Chapter Thirteen

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Jolie opens the door to Anna's room. She'd brought with her sausage pizza and orange soda. Jolie recalled telling Anna her reasons why she was to be locked in her room for a month before school resumes. She didn't want her to escape and hurt anyone further. If Justine couldn't use her then no one is ever going to get hurt.
"Anna." She was searching the room. "Anna..." she went over to bathroom and then her eyes went to the window. It was wide open. Her mind was running wild.
"Danielle! Anna isn't here!" She snaps. "Danielle!"
Danielle came running to the stairs. "Are you sure?"
"The window." Jolie pointed.
Danielle went to the window to observe the length Anna used to escape from the room down to the garage and could see the height was huge. "How on earth." She couldn't believe her eyes. "How on earth did she climb all the way down."
"She's not doing it by her will, Danielle. Juliette is controlling her." Jolie reminds her.
"Oh my god... She's either In Gabriella's or Louisiana's. Get the keys and call them up!"
Jolie ran steps ahead down to the sitting room where her phone was. She was thankful that Danielle was at her home at the moment. They had been talking about the whole incident and had ordered pizza. Jolie left Danielle in the sitting room for Anna's room to talk a little with her when she found out that she wasn't there.
"Neither of them is picking up." Jolie panicked. It was late evening.
"We should go over to Louisiana."
"And what if she happens to be at Gabriella's?"
"She wouldn't. I doubt she knows where Gabriella lives. We'd spoken about Louisiana's house earlier and that was our mistake. If Juliette gets a hold of Louisiana, she is going to probably find out from her where Gabriella stays."
"The keys." Jolie threw it at Danielle. The two ladies were running to the garage.
..
"Who are you and how did you get into my house." She was looking at the slightly odd young girl in a kind of manner.
"Shh. You don't want to alert the neighbors." The girl said.
Louisiana didn't understand what she meant by that but had became scared. "Who are you and what do you want?" Louisiana had just finished eating the potatoes in her plate and was going to the refrigerator for a glass of water when her eyes caught the girl. That explains why she was hearing the noise coming from the backyard. She was thinking it was the wind or the guy next door.
"My revenge." Her tone was heavy. "You bloody assholes thought you would get away from your messy secrets twenty years ago. Imma make y'all pay for what you did to me."
"I don't understand..." Louisiana was trying to get far away from her.
"Don't run. If you do, I will make sure your death sentence is so painful than I'd planned. Test me not."
Louisiana didn't see her standing there again. "Don't deny you do not know what I'm talking about..." She heard the voice speak behind her. Louisiana was going to raise alarm but couldn't. Something was overshadowing her voice.
"Please spare me." She started crying.
"Okay." She shrugs. A bit of hope was lit up in Louisiana's face. "But first you would tell me where Gabriella lives. And, with evidence. Do not think of lying to me. I would kill you even in death." She succeeded in putting fear into Louisiana's body. "Go on."
"Gabriella is in town." Louisiana swallowed. She didn't know if she was about to do the right thing. But she needs to save her life. What if she kills me afterwards. There's some possibility that I could be spared. Lousiana was thinking.
"I'm listening." The voice cut into her mind.
"She's staying at a rented apartment up in Coaster city, the first floor at the east. It's an hour drive. I can prove to you that I'm not lying." Louisiana said when she saw the pale face of the girl.
"I know you're not."
"So, please don't hurt me." She pleaded.
"You know I love to watch you all beg before death. We will meet in hell."
"No, no. Besides I didn't do anything. I didn't kill anyone. Why do you want to take my life?"
"Hmmm..." The girl stops. She stood in front of Louisiana and bent her neck low to see her tearing face. "I am in pain. I didn't deserve to die young. I'd all my life planned out but death wasn't fair to me, it took away my dreams and ambition. I wasn't able to achieve anything all thanks to the six of you. That night of gilbardo, if only y'all had listened to me and we left for home, I would still be alive. But look at me now roaming aimlessly. I'm not happy that I'm not alive to prove to my mom everything I promised to her I would be. I am but a ghost. Nothing more. Countless times I visited my mother and I get hurt to see her weeping every day. She was sober every single time until she died, all thanks to the six of you." Her voice was switching from anger to agony. "Did you girls think that y'all had buried me? No I wasn't. Ofcourse for the meantime I was, but weeks after the sand was washed away and my body decayed. I watched my body eaten by vultures. I'm not at rest. I can never be at rest. I will forever roam this earth in pain." She twists her neck soundly. "I presume I've said enough."
"I'm so sorry. Please don't hurt me Juliette." She understands everything. Juliette possessed the young girl.
"Rest in pieces." Juliette said. She was holding a sharp knife from her kitchen.
There was loud knocking on the door and Juliette slashes Louisiana's neck with the knife and sped off through the backdoor.
..
The knocking persisted. "Louisiana!" Jolie called out in between the banging.
"We need to break in. I'm praying she's safe." Jolie was worried. But if she was, she would've heard the door and come for it. Her mind verbalised.
Danielle, Jolie and the help of some neighbors succeeded in breaking open the door. Their eyes met the ungodly sight. The head of Louisiana was apart from her lifeless body. Blood was spreading everywhere.
"Lord have mercy!" Danielle screamed at the sight of it.
"This isn't good. This isn't good." Jolie repeatedly said.
"Who could've done this." A lady wearing a black muffler around her neck said.
The few persons that was looking at the cruelty were numb with shock. The police was phoned.
"Danielle!" Jolie looked like she remembered something. "Call up Gabriella!" She screams.
"Holy shit." Danielle was panicking as the phone jumped on her hand. It finally balanced. "I'm Gabriella leave a message, thank you."
"Gabriella if you can hear me, leave your house right now! I mean now!" Danielle was shouting at the phone.
"I'll drive." Jolie was taking the keys. She was perfect in driving with speed. Danielle to her, drives slow. She knew she did so to avoid involving the police and road accident. But she knew her ways to escape both.
Danielle shut the car door close and the race began.
..
The car decelerated at the lawn. Danielle was the first to get out of the vehicle. A spanking breeze was hitting across their faces. The environment was quiet and peaceful. It seemed like nothing negative happened. Jolie looks at her wrist watch and It was past midnight. Together they walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. There was no response. Danielle was ringing her cell and it still said the same thing. 'I'm Gabriella leave a message, thank you.'
"She might be asleep?" Jolie was wishing it was the reason of the no response.
"Or maybe she's dead too..." Danielle says. Jolie was hopeful she wasn't. They'd only got to talk once and was going to meet up before she leaves again for Santorini. She'd flown in to the country two days ago for the sake of her highschool sweethearts. Gabriella had been so happy to speak to her and Danielle and they were planning an exclusive outing. They didn't tell her about the death of the others but agreed to do so when they met with her physically.
"Jolie." Danielle called her attention. "Look, the lock is broken." She opens up the door and they were walking in. It didn't look like an act of murder had taken place. A disco music was playing from the cassette player in the cosy living room. The whole place was in order. Then where was Gabriella. Jolie thought.
"Let's check the bedrooms, or are we trespassing?" Danielle utters.
"We are only checking up on a friend." Jolie corrects her.
The first room they opened was empty. "No one." Danielle says after looking. Jolie opens the door at the opposite direction and could notice that someone was laying on the bed. Probably sleeping. She sighs in relieve. "Danielle. She's okay. She's asleep."
"What a deep slumber. And why's was the door lock broken?" Danielle reasons. "There's something more to this."
"Should we wake her up?" Jolie said. Danielle was already half way inside the room. She went straight to the double bed and lifted the duvet from Gabriella's body. She layed curled up with eyes closed in what seemed to be a heavy slumber. Her blonde hair poured over the bedspread.
"There's no trace of blood." She let Jolie know.
"Maybe she's had a hectic day today and must've taken a sleep medicine. We should allow her to rest because I think we're now trespassing." Jolie calls from the door. Danielle was finding it hard to believe. She went more closer and was sitting on the bed.
"What're you doing?"
She'd been staring at Gabriella who was laying at that particular position. Danielle shook her and she still did not move. Danielle was checking her pulse. It was still.
With the pain accumulating in her heart, she found it so hard to say the words.
"Danielle we should go." Jolie was saying. She was still standing at the doorway.
"Gabriella is dead." For the first time Danielle was tired of everything.
"What?" Jolie was stunned. "She's only sleeping. You said there is no sign of blood." Her legs were shaking. It was the both of them left to die.
"She was strangled." Danielle said as she looked at the innocent faced victim.


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