*Hannah stood back, lowering her gun slowly. Joshua was clearly a figment of the nightmares, nothing at all human, but there was no hostility in his words. No cruelty. He was merely a child, speaking to a man. William stared at Joshua, his eyes wide and filled with tears as he slowly reached out toward him.*
Joshua: Dad… you need to accept it. You can’t blame yourself forever
William: J-Joshua. I… I can’t help it. I can’t handle it at all
*William hanged his head, looking at the ground. His hands were trembling, shaking violently. A drop of tears fell from his eyes as he continued to cry. As he did, Joshua reached out and took his hands, looking at William with a smile.*
Joshua: It’s not your fault.
*William’s tear turned into that of a light sobbing, as he wrapped his arms around Joshua. As he held him close to him, Joshua slowly faded, as if he was never truly there to begin with. William was only left to wrap his arms around himself, sobbing silently. Hannah slowly stepped toward him, hoping to better understand what happened. As she did, William quickly stood up, wiping the tears from his now red eyes. He turned to Hannah, a look of sadness on his face, before speaking to Hannah.*
William: Joshua… my son. He was only twelve years old, before….. The accident. A drunk driver drove in front of us. I swerved out of the way and fell off the railing. I survived… but Joshua…. He….. *William sent his fist into the wall, clenching his teeth in anger and sorrow* Why Joshua!? Why him?! It’s all my fault!
Hannah: You can’t blame yourself for what happened, William. You’re not the who killed him.
William: But I should’ve protected him! I should’ve done my job as a parent! If I did, he would still be alive
*Hannah stepped closer to William, placing his hand on his shoulder*
Hannah: William, you did everything you could. Joshua said that it wasn’t your fault. Why must you continue to blame yourself?
*William looked at the ground, giving a heavy sigh.*
William: I don’t think I can ever forget about what happened to Joshua. I can’t ever forget that day. He was so happy one moment, and then……. But…. I have to try and keep living…. For his sake.
*As William looked up, he felt a sudden pain in his hand. He looked at the palm of his hand to see a butterfly crawl and fall to the ground, before going still. Hannah was able to save another person once again. And like many times before, the nightmare slowly faded away from Hannah.*

*Hannah slowly woke up to find herself, not in her bedroom like before, but in a completely different area. The walls were white, the room had a single window to the side, and Hannah was now in a completely different uniform. Hannah felt a heavy, cold weight in her left hand. She looked in her hands to see the handgun. She looked over to her right to see someone sitting next to her. It was Drew, sitting in a chair, asleep, but slowly waking. Once she saw him wake up, she quickly stored the handgun and the ammo under her pillow to hide it. Drew gave a heavy yawn as he looked at Hannah, rubbing his eyes. Once he saw she was awake, he quickly woke himself out of his slight drowsiness and spoke to her.*
Drew: Hannah! Are you okay? Are you in any pain?
*At the mention of it, Hannah did notice the slight pain in her stomach. The thoughts of last night started to come back to her. Once she walked inside, she saw a silhouette inside the house, before a gun went off, and after that, she was completely out of it. Hannah looked at Drew and answered, trying to ignore the pain in her stomach.*
Hannah: I-I’m fine, dad
Drew: Thank god. I heard a gunshot, but I didn’t see anyone else in the house. And when I saw you and that security guard on the ground, I panicked. I thought I lost you
Hannah: Don’t worry, dad. I-
Drew: How can I not worry?! I can’t lose you like Lisa!
*That name was the first that Hannah had ever heard. Before she could question Drew on what he had said, Drew got up, clearing his throat*
Drew: A-Anyway, I need to head to the store right now. I’m sorry, but you know that we need all the support we can get
Hannah: Yeah, I understand
*Drew turned and made his way to the door before turning around*
Drew: Oh, and Hannah, Mr. Franklin will be here to see you later
Hannah: Mr. Franklin? What for?
Drew: Just to talk. Nothing serious. I’ll see you later
*Drew made his way out of the door and turned left down the hall. From the right, another person walked inside. William stepped inside, already dressed, yet clutching his gut. He had a stitch on the left side of his head as he walked over to Hannah*
William: I don’t know who that was, but he had one hell of a swing, let me tell you. I don’t think I’ll be having those nightmares anymore, Hannah. Thanks to you
Hannah: Oh, don’t thank me. I just did what I had to do
William: Regardless, you’re going to need all the help you can get. I can’t be much help from here, but I’m gonna try to find out who the hell that was that shot you. And of course, I’m a little pissed he attacked me too. But, at least let me give you this
*William reached to his side and took out his revolver, as well as a few bullets for it.*
William: This should be of some use
*Hannah, hesitant at first, took hold of the revolver, noticing the weight that it had immediately. Once she held onto it, she hid it inside her pillow.*
William: As far as I know, the only ones who have any knowledge of the nightmares is you, me, and whoever shot us. We have to find that guy as soon as possible. While we’re at it, you just do what you’ve been doing this whole time. I hate to make you go into those nightmares again… But I don’t think I can talk you out of it
Hannah: No, you really can’t
William: Yeah, well, you just try not to be careful, okay. If you die inside the nightmares-
???: What’s this about nightmares?
*William stopped and turned to see Mr. Franklin, standing at the doorway. He gave a slight shake of his head.*
Franklin: William, please don’t scare Hannah, okay? The last thing she needs is more troubles
William Yeah, yeah. Hannah, I’ll talk to you later
*With that, William made his way out of the room, leaving her with Mr. Franklin. Franklin sat down in the chair, looking at Hannah with some sympathy. He took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose stressfully before placing them back on.*
Franklin: Sorry, it’s…. Hard to see my students in a state like this. First Wendy passes, and now… here you are. This used to be such a lovely and peaceful town. What happened, Hannah?
Hannah: I don’t know, Mr. Franklin.
*Mr. Franklin remained silent for a few moments, before clearing his throat.*
Franklin: Regardless, I am not here to discuss the matters of the crimes. I am here to talk about you, Hannah. If you are willing to talk
Hannah: Of course
Franklin: Always a strong one, Hannah
*Franklin gave a slight chuckle*
Franklin: So, Hannah, you’ve been heading out a lot at night. You’ve been acting distant in class, always tired, looking at your phone, and you only interact with Rebecca. I met with Officer Marcus. He said he saw you at the crime scene that one time. He also saw you speaking to Diana. No one really goes to talk with her or have a chance to, yet you seem to be friends with her. Hannah, you aren’t… getting involved with a bad crowd, are you?
Hannah: No, not at all.
Franklin: Are you sure, Hannah? You can tell me anything.
Hannah: No, I promise. I’m just worried. With Wendy and Sam ending up dead within the same year, as well as Rebecca barely coming to school…. It’s just been stressful
Franklin: I understand perfectly, Hannah. If you ever feel like you need a break, feel free to let me know. I’d hate for you to fall behind because of this. No student gets left behind, alright?
*Hannah gave a nod, which Franklin gave a smile to. He stood up, before turning back to Hannah*
Franklin: Try to get some sleep, alright? And don’t worry about the crimes. You need all the rest you can get. I’ll meet with you again when you feel better, okay?
*Hannah gave Franklin another nod. With that, Franklin made his way out the door, leaving Hannah by herself.*

*Hannah was looking over her evidence for the time being. She was clearly shot by the man who knew about the dreams. That must’ve been who the mysterious figure was. And it had to be someone who knew her address. But the town is so small, a place where anyone knows everyone. It could be anyone. Hannah thought that it could be Deetz. It would make some sense. He had something on Wendy that drove her to guilt. But how was he able to get to Marcus and Diana and Drew. It would have to be someone that Hannah could never suspect, an average person. That only made things harder for her. She couldn’t head to The Enigma to better understand the situation, and she couldn’t get ahold of Rebecca at all. Time went by slowly inside the hospital. She was just glad that she would be released soon. Another minute in here felt like she would be driven mad. She only got a call from Drew, asking if she wanted him to stay with her the night. She thought that it would be best, as having him close to her would make it easier to find him once the nightmares started. She still had to save Drew as soon as possible. The longer he was affected by this, the easier it would be for him to succumb to the nightmares. But she noticed that he had still not come yet.*

Drew: *He woke up, finding himself in the nightmares. He must’ve fallen asleep on the couch, waiting to arrive to the hospital. It was odd, but he could’ve sworn that he felt a blunt force in his head, as the back of his head hurt. As he sat there, he could hear the voice of a woman quietly call out his name. And once again, it was coming from his bedroom.*

*Hannah waited and waited, yet nothing. Drew had not shown up. She was starting to worry if he had fallen asleep already. Regardless, she couldn’t wait. She stood up from the hospital bed, still a little drowsy from the pain, and made her way to the small bag on the ground, containing a change of clothes for her. Anything would be better than walking around in her hospital uniform. Once she was changed, she could feel the pain in her hand again, only for the butterfly to emerge from her hand once again. This time, she knew that it was Drew. Nothing would wake her this time if she could help it. She grabbed the revolver from under her hospital bed and followed the butterfly, hoping they would make it to her home soon.*

*The run there was short, but agonizing, as Hannah was still not able to completely stand on her own from her injuries, and was still slightly woozy from the medicine. Nevertheless, she made it to her home, the nightmares turning it into a rotted away hovel. Hannah stepped inside through the doors, only this time, Drew was nowhere to be found. Nowhere to be found. She slowly stepped inside, seeing the butterfly float to the top of the stairs. She made her way up it, following behind it in the hopes that she made it in time. As she walked inside the house, finding herself outside the door of Drew’s room, she slowly opened the door, the creaking it made echoing throughout the house. Once she looked inside, she could see the room was nothing like the room she was used to, or even making any sense. The room was a large cell, with pictures of a woman dangling from a noose plastered over the walls and the ceiling. And in the center of the room, Drew was looking at the end of the room, and at the end, a woman in white. Her black hair going down her back, as she looked at Drew with a smile. She slowly opened her mouth to speak.*
Woman: Drew…. Sweety. Do you remember me
*The woman slowly walked toward Drew, her arms slowly outstretching toward him. As she got closer, a single drop of blood fell from her forehead, falling down her face. Drew stared at the woman in complete shock and horror.*
Drew: L-Lisa…. Please
*The woman continued to walk toward Drew, as another stream of blood ran down her face. And then another. And another. Eventually, the woman’s whole face was drenched in blood, the blood staining her white dress as well, turning the once pure white dress into one of crimson red. The woman continued to walk towards Drew.*
Lisa: Drew, why are you so scared…. Isn’t this what you always wanted…. A dead woman?
*Without another word, the woman’s neck snapped, twisting violently, the bones making a horrid snapping sound. Her neck grew in length as they twisted. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, eventually turning into an empty white with red veins, ready to burst. Eventually, her neck had completely turned her head upside down, as she gave a monsterous grin toward Drew. At the sight of it, Hannah no longer held back and fired a shot at the creature, striking it’s shoulder. Once Hannah did, the creature snapped it’s back to look at Hannah, morphing into a disgusting crab-walk, her arms bending and breaking to hold her up on all fours. The woman gave a grin to Hannah as she looked at her.*
Lisa: Hannah… my beautiful daughter. Drew’s pride and joy. It’s a real shame you will die here too
*With that, the creature quickly rushed towards Hannah, it’s broken limbs moving it forward at a horrifyingly fast speed. Hannah didn’t hesitate to fire, striking the creature twice in the chest and once in the head. The creature screamed, but did not slow down, and was already at Hannah’s feet, before sinking it’s horrid teeth into her ankle. Hannah gave a shocked and pained scream as the creature’s teeth went into her flesh, biting hard, nearly reaching the bone. Hannah shot the creature twice in the head, giving herself a good chance to strike it. This only made the creature bite down harder, and eventually made contact with the bone, ready to break through it completely. Hannah, out of ammo at the moment, turned the gun to bold onto the barrel and struck the creature in the head with the revolver, caving in its skull. The creature was in agonizing pain, yet refused to let go. Drew stared forward at the creature, before screaming out.*
Drew: Lisa! Leave Hannah alone! This is my punishment! Not hers!
*Lisa, at hearing this, pulling her teeth slowly out of Hannah’s leg. She fell to her knee, clutching her bleeding leg in pain, and taking out the bandages that William gave her to stop the bleeding as Drew spoke to the creature*
Lisa: No…. you both are to be punished!
Drew: Hannah had nothing to do for what I did to you, Lisa! You can’t do this to her! Leave her alone! Leave my daughter the hell alone, Lisa!
Lisa: Then you will suffer
*Before Lisa could start to crawl toward Drew to finish him off, Hannah shot the creature again, striking it in its head three more times. Lisa gave an agonizing howl, looking angered, yet did nothing more than fall to the ground. The creature was finally dead. Hannah leaned against the wall, panting, tired and in pain. She looked over at Drew, allowing herself to push herself off the wall to greet him.*
Hannah: Dad… are you alright?
Drew: You shouldn’t have come here, Hannah! You should have let me die.
Hannah: Dad… why would I do that?
Drew: Because it’s my fault this happened
Hannah: Dad, whatever you did, it can be forgiven. You can’t blame yourself fo-
Drew: I killed your mother, Hannah!
*At that moment, Hannah was finally silent. What Drew had said, what he had assumed, it was madness. She finally spoke up*
Hannah: W-What do you mean, dad?
Drew: Hannah, what happened was…. Horrible. I am… Not your dad. Biological, anyway. You see, I am sterile. When your mother and I wanted a child, a beautiful girl such as yourself, we tried so hard, and yet, the results were always the same. Once your mother found out that I was unable to have a kid, she did whatever she could to make me think that it was different. She got drunk, found some worthless drug pusher at a bar, and let him have his way with her. She tricked me into thinking that it was my kid. Boy, was I a fool. But I found out, thanks to the help of the same guy she met at that bar. He wanted to see her again, and once I found out, once I realised what had happened, I confronted her. For the first time, we argued. And I never heard such insults thrown at me. She made me feel weak, worthless, and then… I snapped. I just grabbed her neck, wanting her to stop yelling. I kept a hold of it, and just squeezed and squeezed until… She stopped. I couldn’t believe what I had done, but I did it. I got rid of her body, I took you as my child, and I ran away, here, to Chestnut Pines. You know the rest from there, Hannah. You’re mother, Lisa, is dead.
*Hannah couldn’t believe what she had heard. The other times she met with people who killed others, their acts could at least be understood and forgiven. Marcus killed a criminal and Diana killed her dying husband. William never even killed a person. But Drew, her father… he was a killer. He killed someone with no rightful reason to do so. And not just that, it was her own mother. The thoughts were running through her head. They were almost unbearable. She tried her best to calm herself, as she looked up at Drew. She knew she had to tell Drew something. She had to say something for what he had done to their family, for all the secrets he had kept from her. She had many conflicting emotions, but she knew what she wanted to tell him.*