The Murder Of 1886

CHAPTER 4

Gwen sat on the floor in front of the door for a few minutes, her heart thudding in her ribcage. The story about the murder floated back into her head. The gun had the name of a dead man inscribed into it. She hadn't seen the gun when she was moving everything. Nor had she seen it when she cleaned every nook and corner of the house the other day.

Gwen slowly got to her feet and leaned against the door to get her bearings. Her head felt dizzy due to the sudden movement. Her vision blurred. When she didn't feel like vomiting, she started walking towards the kitchen. She grabbed a handful of tissue and after wrapping it around the gun, dropped it on the kitchen table.

Gwen let out a breath. What was happening here? She thought as she put the kettle on the stove for a cup of coffee. She was going to figure out what was happening. When the coffee was ready, Gwen took it up to the library. Taking a piece of paper, she wrote down everything that had happened when she was here. She also wrote down the story Mrs. Jackson had told her.

It was quarter to ten when she finally headed to her room. The moon was bright and the woods standing right in front of her bedroom window appeared dark and haunting against the moonlight. Unconsciously, Gwen moved towards the window opposite to the one facing the woods. She looked out. There was nothing outside.

The night was still, not one leaf from the trees moved. It was like the whole forest was holding its breath. No nocturnal creatures darted out to find prey. There was no hooting of the owls, no bats flew towards the sky.

In the sudden stillness outside, Gwen was suddenly aware of the silence that settled inside the house. Nothing moved. The house was completely silent. Gwen was confident the pianist wouldn't come tonight.But the silence inside the house made her wary. She got onto the bed and closed her eyes.

Gwen opened her eyes almost immediately. She heard the distinct sound of the piano. It was the same haunting melody that touched your bones and sent a shiver down your spine. She was wide awake. Gwen quickly scrambled out of her bed and looked at the digital clock. 2:37 a.m. The same time when she heard the piano days ago. Her heart thudded in her ribcage. But this time, Gwen would face whoever was haunting the piano at night.

Squaring her shoulders, Gwen yanked open her bedroom door and marched towards the piano room. Her torch beam swung in rhythm with her footsteps and illuminated the dark corners of the corridor as it passed over it.

When she reached the door, she pushed it open, cautiously looking around the room. Like last time the piano was untouched. Gwen wondered if the melody was a recording. How else did she hear the melody if the piano was untouched for years?

Gwen went over to the piano, her fingers ghosting over the keys. She didn't disturb the dust. She had learned how to play the piano when she was little. She remembered the times she would sit and play it while her family watched. She remembered the warm and proud smiles her parents had given her. She had stopped playing it once she was in college. She didn't have the time playing it when she was busy from morning till evening, drowning in home works and assignments. Her piano was still at home.

Gwen smiled faintly at the memories. She got up and moved towards the door, not seeing anything out of ordinary. Gwen was so immersed in her walk down memory lane that she didn't sense someone behind her until they pushed her harshly.

A scream tore from Gwen's throat but she recovered fast. This time, she decided, she would see her attacker. She twisted around her attackers grip and swung at their face. Her hands met air. She opened her eyes, wildly flinging her hands in hope that they would hit something solid. Her shrieks echoed in the corridor. She stopped a moment later. When the last of the echoes faded away, the house was quiet. Unnaturally quiet.

Without thinking, Gwen ran towards the door and locked it from outside. Not a minute later something collided with the door. Knowing she didn't have anything to lock the door, Gwen ran towards her bedroom door. She was running when she tripped on a loose plank of wood on the floor. Gwen fell forward and as she scrambled to get up, she heard the attacker get closer. She shut the door just as a dark hand inserted itself between the door and the doorframe, effectively stopping it from closing completely.

Grunting against the effort, Gwen pushed the door with all her might. The hand withdrew and the door closed. The person who chased her pushed the door twice and then stopped. Gwen locked the door.

Gwen slid down the door and sat down on the carpeted floor. She winced as her bent her scrapped knees. It was not a surprise to see that it was bleeding. The first aid kit she had bought was in the kitchen cabinet but she didn't want to risk running into the attacker again.

Gwen sighed and leaned her back on the door. She had to write down today's events with the other odd and terrifying things that have happened here. With an effort she stood up. Today's events were so exhausting that Gwen felt like she could sleep till tomorrow afternoon. She sat on the bed and set down her torch. It was 3 o'clock in the morning.

Gwen was relaxing when she jumped again. It was a wolf howling. She moved towards the window facing the forest and saw a lone wolf howling at the edge of the forest. She was about to turn away again when she saw a black silhouette moving towards the forest.

Gwen forgot to breathe when she saw what was in its hand. A sledgehammer!

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