Jordan finally found Melody, hiding behind a small planter brick wall, with her back turned, but her head looked at something else.

Jordan snuck over next to her and peeked his head out to see why she hid. His eyes widened upon seeing the Willow View, surrounded by more police cars and officers. They looked to be inspecting the cases that the building supposedly had.

“So, this is what you wanted to show me?” Jordan whispered.

Melody jumped back a bit, then glared at him. “Don’t scare me like that, you almost blew our cover.” She regained her composure and sighed before turning her attention back to the apartment building. “But if those guys keep at it, our plans might get ruined.”

“If they keep at what, though?” Jordan tilted his head in confusion.

“Blocking every part of the whole town!” Melody hissed.

“Now, you're too loud.” Jordan pointed out. Melody pouted in response. “You don’t suppose it has something to do with the suicides, do you?” He continued.

“Probably.” Melody guessed. “We’ll need to lower their numbers, but how?”

“I don’t think that’s possible. I mean, how can we decrease the suicide rates?”

“I got another idea.” She proposed.

She didn’t say it to Jordan to keep it a surprise. Since they couldn’t get back to their home, Melody exited the area, and Jordan followed her.

The two walked along the town square of Bleakburn, all while trying to find places to hide from the many officials that still roamed the town. Some residents and civilians sat on benches, small chairs beside the coffee tables, walked around, or texted on their phones.

Jordan noticed something odd about everyone he passed by. No one said a thing, and they lowered their heads, seeming to be upset about something. He had no clue why or what the cause of it could be. Jordan was unsure why the atmosphere felt different and somber everywhere they turned.

Melody didn’t seem to care or mind about what went on in the background. Her mind went elsewhere as she walked along the sidewalk. Jordan had a feeling that the atmosphere had gotten worse with each passing day, almost as if—

“Hey, look over there.” Jordan pointed at an alleyway, causing Melody to stop and turn in his direction.

The two noticed some people lying on the ground near the dumpster. Their bodies appeared to be motionless, even though there were no injuries present. Jordan and Melody held their noses and walked closer toward the source. Melody placed her hand on one of them and shivered upon interacting with the cold Goosebumps-like body. She backed away, trying to calm down and loosen her leg hairs from rising too high.

“Did you feel the pulse?” Jordan asked.

“Won’t don’t you check it out for yourself?” Melody asked back.

“But I don’t want to!” Jordan whined.

“Not so loud, dummy!” Melody hissed. “We can’t let anyone know about this either way.”

“But why are they...?”

Melody pondered about the fact that maybe those folks died from jumping off a building. But the rumors that had spread mentioned that people committed suicide by jumping off a different structure. She then wondered if since those people on the floor had got no injuries on them, they could have gotten a disease. Melody looked over and noticed a yellow phone in their grasp. She pulled it out and checked it briefly.

“Now I see,” Melody muttered. Jordan leaned in to look at what she talked about and what she meant by that, but Melody pulled the phone away to prevent him from seeing the device. “We can’t let them see this, not again.”

“What are you saying?” Jordan questioned.

That was when Melody thought up another idea. “Follow my lead.”

“Is the next step going into swing?”

“You’ll see, trust me.”

She took the phone and dialed a number. Once she finished talking to someone on the other side, the two went into hiding.

After a while, some police cars arrived as two officers stepped out. They took out their flashlights and scrutinized the area. The presence and the stench got worse by the second.

“Where’s that smell coming from?” One of them held their nose and asked.

“I think it’s coming from there...” The other kneeled to check on the bodies.

“Do you think, maybe, the murder here and the suicides might have nothing to do with the main case?” The first one swung the flashlight toward a wall and looked around the area.

“I mean, it’s not like I remember—” The second was about to reply, but when he looked up, his comrade was no longer in sight. “Um, Bill? Where did you go?”

He stood up and looked around. Out of the corner of his eyes, a red light pierced through the darkness. The officer pulled out a gun and trudged toward the glow. A massive blow hit him in the back of his head, causing him to fall and lose consciousness.

Melody walked over with a blunt object in hand. She tossed it aside, kneeled, and picked up the orange hat. She brushed the dust off and placed it on her head, tying her hair up in a bun. Jordan got out of his hiding spot, dragging the other unconscious officer in tow, and did the same thing.

“Wow, this is surprisingly comfortable for me,” Jordan remarked. He pulled out a mini mirror from his pocket and admired himself for a bit.

“That meant swell,” Melody recalled. “Now, come on, we’re not done yet. Help me carry these bodies over...” She walked over to the dumpster and opened it wide. To her dismay, the stench got even worse as it spread all around the area. It didn’t help that she thought she saw what looked to be severed hands underneath the garbage. “OH, GOD!” Melody jumped back and shut it closed.

“Never mind, forget the dumpster!” Melody exclaimed, waving off the fumes and flared her nostrils.

“What? Why?” Jordan put the mirror away and turned to ask.

“Let’s just take them to the car.”

“But do I have to touch those?” Jordan used the tips of his nails to nuzzle them toward the vehicle.

“Seriously?” Melody collided her hand to her face and shook in disbelief. “You expect me to help too?”

Melody and Jordan worked together to carry each of the bodies, one at a time, into a body bag and threw them into the back of the trunk before shutting it closed. They looked around, making sure nobody watched them, before heading to the car and driving away.