𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢

Arc 1 (7)

"I've arrived. He really doesn't seem to remember me. Heh, I kind of feel bad for him. Are you sure you'll be able to handle the excuses? He seems really excited though." A text message was sent as a man with a refined scholarly stood at the doorway of his demise.

Evan, oblivious of the ill intents around him, with an innocent gleam and excitement in his beautiful pair of sky blue eyes, invited his guest who was supposedly his brother's acquaintance and a famous writer, though Evan didn't necessarily recognise him. 

His name, as told to Evan by his brother, was Leonard Anderson. He was quite the looker with blonde hair and an enticing pair of emerald eyes. He was supposedly Evan's elder brother, Devin's, high school classmate. However it was news to Evan as he had never seen Leonard before, as far as he remembered.

Meanwhile with a 'ding', Leonard got his reply on his messaging app. "You don't need to worry about anything. Let that empty shell have his last hurrah." But who actually was going to have the last laugh was another question. Of course Leonard wasn't aware of that brimming storm. Upon seeing Claire, he was astounded by her ethereal beauty and complex feelings flooded him. With introductions exchanged between all the three people, he was led to the living room by Evan.

Claire just sat in the living room along with Leonard while Evan prepared tea in the kitchen. Leonard, with a gentlemanly smile tried striking up a conversation with Claire as he knew a bit of sign language because of a cousin of his. 

But that could be considered his biggest mistake in life. The cold stare and the smile of a predator seeing its prey that he got as response made him break out into cold sweat while his whole body started to tremble uncontrollably. It was as if the reaper was giving him the last chance to reflect on his misdeeds before his soul was taken for eternal torture.

Big fat tears started forming in the rims of his eyes and rolled down one by one as every single thing he did until then came back to him along with the consequences, just like a horror movie. In such tremendous fear, he dashed towards the kitchen with his hands squeezing his head as he chanted two words- "I'm sorry"

Evan, who was happily preparing tea was surprised to see Leonard going crazy all of sudden and kneeling before him with limitless fear seeming to affect his entire existence and chanting 'I'm sorry' endlessly. He rushed to pick him up and calm him down. The trembling and crying body in his arms, begging for forgiveness for who-knows-what-reason, made Evan feel distressed.

Leonard, after calming down a bit, was so shaken up that he started blabbering out everything that came to his mind, "I'm so sorry! Please, I beg you for forgiveness! I swear it wasn't me! I swear! You have to believe me! It was your brother! I tell you, it was your damn brother! He told me to do all of that! It wasn't me! Ahhhh!!!!! Please save me someone!!! Please!! I'm sorry!!" 

He fled out of the house with an extremely fearful and confused mind exactly like a patient straight out of the mental hospital, repeatedly asking to be saved, to be forgiven, and so on, screaming out at the top of his lung.

Meanwhile Evan was dumbstruck. 'It was your brother!' repeatedly played in his mind like a voice record on loop. Visions started forming in his eyes with shattered words saying- "Serves that brat..." "He....just die..." "......did a....job" and what not. He couldn't believe that he had actually heard someone saying such things to him in this lifetime. He was unable to identify who it was. 

With a plop he dropped down to the floor with a terrible headache making him moan in extreme pain. Unable to bear it any longer, he fainted. Claire, seeing Evan faint in the kitchen, for the first time in years, felt sympathy. She, carrying him to his bedroom, placed him on the bed gently while she herself sat beside him on a chair.

She knew the truth. She knew his tragedy.