The Terschelling Murder

Chapter One: The house on Terschelling

The old house on Terschelling was eerily quiet as the night crept in, the wind whispering sinister secrets through the swaying trees outside. Inside, Maria busied herself in the kitchen, tidying up after dinner. She hummed softly to herself, trying to shake off the feeling of unease that had settled over her ever since her son left for the big city. Yes, she had her other son, but he could not be her now. Not after the incident.

As she reached to put away a dish, Maria noticed the back door was slightly ajar. She frowned, certain she had locked it earlier. With a sigh, she walked over and secured the lock, shaking her head at her own forgetfulness. The rusted lock clicked ominously, but it did little to calm her nerves. Returning to the living room, she was startled to find the front door open as well. Her heart quickened, thudding painfully in her chest, as she closed and locked it, the unease now a palpable fear.

Back in the kitchen, Maria noticed the light that had been on was now off. She hesitated, a cold chill running down her spine. With trembling hands, she reached for the switch and flicked the light back on. As she turned, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the kitchen mirror and jumped, letting out a nervous laugh that echoed too loudly in the oppressive silence. Just as she began to calm down, the power went out, plunging the house into an abyss of darkness. Panic set in, and Maria fumbled for her phone, but her hands were shaking too much to find it. She decided to hide, choosing a spot under the kitchen table, hoping it was just a temporary outage.The silence was suffocating, broken only by the sound of her own ragged breathing. The darkness seemed to close in around her, every sound amplified by the fear coursing through her veins. She could hear the faint rustle of the wind outside, the creak of the old house settling, and then-footsteps.

Slow, deliberate footsteps approached, echoing through the house. Each step was measured, the sound of heavy boots against the wooden floor sending chills down her spine. Maria's heart raced as she listened to the intruder moving through the house, overturning chairs and searching methodically. The noise grew closer, and she stifled a gasp as the footsteps entered the kitchen.

She heard the intruder tap on the table above her, and she bit down a scream, trying to remain as quiet as possible. The tapping stopped, and she could sense the presence of the intruder right above her. The sound of their breathing was faint but menacing, a reminder of her imminent danger.

Desperately, she began to crawl away, but before she could escape, a hand grabbed her leg with a vice-like grip and yanked her back. She screamed, but it was cut short as the cold steel of a knife pierced her arm, pinning it to the floor. The pain was excruciating, a searing hot agony that made her vision blur. The blade sliced through the outer layer of skin with a sickening ease, then met the resistance of muscle, which it tore apart with a brutal, wet sound. Blood spurted from the wound, pooling around her pinned limb. Maria tried to struggle, only for the killer to stab her other arm. The knife entered just below the shoulder, slicing through skin and subcutaneous fat before puncturing the muscle with again a wet, tearing noise. The blade twisted, severing tendons and pinning her to the spot, immobilizing her completely.

Pinned and helpless, Maria looked up at the masked figure standing over her. The killer was wearing a long, dark trench coat that added to their menacing silhouette. The mask was made of old, weathered leather, shaped into a distorted, grotesque human face with deep-set, hollow eyes and a twisted, malicious grin. The leather was dark and cracked, with visible stitching around the edges, suggesting it was handmade or patched together from various pieces.The killer paused, then slowly lifted the mask, revealing their face. Maria's eyes widened in recognition and horror. "Why you?" she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief and pain.The killer remained silent, lowering the mask back into place. Without another word, they plunged the knife into her throat. The blade cut through the thin skin with a sharp, precise motion, then drove deeper, severing the jugular vein and carotid artery. Blood gushed out in a crimson torrent, the warm liquid splattering onto the floor and the killer's hands.The killer dragged the knife down her body, starting from her throat and slicing through her chest. The blade tore through skin, muscle, and bone with brutal force, creating a jagged, gaping wound. Maria's ribs cracked and split apart, exposing the pale organs beneath. Her lungs, still desperately trying to draw breath, deflated and filled with blood, while her heart pumped erratically before finally slowing to a stop.Maria's screams echoed through the house, desperate and haunting. The killer seemed to revel in the agony they inflicted, each stab punctuated by Maria's gasps for air and pleas for mercy that went unanswered. Blood pooled around her, staining the kitchen floor in a macabre tableau of death.As Maria's life slipped away, the killer leaned down, leaving a note on her open chest. It read, "Remember what you've done." The killer's breath was hot and fetid against Maria's face, the last sensation she felt before darkness consumed her.The house on Terschelling was silent once more, the wind whispering through the trees outside as if to carry away the dark secrets within.