When Detective Bryan Muster arrived at the police department, his mind was still preoccupied with the last case he had just closed. A criminal organization that abducted children and transported them to foreign countries. Exploiting innocent children had always been Bryan's bugbear since he'd joined the police force, even more since he'd had his own child. It had never sat well with him on a personal level and he'd almost shot one of the criminals in a moment of anger. Those poor, little children didn't deserve such a gruesome fate.

Bryan rubbed his forehead, trying to clear his mind, before he entered the chief's office.

"Good morning, Detective Muster. Chief Slemmer is waiting for you," the secretary announced with a formal smile.

"Thanks, Susan."

Muster was informed about a new case this morning and he couldn't wait to get rid of the aftertaste of the previous one.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the Chief's door. He entered immediately when he heard the words "come in."

Chief Slemmer wiped his bald head and eyed him from behind his Windsor eyeglasses. The 'head wipe' gesture meant bad news. This one never failed. But then again, that was his job. Everything was bad news. Although, it could mean the news was worse than usual.

"Morning, Bryan." Chief Slemmer smiled tightly.

"Morning, chief," Muster replied. "Let me guess. A serial killer? A terrorist group?"

Chief twisted his lips briefly. Another bad sign. "Sit down, Bryan."

Muster sat on the chair in front of the chief's desk, anxious for information. The case file would be sent to his office soon enough, but hearing the details in person mattered to him. Old habits die hard.

"None of the above?" Bryan urged.

Slemmer shook his head. "It's more complicated than that."

"I'm all ears."

"Have you encountered a cult in any of the cases before?" Slemmer asked, clasping his hands.

Bryan raised his eyebrows. "Not that I recall. What kind of a cult?'

"A psychic cult, it seems. They call themselves the Day Of Judgment and claim to have the power to foresee the future. They distribute flyers that allege 'the end is near' and it terrorizes children and their families around the city."

Bryan's fists clenched. "Children?"

"Children are more affected by their propaganda, for some reason. We suspect they have infiltrated schools, somehow."

Bryan pressed his lips. It would be impolite to swear in the presence of the chief of police. A police investigator should not let his emotions take over. He needed to learn a lesson from his recent experience, but those are just little kids! They shouldn't become the target of such vile minds.

Chief continued, unprompted, "parents reported disturbing drawings made by their kids, nightmares, and questions about the apocalypse."

"How disturbing?" Bryan asked.

"Dead bodies, torn limbs, gore, the kind of stuff that kids aren't allowed to watch on TV." Slemmer pushed his glasses with his index finger. "Then we began to find those bodies."

Bryan frowned. "Real bodies?"

Slemmer pursed his lips and nodded. "With signs of ritualistic killing as well, but you need to examine the crime scenes yourself. The autopsy report will be sent to you ASAP."

"It's possible the kids just heard scary stories that unleashed their vivid imagination," Bryan surmised. "They don't have to be connected "

"Given the great resemblance to the actual murders; the dismemberment, the similar body positions, etc... I'd say it's not just their imagination."

"That doesn't make sense, unless they have witnessed the crimes themselves."

"Well, you'll need to make sense of it, figure out possible connections between the murders, the Day Of Judgment, and the children's drawings."

Bryan squared his shoulders and nodded. "Alright, sir. I'll certainly work on that ."

"One more thing." Slemmer lifted his forefinger in the air. "You won't work alone in this case."

Bryan tensed up. Chief Slemmer surely wouldn't hinder his investigation by adding a new partner to this sensitive case.

"Chief?"

Slemmer's face softened with a tentative smile. There was an odd expression on his round face, almost like a hint of embarrassment. "Arwah Williams. She's a new detective in the department."

"A girl?" Bryan exclaimed.

Slemmer cleared his throat. "My niece."

"Oh!"

"This is strictly professional, Bryan, but on a more personal level, I couldn't trust anyone else to be her mentor."

"Well, I'm honored, sir, but," Bryan searched carefully for the right words. "Isn't this case too... critical for a newcomer?"

Slemmer chuckled. "I understand, but as much as I trust you to handle it, I know her too well. Arwah didn't need our connection to get here. She earned this position, and I trust her capabilities."

"Of course, chief." Bryan swallowed his objection.

Chief Slemmer straightened in his chair and Bryan took it as his cue to leave. He stood up and headed for the exit, getting ready for the mission and the complications of a new partner. A squeamish, female partner in a case full of slashed corpses and spilled guts. He hadn't worked with a newbie before, but he was afraid he'd have to be a babysitter instead.

"Bryan?" Chief Slemmer.

Bryan halted and turned around.

"How's your little girl?"

Bryan's heartbeat quickened briefly. He took a deep breath to compose himself. "She had another seizure last night, but she's better today, thank you for asking, sir."

It had been a rough night.

Slemmer's look held unspoken sympathy. "Send my greetings to Aubree and your lovely wife."

"Thank you, sir. I really appreciate your concern."

The simple gesture nudged Bryan's heart. His boss knew his daughter's condition and cared to ask about her health every time they met. If it hadn't been for his work, he would have stayed home to watch over her and be an actual, present father. His wife, Jane, had simply quit her job to be a full-time mother and nurse, and he was grateful for her sacrifice. But someone had to provide for the family. And doing what he did, it wasn't easy to switch jobs or call it quits. It was all he'd known to do. And all he'd loved to do.

As Bryan left the Chief's office, his thoughts were split between his family who needed him more than ever, and the other families who were also scared for their children and worried about their safety. Was it even a choice to quit on them?

***

A/N

Here's the first chapter for the writing contest organized by BerryPatchCommunity

I've never thought I would write something like that. So let's see if i can actually finish it ! XD