Chapter: 14 - Mary's Lead

Einstein's jaws would have dropped down if he had seen what happened in Roger's room that night. The pain slowed down and Juwan's sight cleared. He was in the secret room in Ms Susan's bedroom where she had committed suicide. When Roger asked Juwan to be vivid, he could only come up with the room that changed his life. Ms Susan's secret room where she had committed suicide. Juwan had looked at the room a very few times yet it had made an unforgettable impression in his mind.

The cold floor gave a sharp pain in his bare feet. That's when he remembered his shoes that he had left in Jenny's house. 'Will she suspect anything.' Juwan thought for a second but ignored it since he didn't want to care about what Jenny thought of him. He opened the door and was surprised to find the lights on. Mary was asleep in Ms Susan's bed. She must have been very scared to leave the lights on. Suddenly Juwan wondered, 'If she is so scared then why did she choose to spend the night here in the first place? Is she pitying me?' Juwan wondered and pitied himself at that thought. Surprisingly, he was not annoyed at all. In fact, he felt grateful for that she even cared.

The window was open and the cold air was filling the room. One of the best things that the house had. The trees surrounding it refreshed the air around it a hundred times more effective than the air outside the property. Juwan noticed that Mary was a little shivering. He unfolded a blanket and covered her from neck to toe. The slight disturbance caused Mary to gain a little consciousness.

"Juwan? Its late." Mary's words were very feeble that Juwan could barely hear it. He smiled and left the room closing the door behind him.

Juwan's physiology had not yet gained its proper arrangements. He felt a massive discomfort in his upper abdomen. But trying to ignore it he changed into his shorts and t-shirt before hitting the bed. Juwan's room was on the ground floor whereas Ms Susan's was on the first floor. Both the rooms were perfectly aligned that even the slightest footstep would make an audible enough thud.

Juwan's mind cleared as he could feel the fog clearing. It was no more cool. The breeze had stopped and a humid atmosphere suffocated him. He couldn't remember where he was just a moment ago. All he knew was to go on with whatever he was supposed to go on with. As the fog cleared, he found himself in a huge maze. The maze was moving randomly. Clogged with fear Juwan ran through the maze trying to find a way out. Just when he was about to find a door out of the maze, the whole area turned upside down and Juwan landed hard on his butt.

As he slowly rose his head from the floor which was once the ceiling, he could make out a huge pair of goat legs. A sharp pain hit his heart when he found out that the monster was right in front of him. Without another thought, he scurried for his life. The whole place was getting narrow and narrow until Juwan's belly got stuck on a small opening. As he tried to get out, he could clearly hear the huge thud the monster was making as it chased him. With a lot of force and willpower, he somehow squeezed out of the opening but only for the whole floor to turn upside down again. Again he found himself in a floor different from the previous one. He was all covered in blood. His blood. He couldn't feel his right leg and left hand. With a lot of effort, he rose his head to find a women dressed in white sitting near him gobbling something. Suddenly it stopped and slowly rose its head. It was Ms Susan gobbling up Juwan's torn out right leg and holding his missing left hand in another hand. Her right eyes glowed as a golden pentagram was visible in her pupil. Juwan screamed but no sound came out of his throat. As she drowned in the noiseless agony the whole scene turned upside down again. This time the landing didn't hurt much. The floor was a lot softer and his head felt a cushy feeling underneath it. The loud thuds suddenly startled Juwan and he woke up from his bed with a jerk. Immediately when he woke up he realized it was all a dream. But the thuds were real after all. It was coming from the room right above him. Ms Susan's room where Mary was sleeping.

'Is she awake already?' wondering Juwan got out of his bed. It was 4 in the morning and the sun had barely started rising. The woods were still dark. Juwan drank a glass of water and was about to retire to his bed when he heard the sound again. Juwan hoped for the best since he didn't want an early engagement with the spirit that he assumed to be haunting the house. Slowly without making any noise he made his way up to the room where Mary slept. The door was ajar. He slightly pushed the door so that Mary wouldn't be disturbed if still asleep.

Suddenly a figure in the dark waved a huge lamp at him. If it hadn't been for Juwan's quick reflex he would have staggered bloodily on the floor. The figure shrieked in surprise and put the lamp down

"Sorry, sorry. I am so sorry. I thought it was a burglar." Mary cried out and turned on the lights. Juwan shook his head but it took him a moment to retrieve from his shock. 'What is she doing up so early?' Juwan thought.

"I heard some footsteps down and thought it was a burglar. I thought you stayed out." Mary reasoned. Mary didn't remember waking up in the middle of the night and speaking to Juwan.

"I told you I will be late. I saw that you were deep asleep, so I didn't wake you up." Juwan said and thought for a second before beginning, " You want coffee because I going make some for me."

"Sure. I will freshen up then." Mary said and Juwan left the room. As he walked down the stairs Juwan noticed a dark humanoid shade at the corner. 'So now spirit likes to prank people into scaring each other? Or could it just be normal misunderstanding.' Juwan wondered and hoped that he would cope up to his new powers as soon as possible.

At 4: 30 the whole place was dark but the sun's shine could be slightly seen at the edge of the horizon. Juwan was at the balcony, facing the woods that covered the house.

"Are you an early bird, Juwan?" Mary voice asked from behind him.

"You could say that." Juwan said, " I was a caretaker. I am supposed to wake up early. So are you." Juwan turned and smiled at her.

"I still wonder why Ms Susan wanted to live a lonely life. She had a weird taste." Mary mumbled.

"I wouldn't put it as weird. Unique, maybe."

"Where did you go last night?"

"I had to treat my friend for discharging from the hospital."

"He must be some friend to disturb you after all the things you have endured," Mary said with a grim look.

"He is a good guy. He doesn't know my condition. I don't want any fuss." Juwan muttered trying hard to deviate his thoughts to a more a cherishing topic.

"Then what did you find out. You seemed excited about it last night."

"Well, you spoiled it. And come to think about it - it won't be of much use." Mary said and took in a deep breath.

"Why?"

"Nothing. The inspector who took charge of her case was interested in it. Seems like he was Ms Susan's friend from the time when she served in the war."

"Did he have any clue about why she might have committed suicide?" Juwan asked enthusiastically. To him, it was a huge step towards retrieving Ms Susan's spirit. After all, just a day ago he was very sure that Ms Susan had no ties and there were no loose ends in the mystery. But now there are two people who have shared a bond with her during the war.

"Not really since it's been two years since he last saw her. But he said something else."

"Two years? What did he say?"

"He said that she had a lover during the war. Luckily the address he gave is not so far from your house." Hearing Mary's words Juwan's heart rate quickened.

"Since today is a holiday, maybe we can check out. The lover could have some information that we need." Mary smiled, "What do you say?"

"I...." Juwan's mind raced for a reply but that's when he saw it and his heart skipped a beat. A huge figure was gliding above them facing the woods, dressed in white. It was a pale albino woman floating over their heads.