"Tell the Devil that I'm home"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A cold, strong wind came through my window, knocking what was on the table and making me wake up.
But what surprised me was the fact that it was already morning.
I don't think I had such a peaceful and lasting night of sleep for weeks.
Before I went to bed I can only remember calling Carol to tell her about everything that happened. She was surprised but not so much as she had her suspicions, and of course, she wasn't any happy because I went to Collvile and didn't visit her or asked for her help. But she understood me, as always.
When I went to check my phone there were no notifications, which made me a little calmer.
Every single time I go to sleep I'm afraid to wake up with bad news in the group or discover that something happened to my friends. And if there are no news, they are probably okay and safe. But It also makes me nervous because it means that Richy hasn't been found.
*
A few minutes later I went downstairs to have breakfast and then check on Jake.
When I entered his room, he was in front of his computer with dark circles around his eyes.
—I suppose you didn't sleep and well as I did.
—Oh, Vanysh!
—Hey Jake.
—Did you just wake up now?
—Yea.
—Wow.
—I know, right?
—But I can see that you've been up all night.
—What were you busy with?
—I found something in connection with Michael Hanson.
—Come here.
I leaned back in his chair as he took out his cell phone to show me something.
"Question with witness Michael Hanson will now resume. It is currently 1:35 AM"
A man started talking right after Jake opened an audio.
"Right now there is only Alan Bloomgate and Michael Hanson in the room"
"—So please, Michael, continue.
—So, as I said, I was working and thought they had already arrived from the festival. -Another man with a very tired and sad voice answered.
—What made you think that?
—Because that's what they did last year too!
—There was nothing unusual about it.
—Listen, Alan, it's late I'm tired-
—During your last interrogation you said... One moment please...
—You said you thought Jennifer and Isabel went to the Pine Glade festival with their friends after arriving in Duskwood."
When he mentioned the festival, images flashed through my head instantly. The Pine Glade Festival! I can remember this! It looked like a Halloween festival in the fall, only mixed with summer and amusement park.
I also have this memory of catching apples with my mouth, but I always thought this was another crazy dream of mine.
"—Yes...
—I thought Jennifer was looking into the fireworks while Isabel was with her friends, waiting to see them in the sky.
—They are always packed in the Aurora during the Pine Glade festival.
—The girls know I don't have time for it, but they wanted to see them. They always look foward to it the most.
—When did you get home, Michael?
—At 3 or 4.
—And you didn't go into Jennifer or Isabel's room when you arrived.
—You didn't check to see wether your daughters were home?
—..."
"He is shaking his head in disagreement"
"—For the records, please say "no", Mr. Hanson. My recording device can't see you.
—No!
—I've told you I don't know how many times!
—I thought they were probably already asleep, so I went to bed.
—Next morning I wanted to wake them up and I saw that none of them were in their room.
—And that was the point where you contacted your ex-wife, Iris Hanson. Correct?
—Yea, correct.
—Jennifer never liked her room. She never complained but I could tell when she stayed at my place for the first time. It was still decorated the way her grandmother had it when she was a kid.
—I never changed it. I don't know what young woman her age like.
—Isabel, on the other hand, seemed to like her's.
—What I mean is: when I saw they weren't here, I thought maybe Jennifer decided to go to her mother's and Isabel just followed her, as always.
—Iris then called the police, correct?
—Yes, god damn it!
—Correct. The same answer I gave you the last one hundred times you asked!
—My daughters are missing! Go and look for them instead of wasting your time making me stupid questions!"
I feel like fainting. Michael Hanson really is my father. And he was sad.
—Oh my god.
I sat in the corner of his bed and then he sat by my side.
—...
—Where do we even start?
—Do you feel ready for this?
—Yes.
—Let's just do this.
—Okay.
—So, now we know that Michael is the father of Jennifer and your's.
—Yes.
—And the Aurora thing...
—He was the owner back then.
—Yes.
—Jessica didn't seem to know his name, However.
—Shouldn't she have known him through her brother? At least his name.
—Yea.
—But I remember her telling me that she didn't know much about the deal of how Phill owns the Aurora.
—And they don't even get along.
—The police was suspecting Michael.
—It must have been really hard for him.
—I mean, it was. You could see that he was VERY angry.
—Does he seem suspicious to you?
—I am aware that this question is very early, but I'm interested to hear what you think.
—What do you mean by that? Towards me and Jennifer?
—Yes.
—A little bit.
—I don't think he caused the accident, but we still don't know exactly what is his connection to what is currently happening.
—Something about it doesn't seem right.
—He must've known something. Just like Iris.
—But none of them went to the police.
—We still don't know about that.
—That's true.
We kept thinking.
—You know, I was so sure that the Man Without a Face was their father.
—But now that I know he's my father, thing's changed.
—Why would he hurt his own daughter if his intention is to revenge us?
—Unless he doesn't know about you yet.
—In the recording we could see that, even though they were separated, Iris and Michael were still talking.
—Then why wouldn't Iris tell him about me?
—Hm...
—This is strange.
—Let's go back to the point, anyway.
—If he was working that day, he probably had an alibi.
—But maybe not for the whole evening.
—According to him, he didn't notice we were missing.
—He assumed you went to the festival and then came back afterwards.
—But in reality we never did.
—In his statement, at least according to Alan, he mentioned a certain "Pine Glade Festival". Do you happen to know anything about it?
—I think so.
—I have some shallow memories about it.
—But I never actually heard of it before.
—Maybe a conversation with Michael could be beneficial.
—Of course it could. But my first try of talking to him did not work.
—...
—We should tell the others about the investigation.
—You are right. Please send it on the group.
—Okay, okay.
I sent it.
Me:
—This is our next clue
—Listen to it
Thomas:
—Finally!
—I've been on tenterhooks for hours
Me:
—This stuff takes time
Thomas:
—I know, but I'm just sitting here and there is nothing I can do
Jake:
—What makes you believe that there is nothing you could do?
Thomas:
—I thought Vanysh would be preparing the next steps. Sorry
—I'll listen to the file
Jessy:
—Ok. Finished
Me:
—And what do you think?
Jessy:
—I don't understand why they questioned him multiple times?
Me:
—I don't think they had other clues
Thomas:
—This is the same Alan we talked about, right?
Jake:
—Yes. Alan Bloomgate, Duskwood police chief.
—Although we must assume that he was not the chief back then.
Me:
—Another thing is: Phill called me
—According to him, he was arrested because of his connection to Michael Hanson
Jessy:
—What?!
Me:
—He also wants me to prove that he is innocent
Jake:
—Michael Hanson appears to have been to owner of the Aurora bar.
Thomas:
—Yes. Until Vanysh sent this recording
—We've only been to the Aurora regularly since Phill took over
—Before that, the Aurora was targeted for older people
Me:
—Did Phill change the Aurora a Lot?
Thomas:
—Yes. As far I as I know
—The furnishing, painting, prices, music and decoration
That's why I didn't recognize it the first time I went there.
Thomas:
—The only thing that stayed was the name.
Jessy:
—That was about 1 years ago
—Vanysh, we talked about this recently. Do you remember?
Me:
—Recently like more than 2 weeks ago
—But yes, I do
Jessy:
—😊
Thomas:
—Nonsense, it's been much longer since Phill took over the Aurora
—I met you guys there
Jessy:
—Hm, oh yea🤔
—The only thing I know about the previous owner is that he suddently left Duskwood
Me:
—So Michael is gone?
Jessy:
—Seems like it😔
Me:
—Me and Jake wanted to talk to Michael
Thomas:
—How are we going to do that?
Jessy:
—Vanysh and I have Michael's addres
—And even if it is not in use anymore, we could see if the neighbors or even the new owners know anything
Thomas:
—Do you guys want to drive there?
Jessy:
—Yes🙂
—If Michael is somehow a suspect, we better have more people with us. -I told Jake.
—I agree.
—You're coming with us?
—If course.
Me:
—Yea. Let's go
Thomas:
—Alright. I'll pick you guys up
—Be there in a minute
___________________________________________
I'm anxiously looking out the window as I tap my foot on the floor and keep moving.
My heart beats faster and my body freezes just thinking about what lies ahead. I'm afraid of getting there and not finding him but I'm even more afraid of finding out what I didn't want to.
—When will Thomas finally arrive?!
—I assume he went to Jessica's place first.
—And it's only been 5 minutes.
—Uugh.
Right after that, Alan texted me again.
"—Perhaps your statement is all we need to find Hanna.
You have nothing to fear, Vanysh... In case you're avoiding a conversation with me out of fear.
You would be doing us a great service, and I also have a great service for you.
Please get back to me."
A great service for me? What the hell does he mean?
—Pff. Afraid.
—I mean, yea, I don't want to get arrested later, but this is ridiculous.
I put my phone in my pocket.
—I'm Vanysh fucking Blake, I've been part of the police.
Jake frowned.
—...What are you talking about?
—It's just Alan bugging me again.
—What?
—I'm still unable to see his messages.
—But I will take care of it later.
—Oh well.
—Things are getting "spicy" now.
—You know, I figured a huge deal about my past, everyone knows about everything and we are all working together...
—Yes.
—Do you plan to tell them about your connection with the Hansons?
—Of course.
—It's just that I don't know how they're going to react.
—Maybe I'll do this today.
—I understand.
Now I can't stop thinking about what Alan said. They know things we don't, and we know even more things they have no beans about.
Mixing our knowledge with the power of authority would really take us extremely far.
—I'm going to talk to Alan, too.
—Before, I didn't want to do this because I thought the police would get in my way and that it would put you at risk, but now it seems like a good and only option.
—You don't seem worried about them, either.
—And as you said, nothing will happen to us.
—...
—They have no reason to arrest me.
—Okay, maybe I've done some not-very-legal things in the last few weeks, but no one died from it.
—And as far as they don't know you're here, it's okay.
—Isn't it?
—Yes.
I was testing him. I just wanted to know if Jake really had some kind of deal with them, and now I have my answer.
But if Jake, the most suspicious and cautious person I know, is not worried, then I guess I don't need to freak out for now.
Seconds later, I heard the noise of a car stopping in front of my house, so I instantly went to check. As expected, it was Thomas and Jessy.
Me:
—Finally! -I said as I opened the door, looked around and made a sign for Jake to leave the house.
Jessy:
—Hey!
Me:
—Thomas, Jessy!
Thomas:
—Hey. Are you ready?
Me:
—Yup.
When both of us entered the car, we left.
____________________________________________
20 minutes later we were still on our way to my Michael's house when someone finally saw our conversation in the group.
Cleo:
—Whats going on?
Me:
—We're going to Jennifer and Isabel's father
Cleo:
—Didn't we agree that we wouldn't be leaving our houses?
Me:
—Uhm... yea
—But this is important
Jessy:
—We're almost there. -She also sent a picture of the road in the group, which made me realize how pretty the vision is.
Cleo:
—Do you need my help maybe?
Jessy:
—That's kind of you, but it won't be necessary🙂
Cleo:
—Okay then. Good luck!
Dan:
—What's going on here?
Me:
—Ah, I won't explain everything again
—What about you
—Where have you been all day?
I can't get tired of this joke.
Dan:
—The hospital?
—This joke isn't funny anymore😒
Me:
—It is
—Just listen to the file I sent
Jessy(to us in the car):
—We're here!
All of us turned off our phones and started looking at the window.
The moment I saw the house from far, I felt a certain déjà vu, but this feeling was no longer surprising me.
It is in the middle of an empty, natural place. It has no other houses around and looks like a farm. Maybe because it kind of is.
Also, the place is huge and completely abandoned.
Jessy:
—This is so big!
Thomas parked the car and we started leaving it. At the same moment it started to rain lightly, and the smell of wet grass and free air took over.
It's a feeling I never thought I would miss.
Thomas:
—It seems like we will have to walk for a while until we actually get there.
Me:
—Yup.
Meanwhile, I opened the group chat to talk to the others who weren't here.
Me(in the group chat):
—Oh, guess who's number was the last one we couldn't figure out?
Dan:
—Crow-dude?
Me:
—Nope
—Amy Bell Lewis
Cleo:
—But how didn't any of us know her then?
Me:
—Good question
We then got the the front of the house and I kept my phone.
Me:
—Jesus.
—This is so old.
Jessy:
—Alright, can I ring the bell?
Thomas:
—Go ahead.
She touched the button but nothing happened. There was no sound.
We kept looking at each other's faces while trying to protect ourselves from the rain.
Jessy:
—Hum... It isn't working.
Me:
—How great!
Jake:
—Try knocking.
She knocked, but nobody appeared.
Jessy:
—It looks abandoned...
Me:
—It doesn't look, it is.
Thomas:
—This place is huge. I'm sure there are other doors.
Jessy:
—It's worth a shot.
We walked a little bit more until we got tho the back of the house and knocked the two other doors.
I soon realized that no one was going to show up, so I started to walk away to look at another part of the house that was far from us while they kept kocking and looking around.
That part of the house was made of old wood and some windows were nailed with wood as well. It no longer looks like that beautiful place I'd seen in my dreams or delusions. Now it is just an abandoned and sad place.
As I got closer to another door, I saw "Hanson" written on it. Nobody else lived here, but it is already pretty much obvious.
I can no longer see Jessy, Jake or Thomas, so I guess they're looking around as well.
When I pushed the door, it opened, so I entered the house. The place was empty, dirt and full of dust.
Meanwhile, Jessy sent pictures of the place in the group as they chatted.
Dan:
—Yup, it's definetely abandoned
Jessy:
—Gosh, I could swear I saw a light coming from the inside just now
—Wait a second
—Something just moved!
Dan:
—Bet it is a mouse
Me:
—Well, I'm afraid you're looking at me right now
Jake:
—Are you inside of the house?
Me:
—Yes
Jake:
—Alone?
Me:
—Yes...?
Jessy:
—Are you at a place that looks like a barn?
Me:
—No. Definetely not
Jessy:
—Then who's there?
Me:
—Alright, is there anyone else lurking inside of it?
—Jake? Thomas?
Jake:
—I'm outside, looking for you.
Dan:
—What a caring boyfriend
Me:
—Where's Thomas?
Jessy:
—I don't know
—But that was definetely not a rat
Dan:
—Might be just some hobo living there
Cleo:
—Homeless person, Dan
Dan:
—Yea, whatever
Thomas:
—The barn is adjacent to the main building
—Maybe we can get in from there
Dan:
—Sure, go ahead
—Welcome to the house of horrors! Just leave your coat at the door!
—Because we haven't learned anything from what's been happening so far👍
Jessy:
—Something must be done, Dan
Dan:
—You mean disappear one by one?
Jessy:
—I'm inside of it!
Thomas:
—The barn?
Jessy:
—Yes
Thomas:
—Hold up, I'm going there
When I was about to turn off my phone, Jake called me.
—What happened?
—Nothing. I just wanted to know if you're okay.
—Why wouldn't I be?
—You stopped talking and disappeared.
—That's because I'm looking around.
—Come enside, too.
—You're still gonna worry me to death.
—Haha.
We hung up and I started looking around to see if I could end up in the barn, but I just got lost.
Now I was in a living room that hasn't been cleaned for decades.
The furniture is extremely rustic and the brown color is predominant. Everything is very familiar but still distant.
When I got closer to the couch, I smelled something that reminded me of chocolate, and when I got even more close, there was a huge brown spot. The moment I saw it, I remembered something that seemed extremely real.
An image of me dropping a cup full of hot chocolate in it.
Suddently, I heard something coming from behind me, but when I turned back no one was there.
—Jake?
—I'm at the living room!
—Even though there must be like... 5?
No one answered.
—Thomas? -I went closer to the place where the noise came from.
—If you are planning to scare me, I swear I'm gonna eat your ass.
—Vanysh?! -I heard Jake's voice coming from the door I entered.
—Jake!?
—Vanysh! -He finally found me.
—Hey, there.
—What are you doing?
—You know, just looking around.
—And it's so strange...
—I have memories I didn't even know about.
—You're reminding of your past. This is good.
—But there is something Thomas and Jessica found close to the barn I think you might want to see.
—They're already outside? -I windened my eyes.
—Yes.
—Uhm...
—Let's go then. -I grabbed his hand and left in a hurry.
—Why are we going so fast?
—Is everything alright? -He stopped.
—Yes. Let's just go.
Then, he guided me to the place where Jessy was, which was in front of a bunker. A bunker I had seen many times in my dreams.
Jessy:
—So, doesn't it look suspicious?
Me:
—Bet.
—Where's Thomas?
Jessy:
—Oh, he went after you two.
Me:
—Will we wait for him?
Jake:
—I think it will be better like this.
Jessy:
—Alright. Let's talk to the other's while we wait.
Before I could get my phone, Jake took my hand and pulled me away from Jessy a little.
—You don't want to tell your friends about Alan's messages? -He whispered.
—Oh...
—Yes. I want.
—Great. I have news.
—Then tell us about it.
He got his phone and started typing.
Jake:
—Alan hid the messages he's been sending Vanysh from me.
—But I managed to break through his encryption.
—So it will no longer be possible to contact Vanysh without my knowledge.
Me:
—Thanks, Jake. -I also looked at him.
Dan:
—The police suspect you, don't they Vanysh?
Me:
—Maybe
Dan:
—That's not surprising
Suddently, we heard an eco coming from the bunker. Jessy was getting out of there.
—Well, it is completely empty.
Me:
—What the hell?!
—You entered it alone?
Jessy:
—Soorry!
—I just couldn't help it.
And we didn't even realize.
Me:
—Let me take a look.
I imagined the bunker as a dark, dirty, dreary place. But so far it's the nicest place in the house.
It has a small window from the top that illuminates the place and is made of stones.
Me:
—Oh well.
—Kinda disappointing.
Our phones started ringing.
Thomas:
—Guys, I entered the house after Jake and Vanysh but ended up finding something
—Well...
—You should see for yourselves
He sent a photo of a very dark room, Illuminated by the flash of his cell phone and with the walls full of photos, clues and signs.
Me:
—What the fuck?!
Jessy:
—Where are you???
Thomas:
—In the second floor, first room
—Just open the front door and you'll get here
We kept our phones and ran towards it.
Jessy:
—What was that?!
Me:
—I don't know, but I must see it with my own eyes.
As soon as we went up the stairs, we saw Thomas in the hallway, totally shocked.
Me:
—What happened?!
Jessy:
—Are you okay?!
Thomas:
—Take a look at it. -He pointed to the room.
When we walked in it was even more disturbing.
There were some candles lighting up corners of the room and signs, boxes, papers scattered and black paint everywhere. It was nothing more and nothing less than a great investigation board. And it was about us.
"Revange"
"Revange"
And on the top of it, it was full of the sign of a raven. That sign.
My heart beat faster every time I looked at some corner of the place.
Me:
—Guys... -I pulled back to look at everything from afar.
—We have got our culprit.
Michael Hanson, my own father, is the man without a face.
Jessy started taking pictures of everything and sending them in the group while we were in shock.
Cleo, Dan and Lilly instantly started to freak out along with us.
Dan:
—Woah
Lilly:
—I'm calling the police!
Jake:
—No, Lilly.
I looked at him, frowning.
—No?!
Jake:
—If Hanna and Richard are not here and the police shows up now, we have no chance of looking for security evidence.
I turned off my phone and started looking around again.
Thomas:
—I'm going to the other rooms to look for more clues! -He instantly left.
Me:
—Of, fuck...
Jessy:
—In the legend of the Man Without a face, the culprit is also a father.
—And if Michael chose his house as a hideout...
Jake:
—Then Hanna and Richy were probably here?
Suddently, I stopped to take a closer look and realized something that froze my spine.
Me:
—Thomas?! -I left the room and whispered.
—Yes?! -He answered from another room.
—...Were these candles already burning when you arrived here?
I took a while for him to answer, but when he did, we all windened our eyes and looked at each other.
—...Yes.
Jake:
—Oh.
Me:
—These candles... They are far from completely burning out.
—Which means that, whoever lit them up, did that not long ago.
Jake:
—We need to get out of here. Now.
Thomas:
—Oh damn! -He looked at the door.
—There is someone outside.
This can't be. This can't be him.
Jessy:
—Oh my god. Oh my god.
Thomas ran downstairs, but when I followed him and was on the first floor again, the doorknob turned and I quickly walked into an adjoining room.
My heart was racing. All I could do was hold my ragged breath and hear his footsteps enter the house and close the door.
As I put my head in the corner of the door where I was hiding, I saw Thomas hiding on the other side, desperate. And not far from him, there was Michael. He was wearing that same mask and scarecrow outfit while looking for something, which made me freak out even more.
Why would he wear a mask that makes him unrecognizable in his own home?
He wouldn't. Not unless he knows that there is people in here too.
When I looked down the hall again I saw him coming up the stairs, and that's when the real desperation kicked in. Jake and Jessy are still there!
—Vanysh!! -Thomas whispered and came closer to me.
—He is going to get them!
I started looking around in despair.
—No...
—Thomas, I need you to trust me now. -I got closer to the stairs to see if he was still there. And he wasn't.
—Open the door and run.
We started speaking fast.
—What?!
—No way!
—I'm not leaving you alone.
—And I'm not asking.
—Vanysh, no!
—Please!
—Come on!
—How about you? How about them?
—I'm going to take care of it.
—But you, you get out of here.
—I will be outside. If you don't get out in one minute, I'll come back!
—Ok ok, just get out.
He ran towards the door, opened it and left, making lot's of noises. Exactly what I expected.
In the same second I could hear him running back to the first floor and then I hid again, taking the opportunity to send a message to Jake and Jessy.
—COME BACK, I'LL DO WHAT I CAN SO THAT YOU CAN GET OUT.
—DON'T EVEN ANSWER. JUST DO WHAT I'M SAYING.
Then I grabbed a random thing that was on a table and threw it far away, which attracted him to the place where I was, but he didn't see me as I was well hidden.
When he went to the other room nearby, I ran out of my place and headed for the stairs. Fortunately, both Jake and Jessy were there in the corner waiting to go downstairs.
In a great hurry, I signaled for them to come down and then they came running.
When I opened the door and we were about to leave, he appeared again and fired. The shot was so close to Jake's head that I almost had an attack.
The only thing I did next, by pure impulse, was pushing Jake out of the house, which ended up pushing Jessy unintentionally and the two fell out. But he still hadn't given up shooting them and I had fallen to the ground still inside the house, so I kicked the door shut, closing it.
Jake:
—VANYSH NO!
Jessy:
—VANYSH!
Michael then pointed the gun to the door.
Me:
—GET OUT OF RANGE.
He started shooting it, but as none of them made a noise, I guess they're safe.
Now it's only me and him. Again.
He then lowered the gun and stared at me, which gave me the opportunity to lean on a nearby piece of furniture and get up.
He knows it's me. Otherwise I would be dead.
—I can see that your shoulder has healed very well.
—Bad vase doesn't really break, huh?
I tried to provoke, but he only kept staring at me.
—Are you going to stare at me with that ridiculous mask?!
—You won't give up, will you?
—You're going to regret this... Vanysh.
I tried to decipher his voice, but the muffled mask didn't allow me to hear anything other than his words that came out in a thick and even more muffled tone.
—Why are you like this?
—Tell me. Why?
—What do I have to do for you to stay out of this?
—Your little friend almost died just now.
Anger took over me and I went closer to him.
—I swear to god that if you dare to touch him or anyone else, you will be the next.
—Are you going to kill me, Vanysh?
I should've brought my gun. Fuck.
—If I have to.
—Pff.
—Vanysh, Vanysh.
—Or should I call you... Isabel?
I instantly froze as my eyes windened and I took a step back.
—...
—Do you remember this house?
—You're a scumbag, Michael Hanson.
—Or should I call you dad?!
His body language made him seem surprised.
—So you really already know everything...
—And so do you.
—How did you find out?
—...
—HOW?
—Your mother, of course.
—Iris?
—Always so smart and curious. Of course she found out about you somehow.
—It took her 12 years, but she finally did it.
—When she first told me, I didn't believe her.
—And the moment I realized you were the one behind that mysterious number...
—What a thing it is, right? Fate.
—What did you do to her?
—Here's a lesson you need to learn, Isabel: curiosity will always screw you.
—Your mom easily connected the dots and found out about me and what I'd been up to.
—So I got her before she could get me.
—How did she find out about me?
—We don't have time for this.
—Maybe when you let me finish what I started.
—You're so fucking sick.
—Oh, god.
We started staring at each other and walking in circles as he tried to approach me.
—You're going to "get" me as well. Won't you?
—I'm afraid I can't let you go after what you've found.
—But you will be okay. Nothing will happen to you.
—At least take this fucking mask off.
—What do you have to hide now?
—This won't happen.
—But-
Before he could finish, someone hit him from behind and he fell. It was Jake.
When I was almost in his arms, Michael took the gun and pointed it at him, making us jump in opposite directions and punching a hole in the wall.
I then got up quickly and flipped the nearest piece of furniture on top of him, which caused him to fall again and drop the gun. I went for the gun, but he caught it first, so I dodged back and was pulled by Jake, who was now running out of the house with me.
Jake:
—Are you okay?! -he breathlessly asked.
Me:
—Yes. You?!
Jake:
—Yes.
When we got out, Thomas and Jessy were at the door, pratically crying.
Jessy:
—VANYSH!
Thomas:
—Thank god!
Jake:
—Go, go!
Me:
—He will be here soon, let's fucking go back home!
We ran for our lives and were about 5 meters from the car when I realized he managed to follow us.
Me:
—FASTER.
Jessy shouted out of fear when she saw him while Thomas and Jake looked desperate.
Jessy:
—AHH!
—OH MY GOD!
Me:
—JESSY KEEP RUNNING. DO NOT LOOK BACK.
We were pratically in the car when he got extremely close. And that was the moment I realized he didn't have the gun anymore. For some reason, he gave up.
But I couldn't risk trying to fight him again, so I finally entered the car and we left in a hurry.
—Go! Go!
N.R.
For a few seconds, no one spoke. The only noise came from the stones that were hitting the car, which was moving at maximum speed, and from their phones.
Jessy seemed to be crying and Jake was holding Vanysh tight.
Vanysh:
—Did you tell the others about it?
Jessy:
—Yes. While Jake went inside to get you...
Thomas:
—We wanted to go with him, but he didn't allow us to...
Jake:
—And it was for the best.
—The less people inside, the easier to get out.
Jessy:
—In the end he was right. But I was so worried for you, Vanysh!
Thomas:
—For a moment we thought you wouldn't make it.
Jessy:
—No, I refused to believe that. I knew Vanysh would come back.
—But what happened in there?
Vanysh was bewildered, breathless and confused. Her father was the Man Without a Face, and this left her extremely shaken. Mainly the conversation the two had.
Jake:
—Let's talk about this when we are home.
Thomas:
—But-
Vanysh:
—Please.
—I can't do this right now.
They looked at Vanysh and then kept quiet until the end of the travel, but Jessy kept telling the others about everything that happened through the phone.
____________________________________________
When they arrived at Vanysh's house, Cleo and Lilly were standing there and talking to Dan via video call.
They immediately ran towards the car, barely letting them get out of there.
Lilly:
—GUYS!
Cleo:
—Oh my god! Are you all right?
Thomas:
—It was almost.
Lilly:
—Can I call the police now?
Vanysh:
—Yes, please.
Dan:
—Shit guys. I almost had a heart attack.
Thomas:
—Tell me about it!
Jessy:
—My godness.
They started entering Vanysh's house and sitting to calm down.
Cleo:
—When the police sees that house...
Me:
—Michael will be arrested...
Jake:
—Nobody is splitting up from now on. -He stood up.
—And we better lock everything.
Lilly:
—In case he followed us.
Jake:
—Exactly.
Cleo, Lilly and Jake then checked and closed the whole house for the next 3 minutes.
Cleo:
—I think we're safe now...
Jake:
—Lilly, call the police and give them the exact addres. Well street 4.
—But don't waste your time with explanations. The place will speak for itself.
Lilly:
—I'm already on it! -She entered the room, showing her phone.
Vanysh leaned against the wall and stared at the nothing with deep sadness and concern.
Suddenty, an unknown number called her, and she knew right away it was him.
At first he didn't say anything, just breathed heavily and aggressively.
—...
—It wasn't enough for you that I killed the mechanic!
Her eyes widened and she let out a sigh of despair, making everyone realize something was up.
—No. You didn't do that.
Jessy:
—Vanysh? Is that him?!
She turned around so that everyone would stop staring at her.
—I did.
—And it's over now.
—No. It isn't.
—It's just beginning.
—I am going to find all of them. Hanna, Richy and Iris.
—And I am going to fucking get you.
He kept breathing.
—Believe what I'm saying, my dear. It's over.
—I AM GOING TO KILL ALL OF THEM. ONE. BY. ONE.
Vanysh was speechless. All she could do was cover her mouth and try to hold back her tears.
—Cleo, Thomas, Lilly, Jessy, and Jake!
—EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.
He spoke so loudly and so aggressively that the voice filter was being impaired.
—DEAD.
—I AM GOING TO KILL THEM ALL. AND YOU... YOU WILL WATCH THEM DIE!
He hung up and her phone fell on the ground.
—Vanysh?!