Charlotte- Wy

...

First of all, sorry for the delay. I'm still working on all the little details of the plot, designing characters and making sure it's as sad and horrifying as I can make it.

Secondly, should I change the title? I was struggling to come up with one when I went to publish the first chapter, and picked 'home' as that seemed to be a recurring theme, forgetting there is already a film called that.

But yeah, hope everyone reading enjoys this, and feedback is always appreciated.

...

Sadik couldn't help it, the sight sent him doubling over and he violently vomited on the floor, in a small pool at the foot of the throne. He hated the sound it made as it splashed against the tiles, and the horrible acidic smell it gave off, adding to the stench of the room. He was on his knees as another wave of sick came, and his limbs trembled in exhaustion as more and more followed. There was flecks of the stuff on the arms of his jacket and the ruffles of the girl's dress now. By the time his stomach had stopped contracting and finally emptied, he could barely keep awake and was struggling to breathe. The place already stank of rotting flesh and black mould, mixed together in a horrifying cocktail that assaulted his nostrils. The inside of his mouth was disgusting now, bile mixed with coffee and overly-sugary, half-digested sweets.

Just what evil had he stumbled across here?

He didn't want to look at it.

It took all his willpower to wipe his mouth and glance up at the tiny, broken body, and once he saw her, it was impossible to tear his eyes away.

The child wasn't Kuzey, he could tell that much. She was a little girl, dark hair in a tangled mess and a dress caked in black blood. A cardboard crown was perched on her head- the kind given out at parties to the birthday child.

The nails keeping her in place were large and rusty, hammered in though her wrists and shoulders, and from the way the wounds were torn, he could tell that had been done to her whilst she was still alive. She'd struggled, that was clear, and continued the struggle despite the agony, and the thought turned his knees to jelly and his arms to lead. The poor child…

Who would do such a thing? And why? What sort of cruel world did he live in where something like this could be allowed to happen? He tried to ignore the burning in his eyes as tears began to form.

Her face was almost unrecognisable, parts the skin carved away with a knife with the remaining covered in bruises, and the blood...

The stuff was everywhere, tangled in her hair, crusted on her tiny nose, on her closed eyelids, dried drops running from her eyes down her cheeks. Even her little ribbon- holding her messy hair in a side ponytail- was flecked in the stuff.

"Who did this to you?" he whispered, barely audible. Not that it mattered; he was alone! Who would hear him?

Apart from whoever had killed the girl. If they were still here... well, Sadik knew he should be scared of them, but the only thing going through his mind at the thought was that he'd be soon showing them what a real head injury looked like!

Unsurprisingly, he got no reply from the child, and focused his attention on pulling himself up, arms still weak and trembling and he had to lean heavily on the table. His sweaty hands slipped as the newspaper cuttings stuck to his palm, and Sadik frowned. Oh yeah, he was supposed to look at them!

Sadik, squirming under what felt like the burning gaze of the child, gathered the clippings up, quickly glancing over each one. They all told of the same story, of the disappearance of 6 year old Charlotte Cooper, her brothers' pleas for her safe return, of a missing person's inquiry turning into a murder case. Still no leads. Body not found. Local woods combed by police. Oldest brother found innocent of abduction. Body still not found. More pleas to the public.

Body never found.

"Well, I guess I just solved this case, huh Charlotte?" he tried to smile, but couldn't bring himself to move his lips, settling on a humourless laugh. Even the corpse seemed to be giving him a withering look.

The stare seemed to continue when he asked her where his son was, and Sadik sighed, stuffing the clippings into his rucksack. He hoped with all his heart Kuzey wasn't here, wasn't being tortured in another room. Was that why he was here though? Because some evil bastard had kidnapped his son and he was supposed to rescue him? He glanced down at the girl. Or were these murderers indiscriminate of age and he was the one that would be carved up?

If that was so, he hoped Kuzey was safe, maybe still asleep or at school and not putting himself in danger to look for his Baba. He hoped there was someone who could look after him, but he had no way of knowing if there was someone else in their lives. Where was Kuzey's mother? Did he just have a Baba?

Baba? Of course, that's what Kuzey called him! He blinked and another- tiny- memory flashed before him. Stony amber eyes rolled in annoyance, whining that Baba was being embarrassing. A laugh. His own laugh. It boomed in his ears and his hand reached out to ruffle his son's hair.

And it was gone, just like that.

"Kuzey isn't here," he whispered to himself, "he can't be. I refuse to believe it."

Yet the words sounded oh so forced.

"Is he here?" he tried again, looking pleadingly at Charlotte, though she remained silent. He looked at the message on the wall, telling him to go home, and sighed. If that had been left for him, then surely he wasn't supposed to be here, though it made no sense if whoever was here was keen on keeping their actions a secret. And someone clearly still lived here, if they were leaving messages for him. But why would they tell him to go home if he'd come here by mistake? Surely they'd want to silence him.

He groaned and sat on one of the tiny chairs; this whole place made no sense!

Hang on… he lifted his head from his hands, blood turning cold as his anger was finally replaced by fear. Were the killers still here? Looking for him? Coming back to kill him? Hunting down Kuzey? He could threat all he wanted, but, truly, he was in no state to fight anyone, should it come down to that. He could hardly walk, let alone fend himself against armed murderers.

He had to leave.

Sadik stood up, causing another wave of dizziness to hit him, and he stumbled before slipping on his own sick, once more crashing to the floor.

"Why is this happening to me?" he groaned. Deciding it was time for a break- and a plan- before he set off, he opened up the map once more, wondering just how he was supposed to navigate this thing, and where the hell were the exits? Sure, this map was designed for children, but it would've helped to include the exits!

A series of bumps on the back of the paper brushed under his fingers, and he frowned, turning the map over and holding it close to his face as he used the torchlight to decipher the untidy scribble- the same from the back of the photographs- that was apparently his handwriting. It was written in a hurry, which didn't help at all. His head swam and refused to process the words; he stared at the squiggles, certain that they were supposed to mean something but they wouldn't sink in.

It was a good five minutes and a raging headache before he deciphered the six words in front of him.

"I'm sorry Kuzey. I'll find you."

Written by his hand, on a piece of paper picked up in this very building? Well there was no doubt as to Kuzey's whereabouts now.

"Oh fuck my entire life," he muttered, voice increasingly slurred and louder the angrier he became, "I don't remember any of it but fuck my entire life! Every moment! Fuck it with a giant strap-on! Over and over! No lube! I have the contents of my stomach up my jeans, a dead body for company and a murderer has my son! It's not like it could get any worse! So just fuck my life!"

He sat up, rubbing his face and fighting another wave of vomit. Oh don't go and throw up again; I already smell like a skip, he groaned to himself.

"I guess I should go find him," Sadik muttered, "oh please be okay."

He pulled himself up and grimaced as he glanced over at Charlotte.

"Sorry little lady," he told her, "didn't mean for you to hear that."

The message on the wall was still there, and he shrugged as he looked at it. Yes, he was going to ignore it. There was no way he was going home without Kuzey! He was either saving his son or not leaving the place again!

Hopefully the former, because he really did want to find out what his life was like.

"Let's do this then," hand against the wall and leaning heavily, Sadik began to make his way up the stairs, unable to escape the feeling that he was being watched. It made every hair on his body stand on end and he shuddered as he climbed up.

He looked up to distract himself, and found a trail of papers near the top, ripped and left in a series of messy piles. He didn't like the ominous feeling in his stomach as he wondered just where that trail was leading to.