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Parrish's exhaustion was evident in his voice as he muttered to no one in particular, "I haven't even had my coffee yet, unbelievable."
He grabbed a second cup from the canteen, his tired eyes scanning the room.
Being the rookie on the force had its drawbacks, and today, it meant being the designated errand runner for everyone else. As he made his way back to the breakroom, he could hear the low hum of voices and the sounds of papers shuffling.
The station had been in full-on chaos since the attack on Beacon High.
The Chief had made it clear from the start that the case wasn't within their jurisdiction—animal-related incidents went to the forest rangers, not the police. But the reports flooding in from the students told a different story.
Some of them swore they saw a masked figure stabbing a fellow student, and the disappearance of Jackson Whittemore, son of the mayor's close friends, only made things worse. Now, everyone was scrambling to figure out what the hell had happened.
A full day had passed since Jackson vanished, and with his family's connections, the case had become a priority.
The Whittemores were a powerful political family, and Parrish knew all too well that when they were involved, nothing else mattered.
The wheels of the department had shifted into overdrive, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference.
They had little to go on, just fragmented testimonies from terrified teenagers.
As the coffee machine beeped, signaling that his second cup was ready, Parrish's thoughts drifted back to Jackson.
The boy had been involved in that bizarre bear incident not long ago. Could the animal have targeted him? But then again, could a bear even intentionally go after someone like that? Was it even possible?
Before he could dig deeper into those thoughts, Haigh, his gray-haired partner, appeared in the doorway of the breakroom, holding out a cup of coffee with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, P, you've got a parcel at the front desk," Haigh said in his usual gruff manner, but there was a hint of amusement behind his words.
"A parcel?" Parrish asked, blinking in confusion. That wasn't something that happened often. He certainly hadn't been expecting anything.
"Yeah, looks like it's addressed to you," Haigh added with a shrug, sipping from his own cup.
Parrish grabbed his coffee and nodded. "Can you give this to Jose for me?"
Haigh took the cup with a nod and a grunt, not bothering with any small talk. As Parrish left the breakroom, he could already hear the hum of conversation in the main part of the station.
His mind was still trying to sort through the mess of the investigation, but now there was a distraction in the form of a mysterious package.
Julie, the receptionist, looked up from behind the desk with one of her characteristic flirty smiles.
She always had a soft spot for him, and though he appreciated the attention, today his mind was elsewhere.
"Hey, Parrish. Looking sharp today," she said with a grin, sliding a medium-sized package across the counter.
Parrish nodded absently. "Thanks, Julie."
He was already more focused on the package than her comment, noting the lack of a return address. Just a message scrawled on the side in black marker:
'To Officer Parrish
May this be a surprise like no other'
A sigh escaped him, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the words.
"Stiles," he muttered to himself.
There was only one person in Beacon Hills who would send him something so… random.
Stiles Stilinski.
Who would pull pranks on the Cops and get away with it, mostly because it would be harmless, funny and give officers something to make fun of others and his father is the Chief, most probably the last thing.
But after everything that had gone down at Beacon High, Parrish wasn't in the mood for another one of Stiles' ridiculous glitter bombs or some other prank.
Still, it was Stiles, and despite everything, he had to admit, a part of him was curious. He began to peel off the layers of plastic wrap, his hands careful but a little more hesitant than usual. Something about this just didn't feel right.
And then, there it was—the unmistakable sensation of something wet and sticky. His heart rate quickened as his fingers brushed over the surface. It was a deep red, too thick, too viscous.
This wasn't one of Stiles' pranks.
Parrish's stomach dropped. He immediately stepped back, his mind racing as the dread began to settle in. He quickly donned a pair of gloves, his thoughts now a blur as he opened the box.
The shrill scream from Julie cut through the silence like a knife.
"Aaaahhh!" Her voice echoed, high-pitched with terror.
Officers rushed to the front desk in seconds, Parrish already moving to the source of the scream, his stomach sinking lower with each step.
He could smell it before he saw it—the metallic stench of blood, thick and overwhelming. It filled the room, suffocating in its intensity.
Inside the box lay the severed head of Jackson Whittemore. His lifeless eyes were wide open, his face pale, slack, and covered in blood. Blood dripped from his eyes, ears, and mouth, and the grotesque image made Parrish's stomach twist in revolt. But that wasn't the worst part. No, that was the object wedged inside the boy's mouth.
Parrish's hand trembled as he carefully pulled it out.
It was a picture. A still from the movie 'Se7en'—Brad Pitt, looking horrified in the famous scene.
"What the hell?" Parrish muttered, his mind struggling to keep pace with the nightmarish reality unfolding before him.
He flipped the picture over, a chill creeping down his spine as his eyes landed on the message scrawled on the back.
The handwriting was messy, almost manic, but it was clear enough. His breath caught in his throat as he read the words out loud, his voice shaky but steady.
"What's in the box?
You may ask.
Find the other half
And you shall pass.
Need a clue?
Try a view,
But be at knew,
Many may skew,
Who am I?
Ask the few
That locked me in brew
This is a show,
Take my bow,
And watch it go,
Cause that's all you could do.
By- The Void."
The words seemed to echo in the back of his mind, the cold, eerie rhythm sending shivers through his bones.
The Void.
Their Masked Man has just got a new name.