Reality

Chapter 14: Bodies Bodies Bodies

Chapter 14: Bodies Bodies Bodies

It was... Vincent. "No. It can't be. I've known him for years. He can't be it," I said to the dark shadow, my voice trembling with confusion and hurt. The nightmare I was in started to blur. Slowly, my surroundings began to disappear like smoke vanishing into thin air. I suddenly woke up in dread, still confused. "He can't be Zoren's blackmailer. He can't be the one who spread those lies about me. It can't be him," I muttered to myself.

I cried silently in my darkened room, staring at the ceiling as if my life had been torn apart. Exhausted, I eventually cried myself to sleep, feeling a crushing heaviness. When I woke up the next day, I still couldn't accept it. I went to the dining room to eat, and the aroma of the food being served momentarily made me forget the revelation. My mother turned on the TV before sitting down at the table. The news was on. The bodies had been identified as students from our school: Keiara, Aleisha, and Benedict. "Who could have done such a thing?" my mother asked, horrified. "I don't know," I replied, feeling numb. Then we heard the name of the prime suspect: Vincent.

I quickly finished my breakfast and went up to my room to rest.

Two weeks passed, and I felt a lot better without a sighting of the shadow figure. Vincent was still missing, and the killer of the students hadn't been caught yet, so I decided to investigate on my own. I tried as hard as I could to remember our last interaction before he went missing. The only one I could recall was before our field trip. He had seemed distant towards me all year. Then I remembered something: the cabin. I searched the internet for its exact location. It didn't take long to find it. It was thirty minutes away from my house.

I told my parents I would be going out and would be home by 8 PM. They were worried at first, but I assured them I'd be alright. I waited for a cab for so long that I almost changed my mind when one finally arrived. I got in and told the driver where I was headed. I arrived there at approximately 1:46 PM. I had to walk through the woods since the cabin was within that area. The woods were the scariest place I'd ever been. They were quiet and calm but eerie, like something could be hiding behind any tree, waiting to attack. At first, I was afraid, but I eventually got the hang of it. I walked and walked until I reached the cabin.

Warning signs were still posted around the area, but I managed to sneak in. The foul odor of decay hit me immediately. I covered my nose, trying to block out the smell. I looked for clues that could help me understand why Vincent was doing this or where he might be. I searched everywhere until I knocked over a notebook. I opened it and realized it was Vincent's diary. I wasn't surprised the police hadn't found it—it was well hidden. I just got lucky stumbling upon it. There was only one note, written the day before the bodies were found.

"They know what I'm up to. They need to go. They threatened to tell on me. He can't know. Not yet. Not until I have enough proof. I'm gonna pin this all on him. I will not let Keiara and her minions ruin my perfect plan. I'll bring him down."

It was short but enough to prove Vincent was guilty of murder. I was heading out when I saw the shadow hovering over me. It came charging at me, knocking me unconscious. When I woke up, it felt like I was in a trench of memories. I saw everything that had happened to me, and then I stumbled upon a memory involving Keiara, Aleisha, and Benedict.

"He's the one doing all of this," Keiara said. They were at her house. Benedict and Aleisha were scrolling through the webpage Vincent had created. It was filled with lies, including ones about me being insane. Aleisha received a notification and excused herself. She went to the location in the message: the cabin. Inside, she felt someone push her down. It was Vincent. Aleisha tried to run, but Vincent caught her quickly. He began stabbing her with a butcher knife, her blood splattering everywhere. Vincent then looked for her phone. Using Aleisha's fingerprint, he unlocked it and texted Keiara: "Come here, I found a place to hang." Keiara and Benedict arrived at the cabin. They noticed the door was wide open. They called out for Aleisha, but she didn't respond. As they were about to leave, Vincent blocked the door. He immediately stabbed Keiara in the stomach. Benedict grabbed a baseball bat lying on the floor and hit Vincent in the arm. Vincent pulled the knife out of Keiara and stabbed Benedict to death. Keiara lay on the floor, feeling weak. The stab was too deep. Vincent walked towards her and stabbed her in the hand, chest, and eye, killing her.

I had finally had enough. I tried to escape the trench of memories, running through what felt like a maze with no exit. When I stopped and looked behind me, the dark shadow was there. "You've created a monster," it spoke.