The Case and The Oh So Horrible Heart

A/N: Hello there, its me hoi4isthebest (or your average hoi4player if you know me form A03.). we had a assignment in a class of mines. the goal of the assignment was to rewrite a part of the Tell-Tale Heart in a different perspective. i thought mines was pretty good so i decided to upload it onto  wattpad and A03. i hope you enjoy! hoping to write some other works here soon.

The Nervousness crept within me as I approached the house. We had gotten reports from the neighbors, some sort of loud shriek they heard. It was most likely just a really bad nightmare, but it must have spooked some of the neighbors into assuming a murder. That's why we have our jobs, to clear up misunderstandings and fear. But something felt off... the house had not aged well.

The house's exterior was filthy and grimy, most of the planks were half broken and were more green than the grass next to it. The house had clearly seen better days. Not to mention this gut feeling I had, like something had gone terribly wrong. However me and my colleagues went in, we gave the door a simple knock. The door practically almost fell over, you could hear the creaks the door made as it attempted to not break down right there and then.

Soon enough, a man opened the door. He had big black spots under his eyes, his clothes were wrinkled and were dirty. His smell was also putrid, more disgusting and reprehensible than the slums. He was clearly very poor and something about him screamed guilty. I didn't know what, he was clearly just a normal man, right? Nothing off other than some features of his.

We soon entered the house and told him about the reports and the scream. He simply shrugged "Oh how could the lovely neighbors think that I could have killed someone? How preposterous indeed. I simply am the caretaker of an old man who is living here. Those shrieks were due to a nightmare I had." Despite some of the glaring features of the man, he sounded awfully charismatic and the story seemed believable. Hell, what was I thinking about doubting the obvious, let alone suggesting in my tiny mind that he killed some old man! What would he have to gain? However despite his innocence already being proven unanimously, as I could tell by the approving nods of my colleagues. He insisted he give us a tour of the entire house.

Me and my colleagues agreed, just to make sure and to start up a lovely conservation with this charismatic young man. Great way to pass the time and delay the next false positive we would get. He then proceeded to give us a tour of every room, the bedroom, the dining room, the living room. Practically every room was searched, except for the bathroom. He was adamant that we don't check there. I thought that it was very suspicious, and now that I think about it, didn't it smell like there was blood in that room? Oh, it must've been my imagination. Like I had already determined, what charming young man would ever ruin his life for practically no gain?

However, something still felt off. My gut was screeching at me not to trust him. My logic telling me I was safe and my gut saying no was a horrible, horrible decision. Why be in this state of safe and not safe? It was clear he was innocent, there was no doubt about it. In Fact I would have already left with my colleagues if the man hadn't insisted that we chat more. As we and the man chatted, I could feel the tension within me fade. But that did not stop me from noticing the jittering in his body. It looked like he was having a internal monologue of his own. Then I felt it, I heard the screams... the agonizing screams. They were incoherent, a mix of a young man and a old man. Impossible to tell a part other than that. The screams got louder, and louder, and louder! I wanted to leave, that's all I wanted. I could hear them say to me "LEAVE! LEAVE! LEAVE!.". I looked back at my colleagues, they weren't moving an inch. Aren't they hearing the sounds too? It's like they were free from my torment, the agonizing pain and torment of the screams was only getting worse. Then... "Villains!" I heard him shout. I looked at the man, he began to tear up the planks, them quickly falling apart "Dissemble no more! I admit the deed!". He then pulled out a big heart, a beating heart. The heart was terrifying, it screeched at me, begging me to throw it away, to cast it into a flame. All I could do was stare at the heart, the hideous heart. It needed to be cast away, it needed to no longer be on this plane of existence.

The heart beated, it called out. Me and my fellow colleagues soon arrested the man, but I could not stop staring at the heart. I tried to reach out and touch it, but my inconsiderate colleague noticed and told me to stop. I almost punched him right there and then. That heart... it must be rid off. My job doesn't matter, my family doesn't matter, hell even my life can be lost. Just as long as that single, putrid heart is gone. I had a new undertaking, I must destroy that heart. No matter how many people die, no matter the cost, that heart must go...