earlier that day.
Upon seeing the young girl, the man's face turned to one of annoyance and a small, unnoticeable hint of panic for a slight second before turning back to the insane smile from before. Though, on the inside he was still panicked.
For this is the 20's, and even though he is a serial killer... This man considers himself a gentleman when it comes to those of fairer means. He couldn't just kill a helpless child! No, no, no. If it were just the young boy that would be a different story, men and boys are capable of defending themselves, but in this quarrel there was a young defenseless maiden involved. Killing someone like her would be low even for him, but he couldn't just leave them there to go to the police with the memory of what he looks like... Quite the predicament, is it not?
The man looked at the two children a little closer, their clothes were dirty and torn in some places. They look starved, as if they hadn't eaten properly in weeks, possibly months. Perhaps he could use a different tactic to keep the two from exposing him.
"Now what happens to be your names?" The man asked the kids. Edith just buried her head into the side of her brother.
Knowing she wasn't going to speak, Sam spoke for her. "I-I am S-Samuel and this is m-my s-sister, Edith." He said, horribly failing to not sound scared in front of his sister. When saying his sibling's name he took a step to the side to reveal her.
She looked at the man with a deep petrified expression while her tears started to return. "P-P-Please don't k-kill us, M-Mister..." the five year old pleaded between her cries.
The man merely just laughed at the beg. "Now now, what kind of gentleman would I be if I killed a little fawn such as yourself, huh?"
The two children just looked at each other with confusion and horror.
"But of course since you've seen my face and seen my crime, I can't just let you go and run to the cops." The man started before grabbing Samuel by the collar of his shirt and pulling him closer while Edith yelped at the sudden loss of protection. "Guess I'll just have to take you both with me, now won't I?" He asked rhetorically, his insane smile never leaving his face. He creeped the children out, horrifying them to obedience.
The man held his hand out for the girl to take which- with a nod of approval from her brother- she begrudgingly took, and just like that their lives have changed forever, for the better or for the worse would have to be decided later as the man walked them through the forest.
"M-Mister... w-w-what's your n-name?" Edith asked, stuttering out of fear.
"My name is Alastor, darling. Alastor."