Lucas Part 17

I still feel pain all over my body, but slowly, I open my eyes. "Ah," I muttered softly when the light hit my irises directly, making me blink my eyes to adjust to the light. I was stunned when finally my eyes opened entirely, and I found that several people were surrounding me at this time. I tried to get up but stopped when I felt unbearable pain all over my body. "Don't force yourself to get up. Just lie still. The wounds on your body are numerous and severe," said a young woman who approached me and helped me lie down again. I looked at the people individually, none of whom I knew or had met before. "Where am I? Who are you?" Finally, I asked them. They whispered to each other with their eyes fixed on me. "We are residents of this area. One of us found you passed out before the Mansion, and he brought you here. We have given the first treatment for your injuries. Still, you must be hospitalized immediately," said the young woman who suddenly reminded me of the events before I fainted in front of the Mansion. So the person I saw was one of the residents here, and he brought me to this place. I breathed a sigh of relief because it didn't seem like they were terrible people who would hurt me. "Rest, we will take you to the hospital this afternoon." The young woman spoke again. "No, I won't go to the hospital before getting my friends out of the Mansion. They are still locked up there. I beg you to help me save my friends," I asked them softly. But I have yet to hear anyone respond to what I said. They just looked at me with a look that was difficult to decipher. "Your friends are probably dead. You're lucky to be able to get out of that haunted Mansion," said a middle-aged man. "No, they're not dead yet. I'm sure they're still alive. I beg you to help me save them." The people whispered back to each other without anyone answering my request. "How long has it been since I fainted?" I asked the young woman who had been talking to me earlier. "About two hours," she said, which made me cringe. I realized I didn't have much time to save my friends, though I had to convince these people to help me. "I beg you to help me. Please save my friends." Again, they still didn't answer my request. I finally forced myself to get up. I ignore the pain all over my body. The young woman helped me get up from my bed. With my face that must be grimacing in pain at this time, I positioned my body to kneel in front of those people. They were stunned to see what I did. "I beg you, save my friends." Now, the tears started flowing down my face. I hope they will feel compassion after seeing what I did. I sincerely begged them to be willing to help me save my friends. "Stop begging, girl. It's useless that none of them can help you." A voice sounded from behind me. I turned to the voice owner, who turned out to be a grandmother. I was shocked when I saw that the Grandmother had no eyes. Yes, her eyes were closed, with various scars filling her eyelids. "What's your name?" asked the Grandmother. "My name is Leslie. Why do you say none of you can help me?" I didn't understand the Grandmother's words, so I asked this without hesitation. "Before that, you should know the story of the Mansion. I will tell you everything so you understand what I meant. You leave us alone." Everyone immediately obeyed the Grandmother's orders. When I opened my eyes, the young woman who cared about me so much came back to help me sit in one of the chairs close to the chair the Grandmother was sitting on. After that, she left this place, now there was only me and that Grandmother here. "I'll start my story, listen carefully." "Y-yes," I replied. Finally, I will know the story behind the Mansion's awesomeness. After hearing that story, I plan to figure out how to deal with the male ghost in the Mansion. If everyone here doesn't want to help me, I'm determined to keep saving my friends, even if I'm the only one doing it. "My name is Calista, everyone calls me Lady Calista. But that was what I was called when I was young, now I don't want to be called that anymore." The Grandmother started her story and immediately made me stop my reverie. "My father is a wealthy nobleman. He's... the richest man in the area, and the Mansion used to be our home. My father is an adventurer, he likes to travel around the world to collect antiques that he makes his collection. That's why I only live alone with my mother in the Mansion. My mother is a beautiful woman, graceful and kind. Everyone in this area respects her very much. She also prefers to do household chores herself so we only hire one maid to help my mother with the Mansion. I also have an older brother, but he is an independent person. He prefers to live a simple life rather than enjoy all the luxuries our father gave him. After fulfilling his dream of becoming a police officer, he finally gets married. He and his wife moved to the city and rarely saw me and mom." The Grandmother was silent, and I looked at her face in her residence, which was filled with wrinkles. Even so, the beauty was still clearly visible on her face. I felt shocked when I realized something after looking at the Grandmother's face. That face is familiar to me. I'm sure her face is the same as the beautiful woman in the painting on display in Leyna's room. "That incident happened 53 years ago. At that time, I was 23 years old." The Grandmother continued her story, and of course, I listened carefully. "Same night as tonight. It rained heavily accompanied by thunderous thunder. My mom and I were watching our favorite show when suddenly someone knocked on the door. I forbade my mother to open it because it was midnight. It's very unnatural for someone to come to visit in my opinion. But my mother kept the door open. A man claiming to be Lucas was standing at the door of our Mansion. He claimed to be an artist and was lost in this area so he asked us to take shelter in the Mansion until the rain stopped. Because of my mother's kindness, she also let him into the Mansion. Mom even gave him a room to rest, but because of the non-stop rain, he ended up staying at our Mansion. I had a bad feeling when I saw him, but my mom didn't. Even though I repeatedly told my mother about my bad feeling, she only responded with a smile and said everything would be fine. That night I could not sleep peacefully." The Grandmother was silent for the umpteenth time. I could only wait, waiting for her to continue her story. "In the morning, when I was still comfortably sleeping in my room. I heard the sound of the piano, my mother likes to play the piano and I thought at that time, my mother was playing it. I got up and rushed to the music room because I was so happy when I watched my mother play the piano. But how surprised I was when I found that it was not my mother who was playing the piano but that man who was playing it. He played a song that was quite famous and familiar to my ears. A song that is familiar to me." "Is the song he's playing the song Fur Elise by Ludwig Van Beethoven?" I asked, interrupting the Grandmother's story, and she responded with a nod. It all became clear to me: the male ghost named Lucas. "I was quite impressed with his piano skills, I also think he was not deceiving us at all when he said that he was an artist. My suspicions of him disappeared at that moment. I didn't even refuse or argue when my mom allowed him to come back to stay at our Mansion. B-but..." The Grandmother suddenly looked panicked and frightened which made me feel astonished. I tried calming her down by giving her a glass of water. "S-sorry if remembering that incident makes me remember the suffering I felt before," she said softly, making me feel sorry for her because she was willing to remember events she didn't want to remember to tell me. "The second night he stayed at our Mansion. At midnight, I heard a noise, and when I went to check. I saw this terrible sight with my own two eyes. I saw my mother's body already lying stiff with blood on the floor. Lucas was standing there with his hand on the gun. That night my mother caught him stealing my father's valuables. Then he killed my mother by shooting her repeatedly until my mother died that very second. I was so scared, I thought he wanted to kill me too. But it turns out my thinking was wrong. H-He..." Grandma Calista looked scared again. I even realized that her body was starting to shake. I gently walked over to her and rubbed her back to calm her down. "He fell in love with me. Since then he has lived with me in the Mansion. He forced me to become his slave, his lust gratification. He threatened to kill me if I fought him or escaped the Mansion. He also ordered me to fire the only maid in our Mansion. The maid only worked during the day and came home every evening so she didn't know what was going on in this Mansion. Lucas was very possessive, never once did he leave me alone. I was in a lot of pain at that time." Hearing this story, I finally understood why I was so scared that my body was shaking. If I were in her position, I would not want to recall that painful event. "I realized there was no chance for me to run away from him so I tried to write a letter while he was sleeping. I wrote a letter addressed to my brother. I kept the letter long enough until the opportunity came to me. That day, an antique dealer came to the Mansion. He knew my father was an antique collector so he came to bid us. When Lucas was off guard I handed him the letter, and I asked him to send the letter to the city police station where my brother served. I feel relieved when that person is willing to help me. A few days after that person's departure, my brother came to the Mansion along with several members of the police and also residents in this area. Maybe because they were angry after learning about Lucas' treatment of me and my mother, the residents of this area who came to the Mansion beat Lucas together until he was black and blue. But instead of begging for forgiveness and regretting what he had done, he was screaming like a madman." Grandma Calista again stopped her story, making me very curious. I can't wait to find out what happened after that. "What is he screaming, Grandma?" After waiting a few minutes, I finally asked, and the Grandmother was still silent. "I will never spare you guys. My death is not the end but the beginning of your suffering. I will make sure all of you receive my punishment, None of you will survive my revenge!! That's what he shouted. My brother was so angry about that that's why he shot Lucas in the head until he died." I covered my mouth after hearing Grandma Calista's story, which makes Lucas' ghost so evil. During his life, he was indeed a wrong person. Even after he died, he became an evil spirit who would never stop carrying out his revenge.