Chapter 3: Unanswered Questions
Kyla sat in the sterile hospital waiting room, the antiseptic smell mingling with her anxiety. Her thoughts were a chaotic whirlwind as she replayed the night's events in her mind. Despite the trauma and exhaustion, she couldn’t afford to rest. Darwin was in surgery, and her heart ached with worry for him.
The door to the waiting room creaked open, and Detective Andrew Roberts stepped in, his face a mask of concern and determination. He walked over to Kyla, who looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes.
"Mrs. Bennett," he said softly, taking a seat beside her.
"I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."
Kyla managed a weak smile.
"Thank you for coming, Detective. Any news?"
Andrew shook his head, his expression grim. "Not yet. We’ve had officers searching the area all night, but there’s no sign of the children. It's as if they vanished into thin air."
Kyla’s heart sank.
"How is that possible? They were just here, in our house."
Andrew sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don’t know. We’ve canvassed the neighborhood, checked surveillance cameras, and followed every possible lead. There's no trace of them."
Kyla’s eyes filled with tears.
"They said they’d be back. They promised they would."
Andrew leaned forward, his gaze steady.
"We won’t let that happen. We’ll keep looking until we find them and make sure they can’t hurt anyone else."
Just then, a doctor stepped into the waiting room, looking around until he spotted Kyla. "Mrs. Bennett?"
Kyla stood up, her legs trembling.
"Yes, that's me. How is my husband?"
The doctor smiled reassuringly.
"He's stable. We managed to stop the bleeding and repair the damage. He’s in recovery now, but he’ll need to stay in the ICU for a few days. You can see him briefly, but he’ll need rest."
Relief washed over Kyla, and she nodded. "Thank you so much."
Andrew stood as well.
"I’ll be here when you’re ready, Mrs. Bennett. Take your time."
Kyla gave him a grateful look before following the doctor to Darwin’s room. As she entered, the sight of her husband, pale but alive, brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. She sat beside his bed, taking his hand in hers.
"Darwin, you’re going to be okay," she whispered, squeezing his hand gently.
"We’re going to get through this."
She stayed with him for a few moments, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. The doctor returned, indicating it was time to let Darwin rest, and Kyla reluctantly left the room, returning to the waiting area where Detective Andrew was still waiting.
"How is he?" Andrew asked, standing up.
Kyla took a deep breath.
"He’s stable. The doctor says he’ll be okay, but he needs time to recover."
Andrew nodded.
"That's good to hear. I know this is difficult, but I need to ask you more questions about the children and what happened."
Kyla nodded, sitting down again.
"Of course. I’ll tell you everything I remember."
Andrew pulled out his notebook.
"Let's start from the beginning. You said the children knocked on your door around 9 PM?"
"Yes," Kyla confirmed.
"It was raining hard, and they looked so lost and scared. We didn’t think twice about letting them in."
Andrew scribbled notes.
"Can you describe them in more detail? Anything you remember about their appearance or behavior?"
Kyla closed her eyes, picturing the children. "There were five of them, all soaking wet. They ranged in age from maybe six to twelve. The girl, Heidi, seemed to be the leader. She was the one who spoke the most. They were all so quiet, so calm. And their eyes... their eyes were completely black."
Andrew looked up from his notebook.
"Black eyes? Did they say anything about why their eyes were like that?"
Kyla shook her head.
"No, they didn’t. It was so unsettling, but we thought maybe it was just a trick of the light or something. We were more focused on getting them dry and fed."
Andrew tapped his pen against the notebook, thinking.
"Did they mention where they came from or where they were going?"
"Heidi said they were on a field trip and their bus crashed," Kyla replied.
"They found their way to our house after that. But when I think back, it doesn’t make sense. There should have been some sign of the bus or the crash site."
Andrew frowned.
"We checked the area you described. There's no evidence of a crash or any disturbance. It's like the story was fabricated."
Kyla’s eyes widened.
"But why? Why would they lie about that?"
Andrew sighed.
"I don’t know. That’s one of many questions we need to answer. Did they do or say anything else that seemed strange or out of place?"
Kyla thought for a moment.
"They were just so... robotic. The way they moved, the way they spoke. It was like they weren’t real children."
Andrew’s expression grew more serious. "We’ve had reports of similar incidents, but nothing as violent as what you experienced. It’s like these children are something else entirely."
Kyla shivered.
"What do you mean?"
Andrew hesitated. "We don’t know for sure. There are theories, but nothing concrete. Some believe they might be supernatural entities, but we need more evidence."
Kyla’s mind raced.
"Supernatural? That sounds insane, but after what happened, I don’t know what to believe."
Andrew nodded. "I understand. We’ll keep investigating. In the meantime, we’ll have officers keep an eye on the hospital and your home. We won’t let them get to you again."
Kyla felt a small measure of relief.
"Thank you, Detective. I just want this nightmare to end."
Andrew stood up.
"We’ll do everything we can to make sure it does. Get some rest, Mrs. Bennett. I’ll be in touch."
As Andrew left, Kyla leaned back in her chair, exhaustion finally catching up to her. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the images of the night. But the memory of Heidi’s cold, black eyes and her chilling promise lingered in her mind.
---
Detective Andrew Roberts returned to the police station, his mind preoccupied with the disturbing case. He headed straight to the briefing room, where a team of officers was waiting.
"Alright, everyone," he began, addressing the group. "We have a situation. Five children, described as having completely black eyes, attacked a couple in their home last night. We need to find these kids and figure out what’s going on."
One of the officers, a young woman named Officer Martinez, raised her hand.
"Detective, what do you mean by black eyes? Like, no whites at all?"
Andrew nodded.
"That's correct. The victims described them as having no whites or pupils, just solid black eyes. We’ve had similar reports in the past, but this is the first time the children have escalated to violence."
Martinez frowned.
"That’s... unsettling. Do we have any leads?"
"Not yet," Andrew admitted. "The children vanished without a trace. We’ve canvassed the neighborhood, checked surveillance footage, and found nothing. It’s like they disappeared into thin air."
Another officer, Sergeant Thompson, spoke up.
"Do we have any idea where these kids come from? Any connections to local families or orphanages?"
Andrew shook his head.
"None so far. We need to keep digging. Check with local schools, orphanages, and hospitals. Look for any reports of missing children matching the descriptions we have."
Thompson nodded.
"Will do. What about the victims? Do they have any information that could help us?"
Andrew glanced at his notes.
"Kyla Bennett, the wife, mentioned that the children claimed to be on a field trip when their bus crashed. But there’s no evidence of a crash site or a missing bus. We need to treat this as a potential cover story."
Martinez leaned forward.
"Detective, what if these kids aren’t... normal? I mean, the black eyes, the way they disappeared. Could we be dealing with something supernatural?"
Andrew hesitated, then nodded slowly.
"It’s possible. We can’t rule anything out at this point. We need to be open to all possibilities, no matter how strange they may seem."
The room fell silent as the weight of his words sank in. The officers exchanged uneasy glances, knowing they were venturing into uncharted territory.
"Alright," Andrew said, breaking the silence. "Let's get to work. We need to find these children and stop them before they hurt anyone else. Keep your eyes and ears open. Report anything unusual immediately."
As the team dispersed, Andrew couldn’t shake the feeling that they were dealing with something far beyond their understanding. He returned to his desk, sifting through the case files and trying to piece together the puzzle.
Back at the hospital, Kyla sat by Darwin's bedside, holding his hand and praying for his recovery. The memory of the attack haunted her, but she knew she had to stay strong. They had survived the first encounter, but the battle was far from over.
The unanswered questions loomed large in her mind. Who were these children? Why had they targeted her and Darwin? And most importantly, how could they stop them?
As the day turned into night, Kyla resolved to find the answers, no matter the cost. She wouldn’t rest until the Black-Eyed Children were brought to justice, and the nightmare that had invaded their lives was finally over.