The Wedding Party

Part 35: A Home

Preston's fingers tapped nervously on the armrest of one of the chairs in the manor's living room. Tess, who was going over her checklist for the wedding, suddenly frowned and said, "I still haven't heard from Reverend Maximillian. I hope he's alright."

"Maybe I should go check on him," Preston suggested, grateful for an excuse to escape the mounting stress of wedding planning.

"Good idea," Tess agreed, nodding her approval.

As Preston headed toward the church, the sun glistened on the trees overhead, casting shadows on the path before him. The quiet serenity of the mainland only seemed to amplify his worry. Inside the church, a heavy silence greeted him. His eyes scanned the dimly lit interior until they landed on the altar. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he saw the lifeless, disemboweled raccoon sprawled out on the sacred surface.

"Dear God," he whispered, bile rising in his throat.

-----

Meanwhile, Marina an Olive trudge through the wood, their anger at each other subsiding as fatigue began to settle in. In the distance, they spotted a figure, a local they had seen around town. Desperation creeping into her voice, Olive called out, "Hey! Can you help us? We're lost!"

The man turned around slowly, an unsettling grin plastered across his face. Without a word, he unhooked the leash of a massive German Shepherd by his side, sending it bounding toward Marina and Olive.

"Run!" Marina screamed, grabbing Olive's hand. They sprinted toward the only refuge they could find, an abandoned truck rusting away among the undergrowth. Ducking inside, they slammed the door shut just as the dog lunged at them, its teeth bared and snarling. Olive's heart raced, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as she tried to process what had just happened.

"Who is that guy, and why did he do that?" Olive demanded, her voice quivering with fear.

"Right now, we need to focus on staying alive," Marina replied, her eyes darting around the truck's interior for anything they could use to defend themselves.

-----

Back at the church, Macey and Detective Scarlet Camacho arrived, their faces grim. "Reverend Maximillian seems to have been missing for a few days," Scarlet informed Preston, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the gruesome scene before them.

"Let's get this poor creature off the altar," Macey said, trying to suppress her revulsion. Together, she and Preston carefully wrapped the raccoon's carcass in a cloth and carried it outside.

-----

Elsewhere on the island, Kyan stood over the makeshift grave where he'd buried Angela, his eyes welling up with tears. "I'm sorry, Angie. I shouldn't have left you like that," he whispered, his voice breaking. The weight of guilt pressed heavily on his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

-----

As Helena approached Macey's house, she pulled out her phone and dialed her sister's number. When the call went to voicemail, she sighed and left a message, her voice tinged with trepidation. "Hey, Mace. It's me. I'm at your place. Call me back when you can." With that, she let herself in, steeling herself for whatever memories and revelations awaited her inside.