The Creature

Chapter 4

The night air chilled Darek Muller's bones as he stood in the open balcony window. He gazed off into nowhere, only daydreaming and thinking of nothing. The forest was white. The snow upon the trees glittered in the moonlight. Yet, not a single call of a bird or wolf chimed from the grave below him. It was dead – empty, completely devoid of life. He wondered how anything so peaceful could have nothing in it. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly puffed on it. He didn't smoke much – only when he was trying to think. Right now, he needed one. The events from the past few days had only left him more confused than ever. Who was this Emily French? Why would someone want to impersonate her? If the same one who stole her identity was the same one who murdered her, why? Millions of questions ran through his mind.

Now isn't the time for playing detective. I am on vacation and need to relax. He convinced himself it was alright. He told himself nothing bad would happen to him. All he needed to do was hide out until the real murderer was caught. Then he could return to his office and continue his work as if nothing had happened. He cozied himself by the fire and switched on the television.

"The man found dead at the scene yesterday has been identified as Don French, a successful businessman working for a company as a private consultant. More details later." Darek was sick of the news. He didn't even know why he watched it. It was nothing but depressing. He was still the number one suspect. At least, he thought, nothing bad has happened yet tonight. He sighed. He was bored. He somewhat wished he had married when he'd had the chance. When he was in law school, he'd met the most beautiful woman in the world. Her features were divine, and her smile mysterious.

Darek pulled out his wallet. He still held on to a photograph of the girl. Her fair skin, brown eyes, and long dark hair made her almost goddess-like. The way she smiled and posed in the photo made her even more lovely and mystical. He chuckled to himself. "If only you could see me now, Sarah. You would think of me, not as a successful lawyer, but as a man with no common sense. You might not even want to be with me anymore."

As he finished his thought aloud, the shutters slammed open, and a violent wind blew through the opened window. He thought it only to be coincidence. He gazed outside only to find there was not a trace of wind blowing. A voice whispered to him, "Darek..." He quickly turned to look behind him. No one was there. He decided he was only tired, so he went to bed early. He placed the picture back in his wallet. "I seriously hope I'm not going crazy," he spoke to himself. He showered rather hurriedly. He was still spooked by the other night with the lady singing in the bathroom, yet no one was in there. Everything was going wrong. He needed to think, but his brain wouldn't function the way it was supposed to. The only thing there was an emptiness. It was the same emptiness he felt in his heart. He did manage to fall asleep, but the dreams wouldn't stay away. Maybe he was missing something. Maybe he really was losing his sanity.