Orphaned Mystery: Case Unsolved

Chapter 16

15th January 2021, Friday

3:51

THE Amusement Fair
An alarm from his phone made Freddie jump. Only 10 minutes left. Freddie grabbed his dagger and jumped through the window, running across the road towards the fair. Not for his life, but for the lives of his siblings.
He ran across the fields, wishing that Marie-Lou didn't do anything to them. He walked down memory lane - literally. Freddie recalled every little detail from the day his life changed in this very place. He remembered running past the people at the fair, asking for his parents. He passed the spot where he last saw his dad's car, his hands hurt as he took a glance at it. He could almost see his parents waiting for him in the bare spot. Overwhelmed with a strange sense of familiarity, he forced his eyes on the road, uncomfortable with the small flashes of his parents that ran through his mind.
You will see them soon, he told himself. Keep moving.*
There was something that made Freddie uneasy. The entire place was deserted. Unlike the last time he came, the whole fair seemed to be abandoned. Where was everyone? Was it a day off? Freddie's agitation grew with each step he took.
He spotted two figures by the ferris wheel. With no other visible option, Freddie ran up towards the ride. As he got closer, the figures' features became clearer. To his ultimate shock, tied onto one of the pillars of the wheel, was Mason and Wendy. Both were squirming, trying hard to loosen the ropes. Mason winced every few seconds as Wendy screamed for help over and over again. Freddie caught his brother's gaze. Mason stopped moving. Freddie ran towards them and quickly cut the ropes that secured them onto the ride.
'You came!' Wendy crushed him in a hug. She looked at mason. 'I told you so!'
Mason rolled his eyes. Like Wendy, he had a bruise on his forehead. He managed to smile at Freddie, his eyes giving a message of thanks.
'What happened?' he asked the two. Mason opened his mouth to explain but Wendy cut him off.
'Well, after we left the warehouse, we were followed by surprise after surprise. First, we find out that Ashley is Mason's sister. Then, this guy goes missing. He is returned in, like, six to seven hours. We find out that he was captured by a lunatic excuse for a scientist - who by the way - is taken to jail. We thought that it was all over. But no, I had to give him a present late at night. He just had to talk about Marie-Lou. the next thing we know, that psychopath knocks us unconscious with a crowbar - a crowbar - and we wake up tied in a stupid abandoned fair. Do you have any idea what you put us through? Do you know what it's like to get hit by a crowbar? No you don't. And let me tell you, it hurts'
Wendy took a long breath. Freddie glanced at Mason, who was trying hard not to laugh. Between the two, it was always fun to watch Wendy rant. She could go all day without taking a breath. However, apart from the humor, Freddie found a million questions to ask.
'Wait. Ashley's your sister?' he asked as he attempted to avoid looking at Wendy's red cheeks. Mason nodded slowly like, long story - don't ask.
'And where are Ashley and Jackie?' A cold tide of worry rose in Freddie's chest. If anything happened to those two, he would never forgive himself.
The same way you didn't forgive yourself when the twins died? His mind seemed to be taunting. It didn't matter what he did to the others, the look of betrayal on their faces would torment him for all eternity. He wished there was a way to make it up to them. Maybe saving the others would.
'Like i said, we woke up here. We don't know where they are' Wendy replied, her tone more gentle now. Mason looked around the surroundings. He paused, his eyes glued behind Freddie. Freddie turned around, the sight that awaited him angered him with no limits. Marie-Lou stood in front of them with a lazy smile on her face. She held a terrified Jackie and Ashley by the collar of their shirts on either hand. Ashley looked fine but Jackie's lips were busted. Marie-Lou let them go and the two ran towards him, Mason, and Wendy. Jackie gripped Mason's legs and Ashley stepped towards Wendy, giving Freddie a small glance of appreciation.
Freddie was boiling with anger. It was one thing to force someone to do your bidding, and a whole other level to take the other's loved ones as a lever. He glared at Marie-Lou with pure hatred.
'Why are you doing this?' he growled, breathing hard. He couldn't take it anymore. He made up his mind. If Marie-Lou planned on killing them, she should better plan on going through him first.
But your parents, a part of him complained. If his parents were here, they would be proud.
Marie-Lou gave a sideway smile. 'Do you really want to know? Why, Freddie, I don't think you can handle it, just like the last time I gave you news' she mocked.
'It has something to do with Marshall, doesn't it? What did you do to your friend?' he snapped, a small side of his triumphing over Marie-Lou's shocked expression.
'How did you know about Marshall?' she demanded.
'I found letters in your bedroom. Now answer me'
Marie-Lou paused for a moment before proceeding to smile again. 'Why Freddie, I think you have this all wrong. Marshall was never my friend. He was my younger brother. And I didn't do anything to him. No, that was the work of your precious Mrs. and Mr. Beschorner'
Now it was Freddie's turn to hesitate. The Beschorner couple hurting someone? That made no sense. It wasn't possible. Did murdering really run in the family? Was he wrong? He glanced at his dumbstruck siblings before fixing his gaze back on Marie-Lou, his dagger rested on his hand at full alert.
'Liar' he snarled. 'As if they would hurt anyone'
'Then allow me to throw some light on that. Let me tell you one last bedtime story. My brother, Marshall, had albinism. In case you are wondering, albinism is a rare genetic disorder that causes the skin, hair, and eyes to have little or no color. Because of it, his eyes had turned purple over time. Even though many thought it was dazzling, he was bullied in school for being different. The worst part for him was not being able to change the color, because he had allergies to contacts. Things got so bad that he soon found it embarrassing to mention it even inside the house. I wanted him to feel better. I wanted to let him know that I still loved the way he looked. So I sent him letters since he refused to talk about his problems. I helped him go through his school days'
Freddie had a hard time believing the story. Marie-Lou being a nice person was not a suggestion anymore. He looked back at his siblings. Jackie stared at Marie-Lou with wide eyes. He covered his lip with one finger and clung onto Mason, who had not stopped glaring at their former caretaker. Ashley's expression was guarded. Wendy stared at Marie-Lou, a disgusted expression on her face. He turned back.
'Continue' he gestured with his dagger. Marie-Lou took a deep breath before starting.
'One day, something happened while Marshall was in school. He refused to talk about it. At that moment, I gave him a small idea - one that involved changing his eye color in the lab. I wanted him to be happy. When our parents agreed, I finally saw my brother smile genuinely. I warned him to be careful before he left. We wrote to each other even then. A few days before the final change, he wrote to me saying that he slightly didn't feel like doing it. I told him to come back, but the people at the lab had told him to stay. The next day, my brother's eyes were black. I missed his usual self, but I didn't want to ruin anything, so I kept quiet. However, it turned out that the color change wasn't permanent. The color soon started to fade. Marshall was devastated. He lost focus on everything. Nothing seemed to matter to him any more. My parents soon came up with an idea to cheer him up. They convinced him that it was just a test to see if he actually liked it. They told him they could change it permanently. And before I knew it, they had taken him to the lab. Only this time, they had used another chemical on him - by accident, they told me. And just like that, my brother was gone'
Marie-Lou paused. She looked at Freddie directly in the eyes. Freddie didn't know what to feel. Marie-Lou had a brother. He died of some crazy experiment - one that the Beschorners had caused. The information was enough to give him a migraine. Nevertheless, he signalled Marie-Lou to keep talking, his annoying sense of curiosity possessing him once again.
'From that moment I knew I couldn't trust them anymore. They told me it was an accident, but I knew better. They opened the orphanage and brought you in because they thought I could have the feeling of being a big sister again. But everytime someone new came in, I kept realising how much I missed my brother. I grew more and more angry. And the worst part? My parents knew that. But they kept inviting more of you. They also wanted Marshall back. But they never said anything. Fast forward three years and we had seven. You thought they died of an experiment gone wrong? Think again. Just like me, they were traumatised by Marshall's death. One stressful day at the lab, my parents went into a rage. They broke just about everything in the lab - including the vial of contents that killed my brother. And so, deja vu, my parents died the same way. I got to witness the entire death of my family. I had the house to myself. I was in charge. And now, I could start what I had been waiting for for the last three years. I wanted to destroy what they started. I want to avenge my brother for something he did not deserve'
Marie-Lou held out a gun from behind her back. 'And what easier way than to take it down all at once?'
Freddie stepped back a few paces, his eyes moving towards his siblings. Wendy was now glaring at Marie-Lou, but her eyes shook with nervousness. Hiding behind her, Ashley was open-mouthed and breathing heavily. Mason and Jackie stood next to them, Mason's arm protectively around Jackie. Both of them stared warily at the weapon on Marie-Lou's hand. For a moment, none of them moved. The tension in the air between them was almost solid.
'Freddie, step aside please. If you still want your parents, that is' Marie-Lou snapped.
Freddie hesitated. This wasn't part of the plan. The opposing side of him badly wanted to step away from his siblings. He wanted to see his parents again and forget all the bad things that had happened to him so far. The temptation was killing him.
But what about the others? What about all they had done for you?
That was true. Even when he was far away from them, Freddie remembered all the things his siblings had done. He remembered being able to talk to Wendy anytime anywhere. He remembered the times where Ashley and Jackie would come up to his room to bug him or play with his things. He recalled the moment Mason had given him the bottle of morphine, despite the countless times Freddie was rude to him. And the twins... his best friends...
For the twins? His mind kept repeating what Wendy had asked in the warehouse, haunting him with flashes of Logan and Lucas, their expressions as he killed them being engraved sharply.
'Is this what you really want?' Lucas had asked, as he backed up. 'After all you have gotten from us? After all that, you are willing to just leave? I get it, you want your parents. But this is too much, Freddie'
And in that split second, Freddie murdered his brother in cold blood. He tried focusing on reality, but his mind had one more memory in store.
'Not that bad? You killed him. You put an innocent person's life at risk. You tricked everyone into thinking my brother ran away. I can't believe I trusted you' Logan snapped bitterly. Freddie remembered the moment he killed him, strangling him and stabbing him.
'You're insane if you think you can hide like this' Logan had said.
So what was the point in hiding?
Freddie jerked back to reality. Marie-Lou was still looking at him in anticipation. His siblings were watching him carefully. Mason wore the same expression he had when he was freed from the van, right before he passed out - one full of doubt and tension. Freddie took a breath to calm himself down and faced Marie-Lou.
'No' he said. He stepped in front of Wendy, glaring at their former "caretaker". If she was to target anyone, it was most probably Wendy, since she was the first to come. Freddie knew what he was risking. He knew what was on the line, but this time, he didn't care.
Marie-Lou looked disappointed. 'Well then. If that's what you want. I gave you a choice' Faster than Freddie's eye could follow, she pointed the gun in the direction of Mason and Jackie and fired.
The loud BANG awoke all of Freddie's instincts and triggers in his system. Time seemed to bend to his will. He managed to catch his brothers' terrified faces as the bullet came closer and closer. At that second, Freddie was hit with realisation. Marie-Lou had fired at Mason and Jackie instead of Wendy.
'NO!' Freddie jumped in their direction. Whether he was going to miss or not, he didn't care. He made it in front of his brothers and his upper body exploded in pain. Freddie fell to the floor, groaning. He was able to see blood dripping onto the floor. His eyes suddenly became heavy and his vision blurred. His frontside felt like a thousand knives were slowly scratching him. His hearing dimmed with his other senses, but he managed to hear a shrill scream along with the sound of sirens before he blacked out completely.