Chapter 10: Bethany Villafuerte
The following morning I slapped myself silly for what felt like forever. I haven't slept a wink since I got back from my latest "hallucination", I keep on calling it that way because it's the most logical and acceptable explanation, that I'm just another paranoia-ridden police officer with a dash of psychological imbalance and a dollop of neurosis just to give it a little kick, in short I'm a mental train wreck. Despite all of that I was a man with a mission, a case I have to solve and a demented little girl to find, with that clear cut objective I went through may day. First order of business was Bethany Villafuerte, she was the last person to officially see her sister normal. She wasn't really hard to contact, very willing in fact, but like everyone in their family she had her own quirk, she wanted to set up the meeting in a church, a certain 'St. Monica Parish' where their family has always been parishioners. Going to St. Monica was no easy task, I think my car would need to have its suspension change when I get back. The road was not for a city car, potholes were everywhere and the asphalt was uneven, I was riding on my very own bump-car the whole trip. By the time I got to St. Monica, mass was over, and for that I was somehow glad, my faith as of the moment was not as strong as it once was due to the last few months. The church itself gave off an eerie vibe, it was made of adobe blocks with some parts covered by a mat of vines in dark shades of green, making the church look darker than it is. I walked inside, my hands were sweaty and shaking, I didn't know why but I was. Near the altar, I saw Bethany immediately, she was looking at me. She looked much like her father, fair complexion, bright eyes, high cheekbones and puffy lips. She was neither smiling nor frowning at the sight of me. I felt her doubt as I walked towards her; I was about 3 yards away when she held out her hand and said, "Stop. That's close enough! " Her voice was soft but it was obvious that she was threatening me, I slowly pulled out my badge and presented it to her. "I'm Robin Alkalde, my grandfather used to investigate you sister's disappearance, I'm the one who asked if you could see me today." I said, trying to establish anything with this girl, she was after all, older than me but for some reason she looks a lot younger than I am.
"Why did you ask for this meeting?", she said back, looking half scared and frustrated.
"I inherited the case, and for some reason your sister and I have a very strange bond." I replied.
She looked confused; she was silent for a moment, then gestured that we take a seat, she lead, I followed.
"I'm not sure why your family got tangled with us. Your personal history with my sister in particular might jeopardize your judgement", she started. Honestly I was surprised she wasn't as stupid as I thought she might be. I stayed quiet and she continued, "I saw you in the television before, your parents died in that accident, but Annie didn't. You must have some grudge in your chest so why bother helping us?"
"I honestly have no idea", curses I let my tongue slip.
"My point exactly. But since we're here, and since all of us are tangled up with my little sister's disappearance, might as well do something about it," she was cut throat, her words were sharp but she has a very sweet voice, to the point that it is kinda menacing. I simply nodded.
Another long pause, I was at loss; I'm not sure where to begin, but I strengthened my resolve and opened my mouth.
"About your sister, how was she before she went..."
"Crazy?"
"Yeah."
"She was the sweetest girl there was." she said quietly, she bit her lip then continued, "but, after the accident she changed, actually my parents changed as well, only my older siblings remained the same." I turned on my recorder.
"By change you mean...."
"All of a sudden they were too protective of Annie. I get it that they almost lost her, but what they did was just...weird." I kept silent and waited for her to carry on. Somehow she grew pale, she was scared.
"Miss Bethany?" I said to her, as if waking from a daze, she looked at me a bit shocked, "You were saying?"
"I'm sorry, remembering all those things just gives me chills, but as I was saying, my parents changed so much that it really creeped me out. For starters, no mirrors were allowed in the house, if we need to see how we look we had to go to a secret bathroom; it was secret because Annie was not allowed to know about it. My parents forbid us to speak of the mirrors, then after that we stopped having our photos taken." she said. All the while she was talking I began to remember the photos of her family members in the files; none of them had a decent picture except for Bethany. Things like that make you wonder.
"Did they ever tell you why? "
"Not really. They were obsessed about keeping Annie from seeing her reflection or her image. It makes a kid wonder."
"Yeah it makes a kid wonder", I stared at her again waiting. "Then it did, so that night I found out why, but I guess, that was the reason why my sister broke", I heard sobs, she was crying. I was about to ask what happened next but she just pulled out a photo from her purse and handed it to me.
I took it, and my whole body shook with fear. The picture was that of Annie Villafuerte smiling but behind her stood a creature holding her by the neck with its claws, its eyes were bloodshot red with slitted pupils, skin black as ebony, and horns that twisted on its head - it was the demon who wants me dead. "That was her last picture ever taken, I've kept it a secret all these years because I was scared to be blamed for her disappearance."
I allowed her to cry until she was calm. I held back my reactions since they were unwarranted and quite improper for an investigator, we follow facts and not just mere hallucinations. I tried convincing myself once more that everything that had been going around this family was just a series of unprecedented misfortunes centered on their youngest child, as freaky as it may be. Soon Bethany stopped her sobbing and I continued, "Ms. Villafuerte, I'm sorry but this picture, it's very difficult to believe that this is real in this time and age. Please understand that this could be easily done with Photoshop."
She stared me in the eyes and said in a very serious tone, "Officer, in my every waking moment I prayed to God that it isn't. Believe me when I say that photo has not been put under any editing device or programs. That thing that holds my sister by the neck is as real as it gets just like the photo."
I wanted to nod my head in agreement but I can't allow myself to believe that this is reality, and that everything that has been happening to me is not just a part of my mental problems. Again I stayed silent as I watched her; this girl is convinced that this whole thing is real, something that I don't even want to acknowledge as part of this reality that we are living here. I allowed her to cry once more since I was not any good in comforting women, something my ex girlfriend pointed quite clearly and bluntly as much as I could remember. As I was waiting for her to calm down I noticed something dangling on her wrist, it was a bracelet with a crucifix. Unknowingly, I put my hand inside my pocket and took my small evidence that I almost forgot, the blood-stained crucifix.
"I'm sorry to ask, but do you recognize this?" I said, showing her the cross. I saw how her eyes widened and the color drained her face. All of a sudden, she screamed and bolted away from me. I followed her in pursuit as people began looking and while the nuns and priests were suddenly coming our way, one of them caught Bethany as she broke down on the floor crying. The nun who held her stared at me in disbelief. I showed them my badge and the priest approached me.
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Jared_Linux
Jared_Linux Wow...almost 3k views.... thank you so much to all of those who have been reading through! I hope you are enjoying yourselves!
This is a very short story and as I have said we are nearing the end. But don't worry if you like this I'm already working on the next book
again thank you so much and enjoy reading!
Chapter 11: Apparitions
Good day", I said catching my breath, he nodded then invited me to his office, I silently followed. I looked back at the crying Bethany Villafuerte as I walked away and if I may say so myself something inside her just broke and I broke it into very fine pieces.
I continued following the priest until we arrived to a room not too far away from the church, I was told to sit down and I did. The priest sat on the chair across the table and smiled at me.
"We're sorry about Bethany, she's just a bit unstable as of the moment", said the priest, I was shocked.
"I'm sorry but I'm not following you", I replied in confusion.
"Officer, Bethany has took residence in this church, she find this place safe and calming", he said, "I believe she had told you about what happened to Annie, is that correct?"
I nodded.
"I see", the priest looked at me and pondered for a moment and after what seemed like a forever of silence he spoke again, "I'm the parish priest of this humble church, my name is Fr. Lawrence", again I nodded.
"Officer, I'm quite sure that you see Bethany as an insane person with all that she had said to you. Bound by the sanctity of the confession box I must admit I too was troubled with when she confessed such things to me, but since she has divulged the same to you this means both of us know what has transpired during that night. I found it alarming and worrisome what her family had experienced, but only God could save the poor child now, and we did try."
I shot my sight up to meet the priest's gaze, his eyes were filled with despair. "I'm sorry father but could you say that again?"
Father Lawrence merely shrugged, let out a sigh and said, "It's been years ago officer, a few days after the disappearance occurred...we were concerned since the family were parishioners here. However, one night while we were doing a pray-over for the safety of Annie, something happened...something bizarre. Bethany was here that time, her parents sent her here to be away from everything because the girl was traumatized beyond imagination."
He took a sip of water and continued, "That night after the prayer we sent Beth to her room, then it happened, the nun who was making the final rounds to ensure that no one is lurking around the church, Sister May saw everything. She told me she heard someone crying...'sobbing' was the term she used. She then went towards the source of the sound but stopped when she saw Bethany, who followed her, scared because of the sobbing noise. Together they went to the church to check, and there they saw near the sacristy was Annie."
"How did they..."
"Know? It was Bethany who recognized her, they saw a child praying, crying blood. Beth knew it was her sister because when she whispered her sister's name the child looked straight at her and suddenly burned where she was. Beth and Sister May began screaming and when we found them they were both on the floor crying while the place where they saw Annie was filled with scorch marks, the seat blood stained."
"Did you had the blood tested?" I asked.
"As a matter of fact we did, it was a match with Annie's. However, we just couldn't tell it to anyone that our nun saw Annie Villafuerte burn and disappear since no one will ever believe us. Beth wasn't even sure if it was something she wanted to tell anyone, she was scared. We all were."
"I completely understand saying something like that will get people into trouble, but in the whole of the story I couldn't understand how you tried to save her." I said, trying to sound skeptical.
"It wasn't the only time it happened, Bethany was the one to always see it, not alone if ever you're wondering. One such time I was with her even, because it happened after confession and it was just as she and Sister May had said, a burning child and bloody seats. That night when it happened again, we prayed as we saw her burn. However, while praying I was knocked over by some dark thing, with the last thing I saw before I passed out was Bethany being held by the neck by the dark being"
"What do you mean dark being?"
"A demon, the one in the photo officer, the very same one."
I swallowed, I weighed my thoughts, this was either true or everyone in this damn place was insane, but seeing the fear in his eyes were all too real for me to dismiss. But if the demon wanted to kill me why did he went after Bethany? Could she be like me, a victim of circumstance or another nuisance in the plan of the demon? I sighed. This case was veering to a direction I do not like at all. I looked up and saw the crucifix, "Why did she run when she saw the crucifix?"
"Because it was hers, it was something their family asked to be made for each child when they reach seven years old, with each one made especially for the child who will wear it, and this was Bethany's."
"But if it's hers why would it end up drenched in blood? Annie's blood to be exact!?"
"That's something you have to ask Beth yourself, officer."
I bit my lip, all I'm getting are more questions and not much answers, the priest was helpful to a certain degree but then again not much, damn it - I cursed in my head.
"Father, how long has Bethany been staying here?"
"Let's see", he was quiet for a moment and looked at the calendar, "Give or take five months next week", he said.
"Why did she come here all of a sudden? What did her family say?"
"Her family was OK with it, I think Beth told them that she just want to be away for a while. I called their home and Ulysses was OK with it, he did say his sister looked stressed and needs the time off,"
"Was that the real reason why she came here?"
"No officer, Beth was not the type to have broken down with stress, the reason she told us was that, she had been hearing voices in their home. She said the voices belong to Annie. She got scared and went here. According to Bethany it started one weekend afternoon five months ago when the old detective went to visit his father, she heard her sister's laugh. The next day then she drove here and stayed ever since."
I was stunned, it was I who triggered Bethany to leave home, it meant that I wasn't the only one who heard that laugh then. I also wasn't the only who was going through this insanity, the question though was why? Why Bethany? Why me? After a handshake and a thank you I bade the priest farewell and went home.
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