"Now, let’s continue." The man in a police uniform started as he took out the photos inside the brown envelope and scattered them in front of me.
My eyes fluttered as a sign of dreary. I want to ask for a glass of water, but I know nothing would be enough to drain the chaotic emotions in me.
Instead of looking at the gruesome photos of the people I grew up with, I turned my head around in the small plain room. It’s so cold here, and I’m tired of answering the same questions over again.
Nothing seems to be enough with the detective sitting in front of me. The old man is eager to prompt me to say the answers he wants to hear from me instead of the truth.
“Mr. Hernandez, for the hundredth time, can you please answer our question this time?” He said. I noticed him clenching his jaw. But I didn’t give in. I still remain my eyes on the painted white wall.
That doesn't help mend the emotions that are welling up inside me. He's just making things worse for me. I've actually seen their dead bodies with my own two eyes. Further aggravating my already poor state is his insistence that I reflect on them.
“A’right!” The detective straightened his back before picking up another envelope.
“What are your motives, huh? Why did you kill your grandfather?”
He grabbed my attention and stirred the worst in me. After several blinks, my eyes regained focus. To keep me from erupting, I balled my fists. However, when he showed me a picture of my grandfather, I trembled with anger.
All of the horrendous things he'd done to us came flooding back to me, bringing more tears to my eyes. I tightened my fists even further and gritted my teeth as I stared straight ahead at the detective seated in the chair next to me.
“He’s not dead,” I said, filled with conviction in my hoarse voice.
When I tried to take a breath, all I got was suffocation in this hellhole. My gaze quickly shifted to the other cop, who was standing limply in the doorjamb. He says nothing as he scrutinizes my every move.
“Then, study the picture again,” The old cop chuckled, mocking me.
“For what? To torture me?” I scoffed. I clicked my tongue in irritation and tore the picture up to the smallest fragment of it.
He grimaced at me and didn’t expect what I did next. I blew all the fragments of the photo into his face.
“I did not kill him. And I did not kill anyone.”
“So how would you explain these photos?!” He retorted back. His expression darkened.
For a brief moment, there was complete stillness. Everything that had transpired in the cabin raced through my mind as soon as I closed my eyes.
We were celebrating our long-awaited reunion and the birthdays of my sister and my friend, reminiscing about the things we missed in each other’s life. We were completely unaware of the danger that had been stalking us ever since we stepped foot in that house.
One by one, I saw how my friends fell limply on the ground.
One by one, our bodies were soaked in a pool of blood.
One by one, I saw him take their lives.
Regrets picking me. If I hadn't brought my friends to the lake house. Perhaps they were still alive.
I opened my eyes again, dissociating myself from the nightmarish thoughts I had as the same faces greeted me.
I trembled, “I swore that night.”
My fists flew across the table as I sprung from my seat in anguish. Before I spit out the last words I said that night, I watched his eyes widen in dread.
“This will be the last.”
THE AQUAPHOBIC November 27, 2020 6 months ago... ZACK "Remember when I turned fourteen? I told you that I wanted to join a swimming club. I was adamant and confident in my decision and you all knew me, my dream is to be a swimmer athlete. But..." I bit my lower lip as my eyes darted on the white tile floor. A memory of what I fear the most came rushing back at me, "After I joined the swimming club, a dream of someone drowning me in a lake started visiting me at night. Since then, it has never stopped. The feeling of dreaming it is like a punishment-- I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move, I couldn't feel my lungs, I felt like dying in excruciating pain." I paused for a second.
THE DISGUISED INVITATION November 27, 2020 6 months ago... ZACK It was around 6 pm when we got home from the public market. We own a meat and vegetables stall and my aunt is always the one who handles our store. Sometimes after school I go straight there to help her sell. Our store is quite popular for the buyers who want lower prices and our store is remarkable when it comes to that. "Zack, I almost forgot. Your grandpa sent you a letter, I put it above the fridge, I didn't read it, don't worry." Aunt Olive joked, she's in the living room watchi
THE SHADOW May 18, 2021 PRESENT DAY ZACK "Zack, Zack, Zack." The familiar croaky voice brought my eyes to open. As my visions became clear, I realized that I am at the same place where horror always begins. The cold breeze engulfed my whole body making me shake uncontrollably, I felt the searing sensation of coldness in my bare feet. I can hear the familiar sounds of the rustling leaves, the waves of the lake, and the sm
THE REUNION May 18, 2021 ZACK “A-Aunt Olive?” I muttered under my breath. Surprisingly Aunt Olive swiftly dropped the knife on the coffee table in front of us. I just came to notice that I am lying on the sofa in the living room and not in my room. I felt the tight embrace of my aunt, “I was so scared, I thought I’m gonna lose you.” She whispered. I sighed as I let down my walls, I hugged her back while my boy continued to shake. “You dozed off and then a while later you were having a seizure, I kept on waking you up but you’re not responding, I thought -- I thought --” As aunt Olive started to hysterical, I immediate
MISSING PERSONS [PART ONE] May 18, 2021 LIZZIE [Lizzette Cruz-Lucero | 26 ] "I already told you that I'm going to my grandparent's house. Why won't you listen?" I calmly said to my husband Grey on the other line. He was already mad at me the moment I answered his call. Because of one shallow reason that I left our daughter in my parents' house. I truly don't understand, if I choose to leave Cassie with a babysitter he’ll still get mad at me. "My point is, why do you need to leave Cassie behind if you can just let her come along with you!" I heard him scoff. "You know how much I dislike your family! What if something bad happens to Cassie in your par
THE CONTINUATION... *BLAG!* I abruptly woke up when I heard thumpings from a window. Because of panic, I became sober immediately. I looked to my left and saw a woman outside the window who seemed to be in her 40s, continuously knocking to get my attention. While her other hand’s sticking a paper in the glass. When I carefully looked at the paper that is where I realized that it wasn't just a simple paper but a missing poster. I looked in front of me and found out that the driver was gone. I wandered my eyes everywhere only to find him outside eating at a local eatery store. I noticed that the sky is getting dark , I guess it's 6 in the evening now. I feel a sense of pity in her drastic situation. She seems exhausted so
IF ONLY SOUNDS CAN SPEAK May 18, 2021 MADDY [Maddison Galvez | 24] Do you know what's annoying? It's when they call a cabin just a 'house'. What I meant is, there are tons of different types and styles of houses, and I think they must know that when they are asked what kind of house they own. I know it's stupid for me to get annoyed for a small reason but I can't help it. Zack told us earlier that their house is called the ‘Lake House’. When I asked him what the style is, he just described it as a house in the middle of the lake. I rolled my eyes in annoyance because of his stupidity, he jus
CONFUSIONS May 18, 2021 ZACK “G-Grandma?” It took her some minutes before she familiarized my face. She slowly put the knife down as she shifted her gaze to all of us back and forth. Finn stepped backward when he returned to his senses after the shock that grandma Debbie gave to him. When I look at them one by one I figured out that they all have the same face of shock and fright. "Z-Zack? W-What are you doing here?!" Grandma Debbie stammered firmly, redness striking upon her face. She looked at the others in disbelief, "And who are they?!" She pointed them using the knife in her hand. I immediately rushed in front of my friends and raised my hands in front of my chest as if I'