The Dead Crime (Draft)

Chapter#23

He didn't have to ring the bell, the door was already open. He ran into the house calling her name but there was no sound other than his own voice reflecting back in an echo. He stopped in the middle of the lounge to catch his breath. His heart was thumping across his chest, sweat beaded over his temple and his throat was dry and hoarse which made his voice sound deeper when he called out her name. He caught sight of the stairs leading to the terrace and bounded up. He halted momentarily, cool wind blowing around and the trees far off on the other side of the road were swaying along with it. The view from his side was more than wonderful. He was feeling like he was a prince in a large castle where fairies and elves danced around serving tea and cookies and playing relaxing and cheerful songs using violins, harps and trumpets. There would be maidens dressed in beautiful gowns decorated with crystals and diamonds who were singing songs in their beautiful voices with the melody as the background.

He shook his head to get rid of his imagination realizing what he was doing here, he took a round of the terrace to see if there was any room she could be in but it was too spacy for her to be hidden here. He turned around to go back down when he glimpsed something unusual down the terrace in the backyard. There was a figure hanging from the tree branch. In a second he recognised it, it was Camille, her blonde hair where flying with the wind and her body was swinging. He sprinted down the stairs almost losing balance and falling with his face to the ground but he pulled himself back by holding onto the handrail of the staircase. He kept repeating the same sentences as he ran; 'No Camille, you can't, please be alive.'
But when it was in front of him: the lifeless body of the girl he wanted to help, hanging down the tree, it was too vivid to be an illusion. He got robbed of breath, he crossed his arms around her dangling legs and tried to push her upwards but she was too high above. He ran across the yard to look for a tool when he saw an axe placed with other gardening tools by the shed. He grabbed it and swinged it in an arc hitting the trunk. Once then twice, he kept hitting it. He grunted aggressively with every hit to the huge trunk cutting it deeper.
His arms became sore but he kept cutting. His breath was becoming heavier with every blow, his chest started to hurt. The sweat dripping from his brows was getting into his eyes making his vision blurry. He didn't even stop to wipe the sweat that kept running down his face and into his eyes. After a minute of constant stabbing the tree lost its support and fell down with Camille landing on the grass, the branches of the tree all over her. Ethan pushed the branches away trying to get towards her. As he crawled further moving the branches from his way as they scratched across his arms and face, he reached up to her and untied the rope around her neck dragging her away. He helf her in his arms, tapping her cheeks with his rough hands. But she wasn't breathing. Her heart had stopped already, he was too late. His tears started falling over her pale cheeks and his voice got stuck in his throat.
Sirens sounded nearby and then he heard a lady crying,
"Please officer, find my daughter. She has gone missing." Diana was weeping beside the police officer who was holding a notepad, noting down the details she gave; she told them that only her husband and two daughters were at home, "I'm sure she has done something to my girl, she's evil I tell you".
Diana started walking towards the backyard taking the officers with them to Camille whom she had last seen by the tree in the yard, "She tried to kill my daughter once before too. But I let her go and look what has happened."
When they entered the yard, Ethan was standing by Camille's body, Diana became motionless with shock. A furrow appeared on her forehead,
"No!! You can't die, you can't before you tell me where my daughter is." She rushed to her and started shaking her body, "Wake up, you don't deserve to die yet. Wake up and tell me where my daughter is!!" She bawled. The officer pulled her away from Camille,
"Please calm down Miss."

"How do you suppose me to calm down, I don't even know if my daughter is alright, if she's trapped somewhere or dead." She said, "No, she might still be alive, please find her." She took the officer's hand in hers and started pleading.
"Where's your husband at this moment? Does he know about this?"

"I'm sure Kevin doesn't know, but I don't know about his whereabouts." She stated, "What do you even need him for. Find my daughter please."

Ethan who stood there, watching all the drama could feel rage boiling inside him, he felt hurt by seeing how she had lived with a wrecked up family that it made her take her life in the end. A second later, his mind switched to what Diana had just said about Kevin; that he was not around here. Then the last lines of the letter flashed across:

   "Keep your mom safe from my father.
This is the least I can do; warn you about the devil. I hope you take it serious."

Ethan dashed out of there, back to his home. He followed along the road running as fast as he could with his legs starting to cramp.
"Mom...please be safe." He said to himself pushing himself forward.
His hair whipped backwards showing his broad forehead. He was almost there when his legs gave up. He stumbled on the ground two times but he still got up again and began limping with his cramped leg.

"Mom, Where are you!?" He called her out, looking around the house. His eyes got teary again, he wasn't able to save Camille and now if someone had happened to his mom he was going to break down and he already was but then he heard footsteps.
She walked towards him, fraught with worry looking at her son's teary face.
"What's wrong Ethan?"
He ran towards Ella holding her shoulders and spoke,
"Mom, we need to get away from here. That guy who tried to kill you might know you live here. We should go somewhere else, somewhere far from here."

                                 *    *    *

Few days had passed, he missed her funeral that didn't even happen because there was literally no one to come and wish for her soul. But later he came, crouched down beside her grave and ran his fingers over the dirt, she was buried under.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you...
But I promise, I promise I'll get your revenge. This is the first and last thing I can do...to prove my true feelings for you."

He prayed then got up and left the town to his new home where he could live with her mom, hidden from the devil who had ran away without even getting known by the folks as a murderer. And the bodies....they were still buried in the backyard with a new plant grown at the empty space Kevin wanted to fill.

Note by auther:
I'll be writing a part 2 for this story in September to cover up for the events that are left in the dark. Look forward to it and hope you liked it. Thank you

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Edit: I couldn't write a part 2 because of my studies. I apologize for that. But I'll be editing this part first and write the second later....I can't say exactly when but I'm trying to do it as soon as I can