Chapter 16: Chapter 16

MYSTIC HOLLOW

Homicide

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BY NAOMI INNOCENT

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CHAPTER 16

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"The book of death?!" Elena repeated Bonnie's words as if she didn't hear what she said the first time.

"Yh, the book of death. Now can you please let me decipher this stuff? Your noise is disturbing me" Bonnie said as a matter of fact to Elena who nodded and walked towards the window, wondering why the book of death would be the key.

Alex was busy texting Fay and the sound of the keypad was disturbing Bonnie who rolled her eyes and scoffed. She turned to face Alex who noticed her and arched a brow at her.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to concentrate here" she said as he nodded and kept the phone in his jacket pocket.

{Seriously does this kid knows I'm 12years older than her?} He said in his within himself, eying her.

She continued writing the Latin words in English till she got to the ending of the photo.

"I'm done.. But we have a problem" Bonnie said jumping down from the dining table chair as she handled Elena's phone to her while she was still holding the book she used in deciphering the journal.

"Which is?" Laura asked as Bonnie folded her arms and walked to the couch as she sat beside Peter and winked at him.

"I need a glass of water first" she said as Elena nodded and walked towards the fridge, opening it, she brought out a bottled water and handed it over to her.

Bonnie stretched forth her little arms and took the bottle from her as she gulped down the contents and muttered a satisfying thank you to her.

Alex gave Bonnie a look and wished he could spank her butt. He just kept wondering what would had happened to him if Bonnie was to be the elder among the both of them. Maybe she would be stepping on his head and probably be dead by now.

"First of all, the part Elena snapped were just the lamentations of what the writer wrote, things she/he sees and don't know how to tell the world or should I say What the writer actually see the world as. But the ending part was supposed to be the main thing, like the ending part she wrote, *Dear Dairy, I'm gonna tell you a secret, hope you keep it?* And it was dated too. I think that's where what you might be looking for is, but you didn't snap the next page. Well, take" she said handling the piece of paper to Elena who took it.

"Those are the lamentations, you might want to check them out" Bonnie said as she stood up and stretch.

""Though I don't think it really meant anything. Well, I'm going to have a nap now, my head hurts, it's like it's burning up. Peter, can you please come and tuck me into my bed?" She asked as Peter stared at Alex who nodded at him.

"Oh yeah, sure" he said standing up as he carried her bridal style to her room.

She touched his cheeks and smiled as she yawned gleefully.

"You'll carry me this way on our wedding day right?" She muttered to him as he just gave her a faux smile and kept climbing the stairs.

Elena sat on the couch as Alex and Laura sat beside her whilst they stared at the book.

"Jeez, what a handwriting for a 9years old" Laura said as Elena giggled.

Now, this was the lamentations written in the journal.

*Danger doesn't lurk at every corner, it's just hanging out, waiting for fear and horror to show up*

*That cold out there ain't the weather, that's death approaching. Be warned!

*Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he/she never show to anyone.

*Hell is empty, all the demons are here.

*We stopped checking for monsters under our bed when we realized they were inside us.

*There are some secrets which do not permit themselves to be told.

*so what? Ghosts doesn't exit? That's what I thought too. Till it happened to me.

*Everyone of us is a book of blood, whenever we are opened, we are red. The world outside had its own rules and those rules weren't human.

*when there is no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth. The monsters that rose from the dead, they are nothing compared to the ones we carry in our hearts.

*sometimes the things in our heads are far worse than anything they could put in books. The greatest trick the devil pulled was deceiving the world there was only one of him.

*Demons are like obedient dogs, they come when they are called. Just when you think you've hit the rock button you realize you are standing in another trapdoor.

*Even the dead tells stories... Shhh.. Just listen to them. You know what they say? "Oh yes! There would be blood! Death! Gunshots, more deaths and then finally, the war that would end mankind, more like the apocalypse. Just wait for it, more are coming.

*Date: 19th July, 2023

Dear dairy, I want to tell you a secret, hope you keep it?

Solving the death puzzle of Mystic was....

"That's the end!" Elena said bitterly.

"Had it been I could understand Latin, I would have flip the other side and snapped. I feel so useless" Elena said as Peter walked down the stairs.

"Is she asleep already?" Alex asked.

"Yh, just placed an iceberg on her head, she's complaining of chronic headache. I gave her some aspirin too" Peter said as Alex nodded.

Noticing how downcasted Elena was, he took the book from her hand and read.

"These words are in Proverbs, Sarah wasn't just lamenting, she was trying to explain what she sees" Laura said standing up as she walked up and down the room.

"The heck! Did Bonnie write these things? As in decipher this from Sarah's journal? I'm scard to the marrow already. What if hell is actually filled up already?" Peter asked handling the book to Elena with a cold shiver.

Elena tore the part Bonnie wrote as she folded it and placed inside her phone pouch.

"What if we all die?" Laura asked with teary voice as Elena walked up to her.

"Hey hey hey, now listen to me. No one's gonna die ok? We are gonna get through this. I'll be having a project together with Sarah, somehow I just feel it was destined to make get close to Sarah. I'm going to draw closer to her and make sure I find out who's the next in her list to die then we would find a way to stop it. Ok? You don't have to panic, we can do this" Elena said as Laura nodded while blinking back tears as she hugged her.

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AT THE GRILL

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The Mayor was seen in his limo as he was driven to the Grill. His entourage was at his back along side the police as they blared their sirens. The Sheriff wasn't present because she disagreed to the Mayor's bidding.

The press team were there already still setting some cable wires, they've set up the cameras, speakers and mics already.

The journalist were glad when they saw the Mayor's convoy coming because they've been waiting for ages.

The people at the GRILL murmured as they remained inside the building without going outside to welcome the Mayor as usual, their anger could no longer be contained.

Mr. Bellos alighted from his limo as he adjusted his coat.

His wife was busy at home watching the news with a mug of coffee in her right hand.

His guard walked before and after him as he got to the Grill. The locals were there already, drinking out their lives as they discussed about the issues of Mystic Hollow.

He stood on the platform as he tried to call on the attention of the locals.

The press people were there already, ready to take the minute of his speech and as well ask him relevant questions.

"I'll like to get your attention please!" The mayor commanded the noisy locals as the place became more roudy.

"Look who's here mate! Our incompetent Mayor!!" One of the Locals said as his fellows burst out with laughter.

"Let's listen to whatever lie he has to say today" another said.

"Go away, we don't wanna listen to you!" A woman from the crowd screamed at him.

"Our children are dying and you've done nothing about it!' Another screamed at him.

"If you would just listen!! This info might be helpful to any of you here!" He yelled as the noise died down.

"I can feel your pains, I know how it feels when you loose someone you love dearly. But I'm here to assure you that these Killings has come to an end. It is under control now. We've been trailing the killer back to back! Though it wasn't easy! But you need not to panic" The Mayor assured them as the murmuring heightened.

"How are we sure these homicides are under control huh? The last time you made this statement, it wasn't less than an hour before the sheriff picked another dead body!" A man exaggerated from the crowd.

"Yes!"

"That's right!"

"Its true!".

The locals screamed as the Mayor raised up his right hand making the murmuring die down.

Mrs. Emily Bellos who was watching the live news was getting tired already.

"You have to trust me on this! I've got it all under control. Ok, tomorrow would make it a week since we've heard of any deaths, true or false?" He asked as the crowd found meaning in what he said as they murmured.

"He's right!'

"Maybe they've got this under control after all"

"That's true".

"That's great news, we were too bitter to observe the sudden stop in the homicide"

The locals murmured as he smiled.

"There is no need to panic now, no need to fear, for everything is under control now!" The mayor said as the people cheered on him.

They kept cheering as they heard a gunshot, one of the locals fell to the ground with blood oozing out of his forehead.

The police men surrounded the Mayor so any harm won't come to him.

The locals screamed and panicked as they ran around the Grill.

The blaring of a siren was heard as the Sheriff came with her squad.

"Manson and Kate, lock the crime scene, I'm going to look for the bastard" Sheriff Ruth said as she traced where the bullet came from.

"Crane and Vera, make sure everyone's ok" Kate said to them as they talked to the locals.

"Hey hey, it's gonna be OK, stay calm" Crane said to some of the locals as they cried and hid under the tables.

24 minutes later, the sheriff returned as she entered the crime scene and observed the deceased.

"Looks like a snipers bullet " Ruth observed as her annoyance heightened.

"Take care of the Mayor, make sure you escort him to his mansion safely" Ruth ordered as the Police men nodded and took the mayor away.

"Now listen up everyone!" Ruth said climbing the platform the Mayor was on earlier while he was addressing the crowd.

"It's time you hear the truth" she said as some of the locals were still hiding under the tables.

"It's ok, you can come out now, the snipper is no longer here. We've lost track of him" she said bitterly.

The locals started coming out from under the tables as a woman ran to the dead body that the cops were rolling out of the Grill already.

"Now listen up. This is one of a kind that Mystic Hollow has ever faced. This shit? Is way out of our handle. This killer is a pro and the worst part is that, he is an insider, he knows our every move and we don't know who he is yet . he might be your brother, husband, uncle or even the youth next door neighbor. There is no need to panic, I'm only advicing you all you be careful" She said finally as the tension in the room intensified.

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TBC