CHASING THE KILLER

"Who could have done this to her?" Damian asks as tears start streaming down my cheeks.


The lights!

"The one who switched on the yard lights. Which means the monster might still be roaming around," I whisper again, looking in the direction of the gazebo, where the switches of the garden are.

No one! There is no sight of anyone. I try peeking around the garden to see whether the monster might be hiding somewhere, with Damian joining me. We keep darting our eyes around in different directions, with Damian holding me close to him.


I was about to give up, but I think I saw something like a shadow. I start pulling away from Damian to chase it, but we are interrupted by a male voice coming from the direction of the castle. I take my eyes where I thought I saw the shadow, but it is all clear.

Maybe I am paranoid.


"Mr. Riccaforte! I brought the medical team with me as you requested, and they are attending to the employees," a police officer says as he halts before us.

"Thank you, Drew. And your colleagues?" Damian speaks.

"They are looking around. I have also ordered some of them to stay at the gate just in case." The police officer in the name of Drew responds.

"Thank you. I am afraid we have a more serious problem." Damian says.

"What?" Drew asks, and Damian pulls me aside to clear the way for Drew, and the body of nanny Aisha covered in blood comes into Drew's view. "Shit!" He curses as he pulls on some gloves and puts them on. "I hope you haven't touched the body." He adds.

"No. We haven't." Damian responds.

Drew crouches before the body, searching for any possible pulse, but he eventually stands up, shaking his head.

"She is gone!" He states.

That was so evident.

A tear dropped from my eye. Nanny? Why would someone murder Nanny Aisha so brutally? And in the same way that my mom was killed? The thought gnaws at my heart, sending shivers down my spine. And why do I feel like someone is watching us? The sensation of unseen eyes tracking my every move is unnerving, making my skin prickle with anxiety.

I tour the garden with my eyes once again, hoping and wishing I could spot something or someone. Every rustle of leaves and every flicker of shadow sends my heart racing. The garden, usually a sanctuary of peace, now feels like a labyrinth of dread.

"Miss Riccaforte? Are you okay?" Drew's voice breaks through my spiraling thoughts, and I feel Damian's arm gripping me, grounding me.

The shadow! A second time! This time it's clearer than the first—a dark figure moving swiftly through the garden. My breath catches in my throat as I watch it crawl fast in the direction of the gazebo once again. The shadow's movement is purposeful, almost predatory, and it fills me with a mix of fear and urgency.

"Over there!" I shouted as I ran in the direction of it.

"What?" Drew asks as they run behind me.

"The shadow!" I shout as we head to the gazebo, but a few meters away, the lights go off, leaving us in utter darkness. The moonlight is so dim that you cannot see anything except the shadow of the prison near you.

"Shit! He is looking for a way to escape!" I curse.

"Agent Drew is speaking. Search the entire compound and guard all the possible entrances. Clear?" Drew speaks over the walkie-talkie.

"Clear sir!"

"The garden should be searched thoroughly. There is also a body in the garden. I need it taken for a postmortem."

"Clear, sir!"

He hangs up and then pulls out two short guns.

"This might cost me my job, but I think you two need this. Use it only when necessary, okay?" He says, handing us each a gun while he remains with his.

"Thank you," Damian says, cocking his, and I copy what he does and put my index finger on the trigger as I nod my head.

"Show me where the switches are," Drew says.

"Straight ahead. The blackboard on the wall at the back of the gazebo." I explain.

"Okay, you both stay behind me," Drew says as he leads the way while other officers fill up the garden.

Did he bring the entire nation's police force? I all, too, appreciate this. This way, we will catch monsters in no time!

"After you," Damian says to me; however, that is not what I want.

I understand he is looking out for me and wants to protect me. But I need to follow my instincts. Besides, I doubt the monster is still there, waiting to be captured. Not when he can see the entire nation's police force fully armed and waiting to reap his body with bullets if he tries anything fishy.

"No, Damian. I don't think I can go with you. I will just go talk to the paramedics." I state.

"Are you sure?" He asks, and I nod my head.

"Okay," he says, then turns to the two officers beside us. "You two, keep her company and make sure she is safe. Don't let her out of sight, even for a second." He adds.

Damn! I have a gun for crying out loud! I don't object, though. I retreat from these, just like I am planning to evade these two officers.

"Sir?" I call when we are steps away, just after the yard lights flicker on again, meaning that Damian and Drew are already at the gazebo. I turn back to see if they have caught the monster, but it's just silent.

I was right. He switched the lights to confuse us so that he could escape. The good thing is that the only entrance, which is the gate, is tightly secured. He must be still around somewhere, looking for a place to hide.

"Yes, miss?" One agent replies.

I know this is dangerous, but I need to do it. I need to. I just can't stay still, nor can I shake the thought of nanny Aisha's murder linked to my mother. And I know that that monster is roaming around.

"I think your fellow soldier needs you two more than I do. I mean, if our suspicions are correct, that is where the killer is. Drew needs a strong backup. I am scared even for my husband." I explain.

"But Mr. Riccaforte ordered us to keep you company, miss." One of them speaks.

"I know, and I am assuring you that I will be okay knowing that my husband is protected. I will just walk the short distance. Besides, your colleagues are everywhere in the compound. I will be safe under the lights." I explain.

"Okay, miss."

They turn to leave, and I clench on my gun.

I walk straight to the castle's entrance, where the pnurses are tending to the servants. Some of them have woken up, and that gives me hope. However, I walk past them and along the long hallway that leads to the servants' quarters. They are a lot, but I don't mind knocking the doors down one by one until I find answers.

As I move deeper into the dimly lit corridor, my footsteps echo, amplifying the eerie silence. My heart pounds with each step, a mixture of fear and determination driving me forward. The memories of my mother and Nanny Aisha's brutal murders fuel my moves. I need to find out what happened, who did this, and why.

I approach the first door and pound on it. No response. I push it open, but the room is empty. I move on to the next door and the next, each time finding nothing but silence and emptiness. Frustration and anxiety build inside me.

Suddenly, I feel a light tap on my shoulder. Instinctively, I take a sharp U-turn, gun drawn, aimed directly at whoever touched me. My finger hovers over the trigger, ready to defend myself.

"Easy! That is not a toy, you know? Do you even know how to use it?"

The figure stands there, cloaked in a black trench coat that goes way down past the knees. Matching gloves encase the hands, and knee-length flat boots complete the ensemble. The coat is cinched at the waist with a belt, adding to the aura of mystery and menace. The person's face is partially hidden in the shadows, but the eyes glint with a cold, calculating light.

"One thing I am so sure of is that if I pull this trigger even by mistake, the bullet will pierce through your empty skull," I retort, my finger still hugging the trigger.