Misery Looms

Chapter 9 - Murder on Memory Lane

The floor squeak as Ed tried to stretch without losing the page. Some books from the pile had been read, but with only half of last night and a bit of tonight, Ed hadn't found a way to walk in the sun. So, he decided to switch to looking into ways to remember.

Everyone wanted to know what was buried within those memories, what answers laid out of reach hoping it would lead to the murderer. It wasn't just them that had questions, Ed wanted to know if he beat the murderer or did they let him go, if so why?

Ed flipped through the pages looking for a chapter on how to get memories back, but so far all the chapter titles revealed was technical stuff on amnesia, like how does one get it, what area of the brain it affects. Ed wasn't interested in learning about the technical aspects because getting the memories back was more important. 

A chapter title jumped out, "Best ways to get memories back." And it looked promising. The chapter started with warnings. "Sometimes a person's brain isn't ready for the memories." "No matter what, the best way and safest was to wait. The memories would most likely come back on their own."

After the warnings, the first suggestion was to retrace the person's steps. What was the last thing they remember and go from there? Ed glanced at the curtains. Night had already taken hold of the sky, like a prisoner with no chance of escaping, then eyes drifted to the phone. It was already decided to revisit the abandoned building, but should Al come was the thought that was waging war on Ed's mind.

What if it doesn't work and the memories were still locked away somewhere. He would be getting Al and everyone's hopes up only to be squashed again. Or maybe there was a reason the memories were buried in the first place. Ed got up and walked to the door to find a flashlight before Roy came home and stopped him. Ed wasn't going to call Al or anyone because there was no point in dragging anyone else into this maze of lost memories.

Ed walked out of the study and to the kitchen trying to find a flashlight. Twenty minutes later, Ed ran around the house; one was found in the coat closet of all places. Ed was about to walk out the front door when his mind drifted back to the idea of phoning Al, but the thought was quickly pushed away when remembering there was no point in dragging anyone else into this.

Ed opened the front door. The cold night air wrapped around Edward when taking a step outside. It felt nice to no longer be trapped in a room, even though it was filled with books. Ed took off running and the wind brushed against Ed's hair, making it whirl around him. Ed looked back, darkness had swallowed Roy's home. Ed picked up the paced because there was no telling when Roy was going to be home.

Twenty minutes later, Ed stopped in front of a home. Light leaked over the fence from the neighbors bathing the sides of the house in light, but leaving the front dark. In the daytime light, it was a house, one that wasn't taken care of, but a normal house like all the others. But to Ed and Hughes and Al, they knew why it was left abandoned.

Ed opened the rotting wooden gate and walked into the weed infested yard. Hughes dug up information about the house. There was a murder five years ago and it left a family dead. A cheating wife, soul crushed husband, and a loaded gun was the cause of the tragedy.

The house was three stories and Hughes decided they would split up, one person one level. The porch steps creaked with each step sending a sickening sound down the street.

Opening the door Ed turned on the flashlight before taking a step in the house. This was where his memories end and darkness took hold. The light swept the walls before landing on an archway. Ed walked to the room where a couch filled with dust was in the corner and a chair was in the middle of the room.

Ed walked to the chair and stood there while the light was fixated on a door in the corner. Something pulled at Ed's feet and over to the door that was slightly open. It revealed a hallway soaked in shadows before light fluttered in. Something tugged at his mind while walking.