#〔 𝖭𝖠𝖳𝖧𝖠𝖭 𝖳𝖠𝖫𝖡𝖮𝖳 〕 ft. demetrius kelly iii

[enternights]

nathan  often  wonders  what  would've  happened  if  this  town  wasn't  intrinsically  tied  to  his  legacy,  to  his  name.  he  would've  left  a  long  time  ago,  taken  his  family  with  him  the  second  heather  visser  died  the  way  charlotte  had  mused  after  learning  of  alaina's  shared  fate.  go  find  and  live  in  a  town  that  isn't  cursed.  the  sobering  reality  is  this:  nathan  is  nothing  without  red  creek.  he's  spent  so  long  cultivating  an  image  that  has  everything  to  do  with  serving  it,  that  he  doesn't  know  who  he  is  without  it.  his  only  job  is  to  make  sure  the  town's  reputation  doesn't  go  up  in  flames,  and  so  far  he  isn't  doing  a  very  good  job  at  managing  that.  nathan  talbot,  mayor  of  dead  creek.

he  thinks  he's  been  holding  his  breath  for  so  long,  he  might  as  well  pass  out.  relief  is  not  an  option  when  the  threat  still  looms  over  like  a  storm  cloud.  but  lightning  doesn't  strike  in  the  same  place  twice.  so  this  can't  be  that.  it  shouldn't  be  that,  but  all  signs  point  to  repeat  of  the  history  he  never  wished  to  touch  again.  “  i  don't  know.  i  don't  know,  dem,  it's  —  it's  supposed  to  be  over.  i  thought  i  —  ”  nathan  sighs,  hands  coming  up  to  rub  at  his  face  in  frustration.  his  voice  drops  to  a  whisper.  “  jacob  thorne  is  dead.  that  should've  been  the  end  of  it.  ”  except  it  isn't,  no  matter  how  hard  he  tries  to  delude  himself  that  it is and that whatever situation they're in  is  entirely different.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ a force, tight-lipped grin is plastered on demetrius' face as the person leaves the office . he follows close behind, presence daunting, feet nearly stepping on the back of their shoes as he "subtly" pushes them out until the two of them were left . swiftly the door shuts with a light click, but the sheriff wasn't done making sure they were alone . “ not today, ” he grunts, making his way over to the window behind the mayor's desk to draw the blinds, “ but i wouldn't be surprised if that's the case by next month . ”

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ dread sits heavy on his chest . “ just what the fuck is going on, nathan ? ” the stress in the sheriff's tone couldn't be disguised, voice barely above a hushed whisper while feet dragged to the front of nathan's desk . “ years . it's been years and this shit- ” demetrius places a hand on his hip, the other balls into a fist and comes close to his mouth as he shook his head, not wanting to utter the words that plagued his mind since alaina was found . “ please tell me you heard or saw anything, anything that tells me this is not what we're dealing with . ”

[enternights]

if  there's  one  thing  nathan's  learned  over  the  past  few  days,  it's  that  no  amount  of  ibuprofen  could  kill  the  excruciating  pounding  in  his  skull.  he  thought  he  knew  what  he  was  getting  into  when  he  initially  ran  for  office,  that  the  tragedy  that  plagued  red  creek  was  well  behind  them,  and  that  all  he  had  to  do  was  play  his  part  in  keeping  that  piece  of  their  history  bolted  shut  and  buried.  he  didn't  expect  it  to  worm  its  way  out,  to  rear  it's  second,  uglier,  head  and  traumatize  a  whole  new  generation.  nathan  should've  known  better  than  to  think  it  was  all  over  —  because  he  knew  that  it  could  never  be.

he's  in  the  middle  of  a  consultation  when  demetrius  arrives,  demeanor  reeking  of  a  sense  of  urgency  that  makes  nathan  suspect  whatever  the  sheriff  has  to  say  isn't  good.  he  dismisses  his  companion  with  as much  mustered  self-possession,  supressing  the  urge  to  heave  a  heavy  sigh  as  he  leans  against  his  office  desk  with  bated  breath.  “  i  sincerely  hope  you're  not  here  to  report  a  second  murder.  ”

⠂ ⠀ CASE STATUS : closed , @enternights | for nathan .

⠀⠀ the stares and murmurs weren't anything new for demetrius . aggravating , yes ─ shocking ? not in the slightest . since becoming sheriff it's almost become a natural occurrence ; a uniform forever stained with tragedy and incompetence , only looked at with disgust , anger , or worst ... fear . not because of what the badge represents or what his occupation entails , but for the idea that something far beyond a typical petty crime and public brawl out on the streets has happened . for once , in all his years of living in red creek , those side eyes and quick glances of mixed emotions got to the sheriff . it makes demetrius feel as if he's being examined on a coroner's table , sharp little tools picking and prodding at his insides that it makes him clear his throat , his perfectly fitted attire suddenly suffocating him .

a nervous fist covers his mouth as he approaches nathan , his own eyes peering around the room as if he was looking for someone ─ something looking back at him . ❝ we need to talk ... ❞ demetrius then leans in , adding in a hushed and gritted whisper , ❝ privately . ❞