Oddity Specialist: World Of The Occult

by James Courneya

  “We’re spending more time here, than usual.”

  “…”

  “I have already resigned myself, to the fact that I’d have to be around sniveling kids, most of the day. However, spending even more time here, is simply just a unique form of psychological torture. I mean, you prepare yourself for a certain level of discomfort, then bam, you have to deal with even more, all of a sudden. Without getting so much as a forewarning.”

  “…”

  “Really now, looking at the two of us, which of us would be pegged as the devil, by an outside observer?”

  “…”

  “The silent treatment, is getting old.”

  Quinn stops and stares back, at the pestering man behind him.

  “…Oh, is this one of those, too embarrassed to talk to your invisible friend, situations?”

  “There are still people around.”

  “Dear, how could I make such a devastating blunder?”

  Quinn takes the book his carrying and slaps it lightly against his forehead.

  “I know you’re bored, but I don’t feel like heading home yet.”

  Quinn starts walking again. “It almost feels like, something always goes wrong, when I do.”

  Once again, another different familiar voice, speaks up.

  “Heeyyy Quinn, what’s up?”

  Walking in, while doing a hand stand, is Neri. Quinn doesn’t bat an eyelash, at the girl.

  “Not you.”

  “If we were basing it off of Australia’s up, then I’d be up and you’d be down.”

  “We’re not in Australia, so I think my point still stands.”

  “Fair enough.”

  The girl has started walking, in front Quinn.

  “If you’re here, I take it that-”

  He quickly thinks to himself. “What season is it?”

  “Volleyball season is over.”

  “Yep, it ended a couple weeks ago.”

  “Hm.”

  “That’s why I’m heading down to the track; I’ve got to get ready, for what comes next.”

  “You still play sports in the summer?”

  “Of course.”

  “If you’re going to run to prepare, is it going to be like cross country, or something?”

  “Beep, incorrect!”

  She falls forward landing into a wheel pose, before rolling forward onto her feat, popping up into a fighting stance.

  “Summers when my MMA practice starts.”

  “I see.”

  A curios thought enters the young man’s mind. “Why do I feel a tinge of fear, from that statement?”

  “So, what are you up to right now, Quinn?”

  “I was just walking around, thinking about what I’ve just read.”

  “Deep philosophy?”

  “…No.”

  He taps the cover of the book. A.I and automated coding: From intermediate to professional.

  “Seems I was off base, by a smidge.”

  “I’d say more than a smidge.”

  “Don’t you think philosophy and science are intrinsically connected?”

  “…I’m not really sure. But what does that have to do with coding?”

  “As the cover of your book says, we all might be A.I anyways. In a way, you’re learning the fundamentals of what makes life; if that is the case, of course.”

  “I’m fairly certain, this says nothing like that.”

  “Sometimes, you have to read between the lines.”

  “Huh.”

  “I only know the basics of coding in python, but maybe I’ll look into A.I learning, as well. That way I too, may or may not, know the building blocks of this universe.”

  “I suppose, that’s one reason to learn something.”

  “Right?”

  As the two are walking down the path outside, a scream stops them in their tracks.

  “AaAAhHhHhh!!!”

  Without a moment of hesitation, Neri sprints into the direction of the scream. Quinn seeing this, soon comes to his senses and follows suit; with a far slower pace, that is. Entering into the old athletic center, Quinn sees three people looking through a window. “What are they-?”

  Glancing past the girl on the ground and the two others, who seem to have arrived slightly before him, he sees a young man unmoving on the floor, in the next room over. “Is that blood?”

  Neri runs over to the door and tries pushing on it, but the door doesn’t budge. She then tries slamming into it, to much of the same result. As she does, Quinn takes a closer look through the window, seeing that the man in the room, appears to be alone and that something is in front of the door.

  “It looks like something is blocking the door.”

  Neri looks at the two boys, in the room with her.

  “Come help me, bust the door open then.”

  The two taking a moment to process what was said, line up ready to run into the door. Neri shouts out.

  “On three…Two-”

  The other two hastily get ready.

  “Three!”

  The three collide with the door, taking the whole thing down. Neri then walks in, saying.

  “Nobody touch him.”

  She looks at his breathing and head wound.

  “Not too bad.”

  She turns to the young man, standing next to Quinn.

  “Go get a first aid kit; there should be one in the coach’s area.”

  “a-Alright.”

  As she turns her gaze to Quinn, he pulls out his phone.

  “Calling nine-one-one.”

  She nods her head, then proceeds to take the unconscious boy’s position and shuffle it around. Placing an arm across the chest, putting one leg over the other, rolling them over and elevating his head. Quinn starts talking to the call taker.

  “Yes. Someone has fallen and has hit their head. There unconscious with slight bleeding.”

  As he is talking about this, another person arrives at the scene, a male student wearing glasses.

  “Ahhhhhh.”

  When he sees what has happened, he faints. The three people here (that are awake) simply stare out, at the newly collapsed boy. Neri then calls out to the young woman.

  “Hey, can you swap out with me.”

  “Uh, y-yeah?”

  She quickly shows her how to hold the boys head and then goes over to check on the other one. When she does, Quinn finishes up on the phone.

  “Is he alright?”

  Quinn says in reference, to the newly unconcise boy.

  “He seems fine. Help me move him.”

  The two move him to the side, elevating his legs with the bag he was carrying.

  “Okay, now then.”

  Neri walks over to the blue door, slowly tipping it up, revealing what’s underneath, a red crane looking object. Quinn scratches his temple.

  “What is it?”

  “It looks like, a portable door jammer.”

  “Wait, wouldn’t that mean-”

  “Shh.”

  Neri puts her finger over her lips, hushing Quinn. After she does, the boy who had left for first aid, has returned.

  “I got it.”

  “Great.”

  After grabbing the kit, she walks past Quinn heading to the unconscious boy. When she does, she leans in whispering.

  “Look around the room.”

  Quinn shakes his head slightly and does as instructed. He starts getting a feel for the room. It was an old-style changing room, it had a couple rows of lockers, with benches between them. It appears like the boy had hit his head, on one of the benches. While Quinn’s looking around, Neri is bandaging the boy. As she does, she begins questing the people there.

  “Do either of you two, know who this is?”

  Both start talking at the same time, confirming that they do in fact, know him. Neri focuses on the girl, with shoulder length brown hair.

  “How do you know him?”

  “I’m his girlfriend.”

  “Oh? Why is it you were her
e, when you found him?”

  “I was meeting him here, before he started practice a-and I spotted him through the window.”

  “Practice?”

  The blonde boy speaks up behind her.

  “We both were coming here, to kick the ball around and get some extra practice in, during the offseason.”

  Neri quickly examines the two boys faces.

  “Ah, he’s the central midfielder for the boy’s team and you’re one of the midfield subs.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Did you see anyone on your way in?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Hmm.”

  Quinn opens yet another locker, in this one he finds a can of blue paint, inside another nearby locker he finds a screw driver, wrench, and a used paint brush, with blue paint on it. He snaps a picture, of each of these out of place items, before walking back to the door. “Only one way into the room and no place to hide. The door was jammed from the inside. How could someone else get in or out, with it jammed? We had multiple people in the doorway the whole time, no possible way someone slipped out.”

  Looking like he’s at a loss, Neri walks back over to him.

  “Well?”

  He shows her the pictures.

  “Hm…”

  She looks back to the door, leaning down, she lifts it up slightly again; this time on the opposite side. Quinn gets down, to look at it as well.

  “Like I thought.”

  “What?”

  She points to the ground, where the top right of the door, would have been laying on top of. There is a bit of blue paint, smudged onto the ground.

  “More than just that, look at the hinges.”

  Quinn does so, well he would but. “Wait.”

  He looks to the empty holes in the door, then looks across the ground. All of the door’s hinges were completely out of both the wall and door, spread out on the ground, with the pins out of them.

  “That doesn’t seem possible…”

  “Exactly. You know what this means right?”

  Even trying her best, she can’t possibly hide her excitement, letting beams of energy shoot out of her eyes.

  “A classic locked-room case.”

  “I will admit that it’s odd, but an attempted murder seems a bit…”

  Unable to finish the thought, the boy stands up and walks over to check on the unconcise boy, outside. “He seems fine.”

  “You know what this means right? We have to figure out who did it.”

  “If he really was assaulted, then wouldn’t the criminal be long gone.”

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk, not necessarily. Have you forgotten? The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime!”

  “Wouldn’t that mean, that the perpetrator is here among us?”

  “Exactly, I believe whoever did this, is in this very room.”

  She then looks over, to the broken door way.

  “This now counts as one room, because of the lack of the door.”

  “What makes you so certain?”

  “Intuition.”

  “…Alright, I’ll go along with it then.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  Quinn holds a reflective expression. “I should know as well as anyone, her intuition isn’t to be doubted.”

  “So, should we call the police as well?”

  Neri’s smiling face, seems slightly strained. Her eyes slowly shift away, from Quinn.

  “We shouldn’t bother them, until we are sure about the situation.”

  “…You just want to play detective.”

  “Can you blame me?”

  “Yes, but I suppose since the situation is this far-fetched, I can give you at least until the paramedics arrive.”

  “Thanks buddy.”

  Quinn cringes back, on the inside. “Buddy? Pal? Frieeennnddd? Why do these words hurt so?”

  While discussing this, Quinn notices Lucifer standing over the ginger boy, next to them; soon he sits up.

  “Uh- what’s going on?”

  Quinn looks at the boy, proceeding to help him up.

  “About that, it seems someone’s got hurt.”

  Quinn then thinks to himself. “What was his name?”

  “Ah, is Elliott alright?!”

  “Uh, he seems fine, for now.”

  Neri interjects.

  “I take it, you know him?”

  As she asks this, they walk into the other room.

  “Yeah, you could say that.”

  He fidgets in place, for a second.

  “Oh, my bag.”

  When he says this, Quinn reaches down picking up the boy’s bag, to hand it to him. Which the boy proceeds to quickly snatch away. “That was, a reaction.”

  The ginger boy then falls into himself, which Neri seems to have watched carefully. The benchwarmer then talks to glasses boy.

  “You alright Alan?”

  “Yeah, I just… Got a bit spooked.”

  The brown-haired girl, with a slight huff.

  “You got spooked? I’ve been traumatized.”

  Neri eyes dart to the girl, quickly giving a prolonged blink. Then, she turns back to the ginger boy.

  “Then Alan, what had brought you here? I assume not the scream?”

  “Scream? I didn’t hear anything like that.”

  The benchwarmer pipes in.

  “He probably would have gone the other way, if he did.”

  Alan rubs the back of his head.

  “Then, your reason for coming here?”

  The boy sheepishly opens his duffle bag, pulling out a smaller bag from within it.

  “Elliott asked me to grab these for him.”

  “So, you did and then brought them here?”

  “Yes.”

  He seems slightly confused, by the second question.

  “Hm. Well, we should probably have someone wait outside, for the paramedics. Watch him, if his condition changes someone come and get me.”

  After getting confirmation, she grabs Quinn’s arm and starts walking outside. Once out there, she crosses one arm below her chest, then proceeds to place her other arms elbow on it and uses that arms palm, to rest her chin atop.

  “I think I’ve almost figured it out. First, we have to narrow it down.”

  “Yeah.”

  “We both have plausible alibies. Also, while both of us where walking down the path outside, we saw no one exit the building, on our side.”

  “That’s right, but they could have easily exited from the back.”

  She waves her finger.

  “The benchwarmer came in from the back side. Since he didn’t see anyone, that means either they had already been long gone. Or-”

  “He did it.”

  “Bing-bong. Though, that might be a bit too simplistic. Afterall, he has the weakest motivation.”

  “Motivation? What motivation could any of them have?”

  “I’m glad you asked!”

  She points forward, at Quinn.

  “First, a benchwarmer wanting to be the starter for the team.”

  “I mean, that seems like a bit much.”

  “Like I said, weakest, but that brings us to the next one.”

  She raises up two fingers.

  “Second, a jealous girlfriend, that is upset that her boyfriend, isn’t paying enough attention to her.”

  “I don’t see where you got that one from.”

  “Did you not see the scene before this one? When Alan brought up his own dramatic feelings, she quickly made it about herself. That type of narcissistic personality, lends itself well to the accusation. Moreover, most the girls I know like her, get upset when their boyfriends main season rolls around. That would only be amplified, if they also worked out in the off season.”

  “That’s plausible I suppose, but wouldn’t she sooner break up with him, rather than try to break his head open?”

  She raises three fingers.

  “Third.”

  “Jumpi
ng over that I see.”

  “A nervous junior being bullied by an upperclassman.”

  “Why do you think he was being bullied?”

  “He seems like the type.”

  “…”

  Quinn let’s out a sigh. “I don’t want to even begin, to poke at that one.”

  “Let’s say one of them did it. How did they do it?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. There has to be some kind of trick. The door certainly couldn’t be opened easily, there was no way out besides the door. Maybe a threat? If that was the case, then those tools wouldn’t be needed. More than that, if you threatened or black mailed someone to the point of suicide, you’d think it would have been far more effective, then what’s going on here.”

  As she gets deeper into thought, the paramedics arrive; the artificial time limit is up. Leading them to the boy, Quinn notices something while walking into the room. Alan had walked over, to where the supplies had been found. “He seems to have gotten far more nervous, almost like he is about to have a panic attack.”

  “Hey, let’s step outside and get some air, okay?”

  The boy sheepishly looks at Quinn.

  “Okay.”

  The two head outside.

  “Just breath in and out.”

  He nods his head. During one of the breaths, Quinn asks a question.

  “Are you the one, who set up the locked room?”

  To this question, the boy pukes. Horrified, tears begin to form.

  “You read it?”

  “…Yes.”

  Quinn holds a straight face. “Read what?”

  “I swear to god, it wasn’t me!”

  “Calm down.”

  “Please you have to believe me, I wouldn’t ever do this. Think about it, sure! But look-”

  He opens his bag, grabbing a notebook, flipping it open for Quinn to see. Quickly trying to read it, he begins to figure out the writings. “These are notes, on making a locked room crime scene.”

  “i-I-i-I didn’t, wouldn’t have done this. Look at these notes, there different then what happened, aren’t they! Someone had to have read them and is setting me up!”

  Quinn holds the book in front of his face, turning his head to the side, he mouths the word Lucifer. Walking outside, passing directly through the closed door, he looks at Quinn.

  “Why do you have these notes?”

  “Do you believe me?”

  “I might, given more information. For now, I don’t believe or disbelieve you.”

  “a-Alright. You see I really love mystery novels, especially locked room ones. So, one day I started sketching out ideas, for locked rooms myself. Having seen the design of the door, I decided to base one off of it.”