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This was definitely trespassing. Without a single doubt in Iris' mind, this was trespassing. But it felt more like urban exploring when she looked at the house before her. She was almost surprised that there wasn't any graffiti anywhere.
She blinked, glancing down at her notes, and then up again. This was the spot, she was sure of it.
The place seemed… Almost foreboding, in a way. Were Jane and that kid really living here? There's no way, they couldn't have been here for a long time, especially with how something approaching pitch black was growing along the walls of the house, something like mold, but unlike any kind Iris had ever seen— or heard of. Maybe that's what kept the graffiti artists away. Or, maybe the rumors themself. Though, neither was quite keeping her away. If anything, everything only made her curiosity— No, the need bubbling in her chest stronger. Iris needed to find out what happened here. What happened to John, where Jane went— Where the hell the baby went.
She studied the house a bit more, it wasn't dilapidated, not quite. But it seemed obvious to Iris that nobody had really called this home in years. Despite the thing that felt a lot like guilt twisting in her gut, she stepped up to the door, expecting it to be locked.
Another thing to add to the list of crimes she'd have to commit today if she really did have to bash in a window or—
The door opened. Actually, Iris didn't even need to twist the handle. The doorknob was broken, it didn't even latch shut properly. What happened here?
—Or not? Suppose she didn't need to add any potential property damage to the list of criminal offenses she was committing today. Stepping in, Iris felt like it was hard to breathe with how heavy and damp the air felt. Not just heavy with moisture and rot, but with something like sorrow. The sorrow and rot mixed together in Iris' lungs, thick, heavy, nauseating.
"Sorry." Iris said under her breath, to nothing in particular.
Iris stepped in, the sense of dread building only grew deeper, only felt heavier in her stomach. She kind of wanted to turn back. Iris has seen and poked around worse, but this felt almost personal in a way Iris was—
Personal? You hardly know the woman.
—Not a huge fan of. Though, she didn't know Jane Doe for long, the hollowness in her gaze was.. Grim. Same for how scared and in pain that poor child seemed. Iris didn't even know they had a kid. Did anyone? That wasn't attached to the rumors. Probably for the best, she couldn't imagine a child going through a school with that attached to her would be— unpleasant. Though, the last name Doe might give that away. No one had the last name Doe anymore. Not for a long time, but especially not now.
Iris paused. What school anyway? it's not like she'd be going anywhere. Iris didn't even know where the kid was at the moment. She'd find out, the determination almost boiled in her blood, but still.
Iris fidgeted with her hands, finding herself settling down as she cracked her knuckles, if only slightly. The sound was slightly satisfying, a nervous habit of hers. Right, Okay. She had to focus. Ignore the guilt or dread or fear or whatever it was in her stomach.
"Right." She repeated again, aloud this time. She only half noticed her hands were trembling.
Finally taking a good look at her surroundings, she only just processed how large of a house this was. There was a large staircase a bit ahead, the floor plan was fairly open. But something caught her attention almost immediately, and it wasn't the decay thick in the air.
A trail. something black, it soaked and maybe ate away at the floorboards when it was fresh, but now it's just a dark stain. It came from down the stairs, starting at the top and seeming to have dripped and stained everything it touched.
Well. A literal trail to follow, Iris supposed.
She wanted to explore the bottom floor first, though. She headed for the kitchen first and promptly regretted it. Iris' hands covered her nose as she went closer, the smell of rot and putrefaction thicker now, every breath felt heavy and made her stomach churn. The bile in her throat was rising to much for comfort as she got closer to it, she glanced at the sink, and then the fridge. Something black and thick was leaking out of it from the bottom. Iris decided her curiosity wasn't worth it, and turned around, now headed to the living room.
It was in a bit better shape then the kitchen, but not by much. The Tv, it was shattered. The trail of black.. Goo? Stains? Iris wasn't sure what it was, from the stairs were here too, the couch was shredded by claws of that Iris could only imagine an animal like a bear would have. Maybe it shattered the tv too.
Faintly, she knew there was never a bear in this house. She knew what was in here.
Iris sighed, glancing back at the stairs. No use delaying it now. she walked up to them, staring at the stains leading up, as went up the stairs, it led to a hallway with a few doors. the door the trail came from was wide open. the door handle practically gone, deep scratches on the door, and massive claw marks racking the ground as if some bear, no, a beast had burst through the door and scrambled down the stairs.
Her mind drifted to the more recent sightings of John Doe. Maybe a beast had.
Poor john, She thought.
She didn't want to go into that room. Maybe she was procrastinating it. Maybe she could stave off the dread. Explore a bit. Maybe there'd be hints in other rooms. Turning, she opened the furthest door from what she assumed was the master bedroom.
It was a fairly clean room, a guest bedroom if she had to guess. The sheets were white, not quite pristine, but perhaps they used to be, back when this place was still lived in. Knowing what she does about Jane, she'd have to assume the room was kept spotless for the occasional guest. Iris wondered who the last person who visited them would have been, she knew the rumors had started years ago. She couldn't imagine many people wanted to visit.
She shut the door behind her, gently, as if she was scared the door would fall of it's hinges.
Poor Jane, she thought.
Iris found the next door, it seemed a bit more warped, as if maybe something had barged its way in here as well, if only a bit less forcefully.
This room looked a lot worse off then the one Iris was just in. Not as bad as the kitchen, thank the universe for that, but the smell wasn't great either. It didn't quite look shredded, but that mold was here, was it in the other room too? Iris didn't see it, but maybe it simply wasn't bad. She looked around more. the room wasn't in much disarray, not particularly— Another guest bedroom that likely hadn't seen a soul in gods knows how long. With how thick the air felt, and the fact iris knew she wouldn't find much in a guest bedroom, she decided to close the door.
She shut the door behind her, half wondering if anyone had even came over to see the child when she was born.
Her hand rested on the door handle. the last room before the master bedroom. This one seemed less affected by anything, the door handle was fine. Didn't feel loose, the door didn't look like anything had clawed at it, left untouched.
Poor Junip—
Oh.
Oh, Skies above.
Iris felt the bile rise in her throat again, but not out of disgust. Something that settled in her gut like horror.
A nursery.
The least affected room in the house. No mold, no marker of forced entry by a beast, nothing. Just a pastel little nursery, the walls painted a welcoming lavender, plushies and blankets left untouched. A crib for a young child. One who Iris knew was growing up without a father, and not because he didn't want to be without her.
Everything here was untouched. Messy, maybe, but in the way iris knew rasing a child would be. As if Iris could turn around and hear Jane rush in to change her diaper, or if she looked in the blankets she might find a young kid nestled in there. She blinked in horror as she realized she heard sniffling— was there someone—
No. No, Just her. The tears rolling down her cheeks made her realize it was just her. Just the horror pooling in her gut and running down her cheeks.
Poor John, Poor Jane, Poor Juniper, all of them.
Iris didn't know if she felt like she should be here. she should shut this door and hope the filth and rot decaying the rest of this house stayed out of here and pretend she never saw this. She should shut the door and look for clues.
But something else caught her attention, just a moment, nestled in the crib.
A mostly white cat plushie. One of the ones with a generally paler coat— Ragdolls, wasn't it? It had pretty eyes. Iris swallowed, steeping closer. Were her footsteps always that loud? was her breathing always that loud.
she reached out for the plush, staring at its eyes. They were blue, made of a hard plastic.
"…I'll get you #BackTo her. Okay, Kitty?" Iris said, voice sounding a lot more hollow and scared then she'd like. "#PromiseIt." she held onto the plush, much like she imagined Juniper might, as if it'd bring her any comfort, as she left the room. She shut the door behind her softly, so gently, you might imagine there was a baby in there.
She knew there wasn't.
Well. No putting it off any further. She stared at the master bedroom, its door still wide open. Despite that, Iris didn't feel anything akin to invited inside. If anything, the door was a big warning sign to get out. leave everything how you found it, pretend nothing was ever here. Pretend nothing ever happened. Iris knew by now she was a bit too deep in, be it because the plushie in her arms, or the simple fact of the sheer conviction in her heart. Or maybe it was the fact she was starting to miss Jane.
They didn't work together long. But it was enough that Iris wanted to think she knew the lady, at least a little.
Entering the room, she knew vaguely to expect. The black trail was worst here, but there was something else too. Blood, iris could smell it so faintly, seeped deep into the carpet. The mixture of scents, the mildew and mold, coupled with the blood, and something she can only describe as the stench of flesh burning, was nauseating.
Blood? She thought, Have I smelt blood at any other point in this? Iris didn't think she had, that's a hard to miss smell.
She looked around, the bed looked.. Fine, all things considered, glancing at her currently full arms, she gently set the plush on the bed, and decided to head into the bathroom first. The stench of rotten blood seemed to waft over from there anywho. Stepping in— She was right.
The room looked.. A mess. As if something had happened specifically in here. The mirror, large and fancy it was— shattered, the shards fell over every ing near the thing, including into the sink which— Iris took a step closer, trying to avoid the blood or black sludge stained in the ground. Glancing into the sink—
Corruption. Something black and vile, with a shimmering red glistening within ones and zeros. If dimmer then the other time she saw it— On Juniper. A heap of bile that had filled a plugged sink. Iris half wanted to touch it, half was repulsed by it. She wouldn't be surprised if this was John's throw up from who knows how long ago, she knows the other time she saw it as a thick liquid like that was when Juniper vomited in a bucket that Jane usually told her to keep around, just in case. Iris was told the infection didn't quite pass on, even when actively ingested, but Iris wasn't taking any chances. She was stepping away from the bile, instead inspecting the rest of the room, the scratches in the floor seemed almost frantic, the clawing of an animal stumbling to its feet just to get away. If she had to guess, an altercation happened here. The blood is an obvious give away, but also how.. Disorderly the room looked. Things bumped into, things on the floor where there shouldn't be.
If Iris had to guess, whatever happened here was a result of some beast—
No, she corrected herself.
—John, hidden in the bathroom, maybe puking? and Jane, as there was no chance anyone was visiting at that time, had come in and managed to startle John somehow, and he had attacked her and then frantically bolted down the stairs and out the door. It'd make sense, really, Iris thought, thinking back to Jane. The lady had gnarly scars— One that were distinctly not there on any of her old public appearances, or in those tabloid papers that Iris saw at times. Having your very existence seen as a dangerous thing couldn't have been fun, John always looked so anxious, didn't he?
Focusing on what was ahead of her, Iris faintly knew she should probably get a sample of.. Whatever is in the sink. She didn't really want to do that, though. She'd come back for it, those materials to collect a nice sample were in her car. She'd look around the room for more clues for now, and come back for the sample. The room was pretty disheveled, to be expected, but something specific caught her attention, near a small tv and— Is that a tape on the ground? It was broken, splintered as if it had been stomped on repeatedly. Iris shuffled over, the tv stand had a few compartments for storage, she pulled one out and find more tapes. They were labeled— at least the first few, with neat handwriting.
These were video diary entries. There was quite a lot of them, actually. Iris wasn't watching all of these right now, but she decided to grab the first.
The second the video began to play, iris felt her stomach drop. It was John doe.
"Err— Wow, This feels really awkward, Umh—" He paused, staring at the camera, looking a bit embarrassed. the recording went silent for a moment, iris assumed he was considering his next words. He looked tired, but there was a warmth to his words, his face. His smile looked nervous, but.. True. This wasn't anything like the beast she saw in the paper. Nothing like the man who was going to hack Robloxia on March 18th.
"Ever since— Umn, We realized I was, pregnant, I've been really really nervous. And a bit stir crazy since I've been on paternity leave for a while now, and Jane suggested maybe I start a diary for now? Maybe see if that will calm me down a bit. But I get distracted rather easily you see, So maybe it'd be better for me to ramble my thoughts here?" Iris felt a bad watching something so clearly personal, but, if it meant maybe saving him and his family..
"In any case, Um, what's been bothering me today— Well, I'm just really nervous. I said that already, aaahhem, Well, I've been feeling a bit.. Sick, lately? It started a week ago. My head feels a bit, cloudy, I guess. I've been coughing a lot more lately. Jane thinks it's nothing to be concerned about, I'm not sick enough to have to stay home, I can still cook as I always have much to Jane's displeasure—" The man went silent for a moment, "I love her so much. She's a horrid cook, and I still feel well enough to cook myself so— Let's save her the effort. Especially when she'd burn something, heehee."
Iris watched him, he paused again, maybe he found speaking to what should be nobody awkward. But in any case, he sounded so.. Genuine. His voice was kind, and any mention of Jane was filled with something Iris could really only describe as awe. Just this alone was proof enough to her that John was utterly smitten with his wife. He seemed nice.
Iris' stomach churned again.
"….Well. Ahem, I-I don't really have much else to say for now. I suppose I'll speak again when I feel nervous? Umm. I almost said thanks for listening—! Nobody's here but me! Haha.." And with that, the first recording stopped.
Iris thought to herself. He mentioned being sick, coughing, and a cloudy head, while still carrying Juniper, huh? Maybe that was the start of it. The sickness that seemed to make him feral. The sickness she watched take Juniper— though she seems less inflicted then John did. Jane said it had something to do with John being a better host, whatever that meant.
Iris shifted. The sense of dread only grew. There was so many tapes, Iris grabbed one at random, She'd watch the rest of these later.
"Hello diary! Today was actually pretty good—" He smiled, before briefly sputtering into a cough, his voice seemed a bit more confident— Which made sense, considering this tape was much more recent, but his voice didn't sound good. It sounded hoarse, a bit deeper then what it was before. Nothing crazy, he just sounded.. sick.
"it's been quite a while since I've been out the house.. The sickness and all, I've been sick for.. a few months now. But Jane thinks it has something to do with the pregnancy, as she hasn't gotten sick at all. So she was able to convince me to go out, and my, thank the admins I listened. I had forgotten how nice it is just to get fresh air, get away from home now and then." His smile was warm, and Iris had only just noticed some roses placed upon an end table beside him. It was really cute, the way he seemed even happier this time, even if he looked a little worse off health wise.. Poor thing.
"She took me out, we really haven't had a date in so long, it was lovely. She's so sweet to me, we had a picnic— we had those a lot when we were younger. I think it'd be nice to take the little one out for those when they're old enough!" His smile wavered with something like worry, so slightly, that Iris wondered if she imagined it.
"..It was a nice day, really. She got me flowers—" He glanced to his side, before looking back at the camera. "Normally our picnics I was the one making the food, or we'd order something, but Jane really outdid herself. I suppose all my cooking lessons really have been working! I swear it, I love her more then anything else in the world. I've watched that woman burn water. Water! How'd you do that???" He snickered to himself.
Iris really couldn't help but smile at the fondness of his words. He adored that woman, didn't he?
"She looked so happy— I think she's really excited. Well, I am too, hah— the due date is really soon." John paused again, now fiddling with his hands. "It was a really nice day. I think, though, that Jane only took me out to distract me. I'm.. still sick, it's been months. I'm really scared for the baby, if I'm being entirely honest.. Will they be sick too? I-I don't know what I'd do if they were born sick. I keep getting really bad headaches— Not migraines thankfully, but it gets harder to think sometimes. And— Well, obviously my throat hurts. It's not.. Bad. I've had worse, I just.. Worry. I haven't felt good in months. If the baby is sick, I.. I'm in a bit of pain, you see, I don't know what I'll do if she's sick too. I'd blame myself so, so much.." His voice lowered, growing hoarse with something like guilt.
Iris frowned. Her mind raced, the sickness was definitely the progression of the corruption, wasn't it? Iris had the knowledge of how this story ended; With John mauling Jane and the baby born with a sickness no one knew how to cure, and him lost.. Maybe forever. No, not forever. Iris would find Jane. They'd contact the remaining admins, and then try and find a cure.
"Well," John continued, "Jane seems to think it will be okay. She's normally right, I do have a habit of overthinking, so.. Maybe it will be okay. I hope so. I want our little girl to be alright, I can handle myself alright, I-I just.. Want her to be okay, Haha.." He laughed nervously, eyes avoiding the camera as if someone was watching. Iris felt a sting of guilt for listening.
"If Jane believes it'll be okay, well, she's not wrong often. I believe her." His smile returned, warm, if a bit tired. "I think that's all for now, though. Today was lovely, I just worry too much, that's all, really.. Till next time, diary."
Iris frowned. She knew how this story would end. She decided to watch two more, the last one, and… This one. Another picked at random, but it was a bit later then the second.
And John looked.. Exhausted. Iris wasn't even sure if that was enough to describe how tired he looked. he still had a smile, but the look on his face was more anxious then anything else.
"Hi, Diary." He spoke, voice more hoarse now, and rather hushed as well, "Today, um— Well, not today. I haven't really recorded the last month or so, sweet Juni being born and all, hah.. I knew this would be hard, but my.. it's like I've gotten no sleep at all!" He laughed again in a hushed tone, but Iris didn't think it reached his eyes, not fully. "Jane's in the other room with her right now, she's sleeping, for once, and I'm not quite tired enough to go sleep myself, and something has been bothering me, so.." he shifted in bed, expression shifting to one of worry. I wonder, is it selfish of me to be so upset no one's visited us?
Wait what? Iris leaned forward. I mean, she'd be pissed if she gave birth and no one had even visited.
"It's just—… We.. we have few friends, me and Jane, the…" His voice lowered slightly, something almost like despair rattled in it, "The rumors, and all. Our only friends are— The admins. And.. I suppose despite being a friend, she never gave us a name, said she didn't have one. But she vanished back in October… And— The admins. Since telamon died... We haven't heard anything. Jane is so angry, I mean, I think I understand. I'm sad, but.. they're mourning. I think they loved him. I don't know what I'd do if Jane died.." He shifted again, fiddling with his hands. "I do admit.. I'm surprised not even dusekkar or brighteyes wanted to come say hi. Jane's most upset with them, I think. I think she should be less harsh, I told her to maybe consider it like— What would she do if something happened to me but she seemed to get more angry at that thought."
He paused again, voice not much more then a mere whisper now. Iris supposed the idea of no one visiting made more sense if this was right after Telamon's death. From what she heard, Builderman was nearly catatonic for at least a month. And then he vanished a bit after John Doe did. There was no real public reason given for Telamon's death, and then Builderman's disappearance. Some people did blame the Does for it, considering it was near march 18th..
"I think she's scared I wouldn't make it. I'm still.. sick, after all. I don't feel that bad, but… I know I'm getting a bit old to be having kids.. We just.. struggled on that front. I don't know, I'm really happy, so is Jane, but I can tell a lot of things are bothering her. I.. It will be okay. We have our sweet little Juniper with us now, so.. It will be okay. They need their time to grieve him, and maybe by then I'll start feeling better anywho." He cleared his throat after a brief pause. "I knew I'd lose a lot of sleep when she was born but my goodness!
Iris hummed, that was about right. Iris wasn't a mother exactly, but she did babysit for family before. They weren't even newborns like john had, and Iris only had to watch for a few hours and it felt like she'd grown some new gray hairs. Well, metaphorically, her hair was all white to begin with.
"She's so fussy, it'd be really cute if it didn't stress me out so bad. I keep almost crying when I hold her, she's so cute, I've waited— Gosh, who knows how long for this? We've been trying for— Ah, Years now?.. So. Finally happy to have her with us." He paused, voice lowering to a whisper once again. "I hope she's not sick. I'd blame myself forever if she was sick. Whatever I have has only gotten worse since she was born. Jane used to say she thinks it has something to do with my pregnancy, but the baby's out, I don't think it's that. I think there's something else wrong, but what? I.. I could not tell you. I don't know, My head feels like it hurts worse by day. Being around my sweet little girl makes me feel better, but right now, My head feels. Cloudy? Like it's harder to, um, think properly? I don't know how else to describe it really."
He sputtered into a cough, he seemed frantic to stop, and iris faintly remembered that when this was recorded there was a baby sleeping in the next room.
"I hope it stops. I want to enjoy my time with my baby, and Jane. But it seems to be getting.. Worse." John said, words ending in a yawn. He sighed to himself. "I think I'm sleepier then I thought.. Too tired to even fret. I always fret, hows that work?" John mused, voice a little softer from his own amusement. "Well.. Suppose I'll try and sleep while I can then, Hm?"
One more tape left. Iris wasn't looking forward to it.
The second the video started to play, Iris knew her dread was warranted. His hands, the ones she'd paid notice to due to his nervous habit of fiddling with them when stressed were now covered by gloves, his hair looked disheveled, she could have sworn his cheeks were tear stained, and his eye bags were heavier.
"Juniper is sick too." He spoke, voice so hoarse it sounded.. Wrong. something beyond a sickness. Almost distorted, a hint of something glitchy, almost, or maybe a growl behind the words. He looked exhausted. Scared. Angry, almost, if Iris squinted.
"I don't know what to do. Jane suggested we call the admins up, they're gods, you know, surely they'd be able to fix it. I said no, not to bother them at a time like this, I only agreed when Juniper got sick, but it's not like they're responding right now anyway. The only one we could get a hold of was Brighteyes, and she's not done anything anyway. I don't know what to do, we've tried everything… My head hurts so bad, sometimes my head feels so cloudy that even speaking is hard. It's like I can't put together the thoughts to make a sentence.."
John coughed again, he wiped his face away after, "I'm terrified, b-but— What else is there to do but wait? This is.. something else, isn't it? not a simple cold or fever or, whatever the case may be. I think the dread I've felt for months is warranted. I don't know what to do. Jane doesn't know what to do either.." He paused again, Iris could see a few tears roll down his cheeks. "Is this how I die? And I take— Her with me?… I-I don't want to die.. My poor Juniper…"
Iris felt sick. Was that a red glint in one of his eyes?
"I don't know what to d—-"
Iris flinched back, red static enveloped the screen suddenly. His voice garbled, distorted, ended in a shriek before the video died entirely. Fumbling, pulling the tape out, it was so hot it nearly hurt to touch, red ones and zeros envelop the whole thing now, and the sting of corruption registered a moment after the sheer heat of the thing. It felt almost like her skin was melting. Iris squeaked, almost, in pain, reeling back as the thing tumbled onto the ground. Shit, was it broken?
Iris stared at the tapes that remained unwatched. She had a lot more to go, really. had to bring all of those back to her own place, maybe the dread coiling in her gut would calm if she did. She had more tools in her car, she could take all the tapes, she could get a corruption sample. she grabbed the little storage box the tapes were stored in, and glanced back at the bed. The little plushie. She grabbed the plush and stacked it on the back.
Iris would find John, Iris would find Jane, Iris would find Juniper. She had too, she will find them.