chapter_002 : The Mysterious Woman

The next day, Violet went to the police department. Despite talking with the police chief, what the chief said about Alex's death remained the same as before.

"Currently, the police can only announce that the victim died of homicide... Well, considering the cruel means of the crime, the cause of death has not been made public. As I've also said, this case is now under full - scale investigation. Once we have new findings, we'll certainly hold a press conference to explain. Miss Violet, that's all I can say. Please leave."

"But... according to our sources, after Alex's parents saw their son's body, they both went insane and are now being treated in a mental hospital. The police are deliberately hiding this from us. Additionally, according to his neighbors, many forensic scientists were sent to the scene after the police arrived, and in the end, the body was transported..."

"That's enough, Miss Violet!" The chief's face turned extremely ugly, and he made a gesture to show her out. "In short, the police have their own stance. The government also attaches great importance to this matter. The results of the investigation will be announced in due course. Please leave!"

Violet knew it was pointless to say more. The chief wouldn't tell her any more. She was almost certain that there was an astonishing secret behind this event. And the situation was the same as it had been seven years ago when her parents died...

No matter what her brother said, Violet was determined to find out the truth.

As she walked out of the chief's office, she pondered what to do next while looking at the notes in her hand. Whom should she ask? It was likely that the police had already ordered complete secrecy from the media, and unfortunately, Alex's parents had gone crazy...

Right, maybe they would reveal something in their ramblings.

After making up her mind, she put the notes back into her bag and rushed towards the parking lot downstairs. At this moment, she didn't notice that a long - haired woman in black was coldly staring at her back.

Anyway, Violet hoped to find some clues before tonight. She didn't want to report another death tomorrow.

On the way to the mental hospital by car, she turned on the radio. Her brother had said that he would be invited to read an excerpt from his new book on the radio at noon.

After tuning to the right frequency, she happened to hear the announcer say, "Dear listeners, today our station has invited the popular horror novelist, Mr. Orion James Miller, to our program. Since the establishment of our "Spectral Voices" column, this is Mr. Orion's fourth time appearing on our show. Hello, Mr. Orion. First of all, congratulations on the publication of your new book. This new work has also received enthusiastic attention from readers and listeners. Later, we'll open a hotline, and we'll ask you to answer some questions from readers. How about that?"

"Well, actually, I'm quite looking forward to communicating with the readers of "Spectral Voices". I'm really glad to have the opportunity to be here again."

"Then, before that, I'd like to ask you, Mr. Orion, is this new work still an unsolvable horror novel like your previous ones?"

"Yes, I've said before that my horror novels are all unsolvable in the end. I don't create false mysteries but genuinely make readers feel... in fact, horror exists in everyone's daily life."

Just as Violet was thinking about whether to call the radio later, she suddenly heard her brother say this.

"Horror exists in everyone's daily life"...

Seven years ago, after their parents died, the siblings had moved away from their original city. They had always supported each other since then. That terrifying scene was forever imprinted in their minds and couldn't be forgotten. However, they didn't have the courage to hate.

So up until now... living like a coward, she was also tired of it. She didn't want to be like her brother, constantly running away just to stay away from those things... But Violet knew very well that it was useless to run anywhere. Those things were everywhere, all around them.

After the hotline opened, she immediately heard many excited voices from the listeners.

"Mr. Orion, did your stories draw any inspiration from real - life events?"

"Mr. Orion, I've read your new book. I stayed up all night to finish it last night. It was so scary! Have you experienced any sad or negative things in your life?"

Violet was listening to her brother answer each of their questions one by one, and the mental hospital was already in sight.

"Mr. Orion, I've read all your works. Your description of the atmosphere and the portrayal of the characters' psychology are quite excellent. It's almost... as if you've experienced it firsthand."

Suddenly, a phone call was connected, and the following words were spoken. Judging from the voice, it should be a woman, and her tone was extremely cold, almost like an interrogation.

"This young lady is really joking. If I had experienced all that, how could I still be alive?" Her brother's response was very calm, without strong emotional fluctuations.

"Do you think that everything depicted in your books really exists in this world?"

Violet tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

"I'm just writing novels. I haven't thought about connecting them with reality for research."

The car had reached the entrance of the mental hospital, but Violet still wanted to listen to the rest of the conversation. However, the young lady said, "I see. Then, goodbye." And then the phone call ended.

What a strange person... Violet drove the car into the hospital's underground parking lot and then took the elevator from the basement upstairs.

After reaching the nurse's station, she explained her purpose. At first, the staff wouldn't allow her to visit, but as she repeatedly emphasized that it was a matter of life and death and showed sincere attitude, they finally said she was limited to ten minutes.

Accompanied by a nurse, she went upstairs to the floor where Alex's parents were. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she heard a strange cry: "Alex! Alex! How did you become like this! Wahhhh..."

When she entered the ward, she saw a group of doctors holding down a middle - aged woman on the bed. One doctor was trying to give her a sedative, but even so many doctors and nurses couldn't hold her arms and legs down.

"This is one of the patients you're looking for. She's been like this since she was admitted to the hospital. I don't think you'll get much information from her. The other patient's condition is also very serious..."

"Alex... How did you become so terrifying... Who did this to you..."

Violet walked into the ward. The nurse said, "You... you'd better not stimulate her."

It was really tragic... After their son died, both parents went crazy. This was definitely not an ordinary murder case. Even though the crime scene was extremely bloody and Alex had been dismembered, it shouldn't have made both of them go crazy...

What on earth had they seen to become so crazy?

In the end, she naturally got nothing. Back in the underground parking lot, she looked at her watch and couldn't help but feel extremely anxious. There were no clues at present, and the premonition was getting stronger and stronger. Could she really not stop it?

"Do you want to know the answer?"

Suddenly, a strange voice came from behind.

She turned around and saw a beautiful woman with long, flowing hair. The expression on this mysterious woman's face was very cold. Violet searched her memory but couldn't find any recollection of this person.

"Who... who are you?"

"Miss Violet Elizabeth Miller," the woman said to her, "Can I... meet your brother?"

Ten minutes later, the two of them were sitting opposite each other in a restaurant across from the mental hospital.

"Who on earth are you? Do you know my brother?"

"Although I don't know him, I know a great deal about your past and his." She seemed calm and showed no sign of malice.

"My name is Jane Sophia Parker." The woman continued, "Actually, I've been looking for you and your brother for a long time."

"What?" Violet quickly asked, "Are you a police officer? Someone investigating the case from seven years ago?"

"No, I have nothing to do with the police. Finding you and your brother was my father's instruction in his notes. He disappeared three years ago. In particular, my father's notes recorded a great deal about your brother. I'm also well - aware of the case from seven years ago."

"Who... who is your father?"

"His name was Samuel Parker. He was a psychologist, but he was also very interested in paranormal phenomena. And three years ago, my mother died in a mysterious car accident."

"Well... it seems we don't know your father. My parents never mentioned knowing any psychologists to me..."

"Anyway... we'll discuss the detailed situation after I meet your brother. You're investigating the high - school student's death case that happened yesterday, right? If you want the data, I can give it to you. I hacked into the police's law - enforcement network yesterday and downloaded some materials. I can give them to you right away, but the condition is that you let me meet your brother."

Violet was getting impatient. She further asked, "You... are you a hacker? Who on earth are you and why do you want to meet my brother!"

"I can't tell you that before that..."

Violet looked at her watch and thought that there was no time to waste. After all, it was a matter of life and death! She might as well agree to her first, and then think about the rest after tonight.

"I agree... but on the condition that I get to see the materials you mentioned first... I'll make it clear in advance that if I publish these materials later, I'll specifically state that they were sent to the newspaper by a citizen, and we don't know who sent them."

"Of course."

Then, she took out an envelope from the inner pocket of her clothes and handed it to Violet. Then she said, "There are a total of fourteen photos of the body in this envelope. I'll clarify that I printed these photos right after downloading them and didn't do any processing on them. Additionally, there's a death report issued by the forensic scientist, which I also downloaded."

Violet was still a bit skeptical. She opened the envelope and took out the photos. However, just after taking a hasty look at the first one, her heart skipped a beat, then her pupils quickly dilated, and her hand couldn't stop shaking.

"You..." Violet couldn't even finish a complete sentence... It was the same as seven years ago, the same inexplicable phenomenon! She continued looking at the following photos. With each photo, her breathing got heavier. By the time she saw the fifth one, she was almost on the verge of fainting.

Violet couldn't bear to look anymore. She put all the photos back into the envelope, took out the forensic report that Jane had mentioned, and cold sweat began to break out on her forehead.

"Do you believe it?"

Jane asked very calmly.

"Yes, yes! It's precisely because of this that I believe..." Violet's voice was clearly choking up. "It's because of this inexplicable existence that my brother and I had to flee to this city... Despite the great distance, we still can't escape... No matter which city, these strange changes have begun to occur..."

Jane observed Violet's expression and gradually confirmed that she and her brother were indeed the people she was looking for.

"You have the ability to foresee things, don't you?"

Violet suddenly looked up and studied this mysterious woman. Her expression was very deep, showing no obvious emotions. Her eyes revealed a deep mystery, combined with her ethereal and other - worldly beauty, making it seem as if she didn't belong to this world.

"You can foresee when a terrifying and abnormal event will happen, right? I also have an ability similar to yours. I got this ability after my mother died. My mother... was killed by a ghost..."

When Jane said this, a look of sadness flashed in her eyes, but it was just like a fleeting ripple on a lake and disappeared in an instant. It seemed like a long - gone past. Even though it was now recalled, it only slightly stirred her inner feelings. However, Violet felt that behind this, there was more... a kind of fear. A fear that she didn't even dare to think about.

"Why do you want to meet my brother?"

She then asked.

"If I said that one day in the future, I'll also be killed by a ghost... no, maybe by something even more terrifying than a ghost, would you believe me? Moreover, I'll never be able to escape. Even if I flee to the ends of the earth, this future won't change. This is what my father told me. He was an all - knowing and all - perceptive seer."

If it had been seven years ago, Violet definitely wouldn't have believed such words, but now... she had to believe. Over the past seven years, her worldview had been constantly shaken. She had to believe one thing, that is -

There are indeed ghosts and curses in this world.

When talking about being killed by a ghost in the future, she seemed calm, but Violet still noticed the slight tremor in her arm and the hidden fear in the corner of her eye.

"I believe you. Miss Jane... But how do you know about my ability? And why are you looking for my brother?"

"It's not just your brother. It's also about you. I'll explain the detailed situation to you and your brother after I meet him. But I can't do it now. I hope to explain everything clearly to you and your brother."

At this time, Violet suddenly remembered what she had foreseen would happen tonight. She quickly asked, "You... you said just now that you can also foresee things... Then, do you know what will happen tonight? No, where and to whom will it happen?"

Jane then continued, "My knowledge is limited, but your brother should know more. He should also have the ability to foresee. Since it will happen tonight... Then, take me to see him immediately! If you want to prevent the second death!"