Hiding behind a van Simon waited for Mike to leave. The agent had stormed outside, worked up over something, and he had spent the last ten minutes against the wall.
Finally Ryan Hardy came out of the hospital and from his confused expression Simon could tell he was worked up over something as well.
It seemed whatever Hardy was dealing with was bigger than Weston’s issues, because the latter lost the angry attitude and followed the former to their car.
When Simon was certain he could snuck in unseen he ran towards the hospital. Once there he glanced back. It seemed they were in a heated discussion....

When Mr. and Mrs. Parker walked to their car Ryan turned around. He was going to suggest Mike to drive to the hospital together. But to his surprise Mike was already gone. He frowned, but decided to talk to Mike when they were in the hospital.
Mike arrived shortly after Deb’s parents, who seemed to be slightly annoyed to be accompanied by the police.
“What are you doing here?” Mr. Parker asked hostile, blocking the entrance.
“Deb is my partner. I want to see how she’s doing” Mike replied honest, but cold.
“We appreciate your concern” Mrs. Parker said. “but we’ll take it from...

Debra felt a soft tap against her cheek and heard someone say her name.
“Debra? Wake up, I didn’t hit you that hard”
Debra opened her eyes challenging and gazed in the face of her attacker. She turned her head and saw the ropes around her hand. They were both tied to the armrests of the chair.
“For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry about this” the man apologized. “I just don’t think you would listen to me if I had reproach you in a more civilized way”
“Who are you? Are you one of Joe’s followers?” Debra asked tired. She heard a movement behind her and rotated her head...

Debra mentally prepared herself for the stream of questions she would have to answer, once she entered the office. She trusted both Mike and Ryan to be discrete, but like the expression said, the walls had ears.
Deirdre was the first one. Worriedly, she walked over to Deb, and supported her back. “Are you alright? Can’t believe you have to work today, especially after last night”
Debra sighed. “Who told you that?”
“Ryan said something happened to you last night” Deirdre confessed. “He wouldn’t go into detail, but he did say we had to take it easy on you”
Annoyed, Deb shrugged...

At the gate there was a man waiting for them. Debra sobbed as Agnes dragged her to the gate. “Will you stop yelping already?” she snapped annoyed. She pushed her toward the man. “She’s your problem now”
“What are you going to do?” Ross asked, while he tightened his grip on Debra.
“I’m going to rapport to Dale. I’m sure he’ll want to know we found his little treasure” Agnes replied and she gave Debra a crabby look. “Use as little violence as possible. Dale wants her to look perfect on her birthday”
She walked to the house while Ross dragged Debra to the back of it,...

Mike closed the door of Deb’s room and looked up. He saw Ryan talking to the doctor who had operated Deb, and walked towards them.
Ryan had spotted Mike as well. “Thank you, doctor” he said and he met Mike halfway. “Hey, how’s she doing?”
“She’s keeping herself together” Mike replied. It was the most accurate answer he could offer at the moment.
Ryan nodded. “I need to speak with you” Something in his voice warned Mike that something was wrong. “I hear you’ve beat the crap out of some guy”
Mike frowned. “It wasn’t just some guy” he said defensive. “It was Simon”...

Simon reached out his hands and cupped Debra’s wet face. His thumbs wiped her tears, but new ones came instead.
“It’s okay. You’re safe with me now” he said comforting.
Mike frowned confused and agitated. He wanted to know what upset Debra so much. “What is he talking about?” he asked a little mad.
Simon glanced at Mike’s back and back to Debra. “You haven’t told him?” Debra shook her head ashamed. "Hey, you don’t have to be ashamed. None of it was your fault. You were the victim”
Debra looked up, her eyes begging and Simon saw her change back into the vulnerable fourteen...

Deb struggled to free herself, and Max let her go. She, deliberately, bumped into Max, on her way upstairs. She walked to the living room, where she sank down on the couch. She heard Max putting the stove on, but didn’t bother getting up to check what she was doing.
Ten minutes later, Max joined her with two cups of hot coco. “Here” she offered, but when Deb wouldn’t accept it, she put it on the table. “”It’s instant. Best I could do. I promise I didn’t poison it” She sat down next to Deb, and took a sip from her cup. “Damn, that’s hot” she muttered. “I think I burned...

Lindsey lifted the bat to hit Deb again, but Richard grabbed her arm. “Whoah, whoah, easy there. We’re not trying to get her killed” he joked, but Lindsey didn’t think it was funny. She dropped the bat and walked to the sink, where she pulled herself up.
“What are you doing?” Richard frowned.
Lindsey raised her hands and pulled her shoulders. “I did my part. The rest is up to you”
Richard rolled his eyes and turned to the twin. “You two, go guard the door” he ordered. “Make sure no one comes in”
Lena and Lana exited the bathroom and blocked the way in.
Richard turned Deb...

Rob stopped the car outside a small restaurant. “Are you hungry?”
Deb looked at the restaurant. “Rob, this looks really expensive”
“Hey, nothing is too expensive for my girl” Rob protested. “Besides, it’s your birthday”
Deb rolled her eyes and laughed. “Okay, fine, then” She let Rob walk her to the restaurant, and he ordered a table for two.
“I owe you an explanation” Rob said, as they both picked up a menu. “I didn’t want to fall off the face of the earth like that. But I really didn’t have a choice”
“I understand” Deb smiled. “You’ve explained it all in...

A couple of hours earlier.
Mike was sitting at the local bar, and even though the beer was awful, he downed them easily, one after the other.
He soon got company from a-it was as if faith was mocking him-brown-eyed brunette.
“Can I get you a drink?” she asked, while flirtatiously looking at Mike. Mike shrugged, and the girl ordered two more beers. “So, I haven’t seen you around. You new in town?”
“Actually, I don’t live here” Mike started. “I live in Woodbridge, Virginia. I’m just here, to work a case”
“You’re a cop” the girl realized, her eyes wide with admiration....

THE FBI estimates there are currently over 300 active serial killers in the United States. What would happen if these killers had a way of communicating and connecting with each other? What if they were able to work together and form alliances across the country? What if one brilliant psychotic serial killer was able to bring them all together and activate a following? Welcome to THE FOLLOWING, the terrifying new thriller from creator/executive producer Kevin Williamson (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Dawson’s Creek,” the “Scream” franchise). When notorious serial killer JOE CARROLL...

Let me start by saying that I can easily develop a strong connection with fictional characters. I’m not sure why that is, but I suppose that’s what makes me a good writer. Because I can put myself in their shoes, see things from their point of view. So, when something happens to one of those characters I can be quite upset about it. I know it’s not real, but it feels real.

I’ve liked Debra Parker from the get go. I know a lot of people suspected her to be one of Joe’s followers, but I never doubted her innocence. Why did so many people think she was a follower? Because she gave Joe...

Joe put Claire down on a chair and placed a cell phone in her tied hands.
“What’s that?” Claire asked looking at the phone as if it were a cursed object.
“That, my dear Claire” Joe explained charismatic as ever “is a way of getting in contact with Ryan. See, you’re going to give him a call and tell him he needs to come and rescue you”
Claire looked up from the phone to her former husband. “No” she replied.
“Excuse me?” Joe was certain he’d heard her wrong.
“I said no!” Claire repeated loud and she raised from the chair. “I’m not putting Ryan’s life on the...

A couple of hours later, Mike still wasn’t feeling very well. He had told Ryan about the ‘accident’ with Lisa, and Ryan had shook his head pitiful. And because Ryan wouldn’t stop trying to explain that there really wasn’t anything going on between him and Deb, Mike had decided to go out for a walk.
Perhaps some fresh air would do him some good.
He was only two blocks away, from the hotel, when he saw someone that made him stop dead in his tracks. He shook his head; it couldn’t be true. His hangover was making him see things.
He walked further, and as he did so his view on the woman...

“Agnes!”
Agnes swallowed, and rotated her head. Dale was limping towards her.
In the meantime, Harrison was being dragged back inside the council room.
“What have you done?” Dale shouted angry, when he saw Deb’s unconscious body, at the bottom of the well.
“Harrison Parker, you’ve been found guilty for treason against our leader, Dale Waldon. What do you have to say for yourself?” Marion bellowed. She was sitting on Dale’s chair.
Harrison raised his head at her. “Look at what you’ve become. What we’ve become. Deb got away, but we just had to drag her back in. And for what,...

Max frowned. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve sworn Mike’s eyes were shining. “I’m sorry you had to hear this”, she said carefully.
“Yeah” Mike said. “Thank you. I’ll take care of it. I’ll see you tomorrow”
“Really? I thought I was fired” Max muttered surprised.
“Just don’t pull out your gun” Mike warned her. “Unless it is to protect her, of course” He thought about that for a second, and added: “Don’t tell her I said that. I don’t think she would appreciate it”
“My lips are sealed” Max commented dry. “See you tomorrow, then” She walked...

“Okay, hit me”
Max an Debra were standing in the basement. Deb had put on more comfortable clothes, instead of pj’s, and Max had removed her coat. With rolled up sleeves, the latter looked expectantly at her opponent.
“I’m not going to hit you” Deb protested.
“Come on, Deb, you can’t hide behind a desk forever” Max tried to provoke her.
“I wasn’t hiding” Deb frowned. “I just wanted to help other people like me, without…getting out in the field” she added, awkwardly.
“Yeah, that’s what I call a fancy way for saying you were hiding” Max emphasized the last three...

For several minutes Deb’s breathing was the only sound she heard, until she heard the front door open. She froze, and waited for footsteps to echo down the hall. As said footsteps became louder, as they approached the kitchen, Deb turned around, and braced herself.
Max stood a few meters away from her, her hands up in a surrendering gesture. “Mike called me. Said he’d left”
She took up the courage to move a little closer, and as she did, she noticed the key on the ground. “You dropped something. Hold on, I got it” Before Deb could respond, Max had already dived for the key. “Here...

And so it was that, when a few days later Deb was released from the hospital and Mike drove her to his house in Woodbridge, Max was already inside, waiting for them.
“How did you get in here?” Deb asked, a little hostile.
Max, awkwardly, pointed at Mike. “He, uh, he gave me a key”
Deb narrowed her eyes and looked at Mike. “You gave her a key? Why did you give her a key? What does she need a key for? Heck, I don’t even have a key”
Max pressed her lips and closed her eyes for a split second. “That’s my cue” she said and she walked past them to the front door. “Oh, by the way,”...