The Figure

CHAPTER 4: "The Reveal"

     The next day, Lucius wakes up looking depressed. He stands up, takes a bath, and goes to eat. After eating, he looks at himself in the mirror. While looking at himself he notices a silhouette of David behind the door. He sighs and says, "David, it's time to get to know you." Lucius goes to his computer and inserts the USB. He sees a file entitled, "David" on the USB and he opens it. He opens it and sees a photo of David. He sighs and begins to read.

     He reads, "David Lee, the student of Fairhaven High, was a kind and gentle student. Despite having an introverted personality, he was easily approachable and easy to talk to once he knew you well. Despite his good nature, his financial status was poor. He had a rough time since his father died when he was young and his mother had no other options but to raise him by herself. It was true that his attitude is kind and gentle but no one in his school decided to befriend him due to his poor status. Not only that he had no friends, but his mother also fell ill."

     After reading that Lucius starts to remember how he treated him. He remembers the time when he never treated him with kindness. He feels horrible for what he did to them but he only realize it when it was too late. Lucius punches the wall beside him in anger for what he had done. He keeps on punching until he notices blood on the walls that belonged to him making him realize that he damaged his hands.

     He sighs and goes to the bathroom to find the first aid kit. He finds it and bandages his hands. He decides to visit the doctor for his hand. At the hospital, he notices a lot of patients with injuries and/or illnesses. The hospital looks clean and a safe place. He consults a doctor about his hands. In the end, his hands are bandaged up and stitched. He goes back home to find Anna standing at his door knocking.

     He sees Anna knocking and knocking without stopping. He calls out for her but she didn't hear him. He goes closer and closer and even tries to call for her yet she still did not hear him. He reaches behind her and asks, "What are you doing here?" Suddenly, Anna stops knocking and stays still. He tries to press her for answers but she did not reply. "I got a bad feeling," he says to himself. Suddenly, Anna looks back and Lucius is horrified to see that she was not Anna. The woman has tainted skin and ripped clothes. Her eyes are empty like the void and her entire presence is horrifying.

     The woman screams and charges Lucius. Lucius stops the woman from attacking him as she screams with a raging tone. She keeps screaming but Lucius tries to ignore it. Lucius then holds the woman by her neck and starts to strangle her. The woman stops screaming as she is getting choked. The woman suddenly vanishes after a while.

     He gets up and sees the woman looking at him from the distance. Enraged, he charges at the woman and starts to strangle her. He is so enraged that the woman starts to suffocate. He is about to nearly kill the woman but a voice tells him, "Stop! That's Anna!" He snaps out of rage and realizes that he is choking Anna. He lets go and Anna breathes in deep as her voice sounds like a mess.

     "Lucius.... Why... did... you ... do ... that?" Anna struggles to say. Lucius profusely apologizes and tries to explain himself but Anna stops him. Eventually, Anna gets her voice back and she can breathe in normally. Lucius stays silent in remorse. "You are lucky that we are the only one who lives in this area," Anna says in anger. Lucius tries to apologize but Anna stops him. "Don't apologize. Lucius, read the file properly please," Anna says. "You're not mad at me?" Lucius says in confusion. "Mad at you? I'm worried about you!" Anna worryingly says. "What happened to your hands?! Why did you strangle me?! Are you okay?!" she adds. Lucius remains silent which makes Anna sigh.

     "Listen, read the files. Please notice something," she says while a tear drops from her face which Lucius notices. "David is not here!" she says. "I know you'll tell me that you thought I was some sort of ghost earlier," she adds. "How do you know?" Lucius says. "And what do you mean David is not here?" he adds. "Just, please, read the files! Analyze it! I don't want you to leave that house until you read it!" Anna says. "You need to learn David so that you could be free from him!" she adds.