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[center][h2][color=007236]Shawn Barrett[/color][/h2]
[color=007236]DAYS AFTER THE PARTY:[/color] Negative Something
[color=007236][b]LOCATION:[/b][/color] Darkwell City Diner
[color=007236][b]INTERACTING WITH:[/b][/color] Wren[@Elle Santiago], Cait[@Ambra]
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[color=gray]	Shawn took in a deep breath, steam curling around his head as hot water rushed around him. He felt his entire body relax at once, the heat working out the aches and pains of his daily routine. God, nothing in the world felt better than a hard workout and a good shower. Still, despite feeling like a goddamn stallion of a man, a few things kept keeping him from truly being at ease. One hand rubbed idly at an old scar on his shoulder as he turned the facts over in his head, again and again. 

	The recent deaths didn’t make sense. Rural dogs went feral sometimes, but the wounds in the most recent case looked like they were done with steak knives taped together and wrapped around a chainsaw. They were too deep, too jagged, and quite frankly too messy. When a dog attacks someone, it doesn’t look like their insides were put inside a fucking blender. The bodies were torn to shreds. Not eaten, just scattered. Spaghetti with a chunky sauce. Despite himself, memories of I.E.D.’s came to mind... But those were bad thoughts, and there sure as hell hadn’t been a detonation. No ash, no smell aside from the rotten sweetness of old blood, old meat.

	Perhaps more strangely, there was the letter to consider. It wasn’t extraordinary in and of itself, as far as the police department could tell, but the man who had died held it clutched in his fist, even after whatever had killed him had done its work. A few of the officers had mentioned that it WAS the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the town soon, but none of them knew about the party. Most likely a private shindig. Still, with the timing of these “accidents” and the way things were going, people were getting superstitious. The latest victim had survived, but she sure as hell wasn’t in any condition to talk, and wouldn’t be for a while. Shawn knew in the rational part of his brain that full moons and hundred year-curses were all fake, but the primitive lizard part of him had its own ideas. Frankly, he had been a cop for eight years, and after a while you learn when to trust your hunches. Ever since he had come to town, something was just off.

	The detective shook his head, letting the water run over his face before killing the pressure. He toweled off, pulling on a button-up and some jeans while taking care that he wasn’t completely coated in cat hair. It was a losing battle, but he had to put an effort into it. Still, it was good to have something a little more comfortable. Those  uniforms got stifling after a while.  He didn’t have to work tonight, thank God, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to cook. Locking the door behind him, he ran his fingers through his hair and lit a cigarette, rolling the smoke around in his mouth for a moment before slowly exhaling, watching his breath trail into the brisk night air. He had tried to quit before, but with work like it had been lately… Fuck it, who could blame him? 

	Making his way downtown, Shawn thought about the letter. A party in the Darkwell City Diner, celebrating the hundredth anniversary… Maybe the staff would know about it? Still, he noticed a dog sitting outside the diner. He was an adorable animal, Shawn had seen him on a few occasions. As far as the detective knew, the pup belonged to a student at Darkwell, some young girl who worked here sometimes.

	Glancing around to make sure no one was watching him, Barrett knelt down, scratching the little guy behind his ears. [color=007236]“Hey there, fella. It’s been a bit, I was worried your big sis had taken you off somewhere.”[/color] A small smile split his cheeks for a moment, his attention focused on the pooch. [color=007236]“But hey, I’m gonna go grab a bite for myself. If you’re still around when I head out, I’ll give you a little something.”[/color] He stood up, taking another look around before entering the diner. He had been visible through the windows, but hopefully no one had been paying too much attention.

	Walking inside, he took a deep breath, feeling the warmth of the diner soak his bones. Something smelled delicious. Wednesday… soup? Chicken, if he knew the schedule by now.  Near as he could tell, it wasn’t too crowded, only one person was sitting at the bar. Likely a good thing, though he wasn’t sure why. He had been here a hundred times, was the definition of a regular. But something wasn’t right, and he couldn’t shake an ominous feeling down his spine. Maybe it was the way one of the lights was flickering, but he couldn’t help but think that either work was getting to him again or something was coming. Hopefully the first.

	Taking his usual seat up at the bar, he opened a menu and flipped through it without really reading at all. He knew the damn thing frontways, backwards, and sideways at this point. In the first few months of living here, he had quickly established where the best places to snag something edible were, and the Diner easily made the high middle ground of the list. At this point, he played with the menu out of habit more than anything else. Dule was over talking to Cait, he thought her name was, and he wasn’t in a rush. Soon enough, the woman made her way over to his seat, and the ritual began.

	[color=007236]“Miss Dule.”[/color]

	“Mister Barrett.”

	[color=007236]“Is there anything hot?”[/color]

	“Well, we can find something or another. Probably. Coffee and water?”

	[color=007236]“Coffee and water.”[/color] And with that, she started off towards the kitchen. He honestly couldn’t say what she would bring, and he didn’t care so long as it was switched up from time to time. She got a good tip, he got a decent meal, and time kept marching by. [color=007236]“Excuse me, Miss Dule?”[/color]

	She turned back, a slight frown of surprise on her expressive features. “Yes, Mr. Barrett?” He usually didn’t say too much after the initial overture. 
	
	The officer’s gaze was focused on the waitress, but he was all too aware of everyone else in the restaurant as the words left his mouth. His voice was serious and his face hardly changed as he spoke, but that wasn’t different from usual. However, his eyes were just a touch harder than usual, a cold light reflecting their icy blue. Significantly different from his usual interactions with the woman, but he needed answers. Most likely, no one knew too much about the letter, and it probably didn’t matter. But if it did, then he would be one step closer to finding out what the hell had been attacking people around here. [color=007236]“What do you know about a party being held here on the 27th? Anniversary of the town’s founding, all that jazz? Maybe it’s from where I'm new in town, but I recently received this letter and have no idea who sent it.”[/color] 
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