Truths Unravel

Chapter #8

I feel like someone is squeezing my throat; this man knew things about my parents, but chose to not tell anyone. I want to run out the door, but curiosity stops me. Instead I say, "How long did you know the truth?" I try to keep my anger out of my voice, but it creeps in anyways.

"A few months after Galvos was murdered, Cara and Ryker, your parents, told me something that I now believe is the cause of their disappearance." He stops talking, and looks back and forth at our faces. I have an itch to hear more and I think he notices it by my expression. "Why don't you two come sit down; this will be a long story.

He ushers Emory and me to a room with a old styled TV, and white couches. Emory and I sit down and watch Inder leave the room. He comes back, a minute later, with a purple binder, that's overflowing with paper.

"Everything we've found out so far, is in this binder." He gently puts it beside us on the couch. "You will need this," he pats the binder. "To accept anything I say."

Emory and I look at each other and nod our heads in unison. I say, "Tell us the story."

Inder takes deep breath and starts. "Your parents were very close to a man named Galvos. They were always together. However, the day Glavos was murdered, he was acting weird. He was worried about being killed and he made your mother, Cara, promise that if he died then Ryker and she would die with him. Of course, Cara didn't know he was serious and ended up promising him. However, when Galvos died the very same day, Cara knew something was wrong. It was no coincidence that he died right after he made that huge promise with Cara." Inder stares off into space, and it takes a while for him to re-continue the story.

"Cara and Ryker told a select few about Galvos and this promise, and I was one of those few. She told us that something was definitely going on before Galvos had died, and we needed to find out what. Ryker also told us that a woman, dressed in black, was standing outside his house the day Galvos was killed. This woman is probably the cause of this mess."

I suddenly recall the news that made my parents act all weird. A woman dressed in all black was murdered then. Could all this be connected? I decide to ask Inder this later, and continue listening to him.

"A few months into researching, we hadn't found anything that could help anymore. We were about to give up, but suddenly..."

Inder keeps talking, however I can't focus. I feel strange, just like the day I took a knife up to my brother. Slowly, I realize that I can't move or talk; I'm not in control of my body anymore. I'm aware of what I'm doing, but I can't seem to stop myself. I begin to rise from the couch and walk away from Emory and Inder. I walk to the end of the room, and turn back; Emory's eyes are wide open and she's trying to say something, but can't seem to get it out.

Inder intervenes by saying, "Is something wrong, Zalia?"

I don't answer Inder. Instead, I run towards him as fast as I can and slam into him. I reach for his throat as he struggles to get away from me. "You will not tell her." I say this and it doesn't sound like my own voice; it's sounds monstrous and evil. "She will not break free. She must not be told anything. You die now!" I keep squeezing Inder's throat, wanting to stop, but can't.

Suddenly, I'm being shoved away from Inder by Emory. My head hits the table hard and I feel dizzy all of a sudden. I feel Emory's arms pinning me down, and her sitting on top of me.

"Stop! Stop now, Zalia!" She keeps panting really hard. "This is not you. Break free, Zalia!"

I still feel dizzy, but I can now move my body; I'm back in control again. I adjust my eyes, and look up at Emory, with her face all worried looking and sweat streaking her face. "It came back. The thing that possessed me before, it's back!" I take a shot at getting back up, but Emory pins me down harder.

"Just.. just stay down for a minute. Make sure you're fine."

I can tell that Emory is still stressed about the "thing" possessing me again, so I tell her, "Don't worry about it. I have a feeling that it won't be back again today." And, it's true, I do feel that I won't be seeing it again today.

Emory gives me a doubtful look, but ends up saying, "Fine." She gets off of me, and helps me get up.

I remember Inder, and am about to rush to him, but I see him sitting on the couch flipping through the binder. I take a seat back on the couch and say, "I'm sorry. I just couldn't control myself." He looks at me skeptically, and I add, "I have something to tell you, too." I make up my mind to tell him about the thing controlling me because I believe he's trustworthy.

"Yes. I think you have some explaining to do. However, this is more important, right now. You need to know this to save your parents." He stops flipping through the binder and continues the story. I catch a glance of Emory's hand reaching out to my arm, just in case I can't control myself again.

"As I was saying, we were about to give up on Galvos and his death, but my friend, Eresa, saw something. She believed her eyes were fooling her, but what she saw was real." Inder takes a deep breath and whispers, "She saw Galvos. Eresa saw Galvos after his murder." Inder looks me deep into my eyes and says, "We believe Galvos is the cause of your parents disappearance."