Haunted House Part 7

Roul's breath was heavy, staring at Erlena's lifeless body on the floor. Blood continued to flow from her almost-severed neck, forming a pool on the floor. Roul's hand still held the dagger he used to slit his wife's throat. "Ugh, why did it have to turn out like this? I never intended to kill her," mumbled Roul while wiping his face, smearing Erlena's blood on himself. Roul's body trembled as he looked at himself in the bookshelf mirror in his office, seeing his face covered in Erlena's blood. "No, I have to do something. I can't let anyone find out about my actions. I don't want to go to jail." Whatever Roul was thinking and planning, he carried Erlena's body and took her outside. I continued to follow him as he brought Erlena's body to the woods. He also brought a shovel, allowing me to guess what he would do next. My guess was correct when we finally arrived in the pine forest. Roul laid Erlena's body on the ground, and he started digging the soil. After creating a deep enough hole, Roul dropped Erlena's body into it. He also threw the dagger he used to bury Erlena's body into the hole, burying his murder weapon along with Erlena. After finishing covering the hole that became Erlena's grave, Roul intended to return home. However, he looked surprised when he found someone standing behind him. It was Rory, who hadn't slept and secretly followed Roul to the forest. I was equally surprised as Roul, not realizing that Rory had been trailing him. "R-Rory, what are you doing here?" Roul asked stammeringly, his face showing both shock and fear. "W-what did Dad do to Mom? I saw everything, Mom was bleeding. Dad also buried Mom there." Rory pointed in the direction where Roul had buried Erlena. I couldn't imagine how Rory must be feeling right now, silently witnessing everything, including his father's act of killing his mother. "Why did Dad put Mom to sleep in the ground? Mom must be cold. Poor Mom, take her out of the ground," Rory pleaded. Roul, who had been silent since he was too shocked by his son witnessing all his crimes, now forced a fake smile. He approached Rory, who stood quite far from him, then stretched out his arms as if to carry Rory. However, Rory looked frightened; his eyes teary, he continued to step back to avoid his father, who kept approaching him. "Why, Rory dear? It's Dad. Let's go back home." "No, I don't want to. Dad is scary. I'm afraid." Tears started to fall from Rory's eyes. "What's scary? It's Dad, Honey." "Earlier, I saw Mom bleeding, then Dad took Mom away. Look, Mom's blood is on Dad's body and face. Dad's hands too, a lot of Mom's blood." Upon hearing Rory's words, Roul reflexively looked at his hands, still stained with Erlena's blood. His face and clothes were also covered in Erlena's blood; he hadn't had a chance to clean himself. Seeing Erlena's blood all over him, Roul's body suddenly trembled; he was reminded of his actions that led to killing the woman who had been his wife. Almost ten years of marriage, Erlena had even given birth to their child, but with those hands, Roul killed his wife. I couldn't comprehend why something like this could happen to Roul and Erlena, especially when I had initially envied their love story. "Father, take Mom out of the ground. Mom must be cold." Rory's words brought Roul back to reality; his gaze shifted from Erlena's blood on his hands to Rory, who was still shedding tears. The boy's body trembled, clearly showing fear as he looked at Roul. "Your mom is dead, Rory. So, she has to be buried in the ground." "No, Mom isn't dead. Mom must be sleeping." Roul snorted. "Say whatever you want. Let's go now. There's no point in lingering here." "I don't want to go back home without Mom." "Is Rory not scared? It's dark here." "Take Mom out of the ground, Dad. I'll only go home if Mom comes with us." "I told you, your mom is dead. Her place is here. Your mom will never come back because of that. Forget her. Forget everything you saw tonight. Do you understand, Rory?" "No! I said take Mom out!" Rory shouted, seemingly successfully provoking Roul's emotions. Having run out of patience with his son, Roul took action. He forcibly carried Rory, holding the boy on his shoulder like a sack of rice. Despite Rory squirming and screaming to be put down, Roul paid no attention, continuing to carry Rory back home. "Let me go. I want Mom!" Rory continued to scream until they reached home. Roul put Rory down immediately, and Rory tried to escape, but Roul, of course, didn't stay idle. He quickly caught Rory, who was so terrified, in his arms. "Release me! I want to go to where Mom is. I want Mom!" "Be quiet!" Roul shouted loudly. Rory fell silent instantly, looking shocked at his father's sudden outburst. "How many times do I have to tell you? Your mom is dead. She will never come back to this house. Don't talk about her anymore. Understand?" "I don't want to! I want Mom!" Rory shouted again. "If Rory wants a mother, of course, Dad will give him one. Dad will give you a new mom. Her name is Nirina; she will be a good mother for you. You will surely like her." "My mom's name is Erlena. I don't want another mom; I just want my mom." Roul's face turned red, and it was clear that anger was beginning to consume him. "Give back my mom. Take Mom out of the ground." "That's enough! Your mom is dead!" Roul shouted for the umpteenth time. "I will tell Grandpa and Grandma everything I saw. If Dad won't take Mom out of the ground, then let Grandpa and Grandma do it." Roul glared at Rory; his hands were clenched, and his teeth were grinding against each other, indicating that his emotions were reaching a boiling point. In a fit of rage, Roul chased after Rory, not with empty hands but by lifting the toy cars that were not far from him. These were the toy cars Rory had ridden while playing with Roul before Erlena took him to bed. As if losing his sanity and moral compass, Roul struck Rory's head repeatedly with the large toy cars until Rory lay lifeless, his head covered in gaping wounds. Now I understand why the ghost of Rory is so terrifying, with a blood-smeared face from the open wounds on his head. It turns out Rory died from the beating inflicted by his own father, using the toy cars the boy loved. "Rory, no. What have I done?" Roul murmured, only now realizing the fatal mistake he had just committed. Not only did he kill his wife, but tonight he also took the life of his own son. Roul beat himself, appearing to regret the crimes he committed due to overwhelming anger. He also embraced Rory's blood-soaked body, crying hysterically. "Rory, forgive Dad. Dad didn't mean to do this to you. Forgive Dad," Roul muttered repeatedly while continuously burying Rory's body in his embrace. The poignant scene continued for quite some time until Roul suddenly rose, still carrying Rory's lifeless body. "No one must know about this. No one must know that I killed Erlena and Rory," he muttered, shaking his head. His gaze focused on Rory's blood-covered face. "Rory, forgive Dad once again. Dad accidentally killed you. It's because you made Dad very angry. Now Dad has to hide your body. Yes, no one must know that you and your mom are dead." Carrying Rory's body, Roul walked up the stairs, and I continued to follow him. Until we reached a familiar room, apparently, Roul brought Rory to the boy's bedroom. I kept observing Roul's actions. He placed Rory's body on the floor, then busily shifted the shelves filled with Rory's toys. After that, he did something unexpected. Roul destroyed the wall and placed Rory's body there. In other words, Roul buried his son's body in the wall of Rory's room. I covered my mouth, not expecting this to be the answer to all the mysteries in the Watson family home. Shouldn't I now be reporting this truth to the police? I don't know where Roul is headed after committing this crime, but one thing is certain—he must face appropriate consequences. *** "Leslie! Leslie!" The voice echoed through my hearing, a voice I recognized as Sean's. When I opened my eyes, there was Sean right in front of me, his face very close to mine. From his expression, he looked extremely worried. It was the same expression I saw on Sean's face when he was concerned about me venturing into the world of memories of the ghosts I encountered. "Why are you here? Why did you go to the forest alone?" I glanced around, and now I remembered I was indeed in the pine forest. I must have fainted when Erlena's ghost showed me her world of memories. "I told you, don't go to the forest alone. Why did you disobey?" Sean's voice carried deep frustration, and I couldn't blame him. It was reasonable for him to be angry; I did break his instructions. "I had to know the truth, Sean. That's why I went to the forest." "But you shouldn't have gone alone." "Yes, yes, I admit I was wrong. Forgive me for not waking you up earlier." "Ugh, what kind of excuse is that? Just because I was sleeping, you dared to go to the forest alone? It's dangerous here, Leslie. Especially in the middle of the night." Sean's breath was rapid, his chest rising and falling quickly, not to mention his flushed face, revealing the emotions surfacing. "Don't be angry, Sean. I went to the forest to uncover the truth. Now I know what happened. It's true that the owner of the house is no longer alive, the ghost of the little boy is indeed Rory, and the screams of the woman I hear every night do come from this forest." "Even if you were eager to reveal the truth, you shouldn't have endangered yourself." "Alright, alright, I admit my mistake. I'm sorry for not waking you up earlier." "I was really scared, Leslie." My forehead furrowed, not understanding Sean's words. "What are you scared of? Did Rory's ghost disturb you when you were sleeping alone in his room?" I chuckled softly, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere between us. Sean snorted. "Huh, not because of that, but I was scared when I couldn't find you beside me. I've been looking for you since earlier, wandering around the house to find you." I was silent, unable to imagine how panicked Sean must have been when he didn't find me next to him. Apparently, I made a big mistake going to the forest alone, without inviting Sean. I truly regretted my foolishness. "I almost went crazy not finding you at home earlier. I suspected you went to the forest because I found the gate open, and it turns out you did. I got even more scared when I saw you unconscious. I was really scared. I was afraid something bad would happen to you." Sean then hugged me tightly. I tried to calm him down by gently rubbing his back. How lucky I was to have a husband who cared so much about me like Sean. However, talking about husbands made me remember Roul and the crime he had committed. I released Sean's embrace because there was something I needed to tell him immediately. "Sean, I've learned the truth. The story is very heartbreaking." Unconsciously, tears streamed down my face as I recalled Erlena's story. "What happened? You said the ghosts of the little boy and the woman who always screams in this forest are the ghosts of the house owner, right?" I nodded. "Yes," I replied. "Why did they die and become ghosts? What really happened to them?" I stared at Sean intently because there was a request I had to make to him right now. "You will hear the story soon, but please take me. We need to go to the police station and tell them the truth." "Yes, of course, I'll take you." After that, Sean helped me walk because my body still felt weak after my soul had ventured into Erlena's memories before she died. I looked back at the ground where Erlena's body was buried by Roul. "Wait here, Erlena, Rory. I will reveal the truth about you. I will make sure Roul is heavily punished," I whispered to myself, expressing my determination. I would do anything to ensure Roul's arrest so that Erlena and Rory's ghosts could go to their world and rest peacefully there.