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Death Is Only the Beginning

Elizabeth's Journey for the Truth

By Ebulliently ErinPublished 5 years ago 6 min read
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I had never felt more alone than I did at that moment. I entered the forest, having the moon as my flashlight, in search of the truth. A cool wet breeze prickled down my spine, the air fogging over the deeper I walked into the woodland. The noises inside this home of many mysterious creatures can truly play with your mind. The rustling of trees, the wind whispering in your ear; a sound that makes your heart beat faster than you would think possible; a low voice that is warning you that death is coming for you. I walked more rapidly to find my destination. But something stopped me in my tracks. The cracking of a tree branch sounded like bones being ripped apart and then chewed upon by something… or someone. I looked around in every direction, and then I saw it. A dark shadow; misshapen in size and frame standing behind an oak tree, so tall seeming endless. Curiosity burned inside my veins. I reached out my hand, trembling in excitement and fear. Just as I was about to touch the deformed figure, it disappeared. I looked all around me and no one was in sight. I am alone once more. Alone as one can be here.

I refocus myself at the task at hand. I came here in search of answers behind my mother’s murder, so back on the forbidden path, I went. I turned around and there it was, something so menacing I felt as if everything good in the world was ripped away. My heart stopped. Its eyes boiling red, pierced through me. Everything in the world was no longer alive for the seconds we looked fixedly at one another. It started to move towards me. Opening my mouth on the verge to scream, and then, darkness.

I woke to the smell of stale blood, in what seemed to be a basement of some kind. My head aching in pain, covered in something thick and wet, that I couldn’t make out. I could see walls covered with webs, a room that hadn’t been touched or seen by a soul in what looked like centuries. There was a window smashed leaving only the frame, I could see the bloodstained moon, a sign that trouble was coming. For me it already had.

The sun started to rise, making it feel that there was once again life on this planet. As daylight illuminated the stale muggy space I wished I hadn’t seen what was before me. The room was infested with spiders; I leaped into the center of the room seeing that the walls were where the lain. Blood had dyed the faded blue wallpaper in the print of smeared hands; on the unsteady ground were ashes and what resembled pieces of bone. Being a medical examiner I am around death every day. But what I have set my eyes on here is nothing I could ever explain. I had envisioned what had gone wrong here. The horror and screams inside my mind made me tremble. All of a sudden the sound of footsteps came from above. I gazed at the moss-eaten door, watching for the silhouette of feet to appear at the bottom of the door frame. The uneasy sound drew nearer and nearer and at the door, they stopped. I backed away to an unlit part of the room. As the door opened, I prepared myself for the unthinkable.

As it staggered down the creaking steps I watched it come out of the dark and into the light, I saw a man aiming a 9mm pistol right at the center of my skull. His skin was pale, his back deformed, hunched, wearing tattered clothes that seemed too small for his large stature. Sweat dripped down his forehead, passing those menacing bloodshot eyes. He started to pace with his eyes focused on the floor. He periodically looked at me with a sinful grin that made me want to run, but I was paralyzed. I needed answers. Was he involved in my mother’s death? I came out here to settle this once and for all. And I wasn’t leaving until I got what I wanted. I shouted, “Who are you and what do you want from me?” He stopped for a moment, then continued to pace. So I unrelenting spoke again. “You know who I am don’t you? You are the one who I have been looking for." Still no words came out of his cracking chapped lips. “You killed her didn’t you?!” I needed to know. I was so close. All he could do was pace and smirk with this prideful look on his face. I was infuriated and did something that now when I think back on it was probably the worst thing to do. I walked right in the way of his path and at the top of my lungs, I cried, “Tell me! I need to know the truth!”

He looked at me then and surprisingly in a deep hoarse voice said, “You don’t want the truth. Your mother’s death is only the beginning of it all.” I was confused. What did he mean my mother’s murder was only the beginning? He continued. “I mean your whole life you have been living without knowing the truth of your real family. Your father kept it all from you; lied to you and deep down you know it’s the truth. You’ve seen the video of your mother holding a baby. But it isn’t you since you weren’t born yet. You’ve read her case file and all the clues that lead you here make you wonder. What I have to say to you I don’t think you will be able to handle.”

I glared at him. Who does he think he is thinking I can’t handle whatever he has to say to me? “I can handle it! I came out here for answers and I’m not leaving empty handed.”

“Alright Elizabeth, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The sound of my name coming out of that mouth made me quiver. Now everything I have been waiting for was right in front of me. I then thought to myself if I really did want to know the truth behind the lies; or should I just let it be the unknown questions I’ll never find.

I became numb, I couldn’t believe my ears. I was ready for everything, except this. This couldn’t be possible, I don’t believe in the impossible. And this is truly impossible.

“Yes, that’s right Elizabeth. I am your brother. To think our father would give me up. He couldn’t look at the sight of me. Not because of what I look like, but so he wouldn’t have to think of what our mother had done. She betrayed him. Yes, that’s right. He really isn’t my father. He couldn’t stand the fact that she wanted someone else. So she got rid of the one that would keep them apart; me. Once I found out the truth about my real family I set out to find them, to pay them back for what they had done. On the night of our mother’s death, I went to see her. All she could say was ‘I’m sorry.’ I’m sorry? That isn’t good enough. So I pointed my gun at her forehead, just as I am to you, and, BANG!”

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About the Creator

Ebulliently Erin

Mum, Actress, Yogi, Writer, Vegan, Bibliophile, Dark Chocolate Lover.

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