Chapter 2: Judgement Day

EERIE

Samantha, the maid Pear, makes her way towards a phonograph and inserts the huge vinyl prepared at the side entitled "Swan Song". And just as a gentle piano minuet plays in the background, Damon, the butler Pear, speaks up and announces, "Luncheon is served." and this signifies in everyone's hearts as if by magic, that the night had commenced.

The three guests enjoy their meals as they satisfy their stomachs and take delight in the young duo who passionately work their duties until the piano minuet comes to a slow fade. Then suddenly, as if a person had shown up in the room unannounced, the phonograph starts to make a sound - one that was so endearing yet it somehow managed to spark some unknown emotions within, it speaks with a recorded voice so out of place, turning what once was a happy room into that of haunting fear.

The sound made everyone freeze in place as if making a move would mean sudden death; and a deep groggy sounding male voice fills the air as everyone's ears, the twins not spared, perk up and listen.

One by one, the voice calls out the names of the five people in the room dragging out the words as if so mockingly, "Emily Von Geisler, Dr. Adam Roscoe, Victoria Hughes, and of course, Samantha and Damon: the Pear twins. Pleased to make your aquaintances." the voice started.

"First thing's first, I'd like to welcome you all to my party and for sure, none of you will be spared!" confusion slowly taking over the guests' brains, "Afterall, introductions are always necessary, yes?" and as if on cue everyone glances at each other, baffled as each syllable let out by the jolly yet ironically creepy voice sends shivers down their spines.

The twins hold onto each others hands firmly as the grips of the guests tighten on their silverware making their knuckles turn white. Something about the voice made it seem so vicious and dark. Not a single soul in the room could quite comprehend this, but they felt some sort of anxiety bubbling in the deepest pits of their stomachs and gosh but they literally just had their dinner too!

Though nothing bad has happened yet, the voice itself had already created a dark and gloomy vibe looming over the room encasing their hearts in some sort of anguish. A feeling that creeps into your veins, dark memories of sins whispering behind your ear as if to tell them that something big was coming their way - something no one could foresee.

Yes indeed, it was something scary, and the feeling of your stomach churning and turning only made it worse. It was as if by suggestion everyone was anxious just upon hearing the cold voice coming out of the speakers. It was perfect - M.F.C. had probably thought.

Then the deep voice continued, the gloom never ceasing and the fear showing no signs of yield as the tension only persisted to fill the air - almost suffocatingly so, "Shall we begin?" the voice muttered.

"Five murderers, one party. Who will survive in the end? I really wonder!" the voice muses with annoying kvell as it continues,

"So why don't we start with Victoria Hughes - a preschool teacher that gives out swimming lessons: she drowned one of her students after a rumor that the child was indeed her husband's own from his mistress had emerged. But questionably so, no case was ever raised and she was never found guilty of the child's drowning even until so."

The recording had started the introductions as Victoria now had a look of horror spread across her face, her mind probably in a wild whirr pleading for the memories to stop, but the voice only continued, as the darkness would slowly and carefully devour the heart of Victoria.

"Samantha and Damon Pear, identical twins of the opposite sex: orphaned, and currently works as the sole servants of the mansion on Dawn Island after burying alive their last employer beneath the Aconite they grew in their garden. Said that sexual and physical abuse from their employer was a justified enough reason for them to act in such a way and once again with no accusations, a case was never opened, and the twins were never found in juvy."

This time it was the twins that were attacked. Damon had an angry and offended look while Samantha continued staring at her shoes, wide-eyed as her trauma flashed back at her, scenes of their employer imprisoning her in his bedroom, phantom touches on her parts she would never deem as lovely, and the feeling of fear as it relinquished her, she clutched tightly onto her twin brother's arm hoping everything would go away.

"Adam Roscoe, famous doctor that left the medical picture for a year after news of murder through surgery was brought to the papers. However, no evidence could be found against him for this motive and the doctor's waver was later shown - signed by both him and his patient - to the sender of complaint, hence proven not guilty and saved from a case stating, 'it was merely the patient's time to go - something only God could decide. A doctor would never purposely fail a surgery, ever. Even if it meant personal resentment.' "

Roscoe stayed silent, though his facial-expression showed he wanted otherwise. He kept his mouth tightly shut, his mind a scatter, and his eyes sending daggers towards the speakers through his black rimmed glasses resting crooked on the bridge of his nose.

"Won't anyone try to stop this!?" Emily shrieked, catching the previously frozen twin servants' attention. Samantha jumped, steeled herself and ran towards the vinyl player. She tried turning it off but to no avail, her efforts were futile. It was as if the sound was coming from the room itself. From their very own conscience, on loudspeaker, everyone was hearing their stories hidden within the deepest depths of the back of their minds, replaying unjustified scenes from their darkest, most secret pasts.

"And lastly, Emily Von Geisler,"

Emily shrieked with a voice so piercing, "Stop this right now!" she demanded as she continued screaming in a horrified way, as if her whole life was on the line. Eyes almost bloodshot with fear and panic, Emily seemed like she was on a frenzy - like at any moment, had the phonograph continued any longer, she'd have pulled off all that's left of her hair in a horrifyingly louche manner.

Samantha couldn't turn it off so Damon hurriedly went for the outlet and successfully plugged out the player, but to no avail, it only continued, voice - ever so groggy, so deep, so slowly, and ever so keen in enumerating the sin everyone carried. Like it had a life of its own. Like it was some sort of voice from God Himself. As if the final judgment day had come and dawned upon these people, and it would've only been a matter of time before the last person was called.

"heiress to the biggest coal producing company of New Roslin," the voice spoke, "killed her parents for inheritance reasons and now currently runs the family business, though never once entered court for this case because she had covered up the murder by saying that her parents had gotten ill due to their old age." - a smirk could nearly be heard from this recorded voice as it mocked their sins.

Everyone looked at Emily with shocked faces, like it was ironically their first time seeing someone drenched in so much blood that in fact, the disgust in their eyes was more than obvious, but Emily was different. The total opposite of how she had been reacting earlier - she seemed relieved.

For everyone in the room, it would've been hard not to notice Emily's questionable 180 turn on her emotions - from horrified to mollified in just a snap of a finger, and Emily caught glimpse of everyone's gazes and so just as quickly, she turned back with a look of terror acted upon her face once again. As if it was all just an act for her - everyone's thoughts ran.

All the guests, including the servant twins, had forgotten about the phonograph, all too engrossed with what was just announced. Whether it was true or not, they could safely assume that everyone in this very room was a criminal, and despair had only begun to wreak havoc in their minds over the thought that at any given moment within this week, a terrible "accident" could occur.

They were all still slowly acquainting theirselves of the unprecedented situation they were in, but this train of thought was immediately diverted once again as the recording with which they thought had previously ended in the sound of inaudible needle scratches upon the vinyl, continued,

"but of course, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't introduce myself too!" then the voice clears its throat as if trying to present himself in a good manner, "Excuse me, I am who you all know as M.F.C.! Mariano Flores Cape. I'll leave my personal details to your memories, and I am more than pleased to meet all of you in good health!

"I have indeed been an avid fan of the unusual for as long as my memory has been serving me well, but it seems I've accidentally invited a group of secret criminals! Oh no!" the voice said, letting the last bit out with just the nice hint of sarcasm.

"Oh well, a little fun never hurt anyone! So why don't we have a race? Allow me to explain: it's simple, really - either you kill yourselves, or someone else will."

Excuse me? Kill ourselves, this is outrageous. - any of the guests would have thought.

"And so basically, in the end only one of you will survive and tragically, that's the only thing we'll care about! Hahaha!" the voice pegged with a hearty chuckle towards the end obviously sounding like it was filled with immense joy and excitement.

And in one last breath, the speakers boomed with the words, "I hope you enjoy your stay!" and the recording ends, needle only left creating a scratching sound upon the vinyl slowly mixing into white noise as silence dawned over everyone.

***

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨!

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- feimimi5104