Declan
I forced my eyes open as my body slowly started to regain consciousness. The heaviness of slumber almost begged me to go back to sleep and let the dreams continue but I couldn't. I just couldn't put myself through that again and again.
Mal had offered to get me a prescription to help me sleep but I declined. I had met too many people on the streets that resorted to medication when they had insomnia and ended up dead with a needle in their arms. Too haunted by their past that they needed help just to get sleep.
My body was drenched in sweat as my hair stuck to the nape of my neck that made me feel awfully gross. I didn't want to wake up Mal this time around. He had been called for an emergency after dinner and only came back close to midnight.
He needed his sleep and I didn't want to become a burden to him. I needed to find my own healthy ways in coping and the best way to get some sleep was to exhaust myself out. It was 3am and I only needed to be at the station around 10am. Therefore if I quickly went for a run I could still catch a few hours of sleep before I had to leave.
Jogging in New York was my favorite pastime. It always felt like I was seeing something new about the city no matter how many times I ran down the same path. Things were always changing.
The forest here had a good trail and even though I didn't easily run through grassy areas it was a great time to start. With a sigh I climbed out of bed and went over to the closet to grab a pair of joggers, a thin jersey and my running shoes.
I grabbed my phone and placed it in my pocket before I went out. It was dark outside but strangely also bright enough due to the moon that I could see ahead without breaking my ankle.
With quiet steps out of my room I crept my way to the stairs hoping they didn't creek. So far I was doing a great job until I got to the last step and I heard Mal's bedroom door open. My shoulders instantly slumped as I looked up and he stood there in black boxers with his hair sticking up in all kinds of directions.
"Where are you going?" He rubbed his eyes. His voice croaked slightly.
"I was just going to go for a run. Couldn't get much sleep in. Sorry if I woke you up."
"I'll come with you," he loudly yawned.
"No, it's alright. You look exhausted, please. You can go back to sleep," I smiled hoping that he would listen to me.
He stared at me for a few seconds before he nodded and drowsily made his way back to his room. "Switch on your location just in case please," he called out before he shut his bedroom door.
I let out a long sigh and did as told which was funny. It felt like I had a parent watching over me whilst I was a cop. When I got outside I did a few light stretches before I slowly went into a jog down the gravel driveway.
The air was crisp as I breathed and even though I hated to admit it, I preferred the smell here. I would pick it over the subway any day.
The ground squelched with every contact my foot made with the mossy ground, it had been raining throughout the night therefore I had to be careful before I slipped. I ran for a good distance until I came to a stream that separated me from the other part of the forest. I had studied the map of the area and knew that it wasn't deep enough that I couldn't cross, there was a small bridge somewhere nearby but I wasn't in the mood to go that far either.
Feeling like my legs were already burning for a break I decided to sit down and allowed my hands to feel the temperature of the water. It was crisp and cold, much to my liking. I would have to visit here again when there was actual sunlight.
I had spent nearly the entire night reading through files of the area. Fifteen murders, two out of them suspects were caught. Family members or an ex that got a little too jealous. One where a suspect had been found but was on the run. The other twelve were truthfully unsolved.
There was no clue. No witness or any tracks left behind. Most of the time the people who found the bodies were close friends or family which didn't give me much to go by. Sometimes a murderer came back to the scene with the joy of pretending to be the one to find the body but not this time. None of the victims linked and each family member was distraught.
It wouldn't do me any good pointing the finger of blame when I had no basis to go by. Throughout the file I had realized the police here were highly dependent on game rangers and it seemed expert trackers when there was a missing report or a dead body.
In fact it seemed the game rangers were more dependent on the trackers before anyone else. They were the hunters of the area, those who lived in the forest and went fishing every chance they could. They spent most of their time in the forest and would know first thing if something was wrong.
Whoever they were, I knew I had to get in contact with them. They could have seen something or could be covering up for someone else. It was a big leap to go by since the trackers were valued in the community and clearly they needed an outsiders point of view for a reason.
Finally after what felt like forever I yawned as I stood up and dusted myself off. That very moment a loud thud came from behind me...