THE PLAGUE DOCTOR

• WARNING -

This story contains scenes that are not appropriate for young and very sensitive readers. You may check the tags to see if there are things that do not suit your taste. If you proceed and read something that makes you uncomfortable, I advise that you do not continue for your well-being as I do not want to make my readers feel that way because of my book. But I hope you understand that I can’t always put a warning for you, so let us also be responsible readers.

Now, I hope you enjoy the company of the Plague Doctor.

Get well soon.

https://youtu.be/DfSKxyh8e4c

PROLOGUE

⚕︎

THE RAIN WAS FALLING  hard on us that even people with umbrellas were getting wet despite their strong desire to keep themselves dry. I was thankful that I was inside a cab, but the downfall was that I couldn’t hear the radio clearly because of the loud noise that the raindrops were making on the cab’s roof.

     As the rain continued to pour, I ended up hugging myself because of how cold it was inside the cab. I didn’t have the courage to tell the driver to turn the heater on because I didn’t want to get scolded by my mother who was sitting in the front seat in silence. I glance at her through the rearview mirror and instantly look away when she is about to look back at me. She’s aware that I’m cold, but she doesn’t do anything.

     I stare out of the window to busy myself instead. Dozens of people were walking down the pavement; some ran to get shelter, pushing those standing in their way. One boy even tripped when he got pushed by this oversized man. The action almost made me laugh.

     “This will be a long ride,” my mother suddenly says, forcefully making me look back at her. “Rest,” she then adds, her cold eyes now directly looking back at me through the rearview mirror.

     I politely nod and lower my head down, making me catch a glimpse of the bruises on my wrists. I stare at them for a second before quickly pulling the sleeves of my jacket to hide them.

     Soon after that, I closed my eyes and slowly drifted to sleep. As I dive deeper inside these deranged thoughts of mine, I spot a glimpse of light shining toward me in the darkness. What was once a small light peeking through the distance eventually turned into something that almost blinded me. I covered my eyes from it, but when I opened them back, I realized that I was teleported back to our little town called Totten’s Landing.

    Kids ran around, getting mud on their clean pants while their mothers chased them with a broom. Vendors were selling fresh fish and vegetables in their stalls, calling for customers willing to bargain with them, while old man Buckley was walking around the market, pretending to be drunk so he could pickpocket those unknowing onlookers.

    The town was as busy as ever, so I tried to push through the crowd to get to my merry way. But as I continued walking down this familiar yet unfamiliar path, the noise from the town square suddenly disappeared, and when I looked back, everything was gone.

     A strong gust of wind then pushed me back, almost making me stumble. And while I tried to hold my ground, I spotted a small abandoned house. I didn’t hesitate to take a look even though I felt frightened. I head inside, the floors creaking as water drops fall on top of my head because of the holes in the ceiling.

     The house was a mess, the windows were broken, and the wallpaper was already peeling itself off. Your first assumption would be that the house is abandoned, but when I reached the dining room, I found a table filled with deliciously warm food as if people just recently stood up and left. I didn’t dare touch it though, so I proceeded to the second floor.

     Upstairs was quiet, and piles and piles of books covered the door in the middle of the hallway. I push the books away and approach the large door, but as I was walking towards it, I suddenly start to hear someone crying inside the room. I continued to walk towards the door until the cries turned into loud sobs. And as I reached the doorknob to open the door, a cold hand suddenly grabbed me by my shoulder and whispered in my ear…

     “ Wake up Winter. “

     I gasped and opened my eyes, my mother’s face right in front of me while her hand was on my shoulder. I looked around and realized that the rain had finally stopped, and we were in the middle of what seemed to be the woods. When I looked back at my mother, she gently kissed my forehead and moved away from me. “Let’s go. Grab your bag,” she says, and I immediately head out of the cab, grabbing my suitcase from the trunk while my mother held onto a fruit basket and a flashlight.

     “I apologize, madam, but I can’t go any further than this,” the driver, with a cigarette stick in his mouth, tells my mother as he closes the trunk for me. “Will the two of you be alright? Do you know the rest of the way?” He then asks her.

     My mother politely smiles and nods her head in answer, so the driver tilts his hat to bid us farewell before heading back inside the cab and driving away, almost like he was in such a hurry to leave.

     Thankfully, it isn’t raining anymore, but the sun’s almost setting. I take a step and instantly dirty my shoe because of the mud, just like the other kids in my dream. I immediately look back at my mother to see her reaction, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she starts walking away, so I follow behind her without making any noise.

     We were practically in the middle of the woods, but my mother knew exactly where she was going. I wanted to ask if she’s been here before, but I still did not dare say a word. I didn’t want to get scolded again for asking too many questions.

     “Were you able to pack all of your clothes?” My mother suddenly asks.

     Looking down at the floor to watch where I’m going, I grip the strap of my suitcase and answer her question. “Yes, mother. I packed them properly.”

     “Good,” she says, and I look back at her as she continues to lead the way. She was wearing her best dress, but like my shoes, her clean brown heels were also now covered in mud as well. She should have brought extra shoes with her. I don’t even know why she dressed up like that.

     “Do you remember everything that I told you before we left?” she asks next.

     “Yes.” 

     “Will you make any trouble?”

     “No.”

     My mother turned on her flashlight since it was getting dark. I can see a flock of birds flying opposite us as if they were all heading home. I walk closer to my mother, so I wouldn’t get lost. After all, I didn’t know where we were going.

     “Mother? How about Mathilda? Will she be alright?” I finally ask her, and my mother instantly stops walking to look at me. She flashes the light directly on my face as if she’s blinding me, but then I feel her hand touch my cheek after she places the flashlight inside the basket. I couldn’t properly see her face because of how dark it was, so she moved closer until she was only inches away from where I was standing.

    With her trembling hand still on my cheek, she tells me, “Your little sister is very sick right now. That’s why she can’t be with us. But when the time comes, you’ll meet her again, don’t worry.”

     The wind blows against us as I nod my head in answer. Mother then leans closer so she can gently kiss my forehead. “I love you very much, Winter,” she says in such a sweet tone, yet her eyes look completely empty. I know because adults have shown me that same expression even when I was younger, my mother especially.

     “I love you too…mother,” I answer back, and she smiles and kisses my forehead again before pulling away from me.

    We didn’t talk after that, and I didn’t even realize how long we’d been walking until my feet started to hurt. To top it all off, I’m still carrying this heavy suitcase with me while mosquitos bit my arms. I wanted to complain or maybe even pause and take a break, but it was already really dark out, and I didn’t want to get scolded either. The distant howling we hear from time to time is the only motivation I have as to why I keep moving forward.

     And just when I thought that things wouldn’t get any worse, my stomach suddenly starts growling. We left home hours ago, and I have not eaten anything since then. I eye the fruit basket that my mother is holding and lick my lips. She notices me, but she doesn’t give me a single fruit and tells me instead, “We’re close by.”

     She lied though, because a couple more minutes after that, I still didn’t see a single sign of life. The wind was only blowing harder on us, and I could tell that my nose is already red, almost like it was turning into ice. Why is it still so cold when it’s nearly summer season?

     “M-Momma, I—”

     “There it is,” she suddenly says, cutting me off midsentence as she points at something in a distance.

     I turn my head in the direction where she’s pointing the flashlight at. At first, I couldn’t really tell what it was since it was dark, and all I could see were trees and branches, but as I squint my eyes to see better, I finally catch a glimpse of what seemed to be a pointy roof of some sort.

     “Hurry now. Quickly,” mother says as she starts walking faster.

     I try to catch up with her as fast as I could until we reach a massive land that’s covered in tall grass and dead trees. In the middle of the land is an enormously abandoned manor, a manor so big my mouth automatically opened when I saw it.

     There was a single light from the window on the second floor. I stare at the window as we continue walking toward the manor, and as we get closer, a man’s silhouette suddenly appears from the window, almost making me flinch. I wanted to see who it was, but the figure left before I could even get a better view.

     When we approached the main door, mother places the fruit basket on the floor and turns around to face me. With a serious expression, she starts fixing my hair and my clothes. I would have looked proper like how she wanted if you just ignore all the mud and dirt on my pants and shoes.

     “Make sure you listen to every word they say. Do you understand?” mother asks me, and I nod my head to reply.

     She stares at me for one last time before facing the large door in front of us. She fixes her hair and clothes too, and grabs the fruit basket from the floor before finally ringing the doorbell. A low bell sound echoes inside the manor. It sounded so terrifying that I unconsciously hid behind my mother, the hair on my skin standing as she pressed the bell again.

     “Hello?! This is Alexandra Lancaster! You called me last week and told me to come here at this hour,” she says out loud, but no one answers.

     I look around the manor and move closer to my mother. “M-Mother, I don’t think there are—” But before I could even finish my sentence, the door suddenly opened in such a slow motion that I ended up swallowing the imaginary lump in my throat due to anxiety.

     I expected someone to welcome us, but to my surprise, no one was there. Anyone who saw that would be terrified and maybe even run away, but my mother looked calm and collected as she headed inside without hesitation.

    “Momma…” I call out in a soft tone, afraid that someone might hear us.

     The manor is still silent and lifeless, but my mother continues to head inside, so I had no choice but to follow behind her.

     The inside was as surprising as the outside because it didn’t look abandoned at all. It was filled with Victorian furniture, and the large chandelier on the ceiling made it feel like I was some type of gentleman that got invited to some fancy ball. While in the middle was a round table that didn’t have anything on top of it.

     “Mr. Marcelino!” She calls out. It’s the first time I’ve heard her mention that name.

     Mother looks around and places the fruit basket on top of the table as I put my suitcase on the floor. No one was still there to welcome us, so she looked back at me and suddenly gripped my shoulder before cupping her hands on my cheeks.

     “You’ll have to wait here alone, alright?” Mother suddenly says, surprising me.

     “W-What? No…”

     “Remember, you have to make sure to listen to them no matter what. You have to become a better person for your sister and for yourself, do you understand me?” she says as her hold on me becomes tighter.

     I stare back at her eyes. Compared to her usual cold look, mother’s eyes were teary. She looked like she was in pain. It was my first time ever seeing her look like that. “I love you, Winter,” she says, moving closer and kissing me on my forehead for one last time before taking a step back and fixing her dress.

     Mother pats my head with a forced smile, and before I can even say anything back, she turns around and walks away. I stand there frozen in place as I watch her go. But as the door closes behind her, my feet finally move, and I run towards the door to open it, but the door wouldn’t budge.

     “Momma?” I call out as I continuously turn the doorknob that wouldn’t turn.

     “M-Momma…open the door, momma, please, don’t leave me,” I practically beg, my hands trembling as I start to push the door open. Tears wanted to fall out of my eyes, but they just couldn’t. And as the silence of this large manor starts consuming me, I finally realize something important that I have been trying to avoid ever since we left.

     Like the house in my dream, and like this manor…

     I was abandoned.

     They really did leave me here.

     “If you push one more time the door will break,” a voice from behind me suddenly says, instantly making me stop pushing the door. He sounded so close that my heart almost sank, and his footsteps become louder and louder.

     “Will you be able to fix it if it breaks? Or do you have money to replace it?” He continues to ask.

     I didn’t want to move from where I was standing, but as I gather all my courage, I slowly turn around to face the owner of the voice. And there, I saw a man wearing black military clothes, walking down the grand staircase with a wide smile on his face.

     The man was tall and lean, and his eyes were a shade of brown, just like his complexion. But as he got closer to me, I realize that he wasn’t smiling at all. There was actually a scar from the side of his mouth that ran up to his cheek, making it look like he was smiling.

     I watch as he walks toward me, and as soon as he stopped just a meter from where I’m standing, he leans down so his face could level mine, making me see the scar on his face even better. The sight of it made me gulp in terror.

     “Your eyes have different colors. How peculiar,” he suddenly says, staring directly at me with such an intimidating look.

     “T-they say it’s a curse…because s-someone had to die because of it,” I tell him, trying not to stutter as much as I did.

     He continues to stare at me until a real grin appears on his face. “A curse?” He asks. And before I could even say anything back, the man suddenly starts laughing. His laughter echoes inside the empty manor. And as he was laughing, he suddenly pulls out a dagger from his boot, making my eyes widen from shock as I stare at the sharp dagger that’s just inches away from my face.  

     The man continues to laugh at me, but then he stops and opens his mouth so he can position the dagger inside, pushing it to the side until I finally realize how he got such a scar. “This…is a curse,” he tells me.

     When he sees that I finally understand him, he pulls the dagger away from his mouth and tucks it back into his boot. He then moves back and fixes his uniform before asking, “What’s your name?”

     I stare back at him and gulp my fears away. “Winter…Winter Hollow,” I immediately answer him, and the man nods his head like he mentally wrote the information down so he wouldn’t be able to forget.

     “Well then Winter, my name is Marcelino, but from now on, you will address me as Mr. M. Welcome to the plague doctor’s manor. Starting today, you will be under his care.”

• END -

NOTE: Chapters with [m] on the Chapter Title are chapters with

intimate scenes

. You might find it useful in the future *wink

*wink ;)

Well, all the chapters have a somewhat

intimate scene

in them but [m] chapters are just a lot more intense.

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(1) Dear Bishop,

⚕︎

WHEN I WAS BORN , my mother said that I didn’t even cry. The doctors told her that there might be something wrong with me, but when they checked, I was completely fine, which was something that they found strange.

     Another thing that’s strange about me was that my hair is practically white. It was strange because both my parents have black hair, but I didn’t. To add it all up, my right eye is a light blue color, while the left is as brown as my mother’s. Our doctors said it’s heterochromia, but our neighbors said it was a curse.

     In all honesty, I never really thought of my appearance as something strange, but people’s gazes and looks made it seem that way. That’s why as I grew older, I ended up feeling strange about myself too. I didn’t go out during the day either because my mother didn’t allow it, so I had no friends. I was only accompanied by my books and my thoughts, which I believe added to my growing insecurities.

     “How old are you, Winter?” Mr. M suddenly asks, his voice pulling me out of my deep thoughts.

     I unconsciously touch my arm and look down so I could see where I’m going. “I’m twelve.”

     Mr. M pauses when he heard my answer, so I look back at him to check his reaction, which I instantly regret because he was actually side-eyeing me with such an intimidating look, immediately making me look away from him again.

     “Is that so? That’s perfect then. There’s a girl here that’s only sixteen. She moved here last year, but I honestly have only heard her speak once. Maybe she’ll speak to someone younger,” Mr. M tells me, and I didn’t really know what to say after that, so I just kept quiet about it.

     “Alright, now listen carefully. There are a total of 58 rooms in this manor, while 32 are unusable. They’re either flooded or damaged after the war. Now out of the 26 usable rooms, there are five that you’re not allowed to enter. I’ll show them to you later when I have the time,” Mr. M explains to me while I follow behind him.

     We were now walking down this very long corridor where there are doors that are blocked by plywood, which I’m assuming are the unusable rooms that Mr. M mentioned. As we continue walking, I couldn’t help but glance at the military man again. After my encounter with him downstairs, Mr. M took my suitcase and told me that he’ll show me to my room, but even though the manor is partially damaged, everything else still looks well-maintained. How many people does it even take to keep it this way?

     “Other than the little girl you mentioned, are there any other people here?” I ask him.

     Mr. M doesn’t even look at me as he answers my question. “The manor is still closed, but if you’re asking about the people who work here, then there are a total of…” he pauses, and I was honestly expecting him to tell me a larger number when he suddenly continues, “Three. Five now including you and this other person that I have not met just yet.”

     “Only three?” I ask in shock.

     “Three is enough actually, but it does make the workload heavier. I work all sorts of jobs in this manor. I fix broken lightbulbs, doors, pipes, you name it. I even kill mice and rodents, in the kitchen especially, but I’m mostly just known as the gardener,” he explains, making me look back at him with furrowed brows.

     “You’re a gardener? You don’t look like a gardener,” I honestly say, making him laugh.

     “Is it because of my clothes?” He then asks me, pointing at the military uniform that he’s wearing.

      “No, it’s because of the overgrown plants and vines outside,” I tell him, and Mr. M laughs again, probably because he thinks that everything I say is humorous to him, considering how young I still am.

     “The outside of the manor is a lost cause, but wait till you see the greenhouse. I’ve been taking care of all the plants and flowers there, and I know every single one of them by heart,” he confidently says. I couldn’t believe that he’d be such a man considering his appearance. Mr. M literally looks like he just went to war and survived. Appreciating flowers is the last thing I’d think about when I look at him.

     “Do you like flowers Mr. M?” I politely ask next, and this time, he looks back at me with a wide yet sadistic grin.

     “Oh, I love flowers, roses especially. I love picking them up, touching them, sniffing them…sometimes even licking them if they end up smelling extra good,” he says with an almost sarcastic tone. He must have thought that I wouldn’t understand what he’s referring to.

     “I’m not talking about women,” I say, and the grin on his face changes into an impressed smile.

     “You speak too well and know too much for a twelve-year-old boy,” he says back, now looking away from me.

     “I like to read.”

     “What kind?”

     “Anything that my mother gives me. Novels, journals, poetry…”

     Mr. M suddenly stops me and asks, “Then you’ve read Robert Herrick’s poem?”

     “About the rosebuds?”

     Mr. M pauses again and suddenly chuckles to himself. “How amusing…”

     After our conversation, Mr. M finally stops in front of a door. He puts my suitcase down and pulls something out from his pocket. It was a bunch of keys that looked different from each other. He takes one, and then he opens the door before grabbing my suitcase again.

     Mr. M heads inside, and I immediately follow behind him since I didn’t want to be left alone in this long dark corridor. 

     The room was bigger than I expected it to be. It has a full-sized bed with clean white sheets, a dresser, a desk, a side table beside the bed with a lamp, and another table with an old phone. It was the bedroom of my dreams, but what surprised me, even more, was that there was a bathroom on the left, which I think is the best thing about this room. I honestly thought I was going to share showers with the others. That would have been a problem.

     “Well then, this is where you’ll be staying from now on. Not so shabby now is it?” Mr. M asks as he places my things on the bed. He then takes a deep breath and fixes his peak cap before looking back at me with a more serious expression this time. “You should start unpacking so you can wash up. After that, you can do whatever you want. You can read, draw, or even cry about how your momma abandoned you, but you are not allowed to step out of this room until I say so, understand?”

     Mr. M looked so scary that I had no choice but to nod my head as an answer.

     “Good boy.”

     Mr. M then walks towards the exit and pulls the key from the doorknob. Without saying anything else, he closes the door, and as soon as it shuts, I hear a click sound. I run towards the door to check, and as I expected, it was now locked. There was no other way but to stay put now. Besides, my mother said to not make any trouble, so I won’t.

     I walk towards my suitcase and sit on the edge of the bed. The bed was so soft that I almost forgot about my mother. I’ve never slept on such a bed before. Even the room was too amazing for me. I thought this would be a nightmare, but now it just feels like a dream.

     “ Wipe that disgusting grin off your face… “ a voice suddenly whispers near my ear, instantly making me stand from the bed, looking around the room and only to find out that no one was even there.

     My heart starts beating fast, but then I feel my stomach churn, and soon after that, I am once again welcomed by my intense hunger, which helped me remember that I actually hid a bar of chocolate in my suitcase.

     I immediately open my suitcase, and my clothes practically explode since I only stuffed them all in here before we left. I push my clothes aside, but nothing else was there other than my diary and a pen that barely holds any ink. I can’t believe I forgot to put the bar of chocolate that I stole from our neighbor before we left.

     My stomach churns again, and I almost bit myself because of how incompetent I was. I really wanted to eat something, but then my eyes fall on the diary. I guess it’s better to busy myself than think about hunger, so I grab the diary and pen and sat on the desk that’s placed in front of a window that’s blocked by more plywood. What a shame.

     As I open my diary, an old picture falls off. I grab the picture and instantly smile at it before putting it on the side.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/075da21b9984942101a86f5e7bfa9bd8790c0b3d/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f33767553563975556733726b42513d3d2d313132353639303431332e313661316463323532343631356365643432383939313338313731342e6a7067)

Now staring at the empty page of my diary, I pick up the pen and start writing my entry for the day…

June 17, 1952

Dear Bishop

,

Today was a confusing and tiring day, yet I have been able to keep calm about the whole situation since nothing bad has happened yet. Mother said that I shouldn’t make any trouble, so I hope you keep that in mind as well. We cannot disappoint her, especially when Mathilda is waiting for my return.

A military man with a creepy smile named Mr. M welcomed me. He seems like a kind person, but he’s a bit hard to read. I don’t know who he really is, same as how I don’t know a single soul in this manor, but I am anxious and at the same time excited to meet them.

I’m not allowed to leave the room, and the keys are in Mr. M’s possession. The room is too big for me, and I am afraid that the loneliness that I feel ends up consuming me first before I even get to meet the doctor.

I hope to return home soon so I’ll make sure to do well here. Write to me whenever you’re ready…

Truly yours,

- Winter

     I smile at the entry and gently place the pen down before standing from the seat. I look back at the clothes that are scattered on top of the bed and finally decide to neatly place them in the empty dresser. Afterward, I took a bath and wore cleaner clothes.

     Despite trying to distract myself, I was still hungry. The only way that I could think of so I wouldn’t be hungry anymore was to go to bed, so I did. I turned the lights off and turned the lamp on. It didn’t even take long for me to drift back to my dreamland, which was my hometown, Totten’s Landing.

     Unlike the dream that I had when I fell asleep in the cab, the town square was now completely empty. There weren’t kids around with their mothers chasing after them. Even old man Buckley was nowhere to be found.

     As I walk around the abandoned town square, I suddenly hear screams from the distance. I head towards the sound and spot the abandoned house that I went to before, but this time, it was engulfed in flames. I could still hear screams, but I couldn’t find where it was coming from. I walk closer to the flames, the heat touching my skin as I continue walking towards the burning house. And as I got closer, I finally realize that the screams were actually coming from inside the house.

     The screams grew louder and louder as the flames engulf the house.

     I was about to reach my hand towards the door, but then I hear something shatter, and I immediately open my eyes and sit up from the bed, panting heavily while sweat drips down from my forehead.

     “ Shit… “ I mumble to myself before looking around this unfamiliar room. The window was blocked with plywood, but I could see sunlight peeking out from the gaps, indicating that it was already morning.

     The yellow light from the lamp practically blinds me, making me scratch my eyes as I take a deep breath and brush my hair back with my fingers before standing from the bed.

     As I stood up, I accidentally stepped on the suitcase that was on the floor. I curse at the person who decided to put it there, but I kneeled down and opened it anyway. The suitcase was empty, but then I unzip a secret compartment, revealing a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, a small container, and a bar of chocolate that has already melted.

     “Great,” I say with an annoyed expression, grabbing all the items from the suitcase and dumping them on top of the desk where the diary was.

     “Great,” I say again, but with a more sarcastic tone this time. Before reading what’s on the diary, I take a cigarette stick and light it up first. And as I place the cigarette inside my mouth, I lean towards the diary and read the entry.

     Exhaling the smoke from my mouth, I snicker and say, “Mr. M? What a dumb name.”

     After reading the entry, I grab the small container on the desk and walk inside the bathroom to face a mirror. Laughing at how I looked, I place the cigarette on the side and open the container that has a single brown contact lens.

     “Look at this little fucker,” I tell myself as I wear the contact lens, finally covering my blue eye. I stare at my own reflection for a couple of seconds when I suddenly heard keys chiming outside the room.

     I immediately take my cigarette and place it back inside my mouth again as I welcome a man with a hideous scar on his face. He was also wearing a dirty jumpsuit, which confused me because I thought this was the military man from last night, but now I’m not even sure.

     “Winter?” He asks as he stares at me with furrowed brows.

     I examine him from head to toe, inhaling the smoke and slowly letting it escape from my mouth before pulling it out with my index and middle finger. “Bishop…” I tell him, confusing him even more.

     The man tries to study the situation, so I take a step forward and lean my face close to his until there was only a couple of inches between us. And as he continues to stare at me, I place the cigarette back inside my mouth and inhale the smoke, heating up my cold and almost unreal body.

     With a grin on my face, I slowly exhale the smoke in front of him and properly introduce myself, “My name is Bishop, Bishop Lancaster. Now tell me, Mr. Smiley face…where the fuck am I?” 

to be continued…

(2) Hell House

• DISCLAIMER - 

I have thoroughly researched DID ( Dissociative identity disorder ) to the best of my abilities. I’ve read articles, journals, and research papers, and have watched educational videos and documentaries to get this as accurate as I can, but this does not mean I am a professional in any way. I discourage you to use this book as a basis for DID. This book is still a work of fiction and most of the things that happen here are based on pure imagination. Thank you.

⚕︎

“THERE ARE A TOTAL  of 58 rooms in this manor, while 32 are unusable. They’re either flooded or damaged after the war. Now out of the 26 usable rooms, there are five that you’re not allowed to enter. I’ll show them to you later after breakfast,” the man says as I follow behind him with my hands inside my pockets.

     “ How long is this fucking corridor? “ I ask with an annoyed expression, making the man look over his shoulder so he could face him.

     “Is there a problem?” He asks.

     I take a deep breath and pull a hand out of my pocket so I could scratch my neck. “How many people live in this dump?” I ask instead.

     The man looked annoyed, but he tries his best not to get affected by it as he says, “If I count you and Winter as one then there’s supposed to be five individuals living here. I just haven’t met the other one,” he answers, making me roll my eyes in irritation as soon as he mentioned Winter’s name.

     “By the way, what do people call you here?” I ask him next.

     The man turns his head away from me and continues walking with his back facing my direction. “My name is Marcelino, but you can call me—”

     “Lino,” I say, instantly making him stop walking. He then turns back around and looks at me with an angry expression. “That’s not how I want you to call me.”

(

NOTE: Lino is pronounced as /li/ like lee , and /no/ like the word no r, so lee-no. Marce lino .)

     “But that’s how I want to call you,” I stubbornly say. “There is no way in hell a twenty-four-year-old man like me will call you Mr. M. I’m not into role plays, so you better get used to getting called Lino before I start calling you Mr. smiley-face instead.”

    Lino looks at me with annoyance and irritation. “How can a twenty-four-year-old man have such a rotten mouth?” He asks before turning back in defeat. He starts walking away, so I immediately jog to his side so I could walk beside him instead of behind him.

     While we walk down the stairs, I glance at Lino and finally ask the question that I’ve been dying to ask since I first saw him. “So how did you get that scar? Did you cut it because you got tired of seeing a frown on your face, or did someone cut it for you?”

     “Do you not know how to shut up? You might be twenty-four now but I am still older than you. The only reason why I haven’t pulled your tongue out and minced it like garlic is because Winter was polite to me last night,” Lino says, and I almost thought that he was joking if it weren’t for the serious expression that’s on his face.

     I seriously almost vomited in front of him if I wasn’t able to swallow it down on time.

     “Winter? That weak good-for-nothing kid? Don’t believe any word he says. Don’t believe in his intelligence and his innocent demure. That kid’s a devil,” I warn him, but Lino wasn’t interested in what I was saying to him anymore.

     We both walk in silence until we arrive at a dining room fit for a king. It looked clean and expensive. Imagine how much this single room costs. “Please tell me you didn’t cook breakfast,” I say as I was about to take a seat at the dining table when Lino suddenly grabs me by the collar and pulls me away.

     “Hey! What gives?!” I complain as he starts dragging me towards a different room. It was actually the kitchen that had a small table on the side which I suspect would be where we’ll be eating since the table is already set. The plates, mugs, and chairs didn’t match either compared to how clean and organized the other dining room was.

     “So we eat in the poor dining room?” I ask as Lino finally lets go of my collar.

     It wasn’t exactly a clean kitchen, but it wasn’t dirty either. And the windows weren’t blocked up too so it was bright, bright enough to let me see the girl who was frying something that I suspect is scrambled eggs if it was yellow.

     “Adeline, you’re burning it!” Lino angrily scolds. He runs to the girl wearing a maid’s uniform and turns the stove off. I watch as the girl politely steps aside, most of her fingers covered with band-aids, which made me realize that the shattering sound that I heard when I woke up earlier must have come from her.

     “Sweetheart, if you’re planning to burn the house down, you’ll need more than a frying pan and some eggs,” I tell her before taking a seat at a table that’s only fit for four people. Like, why do they even have a large dining room like that if we’re not even going to use it?

     “This is Adeline,” Lino introduces before dumping the burnt eggs in the bin so he can start cooking new and better ones. “She moved in last year. She’s the head maid of this manor, and the temporary cook, but sadly she’s bad at both things.”

     “Head maid or the only maid?”

     I stare at the girl named Adeline and examine her from head to toe. Her eyes are black and her hair is a light brown color. Her face almost looked like a porcelain doll too. She’s small, maybe 4 feet something, and to top it all off, her expression was completely blank. It’s like if you scare her, she’d maintain a poker face and you’ll end up getting scared instead.

     “Hey,” I greet with a charming smile before giving her a wink.

     As expected, even that move didn’t work on her, so I turn back to my usual bored and unbothered expression and tell her, “What the hell happened to you, Wednesday Addams? Did someone kill your parents?”

     Lino immediately clears his throat and glares at me, mentally telling me that I crossed the line. Of course, I knew that I was just joking, so I shrug my shoulders and decide not to apologize.

     “Go take a seat, Adeline,” Lino says, and little Adie politely walks towards the table and takes a seat in front of me, her face still expressionless even if I continue to uncomfortably stare at her like I was some kind of perv.

     Adeline stares back at me with no hint of anything, so I look away from her in defeat. “Lino, something’s wrong with her,” I say while pointing my fork in her direction.

     Lino arrives with the scrambled eggs and places them in the middle of the table beside the toasts that thankfully didn’t get burned too. “Something’s wrong with you, “ Lino says instead, emphasizing the word you.

     I roll my eyes in annoyance, but I didn’t say anything anymore. I then lift the mug placed in front of me and hand it over to Adeline. “Adie, be a doll and make me some coffee.”

    Adeline was about to grab the mug and make coffee for me like how I asked, but then this annoying Lino suddenly snatches the mug and places it back on the table before taking his seat beside Adeline. “She doesn’t serve you,” he tells me.

     “She’s a fucking maid, you said it yourself,” I bicker back.

     “She is, but not for you. If you have forgotten Mr. Lancaster, you work here now too. That’s why you’re here. If you want coffee, you can find them in the cupboards. There’s also hot water in the kettle, assuming you know what a kettle is,” Lino says, making me gasp because I didn’t expect to be served some attitude this early in the morning.

     “For your information Mr. Smiley-face, I had no say in all this. It’s Winter’s fault for wanting to get cured by this plague doctor. He just wants to get rid of me,” I explain to him, but of course, Lino already knew about that.

     I don’t really know the full details, but Winter believes he’s getting cured by this plague doctor, and then he’ll be able to come back home after that, not knowing that we’re practically stuck here forever now. Though I’m fully aware that there’s no cure—believe me, I’ve learned that the hard way—I just let Winter believe what he wants to believe. At least let the innocent child have hope.

     “So you want to get rid of him, considering he’s just your other personality and you’re the main host,” Lino assumes, making me snort.

     “Winter is not my personality. Personalities are like a person’s characteristics, and we are well aware that he’s more than that. I’m not him, and I’m not fucking bipolar either. Winter is more of an alter; he’s a completely different person. He’s an alternate personality,” I correct Lino. “And I told you, Winter’s the one who wants to get treated by this doctor. I’m the one he’s trying to get rid of.”

     Lino and Adie instantly look at each other before looking back at me like I’m some type of idiot.

     “Is that even possible? You’re the host perso…alter…you have the most control, and Winter is, what, twelve? Your body belongs to a twenty-four-year-old man. How is that going to work out?” Lino asks, making me grin at him.

     “Well, ask little Winter. He wants to get rid of me because he’s weak. Unlike others with alters, Winter can’t come out as freely as he wants. I give the signal if he’s allowed to come out or not, but trust me, it’s often. I’m just too tired of living so I let him do the work,” I explain to them.

    Lino stares at me with a serious expression. He’s probably thinking that I’m joking, so I just start laughing so they’d continue to think that I’m just this crazy psycho. The last thing I want is to let them pity me because of what I said on the spur of the moment. “Anyway, if this doctor of yours is as great as everyone says he is, he’ll be able to make that happen, right?” I ask before standing up from my seat and finally making my own coffee since Lino won’t let Adie make one for me.

     “Well, we can’t really judge you for that. We’re all here for a reason, and your reason is as valid as ours,” Lino states, making me chuckle.

     Now holding the mug - that even has a crack - I start making my coffee. While my back was behind theirs, I tell them, “This doctor of yours must be very kind to house such damaged people. Will he be able to cure me though? Because other than my disorder, I have this sickness where my dick is always hard. It’s kind of concerning.”

     I wasn’t looking at them, but I could already feel the anger oozing out of Lino. If I said more, he might have already thrown his plate in my direction while I’m still not looking at them.

     “Come on, lighten up, it’s a joke,” I casually say as I turn around with the hot coffee in my hand, Lino looking at me with such an angry expression, just like how I expected him to.

     “We don’t joke about the master like that,” Lino warns me, making me roll my eyes as I take a seat.

     “You must be so indebted to him,” I say with a sarcastic tone before taking a sip of my coffee that almost burned my tongue. “So what’s my job then? Am I going to be a sex slave for this so-called doctor? Because I’d very much prefer that,” I jokingly say despite Lino’s warning, but no one at the table laughed.

     Tough crowd.

     “It all depends on the young master. You’ll be meeting him this afternoon so you best behave,” Lino tells me.

     “Behave? Oh darling I don’t do behave,” I say, reaching my feet towards Lino, touching his leg, and slowly dragging it upward so I can touch his crotch. But as I was about to do so, Lino suddenly grabs hold of my feet and aggressively thugs my leg, almost making me fall off the seat.

     His grip on my ankle was so strong that I couldn’t help but wince, but then the wince slowly escalates to a moan as I lick my lips while I lock my eyes on Lino, finally making him let go of me.

     “There is seriously something wrong with you,” Lino tells me with a disgusted look on his face, making me laugh.

     As Adie and Lino finally start eating in peace, I look back at the two and ask for the ketchup so I can put some on my eggs.

     “It’s at the counter,” Lino tells me, already set on the fact that he’s not going to do anything for me even though he was busy helping Adie put butter on her toast.

     “If you can put butter for her you can get me some ketchup,” I complain as I stand from my seat again to get the ketchup while Lino and Adie continue to ignore me like I didn’t exist.

     “By the way, who is this young master anyway? And why isn’t he here? All I know about him is that people call him the plague doctor, but is it true that he’s a real doctor, or is it just a title? Heard the guy’s actually a myth though so I’m not sure,” I ask as I start searching for the ketchup in the sea of spices and other condiments on this messy counter.

     As soon as I spot the ketchup, I grab it and walk back to the table, the two of them looking back at me like I was stupid, so I look at them with my right eyebrow raised as I ask, “What? Did I say something weird?”

     “You really don’t know anything?” Lino asks, and as I take a seat, he answers for me, “It isn’t just a title. The young master really is a doctor, but he doesn’t cure patients…”

     “What do you mean?” I ask, confused since a doctor is supposed to be curing patients. If that’s not what he’s doing, then what’s the point in calling him a doctor?

     Lino puts down his fork and leans closer to me, almost as if he was afraid that others would be listening and they’d hear what he’s about to say. “He makes them sick…” He finally reveals, surprising me. Honestly, with how this manor looks, and how even the cab driver didn’t want to go near it, I can make a quick guess that sketchy things happen here. But this? This was something that I didn’t expect to hear at all. Why on earth would someone purposely make people sick?

     “People call this manor the Hell House, and do you know why?” Lino then asks.

     I slowly take a sip of my coffee and shake my head as an answer.

     Lino leans even closer and says, “We house the greatest criminals in this country. When they receive the death penalty, they send them here to the Hell House. That’s why everyone in this town calls the master the Plague Doctor. If you ever see him, then it is certain that death will follow. And that…Bishop…is not a myth.”

….

“And these are the rooms,” Lino explains as we arrive at the third floor where I’m welcomed by a long hallway that has a dozen of doors, and an elevator at the end that I didn’t even notice earlier. The hallway would look normal if the doors were like the rest of the rooms, but the doors were made of metal, similar to what you see in prisons or mental hospitals. Each door is also labeled by number, which is 0-7.

     “These are the rooms that I told you about earlier. Rooms zero to four are the five rooms that you are not allowed to enter. They’re the private patient rooms,” Lino explains while we walk further down the hall.

     “Rooms five to seven on the other hand are the rooms that we always have to keep an eye on. They’re the Suicide Watch Rooms for the SWLs, or better known as the suicide watch list.”

    “ I should be in there then, “ I whisper to myself, and thankfully, Lino wasn’t able to hear it.

     “A date has not been certain yet, but as soon as the manor opens, eight death row criminals will be staying here. How long they’ll be staying here is unknown, but what is certain is that they’ll all die,” Lino then tells me as I approach room seven.

     Without Lino’s permission, I head inside the room. The room is plain concrete, and it felt gloomy. It has a single bed, a table and a desk, and a window. The windows in each room weren’t covered with plywood like the one in my room, except for room 0 which didn’t have a window at all. The windows were also facing the back of the manor, so when I approached it, I was surprised to see that there was actually a view of the ocean there, just below the mountain that we were on.

     “We’re close to the sea?” I ask in surprise.

     Lino walks behind me, and as I continue to stare at the view outside, I add, “Why do we have a suicide watch room if they’re going to die anyway? What’s the point?”

     “They’ll die when the master says they’ll die. If you have any more questions on how things work here, then you can ask the master about it later when he arrives.”

     I stare at the sea one last time before finally turning around to look back at Lino. “Anything else you want to show me…Mr. M?”

     “No, that will be all. You may tour the rest of the manor. As of now, we’re just waiting for the master to arrive, so do anything you want for the time being,” Lino tells me. Without even waiting for my response, he turns and walks away, leaving me alone in this depressing room.

     “If this was a suicide watch room, why’d they make it look so depressing? I’d kill myself in here even if I didn’t have suicidal tendencies,” I honestly tell myself before finally walking out of the room and closing it shut.

     I continue to explore the manor like what Lino said. Most of the rooms that I went to were completely empty, while some were either locked or blocked by plywood. The other rooms, on the other hand, were bedrooms, a music room, a library, and even a kid’s room that’s complete with a crib that’s surrounded by creepy dolls that children would definitely love.

     “I’m getting really tired,” I say, yawning as I enter another room. I wasn’t expecting much, but when I opened the door, I was surprised to see that it was actually an art studio.

     The scent of the paint and charcoal was familiar. The studio has at least four easels in the middle. Paintings were scattered everywhere, and even unfinished sculptures of faces and figures. Out of all the rooms that I’ve been in, this is the brightest, probably because it’s on the edge of the manor, giving it more windows.

     “Wow,” I say, looking around the paintings with awe while regretting the fact that I should have brought my cigarettes with me.

     As I continue to stare at the paintings, there was one particular painting that caught my eye, which was funny because I haven’t even seen it yet since it was covered in a not-so-clean white sheet. I approach the covered painting, getting ready to remove the cloth when someone suddenly enters the room, instantly making me stop. I was expecting it to be either Lino, or maybe even this master that I have not seen yet, but to my surprise, it was actually Adeline.

     “Oh, Adie, it’s just you,” I say as I approach her with a friendly smile.

     Adeline looked terrified when she spots me, but since Lino wasn’t here, I didn’t try to act creepy around this sixteen-year-old girl like earlier. The only reason why I was doing that was because I wanted to mess with Mr. Smiley face.

     “Hi, do you own this room?” I ask.

     Adeline backs away, but she still nods her head as an answer.

     “So you painted all this?” I ask back, and like earlier, Adie doesn’t say a single word and just nods her head again to answer my question.

     I awkwardly scratch the back of my head, trying to think of what I might be able to say so I could hear her voice, but then I had a perfect idea.

     I backed away from Adie and told her, “Wait here, I want you to meet someone.”

     Adie looks at me with her eyes furrowed as I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I concentrate on the darkness surrounding me, but then at the end of the darkness was a very bright light. I run towards the light, reaching out to it as much as I can until I was out of breath. And as I open my eyes back, I gasp, and I’m suddenly welcomed by a very pretty girl that I have not met yet.

     “Oh, H-Hello,” I shyly say, trying to compose myself as I look at where I am at the moment.

     The girl looks confused, but she then approaches me, staring at me from head to toe like she found me amusing.

     “I’m Winter Hollow.” I greet her, trying my best not to look lost because I really had no clue where I was.

     The girl continues to stare at me. Then to my surprise, she leans close, almost making me stumble back. And just as I was about to move away from her, the girl suddenly smiles and shows me her hand. With a soft voice, she tells me, “I’m Adeline. Nice to meet you, Winter.”

to be continued…

(3) Doctor’s Diagnosis

⚕︎

“AND THESE ARE THE  rooms,” Adeline says as we arrive at a corridor with iron doors. The atmosphere was gloomy, but at the same time, one could feel hopeful. Maybe I’m just thinking too much of it though.

     “For now, we’re not allowed to enter five of these rooms, but those at the end are for SWLs so we’re required to keep an eye on them as much as we can,” Adeline continues to explain.

     I stare at the said rooms and don’t dare come close to any of them. Adeline mentioned earlier that SWLs are patients that are suicidal. Knowing that somehow makes my stomach churn. It’s like knowing that a person is sick, but they don’t want to get cured and would rather just face euthanasia.

     “Adeline, how long have you been staying here?” I ask as the two of us finally walk away from the unnerving rooms.

     “A year and two months; when I was fifteen. During that time it was only me, Mr. M, and the master. Mr. M has been taking care of me and has been teaching me a lot of things during those times,” she answers.

     I look at her again, and her eyes suddenly seemed distant. I was about to say something about it, but then she blinks and quickly adds, “And the master is kind too.”

     Somehow, something about that last statement felt off, but I decide not to push her into explaining it to me further. Mr. M told me last night that Adeline has only spoken to him once, so it’s safe to say that Adeline is very conscious of others, which is why I have to be cautious around her too.

     “Is he kind because he gave you your own art studio?” I ask her instead.

     Adeline doesn’t say anything for a couple more seconds until we reach the stairs. As we walk down the steps, Adeline touches her chest and nods her head. “He said I have a talent. He saw me use mud to draw on the walls when I was at the greenhouse with Mr. M, so he made me start painting.”

     “Do you enjoy it?” I ask next, but Adeline doesn’t answer me anymore.

     We eventually reach the second floor, and I could tell that Adeline was starting to look uncomfortable, so I walk in front of her and show her a bright smile, making her look at me with furrowed brows.

     “You know what, I know someone who loves to paint. Her name is Alice. I thought she was good at it, but when I saw your paintings, I realize that she’s not so good after all! I was blatantly fooled!” I jokingly say, and Adeline stares at me before finally covering her mouth to hide her laugh.

     I smile in relief and move closer to her. I was about to ask Adeline if she could teach me how to paint, but then a quick and high-pitched bell was suddenly heard throughout the manor, surprising me. Adeline flinches at the sound too, and before I can even ask what the bell is for, Mr. M suddenly appears in front of us, his hands and clothes covered in dirt like he was gardening just moments ago.

     “Bishop, fix yourself. The master is here. He arrived earlier than I expected. He’s been gone for two weeks, so he’s probably tired and not in a good mood,” Mr. M suddenly tells me, making me widen my eyes from shock.

     “O-Oh no, Bishop isn’t here,” I tell him, and Mr. M angrily looks back at me, grabbing my arm and looking me straight in the eyes, probably checking if I was lying to him or not. But when I reacted to his strong hold, Mr. M immediately let go of me and takes a deep breath. “Call him back. The master has to meet Bishop, not you.”

     “But—”

     “Head to the lobby as soon as Bishop arrives. Adeline, let’s go,” Mr. M says, and before I can even say anything else, the two rush downstairs, leaving me standing helpless.

     I couldn’t move for a second, but as the bells continue to ring, I immediately run to my bedroom and headed to the desk where the diary is. Grabbing the pen tightly, I open the diary and write the words: Doctor is here after a two-week trip. Head to the lobby IMMEDIATELY!

     My hands start to tremble as I look around the empty bedroom. Letting go of the pen, I close my eyes and try to imagine a door. “Bishop…Oh, Bishop, please come out,” I say, shutting my eyes tightly as I desperately try to switch back to him.

     I wasn’t like Bishop. I didn’t have full control over us, and unlike him, I’m not aware of anything that happens when we switch. I just hope he hears me out now because I don’t want to get in trouble on my very first meeting with the doctor.

     “Bishop, please come out,” I desperately say, but nothing was happening.

     “I-It’s not working.”

     I was starting to get nervous, and it seems like Bishop doesn’t want to come out even if I force him to, so I bite my lower lip hard and decide to just pretend to be him. After having such a daring resolve, I grab the doorknob to face the doctor myself, but then my eyes practically roll backward. I lose my balance for a quick second, and when I steady my footing, I look around and realize that I was back in my bedroom.

     “How troublesome,” I say, touching my lower lip and wiping the blood off.

     Bells were ringing everywhere, and I grab the diary on the desk and read what was written on it. “So the doctor’s finally here?” I ask as I put the diary back. “And I was already sleeping so soundly,” I added, stepping out of the bedroom with an annoyed look. 

     As soon as I close the door behind me, the bell stops ringing, and I finally run downstairs.

     The manor is quiet, and as I was making my way to the first floor, I spot Adie and Lino standing in front of the main entrance, looking all serious. I immediately walk to their side, and there I spot the infamous plague doctor, the myth himself, Giovanni de Vincenzo, standing in front of the entrance.

     “ Shit, “ I curse, stopping beside Lino who was moments away from hitting the back of my head since I was sweating after running all the way here.

     Dr. Giovanni doesn’t say anything as he approaches the three of us. He was tall and a bit lean. He was wearing a black suit and a pair of black leather gloves too, and of course, the mask that everyone seems to be afraid of, which looked like a bird’s beak.

     He got closer to us, and I could instantly smell alcohol and women’s perfume on him. His presence was no doubt intimidating despite not being able to see his face.

     “Welcome back, young master,” Lino says before respectfully bowing to him. Adie does the same, so I had no choice but to bow too even though I didn’t want to.

     The doctor remains silent as we stood back up. He then looks in my direction and suddenly shows me his suitcase. I stare at the suitcase with furrowed brows, making Lino angrily nudge my side. I finally got the picture and instantly grab it from his hand. After that, he turns around and starts walking away. With a surprisingly low voice, he says, “Follow me.”

     I didn’t know why but I flinched like a bitch when I heard him speak. I look back a Lino and Adie, and Lino angrily looks at me and mouths the words, “ Just fucking go. “

     “ Okay, okay ,“ I stubbornly say before following behind the plague doctor slash master of the manor.

     We head upstairs in awkward silence, and even though I don’t usually act this way, I couldn’t say a single word to him. I couldn’t even think of a clever punchline that would break the ice. It’s almost like I’m afraid of him even though I just met him.

     “Bishop?” He suddenly calls out, and the way my name rolled out his tongue made me shiver.

     “Y-Yes,” I answer, almost cursing at myself for stuttering like that. Like, why am I suddenly acting like this? He literally only said a single word. It’s not like he’s interrogating me.

     I waited for him to add something since I thought he only called out for me, but I’m guessing he called my name to see if I actually am Bishop. It would make sense though since he hasn’t met Winter or my other alters yet.

     After a few more steps, we finally reach a door. The doctor pulls out a key from his pocket and opens it. I was expecting it to be his bedroom, but when I followed him inside, I was surprised to see that we were actually in a well-maintained office, or more like a counseling room.

     “You can place my suitcase at the desk,” he says, and I immediately head to the desk that’s filled with folders and books.

     The doctor, on the other hand, takes a box from the shelves of boxes and pulls it out before telling me, “You can take a seat.”

     I place the suitcase on the desk like he said and take a seat on the sofa while doctor Giovanni starts pulling out different files from the box. I didn’t really say anything, but then he says, “If you’re wondering, your mother sent me these. They’re your medical records.”

     “Oh…” was the only thing I could say as I watch him pull more paperwork from the box.

     Doctor Giovanni continues to look through the folders and starts scanning through them one by one. Afterward, he takes a notebook and pen and takes a seat on the sofa that’s directly adjacent to where I’m seated.

     “So, shall we begin?” He suddenly asks. I awkwardly scratch the back of my head and tell him, “I heard you just came back from a two-week trip. Shouldn’t you rest first before doing this? You might diagnose me wrong.”

     The doctor was silent as soon as he hears my question. I couldn’t really see his face thanks to the mask, but I could tell that he was staring back at me with an unimpressed look.

     “You shouldn’t concern yourself with my well-being. That’s supposed to be my job,” he finally answers, and I decide to just shut my mouth because it seems like whatever I say wouldn’t matter to him.

     “Alright, let’s begin by asking if all of you are comfortable with truthfully answering personal and medical questions. Do you give me consent to ask you such questions and to record or note them down?” He asks straight off the bat.

     Seriously, this isn’t how I thought our first meeting would be.

     “I’m not sure about the record part, but the note-taking is fine…” because why not? I can’t really answer for the rest of them, but we’re already here anyway. I’m pretty sure all of them are well aware of why we’re even here, to begin with.

     “Okay then,” he says as he opens his notebook to an empty page. “Now, if we arrive at a question you don’t wish to answer, you don’t have to lie and make something up for the sake of answering them. Instead, you say the words, ‘I don’t want to answer that,’ or ‘I’ll answer it next time.’ Rest assured, anything you say or do here will not leave this room, is that understood?” he asks next, and I nod my head in response.

     Doctor Giovanni sits straight, stares at his watch, and waits for a couple more seconds before clicking it. He then looks back at me and says, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Bishop Lancaster. My name is Giovanni de Vincenzo, but you can call me doctor Giovanni, or any nickname that would make you feel comfortable.”

     “Will doctor Van be alright then?” I ask, and the doctor nods his head and starts asking me the serious questions.

     “When did you first get diagnosed?” he finally asks.

     I didn’t even think about it as I automatically answer, “I don’t know the exact year, but I was diagnosed when I was fourteen by a doctor named Harvey Steward. It went on for eight years.”

     Doctor Van notes it down and asks next, “Are you aware of how many personalities you have?”

     “Before I answer that, can I just say that I prefer to call them alters or identities? Personality is just a bit…”

     “I understand,” doctor Van quickly says, and then he corrects himself and asks again, “Are you aware of how many alters you have?”

     I grin at the doctor’s consideration and finally answer, “I honestly only know of Winter, which is the young one. Dr. Steward said I have four more, but I only ever conversed with Winter. If that makes any sense.”

     “So you’re only aware of the little one. That’s common since hosts usually aren’t aware of most of their alters,” doctor Van tells me.

     He writes something down in his notebook again before looking back at me. “Do you know what must have triggered this disorder? What happened when you were younger that made your alters appear?”

     The question instantly puts a frown on my face, and I immediately tell him, “I don’t want to answer that.”

     True to his words, doctor Van doesn’t force me to answer the question and just nods his head in understanding. He then takes a folder and opens it up before asking next, “Will it be alright if I talk to Winter?”

     “Are you bored of me already?” I jokingly ask with a flirtatious tone, but doctor Van doesn’t react and patiently waits for me to actually call for Winter.

     Since there’s nothing much for me to do, I scoff at the dry response and decide to just get this over with. Like always, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. The room is silent and warm around us, and as I hear cracking sounds from the burning house that suddenly appeared behind me, I immediately open my eyes as I gasp for air.

    Touching my chest that’s beating fast, I look around at yet another unfamiliar room. And when I looked at the front, I almost jolted off my seat when I saw a man sitting in front of me.

     It was the plague doctor.

     “Winter? Winter Hollow?” The doctor suddenly asks with a surprisingly comforting tone.

     I touch my arm and immediately sit up straight before nodding my head to answer him.

     The doctor has a mask on so I couldn’t really tell what face he was making. But then he lowers his body a little, almost like he was leveling me instead of looking too uptight. I can tell he’s trying to make me feel comfortable.

     “It’s nice to meet you, Winter. I’m doctor Giovanni de Vincenzo, but Bishop said he prefers to call me doctor Van. Is that alright with you?” He asks, and I nod my head again to answer him.

     “Do you know why you’re here, Winter?”

     “Yes.”

     “Did Bishop tell you?” he asks next, but I shake my head to tell him no.

     The doctor tilts his head to the side and writes something down. With his head still focused on the notebook he’s holding with his other hand, he asks, “Did someone else tell you, or are you able to remember the things that happened to Bishop?”

     I look around the room again before fixing my eyes back on doctor Van. “W-well…Autumn told me.”

     As soon as I said the name Autumn, doctor Van immediately wrote it down in his notebook, as if he’d forget if he didn’t do it now.

     “Autumn? Is this another alter?”

     I nod my head and explain, “Yes, she is. She’s our caretaker, and she’s also the oldest among us. When Bishop was talking to you, she was telling me what was happening so I’d be able to know.”

     “I see. Then is it possible to talk to Ms. Autumn?”

     “No, she doesn’t want to. Autumn is seventy-two years old, and most of the time she’s tired and is resting, which is why she rarely comes out. It’s actually been a while since I was able to talk to her. She must have known I needed her help,” I explain to him further, and doctor Van nods his head again and writes it down in his notebook.

     After about two minutes, the doctor puts down his pen and looks back at me. “Okay, then let’s go back to my other question. Do you get to remember what Bishop does when he’s in control? Or is Autumn the only means for you to know them?”

     “I only know because of Autumn, or some subtle hints I get when I come out. I can’t see what Bishop does, but he can. But he says when we switch he goes to sleep, so he doesn’t usually see what I’m doing. That’s why I always write in my diary, so he’d know what happens when he wakes up.”

     “So he’s watching us right now, assuming he’s awake.”

     “Probably.”

     Doctor Van writes something down again, but it was shorter than earlier.

     “How many alters are there in your system, Winter?” He continues to ask.

     I pause for a moment and try to remember them again. When I was sure, I look back at the doctor and answer, “Five, including Bishop.”

     Without looking back at me, doctor Van doesn’t even stop writing as he asks, “Can you name them for me?”

     I pause again and put my fingers up to enumerate them one by one. “Well there’s me, Bishop the host, Autumn the caretaker who takes care of us, me especially, and then there’s Alice and Krimson. That’s five in total.”

     Doctor Van doesn’t say anything and starts writing long notes in his notebook. It took him a couple more minutes before finally looking back at me.

     “Alice and Krimson, what do they do?” He asks next, which I already expected.

     “Alice is the strong one. She only comes out when she believes something traumatic or scary will happen to us. She’s like our protector, and none of us can call her out,” I answer.

     “And Krimson?”

     The next question makes me flinch, and I honestly didn’t know what to say when the doctor told him that. I know that I’m not supposed to lie to him, but I have to answer his questions since he’s here to cure us.

     “Winter, you don’t have to answer the question if—”

     “Krimson is the scary one,” I immediately say, making the doctor pause.

     I gulp and look around cautiously, afraid that someone might hear me. When I knew that I was safe, I lean closer to doctor Van and explain to him in a softer voice, “Krimson’s the one who doesn’t cooperate with us the most. He…he says mean things to us, and he’s violent. Thankfully he rarely appears, just like Autumn and Alice. That’s why I only really talk to Bishop. Bishop is kind to me.”

     Doctor Van was writing something in his notebook while I was talking, but when he heard my last statement, he stops and looks back at me.

     “He’s kind to you?” He asks, and I immediately nod my head.

     With a sad smile, I tell him, “He wants to help cure me. Bishop has wanted to kill himself multiple times but he stops himself because he doesn’t want me to die too. Even though he acts like he’s annoyed by me, he’s done a lot of things for my sake, which is why I always do my best whenever he gives me the chance to come out.”

     The doctor must have been surprised by what I said because he doesn’t say anything for at least ten seconds. After letting it sink in, he clears his throat and looks down at his notebook again. “Do you know what happened in the past? Any trauma that you think caused you to appear? Or a reason why Bishop would want to kill himself?”

     As I hear the question, I furrow my brows and think about any traumatic experience that might have happened in the past, but I couldn’t really remember anything clearly.

     “I…I’m not sure. I don’t remember any traumatic experience,” I honestly say, and I think he knows that I’m not lying to him because he doesn’t ask me any more questions.

     Doctor Van adjusts himself in his seat again and closes his notebook. “Thank you, Winter. You really helped me a lot,” the doctor says, and I could tell that he was giving me a small smile because of how his voice changed a little.

     So I smile back at him before closing my eyes and letting the warm atmosphere consume me. “ I’m done now Bishop ,“ I whisper, and a door appears in front of me in an instant. I take a deep breath and walk towards the door. I reached for the doorknob, but when I grabbed it, I felt the burning heat, instantly making me open my eyes back.

     I look up and see the doctor staring at me, probably with great curiosity.

     I take a deep breath and brush my hair back with my fingers before comfortably lumping myself on the sofa. “Can’t believe he actually mentioned Krimson. That kid is too afraid of him so I thought he’d keep it a secret.”

     “So you haven’t really met Krimson yet, Bishop?” doctor Van asks me, making me look back at him.

     “Nah, I blackout when he comes out,” I casually answer.

     I was expecting him to ask me about it further, but he doesn’t say anything about it anymore and looks back at his watch before clicking on it, just before grabbing another folder. 

     While looking at the contents of the folder, he says, “There hasn’t been any research on how many identities there are for an average person, but five can be a handful. To be honest with you, you cannot remove alters, and you cannot fuse them all together either. There is now a permanent system inside you, but unlike what others think, this can be an advantage.”

     Advantage?

     “The best I can do for you is help organize your system so you can live together harmoniously. We’ll start with system mapping first to better understand all the alters. There might even be one or two more alters that your old doctor wasn’t able to meet, but I’m impressed that he was even able to identify five within eight years. Most of the time it takes a couple more years to even meet three,” doctor Van explains to me before standing up from the sofa.

     He heads to his desk and places his notebook and the other files in the other folders. He then takes another notebook from his drawer and writes something down. “We’ll have your session every Wednesday. We’ll conduct it here so I can hopefully observe all the alters to fully be familiar with them.”

     I wasn’t sure if he was expecting me to answer, but I just nod my head even though he wasn’t really looking at me.

     “So, are you telling me you can cure me?” I then ask him, and doctor Van immediately closes his notebook and looks back at me.

     “As I was saying, there is no cure for personality disorders, or whatever you wish to call it. But if we can fix the system, there’s one solution that everyone may agree on, and that’s allowing you to freely own this body while they continue living in their own world in peace. This can be a difficult task as it needs the consent of all the alters, and it seems like you have an alter that can be a problem to that,” the doctor explains, and that instantly made me stand from my seat as well.

     “N-No…that’s not what we agreed on,” I immediately tell him.

     Doctor Van takes a deep breath and puts all the folders back inside the box.

     “Your mother told me to get rid of Bishop and keep Winter. I hope you’re aware of how ridiculous that is,” he suddenly tells me, making me clench my fist in anger.

     “Then what’s the point of me coming here? I don’t want you to cure me, I want you to cure Winter. Can’t you do that?” I insist, even though I know that he’s right.

     Doctor Van doesn’t say anything and walks in front of me, instantly towering over me. I was expecting him to at least make up a lie so I could give Winter some sort of fake hope, but doctor Van doesn’t answer me at all and says instead, “I don’t want to answer that.”

     “B-But-”

     “I told you, we don’t lie when we’re in here,” he says with a low voice, making me gulp at how dominating his presence is. I couldn’t even say anything anymore after that.

     “Session’s over. Now get my suitcase and follow me. I’ll tell you what your role is in this manor. And whatever it is, you’re not allowed to complain. That’s your doctor’s payment after all.”

to be continued…

(4) Young Master

⚕︎

I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST the mysterious type. Honestly, they sometimes even turn me on. The mysteriousness is a hot trait, but for some reason, this plague doctor is creeping me out more than anything. And for someone who is sexually influenced by a lot of things, that says a lot.

     “Are you afraid of me, Mr. Bishop?” Doctor Van suddenly asks, immediately making me look back at him.

     Doctor Van was walking towards a bookcase. I thought we were leaving the room, but it looks like he’s planning to read something first.

     “Afraid is such a… strong …word, doctor Van. I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of you,” I answer him, and the doctor suddenly chuckles in such a low tone that it made the hair on my skin stand.

     Doctor Van doesn’t say anything to me anymore and suddenly pulls a book out of the bookshelves. To my surprise, the shelf was actually a hidden door that showed a different room. It surprised me because I thought you’d only see such things in movies. It actually looks pretty cool in real life.

     “Let’s continue our discussion somewhere else.”

     The doctor heads inside, so I naturally follow behind him. Beneath the shelves was a bedroom; a bedroom that’s bigger than mine, which would only mean that this is his, considering how fancy it all looks.

     “Place my suitcase at the table and take a seat,” he tells me before closing the hidden door.

     I look around the room and spot the side table that has empty bottles of gin and an ashtray filled with cigarette buds. Compared to his well-maintained office, his room was the opposite. I push the bottles aside and place the suitcase on top of it before looking around the room again to check where I could take a seat like what he said.

     “ He said to take a seat, but take a seat where? “ I whisper confusingly to myself. Unless I decide to sit on the floor, the only flat surface I could sit on is his bed, which I don’t think is a good idea. There’s actually a single chair too, but the chair’s filled with books, and I’m also not sure if I’m allowed to touch his things.

     “Uhm…” I awkwardly scratch the back of my head, hoping the doctor would notice that I can’t really sit anywhere. When he finally turns around to face me, I was expecting him to apologize and clear the chair for me, but instead, he says, “Why aren’t you taking a seat yet?”

     I sigh in defeat and just walk to his enormous bed to take a seat on the edge of it. I was sitting straight and proper like I was some kind of virgin waiting to taste the forbidden fruit for the first time, and that pissed me off somehow. I can’t believe this doctor has control over me while doing the bare minimum.

     “I don’t want to waste any more of your time so I’ll cut to the chase,” doctor Van says as he approaches his suitcase to open it.

     “I made a deal with your mother, and that deal was the make Winter my patient, in exchange for you to become my direct employee,” he explains, making me furrow my brows because of the term he used.

     What does he mean by a  direct employee?

     “Because of this, I want to make sure some things are clear between us,” he says before pulling different types of medicine out of his suitcase, nervously making me gulp.

     While trying to act like I wasn’t moments away from getting drugged, the doctor still doesn’t look at me as he continues, “Winter is my patient, which means when you are working, you are not allowed to call him out. The only time you can call him out is during our session, which is on Wednesday. Of course, you can’t control the others, but I’m not going to allow Winter to work on your behalf. Is that clear?”

      The question wasn’t even hard, but my stupid-ass self starts to stutter. “Y-Yes, sir…I mean…doctor.”

     “One more thing,” he adds before finally looking back at me. “You can only call me doctor during the session, but when we’re outside, you must address me as young master, or simply just master.”

     Seriously, what’s with the kinky pet names in this manor?

     “Of course…master. No problem with that.”

     “Good.”

     The room becomes awkward again as I patiently wait for the doc..master to do something. When he looked like he was finished unpacking who knows what, he finally looks back at me and asks, “Do you have any questions so far?”

     He was still wearing the mask, but for some reason, I could tell that he was looking at me with such an intense gaze, almost like he was examining me.

     “W-well, what is my job here exactly? You said something about direct employees too. What does that mean?” I finally ask him, and the master takes the books off the chair and places them on the floor before taking a seat for himself.

     “I’m assuming that you already know this, but the Hell House houses the most gruesome criminals in the country. This manor has not opened for three years now because, within those years, I have traveled around the world just to look for the right patients to take,” master explains.

     As he was explaining, the young master suddenly starts unbuttoning his coat, making me stare at his slender fingers that are still covered with leather gloves.

     “Two weeks ago, I finally acquired my last patient, which means the manor can finally open again. About a total of thirty additional employees will be arriving soon. They consist of psychiatric nurses, psychologists, and guards.”

     Wait a damn minute. Did this fool just say…thirty?

     “Those are my indirect employees, which means they solely work for doctor Giovanni. As for you, Adeline, and Marcelino, you are my direct employees,” he explains further as he starts undoing his necktie this time.

     The master must have noticed how confused I looked so he adds, “My direct employees work for not only doctor Giovanni but for me too.”

     Okay, now I’m hella confused.

     Am I not the only one with a split personality here?

     “If you’re wondering, no, your case isn’t similar to mine,” he suddenly tells me, almost like he read my mind. “It’s for safety reasons. It’s what keeps the people of this town from barging in here and burning the manor.”

     “I…I don’t seem to follow,” I honestly say, and the master chuckles again.

     I didn’t really know what was going on, but to my surprise, he suddenly starts removing his mask.

     My heart starts beating fast for some reason, and I honestly was expecting to see an old unattractive man to welcome me. But as I wait in agony, my jaw automatically drops, and my body stiffens as soon as I see an unimaginably handsome man in front of me.

     His eyes were sharp and intimidating, his skin looked like it was kissed by the sun, and his lips…

     “How breathtaking,” I unconsciously say out loud, making the man in front of me smirk.

     My heart drops again, and just when I thought he was going to make fun of how I reacted, he stands from his seat and walks towards me. I couldn’t look away from him even if I wanted to. 

     I guess now I understand why he covers his face with a mask. His looks can literally kill. 

     “My real name is Claudio Romano, the young master of the Romano family that rules this little town called Capo di Monte. And you, Mr. Bishop Lancaster, will be my new loyal butler,” he finally reveals, moving close until I was tilting my head to look up at him.

     My god, he could just grab a handful of my hair now and I’d devour his entire body until nothing is left of him.

     “Loyalty is everything to me, Bishop. It’s what keeps the manor running. One wrong slip and all our hard work will come crashing down before I can even finalize my studies. It’s that important to me Bishop, but you won’t disappoint me, right?” he asks, his voice suddenly softer than before.

     For some reason, I couldn’t think straight as I continue to drown myself in his hypnotizing brown eyes.

     When did I even become so poetic?

     “Never…master Claudio,” I unconsciously answer.

     The master grins in satisfaction before finally moving away from me. “We’re going to be busy soon so prepare yourself,” he says. “Now if you don’t have any more questions, you may leave. I would like to rest before lunch,” he finishes, but somehow, I still couldn’t move from the bed.

     The master starts unbuttoning his shirt this time, but before I could see anything that would make me lose my sense of reason, master Claudio looks back at me and says, “Did you not hear me, or are you going to help me strip?”

     I get my senses back in an instant and immediately stood from the bed. “Rest well master,” I quickly tell him before finally running out of the room, slamming the door shut and leaning on it as I touch my pounding chest. My quick encounter with the doctor slash master felt like a lucid dream. Everything that happened just went by so fast that all the information that I got from it practically jumped out of my head.

     “What the fuck just happened?” I ask myself before running down the hall.

     I ran around the manor like a lost kid until I reached the ground floor. I head out at the back of the manor and spot a glass-like building that I presume is the greenhouse. Without thinking about it, I head to the said greenhouse. Everything at the manor was gloomy, but when I arrived inside, I couldn’t help but be surprised by how beautiful it was.

     The greenhouse was filled with plants and flowers that I have never seen before, and amidst the roses and the daisies was a scary-looking man named Marcelino, who was watering the plants with a cigarette stick in his mouth.

     “Lino!” I shout as I run to him.

     Lino instantly looks annoyed. And before he could even scold me, I tell him, “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that the master is hot?! He’s like a sex god!”

     Lino hits my head with his watering can as soon as I was done talking, making me look at him with an angry expression that he didn’t really pay much attention to because he started watering the plants again.

     “How many times do I have to tell you that you’re not allowed to disrespect the master like that?” Lino asks, making me snort.

     “I was obviously complimenting him. I thought he was going to be an old man. The plague doctor is a legendary myth after all, and I think you have to be old enough to be called a myth,” I defend, but Lino doesn’t say anything about it anymore.

     Lino continues to ignore me, so I squat on the floor and watch him do whatever he was doing.

     “I’m so tired!” I start complaining this time. “I just want to go inside and let Winter take over, but that damn Claudio said I’m only allowed to call for him during our sessions.”

     Lino looks back at me and starts watering me instead of the plants, making me move away from him.

     “Refrain from calling him by his first name. It might become a habit and you’d accidentally call him that. If you call him by that name while he’s wearing his mask, you’d wish you would have just kept your mouth shut,” Lino warns me while I wipe the water on my face with my shirt.

     “Fine, whatever,” I say indefeat, and Lino goes back to watering the plants.

     “By the way,” he then says without even looking at me. “What job did the master give you? Hopefully you’re not the cook.”

     “Believe me, if I was the cook even the master wouldn’t be able to cure us if I accidentally poison you with what I make,” I tell him, finally making Lino look back at me.

     “So you’re the butler?”

     “Are there any other jobs for me to take?”

     “No, it’s just the maid, gardener, butler, and cook. You’re lucky you didn’t get my job, but I guess I can’t say the same to the job you were assigned to,” Lino explains, making me cross my arms before looking back at him with a more serious expression.

     “This is seriously confusing me. What’s with all the gimmick? Why is master Claudio living the double life? Why is everyone afraid of the doctor’s version of him?” I ask.

     Lino pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and looks at the flowers in front of him. Smoke escapes from his lips, and I honestly thought that he was going to answer my question, but then he tells me instead, “I don’t know.”

     “What? What do you mean you don’t know?”

     “I only came here a year before Adeline arrived. I don’t know much about the master,” Lino answers, making me sigh because I could tell that he’s not lying to me at all.

     “Looks like we’re all just blindly following him,” I say before reaching out for the yellow flower in front of me. “So what are you? What sickness do you have in exchange for your service to him?”

     Lino was quiet for a while after hearing my question, but then he puts the cigarette back in his mouth and answers, “Master Claudio…he saved my life.”

     I was honestly surprised by what he said, but I didn’t say anything about it yet. I wanted him to share more.

     “Everything was a blur, but I remember that I was on the brink of death when the master found me. He treated my wounds, clothed me, fed me, and gave me a place to stay. I swore loyalty to him because of that,” Lino explains.

     I continue to stare at the yellow flower in my hand before looking back at Lino. “So does that make him a good man?” I honestly ask him.

     Lino puts the watering can down and pulls out his cigarette before exhaling the smoke. “Is he a good man?” He asks, repeating the question. “What makes a good man anyway? Does saving someone make you a good man? I don’t know, but there is one thing I am sure of…”

     Lino pauses and looks back at me with a more serious expression.

     “Master Claudio is a good man who does evil things to achieve what he believes is right. That kind of man is what I fear the most,” he tells me, and I finally stood up from the floor to face Lino.

     “Then you did not swear loyalty to him,” I say. “He sold you fear masked in an act of what you thought was goodwill. And you, a broken man, had foolishly bought it.”

to be continued…

(5) Intimate Sketch [m]

⚕︎

THE MANOR WAS ONCE  again filled with silence as I make my way to my assigned bedroom. Lino told me to scram when I told him that our young master was only using him, and Adie was busy preparing lunch, which I hope wouldn’t end up killing me later because of how awful the kitchen smelled when I walked by it earlier.

     “What to do…what to do…”

     I skip my way down this long hallway like a princess, touching the old wallpaper on the wall that almost peeled off as my fingers press against them. As much as I don’t like the idea of working for someone I barely know just because my mother wants to kill me off, I’m glad I get to enjoy this newfound freedom that I have now.

     Back then I was forced to stay inside our house like I had some type of disease. Our neighbors hated me and spent most of their time making up rumors that made our entire family an outcast. The rumors actually got so bad that my mother started covering our windows with newspaper, making our entire house pitch black.

     I remember back then when mom and I bought bread and the baker purposely gave her molded ones. When she asked if we could change them, the baker lashed out at us and threw flour at her face. I laughed of course, but when I really think about it, I kinda pity her too. Just because of me, people tend to act like she gave birth to a devil.

     My father, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. He was a military man, and whenever he was home we were untouchable. People feared my father. He walked around with a gun in his hand and he’d point it at people who’d give us strange looks. He spent most of his time in our basement though so I rarely get to see him.

     He eventually went back to the military, and it’s been exactly eleven years since then. Others say he died during the war, but my mother thinks he ran away and found another woman so he could start a much more normal family. Who knows? It’s not like I care anyway.

     “Winter, I hope you know I’ve been dying to let you out but that damn doctor wouldn’t let me,” I complain out loud, not even scared if master Claudio ends up hearing me.

     When I finally got to my bedroom, I head inside and walk to the bathroom to face the mirror. I stare at myself for a couple of seconds before I started laughing like a total maniac.

     “I look like shit,” I say before washing my hands and removing my brown contact so I could put them back in the container. As soon as I removed it, I look back at the mirror again, staring at my differently colored eyes. I clench my fist in anger and try my best not to punch my own reflection like last time. My long nails were buried in my palm, and the pain finally made me stop.

     I wash my face with cold water and wipe it with my shirt before walking to the desk where the diary is. I grab the pen and diary and skim through the pages one by one as I take a seat at the edge of the bed.

     Most of the entries here are from Winter. A couple of them were mine, but I couldn’t really say they were entries because I only wrote short phrases. Phrases like “ I met up with… “, “ Mother scolded me because of… “ or “ I broke a vase, don’t tell anyone. “

     I chuckle to myself when I spot an actual note that I wrote using my finger and some mud since I couldn’t find any pen around at that time. The note said “ Mom brought a man home, his name is Ricardo Mendez. DO NOT approach Ricardo. He’s the man with a bald spot on top of his head. You’ll know who I’m talking about when you see him. “

     After scrolling through the entries, I eventually arrive at an empty page. Thinking that Winter— that sensitive little fucker—might get confused about why I didn’t allow him to come out for an entire week, I decided to finally write my first diary entry to explain to him the situation.

June 18, 1952

Dear y̶o̶u̶ l̶i̶t̶t̶l̶e̶ p̶i̶e̶c̶e̶ o̶f̶   Winter,

After careful deliberation, I decided to write you this entry. Strange, isn’t it?

As you may have already known, we met up with Doctor Van. He said we’ll be meeting up with him every Wednesday, but that means that you’re not allowed to come out during the other days of the week since I’ll be working…as his butler. I’m sure you’ll be bored, but what am I supposed to do?

Anyway, I guess that’s it. Don’t tire Autumn too much, you already know how old that h̶a̶g̶ woman is. And if you end up meeting Krimson in there, kick him in the balls and run.

See you in a week.

• B. Lancaster

     I stare at the letter with satisfaction and close the diary again before standing from the bed to put the diary and pen back.

     “What the hell am I supposed to do now?” I ask myself with a tired tone. But before I could even die in boredom, I suddenly remember the art studio that I was in before Adie came. If I remember correctly, it’s just at the top of this floor. So without wasting any more time, I head upstairs to the studio, which was conveniently just a hall away from master Claudio’s office slash bedroom.

     I enter the studio, and like earlier, I was once again welcomed with the strong smell of paint. The room was brighter than earlier, and the covered painting that I saw was no longer there.

     “Damn, I wanted to see what it was.”

     Adie probably took it away since she saw how I was about to take a peak earlier. I wanted to hear her talk too, but I was kind enough not to listen when she and Winter were talking. It’s not like I’ll lose anything anyway.

     As I continue to look around the studio, I stumbled upon an old notebook on the shelves where other sketchbooks could be found. I opened the notebook - expecting to see something interesting inside - but I was only disappointed when the notebook was actually empty. There were ripped pages and nothing more.

     I sigh in defeat and take a seat at a creaking chair in front of a drawing desk that’s adjacent to a window. Now that it was morning, the view of the forest was surprisingly breathtaking. On the side of the drawing table was a bunch of pencils. I wasn’t really artistically motivated since Alice was the one who loved painting, but I drew whenever I had the chance.

     To kill time, I decided to draw something on this notebook that I found. At first, I couldn’t think of the right subject to draw, but as I close my eyes to think of something, an image suddenly appears in front of me.

     It was master Claudio Romano.

     The way he stared at me made my heart skip a beat. His scent was strong and captivating, his lips were pink and soft, and his eyes almost begged me to just strip in front of him so he could get a taste of me.

     I wanted him to touch me with those slender fingers and just call my name in his low-toned voice.

     “ Bishop… “ I remember him saying.

     A tingling sensation crawls up my spine, and I instantly open my eyes back, panting heavily as if I ran a marathon.

     I immediately place the notebook in front of me and grab a pencil. Before I could even forget the vivid image I have in my head, I start drawing him, tracing every detail that I saw just a couple of minutes ago.

     My hand moves on its own, almost like someone was controlling it for me.

     It took me at least thirty minutes to finally finish the sketch. And when it was over, I couldn’t help but be impressed by my own work despite not being able to catch his beauty accurately. This was Claudio Romano, not the polite doctor that I was with at the office.

     This was the young master who looked at me with such an intense gaze. A gaze so intimate it melted my entire being in an instant.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/2e2a8b5a9ee46c41fb675269912567dc6cec34b8/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f42486c79333664425a7a52645f673d3d2d313133383536393035362e313661623734323236373434353665663638363833353239373432362e6a7067)

    “Oh, Claudio…” I say as I touch the sketch that I just made, only pressing my fingers on it gently to not make a smudge.

     As I continue to stare at it with awe, something suddenly starts building up in me. My body heats up, and I look down and realize that there was already a huge bulge underneath my pants.

     I gulp and grab a hold of the bulge, gently massaging it with my fingers as my toes start to curl up. I look down at the desk again and was welcomed by the image of Claudio. His eyes look back at me, and I felt another shiver down my spine.

     Without even thinking about it, I finally unzip my pants and pull out my pulsating penis from my undergarment. It was almost dripping when I saw it. It was dying to be touched by something warm.

     Now with my left hand gripping on the edge of the desk, I run my sweaty right hand down my belly until I reach my manhood. I grab hold of it and move my hand in an upward-downward motion.

    I bite on my lower lip and look at the view in front of me before looking down at my sketch again. The sight of his face automatically made my hand move even faster.

     How sinful am I to start masturbating over a man I just met this morning. Will god ever forgive me for this?

     “ Master…I want more of you master… “ I whispered underneath my breath.

     I continue to move my hand, but deep down I knew that it was no longer enough. And so I stand from my seat and shamelessly bend over, pressing my cheek on the sketch that I made. My ass was directly adjacent to the door. I don’t even remember if I locked it or not, but at this point, I didn’t really care. 

     I let go of everything else that I was holding and snake my left hand down to my butt cheeks so I could spread them open. Before putting a finger in, I put my index and middle finger inside my mouth first, wetting them with my hot tongue. When it was wet enough, I finally slide my index finger inside first.

     The feeling of something pushing against me made me bite on my lip harder until I could feel it start bleeding. I push the finger deeper and deeper until I was used to the shape. It’s been a while since I’ve done this so it’s a bit uncomfortable.

     After a while, my hole finally relaxed, and I push the second finger in. As I go deeper, saliva uncontrollably starts oozing out of my mouth, staining the sketch that I made for my master.

     When both fingers were now inside, I start pulling and pushing it in, letting my fingers do the work for me, imagining that these fingers were owned by someone else; someone like the man in my sketch.

     My hole eventually tightens around them, but I could no longer stop this sinful act. I close my eyes, sweat dripping down my forehead as I feel the climax getting closer.

     “ Claudio…oh Claudio… “ I moan as my fingers move even faster.

     I imagine Claudio standing behind me, pressing his body against my back while his fingers continue to thrust inside. He then leans closer to me and whispers in my ear, “ You’re so tight, Bishop… “

     My body shivers after one final push. And as I feel my seed getting ready to burst, I stand back straight and rip the sketch from the notebook and use it to catch all the cum that finally shot out of me, making sure none of it stains the floor.

     My body relaxes in an instant, and I pull my fingers out of my hole.

     The sketch was expectedly ruined, so I crumpled it and threw it inside the trash bin before putting my pants back on.

     I was panting heavily, and the successful masturbation gave my entire body a sense of relief. It’s been a while since I’ve done that so I was very pent up.

     “How amazing it would have been if it was the real one,” I saw as I rip another page from the notebook and use it to clean my hand.

     As I was wiping my hand dry, the bell from earlier suddenly rings throughout the manor like earlier.

     “Lunch must be ready,” I say as I leave the notebook at the drawing table so I could head downstairs, pretending as if nothing happened. But as soon as step out of the studio, my legs almost weakened when I saw the master himself walking in my direction.

     My body freezes in an instant as he walks closer to me.

     “Oh, Bishop,” he says, and for a moment I thought I was going to cum for the second time just by the mere mention of my name from his mouth. “I’m glad you heard the bell,” he says.

     “Y-Yes…” I awkwardly say, trying my best not to make eye contact with the same man I jerked off to just moments ago.

     I thought he was finally going to leave, but then he stares at my face and reaches out to me. To my surprise, he touches my lower lip, making me gulp and forcing me to look straight at him again.

     “You’re bleeding,” he then says, wiping the blood off my lip with his thumb.

     At that moment I just wanted the floor to swallow me whole. Why is this so embarrassing now when I didn’t even care if I left the door unlocked earlier?

     “What on earth were you doing in Adeline’s studio for you to bruise your lower lip like that?” He then asks, making me nervously laugh.

     “I-It’s kinda embarrassing…but…I was just…doing sketches,” I was able to answer. But by how nervous I sounded, even a child would know I was lying.

     Master Claudio continues to stare at me for a couple more seconds before finally nodding his head and walking away. The reaction surprised me because I thought he was going to question me, but I guess such a reaction made things easier for me instead. I guess he either believed in my lie and thought that I was just embarrassed by the fact that I draw, or he knows I’m lying and he just doesn’t want to know what I was really doing.

     Anyway, who really cares? I’m just glad he didn’t catch on.

     “Bishop, what are you still standing there for? Marcelino and Adeline must already be waiting for us,” he suddenly says, making me flinch.

     “Y-Yes master,” I say as immediately follow behind him. I couldn’t believe that I’m now walking behind the same person who I busted my nut for. And oh god, he smells even better now. He must have already taken a bath.

     “ Wait, what the fuck am I even thinking? Why do I sound like a complete stalker all of a sudden?“ I say to myself as I continue to walk behind Claudio.

     While staring at his back in silence, Master Claudio suddenly asks, “How do you find the manor so far?”

     The sudden question surprised me, but I truthfully answer him, “It’s massive, and a bit creepy if I’m being honest, but for a large manor like this, it’s natural to feel lonely when there’s only the four of us here.”

     The master chuckles and nods his head as if he agrees with my statement. “My grandfather was the one who built this. He was a doctor too, and he earned enough money to make such an enormous structure. The materials used are made of fine wood that’s strong enough to withstand storms, but the storm three years ago finally took a toll on the manor and destroyed a lot of its rooms,” he explains.

     “Is that why a lot of rooms are closed?”

     “That’s right, but aside from the storm, the war damaged a huge part of the manor as well. Believe it or not, this used to be bigger,” he explains further. I wasn’t expecting to hear some history about the manor from master Claudio himself so I’m a bit surprised.

    “Growing up, I had a lot of memories in this place. There’s just one thing that I really hated about it,” he then says, making me furrow my brows.

     Master Claudio pauses for a second before finally saying, “The walls here are thin.”

     My feet instantly stops moving as soon as I heard him say those words. At that moment I felt like the whole manor was going to fall on me.

     “W-What did you just say?”

     Master Claudio stops walking as well. He then looks over his shoulder to look back at me. With a mischievous grin on his face, he says, “Isn’t it too soon for you to start moaning my name…Mr. Bishop?”

to be continued…

(6) Etiquette

⚕︎

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE  I embarrassed myself in the past twenty-four years of my life? Honestly, no one in the world will be able to recall all of them; no one except a few people like me of course.

     Something extremely bizarre must happen before I genuinely say that I’m embarrassed, or maybe even ashamed of myself. I can count the times where I actually admitted to that, but right at this very moment, ashamed isn’t even enough to describe the situation that I’m in.

     “Well, Mr. Bishop? Is there anything you would like to say?” master Claudio asks with a smug expression, almost like he was proud of what he just said.

     Do normal people usually ask you about that? Because most of the time when you accidentally hear or see someone jerk off you just let it go and pretend like nothing happened so both of you won’t feel awkward about it.

    “Y-You see…I was just…I was—”

     As I was trying to think of the right words to explain my sorry ass, Claudio suddenly starts laughing, destroying the tense emotion that I was feeling.

     I stare at the master with furrowed brows until he finally stops laughing. “You should have seen your face,” he says, and rather than feel embarrassed, I ended up feeling annoyed by how he’s reacting. For some reason, I feel like it was better if he scolded me instead.

     “As a doctor, I understand that people need to masturbate in order for our brains to release endorphins, which helps reduce stress and other things that make us feel good. If anything, it’s a healthy practice, so there is nothing for you to worry about. I won’t shame you for something that a human naturally does,” master Claudio explains, making me wonder if he was being serious or if he was only fucking with me.

     I can’t believe this is the same doctor who professionally diagnosed me a few hours ago. It’s like removing his mask helps reveal his true self, literally and figuratively.

     “Did you really have to make it sound so scientific?” I ask, and Claudio laughs again.

     “Whoever you use for your sexual triggers is not really any of my concerns,” he then adds. “But as I said earlier, the walls here are thin, and sometimes sound travels from one room to another thanks to the pipes. The only room that doesn’t get affected by that is my office since I talk to my patients there. We had to soundproof that specific room for their privacy.”

     “I see…” I awkwardly say as I scratch the back of my head, practically begging him to just drop the subject.

     “Well, what I’m trying to say is that you should avoid doing that for others to hear, or in rooms accessible to others, especially by Adeline. Adeline is still a minor, and I would like it if you refrain from doing things that might affect her in a negative way, do you understand me, Mr. Bishop?” master Claudio asks in a lower tone, suddenly looking serious again.

    I gulp and immediately nod my head as an answer.

     “Good,” he says before taking a step closer to me, making my body stiff.

     “But if you really want to touch yourself, you may do so in your bedroom,” he says, and then he leans towards me and whispers, “ just do it

quietly next time. “

     “Y-Yes, m-master Claudio. I completely understand,” I answer, and master Claudio smiles and takes a step back before walking away again so we could head to the dining room.

     The walk there was awfully long. For a moment I thought the hallway was never going to end, but then I realize that it only felt long because I was walking with the man who knows I masturbated, and the only thing he said was to make sure I keep quiet next time. He wasn’t even bothered that I moaned his name out loud. It’s making me feel a lot more embarrassed for some reason.

     “Is there anything you would like to add, Mr. Bishop?” master Claudio suddenly asks.

     “Well, if it’s something to say then I have a lot in my mind right now, but for some reason, this entire situation is taking my ability to think properly,” I honestly tell him, and as expected, he laughed at my truthful answer.

     “Well, you don’t have to think about it then.”

     “How will I if you keep on bringing it up?” I suddenly ask, surprising me more since I wasn’t expecting to actually say it out loud.

     Master Claudio thankfully laughs it off and doesn’t consider it as a rude response. “You have a point. Of course, I can easily forget about it, but will you?”

     “Why wouldn’t I? Isn’t it easier to just let things go?” I ask, and I can see Claudio shaking his head, telling me he doesn’t agree with what I just said at all.

     “It’s okay to let things go when you’ve done everything you can to hold onto it. Talking about an issue is better than pretending like it never happened. Communication breaks misunderstanding, and I don’t want to have any misunderstandings with the people who I work with,” master Claudio explains.

     I’d think he was being sarcastic again, but his tone was so serious that I had no choice but to believe it.

     “If that’s what you mean then fine. To let it out of my chest, what I did has nothing to do with anything. Your face was just pretty and I jerked off to it. It’s not like I’m in love with you, you got that?” I finally explain, which came out a bit wrong since it sounded like I was threatening him. But whatever, I just want to drop this topic and forget that this is only just the karma that I get for doing something so indecent.

     “I’m glad to hear that then,” master Claudio says, making me look back at him.

     The master then looks over his shoulder and coldly tells me, “I can’t have my employees falling in love with me. After all, I don’t like people who waste their time on something so useless.”

     “Love is useless to you?” I ask as master Claudio looks away from me again to see where he’s going.

     “For me, it depends on the context. Loving your job is important. Loving an idea is also different. But loving someone is useless,” he answers, making me massage my chin so I can think of something clever to ask back.

     “If loving your job is important then what if your job is to love someone?”

     The question makes him think for a second, but his opinion about it doesn’t change at all.

     “Love is not a job. You get a job to earn money that is worth the time and effort that you put, which means you’re expecting something. If that same concept applies to love then it means one day it will end. The problem now is that love isn’t a job. You can’t just send a letter and say you quit. You can’t just retire from it and get a pension. Love won’t automatically stop if you tell it to stop because you don’t end love. Love ends you.”

     Master Claudio’s last statement almost made me stop walking. For some reason, it hit close to home. You don’t end love. Love ends you. Such a statement felt like a sword, yet its meaning was a shield. It both protected and hurt you at the same time.

     I’ve never met a man who has such a way with words.

     I wanted to know about his thoughts. I wanted to know more about his opinions such as love. I don’t understand why, but his mind felt like an open book on a tall table I couldn’t reach. I wanted to read more about it, but I couldn’t.

     “You must have been extremely heartbroken to be able to say such a thing,” I tell him, and master Claudio lets out a low chuckle.

     “And you must be a hopeless romantic,” he then says, making me laugh this time.

     “Don’t worry. I don’t intend to make the same mistake of falling in love with a doctor,” I casually say. And before he could even ask me what I meant, we finally arrived at the first floor where Lino and Adie were waiting.

     I guess our conversation ends here.

     “Young master,” Lino says, and both greeted him with a bow.

     “Lunch is served,” Lino then adds.

     Master Claudio looks at the two and smiles at them. They didn’t really show any reaction, so it means that they’ve already seen his face. For a second it made me feel relieved because I was afraid that this man could have just been pretending to be the plague doctor and he was only fooling me.

     “Did Adeline prepare it for us?” the master asks, and Adie - true to her mute nature - doesn’t say anything but nods her head as an answer instead.

     “I apologize Adeline. The cook hasn’t arrived yet, so you have to endure a little longer, okay?” master Claudio then asks, and Adie nods her head again.

     “Alright, let’s eat.”

     Lino walks first, followed by Adie who stood beside Claudio. I had to walk behind them because it would have been awkward if I pushed Adie away all of a sudden. After all, we’re not a group of friends where I’d want to feel included.

     After a couple of steps, we arrive at the dining room that I’ve already seen earlier. Unlike last time, it was a lot more breathtaking. The yellowish-orange light illuminated the room. The table was set with beautiful white cloth, the silverware looked like it sparkled with the candles, and the plates and everything else was exquisite china.

     Please don’t tell me we’re going to eat in the kitchen again.

     No, wait…

     The table’s set for four people, which means—

     “Bishop, would you like to wash your hands first?” master Claudio suddenly asks, and that question alone made my entire face turn red.

     Adie and Lino look at me curiously, unaware of what happened upstairs, but to save me from further embarrassment, I run to the kitchen to thoroughly wash my hands. As soon as I got back, the master takes a seat at the center end of the table. Lino then takes a seat on his left, while Adie takes the one beside him, so the last available seat is on the master’s right.

     I look at everyone suspiciously first before sitting on the chair. I know I wanted to eat here, but I didn’t expect to actually eat with the master of the manor. Well, I guess it would be weird to let him eat alone anyway when there are literally only four of us here.

    Lino and Adie starts eating as soon as they took their seats, but I waited for master Claudio to start first before doing anything.

     “No appetizers?” I ask, and Lino looks at me like I was joking so I just pretended as if I did and just laughed it off.

    Lowering my head a little to check the food, I realize that we were served burnt fish, burnt corn in a cob, and watery mashed potatoes for lunch. Obviously, I wanted to complain, but everyone acted like it was made by a five-star chef, so I had no choice but to just keep quiet about it.

    I grab the napkin and fold it in half before placing it on top of my lap and finally taking a bite. Since we have fish, I was expecting to see a fish knife on the table, but surprisingly enough, we only have a dessert knife and a fork. Of course, I’m still not going to complain.

    The fish was fine - surprisingly - but I had to season it a little after taking a small bite. The mashed potato was also too watery but I had no other choice but to swallow it. I took a bite of the corn afterward, but since it was burnt I couldn’t really taste anything. The charred corn eventually got stuck in my throat so I got ready to flush it down with water. But as I was about to grab my glass, I realize something strange…

     Lino and Adie were staring at me.

     I blink once and look at the table, wondering if I spilled something or not. When I realize that I didn’t, I look back at Lino again and ask, “What? Is there something in my teeth?”

     The two of them continue to stare at me until Lino finally says, “Why do you eat like that?”

     I furrow my brows at the question and ask back, “What do you mean? How do I eat?”

     “Proper,” he answers. “You eat like you’re some kind of prince,” Lino clarifies, only to confuse me even more. What did they expect me to do at the dining table? Remove my clothes and start dancing on top of it?

     “Oh I’m sorry, was I supposed to eat like a savage?” I sarcastically ask back. 

     Lino was about to say something about it, but then master Claudio chuckled, making all of us look at him.

     As the master takes a sip of his water, he takes his napkin from his lap and gently uses it to dab his mouth with it before saying, “Don’t mind them, just continue eating. And you two, it is rude to stare, so stop looking and finish your food as well.”

     Somehow I found it funny that Lino got scolded by master Claudio despite him looking like a forty-year-old man, but Lino obediently follows as he stops looking at me so he could finish his food.

     As we were eating, master Claudio looks at us and suddenly says, “Since we’re all here, I’d like to inform the three of you that the Hell House will open soon. As soon as the cook arrives, I will be teaching you your roles in this manor. I want you all to be at your very best. We cannot afford mistakes, is that clear?”

     “Yes, master,” Lino and I answer in unison.

     “I found my last patient and all of them will be arriving soon. The nurses and the other employees will arrive first, so Lino, I want you to show them to their rooms and tour them around the manor so they could be familiar with it,” the master then explains.

     As soon as Lino nodded his head as an answer, I slowly raise my hand so I could catch master Claudio’s attention. “I’m sorry but you said the house will be open again, which means it was open before, is that right?” I ask despite not knowing if I should even be asking any questions right now.

     Thankfully master Claudio doesn’t mind it at all as he answers, “Yes, it was. Every year we open the house, but ever since my father died, this manor has not been used for over a decade now.”

     “Your father stayed here too? So this is a family-owned manor?” I ask, and master Claudio nods his head to confirm it.

     “Was your father a doctor too?”

     “My father and my grandfather were both doctors.”

     “Really? So does that mean that you, your father, and grandfather, take criminals and experiment on them so you could kill the afterw—”

     “That’s enough questions Bishop,” Lino immediately says, instantly making me stop talking. I couldn’t even react because Lino looked like he was threatening me.

     Everyone who lives near the forest knows about a myth regarding the plague doctor. The myth states that a plague doctor will come to your town, and as soon as you see him, death will fall upon you. I heard about it when I was a child, but I never believed it, not until my mother received a letter. The letter stated that the plague doctor knows about my sickness and he was willing to help me, but as payment, I have to work for him. Obviously, my mother accepted the offer, and now I’m here.

     Since it’s a myth, and it’s a myth that’s been going on for years, I was expecting to see Claudio as a very old man, probably even dying on his death bed. That’s why I was so surprised when I saw him look so young. But this all makes sense now. If his father and grandfather were also doctors, then it means they were the ones who started the myth. No one could probably tell the difference anyway since they’re wearing masks.

     Now the question is…why are they doing this?

     “I apologize if that came out rude. I just really wanted to know more about this plague doctor agenda and why he’s doing all these things,” I say, and master Claudio shakes his head, brushing off my apology.

     “Don’t worry, it’s fine. Since you’re already my direct employee, you deserve to know things,” the master tells me.

     “What things exactly?” I ask, and master Claudio gently places down the knife that he’s holding and answers, “You know, things like why you’re not supposed to know too much or I might not be kind enough to let you walk out of this manor again.”

     The atmosphere instantly changes, and I unconsciously swallow the lump in my throat as I see a grin slowly appear on the master’s face. I wanted to ask if he was being serious, but then the bell suddenly rings, accidentally making me knock my glass over because of how surprised I was. I immediately stand from my seat and take the table napkin to wipe the spilled water, but master Claudio takes my hand to stop me, making me let go of the napkin.

     “No need for that, sit down,” he says as he lets go of me.

     I take a seat like usual, and master Claudio takes a sip of his water before telling me, “Mr. Bishop, you seem to know a lot of things about table etiquette so I assume you know what I’m talking about. Next time we eat, you shouldn’t talk when your mouth is full. Do that…and you might fucking choke.”

     As soon as he finished his sentence, the hair on my skin stood up. His voice and his presence intimidated me, and at that very moment, I was reminded of why I was fascinated by him. His attitude confused me, his intelligence intrigued me, and his dominance turned me on.

     For a second I thought… 

     If I was going to choke anyway then I hope he chokes me hard; hard enough so this pretty little mouth won’t be able to ask any more questions that angered you like that again.

to be continued…

(7) White Tie

⚕︎

I COULD HEAR THE  water coming out from the sink’s faucet. It continues to touch my skin as my eyes were fixed on the view outside the window that’s in front of me. The entire manor was dark, but the kitchen felt homey because of the windows. The view was also much better compared to the rest of the areas found of this barren land.

     “Bishop!” A voice suddenly calls out, making me flinch.

     I turn around and spot Lino and Adie. Lino was fixing a broken cabinet while Adie was mopping the floor. I then look at my hand and realize that I was holding onto a plate. Apparently, I was washing the dishes and dozed off. 

     “Turn the faucet off if you’re not using it. You might be used to living the fancy life, but we have limited supplies of water here so stop wasting them,” Lino scolds, making me roll my eyes in annoyance, but I still turned it off anyway.

     “I do not live a fancy life by the way,” I then complain, making Lino snort.

     “Alright little prince,” Lino sarcastically answers.

     “Stop it. Just because I eat proper doesn’t mean I’ve lived a very privileged life. I know how to save water if needed,” I defend, but it seems like Lino wasn’t buying it.

     “For your information Mr. Lancaster, being able to know how to use all the utensils in the table is a privilege because those who can’t eat have used their bare hands more than a spoon,” Lino says, annoying me even more.

     “Meals are just important to me, okay? I had to eat properly all the time.”

     “So you did come from a rich family then?” Lino persistently asks, but something inside me suddenly felt sick, so I decide to ignore the question and just finish washing the plates so Lino could just drop the topic.

     When everyone finally did their chores in peace, Lino - who’s on a ladder so he could reach the broken cabinet, accidentally drops a nail that he was supposed to hammer on the wood. I watch as the nail rolls further before looking back at him. Our eyes then meet, but I ignore him and continue washing the plates like I didn’t see a goddamn thing.

     “ You little fucker, “ I could hear Lino say, making me grin in satisfaction.

     Lino was about to go down from the ladder, but little Adie - an angel that she is - lets go of her mop and rushes to the nail to grab it for Lino. She then hands it to him, making Lino reach out to pat her on the head. If it weren’t for that scar on his face I’d think he was smiling.

     “I never really got the chance to ask, but how old are you anyway, Mr. Marcelino?”

     Lino, who was once again concentrating on his work, doesn’t even look at me as he answers, “I’m forty-five.”

     When I heard Lino’s answer, I almost dropped the plate that I was washing because of shock. Surprisingly enough, I thought he’d be younger. Props to him for still looking young despite having that scar.

     “You got a kid? Or maybe a family?” I ask, honestly expecting Lino to find the question offensive. I still asked him about it though just for the sake of it.

     “Why’d you ask?”

     I finish the last plate that’s on my hand before answering, “No particular reason. I just find your way of handling Adeline to be…gentle. It’s like you know how to act around young girls.”

     “You make it sound like I’m some kind of pedophile,” Lino suddenly says, almost making me laugh out loud.

      After finishing the dishes, I dry my hands with a towel and approach Adie. “Do you think he’s a pedophile? If you do, you have to tell me, okay? I don’t like sexual abusers so I’ll take care of everything if you just tell me,” I tell Adeline, instantly making Lino throw a screw at me that unfortunately did not hit me right in the head, which would have easily killed me.

     “I will hammer your head,” Lino threatens.

     “Oh please do. Just end my misery so I’ll never have to wash dishes again,” I jokingly say while leaning on the counter. Lino was about to say something back, but then the two of us stopped when we heard a soft giggle.

     Lino’s eyes practically widened from shock as he slowly looks at Adeline. For a second I thought he was going to fall off the ladder.

     “D-Did you just…giggle?” Lino asks in disbelief. He was acting like Adie just said the numbers needed to win a lottery. He was obviously overreacting.

     Adie was surprised herself, so she immediately turns away from us and continued mopping the floor again so she could avoid our stares.

     “Great, you made her feel uncomfortable,” I say, making Lino sigh.

     “Adeline has never said a single word ever since she got here. That small giggle means a lot to me,” Lino explains, and for a second I saw a bit of human in him. He must have been taking care of Adie all this time since master Claudio had to travel a lot. He probably treats her like his daughter.

     “She must have been lonely then. After all, who wants to be stuck with a forty-five-year-old gardener who has a scar on his mouth that makes it look like he’s smiling all the time?” I still manage to joke, making Lino glare at me. I then look back at Adie to see if she was going to laugh again, but suddenly, an image of a terrifyingly familiar little girl appears in front of me instead, instantly making me look away.

     Lino and Adie stares back at me, wondering why I looked like I saw a ghost, so I took a deep breath and massaged my temple before explaining myself, “I had a little sister, her name was Mathilda.” 

     I don’t know why I was telling them about it, but for a second I felt like I just had to. At that moment we felt like Lino and Adie were the right people to share this with.

     “She always laughed, always played in the garden, and always got scolded by our mother. She loved collecting butterflies; her favorite was the monarchs. I honestly would have given the world to her if I had the chance,” I say while looking out of the window again.

      Lino and Adie were quiet. My sudden storytelling must have made them feel awkward, so I immediately laugh it off as I look back at them. “But that’s all in the past. She already died years ago so there’s no reason for me to continue remembering unpleasant memories.”

     Lino stares at me with an almost pitiful look. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but then the bell from earlier suddenly rings throughout the manor again. The only difference was that it wasn’t a long one like earlier, it was two loud and consecutive rings.

     As soon as the bell stops ringing, Lino looks at me and says, “You can leave us here. The young master’s calling for you.”

     “How’d you know it’s me?”

     “One long bell ring is for all of us, two for the butler, three for the maid, four for the cook, and five for the gardener, so head to his room now. He might have a specific task for you,” Lino explains, making me sigh and walk out of the kitchen to head to the upper floor where the master’s bedroom is.

     Surprisingly enough, I have only been in this manor for an entire day, but I feel like I’ve been here longer. There’s also the fact that I was fingering myself in the art room and Claudio heard everything, so there’s that.

     I guess I’ve just been really productive. Winter usually takes over, and honestly, all the things I’ve done today are almost equal to all the things I could have done in a week if I was only allowed to call for the little one.

     “Master Claudio, you called for me?” I say as soon as I arrive in front of the master’s bedroom.

     I knock on the door once, and a voice instantly answers, “Come in.”

     I take a deep breath, preparing myself for no apparent reason, before finally heading inside. I wasn’t really expecting much–like Claudio lying in bed naked–but the situation still surprised me when I saw the master standing around wearing only a robe.

     “Good, you’re here,” he says as I close the door behind me. The room was a mess as tons of clothes were scattered on the bed. There were also shoes, neckties, and belts everywhere, which finally made me realize what the hell he was doing.

     “Bishop, I’ll be attending an important party tonight and I can’t seem to find the right clothes to wear. As my butler, I want you to give me some advice,” Claudio says while checking his collection of neckties.

     The task was actually surprising because I thought he was going to order me to kill someone in town, but I approached him with no judgment and took his request seriously. “What type of party are you going to attend? A banquet, a dinner party, a cocktail party, or maybe even a soirée?” I genuinely ask.

     Claudio was still busy with his necktie picking when he answered, “A dinner party at the mayor’s house. All the important people in town will be attending it so I have to make the right impression.”

     “So it’s like a white tie kind of party,” I say as I look through the different coats that are on the bed.

     “Since it’s at the mayor’s house, wear something like…this…”

     Claudio looks at me as I start picking different clothes that are on the bed. From all that mess, I was able to find a white waistcoat and a black evening tailcoat that matched with his black trousers. I then looked at the floor to scan the five pairs of shoes that are lying around the room. When I finally saw a black patent leather shoe, I bent over and grabbed it before handing it all to him.

     Claudio looks at me with furrowed brows so I explained to him, “Since it’s a dinner party with a mayor, it’s probably white tie themed. Those are the most basic dress code for that theme so it’s safe to wear it there.”

     I could tell that Claudio was surprised, but he doesn’t say anything as he placed everything that I gave him on top of the table. Without any warning, he then removes his robe, revealing his naked upper body to me.

     I’d lie if I say I’m not disappointed by the fact that he’s wearing his undergarments, but seeing his perfectly toned body is enough for now.

     “Let’s see…” Claudio starts wearing the clothes that I gave him while he stood in front of a standing mirror. When he finally wore everything, he looks at himself for a couple of seconds before turning around to face me again.

     “You’re good,” he praises. “I’m glad that you know all these things. It seems like I chose the perfect butler after all,” he then compliments, making me feel awkward all of a sudden because I wasn’t sure on what to reply to him after that.

     So I clear my throat and answer instead, “D-Don’t mention it.”

     Don’t mention it? Seriously? I could literally hear Krimson and my other alters laughing at me right now. Winter would have even thought of a better response.

     “Is there anything else that you’d like me to do?” I ask, and Claudio looks around the room before saying, “Do you know how to tie a bow?”

     The question made me laugh for some reason, but I went to where the bowties were and took a white one before walking back to Claudio. “Lower yourself a bit,” I say as I stood in front of him.

     Claudio doesn’t complain and stretches his legs on the side a little so I could reach his neck better. But when his face was finally leveled with mine, I couldn’t help but gulp at the sight of his tantalizing brown eyes.

     “E-Excuse me,” I immediately say as I start tying his bow for him.

     The atmosphere was quiet, and it was the perfect mood to make a move on someone. Sadly I had to remind myself that I’m here to work and not to satisfy my sexual drive, so I immediately finish the bowtie so I can finally move away from him.

     Claudio turns around again and checks himself in the mirror for the second time.

     “This is perfect,” he says before walking towards a cabinet. He then opens a drawer and pulls out a watch for him to wear. He checks the time and starts looking for something in his suitcase that he has actually not cleared up yet.

     While he was doing so, I approach a vanity that has a couple of perfumes. I give each one a sniff before picking the one I liked best. I spray it on my wrist so I could smell it better, but when I turned around, Claudio was already in front of me.

    My eyes widened as the young master grabs my arm. I thought he was going to scold me for trying out his perfume, but then he lifts my hand closer to his nose and suddenly sniffs the scent on my wrist. The action made my entire body turn stiff.

     “You have good taste. Put some on me too,” he suddenly says, making me pull my hand away from him out of panic.

     “Y-Yes master…” I say as I grab the perfume so I could spray it on his neck and wrist.

     “Thank you,” he then replies before walking back to the mirror to check himself for the third time.

     While I watch him from the back, master Claudio suddenly tells me, “Do you have any formal clothes with you?”

     The question confused me a bit, but at the same time, I somehow knew where it was going to end. “No, it would be strange of me to have such clothes,” I answer.

     Master Claudio nods his head and adjusts his bowtie a little before looking at me through the reflection.

     “Alright, we’re heading to town. There’s still a few hours left for us to choose a suit for you,” he answers just as how I expected him to.

     Usually, dinner parties are seen as another way to flaunt your power and wealth. From what you wear, how you behave, and who you bring, it will all reflect on what kind of person you are in society. This is why these masters would bring their butlers or even escorts to such events to show their status.

     If he’s really going to make me come with him then it means he found me worthy since people will also check how trained and skilled your butler will be. The same thing goes to their escorts, or in a cheaper term, their courtesans ( prostitutes ). How pretty or handsome your courtesan is will also determine your status. The elite world is that ridiculous.

     “If you have a butler’s uniform prepared for me then that would be fine,” I honestly say.

     “Yours, Marcelino’s and Adeline’s uniforms are still being altered so I don’t have them with me. Besides, you’re not going as my butler anyway,” Claudio answers, confusing me even more.

     “I’m not going as your butler? Then what am I—” I pause for a second to think about it, but when I saw the mischievous look on his face, I knew that this man was up to no good. This party will definitely be a night I might not be able to forget.

…

“It seems like you have found a new hobby, young master,” I tell master Claudio who was sitting beside me in a car that Lino was driving, which surprised me because I didn’t know Lino could drive at all.

    Master Claudio, who was reading through some documents, doesn’t even look at me as he answers, “And what would that be?”

     I give him an annoyed look first before looking out of the window. “It’s to make a fool out of me.”

    When Claudio heard what I said, a low chuckle suddenly escapes from his mouth as he defends, “Don’t be ridiculous. I would never make a fool out of my direct employees, isn’t that right, Marcelino?”

    Lino, who was wearing his military clothes, looks at us through the rearview mirror before saying, “That’s right, master.”

     I almost kicked Lino’s seat, but I tried my best not to because I knew I was going to be scolded. So instead of fighting, I look out of the window again to check where we were going. Apparently, there was a road at the manor that directly leads to the town. The master explained that no one else knows of this road, or rather, they’re too afraid to check, so it’s the safest passage to use when we want to sneak to the town without looking suspicious.

     The car drives down a hill and through the forest. After a while, I could finally see a welcome arch up ahead. The arch has the words “ Welcome to Capo di Monte “ written on it.

     Since Winter was the one who was out when we went here, I had no idea what the town looked like, so when we finally reentered the town, I felt a bit excited. The town was covered in grass fields and trees, and then there were old buildings and cute little houses. There were people who were riding bikes, and some kids were even running around. It was a surprisingly lively town.

    “Look there,” master Claudio suddenly says as he points out of my window. I look at where his finger was pointing and spot a hill. I squint my eyes a little to get a better view, and when I saw the roofing, I realized something.

     “I-It’s the manor…”

     “The road we used goes around the manor, so even though the manor is placed in the middle of the town, you still have to drive out of the town to use the road that leads to there,” Claudio explains, surprising me.

     Lino drives a little further until we reached a tailor shop. For a second I was curious about how the people would react if Lino steps out of the car, but then Claudio looks at him and says, “Wait for us here, alright?”

     “Yes, master.”

     I sigh in disappointment because I really wanted to see how the townspeople would react after seeing a man with a terrifying scar, but I guess it would make more sense to make him stay inside instead. It helps that the car windows have curtains too.

     “Alright, let’s go,” Claudio says, and I immediately step out of the car to open his door for him.

    The people who were walking on the pavement minded their own business, but as soon as Claudio stepped out, everyone instantly stopped to look at him. For a second I thought they were just mesmerized by him, but then they approached him and started chanting his name like he was some sort of celebrity.

     “Master Claudio! You’re back!”

     “Master Claudio, I heard you went to Paris? How was your trip?”

     Everyone wanted to see Claudio like he was some kind of god. Even the old ladies who were buying fruits dropped everything just so they could approach him too.

     At least ten people were surrounding us that I had no choice but to back away a little. I didn’t know if I was supposed to push them away, but even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could because Claudio was happily conversing with them. It would be rude of me to step out now.

     “I can’t believe he’s back,” a kid suddenly says as he stood beside me.

     I look at the young boy–maybe around ten years of age–and bend over a little to ask, “Do you know him?”

     The kid looks at me like I was insane as he asks back, “Do I know him? Everyone in this town knows who he is! The Romano’s are practically heroes.” He then explains, confusing me even more.

     “Heroes? What do you mean? What did they do?” I continue to ask.

     The boy looks at me straight in the eyes and smiles widely before saying, “Didn’t you know? They’re the ones who got rid of the plague doctor. They’re the ones who helped cure our town of that wicked doctor’s curse.”

to be continued…

(8) Capo di Monte

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I STARE AT CLAUDIO , trying my best not to burst out in laughter because of how this man singlehandedly fooled an entire town into believing his family saved them from the plague doctor, not knowing that the doctor himself is standing right in front of them.

     Imagine their faces when they find out who he really is.

     “I would love to chat more, but I’m here to get my butler a suit,” Claudio then tells the growing crowd while gesturing in my direction, automatically making everyone look at me. The kid that I even talked to was surprised.

     “ Butler? Claudio has a butler now? “ I could hear someone ask.

     “Well aren’t you a handsome boy,” an old woman says, almost grabbing my cheeks so she could pinch them. Thankfully master Claudio goes in front of me and blocks me from the granny’s view.

     “If you may excuse us,” he says instead as he heads inside the tailor shop first.

     I awkwardly smile at the crowd and bow my head to them before finally following master Claudio. The tailor shop called Needles N’ Thread was a relatively small shop. It wasn’t like those fancy shops where there were a dozen attendants and even suits displayed in a glass case. In fact, the suits were hung everywhere, and the entire shop smelled like fabric and scented candles.

     “Ms. Sunny! Ms. Sunny!” Claudio suddenly starts calling out. He heads to the counter, which was also filled with clutter, and starts checking if someone was attending it. “Is she not here?” he asks.

     “I’m in! Just give me a second!” a voice that’s coming from the back answers just right after Claudio asked the question.

     I didn’t really know what to do so I was casually just looking through the suits that are on display while Claudio waited for this Ms. Sunny person. After a while, a woman in a dress heads out holding rolls and rolls of fabric. I didn’t know if I should help her or not, but surprisingly enough, Claudio approaches her first to take half of the rolls from the woman’s hand.

     “Oh thank you, dear, I was a bit–” Rolls of fabric that was covering her face was removed, so she gets a better view of the good samaritan. When Claudio’s bright smile welcomes her, Ms. Claudio almost dropped the rest of the fabric as she shouts, “Claudio!”

     Ms. Sunny was a man with a long beard and strong features, but at the same time, she has makeup on and was even wearing a dress. It was my first time seeing someone in such a style. It’s quite interesting.

     “Claudio, why didn’t you tell me that you were coming!” Ms. Sunny says, immediately placing the fabric on the counter to kiss the master on both of his cheeks.

Lucky.

     “I apologize, I didn’t have the time to call,” Claudio answers as he also puts down the fabric that he’s also holding. “Anyway, how are you? You’re looking amazing as always.”

     “You know it, darling,” Ms. Sunny says before shyly hitting Claudio on the shoulder. “But enough about me, you’ve been out of town for so long. I barely get to see you.”

      “I’ve been busy, but thankfully I just got back in time for the party at the mayor’s house. This time, the invitation was sent to me two weeks prior so it would rude of me not to go again,” Claudio answers.

     “Is that so? Then what can I do for you? Do you need a new suit or do you need—” Ms. Sunny suddenly pauses when she caught a glimpse of me. For a second her eyes sparkled, but then a grin appeared on her face soon after.

     “You don’t usually attend these parties even if people begged so I’m a bit surprised, but if I had a courtesan like that then I’d want to flaunt him too,” Ms. Sunny suddenly says, almost making me choke on air.

     I was about to defend myself and tell her that I’m not what she thinks I am, but then Claudio starts laughing, making me feel annoyed in an instant.

     For some reason, I expected Claudio to be this super serious and scary master, but he ended up being this free-spirited man who was a mix of intimidating yet approachable. Honestly, I’d prefer the former because at least I’d know how to act. When he acts like this I get flustered.

     “Heaven’s no,” he rudely says, almost making me kick him. “He’s not my courtesan, he’s my new butler.”

     Ms. Sunny was surprised and suddenly approaches me to grab both of my arms. “Oh dear, I made a huge mistake. I greatly apologize for thinking that you were a prostitute for Claudio. I always see him with tons of women so I assumed you were like them. Not that I’m judging prostitutes or anything. Of course, I love prostitutes, they work hard, they do honest work, and they—”

     “I-It’s fine, please stop,” I immediately say, and Ms. Sunny finally lets go of my hand.

     “Well, that was a terrible first impression, but my name is Sunny, or specifically the ever so gorgeous Ms. Sunny. You can call me anything you want darling, but never mister. It would be rude to all the makeup I murder in the morning,” she says as she shows me the back of her hand.

     “Nice to meet you. My name’s Bishop,” I introduce next before grabbing her hand to kiss it.

     As soon as I drop her hand, Ms. Sunny looks back at Claudio and tells him, “I’m assuming you need a suit for Bishop, yes?”

      Claudio doesn’t say anything and nods his head. And just like that, Sunny pulls out a tape measure from her pocket and starts measuring my body from head to toe. Right after that, she walks toward the suits and starts pulling them out one by one.

     “Aren’t you going to write down the measurements?” I ask, and Claudio approaches me and answers for her instead.

     “Sunny can remember it all. She has an amazing ability to remember things for a long period of time,” Claudio tells me, and honestly, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

     “Alright…here we go.”

     After looking through different suits and trousers, Ms. Sunny places everything on a table and tells us, “Here are a couple that I think would look best for Bishop. You can choose one and I’ll immediately alter it so it could be perfect for his size.”

      I thought I was the one who was going to choose what I was going to wear, but then Claudio goes to the table and starts choosing for me. I was worried for a second, but then he chose a simple black suit and matched it with a black necktie. It was surprisingly my style.

     “This should be okay. He doesn’t need anything else since he already looks good,” Claudio suddenly says, almost making me drop to the floor because of shock.

     Did he just acknowledge my looks? 

     I guess my parents did something right at least.

     “That looks perfect,” Ms. Sunny says as she grabs everything that Claudio picked. “Will you wait here or shall I send it to your place?”

     “It’s fine, I’ll pick it up when you’re done. There’s still time till the party anyway,” Claudio answers.

     “Alright, then I’ll be done with this in thirty minutes,” she says before running to the back room.

     I thought we were going to wait here, but then Claudio turns around and walks out of the shop, immediately making me follow behind him. He doesn’t say anything, and he doesn’t walk back to the car either. I didn’t know where he was heading, but I didn’t really ask since it wouldn’t change anything at all.

      As we walked around town, everyone—and I mean everyone–would greet Claudio like he was some kind of superstar. Everyone’s faces would automatically brighten up at the mere sight of him, and some would even stop what they were doing just to shake his hand. It was such a peculiar thing to watch.

     Capo di Monte was a relatively big town. Claudio mentioned that it’s little, but it was bigger than I expected it to be. It was a town with mountains, hills, and a vast ocean. It was definitely placed in such a beautiful location. It even has a bakeshop, a shoe shop, a barbershop, a pub, and…wait, is that a freakin’ cinema?

     “Everyone seems to like you,” I tell Claudio while I walked behind him.

     I could hear the master chuckle, but he doesn’t say anything about it. He’s probably being cautious, so I don’t say anything anymore just so I don’t end up saying something that I shouldn’t say for others in this town to hear.

     After walking for a couple more blocks, we arrived at an art supply shop. I could already smell the scent of paint and paper outside, so when we got there, my body instantly relaxed. It’s probably because it’s Alice’s favorite hobby so I’m a bit familiar with it.

     “I’ll buy Adeline some supplies while you choose yours,” Claudio suddenly says, surprising me.

     “N-No, it’s fine. I don’t draw,” I say, making the master tilt his head to the side like he was confused.

     “Don’t you make sketches?”

     “Well, I do but—” Just before I could even finish my sentence, my heart drops. I wanted to look away from him, but my eyes were locked on his that I couldn’t even move an inch. “H-How…how did you know…that I sketch?” I ask, trying my best not to let my face turn red because of embarrassment.

     The master grins upon hearing my question and suddenly leans close to my ear before whispering, “ The sketch you made of me was good .“

     I gulp and mentally pray that a meteor would fall on us, but thankfully master Claudio finally pulls away from me and turns his back to me so he wouldn’t see my face anymore.

     “Just choose what you need, I’ll pay,” he insists, and then he walks away from me so he could buy the supplies that he needs for Adeline.

     While he was out of sight, I grab my chest and try to ease myself. I can’t believe he took the sketch that I already threw and saw what I did. Honestly, I wouldn’t even be embarrassed for secretly drawing him. It’s the fact that it has my cum on it is what’s making me feel like I want to die.

     “ You’re such a fucking idiot Bishop, “ I say as I walk towards a shelf where there were different types of pencils and pens. Since we’re already here, and since I already made a fool out of myself, I might as well just buy some materials that I’ll need when I get bored again.

     I took two pencils and a pen for Winter. And then I took a sketchpad and a notebook for our diary since we’re almost out of pages.

     Just in time, Claudio was done picking up his supplies. He approaches me with a handful of paint and brushes and tells me, “Do you have everything that you need?”

     “Oh, yes,” I answer while showing him everything that I took.

      Master Claudio scans it and nods his head, but before walking to the counter, he tells me, “I think you forgot something”

     “What?”

     Claudio playfully grins and suddenly answers, “Tissues.”

     “W-what?”

     “Of course, I meant for blending your sketches,” he then adds, but I was pretty sure that that’s not what he meant when he decided to mention it to me.

     I almost threw the pencils at him because of annoyance, but I try my best not to lose composure as I say, “I don’t use tissues to blend. I’m already good with my fingers.”

     Claudio’s grin turns into a smirk, almost making me gulp. He then stares at me for a couple more seconds before finally nodding his head and walking to the counter. I take a deep breath and follow him, and true to his words, he paid for everything. For a second I thought he was fooling around again and he’d ask me to pay instead, but thankfully he didn’t pull that type of shit on me. That would have been really embarrassing.

     “Shall we go?” he asks me, which was a surprise because I don’t think your master would usually ask you something like that. They just usually do what they please.

     “Yes?” I say, almost like I was asking him about it instead because I wasn’t sure about it either.

     Claudio doesn’t say anything about it though and heads out of the art store. I thought we were heading back to Ms. Sunny, but he continues to walk deeper into town.

     “Master Claudio, let me carry those bags for you,” I tell him while we walk down the pavement.

     “Don’t worry, it’s not heavy. Just carry what you have,” he answers, surprising me even more.

     Seriously, there’s something wrong with this man. Other than the fact that he hides his real identity, he doesn’t act like he’s a master of a manor. He’s too friendly and kind to his employees, and he’s approachable to the townspeople. Almost all of the rich folks that I know are snobby and ill-tempered. It’s really strange.

     “Where could she be?” Master Claudio suddenly asks, making me furrow my brows.

     “Are you looking for someone, young master?” I ask.

     Master Claudio doesn’t even look back at me as he says, “There’s a woman here with a flower cart. She sells flowers from other towns.”

     “And why would you need flowers?” I ask next.

     “For Marcelino’s garden,” he answers, almost making me slap myself for even asking.

     See? He’s abnormally nice that it’s frightening. Who would even think that he’s the same plague doctor who houses criminals that he’ll experiment on so he could then kill for later?

     “Shall I ask around, master?” I tell him like the proper butler that I am.

     “No, it’s fine. She probably already left since it’s almost six,” Claudio answers before looking back at me. “We should head back to Sunny. She must be finished with your suit by now, and I bet Marcelino’s already growing impatient for leaving Adeline at the manor.”

     I nod my head as an answer and was expecting master Claudio to start leading the way, but then he gestures at the path in front of me and suddenly says, “Well then, lead the way.”

     “Pardon?”

     “As soon as we become busy, you and Marcelino will have to head to town to buy supplies. As my butler, you must be able to know how to navigate around town, so try heading back to Ms. Sunny’s shop by memory,” Claudio tells me.

     I really wanted to think that he was kidding, but he looked so serious that I was forced to nod my head and agree to his request.

     And so, I started walking back to where the car is parked. Thankfully I was paying attention because I remembered the stores that we walked past. I’m also lucky because we didn’t make a lot of turns so it wasn’t as confusing as I thought it would be.

     “People in town know each other well,” master Claudio suddenly tells me. “Keeping secrets around here is almost impossible. You say something to one person and everyone here will know about it.”

     “You say that but you seem to have no problem with keeping your secrets here,” I bravely say, making Claudio chuckle.

     “That’s because I know who to trust.”

     “Do you now? Or do you just choose people who aren’t from here, just like me, Adeline and Marcelino?”

     “That could be true, but that’s not the only reason,” he says as we make our first turn. I thought he was going to tell me the other reason, but he doesn’t say anything further than that, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to know that either. As carefree as he is, there’s a personality within him that’s creepy and scary. 

     “ Well, whatever. It’s not like I’m someone who’s going to tell everyone he’s a plague doctor. There’s no reason for me to do so, “ I tell myself before glancing back at Claudio who was busy looking around town.

     After a couple of minutes of silence, we safely arrived back at the shop just on time. Thankfully I was able to remember the other shops that we walked past. The people who greeted the master also helped because they greeted him again when we walked back.

     “Ms. Sunny! We’re back!” Claudio shouts as soon as we head inside the shop, the bell on the door chiming as soon as we enter.

     The shop was quiet for a while, but then Ms. Sunny bolts out from the back, holding a suit that I’m assuming was mine.

     “Right on schedule,” she says as she hands me the clothes. “Wear this so I can check if there are other alterations. There’s a dressing room at the back. Chop chop…”

     I didn’t say anything and just head to the back like Sunny said. The ‘back’ was a mess. Fabrics were everywhere: buttons and threads, a sewing machine, and even magazines on the floor. It was a total workshop.

     The dressing room that she was talking about was a cloth that was made to look like a tent. I went inside and changed my clothes, and for someone who didn’t note down all of my measurements, the suit was a perfect fit.

     I step out of the dressing room and head to the front where Claudio and Ms. Sunny are. When they saw me approaching them, Ms. Sunny gasped and happily walks to where I was to check the suit.

    “It looks amazing on you Bishop. You look like a real gentleman. I don’t think we need to make any alterations at all,” she says before gesturing at a mirror.

     I walked to the mirror and stood in front of it. As soon as I saw my reflection, something inside me suddenly felt heavy. It’s been such a long time since I’ve worn something like this. It feels strange. I couldn’t help but give out a bitter smile.

     “You look dashing,” Claudio suddenly says with a satisfied look, standing behind me with his hands inside his pockets.

     I fix my smile and turn around to face him. He then approaches me and suddenly touches my collar, unconsciously making me gulp. Before I could even say anything, he then pulls away from me and looks back at Ms. Sunny. “You did amazing as always Ms. Sunny. How much is the cost?” Claudio asks as he pulls out his wallet.

     “Oh, no need for that darling. It’s on the house. Bishop wearing something that I made feels like it’s a free advertisement,” she says as she looks at me again.

     I awkwardly laugh at the subtle compliment as Claudio thanks her for the service. I then thanked her as well and told her that I hope to see her again next time. Like I said before, I wasn’t allowed to go out for a long time, so meeting people is an experience that I want to cherish.

     “Well then, we’ll be off. Thank you again, Ms. Sunny. And since you already have his measurements, I hope you send me the clothes that I requested from you before too,” master Claudio says as we got ready to leave.

     And just as I was about to push the door open, Ms. Sunny suddenly gives out a menacing grin as she says, “I’ll send it to you right away…Dr. Giovanni.”

to be continued…

(9) Rabbit Hole

WARNING: 

The chapter will contain scenes that may trigger trauma or may make you feel uncomfortable. Please read with caution or do not proceed at all if you feel like you cannot read any further. And just a friendly reminder, this is a Rated R story so a lot of these scenes can be found throughout the book, so I suggest you decide now if you still want to continue.

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THE ORANGE SKY SLOWLY  turns dark as night finally falls on us. I look out of the car window, wearing the suit that master Claudio generously bought me, staring at the townspeople who were locking their doors before it gets completely dark. 

    At first, I didn’t know why I had to go with him, and for a moment I thought I was even special, but then I realize that Lino literally has a scar on his face that would creep out the guests, and then there’s Adie who’s only sixteen. It would be dangerous to bring her to such a party. So yes, I am apparently the only decent-looking one out of the three of us.

     Isn’t that just great? 

     “It seems like Ms. Sunny is very familiar with you,” I say as I turn my head to look at Claudio so I wouldn’t be able to think of anything else other than the fact that I’m going to a party with him for whatever the reason might be.

     “I knew her since I was a kid. We bumped into each other a couple of times, and back in the day, people called her Alberto Garko. Her parents had a lot of trouble putting pants on her most of the time, but Sunny still managed to win over them, wearing skirts and dresses around town like no one was watching,” Claudio says with a soft expression, probably remembering the exact moment that he was telling me about.

     “So you met in such circumstances?”

     “You can say that. While I was in town with my mother, I saw her wearing this pretty pink dress that she said she stole from her sister. But instead of matching it with makeup, her face was covered in bruises instead. Since my family was doctors, I knew how to treat others’ wounds at the age of eight, so I snuck her in and treated her in secret,” Claudio explains, surprising me because for a second he sounded like a decently nice person.

     “How romantic,” I sarcastically say, making Lino–who was in the driver’s seat–glare at me through the rearview mirror.

     After our quick conversation, the car ride eventually becomes quiet. I was trying my best not to make the atmosphere so awkward, but I just couldn’t. There was just something so wrong about this entire situation.

     As I was trying to think of something to say, Lino suddenly looks back at us and informs us, “We’re almost here, young master.”

     Master Claudio nods his head and fixes his bowtie before looking back at me with a serious expression. “You’ll be meeting a lot of people at that party. You don’t have to speak to any of them at all. You just have to stay beside me and act like a responsible butler.”

     “And for what reasons?” I ask, still confused about why I had to come with him.

     “I have not been back to this town for almost two years now,” Claudio reveals, making me furrow my brows in confusion.

     “Two years? But Winter told me you just got back from a two-week trip,” I clarify, and Claudio nods his head to agree to it.

     “That’s right. Though I usually travel a lot, I’ve actually never left town and have been staying at the manor for two years. Of course, the townspeople obviously don’t know that,” Claudio explains to me, which made more sense now. No wonder the people were so excited to see him again.

    All this time he’s been hiding in the manor. This doesn’t make sense because he said that he grew up in the manor. Then why do the people not know that he lives there? I really don’t get it.

     “So what does your absence have to do with me?” I ask him.

     Claudio adjusts himself in his seat and looks straight at my eyes before saying, “Since I haven’t been around for years, I’ll have to mingle and somehow catch up with the others. That will be enough distraction for you to perform an important task for me.”

     “P-pardon? Can you say that again?” I ask, making sure that I didn’t hear him wrong just now. “Did you just say…task?”

     “That’s right,” Claudio says before moving closer to where I’m seated. “In the mayor’s office, there’s going to be a file there with the name Adeline Winchester. I want you to acquire it for me.”

     My eyes widen from shock, not because he was asking me to steal something from the mayor’s house, but because of the name that he mentioned.

     “Adeline Winchester? You mean little Adie? Why would the mayor have a file of her in his fuckin’ house? What the hell is going on?” I continue to ask, now demanding answers because this whole situation just turned upside down. I thought I was just going to the party with Claudio to look pretty. I didn’t know that I was going there for a fucking heist.

     “So this is why you told me that I’m not coming with you as your butler?”

     When Claudio looked like he wasn’t going to answer me, I pause for a second when a thought suddenly went into my head. “W-Wait a goddamn minute. Did you…did you kidnap Adeline? Is she supposed to be missing? Is that it?”

     “We didn’t kidnap her,” Lino immediately defends, but Claudio raises his hand to stop him from saying anything further.

     I look at the two men that I was with inside the car, trying to convince myself that they wouldn’t be evil enough to kidnap a mere child. I was starting to panic inside because I never signed up for such a thing. 

     “Oh my dear Bishop,” Claudio suddenly says with a softer tone, obviously trying to calm me down. “I told you didn’t I?” He then asks, lifting his hand and touching my cheeks, his cold palm almost making my body shiver. He looks at me with such gentle eyes, and then he leans over and whispers, “ I don’t like you asking too many questions. One more word from your pretty little mouth and I will stitch it shut with my bare hands. “

     My body freezes at that moment and reality comes crashing down on me again. It made me realize something important that I have briefly forgotten because I was blinded by the way he acted around me. It made me realize that just because someone teases you, or if they buy you nice things, it doesn’t mean they’re good people. This isn’t a rom-com movie. I’m not some kind of teenager in love.

     This man is the town’s hero, Claudio Romano, but at the same time, he’s doctor Giovanni de Vincenzo, the man who the entire town of Capo di Monte was afraid of. He was the myth that made people shiver in fear every night. Such a title isn’t something that I should have disregarded so easily.

     For a brief moment, I have forgotten about all that. I forgot that I’m here to work for him; not to make friends with any of these people. I didn’t move to that manor just so I could play house with them. My mother practically sold me to this man. I’m nothing but his possession now.

    And I even had the nerve to damn Marcelino about how he was fooled to follow Claudio when I’m in the exact same position as him too. I didn’t even notice.

     “Do you understand now, Bishop?” He asks, moving his thumb around my cheek as a way to comfort me.

     My body automatically calms down, almost like I was some kind of animal in a circus that’s being tamed by a ringleader.

     “I apologize, master Claudio. I will find the file and acquire it for you without fail,” I obediently tell him, and Claudio smiles and nods his head, glad that I finally understood what he meant.

     “Do this well and I’ll reward you,” he then adds before pulling his hand away from me, and I gulp and nod my head back like that was the only answer I could give him.

     Eventually, we arrived at the mayor’s house with no more fuss. There were a few cars parked outside, indicating that there are only a handful of guests that are invited to this dinner party, which will be harder for me since I have to look around this mansion to find that file without getting caught. I guess I just need to look for a way on my own.

     “We’re here, young master,” Lino says as he parks right in front of the entrance of the mayor’s house. 

     I immediately step out of the car and open the door for master Claudio. Master Claudio heads out with a serious expression on his face, and as I close the car door for him, Claudio fixes his coat first before finally walking inside the mansion.

     The mayor’s house was a large white mansion that somehow contrasted how barren the manor is. The garden was beautiful, and there was even a fountain in the middle. It was more like a president’s house than a mayor’s.

     The moment we got inside, we were welcomed with classical music and the smell of wine and women’s perfume. Two men greeted us at the entrance and led us to a dining room where the other guests were. Expectedly enough, the moment we got there, the guests start swarming around Claudio like flies around a flame.

     “Mr. Claudio Romano, so the rumors are true. You really have made your most awaited return,” this older woman with a strong perfume scent says as she moves closer to him to give him a kiss on his cheeks.

     Claudio smiles and kisses the woman back. While everyone was trying their best to get the chance to talk to him, another man arrives in the dining room, making everyone’s attention shift to him.

     “Claudio! Everyone in town was talking about you,” the man says.

     I turn around and saw an equally good-looking man approach us. Standing beside him was a beautiful woman wearing a red skin-tight dress that embraced the curves of her body. She automatically made the other men look her way, while the other women looked at her with such envy.

     “Ah, Mateo Ricci, you look rather dashing,” Claudio greets, and the two approach each other to shake hands.

     It looks like they’re friends.

     I stare at the man named Mateo from head to toe. Master Claudio was already tall, but he easily towered over him. His hair was a dark shade of brown, his eyes looked green, and his body was refined. He was like a Greek god.

     Mateo eventually looks in my direction, suddenly making me flinch because of how intense his stare is. I thought he was going to ask Claudio who I was, but he ignores me and continues talking to Claudio instead.

     “I heard you were in Paris. I was there for a couple of days. It’s a shame that we didn’t get to meet each other there,” he tells him.

     “I was a bit busy with my research,” Claudio then answers.

     “Oh yes, your research. I guess it would have been rude of me to waste a renowned doctor’s precious time.”

     Claudio laughs at the statement, and the two finally take their seats to join the other guests, leaving me with this beautiful woman that Mateo was with.

     “Good evening,” I greet, grabbing the woman’s hand to kiss the back of it. “My name is Bishop. I am master Claudio’s personal butler. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

     The woman smiles and gracefully nods her head before pulling her hand away from me. “I see. No wonder I haven’t seen you around before. Master Claudio hasn’t been back for such a long time so I was surprised that he brought someone unfamiliar.”

     The woman looks back at Mateo to check what he was doing. When he sees that he was still busy talking with the other guests, she looks back at me and says, “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. I’m Isabella, Mateo’s courtesan.”

     “A man like sir Mateo deserves such a breathtakingly beautiful woman. I envy him,” I say back, making Isabella giggle.

    “Don’t flatter me, sir Bishop.”

     “Bishop would be fine,” I say with a lower tone, and a sly smile instantly appears on her face.

     As more guests start appearing, Isabella eventually takes a seat beside Mateo at the table while I had to stand behind master Claudio since I’m just his butler. I realize that there were other courtesans at the party too, but none of them sat beside their respective clients. It seems like Isabella is a famous woman among the other courtesans. I bet she costs thousands.

     “We’re really glad that you decided to attend today’s party, Claudio. As much as we enjoy sir Mateo’s presence, your appearance has made this party a lot more pleasant,” another woman with a big belly says, making Claudio chuckle.

     “This is the reason why I’d rather not have Claudio around. He steals the spotlight from me,” sir Mateo jokingly comments, making the people at the table laugh.

     Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and surprisingly enough, the atmosphere was good. I was expecting that it would be tense and awkward, but everyone was just there to enjoy themselves.

     “And this must be the butler that the townspeople were also talking about,” someone suddenly says, immediately making everyone shift their attention to me. As a butler, I’m not really allowed to speak to the guests when my master is around so I didn’t say anything and just bowed my head to greet them back.

     “He’s as pretty as everyone says. Maybe even prettier than the whore that I’m with,” a man with a long nose says, making the other guests at the table laugh even though there wasn’t really anything funny about what he said.

     “Aren’t you going to introduce him to us Claudio?” the woman who gave Claudio a kiss earlier asks, but Claudio just laughs it off as he takes a sip of the water that was served to him earlier. It seemed like he wasn’t going to tell them who I was so there was no point for me to introduce myself to them either.

     I was worried that someone would directly ask me though, but thankfully, a bell rings and a door opens, suddenly making everyone stand from their seats. I stare at the door as well and was surprised to see an old man in a wheelchair wearing a clean white coat. I’d think that he’s about eighty years old, but he might be older because of how his skin is. His teeth even looked rotten.

     “Mayor Winchester. Thank you for hosting another party for us,” a man says, instantly making my eyes widen from shock.

     Did he just say…Winchester?

     If I remember correctly, Adeline’s last name was—

     Oh my god.

     “ It’s my pleasure, “ the mayor says with such a soft and shaky voice that I almost couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. How is he still this town’s mayor? He could barely even talk.

     When everyone was greeting him, Claudio suddenly touches my back and pushes me towards the old mayor who smelled like powder and milk. When the mayor saw Claudio, his face immediately brightens.

     “ Claudio… “ he says before suddenly coughing. The woman who was pushing his wheelchair for him immediately pulls a handkerchief to cover his mouth and wipe it for him.

     “Thank you for inviting me to your party,” Claudio says, and the woman leans towards the mayor’s ear and whispers something to him. He probably couldn’t hear well either so she has to say it directly to his ear.

     The mayor doesn’t really say anything, but then the woman looks at Claudio and tells him, “It would be rude of us not to invite you, Dr. Romano. After all, your family has been my father’s doctor for years. This little gathering is just a small token of our gratitude.”

     Oh, so she’s the mayor’s daughter. That explains it.

     “ Shall we eat? “ The mayor weakly says, and everyone returns to their seats while the mayor sat at the middle end while his daughter sat on her right.

     As everyone was finally back in their seats, waiters arrive with the first dish, which was the appetizer. The moment I saw and smelled what it was, I immediately knew that it was chicken consommé, a clear soup that’s made from flavored broth. As one of the waiters placed the soup in front of master Claudio, I lean to his ear and whispered, “ The soup is mostly made of chicken and white eggs. Are you allergic to any of them, master Claudio? “

     “ No, I’m fine, “ he whispers back. “ I’m only allergic to peanuts. “

     “ Understood. “

     I obviously didn’t know that he was allergic to peanuts, so when the main dish arrived soon after, I looked at the waiter and asked him, “Are there any peanuts in the dish.”

     “Ah, yes sir. Peanut oil was added to the gravy,” the waiter says, so I took the plate in front of Claudio with no hesitation and gave it back to the waiter. “Please, may I ask for a new dish? And tell the sauté chef if they could make the gravy without the peanut oil. My master is allergic to it.”

     The waiter was surprised, but he immediately nods his head and says, “Y-Yes, right away sir.”

     As soon as the waiter leaves with Claudio’s dish, the guests couldn’t help but look at me with amusement, probably surprised after hearing my voice for the first time.

     “Oh wow Claudio, your butler really knows how to do his job well. I haven’t seen someone so meticulous. Would you mind if I borrow him for a while?” one of the female guests says, and I could see Claudio smiling with satisfaction.

     As I said before, masters bring their courtesans or butlers to show off their status. How good a butler is will reflect on how high their status is. It’s just the way this type of lifestyle works.

     While everyone was admiring how I acted, the man with a long nose suddenly starts staring at me with a grin, making the hair on my skin stand. He wouldn’t stop staring so I had to look away from him instead.

     “Here you are sir,” the waiter says as he arrives with the dish shortly after.

     The dinner continued with ease, and everyone enjoyed their food and wine like normal. As everyone was now in the momentum of things, I knew that this was the perfect opportunity for me to take my leave so I could search for that file that Claudio mentioned earlier. So I lean towards master Claudio’s ears again and whisper, “ Where can I find the office? “

     Claudio was laughing at a joke that he heard from one of the guests, and without even removing the smile on his face, he leans back to me and answers, “ It’s probably on the second floor. The mayor doesn’t have a lot of guards so you just have to be quick. “

     I nod my head and pull away from Claudio before excusing myself to take my leave.

     The mansion was massive, but I was able to find the stairs that leads to the second floor. Thankfully Claudio was right about the guards because no one was there when I arrived, which was a bit strange. In the hallway, there were a couple of doors and I had to slowly open them one at a time“ I can’t believe I’m doing this spy shit, “ I tell myself until I finally open a door where the office is.

     I sigh in relief and enter the office before quietly closing and locking the door behind me. I hurriedly went to the desk and opened the drawers, checking the files one by one, my heart beating fast because of how nervous I was.

     After about a couple more minutes of searching, I finally found an envelope with the word Adeline Winchester on it.

     “ Holy shit, it’s actually here, “ I say as I stare at the envelope. I was tempted to check the contents of the envelope, but sadly it was sealed. Master Claudio would find out that I opened it. Darn it.

     After rechecking if I got the right folder, I hid it underneath my coat and secured it properly so it wouldn’t accidentally fall off me. When everything in the office looked normal, I took a deep breath and stepped out of the room. The hallway was empty so I couldn’t help but sigh in relief again, but as soon as I closed the door, a figure suddenly appeared at the hall’s end, almost making my heart drop.

     “What are you doing there?” he asks, and I immediately turn to face him and answer, “I apologize, I was looking for the restroom. Master Claudio said that it would be on the second floor.”

     The man approaches me, and I realized that he was actually the weird long-nosed man who commented about how I was prettier than the whore that he was with, which was such a disgusting thing to say.

     His presence instantly made me feel uncomfortable, and my instincts told me to just leave, but somehow, I didn’t want to get caught. If I just leave him without saying anything then he might interrogate me.

     “The restroom? I’ll lead you there,” he tells me. And even though I didn’t want to be alone with him, I nod my head and thank him instead because I didn’t want him to find out that I was snooping around.

     “So, how long have you been Claudio’s butler,” he suddenly asks.

     “I would rather not answer any questions regarding my personal and work affairs with master Claudio,” I respectfully answer, hoping that he wouldn’t ask me anything further.

     The man looks annoyed by the way I answered, but he thankfully doesn’t ask me anything about it. Instead, he asks, “If not with Claudio, have you been with other men?”

     “I’m sorry?”

     “Oh, no need to be so defensive. Claudio has a reputation to be such a playboy so it would only be natural that he’d want a piece of you, isn’t that right, you pretty slut?” he says, touching my back and slowly sliding it down to squeeze my butt.

     The action made me flinch, and I immediately move away from him, my back facing the wall so he wouldn’t be able to touch my behind again.

     “What the hell do you think you’re doing sir?” I ask with an angry tone, and he looked at me like I lost my mind, like it was my fault for reacting in such a way.

     “How dare you raise your voice at me? You peasant!” He shouts, slapping me with the back of his hand.

     My cheeks burned, and for a moment I almost lost my balance, but then the man grabs me by the collar before pinning me on the wall. His hand starts exploring my thighs and crotch as I try to push him away, but I couldn’t move. My body wouldn’t let me.

     “No, s-stop,” I struggle to say, but then he pulls a handkerchief in his pocket and shoves it inside my mouth. My eyes then widened from shock when I saw him unzipping his pants.

     What the fuck is going on? Why is he doing this all of a sudden?

      “ Hmmm… “

      My saliva starts oozing out of my mouth as I continue to try and push him with my trembling hand, but he was just too strong, or rather, I felt too weak, and he was enjoying how vulnerable I was against him.

     He laughs at my current state and leans close, licking the saliva that was dripping on the side of my mouth, making my entire body tremble.

     “ You like that? Oh, I bet you do .“

     The man then pulls out his dick and presses it on my crotch. My eyes were almost filled with tears, and just when he was about to unzip my pants, my vision becomes hazy and my entire body turns limp. But as I was seconds away from fainting, adrenaline kicks in and I immediately gather my strength to stand back up.

     I look around the area to assess the situation. I was in a hallway, and there was a man kissing me on the neck, making me look back at him with disgust.

     “Looks like I’m a bit late,” I say after pushing the handkerchief out of my mouth using my tongue, making the man in front of me stop so he could look back at me with a confused expression.

     His eyes were filled with lust and excitement. I could tell because his hard dick was pressing on me like he was pointing a gun. But when our eyes meet, I grin in his direction and immediately grab him by the neck, finally making him let go of me.

     “W-What are you…What are you…doing…” he struggles to say as I slam his body on the wall with all my might.

     “Were you having fun? I’m sorry to interrupt,” I say, the grip on his neck becoming tighter and tighter until he was about to choke.

     “My name is Alice, and if you touch this boy again…I’ll push you into a rabbit hole and chop off your precious little head,” I tell him before grabbing his cock and squeezing it so hard until his screams were heard throughout the mayor’s mansion.

to be continued…

(10) Fabricated

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“MY NAME IS ALICE,  and if you touch this boy again…I’ll push you into a rabbit hole and chop off your precious little head,” I tell him before grabbing his cock and squeezing it so hard until his screams were heard throughout the mayor’s mansion.

     I stare at the man with a satisfied look as he screams in agony in front of me. His legs weakened as the pain escalated in his entire body, but I try my best not to let go of him. I wanted him to keep standing. I wanted him to look me straight in the eyes so he’ll realize what he’s done.

     “People like you are worth nothing despite all the powers and riches that you may have. Even millions of dollars won’t be enough to fix what is already rotten.”

     The man starts to whimper as I continue to grip his neck. But just when he looked like he was about to faint, a tall figure appears behind me as he calls out, “Bishop?”

     My grip on the man’s neck loosens and I eventually let go of his cock, making him fall to the ground and gasp for air.

     I take a deep breath and look behind me. Dr. Giovanni de Vincenzo, Winter’s doctor, stares at me with a blank expression. He looked like he was examining the situation as he stares back at the man who was still whimpering on the floor. But when the bastard saw the doctor, his face brightens, and he crawled toward him to grab his hand.

     “C-Claudio…thank god you’re here. Your fucking butler accused me of sexually assaulting him and suddenly started strangling me!” the man says, almost making me kick him because of how flawlessly he lied.

     “What did you say?” the doctor asks with a shocked expression.

     “That’s right. Now help me up and call the cops!” the man says.

     I was about to explain my side, but the doctor suddenly goes down on one knee to level the man. He then looks at him and says, “This is terrible. I can’t believe you hit your forehead when you fell down the stairs. You must have been really drunk.”

    My eyes furrow from confusion after hearing what he has to say, and even the man was surprised by what he heard.

     “W-What? No, I didn’t fall, and I’m not drunk. I told you, you’re good-for-nothing butler started strangling me! Do something about it!”

     “Oh no, how terrible. It looks like you even fractured your nose,” the doctor continues to say. And just before the man could say anything back, doctor Giovanni suddenly grabs a fistful of his hair and slams his face on the floor, making me widen my eyes from shock.

     Blood started coming out of the man’s nose as he slowly lifts his head to look at Claudio with complete betrayal. “What…what are y-you doing?”

      “You’re bleeding! We have to call a doctor at once!” The doctor says with a worried tone, almost making the hair on my skin stand because of how indifferent he was acting.

     As the man was trying to comprehend the situation, doctor Giovanni suddenly pulls out a hip flask filled with alcohol from his coat. He grabs the man by the cheeks and forcefully shoves the flask in his mouth so he could swallow the alcohol. The action almost made the man choke.

     “S-Stop!” The man practically begs as the alcohol slides down his throat.

     Doctor Giovanni places the flask inside the man’s coat before standing on the floor. He grabs hold of the man’s hair again as he suddenly starts dragging him across the hall towards the staircase. All I could do was watch in shock and confusion.

     “C-Claudio…what are you doing? Claudio…Stop!”

     The man was struggling, but doctor Giovanni was surprisingly strong. I follow behind them in silence as he continues to drag the bastard. And as soon as they reach the staircase, he forcefully makes the man stand before pushing him down the stairs with no hesitation.

     The man screams, but then he reaches the ground and hits his face, finally making him fall unconscious. I watch the scene with a blank expression, but deep down I was surprised. Who knew that this doctor was truly evil. It was right of me to be cautious around him.

     “Bishop…” he suddenly calls out, but when he looks straight at me, he immediately corrects himself and says, “No…Alice…is that correct?”

     I was surprised that he was able to tell, but I nod my head to answer anyway. When he confirmed who I really was, he starts walking down the stairs with such a calm demeanor. He didn’t look panicked, almost like he didn’t push someone down the stairs.

     I follow behind him, and when we reached the unconscious man, Dr. Giovanni grabs my hand and pulls it towards the pool of blood on the floor, staining my hand with this disgusting red fluid.

     “What are you doing?” I ask him.

      As he examines the man’s body, he answers, “Wipe it on your shirt and tell them you saw a man fall down the stairs. If they ask anything, tell them you touched him to check his pulse, and thankfully he’s still alive. Dr. Claudio is already checking on him too.”

     I was confused for a second, and when the doctor noticed that, he takes a deep breath and explains, “You’re at a dinner party at the mayor’s mansion. Walk down this hallway and turn left, that’s where the other guests are. Tell them exactly what I just told you.”

     The situation was still confusing to me, but I nod my head anyway and did what I was told.

     When I reach the dining room where the other guests were, I was welcomed with loud music from a band that was playing on the side, now making me realize why no one was able to hear everything that happened. I take a deep breath first and smother the blood on my clean shirt like what the doctor instructed, and as soon as I made my appearance, the music instantly stops, and the guests gasp in shock.

     “Heaven’s! What happened?!” a woman asks.

     I look around and try to explain to them, “A…a man fell from the stairs. I tried to help him, but thankfully doctor Claudio saw me.”

     The guests fell quiet until a tall and handsome man stands from his seat to run to the scene, automatically making everyone follow.

     When we reached the unconscious man, doctor Giovanni was already there. He wasn’t wearing his coat anymore and the sleeves on his shirt were pulled up while his hands were covered in blood. What an amazing acto r.

     Everyone practically gasps when they saw them, but then with a devastated expression on his face, the doctor looks at the crowd and says, “He has a few broken bones and he injured his head so he has a mild concussion, but I was able to stop the bleeding. It looks like he’s been drinking before he got here so he fell.”

     The handsome man earlier approaches the doctor too and kneels beside him to check the bastard. The way he was examining him made me feel uneasy, but then he pulls out the flask that doctor Giovanni implanted on him earlier.

     “Claudio’s right. He’s intoxicated,” the man tells everyone, making the guests start talking with each other.

     “No wonder he’s been acting strange,” I overheard a woman say.

     “I could bring him to my clinic, but I think it’s best if we bring him to the hospital instead,” doctor Giovanni says, and the man agrees before standing from the floor and hiding the flask inside his coat.

     “Why did he take the flask?” I unconsciously ask out loud, and a beautiful woman in a tight red dress suddenly stands beside me and explains, “Oh, did you not know? Sir Mateo is this town’s chief of police.”

     My eyes widen from shock as the man named Mateo tries to make the guests leave the scene while he asks another man to find a phone to call for an ambulance.

     Everyone leaves the scene as instructed, and then an old man in a wheelchair arrives and he, Mateo, and doctor Giovanni start talking. After a while, the man named Mateo suddenly approaches me, but I try my best to calm myself down until he finally stopped in front of me.

     “Your name?” he asks.

     “Bishop…Bishop Lancaster,” I answer, and the policeman nods his head and suddenly touches my shoulder.

     “You must have been frightened. We’ll handle everything from here. You and your master should head back first and wash up,” he tells me, almost making me sigh in relief because I thought he was going to interrogate me.

     “Thank you,” I say with a respectful bow before walking toward doctor Giovanni who was still talking to the man in the wheelchair.

    “I apologize for this mess mayor. It looks like your dinner party was ruined,” the doctor says, making me realize that this was apparently the mayor.

     The old man doesn’t answer though, but the woman pushing the wheelchair for him answers instead, “Don’t be apologetic. We’re actually glad that you’re here. Things might have ended badly.”

     “Don’t glorify me,” the doctor humbly says. He then glances at me before looking back at the mayor. “I think we should head out first. If you need anything, please give us a call.”

     The doctor bows at the mayor and finally walks out of the mansion. I bow at them as well before following behind him, and when we reached outside where there were no people, I stand closer to him and ask with a soft voice, “Is this fine? If that man wakes up you’ll be in trouble.”

     “I made him drink poison. The other doctors won’t be able to tell since it’s mixed with the alcohol. He’ll be dead within five hours,” doctor Giovanni explains, surprising me.

     “And the hip flask?” I then ask him.

     “Mateo won’t suspect me for it. I stole that flask from one of the guests. No one would admit that it’s there’s since they might get involved, so they’ll probably just lie and tell Mateo that it’s really his.”

     I couldn’t help but look at this doctor with disbelief. Apparently, he planned everything through.

     “Any more questions before I ask you to bring out my butler?” the doctor suddenly says as he stops walking so he could face me.

     I look straight into his intimidating eyes and examine him first before asking, “How did you know I was Alice?”

    It looked like he was expecting the question, so he quickly answers, “You’re his protector, isn’t that right? It would only be natural for you to appear out of all the alters. If it was Winter or Bishop they would have been crying and helpless, and if it was Autumn she’d be too weak to fight back. There’s also Krimson, but I doubt he’d come out because of that incident. In fact, he might have even enjoyed seeing Bishop suffer.”

     I couldn’t help but be impressed by what I heard, but instead of commending him for his job well done, I smirk and tell him, “Carry him.”

     The doctor was confused, but then I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My body withers down and falls, but someone suddenly grabs hold of me before I could collapse. I lift my head and was surprised to see that I was already outside, and the man holding onto me was none other than master Claudio.

     “Master!” I say in shock. I was about to push him away, but then I lose my balance again, so Claudio immediately grabbed hold of my arm and suddenly lifts me and carries me like I was a princess.

     “W-What are you doing?” I ask, my face burning up because of how embarrassed I was, but Claudio doesn’t answer me and starts walking towards the spot where Lino parked the car.

     “Please, put me down. There’s no reason for you to carry me, master Claudio,” I say, not even looking at him anymore.

     “How could I when you’re trembling this much?” He suddenly says, and then I realize that I really was trembling. Everything starts crashing down on me in an instant, and I finally remember what happened to me earlier before I passed out, and such a terrible memory made me tear up again.

     I couldn’t say anything and just gave up, letting my own master carry me to the car. When we arrived, Lino must have spotted us because he immediately runs out to open the door for him.

     “Is he alright?” Lino asks with a worried tone as he looks at me.

     Claudio carries me inside so I could take a seat first before he could look back at Lino to answer his question. “Something happened but he’ll be fine. Let’s just head back.”

     “Understood, master Claudio.”

     Claudio and Lino head inside the car and we finally leave the mansion. As we were driving away, an ambulance suddenly drives past us, and then I finally notice the blood on my hand and my shirt, making me widen my eyes from shock.

     “What happened? Did something—” But just before I could finish my question, I immediately stopped myself because I remembered that Claudio doesn’t want me asking him anything.

     Even though I wanted to know what happened afterward, I couldn’t help but keep my mouth shut. Thankfully, the farther we got from the mansion, my body automatically started calming down. It’s probably because I consciously know that I wouldn’t be able to see that man again, or probably because I feel safer here with Lino and Claudio.

     “Were you able to get it?” master Claudio suddenly asks, making me widen my eyes from shock.

    How could I have forgotten about that?

     “Y-Yes…I have it,” I say, immediately pulling out the envelope that master Claudio asked me to get. When he saw it, he snatches it from my hand so he could open it.

     I watch as Claudio looks through the files one by one. And as he was reading them, he suddenly stops, and then he lifts his hand and uses it to cover his mouth that was now wide open. “It looks like we were right,” Claudio says with an almost exhausted expression before letting go of the papers that he was holding. I look back at Lino too, and he was shocked by what he heard as well. Now I was just dying to know what they were talking about.

     “It seems like Adeline isn’t only mayor Winchester’s granddaughter. She’s Valentina’s daughter too,” master Claudio reveals, and Lino suddenly hits the steering wheel, almost making me flinch because of how angry he looked.

     “That sick fucking bastard!” Lino shouts in a complete rage.

     “W-What’s going on?” I ask despite knowing the consequences of asking things that I’m not allowed to know.

     Master Claudio takes a deep breath and massages his temple before looking back at me. At first, I thought he was going to scold me, but then he says, “Since you’re my direct employee now, it would be best if you know.”

     “Know what?” I ask back, my heart suddenly pounding fast.

     Claudio looks straight at me and readies himself. Before taking another deep breath, he finally explains, “Valentina…is the mayor’s youngest daughter who died after hanging herself in the same mansion that we were just in.”

     My brows furrow as I try to decipher what I just heard. “Adeline is the daughter of the mayor’s youngest, making her the mayor’s granddaughter. But why did you say that she’s not only his granddaughter? What do you mean by—”

     My body instantly freezes as I realize something from what I just heard. And as I try to sink everything in, my stomach suddenly churns, and I almost vomited in front of master Claudio if I wasn’t able to hold it in on time.

     “N-No…are you telling me—”

     “The mayor…raped his own daughter and impregnated her. This was the reason why she killed herself. And this is the reason why we took Adeline. It was because…she was sexually assaulted by the same man too.”

     The car becomes quiet, and just a second after, I quickly pulled the window down and started vomiting. And as the car continues to drive back to the manor, tears started streaming out of my eyes and my chest immediately tightened, almost like I couldn’t breathe.

    “How…how can someone be so evil? To a sweet girl like Adeline…how?” I continuously ask as I clench my aching chest.

     “This is another reason why I brought you to that party, Bishop,” master Claudio suddenly tells me.

     I wipe my mouth with my hand, staining it with the blood that was owned by someone that I did not know. “Why did you bring me to such a horrible place?” I ask, tears still streaming down my cheeks.

     “I wanted you to see, Bishop,” he tells me with his eyes filled with anger. “I wanted you to see the people. I wanted you to see what kind of town this really is. I wanted you to see that no matter what type of plague falls upon them…it won’t be enough to cleanse everyone’s sin.”

to be continued…

(11) Much Needed Reward [m]

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IT TOOK A WHILE  for me to fully calm down after realizing something so cruel. I am not a saint, nor am I close to even being called a good man, but I know if something crosses the line.

     “You feel especially affected by this, Bishop. Is there a reason?” master Claudio suddenly asks, immediately making me look at him.

     I don’t know why, but after hearing his assumption, I unconsciously hide my arms from their view and feel something heavy weigh in on my shoulder.

     “Should there be a reason?” I ask back instead. “Anyone who’d hear something horrendous would feel sick to the stomach. The fact that you have a child with your own father, and that same child experienced getting assaulted by the same man, it’s fucking disgusting. No one should be allowed to live after doing something so cruel. No one should—” I immediately paused and stopped myself when I felt Claudio’s curious eyes piercing through me. I didn’t even notice that I was clenching my fist so hard.

     “Forget it,” I say as I take a deep breath and massage my temple. “All I’m concerned about now is little Adie. Now I understand why the poor child doesn’t even speak.”

     “Adeline has psychogenic mutism, or more specifically, elective mutism where she chooses not to speak because of psychological issues,” Claudio suddenly explains as he looks out of the car window.

     “Marcelino and I found her hiding at a dark alley on our way to the manor. She was almost skin and bones, and she was only wearing a thin nightdress that barely covered the bruises in her skin. I took her, treated her, bathed her, fed her, and then diagnosed her. That same day I discovered three things. One is that she has been sexually abused, two is that she was not properly fed and is underweight, and three is that she’s mute,” Claudio explains further, making me clench on my fist again.

     “That’s when I started asking around to find more information about her. At times when I ask her some questions she’d write them down, and those small interactions eventually made me realize who she really was.”

     “Then that file? Why did you know that the mayor would have something like that?” I ask him, staring at the file that I stole for him just moments ago.

     “If you don’t know yet, I’m also a doctor in one of the largest hospitals in the city. A month ago a doctor friend of mine received a special request from the mayor of this town. Apparently, there have been speculations that the mayor had a child with some maid and is trying to confirm if it’s really his. I took that as an opportunity to switch the alleged child with Adeline’s DNA sample. The results came out today, that’s why I came back here. I needed to attend the party to get the results,” master Claudio answers, surprising me.

     For someone with Claudio’s personality, I shouldn’t be surprised by how resourceful he really is, but at the same time, I’m still surprised that he was able to pull this off. 

     It’s too clean…

     Too precise…

     “And now that you know of Adeline’s real identity, what will you do?” I ask, making Claudio look back at me with a small smile.

     “This piece of information can greatly help me in the future. That is why I am really thankful that you were able to get it for me, Bishop,” he answers, suddenly grabbing my hand to squeeze it. The action made me flinch, but I didn’t pull my hand away from him even though both of our hands were stained by blood from an unknown person.

     I thought he was going to let go of me eventually, but he looks back at Lino and says, “Bring us to the mansion, and then you can head to the manor afterward. I’m sure that Mateo will come to find me tomorrow so it’s safer if I’m there.”

     “Understood, young master,” Lino answers, making me furrow my brows in confusion. What did he mean by mansion? Does he have another house?

     “Bishop,” the master suddenly calls out, making me look back at him.

     I was expecting him to let go of my hand, but then he moves closer to me instead and suddenly leans in my ear to whisper, “ As promised, you’ll get your reward. “

     My eyes widen from shock as he finally lets go of me. My heart almost sank, but then he pulls away and lets go, acting like he did not say anything strange.

     He’s well aware that I desire him, yet he teases me like this. If he continues with this promise, I won’t be able to help myself. I’d give myself in with no questions asked because the only way I can shake away this sickening feeling is if I feel the embrace of a man who everyone in this town calls their hero.

     Claudio was a man worthy enough to make me feel so sure yet unsure at the same time. He’s straight forward yet he puzzles me. He makes me feel vulnerable. He makes me think about what type of man I’d become if he starts trapping me with his manipulative words.

     I didn’t know what will happen, but one thing’s for sure. His presence will calm me, his touch will paralyze me, and if he decides to hold me tighter, I’ll let him poison my insides so I can finally be numb to the pain this cruel world made me inherit.

…

“We’re here, master,” Lino says as he drives towards a mansion that’s found on the outskirts of town. I look out the window and see a large building. It was smaller than the mayor’s mansion, and it was definitely smaller than the manor, but it still looked impressive just the same.

     “I didn’t know you have another house,” I say.

     “It would be strange if I didn’t. But no one’s really home.”

     Lino parks in front of the entrance, so I head out of the car first to open the door for Claudio. Claudio steps out, holding his coat and the files. I was expecting Lino to step out with us, but then he leans out of the window and says, “I’ll head back now master.”

     “Alright. Look over Adeline and come back tomorrow at 10,” master Claudio says, and Lino nods his head and finally drives away.

     I know that Claudio said that he was going to reward me, but I didn’t know that it would be in a mansion where it would only be the two of us. Now I feel awkward.

     “W-Well…aren’t you heading inside?” I ask as I scratch the back of my head.

     Master Claudio ignores my question and walks toward the door, making me follow behind him instead. He then pulls out a key from his pocket and finally heads inside.

     The empty mansion was well-maintained despite the fact that no one was living in it. It looked so new that you’d think it just finished construction yesterday. The only thing that made it look old was the old pictures on the wall. There are some pictures of a young boy who I’ll just assume is Claudio. There are also pictures of a man and a woman, but I’m too afraid to ask if it’s his parents.

     I follow Claudio further inside until I was led to the kitchen.

     “Take a seat,” he says as he gestures at the dining table where he placed the files and hung his coat on a chair.

     I didn’t say anything and just sat down as he said. Claudio then walks towards the counter to wash his hands, and as he was doing so, I couldn’t help but look at my own hand that was also covered with blood.

     “Whose blood is this?” I finally ask.

     Master Claudio’s back was facing me, but I could tell that he had a foul expression on his face when he heard the question.

     “Who do you think it is?” He answers, making me gulp.

     “Was it…him?”

     The room fell silent between us, but even though he didn’t say anything, I already knew the answer, and the underlying truth terrified me. I didn’t know what really happened after the assault, but for some reason, I felt afraid, almost like someone was stopping me from asking him about it further.

     I knew that some of the alters inside me saw the whole thing, and so the smartest thing I did was to keep quiet about everything. There was a reason why I wasn’t able to find out about it, so it’s best if I don’t dive any further.

     “Who took over?” I ask, and that was the last question that I was going to ask.

      “You must be hungry,” he answers me instead.

     I didn’t answer him because of disappointment, but then he wipes his now clean hands with a towel and walks toward the fridge. “I don’t have much since I haven’t been back here for two weeks. Will scrambled eggs and canned beans be alright with you?”

     “No, that’s fine. I can do that myself,” I say, but then master Claudio grabs two eggs and starts preparing the food even though I didn’t want him to. It would be rude now to stop him.

     “I’ll eat it well,” I say instead, and the master starts cooking the eggs.

     The room was so silent that all I could hear was the sound coming from the frying pan. I watched as he cooked me a simple dish. Both of our shirts were covered in blood, but I didn’t lose my appetite at all. In fact, I’m more eager to start eating.

     After a couple of minutes, he eventually finishes and places the scrambled eggs and beans on a clean plate. He then walks towards me and places the plate and the fork in front of me and says, “Eat.”

     I glance at him first before grabbing the fork before realizing that my hands are still covered in blood.

     “Let me w-wash first,” I say as I stand from my seat to wash my blood-stained hands.

     I couldn’t help but feel nervous so I had to calm myself down for a bit before finally turning the sink off. I then turn back around and suddenly see Claudio sitting where I was supposed to be seated. I didn’t know why he was there, but I decided not to ask and just take a different seat. But just when I was about to pull the chair, Claudio made a request that instantly made me stop moving.

     “Remove your shirt,” he says, making me widen my eyes from shock.

     “I-I’m sorry?”

     “Are you going to eat with that bloodstain on your shirt? It wouldn’t be proper at all, don’t you think?” he asks.

     For a second I thought he was teasing me again, but then the serious look on his face made me shiver. I knew that he wasn’t playing around anymore, so I gathered all my courage and removed the coat that Ms. Sunny altered for me. I then start removing the buttons of my shirt one by one, Claudio’s eyes intensely staring at me as I did so.

     When I was finally shirtless, I look back at the master and say, “Is this better, young master?”

     Claudio continues to stare at me as my face starts heating up. He stares at me from head to toe with such a focused expression until he finally says, “I think you should remove the bottom-half too.”

     “Master I—”

     “Why? Are you shy? Or are you secretly enjoying this situation?” He asks, making me gulp again.

     “Are you not going to do it? Aren’t you…hungry, Bishop?” He continues to ask, his focused expression changing to something more relaxed and playful.

     The question made me pause for a second, but a smirk finally appears on my face as I answer him, “I’m fucking starving.”

     My answer made Claudio smirk back, and I finally start pulling down my pants and dropping them on the floor. I pull down my boxers next until I was now completely naked in front of him.

     “You really are beautiful. What a shame,” he says with a low voice, making me bite my lip.

     “Now you can sit down and eat,” he tells me, and then he pats on his lap, making me lick my lips this time.

     I sat on him with no hesitation, instantly making me feel the hard bulge underneath his pants. Claudio leans back on the chair as I adjust myself, and when I finally grab the fork, Claudio grabs hold of my hips and suddenly pushes me down, making me feel him even more.

     A moan escapes my mouth and I grip the fork even harder.

     “ Aren’t you going to eat ?“ He whispers in my ear, making the hair on my skin stand.

     I force myself to grab a forkful of the eggs and finally take a bite. And as soon as I pull the fork out of my mouth, Claudio starts kissing and licking my neck and my shoulders.

     “Out of all the sluts in that party, you were the most desirable,” he tells me. “I could tell those men and women wanted you so badly.”

     “Oh, master—”

     Claudio left marks all over me as I continue to eat the food he generously made for me. I wasn’t going to waste it, especially when he was giving me such a reward.

     After showering me with kisses, he finally unzips his pants and pulls his dick out. I swallow the food and almost drop the fork when I felt his hard member touch my hole. “I’m going to start eating now too,” he tells me.

     I chuckle and turn my head to face him. “I hope you’re not allergic.”

     “You don’t have to worry. This dish is actually my favorite.”

     Master Claudio spits on his dick and starts massaging it. He wasn’t planning to prepare me but I didn’t care. If it was going to hurt then that’s fine. I just want him to be inside me so badly.

     “Is this what you were imagining when you masturbated earlier?” He asks as he lifts me up a little, almost making me spit the food in my mouth.

     When I was thankfully able to swallow it, I tell him, “I-Its…even better.”

     “ Good. “

     Nothing happens for a couple of seconds, but just when I was about to take another bite, Claudio finally shoves his dick inside me hard, making me scream at the top of my lungs.

     “F-fuck!” I shout, letting go of the fork and gripping on the edge of the table as the pain escalates in my entire body. “Dear god…it’s t-too much.”

     “ Full already? “ he whispers as I try to adjust to his size. I wasn’t able to see it, but now that it’s inside, I could tell that it’s bigger than I imagined it to be.

     Claudio starts moving at a slow pace, but after each thrust, his pace got faster. He must have been impatient because he stands from his seat soon after and pushes my head on the table so I could bend over, making the food smother my face. The position allowed him to go even deeper, and eventually, the pain turned into pleasure.

     “Shit…that’s it! Deeper, just like that,” I say as Claudio starts thrusting inside me, the table moving each time he did so.

     I moaned without care. No one was here. This isn’t the manor where I had to be quiet.

    “More…more…fuck me more master!”

     Claudio grabs a handful of my hair and goes even faster. His moans were low, and it turned me on even more. It felt so good that every time he’d go deep inside me, the awful memory I had with the man at the party starts to slowly fade away.

     “You like that? Huh, Bishop?”

     “Y-Yes…I like it so much. I’ve been wanting you to do this the moment I saw you.”

     “Do you like this reward then?”

     “Yes…yes! I’ll do anything for you master. Just continue to do this for me and I’ll bend my knees for you!” I say, my mind now becoming hazy.

     The table was shaking so much as I feel Claudio getting ready to climax.

     “ I’m…I’m about to cum… “

     Claudio was about to pull away, but I immediately stand straight and push him down so we could sit back on our chair.

     “B-Bishop…wait—”

     I wasn’t going to let him pull out as I start bouncing on top of him. I squeezed on him harder, so Claudio moves close and suddenly bites on my shoulder. I wanted all of him, so after one final push, Claudio cums inside of me, his hot seed filling me up to the point where I ended up cumming too.

     Both of us were panting heavily afterward, and my entire body was covered in sweat. I thought the master was going to ask me to stand, but then he wraps his arms around me and whispers, “ Was the food delicious? “

     My body shivers again that I wasn’t even able to answer him right away.

     “ Hmm? “ he asks, kissing my neck again.

    I try to catch my breath and lean my body against him. When our eyes finally meet, I move closer to him and lick his lower lip before saying, “It tasted absolutely wonderful.”

to be continued…

(12) Perfect Illusion

⚕︎

EVERYTHING HAPPENED SO QUICKLY  that for a moment I thought that I was dreaming. The only thing that helped me realize that it really did happen was the almost unbearable pain that I was feeling in my lower body.

     I fucked a man that I just met. It was such a bold statement, but I wasn’t ashamed of it. He wasn’t gentle with me like how others would have wanted. He didn’t care what I felt the whole time. All he wanted was to shove his dick inside me and let out some steam. But despite knowing all that, I enjoyed every second of it anyway like the fool that I am.

     “Bishop,” a low voice calls out, and I blink and teleport myself back to reality.

     I look around and realize that I was naked in bed. Standing by my side was master Claudio. He was looking down at me with a blank expression, but I knew that he was worried.

     “I’m going to put the ointment now,” he says as he takes a seat at the edge of the bed.

     I nod my head as an answer, and I instantly felt something cold at my entrance, making me flinch. Master Claudio then massages my hole with his slender fingers. I had to bite on my lower lip so I wouldn’t moan accidentally.

     Claudio doesn’t say a single word the entire time. After a while, he stands back up and wipes his hand with a clean cloth.

     “This will be your room for the night. The bathroom is outside; I already prepared clothes for you to change into there. That will be all,” he tells me, and before I could even answer, he makes his exit, leaving me naked on the bed like I was some kind of whore.

     I didn’t move for half an hour until my body relaxed and my hole was no longer aching thanks to the ointment. After a while, I slowly sat up on the bed and massaged my hips. I look around the room and sigh in relief. For some reason, I thought he was just going to leave me naked in the dining room, so I’m glad that he actually gave me a nice bedroom to stay in.

      This isn’t also the time to be thinking about this, but I’m also relieved that Winter doesn’t have the ability to see what I’m doing. I don’t want to accidentally scar him to life. As for the older fuckers, well…hope they enjoyed the show.

     “I have to take a shower.”

     I finally stand from the bed–shaking a little because of how weak my legs felt–and head out of the room butt naked. The corridor was dark and empty, and I couldn’t really tell where master Claudio is since he didn’t exactly tell me where he’d be sleeping, so I just went straight to the bathroom.  

     Like what master Claudio said, neatly folded clothes were on the counter, just beside a clean towel. There were also some bathroom necessities that I’m assuming the master prepared himself. The bathtub was even filled with warm water already too.

     Can I even call this a sweet gesture? I don’t think so .

     “Looks like I gotta remove this now,” I say as I stare at myself in front of a mirror. I then remove the brown contacts on my right eye, revealing the blue that I hated so much.

     Since I didn’t have my lens solution with me, I drop my contacts inside a cup filled with water instead before looking back at my reflection. I stare at myself for a while and suddenly remember the man from the party who had assaulted me. I remembered how he touched me, how he looked at me with such hungry eyes. I couldn’t help but clench on the sink as I remember that helpless feeling.

     I felt disgusted with myself. The memory made me sick to the stomach until I ended up throwing up.

     I relieve myself for a bit as I stare at my vomit. I knew that something was wrong with me because the first thing that came to mind was, “ I wasted the food that master Claudio made for me. “

     What is wrong with me? Why do I seek his affection so much when I barely even know him?

     Wait, no, that’s not right at all. The reason why I seek his affection is not that it’s him. The reason is that he’s there. He’s the closest person I can use to relieve myself from this unknown pain. He’s the only person with who I feel safe.

     “It’s okay. It’s all over now,” I convince myself before turning the faucet on and washing my mouth. I then washed my neck and the other places where he touched me. I was washing so hard that my skin eventually started to turn red. After that, I look back at my reflection again, and when I saw myself in the mirror, I was surprised to see that tears were actually falling from my eyes.

     “ W-Why ?“ I ask myself as I slowly reach for the mirror with my trembling hand, touching my reflection as if I wanted to comfort myself.

     “ You must have been scared, “ I heard someone say.

      I immediately wipe my tears and look around the bathroom, but no one was with me. “Alice? Autumn?” I call out despite knowing the fact that they wouldn’t be able to answer me.

     “I’m an idiot,” I say as I finally turn the faucet off so I could take a quick shower first before soaking in the tub.

     After taking a shower, I walk towards the tub and touch the water first before finally taking a dip. I comfortably sat on the side, the warm water instantly calming my body as I submerge even deeper. After my rough sex with Claudio, this is what I needed.

     I take a deep breath and slowly close my eyes to relax. And as the darkness consumed me, the only thing I could hear was the water dripping from the faucet. The drips suddenly become louder with each second, and just before I could open my eyes, the sound stops, and I was once again welcomed by a strong light.

    The light was bright and warm, and so I ran towards it with no hesitation. And as I step inside the light, I realize that I was once again back in my old hometown at Totten’s Landing.

     The town was lively as ever, and people were minding their own business, just like how they always do.

    “ The end is near! The plague will devour us all! “ Someone then shouts.

     I look to my right and spot old man Buckley preaching at the townspeople, but no one paid him any mind. He was crazy, or at least that’s what they say.

     My mother said never to approach him, but she wasn’t here with me so I walked toward him with no hesitation. As I walk my way to him, I realize that Mr. Buckley was almost skin and bones. He didn’t have much hair on his head, and he was also covered in bruises. His clothes were old and dirty, the ends of his nails were black, and he didn’t have a pleasant smell.

     I got closer to him, and Mr. Buckley instantly spots me. He stops talking and freezes like he became a statue. After a couple of seconds, he suddenly starts running toward me, his eyes piercing red while saliva dripped from his mouth.

     My body couldn’t move until he eventually reaches me. Mr. Buckley towered over me, and then he grabs me by the shoulders and says, “ You’re the demon child! The demon child! “

     “W-What are you talking about? Please stop—”

     The people around us started to stare, but as I looked around me, I realized that everything was melting. Their faces were disoriented and their voices sounded muffled.

     I look back at Mr. Buckley, but then he was no longer in front of me. But just when I was about to turn around, a cold hand touches my shoulder from behind, and then he leans over and whispers, “ Come on Winter, stop being a brat and let me fucking touch you. “

     I open my eyes and immediately pull myself out of the water. I gasp for air as I realize that I was actually moments away from drowning.

     “The party’s over. I’m at the master’s house. I’m taking a bath,” I quickly tell myself before pinching my arm. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief when I realized that I didn’t accidentally switch, especially with Winter. It would have been very dangerous if I switched with Winter now.

     “It was just a dream. Just a dream…” I convince myself again as I touch the very shoulder where that unknown person touched me.

     My body shivers and I finally step out of the bathtub to drain the water. As the water drains, I dry myself up and wear the clothes given to me before heading out of the bathroom. Thanks to the ointment and the warm bath, I felt a lot better.

     I was about to head back to my room to finally get some sleep, but then I notice light coming from one of the rooms just a couple of meters away from the bedroom that I’m supposed to be in.

     Without making a sound, I made my way down the hallway and approach the room with the light. I press my ear on the door, but I couldn’t hear anything, so I grabbed the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open.

     Honestly, I was expecting to see something crazy and jaw-dropping, like maybe a secret lab with a dead body, but when I saw what was inside, I couldn’t help but frown. It was just an ordinary office with a fireplace where master Claudio was in.

     Claudio was sitting in front of the fireplace. He was holding onto a glass of wine, and his shirt was still stained with blood from earlier. He must not have noticed me when I entered, so I called out to him. “Master Claudio?”

     He blinks and looks to his right to see me. “Oh, Bishop,” he says as he finishes the content of his glass before placing it down on the table. “How are you feeling? Do you want some medicine?”

     “Now you worry about me? You really are a doctor,” I say as I walk toward him. “What are you doing, drinking here alone?”

     Claudio chuckles at my question and answers, “Just warming myself up. How about you, shouldn’t you be in bed?”

     “I was just curious,” I honestly say, and Claudio suddenly reaches out and grabs my arm, pulling me toward him so I could sit on his lap, my body facing his. The action surprised me, but I didn’t push him away. Instead, I enjoyed the comfort of his warmth against me.

     “Are you feeling restless?” He asks.

     I wrap my arms around his neck and bury my head in his shoulder. “I can still feel his hands on me. I can’t seem to wash it away,” I say, and Claudio pats my head and kisses it.

     “ Do you want me to hold you again ?“ He asks with a soft voice, and I shake my head to decline the offer.

     The two of us didn’t say anything for a while until I finally asked him, “What are we doing Claudio?”

     The question must have surprised him, but he doesn’t show it. Instead, he wraps his arms around me and says, “Listen carefully, Bishop. Every time we’re in this house, you can do everything you want. This is our safe place; our perfect illusion. I’ll hug you like this until you feel better because this is your reward for serving me. But as soon as we leave, you have to remember what I am to you. Do you understand?”

     “I have to remember what you are to me? What is that exactly?” I ask, and Claudio leans towards my ears and whispers, “ Your master…and nothing more. “

     “My master…” I repeated, almost like it was a spell. “Okay. I completely understand.”

     “ Good boy, “ he whispers, caressing my back as I fall deeper into his so-called perfect illusion.

     “Now rest. I’ll stay here with you until you fall asleep.”

     I decide not to think about it any longer because I knew that thinking rationally would only hurt, and right now, an illusion of something stupidly beautiful is all I need. Even though I know that this will only hurt me again, I still wanted to try. I still wanted to believe that this time, it might be different. This time, the outcome might not hurt as much as before.

…

I open my eyes, the light from outside the window directly hitting my face, making me squint to see better. I slowly sat back up and realize that I was back in the bedroom where I was supposed to stay for the night. Claudio must have carried me here when I fell asleep.

     “Master Claudio?” I call out, but the room was completely empty.

     I stand from the bed and head out of the room. I then got to the bathroom first to wear my contact to cover my disgusting blue eye. I didn’t have my solution with me, so my eye stung when I wore it, but I can’t do anything since I have to cover it no matter what. I just have to injure the pain till we get back to the manor. 

     Afterward, I head to the office where Claudio was, but when I opened the door, he was no longer there. Only empty bottles of wine and cigarette buds could be found on the table.

     “Claudio?” I call out again, heading downstairs to check if he was there.

     When I got to the living room, I heard someone clearing their throat. I was expecting Claudio to be there, but to my surprise, a different man was sitting on the sofa instead. It was Mateo Ricci from last night’s party. I didn’t know why he was there, but what surprised me, even more, is the fact that he was wearing a police uniform.

     “S-sir Mateo?” I call out, and Mateo–who was reading the newspaper–immediately puts the paper down to stand so he could greet me properly.

     “Oh, Bishop, correct? Claudio’s new butler,” he asks, and I slowly nod my head as an answer.

     “What’s going on? Am I in trouble?” I ask next, suddenly making Mateo laugh. But before he could even say anything further, Claudio finally arrives at the scene and touches my shoulder.

     “Looks like you’re already awake. Can you make coffee for us please?” He immediately says, obviously to distract sir Mateo by how confused I looked.

    “O-of course,” I say, and as soon as I turn around, Claudio leans close and whispers, “ If he asks anything, don’t answer. I’ll handle it. “

     I gulp and quickly head to the kitchen and make coffee for Claudio as how he wanted, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous. When I passed out last night, I couldn’t really remember a thing. I don’t know who took over, I don’t know what happened, and master Claudio doesn’t want to tell me anything either. But the blood on our hands and shirt last night showed that something serious happened. There’s no doubting it.

     But what exactly happened?

     Wait, don’t tell me…did one of my alters kill someone?

     N-No, that can’t be. We promised not to.

     “Bishop? The coffee?” Claudio calls out, snapping me back to my senses.

     I immediately make the coffee and bring it over to them. The two were talking about things that sounded serious, but when I was about to put down the mugs on the table, sir Mateo suddenly says, “He died last night at the hospital and his family didn’t want to continue the investigation anymore. There’s nothing we can do now but wait for the funeral.”

     “I know. One of the doctors called me and told me about it last night.”

     My hands start to tremble after hearing their conversation. I almost dropped the mugs too if Claudio didn’t notice my reaction sooner as he quickly takes the mugs from my hands and places them down on the table for me. He then leans close and whispers, “ Head back to your room. “

      I nod my head and turn around, but as I was about to walk away as Claudio instructed, an invisible force suddenly pulls me back, making me stumble and fall to the ground.

     “Whoa! Are you okay?” a man’s voice asks.

     I massage my temple and open my eyes back while holding onto my aching hip. “That damn Krimson—”

     “Bishop?” A somewhat familiar voice calls out. I turn around and see two men staring down at me, one with worry and one with confusion.

     “Bishop,” he calls out again.

     I grab hold of the man’s hand and stare at him for a second. I try to remember his face but I couldn’t, so when I finally gave up on figuring out who he was, I squeezed his hand and ask, “Young man, this might sound a little confusing, but can you tell me where I am?”

to be continued…

(13) The Priest

⚕︎

THE TWO YOUNG MEN  in front of me couldn’t say a single thing. By how I’m acting, they must be in a state of shock. I didn’t know both of them, but I’m guessing that the other alters know who they are. Well, I wouldn’t even be in this mess in the first place if it wasn’t for that damn Krimson. He forcefully pushed me out all of a sudden. To treat an old woman like this, he really got the nerves.

     “C-Claudio, is he alright?” the taller and much bigger man asks.

     So the other one is named Claudio.

     This doesn’t look like the manor. I can’t find Mr. Marcelino and Dr. Giovanni anywhere either. What on earth is going on?

     “I apologize, I should have told you sooner. Bishop has been feeling unwell since last night’s event, that’s why I’ve been giving him some medicine. This is the side effects,” sir Claudio says while he helps me stand back up, surprising the other one.

     “I see. I suppose anyone who witnessed something like that would be a bit shaken. I think it’s best if I head out so he could rest. I’ll call you when things have been settled at the hospital,” he then says.

     “Alright, thank you for dropping by.”

     The man looks at me for one last time before finally heading out. As soon as he was gone, sir Claudio approaches me and quickly says, “If I’m not mistaken, you’re Autumn, correct?”

     “T-that’s right, I’m Autumn. How did you know?” I ask with furrowed brows.

     Sir Claudio takes a deep breath and brushes his hair back with his fingers. “That was such a quick switch, but I’m glad you came out instead. I’m Claudio Romano by the way, but you may know me better as Dr. Giovanni de Vincenzo. You’re in my mansion right now, but I hope you don’t mention any of this to Winter. I have personal reasons for not letting my patients know my real identity, and I hope you can respect that.”

     “I see, so you’re the doctor. Such a handsome face to only be covered by a hideous mask. But fear not, I won’t tell. I also want to apologize if I suddenly came out unexpectedly. I hope I did not come out at such an inconvenient time,” I say with an apologetic bow.

     “No, don’t even worry about it. I’d actually want to ask you some questions, but would you like to take a seat first?” he says, holding onto my arm so he could assist me.

     “Oh, such a gentleman. Thank you, dear.”

     I slowly take a seat and sigh in relief. I didn’t know standing would be so tiring.

     “So Autumn, you mentioned Krimson when you got out. Did something happen?” Claudio asks as he takes a seat on the sofa across from me.

     “Yes, Krimson. He does this sometimes just out of pure pleasure. Like Bishop, he has the most control over us and this body, and at times he does stupid things just to make trouble,” I explain to the doctor.

     “Does that mean no one can control him?” he asks.

     “Not that I know of.”

     “Well, will you be able to switch back to Bishop? It seems like you were disturbed because of Krimson, and Winter told me that you get tired easily,” he asks, which was actually going to be a bit of a problem.

     “Oh dear, I would love to help you sir Claudio, but I can’t do that. I can only switch with Winter. Will that be alright?” I ask him instead.

     Sir Claudio pauses for a moment. I could tell that he was thinking about what he’s supposed to do. But after a while, he stands from the sofa and says, “Alright, let me just change. While waiting, you can drink the coffee that Bishop made. I’ll be right back.”

     I nod my head and sir Claudio runs upstairs. While waiting, I grab the mug on the table and take a sip, instantly putting it down because of how bitter it tasted.

     “For heaven’s sake, this boy really doesn’t know how to make anything, be it a meal or a simple cup of coffee,” I say out loud, but I couldn’t help but smile despite the failed attempt. The boy hated the kitchen or anything related to meals, so I’m glad that he’s at least trying to do something new.

     It’s been such a long time since I took over, so while waiting, I suddenly remembered something important. Without any hesitation, I immediately look at my wrists. I sighed in relief when I saw that there weren’t any fresh cuts or wounds.  

     “ Thank goodness. As long as he doesn’t come out, all of us will be fine. All of us will still have tomorrow, “ I whisper to myself before taking another sip of the bitter coffee.

     “Autumn,” someone calls out.

     I immediately turn around and see sir Claudio standing behind me, now wearing the suit and the mask that he wore when Winter and I first saw him.

     “I changed as fast as I could, but will you be able to switch with Winter now? Rest assured, I will explain everything to him once he takes over,” he tells me, and I nod my head and put the mug down.

     “Well, it was a pleasure meeting you sir Claudio. Until next time,” I say before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. Everything was dark and silent, but then I could suddenly smell something bitter in the air; probably coffee. I then open my eyes back and realize that I was in an unfamiliar room, and standing in front of me was the infamous Giovanni de Vincenzo, or better known as doctor Van.

     “Doctor Van!” I shout in surprise. “I-Is it time for my session now? Is it Wednesday already?” I ask, and doctor Van approaches me and kneels in front of me.

     “Don’t worry, something happened, but it’s not anything serious. We’ll be going back to the manor and I want you to rest when we arrive, can you do that?” He asks with a soft voice. Even though I didn’t know what was happening, I just nodded my head as an answer.

     “Did Bishop make any trouble? Is that why I switched with him. Is he hiding from you?” I then ask, and the doctor chuckles and pats my head before standing back up.

     “No, he didn’t, but I think he might actually be hiding.”

     I was about to ask where we were next, but then a car honks outside, almost making me flinch.

     “Looks like Marcelino is here. Head out first, I’m just going to clean up and grab my things,” doctor Van says, and I nod my head and make my way to the exit.

     A car was parked outside, and then a tall man wearing military clothes went out. When I saw who he was, I couldn’t help but smile. For some reason, I’m relieved that there’s someone familiar here with me now other than the doctor.

     “Mr. M!” I call out, and Mr. M approaches me and suddenly looks at me with a mischievous grin.

     “Look at you looking so lively in the morning,” he says, suddenly punching my shoulder. “So, how’d you enjoy your reward you little fucker? Can’t believe the master was generous enough to please a newbie like you.”

     I touch my shoulder and look back at Mr. M with confusion. “Reward? Master? What are you talking about?”

     “Stop playing innocent, I’m pretty sure you got fu—”

     “Don’t say another word, Marcelino. That’s Winter,” Dr. Van suddenly says as soon as he appears behind me.

     Mr. M instantly looked flustered, but then he pats my back and says, “S-Sorry kid, I didn’t notice. Just forget everything that I just said.”

     I didn’t know what they were talking about, but I knew that it was best to not ask any more questions. There are rare moments when we, the alters, get to talk to each other inside our consciousness, but most of the time they keep things quiet. They know when to tell and when not to tell certain details to the other. It keeps us all safe.

     “Come now Winter,” Dr. Van says as he steps inside the car.

    I immediately ran and follow inside, and as soon as I closed the door, Mr. M drives off.

    While driving, I couldn’t help but steal a glance at doctor Giovanni who was silently sitting beside me. He was still intimidating like the first time I saw him, but somehow, something inside me felt more terrified than usual. Did he do something to us? Did he do something that the others didn’t like?

     “Winter, how are you feeling right now?” Dr. Van suddenly asks.

     “I-I’m still feeling a bit disoriented, but I think I’m fine,” I politely answer.

     “I see. If you feel anything, just let me know,” he says, and I nod my head as an answer.

     After our very quick conversation, Dr. Van doesn’t say anything anymore, and the drive was quiet until we finally got back to the manor.

     Since it was already morning, I could see the manor better. The manor was bigger than the last time I saw it with my mother. It still looked old, but it was definitely massive. The land was still barren though so the overall vibe was as gloomy as before.

     Mr. M parks the car in front of the manor. Dr. Van steps out first, and I follow right after. At the entrance, I see a pretty girl waiting for us there. The moment I recognized her, a smile instantly appears on my face.

     “Adeline!” I shout. 

     I was about to run to her and greet her properly, but then my chest tightens all of a sudden, and for some unexplainable reason, tears start pouring out of my eyes.  I don’t know why, but I suddenly felt so sad.

     Adeline looks at me with shock. I didn’t know either, but the more I look at her, the more tears poured out from my eyes.

     “I-I’m sorry. I…I don’t know why, but—”

     Dr. Van suddenly pulls me back and blocks Adeline from my view. “I told you didn’t I? Head back to your room and rest, Winter.”

     “Y-Yes…doctor Van.”

     I wipe my tears away and run upstairs to my room just like what the doctor said. As soon as I arrive at my bedroom, I slam the door shut and drop on the floor, hugging my legs towards my chest, the door pressed against my back. The tears wouldn’t stop, and I had no idea why. After a while, the tears turned into sobs.

     I cried and cried until I couldn’t breathe. I hide my face on my knees and close my eyes, but as soon as I close my eyes, a voice suddenly says, “ Get a fucking grip. “

    I gasp and open my eyes back, looking around to check if I was really back at the manor. When I got a good look at the setting, I wipe my tears away and slowly stand on the floor. Looks like my alters suddenly went out. I don’t know who went out, but I hope I didn’t make any trouble.

     “I can’t believe he felt the pain I felt about little Adie. Looks like we’re more connected than I thought,” I say as I walk towards the bathroom to look at my reflection.

     My eyes were red because of crying too much, but my right eye was a lot more swollen because of my contacts. I had no choice but to remove it and put it back inside the container, and then I took my solution and dropped a couple on my eyes to ease the irritation.

     “ I’m a fucking mess .“

     A lot of things happened just in a span of a day. I met the people at this manor, I went to a party, found out about Adeline’s past, got assaulted, got fucked by master Claudio, met with sir Mateo who was actually a cop, switched with Winter, and then got back here as if nothing happened.

     “How much crazy will I be able to endure?”

     After washing my face and changing my clothes, I head out of my bedroom. I’m pretty sure that they’re going to be making breakfast now so I might as well help Adie out before she burns the whole manor to ashes. I also have to face her without breaking down. Pitying her now won’t change anything. It seems like master Claudio is planning to do something about that matter anyway, so I might as well wait for that day to come.

     And I have to remember, we’re back at the manor now. I have to remember my role here, and that is to become an efficient butler for my master. The only time I can act as if I own him is when we’re at that mansion.

     “Alright Bishop, let’s fucking concentrate. Your fucked up emotions aren’t important right now.”

     I finally head back downstairs. Master Claudio and the others were no longer in the lobby, so I suspect Adie would be in the kitchen at least. But as I was about to walk my way there, someone suddenly knocks on the main door, making me flinch like a complete idiot.

     Did I really just get scared by a mere knock?

     “Hello? Is anyone there?” a voice from outside asks, making me sigh as I lazily head to the door to open it.

    I open the large door with all my might. I was expecting it to be a mailman or maybe even a newspaper boy, but then when I opened the door, my jaw drops when I saw a priest standing in front of me instead. He was wearing a cassock and holding a bible and a rosary, just like those religious fuckers back in town.

     “ Oh hell no… “

    The priest was banging on the door midway, but when he saw me, a creepy grin suddenly appears on his face. He steps closer to me and grabs my hand to kiss it. The action honestly made the hair on my skin stand, but I couldn’t pull my hand away from him for some reason.

     “Well hello there, young one. I’m Father Laurence, but you can simply call me Laurence if you want. If you permit me, I’d love to hear my name slide out of that lips of yours,” he says, finally giving me the strength to pull my hand away from him.

    “I’m sorry, but what the hell are you doing here? As you can see, this isn’t a haunted house. We don’t need you to bless it. People like you aren’t allowed here,” I tell him as I cross my arms, looking at him from head to toe like I was some kind of mobster.

    The priest got ready to answer me, but Lino arrives in time and appears beside me.

     “Winter, who are you talking to? You should have called me when you heard them knocking,” Lino tells me.

     “Oh Mr. M, you came just in time. I was being harassed by this suspicious man!” I say with a sarcastic tone while holding onto his arm, and the soft expression on Lino’s face instantly changes into an annoyed one when he realized who I really was.

     Lino quickly pulls his arm away from me and glares at me right after. “Bishop…” he says, almost like he was spitting venom on my name.

     “What’s wrong Mr. M? Aren’t you glad to see me?” I ask next with a baby voice, making Lino push me out of the way so he could face this Laurence guy instead.

     “Why did you come here? Who are you? Do you even know what this place is, father? If you got lost, I suggest you leave now,” Lino warns, showing complete dominance like the first time I met him.

     “Oh I know, this is the Hell House, so stand down soldier,” Laurence casually answers.

     The two stare at each other like they were having a staring contest. I was about to break them apart, but then someone clears their throat, making the three of us turn around to see that the owner of the voice was actually master Claudio.

     “What are you three doing?” the master asks as he walks toward us.

     “I apologize master. We have an unwanted guest, but I’ll handle this immediately,” Lino says as he was about to grab onto the priest, but master Claudio immediately stops him and tells him, “That’s not necessary.”

     “What do you mean?” I ask.

     Claudio stares at the three of us, and then a grin appears on his face as he says, “Looks like you’re all here now. Well, everyone, this is father Laurence Monet…our new cook.”

to be continued…

(14) The Purpose

⚕︎

I WAS STANDING AT  the entrance of the kitchen with my arms crossed, watching a priest make our breakfast while little Adie stood beside me. I just wanted to check on him, but honestly, I’m really here to make sure he doesn’t put anything weird in our food.

     “So, when have you two arrived at this so-called paradise?” The priest asks, his back facing us while he cooked whatever he was trying to cook. Surprisingly enough, it already smelled better than the food that Adie and Lino made last time, but I’m not going to give him the pleasure of hearing a compliment from me.

     Adie then moves closer to me, obviously showing that she was uncomfortable - which was surprising because I’m a pervert myself but she’d rather stick close to me than to father Laurence. It’s either Adie can sense that he’s dangerous or she just thinks that he’s really weird too.

     “Darling, how about you join Lino at the greenhouse? I think you’re more needed there than here. I’ll just ring the bell if breakfast is ready,” I say in a soft tone while leaning down on Adie so I could get close to her ears.

     Adie doesn’t say anything and nods her head before running away. As soon as she was gone, I took a deep breath and walked closer to father Laurence.

     “Where did you come from?” I finally ask him.

     I thought he was going to dodge the question, but then he says, “I came from Santa Rosita. I was a priest there for about twelve years until I was kicked out,” he answers with no hesitation. Isn’t he even worried about the fact that being kicked out would make him even more suspicious?

     “How about you? You haven’t told me anything about yourself yet,” he says as he looks over his shoulder.

     I stare back at him and lean on the table, deciding not to answer him, so father Laurence chuckles and says instead, “How about we start with your name? That military man referred to you as Winter and then called you Bishop right after. Do you use different names according to who you’re talking to?”

     I continue to stare at father Laurence, trying to figure out what he really is. Despite being a resident at this manor for only a day, I consider myself his superior. I know it’s ridiculous, but I have to make sure he doesn’t do anything that would cause problems.

     The way he speaks is calm, probably because he’s been a priest for twelve years. He also looks like a gentleman, but there’s something about the way he speaks and stares that makes me cautious around him.

     What confuses me though is that Alice and my other alters haven’t shown themselves yet especially when they’re good at making judgments. Maybe they’re just tired after what happened earlier, or maybe father Lawrence isn’t all bad. Maybe the warning sign is only in yellow.

     “Right now I’m Bishop,” I finally tell him, making Laurence chuckle again.

     “Right now? So you’re going to be Winter, then spring and fall later?” Laurence sarcastically asks, which is not entirely wrong.

     “You can say that.”

     “So how did you get this job? For my case, Dr. Giovanni bought me at the auction house. After getting kicked out from church I had to wander off a bit so I ended up in the hands of the wrong people. I was eventually sold to this woman who had this weird fetish of treating me like a baby. Of course, I didn’t like it so I beat her up and I ended up getting sold again. That’s when the doctor bought me,” father Laurence casually shares.

     It was such a serious story, yet he told it like it was something that just happened on a normal day. At first, I thought he was lying, but for some reason, he still sounded so truthful.

     What a strange man.

     “And you? I told you my story then shouldn’t you share yours too?” He then asks.

     I wasn’t originally going to tell him anything, but I don’t think there would be any harm if I do.

     “My mother sold me. I’m not mad about it though since I’m not particularly happy to be alive, but I guess it’s better than just getting tied at home,” I tell him, and father Laurence turns around with his right eyebrow raised. Even though his own story was bizarre, he looked at me like I was the one who was lying.

     “And the military man with the scar on his face? What’s his story?” He asks next.

     “I’m not sure. He said he was badly injured or something when the doctor found him. The rest is a mystery,” I honestly answer.

     “Don’t tell me, the girl was found in a prostitution house this time?”

     “Oh, believe me, her story is worse, but it’s not my place to tell about it to some geezer who beats up women,” I tell him, and this time, father Laurence laughs.

     “Hey, I don’t just beat anyone. That woman was straight-up weird. She made me wear baby clothes, and then fed me baby food. I had to sleep at a freakin’ crib too! That was worse than the sexual advances she made,” he then blurts out, surprising me.

     “W-Wait, sexual advances? Why’d you miss that part out?!”

     “I thought that was common sense. Like I told you, she treated me like a baby, and then every night she would—”

     “Alright, let’s stop right there,” I immediately say as I massage my temple. “I’ve had enough of these crazily disgusting stories. I should have known you were fucked up too. Now I’m just going to accept the fact that this manor will eventually drive us all crazy.”

     “Well, thank doctor Giovanni for recruiting such a weird bunch,” father Laurence says as he turns back around to finish what he’s cooking. When he was finally done, he looks back at me and says, “He wants a bunch of fucked up people to take care of suicidal criminals. If you ask me, he’s fucked up too.”

    “Don’t say that,” I immediately warn him.

     I know I’ve said such things about the master too, and I’ve even got scolded by Lino a couple of times, but after I got to know him a little, I couldn’t help but find him…terrifying. Master Claudio hasn’t really done anything physical– other than fuck me –yet there’s something about the way he moves that makes one feel eerie and nervous.

     At first, I thought I was just nervous around him because I found him attractive, but now I realized that my anxiousness was rooted in something deeper than that.

     “Anyway, I should—” Just before I could finish my sentence, a loud bell was suddenly heard throughout the mansion. If I remember correctly, two bells were for the butler, three for the maid, four for the cook, and five for the gardener. The bell only struck once, so it means…

     “Hey cook, finish that later. Master Claudio is calling us. And just to warn you, he does not like people who ask too many questions, so shut your mouth now or you’ll end up regretting it later, believe me.”

…

All four of us were at master Claudio’s office. Despite only having four people–plus Claudio, who was sitting in front of his desk-the room seemed and felt packed. Master Claudio was reading something when we arrived, so he didn’t really mind us as we waited for him to finish. After a while, he finally pushes the files to the side to look back at us. “Thank you for waiting patiently,” he says.

     The four of us were lined up in front of him. None of us knew why we were called, but I could tell that it was something serious just by reading the atmosphere.

     “Now that all of you are here, I want to talk about the reason why I chose you as my direct employees,” master Claudio finally says, and for some reason, I couldn’t help but gulp.

     “I know you all have a rough idea of your role here. Everyone calls this manor the Hell House where the most fearsome criminals reside. That is true in a sense, but what others don’t know is that there’s a system here that keeps things going smoothly,” Claudio explains as he stares at us one by one.

     The atmosphere was tense as we try to listen carefully to everything that the master was telling us. Even father Laurence, who arrived just an hour ago, is now silent too.

      “A couple of years ago, the manor was shut down. Everyone who once worked and lived here left and went on their separate ways until I officially became the master of this place. It was only occupied again when I recruited Marcelino and Adeline,” master Claudio explains further.

     “During the time of the manor’s supposed silence, I was traveling to different places around the world, looking for the right people to use as test subjects. In between, I was searching for the right people who will be able to effectively help me,” master Claudio says as he gestures at the door.

     All of us looked at what he was pointing at, and right on cue, Ms. Sunny entered the office holding four black boxes with a red bow.

     “Ms. Sunny?” I ask in shock, and she looks at me and winks before placing the boxes on top of master Claudio’s desk. The master thanked her, and for a second, I thought she was going to take her leave, but then Ms. Sunny stood on the side to watch us.

     “The four of you are my direct employees, but for others, you are far more terrifying than what such a title entails,” master Claudio says as he starts pulling the ribbons one by one, making us see the engraved symbol on the box.

     Each box had symbols of a head of a horse that are in different colors. One was white, the other was red, and then black, and the last one was pale, almost yellowish. All of us stared at the symbols with furrowed brows, but then, like cheating in a test exam, someone inside me whispers, “ The four horsemen. “

     My eyes widen as I stare at the symbols again. When master Claudio noticed my reaction, he smiles and says, “Do you know what these are Bishop?”

     “Somehow,” I answer as I start pointing at the boxes. “The white horse represents conquest, but others call it pestilence, or the rider that brings plagues. The red symbolizes war, black for famine, and pale for death,” I explain, making Ms. Sunny and master Claudio look satisfied.

     “Precisely,” master Claudio says as he stands from his seat to take the box with the pale horse. He then walks towards Adeline and hands it to her, almost making the poor girl flinch.

     “This is yours,” the master says, and Adeline doesn’t say anything and just nods her head as she takes the box from Claudio’s hand.

     Master Claudio then gives the one with the black horse to father Laurence, the red horse to Lino, and then the white horse to me.

     “Bishop…” He says, and I take the box with no hesitation.

      As we each now received a box, master Claudio looks at us with a menacing grin and tells us, “I won’t explain why I chose you to represent that symbol, but I hope as time goes by, you will understand the reason on your own, and by that time, you will fully understand your purpose.”

     “And what would that be? What is our purpose?” father Laurence asks even though I already warned him about asking anything to the master.

     As expected, master Claudio wasn’t thrilled by the question. He approaches father Laurence and stands in front of him, staring directly into his eyes to show that he was not scared of him even though father Laurence looked way older.

      “As I said, sir Laurence, you must seek for that answer yourself. People who choose ignorance will be killed, and I do not need such useless creatures in my manor,” master Claudio says with conviction, almost making my hair stand when I heard him refer to people as creatures.

     I can’t believe I was willing to let such a man fuck me. How desperate was I to lust over a man like him?

      “But if you really want to know then let me tell you,” Claudio suddenly says as he steps away from father Laurence to look at us.

     “I chose you all for this important task, a task that my grandfather and father have left me. We will bring the apocalypse to this forsaken town. We will wash away all the sinners and make them all pay for what they have done to us. That…is your purpose,” he says, making me gulp again.

      I glance at father Laurence to see if he was finally satisfied with that answer. Thankfully, he didn’t ask anything anymore. I wouldn’t want to see him get scolded.

     “Now, the other employees will be arriving tomorrow. There are thirty of them in total, but you do not have to worry about any of them. They know their purpose here as much as you do,” master Claudio then explains as he walks back to his desk to take a seat.

     “For the time being, you are not allowed to wear those uniforms. I will be teaching you your roles here in the manor first so when the patients arrive, you will know what to do, is that clear?”

     “Yes master,” we answer in unison.

     “Now, that will be all. You may return to your stations,” he then says, and I step forward and bow to him first, automatically making the others follow. Right after that, I look at the master and Ms. Sunny for one last time before finally heading out of his office.

     As I close the door, I look back at Lino, father Laurence, and Adeline, who were all still speechless after hearing what Claudio had to say.

     “Did any of you know all this?” Father Laurence asks.

     I take a deep breath and shake my head. “I knew that I was going to be doing something crazy for him, but I didn’t know that we were targeting the entire town. What’s with Capo di Monte that the young master hates so much?” I ask back.

     “Let’s not dig too deep on such a topic,” Lino immediately tells us. “Just go back to whatever you’re doing. Breakfast is almost about to start.”

      Lino heads out first before waiting for our answer. Adeline follows right behind him, and then father Laurence pats my back before leaving as well.

      I was left alone in the hallway, staring at the box in my hand. I was given the white horse that symbolizes plagues. I was sure that master Claudio referred to himself as the plague doctor, but why did he give me this?

     “I should just let it go for now,” I convince myself as I was about to head out as well, but then I hear something shatter from master Claudio’s office.

     Without even thinking about it, I drop the box on the floor, open the door, and rush inside to check on him. But to my surprise, I saw master Claudio with Ms. Sunny who was sitting on his lap, her shirt unbuttoned. It instantly reminded me of what we did last night. I was in that same position, but now someone else was in it.

    My chest aches oh-so-slightly, but I retain a neutral expression as I ask, “I apologize for the intrusion master, but I heard noise from outside and wanted to check if everything’s alright.”

     “It’s nothing,” Claudio answers, not even flustered to see me.

     While Ms. Sunny ignores me and continues to kiss Claudio’s neck, Claudio looks straight into my eyes and says, “Sunny accidentally pushed the glass off of my desk. I’ll just ask Adeline to clean it up later.”

     For a quick second, I couldn’t say anything as I stare at the two of them. Ms. Sunny’s lips traveled around Claudio’s shoulder and neck, while the master’s hand snaked around her body. It was an unpleasant sight, but I couldn’t look away for some reason.

     “Is there a problem Bishop?” Claudio then asks with such a sweet voice, making me bite my lip to the point where I thought it would bleed.

     Why am I so shocked? Am I disappointed that he’s doing this so carelessly right after having sex with me last night? Am I disappointed that he doesn’t even look apologetic after getting caught like this?

     Why am I so bothered by it anyway? I only fucked him once. It’s not like we declared our love to each other and exchanged promise rings.

      This has always been my problem. I get attached to things too quickly. When someone shows just a bit of kindness, I fall to my knees and give in. How pathetic can I be?

     “Bishop?” He calls out again.

     I was about to open my mouth to force an answer out, but then my vision turned black for a quick second. I thought I was going to stumble back, but I immediately got control of my body and stood still. Dr. Giovanni didn’t even notice.

     “No, I apologize for spacing out. I was making sure that there were glass shards on the table so I could quickly clean it up before I leave. It would be terrible if your guest gets hurt by it,” I say, and the guest that Bishop referred to as Ms. Sunny turns to me and smiles.

     “That’s very sweet of you, darling. Thank you,” she says, and I smile back at her and bow at both of them.

     “I apologize again for the intrusion. If you need anything, please let me know,” I say with a respectful bow before finally stepping out of the room.

     As soon as I close the door behind me, a tear suddenly falls from my eyes, making me sigh.

     “ Bishop… “ I whispered underneath my breath as I hold my shoulder, almost as if I was comforting myself. “When will you learn? We can’t always be there for you, and I’m afraid that if we leave, you’ll only go back to the place where we desperately tried to run away from.”

to be continued…

(15) End of Session

⚕︎

I GOT CLOSER WITH Lino, Adie, and father Laurence as I got to know them better in the manor. I grew to enjoy their company and understand our differences. As for master Claudio, our relationship has not changed. He made it clear that we are nothing but master and butler, so that is how I have been treating him ever since.

    It’s been two months since the time he told us about our roles here at the manor. During those times, he taught us everything we know that’s according to our roles. While doing so, he also continued his sessions with Winter as promised.

    We seldom visit the town, and that’s only when the master has to attend a party. Once a week he also leaves the manor to go to the hospital that he works for in the city. He has yet to bring any of us there because none of us know what hospital he works for.

     Other than that, it’s also been two months since he last touched me. I do things for him and we’d visit his mansion, but I don’t ask him to do anything for me like before. I usually just go to my room and go to sleep. Master Claudio doesn’t mind though because he never forced me to do anything; he doesn’t even ask me. It just goes to show how little he cares about such things.

     Master Claudio is the type of man who will embrace you if you asked. As long as you have a hole he can stick his dick in, and as long as you keep quiet and don’t ask questions, he’ll do it for you.

     I’m not disappointed though, and one reason is because I have no strong connection with him whatsoever. Just because we had a one-night stand doesn’t mean he’s obligated to take care of me. I’ve learned that shit the hard way.

     “Bishop,” a voice calls out, and I blink and realize that I was sitting in front of the devil himself, who is currently wearing his plague doctor uniform.

     “May I talk to Winter again so we can begin the session?” he asks, and I take a deep breath and nod my head before closing my eyes. The cold temperature suddenly turns hot as a bright light flashed in front of me, and when I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see Dr. Van sitting across from me, holding his notebook and pen.

     It’s already Wednesday? I didn’t even notice.

     “Good morning Dr. Van. It’s a pleasure to meet you again,” I greet, and the doctor nods his head to acknowledge it.

     “We’re still working on mapping your system, and so far I’ve only met three of your alters: Bishop, Alice, and Autumn. Shall we run through them again?” doctor Van asks, and I nod my head as an answer.

     Doctor Van stands from his seat and approaches the small blackboard beside his desk. He pulls out the sheet that’s covering it, revealing the system map that the doctor and I have made together through our sessions.

     The map showed the names of my alters, who my alters are close with, who they hate, the reason why they come out, and their purpose for appearing. Surprisingly enough, because of this map, I get to understand my alters better.

     “Alice has been responsive. She comes out and answers my question when we need her to. As for Autumn, she still only comes out when she has the time and strength to do so, but you get to talk to her, yes?”

     “Yes.”

     “Good,” the doctor answers as he takes a chalk and incircles something on the board. It was the word Krimson, and that alone made me shiver. The last time the doctor tried to call for him. He was asking questions that might bring him out, but Krimson never appeared. Instead, I fainted, and Dr. Van told me that I was unconscious for almost an hour.

     “Do you want us to try to call Krimson again?” He then asks me.

     I was unsure about it as I unconsciously touch my wrists again. The doctor notices it and puts the chalk down before walking back to his seat. “Alright, we’ll try it next time,” he says, and I almost sighed in relief.

     “For now let’s talk about the dreams that you mentioned to me last week. What do you think it depicts?” he asks instead as he takes his notebook and pen again, ready to write everything that I’m about to tell him.

     I was going to answer his question, but deep inside me, I felt unsure. Something has been bugging me since last week. I didn’t know when I’d be able to ask him this question, so I decided to finally grab the opportunity now.

     “Doctor, what did you do to Bishop?” I ask, and the doctor looks away from his notebook, slowly lifting his head to look at me, probably surprised to hear my question.

     “And why would you suddenly ask me that?” He says. “Is he mad at me? Did he ask you to ask me that?”

     “N-No, he’s actually not mad at you, but recently he’s more concentrated and focused. He’s not so lifeless anymore like before,” I explain to him, and the doctor tilts his head to the side, probably thinking about what I just told him.

     “So he’s doing better. Is that what you mean?”

     “Yes, exactly.”

     The confirmation made doctor Van pause for a second. I couldn’t tell what kind of expression he has on his face because of his mask, but for some reason, I feel like he was grinning. He was giving off that kind of aura.

     “Can you tell me more about your observation? I’m a bit curious now,” he says, leaning closer to me.

     I was about to open my mouth to answer, but then my vision turns black and my body gives in. I felt myself falling off the seat, but just before it happens, I stop myself and immediately grab onto the arm of the sofa.

     “Winter?” master Claudio calls out. “Are you okay?”

     I take a deep breath and look back at the doctor. The look on my face made him sigh; he probably found out that he wasn’t talking to Winter anymore.

     “Let’s end this session early,” I tell him with an angry tone.

     “But we barely even begun,” he insists.

     “I’m not in the mood to do it anymore,” I fire back as I finally stand from the sofa, but before I could even take my leave, Claudio tells me, “That’s not for you to decide, Bishop. You’re not my patient.”

     I clench my fist in anger and get ready to argue with him, but master Claudio puts his notebook down and demands, “Bring Winter back.”

     “No.”

     “Don’t be stubborn.”

     “I said no.”

     Master Claudio sighs again, and to my surprise, he removes his mask, revealing the face that I despise so much. He looks at me straight in the eyes, and even though I wanted to look away, I couldn’t move. His stare always captures me, enabling my ability to think with my head.

     “Your stubbornness was never a desirable trait,” he tells me.

     “I am not something that one should be desired. That’s not the reason why I’m here,” I answer back, and master Claudio chuckles and stands from his chair.

     “Reason you say.” Master Claudio walks closer to me, his eyes locked on mine. But as he got closer, a take a step back, almost like I was trying to run away from him. “Everyone in this manor has something to desire, and the fact that you’re still here makes it obvious that you desire something too,” he confidently tells me, and that confidence angered me even more.

     “Then are you implying that I am what you desire?” I ask back, and the low chuckle he gave out made the hair on my skin stand.

     Master Claudio finally moves away from me and goes back to his desk to put his things back to where they belong, indicating that our session has finally ended. “Fine, since you wasted the only time Winter can have his session then I’m giving you an assignment,” he says without even looking back at me.

     “I want you to draw,” he then reveals, automatically making me furrow my brows in confusion.

     “Draw? Out of nowhere, you want me to…draw?” I ask as I walk closer to him again.

     Master Claudio hides the files in his drawer before finally looking back at me to explain his unexpected assignment. “Last time I made Winter draw but he can barely make a perfect circle. He said Alice is the one who draws the best, and when I asked Alice, she said that she only draws what Bishop feels. You’re Bishop, are you not?”

     “W-Well yes but—”

     “Good, then you can get started. You have a sketchbook, right? The one we bought when we went to town. Use that and draw something. Next week show it to me…”

     Master Claudio goes back to his seat right after. He then starts pulling his necktie off, and while he was doing so, he looks at me and continues, “Show me, and then let’s talk about what we both desire.”

     I gulp as soon as I hear his statement, but I remain a poker face. He has always teased me like this. There’s no point if I give in to him. Giving in makes him the winner

     “The session’s over. You may go,” he says, and I bow my head and leave the room before I do anything further that might ruin the abstinence that I’ve been doing for the past two months.

     As soon as I got out of the master’s office, I was instantly welcomed by a new employee wearing a gas mask. Her presence almost startled me, but I immediately composed myself and said, “Good morning.”

      The woman–whose name I do not know–bows to acknowledge my greeting before walking away.

     These are the indirect employees. They arrived at the manor a week ago, so the Hell House has been very busy. There are at least thirty of them in total, and they speak a different language that only master Claudio can speak so we don’t really get to converse with them. And to top it all off, they wear those gas masks too.

     Master Claudio told us that they’re trained professionals, and most of them have worked at hospitals, specifically mental hospitals. I don’t exactly know where they came from, but if the master himself brought them here then I have no right to complain.

     “Winter,” a voice suddenly calls out.

     I turn around and see Lino walking toward me, looking like a total mess while holding a toolbox.

     “Why are you out? Is your session already over?” He asks as he got closer.

     I sigh and show him my middle finger, making his sweet expression change into an annoyed one. “Oh, it’s just you,” he says with a bitter look, making me roll my eyes. What did he mean by it’s just you?

      “Why are you here? It’s Wednesday, isn’t it? Winter is supposed to be out,” Lino tells me as he continues walking down the hall. I catch up to him and walk by his side before saying, “Well shit happened, okay? Winter can’t always have his way. I’m still the host so what I say goes.”

     “Tell that to your friend Krimson,” he teases, almost making me step on his feet in irritation.

     “Is he even really…there? You know, inside you? None of us have even met him. What if he’s fake all along.”

     “Please, you don’t even want to go there. It’s a miracle that he hasn’t shown himself yet. If he did come out then we’re in big trouble. You don’t know what he’s capable of,” I explain, and Lino just shrugs it off until we finally arrive at an empty room.

     Lino drops the toolbox on the floor and then starts inspecting the windows.

     “What’s this room for?” I ask as I lean on the doorframe with my arms crossed.

     While Lino tightened the screws on the window, he answers me, “Master said we need an extra room for therapy sessions for the patients that will be arriving next week.”

     “Therapy sessions? For criminals that are sentenced to death?” I confusingly ask with my right eyebrow raised.

      “What? If I was sentenced to death then at least I want to die sane,” Lino says, and I couldn’t really argue with that. If I was in the same situation, I think I’d want to be cured too before I meet my end.

     “So, any news about the patients that will be arriving soon? Do you know their genders or their ages at least?” I ask next, and Lino moves away from the window and checks its sturdiness for the last time before looking back at me.

     “Other than the fact that there are eight patients in total, I have no fucking clue what they are or what they did to be sentenced to death, and honestly, I’m not very interested,” Lino says as he walks back to his toolbox. He was about to leave the room, but then he seemed to have remembered something as he looks back at me and says, “Oh yeah, since you already opened it up, can you check the rooms on the third floor and check if the doors are secured. I have to fix another broken pipe downstairs.”

     I was about to complain and tell him that he should do it himself, but I sighed and nodded my head instead since I didn’t really have anything better to do.

     “Fine,” I say, and Lino pulls out a key from his dozens of keys and hands it over to me.

     I didn’t say anything else and just walk my way to the upper floor. The stairs to the third floor were blocked by an iron gate that Lino and a few other workers had installed just a couple of days ago. Master Claudio said it’s to keep the patients from escaping, but honestly, I think it’s the other way around. I think it’s to keep others from getting inside. The only other exit for that floor is the elevator, but of course, it’s also locked.

     I finally open the gate and walk up the stairs. As I got to the floor, I was welcomed by the eerie silence and the cold atmosphere. The manor itself felt like a hunted house, but somehow, this floor felt extra unsettling. 

     “I can’t believe I agreed to do this,” I tell myself as I walk to rooms zero to seven where the patients will be staying in.

     “Room zero,” I say, inspecting the door like what Lino wanted me to do. I then check the rest of the doors, and when I made my final diagnosis, I look back at all eight rooms and give out a loud sigh.

     So this is it. These are the rooms that will be housing the patients that we were all tasked to take care of. A week from now, the purpose of our stay here will commence. All that preparation will fall down to these eight patients.

     I couldn’t really say it out loud at the session earlier, but the reason why I’m more concentrated and focused now like how Winter described is because of that very purpose. To be given a task–a responsibility–I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by it.

     As emotionless as Claudio may be, he knew what he was doing when he recruited us. He knew how to control us and how to make us stay. It was that easy for him.

     Now, I can’t even run away anymore. Now that I’m in this too deep.

     “Bishop!” I voice suddenly calls out, making me flinch. I turn back around and see father Laurence walking toward me with a tired expression. He wasn’t wearing his cassock anymore, but instead, he was wearing a cook’s uniform that was covered in sauce stain.

     “Marcelino said your session with the master was over so I came looking for you,” He says, which explained why he was panting so much. The fool must have run his way here.

      “And why were you looking for me?” I ask him.

     “Well now that you’re free, help me out in the kitchen. It’s hard enough that I have to feed forty people, but now my assistant got the flu and is currently sick in bed,” he explains, making me chuckle since people’s suffering and misfortune always amused me.

     “Are you even listening? Help me out! Marcelino’s too busy and Adeline still ignores me. You’re the only hope I have,” he insists, and I sigh heavily again.

     “Fine fine, let’s go,” I say as I drape my arm around his shoulder as we walk down the stairs.

     “Let’s walk faster. This floor really gives me the creeps,” father Laurence comments.

     I chuckle again and look back at the patient’s rooms for one last time before finally leaving the floor with Laurence. Things might not have gone the way we wanted, but I guess this marks the beginning of our new chapter.

     A beginning that all my alters were not prepared for.

     “ Oh, my little Winter. I hope you’re ready for tomorrow to come… “

to be continued…

(16) Criminal

⚕︎

THE WIND BLOWS COLD on his skin as Bishop walked around his old town, Totten’s Landing. The townspeople didn’t have faces, almost like they were all blurred out. Their voices were distorted too, but Bishop didn’t find it strange at all.

     After walking past the town circle, Bishop then headed down a familiar path, stepping on mud and staining his pants and shoes as he did so.

     The voices of the people in town mellowed down behind him until there was complete silence. Bishop stopped walking, and when he looked up, he was welcomed by an old house that was burnt down because of a recent fire incident.

     Ashes were everywhere as Bishop walked closer to it. Despite the aftermath of the fire, the front door was still intact. Bishop walked towards it and opened the door. Expecting to see burnt wood and rubble, Bishop was surprised to see a house that was still intact. Evidence of the fire disappeared, almost like the fire never happened.

     “ Bishop! Did you buy what I told you to buy!? “ A voice from upstairs suddenly shouted, making Bishop flinch. He wasn’t expecting anyone to be there.

     Bishop doesn’t answer and walked up the stairs, leaving mud stains on the floor because of his dirty shoes. When Bishop arrived upstairs he sees piles and piles of books just scattered in the corridor. At the end of the corridor was a door. Bishop slowly approached it, grabbing the doorknob before stopping to take a deep breath.

     “ Bishop?! Did you buy what I asked you to buy?! “ the voice asked, but louder this time.

     Bishop gulped and finally turned the doorknob. He pushed the door open, and to his surprise, chained in bed was a skinny boy covered in bruises. The boy was dirty, probably because he hasn’t taken a bath for weeks. The room smelled like old books and urine, which immediately made Bishop cover his nose.

     “ Hello? “ Bishop called out.

     The boy who was chained in bed was reading a book. He then giggled; he must have read something funny. Bishop didn’t dare to disturb him, but when he took a step inside the room, the boy suddenly dropped his book and looked at him, his eyes almost hallow.

     The boy opened his mouth wide, and as the silence rang in Bishop’s ear, the boy suddenly started screaming.

     The screams were high pitched that Bishop was forced to cover his ears with his hands. “ Winter! Stop! “ He shouted, but the boy he referred to as Winter didn’t stop at all.

     Bishop dropped to the floor and closed his eyes. After a while, the screams finally stopped. Bishop slowly pulled his hands away from his ears to look back at the boy chained on the bed. To his surprise, the boy was gone.

     Bishop looked around the room, but no one was there. He then walked closer to the bed to check what the boy was reading earlier. The title of the book was ’ We have always lived in the castle.’ Bishop was about to pick it up, but then a cold hand touched his ankle.

     Bishop’s entire body froze. The room falls silent again as he slowly looked down to check who was holding onto him. Underneath the bed was the boy from earlier; grinning at him from ear to ear. Bishop was about to scream, but then I opened my eyes and gasped for air.

     Sweat trailed down my forehead as I look around the room to check where I was. I sighed in relief when I realized that I was still in my bedroom at the manor. “ My name is Bishop. My name is Bishop, “ I repeatedly whisper, almost like I was trying to convince myself that I was.

     I massaged my forehead and stood from the bed. Afraid that the dream that I had become a reality, I immediately looked under the bed to check if anyone was there. When I saw that the only thing there was my luggage, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself.

     “I’ve seriously gone crazy,” I say as I walk to the bathroom to wash my face. Afterward, I grab my contacts to cover my blue eye. I stare at my reflection in the mirror for a couple of seconds before finally walking back to my room.

     I head to the door and try to open it but stop midway when I realized that it was locked like usual. Lino explained that he was instructed to keep my door locked in case a different alter wakes up and starts doing crazy things in the manor. So while waiting for Lino to open the door, I head to the desk and take the diary. As I sat on the chair, I made my entry for the day.

August 21, 1952

Dear cold season,

Today’s the day little guy. The patients of the infamous Hell House will be arriving soon. That f̶u̶c̶k̶e̶r̶ master of the manor said all eight of the patients will be here so I’m pretty sure everyone’s going to be busy.

I apologize for what happened during your session. I didn’t mean to cut you short, but if you ever fucking talk about me again with that doctor, I will never let you out, do you understand?

Don’t be a pain for the others while you’re there.

See you in a week.

B. Lancaster

     After writing my entry, I put the diary aside. I then spot the sketchpad that master Claudio bought for me when we first went to town. I have not drawn a single thing on that pad, but now I was given the assignment to draw something for Winter’s next session. I don’t exactly know what I’ll draw, but if something comes up, I’ll just draw that.

     “ Bishop, you awake? “ A voice asks from outside my room.

     The door to my room opens, revealing Lino who was holding dozens of keys. As always, he was wearing his gardener uniform, but not like before, he wasn’t covered in dirt…yet.

     “Took you long enough,” I tell him as I step out of my room.

     Lino shuts the door for me and starts walking beside me. “I had a lot of things to do okay,” he complains so I just shrugged my shoulder as a response.

     “So, you excited?” I ask him.

     “Why would I be excited to meet crazy criminals?” Lino asks back as we walk down the stairs.

     “I don’t know. It’s exciting to do something different in this manor for once, don’t you agree?” I tell him, and surprisingly enough, it looked like Lino agreed with me on that because he didn’t say anything against it.

     “Man, I haven’t smoked anything for weeks now. The master hasn’t been going to town lately so I haven’t bought a new pack,” I then say before suddenly having an idea. “Wait, you know your plants right? Do you have something in that greenhouse that I could smoke?”

     “You want us to get in trouble?” Lino asks, lowering his voice a little because one of the nurses wearing the weird gas mask suddenly walked past us.

     “Aha! So there is one!” I excitedly say, making Lino groan in annoyance.

     As I continue to bug Lino into giving me something to smoke, we eventually arrive at the dining room. Adie was already sitting on her usual seat, as well as father Laurence who was reading a newspaper and drinking coffee.

     In the middle of the table was, of course, our dear master, Claudio Romano, to who we are all very indebted.

     “Good morning master,” I say as I bow to him.

     Claudio acknowledges my greeting and Lino and I finally take our seats. All of us waited for Claudio to start first, so when he grabbed his fork to take a bite of his food, every one of us finally started eating as well. Not to brag, I taught them that, as well as other table etiquettes.

     “Laurence, our breakfast today is exquisite as ever,” Claudio says. I’d want to disagree with him and say that it’s mediocre just to piss Laurence off, but hats off to father Laurence, he really knows how to fucking cook. No offense to Adie of course who cooked for us for a while before Laurence arrived. I do miss my burnt toast at times.

     “I’m glad,” father Laurence says as he bows his head to thank the master for the compliment. He then looks at me and suddenly says, “So Bishop, do you have anything you want to say to me?”

     I look back at him and furrow my brows before asking, “What? Is it your birthday?”

     Laurence instantly looked irritated as he angrily explained, “It was your turn to wash the fucking dishes last night. You freakin’ ditched me so I had to do it myself.”

     “Oh come on, it’s not like I do it all the time. Besides, Adie didn’t do the dishes last week too but you didn’t say anything,” I say as I continue to eat my breakfast, completely ignoring how mad he looked.

     “That’s because she’s fucking mute! I can’t just get mad at that poor thing,” Laurence then says, making Adie pout when she heard it.

     “Great job Laurence. You just gave Adeline more reasons to hate you,” Lino then says, making me chuckle.

     Laurence and Lino start arguing, and surprisingly enough, Claudio doesn’t stop them. They’ve always been like this, or rather, we’ve always been like this during meals. I don’t want to admit it, but I’ve been used to such an atmosphere. I don’t want to say that we look like a family– because god forbids me to say such a word–but I feel comfortable with them now, a feeling that I find very troublesome.

     As I enjoy my meal, I unconsciously steal a glance at Claudio who was eating his meal in peace. He wasn’t even looking at me, but then he asks, “Have you started on that assignment that I gave you?”

     I wasn’t expecting him to actually talk to me, so I swallow the food in my mouth and lied, “Not yet. Adie and I agreed to draw together on the weekend, right Adie?”

     Adeline was surprised by what I said as she looked back at me with a confused look. Not to sound mean, but these are the moments where I’m glad that Adie doesn’t talk.

     “I see. It’s also a good activity for her so I look forward to it. Tell me if you’re going to draw, I’d like to join you,” he suddenly says, making me clench my fist in irritation. Adie, who obviously hasn’t said anything, suddenly released a quick laugh, making me step on her feet.

     “Y-Yes, of course…” I say, and Claudio finally looks back at me and smiles.

     His smile made me stiff for a second, but I immediately blinked and looked back at my plate so I could continue eating. I hear Claudio chuckle, but he doesn’t comment anything about it as he tells us instead, “Alright everyone, let’s settle down first.”

     Father Laurence and Lino finally stopped bickering at each other like they weren’t two grown men. As we all look back at him, Claudio looks at his side, making me realize that there’s a folder sitting there. He takes the folder and suddenly hands it over to me.

     “As you may all know, the patients are arriving today. I’ve explained to you all the various experiments that we’ll be conducting, but before that, I want you four to know the patients better first,” Claudio explains.

     I open the folder and see different profiles who I suspect are the patients that master Claudio is talking about.

     Adie, who’s sitting beside me, moves closer to check the profiles as well. While I hand the other profiles to Lino and father Laurence, master Claudio starts introducing them to us one by one.

    “I will not be revealing to you their real names, so you will refer to them by either their given codename or their patient number.”

     The profiles that were given to us had their picture, their number, their codename, age, and a quick summary of who they are. It wasn’t as detailed as I expected it to be, but somehow, it was all that we needed to know.

  DISCLAIMER:

the people in the photos do not associate with anything that is said in this book. It is only for visual and storyline purposes.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/2fb5c8804255cea333db1c84d382961f0b5017f1/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6142366f4d6f6848654f666435673d3d2d313139303834383437372e313664326633333163356464643339303537303130303039323634312e6a7067)

 Patient no. 000

 Codename: Pacific

 Gender: Male

 Age: 52

     “The first one is Pacific. A husband, a father, and a regular salaryman,” Claudio introduces first, and the four of us started looking at his picture.

     “Man’s creepy-looking,” father Laurence commented.

     “Creepy doesn’t even describe him. Pacific was a normal man living a normal life, not until he witnessed his wife having an affair. He killed his wife and threw her in the ocean. He was caught by the police and later on revealed that he killed his son too, but till this day, he has not revealed where he hid his son’s body,” Claudio explains.

     I stare at the picture for a couple more minutes before saying, “Maybe he didn’t actually kill his son?”

     “If he didn’t then he’d be unfortunate,” Claudio says, making all of us look back at him confusingly.

     “And why is that?” Lino asks.

     “Well, in their house the police found his son’s eyes inside a container. Pacific openly explained that he gauged his son’s eyes out. If the boy was alive he’d be…eyeless,” Claudio finally explains to us, making me gag.

     “Next we have Wednesday.”

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/10d3b12609a9ba3c3d6da0e837b574b2d27c42fa/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4549437435683549615245374f773d3d2d313139303834383437372e313664326634323835386165636161323331343537343632393930392e6a7067)

 Patient no. 001

 Codename: Wednesday

 Gender: Female

 Age: 23

     “We’re almost the same age,” I say as I stare at her smiling face.

     “Wednesday is a bubbly and friendly girl. Her parents are divorced so when she was a kid her father had the right to spend his Wednesday with her. Long story short she was constantly raped by him and so she killed him,” Claudio casually explains.

    What happened to this girl is definitely terrible, but I couldn’t help but find this situation humorous. The four of us were listening to Claudio tell these patients’ backgrounds as if this was a normal thing to do on a Sunday morning. To top it all off we were even eating breakfast. How fucked up is that?

     “That’s all she did? Why’d she get the death penalty?” Lino questions and Claudio looked like he just remembered something that he should have told us first.

     “That’s right, she killed his father when she was fourteen but was never caught for it. The following years Wednesday learned a disturbing habit of killing her partners, leaving her with eight more victims.”

     “Ah,” was the only thing Lino could say.

     “Moving on…”

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/79af7baaf0342a3912d2b56bc75380dbaedde338/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f2d786739304e61336d656f6845673d3d2d313139303834383437372e313664326634373261616165396335353134363832343233313434392e6a7067)

 Patient no. 002

 Codename: Hunter

 Gender: Male

 Age: 34

     “Hunter, a charming salesman and a consistent drunk, went home one night intoxicated as he always was. Driving at 5th avenue, he hit a mother and her 6-year-old daughter, instantly killing them. In fear of getting sent to jail, he hid the body and continued his life for two more years until finally getting caught.”

     “Could have hidden the body better,” I jokingly say, making Lino kick my leg under the table.

     “What? Have a little humor smiley face,” I tease, angering Lino even more, but thankfully father Laurence went in between us and interrupted, “Next is this gentleman Oz, right?” he asks before showing us the profile of the said patient.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/759184b665a019d3fcc5f81dd2f234fe2f6e335a/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f762d77326b6b5f6c5554596476413d3d2d313139303834383437372e313664326634356565303962363736353836363139303438393533342e6a7067)

 Patient no. 003

 Codename: Oz

 Gender: Male

 Age: 19

     “So what did this wizard do?” I ask.

     “Oz, who grew up in poverty, became a con artist at the age of seventeen. He fooled people with his charms and fancy way of speaking, then stole their money and killed them afterward. Did this 38 times before finally getting caught.”

     “38 fucking times?!” father Laurence asks in shock. “How terrible is the police, honestly?”

     I laugh at the priest’s comment and then we moved on to the next patient.

     “Now we have this fellow,” Master Claudio says as he points at the next profile.

     “Fellow?” Lino asks in confusion until he sees the gender specified.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/9e055d1c1f2b9f2db7c554ef0f0ec35df5373bf6/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f396c545a72416e5274505f7456673d3d2d313139303834383437372e313664326634623964636339353834343535393435343537363339372e6a7067)

 Patient no. 004

 Codename: Lady

 Gender: Male

 Age: 46

     “This is interesting,” I say as I continue to stare at the photo. “What’s this guy’s story?”

     “Codename Lady is a 46-year-old male who has a severe mother complex. He dresses up as a woman and uses that to fool men into gaining their trust, raping them, and then killing them after. Lady confessed that he does not like men and he is, in fact, very straight, but he loves the pleasure of overpowering men, which is why he did what he did,” Claudio tells us, and the picture that I was staring at suddenly felt disturbing.

     “Alright, we have three patients left, but where are their pictures?” Father Laurence next before taking a bite of his food.

     “Yes, we have three other patients, but the reason why I did not attach a photo of them is because you will not be handling them yet. I will study them for a while to see who is fit to take care of them, so for now, I will handle them,” master Claudio explains to us, making me realize that these remaining patients are actually part of the SWL or the suicide watch list.

     “So these three are…” Lino pauses and takes the remaining patient’s profiles that didn’t have a picture attached to them.

 Patient no. 005

 Codename: Messiah

 Gender: Male

 Age: 34

     “What did he do?” I ask out of curiosity.

     “Actually, what did they do?” Lino clarifies, gesturing at the other two patients without a picture since they didn’t have any descriptions either like the other patients.

 Patient no. 006

 Codename: Tomorrow

 Gender: Male

 Age: 13

     “Whoa, this one’s only thirteen. He’s younger than Adie. Why is he receiving the death penalty? Is that even okay?” I ask as I stare at the kid’s profile.

     “And this one’s almost my age,” Lino then adds, showing us the last patient on the list.

 Patient no. 007

 Codename: Doll Face

 Gender: Female

 Age: 43

     For a second the patients seemed normal, even pitiful, but then you realize that before they were called patients, they were criminals first. These were people who did terrible things to other people. There’s no time for me to feel bad about them.

    “Their crimes are classified for now. After some tests, and if they’re ready to meet you, I will introduce them properly. These patients are hanging on the edge. Given the opportunity, they will jump and kill themselves, so I will do everything I can to not make that happen. They are important assets…”

     I don’t know why, but the way master Claudio just called them assets suddenly made the hair on my skin stand. I’d be fine calling them criminals or patients, but assets just feel a bit…inhuman.

     “These are all the patients. They will be arriving this afternoon so finish your breakfast now and get ready. And when I mean get ready, I mean wear your uniforms,” master Claudio says, and in an instant, all of us became excited.

     We received our uniforms two months ago and we have not opened that box ever since. Master Claudio said that our uniforms reflect our roles, so even Lino and Laurence are excited to see what it looks like.

     “Now…my four horsemen,” master Claudio pauses and looks at us one by one before showing a sadistic grin. “It’s time for us to open the Hell House.”

to be continued…

(17) Beginning of an End

I STARE AT THE  box that’s on top of my bed. Master Claudio handed this over to us a while back when he told us about our purpose here in the manor. He said this contains our uniform which was designed by Ms. Sunny. To some, it isn’t much of a big deal,  but a uniform is like one’s identity. The moment you wear it, it becomes a part of you.

     I removed the red ribbon that’s tying the box together, revealing the engraved white horse in the middle. I haven’t opened this box since then, but since the patients are finally arriving, we were now asked to wear what’s inside it.

     “Here we go,” I say as I finally remove the lid of the box, revealing a pair of leather shoes and a black suit made from the most expensive fabric that I’ve ever seen.

     “ Holy shit… “ I whispered under my breath as I pull the suit out. I wanted to check the material further, but then I saw something that was hidden underneath it. It was a headgear made of leather, or is this an…eyewear? I honestly have not seen anything like this before, so I take it out of the box and run to the bathroom.

     My reflection welcomes me as I stood in front of the mirror. Staring at my eyes in irritation, I immediately tried the eyewear on, buckling the straps so it could perfectly fit my head.

     I thought I wouldn’t be able to see, but surprisingly enough, it didn’t entirely hinder my vision. The only problem was that I could only really look straight. It was similar to the eye cover that horses would wear so they wouldn’t be able to see their sides so they wouldn’t get distracted.

     At first, I thought that the cover was ridiculous, but as I continue to stare at my face, I couldn’t help but laugh; not because I found it ridiculous, but because it somehow fits me well. The main feature that really changes in my body whenever I switch to a different alter, other than my mannerism, is my eyes, but with this cover, you wouldn’t instantly be able to tell if I switched or not.

     After staring at myself for a few more minutes, I remove the eye cover so I could finally wear the uniform. The uniform was a perfect fit, and everything from the tie, the shoes, and even the gloves were beautifully made. Ms. Sunny outdid herself this time.

     “Bishop…” a voice calls out while knocking on my door. “Are you ready?” He asks, and I knew in an instant who that person was.

     I immediately wear the eye cover before answering, “I’m ready.”

     The sound coming from dozen keys could be heard outside, and after a few seconds of waiting, the door swings open, revealing a military man whose face was completely covered in what seems to be a black cloth.

     “Oh wow, you look handsome,” I jokingly tell him. And despite the cover on his face, I could tell that Lino was looking back at me with an annoyed expression that he always has whenever I tease him.

     “I can tell the same to you,” someone then says with a muffled voice.

     I head out of my room and realize that two other figures were waiting outside. Standing right behind Lino was a girl wearing what seems to be a dress in a style of a military uniform. The other one was a priest uniform that was upgraded a bit, but the most prominent feature was a mask that covered his mouth.

     All of us wore a uniform that somehow reflected our roles in this manor. Like what master Claudio said before, he taught us our roles so we could be of use to him. For instance, Lino is our muscle. One of his roles is to handle the troublemakers. Father Laurence handles their food. Little Adie acts more like an assistant to all of us. While I, the amazing Bishop, am assigned to make sure the patients don’t die immediately. We’re like one big happy fucked up family.

     “Look at you guys. Now isn’t this just wonderful,” I tell them, making father Laurence snort.

     “Wonderful? Look at us. What kind of style are these anyway? We look like witches. Whoever designed these is a complete psycho,” father Laurence says, obviously not liking this new look.

     “You’re just mad that your uniform prevents you from talking,” I tell him, and Laurence instantly looked like he was ready to fight. Thankfully Lino stops him just in time, pushing Laurence away from me so he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

     “Enough playing around. Master Claudio and the others are already waiting outside. We must hurry,” Lino says before walking away from us.

     I sigh and look back at Laurence before saying, “Well, ladies first.”

     Adeline giggles as Laurence angrily follows Lino. I then look back at our little Adie and tell her, “By the way, you look wonderful Adie. Just like a doll.”

     Adie shyly smiles and the two of us finally follow behind Lino and Laurence. It was already late at night so when we got outside, the other employees were holding lamps. If you didn’t know what we were doing here, you’d think we’re some kind of cult.

     “There are my four horsemen,” master Claudio says when he sees us walking out of the entrance of the manor. He was also wearing his plague doctor uniform, making me realize that all of our uniforms were probably inspired by his.

     The employees looked at us, probably with a confused expression since I really couldn’t tell thanks to the gas mask that they were wearing, but I knew that they were looking.

     “As expected, the uniforms fit you well,” the master compliments, and the four of us stood beside him, placing him in the middle. Right in front of us were five wheelchairs. All of us waited outside, the cold wind making me shiver. It was at this time when my mother left Winter and us here. The poor child felt abandoned, and I can’t blame him. Mother has always wanted to abandon us. We were freaks in her eyes. If I was her I’d probably do the same.

     “Looks like they’re here,” the master finally says, and an old bus emerges from the woods. I couldn’t see the people inside the bus because of how dark it is so I couldn’t tell if they were even there at all. Every one of us just waited as the door of the bus finally opens.

     Nurses went inside the bus, and I could tell that something was happening because the bus started to shake. Someone’s probably struggling inside. After a while, the first person finally heads out as two nurses assisted him out. He was a fat man with a clean face. If I didn’t know what crime he did, I’d assume he killed his wife and then ate her.

     “Pacific is calmer than I expected,” I say as I continue to stare at him. He was wearing a prison uniform and was handcuffed. His eyes were also covered with a white cloth, probably to make sure that none of them know where they were being brought to.

     The next patient went out of the bus and compared to Pacific, was moving around as she struggled to break free from the handcuffs. It also made me realize that her wrists were already bleeding because of too much force. It’s obvious that she didn’t want to be here.

     “Let go! Let go of me you fucking assholes! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you all!” She shouts, suddenly biting the ear of one of the nurses who were holding her. She bit it so hard that the man’s ear started bleeding. Another nurse had to run towards her to assist the other nurses who were having a hard time containing her.

     “I’ll fucking kill you all! Remove this blindfold you fucking pussies!” She continues to shout.

     “Give her a shot,” master Claudio suddenly commands, and a nurse who was holding a first-aid kit, pulls out an injection that had a yellowish fluid. She approaches the patient named Wednesday and tried to inject her with it, but she couldn’t do that either.

     “Stop struggling dear. You’re just making this harder for all of us,” someone suddenly says. I thought one of the nurses said it, but it was actually patient 2, better known as Hunter, who said it. He heads out of the bus, not struggling just like Pacific. And despite the cloth covering his eyes, I could tell how charming he was from where I’m standing.

     “Don’t call me that or I’ll fucking cut your dick off you fucker!” She shouts, but it only made Hunter start laughing. He must find this situation amusing.

     The nurse who was still trying her best to inject Wednesday with the shot was still unsuccessful despite the three nurses who were already holding her down, so master Claudio looks at Lino, and without even saying anything, Lino approaches Wednesday and suddenly grabs her by the neck.

     Wednesday starts choking, but this allowed the nurse to finally inject her with the shot.

     Wednesday was still struggling, but she eventually calms down until she finally stopped moving. Lino removes his hold on her and the nurses carried her body to a wheelchair. They then unlock her handcuffs before strapping her hands on the wheelchair.

     “Did you kill her already?” Pacific suddenly asks, making father Laurence laugh. If Lino didn’t scold him I would have honestly laughed with him.

     “Thank god if they did. The bitch is crazy,” another voice says, and patient 3, also known as Oz, walks out of the bus like he was on a field trip.

     Oz was the second youngest patient in the Hell House, but he’s also the criminal with the most kills. He killed thirty-eight people in only a span of 2 years. For someone to get away with that for two years, it’s safe to say that he’s very smart and cunning. It would be a problem if we put our guard down on him for even a second.

     “That’s not very polite Oz. You shouldn’t talk like that to ladies,” says a more feminine voice, and Lady, the fifth and last patient, walks out of the bus. Unlike the picture that master Claudio showed, Lady wasn’t wearing feminine clothes and he wasn’t wearing his wig either, but the way he spoke and acted was still very lady-like.

     “What are you, my mom?” Oz asks, his tone sounding like he was disgusted.

     “Don’t be silly now Oz, I’m not a woman,” Lady says, making Oz sigh. I could tell that they’ve had this kind of conversation a couple of times now. When the four of them were finally lined up together–except for Wednesday who was already strapped in her wheelchair–master Claudio walked towards them, his hands behind his back like he was some kind of military man.

     These were the Hell House’s new patients. These are the people who will help us in plaguing this god-forsaken town.

     “Good evening gentlemen. Welcome to the Hell House,” the master says before signaling the nurses to remove their blindfolds for them. The patients were surprised, some trying to adjust to the sudden light in front of them.

     “God damn, look at all these freaks,” Pacific says with an unfamiliar accent as he stares at us. He then looks at master Claudio and tells him, “Are you the boss in this place? Are you the one who’s going to kill us?”

     “Oh I’m not the boss, please don’t make that assumption about me. Though I am going to kill you, but not immediately. You are all my test subjects now. I either cure you or break you, but one thing’s for sure…” Claudio pauses and walks in front of Pacific before saying, “All of you will receive the punishment that is equal to your crimes. That I will make sure of.”

     Pacific laughs, but then he suddenly spits on the master. I was about to move, but Lino, who was standing close by, runs to Pacific and punches him, making him fall to the floor, his saliva dripping out of his mouth. The poor fool couldn’t even stand because of his handcuffs.

     “Help him up,” Claudio says, and the nurses holding him earlier immediately picked him up so he could stand back on his feet.

     When he was facing master Claudio again, the master walks closer to him, suddenly pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket and using it to wipe his saliva. The action made Pacific flinch.

     “If you behave well then your stay here will be pleasant. But if you make things hard for us, then you will wish death to come to you faster. Remember that,” master Claudio says. He then looks back at the other nurses, nodding his head to signal them.

     The nurses holding first-aid kits rush to the patients’ side to give them the same shot that Wednesday just received. Unlike her, they weren’t struggling, but it could be because they were trying not to get punched like Pacific.

     A couple of minutes after, the patients lost their strength so they were immediately carried to their wheelchairs, removing their handcuffs and strapping them up. Five nurses then walk towards the wheelchairs and start pushing the patients inside so they could bring them to their new homes. As the other employees were heading inside the manor as well, father Laurence, Adie, and I walk to where master Claudio and Lino were standing.

     “They seem bearable,” I say, making father Laurence laugh.

     “Bearable? The girl earlier almost ripped the ear off of that nurse. They’re fucking crazy,” Laurence says, his voice still muffled because of the mask.

     “Well, this is only the beginning,” master Claudio says, making us look back at him. “I will be conducting experiments on them tomorrow. The plants we have at the greenhouse have proven their worth. I was able to create our first plague and I want to test them immediately,” he then adds, and the excitement in his voice made the hair on my skin stand.

     “Alright Marcelino, head to the third floor and watch over the patients. Laurence, you can start preparing their dinner. You have the pills I gave you earlier, yes?” Master Claudio asks, and father Laurence nods his head in response.

     “Adeline, assist Laurence for me. And Bishop, you come with me,” Claudio says, not even waiting for our response as he starts walking inside.

     None of us really complained as we did what we were told to do, so I followed behind Claudio in silence. While we were walking down the hallway, Claudio then looks over his shoulder and tells me, “There is a party next week so we have to be ready with the first plague. Hopefully, the poison shows its effects.”

     “Poison?” I ask since I wasn’t well-informed about it like Lino. I know that he has been doing something to plague the town but I didn’t know that it was poison.

     “Yes, poison. This poison I’ve been making can cause skin irritation and stomach aches. It’s not very severe, but it’s a good start,” Claudio explains to me as we head inside his office.

     The office wasn’t the same as the last time I saw it because it was now filled with piles and piles of documents. His blackboard was even filled with writing that I could barely understand. Master Claudio locks the door behind us and removes his mask, showing the dark circles underneath his eyes that I haven’t even noticed before. He must be really busy with that poison of his.

     “If you are not aware yet Bishop, we are targeting three influential families in this town: The Winchesters, the Ricci family, and the Romanos,” Claudio explains further, surprising me even more because I haven’t heard of that yet. All this time I had an assumption that we were targeting the entire town. I think I feel a bit better now that it’s just these families.

     “You say Romano but isn’t that—”

     “Yes, it is my family, or to be more abstract, Claudio’s family,” master says before walking to his desk. “Let me be honest with you Bishop. You see, I was adopted when I was only seven by the Romano family. They’re the doctors of this town, very influential, which is why I was fortunate enough to be raised in a well-off household.”

     “If that was the case then why would you want to target them?” I ask, but I immediately shut my mouth when I realized that I’d probably asked a bothersome question.

     Thankfully it didn’t because Claudio didn’t stop me. “I have my reason,” he says instead, and all I could do was nod my head in understanding. Thinking too much about it won’t do me and my alters any good.

     “Okay, let me just run through this. The Winchester is the mayor’s family, Romano is the doctor’s family, and Ricci…if I remember correctly, that’s sir Mateo’s name, right? The chief of police in this town,” I say, and master Claudio nods his head and takes a seat.

     “That’s right. The Ricci family has had the police’s control for as long as I could remember. Next to the Winchesters, they have the most power in this town.”

     “I get that, but what does this have to do with me? Why are you suddenly telling me this?” I finally ask him, and a grin slowly appears on Claudio’s face, automatically bringing chills down my spine.

     “Mateo Ricci…” Claudio says, looking straight into my eyes to make sure I listen to him carefully. “I want you to seduce him and gain his trust. Like a serpent, I want you to wrap your arms around him; hold onto him tight until there is no longer any means of escaping. And when you finally have a hold of him, that’s when you bite. Can you do that for me, Bishop?” Claudio asks with his ever so sweet voice, almost making me laugh right in front of him.

     This man, the man who seduced me and fucked me to the point where I became his dog, is now asking me to do the exact same thing that he did to a man I barely even know.

     “ How thick-skinned can this man be? “ A voice inside me suddenly asks. For a second, I thought I was going to switch to a different alter, but I didn’t. They didn’t want to come out. It was obvious that they wanted me to make my own decision, and it is a decision that I knew they would hate.

     “Well?” mater Claudio asks, obviously growing impatient because I wasn’t answering him. He’s not even giving me the chance to think about it.

     “Bishop…” He calls out.

     With the eye cover that I was wearing, I couldn’t really look away. I was forced to directly look straight at him like a trained horse. I wanted to slap him, to ask him how low he thinks of me to be able to ask me for such a thing, but I couldn’t. No words were enough to express my growing hatred.

     I am manipulated by this man. And the desire I yearned for him became the curse that I desperately could not run away from any longer. So like an animal that’s afraid of getting whipped, I bow my head and answer, “I understand. Anything for you, master Claudio.”

to be continued…

(18) Autumn Breeze

⚕︎

THE NEXT DAY CAME  by fast and everyone was busier than yesterday. I, on the other hand, did not have anything else to do other than the assignments that master Claudio gave me. The first assignment was to make a sketch that reflects what I feel, which I agree can be very therapeutic. While the other one was to seduce a cop to gain his trust; two things that do not combine well with each other. 

     “Stay away from me you freak! I’m gonna bite your fucking dick off if you take another step closer!” A voice echoes down the hallway while I was on my way to my bedroom.

     I decided to head upstairs to where the patients were to see what the ruckus is about. There were a couple of nurses walking around, but one nurse, who was in front of room 01, was picking up food that was scattered on the floor.

    I approach the nurse and touch his shoulder, making him look at me. “Is there a problem?” I then ask him, and the nurse answers in a language that I did not quite understand. But with his body language, I could tell that he was having a hard time.

     “Where’s Mr. M?” I ask instead, hoping he could understand me.

    “Not here,” he thankfully answers, making me nod my head before looking at the room where the patient was.

    Patient no. 1, better known as Wednesday, was standing in the corner of her room, holding a metal tray that she must have snatched from the nurse. All the patients had a chain attached to their ankles last night, and Wednesday’s ankle was already bleeding.

     “I’ll handle it,” I tell the nurse, and the nurse nods his head, standing up and waiting in front of the door, probably to guard me in case something happens.

     There is nothing more troublesome than a troublesome patient, but I understand why she’s so agitated. If I knew that I was going to be experimented on, I’d be throwing a fit too. But of course, we can’t have that here. As master Claudio said, I am to make sure that the patients here have a pleasant stay. I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I have to at least try.

     “Darling, put the tray down,” I say as I carefully make my way inside the room.

     “Don’t you fucking get any closer. I will fuck you up you little shit!” She aggressively shouts, threatening to throw the tray at me.

     “Alright now, that’s not a very nice thing to say. Put the tray down before we inject you with that medicine from last night again. I bet when you woke up it wasn’t very pleasant,” I answer back as I take another step closer, and when I did, I noticed that she was already shaking.

     This girl was scared to death. I could tell because I’ve been in that state once.

     “Close the door,” I instruct, probably confusing the nurse who was guarding outside the room.

     When he didn’t do what I said, I quickly look back at him and said with a more commanding tone this time, “Door…close it.” 

     The nurse doesn’t say anything, but he finally closes the metal door, leaving me alone with Wednesday who’s threatening to hurt me with a tray. Of course, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure of what I was doing, but after reviewing Wednesday’s profile, it’s obvious that she’s not comfortable around men, making her act aggressive instead.

     Besides, there’s still a small window on the door so the nurse could check on me. If anything happens he’ll be there.

     “To start off, let me introduce myself first. My name is Bishop. Our ages are close since I’m only 24, so why don’t we try to get along? I’m sure we have a lot of common interests.” I say, but Wednesday only spits on me before saying, “Fuck off.”

     “Okay, let’s calm down.” 

     Wednesday still looked cautious, so I decided to remove the headgear that was covering my eyes. Wednesday looked surprised, probably because she wasn’t expecting me to do that, or probably because she’s never seen anyone with heterochromia before, but whatever the reason is, she was now starting to calm down.

     “See, I’m not so bad, right?” I ask her.

     “I’m here to be killed by you people, and that includes you. Everything about all of you is bad so don’t give me that bullshit,” she declares, hatred present in her voice. I couldn’t disagree with her though since she’s technically right.

     “Well, I never claimed to be a good guy anyway, but how about this. I’ll bring someone who’s actually…good. She’s a bit old though so go easy on her,” I say, and Wednesday looked back at me like I was messing with her.

     “Give me a second.”

     I take a deep breath and closed my eyes, feeling the coldness of the room hugging my skin. Everything was dark, but then I suddenly felt a cold wind blow past me like I was in a forest filled with fallen leaves. I could almost hear birds singing and a calming sound of a river stream in the background. It was comforting, and I couldn’t help but sigh in great relief.

     “What the fuck are you doing?” A cold voice suddenly asks, making me open my eyes.

    Standing in front of me was a girl holding a tray. She had bruises on her wrist, her ankle, and even her neck, but I could still see the innocence underneath her.

     “Oh, what a lovely and beautiful girl. You must be Wednesday. I’ve heard about you from the others. It is a pleasure to meet you,” I say with a sweet smile, making her look back at me with furrowed eyebrows.

     “Are you fucking crazy?” She asks.

    “A little, but not to the point of insanity,” I say with a playful chuckle before slowly walking towards the bed. “May I sit? My knees are killing me. I’m 72 years old after all.”

     “Stop this nonsense…” She continues to say, but I still sat on the edge of the bed, grunting as I did so.

     The room was quiet as I turn my head to look out of the window. I could tell that she was staring at me, but I didn’t scold her for it. I’m certain that she finds this situation strange, so I’ll let her process it first.

     “You know, this manor isn’t really pleasant, especially for a child like Winter, but Bishop wants to stay here so we have no choice,” I say as I continue to stare at the clouds outside. “But if you look out the window and see what the world has to offer, it doesn’t seem so bad, don’t you think?” I ask, turning my head to look back on Wednesday.

     To my surprise, Wednesday wasn’t staring at me anymore but instead was looking outside too. I couldn’t help but smile as I look back at the window. “It’s nice, isn’t it?” I ask. “Calming and reassuring. That is what God’s creation can do for us despite what we do to it.”

     “God isn’t real,” she suddenly answers, making me look back at her.

     Wednesday was now staring at me with her empty eyes. She must have gone through so much to project so much hatred in that single sentence.

     “I won’t disagree with you because I can’t prove that he is,” I say as I slowly try to stand from the bed so I could level her. “But you cannot prove that he doesn’t either, so let’s just leave it at that.”

     I smile at her and Wednesday finally dropped the tray that she was holding. When she did so, I noticed how thin she was. She must have not eaten anything for days.

     “The people here might be bad but the food is good. The priest cooks well, so eat as much as you can. You have to fill your stomach with something at least,” I say before noticing the food that’s already on the floor.

     “Oh don’t worry, I’ll ask for a new one,” I say, and Wednesday shyly looks away from me. I wanted to pat her head, but I knew that she wouldn’t like that, so instead, I just nodded my head and took a step away from her.

    I picked up Bishop’s eyewear on the floor and wore it over my head. As I got ready to leave the room, I suddenly heard a sweet and soft voice coming from behind me. I couldn’t really hear it properly, so when I turned back around, Wednesday cleared her throat and repeated, “W-what do I…call you?”

     The question was a surprise to me, but I cleared my throat and stood up straight for her.

     “My name is Autumn, but if you would allow it, I’d be pleased if you called me nana. I told Winter to call me that but he wouldn’t let me. I’d really love to hear someone say it,” I answer.

     Wednesday looked unsure, but with a soft voice, she whispers, “ nana. “

     A smile instantly appears on my face as I finally head out of the room where a man wearing a gas mask was waiting for me. This must be one of the nurses that Bishop kept on talking about before.

     “Please bring this girl another meal. One that’s still warm. After that, tend to her wounds,” I say, and the man nods his head and walks away from me. I then look back at the little viewer on Wednesday’s door and see her still staring out of the window.

     I wanted to stay a little longer, but then my body started heating up all of a sudden. I suddenly feel a gust of wind blowing towards me, almost making me lose my balance. I thought I was going to fall so I closed my eyes to prepare for the impact. Darkness instantly welcomes me, but suddenly, I was engulfed by flames.

     Gasping for air, I immediately opened my eyes to see if I was able to go back. When I realized that I was now back in the manor, I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Switching to Autumn always feels like I’m entering a pleasant dream, but switching back to me is a completely different nightmare.

     After recollecting myself, I looked back on Wednesday who was now calmer than earlier.

     “ I knew you’d like her, “ I say before finally looking away.

     After my encounter with Wednesday, I decided to check on the other patients as well. I walk down the hall, quickly glancing at the windows on the door to see what the patients were doing.

     Most of them were still eating, except for Pacific who was literally licking the excess sauce on his empty plate. And then there’s Hunter who—instead of eating—was doing pushups. We gotta look after that guy. Who knows, he might just suddenly bust those doors open and start causing havoc on all of us. You can never be too careful with a man who has a six-pack.

     “Bishop,” someone suddenly calls out, making me turn around so I could check who it was. When I saw that it was just father Laurence, I turn back around and started walking away, completely pretending that I didn’t see him because of my eye cover.

     As I was walking away, I was expecting Laurence to shout at me or say something clever again, but instead, he told me, “I’m heading to the town to buy ingredients. You wanna come?”

     That question alone automatically made me stop walking. With a bright smile on my face, I turned to father Laurence and told him, “Let me just change.”

     “Fine. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

     I ran to my room as fast as I could, taking off what I was already wearing so I could put on the butler uniform that master Claudio gave to me before. Since I am still considered Claudio’s butler, I still have to look the part, especially when I’m in town.

     When I finally got ready, I ran downstairs and got out of the manor where father Laurence was waiting. Since he was driving the car, I got to the passenger seat and comfortably buckled myself up.

     “Alright, let’s go.”

     Getting excited about going to town is an understatement, but it’s better than just staying at the manor all day with all those crazies.

     “You’re heading to the market right?” I ask while looking out of the window.

     “I have to buy a couple of things. I don’t know why the master is so picky, but he’s very meticulous with everyone’s food. Some of the patients are allergic to this and that so I have to make meals specifically for them. Don’t know why I have to though since he’s literally going to experiment on them anyway. A little food allergy should be the least of his concerns,” Laurence says in a way that showed no sign of remorse or empathy whatsoever.

     I don’t blame him though. Whatever the background is, they’re still criminals. They did horrible things to other people, even Wednesday who Autumn seems to be very fond of.

     “People on death row get asked about their last meal before they get executed so that must be the reason. Since we’re giving them medicine that might kill them at any minute, their meals should always seem like it’s going to be their last,” I explain, and Laurence gives me a funny look.

     “Is this Bishop I’m talking to or is it that old woman who almost fell down the stairs last time because her back started to hurt?” Laurence suddenly asks, making me chuckle.

     “No, this is still Bishop. Don’t worry.”

     “Well whoever you are, I just want you to stay in the car while we’re there. Some of the townspeople know who you are. It would be troublesome if they start asking about master Claudio,” Laurence then says, making me look at him angrily.

     “Why?! What do you think I am, a five-year-old?” I argue.

     With Laurence’s eyes still on the road, he answers, “I don’t know, maybe? Just…stay here. If you want me to buy you something then I’ll buy it for you.”

     I cross my arms like a kid and look away from Laurence. But after sulking for a while, and when we were now getting closer to the town square, I tell him, “Buy me a pack of cigarettes.”

     Father Laurence doesn’t say anything, but when I glanced at him, I could see him suppressing his laughter, which made me hide a smile too.

     When we finally arrived at the town square where the market is. Laurence heads out of the car and reminded me again, “Stay here, alright?”

     “Jeez, just go.”

     Laurence slams the door shut and finally walks away. I sat on the passenger seat, trying to amuse myself by staring at the people who walked past me. There were people who looked tired, some with their families, while some were just happy to be there.

     “ What’s so great about this town anyway? Even master Claudio wants to plague it so there has to be something wrong about it, “ I say to myself.

    As my boredom starts to grow more and more with each passing second, I started bouncing my leg up and down. But when I was inches away from losing my mind, I saw an old man painting in the middle of the town square.

     Ignoring Laurence’s warning, I stepped out of the car and ran toward the painter. I looked at his canvas and saw that he was actually painting the town. His perspective was a bit off, but it still looked good overall.

     I stare at his wrinkly hand making precise strokes on the canvas. He painted the sky, the buildings, and even the people; he didn’t even mind that I was staring at him.

     “Mr. Lucius,” a male voice suddenly calls out, making the old man stop painting.

     Both of us turned around, but when I saw who it was, my eyes instantly widened from shock. It was Mateo Ricci, the town’s chief of police, and the man Claudio told me to seduce.

     I don’t know why but I immediately looked away from him. I’ve seen him wear that shit before at Claudio’s mansion, but now that I got a better view, I realized that he looks way too good in that police uniform.

     “Mr. Lucius, are you here by yourself again?” I heard him ask.

     Since I still haven’t really thought about doing what master Claudio asked me to do regarding Mateo Ricci, I decided to pretend like I didn’t see him and quietly head back to the car. But just before I could even walk away, the old man named Lucius suddenly points at me and says, “I’m not by myself. I’m with my son.”

     “Son?” I confusingly ask as I look back at Mr. Lucius. “Old man, I am not your son.”

     “Yes you are,” he replies, suddenly painting on my nose with his paintbrush and then laughing.

     I was literally seconds away from fighting with this old man, but then sir Mateo finally got close to where we were, automatically making me stop whatever I was about to do. Well, there goes my chance of running away.

     “Mr. Lucius, I don’t think that’s your—” sir Mateo pauses and looks at me to check who I really was. When he got a better look at my face, he instantly recognizes me and says, “Wait, you’re Bishop, right?”

    I fake a smile as I bow my head to him. “Officer,” I greeted, which sounded way too stupid because it makes me look even more suspicious for some reason. Thankfully sir Mateo just laughs it off and says, “Please, Teo would be fine. Claudio doesn’t like calling me that, but the rest of my friends do.”

    “Teo?”

     Sir Ma…Teo…smiles upon hearing me say his name. He then tells me to wait for a little as he looks back at Mr. Lucius to tell him, “You should be at home. Your wife is going to be worried about you again. If you want to paint here, you should have someone accompanying you.”

     “M-My wife?” Mr. Lucius asks with a confused expression, making me realize that this man probably has Alzheimer’s.

     As Teo tries to talk to the old man, two other police officers arrive at the scene.

     “You two, get his things and send him back before his family starts to worry like last time,” Teo says, and the two officers nodded their heads, assisting Mr. Lucius to their car while the other grabbed his painting tools.

     When they were now gone, Teo looks back at me, making me flinch for some reason because I never really grasped the idea that he was this big. It felt like I’d break if he embraced me.

     “Bishop, it’s been a while since I’ve last seen you. I heard from Claudio that he’s been very busy with his research so I haven’t been able to visit the mansion.”

     “I-Is that so…” I awkwardly said.

     I don’t know if it’s something that I said, but Teo suddenly chuckled, his dimples showing as he did so.

     “Is there a problem?” I ask, and Teo suddenly points at his nose.

     I didn’t know what he meant by that, but then I remembered that the old man actually painted on my nose earlier. I felt so embarrassed that I immediately lifted my hand up so I could wipe it, but Teo suddenly stops me and asks, “May I?”

    The question made me feel tense for some reason, but I nodded my head anyway. When I gave him the go signal, Teo takes a step towards me, but not too close to the point where I’d feel uncomfortable. He then takes a handkerchief and then uses it to finally wipe the paint off my nose.

     I don’t know why, but the way he touched me felt so gentle that I couldn’t help but look away from him.

     Acting playful and flirty around Claudio was easy because of his personality, but somehow, Teo didn’t give me the same aura. He felt respectable and noble, like a knight. I’d feel too embarrassed to make a move on him.

     “T-Thank you,” I say. “Would you like me to wash your handkerchief?” I then offered, but Teo just laughs it off before putting it back in his pocket.

    “Well, it was nice seeing you, but I have to go,” I then say as I was about to take my leave.

     The inner whore in me wanted Teo to stop me so we could chat a little longer, but unexpectedly, he doesn’t. Can’t say if I’m disappointed because I have to leave so soon, or glad because I don’t have to accidentally make a fool out of myself. But as I was walking away, the cold breeze suddenly blows against me, and then a low voice calls out, “Bishop…”

     My body freezes for a quick second, but I slowly looked over my shoulder to look back at him.

     “I’m glad you’re doing well. Let’s enjoy each other’s company at one of the pubs here sometimes. If you’d like to, of course,” he says with a smile, his eyes smiling with it.

     For some reason, my cheeks started heating up right after seeing his face. He smiled at me in a way that wasn’t menacing. It felt sweet, calming, and almost friendly; there was no malice. For a couple of seconds, I thought about why it was such a big deal, but when I found the answer, I immediately looked away.

    Master Claudio never smiled at me like that.

    “I-I’ll think about it…” I reply, immediately running away from him like I was some kind of thief.

     I got to the car in a hurry, and luckily, Laurence wasn’t there yet to scold me. I went inside and sat on the passenger seat, panting heavily as I buckled myself up.

     “Let’s enjoy each other’s company at one of the pubs here sometimes. If you’d like to, of course,” I remember Teo saying, making my heart beat even faster. No one has asked me if I wanted to do something before. They usually just force me to go.

     As I touch my chest, I stare at my reflection through the rearview mirror. I reached out to touch my nose where the paint was earlier. I remembered his warmth against the handkerchief, his smile, and the way he just made me feel calm in only a span of a minute.

    Such simple things gave me butterflies inside. And when I saw the ridiculous smile on my face, I immediately looked away, frowning at myself because of how gullible I was.

     This time I am never getting fooled again. This time, I’m not letting another man manipulate me into thinking that desire is all that love is for.

to be continued…

(19) A Man’s World

⚕︎

PATIENT 02, ALSO KNOWN  as Hunter, was strapped in a metal bed, light directly positioned in front of his face, making him squint. I was standing near the door while master Claudio, and two other nurses, were getting their equipment ready.

     “You know I’ve been in a similar situation before, but I was being interrogated at that time,” Hunter casually says before glancing in my direction and giving me a wink. “How you doing darling?” He then asks, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.

     No one in the room paid him any mind, so Hunter didn’t say anything anymore. Claudio then says something in a different language and one of the nurses immediately gave him a syringe filled with yellowish fluid.

     “We’ve already injected the first dose and there have been no signs yet,” master Claudio explains while writing something down in his notebook. Afterward, he puts the notebook down and walks closer to Hunter to inspect his skin.

     One of the nurses said something again, but I still didn’t understand it.

     “This is going to be a bit stronger,” master Claudio warns, finally positioning the long needle in Hunter’s arm. Hunter surprisingly doesn’t complain or struggle as Claudio finally injects him with the fluid, but he did flinch.

     After a while, Claudio pulls away and checks Hunter’s vital signs. The room was quiet for a while, probably about a few minutes, but then Hunter started coughing. It started with short and quick coughs, but eventually, it ended up sounding like he was moments away from dying.

     He starts salivating soon after, yet no one in the room said or did a thing. No one moved a muscle and continued to observe him. It was honestly a disturbing sight, but I couldn’t look away either. Something about this intrigued me.

     “Rashes are appearing in his neck,” Claudio says as he reaches out for his head to see the said rashes better. Thankfully they were all wearing gloves. That would have been disgusting.

     Hunter’s face was now completely red, and then he started screaming, probably because of the burning sensation. Soon after, he turns his head and starts vomiting on the bucket that’s just beside the bed, and the sight of it finally made me look away.

     “Two minutes,” master Claudio says, and one of the nurses rushes to Hunter and injects something into him again.

     It took a while, but Hunter starts to calm down. The rashes also started to disappear in an instant. Claudio says something in a different language again and Hunter eventually fell asleep. “We’ll continue tomorrow,” Claudio adds before removing his gloves and throwing them inside a bin.

     “We’re done here. Let’s go,” he tells me, disinfecting his hands before stepping out of the room. I didn’t say anything and just followed behind him, and as soon as we got to the lobby area just outside the laboratory, I spot Pacific and Lady playing cards while three nurses watched over them.

     Lady puts his cards down and looks at us with a bright smile. “Oh, Mr. Doctor, would you mind playing a few rounds with us?” He asks with a feminine voice, and Pacific instantly showed a bitter look, obviously not thrilled with what Lady said.

     Thankfully Claudio wasn’t the kind to play cards with his patients as he says, “You can go ahead. I still have things to do.”

     Lady nods his head and waves us goodbye as Claudio and I walked towards the elevator that only the master could access. As I said before, the third floor of the manor was locked because it’s a section specifically for the patients. I’m just glad we’re finally leaving this eerie place.

     “You’re going to be attending a party tomorrow, master. Shall I ready your clothes?” I ask as the obedient butler that I am.

     Claudio and I entered the elevator. He then closed the door and pressed the first-floor button before answering me, “That would be great, thank you.”

     I nod my head as a reply, and the two of us finally arrive at the first floor where Lino was waiting for him, holding his doctor’s bag. Today was one of the days when the master has to work at the hospital in the city. It’s a bit strange because he was experimenting on someone a while ago and now he’s on his way to cure people.

     What a hypocrite.

     “Master, the car is ready,” Lino tells him before handing him his bag.

     “Where are the others?” Claudio asks as the three of us walk our way to the exit at the back of the manor.

     “Wednesday is taking a walk in the courtyard, while Oz is still in his room playing crossword puzzles. But if you’re talking about the other two, Laurence is still in the kitchen while Adeline is cleaning your bedroom,” Lino explains.

     When we arrived outside, Lino opens the car’s back door for him. Claudio steps inside first while Lino rushes to the driver’s seat. I was about to close the door for him, but then Claudio looks at me and says, “We’ll be discussing something tonight. I’ll see you when I get back.”

     I didn’t answer and just bowed to him before closing the door. Claudio removes his mask and looks at me for one last time before finally driving off. When they were already out of my sight, I took a deep breath and turned back to the manor, staring at its large structure like it was a prison at the same time a home.

    “Well then, since I have nothing better to do, I guess I can just pick out his clothes for tomorrow,” I tell myself as I head back inside.

     I went straight to the master’s bedroom and knocked on the door first before entering so Adeline would know that someone was coming. Of course, no one said a thing, so I opened the door and peeked inside, only to see little Adie dusting the shelves.

     “Hey Adie,” I say as I finally enter the room.

     Adeline looks at me and nods her head to acknowledge my presence before going back to whatever she was doing. When I closed the door behind me, I unbuckled the eye gear attached to my head and placed it aside.

     “I’m just going to pick some clothes for the master so continue whatever you were doing and don’t mind me,” I say as I walk towards his cabinet. I then glanced back at Adeline and notice her staring at me. I didn’t know why, but then I realize that I’m actually not wearing my contacts underneath that eyewear.

     Ever since I started wearing that eye gear, I decided not to wear the contact anymore since you can’t really see my eyes anyway. I guess this is the first time Adeline saw my blue eye.

     “Weird isn’t it?” I ask before looking back to the cabinet and pulling out a long coat. “I’m not sure why I have this, but I’ve been damned because of it so I tend to cover it up. Let’s just say it’s an insecurity of mine; shocking isn’t it?”

     When I finally picked out the right clothes for Claudio to wear, I looked back at Adeline and saw that she was still staring at me. I smiled at her and hung the clothes on the side before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “It seems like you have something to say, but I can’t call out Winter. With the patients now here, it would be dangerous.”

     Even though Adeline didn’t say anything, I could tell that she looked disappointed, but she just shrugged it off and continued to dust the shelves.

     When I finally finished picking the master’s outfit for tomorrow’s party, I take a deep breath and look back at Adeline. “Hey Adie, after all this, are you going to leave this place?” I ask her out of the blue. It was obvious that she heard me, but she decided not to say anything or even just nod as a response.

     When you think about this, all these experiments will one day come to an end, all the patients will eventually die, and the Hell House will once again close. By then, will we still stay here and act like we’re some kind of family? It seems like an easy question, but if you ponder on it long enough, you’ll realize how difficult it really is.

     “You’re right, that was a stupid question,” I say, trying to think of something else to lighten up the mood.

     “You know what, I met a handsome man in town the other day,” I say instead, instantly making Adie look back at me, her eyes sparkling in excitement that I couldn’t help but chuckle.

     I guess this is something that interests her more.

     “Yup, he was tall, muscular, and his skin was brown, just like his eyes. He was kind and soft-spoken too, very gentleman-like,” I then describe, making Adeline hide a smile, which almost made me smile too.

     Honestly, I don’t know what I was smiling about. Was it because of Adeline’s adorable reaction, or because of the mere thought of that dimpled policeman named Teo?

     “It’s not so often when I meet people like that. Usually, you can instantly tell when they’re planning to do something bad to you, but with him, it’s a bit different. I don’t know why, but I just have a good feeling about him,” I continue to tell her even though I don’t exactly know why I’m telling her about it in the first place.

     Adeline puts down her duster and walks to me, suddenly sitting by my side. I thought she was finally going to say something, but then she grabs both of my hands and squeezes them, surprising me. She doesn’t exactly say anything, but for some reason, I knew exactly what she wanted to say.

     “Are you telling me I should still be careful?” I ask, and Adeline nods her head as an answer.

     “Thank you,” I say as I reach out to pat her head. “But I think it’s safer to say that he should be more careful with me instead, don’t you agree?”

     My statement made Adeline giggle, and in the back of my head, I could already imagine how jealous Lino would be if he found out about this.

     “But you’re right, we should always be careful. Men can be dangerous, even master Claudio, Lino, and father Laurence. Well, especially  master Claudio, but that’s a different story,” I say as I pull my hand away from her. “I’m also dangerous too, so when you realize that I’m acting different, make sure to run.”

     Adeline was a bit confused by the last part of my statement, so I move closer to her and say, “Krimson…when I introduce myself as Krimson, run as fast as you can, do you understand me? Don’t talk to me, don’t get close to me, just run.”

     Adeline was still uncertain about what I was saying, but she immediately nodded her head anyway.

    “Good,” I say, patting her head for the last time before standing from the bed. “Well, I guess I have to go. You should—” Before I could even finish my sentence, an alarm could suddenly be heard throughout the manor, instantly making Adeline and I look at each other with shock.

     This wasn’t a bell but an alarm, which meant something happened. 

     Something bad.

     “Shit…” I curse, immediately taking my headgear and wearing it before running out of my room and heading downstairs, Adeline running just behind me. When we got to the first floor, we spot father Laurence running opposite our direction, looking restless as well. “What’s going on? Who set the alarm?”

     I was about to tell him that I wasn’t sure either, but then we notice the other nurses running towards the courtyard. Laurence, Adeline, and I looked at each other before following them, and like what I expected, the three of us saw Wednesday tackling one of the nurses to the ground.

     Wednesday was wearing shackles, but apparently, she was able to use that to strangle the nurse who was assigned to watch over her.

     “Wednesday! Get off him for fucks sake!” Laurence shouts as we ran towards the commotion.

     The nurses tried to approach them, but every time they did, Wednesday would strangle the nurse even more. I don’t know what happened here, but we have to put her down or Dr. Giovanni would do something about this matter that Autumn would definitely not like.

     “ Get the tranquilizers, “ I whisper to one of the nurses before walking closer to Wednesday to try and calm her down like before. I can’t really call out Autumn now, especially since I’ve already called for her recently, so Wednesday has to make do with me.

     “Patient 01, let go of him right now,” I saw as I slowly walk my way to her.

     Wednesday quickly looks at me like she was out to kill, but when she saw my face, her expression suddenly softened as she says, “Nana, this mother fucker touched me.”

     “What?”

     “I was looking at the flowers and the fucker touched my ass!” She explains with a louder tone.

     “A-Alright, I’ll handle it from here. Let him go first,” I calmly say, and thankfully, Wednesday does pull her chains away from the nurse, instantly making him gasp for air. I was about to grab hold of her so I could assist her back to her room, but then the nurses arrived with the tranquilizers. Without any warning, two nurses grabbed her by the arm while the other got ready to inject her.

     “W-what are you doing!? Nana, what are they doing to me?” Wednesday asks, obviously frightened.

     “Alright, it’s fine now. You don’t have to inject her, just assist her back to her room,” I try to explain to the nurses who were holding onto her. I wasn’t sure if they understood me, but they eventually let her go as I instructed, making me sigh in relief.

     Well, I’m still a direct employee, which means I’m still in a higher position. If they decide not to listen to me, they’re going to be in big trouble.

     “Bring her to her room. No one will do anything until I say so, is that clear?” I ask, and the nurses nodded their heads and assisted Wednesday back without any fuss.

     “And you…” I say next, looking at the nurse who Wednesday said touched her. “We have rules here, and from what I know, one of them is to never touch any of the patients. I’ll have to talk to doctor Giovanni about this matter. Let’s see what he’ll have to say about this.”

     The nurse who had bruises on his neck doesn’t say anything as Laurence, Adeline and I walk back to the manor, but as I was walking away, the nurse suddenly says something.

     The word was said quickly, but I knew exactly what it meant. So I stop walking in an instant, making father Laurence and Adie stop walking too. I then slowly turn back around to look at this mother fucker who had the nerve to open his mouth. As I said before, I never really understood most of the things these gas-masked bitches say, especially the medical terms, but that doesn’t entirely mean I don’t know anything.

     After all…

     Winter loves reading books.

     “ Was haben Sie gesagt? “ I ask, and I could instantly hear the other nurses gasp. Even Laurence and Adeline were surprised.

     The nurse assigned to Wednesday still had his mask on so I couldn’t tell what his reaction was, but judging by his silence, I could guess he was surprised. He probably didn’t know that I’d be able to understand him.

     I approached him with a blank expression, and then I went down on one knee to level him before holding onto his shoulder. “I was going to let this slide and let the doctor handle it, but it seems like you decided to run your mouth instead.”

     “ Das habe ich nicht so gemeint, “ he then says.

     “Oh, is that right? You didn’t mean it that way?” I ask, grabbing him by the cheeks, which pained him more because of his mask. The nurse struggles to push me away, but I didn’t let him go. Without any hesitation, I threw a punch at his face, and the other nurses immediately moved back in shock.

     “So you like groping asses and calling someone a f-ggot? Is that it? Huh, you fucking bitch?!” I angrily say before throwing another punch, and another. “Oh yeah, this is a man’s world, and you can do anything you like, so I shouldn’t hold back too, don’t you think?” I sarcastically ask.

     I was about to give him one last punch, but then someone suddenly grabs my hand. I look back and see that it was actually Adeline. She was looking down on me and practically begging me to just stop. At first, I wanted to ignore her, but when I looked down, the nurse was now unconscious, and my hand and the inside of his gas mask were already covered with blood.

     I quickly stood up from my seat and removed my leather glove. “Return to your stations,” I tell them before walking away as if nothing happened.

     “Bishop…” I could hear father Laurence call out, but I ignored him and went back to the manor, trying my best to suppress a grin that Krimson was desperately trying to show.

…

I continue to bounce my leg up and down as I looked around the plague doctor’s office. The room was quiet, but I couldn’t sit still until I finally decided to look at the person sitting right in front of me.

     “What happened?” Claudio asks, making me take a deep breath.

     “I thought Laurence already told you,” I answer.

     “He didn’t tell me everything, and that’s the problem. When did you even learn to keep secrets from me?” He asks, and I looked away from him as my eyes wandered around the room again. 

     “You have to change the people handling Wednesday. Make them all women if you have to,” I demanded.

     “And why would I do that?”

     “Why? Jeez, I don’t know, maybe because that girl was r-ped by her father several times and you expect her to stay calm around men?!” I shout, not expecting myself to do so. Why was I even so worked up about this? Is this still me talking, or has Autumn subconsciously taken over?

     “Your stubbornness really is your most undesirable trait,” was the only comment Claudio could give, making me swallow the imaginary lump in my throat. “It seems I have been too lenient with you, Mr. Lancaster. With the way you’re acting, it’s almost like you’re begging me to punish you.”

     Did he just say…punish?

     “You see, I know about the little chat you had with Patient 01. I don’t care if it was you, Autumn, or Krimson, but you do not reveal yourself in front of these patients. They are murderers who have manipulated people. You should know better,” he tells me, making me clench my fist in anger.

     “I could say the same thing to you,” I bravely answer back.

     Claudio doesn’t say anything anymore and stares at me, probably checking if I was still the Bishop that he knew. Unfortunately for him, it was still me. For some god damn reason, no one wants to come out to save my sorry ass from getting scolded by master Claudio.

     “She is a criminal first before a patient; a criminal under the death penalty, if I may add. She can die next week, tomorrow, or maybe even tonight, so there is no reason for me to make her life comfortable here,” Claudio coldly says, and the way it just slid out of his mouth made the hair on my skin stand.

     He just came back from the hospital. For god’s sake, he’s still wearing his white coat, yet he can still say such things so casually.

     “I understand,” I finally tell him.

     I should have known that this would end like this. Like I said, this is a man’s world. I’ve known that ever since I’ve met him. Reason doesn’t work on this man…

     Pleasure does.

     “You want to know what happened right? Well then let me enlighten you…doctor.” I say, now standing from my seat and walking towards Claudio until I was standing right in front of him.

      “I clenched my fist and punched that nurse four times until my gloves were covered in his blood,” I tell him, slowly touching his shoulder as I place my right knee on the sofa that he’s sitting on.

     “Adeline had to stop me, but when I went back to my room, I couldn’t stop laughing, but on the other hand, my eyes continued pouring tears out. It was like my alters were showing their emotions all at once. Do you even know how that feels?” I ask Claudio as I slowly pull my necktie off.

     Claudio doesn’t say anything and continues to stare at my eyes, observing me like I was one of the patients here. He doesn’t say anything, nor does he pushes me away. He knew exactly what I was trying to do, and he wanted me to continue. He wanted to see how far I’ll be able to go.

     “Change the people who are handling Wednesday, and I’ll let you punish me all you want. You said the walls in your office are soundproof, right? Then make me scream…as loud as you can…master Claudio.” 

to be continued…

(20) Helpless [m]

WARNING:

This chapter contains an unpleasant [m]   scene . Please read at your own risk. Thank you.

⚕︎

CLAUDIO FORCEFULLY BENDS ME over and aggressively slams my head on his desk, making me gasp for air because of the impact. He then presses his body against me and leans towards my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine

     “I missed this wild side of yours, Bishop. The side that isn’t afraid to do anything to get what they want. The side that knows what kind of face to make in a certain situation. That side of yours…is very desirable,” he says with a low tone, his hands touching my waist and slowly sliding their way to my crotch area as he said it.

     “I-It’s…almost been two months…since the last time you touched me,” I struggle to say since Claudio was now squeezing my hard bulge. I’m surprised that in this situation I’m still getting turned on. All this time, do I still crave his poisonous touch, or was I just desperate?

     “Oh? So you’ve been counting?” He asks, leaning close to kiss my nape.

     “You seem to be enjoying this punishment way too much Bishop. We can’t have that now, can we? It wouldn’t be a punishment at all if you did,” he then says, removing the stethoscope around his neck and using it to tie my wrist.

     The action surprised me because I wasn’t expecting him to actually do such a thing. 

     “W-what are you—”

     “Don’t worry, I’ll give you the punishment that you desperately seek,” he tells me before pulling me away from his desk so he could sit on it. He pushes me down to my knees, my face now directly facing his crotch. Claudio unzips his pants without any hesitation and pulls his hard cock out, almost making it hit my face. His dick also had a strong smell, especially since he had just come back from a long day at work at the hospital.

     “Suck,” he commands, but before I could even say or do anything, he grabs a fistful of my hair and pushes my mouth towards his dick himself, almost making me choke. I try to adjust to his size, but I couldn’t really do so as he continued to push me even deeper. I try to push away, but thanks to my hands being tied behind my back, I just couldn’t.

     “What’s the matter, Bishop? Where did all the confidence go?” He asks with a menacing grin, automatically sending shivers down my spine.

     I could feel him inside my mouth. He was pushing my head so deep that I could almost feel him in my throat. My tongue felt hot and the side of my mouth was burning due to the strong rubbing motion that Claudio was making me do. When I thought that I was going to lose my breath, I didn’t have a choice but to bite him.

     Claudio immediately pulls away from me, and before I knew it, his hands swung at my cheek, slapping me so hard I almost lost balance. It stung so much that I could tell that it was turning red.

     “Naughty, naughty, naughty… “ he says as he slowly walks his way back to me. “ Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, Bishop, “ he then whispers to me before grabbing my arm and aggressively pushing me to the sofa.

     “I think it’s better if you strip,” he says while looking down on me, his eyes hazy as he stares at my eyes so intensely.

     I couldn’t say no as he starts unbuttoning my shirt, eventually pulling my pants off right after. When I was now completely naked, he goes on top of me and starts showering me with more kisses on my neck and shoulder. He was aggressive with me, yet he was gentle. Not too gentle to the point where I’d assume he cares, but gentle enough to make sure I don’t stop him.

    “Now scream…” Claudio says as he positions his cock at my entrance. Without any warning, he shoves it inside, making me scream at the top of my lungs because of how painful it was.

     “ H-hurt…it hurts… “ I say, but Claudio starts moving anyway, not caring at all. It’s been a while since I had sex, and I haven’t masturbated either so I’m a bit tight right now. All I could do was bite my lower lip and endure it.

     I have to endure it.

     For Autumn and Wednesday’s sake.

     “Was this the master-butler relationship you’ve been imagining? Hmm? You’ve been quiet whenever we visit the mansion, but I guess you really can’t live a day without anyone fucking you,” he says before thrusting into me hard like I was a toy.

     No…

     You’re wrong.

     That’s not it at all.

     “I’ve had a rough day at the hospital today so thank you you better help me feel better,” he says next. 

     A rough day at the hospital? What the hell is he talking about?

     “What are you thinking about? You should be focused on what we’re doing right now,” he suddenly says, snapping me back to my senses. He pushes himself deeper inside me, but I didn’t show any pleasure on my face, only resentment and anger. My reaction made him chuckle, but then he grabs me by the neck, choking me.

     As he continues to thrust inside me, I try my best to catch my breath. I couldn’t do anything either since my hand was tied up. All I could do was let him fuck me until he finishes.

     Saliva pours out from the side of my mouth as tears start to form in my eyes. With one last strong push, Claudio removes his hold on my neck and pulls out, releasing all his seed into my abdomen.

     Both of us were panting heavily, our bodies sweating. I couldn’t really feel anything–I was numb from both the pain and the pleasure. This was different compared to the time at the mansion, but I’m glad it’s now over.

     “You wish to change the staff handling Wednesday, is that correct?” He asks, standing from the sofa and putting his pants back on. I didn’t look at Claudio anymore and just laid there, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. 

     “Then consider it done,” he finally says before walking out of the room and slamming the door shut.

     The room was completely quiet as I lie naked on the sofa like some kind of prostitute. I couldn’t even move because of how painful my lower half felt.

     “ Thank you, Bishop, “ a voice inside my head suddenly says, and at that exact moment, I covered my face with my arm and started crying. I don’t know why, but I felt relief and pain at the same time. I told myself that I was never doing this kind of thing again, but I’m only back to where I started. Nothing has changed.

     “Bishop,” a voice suddenly calls out. I thought it was one of my alters again, but when I looked up, I saw father Laurence walking toward me instead. I completely forgot that he was waiting for me outside. Was he able to hear us being so close to the door?

     “You look like a mess. All this for a fucking patient? Well then you’re more of an idiot than I thought,” he scolds as he looks at me with disappointment, instantly making me look away from him.

     “Can you sit up?” He then asks, but I didn’t answer him, so Laurence approaches me and helps me sit up from the sofa instead. I winced a little because of the pain, but father Laurence surprisingly handled me very gently.

     “You’re helpless Bishop. Fucking helpless,” he says next as he kneels in front of me, pulling out a handkerchief and cleaning the cum off from my abdomen. “We’ve been good. You’ve been good. Why are you acting like a rebel now? You know better to never talk back to the young master,” he angrily says, but I still didn’t say anything.

     Father Laurence then removes the stethoscope around my wrists and buttons my shirt for me. He then stood up and took my boxers and my pants from the floor before helping me wear them.

     I stare at father Laurence and grab his shoulder for support before weakly saying, “If you weren’t a straight 39-year-old priest, I would have easily fallen in love with you.”

     “I’m not joking around here Bishop,” Laurence quickly says, and I didn’t give any comments anymore. When I was now wearing my pants, he takes a deep breath and massaged his temple. “This isn’t going to last forever. We’ll eventually leave this hell hole, so till then, continue to be the obedient butler that you are, is that clear?”

    Father Laurence stares at me for one last time and walks towards the door to make his exit, but before he could grab the doorknob, I tell him, “He asked me to seduce someone and gain their trust.”

     Laurene instantly stopped moving, slowly turning around to look at me.

     “It would have been better if he asked me to kill someone, but no. He told me to gain his trust, but that man—the man I’m tasked to fool—has such kind eyes. I can’t…I just—” As I try to think of the right words to say, father Laurence approaches me and suddenly takes a seat beside me.

     The two of us didn’t say anything, but after a while, he asks me a question that I never thought I’d be able to hear from him. “Do you know why I agreed to serve master Claudio?”

     I look at him and shake my head as an answer, so Laurence takes another deep breath and explains, “You see, I have nothing. I was kicked out of the church and then taken and sold to a vicious woman. After that, I was taken and sold again, and at that time I didn’t care anymore. I thought anyone would do, but then at the auction house, I saw him…the young master. When he bought me, he told me one thing; serve him, and he’ll give me my freedom.”

     Freedom?

     “I was a man who had nothing, but that freedom…that single hope that I can one day be free…that is everything. I don’t care how many pills I have to put in these criminals’ meals, I don’t care if I have to hear their agonizing screams every single day, I don’t care about any of that. Call it selfish, but that is what I am willing to do,” father Laurence explains to me, which was a surprise because I never expected him to share something so personal.

     “I know deep down you have your reasons, Bishop. With someone with your capabilities, you can easily run away from this, but there’s something that’s keeping you from staying,” he then says.

     I look away and look down at my wrists which had fresh bruises from the stethoscope that was tied around it earlier. “Winter…” I say. “I’m here for Winter.”

     Father Laurence looked like he expected that answer, so he nods his head and grabs hold of my shoulder. “Then hold onto that. Endure it, seduce whoever you have to seduce, look away when there’s something you can’t take…swallow everything and walk away from this manor with no regrets. That’s how you’ll be able to survive in this hell. That’s how you’ll be able to save Winter.”

…

The following day came by fast and every one of us was eating our breakfast like how we normally do. What happened yesterday felt like a lucid dream, but as Claudio promised, everyone who was handling Wednesday was changed to women. Even the man who assaulted her yesterday in the courtyard was apprehended.

     “Bishop and I will be attending a party tonight, and that’s when we’ll release our first plague,” master Claudio says before taking a sip of his tea. He then looks at me and says, “Your duties as my white horse will soon be tested, Bishop. Do not disappoint me.”

    I glance at Father Laurence first and he nodded his head to me as encouragement, so I looked back at Claudio and bowed my head to him like the loyal butler that I was supposed to be from the very beginning.

     “I understand. I won’t let you down, master.”

     Master Claudio nods his head in encouragement and cleans his mouth with a table napkin before standing from his seat. “I’ll head back to my office first to get things ready. Marcelino, head to town and grab a package for me at the post office. Bishop, come with him.”

     “Yes master,” Lino and I said in unison, and then the four of us stood up and bowed as the master walked away. When he was now gone, all of us went back to our seats and continued eating.

    “Will you be alright Bishop? Laurence can come with me if you’re not feeling well,” Lino suddenly says with concern even though I’ve always pissed him off. This might sound shocking too, but when Lino locked my door last night, he left an ointment for me. They were acting so worried that I couldn’t help but feel scared. I didn’t want to be attached to them, so I cleared my throat and faked a playful smile like I always did.

     “You guys are being weird right now. I’m fine okay? This is me we’re talking about, I can take anything. Besides, master Claudio’s dick isn’t even that big anyway. I couldn’t really feel a thing,” I manage to joke, and everyone finally loosened up since Laurence started to laugh out loud like he heard the best joke of his life.

     “Please don’t say that with Adeline around,” Lino scolds, and I chuckled and looked at Adie who was trying not to laugh too.

     “Well then, let’s finish eating so we can go. We don’t want to keep the master waiting with that package.”

     After our pleasant meal together, Lino and I finally went to town. I was back to wearing my usual butler clothes and brown contact, but I’m not gonna lie, I kinda like my Four Horsemen uniform better than this. I guess I’m just starting to get used to it now.

     “I’ll park in front of the office and wait for you there. You head inside and take the package,” Lino says, and I nodded my head in understanding.

     When we got there, Lino wasn’t able to park at the front like he said because there was a flower stall that conveniently picked the front of the post office as their spot, so Lino only had to drop me off.

     “I’ll just make a quick turn and go back to you right after,” he says, and I went out of the car and went straight inside the post office. When I got there, the people started to greet me like I was the mayor. I guess since Claudio is famous here, even the people working for him get recognized.

     “Bishop!” A postman calls out, making me look at him with a fake smile. “Here for Claudio’s package again?” He asks, and I nod my head as an answer.

     “I’ll just head to the back and get it for you,” he then says before taking his leave. While waiting, the other postman—who I remember is named Osborn—looks at me and asks, “Hey, how’s the doctor doing? My wife went to the hospital yesterday and saw him there. She wanted to talk to him but she said that doctor Romano seemed like he ran into a problem.”

    I wasn’t planning to talk to him, but what he said piqued my interest in an instant. “What kind of problem?” I ask.

    “She didn’t really know the details. Said it has something to do with stolen files. It must have been serious because even officer Ricci was there at the scene,” Osborn answers, making me furrow my brows in confusion.

    Stolen files? Was that the reason why he was so frustrated yesterday? But what kind of files was it for him to be so pissed off about it? What on earth is he even doing in that hospital?

     “Here you go sir Bishop,” the other postman says when he arrived, approaching me with a relatively small box. “Just sign here and we’re good to go,” he then says before handing me a pen.

     I hold onto the package with my left hand while I signed the paper with the other. When I was finished, I thanked them and walked out of the building. “What could this be this time?” I ask as I try to read the label on the box. But as I was walking out, I suddenly bumped into someone, almost making me drop the package.

     “S-Shit, sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was—” I stopped in an instant when I saw who I bumped into. Out of everyone in this town, I had to come across the person I wanted to avoid the most, officer Mateo Ricci.

     I didn’t want to see him because I have this idea that if I continue to avoid the man, I won’t ever be able to do the task that master Claudio wants me to do, but for fuck’s sake, the universe just wants to make things difficult for me.

     “Oh, Bishop, are you alright?” Teo asks. I didn’t even notice that he was holding onto my arm, so I immediately push his hand away and took a step back.

     “I’m fine, sorry. I wasn’t looking,” I quickly answer.

     Teo nods his head and sighs in relief. He must have noticed that I was feeling uncomfortable too, so he surprisingly takes a step away from me and hid his hands behind his back. “That’s good. By the way, it looks like you’re fitting in just fine now. Everyone in town seems to like you.”

     I give out an awkward laugh and scratch the back of my head, still avoiding his eyes. “Is that so? I n-never really…noticed.”

     The two of us became quiet after that, but just before I could think of something to say so I could escape this awkward conversation, Lino miraculously arrives just in time, honking so he could grab my attention.

     “Looks like my ride is here. I’ll head out first. It was nice seeing you Teo,” I say with a quick bow, but as I was walking away, Teo calls out for me again, making me look over my shoulder.

    “You’re coming with Claudio to the party tonight right? I’ll see you there,” he suddenly says with that darn smile that makes my heart flutter every time. I was actually going to tell him that I wasn’t sure if I was going to come to the party or not–even though I was–but then I remembered something.

     “She didn’t really know the details. Said it has something to do with stolen files. It must have been serious because even officer Ricci was there at the scene,” Osborn told me before I left, and that small information instantly made me suppress a mischievous grin.

     Maybe the universe isn’t being cruel at all?

     Master Claudio, do you really think you have the world in the palm of your hand? Do you think we won’t run away from you because we don’t have anything against you? Then how about we turn the world around? What was in those files that you got so aggressive with me?

     “You know what, I am coming,” I tell Teo.

     “Really? That’s great. I hope we get to chat a little longer there,” he says.

     “I’m counting on it,” I say before finally turning away and running to the car.  

     “Looks like you got what we came here for. Do you want to get something in town before we head back?” Lino then asks.

    I looked out of the car window and glanced at Teo who was now happily greeting the people who walked past him. When he looked back at the car, I quickly looked away and unconsciously touched the arm that he just held onto a couple of seconds ago.

     I can’t really betray you Claudio, but what kind of face will you make if I learn something about you that you didn’t intend for me to know? What kind of face will you make if I fuck you over using the same man you asked me to seduce? How angry will you be if I did just that?

     “I’m fine, I actually got everything that I needed,” I say with a grin, and Lino doesn’t ask anything anymore and drives back to the manor.

     You say my wild side is my most desirable trait?

     Then let me show you how wild I can get, master Claudio.

to be continued…

(21) First Plague

⚕︎

“EVERYTHING IS READY NOW,  doctor Giovanni,” Laurence says as all of us went out of the manor, a dozen nurses waiting for us there so they could send us off.

     Claudio nods his head as an answer before heading inside the car where Lino was already in. I looked back and bowed my head to Adie and Laurence. The other nurses bowed to bid us farewell as well as I finally head inside the car to sit beside the master.

     Lino adjusts the rearview mirror for one last time before driving off. As soon as we were out of sight, master Claudio removes his mask, revealing his annoyingly attractive face which doesn’t deserve to be owned by someone like him. It’s such a waste if you ask me.

     “Excuse me,” I say, quickly pulling out my handkerchief and using it to wipe the sweat on his face. Master thanks me right after, then he pulls out a suitcase he’s been holding and opens it, revealing a single syringe made of metal. If I remember correctly, this is the same fluid that they injected into Hunter.

     Master Claudio takes the syringe out of the suitcase and hands it over to me. I stare at it for a while before carefully hiding it in the pocket of my coat.

     “Mr. Ludwig is a businessman who’s going to be celebrating his 60th birthday. Two of the families I mentioned to you before will be attending this celebration, so it’s important that we succeed in our first wave,” master Claudio explains to me.

     “And how will I be able to do this task?” I ask.

     Claudio thinks about it for a while. When he was able to think of a plan, I already readied myself for the worse.

     “In their drink,” he says. “The formula blends better in liquid so add it to the drinks without getting caught. It’s going to be difficult to roam around the party, but use the ID that I gave you just in case,” he casually says like it’s the easiest task in the world.

     “What about the other guests that will be drinking it too? We’re only targeting two families, correct?” I ask next, which I instantly regret because I should have known not to ask him unnecessary questions by the way he answered them.

     “Casualties Bishop, casualties. There’s nothing we can do about it,” He says in a tone that made it sound like it was common sense. His mindset almost made me laugh. This man really is a psycho. I bet even Krimson would have a hard time cracking him.

     “You say that the two families that you mentioned will be at the party, so does that mean the Winchester and the Ricci family will be there?” I ask next. I should ask questions now so I wouldn’t stumble into a problem later. Besides, these are questions necessary for my mission. It’s not like they’re personal questions.

     “That’s right, those families will be there,” he answers. I wanted to ask if there would ever be a time where I’ll be able to meet his family, which is the Romano’s—a family we’re also targeting—but I knew that it would be a question that Claudio will no longer answer.

     The car ride became quiet, and I wanted to just stay quiet myself, but then a smirk appeared on my face when an idea crossed my head.

     “Will officer Teo be there?” I finally ask, and Claudio—who was looking out of the window earlier—turns his head to me, his expression completely blank.

     “Teo?” He asks, his voice lower than usual, which instantly sent shivers down my spine from complete pleasure.

      “Well, you gave me a mission that involves him, did you not? Then it would be great if I get to meet him there too,” I explain, and Claudio stares at me like he’s observing me; trying to read me and my intentions. I bet the reason why he’s a little surprised is because I called him Teo. He’s probably trying to guess when and where we got to meet to get to the ‘nickname’ stage.

     When Claudio doesn’t say anything, I gave him a sly smile and looked away. I thought it was going to be the end of the conversation and I was successfully able to boggle his mind, but then the master turns his head away from me and says, “Whatever you’re trying to do Bishop, you better try harder.”

     The way he said it sounded so confident that I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in annoyance. “ It was worth the shot, “ I whisper, and I could hear Claudio giving out a low chuckle.

     Well, I knew that it wouldn’t be this easy. This is Claudio Romano we’re talking about.

     “We’re close by master,” Lino tells us, and I immediately looked out of the window.

     The place we were at was a bit farther from the town center, so I was surprised to find a large mansion hidden beneath the forest. Unlike the time at the mayor’s house, this mansion had lights flashing everywhere and the music was blaring even at a distance. Girls were wearing tight dresses and men with their fancy suits. Thankfully I decided to put Claudio in a less white-tie-themed tuxedo.

     “It looks like a real-life Great Gatsby party,” I say as Lino parked at the entrance to drop us off.

     I quickly went out of the car first, and then hurriedly went to master Claudio’s side to open the door for him. As soon as he made an appearance, people instantly started swarming him.

     “Doctor Claudio!” A young woman says, draping her hand around Claudio and purposely leaning close so her breast could touch his arm.

     Claudio gives out a charming smile and slowly pulls his hand away from her without any effort. “You look beautiful sweetheart,” he says, but I bet he doesn’t even know this woman’s name.

     “Shall we head inside?” Another woman asks.

     Before giving her an answer, master Claudio looks in my direction and leans close to my ear. “ I’ll see you inside, “ he whispers before draping his arms around the girls’ shoulders and walking inside the mansion where a large crowd could be found.

     I take a deep breath and adjust my tie before finally going in. As expected, the inside of the mansion smelled like alcohol, cigarettes, and sweat. It was a kind of party that I haven’t been to, but judging by the atmosphere, it’s a kind of gathering that I think I wouldn’t be able to enjoy.

     “Now where on earth is the kitchen?” I ask myself as I walk deeper inside the mansion.

     I could barely hear anything because of the loud music, and I couldn’t even find master Claudio anywhere. At this rate, finding the kitchen would be impossible.

     “Sir, a drink?” A waiter suddenly asks, almost shouting. I look at him and found him holding a tray of cocktails. He was just the right person to ask questions.

     “Do you know where the kitchen is?!” I practically shout.

     “Kitchen?!”

     “I’m master Claudio’s butler! I have to check the food being served in case he eats something unpleasant because he has a sensitive stomach!”

     “Master Claudio’s butler?! You mean doctor Romano?!”

     “Yes!” I shout back, pulling an ID out of my pocket that had the official Romano emblem engraved on it so people wouldn’t doubt my supposed identity.

     The waiter inspects it, and then he nods his head and leans closer to my ear, “If that’s the case, he’s going to be staying in the VIP room with sir Ludwig and the others. The food and drinks being served there are found in a different room. I’ll show it to you,” he says, and I almost cheered right in front of me.

     The waiter kindly goes through the crowd and leads the way. After a couple more turns, the music slowly starts to dilate and we arrived at a much more secluded area.

     “Behind that metal door is where you can find the kitchen. The red door on the left is the VIP section,” he explains before finally taking his leave.

     “ Well that was easy, “ I whisper before heading towards the metal door. Inside was the kitchen, just like what the waiter said, but it was packed with people. One of the chefs saw me and got ready to kick me out, but I quickly showed them my ID and said, “I’m Bishop Lancaster, and I’m here to inspect the food for my master.”

     “Oh, you’re one of Romano’s people? Then come with me, I’ll show you the dishes,” the head chef says with no hesitation as he leads me to the counter where all the food is being prepared.

     “We’re serving a couple of good ones tonight. For the appetizer we prepared…”

     As the head chef continued to give me a list of the ingredients they used for each dish, my eyes wandered around the kitchen, trying to find some sort of punch or even a drink that they’ll serve to the VIP guests. When the head chef went to explain the next dish, a waiter bolts inside the kitchen and shouts, “They’re asking for their drinks!”

     My eyes instantly widened from shock and I look at the waiter who went to a glass shelf, pulling out a very expensive wine bottle.

     I gulped and tried to think of something as the waiter opened the wine bottle. Before he could leave, my inner selves moved on their own as I told the head chef, “Can I see that wine bottle first?”

     The head chef was surprised, but before he could even answer, I practically ran to the waiter and grabbed the bottle from his hand. “I’ll serve this to the guest. Master Claudio is quite particular with who serves him drinks.”

     “I-Is that so?” The waiter confusingly asks.

     I look around and saw that there were CCTV cameras in the kitchen, making me curse under my breath. As the waiter left, and as the head chef got distracted because another chef asked for his help, it was time for me to put the poison in.

     But those damn cameras…how will I—

     Wait a minute.

     My eyes fall to a stove that still had fire running. Without any hesitation, I pretended like I slipped and spilled some wine on the stove, instantly creating a larger flame that created smoke that was just enough to cover the cameras.

     As everyone was distracted by the smoke, I immediately took out the syringe and squeezed the content inside the bottle before quickly hiding it back inside my pocket.

     When the smoke was gone, I looked at the chefs and quickly apologized, “I am so sorry, the floor was a bit slippery.”

     “It’s fine,” the head chef says. “Shall I show you the rest of the dishes?” he then asks.

     “Oh, it’s fine. I saw the dishes and they all look like something the master can eat. Just make sure that there aren’t any peanuts on any of them,” I then say, and the head chef bows his head first as I finally head out of the kitchen.

     I didn’t act out of character when I walked down the hall because there were guards and cameras there too. With the altered bottle now in my hand, I went inside the VIP room and was welcomed by a group of very important-looking people. I practically sighed in relief when I saw Claudio there, sitting with the girls who we met at the entrance.

     “Bishop,” Claudio calls out, acting surprised. “Were you able to do what I asked you to do?” He then asks.

     “Yes, master. I also brought the wine that you have asked for,” I say, and the men beside him started to stare at me, practically wondering who the hell I was.

     “Excuse my manners, this is Bishop, my butler. I’ve been under his care for a while now,” Claudio introduces me, and I immediately bowed to them as a form of respect.

     “Oh, so this is the white-haired prince everyone’s been talking about. He is quite attractive as the rumors say. My wife shared that she met you at the mayor’s party, said you were excellent with your job that she couldn’t help but be envious of Claudio,” he says, and I bow again to show him my appreciation for his compliment.

     “Wow, where’d you find him? I had one myself, graduated from a prestige butler academy, but ended up fucking my daughter after a week!” Another man says, and everyone at the table started laughing.

     As everyone was enjoying their time, there was another man who was staring intensely at me. He was a bit older, considering his hair and beard were turning grey, but his body looked nothing like his age. He actually looked like he could still break me if he wanted to.

     “Bishop, this is Mr. Ludwig,” Claudio suddenly introduces, probably because he noticed how I was staring at him.

     I faced the birthday celebrant and bowed to him. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” I tell him.

     “The pleasure is mine,” he answers with such a deep voice that it almost made every hair on my skin stand. I don’t even know why, but something about him is very intimidating.

     “You look afraid boy,” he then says, surprising me. “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.”

     I couldn’t say anything as Mr. Ludwig adjusts in his seat and stares at me again. “I guess I was pretty uptight in the past, but after Valentina’s death, I think I’ve grown soft,” he then tells me.

     Wait, that name, Valentina…where have I heard of that name before? Why does it sound familiar?

     “Oh, you must not be familiar with her,” he then says, reading my mind like it was an open book. “Valentina, she was the mayor’s daughter. I was a bit older than her, but we were deeply in love. Things just fell apart between us after our marriage and when we moved into their mansion. Her father was too possessive, I couldn’t—”

     “I don’t think it’s wise of you to say such things to a mere butler,” Claudio then says, making Mr. Ludwig stop in an instant.

     Holy shit, that’s Valentina’s ex-husband? So he’s supposed to be Adeline’s stepfather? Does he even know what happened? Does he know about Adeline? Does he know she exists?

     “How about serving some wine first so you can take your leave?” master Claudio then says, and I nod my head and quickly pour the wine into everyone’s glass. I even poured some on Claudio’s glass because I was expecting him to just fake it, but when everyone drank the wine, I almost slapped Claudio’s glass away because he drank some too.

     Is he an idiot?!

     “Will that be all?” I calmly ask, and Claudio doesn’t say anything and nods his head, so I bow to them again before finally heading out. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It might not have looked that way, but I was very nervous. Not really sure if it’s because I’m afraid to fail, or I’m afraid of what Claudio can do if I did fail, but I’m glad I was able to do it in the end.

     “Bishop?” A voice suddenly calls out from behind me. I turned around and a tall man welcomes me there. It was officer Mateo Ricci, walking towards me with his hands inside his pockets. He wasn’t wearing his police uniform anymore, but the suit and tie still made him look very dashing.

     “It’s good to see you. Looks like Claudio’s already here,” he says, and I awkwardly cleared my throat and gestured at the VIP room. “The others must be waiting for you,” I say instead before walking away from him, but as I turn my back to him, a hand suddenly grabs hold of my arm, instantly making me stop.

     I turn to look at him again, and Teo shows me that darn smile that pisses me off so much because of how unusual it is for me.

     “Would you like to get some fresh air with me? I bet Claudio’s already enjoying himself so he probably won’t mind,” He asks with the softest voice I’ve ever heard, almost like he didn’t want anyone else to hear us.

    I look down at my arm to see his hand tightly holding onto it. Teo must have noticed so he immediately let go, but before he could say something like he was just joking around, I nodded and told him, “Sure, I’d love that.”

     “Then follow me,” he says right after. He actually said it so quickly that I’d assume he was afraid that I’d change my mind.

     Before anyone could spot us, Teo was already on his way to a much quieter area in the mansion. He must have attended a lot of parties here to be able to know around the place.

     “Here we are,” he says as we enter a room. In all honesty, I thought he was going to bring me to a bedroom, but to my surprise, he brought me to this huge balcony that had a great view of the forest just behind the mansion.

     “Wow,” I say as I practically run to the edge to get a better look. “This looks amazing,” I add, and I could hear Teo chuckling behind me

     “Ludwig’s parties have always been this loud and big so I went on a quest to find the quietest spot whenever I wanted to take a break,” he tells me before standing beside me, giving me at least a meter of space.

     “You didn’t come with Isabella this time?” I ask, referring to the beautiful woman that she brought to the mayor’s party.

     “No, Bella’s not a big fan of these kinds of parties, and she particularly doesn’t like Ludwig,” Teo explains, which I can somehow understand after meeting Ludwig myself. The man’s pretty intimidating after all.

     The two of us didn’t say anything for a while and just enjoyed the moment, but then I pull out a pack of cigarettes from my pocket and showed it to him, “Want one?” I ask, and to my surprise, Teo shakes his head and declines my offer.

     “I don’t smoke,” he says. “But go ahead, I don’t mind.”

     “You saying that makes me not want to do it,” I reply, putting the pack back inside my pocket, making Teo laugh.

     “So, how have you been? Have you been enjoying yourself so far as Claudio’s trusted butler?” He then asks, and believe me, I was moments away from telling him everything that really goes down with me and Claudio, but I refrained myself and gave out a lie instead.

     “It’s been alright. Master Claudio isn’t always home either way, but the pay is good. The master isn’t very strict either so I don’t get too strained,” I say, and Teo turns to look at me.

     “Well, Claudio’s always been the quiet type, but he’s sociable when needed. I’ve known him since we were teenagers, so it’s safe to say we’re practically childhood friends,” he suddenly shares.

     “You’ve known him for that long? Then does that mean that you know his parents, or the rest of his family too?” I ask, hoping to get something out of this since Teo already opened it up.

     “I think everyone in this town knows who the Romano family is, but they moved to the city a couple of years ago, and Claudio’s the only one who’s been coming back to this town. Claudio’s parents were the best doctors here, and they saved this town from that plague doctor,” Teo then explains.

     “Plague doctor?” I ask, hoping he’d explain further.

     “Yes, the plague doctor. My father used to tell stories about him, said he was some sort of mad scientist who housed dangerous criminals. When my father was a teenager, he told me that one of his experiments went wrong and it plagued the entire town. Dr. William, Claudio’s father, was the only one who was able to help. He then gathered everyone together and they raided the plague doctor’s manor. Even my father was a part of it.”

     “What happened after?”

     “Well, they took down the mad scientist, and ever since that day, the town has been in peace, but people believe that the plague doctor still resides in that manor on top of the hill,” Teo says before laughing to himself. “But this is just something that the elders say to scare the children. Take this with a grain of salt.”

     So that’s what happened? Then why is Claudio posing as the Plague Doctor now? His father helped get rid of him, but now Claudio’s trying to repeat history. What did Claudio even discover? Is he just trying to mimic the plague doctor for the fun of it, or is there a much deeper meaning behind it?

     No, wait, if I remember correctly, Claudio told me that his grandfather built the manor and he grew up there. It doesn’t make any sense if that was where the plague doctor lived. What on earth is that doctor’s connection with Claudio?

     “But even though it might be a story to scare kids, don’t ever go to that manor. No one has ever gone there, even the police. We believe that it’s best to ignore the unknown than to dwell deeper into it,” Teo then warns me, almost making me snort.

     How will you react if you found out about the truth Teo? Would you still smile at me like how you always do if you found out what I really do?

     “You said when the plague doctor left, the town has been in peace. Do you genuinely believe that officer Ricci? Do you think Capo di Monte is a peaceful place?” I ask him, and the question probably took him aback since he looked away from me after hearing it.

    Teo takes a deep breath and looks at the scenery, pondering over my question.

     “I became a police officer because my father was considered a hero for helping Dr. William get rid of the plague doctor. For a long time I did believe that this town found its peace, but…” Teo pauses and takes another deep breath before looking back at me. “Justice can only be defined by the people with power. Those who have nothing can only see justice as a word with no meaning.”

     When I heard his answer, I didn’t think much of it. Maybe it was just his worldview, but when I saw the look on his face, and when I remembered the anger that Claudio has for this town, I could help but realize something, something that might just help me understand the horrors of this town.

     “The plague doctor…when you said they got rid of him, what did your father and Claudio’s father actually do?” I ask him, and the look on Teo’s face confirmed something to me.

     Justice can only be defined by the people with power.

     And it seems like in this town, that is exactly what they just did.

to be continued…

(22) That Warm Embrace

⚕︎

“THE PLAGUE DOCTOR…when you  said they got rid of him, what did your father and Claudio’s father actually do?” I ask him, and Teo immediately looked away.

     He couldn’t answer such a simple question. I could tell that he knew something about what happened to the previous plague doctor. His father probably told stories about it like they were some kind of war story, but guessing by how Teo’s reacting, and how mad Claudio is with the town, I could conclude that they did something terrible. They probably killed the plague doctor in front of the whole town to watch.

     “I don’t think what they did was right, but the plague doctor was evil, and that’s the only thing I want to believe,” Teo answers with an uncertain expression. It almost sounded like he was saying that out loud so he convince himself. I wanted to share his remorse or to comfort him at least but I wasn’t the type to do such a thing. I wasn’t really empathetic so whatever he’s feeling right now has nothing to do with me.

     “Well, I guess if it’s such an uncomfortable topic then let’s not talk about it anymore,” I say instead since knowing about the plague doctor’s past wasn’t my initial plan. I’m here for something else, and that’s to find out the reason why Claudio got so frustrated after losing that file at the hospital.

     “By the way, Teo, I heard at the post office that something happened at the hospital. Did something bad happen to master Claudio?” I ask, switching the topic like we weren’t just talking about a possible murder a couple of seconds ago.

     “So you’ve heard?” Teo asks back, adjusting his necktie and leaning on the balustrade. “Nothing really bad happened to your master, but it seems like a file was stolen. We’re still trying to look for it.”

     “A file?”

     “I’m not allowed to say anything, but since you’re Claudio’s butler I guess it’s fine. The files that got stolen were files from his previous patient. Heard he took care of him for a couple of months before he died,” Teo explains, and my interest skyrocketed in an instant.

     “If I dare ask, do you know the name of this patient?” I ask, hoping Teo would tell me.

     “Let’s see, if I remember correctly the initials were…L.H. I think the L stands for Lincoln, and the H—” Teo pauses, trying to remember what the H was but he couldn’t quite remember it. After trying his best to recall the name, Teo gave up and shook his head. “I apologize, Bishop, I don’t seem to remember. If I end up remembering it, I’ll tell you.”

    I was disappointed at the results, but I laughed it off and just pretended like it wasn’t a big deal even though it really was. “It’s fine, don’t stress yourself too much. I was just asking because I got a little curious.”

     “Is that so?” He says before smiling and nodding his head.

     The two of us became silent again. I couldn’t think of anything to say anymore, but the silence was nice. The manor was always lively and busy, but being here with him was peaceful. Maybe it was because of the location that we were in, or maybe because Teo himself was a peaceful person, but I felt relaxed like I could let loose with no worries.

     He was calming compared to Claudio. With Claudio, I worry about every single move I make and every single word I say because I have to make sure I don’t disappoint him. But with Mateo…

     “Bishop,” Teo suddenly calls out, making me look back at him. “About the plague doctor…I think I might have left you the wrong impression. I know there’s nothing I could do about it now, but if it was me, I would have definitely done something different.”

     “And why are you telling me this?” I ask, and Teo looked flustered, making me chuckle.

     “I don’t know,” he says, awkwardly scratching the back of his head to avoid my stare. “I don’t know why I had to explain myself to you but I just have this sudden urge to make sure you don’t think I’m a bad person.”

     His confession surprised me and left me confused. What did he mean by that? Do people usually say that to other people? Why does he want me to think he’s not a bad person? I feel like only a bad person would say that, or am I just overthinking again?

     “But you’re not a bad person though,” I confusingly say, and Leo stares at me for a couple of seconds before finally laughing out loud like he heard the funniest thing in the world. When he finally stopped laughing, Teo wipes the tears in his eyes before telling me, “Thank you for thinking that way Bishop, but you saying it like that makes me feel a little embarrassed.”

     “And why would you be embarrassed? I was just saying the truth,” I explain, still confused why Teo reacted like that.

     “Well, I was trying to flirt with you but I guess you’re not interested,” Teo reveals, making me widen my eyes in shock.

     Wait, that was flirting? Isn’t flirting supposed to be a little sexual? Claudio’s pretty good with that. How was I supposed to know that Mateo was flirting with me? He’s been so kind so I assumed he just wanted to be friends. People who like me are normally direct with it.

     “I guess it’s strange, considering how I’m a man too. Don’t worry, I had no bad intentions. I still do want to get to know you more, if you’d allow it,” Teo then says, and for some reason, my face started to burn up.

     I’m usually not the type to be flustered over these things, but for some reason, the way Teo speaks and how gentle and considerate he is towards me makes me feel strange inside. I’ve never encountered anyone like him before. 

     I feel a bit scared. How am I supposed to do Claudio’s mission now?

     “Actually Teo, I’m—” before I could even finish my sentence, a waiter suddenly arrives and runs towards us with a panicked expression on his face. He hasn’t said anything but I already know why he’s here, but if I’m wrong, I’d definitely throw hands because he had no right to ruin this moment for me.

    “Sir Mateo, I finally found you,” the waiter says, and Teo’s soft expression automatically turns into something more serious.

    “What’s going on?” He asks.

     “The VIP room…the guests started vomiting. We don’t know what’s happening,” the waiter reveals, and I couldn’t help but gulp, trying to remain calm so I wouldn’t be suspected.

     Judging by how I was checking the food earlier and how I was the one who gave them their drinks, I’m sure I’ll be one of the suspects for this. But since Claudio drank the poison too, their suspicion would lessen. They also wouldn’t have any evidence that I tampered with the food and drinks they had, so all I have to do is stay calm.

     “How about master Claudio? How is he? Is he okay?” I ask, pretending to be concerned too.

     “He’s not feeling well too. We already called for an ambulance,” the waiter explains, and Teo and I looked at each other before finally running our way to the VIP room where Claudio was just in.

     When we got there, the room smelled terrible so I couldn’t even get inside. Thankfully the medics arrived and were already taking the guests out. Claudio was there too, looking like complete shit. He was being assisted out so I had to take action so I could at least speak with him before they take him away.

     “Master!” I shouted, running to his side and pushing away the person who was assisting him out. “I’m his butler, so I’ll carry him. Is the ambulance already outside?” I ask as I drape Claudio’s arm around my shoulders.

    “Yes, it’s outside,” he says, and I nod my head as Claudio and I started walking out of the mansion.

     “Master, are you okay?” I ask, staring at Claudio who was already looking pale.

     Master Claudio rests his head on my shoulder before weakly whispering, “ You should have seen them. Their pathetic faces almost made me laugh. It was the most beautiful thing in the world, “ he suddenly tells me, and the hair on my skin quickly stood up. This man…he’s really a fucking psycho. I’m already well aware of it but it still surprises me.

     “ I took a pill that eased out the effects so I’ll just have to pretend like I’m not feeling well, “ Claudio explains to me. “ I’ll be brought to the hospital after this. If the authorities question you, make sure you don’t slip. Only say what they need to hear and nothing more. “

     I gulp and nod my head as an answer.

     “ After that, head to the mansion and not the manor. Here are the keys, “ Claudio said, handing me the key before we finally arrived outside.

     The party was over before it even began since all the guests were forced to head home because of the incident. Since the people who got poisoned were influential, the police came in a flash. Ambulances were waiting outside too, so when the medics saw me, they rushed to my side and took Claudio from me.

    Like what they predicted, I was questioned. The police asked where I was and what I did, and I answered them as ‘truthfully’ as I could. Thankfully the waiters and the chefs were genuinely fooled and they attested that they didn’t see me do anything suspicious. Having this pretty innocent face has its perks after all.

     I’m also glad that they didn’t search my body. If they saw the syringe in my pocket, it would have been the end of it.

     “Bishop,” a voice calls out, and I turned around and saw Teo walking toward me. He wasn’t wearing his coat and tie anymore, and I know this wasn’t the time for it, but he looked so good with just a plain black shirt with rolled-up sleeves.

     “I apologize if the police had to question you. Don’t worry, I told them that you were with me the entire night,” Teo says, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty about it for some reason.

     “Thank you,” I say, trying to put on the most worried expression I can make on my face. “Will my master be alright? I don’t know what I’ll do if something happened to him. His family will definitely—” But just when I was about to finish my amazing speech as a distressed loyal butler, Teo suddenly grabbed and embraced me, making my entire body stiff in an instant.

     I wasn’t expecting him to hug me. It was unexpected, but for some reason, I couldn’t push him away.

     “It’s going to be alright,” he says, patting my head with the gentlest hand I’ve ever felt. I knew he was comforting me for a different reason, but as I felt his warm embrace, I couldn’t help but let a tear fall from my eyes. 

     “You’ll be alright Bishop, don’t worry. I’m here,” he continues to say, my heart breaking even more. I don’t know why I was suddenly crying. I felt pathetic. There was no reason for me to cry since I wasn’t worried about Claudio at all. But why was I feeling this way? Why are those words so comforting to hear?

     Why has no one said those words to me before when I needed them the most?

     Why do I feel like all of my alters are crying with me just because of this stupid hug?

     “Are you feeling better now?” He asks, pulling away from the hug. When he saw my face, he gives me a soft smile and reaches out to wipe my tears away. His touch made me flinch, but I let him do what he was doing. When the tears finally stopped, I pushed Teo away from me and tried to act like I was fine. “T-Thank you. I don’t know why I was crying but…”

     “You don’t have to explain yourself. It’s alright,” Teo quickly says, and I nod my head as a reply.

     “Well, I think I should–”

     “Would you like me to drive you back to Claudio’s mansion?” He then asks. I wanted to decline him, but I had a hunch that if I said no, Teo would walk me to the car where Lino was in, and I don’t want that to happen. I guess the best thing now is to let him drive me to the mansion. At least then he’ll know I’m not acting suspiciously.

     “That is very kind of you Teo, thank you,” I say, and Teo nods his head and leads me to his car.

     Teo drove me to the mansion without saying anything to me. I think he didn’t try to converse with me because he thought I wasn’t feeling well. He does think that I’m devastated about what happened to Claudio, so I guess he’s just being considerate.

     “We’re here,” Teo says as he parks in front of the mansion. He then heads out of the car first to surprisingly open the door for me.

     “Thank you,” I say as I stepped out of the car.

     Teo walked me to the entrance, and as I unlocked the door, I turned to Mateo and asked him, “Would you like to come inside?”

     I was honestly hoping that he’d say yes, but as the kind of man that he is, Teo shakes his head and says, “Thank you, but I’ll have to return to Ludwig’s mansion. Is there someone here who can look after you?”

     “No, it’s just Claudio and me, but it’s fine. I’m not a child anymore,” I say, and Teo nods his head in understanding.

     I thought Teo was going to take his leave, but for some reason, he didn’t move. When I was about to ask him if there was a problem, Teo finally looks back at me and asks, “This might be crossing the line a little but…is Claudio treating you well?”

     The question surprised me, and at that moment, in that very second, I was tempted to tell him no. I could almost hear my other alters screaming at me too, but I knew that this wasn’t the right time for that. Breaking Claudio’s trust now will do me more harm than good.

     “Yes,” I answer after a couple of seconds, hoping Teo wouldn’t be suspicious of it.

     Teo stares at me, probably checking if I was lying to him or not. I’m not sure if he was able to tell, but he doesn’t force anything out of me anymore and just nodded his head. “That’s good to hear,” he says before finally turning away from me.

     I watched Teo as my heartbeat starts rising. A part of me was relieved that he was finally going to leave, but a part of me wanted him to stay, even just for a little while longer. “Teo,” I called out with the little courage I have left in me. Teo stops and looks over his shoulder. “What is it?” He asks.

    I awkwardly brush my arm, not even being able to look straight in his eyes as I said, “Can you…do that again?”

     Teo turns back to me and furrowed his brows in confusion. “Do what again?” He asks, and I could feel my entire face burning.

     Alright, I should relax, this is just for the mission Claudio gave me. There’s no other reason for what I’m about to ask for; no other reason at all. “Uhm…the hug. Can you give me a hug again?”

     Teo was surprised by my sudden request. I honestly thought he was going to laugh at me or make fun of me for acting so childish, but Teo surprisingly smiles and nods his head before approaching me. My heart starts to beat even faster as he got closer, and when he finally stopped in front of me, I unconsciously closed my eyes.

    It was quiet for a while, but then I felt his hand touch my head as he gently pulls me close to him, resting my head on his chest as he finally wraps his arms around me.

    My body eases itself in an instant, and I thought that I was going to melt away. I completely forgot how aggressive Claudio was with me the other day. I forgot the criminals staying in the manor, and I forgot all the terrifying things that happened to me in the past. This felt safe, but at the same time, it was a lot more terrifying than getting hurt.

     “ Thank you, “ I say as I open my eyes to pull away, but Teo doesn’t remove his arms around me. Instead, he stares at me and asks, “Is it safe for me to assume that this is your way of flirting back?”

     “Idiot,” I say instead, and the two of us laughed while Teo’s arms were still around my waist.

     Afterward, I looked back at him while touching his chest. He doesn’t say anything and just presses his forehead on mine before closing his eyes, probably trying to implant the memory in his head like I was. When he opened them back, I leaned close to him, and he leans close to me, but just when our lips were about to touch, Teo moves away, and I’m honestly glad that he did because I wouldn’t know what I’d do if something were to happen.

    “I should go,” he says, finally letting go of me.

     “Alright. Thank you for today Teo.”

     “Will you be alright?” He asks me one last time, and I nod my head as a reply.

    Teo doesn’t say anything anymore as he walks his way to the car. He opens the door and was about to enter, but then Mateo suddenly looked like he remembered something, so he looks back at me and says, “Oh right, Bishop, I finally remembered the name.”

     “What name?” I confusingly ask.

     “The name on the file that was stolen. It was Lincoln…Lincoln Hollow.”

to be continued…

(23) 5 Seconds

⚕︎

“BISHOP! BISHOP WHERE ARE  you?!” A voice called out while I was cooking breakfast in the kitchen. I turned the stove off and went to the living room where I saw Dr. Giovanni. He must have just arrived since he looked terrible, but at the same time, there was this unpleasant excitement written all over his face.

     “There you are, my white horse,” Dr. Giovanni says, walking toward me and grabbing my shoulders before kissing me on the cheek. “You did an amazing job last night. Just absolutely amazing,” he then adds as he rushes towards a radio to turn it on.

     After a couple of minutes, news from last night started playing.

     “ What was supposed to be a party of the century turned into the biggest scandal of the year when big names such as Ludwig Vanderbilt, Claudio Romano, and Nicholas Windhelm–only to name a few–were involved in a poisoning accident by an unknown substance. The St. Camillus de Lellis Hospital revealed that the reaction most likely originated from the food they have taken that night. The police are still looking further into this matter, as some of these big names are ready to take this incident to the court. Now people are wondering, is this really an accident, or has the town’s haunted legend finally returned? “

     Dr. Giovanni turns the radio off as he looks back at me with a sadistic grin. He looked so pleased that it almost made the hair on my skin stand. “Isn’t this wonderful? Not only did our poison work, but the townspeople are already suspecting that the Plague Doctor is back. Our plan is working!”

     I didn’t entirely understand what he was talking about, but after hearing the news on the radio just now, I could gather enough to know the situation. I don’t usually watch over Bishop’s every move, but I come out when I feel that he’s in danger or when he’s going to encounter something that might trigger his trauma. I’m the only thing that’s protecting him.

     Unfortunately, whenever Bishop is with this doctor, I don’t sense any danger, just complete anger. Bishop doesn’t see him as some sort of threat, which is why I don’t intervene with this man, but instead, he sees him as someone he can benefit from, and that’s where the problem starts.

     The idea that this doctor is helping him is what’s making Bishop hold on to him. It’s what’s making him endure his time with someone so evil.

     “ You really got tangled with such a dangerous man, “ I thought to myself as I stare at the doctor who was removing his necktie. He then sat on the sofa and looked back at me when he realized I still haven’t said a thing. “What’s with the face? We should be celebrating!” He says, but I still didn’t respond to him.

     The mad doctor continues to stare at me from head to toe, but after a while, the excited smile on his face turns into a frown. The fact that he notices my change is frightening.

     “You’re not Bishop,” he says, and Dr. Giovanni sat straight, his posture indicating that he was not happy about this. “Those eyes…those protective eyes…I can only guess that you’re Alice.”

     “You seem to know me so well,” I say, and the doctor chuckles, pulling his necktie off before unbuttoning his shirt.

     “Of course. You’re my patient after all,” he says with a confident tone, staring back at me with his observant eyes. He doesn’t try to provoke me, nor does he try to say anything that would make me react. He just stares at me, waiting for me to say something that he’ll eventually use against me. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t need to do anything because I already knew exactly what to say the moment I saw his face.

     “A patient,” I repeated with a chuckle, hoping he’d realize how stupid that sounded. “Do you really know your patient, doctor Giovanni? Do you know who Bishop is? Do you really know who Bishop Lancaster is?”

     The question made him raise his eyebrow, and for a quick second, he thought about my question but he doesn’t answer me at all. Instead, he stood from his seat and approached me, “Where’s Bishop? Why are you out instead of him?” He finally asks.

     “He’s resting,” I answered, and the doctor instantly notices the lie because he aggressively grabs my cheeks, catching me off guard. When did he start acting so violent? Did he ever lay a finger on us before, or has he always been like this but none of us noticed it?

     “Where is he?” He asks with a lower voice this time.

     “Let go,” I commanded, not showing an ounce of fear. “If you don’t you’ll never see him again.” I then threaten.

     Doctor Giovanni angrily stares at me, but he eventually lets me go. I touched my aching cheeks and glared at him. I wanted to throw a punch at him, but I took a deep breath and tried my best to calm down. Acting hostile around him won’t do us any good. I have to think rationally when I’m around this doctor now.

     “Bishop found something out that he shouldn’t have. I’m only trying to make him forget, so give me some time. I’ll let him out soon,” I explained, and for a second I thought that the doctor was going to force me to explain further, but surprisingly enough, he doesn’t.

     “Alright, my apologies,” he says with a gentle tone this time, and the respectable doctor came back like a switch. It was terrifying because he wasn’t like us. He didn’t have alters, but he had faces, faces that he shows to people so the situation will be in his favor.

     He definitely is a master manipulator.

     “You’re cooking something, aren’t you? Eat and get ready, Marcelino will arrive shortly. We’ll be heading back to the manor right after,” he tells me, and without looking back, he heads upstairs.

     As soon as he was gone, I touched my overly-beating chest. I wasn’t afraid of him, nor was Bishop, but someone among our alters was definitely scared. Someone among us was desperately trying to run away from him and from that manor.

     But who?

     Who was the alter that met up with this doctor before this all happened?

     And how on earth did doctor Giovanni meet Mr. Lincoln?

…

I stared out of the car window in silence, dr. Giovanni sitting beside me, his expression serious while he was reading some files. Compared to his ragged appearance this morning, the doctor now looked like a proper master again. His adrenaline from all that excitement earlier was gone now too, so he was calmer and more relaxed.

     “How are Adeline and the other patients? Did anything happen while we were away,” Dr. Giovanni asks the gardener, Marcelino, who was also the man who’s driving us back to the Hell House.

     “Nothing serious happened master, but there’s a patient that has been unresponsive since last night. He wouldn’t drink the medicine we gave him either,” he answers.

     “Who?”

     “Patient no. 2, Hunter.”

     “Is that so?” the doctor asks. He was quiet for a while, but then he slowly turns his head to look at me. I tried to ignore him, but then a grin appears on his face, and I knew in an instant that he was planning something again. “I have an idea. Since you’re not letting Bishop out yet, why not you talk to our patient on his behalf? Ask him to stop being troublesome and just drink the medicine. I think that would be easy.”

     “Master, are you sure?” Marcelino asks, looking at me through the rearview mirror, probably because he doesn’t fully trust me yet.

     “I think it would be fine. We’ve been experimenting on Hunter for almost a week now and he doesn’t want to drink the medicine that will cure him. He’ll die if no one tries to change his mind, and that’s going to be a waste, don’t you agree, Alice?” He then asks me.

     “And why on earth would I do that?” I ask back, looking at him with furrowed brows.

     “Or do you want me to ban Autumn from visiting Wednesday? Wednesday has become fond of his nana now, so what do you think she’ll do if she stopped visiting her?” He says instead, and the confident smile on his face made me clench my fist in irritation.

     He knows I wouldn’t be able to decline him now, so I just took a deep breath and told him, “Where is this patient you’re talking about?”

     Right after my question, the three of us eventually arrived at the manor. As soon as we got out of the car, Marcelino gave me this eye cover and led me to a room on the third floor. The metal door had the number 003 written on it. Marcelino pulls out a bunch of keys from his pocket and unlocks the door for me.

     “Here’s the medicine. Make sure he drinks it,” he says as he hands me the pill. “I’ll watch over you from out here. If anything happens, I’ll get you out in one piece,” he then adds while I wear the eye cover that I believe is what Bishop wears when he’s in this manor.

     “How reassuring,” I sarcastically say, securing the eye cover in my head so the patient inside won’t be able to pull it out. I took a deep breath and was about to enter the room, but then Marcelino grabbed my arm and stopped me. I thought he was going to give me another piece of advice, but what he said was something that I did not expect from someone like him.

     “Last night at the party, I was waiting in the car and I saw Bishop,” Marcelino says with a soft voice, making sure no one hears us. “Bishop went back to the mansion with that police officer, didn’t he?”

     I didn’t answer him because I didn’t know whether or not it was a good idea for me to rat Bishop out, but then Marcelino leans closer to me and tells me, “I didn’t tell the master. I told him I drove him back myself. I know he has a mission involving that officer, but make sure you don’t say anything. Master Claudio doesn’t like it when we do things he didn’t instruct himself. If you don’t want to get punished, I suggest you keep quiet.”

     I was surprised that this man was concerned about such things, so I nodded my head and assured him that I wouldn’t do anything that would put Bishop in danger. When he finally lets go of my arm, I pushed the door open and went inside the room.

     The room was partially dark and dull. It also had an awful smell that almost made me gag. When I went deeper, I saw a man lying in his bed, his back facing me. He doesn’t acknowledge my presence, but I know that he’s aware that I’m standing behind him.

     This is patient 02, also known as Hunter. Hunter was said to have killed a mother and her child after driving home drunk. Afraid his perfect life would end, he buried the bodies in the forest and pretended as if nothing happened. He was eventually caught when the bodies were found. This was a very selfish man indeed.

     “Hello Hunter,” I say, but the man still doesn’t respond.

     I took a step closer and the smell got so strong that I quickly had to cover my mouth and nose. Only when I got closer did I realize that besides his bed was actually a bucket filled with his vomit.

     What on earth did they do to you?

     “I’m here to talk. If you just turn around and face me, that would be very helpful,” I then say, but Hunter still didn’t move. I wanted to give up and just tell doctor Giovanni that he wasn’t listening to me either, but just when I was about to turn away from him, I heard Hunter say, “ When will I die? “

     The question surprised me, and I honestly didn’t know what to answer him so I remained silent.

     “ I think I’ve already paid what is due, “ he weakly tells me. When I still didn’t answer him, Hunter finally sat up from the bed. I’ve only got a glimpse of him once. I remember his strong structure and confident smile, but after just a couple of days, he had already gotten thinner, and his hair was longer too. Based on what dr. Giovanni said in the car earlier, it’s safe to assume that he’s the guinea pig used to test that poison last night.

     “That is not for me or for you to decide,” I finally tell him, and Hunter looks at me, his eyes red and his mouth chapped. He looked horrible, almost zombie-like.

     “Why are you playing god?” He asks, ignoring what I just told him.

     I didn’t say anything as the room became completely silent. I thought Hunter was going to ask me another question but he slowly stood from the bed instead. I stared at him as he just stood there motionless. But after a while, he suddenly started running towards me at full speed. My body stiffens, and just when he was about to reach me, he stops, making me realize that his ankles were chained. If I just moved a little closer, he would have been able to grab me.

     He stops just a meter away from me, his breath heavy. He was taller so I had to look up. His smell was foul, and his skin had rashes all over too. His teeth were also starting to rot. I would have been disgusted by how he is now, but I wasn’t; I pitied him instead. The once charming businessman was now a hollow body that was desperately trying to rot away.

     “It was a mistake. I didn’t mean to kill them, yet this is the extent of my punishment?” He asks, anger now present on his face. “I was just scared. I buried them because of that fear.”

     “Scared?” I ask with a serious expression. Hunter was about to defend himself, but then he started coughing. He moves away from me and covered his mouth with his hand. When he removes them, I saw the blood on his palm. The doctor was right, he really was dying.

     “You’re intentionally not drinking the medicine, aren’t you?” I finally ask, and Hunter wipes his mouth, the blood smearing his lips and cheek. Soon after, he started laughing at my question in such a mocking way.

     His laughter echoes inside the room, and right after, he stops and tells me, “The moment I got here, death felt like heaven. You people…what makes you so different than us? Is seeing us in pain satisfying to you?”

     I didn’t want to answer him, but his question somehow angered me. We aren’t here because we wanted to either. We didn’t want to be here.

     “This is called the Hell House. All of us here are suffering from our sins, not just you. To be honest I don’t give a fuck about what happens to you at all. The experiments will either kill you or not, but know that dying isn’t going to help. You’re here because you made decisions that led you to where you are now so fucking suck it up,” I say with strong conviction, and that finally made Hunter listen.

     He stares at me again, and after a while, he tilts his head and says, “You…you’re different.”

     I didn’t exactly understand what he meant, and for a second I thought he realized I was a different alter, but then he proves me wrong when he walks towards the window where a view of the ocean could be found. “December 8, 1950. It’s a date that I will never forget,” he suddenly tells me.

     “I just got promoted at my job so my boss invited me to go to a bar to celebrate. I wanted to please him so I drank every liquor he poured into my glass. I lived a poor life, so that job was everything to me,” he says, his voice low that I could barely even hear him.

     “I decided to drive home even though I shouldn’t have, and at the 5th avenue, I fell asleep. It was just about 5 seconds. I blanked out for five fucking seconds—” Hunter paused and angrily hits his chest as he tries to remember such an unpleasant memory. “When I opened my eyes, there they were. I killed them in an instant,” he continued.

     “Why are you telling me this?” I asked him.

     Hunter doesn’t answer me for a while as he continued to stare at the view outside the window. When he finally made up his mind, he looked back at me, his expression now angry. “Because that isn’t the end of the story yet,” he then tells me.

     I watched Hunter as tears started to form in his eyes. His body trembled, and then he started coughing blood again. It would have been wise if he stopped talking, but Hunter didn’t let anything stop him. It was almost as if this was his last chance. This was his last chance to finally confess everything.

     “I wanted to live a good life. My parents were poor and my father was a drunkard. I left home when I was only 15 and worked my butts off to get a job. I needed to live a good life. I had no intentions to ruin it, do you understand me? I didn’t want to ruin it, do you understand!?” He shouts this time as more tears poured out of his eyes.

     “I didn’t want to ruin my life. I didn’t want to run away. I didn’t want to kill the family that I worked so hard for. It was just a mistake, a stupid 5-second mistake,” Hunter finally reveals, and my entire body freezes.

     “W-What did you just say?” I ask in disbelief even though I already had a hunch on what he meant.

     “That mother and child that I killed…they were my own. They were my wife and daughter,” he tells me, and all I could do was cover my mouth in shock.

     “Since I got promoted they wanted to surprise me. They waited for me on a street near our house, on 5th avenue. It was right there…that was when I accidentally killed them. My daughter and my wife, they were in my arms as I carried them away,” he says as he drops to the floor, sobbing his eyes out while blood continued to come out of his mouth.

     “I k-know…I know I was wrong. Every single day I died from that guilt. My family was gone and that job was all that was left. I couldn’t let that go either, so I hid their bodies. It’s what my Rebecca would have wanted. She would have wanted me to continue my life in peace.” 

     I listened to every single word Hunter said, but that statement finally made me crack, so I bravely moved closer to him and slapped him with no hesitation. “It’s what Rebecca would have wanted? Are you hearing yourself right now? How on earth will you know what someone wants when they’re already dead?!”

     Hunter was surprised, but he doesn’t retaliate. Instead, he looked away. He looked away in shame.

     “An accident? You wouldn’t have buried their bodies and pretended like it never happened if you knew it was an accident. You failed as a father and a husband because you couldn’t let your job go. You didn’t give them the justice they deserved just because of something so pathetic,” I angrily tell him.

     Hunter becomes quiet, but he lets his tears pour out of his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I’m so sorry…”

     His sobs continued to echo in this dark room, and Marcelino—who had been watching us from outside—doesn’t do anything and just turns a blind eye.

     I kneeled in front of Hunter and pulled something out of my pocket. It’s the pill that Marcelino gave me earlier. Since Hunter has been heavily exposed to the poison, this pill would have helped cure him from it since it’s the same pill doctor Giovanni drank last night. Hunter would have been better if he only drank his medicine properly.

     “Here’s a pill that will save you. Drink it and you’ll live, and then you’ll have more time to think about what you did to your wife and daughter. If you don’t drink it, then you’ll eventually join them. I don’t know what you think is the best decision, but know that your fate is in your hands, not mine,” I say as I show him the pill.

     Hunter stares at it for a while, but he eventually took it.

     “That’s all for now,” I say as I finally stood up and walked towards the door.

     “What do you think Rebecca would have wanted?” Hunter asks me for the last time.

     I took a deep breath and looked over my shoulder as I said, “I told you, you’ll never know what a dead person would have really wanted. You had all the opportunity when they were alive, so why waste your time asking them now?”

     Hunter doesn’t say anything and I finally went out of the room. Marcelino welcomes me out and locks the door. When I looked back at him, I grabbed him by the collar and angrily said, “Never ever ask me to talk to these patients again.”

     Marcelino doesn’t say anything, so I pushed him off and walked away.

     I don’t know why doctor Giovanni asked me to talk to Hunter. I don’t know what the purpose was, or what the intention was. Did he already know the whole story of Hunter’s crime? Did he think I’d pity him? I had so many questions, yet I still couldn’t understand what was in that doctor’s head. I didn’t know what he wanted when he told me to talk to patient 03. I had no idea, but what I do know is that the very next day, the entire manor was in an uproar.

     Because only after two weeks of staying in this manor…

     Hunter didn’t drink the pill that would have saved him.

     And thus concludes the first plague.

to be continued…

(24) Delusional

⚕︎

I WOKE UP THANKS  to the noise coming from outside. My head was aching as I got out of the bed, stumbling back a little because of how heavy my entire body felt. I looked around the area and realized that I was back in my bedroom, and I was no longer wearing the clothes I wore at the party last night.

     Yesterday felt like a lucid dream. I couldn’t even remember anything after leaving the party. All I know was that I was able to finish the task in time, and after that everything else was a blur.     “What on earth happened?” I ask myself as I walk my way to the bathroom to wash my face. I went inside and stood in front of the sink. I then looked at the mirror and stared at my reflection, but as soon as I looked directly into my eyes, images suddenly flashed in front of me.

     I saw images of police officer Mateo Ricci. We were standing outside Claudio’s mansion and we were talking about something that looked important, but everything was on mute. I then saw Claudio the following day, and then Hunter.

     The visions felt like my alters were giving me a front-row seat to everything that happened, leaving parts that were purposely cut. Right after the visions stopped, I gasped for air and gripped the sink, panting heavily like I had just run a marathon. I looked back at the mirror and saw that blood was coming out of my nose, so I immediately turned the faucet on and washed my face.

     “A-Alice, what the fuck were you doing?” I angrily say as the water dripped down my chin. I looked back at my eyes and stared at myself, hoping to get some sort of response, but before anything could even happen, someone suddenly knocks on my door.

     I wiped my face with my shirt and walked out of the bathroom. The door then opens, revealing Lino who was covered in dirt.

     “Bishop?” He asks, and I rolled my eyes, annoyed that he was the first person I see in the morning, so I ignored him and walked to my closet to change my clothes. I didn’t even have to answer or even say anything for Lino to know that I was back.

     “You know, after being with Alice yesterday, I could tell that she’s much more pleasant to be with. She’s polite like Winter, and not so much a pain in the ass,” Lino tells me as I strip in front of him with no hesitation.

     As I was butt naked in front of the gardener, I took out my uniform from the closet and said, “Well then master Claudio should have recruited them instead since it doesn’t look like he has no problem with making my other alters do his work for him.”

     Lino doesn’t say anything yet and approaches me. While I was putting my underwear on, he stops just a meter behind me and says, “The master had no choice. Alice didn’t want to let you out and we needed you for something important.”

     “Then he could have easily waited,” I say, now wearing my pants and top.

     “Well, Hunter couldn’t,” Lino then said while I was halfway done buttoning my shirt. As soon as I heard what he said, I stopped and looked back at him in shock.

     “What do you mean by that?” I ask him, and Lino moves closer to me and buttons my shirt for me before saying, “I don’t know how much you remember, but I didn’t tell master Claudio about how that officer drove you back to the mansion. I told him I was the one who drove you there, so if you don’t want the two of us to get fucked, I suggest you keep quiet.”

     “And why would I do that?” I then ask while the two of us intensely stared at each other. When Lino was now finished unbuttoning my shirt, he suddenly grabs the buckle of my belt and pulls me towards him until I was only inches away from his smiley  face.

     “ If you’re fine seeing the officer in one of master’s operation beds then be my guest, but if you still want him with complete limbs then I suggest you listen to what I say, “ Lino whispers near my ear, making the hair on my skin stand.

     I didn’t say anything anymore as Lino lets go of me. “Head to the garden at the back. Everyone’s waiting for you there,” he says for the last time before finally heading out of my room. As soon as he was gone, I leaned on the cabinet and took a deep breath.

     “This might be crossing the line but…is Claudio treating you well?” I remember Teo asking that night, making me massage my temple in frustration because I couldn’t remember anything else after that.

     Why did Alice take over yesterday? She only comes out when she knows something bad is going to happen to me. 

     Did Teo do anything?

     Did something happen that I wasn’t supposed to know about?

     What was Alice so afraid of?

…

I adjusted my eye cover as I walked my way to the garden like what Lino instructed. When I got there, I saw the indirect employees circling around something that I couldn’t quite see yet, so I pushed them away and got closer.

    In the middle of the circle was Adeline, Lino, and master Claudio. I then notice father Laurence standing near a pit, reading a verse from a bible, confusing me even more.

     Everyone was staring at the floor so no one stopped me when I got closer to the pit, but as soon as I saw what was inside, my legs weakened and I stumbled back, covering my mouth in complete shock.

     “T-That’s Hunter…what the hell is Hunter doing there?” I ask, my body shaking as the image of Hunter’s lifeless body took over my mind. I didn’t know what else to do, but then I felt someone touch my shoulder. I looked up and saw that it was actually master Claudio. He was looking down at me with a face that was covered by his mask.

     “Come here,” he says, grabbing my arm and pulling me up so I could stand. We then stood beside Alice and Lino as Claudio draped his arm around me, almost like he was comforting me.

     Tears formed in my eyes as Claudio started caressing my back. Father Laurence continued reading from the bible while I tried to calm myself down. When he was finally finished reading, Laurence closes the book and looks back at us.

     Claudio takes a deep breath and nods his head, signaling Lino and the other employees to start covering the pit. “We’re done here. The rest of you can head back now,” he says, and everyone, including Adeline and Laurence, went back inside the manor as if nothing happened.

     Claudio lets go of me and looks back at my face to see if I was crying. When he realized that I was, he removes his mask and leans close, wiping the tears off my face with his index finger. “Why are you crying?” He asks with a worried tone. I didn’t answer because I couldn’t understand why I was crying in the first place, and why Claudio was suddenly acting so gentle.

     “Oh, Bishop. It’s alright,” Claudio reassures me, leaning close so he could gently kiss my forehead. “It’s not your fault. None of it is your fault. Just because Alice wasn’t able to convince Hunter to drink the medicine, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s your fault that he died. You didn’t directly kill him now, did you?”

     As soon as I heard Claudio say that, I immediately pushed him away from me in horror. “You sick bastard,” I say, and the sweet and caring expression on Claudio’s face changes as he started laughing.

     “I miss the old Bishop so much. The one that always has a playful and confident demure. The one who masturbated on the first day using the picture he drew of my face. Where did that Bishop go?” Claudio asks, making me clench my fist in anger.

     I was inches away from punching him, but I gathered all my strength to stop myself from doing it, or else I’d only end up regretting it later on.

     “You knew Alice would fail, that’s why you asked her to visit Hunter,” I tell Claudio, and Claudio just smiled and started walking away.

     I quickly followed him and aggressively grabbed his hand, forcing him to look back at me. “Did you know what really happened to Hunter? Did you know that the one he accidentally killed was his wife and kid? No, who am I kidding, of course you knew! You knew yet you still experimented on him like the heartless bastard that you are!” I bravely shouted, panting heavily as soon as I was done talking.

     Claudio stares at me without saying a word. After a couple of seconds, he started laughing again, and this time, I really was inches away from throwing a punch in his face.

     “You believed him? How pathetic of you,” Claudio then asks me while wiping the tears in his eyes.

     “What the fuck are you talking about?” I ask him.

     “You never questioned his story, did you, Bishop? You never saw the inconsistencies?” He then asks, but I still couldn’t answer him.

     Claudio smiles and places his hands inside his pocket before walking closer to me. “What was the first thing that I told you about Patient 02?” He suddenly asks. I didn’t know the answer because I couldn’t possibly remember such a small detail, so Claudio leans closer and answers for me. “ He’s a drunkard, remember? “ he whispers, making me furrow my brows in confusion.

     “Hunter, also known as Miguel Santiago, is a 34-year-old drunkard who has alcoholic hallucinosis. Because of that, he suffered from auditory hallucinations and was diagnosed with capgras syndrome, which is also known as a delusion of doubles. The people he killed were not in any shape or form related to him, but he believed it was his wife and daughter, which was obviously not true,” Claudio calmly explains, leaving me conflicted inside because I didn’t know if I should believe him or not.

     “Miguel’s family left him on 1950 because of his uncontrollable vices, the same year as his accident, but that’s not even the worse part,” Claudio says, grabbing my cheeks and leaning close until his face was only a couple of inches away from mine. “The reason why we named him Hunter is because when Miguel hit that woman and her daughter, the child actually survived. She ran to the woods out of fear, but since Miguel was afraid that he’ll get in trouble, he hunted the kid down and killed her,” he finally reveals.

     Claudio then lets go of me as I tried to comprehend everything that he had said. My heart was beating fast as I touched my aching cheeks. Claudio then wears his mask back and fixes his uniform like he didn’t just reveal such a disgusting and inhuman thing.

     “He shared with Alice a sad backstory because he knew what kind of reaction she’d give. Hunter was hoping that she’d let him go, but I guess Alice wasn’t dumb enough to do that,” Claudio says, making me clench my fist in anger. 

     “The manor houses dangerous criminals, Bishop. There’s a reason why they were chosen, and there’s a reason why they’re here. What I do to them should not be any of your concerns, and you should not be crying over them like a fucking saint, do you understand me?” He asks, and I gulped and nodded my head as a reply.

     “Good, now head to the kitchen and help Laurence with the food so we can have our breakfast,” Claudio says before finally walking away.

     As soon as he was gone, I clenched my chest and looked behind me. Lino and the others were still covering the hole that Hunter, also known as Miguel Santiago, was just in like it was a regular Sunday afternoon.

    I stared at the hole and took a deep breath. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. Was this the reason why Claudio asked Alice to speak with Miguel? Did Claudio test her? Did he want to see how smart and clever Alice can really be so he’d know how to manipulate her too? Without even knowing, did we fail that test?

     “ That bastard. I’ll fucking kill him. I’ll fucking kill him. I’ll fucking kill him! “ The voice inside my head repeatedly shouts, making me gasp for air so I could take control of my consciousness.

     When everything was quiet again, I took a deep breath and massaged my temple before finally heading back to the manor. Like what master Claudio asked me to do, I went to the kitchen to help father Laurence. Laurence was busy stirring something in a large pot. He was back to being the doctor’s obedient chef like he didn’t just bless the dead earlier at that supposed funeral.

     There’s no point crying over spilled milk, so I cleared my throat and placed a fake smile on my face before approaching Laurence. “Smells good,” I say as I stood beside him.

     “What are you doing here?” Laurence asks, not even looking back at me since he was too busy putting different ingredients in the dish he’s preparing for all of us in the manor.

     “I’m here to help, and if you’re wondering then yes, the doctor asked me to do it. I didn’t come here to help you with my own free will, that would just be absurd,” I sarcastically say, and Laurence looks at me and sighs since he knows he won’t be able to throw me out of the kitchen.

     Laurence looks around and then points at a chopping board. “Mince me some onions. You could at least do that right?” Laurence asks, and I nod my head and immediately did what I was told without any complaint.

     After washing my hand, I took a bunch of onions and started cutting them like Laurence asked me to do. It wasn’t the best, but it doesn’t matter, the food’s going inside our stomachs anyway and will eventually turn into shit. No need to make it perfect.

     “You know, we’ve known each other for a while now but I never got to ask…how did you learn to cook?” I ask as I continued citing the onions, trying not to cry as I did so.

     “Back at the church, we did a bunch of feeding programs for the homeless. I was one of the cooks who prepared the food so I picked up a few skills,” Laurence explained, which made a lot of sense now. He probably told Claudio about it too so he made him the chef.

     “I’m not really good at cooking. Honestly, I don’t even like touching food. I guess I just got sick of it since my parents were well-known food critics,” I say, and father Laurence puts the stirrer down to look back at me with furrowed eyebrows.

     “I’m sorry but what did you just say?” Laurence confusingly asks, but before I could even answer him, my eyes suddenly stung thanks to the onions, making me curse. I rushed to the sink and immediately removed my eyewear so I could wash my eyes.

     “Damn, I thought the mask was going to help but my eyes still stung,” I complain, rapidly blinking so I could see better again. Laurence sighs and approaches me with a clean towel so he could wipe my eyes for me.

     “Put your eye cover on before a patient sees you,” Laurence says, and I snatched the cloth from his hand so I could wipe my eyes myself.

     “Thanks, I guess I’m just a bit out of it today. It’s probably because Alice took over the body for a day so I’m having trouble getting back to reality,” I say while I continued drying my eyes with the cloth.

     Father Laurence leans on the counter and crosses his arms, staring at me before saying, “You’re not out of it because of that. You’re probably more bothered about what happened to Hunter, aren’t you?”

     When I heard him say that, I stopped wiping my face and looked back at him like he was crazy. “No, of course not. I didn’t know Hunter well enough, and I heard he’s some kind of delusional psychopath. Why on earth am I going to be bothered by something like that?” I say, but Laurence wasn’t believing it at all.

     “You’re not fooling anyone, Bishop. You can pretend, but you’re too empathetic, which is why I’m worried if something like this would happen to Wednesday, what then? You gonna follow her in her grave?” Laurence then asks, and I angrily threw the cloth back at him so I could wear my eye cover.

     I didn’t answer him and just went back to cutting the onions, but Laurence doesn’t let it go as he says, “I heard about Hunter’s condition too; Lino mentioned it before. I heard the medicine that the master injected into him made him sick, but it brought him back to reality. They said his hallucinations stopped.”

     “What are you implying?” I ask, and the way I was cutting the onions started to get more and more aggressive by the second.

     “His hallucination stopped, but he didn’t want to accept the reality of things. Hunter died knowing the truth, and he gave up because of that reason.”

     I continued mincing the onions in irritation, but just when the knife was about to fall directly on my finger, I immediately stopped.

     “I’m not trying to justify what happened to him, but he chose to die. What happened to him is not yours or Alice’s fault,” Laurence says, and I finally dropped the knife and turned away from the cook.

     “I’m really bad at helping in the kitchen so I’ll try looking for Adeline and help her instead,” I say, washing my hands so I could get ready to leave.

     “This is only the beginning Bishop. That was only the first plague. If you’re going to be affected by every patient’s death, then I suggest you cut your ties with Wednesday as early as you can,” Laurence says, and I clenched my fist in anger because I knew he was right, but at the same time, I didn’t want to take that away from Autumn.

     “I’ll keep that in mind,” I lied as I dried my hands and finally left the kitchen that I hated so much.

     A part of me is mad because I had this ridiculous hope that maybe these patients weren’t meant to die at all. Maybe Claudio is merciful enough to spare them. These thoughts lingered in my head as I ended up asking myself the question, “Isn’t Winter his patient too?” 

     Is he going to treat Winter like some kind of experiment? Is he going to ask Lino to dig me a hole so they could forever bury me in the ground and pretend like I never existed?

     Am I staying here because I genuinely believe Dr. Giovanni is going to cure me?

     Or like patient 02 who was now six feet underground…was I just being delusional?

to be continued…

(25) Brightest Colors

⚕︎

I STARE IN FRUSTRATION  at the empty drawing paper in front of me. I tried to get some inspiration by closing my eyes and meditating, but even after all that focus, nothing was coming up, so I turned my head to the right to look at Adeline who has been painting the entire time, not even struggling like I was.

     “How are you doing it, Adie? How can you just naturally start painting like its second nature?” I ask, and Adeline just shyly giggles, probably impressed that I haven’t even done a single stroke on my sketchpad.

     I was at the art studio with little Adeline. After the death of Hunter, better known as Miguel Santiago, the manor has been calm and quiet. Master Claudio has mostly been out, probably because he’s preparing for the next plague, while Laurence and the others have been diligently doing the roles tasked to them with no question.

     I didn’t have anything better to do today so I decided to work on the homework that master Claudio gave me. He told me to draw something that reflects what I feel, which think would be easier than verbally telling him about it. Unfortunately, I don’t even know what to draw, to begin with. If this was Alice, she would have been able to think of something. Claudio might even be left speechless by how amazing it would look because Alice is really good at this art stuff.

     “Can I just paint the entire paper black and tell the master that it means I feel depressed and suicidal?” I jokingly ask, so Adeline puts her brush down and gives me a sign to stand beside her.

     I didn’t say anything and stood from my seat. When I got to where she was, my mouth automatically opened wide because of what I saw on her canvas. It was a painting of the sea. It wasn’t finished yet, but it already looked so real. She was definitely gifted.

     “You got to be kidding me. You seriously have a talent!” I say, and Adeline smiles before pointing at the paint on her mixing tray. She then takes a pencil and writes down the words “ Feel it “ on her canvas.

     “Feel it? You mean the colors?” I confusingly ask, and Adeline nods her hand, grabbing the tray and handing it over to me.

     I awkwardly laugh and glance at Adeline who was waiting for me to feel the paint. I thought I could just fake it, but she looked genuinely excited that I’d be a literal asshole if I didn’t take it seriously, so without any complaints, I stared at the colors one at a time.

     The smell of the paint was somehow relaxing, the silence made me feel more focused, and for a second I was almost lost in a trance. I think I’m finally getting what Adeline meant when she said I should feel the colors.

     Red felt dangerous, and it reminded me of blood and pain. Blue was calming, but there wasn’t any sort of connection. Green reminded me of plagues, which isn’t something I felt good about. The colors were all trying to call out to me, but when I looked at the color yellow, a clear image suddenly appears in front of me.

     The color yellow gave me an explosion of feelings. It was warm and comforting, and for a moment I felt alive, so before I could get hypnotized by the color’s beauty, I blinked and looked back at Adeline who was waiting for me to say something.

     “Adeline, I don’t exactly know what the hell just happened, but you’re a fucking art wizard!” I excitedly say as I hand her the mixing tray back so I could start drawing something on my sketchpad.

     I picked up the paper and got ready to make my sketch, but just when the tip of my pencil could touch the pad, the door to the art studio suddenly opens, making both Adeline and I turn our heads to look at the intruder.

     “So you two are actually here. Laurence wasn’t lying after all.”

     The ever-so-dashing Master Claudio heads inside the room and closes the door behind him. As soon as he was inside, he removes his mask and looks at us with a bright smile. I haven’t seen this man for an entire day and now he shows up with such a smug look on his face. He probably found another way to make some sort of poison which could be why he looks so happy.

     “Didn’t I tell you that I’d join the two of you in this activity?” Claudio asks, which is something that I just remembered. I think he mentioned this during breakfast, but I didn’t know that he was serious.

     “What are you making Adeline?” He asks as he approaches Adie.

     Adeline doesn’t respond, but instead, she sat up straight and didn’t move a muscle, almost like she was afraid of getting scolded. Claudio probably doesn’t even notice it as he leans close to the canvas to check on Adeline’s painting.

     “Looks like you’re improving,” he says, and Adeline nods her head to him as a form of thank you. “You’re finally using brighter colors too,” he then adds, patting Adeline’s head before walking in my direction.

     Here we go. Claudio’s here to fuckin’ ruin my mood again.

     “How about you? Have you drawn anything yet?” He asks, stopping right behind me so he could see what was on my paper. Claudio leans close, his chest touching my back as he did so. When he saw that my pad was still empty, he ended up laughing.

     “Such a masterpiece Bishop. As expected of you,” Claudio teases, making me roll my eyes in annoyance. This playful personality of his really pisses me off for some reason, but on the other hand, I like this more compared to his manipulative and sadistic side. It’s more tolerable.

     “Adeline, can you be a doll and tell me how to sign the words fuck you?” I ask as I look back at Adeline, and Adeline quickly covered her mouth so Claudio wouldn’t see that she was smiling.

     “Well, since I’m already here, do you want my help?” Claudio asks as soon as he was finished laughing at my blank paper.

     “No thank you. I’m sure master is busy so I’d rather—”

     “I insist,” he quickly says, making me sigh in frustration.

     I was about to tell him to just fuck off, but an idea suddenly came to me, so I smiled and looked back at Adie to tell her, “I’m sorry Adeline but can you leave the two of us for now? Master Claudio and I will be doing something a little rated that isn’t fit for a sweet little girl like you to witness.”

     Adeline’s face turns red, and instead of getting mad at me, she quickly stands from her seat and bows at Claudio before rushing out of the studio. As soon as she was gone, I grabbed my pencil and sketchpad and stood up as well.

     “We’re doing something rated? Really now? Do you want me to strip so you could draw me naked?” Claudio asks, which almost seemed genuine. But even though that does sound tempting, I shook my head and pointed at an empty chair instead.

     “Since you insist on helping then can you take a seat right there and make a pose? I’ll draw and show you what I’m really feeling. Maybe that will help you understand me better, master Claudio,” I say with a smirk, and Claudio chuckles and takes a seat like he was told.

     I took my own seat and turned my chair around so I could face Claudio. When I was already sitting across from him, I placed my sketchpad on my lap and stared at Claudio for a couple of seconds.

     “Make sure it’s good,” he says as he makes a pose, leaning his elbow on a table so he could put his fingers on his temple. I stare at his intense eyes first, and then his nose, and down to his soft pink lips. I took a good look because I didn’t want to miss out on a single detail. I had to make this perfect. I can’t make flaws on a flawless man.

     “I’ll show you an image that even you will be jealous of.”

     As soon as I was ready, my hand started to move on its own. I drew every detail, every line, everything I remembered, and imprinted it on my paper. I wanted to make a masterpiece, and I wanted Claudio to see it. I wanted him to know what I felt after moving to this god-forsaken town.

     “Have you recovered from Hunter’s passing?” Claudio suddenly asks.

     I didn’t remove my eyes from what I was drawing as I answer, “I was just a little surprised, but Hunter meant nothing to me. He’s just another criminal who had to face his end. That’s all.”

     “Is that so?” Claudio asks, and I looked back at him, only to see a mischievous grin on his face as soon as he heard my answer.

     “Then I guess it’s fine by you if we experiment on Wednesday next,” Claudio suddenly says, and I almost dropped my pencil if I didn’t control myself in time. I tried to act indifferent as I cleared my throat, and as my hand continued to draw the lines, I replied “It doesn’t matter. You’re the master of the manor and the doctor of this plague. Whatever you decide on, we, your four horsemen, will follow with no complaints.”

     Claudio chuckles at my response but he doesn’t say anything. I guess he knew that I was lying, but he doesn’t try to interrogate me for it.

     The silence consumed us again as I continued my art. Minutes passed by, and then hours. If my hands didn’t start to ache, I wouldn’t have noticed the time at all.

     I looked down at my almost finished masterpiece and gulped at the sight of it. The man in my paper was breathtakingly beautiful. I stared at the eyes, finishing up the details. But as I was doing so, I couldn’t help but feel my body start heating up. I adjust from my seat and cross my legs, trying to ease myself. I can’t lose focus now.

     “Is everything alright?” Claudio asks. He probably noticed how uneasy I looked.

     “J-just sit still.”

     I intricately finished the final touches until the drawing was eventually complete. This is the image that I saw when I stared at the color yellow. His shy smile, his soft gaze, everything was just warm. I looked down at the picture like he was right in front of me. I couldn’t help but touch the drawing’s lips. The thought of it touching mine made my heart beat even faster. And as I looked down at the picture for one last time, a smile instantly appears on my face. The image of him made all my worries disappear, and I didn’t even know why.

     Why does he feel so comforting? Why can’t I remember the reason?

     “It’s done,” I announce, and Claudio, who didn’t even complain the whole time, adjusted from his seat and looked back at me with a serious expression. “Will you be showing it to me?” He asks.

    I stood from the chair and placed my sketchpad on the table, hiding the drawing so Claudio wouldn’t be able to see it. “Not yet,” I say as I looked back at him. I then walked towards master Claudio and stood right in front of him, looking down at him with such tired eyes.

     “Do you want me to help you with something else?” He asks, and I take his hand and made him touch my crotch. Claudio smirks when he realizes that I was actually hard.

“Simply drawing that image made me hard like this. This is your fault, so don’t you think it’s only right for you to help me out more?” I ask, and Claudio licks his lips as he squeezes my hard bulge.

     “Come here then.”

     Claudio grabs my arm and pulls me towards him so I could sit on his lap. The two of us stared at each other as I reach out to touch his face, the lead stain on my fingers smearing his cheeks.

     “Let me feel you more master,” I say as I start pushing myself even deeper into him. I move my hips in a circular motion, my bulge touching his as the tension between us becomes stronger. Claudio starts breathing heavily, but it’s probably because he’s tired from sitting all day. He wasn’t even hard.

     Claudio doesn’t touch me nor does he kiss me like before, but I didn’t mind. I only wanted to release this feeling; this thirst I can’t seem to quench. I needed him because he was the man who fed my desires with no question. I wanted to suck him dry for one more time because this was going to be the last.

     Yes, this was going to be the last time. I had no other choice. I took a bite of his forbidden fruit, so I had to finish it. But after this, after everything I’ve done for him, after all the emotional manipulation he has given me, this was the last time.

     I’ve brought great harm and pain to my alters because of my stupid decisions and actions. I’ve done nothing but make them suffer in the past, and I knew after staying here, after seeing Hunter buried underground, I knew that my life was in this doctor’s hands, his hands that I was holding onto like he was some kind of savior.

     I told myself that I wasn’t going to be fooled by another doctor again, so I will take my word for it. Let this be the end of this poisonous desire, and then after that, I’ll let you use me as you wish. But this body…

     You will never be able to touch it again.

     Give me at least one thing that I will own, and I will give you the rest of me. This is reserved for him now. My sunshine, my warmth…my yellow. You will never be able to touch me again. I won’t allow it.

     “Touch me,” I practically begged, and Claudio unzips my pants and pulls out my cock from my boxers. He touches it with his cold hand, making me shiver. His hands moved up and down on my cock, but after a while, his other hand snaked inside my pants and towards my lower entrance. He was about to put his finger inside, but I stopped him as I rest my head on his shoulder. “No, not there,” I say.

     “Touch me anywhere else, but not there,” I tell him, remembering the time he painfully fucked me at his office and left me naked on his sofa.

     Claudio surprisingly did what he was told, so instead of putting anything inside me, he gave me an unpleasant hand job. It didn’t even take long for me to cum in his hands.

     I was panting heavily as I look back at his eyes. Claudio then pulls out his handkerchief to clean his hand. “Is there anything else you’d want me to do for you?” He asks as I zipped my pants back for me.

     I got up from his lap and walked back to my desk to take the drawing I just made. I stared at my masterpiece for a while before walking back to master Claudio. Without saying anything, I handed it over to him.

    Claudio had an excited smile on his face when he took the sketchpad from my hand, but as soon as he saw what I made, his smile instantly vanishes. His reaction to it made everything worth the while.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/be26170745bc37048edb84ac9acec7586b0a74ac/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6667426e44316d4c69314b6839513d3d2d313235363739393830362e313730613262646437663966383239323239353939363037313930302e6a7067)

     Mateo Ricci, a man I have yet to know, but at the same time, is someone I’m afraid of knowing. There is something about this man that has left me questioning all the things I’ve done and experienced in the past. He’s different from the people I’ve met, and his difference is what terrifies me.

     He’s careful around me, and he speaks to me as if I am his equal. This picture that I drew of him is something that has left me in constant awe. To you, it might be just a simple sketch, but I see bright yellow oozing out of it, enough to blind me. 

     He is the image that I constantly see. He is the man that Claudio can never become.

     “This is—”

     “Teo,” I instantly answer.

     Claudio couldn’t look away from the picture in front of him. He must be wondering why I chose to draw Mateo. He must be confused, annoyed, or maybe even jealous. He must be mad that I made him sit there for hours, only to draw a perfect picture of someone else.

     “Why?” He finally asks, his eyes still glued to the drawing of Teo.

     “You might have bought me with the promise to cure me, so for that, I will stay loyal to you. I will kill for you, I won’t shed a tear during a patient’s death for you, and I’ll plague this entire town if I have to if that’s what you want. But I beg of you, master Claudio…the task to seduce and gain his trust…I won’t do it. Please don’t let me do it,” I say, and Claudio finally looks back at me, his expression unreadable.

     “You’ve fallen for him,” he says, not as a question but as a conclusion.

     “No, I won’t love him because god forbids that I love someone like him. So behind the shadows of my master, I’ll look at him from afar. This is my karma,” I say as my chest starts to beat faster.

     Claudio looks at the drawing again before standing from his seat. He approaches me, and then he touches my cheeks, his expression soft again. It was the same expression that he had when we were at his mansion; when he fed my hunger to the point where I was full. It was an expression that he showed me that made me realize that I could no longer run away from him even if I wanted to.

     “Is this what you really feel, my sweet Bishop?” He asks.

     I closed my eyes and touched his hand that was gently holding onto me. I tried to feel his warmth, but his hand was cold again. I guess he was always cold like this.

     “What I really feel?” I repeated as I opened my eyes back.

      Claudio removes his hand from me as I move close to him until our lips were only a few inches away from each other. I touched his chest, feeling his heart beating. And just when he thought that I was going to lean close to kiss him, my calm expression turns into anger as I clench his collar with my shaking hand.

     “My anger for you is as deep as red, my trust non-existent, unlike the color blue, my envy of freedom as unpleasant as green, and even if you show me every single color there is to exist, I will always crave for his yellow; that bright yellow like the sun I can’t seem to fucking touch. That…is what I feel, and this…this is me throwing away the clean white paper you’ve decided to crumple, my dear master Claudio.”

to be continued…

(26) Darkest Colors

⚕︎

THE ROOM BECOMES PAINFULLY quiet as Claudio took a step back from me. He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes were fixed on mine, almost like he was observing me.

     Was this Bishop, Winter, Krimson, or maybe even Alice? He’s probably debating about that right now because to him, the Bishop he has always known would never say something like that to him.

     In his head, he must be thinking that he miscalculated something. He didn’t see this coming, and that could explain why it’s taking him so much time to respond to what I said. He’s weighing things down, trying to think of the perfect words to say that won’t put him on the losing end. He’s making sure he uses this opportunity to his advantage, and that part of him has always been his most terrifying trait.

     “My Bishop,” he finally says after a couple of minutes of silence.

     I don’t answer him, so Claudio moves closer to me again, draping his hand around my waist and pulling me closer to him. When our faces were already inches away from each other, he kisses my forehead before gently touching my cheek.

     “I am left speechless by your bravery today,” he then says. “You are an important employee to me Bishop, so whatever you want, I’ll do it for you. There is no need for you to worry.”

     “What do you mean? Are you saying that—”

     “The task regarding Mateo, I’ll discontinue it. If you feel uncomfortable doing it, then there is no reason for you to continue. That would be too cruel,” he says with a comforting smile, making the hair on my skin stand.

     “You can do anything you want Bishop. You can love whoever you want, and you can hate whoever you want. When have I asked you to do otherwise?” He asks as he finally lets go of me.

     “I have made it clear, didn’t I? I am your master and nothing more. Feelings for me are…useless. I have no time for such worthless things. It’s distasteful,” Claudio then says, walking back to the drawing I made of Teo. He stares at the picture with his intimidating eyes before reaching out to touch it. “You definitely have a talent,” he says, a smirk now appearing on his face. “A talent for picking weak men.”

     As soon as he said those words, my body instantly freezes.

     “What do you mean?” I ask, and Claudio puts the picture down and ignores my question.

     “Claudio, what did you mean by that? What are you going to do?” 

     I ran to Claudio’s side and grabbed his hand, but Claudio only smiles at me before patting my head like I was some kid. “I trust that the loyalty you have sold to me will not be questioned. But you do not have to fret, you may keep your bright colors until it blinds you,” he says, the smile on his face slowly fading.

     “But your darkest ones…they are mine,” he says with a much more serious expression before pulling his hand away from me. Without anything else to say, Claudio leaves the room, and I was left inside the art studio in disbelief.

     I walked back to the drawing and stared at Teo’s picture. In a short amount of time, he was able to think of a way to twist me. He was able to use my vulnerability to his advantage. I have completely underestimated him.

     As I continued to stare at Teo’s picture, I couldn’t even help myself as I started laughing, almost like I have completely lost my mind.

     My laughter echoes inside the empty room, and as I was doing so, tears suddenly starts streaming down my cheeks. I grabbed the picture and gently kissed it before ripping it apart until there was nothing left. And as I watched the shredded pieces fall on the floor, I grabbed hold of my neck, holding onto the invisible chains that seem to have gotten stronger.

…

The smell of food on the table almost made me gag despite its appetizing appearance. I couldn’t say a thing, nor was I able to lift a hand that would at least grab hold of the fork. I just didn’t have the appetite, nor the strength to enjoy the food.

     “Your food will get cold,” a voice says, and I looked up and saw Lino, Adeline, and Laurence looking back at me with curious eyes.

     “Are you alright?” Laurence then asks, and I cleared my throat and took a sip of water instead of answering them.

     My session with master Claudio at the art studio happened a week ago. After what happened that day, I constantly felt uneasy, while Claudio was even more occupied with the poison he was making for his next plague. He knew how to push my buttons, and he knew how to make me restless. My anger for him just continues to grow with each passing day, yet I can’t seem to do anything about it.

     “If you’re not going to eat your breakfast, you should head upstairs to where the patients are. You might as well check on them,” Lino then tells me, and I take a deep breath and stood up from my seat. 

     “Excuse me,” I say, walking away from them without waiting for anyone’s reply.

     I went to the 3rd floor where the criminals/patients were found. I walked past the rooms and automatically stopped at Patient number 02’s room. I stared at the door and was about to take a peek at the door’s small window, but before I could even take a closer look, someone pats my shoulder, startling me.

     I quickly turned around and saw that it was actually Patient no. 04, better known as Lady.

     “Oh my, I didn’t mean to scare you, dear,” he says with such a sweet voice. “But don’t think it’s wise to look at a dead man’s room.”

     I looked at him and noticed the chains around his arms. Standing behind him was a nurse that was holding onto a syringe, probably for emergencies if Lady ends up becoming aggressive, which I find unlikely.

     Of course, I can’t make any rash judgment anymore, considering how Alice made a completely wrong analysis in regard to Hunter.

     “Hello Lady, what are you doing outside your room?” I ask, and the question made Lady smile widely like he was dying for someone to ask him that question.

     “Actually…” Lady pauses and moves even closer to me until he was only inches away from my ear. I didn’t know what he was about to say, but after looking around the area, he whispers, “ I’m trying to observe Pacific. “

     Pacific? Does he mean patient 00? Why on earth is he observing him?

     “May I ask for the reason behind that?” I then ask, and Lady looks behind him, checking the nurse who was guarding him if he was listening to us.

     When it was obvious that he was—even though he was wearing the gas mask—Lady shakes his head and decides not to say anything, so I looked at his nurse and tell him, “I’ll handle things from here. You can look out for the other patients instead.”

     The gas-masked employee was a bit hesitant, but knowing that I’m in a higher position than him, he nods his head and handed over the tranquilizer and the keys for Lady’s room.

     As soon as he was gone, I approached Lady again and offered him my arm. “Shall I walk you to your destination?” I ask.

     “Oh, such a gentleman,” he says with a playful grin. And even though his hands were chained together, he still held onto my arm as we walked our way towards Pacific’s room.

     Patient 04, also known as Lady, is a 46-year-old man who is said to have a mother complex. His crimes are a bit unique as he dresses up as a woman to fool men into trusting him. And then he defiles them and kills them afterward. He does not identify as a woman despite his preference to dress and act as a woman, but he loves the idea that he gets to overpower men in that persona.

     It’s a very interesting case, and unlike last time with Hunter, I’m trying to consider every detail that was given to us. Why did master Claudio say that he has a mother complex? Why does he dress this way before killing his victims? What’s his main purpose for all this? Such things are what I’m curious about.

     “Look, there he is,” Lady says, letting go of my arm when we arrived at Pacific’s room.

     Lady rushes to Pacific’s door and peeks inside. As soon as he got there, Lady started laughing. “Look at his pathetic self. It’s always such a joy to watch him,” Lady then says, making me take a peek as well.

     When I looked through the small window on the door, I noticed two things: Pacific looked completely filthy, and he was also chewing on something that I can’t quite identify.

     “Mr. Bishop, have you noticed anything in his room?” Lady suddenly asks as the two of us continued to spy on Pacific.

     “No, I haven’t.”

     “Well, if you look closely, his windows are blocked, so his room is darker compared to ours. You see that?” Lady points out, surprising me because I’ve only realized it now. All the other rooms have a window. Of course, they’re all blocked with bars, but Pacific’s window was completely covered. If I remember correctly, that window shows the view of…

     “The sea,” I say, and Lady looks back at me with a smile, almost like he was glad that I was able to notice it too.

     “That’s right. Another thing is that he’s afraid of any kind of water. The nurses usually have a terrible experience bathing him, so most of the time they just leave him dirty,” Lady explains. “That’s probably connected to his crime, considering how they named him Pacific.”

     This makes sense because Claudio told us before that when he killed his wife, he tossed her into the ocean. That’s probably the reason behind it. Seeing any kind of water might be triggering to him.

     “It’s fascinating isn’t it?” Lady asks as he moves away from the door. “That’s the secret to success; great observation. You always have to be familiar with your surroundings, and then every little thing, you have to be intricate with them.”

     “Why are you telling me this?” I ask since I didn’t understand why he’d even open this up in the first place.

     “Well, it looked like you’ll need it,” he then says before walking toward the living area for the patients. The other patients weren’t there so Lady took a seat on one of the tables where they play cards. I approached him and unlocked one of the chains that were on his left wrist before transferring it to one of the hooks on the table that’s screwed on the floor so he wouldn’t be able to escape.

     “Mr. Bishop, is there anything in your mind right now?” Lady asks as he starts shuffling the cards on the table while I sat across him.

     I looked at him and kept quiet, making him look back at me. Even though I was wearing my eye cover, it looked like Lady was staring directly at them, which made me uneasy for some reason.

     “Is there a woman in your life that you just hate?” he then asks.

     I still didn’t answer him, but then Lady puts the cards on the table and suddenly corrects himself, “Maybe…a man?”

     I didn’t say anything, nor did I move a single muscle in my body, but for some reason, it looked like Lady saw right through me. It looks like I’ve underestimated him. This person is as dangerous as his background, so I have to be more careful around him.

     “Life can be unfair. There are things that we want but cannot have, so sometimes we end up going with the flow of time. We’re tired of struggling, so we tolerate the pain until we become numb to it. We’re conflicted between wanting to just end things with not putting value on life. You see, those two things are different,” Lady says, his soft voice comforting for some reason.

     Wanting to end things…and not putting a value on life. What’s the difference?

     “When we want to die, we feel things. We feel lost, confused, or maybe even angry. But when you’re numb, there’s just nothing, and it’s sadder when you’re alive but you’re empty,” he then continues.

     “Among those two things, where are you hanging?” I then ask him, and Lady takes a deep breath and answers, “the latter.”

     “I see,” I replied. I didn’t ask him to explain further so Lady continued shuffling the cards. 

     “It’s funny because this numbness I have all started because of one man, “ he suddenly reveals, surprising me because I wasn’t expecting him to just casually say that. “Of course, that was a long time ago. That bastard is long dead and is probably rotting right now,”  he then adds with a chuckle, making me clear my throat because I didn’t exactly know how to react to that information.

     “You see, men are easy to manipulate. Bat your eyes, show them a little skin, give them a flirtatious wave, and then they’ll automatically fall down on their knees for you. Believe me, a man can pretend, but their cocks don’t lie,” he says before giving out a laugh, which almost made me laugh too.

     “I’ve had prideful men back in the day. They always think they’re the kings of the world. They think they can do anything to anyone. But the moment they get overpowered, the look on their faces will show you that they’re only just a boy trying to live in a man’s body; a body that’s too big for their size,” Lady explains to me while he lays the cards on the table.

     “But aren’t you a man? And what about me? Are we just boys hiding inside a man’s body too?” I then ask, and Lady stops moving for a second. He stares at the cards and thinks about my question. When he finally got an answer, he takes a deep breath and looks at me.

     “Yes,” he says. “There’s always a little boy inside us. Some are just better at hiding them,” he continues, and for a short moment, I saw sadness in his eyes.

     “Anyway, shall we play cards?” He then asks, quickly changing the subject.

     I nodded my head as a reply and the two of us started playing cards. This was something that I’d hate to admit, but my conversation with Lady was surprisingly therapeutic. I wasn’t expecting to actually feel better from talking to a serial killer.

     “Bishop?” a voice suddenly calls out.

     I quickly turned around and saw master Claudio approaching us with two other nurses walking behind him. As soon as I saw him, I dropped the cards and immediately stood from my seat to greet him.

     “Dr. Giovanni,” I say while Lady continued putting down his cards like he didn’t see master Claudio at all.

     “What are you doing here? Why are you handling Patient 04?” He asks with a serious tone which was a bit funny because I haven’t seen him for days after what happened at the art studio, but it seems like Claudio had already forgotten all about it.

     “I just needed company. I don’t think Mr. Bishop has to have a reason for that,” Lady suddenly answers on my behalf, his eyes still on the cards, completely ignoring Claudio.

     Claudio looks at him before looking back in my direction. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Bring him to the laboratory, the others are waiting.”

     “Wait, what?” I ask in shock as the two nurses who came with Claudio approach Lady. They removed his chains from the table and forcefully lifted him off his seat, making me look back at Claudio in irritation.

     “Doctor, is the aggression needed? You can clearly see that he isn’t hostile. He can walk there on his own,” I defend, but Claudio just ignores me and looks back at the two nurses before nodding his head to them.

     The nurses didn’t even have to ask as one of them pulled a syringe. The moment Lady saw the syringe, he finally started struggling. “Hands off me! What do you think you’re doing?!”

     Claudio watched in silence as I clenched my fist in anger. I promised him…in order to protect my yellow, I told him that I’ll blindly follow him. So I watched in silence as the nurses injected Lady with the fluid.

     “ I’m sorry, “ I thought to myself, but then Lady—with the little strength that he had left—looks straight at me and says, “You, the maid, and the cook…you three should run away from this hell while you still can.”

     “W-what?” I ask, but Claudio immediately gestured them to leave, and so the two nurses quickly dragged Lady away from me until they were out of sight.

     As soon as they were gone, I gulped and looked back at Claudio who stood there in silence. I waited for him to say something, but he kept quiet for a while. I didn’t even know if he was looking at me or not because of the mask that he was wearing.

     “The poison for the second plague is on its way,” he finally states. “I expect you do not disappoint me. Is that understood, Bishop?”

     “Yes master,” I say with a formal bow like the perfect butler that he wanted me to be, and master Claudio doesn’t say anything anymore and finally walks away.

     I watched him leave as I stood there in silence. I didn’t say anything else, but my mind lingered on one thing. What did Lady mean by what he said?

     “You, the maid, and the cook…you three should run away from this hell while you still can.” What did he mean by that? Why did he only refer to the three of us? Was there something that he was able to observe? Did he see something, that none of us wasn’t able to see?

to be continued…

(27) Run Away

⚕︎

I LOOKED DOWN AT  my diary, staring at the letters until they became blurry. I felt my eyes burning after a while, so I closed and massaged them before leaning my back on the rails of the chair, giving out a loud sigh.

     “What did Lady mean by what he said? Why was he asking us to leave?” I ask myself in frustration, and such a question has bothered me since yesterday ever since I had a chat with him.

     Claudio has forbidden me to speak to Lady again, so my curiosity has only grown even stronger. What did he mean by that? What did he realize that I wasn’t able to realize? I’m dying to know the answers to these questions, but at the same time, I knew that such a statement would end up becoming literal if I really try to seek it out.

     I’ve always known, ever since Claudio touched me, that he was a dangerous man with dangerous capabilities. He knew how to please people, to capture them, and to chain them without them realizing it. I knew all that, but somehow, I know nothing of what he was planning to do to me. Will he kill me? Will he lock me up like the others? Will he experiment on me?

    To be honest, killing me would feel like mercy on his part. With Claudio, I’m certain that he can think of something more gruesome and disturbing than that. And if his plans really were to kill me, that wouldn’t be enough reason to make me run away. In fact, I might even want to stay if that was the case.

     “Bishop,” a voice calls out, and a familiar sound of chiming keys could be heard from outside the room.

     I stared at the empty page on the diary and closed it in frustration. I don’t think there’s anything I can tell Winter. With everything that’s happened, I think it’s better if I don’t tell anything to him at all. I bet the poor child wouldn’t understand it anyway, even though he’s too smart for his own good.

     The door finally opens, revealing a tall man who was in a military uniform. When he stepped inside my room, I quickly put the diary away and got up from the seat so I could face him.

     Lino’s entire face was covered, but I could tell that he was staring at me. The two of us became quiet for a while, but then he tilts his head and suddenly says, “Your eyes…”

    I quickly looked away from Lino and walked towards the bed to get my eye cover so I could wear it. Like I already mentioned before, I don’t wear my contacts anymore since my eyes are covered anyway, so when the others accidentally see what it really looks like, it still makes me feel uncomfortable. Maybe I should wear my contacts after all.

     “Eat your breakfast and accompany Laurence in town. The master wants you to fetch his suit at Ms. Sunny’s shop. He’s going to be using it for the upcoming party,” Lino explains while I buckled the contraption in my head.

     “Party? There’s going to be another party?” I ask, but Lino doesn’t answer, which was something I already expected.

     “Do I have to change my clothes?” I ask him instead.

    “It’s fine, you’re just heading to Sunny’s shop anyway. Just remove your eye cover so you wouldn’t grab any much attention,” Lino explains as he walks out of my room. And so I adjusted my uniform for one last time before finally walking out of the room, following beside Lino as we walked down the long hallway in Claudio’s Hell House.

    While we were walking, I couldn’t help but glance at Mr. M . If I remember correctly, Lady didn’t mention a gardener. Was it because Lino can handle himself well, or is it because he’s way too loyal to Claudio? Is that it? I’m not entirely sure because when I look at Lino, he doesn’t look like the type to be loyal to anyone, but maybe I’m just looking into things too deeply again.

     “Is there something on your mind? You’ve been staring at me ever since I got to your bedroom,” Lino suddenly exposes, making me look away from him with my arms crossed.

     “I was just wondering why you look so ugly even though your face is already covered,” I say instead, and I could tell that Lino was already glaring at me because of that.

     When we arrived at the dining room, Adeline and Laurence were already sitting at the table. Little Adie looks at me and smiles, while Laurence was reading the newspaper.

     As soon as we got there, the other employees, who were still walking around, immediately got out of the dining room. Claudio had made it a rule that no one is allowed to enter the dining room during our meal time since Lino and Laurence have to remove their masks to eat. Of course, I’m allowed to remove mine as well, but as I mentioned, I don’t like it when others look at my real eyes.

     “Good morning everyone,” I greet before walking toward Adeline and gently kissing her head, making the girl smile. Laurence then looks at me, so I smirked at him and said, “What? Want me to kiss you too?”

    Father Laurence rolls his eyes and places his newspaper down before removing the mask that covered his mouth. “My mornings are never pleasant whenever you’re around.”

    “You’re welcome,” I replied, and Laurence just gave up and ignored me.

    When Lino and I were already seated, the four of us started eating our ever-so-important breakfast. Hats off the master Claudio because even though he’s a psychopath, he makes sure that we eat properly. We’re literally not allowed to skip meals. I’m just thankful that father Laurence knows how to cook or else I would have died from food poisoning first before anything.

     “Where’s master Claudio?” I ask before taking a bite of the meat.

    “He’s been locked inside that laboratory all night. I couldn’t sleep properly because of how much patient number 4 was screaming last night. At this rate, Hunter’s going to have a gravemate,” Laurence answers, and my hand instantly stopped when I heard what he said.

     The spoon stops right in front of my mouth, but before anyone could say anything, I quickly shoved the food in and forcefully swallowed it down without even chewing it, thinking if I choke now, it wouldn’t really matter. Sadly, my hands automatically reached out for the glass of water, and so I drank the water down before anything bad happened.

     “That’s their purpose here anyway so there’s nothing much we could do,” I lied, and Laurence just nodded his head, agreeing to what I had to say.

    Despite my stomach feeling terrible after that conversation, I finished my breakfast and wiped my mouth with the table napkin. “I think we should go now. Ms. Sunny might be waiting for us,” I suggested even though I could clearly tell that Laurence wasn’t halfway done with his meal.

    Father Laurence looks at me like I was joking, but I stood from my seat anyway, making Laurence slam his fork down and scoff at me. “Oh yes, of course. It would be so embarrassing to make master Lancaster wait for a mere priest like me to finish his precious breakfast.”

     I smiled at him, and Laurence wipes his mouth before throwing the napkin down on the table. Without waiting for me, he wears his mask and then walks out of the dining hall in complete anger.

    “We’ll see you later,” I tell Lino and Adeline with a smile, pretending as if nothing happened.

     I quickly caught up with Laurence as the two of us got inside the car that was already parked at the front of the manor. Laurence was still pretty angry when I sat beside him, so he didn’t say anything and just started driving off. I didn’t say anything either as we drove off the manor, but as soon as the manor disappeared behind us, I looked at Laurence and finally told him, “Let’s run away.”

    Laurence instantly hits the brakes, almost making me hit the compartment in front of me because of the impact. Laurence then looks back at me like he heard the most absurd thing in the world, not even bothered that we almost crashed. “What on earth did you just say?” He asks me, unsure if he was shocked or angry.

     “Let’s run away,” I repeated without even blinking an eye. “You, me, Adeline; the three of us… let’s run away. Let’s get away from this manor, from this town, and from that monster we all call our master.”

     “Bishop, are you hearing yourself right now?” Laurence asks in an almost panicked tone as he turned to look back at me.

     “Yes, I’m hearing myself loud and clear, and I think we should do it while we still have a chance. We have to do it while our chains aren’t tight yet,” I try to convince him, but Laurence was visibly against it.

     “N-no…No Bishop! We talked about this, didn’t we? We told ourselves that we are not going to be doing anything stupid. We’re only going to endure this for a while and—”

    “And what? Wait until he decides to kill us?” I fired back, and Laurence calms down and turns away from me, grabbing the steering wheel and taking a deep breath. He’s probably thinking I’ve finally lost it.

     “I have no problem with dying, I really don’t. But if he was going to kill me anyway, what would happen to Winter? I can’t let him die,” I honestly tell him, but Laurence remained silent. He doesn’t say anything for a while, but then he takes a deep breath and looks back at me again. “We are not talking about this anymore. I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just say that, do you understand?”

     I gulped and looked away from Laurence. I didn’t want to answer him, but then Laurence asked me again with a louder tone, “do you understand me, child?!”

    I flinched at his sudden aggression, and I finally nodded my head as a reply. “I understand,” I answer, looking out of the car window, and wiping the tears that streamed down my eyes.

    The drive became quiet after that, and the tension between us only got stronger. I knew that for a second, for a quick second, Laurence considered it too. There might have been a time in his life when he woke up and told himself that he’d run away, but there was always something stopping him. Like me, he’s just scared; scared by the fact that if we run away, where else will we go?

     “We’re here,” Laurence says as he parks the car beside a familiar store. I removed my mask and glanced back at father Laurence for one last time before heading out. There weren’t a lot of people, so no one noticed me when I entered Ms. Sunny’s shop.

     The bell on the door chimes as a figure appears from the back. She was wearing this magnificent gown that even left me speechless.

    “Oh, Bishop darling. Here to pick up Claudio’s suit?” She asks as she approaches me.

     “Y-yes,” I answer, still staring at the dress. Ms. Sunny must have noticed me staring, so she smiles and twirls in front of me so I could see the dress better. “Do you like it? I just finished this last night.”

     “It looks amazing,” I say. “No, you look amazing,” I then corrected, and this time, Ms. Sunny giggled.

     “Please, don’t flatter me,” she says even though it was obvious that she loved the compliment. Ms. Sunny then heads to the back room, probably to take Claudio’s suit. While she was in there, she tells me, “It’s my first time seeing you wear the uniform that I made for you. It looks absolutely gorgeous on you darling.”

    I looked down at what I was wearing, remembering that this was one of Ms. Sunny’s creations as well. The suit looked plain from afar, but if you come closer, you’d see the subtle pattern on the fabric. On the back, there was also a beautiful embroidery of a horse symbol, which was something that only a skilled seamstress could do. “Yes, it fits perfectly. And I get to move around without any problem.”

     “That’s good. After all, Claudio helped me design it,” she then says, finally stepping out of the room while holding two garment bags. “He’s the type to appreciate functionality rather than aesthetic, but of course, I wouldn’t allow a single garment to come out of my shop looking hideous.”

    “I can see that,” I reply, and Ms. Sunny hands me over the two bags.

     “The white one is for your master, while the black one is…for you,” Ms. Sunny suddenly reveals, surprising me.

     “For me? Is this another butler uniform?” I ask since I wear my butler uniform whenever I accompany Claudio to a party.

     “Well, technically no,” she says as she rushes to the counter to take something. She disappears for a second, but then she pops back up, holding onto two elegant-looking masks. “The party you’re going to be attending is a masquerade ball, and Claudio wanted you to come as his guest and not as his butler,” Ms. Sunny explains, making me furrow my brows in confusion. I never went to these parties as a guest, so I’m certain that Claudio is planning something again.

     “I think people would notice that it would be me,” I then point out since one of my most distinguishable characteristics is my light hair. But of course, Ms. Sunny looked like she had that covered as well when she gave me this sachet that had a black fluid inside.

     “That is a temporary hair dye,” she explains. “You just have to apply it in your hair hours before the party. It would stay in your hair for at least a day, and then you can just wash it with shampoo afterward.”

     I stared at the hair dye and didn’t say a word. Claudio was definitely planning something again. I have to know what it is. Why is he suddenly asking me to disguise myself? What’s his purpose this time?

    “Tell me, Ms. Sunny, who’s going to host this masquerade ball?” I ask.

     “Hasn’t Claudio told you about it yet? It’s hosted by the Ricci family. It’s his mother’s birthday,” Ms. Sunny answers and my entire body freezes in shock.

     “I beg your pardon?”

…

“Doctor Giovanni!” I shouted as I bolted inside the lab, not caring if I was disturbing anyone or not. The room was hot and the smell was terrible. The nurses inside looked at me, while Claudio was wiping the metal bed that was now empty. He doesn’t say anything when I got there, and in fact, he ignored me the entire time. He didn’t even look startled.

     “Why are you asking me to come as your guest at the upcoming ball?” I finally ask, and Claudio’s hand stopped moving. He doesn’t give me a reply, but then he takes a deep breath and commands, “You may all leave.”

     The nurses wearing gas masks didn’t even hesitate as they started walking out of the room. As soon as Claudio and I were alone, I moved closer to him and asked him again, “Why are you making me come to the ball with a different identity?”

     Claudio removes his mask and looks back at me with his almost dead eyes. He looked exhausted since his eyes were red and they were surrounded by dark circles. For a moment I thought he was dying.

     “I thought you were going to do anything I asked as long as I don’t make you do the initial task that I gave you before?” he then asks, removing his gloves this time so he could wash his hands. “I have plans, and I want you to fulfill them. Haven’t I already made that clear?”

     “Don’t give me that bullshit,” I dare to say. “The party is hosted by the Ricci family. I could have easily accompanied you as your butler if you wanted me to, but deliberately making me hide my identity…you’re planning something, I just know it.”

     And what scares me is that I feel like it’s something that involves Teo.

     “Oh, Bishop…” Claudio says with a sigh, wiping his wet hands before turning around to face me. Master Claudio then walks closer until he was now inches away from where I was standing. He stares at me for a while, but then he grabs me by the cheeks, his soft expression now changing into irritation.

     “You seem to be forgetting your role here,” he tells me, his grip on my cheeks tight until they ached. “I own you,” he then reminds me, sending down a chill on my spine.

     “L-let go,” I struggled to say, but Claudio wouldn’t budge.

     “You don’t have the right to defy my orders, nor are you to question them. You do as I say, and you do it right, so don’t you dare disrespect me again,” Claudio says with such a commanding tone that my entire body started to shake.

     I’ve never trembled like this before, and I’ve never felt this helpless, so when did I start becoming terrified of him? 

     “Now remove the thing that’s covering your eyes before I pull it off you myself,” he then instructs as he finally lets go of my now aching cheeks.

    My hands were trembling, but I slowly unbuckled my eyewear and dropped it on the floor. Now that nothing was covering my eyes, I could see Claudio better. I realized that he didn’t actually look well. He was moving strangely too, almost erratically. Was it because he hasn’t slept at all, or is it because of something else?

     What on earth happened to him?

     “I have removed it,” I tell him, and as soon as I said those words, Claudio looks back at me and suddenly slaps me. The feeling felt electrifying, and for a moment I thought I was going to lose balance.

     “Stand straight you fucking bitch!” He then shouts, and I gulped and held my ground as Claudio slapped me for the second time. And then another, and another.

     My cheeks ached so much that after a while, I couldn’t even feel them anymore. When Claudio was done with me, he turns back and washed his hands again. I slowly reached out for my cheeks with my trembling hand just so I could feel them. I then realized that the skin on my right cheek actually tore, which was why blood was dripping down my chin.

     I looked down at my blood-stained hand and slowly looked back at Claudio. Claudio was washing his face, and right after, he turns back to look at me again, but this time, his soft expression was back.

     “I’m sorry,” he suddenly tells me, grabbing my arm and pulling me in a tight embrace. “I’m sorry I hit you. You irritated me so I couldn’t control myself. You understand, right?” He asks as I rested my chin on his shoulder.

    My body continued to tremble as I felt the unbearable pain in my cheeks. Claudio probably noticed because he started to caress my back, almost like he was trying to comfort me.

    “Don’t worry, we’ll go to the ball together. I won’t allow anyone to hurt you,” he says, pulling away from me to look back at my face. When he saw that I was crying, Claudio sighs and reaches out to wipe the tears away, ignoring the fact that I was bleeding because of him.

     “Now now, don’t cry. I won’t do it again, I promise,” he tells me.

     Claudio continues to stare at me for a while, and then a smile appears on his face as he says, “Your eyes really are beautiful. When we go to the ball, don’t cover them. I want people to see it. Is that clear?”

     “Y-Yes…master C-Claudio,” I tried to say, and Claudio smiles at me again and leans close to kiss my bleeding cheek.

     “Alright, now head back and help out the others. I’ll just wrap things up here,” he says, letting go of me and turning away so he wouldn’t be able to look at me anymore.

    I swallowed the lump in my throat and slowly bowed my head before finally heading out of the room. As soon as I closed the door, I dropped to the floor and started sobbing.

     Laurence was right.

     We can’t run away from Claudio.

     Not anymore.

to be continued…

(28) Eyes Don’t Lie

⚕︎

TODAY WAS THE MASQUERADE  ball, the ball where master Claudio was going to release his second plague. I was told that I was going to come with him as his guest and not as his butler, and like the obedient boy that I was, I agreed, as if there was ever an option for me to decline it.

     I washed my face and turned the faucet off before looking in the mirror. I almost startled myself when I saw what I looked like. My hair was now completely black, and my eyes were a natural brown and blue. Claudio said that he didn’t want me to cover the other eye even though I didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to get beaten either so I just did what I was told.

     “I look hideous,” I tell myself.

     “ You’ve honestly looked worst,“ Someone in my head suddenly replies, and I wasn’t even sure if it was Autumn or Alice. But based on the tone of the voice, I could guess it was coming from the pretty one.

     “Like you guys could do any better,” I answer back as I walked out of the restroom so I could change my clothes.

     On top of my bed was a tuxedo made by Ms. Sunny, and a black mask that perfectly matched it. I’m still a bit confused as to why master Claudio asked me to come with him as a guest, but seeing how the ball is hosted by the Ricci family, I can say that the evil doctor is planning something again. All I have to do now is prepare myself for the worse.

     I stripped and used my shirt to wipe my face, but just as I was about to wear some pants, the door to my room suddenly opens. For a second I thought that it was going to be Lino, but to my surprise, it was the evil doctor himself, master Claudio.

     “Master!” I shout, startled by his sudden appearance. I couldn’t help but cover my naked upper body as Claudio closed the door behind him. He was already wearing the white suit that Ms. Sunny prepared for him, and he was also wearing his gold mask that covered his intimidating eyes.

    “Looks like black hair suits you,” he says as he approaches me, unconsciously making me take a step back. When Claudio stopped moving, he reaches out to touch my cheek. “It seems like the scar is gone now,” he says,and I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked away from him.

     “Let me help you,” he then tells me.

     I didn’t answer him, but Claudio takes the shirt that I used to cover my body and dropped it on the floor. Right after that, he takes the pants from the bed and hands them over to me.

     “T-Thank you,” I say as I wore the pants myself. He then takes the shirt and helped me wear it next, and then the coat that had such a beautiful pattern that it even left me in awe.

     When I was now wearing the suit, Claudio takes a step back and stares at me from head to toe. “Perfect,” he says, and all I could do was look away from him again. His words were poison to me, and they stung every time he spoke.

     “Now take a seat, I’ll help you wear your shoes,” he then tells me. I didn’t know why he was doing such a thing, but I sat on the edge of the bed anyway as Claudio took some socks and the pair of shoes that I was supposed to wear.

     Claudio kneels in front of me, and the way I was looking down at him made me gulp. He then takes my left foot and gently grabs hold of it. I thought he was going to put on my sock, but then he brings my foot closer to him, and without any warning, he presses his soft lips on it, making my body shiver.

     “M-Master…”

     “Is there a problem?” He asks, and I couldn’t even answer him, so Claudio chuckles and puts on my sock and shoe without saying anything else.

     When I already had my shoes on, Claudio adjusted himself and starts tying the laces for me. While he was doing so, he tells me, “The ball is going to be filled with a lot of powerful people, but our main target is the Ricci family.”

    The moment he said the family name, my heart starts beating fast, but I didn’t say anything. But sadly, it seems like I couldn’t mask my emotion enough because Claudio looked back at me with such a menacing grin that it made the hair on my skin stand.

     “Why? Are you worried about your precious Teo?” He asks, and I looked away from him again.

     Claudio finished tying my lace and stood up from the floor. He then move closer to me and grabs my chin so I could forcefully look back at him. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing for you to worry about. I’m not going to touch him. In fact, that’s the reason why I asked you to come with me.”

     “W-what do you mean?” I asked, and Claudio takes my mask and gently put it on my face before saying, “I want you to distract him for me.”

     Distract him? What is he talking about?

     “I already have a plan set up, so for the poison, there’s nothing else you have to worry about. But what you do have to worry about is that stupid cop. He has great instincts, and it would be troublesome if he notices what was going on. I want you to get him out of the ball before it officially starts and take him somewhere far. Sound easy right? And the best part, he won’t even be harmed. It’s a win-win for both of us,” Claudio explains with a smile, and I couldn’t believe that he would even ask such a thing from me.

     Of course, I wanted to decline; I have made it clear to him that I did not want to associate with Mateo anymore. But if I don’t do this, there’s a higher chance that he’ll get caught up with that poison, and based on how Claudio even got fucked up by it while he was testing it, I could safely assume that the poison is stronger than the last one.

     “All I have to do is get him out of the ball, right?” I finally asked, and the smile on Claudio’s face turned into a grin.

    “Yes,” he answers, adjusting my mask so it wouldn’t fall off. “But of course, you’re not going to act as Bishop, that would ruin the plan. Get him out of there without him realizing who you are. If he finds out that the two of us came together, then there will be trouble. Is that understood Bishop?” He asks, and I nodded my head to agree to his terms.

     “Good.” Claudio leans towards me and gently kisses my forehead before offering me his arm. “Shall we go?” He then asks, and I hesitated for a while but took his hand anyway as we walked out of my bedroom to head to one of the town’s most awaited parties, unaware of the plague that will soon fall upon them.

…

Tons of cars were parked outside this mansion that looked more like a city hall than it was a home. It wasn’t as big as the mayor’s house, or even Mr. Ludwig’s mansion, but it was enormous nonetheless.

     “I’ll park in front of the entrance master Claudio,” Lino says, looking back at us through the rearview mirror before driving towards the mansion, following just behind the other cars that dropped off men with well-tailored suits, and women with their extravagant gowns.

     When it was our turn to park in front of the mansion, a man wearing a navy blue suit opens the door for us. Claudio heads out first, and then, to my surprise, he reaches out his hand for me to grab it. I didn’t want to though, but I took it anyway as Claudio and I faced the crowd who were waiting outside.

    The people stared at us as Claudio made me hold onto his arm. Unlike the time when we arrived at Mr. Ludwig’s party, the guests didn’t storm their way toward us to greet Claudio, making me realize that they probably don’t recognize him because of the mask.

     So the two of us walked to the entrance without any fuss. When we got to the main door, a guard then stops us and asks for an invitation, and so Claudio pulls out an invitation and hands it over to him.

     “Good evening sir,” the guard says after reading the name on the invitation. “I apologize for stopping you,” he then says before looking back in my direction. I thought the guard was going to recognize me as his butler, but before he could say anything, Claudio tells him, “This is my courtesan. He’s coming with me as a guest.”

     Did he just say, courtesan?

     “Oh yes, of course. Please come in and enjoy the party,” he finally states as he opens the door for us.

     Claudio and I glanced at each other before entering the party. Inside, two women escorted us to a hall, and there we were welcomed by dozens of guests, chatting, drinking martinis, and dancing on the dance floor while an orchestra played at the back.

     “Claudio!” Someone suddenly calls out, surprising me because I didn’t expect anyone to recognize him that fast.

     Claudio and I turned around and saw this man wearing a deep red suit approaching us. I couldn’t recognize him at first, but when I noticed his white hair, I instantly remembered who he was.

     “Mr. Ludwig,” he greets, and the two shook their hands together.

     “You actually wore the white suit that you mentioned. If you didn’t tell me beforehand, I wouldn’t have recognized you, but I think only you would be able to pull something off anyway,” Mr. Ludwig tells him, and Claudio laughs at the compliment.  Why would Claudio tell him that he’s going to wear white? Did he purposely want Mr. Ludwig to recognize him?

     “By the way, I would like to apologize for the incident that happened at my party. It seem like one of the dishes served to us had some kind of mushroom which made us feel sick. I ended up firing most of my chefs because of how embarrassed I was,” Mr. Ludwig suddenly explains, surprising me.

     Mushroom? What mushroom? Did Claudio get lucky or did—

     “ Lino, “ I unconsciously whisper to myself, making Mr. Ludwig stop talking so he could look at me.

     “Wait, who’s this? I thought you’d be with your butler, but it seems like you brought someone else,” he says, showing me his hand. I glanced at Claudio first, and when he nods his head to permit me, I grabbed Mr. Ludwig’s and shook it. But the businessman doesn’t shake it at all. Instead, he kisses the back of it, surprising me.

     “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my name is Ludwig Vanderbilt,” he introduces, but I didn’t say anything back because he might recognize my voice.

     “This is my courtesan…” Claudio then says. “His name is Winter Hollow.”

     As soon as Claudio said that name out loud, I immediately pulled my hand away from Mr. Ludwig, startling him. I wanted to say something, but then Mr. Ludwig moves closer to me and suddenly commented, “Oh, how peculiar, I didn’t notice your eyes. They’re a different color. Very exotic.”

     Exotic?

     “Mr. Ludwig, shall we talk about your next project? I heard you’re going to donate thousands for the town,” master Claudio suddenly says, shifting Mr. Ludwig’s attention back to him.

     “Ah yes, I have. Looks like word travel fast. I’m planning to give my donation during the town’s 100th anniversary. I think that’s going to be more meaningful,” Mr. Ludwig answers. While Mr. Ludwig was busy talking about his supposed project, Claudio leans toward me and whispered, “ find the cop. “

    I nodded my head and let go of Claudio’s arm before slowly walking away from them. Mr. Ludwig must have been so enthusiastic to talk about that project of his because he didn’t even notice that I was already gone.

     “ Now where shall I go ?“ I ask myself, looking around the hall in hopes to find officer Mateo Ricci. I don’t know what others would say, but finding someone is difficult when they’re wearing masks. Before I thought it would be easy to recognize them, but I was completely wrong. The eyes really do reveal a person.

    Without any delay, I looked around the hall, searching for Teo. At times I would mistake him for someone else so I’d accidentally bump myself into them, only to be glared at. I had to literally search for every corner of the hall, but it seems like the host of the party is nowhere to be found, so I strayed away from the party and wandered around for a bit, hoping our paths would eventually cross.

    After walking down a long corridor, I stumbled upon a balcony that overlooked the town, similar to Ludwig’s mansion.

     I walked towards the balustrade and leaned on it, staring at the town that Claudio seemed to hate so much. It has been made clear to me that Capo de Monti holds secrets that may be darker than I expected.

     Like what Teo had told me before, there was a mad scientist on top of the hill. The mad scientist made an experiment that went terribly wrong, and so the town barged into his manor and killed him, and by the way Teo explained the story, I could tell that they killed him in a very gruesome way.

     But was the mad scientist truly mad? Did he really do something so horrid that the entire town wanted him dead?

     What did this mad scientist do, and how is Claudio related to him?

     “Sir, you shouldn’t be here,” a voice suddenly says, immediately making me turn around to face them. I didn’t know what to expect, but when I saw who it was, I was instantly subjected to her beauty. She was wearing this tight sequinned black dress that shimmered thanks to the moonlight. She was also wearing a mask, yet you could tell how gorgeous her features were. I couldn’t help but stare.

    “What are you doing here?” She asks, and I quickly cleared my throat and stood straight. “I apologize, I’m terrible around people I don’t know so I decided to find someplace quiet for a while.”

     I thought the woman was going to tell me to leave, but then she chuckles and walked towards the balustrade to stare at the view as well. “Looks like we’re the same,” she says. “I get anxious when people stare.”

     “Then I apologize for my action earlier,” I quickly say, making her laugh.

     “Oh, don’t worry, I do get anxious, but at times I enjoy the gaze of others, especially when I’m being gazed on by such a handsome man like yourself,” she then tells me, and I smiled and stood beside her, trying not to stare too much.

     The woman then turns to look at me. And after a while, she says, “You seem familiar, almost like I’ve seen you somewhere,” she then adds.

     “Then I would have been the luckiest man on earth to have been recognized by someone like you,” I say, and the lady chuckles, charming me with her smile. I laughed with her, genuinely happy to have met her like this, but as we were enjoying each other’s company, someone suddenly arrives at the scene.

     “Isabella,” he calls out, and the moment I heard the name, my eyes instantly widened in surprise. Isabella, I remember that name. I met her at the mayor’s party, and if my memory serves me right, she’s Mateo’s courtesan. Then that means that the man who just got here is…

     “Mateo,” she calls out, and a tall man approaches us, his presence overwhelming me in an instant.

     “What are you doing here? My mother is about to make her entrance. You should be with the rest of the guests,” Mateo tells her, completely ignoring me.

     “Oh please, it’s not like I’m needed there. Besides, your older brother would be at the hall too and I’m trying to avoid him,” she then answers, and the two of them started bickering at each other, showing their closeness.

     I couldn’t say a single thing as I stared at the two of them. I felt like something in my heart was stabbed. Seeing Mateo with such a fine woman felt painful yet right. This is the person who he should be with, not a man with a split personality whose neck is chained by an evil doctor.

     “Anyway, you should head back now. I’m being serious,” Teo says, and Isabella sighs but follows him anyway.

    “I apologize, I’ll have to leave first,” she suddenly says, looking back at me this time. “It was a pleasure to meet you,” she then adds before running back to the party.

     Mateo, who looked just as handsome as I expected him to be, looks back at me too before bowing his head as a sign of farewell. He was about to follow Isabella inside, but then he suddenly turns to me and asks, “Have I…met you before?”

     Something inside me instantly sparks when he asked me that question, and I almost smiled if I wasn’t able to control myself. He somehow recognizes me. Even with my different hair and eyes, he still recognizes me. But no, Bishop, you can’t be swayed. You promised that you won’t involve yourself with him anymore. You’re just here to keep him away from the ball like Claudio instructed. That’s all you have to do.

     “Have I?” He asked again, and I quickly shook my head, trying my best not to speak because I was afraid that he might recognize my voice.

     Mateo continues to stare at me, but after a while, he clears his throat and looks away. “Well then, I hope you enjoy the party.” Teo bows his head at me and was about to leave, but my feet instantly moved by themselves and I grabbed his hand in complete panic. Teo stopped walking and turned to look back at me. I could hear music coming from the hall, indicating that the ball is now starting. This was the exact time that Claudio told me to distract Mateo, so without thinking about it, I pretended to faint.

    “Whoa, are you okay?” He asks, grabbing me just in time before I could fall.

     Mateo wraps his arms around me and helps me stand properly. “Are you okay?” He asks me again, but when he stared at my eyes, Teo suddenly stopped, almost like he froze. He doesn’t say anything as the two of us continued to stare at each other. After a while, Teo blinked and looked away.

     “I’ll bring you to a room so you can rest,” he says, taking my arm and draping it around his shoulders so he could help me walk properly.

     Mateo brought me to a guest room and guided me to the bed. When I was now lying on it, Mateo looks down at me and says, “I’ll call for someone to give you medicine. Afterward, when you’re now fully rested, you can head home.”

     Mateo was about to leave, but I grabbed his coat, stopping him the second time. Mateo turns to look at me, staring at my hand that wouldn’t let go of him. For a second I thought he was going to get mad, but to my surprise, he chuckles and suddenly takes a seat on the edge of the bed.

     “You keep on making me stay,” he tells me. “A suspicious man who won’t speak,” he then adds before looking at the large window in front of us. “But I guess it’s fine, I do need a little peace and quiet. My family has been very busy with this ball. They want everything to be perfect since it’s mama’s birthday. After what happened at Ludwig’s, we’ve doubled our security and checked every ingredient that would arrive in the kitchen,” he explains to me.

     “I guess I could stay here for a while. No one would look for me anyway,” he explains further, surprising me because I wasn’t expecting him to share such a thing with me.

    “Oh how rude, I haven’t even introduced myself haven’t I?” he then says, looking back at me. “My name is Mateo Ricci, what’s yours?” he asks.

     I tried my best not to say a word, and Teo must have guessed that I wasn’t going to speak to him, so he chuckles and says, “Of course, you seem to be the quiet type. I guess you’re not too—”

     “Winter,” I finally answer, changing my voice a little so he wouldn’t be able to recognize it.

     Mateo stopped talking, but then a smile appears on his face, that darn smile that could make my heart beat so fast to the point where I could just faint.

     “Winter,” he repeats. “That’s a beautiful name. It fits you,” he then says, making me look away so he wouldn’t notice my flustered reaction. Teo then becomes quiet for a while, but soon after, he reaches out to touch my head. “It perfectly fits your real hair,” he suddenly reveals. 

     My eyes widened from shock and I immediately sat up, looking at Mateo with complete disbelief.

     “Don’t you agree, Bishop?” He asks, reaching out to remove the mask that I was wearing, revealing to him my bare face.

     “H-How did you—”

     “Eyes don’t lie,” he says, now removing his mask as well. “I wasn’t sure at first, but your reactions made me certain that it was you. Have you not noticed that your cheeks become pink when you’re embarrassed?”

     I quickly looked away from Teo, making him chuckle at my response.

     “So, why are you disguised like this? Does Claudio even know that you’re here?” he then asks.

     This is bad, I wasn’t expecting him to notice so fast. What am I going to do now? Claudio specifically told me that Mateo can’t know that I came here with him. I don’t want to be scolded by him again.

     “P-please don’t tell him,” I say in the heat of the moment, making Teo furrow his brows in confusion.

     “Master Claudio doesn’t know that I’m here,” I lied, immediately thinking of something that would still be enough to keep Claudio’s plans from spoiling. If I pretend that Claudio doesn’t know that I’m here, then Teo won’t suspect anything. And besides, only Mr. Ludwig has seen me with master Claudio. I’ll be able to come up with something if a problem occurs.

     “He didn’t want me to come with him after the incident that happened at the last party, but when I heard that your family was hosting it, I wanted to—”

     “Wanted to what?” Mateo asks with a serious tone.

     I gulped and looked down, staring at my hands so I wouldn’t have to look at Teo’s intense gaze. “I wanted to see you,” I then tell him, but this time, it wasn’t a lie. When I heard about this ball, I really was hoping to see him, and I was willing to just watch him from afar if Claudio didn’t ask me to do all this.

     “You must really like me then sir Winter,” Mateo then teases, finally making me look back at him.

     “I-It’s not like that. I just…I wanted to—” As I try to think of the right words to say, Teo cuts me off and asks me, “Is this you flirting back, or are you just trying to be nice to me?”

     His question made me give out a shy smile, and that made Teo smile back at me too. The two of us became quiet for a while. The room was dark, and the only light was coming from the moon outside the window. For some reason, the ambiance was perfectly calming. I could lie in bed and sleep now, knowing full well that Teo would watch over me if I did.

     “Are you really feeling unwell?” He then asks, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

     “I apologize, I was faking that too,” I revealed, making Teo laugh. Afterward, he looks back at me and stares into my eyes.

     “Your eyes, they’re…”

     “Exotic?”

     “Beautiful,” he corrects, making me look away from him again because no one has genuinely said such a thing to me before.

     Teo reached out to touch my chin, forcing me to look back at him again. When our eyes met, Mateo stares at them, his gaze intense that I could feel my cheeks burning.

    “I’ve wanted to see you too, Bishop,” he tells me, his hand now touching the cheek that was once bruised because of Claudio. Last time, Claudio had slapped me to the point where it started bleeding, but with Teo, his hands were gentle, almost like he was afraid to hurt me. I felt so safe that I couldn’t help but close my eyes to feel his warmth.

     “ Bishop, “ Teo softly whispers, making me open my eyes to look back at him. He gently caressed his thumb on my cheeks as the dark and quiet room slowly consumed us. All I could hear was the distant music from the party and our heavy breaths.

     “Bishop,” he calls out again. “May I kiss you?” he finally asks.

     His question surprised me, and all I could do was swallow the lump in my throat, trying my best not to give in. I wanted to decline his offer, to look away and pretend like this never happened. But I could no longer deceive myself. I could no longer pretend like I didn’t want this man.

     “You ask as if I would say no,” I answer him, and Mateo smiles and finally presses his lips on mine, and for the first time, I felt as if I was whole…as if I had full control of myself like twelve years ago.

to be continued…

(29) Drop Like Flies [m]

⚕︎

TEO PRESSES HIS LIPS on mine, and I was instantly brought into a world of sweet ecstasy. No one has ever touched me the way he does. It was gentle and warm, cautious even. If I could, I would stay like this forever.

     His warm hand holds onto my cheeks while his other hand held onto my waist. He gently pulls me closer to him, our body now inches away from each other. When I could already feel him getting closer, I pulled my lips apart, giving him permission to put his tongue inside. Teo was hesitant at first, but as I pushed myself further into him, he finally slides his tongue inside my mouth.

     A moan escaped my mouth as Teo pulls me even closer to him, our bodies finally pressed against each other. I could feel his warmth on me, and I could feel my desires growing every second.

     “ Bishop… “ he calls out under his breath as our lips quickly parted, but it didn’t even take a second before they were pressed together again.

     My hands were both still, but after a while, they slowly snake their way towards his coat. I try to remove it for him, but when Teo noticed what I was doing, he quickly pulls away from my lips, panting heavily as he looked straight into my eyes.

    He doesn’t say anything and just stares, and knowing that he could see them made me look away. People looked at my eyes like they were some kind of novelty. They treated it as something that’s interesting to look at, pretending to act like it’s a compliment when it’s only because they find it peculiar. But Teo was different. He grabbed my chin and made me look back at him. He looked at my eyes so lovingly, as if he was looking at the real me.

     “Do you want us to continue?” He then asks me.

     I ignored his question and moved closer so I could kiss him again, but Teo pulls away before our lips could even touch. “Do you want to continue? I want you to say it,” he insists. “I want you to be sure.”

     “To be sure?” I repeated, and Teo nods his head while tucking a strand of hair behind my ear so it wouldn’t cover my eyes.

     “Yes,” he answers. “I want you to sure, to be certain that this is what you want. Because once we do this, there’s no turning back anymore. Things will be different between you and me.”

     “And why would it be different?” I genuinely ask him, and Teo smiles, probably amazed by my innocence, or maybe just amused by my ignorance

     “I’m not very fond of one-night stands, Bishop. I only hold those whose feelings I am certain of,” he tells me, and for some reason, that surprised me more than anything I’ve heard since I moved to this town. How is that even possible that there are still men like him? Why is that more terrifying than someone who would treat me like absolute trash?

     “Then does that mean that you haven’t held Isabella yet? Or were you planning to do so tonight?” I ask him, and Mateo stops and stares at me with furrowed brows like the question confused him. But after a while, he finally understood what I meant and suddenly started laughing. This time, it was my turn to look at him with furrowed brows.

     “Isabella? You mean Bella, my brother’s courtesan?” Mateo then asks, making me tilt my head to the side like a confused dog.

     “Your brother’s?”

     “Well, I believe they’re more than that but they argue most of the time so she tends to stay beside me to annoy him. It’s very complicated,” Teo explains. “And if it’s not already obvious enough, I don’t hold women. They’re not my cup of tea, or rather, they’re quite unappealing if you get what I mean.”

     I stared at Teo for a second, and when I saw the look on his face, I ended up hiding in his chest because of complete embarrassment. Why did I even ask such a thing? He’s here practically french kissing me and I worry about him holding another woman. I must really have no shame.

     “My intention was not to question your sexuality. I hope that wasn’t rude,” I say, and Teo laughs and makes me look back at him, leaning close to quickly kiss me.

     “Your ears are completely red Bishop,” he then teases, making me hit him.

     Teo continued to laugh, but when he finally calmed down, he tells me, “So you’ve been worried about that all this time?”

     “Well, you were with her during the mayor’s party so I assumed what was supposed to be obvious,” I honestly tell him, and Teo nods his head like he completely understands where I’m coming from.

     “That makes sense, but during that party at the mayor’s mansion, my eyes only followed this particularly remarkable butler whose hair was as white as snow. For the first time I’ve met Claudio, I’ve never been more jealous of him but that night,” he reveals, making me gulp.

     “ Now tell me, Bishop, would you like us to continue? “ He asks for the last time.

     “ Like the time I was jealous of Isabella who proudly stood beside you, it would be such a dream to hold the man I’ve desired for so long, “ I answer with no hesitation, and finally, after all that waiting, Teo presses his lips on me again, but this time, with more hunger and valor.

     While the two of us passionately exchanged kisses, Teo started undressing his coat, and so I reached out and unbuttoned his shirt for him too, exposing his chiseled body that could make me drool in an instant. When he was finally shirtless, Teo pulls away from me and checked on me again. For a second I thought he was hesitating, so I started removing my clothes as well until I was completely naked on my upper body.

     “Will you help me strip, Mr. Policeman?” I seductively ask, and Teo chuckles and unzips my pants before pulling them off me until I was now completely naked. Even though it was dark, I still couldn’t help but be embarrassed. Claudio has seen me in this state before, but most of the time his eyes are lifeless and uninterested. But Teo looked at me like he adored every inch of me; as if he couldn’t wait to taste me.

     “ Beautiful, “ he whispers, leaning close to gently kiss my shoulder. “Absolutely beautiful,” he continues while looking back at me this time. Teo then kisses my neck, and when he was about to kiss my lips again, I pulled away and got off the bed, surprising him.

     “What are you—”

     “Let me,” I say, pulling his body towards me. I then kneeled in between his legs and quickly unzipped his pants. “Let me wet this for you first,” I tell him as his huge bulge waited just right in front of my face. I licked my lips and finally pulled his cock out of his underwear, and as soon as I pulled it out, I immediately swallowed the lump in my throat at the mere sight of it.

     His size was remarkable.

     How on earth am I going to put that inside me?

     “You look startled,” Teo teases, and I looked back at him, only to see a cheeky grin on his face.

     “Don’t challenge me,” I dared say, leaning close as my hot breath warmed his cock up, making him shiver. I licked the tip, tasting it a little before I decide to put it in my mouth. Surprisingly enough, it had a pleasant smell, almost sweet. He must have taken a bath right before I met up with him on the balcony earlier.

     Now a little confident, I licked him again, but more aggressively this time. While I was doing so, I glanced back at Teo to check his reaction. Thankfully this police officer seemed to be enjoying it.

     Teo was using both of his hands as support, leaning back so I could have better access to him. After licking the tip and playing with it a couple of times, I put my tongue out and let the saliva drip on his cock. When it was wet enough, I used my hands and started rubbing on it, going gentle at first as my speed gradually increased.

     “S-Shit…” Teo curses as I start going faster, tightening my hold on him until I could feel his legs shiver. Before he could cum on my face, I stopped what I was doing and touched his balls instead. I licked him again before finally putting his large thing inside my mouth. I had to open my mouth wider, making sure my teeth won’t accidentally scrape him.

     I was still at the tip, but then I slowly lowered myself, making tears form in my eyes as I did so. Almost half of it was still left but I could already feel him getting closer to my throat. Putting him all inside my mouth would be completely impossible.

     “ Fuck, that feels really good ,“ Teo mumbles to himself while thrusting towards me so I could go deeper. I tried my best to go further, but when I thought that I was about to choke, I quickly pulled out, panting heavily like I was about to drown.

     Since I couldn’t use my mouth anymore, all I could do was use my hand instead, squeezing his balls while I continue to lick the tip of his cock. Thankfully Teo seemed to like it since he already has his eyes closed from the pleasure. His legs shiver again, and I could tell that he was moments away from releasing his seed, so I quickly stopped and pulled away from him, instantly making him look back at me.

     “Let’s not waste a single drop of that,” I tell him, licking his cock for one last time before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

     “You’re such a tease,” he says, and I chuckled and sat on his lap, pressing my hole on his hard bulge while he wiped the tears off my eyes from earlier’s blowjob session.

     “Can you open me up a little?” I ask him as I drape my arms around his neck for support.

     “ If I knew you were this sexy, I would have already kissed you when I dropped you off last time, “ he whispers in my ear before touching my lips. “Can you make this wet for me first then?”

     Teo puts his fingers inside my mouth and I started sucking it with no hesitation. When it was finally wet enough, we starts massaging my entrance, making me bury my face in his shoulder from the sudden contact. Afterward, he slowly puts a finger in, and my body starts to tremble in an instant.

     “Does it hurt?” He asks.

     “N-No, keep going,” I answer, and Teo puts his second finger in, making me bite his neck because of how rough it felt. As a police officer, what kind of things has he done with such hands?

     “ You’re too tight Bishop, “ he whispers close to my ear, making the hair on my skin stand.

     Teo slowly pulls his fingers out, and then he thrusts them back in, which automatically sent chills down my spine. When he realized that my body finally relaxed, Teo starts thrusting his fingers faster. Now the room was filled with the sound coming from his wet fingers, mixed with the distant music coming from the party outside.

     “M-more…I want more,” I practically begged, so Teo goes even faster and harder than the last.

     I couldn’t help but moan for him, and it seemed that it was something that Teo liked because his member was starting to get harder. I could tell because it was being pressed against mine. So while Teo was thrusting his fingers inside me, I grabbed both of our cocks so I could rub them together.

     Our breaths started to get heavy, and our bodies were even sweating, but as Teo thrusts his fingers deeper inside, hitting a spot that made my entire body shiver, precum starts to shoot out of me, making both my hand and our cocks sticky.

     “W-wait, I’m going to cum. You have to…s-stop,” I quickly tell him before I accidentally climax. Teo stops like I asked him to and slowly pulls his fingers out of me, making me exhale in relief.

     “You look like you’re about to faint Bishop, and we haven’t even started yet,” he tells me with a playful grin on his face. “Do you still want to continue or should we stop?”

     “We could, but wouldn’t your family be looking for you at the party by then?” I ask while touching his face as if I was memorizing it.

     “It’s fine, they wouldn’t even notice that I’m gone,” he then answers, leaning close to kiss me again. But just when our lips were about to touch, we suddenly heard a distant scream, and in an instant, Teo stopped.

     “What was that?” He asks.

     “I don’t know. It sounded like a scream,” I answer, unsure because the music from the hall was still playing in the background.

     The two of us became quiet and waited for a couple of seconds, but as soon as we heard another scream, the two of us didn’t even hesitate. I quickly got off Mateo while Teo immediately stood from the bed. He zips his pants back and runs to the restroom to wash his hands. While unbuttoning his shirt, he looks back at me and says, “You stay here.”

     I was already grabbing my shirt from the floor when he said that, so I looked back at him and replied, “No, I’m coming with you. I need to see what’s going on.”

     “Don’t be stubborn. It could be dangerous, so while I check what that scream was about, you have to stay here,” he says before taking his coat. But instead of wearing it, he approached me and draped his coat around my shoulders before leaning close to give me a quick kiss.

     “I’ll be right back, alright? Just stay here. Promise me,” he says for one last time, and I bite my lip and didn’t have a choice but nod my head.

     Teo doesn’t say anything else and rushes out of the room. As soon as he left, I dropped the coat that was on my shoulder and quickly stood from the bed. I wore my pants and my shoes, and then I took my shirt and buttoned it back up. But as I was about to take my coat, I instantly notice the coat that Teo draped around me. I grabbed the coat from the floor and hugged it, his smell making me unsure of what I was planning to do.

     “Whatever that scream was, it had to do something with master Claudio. I have to leave now,” I say, trying not to panic.

     Master Claudio probably released the second plague. I don’t know what the results were, but judging by those screams, it could have been a terrible sight. If I don’t leave now and join master Claudio, I might get scolded by him, but if I do leave, I’ll be leaving Teo and breaking my promise to him.

     “ What should I do? “ I ask while pacing around the room, biting my nails as I anxiously wait for a miracle to happen. But as I was trying to think of something, I felt a sudden thug, almost like someone told me to stop moving.

     I stood in the middle of the dark room. But then, as the silence slowly consumed me, a voice suddenly whispers, “ Stay where you are. “

     “A-Alice?” I quickly ask, running to the vanity to check my reflection in the mirror. “Alice, is that you? Are you here? Please, I need your help.”

     I continued to stare at myself in silence, but as I was staring, I started to smell ashes or something like burnt wood. I blinked and reach out to touch my reflection, but just as my fingers touched the cold mirror, my tensed body instantly relaxes, and I was once again standing in an unfamiliar room.

     “How very troublesome,” I say to myself, brushing my hair back before looking at my reflection in the mirror. For a second I looked annoyed, but then a small smile appears on my face, making me sigh.

     “But this boy has never asked for my help before, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen him looking so happy,” I say, turning back and grabbing the mask that had fallen to the floor. There were two coats too, and I wasn’t sure what he was wearing earlier so I just took one and wore that.

     As soon as I was ready, I quickly opened the door and looked around, making sure that no one was around. When the coast was clear, I ran out of the room and tried to navigate myself inside this massive mansion. Thankfully I could hear the noise coming from the party, so I eventually arrived at the hall where everyone was.

     “ Where on earth could Dr. Giovanni be? “ I ask, looking around the hall. It also didn’t help that everyone else is wearing masks too.

     There were guards everywhere, and there was also a crowd of people surrounding something, so I walked toward the crowd and tried to push the guests away. As soon as I got to the front, I was surprised to see a woman lying on the floor. Her entire body was shaking, her mouth foaming, and her eyes bloodshot red. Standing beside her was a man who I did not recognize.

     “Has anyone called the ambulance yet?!” The man shouts, and the people around him just watched in horror, their reactions making me feel disgusted. Why are they just standing there? If they’re so scared then they should at least leave.

     “Mother, you’ll be alright,” the man then says, still kneeling on the floor to squeeze the poor woman’s hand.

     I watched in great curiosity, but before I could even turn back around, someone suddenly stands close to me and whispered, “ Looks like you’ve distracted Mateo well. “

     My eyes widened from shock as I quickly glance to my side to see Dr. Giovanni standing behind me with a creepy grin on his face. “ No one has recognized me yet, so we have to leave immediately before the poison kicks in, “ he continues to whisper.

     Wait, what does he mean by that? Is there more?

     “ I can’t leave yet, “ I answered, and I could tell that he was surprised because the grin on his face instantly disappears.

     “Why?” He asks back, his hand slowly holding onto my waist so I could move closer to him.

     “ It’s because I said so, and from what I recall, you are not my fucking master, “ I say with complete diction, removing his hands from me and turning to face him, my eyes showing great discomfort. I wanted to make him see that I wasn’t afraid of him. Out of all the alters, I didn’t find him terrifying one bit.

     Dr. Giovanni was surprised, but then his face turned into anger as he says, “ You’re not Bishop. “

     I was about to answer him, but then someone suddenly grabs me away from the evil doctor, startling me. The man turns me around so he could hide my face in his chest. He then wraps his arms around me, almost like he was protecting me. I didn’t know who he was at first, but then I recognize his scent. It was the same scent as the coat that I happened to be wearing.

     “I’m sorry, but who are you? Are you bothering my lover?” The man asks.

     “What did you just say?” I could hear Dr. Giovanni ask.

     “You and everyone else can leave. The party’s over!” He then announces, and the guards immediately started pushing the guests out of the hall. I still couldn’t see Dr. Giovanni either, but I could tell that he was being assisted outside like the rest.

     The man squeezes my shoulder and looks at me with a worried expression on his face. But before he could say something to me, a woman suddenly screams, and like flies, the guests started dropping onto the floor one by one.

to be continued…

(30) Yellow Brick Road

⚕︎

“I’M SORRY, BUT WHO  are you? Are you bothering my lover?” This unfamiliar man asks while my face was safely hidden against his chest.

     “What did you just say?” I could hear Dr. Giovanni ask back, his voice sounding a little more irritated than before.

     But the man holding onto me doesn’t say anything about it any further as he says instead, “You and everyone else can leave. The party’s over!” He announces, and the guards immediately started pushing the guests out of the hall. I still couldn’t see Dr. Giovanni either, but I could tell that he was being assisted outside like the rest.

     While everyone was leaving the hall, the man squeezes my shoulder and looks at me with a worried expression on his face. But before he could say something to me, a woman suddenly screams, startling both of us. We looked around the hall, and out of nowhere, the guests started dropping to the floor one by one.

     “W-What’s going on?” The man confusingly asks, panic present in his voice.

     “Master Mateo, the ambulance arrived, but the guests are suddenly fainting. What do we do?” One of the guards says to the man whose name is Mateo.

     “We need more ambulances. Call for backup,” he replied, trying his best not to panic.

     I couldn’t understand what was going on either, but when I turned and saw Dr. Giovanni looking back at us with a grin on his face, my eyes widened from shock and I quickly pulled out a handkerchief to cover master Mateo’s nose. “Cover your mouth and don’t breath the air as much as you can,” I tell him, making him look back at me with furrowed brows.

     “Bishop, what are you talking about?” He confusingly asks as he tries to push my hand away, but then I notice that his eyes started to water, so I quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him outside the mansion where the other guests were running to as well.

     As soon as we got out, the guests who successfully made it started coughing blood, while some were vomiting. I didn’t understand why I didn’t get affected by it, but thankfully the man who saved me from doctor Giovanni looked fine.

     “What happened there? Why did you suddenly cover my nose?” Master Mateo asks while looking at me.

     Looks like I have to think of something so he won’t find me suspicious.

     “Looking at the state of the guests, it seemed like there are toxic gas in the hall. Their eyes were watery and their skin didn’t look good. It’s something my father talked about since he was a soldier,” I explained, and thankfully the young master looked like he believed me.

     “Then I have to check if there are still people inside,” he says as he was about to run away, but then, my hand moves on his own. It grabbed master Mateo’s hand and stopped him. Why am I even holding onto him so tightly? Is it because of Bishop?

     “Bishop, you have to let go. People might still be inside,” he tells me.

     “N-No, you can’t. It’s better to call the police.”

     “But I am the police,” he then replies, and without any warning, he grabs both of my cheeks and leans close to kiss me, my heart racing in an instant. As soon as our lips parted, Teo pushes my hand away and runs back to the mansion.

     “Teo!” I called out in complete desperation. I was about to follow him back, but someone suddenly covers my mouth and pulls me away from the busy crowd. I turned my head and saw that it was actually Lino.

     I tried to push him away, but Lino—who’s stronger than anyone in the manor—doesn’t even budge. He drags me away until we finally arrive back at the car. He shoves me inside and then slams the door before rushing to the driver’s seat. As he speedily drives off the scene, I looked at the man sitting beside me with a blank expression.

     “Claudio, what have you fucking done?” I asked, and master Claudio removes his mask and started laughing like a complete maniac.

     “Your face…you should see your face,” he says in between laughs. “No one else will look at me like that other than you, Bishop.”

     I clenched my fist and tried my best not to throw a punch at him. How could he be so relaxed after knowing that dozens of people are practically suffering from that plague he brought upon them?

     “That gas will probably kill everyone in that mansion and all you do is laugh?!” I shout at him. “You said we were only targeting three families. This isn’t just three families anymore.”

     “Oh Bishop, I already told you didn’t I? Casualties. Those who succumb to these good-for-nothing families will get caught with them. It’s their fault for being so blind,” he says, and my entire body just trembles.

     This man has really lost his mind. I was a fool to believe he’ll ever let me go after everything he’s done. He’ll definitely kill me and all of my other alters.

     “By the way, you did your job well tonight. You distracted Mateo to the point where he didn’t notice a thing. Now his entire family is probably dying or dead, and that’s all thanks to you,” Claudio then says, and as soon as he said those words to me, I threw myself at him and grabbed him by the collar in a complete rage.

     So this is the reason why he asked me to come to this party and distract Teo. He was going to use this to blackmail me. He knew how all this was going to affect me.

     “I knew from the very beginning what kind of person you are, but now I can see how much of a monster you truly can be. I should have run away when I still had a chance. It’s better than following you in this hell!” I shouted at him.

     I thought he would answer me, but a smile slowly appears on his face instead until it gradually turned into a grin. The way he looked at me sent shivers down my spine, so I quickly tried to pull away from him. But just before I could move back, I suddenly felt something cold touch my arm.

     My heart races as I looked down to check. I didn’t know what it was, but when I saw the long needle that was pushed against my skin, my entire body freezes in an instant.

     “Y-you…”

     “You’ve done well my sweet Bishop. Now it’s time for you to rest,” Claudio tells me.

     I was about to wrap my arms around his neck, but before I could even move a muscle, my vision starts to blur and my body practically goes numb. I fall towards Claudio, and Claudio catches me and wraps his arms around me so my head could rest on his shoulder.

     I couldn’t move so Claudio just caressed my back like he was trying to comfort me.

     “ I-I’ll fucking kill you… “ I managed to say, and Claudio just smiled, kissing my head until I eventually lost consciousness.

…

A bright light flashes in front of me, making me squint my eyes to adjust to it. But as I scratched my eyes and opened them back, I realized that the light actually came from the burning house that was standing in front of me.

     I looked around and noticed that I was once again back in my hometown, Totten’s Landing. Behind me was a dark forest that had no signs of life, but when I looked back at the burning house, the fire had already disappeared, and everything was now covered in ashes.

     “Hello? Is anyone there?” I asked, walking towards the house that was now completely destroyed. But as I got closer, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a young boy, running behind the rubble.

     “Hey!” I called out, immediately chasing after him.

     I ran inside the house and tried to chase the young boy. I could hear him laughing in a distance, almost like he was trying to play with me. But as I was moments away from grabbing his arm, I suddenly stepped on a puddle. It confused me because I didn’t know that I’d stumble upon any kind of water in this barren land, but when I looked down, the puddle was so clear that I could even see my reflection.

     I stared at my reflection for a while, but then, the image of me smiled. It then got out of the puddled and grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the water. But just before I could fall in, my eyes opened and I started gasping for air.

     “ Dream…it’s only a dream… “ I quickly tell myself, holding onto my chest that was beating fast. When I finally brought myself back to reality, I took a deep breath and looked around. I thought I would be back in my bedroom, but I realized that everything was completely dark, and the only light was coming from the small window.

     I immediately stood up and kept myself calm so I wouldn’t panic. I tried my best to scan the area, but when I saw this slim figure sitting on an old metal bed, my body flinched and I quickly backed away, hitting my back on the wall until I could no longer move.

     “You’re finally awake,” a familiar voice says.

     I furrowed my brows in confusion, but when I realized where I actually was, my body finally relaxed. “Oz,” I say, and Oz chuckled after hearing his name.

     “People here usually call me Patient 03, but who really cares when we’re all going to die anyway,” he casually says as he moves a little, the chains on his ankle making a sound as he did.

     The two of us didn’t say anything, so I let my guard down and just sat on the floor, hugging Teo’s coat that I was thankfully still wearing. I didn’t know why I was here, but at least it was better than being with that monster, Claudio.

     “What have you done to be sent here in my room of all places? Don’t they have an extra empty room in this humungous manor?” He asks soon after, and this time, it was my turn to chuckle.

     “I should be asking the same question,” I honestly say as I looked out the window. The sun hasn’t appeared yet, but I could tell that it was going to come out soon.

     “Hey, you, have you killed somebody before?” Oz suddenly asks.

     “That’s a difficult question coming from someone who managed to kill 38 people,” I tell him, and Oz didn’t show any reaction. It could be because he thought nothing of it, or maybe because he just didn’t want to think about it too much.

     “Such numbers,” he says. “I can’t imagine killing all that. To be honest with you, I kill people one at a time, but when you sum it all up like that, it makes it feel surreal,” he continues to say, and I didn’t try to comment on what he said because I didn’t want to give him any reaction. Whatever his reason was, that was still 38 people.

     “I’m assuming you don’t want to hear my sad backstory as to why I ended up killing so much,” Oz then says, and I still didn’t answer him.

     “I figured.”

     “You’re only nineteen. You could have done more with your life,” I tell him instead, and Oz just kept quiet. I guess knowing less about him is better than knowing anything. I don’t want to end up feeling any remorse like before.

     “Hunter…he’s dead, isn’t he?” Oz suddenly asks right after, surprising me.

     I didn’t answer him, or rather, I didn’t want to answer him. I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but more than that, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he could be the next person to be buried in that pit. 

     Unfortunately, my silence probably confirmed his speculations because Oz ended up laughing this time. To be honest, if I was in his situation I would laugh too.

     “No wonder I haven’t seen him around anymore, that charming fella,” he says. “Always smiling at the nurses and flaunting his perfect body, yet he died before anyone else. I thought that pig would be killed first but I guess being good-looking really does have its privilege.”

     “Don’t say that,” I tell him, and Oz quickly looks back at me.

     “Why, you two fucked?” He asks, and instead of being offended, I just brushed his question away.

     “I was the last person he saw before he died,” I revealed, but before Oz could say anything, my eyes widened from shock as I repeated, “I was the last person he saw before he died.”

     I quickly stood from the floor and looked at Oz. “ You’re next, “ I whisper under my breath as I slowly walked towards him. The sun was starting to rise, so the room had more light than before. I got closer to the bed where Oz was, and when I finally got a better look at him, I covered my mouth in complete shock.

     Oz was already covered in bruises, and his skin looked like it was decaying. It was only when I got closer did I also realize the foul smell that was in his room. For a moment I thought that I was staring at a dead body.

     “Every night the nurses would go to my room and inject something in me. I usually don’t fight back, but those bastards did a serious number on me. I can barely even move my body,” Oz explains when he realized how surprised I was to see him.

     “ These people were criminals .“ These were the exact words that master Claudio would repeatedly tell us whenever he does something to them, but is this still right? It’s easy to say that you want criminals to be tortured for the things they’ve done, but this…this has gone too far. I can no longer stay in this manor, knowing full well what we’ve done to these people.

     “I thought Lady would die first, but I saw him yesterday. They passed by my room and I saw him already in a wheelchair, but he was alive, I could tell,” Oz explains before laughing again.

     “I am aware that I will die soon, and I will not ask forgiveness for the things that I have done, but before I pass, I want to give you a little secret,” Oz says, looking at me with his eyes that still burned despite how weak his body now looked.

     I moved closer to him to hear better, but when I was only inches away from him, Oz suddenly grabs me and yanks my hair, pulling me even closer. I was about to push him away from me, but then he leans close to my ears and whispered, “ I’ve been observing this manor from outside. There’s an extra floor, but you can’t find any stairs. That room is directly above that soldier’s bedroom. Steal a ladder and break the ceiling. You might— “

     Before Oz could even finish his sentence, the door to his room finally opens, and Oz instantly let go of my hair.

     I quickly backed away from him as nurses wearing gas masks entered the room with a wheelchair. They don’t say anything, but then they took Oz and placed him on the chair, strapping him there before unlocking the chain around his ankle.

     “Where are you taking him?” I ask, but no one answered me.

     The nurses finally push Oz out of the room, but before we could even part ways, Oz looks back at me and suddenly says, “Find his secrets before he finds yours! Don’t waste any more time!”

     I tried to follow Oz out, but before I could take a step, a tall figure suddenly appears in front of me. It was Lino.

     “Looks like you’re feeling better,” he says, and I ignored him and tried to push him away so I could head out of the room, but Lino quickly grabs my arm, stopping me.

     “Don’t make this difficult.”

     “You dragged me back to the car and just watched as our master drugged me, so don’t tell me who’s making things difficult,” I angrily say, and Lino—who was still wearing his mask—sighs and finally lets go of my arm.

     “If you think I can easily defy him then you’re wrong. You know better than to make him angry,” he says, probably referring to how I was talking back to Claudio last night.“You’re lucky he was in a good mood or he wouldn’t have just locked you here,” Lino then adds.

     “Should I thank him then?”

     “Bishop…” he softly calls out, angering me even more.

     “Don’t Bishop me,” I quickly tell him. “In this manor we’re not family or even friends. We’re just strangers who are bound to that monster because we want something from him, so don’t act as if you care.”

     Lino doesn’t say anything anymore, so I just pushed him and finally got out of the room. But as I walked down the hallway, Lino suddenly tells me, “Our master wants to see you.”

     “I don’t fucking care!” I answered back.

     “He’s going out to meet that police officer,” he then adds, and that finally made me stop walking.

     “I heard he heroically went back to the hall to save the remaining guests. The toxin got to him and he’s in the hospital now,” Lino continues to say, and I finally turned back around to face him. When he saw that I was finally all ears, he takes a deep breath and tells me, “The master has the cure, and if you meet with him now, he’ll give you an offer that you might not be able to refuse.”

to be continued…

(31) Another

⚕︎

THE CORRIDOR WAS EMPTY as I walked my way to master Claudio’s office. There was this dark and unnerving atmosphere around the manor that I almost ran back, but before I could even decide on what I should really do, I realized that I was already standing in front of the door, and my hand was already knocking on it.

     “Come in,” a voice says, and I took a deep breath and finally walked inside.

     Like always, Claudio’s office looked like a mess, but it was even more cluttered than the last time I’ve seen it. If I didn’t hear him speak before I got in, I wouldn’t have seen him sitting on his desk, surrounded by piles and piles of papers and boxes.

     I don’t say anything as Claudio continued writing something in his notebook. I just sat there and waited for him to finish. After a couple of minutes, he finally puts his pen down and looks at me, staring at my coat first before looking back at my face.

     “I forgot that your hair is still black,” he comments with a quiet laugh, making me unconsciously touch it.

     “So how was your sleep? Did you rest well?” He then asks with the same smile that he gives me whenever he was trying to speak calmly and gently. Honestly, I should be the one to ask him that question, especially when he looks like he’s minutes away from dropping dead.

     “Why did you want to speak with me?” I ask him instead, showing him my distaste after what he did last night.

     Master Claudio doesn’t say anything and just turned the calendar on his desk so I could see it. He then points to a date; it was September 24, Wednesday. At first, I didn’t understand what it was, but then my eyes widened when I eventually realized it.

     “Today is Winter’s session with me, so if you may, I would like to speak with him,” Claudio says, standing from his seat and searching for his mask so he could wear it.

     “Are you fucking kidding me?” I ask back, surprised that he’s requesting this now after everything that happened last night. He poisoned everyone at the party and proceeded to drug me, he even placed me in a room with a dying patient, and now he expects me to just put Winter out as if nothing happened.

     “Lino told me that you’re going to offer me something, and that’s the reason why I’m here,” I say, and Claudio chuckles and adjusts his leather gloves before looking at me.

     “For someone who threatened to kill me last night, do you think I’ll easily allow you to get your way?” He asks with a menacing grin, making me gulp.

     When Claudio finally found his mask, he immediately puts it on and grabs his notebook before taking a seat on his usual chair. He then gestures at the sofa in front of me and tells me, “Bring Winter out so we can start the session. I don’t have all day.”

     I didn’t want to listen to him. I didn’t want to bring Winter out and face him, but at the same time, I knew that he wasn’t going to take a no for an answer. He was definitely going to force me to take him out and we’ll all be in grave danger.

     “If you don’t want your precious Teo to die then I suggest you do what I tell you to do before I lose my patience,” Claudio suddenly says with a demanding voice, making me widen my eyes in shock.

     The two of us didn’t say anything right after that. I knew that Claudio was a hundred percent sure that I was conflicted by what he said, and it annoyed me so much that Teo has now become a weakness. All I could do was clench my fist in complete anger. Should I just grab a pen and try and stab him with it? Will I be even able to fight him? Will Lino barge in here and tackle me if he finds out about it?

     “ You can let him out. We’ll handle everything, “ a voice inside me suddenly whispers, and my body stiffens in an instant.

     I finally took a deep breath and closed my eyes, darkness welcoming me in an instant. The room was completely silent, but then bright light flashes right in front of me and I quickly scratched my eyes and opened them back. I looked around and realized that I was in a familiar room that was somehow unfamiliar at the same time. It felt different than the last time I saw it, almost like a storm passed through and wreaked havoc.

     “Winter,” a voice calls out, and I turned and realised that doctor Van was actually sitting in front of me with his legs crossed. “Why don’t you take a seat first so we could talk,” he says, and I nodded my head and sat on the sofa adjacent to his.

     Was it already Wednesday? I don’t even remember the last time I went out.

     “How are you Winter? How are you feeling?” He asks me.

     I don’t know why, but I felt uneasy. I felt like I didn’t really want to answer him, but I faked a smile and politely answered anyway, “I’m fine, thank you for asking doctor Van.”

     “That’s good,” he says, and then he started writing something in his notebook like how he always does.

     “Winter, I have a question for you,” he then tells me, looking back at me with his mask that would sometimes make me feel uneasy. “Have you ever thought of leaving this manor even though you’re not better yet?”

     “Leave?” I repeated, the thought of it makes me question myself. If I leave now, I’ll be able to see mother and Mathilda again, but will they be happy if they see me like this? Will they ask me to leave again like last time?

     “I-I’m not sure, but I feel like Bishop wants us to go home,” I answer instead, and doctor Van didn’t write anything down. He just looked at me without saying anything, his expression unknown because of the mask.

     “He wants to go home? But Winter, the problem is you’re still sick. Do you think when you get out of the real world, people will believe you? People will think you’re crazy. They’ll think you’re only talking to yourself and pretending,” the doctor then explains, making me furrow my brows in confusion.

     “W-Why would I want to pretend like I’m crazy? Autumn and Bishop and Alice…they’re all real. I’m not making them up,” I quickly defended.

     “Well, that’s not what other people will think,” he explains. “That’s why you have to make sure Bishop doesn’t leave, okay? You have to tell him that you really want to stay. You have to tell him that this is for your own sake.”

     “But—”

     “No more buts,” doctor Van quickly interrupts, making me stop. Afterward, he pulls something out from a folder. He stares at it for a while before showing it to me. It was a drawing of a man that I wasn’t familiar with, but for some reason, my heart felt warm.

     “Alright, now let’s do a quick exercise before we proceed,” doctor Van says as I stare at the drawing, tilting my head to the side to check if I’ve seen him before or not.

     “What do you feel after seeing this picture?” He asks.

     I look at the picture, staring at the person’s calm-looking eyes. I didn’t know who he was, but he made me feel warm and relaxed inside. “I feel safe somehow. He looks kind and gentle,” I explain, and doctor Van nods his head like he already expected my answer.

     “Alright, for the next question…If I do something to the man in the drawing, do you think Krimson will come out?” doctor Van suddenly asks next, and his question left me dumbfounded.

     “What?”

     “Will Krimson come out if I say—” Doctor Van pauses and takes a pair of scissors and suddenly cuts the head of the man in the drawing, the action making me flinch for some reason. I stared at the paper as it falls to the ground. The man’s calm eyes looks back at me, and the thought of him getting hurt suddenly made me feel extremely sad, so when I looked back at the doctor, a tear streamed down my eyes, surprising me.

     Why was I crying over this man? Who was he to me and to my alters?

     “Krimson…he…he would never come out if you do something like that,” I answer as I quickly wiped my tears away.

     “I should have expected that,” doctor Van says as he puts the picture and the scissors down. “But you, why do you think so?” Why do you think Krimson wouldn’t come out if I do that?“

     “Krimson likes it when we suffer. He will leave us to die if he has to just so he could be satisfied,” I answered, and doctor Van nods his head again and writes something down in his notebook.

     “So he really is the persecutor in your system,” he says while he continued writing. “You might already be aware of this since you’ve been diagnosed by someone before, but a persecutor is an alter who is usually violent inward, not outward. They have a distorted view of reality and are mostly modeled after their abusers. They’re the alter that majority in the system is afraid of because they can turn violent and harmful when other alters share about their traumatic past.”

     “Why do you want to meet Krimson despite knowing all that?” I ask, feeling uneasy after hearing all that information from him.

     “Well, as I said during our first meeting, you’re here to be cured by me, and I can’t leave until I fulfill that. I believe Krimson is the key alter that will entirely put all your alters to rest,” doctor Van explains, surprising me. And what does he mean by he can’t leave? Is he going somewhere?

     “I’ve mentioned this before; I can’t just magically kill off all your alters. It’s either we put them to rest deep into your consciousness, or they start coexisting and acknowledge that you are one and will be willing to merge, but that has to be a collective agreement. Everyone in your system has to agree to this,” doctor Van explains to me, making me feel nervous.

     “So You, Bishop, Alice, Autumn, and Krimson…you five will have to communicate and have an agreement with each other that will ultimately make you all whole.”

     “But that’s…t-that’s impossible.”

     “I know, that’s why I’m hoping to meet Krimson. A persecutor, though violent, is there because he is also protective, mostly of your past. Alters are born as defense mechanisms, so Krimson has a purpose just like everyone else in your system. If I get to speak with him and find out why he’s—”

     “Why are you still helping us?” I ask, my voice lower than earlier.

    Doctor Giovanni puts his pen down and slowly looks back at me. He doesn’t say anything, but after a while, he clears his throat and says, “Alice, right?”

     “Why are you still helping us? Even after what Bishop did,” I asked again, ignoring his question even though he was right.

     The doctor takes a deep breath and adjusts himself in his seat. “My relationship with Bishop is different from my relationship with everyone else in him. I have my ways of making things work in my favor, but if I have made a deal with someone, I fulfill them. You, as well as Winter and the others, are my patients. That has nothing to do with Bishop who agreed to be my loyal butler.” he explains, making me look at him with furrowed brows.

     But why? Despite everything he’s done to Bishop, why do I trust such words? Is it because his doctor persona is much more trustworthy than his young master persona? What on earth is he planning to do?

     “Now, if you think I’m joking around then that’s up to you, but can you please bring Winter out? There are still things that I want to talk about,” doctor Giovanni calmly says.

     I wanted to do what he said, but I took a deep breath and answered instead, “Winter said it’s impossible for us to have a collective agreement. The reason is not that Krimson would become a hindrance.”

     The doctor stares at me, and then, after a while, I revealed, “There’s one more of us.”

     I couldn’t tell if doctor Giovanni was surprised because of the mask or if he already knew all that. But if he’s really trying to help us in this aspect, then maybe we can use that as an advantage. Even if he tries to fool us in the end, we still got something out of all of this.

     Because we met a crazy doctor once, and all that did not end well even though we were in his care for almost 7 years. But doctor Giovanni, who has wicked and evil intentions against the people in this town, has done more for our system than anyone else.

      If he’s planning to use us after curing us, then that’s a risk I’m willing to take.

     “This alter is being protected by Krimson. If you want Krimson to come out, you target that alter, not Bishop. Because Krimson doesn’t give a fuck about Bishop. Whether you torture Bishop, defile him, and kill that police officer like you’re planning to do, Krimson still won’t show himself, so don’t waste your time with these cheap antics,” I say, showing no hint of fear.

     The doctor was about to say something, but then my vision becomes blurry and my head falls in an instant. I felt my body falling forward, but I quickly took control, catching my breath as I sat back up.

     I looked up and saw that Claudio was still sitting across from me. He doesn’t say anything, but then he removes his mask and looks back at me with a serious expression.

     “I-Is the…Is the session over?” I ask, my chest falling and rising as I tried to ease myself.

     That damn Alice. She forced herself out all of a sudden so I couldn’t control her fast enough.

     “It’s over, you may leave,” master Claudio says, making me furrow my brows in confusion. I was about to stand on the sofa so I could leave as he wanted, but then I saw my drawing on the floor. It was the drawing I made of Teo, but it was cut off.

     “W-What did you tell Winter?” I quickly asked, making me clench my fist as my heart started to raise. This is the problem with me and Winter. There are times I can control him and see what he’s doing, but there are times that I can’t. Recently, I feel like he’s resisting, and that pisses me off because he’s supposed to be following me. He’s not the host, I am.

     “Why did you fucking show him a picture of Mateo?” I ask as Claudio stood up from the sofa so he could arrange his desk.

    I stood up as well and walked my way toward him. I was moments away from grabbing him by the collar, but Claudio suddenly pulls something out from his drawer. It was a syringe that had a clear liquid inside. The moment I saw it, I instantly stopped like a trained dog.

     “This is what you came here for, am I correct?” Claudio asks, showing the syringe to me so I could have a better look at it.

     “Since you’ve been so desperate then I won’t waste any more of your time. I’m going to give this syringe to Mateo, but in exchange, you will swear loyalty to me. That’s all I want, easy right?” Claudio asks, making me look back at him like he was crazy.

     He’s going to give me an actual item in exchange for something like loyalty that I can easily fake?

     “How will I even know that you’re going to give him that? For all I know, you can easily lie about it and pretend like you gave it to him,” I say, and Claudio just takes a deep breath and suddenly walks to a chair that had his lab coat and suitcase.

     “You don’t believe me?” He asks, looking back at me with a smirk. “Then change your clothes. You’re coming with me to the hospital,” he then says, making me look at him in shock.

     “Come with you? To the hospital?”

     “That’s right,” Claudio says as he wears his lab coat.

     “You come with me and I’ll show you. It’s either he dies today or survives, and all that will be based on your decision. See, isn’t it such an enticing offer?” He asks as he looks at me with that grin that made every part of my body shiver in fear.

     “And if I don’t?” I dare ask him, and Claudio suddenly walks towards me.

     He stood right in front of me and touched my chin so he could force me to stare into his eyes. When we were now staring at each other, he leans close and suddenly whispers, “ I’ve tolerated your defiance, Bishop. Disappoint me one more time, and you will no longer see tomorrow. “

to be continued…

(32) No Name

⚕︎

I STARED AT MY REFLECTION  in the mirror after putting on my brown contact lenses. Seeing my eyes like this felt safer. I felt like I was no longer naked and vulnerable. I felt like I could be myself yet still be secretive at the same time.

     “Bishop, are you done?” a voice from outside my bedroom suddenly asks, making me sigh.

     I looked at myself for one last time before finally opening the door. Lino stands in front of me wearing a normal uniform. This was the uniform he would usually wear whenever he’d drive master Claudio to the hospital. He still covers his face with a regular mask though because of that creepy scar that he has on.

     “Looks like you’re ready,” he says as I step out of my room, wearing my butler uniform as well.

     Lino closes the door for me and the two of us started walking down the hallway so we could rejoin the master downstairs. But as we were walking, we suddenly heard a ruckus coming from upstairs where the patients were.

     “What on earth was that?” Lino asks as the two of us looked at each other.

     I shrugged my shoulder as an answer, and so the two of us rushed to the higher floor to check what was going on. At this hour, the patients should be hanging outside for their recreational activities. Something must have happened again.

     “You fat fucking pig! You touched me!” We could already hear someone shout from a distance.

     When Lino and I finally arrived at the top floor, the two of us instantly saw Wednesday practically strangling Pacific while the other nurses tried to pull them apart. One of the nurses was trying to inject Wednesday with the tranquilizer, but she couldn’t even approach her because of how violent Wednesday was acting despite having the chains on her hands.

     “This bitch is seriously a pain,” Lino angrily says, running towards them so he could stop Wednesday from doing more harm. I was about to follow behind him, but then I spot Lady’s door.

     I looked around and realized that everyone was busy holding off Wednesday and Pacific, so I took the chance and ran to Lady’s door, opening the little window so I could see him inside.

     Lady was sitting in a wheelchair. He sat still as he was facing the window that had the view of the sea.

     “Lady, “I called out, but Lady didn’t respond.

     I tried to open the door, but as expected, it was locked. I looked around the area again to check if they were still busy. When the coast was clear, I took a deep breath and forcefully remove one button from my coat so I could throw it in Lady’s direction.

     Lady finally moves, but he still doesn’t face me.

     “Lady, it’s me, Bishop,” I say, and Lady just moved his finger, showing that he was listening.

     “I don’t have much time, but I need to know more about what you said before. Why did you tell me to leave with Adeline and father Laurence? What did you mean by that?” I ask, but Lady didn’t respond.

     I swallowed the lump in my throat and clenched my fist in frustration. Did Claudio do this to him because he knew that he was going to say something to me?

     “Please Lady…I need to know what you meant,” I tell him.

     Lady moves his finger again. I thought he was going to stay silent, but then I saw him slowly moving his wheelchair so he could face me. I was moments away from seeing his face, but then, my head starts throbbing so hard that I fell to the ground in an instant.

     Everything around me was dark and I felt my body weaken. The area was quiet and still, and before I could even try to understand what was going on, someone suddenly touches my shoulder, making me open my eyes back so I could gasp for air.

     “Bishop, are you okay?” A voice asks, and I looked up and saw Lino staring down at me.

     I slowly stood from the floor and looked around. Wednesday and Pacific were no longer fighting and were being brought back to their rooms. I then looked back at Lady’s door and saw that the window on his door was actually closed.

     I quickly opened it, and there I saw Lady sitting in his wheelchair, facing the window as if nothing had happened.

     Was I only hallucinating?

     “I already handled everything here. We should head downstairs now. I’m sure master is waiting,” Lino tells me, and I massaged my temple first before nodding my head to agree to it.

     The two of us started walking towards the stairs, but as I was walking away, I turned back to look at Lady’s door. I felt as though something was missing, but all I could do now was let things go and hope that my missing memories will one day serve their purpose.

…

I looked at the scenery outside the car window with a blank expression. As we drove down the hill where the manor is located, I couldn’t help but stare at the ocean that could be seen from afar. It looked beautiful, and for a moment I remembered how Lady was just sitting in his wheelchair, staring at the same view. Did he think it was a beautiful sight too?

     “You seem preoccupied,” a voice suddenly tells me, making me turn my head to look at him.

    Claudio, who was sitting beside me at the back of the car, was reading documents with a serious expression on his face. Compared to his master and plague doctor persona, Claudio looked completely different. His hair wasn’t waxed back like normal, he was wearing glasses, and he even had his white doctor’s coat on. For a second he looked like a reliable doctor.

     Seriously, to see him physically change from one person to another is just terrifying to me.

     “I’m trying to stay focused,” I say.

     “Focused?”

     “So I’d know if you’re fucking with me or not,” I say next, and Claudio chuckled, still not removing his eyes from the documents he was reading.

     “It would be such a waste of time to fuck with you over something like this,” he answers me. “But the way you’re talking back to me now is refreshing. You seem more confident.”

     I didn’t say anything anymore and just stared at Claudio. After a while, I looked away from him again and looked out the window. I didn’t say anything and tried to ready myself for what was about to happen, but as I continue to stare at the scenery, my eyes become heavy and I gradually fall back to sleep.

     Everything was dark at first. It was silent and lifeless like I was inside a box. But as I stared at this nothingness, a light suddenly appears in front of me like a door was open. I ran to the light, the light growing as I approached it. I had to cover my eyes as I ran closer, but as I walked past it, a familiar town instantly welcomes me.

     “ Fresh fruits and vegetables! Buy fresh fruits and vegetables now! “

     Like last time, I found myself standing in the middle of the town square in Totten’s Landing. It was market day, so there were a lot of people at the square while vendors placed their stalls on the side, selling a variety of things.

    I went towards the crowd and tried to walk past them. But as I was walking, someone suddenly pushes me, making me fall on all fours. The ground was filled with mud, so my clean white pants got stained in an instant. I panicked because I didn’t want mother to find out, but just before I could stand, a hand suddenly appears in front of me.

     I stared at the hand before looking up. The man was wearing a doctor’s coat, but I couldn’t see his face properly because of the sunlight.

     “ Let me help you, “ he says, and so I grabbed his hand, standing back up with his help.

     “ Thank you, “ I tell him as I finally looked at his face. I didn’t know who he was at first, but after a while, my eyes widened and I quickly took a step back.

     “D-doctor Harvey.”

     “Winter, where did you go? I’ve been looking for you all this time,” doctor Harvey says as he pulls me towards him, not letting go of my hand. I tried to pull away from him, but then doctor Harvey drapes his hand around my waist, and my body instantly stiffens.

     “I missed you,” he whispers close to my ear, making the hair on my skin stand.

     “ P-please let go of me, “ I beg, but doctor Harvey still wouldn’t let go. He continued to hold me, his lips now pressing against my skin. But as he continued kissing my neck, he was suddenly starting to turn into mud, melting as he continued to touch me.

     I tried to push him away, but I got caught up in the mud instead. I looked around the town square, hoping to ask for help, but when I looked, I realized that the town’s people were already looking at us, standing around us in a circle.

     “ Demon child! “ They shouted at me as the mud continued to engulf me. Tears poured out of my eyes as the mud devours my body. I could no longer move or run away from him.

    “ Demon child! You must be killed! “

     Fire suddenly appears right in front of my eyes as the townspeople continued to chant for my death. But just when I could be completely eaten by doctor Harvey, a warm hand suddenly touches my shoulder, and I immediately opened my eyes and gasped for air.

     “Bishop?” A voice calls out, and I looked around and realized that I was still in the car, but Claudio was no longer sitting beside me.

     “Bishop, are you okay?” Someone asks, and I looked to my side and realized that it was actually Lino. Lino, who was still sitting in the driver’s seat, looks at me with concern, his hand still on my knee as I tried to catch my breath.

     “You’ve been losing consciousness. This has been your second time today. Are you even okay? You weren’t supposed to have side effects on the poison yesterday,” he says.

     I didn’t answer him and just pushed his hand off me before stepping out of the car. I touched my chest and tried to act calm, but my heart wouldn’t stop beating fast. Looking at Claudio wearing that white coat probably triggered something in me.

     “The master is waiting for you inside,” Lino then tells me, and I looked up front and realized that we were actually now at the hospital.

     I heard cars honking behind me, and I realized that we were actually now in the city. The place was unfamiliar and too big for me. There were cars and people everywhere, and the smoke almost made me start coughing. It was definitely different from the town I’ve lived in.

     “Go now. He’s waiting,” Lino suddenly tells me, making me look back at him.

     I took a deep breath and fixed my butler’s uniform. Without saying anything else, I walked inside the hospital. This is the first time I’m going inside this type of hospital, so being here felt a bit strange. The smell was strange too, but it was livelier than the type of hospital that I stayed at before.

    “Sir, are you Mr. Bishop Lancaster?” a woman suddenly asks when I got inside the building. With the attire she’s wearing, she’s probably a nurse.

     “Yes,” I answer, trying to act normal as she smiles at me.

     “Then please come with me. Doctor Claudio is attending to one of the patients upstairs. He told me to bring you there when you arrive,” she says, and I nodded my head as she leads me to the third floor.

     How long was I even out? Why didn’t Claudio just wake me up?

     “Doctor Claudio is a bit busy today after that incident that happened at Ricci’s party. We have a lot of patients today that were poisoned and are suffering from acute upper airway inflation and pulmonary edema,” the nurse explains, making me furrow my brows because I didn’t know why she was telling me all this.

     “I don’t know what that gas was, but I heard that even inhaling it quickly leaves you vomiting. These poor people really suffered after that incident,” she explains next, and this time, I looked at her in surprise after hearing what she said.

     Inhaling it quickly can already lead to symptoms like vomiting. I inhaled the smoke too like the others, but why wasn’t I affected? Did Claudio inject me with something? Did he do something to me that I wasn’t aware of? And now that I think about it, Lino said something before I left the car too. Does he know something about this?

     “Well, we’re here. The doctor is inside.”

     “Thank you.”

     The nurse smiles at me for the last time before walking away. I turned and stared at the for that she pointed out earlier. I don’t know why, but I felt nervous, so I took a deep breath first before finally walking inside. The room smelled like alcohol, but as soon as I took a step further, I immediately saw a familiar man lying on the bed, unconscious while tubes were attached to his arms and chest.

     “Teo!” I shout, running to him and immediately checking his current condition. As expected, Teo’s skin looked different, and he was breathing heavily too. He was definitely in a terrible state.

     “I’m giving him 12 hours,” someone suddenly says, and I turned around and saw Claudio checking Teo’s chart while he stood in front of a table that had all these different medicines.

     I quickly walked towards him and grabbed his collar, looking at him angrily as my hands tremble. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Aren’t you Mateo’s friend?! You promised me that you won’t harm him if I follow you! You promised me you won’t do such a thing as long as I give you my loyalty!”

     “I didn’t ask him to save the guests like some kind of hero,” Claudio coldly says, effortlessly pushing my hand away from him before walking back to check on Teo.

     The room was silent as Claudio inspects his body. I stared at Teo as he lay still on the bed, but as Claudio checked his eyes, I saw how red it has become, almost bloodshot. I could no longer watch him look like this.

     “W-What do I have to do?” I ask, and Claudio slowly looks back at me. “What do I have to do, for you to give him that antidote?” I ask next, and a smile instantly appears on this demon’s face.

    Claudio puts the chart down and walks closer to me. He stares at me, and then he touches my chin and says, “Kiss me.”

     His request surprised me, leaving me in a trance. Out of everything I thought he’d make me do, kissing him was the last one on the list.

    “Kiss me first,” he says again, and I glanced at Teo and swallowed the lump in my throat. My heart starts beating fast as I clenched my fist in frustration. But as I continue to hear the beeping sound coming from the machines that were attached to Teo, I closed my eyes and finally leaned close to Claudio to kiss him.

     At first, our lips touched gently, but then, he grabs my head and pushes me deeper as his kiss turns aggressive. I quickly opened my eyes as Claudio sticks his tongue inside me. And as he was kissing me, I couldn’t help but look at Teo, and in an instant, I started crying.

     Claudio continues to kiss me despite how miserable I looked. I felt ashamed, I wanted to look away from Teo, but I couldn’t. All I could do was pretend that these lips were his. Having that kind of thought is the only thing that will make me feel better.

     When he was finally satisfied, he pulls away from me.

     I quickly wipe my mouth and my tears away as Claudio tried to catch his breath.

     “Now please…p-please cure him,” I say, my anger growing by the second because of how I was now begging at the man who I have grown to despise.

     Claudio stares at me, but just when I thought he was finally going to pull out the syringe, he started laughing at me instead. His laughter echoed in the room, and as soon as I heard it, more tears started pouring out of my eyes.

     “I only asked you to kiss me. That’s all,” he says, and all I could do was stare at him helplessly. There is no way this man is going to let me win. There’s just no way.

     “But thank you for the kiss. I bet if Teo was awake, he’d be very surprised,” he continues to tell me, and all I could do was hold myself back from throwing a punch at him. “Now for the real task at hand,” Claudio then says, removing his glasses and putting them inside the pocket of his coat. He looks back at Teo and checks his eyes again before looking back at me. “I’ll give him the antidote, only if you show me Krimson.”

     What did he just say?

     Did he just say…Krimson?

     “There’s something I need to check, and only that alter will be able to answer it for me. Most of my work relies on him, and if you get to show him to me then I’ll give this antidote to Mateo,” Claudio tells me before finally pulling out the syringe from his other pocket and showing it to me.

     “What work are you talking about? Have you met some of my alters before? What on earth is the meaning of this?” I confusingly asks, but Claudio acted like he said the most normal thing in the world.

     What is he even talking about all of a sudden?

     “Well then, what do you say? Will you be able to do it?”

    “N-No, I…I don’t…I can’t.”

     “You can’t?”

     “Krimson…I don’t know what you want with him, but none of us can just call him out. No one has the ability to do that,” I say, trying to make sure he understands what I’m telling him. I want him to know that I’m not saying this because I don’t want to, but because it’s physically impossible.

     There’s no way for me to do what he’s asking.

     “Looks like Alice wasn’t lying,” Claudio then says when he noticed my reaction. “So you can’t call him out. Well, that’s where you come in then, right?” He asks, confusing me even more.

     “What are you talking about?”

     “Alice told me that the only way you can call out Krimson is when this particular alter is involved. You know who this alter is, don’t you Bishop? You know how to call out to him.”

    My eyes widened from shock when I heard what master Claudio has to say. Never in a million years did I expect him to say such a thing. How could he be able to know all this when I haven’t even—

    Wait a minute. I haven’t said anything to him yet, but the others…Has one of my alters been telling this to Claudio all this time?

     “You have another alter, isn’t that right?” He asks me, and I quickly shook my head, trying to deny it even though both of us know what the truth really is.

    “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, and Claudio chuckles and stares at the syringe that he was holding. He doesn’t say anything to me, but then, he pretends to drop it, immediately making my heart drop.

     “Stop it!” I begged, and Claudio just looks at me and smiled.

     “If you want this to be over then show me Krimson.”

     “I keep on telling you, I can’t!”

     “Stop lying Bishop, we both know that’s not true.”

     “P-Please, I beg you. I’m already telling you that there’s no way for me to do it. There’s no way,” I beg as more tears stream down my eyes. But Claudio still doesn’t believe me as he grabs both of my shoulders, practically shaking me so I could finally give in.

     “The other alter then…pull him out and make him call Krimson.”

     “No…”

     “Do it, Bishop. Do it!”

     Claudio shouts at my face, and as soon as he did so, everything around me suddenly darkens and my entire body turns soft in an instant. The sound from the machines echo around me, but just when I was about to touch the cold floor, warm hands suddenly grab hold of my fragile body and lifts me up so I wouldn’t fall.

     Everything was quiet and dark. I didn’t even want to speak, or rather, someone was forcing me to keep my mouth shut. But just as I was pretending to still be in deep slumber, the warm hands that were holding onto me becomes tight, and I finally open my eyes, the light coming from this unfamiliar room instantly making me squint.

     “Bishop,” someone suddenly calls out.

     When I finally adjusted to the light, my eyes instantly widened from shock when I saw who was holding onto me. Without even thinking about it, I pushed him away from me, almost making me stumble back because of the impact. For a second I thought it was Dr. Harvey Steward.

     “Why were you holding me?” I ask him, and the doctor doesn’t answer but stares at me instead, almost like he was observing me.

     I looked around this unfamiliar room and realized that I was at a hospital. I then looked at the bed and saw this man who looked sick. I couldn’t help but feel bad for him in an instant. How could someone be in such a sorry state like that?

    “You’re not Alice,” he says, making me furrow my brows in confusion because I wasn’t expecting him to mention her.

     “You’re not Autumn either,” he says next.

    The doctor continues to stare at me, but then he moves closer and asks next, “Who are you?”

     Who am I?

     To be honest with you, I don’t even know the right answer to that. The reason is that I don’t really have an official name. I don’t know why, but that’s how things are.

     “Do you know who I am?” He then asks, and I shook my head and told him no. I didn’t know who this man was. All I know is that Winter and I are temporarily staying in a manor that’s being led by this plague doctor wearing a bird-like mask. Other than the plague doctor, I saw a few other people too. There was this cook, a gardener, and a maid. Winter doesn’t know that I know them though, especially since none of them remember anything whenever I come out.

     That makes things very lonely.

     I really am lonely.

     Why does everything have to be so dark and lonely?

     Lonely…

     Lonely…

      LONELY.

     No one knows who I am so I don’t want to come out anymore. They don’t care about me anyway. All of them hate me. All of them want me dead.

     All of them except one person…

     That woman in a wheelchair; she talked to me. I don’t know why she was talking to me, but she did, at that very moment.

    “Please Lady…I need to know what you meant.”

     Lady moves his finger again. I thought he was going to stay silent, but then I saw him slowly moving his wheelchair so he could face me. I was moments away from seeing his face, but then, my head starts throbbing so hard that I fell to the ground in an instant.

     Everything around me was dark and I felt my body weaken. The area was quiet and still, and before I could even try to understand what was going on, I quickly opened my eyes and stood back up.

     I looked at the door in front of me and noticed that the window was open. I leaned close and took a peak, and there I saw this woman sitting in a wheelchair, directly looking back at me with his eyes shallow and her skin basically rotting.

     “H-how many…” she says first. “How many patients are supposed to be here in the manor?” she then asks me, her voice sounding very weak.

     What is she talking about? I don’t even understand what she meant by that question.

     “Think B-Bishop…how many patients were supposed to be…in this manor? Why d-do you think…there are three more…e-extra rooms…on this floor?”

     “Hey, I’m asking you a question,” the doctor suddenly asks, making me blink and snap back to my senses.

     I looked at the unfamiliar doctor and tilted my head to the side. “I don’t have a name,” I say, making him furrow his brows in confusion. He was about to say something about my answer, but then I remembered what the others used to call me when we were back at the hospital with Dr. Harvey.

     I don’t have a name, but Autumn and the others usually call me…

     “Tomorrow,” I say to him. “They call me…Tomorrow.”

to be continued…

(33) Erased

⚕︎

“CODENAME LADY IS A  46-year-old male who has a severe mother complex. He dresses up as a woman and uses that to fool men into gaining their trust, raping them, and then killing them after. Lady confessed that he does not like men and he is, in fact, very straight, but he loves the pleasure of overpowering men, which is why he did what he did,” Claudio tells us, and the picture that I was staring at suddenly felt disturbing.

     “Alright, we have three patients left, but where are their pictures?” Father Laurence next before taking a bite of his food.

     “Yes, we have three other patients, but the reason why I did not attach a photo of them is because you will not be handling them yet. I will study them for a while to see who is fit to take care of them, so for now, I will handle them,” master Claudio explains to us, making me realize that these remaining patients are actually part of the SWL or the suicide watch list.

     “So these three are…” Lino pauses and takes the remaining patient’s profiles that didn’t have a picture attached to them.

Patient no. 005

Codename: Messiah

Gender: Male

Age: 34

     “What did he do?” I ask out of curiosity.

     “Actually, what did they do?” Lino clarifies, gesturing at the other two patients without a picture since they didn’t have any descriptions either like the other patients.

Patient no. 006

Codename: Tomorrow

Gender: Male

Age: 13

     “Whoa, this one’s only thirteen. He’s younger than Adie. Why is he receiving the death penalty? Is that even okay?” I ask as I stare at the kid’s profile.

     “And this one’s almost my age,” Lino then adds, showing us the last patient on the list.

Patient no. 007

Codename: Doll Face

Gender: Female

Age: 43

     For a second the patients seemed normal, even pitiful, but then you realize that before they were called patients, they were criminals first. These were people who did terrible things to other people. There’s no time for me to feel bad about them.

     “Their crimes are classified for now. After some tests, and if they’re ready to meet you, I will introduce them properly. These patients are hanging on the edge. Given the opportunity, they will jump and kill themselves, so I will do everything I can to not make that happen. They are important assets…”

[ PRESENT TIME ]

I looked at the unfamiliar doctor and tilted my head to the side. “I don’t have a name,” I say, making him furrow his brows in confusion. He was about to say something about my answer, but then I remembered what the others used to call me when we were back at the hospital with Dr. Harvey.

     I don’t have a name, but Autumn and the others usually call me…

     “Tomorrow,” I say to him. “They call me…Tomorrow.”

     The doctor in front of me doesn’t say a word, but after a while, his confused expression turns into a grin, and soon after, he started laughing; his laughter echoing inside the room was enough to make me feel unsettled.

     Why was he laughing?

     What was so funny?

     “So it’s you,” he says. “I’ve been waiting to personally meet you, Tomorrow. Do you know that? Do you know what I had to do just so you could show yourself to me?” He asks, and the way he looked at me made me take a step back in terror. His sudden shift of personality sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn’t even explain why I felt terrified of him. He just had this aura that felt completely sinister.

     “What am I doing here?” I ask him instead.

     “I don’t know,” he answers. “Why are you here? What could be the reason why your alters’ most precious person would even come out all of a sudden?” he tells me, taking another step closer.

     I unconsciously touched the hem of my shirt and tried to call out to someone. Winter… that’s his name. That’s the name of the boy who I always talked to me. Where are you Winter? But everything was silent. No one was listening to me. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?

     “Tomorrow, you know where Krimson is, right?” he then asked me, and his question immediately made my eyes widen in surprise. How did he know Krimson? Krimson is mine; I’m the only one who can have him. No one else is allowed to see him other than me.

     “No,” I then answer, and the grin on the doctor’s face instantly changes like a switch, turning into a frightening frown.

     “No?” He repeats, finally standing just inches away from me.

     The room falls silent again, but before I could even do anything, the doctor lifts his hand and was moments away from grabbing me, but before I could even feel his grasp on my neck, I felt my entire body heating up. My vision becomes blurry for a second, but then my own hand immediately grabs onto him, stopping him from what he was about to do.

     “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I asked Dr. Giovanni, making him look at me with furrowed brows. While the two of us were staring at each other, I suddenly felt something warm ooze out of my nose. I quickly reached out to it and realized that it was actually blood. I knew it, forcing myself to come out right after Tomorrow is a bad idea. But it’s better to do this now before Krimson sees.

     Whatever happens, we cannot let Krimson out no matter what.

     “You really are my least favorite alter…Alice,” Dr. Giovanni states as I continue to clench his wrist so he wouldn’t be able to do anything. He guessed who I was again; how irritating.

     “I don’t know if it’s plain curiosity or just stupidity, but if Krimson comes out, you and I will be in terrible danger, especially Bishop. You said you need Krimson to come out so you can help cure us, but I suggest you at least not do it in the open like this,” I honestly tell him, and Dr. Giovanni stares at me for one last time before eventually pulling his hand away from my grasp.

     “You’re in no position to tell me what to do,” he says, walking back to the man on the hospital bed. At first, I didn’t know who he was, but as I got closer, I eventually realized that he was the man at the party.

     It was the police officer that was very dear to Bishop.

     So something really did happen to him at that party.

     “What bargain did you make with Bishop?” I finally asked him.

     Dr. Giovanni stares at the patient and doesn’t answer me. He remained quiet for a while, but then he pulls out a syringe from his pocket and suddenly injects it into the officer. The officer flinched, and then his body started to shake, but after a while, he calmed down and his heart started beating normally compared to earlier.

     “What on earth did you do to him?” I persistently ask, hoping to get some answers, but the doctor continued to ignore my questions.

     “I was unsure for a while if Tomorrow was real or not, but now that I’ve finally seen him, things just became very interesting,” he says to me instead, making me tilt my head in confusion. “I don’t know what triggered it. I don’t know why he suddenly came out either, but now I’m starting to have hope again.”

     What is he even talking about? What does Tomorrow have to do with all this? There’s no reason for the doctor to meet him, especially when Tomorrow barely remembers anything. He will be useless to him. Does Dr. Giovanni need him too so that he could help cure us? Is that it?

     “Tell Bishop that this is his reward for today,” Dr. Giovanni then says to me, handing me the empty syringe. “Tell him that Mateo will wake up by tomorrow. There is no need for him to worry about something like this.”

     I grab the syringe and stare at it before looking back at the police officer. When it looked like he was starting to feel better, I looked back at doctor Giovanni this time who was busy writing something down on a chart board.

     This man…

    Why is he so complicated? Like the last time I spoke to him at his office, I don’t sense any danger around him. There is something about him that is not entirely evil.

     “ Why are you still helping us? Even after what Bishop did ,“ I remember asking him earlier during his session with Winter.

     “My relationship with Bishop is different from my relationship with everyone else in him. I have my ways of making things work in my favor, but if I have made a deal with someone, I fulfill them. You, as well as Winter and the others, are my patients,” he then answered, only confusing my thoughts even more.

     Other than plaguing the town, what else is he planning to do to us? What else is he planning to do to Bishop?

     “This is why love is such a useless thing. I’ve already told him that, but he wouldn’t listen. And when I asked him to gain Mateo’s trust, I didn’t know he’ll actually fall in love with him. What a complete moron,” Dr. Giovanni says in irritation, making me look at him indifferently.

     “Dr. Giovanni,” I called out, and the doctor—who was checking the police officer’s vitals this time—glances back at me and asks, “What is it?”

    “What are you? Are you the hero or the villain of this story,” I then asked him, and my question must have humored him so because the doctor started laughing.

     “That depends on what a hero and a villain mean to you,” he answers, turning his head to look at me. “And besides, I treat each of your alters differently. Depending on who I talk to, I can be evil, kind, or both. That’s why you cannot make a full judgment out of me.”

     So the way he’s talking to me now is different from the way he’s been talking to Winter, Autumn, and even Bishop? For him to have a different persona according to the alter he’s facing is much more terrifying that our system, that’s for sure.

     “Well, if there is nothing else that you need, you may go. The only reason why I brought Bishop here was because I wanted to provoke him, but now that you’re here instead, there’s no point in it,” he then explains to me before putting on his glasses.

     I didn’t entirely know where I was even supposed to go since I had no clue where we were in the first place. Thankfully the doctor saw our reaction, so he suddenly smiled and told me, “Marcelino is waiting outside. You may both return to the manor. I still have things to do here.”

     What an irritating expression to have.

     No wonder Bishop easily got infatuated.

     “Thank you for today,” he then adds, and I turned away from him and hid the syringe in my pocket. As I walked my way to the exit, I opened the door and paused. Before taking a step back out, I turned my head to face him and said, “Please be more gentle when it comes to handling Bishop. Your ways are very…provocative.”

     “Gentle?” He repeated before giving out a chuckle. “For being one of his alters, I expected that you would at least know that being gentle is something that won’t work on a man like Bishop. If it did…I wouldn’t have fucked him.”

     His answer surprised me, but instead of giving a response, I took a deep breath and slammed the door shut so I would no longer see his face anymore.

     “ Doctor Giovanni, “ I whisper under my breath as I walked out of the hospital. “ The way you know all of us so well…is definitely terrifying. “

…

“So now I’m talking to Alice,” the gardener slash soldier—Marcelino—says to me while the two of us were driving back to the manor.

     I haven’t switched back to Bishop yet, and the reason isn’t because I didn’t want to switch with him. My chest was tight and my body felt completely weak. Switching between one alter to another is supposed to be a normal occurrence, but not for us. We rarely switch, which is why it takes a lot of effort to do it.

    We have switched a few times just this morning so I’m completely drained. Switching with Tomorrow was already a pain and it literally left me bleeding. I can’t risk another switch.

     “What did the master say?” He then asks, glancing at me through the rearview mirror since I was seated at the back.

     “That has nothing to do with you,” I answered, and he just sighed and said nothing. I looked out of the window and took a deep breath. But as I was staring at the scenery outside, I couldn’t help but massage my temple which started aching. I felt like I was moments away from passing out again.

     “Are you alright?” Marcelino asked, glancing at me again. “You’ve been looking sick since this morning,” he then adds.

     “I’m fine.”

     “Are you sure?”

     “I told you, this has nothing to do with you so let me be,” I stubbornly say, and Marcelino takes another deep breath and nods his head in understanding. The gardener didn’t say another word until we finally got back to the ever-so-frightening manor. At this point, I felt completely drained.

    Marcelino parks the car at the front, and I immediately open the door and run back inside. I spot a little girl staring at me at the entrance, but I ignored her and went straight to our bedroom instead. I had no strength left for any chit-chat.

     As soon as I got to the room, I spot the bed, and every fiber of my being instantly got drawn to it, but I stopped myself when I saw the desk that had Winter’s diary on it. I practically dragged my body towards it and gently placed the syringe on the desk before grabbing the pen so I could write something down in the diary.

09/24/1952

Bishop…

I don’t think I have the strength to come out for a while, so make sure to take care of yourself and everyone else. The police officer is also okay. And the doctor…

He is not evil, and you may actually be able to trust him, but you should still be cautious. This is just something I had observed so you should still make your own judgment.

There’s also something else that you have to know. “Tomorrow” came out. It’s been a while since he came out, so I had to drain myself just to push him back in. You have to be careful and make sure to hold your ground, especially since Winter’s trying to take control again. You don’t want the past to repeat itself, Bishop.

You know how much damage Winter has done when he locked us all in.

That is all.

• Alice

     I stared at the journal entry and got ready to walk towards the bed so I could rest, but just as I was about to take another step, everything around me turns completely black and I instantly drop to the floor and lose consciousness.

     Darkness surrounded me for a while, and for a moment I thought I’d see the light, but nothing was there.

     “ Hello? “ I called out, walking around this nothingness. But as I took another step forward, I suddenly heard knocking sounds from a distance. It was quiet for a while, but then the knock turned loud and aggressive.

    The knocks got closer and closer, and soon after, the knocking sound was heard just right beside my ear, and in an instant, I opened my eyes and gasped for air, instantly making me look around to check where I was.

    When I realized that I was back in my bedroom at the manor, I grabbed my racing chest and sighed in relief. For a moment I thought I’d wake up in another patient’s room, but thankfully I was back here.

     “Bishop! Wake the fuck up!” a voice outside the room calls out, making me realize that the knocking sound actually came from that.

     I got up from the bed and walked towards the door. As soon as I opened it, I saw father Laurence looking at me with an annoyed expression. “For fuck’s sake Bishop, I thought you died,” Laurence tells me, making me chuckle in response.

    “I wish.”

    “Anyway, dinner’s ready. Adeline is waiting at the dining table. Marcelino, on the other hand, is out since he had to get master Claudio from the hospital, but I think they’ll arrive soon,” father Laurence explains to me.

     “Alright. Let me just get my mask. Wait here,” I say as I ran to my desk to get my mask, but just as I was about to get it, I suddenly saw the diary. It was open, but there weren’t any new journal entries written on it, just a ripped page. I looked around the area to check if there was any crumpled paper, but there wasn’t.

     “ Was an alter supposed to write something to me?“ I asked myself.

     “Bishop! Come on, I’m hungry!” Father Laurence complained from outside my room.

     “I’ll be right there!”

     I grabbed my mask and immediately wore it, but just as I was about to run out of the room, I accidentally stepped on something. I quickly looked down, and as soon as I saw what it was, my eyes widened in shock. It was the glass syringe that master Claudio had back at the hospital which contained the 2nd plague’s cure. Thankfully I moved away on time because if I stepped hard enough, the glass would have shattered under my feet.

    I immediately picked the syringe up and saw that it was now empty. When I saw this, a tear instantly streamed down my eye as my heart was suddenly filled with this overwhelming relief.

     “Thank god,” I say, hugging the syringe close to my chest.

     Looks like Mateo’s okay now. Thank god.

    “For fuck’s sake Bishop, how hard is it to wear a—” Laurence barges inside my bedroom in irritation, but before he can even finish his sentence, he suddenly stops when he sees what I was doing.

    Father Laurence sighs and approaches me. “You feeling better now?” he then asks with a warmer expression this time. I didn’t really answer him, but I nodded my head and gently placed the syringe back on the desk before following Laurence outside.

     While Laurence and I were walking down the hall, he suddenly tells me, “I’m glad you’re feeling better. That mister scar face told me that you’ve been fainting a few times now so I made you some soup that might help you feel better.”

    “Wait, does that mean he carried me to my bed?” I asked after hearing what Laurence had to say.

     “No, from what I remember, you walked your way to your bedroom on your own. Marcelino then went to the greenhouse after parking the car and stayed there all day,” he says, making me furrow my brows. So when I fainted back at the hospital, someone actually switched with me and took over. But who was it? Why can’t I recall anything?

     “Is that so…” I say, scratching the back of my head in confusion, but I eventually brushed it off and told him, “Anyway, thanks for making that soup. I’m looking forward to it.”

    “Well, I had time since the patients got reduced drastically,” Laurence suddenly tells me, instantly making me stop walking.

     Father Laurence continued walking, but when he noticed that I was no longer following him, he stops and looks back at me. “Bishop, are you okay?” he asks.

     “Laurence, what did you just say?” I then ask, feeling my hands trembling.

     “Wait, did no one tell you yet? Patients 03 and 04—Oz and Lady—died earlier. We already buried them beside patient no. 01, so there are only two patients left. Our duty here will be over soon, so you should be celebrating,” father Laurence explains with little to no empathy.

     I knew what he meant by that despite it sounding cruel, but I felt my heart shatter. I knew nothing about those two patients, but like the time they buried Hunter, my chest ached for them. Why am I even feeling so attached to these criminals? They shouldn’t deserve my tears, but here I am, moments away from shedding them.

     “Bishop, don’t tell me you pity those patients,” Laurence then tells me, making me blink my tears away so I could look at him with a straight face. I was about to just brush it off and pretend like I wasn’t affected by their deaths, but then I suddenly remembered the time I was forced to sleep in Oz’s room.

     “I’ve been observing this manor from outside. There’s an extra floor, but you can’t find any stairs. That room is directly above that soldier’s bedroom. Steal a ladder and break the ceiling.” Those were the words he told me just before he was taken.

     I can’t waste any more time. There are two patients left. Our freedom isn’t guaranteed here, so I’d rather take my chances and do something now. I have to know what master Claudio is really planning, and I want to know why he’s even doing all this in the first place.

     “Laurence, you said that Lino isn’t here yet, right?” I asked, and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion but nodded his head anyway.

    “Then grab a ladder and a hammer downstairs, quickly. We’re going to break a ceiling and look for answers. We might be his precious horsemen, but we don’t need a rider to be able to run forward, don’t you agree?”

to be continued…

(34) Needed Distraction

⚕︎

“LAURENCE, YOU SAID THAT  Lino isn’t here yet, right?” I asked father Laurence, and this perverted-looking priest narrowed his eyes in suspicion but nodded his head anyway.

     “Then grab a ladder and a hammer downstairs, quickly. We’re going to break a ceiling and look for answers. We might be his precious horsemen, but we don’t need a rider to be able to run forward, don’t you agree?” I then asked him.

     Father Laurence doesn’t say anything and just stares at me like he heard the most ridiculous thing in the world. I know he rejected my suggestion of running away, but we should at least do something about the situation we’re in. We can’t just blindly follow Claudio until all the patients are dead.

     “Look, we’re not going to do anything crazy. We’re not even going to run away like what I mentioned to you before. We’re just going to look for answers, and these answers are what’s going to help us when shit goes down. Don’t you think we should at least have some dirt on our master?” I asked him, making Laurence scratch the back of his head. I could tell that he was now thinking about it. I just need a little more push.

     And besides, other than Adie, he’s the only one I can trust here.

     “Fine, let’s say I do what you’re asking me to do, but how about the other employees with their stupid gas masks? What if they rat us out on the master, what then?” Laurence asks back, and honestly, his concerns were reasonable.

     I’m not entirely sure who the other employees are, and even though they treat us like we’re their boss, they’re probably still a lot more loyal to Claudio. Wait, not even probably, they are much more loyal to Claudio.

     “I can make a distraction,” I say when I suddenly had this crazy idea that may or may not work.

    “Distraction?”

    “That’s right, a distraction. Lino’s bedroom is on the other side where the patients are, right? I’ll head to the top floor and distract the others while you go to his room,” I explained, and Laurence looks at me for a quick second before massaging his temple, almost like he couldn’t believe that he was willing to follow my crazy plan.

     “And what if it’s locked? Have you thought of that?” Laurence asks next.

     “Oh, that’s tricky. Lino has all the keys, so if it’s locked—” as I was talking to Laurence, I suddenly stopped when I felt this suffocating presence standing right behind us. Father Laurence must have felt it too because his eyes ended up widening as the two of us stared at each other in surprise.

     He nudges my side, so I cleared my throat and slowly turned around. I thought it would be Lino, or maybe even master Claudio, but when I turned around and saw that it was actually Adeline, I released a sigh of relief.

     “Oh, it’s just you,” I say as little Adie approaches us, crossing her arms and then pouting, signaling us that she was upset about something, probably because it took us so long to join her at the dining table and she had to sit there alone.

     “Sorry kid, your butler here was spouting shit. You must be hungry so let’s go,” Laurence says instead. He was about to leave and head to the dining room, but I grabbed his arm and immediately stopped him. “W-Wait, I have an idea,” I say as I looked back at Adeline. Laurence didn’t know what I was planning, so when I asked Adie the question, he immediately looked back at me with disbelief.

     “Adie, do you know where Lino hides the keys?”

     “Bishop! Are you crazy?!” Father Laurence immediately says, grabbing my arm and pulling me aside so Adie won’t hear us. “ You’re going to include this creepy kid in your stupid plan? What’s gonna happen if he tells the master? “

     “How? She’s fucking mute!” I answered back, making the two of us glance back at Adeline before looking at each other. “And besides, we can trust her. Among everyone in this manor, the three of us should stick together.”

     “And why is that?”

     “Lady told me,” I answered.

    Laurence was confused for a second, but then his eyes widened as he shouted, “Lady?! The fucking patient?!”

    I ignored Laurence’s exaggerated remarks and just walked up to Adeline again. Adie knows Lino longer than us, and Lino is actually quite fond of her too. She must know where Lino’s hiding his keys, especially since she’s always at the greenhouse with him.

     “You know where it is, don’t you?” I ask.

    Laurence shakes his head in disapproval while Adeline continues to stare at me, probably because she’s observing me. She and Winter get along, and I feel like it would help if I pull Winter out, but with everything that’s going on, I have this gut feeling that that might be a bad idea.

     “Adie, please, you gotta help us. We just want to know more about master Claudio,” I then begged. Adeline continued to stare at me blankly, and Laurence was about to walk away, but then she slowly nods her head, and my excitement grew in an instant.

     “Great! Please help us find it, okay?” I say before looking back at Laurence. “You come with Adie and get everything that I need. You got that?”

    “Can you be more of a pushover?” Laurence asks back, but he takes a deep breath and did what he was told. Adeline also came along with him, and the two finally went out to start the secret task. I don’t know how much time we have left until Lino and master Claudio arrives from the hospital, but we can’t waste any more time.

     I ran to the third floor where the remaining patients were. Most of the nurses were there, supervising them. Pacific was outside the recreational area playing cards alone. It made me feel a little heavy inside since he used to play it with Lady, but now he’s gone too.

     Pacific sees me, but he ignores me entirely. I then ran to Wednesday’s room, and when I opened the little window on her door, I saw her sitting on her bed, her ankles chained up like last time. I was about to call out to her, but then this female nurse suddenly pushes me away from the door. She says something really fast that I wasn’t able to catch it on time, and then she immediately closes the window so I wouldn’t be able to see Wednesday anymore.

      “I need to go inside,” I insisted. “I have to speak with her. Doctor Giovanni has given me permission,” I then lied.

     The woman looked reluctant, but then I heard her say the words, “ Good luck then, “ before finally opening the door for me.

     I stepped inside the room and removed my mask. Wednesday immediately looked in my direction, and the moment she saw my face, she instantly got up from the bed and smiled. “Nana,” she says as she runs towards me to grab me. But when she was only inches away from where I was standing, the chains stop her, and her sweet expression turns into complete anger.

     “These darn chains!” She shouted. “I’ll rip my legs out if I could!”

     “Calm down Wednesday,” I tell her, and Wednesday quickly turns her head to me and smiles again, her teeth looking a lot more terrible and rotten compared to the last time I saw her.

     “How are you doing?” I asked, turning my head to see the nurse looking at us through the little window on the door. I cleared my throat, and then I looked back at Wednesday and took a step closer. When she was finally able to grab me, Wednesday takes my hand and pulls me in for a hug. The gesture surprised me, but I smiled and hugged her back.

    As we broke free from the hug, Wednesday takes my hand and leads me to the bed so the two of us could sit on it. “You visited. I’m glad,” she sweetly says, and I couldn’t help but swallow this hard lump in my throat. These are criminals. These are criminals. I repeatedly told myself, but the more I say it, the more I become unsure.

     “I wanted to know if you’re alright. Have the nurses been treating you well?” I then ask, reaching out to her and removing the hair on her face so I could tuck it behind her ear.

     “They have, but some would curse at me. I don’t really understand them, but I could tell,” she answers.

     I was about to ask her how she was feeling, but then Wednesday asks me, “Have you seen Lady anywhere? I wasn’t able to find him this morning.”

     “Lady? Why are you looking for Lady?” I ask back with my brows furrowed.

     “Well, Lady takes care of me sometimes. She brushes my hair too,” she explains, which is a surprise because I never expected them to have that kind of relationship. “Lady’s like me. He told me his mother loved to dress him up and make him look pretty, and she even made him into a proper lady, but that made the men in his town desire him, which was why they raped him. They thought he was a woman,” Wednesday explained to me, and the normality of this conversation is what made me feel uneasy.

     These people experienced all this and got their dignity and self-decency crushed, making them the monster that they are now. Wednesday, Lady, and maybe even Oz…the law labeled them as crazy criminals, but the law and our fucked up system are what really made them criminals in the first place.

    “Wednesday, you see, Lady…he…he died,” I finally said.

     For a moment I thought Wednesday would look sad, but her expression didn’t change, and that lack of emotion was what made me feel bad for her.

    “There’s nothing we can do then,” she simply says.

     “ Do you even know that you might follow him too? “ I then thought to myself, but I quickly brushed that away, glancing at the nurse who was still watching us before looking back at Wednesday. I don’t really have time to chat with her now. I know Autumn would also like to speak with her too, but I’m here on a mission, and I can’t waste my time getting closer to a patient.

     “Wednesday, I actually came here because I needed your help,” I finally tell her with a lower voice so the nurse outside wouldn’t hear us. “Do you think you could help me distract the nurses?”

     I didn’t know how Wednesday would react, just like how I didn’t know how she’d react to the news of Lady’s death, but then the look on Wednesday’s face suddenly changed, and the atmosphere in the room became different; almost dark.

     “You’re not nana, are you?” She asks, making me widen my eyes in surprise. I wasn’t expecting her to notice, but I wasn’t really trying to lie to her either, but before I could even defend myself, Wednesday suddenly puts his hands on my neck and starts strangling me.

     Her strength was incredible as she pushes me down on the bed, tightening her grip on my neck as she goes on top of me. “Where’s nana!” She shouted. “Let her out!”

     I tried to push her away, but thankfully the nurse outside alerted the others and they immediately went inside and grabbed Wednesday away from me. I got off the bed and started coughing, holding onto my neck which felt like it was burning. The nurses tried to put Wednesday down while I continued to catch my breath. This isn’t how I intended this to end, but the plan worked somehow , so while the nurses were busy with Wednesday, I ran off and went straight to the opposite hallway where Lino’s room can be found.

     Just in time, I saw Laurence and Adeline standing outside his room. Adeline was trying out a bunch of keys, while Laurence was holding onto a toolbox.

     “Where’s the ladder?” I asked as I ran to where they were.

     “What happened to your neck? What kind of distraction did you make?” He asks me instead, but I didn’t answer him and pointed out the missing ladder again.

     “I didn’t have time to fucking steal a ladder. Do you know how big that thing is? I’ll just carry you on my shoulders. That would still work anyway,” he insisted, and I just sighed and nodded my head. I guess we could work with that.

     “How is it, Adie? Found the key yet?” I then ask, and Adie shakes her head while she continued putting the keys in the keyhole one at a time. I couldn’t help but feel uneasy as I looked around the empty hallway.

     “Can you go any faster?” Laurence then says.

     “Stop pressuring her.”

     Adeline tries her best to search for the key while Laurence and I stood as lookouts. But after a while, we could suddenly hear footsteps coming from a distance, and that finally made the three of us panic.

     “Alright, give me that,” I say, grabbing the keys from Adeline’s hand and checking the keys myself. Adeline and Laurence stood closer to me as the footsteps got louder, but after putting in this particular key, something clicks, and the door finally opens.

     I immediately opened the door and Adeline and Laurence practically ran inside. I pulled the key out and closed the door, and as soon as it was closed, I pressed my back on it and instantly sighed in relief.

     “We’re never doing this again,” Laurence says, panting heavily because of the adrenaline rush too.

     “It was a thrilling experience though.”

     After calming myself down, I looked around Lino’s bedroom. It was very similar to my own bedroom, but the windows weren’t covered like mine was. There were also a few plants around the room, and then there were a couple of notebooks on his desk. Before I could even stick my nose into it, Laurence was already all over the notebooks and checking them out. Even Adeline was curiously standing close so she could see what they were.

     “Looks like they’re notes about stupid plants,” Laurence says, looking uninterested as he skimmed through the notebook. “I thought it would be like a diary that would reveal his secrets, but they’re all just boring plants. How anticlimactic.”

     “Well he is our gardener after all,” I say.

     “Well, you won’t see me having a ton of cookbooks in my bedroom now will you?” Laurence sarcastically asks back, and all I could do was roll my eyes in annoyance.

    I joined the two of them and grabbed a notebook as well. Like what Laurence said, these were just notes of some plants and even different effects of rare-looking flowers. My best bet is that these are the plants that Claudio is using to make his plague.

     “Maybe I should just grab some of these flowers and shove them inside Claudio’s mouth so he’d choke on it,” I say out loud. The room instantly becomes quiet, so I looked at Laurence and Adeline who were looking back at me like I said a forbidden word. They just stared at me in surprise, so I ended up laughing at their reaction. “I was joking, come on. It’s not like killing him would solve our problems, right?”

     No one laughed at my joke, so I just sighed and brushed it off. “Have some humor people,” I tell them before putting the notebook back. I intended to place it on the desk, but since I wasn’t really looking, I missed it and dropped the notebook instead.

     Laurence laughs at my clumsiness, and I just cursed and picked it up on the floor. But as I grabbed the notebook, I suddenly saw an old photo on the floor beside it. It was probably in between the pages of the notebook.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/1d0622c20c51322fd2117622b3abf13e3b457457/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f493730743154566c4b38545556773d3d2d313238343839373431362e313732356632353965303666643666303137303433353039363233312e6a7067)

     “What’s that?” Laurence asks, and so I picked the notebook and the photo up to check on it. “Is that Marcelino when he was younger?” He then asks next.

     “Looks like it.”

    “Wow, he doesn’t have a scar in this photo yet. And who’s this beauty? Don’t tell me that was her girlfriend,” Laurence says, and the three of us just stared at the picture. After a while, I finally placed it back inside the notebook and got back to business.

     “Anyway, we should stop wasting time. Put me on your shoulder so I could reach the ceiling,” I say, and Laurence puts the toolbox down and groans before bending his knees so I could sit on his shoulders.

     “This plan of yours better be worth it Bishop,” Laurence says as I got on his shoulders. He slowly stood up and stood his ground, and then I stretched my arm and finally got to touch the ceiling. I was touching the surface of the ceiling so I could feel if something was uneven. I was even knocking on it so I’d know if it was hollow or not.

    “Can you move around,” I say, and Laurence ground again and did what I was told.

     I don’t know if Oz was lying to me or not, but I have high hopes that there’s really something in here. It would be such a waste if there wasn’t though.

    “Anything yet?” Laurence asked while tightly holding onto my legs so I wouldn’t fall off.

    “Wait, move closer to the bed,” I then say, and Laurence slowly moved to that spot. I continued touching the ceiling while Adeline followed us, looking up as well in anticipation. “W-wait, I feel something,” I finally say. “Adie darling, can you hand me something like a knife, or just anything sharp.”

     Adeline nods his head and runs to the toolbox. She pulls out a cutter and then hands it over to me. “Thank you,” I say, and then I touched the ceiling again before tracing something with the cutter until I eventually cut a square on the ceiling.

    “There,” I say as Laurence gently put me down.

    The three of us stared at the ceiling and looked at it. 

     “Is that…an attic?” Laurence finally asks, and the three of us looked back at each other like we just discovered the most shocking thing in the world.

     “Imagine if there are dead bodies,” I say as a joke, but Adeline suddenly looked freaked out, so I decided not to say anything about it anymore.

    “So, do we just open it?” Father Laurence then asks.

     The three of us looked at each other for one last time before looking back at the ceiling. We didn’t really know what was right above us, but without saying a word, I could tell that Laurence and Adeline felt uneasy about it too.

     “Well, we’ll never know unless we try it out, right?” I asked, and Laurence takes out the hammer from the toolbox and nods his head in determination. “We’re already here so let’s dive into it now. You ready Bishop?” he then says, handing me over the hammer. I didn’t say anything and just nodded my head back. Laurence lowers himself as I sat on his shoulders again. Using the other side of the hammer, I forced open the attic door. After a few more pulls, the door eventually opens.

     Adeline, Laurence, and I moved aside as an entrance reveals itself to us, and then a ladder instantly drops. Dust was everywhere, and when we looked up, we were welcomed by nothing but complete darkness, almost like we were finally going inside the mind of our crazy and sadistic master.

     “Well then, ladies first.”

to be continued…

(35) Evil Depiction

WARNING: There is a description in this chapter that can be uncomfortable to some. Reader discretion is advised. Remember to enjoy and read responsively. Thank you.

⚕︎

DESPITE MY GROWING DESIRE  to be the last one to go to the attic, I still ended up finding myself walking up the steps of the ladder toward the dark hole found in the ceiling. I glanced down at Adeline and father Laurence who were looking at me with relieved smiles on their faces, making me roll my eyes and continue climbing up.

     “If a rat climbs down my body, I’m jumping,” I warned, and I could hear Adeline giggling beside Laurence.

     She’s enjoying this way too much.

      I climbed the ladder until I reached the top. I took a deep breath and stuck my head inside the attic. The attic was pitch black, so I tried to adjust my eyes to see better, but I still couldn’t see a thing.

     “You have a flashlight there? Or maybe a lighter?” I ask, looking back at the two. Adeline quickly looks through the toolbox, while Laurence searches his pocket. Adeline looks at me and shakes her head, signaling that the toolbox didn’t have anything. Thankfully Laurence pulls out a lighter from his coat and hands it over to me.

     “Thank you. This will be such a great help,” I sarcastically say before lighting up the small lighter and using it to see. I finally got up the steps and dust instantly welcomes me, making me start coughing. I still couldn’t see well, but the fire coming from the lighter was enough to help me watch my step.

     “The attic’s pretty big,” I say out loud, considering how I’m able to stand straight.

     “You see any deranged man chained up there?” I could hear Laurence asking from upstairs.

     “Funny.”

     I continued to look around the attic so I could find any type of switch. While I walked, I could hear the floors creaking, and for a second I thought it was going to break on me. But as I continued walking, my head suddenly got hit by this string that was actually a pull switch.

     I pulled the switch, instantly lighting up the attic. “I found the light! You can go up now!” I announced, putting out the fire from the lighter and shoving it in my pocket. I dusted off the dirt on my hand and turned around, but as soon as I turned around, my heart drops and I instantly fall to the ground.

     I grabbed my chest as I tried to understand what was in front of me, but I eventually took a deep breath when I realized that the thing that I saw was not a figure of a man, but a mannequin instead.

     “Bishop, you okay?” Laurence asks, his head sticking out from the hole.

     “I-I’m fine,” I answer as I stood from the floor to save myself from the embarrassment.

     Father Laurence got to the attic, and then he reached out for Adeline’s hand to help her too. When the three of us finally got up to the attic, we looked around and realized that the attic was actually filled with files and boxes. There were old toys like a rocking horse and a two-foot-tall nutcracker, and even a baby crib and a piano.

     “Wow…junk,” Laurence sarcastically says as he and Adeline looked around the area.

     “I don’t think so,” I answered him as I walked towards the mannequin that scared me to death a couple of seconds ago. Adeline and Laurence saw it too so they stood beside me as we stared at it. The mannequin was wearing a familiar suit, and the cherry on top was it was also wearing an old mask that is similar to Claudio’s.

     “Could this be master Claudio’s?” I ask, and Laurence approached the mannequin and check the suit. After checking it, he shook his head and told me, “I don’t think so. This suit was made in the year 1910. Our dear master’s only in his mid-thirties, so this would be too old for him.”

     “Then could it be his father’s?” I then ask while staring at the costume, and Laurence just shrugged his shoulder.

     “We should look for other clues,” I tell them, so Adeline, and surprisingly Laurence started looking through the boxes to find something that might help us understand our master better.

     I also looked around the attic and found old clothes and even furniture. And then I found a picture of four men who I was not familiar with which was as old as the suit on the mannequin. They were smiling for the photo, but it didn’t strike as anything important. There were more toys, and then I eventually found a metal box that could only be opened with a code. I tried to put in some combinations, but I couldn’t get the right numbers, so I decided to just take it with me so I could figure it out later.

     “Could these things really be just junk?” I say to myself as I looked around the boxes that contained nothing important. I don’t really know who lived here before, but I could tell that these were from the previous owner of the manor, which I assume is the de Vincenzo family. That’s the name Claudio used to introduce himself before so I’m just going with that.

     Claudio once told me that his grandfather was the one who built this manor, which means this is his real home, not that empty mansion back in town. He also told me that he was adopted by the Romano family when he was only seven.

     Then there’s Mateo who told me that they killed the plague doctor who resided here. Could the previous plague doctor be Claudio’s real father, so when he was killed, the Romano family—who adopted him—took him because they pitied him? Is that it? Is that the reason why he’s now the current plague doctor?

     “Guys, you better look at this,” Laurence suddenly calls out.

    I clenched the metal box that I was holding and followed his voice. Adeline and I found Laurence squatting in front of this large chest. He also moved the boxes, which made Adie and I realize that there was actually a window there. This must be the window that Lady saw from outside.

     “It’s a view of the front part of the manor,” I say, looking out the small window before looking back at Laurence.

     Laurence looks through the large chest and suddenly pulls something out of it. I couldn’t really guess what it was at first, but after Laurence dusted it off, I realized that it was actually a wooden figure of a horse with eyes that were red. I was supposed to ask what it was, but then Laurence takes out three more figures which had white, pale yellow, and black eyes.

     “Four horsemen,” I say as I grab the horse with the white eyes which symbolize pestilence—the title that master Claudio gave me. While I was staring at the figure, Laurence takes another item out. This time, it was an unsealed envelope that contained a letter. Adie and I moved closer to Laurence and read the letter together.

February 18, 1924

Giovanni,

I saw you staring at something in my study and was astonished that you started showing interest in the Four Horsemen at the ripe age of seven. You are a wonder, my child, and you will grow to become an even greater man. The four horsemen depict a catastrophe waiting to unfold, but there is an underlying goodness in such an evil depiction. When you grow up, probably old enough to even read this letter, you will understand what I mean.

As for your birthday, I have asked someone to carve you these horse figures. They will be your guardians while I am away. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone this time, but I want you to continue to grow and unravel this world that does not allow us to understand it enough.

There are things that one cannot fully control and comprehend, but there are things you can do to change a certain situation; given the right opportunity. I know my words sound absurd to you now, but like the meaning of the four horsemen, you will soon understand it as well when you grow up.

For now, I want you to be strong. You will meet people who the world will shut out, just like we are, but I want you to be the person who will let them in. You are my son, you are the last de Vincenzo, and no matter how hard it can be, Capo di Monte is your home.

Stay safe, my son.

Francesco de Vincenzo

     The three of us became quiet after reading the letter. Reading it alone, you’d know that it’s a letter that came along the birthday present, but at the same time, it sounds like a farewell letter. And this was when he was seven, which means this was the time master Claudio was adopted by the Romano family.

     “They will be your guardians while I am away,” father Laurence repeated from the letter before laughing to himself. “So we’re like his childhood fantasies. Something bad happened to his father in the past, and then he used us as this thing that would help with whatever he’s trying to achieve now. That’s pretty much it. No grand secret or revelation or anything,” Laurence says before putting the figurines back and even grabbing the one I’m holding so he could close the chest.

     “Looks like this was a complete waste of time Bishop. There’s nothing here that we don’t already know,” Laurence says, dusting the dirt off his hands before standing up. “And here I thought we’re gonna find a dead body or something.”

     “What is with you and dead bodies?”

     “I don’t know, makes things interesting.”

     “Well, sorry for wasting your time then. How about I murder you right now and leave your dead body here instead,” I fired back.

     “You’d totally do that,” Laurence says before scratching the back of his head. “Anyway, I did what you wanted me to do, now forget about digging Claudio’s past and let’s go. We’re hungry.”

     Laurence was about to walk down, and I wasn’t going to stop him anymore because he had a point. “Adie, let’s go,” I say, turning my head to look at her. I thought she was following behind me, but then I saw her holding a notebook. I approached little Adie to check what it was. Even Laurence, who was about to go downstairs, approached us as well.

     “What is that?” Laurence asks, standing behind Adeline.

     “Is that a diary?” I confusingly ask while skimming through the pages. Laurence and I quietly read through it, but then we stopped when we saw an old family picture. It’s a picture of a man wearing the suit on the mannequin, and then a very beautiful woman holding a baby. On the picture, there was a note that said, Welcome to the world Giovanni, with a date that says Feb. 18, 1917.

     “So this is his family,” I say, touching the picture.

     “Wow, his mother was a beauty,” Laurence comments, and I couldn’t help but agree. She was definitely mesmerizing, even though the picture was already old.

     The three of us continued looking through the diary from an unknown person, but then Adeline stopped after turning to the next page. Seconds after that, she dropped the notebook, and all of us were left frozen in place, our hearts beating fast like we just saw the most disturbing thing in the world.

     “What the actual fuck was that?” Laurence asks, his eyes wide in shock.

     I swallowed the lump in my throat and slowly looked back at the notebook that was now on the ground. In between the notebook was a picture, a picture of a naked woman who was tied to a metal bed, her eyes sewn together while her body was covered in bruises. Surrounding her were three men. One was on top of her, one was standing above her face, and the other was penetrating her.

     Despite the woman’s state, we could tell who she was. I immediately had to look away, clenching my fist as I felt the helplessness and despair in that picture.

     “T-That was master Claudio’s mother, right?” Laurence continues to ask, but I couldn’t answer. It was such a horrendous picture that I couldn’t even fathom the fact that people would do such a thing. I’ve heard a lot of things that have left me unfazed but seeing an actual picture left me in shambles.

     “Who were those men?”

     “ G-grandpa, “ we suddenly heard a soft voice say, immediately making us look back at Adeline.

     “What did you just say?” Laurence ask.

     Adeline was wearing her mask that covered her eyes, but then a tear streamed down her cheeks, and at that moment, I knew what she meant.

     “Grandpa,” I repeated. “One of the men in the picture…is your grandpa, the mayor of Capo di Monte,” I say, surprising Laurence as well.

     Adeline quickly wiped her tears away while Laurence tried to comfort her. I glanced at the picture again before running to the box that I saw earlier. There was a picture there too, and in that picture were four men I didn’t recognize. I took that picture and took the picture in the notebook to compare them together. “They’re the same people,” I say as I stared at the pictures side by side. After staring at them, I finally recognized one of them. One of the men had a distinct feature, and there was no doubt that this was the mayor.

     “Those sick bastards,” Laurence says, grabbing the picture of the four men from me. He then turned the picture around, and to my surprise, there were names written on the back. 

     F. de Vicenzo, C. Winchester, A. Ricci, and W. Romano: Claudio’s four horsemen

     The three of us were astonished. These three names…these are the families master Claudio is asking us to target.

     “Someone told me that the plague doctor lived in this manor and plagued the town. The Romano family, the Ricci family, and probably the Winchester family too…they were the ones who killed him. If it’s true, that Claudio’s father was the plague doctor…” I stopped and angrily crumpled the picture where the woman was before looking back at Adeline and Laurence.

    “This is the reason why Claudio wants revenge,” Laurence finishes for me. “His father trusted those men but did this instead.”

     I don’t know why, but my heart starts to ache all of a sudden. The evilness inside me feels like it should celebrate after knowing the fact that this all happened to Claudio, but I couldn’t feel such a thing. I couldn’t help but be angry because I felt pity instead. Master Claudio became fucked up because of what happened to him in the past. Does this excuse him for everything he’s done? Of course not. I still hate him to pieces. But now I’m conflicted. Who is the real evil? What is wrong and what is not? Why is the world so unfair?

     For a moment I’m starting to understand the meaning of the letter that his father wrote for him, and I feel like Claudio was able to read it and finally understood it too, which is why he’s doing all this.

     “All of us experienced something fucked up, but I’ll admit, this is pretty heavy,” Laurence says, making me clench my fist again.

     “He had to carry the Romano name and be praised as the son who killed his biological father,” I say as I remembered Claudio’s words in the past.

     “I wanted you to see, Bishop . I wanted you to see the people. I wanted you to see what kind of town this really is. I wanted you to see that no matter what type of plague falls upon them…it won’t be enough to cleanse everyone’s sin. “

     “What do we do now? Still think we should kill him?” Laurence asks, but before I could answer him, I suddenly heard something from outside. I ran towards the small window and took a peak. My eyes widened when I saw that Claudio’s car was approaching.

     “They’re back. We need to go,” I quickly tell them, and the three of us immediately ran down from the attic. Laurence even had to carry Adie so she wouldn’t accidentally fall. I pulled the ladder up, automatically making the door to the attic close. The mark that it was opened could still be seen from the ceiling, but for now, we just have to pretend like we had nothing to do with it. Lino can just question us and hope for the best.

     “Wait, what on earth is that?” Laurence asks when he noticed the metal box that I’m holding.

     “I need it,” I answer, and Laurence could only sigh.

    “Alright, let’s go. Adeline, head to the dining room. You, put the toolbox and the keys back, and I’ll just hide this in my room,” I instructed, and the three of us run out of the room like nothing happened.

     I went back to my bedroom and hid the metal box inside my dresser, putting it under my clothes. When it was now hidden, I ran downstairs and joined Adeline in the dining room who was already sitting in her usual seat. Laurence arrives soon after, and the two of us sat down, trying to catch our breath.

     When we were finally calm, the three of us removed the different types of masks that we were wearing. A couple of seconds after, Lino arrives with Claudio, who gave us a suspicious look.

     “Good evening, master Claudio,” I greet, immediately standing from my seat to bow my head to him like the butler that I’m supposed to be. Claudio stares at us for a few more seconds before finally removing his mask and joining us at the table. “Why haven’t you all eaten yet?”

     “Bishop was being difficult,” Laurence suddenly answers on our behalf, making me glare at him. I thought Claudio would notice how strange we’ve been acting, but he ignores our behavior and removes his mask instead before taking a seat, automatically making me do the same. Lino then sat beside Adeline, and the five of us finally got together at the table, which was strange since we rarely eat together now.

     “Master Claudio, would you like me to reheat the food?” I ask, trying to act natural.

     “It’s fine,” he answers as he adjusted to his seat. “Have they buried the bodies properly?” Claudio then asks, removing his gloves this time without looking at any of us.

     “They have, and I have blessed them as instructed,” father Laurence answers, and Claudio nods his head and finally lifts his spoon to take the first bite. As soon as he started eating, the rest of us eventually followed and ate our dinner.

     The table was quiet, and all I could do was stare at my plate. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t say a word. One reason is because I still very much hate Claudio despite what happened to his family, but at the same time, my desire to help him plague this godforsaken town is growing.

     “Bishop,” Claudio suddenly calls out, almost making me flinch.

    “Yes sir…I mean, master…master Claudio,” I corrected, and I glanced at Laurence and saw him holding his laughter, so I immediately kicked his leg under the table before looking back at Claudio.

     “We’ll be staying at the mansion tonight so get your things ready,” he suddenly reveals, surprising me.

     “W-What? Why?” I ask despite knowing how much Claudio hates questions.

     Claudio expectedly ignores my question and takes a bite of his steak. I thought I’ll never know why we’re suddenly staying in another house, but then he explains to me, “Mateo will be returning from the hospital tomorrow, and I believe he’ll be visiting the mansion. It would be troublesome if we were not there.”

     “Really?!” I asked, sounding a little too happy than I intended.

     Claudio stares at me, and for a second I thought he was going to get mad, but instead, he chuckled and continued eating, surprising not only me but Laurence and Lino as well.

     Did Claudio just really chuckle right now? Is this the same guy I know who would laugh at people’s deaths? Did something good happen to him at the hospital? Thinking about it, I did faint. Did something happen after that? Who’s the alter that came out?

     I don’t remember a goddamn thing. And then my diary, I’m sure someone wrote something there but someone else tore it off. What is even going on? I got too distracted by what we saw in the attic that I forgot what happened before we went there.

     “Another thing Bishop,” Claudio says, making me look back at him.

     “Yes, what is it, master Claudio?”

     Claudio took another bite of his steak, and then, he pauses and looks straight into my eyes before saying, “Dust…”

     “Pardon?”

     “There’s dust in your shoulder,” he tells me. “Where on earth did you go this time?”

to be continued…

(36) Beautifully Tragic

⚕︎

“THERE’S DUST IN YOUR SHOULDER,”  master Claudio suddenly tells me, instantly making my entire body stiffen. “Where on earth did you go this time?” he finally asks, and I could feel father Laurence and Adeline staring at me.

     I looked at my shoulder and realized there really was dust like what Claudio said. Still, instead of panicking, I dusted it off and casually explained, “I probably got it after helping Adeline clean the art studio earlier.”

     Father Laurence almost laughed, and little Adie even nodded her head to confirm it, which made me smile because, for a second, I thought Adie would pretend like that never happened. She’s a real one for that.

     “Is that so,” Claudio says, and I couldn’t tell if he saw through that lie or if he just didn’t care at all. Thankfully he didn’t ask about it any further and just continued eating.

     Laurence and I glanced at each other, and I could tell that Lino was looking at us too, but we ignored him instead, pretending like we weren’t just looking through his things a couple of minutes ago. Now that I’m thinking about it, who really was that woman in Lino’s picture? I was too preoccupied with the things we saw in the attic that I forgot about them. Was that his girlfriend? Wife? Sister?

     “Adeline, prepare my bath before we leave,” Claudio says, interrupting my thoughts.

     Adie nods her head in answer, and then Claudio looks back at me and Lino before adding, “We’re leaving in an hour, so get ready.”

     Lino and I nodded our heads as well. Claudio then takes the last bite of his food before wiping his mouth and standing from his seat. He looks at the four of us for one last time and finally walks out of the dining room. None of us said a thing, but then Lino stood from his seat as well and got ready to leave. I was about to ignore him, but I immediately noticed the food that was still on his plate.

     “Finish your food,” I sternly tell him, making Lino look back at me with brows furrowed.

     “Did you not hear me? Finish your food and—”

     “I heard you,” Lino says with an annoyed tone. I thought he wasn’t going to listen to what I had to say, but surprisingly enough, he sits back down and finished his food.

     “You’re always so sensitive when it comes to food,” Lino complains while shoving the meat in his mouth.

     “Laurence took the time to cook it for us, so it’s common courtesy to finish what was prepared for our behalf,” I say, and Adeline starts eating the vegetables she pushed aside earlier.

     “I should be flattered, but I call that bullshit,” Laurence suddenly rebukes, making Adie giggle this time. “Could it be because of your parents? You told me once that they were food critics, right?” Laurence then asks, and this time, Lino looks at me like he is confused.

      “Food critics? Didn’t you tell us that your father was in the military?” He then asks, and Laurence looks like he remembered it too because he looks like he realized it as well.

     The three of them stared at me, hoping to get this misunderstanding resolved, but I just laughed it off and took a sip of my water before staring down at my nearly empty plate. Did I ever tell them about my father being in the military? I don’t think I have, haven’t I? I only remember telling father Laurence about the food critic thing.

     “Must have been one of my alters playing tricks,” I tried to explain, and Lino, Adie, and Laurence just looked at each other before finally letting the topic go.

     We didn’t talk about that anymore and just quietly finished our dinner. After that, I ran back to my room and changed my clothes so I could get ready.

     It didn’t even take long until I was standing in front of the mirror, staring at the colors of my eyes. I always hated looking at them as I get reminded of things I shouldn’t even remember. But as I watch myself closely, I couldn’t help but hear Mateo’s words.

     “ Your eyes. They’re…beautiful. “

     He said ‘beautiful,’ a word I don’t get to hear much often. I was always just the monster—the demon child. I was never beautiful…not until I met him, Mateo Ricci, my bright yellow.

     Did Mateo know about his father’s sins? Did he know what they did to Claudio’s family, especially his mother? Or did he pretend like he didn’t want to be a part of it, so he ignored it all?

     Are you as sinful as the name you carry?

     Such questions terrify me.

     “Bishop? Are you ready?” A voice from outside calls out.

     I took a deep breath and immediately wore my contact lenses. I got ready to leave, but I stopped when I noticed the diary on my desk. I don’t know why, but I felt something about it, so I ran to grab it first before stepping out.

     Lino welcomes me outside. He was wearing his military uniform, the same uniform he wore when I saw him for the first time in the manor. The two of us walked down the hallway in silence. I waited for him to comment on the obvious markings in the ceiling of his bedroom, but he doesn’t say anything.

     Maybe he hasn’t noticed it yet.

     “The master is in a good mood today, so I suggest you don’t say anything that would trigger him again,” Lino suddenly tells me out of the blue, making me look at him with furrowed brows.

     “What are you talking about?”

     “I know how the master treats you,” he says. “All I’m trying to say is bad things can be avoided if you don’t provoke him as much as you do. You have a sharp tongue Bishop, it’s so sharp you end up cutting yourself with it.”

     “I don’t need fucking advice from you,” I replied to Lino instead before looking away from him. I could hear Lino sigh, but he doesn’t get mad at me like how he would usually.

     The two of us no longer exchanged words until we arrived at the back of the manor where the car is parked. Adeline and Laurence were already there, so the four of us stood in front of the car to wait for our dear master.

     While waiting, I looked back at the huge tree beside the garden. Under that three were three crosses planted on the ground. The sight of it made the hair on my skin stand. Three bodies were buried there; bodies that belonged to three people who I once conversed with. I couldn’t help but gulp at the thought that one day, I might be the one who was going to be buried there next.

     “Behave yourself, do you understand me, Bishop?” Someone suddenly says, making me look away from the graves. I thought it was Lino again, but to my surprise, it was actually father Laurence. He wasn’t looking at me, but he continued, “Do not provoke the master. You don’t want to experience the same thing that happened before.”

     I wanted to argue with him and tell him to mind his own business, but then I remembered the hands that strangled me and the hands that forced themselves onto me in the past. The thought of it made me look away from them in shame. Everything that the master has done to me, everyone in the manor is wary and aware of it. Everyone…everyone except me.

     Is Laurence reminding me that just because we saw a glimpse of Claudio’s past, I shouldn’t let my guard down and start pitying him now? Did Lino actually know about the attic too, and he’s also doing the same thing?

     “You are not my family,” I say out of spite, but I swallowed the lump in my throat before looking back at the three of them. “But whatever the four of us are…it felt warmer than any winter I was ever forced to endure.”

     Lino, Laurence, and even Adeline were surprised, but before any of them could say anything back, Claudio arrives wearing a plain white polo shirt and black pants, almost making him look like a decent human being and not a sadistic doctor who uses criminals to kill people.

     “Enjoy your evening, master Claudio,” father Laurence says as he and Adeline bow their head for him. Claudio looks at them and acknowledges their greeting. I ran to the back door of the car and opened it for him while Lino heads to the driver’s seat. Master Claudio gets inside the car first, and then I sat beside him and closed the door for us.

     Lino adjusts the rearview mirror and looks back at Claudio. As soon as Claudio nodded his head, Lino drives off to the town where the Romano mansion can be found.

     The drive was quiet after that, so we eventually arrived at the mansion without a fuss. I immediately head out of the car first to open the door for Claudio, and before he could step out, he looks at Lino and tells him, “If anything happens to the manor, call me.”

     “Yes, master. Have a pleasant evening.”

     Claudio finally heads out of the car holding a suitcase. He glances at me first, and then he walks towards the front door and opens it before stepping inside.

     I look back at Lino for one last time, and Lino nods his head toward me before driving off. When he was already out of sight, I walked my way inside the mansion and followed Claudio.

     It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Other than the time Claudio fucked me at the dining table, the two of us visited this mansion a couple of times but never did anything other than pretend to be a master and butler so the townspeople wouldn’t suspect anything.

     “Master, would you like me to make you some tea before you go to bed?” I ask as I followed Claudio to the living room.

     Claudio puts his suitcase down, and then he nods his head in answer. I didn’t say anything to him and just went to the kitchen to brew him some tea. After that, I’ll just head to my usual room and go to sleep. Nothing good will happen if I continue to be alone with that doctor.

     I placed my diary aside and took the kettle so I could start boiling some water. While waiting, I closed my eyes and tried to relax. But as my eyes were closed, a hand suddenly grabs my waist and pulls me towards him, making me open my eyes back.

     “C-Claudio!”

     Claudio ignores my surprise and starts kissing my neck. His warm lips electrified my entire body, but before I could give in, I immediately removed his hands from my waist and pushed him away from me.

     “This is our safe place…our perfect illusion,” I remember him telling me when I first stayed the night here and Claudio embraced me until I fell asleep. But that memory is long gone. Whatever I thought we were or what we could become is no longer existing. I’ve thrown him away and made myself clear that I will not surrender anything else to him. Lino and Laurence are right, just because I found out about his terrible past, doesn’t excuse him from the terrible things he has done to me so far.

     “ Behave yourself, do you understand me, Bishop ?“ I remember Laurence saying, so I took a deep breath and tried to remain as calm as I could.

     “Apologies master, but if you continue to disturb me, I’ll head back to my room instead,” I say to him, and Claudio just stares at me without saying a word.

     What is with him today? I don’t remember anything that happened when we went to the hospital so I have no idea why he’s in such a good mood. Did an alter of mine say anything? Is he trying to provoke me? Is he testing something? Observing something? I don’t know.

     Just when I thought I already have an upper hand against him, he starts acting like this.

     “Claudio I—” Before I could start my sentence, the kettle starts to whistle, immediately making me turn back around to turn the stove off. But as I grabbed a teacup, Claudio suddenly asks me, “What did you find in that attic, Bishop?”

     The teacup slips from my hand, immediately making it fall to the ground and shatter. I wanted to pick them up, but my body wouldn’t move, almost like it was afraid.

     “What secrets did you discover…hmm, Bishop?” Claudio continues to ask. He walks closer to me, I could feel it, but before he could do anything, I immediately went down and started picking up the broken glass. Maybe it was because I just wanted to pretend like I didn’t hear him, or maybe because I wanted to distract myself from what is yet to come.

     My hands tremble as I grab the shards, accidentally making me cut myself. Blood starts oozing out of my inner finger, but before I could even wash it, Claudio grabs my arm and pulls me up, forcing me to look at him.

     My mind was in a panic as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

     Claudio continues to stare at me, but then he smiles, that sweet fucking smile he gives whenever he’s about to say something clever that would once again fuck you up. “Why are you so nervous, I only asked you a harmless question,” he says, lifting my hand off and licking the blood from my finger, immediately making me pull my hand away.

     I looked at him and hugged my hand like it was my prized possession. I don’t know what he’ll do; he’s too unpredictable.

     “Oh Bishop, you look like a child who got scolded by his mother,” he says, reaching out to gently touch my face. “I’m not mad. In fact, I’m glad that you found out. Now you’ll understand my hatred—my desire to destroy what has destroyed me. You will soon realize that everything we have done is for the betterment of this town.”

    “W-why did you…allow yourself to become a Romano…despite what they’ve done to your family?” I ask, trying to keep my sentence straight even though my hands are trembling.

     Claudio takes a deep breath and continues to hold onto my cheeks before finally pulling his hand away.

     “Keep your friends close…and your enemies closer,” Claudio says, the sweet smile on his face slowly turning into a sadistic grin. “I had to make use of what I had, and that was my intelligence. The Romano family took me in because they couldn’t produce a child. I was…available, and I was smart, smarter than any son they will ever produce, and they knew that.”

     “So you just let them adopt you?”

    “Let them adopt me?” He asks before laughing out loud. “Oh no Bishop, they didn’t adopt me. I forced them to adopt me.”

     “W-What?”

     “ P-please, sir. William Romano, please take me with you. I have no one left, “ Claudio says, imitating a child. “They didn’t know that I know about the things they’ve done to my mother, so I pretended like I was a helpless boy who had nowhere to run to but to his dear and trusted horsemen.”

     I stared at Claudio in disbelief. At a young age, Claudio did all that to prepare himself for this very moment.

     What a terrifying man indeed.

     “I studied and studied until I became what I am today; gaining their trust and becoming the perfect son they were lucky to have. But all that was endured so that I could plague them. I want to see them suffer…I want to see their faces when I kill them all. I want to see the despair and the disbelief. All of it…I will gladly watch with a satisfied smile,” Claudio says to me, making the hair on my skin stand.

     Claudio had this sadistic grin on his face as he said all that, but for some reason, I could see the pain in his eyes. He was trying to mask it; I could tell because I do the same thing most of the time, but he was just better.

     “This is the reason why I value loyalty, Bishop. Just help me with this one thing—this plague, and I’ll set you all free,” Claudio explains to me, making me clench my fist.

      “I already have sworn my loyalty to you,” I reminded him. “I have made it clear that I can give you my loyalty and nothing more. As long as you do not touch Teo, that promise will be kept.”

     Claudio smirks at the mere mention of Teo’s name. He moves closer to me again and tries to kiss me, but I quickly looked away. He already forced a kiss on me. That’s not going to happen again.

     “It’s a shame you’re no longer in love with me. It would have made my job as your doctor and master easier,” he says as he finally moves away from me.

     “In love with you?” I ask back with a shocked tone, almost like I was offended by such an accusation. “I was never in love with you, Giovanni. Attracted, yes, but never in love. In fact, I despise you. You knew I was naive, and you knew how to corner me with your fancy words and warm embrace, and that started my hatred toward you. I will follow you as you wish, but my anger will never perish.”

     “Then how about Mateo?” He then asks while adjusting his cuffs. “Do you love him?”

     “And why does that matter to you?”

     “Do you think Mateo will accept you when he finds out who you really are?” Claudio suddenly asks, and something inside me pierced through my chest, making me touch it.

     “Do you think he’ll look at you the same when he sees all of you?”

     “Stop it.”

     “Do you think he’ll love this mentally unstable boy who doesn’t even own his own body? Oh, Bishop, you give Mateo too much credit. He is not like us, and he will never understand the darkness that has consumed us. I suggest you let go of this petty love now before you end up hurting yourself,” Claudio finishes. I could feel the tears forming in my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall. I didn’t want Claudio to see them and prove him right.

     “Sweep the floor and bring me my tea. That will be all,” Claudio says, walking away.

     As soon as he was gone, the tears finally stream down my eyes.

     I hated Claudio so much, and the idea of him being right angered me even more. Were the things we found in the attic help us understand the minds of our master? Or did it only make us realize that the past that has corrupted Claudio…is no different than ours?

     Are we really monsters like everyone else says?

     Like what Claudio’s father said in his letter, will anyone ever see the goodness in our evil depiction?

     Will no one ever be able to embrace our beautifully tragic darkness?

to be continued…

(37) Bigger Plans

⚕︎

I SLAMMED THE DOOR behind me and touched my aching chest. The words that Claudio said to me earlier left this wound in my heart that only made me question my feelings for Teo even more.

     Do I deserve him? Will Teo hate me if he finds out what I really am? Will he run away from me, or will he treat me like an outcast like everyone else? Does Teo like the perfect version he currently sees? Will I never be happy like what Claudio said?

     “No, that’s not true. That’s not true,” I convince myself as I try to catch my breath, holding onto my shaking hand. When it felt like my legs were going to give up on me, I dropped the diary that I was holding and walked toward the bed so I could lie down and clear my thoughts.

     I close my eyes and try to keep myself calm. Words were swimming around my head, almost like I was surrounded by a lot of people—almost like my alters were talking in chorus. I couldn’t help but close my eyes and cover my ears despite knowing that the noise wouldn’t disappear if I did.

    “Do you think Mateo will accept you when he finds out who you really are?” I could remember Claudio saying.

     “Do you think he’ll love this mentally unstable boy who doesn’t even own his own body?” He continues, the image of Mateo appearing in front of me.

     “He is not like us, and he will never understand the darkness that has consumed us.”

     Teo stares at me, but then he gives me that look—that look of disgust and disappointment. When I saw him wearing such an expression, I couldn’t help but open my eyes back and reach out my hand. “Don’t leave me!” I instantly shouted, but then everything was quiet, and I was brought back to reality, staring at an empty ceiling.

     I touch my chest and wipe a tear that has already streamed down my eyes. Maybe Claudio’s right. I’ve already made it clear that I’m not going to love Teo because I know how much I don’t deserve him. Maybe I should just let him go now than be hurt later on.

     “He’ll never love me. He’ll never love the real me,” I say to myself despite how painful it sounds.

     I sat on the edge of the bed and removed my necktie before noticing the diary on the floor. I stood from the bed and grabbed it, but when I opened it up, I noticed the previous markings from the entry that was torn off. I can’t read it well, but I think I’ll be able to do so if I use a pencil and shade the empty page. I don’t know why one of my alters would even try and remove this, but my gut tells me that I need to find out.

     After putting the diary on the side table, I removed my coat and lay down in bed. My heart still ached, but I tried to ignore the pain and just stared at the ceiling.

     I couldn’t help but remember the attic that we found in Claudio’s manor. I couldn’t help but remember the things we discovered and the darkness that brought Claudio to become such an evil man. “ He is not like us, “ he says. And that was the first time he acknowledged that he was even like us.

     “When the plague is all over, and you have gotten your revenge…what then?” I whisper to myself before closing my eyes and slowly drifting to sleep.

     The room was quiet, and everything was dark for a while. I toss and turn in bed, trying my best to fall asleep, but then my entire body heats up, so I immediately open my eyes back, only to be welcomed by this bright and blinding light.

     I scratched my eyes to adjust to the light, but after that, I realized that I was now sitting at the dining table that was filled with delicious-looking food.

     “ Why won’t you eat, Winter ?“ a voice suddenly asks. I looked up and realized that there were two figures sitting right in front of me. They didn’t have any faces, but I could tell who they were.

     “Momma? Papa?” I ask, staring at the two of them.

     “ Eat your food before it gets cold. You’re always so stubborn, “ my father then says with a more serious tone.

     I look down at my plate and stare at the steak that smells absolutely incredible. But instead of admiring how delicious it looked, I noticed the bruises on my hand instead, and that automatically made me hide my hands under the table. I wanted to tell them that I wasn’t hungry, but then my father suddenly slammed the table and pulls out a gun from his pocket before pointing it at my temple.

     “ Eat the food your mother prepared for you, you god-forsaken child! “ He shouts at me, making my entire body stiffen.

     “ Darling, please, let him be, “ momma tries to say, pulling his hand away from my direction.

     Tears stream down my face as I slowly look back down at my plate again, but this time, the delicious steak turned into a small piece of meat that almost had molds on them. I grab the knife and the fork and slice the meat into bite-size pieces. But when I cut the meat in half, I notice the maggots crawling out of it, almost making me vomit.

    My father noticed that I was hesitating, but before I could even say a thing, someone suddenly rang the doorbell, making me open my eyes back and gasp for air.

     I sit up from my bed and touch my chest before looking around the room. When I realized that I was back in the bedroom in Claudio’s mansion, I sighed in relief and massaged my aching temple where my father pointed the gun in my dream.

     “Another unpleasant memory,” I say, standing from the bed and running to the vanity to check my eyes. Looks like I fell asleep wearing my contact lenses again, and now it looks like I cried all night.

     I immediately washed my face, fixed my shirt, and then brushed my hair back before heading out of the room. The doorbell continues to ring as I run down the stairs. Before grabbing the doorknob, I checked myself again for one last time and opened the door.

    A large man welcomes me, and for a second, my heart drops because I thought it was Mateo, but after staring at him, I realize that it’s actually a man who looked strangely familiar but was still a complete stranger to me.

     “Oh, you must be Claudio’s butler,” he says, and I immediately bow my head to him. Looking at the way he carries himself, I can tell that he’s from a prestigious family.

    “I apologize, but may I ask who you might be?” 

     The man looked tired, but he still tried to face me properly as he explained, “I’m Ricardo Ricci, Mateo’s brother. I was hoping to speak to your master.”

     Wait, he’s Mateo’s brother? No wonder he looks familiar.

     “I see. Then please come in. I’ll call master Claudio for you,” I say, moving aside so he can enter the mansion.

     I brought him to the living room and was about to call for Claudio, but Claudio was already walking down the stairs. He probably woke up because of the doorbell.

     “Ricardo,” Claudio says, and the two hug each other as a greeting.

     “Bishop, coffee,” Claudio then tells me, and I nod my head and walk towards the kitchen while the two of them sit on the sofa.

    The mansion was extremely quiet, so I was barely able to hear their conversation in the other room. While waiting for the water to boil, sir Ricardo mentions his mother’s passing and that he’s inviting Claudio to attend the funeral tonight.

     “ Imagine the look on his face when he finds out who killed her, “ I mumble to myself, and right after that, the kettle starts to whistle.

     While I pour the hot water on the two cups, Ricardo then mentions his father. It seems like his father is bedridden and was fortunately not affected by the plague because he was in his room during the gas incident. I can’t imagine the look on Claudio’s face after hearing such news.

     “I’ve already suggested this before, but why don’t you bring him to the hospital? I’ll take care of him,” Claudio then says, almost making me laugh.

     “I appreciate it, Claudio, but father doesn’t really like doctors, and he refuses even to meet one. I hope you understand.”

     After preparing their coffee, I place the cups on a saucer and then a container with sugar cubes. Right after placing them on a tray, I brought the coffee to the living room and gently place it down on the table. The two of them didn’t even say thank you as I stood on the side, quietly listening to their conversation.

     “I heard you were also affected by the plague. I really apologize for what happened to you, Claudio. We didn’t expect that such a thing would happen. I’m really embarrassed, and I can’t even face the people anymore,” Ricardo explains, and Claudio just shakes his head before grabbing the cup of coffee so he can take a sip.

     “You should mourn and feel sorrow, not embarrassment. It was an accident.”

     “That was no accident, Claudio. I could tell. Someone’s trying to sabotage us. The same thing happened at Ludwig’s party too,” sir Ricardo says, and for a moment, I thought Claudio would accidentally start smiling because of how proud he felt.

     “But who would do such a thing?” Claudio asks, taking another sip of the coffee.

     “I don’t want to sound ridiculous here, but remember the stories our parents would tell us when we were kids? The one about the plague doctor? What if those stories were actually true? What if the plague doctor is immortal, and he’s really out there to kill us all?” Ricardo says, and Claudio ends up laughing.

    “The plague doctor? Don’t be ridiculous. The plague doctor is dead. Our families killed him a long time ago, remember?” Claudio says with such confidence that I almost got fooled myself.

     Ricardo stares at Claudio and takes a deep breath before massaging his temple. “I don’t know, Claudio. I’ve been so out of it. Maybe I’m turning into my father. Ever since he got involved with that doctor’s death, he was never the same.”

     “Well, they tied the mad doctor in the middle of the town square and burned him alive for everyone to see and hear. If I were him, I wouldn’t be the same either,” Claudio casually mentions with a chuckle, making me widen my eyes in shock.

     That’s what they did to the previous plague doctor? That’s what they did to Claudio’s real father? And the fact that they had the audacity to do such a cruel thing after what they did to his wife…No wonder Teo didn’t want to talk about it.

     “Whether that was a myth or not, you should be careful too, Claudio. Your father was a huge part of the Plague Doctor’s death. You might be next,” Ricardo warns, leaning towards the cup of coffee to add some sugar to it. While he was doing so, I could see the growing smirk on Claudio’s face that made the hair on my skin stand.

     “Oh, I’ll be careful alright. Don’t you worry about that,” Claudio says, and right before Ricardo can look back at him again, he quickly changes his expression back into a concerned one.

     This bastard is really something. 

     “By the way, I know he just got out of the hospital, but how’s Mateo?” Claudio then asked, and that immediately piqued my interest. I’m pretty sure Claudio only asked that question because I was with them. If I weren’t, he wouldn’t give a dime about him.

     “Mateo’s thankfully all better now. That’s also the reason why I came here, Claudio. I want to thank you for looking after him. I heard from the hospital that you were able to make a cure just in time. You really are a good friend and an amazing doctor,” Ricardo says, reaching out to grab Claudio’s hand.

    Claudio puts down the cup he’s holding to touch Ricardo’s hand. “Don’t even mention it. It’s my job, after all,” he then says.

    After letting go of Claudio’s hand, Ricardo finishes his coffee and stands from the sofa, making Claudio stand as well. “That’s all I had to say. I apologize again for the inconvenience,” Ricardo tells him, and Claudio pats his back in reply. He then looks in my direction and adds, “Thank you for the coffee as well.”

    I smile in response, and sir Ricardo heads towards the door while Claudio walks him out. After a few minutes, Claudio walks back inside and looks out of the window. When sir Ricardo finally drives away, Claudio starts laughing in an instant.

     “Did you hear that, Bishop? What a complete moron!” He says, holding onto his stomach while he continues laughing like the madman that he is. When he finally calmed down, he went back to sit on the sofa. “The plague was a success, but I can’t believe that old fucker survived. I really do need a bigger poison, or maybe a plague that would be enough to engulf the entire town,” Claudio says like he was talking to himself.

     Claudio then becomes quiet, but after a while, he looks back at me and smiles. “I’m going to need you soon, Bishop. Our final plague is approaching, so don’t fail me now.”

     “What are you talking about?” I ask, and Claudio just smiles and finishes his coffee.

     I stare at him and furrow my eyebrows in confusion. As soon as Claudio puts his cup down on the table, he looks back at me and says, “By the way, head to the market and buy some ingredients for our breakfast.”

     “I don’t know how to cook,” I reply.

     “I’ll cook. Just buy me the ingredients that I need,” Claudio says, reaching out in his pocket to grab his wallet. He pulls out a couple of bills and hands them over to me before mentioning the ingredients he’ll need.

     “If you want to buy something for yourself, it’s alright,” Claudio then adds, making me look at him suspiciously. I liked him better when he was a complete asshole. Acting like this is scaring me more than anything else. It’s like he’s going to do something terrible to me.

     “Will that be all…doctor Giovanni?”

     The name I used to call him made him smirk, but instead of commenting about it, he shook his head and says, “That will be all. You may go.”

     I bow my head and finally walk out of the mansion. As soon as I closed the door behind me, I turned around and flashed my middle finger, mentally cursing at my butler before borrowing a bike that was parked on the side. This was the same bike that I used when Claudio and I stayed here before, and he asked me to buy bread. It’s a bit squeaky, but it was working, and that’s what’s important.

     I peddled my way to the town square, and as always, the townspeople were lively. It was a market day as well, so buying the ingredients that Claudio needed was easy enough. It also helped that the residents and the sellers know me now, so I got a few discounts.

     “How’s the doctor? I heard about the incident that happened the other day. What a terrible incident,” the merchant asks while I’m buying herbs.

     “He’s doing fine now and is resting at his mansion. He has a couple of rashes too, but that didn’t stop him from going to work at the hospital. You know him. He’s very…passionate…with what he does,” I say, almost puking at all the lies I uttered, but the merchant and the rest of the townspeople who heard it couldn’t help but admire him even more.

     “He really is like his father,” an older woman selling fresh fish—who’s probably as old as Autumn—says while fanning herself.

     The rest of the merchants agreed. And while I pay for the herbs that I bought, I look back at the old woman and ask her, “As you may already know, I’m new here, but can you tell me about the plague doctor?”

     Everyone in the stalls suddenly became quiet after hearing what I had to say. It almost sounded like I mentioned a forbidden word.

     “Oh dear, the plague doctor?” The woman asks, looking terrified. “I was a young girl when I first heard of him. He was the master of the manor. The one that’s on top of the hill.”

     Wait, is she talking about Claudio’s grandfather? So even he was the plague doctor?

     “We never really saw him, but our parents would always warn us never to approach that manor. The town was just filled with fear. So when I grew up and had a child of my own, I would warn them too. Of course, I personally stopped believing it when I grew up. At that age, I thought that if the plague doctor were real, he would be old or dead by now…but one day, he suddenly appeared,” the woman explains, and everyone gathered around us to listen to the tale.

     Wait, so the plague doctor, who I assume was Claudio’s grandfather, was already around but never really did anything drastic to the town; he’s just a name used to scare people. Then a few years later, he was said to have appeared, and I’m assuming that that person is Claudio’s father, Francesco de Vincenzo, and not the grandfather, but people think it’s one person.

     I know some things about Claudio’s father and what happened to his family, but what’s with his grandfather? Why were people scared of him from the very beginning? Why has he been dubbed the plague doctor?

     “And then the strong families of this town killed him, right?” I then ask, and in an instant, their faces start lighting up.

     “Yes, the Romano, Ricci, and the Winchesters. They initiated the attack on that Hell House. When that demonic doctor plagued the town, they dragged him here and burned him alive, and then Dr. Romano cured everyone. They’re our heroes,” the woman explains, and the others start nodding their heads in agreement.

     “That’s why we’re going to honor them on October 8,” the other merchant says.

     “October 8? What’s on October 8?”

     “It’s the town’s 112th year anniversary,” the older woman answers this time. “After the incident at the Ricci’s party, we’re not certain if we’re still going to hold the anniversary, but the celebration is usually held at the town square. Everyone who lives in this town will gather, and the three major families will come as well. All of them will be there.”

     My eyes widen in surprise at the newfound information.

     October 8 is just two weeks from now. Is that the moment that Claudio is waiting for? Is that where he’s going to release his final plague? Is he planning to kill…everyone?

     “Well, here’s your change, sir Bishop,” the merchant says, interrupting my thoughts.

     “T-Thank you,” I reply, taking the change and hopping on my bike.

     “Will you be attending the celebration, sir Bishop?” he then asks.

     I swallow the lump in my throat and look around the town square. There was the florist who would sometimes hand me free roses, the old man who was painting near the fountain, and the kids just playing around in the mud.

    Will Claudio kill them all because of what happened to his past? Will he tell me that casualties happen and just laugh it off? Will I really be there standing beside him as his loyal horseman and witnessing him kill all these people? Is this the price of the freedom I wish to have?

     Are the two of us really the same as what he claimed?

     “Sir Bishop?” the merchant calls out, immediately making me look back at him. “Will you come?” He asks again.

     I took a deep breath and clench the bike’s handle before faking a smile. “I’ll even wear white.”

to be continued…

(38) Funeral

⚕︎

I SKIMMED THROUGH THE  shelves in the art store, looking for a pencil that was dark enough to make the marks on my diary visible. While looking through them, I suddenly spot a shelf filled with different paint.

     I was only going to check on the colors, but then my eyes stopped on the yellow paint. I stare at the tube of paint and decide to just buy it, alongside the pencil that I had yet to find.

     While I continue looking around the store, a hand suddenly holds onto my shoulder, making my entire body flinch. I quickly turn around, and a familiar woman faces me. For a moment, I wasn’t able to figure out who she was, but when she removed the scarf that was hiding half of her face, I realized that it was actually Ms. Sunny.

     “Ms. Sunny!” I say in surprise, and Ms. Sunny smiles and waves her hand to me.

     “What are you doing here, Bishop? Did Claudio ask you to buy something for Adeline?” Ms. Sunny asked, and it was then and there did I notice that she was actually holding onto a bucket of red paint.

     “Oh no, I was just looking for something to buy for myself,” I answer, and before she can ask why I’m holding onto a single tube of yellow paint, I ask her first, “Why do you need that much red paint?”

     Ms. Sunny looks at what she’s holding and chuckles to herself. She probably found it ridiculous too. “Just for a project,” she tells me, obviously trying to hide something. “I need it for these garments I’m making. Nothing so serious.”

     “If you are needing an entire bucket of paint, I’m pretty sure it’s serious,” I say, making her laugh this time.

     “How about you? What are you looking for?”

     “Just a pencil that is enough to shade the markings on a previous page,” I casually explain, and Ms. Sunny nods her head and leads me to a different shell. Looks like she knows her way around this store.

     “So you’re doing some detective work, I see,” she comments, and I just shrug my shoulder as an answer. “A regular pencil won’t do. You’ll need something like charcoal. That would definitely make the markings more visible,” Ms. Sunny then tells me before handing me the charcoal pencil.

     “Thank you,” I answer, and Ms. Sunny smiles, and the two of us walk to the counter to pay for the items we picked up.

     I gestured for Ms. Sunny to stand in line first, so she thanked me and suddenly stole the pencil and the paint that I was holding, telling me that she was going to pay for it herself as thanks for being such a gentleman. I told her that it was not necessary since I was going to use Claudio’s money anyway, but she insisted, so I just let it do what she wanted.

     “By the way, how’s Claudio?” she asks me while the cashier puts our items inside a paper bag.

     “Master Claudio? Well, he’s alright, if being alright is the perfect word to describe someone who’s—” I immediately stop and decide not to continue what I’m about to say because I might end up saying something that would get me in a lot of trouble. “He’s doing great,” I finish instead.

     Ms. Sunny stares at me, and then she chuckles and nods her head. I’m pretty sure she found my answer odd, but she’ll probably just accept what I said despite how suspicious it sounded.

     “I’m glad he’s doing…great. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.”

     “Well, you could always visit the mano—mansion. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to see you,” I say, referring to the time when I saw the two of them kissing each other at their office. To think about it, Claudio must like Ms. Sunny more, considering how they’ve known each other since they were young. They have more history than I’ll ever have with him.

     “Here you go, Ms. Sunny,” the cashier then says, handing over the bags to her. Ms. Sunny faces me next and hands me the other bag, immediately making me thank her for it. The two of us walk out of the store. And before we parted ways, she asked me, “By the way, are you going to attend the funeral tonight?”

     “I’m not quite sure yet,” I answer, making her nod her head in understanding.

     “What happened to Mrs. Ricci is just absolutely terrible, but as you may already know—” Ms. Sunny pauses, and for a moment, the sweet smile on her face quickly changes into a grin that is almost similar to Claudio’s. Sadistic . “Unfortunate things happen to unfortunate people,” she tells me.

     I swallow the lump in my throat and just nod my head in agreement, Ms. Sunny smiles at me again, and then she uses the scarf around her neck to cover her mouth.

    “Let’s chat again soon, darling,” Ms. Sunny says, gently touching my shoulder and finally walking away.

    “ Unfortunate things happen to unfortunate people, “ I mumble to myself, repeating the words that Ms. Sunny just uttered. The way she said it so casually made the hair on my skin stand. She grew up in this town too, and probably has experienced hardships here as well.

    According to Claudio, most of the townspeople ridiculed her for wearing dresses when she was younger and was even beaten up. I guess I understand that she has a grudge against them too but is that enough just to kill everyone here?

     I shouldn’t be thinking about this at all. I’m not even attached to these people. After the last plague, we’ll be set free, and I’ll have nothing to do with this fucked-up town. I’ll leave and never look back, and this is the exact reason why I have to stop anything that I might have started with Teo. My freedom comes first, and I need to escape Claudio’s clutches as soon as I can.

…

After buying all the ingredients at the market, I found myself sitting in the dining room, staring at Claudio as he prepared our breakfast, which was now considered our brunch. Since I didn’t know how to cook, he took the liberty to serve me. After all, we’re not technically master and servant in this mansion. He said it himself.

     “You’re not allergic to anything, are you?” He asks, and I shake my head in answer.

     “Did you meet anyone in town?” He then asks.

     What’s with all the questions?

     “I met up with Ms. Sunny. We stumbled onto each other at the art store.”

     “Art store? You bought more supplies?”

     “Yeah,” I lied, and Claudio became quiet.

     The kitchen was filled with silence soon after, and all I could hear was the sound of food being fried and the occasional water running from the faucet. It took Claudio at least thirty minutes to finish, but after that, he was able to make the perfect rosemary mushroom risotto.

     “Enjoy,” he says, placing the food in front of me before taking a seat.

     I stare at the plate and look back at him. It looked way too good that it felt suspicious. Is my mouth going to start foaming if I take a bite?

     “It’s not poisoned,” Claudio suddenly tells me, almost like he read my mind. To prove it, he even took a bite from the one he had before switching our plates.

     When it was obvious that there was nothing for me to worry about, the two of us finally started eating. We were quiet for a while, but I couldn’t help but steal glances at him. We always ate together back at the manor, but eating alone with him always felt different. It’s probably because we barely speak to each other, or maybe because the first time we ate alone together, he ended up shoving his dick inside me.

     “Bishop…” Claudio calls out, making me look back at him.

     “You’ll be coming with me to the funeral tonight, is that understood?” He says, and for a moment, I was nervous because I thought he was going to ask me for something else.

     “I don’t think I should come to such a solemn event. Maybe I can just—”

     “That wasn’t a suggestion,” he quickly says, his head tilted down while his eyes stare straight at me, making me gulp.

     “Y-Yes, I understand.”

     Claudio took a deep breath, and then the two of us became quiet again. I continue eating my food, making sure I finish it as a sign of appreciation to the person who prepared it, but as I continue eating, I glance back at Claudio for the second time. There was this question that I wanted to ask him, but I was contemplating whether or not I should say anything. I decided to just forget about it, but then Claudio caught me looking, almost making me flinch.

    “What is it that you’re dying to ask me?” He says, making me put my spoon down. Since he’s already expecting me to ask him something, then I might as well ask him now.

    “Do you really hate this town? Is it worth plaguing everyone who lives here in peace?” I ask, and Claudio puts his utensils down as well before wiping his mouth with a napkin.

    “Hate? No, I don’t hate it,” he says, and before I could even ask another question, Claudio immediately adds, “I despise it.”

     “Giovanni…”

     “The residents of this town watched as my father shouted in agony. They watched him get burned alive until all that was left were ashes. They do not deserve to live in peace. They have to pay for what they have done,” Claudio says before standing from his seat. “Wash the dishes, and after that, clean the mansion. I’ll be at my study, and then we’ll leave at six.”

     Claudio looks at me for one last time before finally walking away. As soon as he was gone, I looked back down at my plate and pierced my fork into the meat in frustration. Asking him about this is hopeless, and convincing him to let it go will be impossible. I guess I should just do what I’m told like the loyal butler that I am.

     “For someone who wants to commit a full-blown murder spree, it’s a shame that he’s a good cook. What wasted talents,” I say, finishing my meal as well as the food that was left on Claudio’s plate.

     After eating, I washed the dishes and cleaned the mansion like Claudio wanted me to do. I got so busy that I wasn’t able to check my diary, but I guess I could just do that after the funeral.

     Time went by fast, and I didn’t even notice that it was almost six because I had been tending the garden at the back all afternoon. It was the opposite of the greenhouse back in the manor. The garden here was filled with beautiful flowers and had life. The ones back at the manor were simply depressing.

     When it was already 5 PM, I quickly showered and went back to the bedroom where a black suit was waiting for me. It was placed on top of the bed, so I wore that and checked on myself for one last time before finally knocking on Claudio’s door.

     “Come in,” he says, and I opened the door and saw him wearing his shirt. Claudio’s skin was starting to look bad. It almost looked like he had the same side effects as Lady and the other patients. I wanted to say something, but I decided just to keep quiet.

     “Do you think I should skip wearing a tie?” Claudio asked me while he was buttoning his shirt.

     “At a funeral, it is important that you complete your outfit, which means that a tie is essential. You will end up looking inappropriate if you don’t,” I say, opening one of his drawers and pulling out a plain black tie. I walk towards him and wrap the tie around his neck so I can do it for him. Claudio watches me, but he doesn’t say anything. When I was finished with the necktie, I grabbed his coat and helped him wear it too.

     “You’re ready,” I say, and Claudio nods his head.

     “Your family really has taught you well,” he suddenly comments, making me look back at him with shock. But before I could even ask him what he meant, someone suddenly honked downstairs, interrupting us.

     Claudio peaks out the window, and then he looks back at me and says, “Marcelino’s here. We should go.”

     Claudio touches my back and leads me out of his room. When we got downstairs, Lino was already waiting for us there. He greets Claudio first and opens the car door for him. After that, he looked at me from head to toe, almost like he was checking on me.

     I wanted to ignore him like I always do and tell him to mind his own business, but I sighed and reassure him, “I’m fine.” Lino was surprised that I even answered him, but before he could say anything about it, I immediately went inside the car and slammed the door shut.

     Lino drove us to the chapel that’s near the town square. Dozen of cars were already parked outside, and I could tell that the chapel was going to be filled with a lot of people again.

    I hated going to a hospital, but I hated entering a chapel even more. So when Claudio and I went inside, I immediately felt uncomfortable. The atmosphere was eerie, the gothic design was rather depressing, and there were people who I was even familiar with. It was strange because we were all just attending parties together at one point, and now we’re attending a funeral.

     “Claudio,” a voice called out as soon as we walked inside.

     Claudio and I turned around and saw Ricardo Ricci, Mateo’s brother, walking towards us. Beside him was an extremely beautiful woman, Ms. Isabella, who Teo said was his ’ more than ’ courtesan.

     Mr. Ricardo and Claudio started talking, and Isabella and I just bowed our heads together because I was afraid that it would be inappropriate if we started chatting at a funeral. To be honest, I’ve never even attended a funeral. The closest I had was Hunter’s, and that was literally just in the backyard of the manor.

     A bell suddenly echoes inside the chapel, and everyone scurries their way to find a seat. I looked around and realize that I had lost Claudio, and when I finally spotted him, he was actually already sitting at the front near the coffin.

     Ricardo was there, then the mayor’s daughter, and more faces I no longer recognized. I couldn’t help but let my eyes wander around the chapel, almost as if they were looking for someone. When I couldn’t find the person I was looking for, I sighed in relief and turn back around as a priest started the ceremony in front of the altar.

     “ Maybe I should just wait at the car with Lino, “ I whisper to myself as I walk towards the exit. But just before I could take another step, someone suddenly took my hand and starts dragging me away. I turned my head to see who it was, and as soon as I saw him, my eyes widened in shock.

     “T-Teo?”

     Teo doesn’t say anything and continues pulling my hand. I didn’t want to make a scene, so I just let him drag me. Without anyone seeing us, Teo leads me to a dark room which I realize was actually just behind the altar because I could clearly hear the priest talking behind the wall.

     “Teo, what are you—” before I could even finish my sentence, Teo lets go of my hand, and then he wrapped his arms around me and suddenly rested his head on my shoulder. The action surprised me, and for a second, I almost pushed him away, but my heart fluttered in an instant, and I ended up finding myself hugging him back.

     “You’re okay,” he says, making sure his voice isn’t loud so no one would be able to hear us behind the altar. “I was worried that something might have happened to you. I shouldn’t have left your side.”

     I let Teo hug me for a while. The two of us just stood there in silence as he continued to embrace me. After a couple of seconds, Teo finally lets go of me, and the two of us stared into each other’s eyes.

     “Claudio told me that you visited me at the hospital. You should have waited for me to wake up,” he says with that darn smile that made my heart ache.

     Teo reaches out to touch my chin, but I immediately turn my face away, immediately making the smile on his face disappear.

     “Bishop?” He called out, and the way he called out my name made me clench my fist. I wanted to hold onto him longer. I wanted to kiss him, to hear his voice, to look into his eyes, but instead, I pushed him away from me, making him look at me with such sad eyes.

     Please don’t look at me like that, Teo. Please.

     “Amore, what’s wrong?” He asks, moving closer to me and reaching out his hand again, but I immediately stop him. If he touches me now, I’ll never be able to say these words out loud.

     Claudio’s right. Teo won’t be able to understand me. We’re not the same. I can’t be associated with him anymore. I can’t be associated with anyone in this town. All I need is for Claudio to cure me, and then I’ll be free.

     And Teo…my dear Teo. He will never forgive me once he finds out that I’ve been helping Claudio with the plague. I’m just as guilty as my master. He will despise me for sure, so before that happens, let me be selfish. Let me part ways with you now so I can still keep our beautiful memories together.

     “Mateo,” I say, making him look nervous. I swallow the lump in my throat and look down at the floor before finally telling him, “Let’s end this. Whatever we were about to start…let’s end it now.”

to be continued…

(39) Dead Roses [m]

⚕︎

“LET’S END THIS. WHATEVER  we were about to start…let’s end it now,” I say, staring at the floor while my hands tremble. I didn’t want to look up and see his reaction. Will he be hurt? Will he look disappointed, relieved, or indifferent? What kind of face are you making now, Mateo?

     The only thing I could hear was my heart beating fast, as well as the priest who was doing his sermon behind us.

     “P-please…please say something,” I say, clenching my hand.

     Teo was quiet for a while, but then he called out my name, making my entire body tremble. How can one man make me feel this way simply by hearing my name come out of his mouth?

     “Bishop,” he calls out again, and I finally lift my head up to look at his face. I thought Teo would look sad, but to my surprise, he looked calm, almost like he was trying to understand my feelings. Such a reaction made my heart ache even more. How much more will Teo prove that I don’t deserve him?

     “Bishop, how will I give you an answer if you’re not even going to look at me,” he says, pulling out a handkerchief and reaching out to wipe the tears in my cheeks that I wasn’t even able to realize.

     When did I start crying?

     “When you say something so serious, you have to tell me why so I’ll understand,” he says, and I immediately push his hand away.

     “Teo, just leave me alone. I don’t want to see you anymore. I don’t—”

     “Don’t what?” he interrupts, and now the expression on his face becomes serious. “You don’t love me? Is that why you want me to leave you? Is that why you want us to stop?”

     The question startled me. I wanted to immediately tell him yes, but all I could do was bite down my lips in shame. I can’t admit my feelings for him. I’m not allowed to accept and acknowledge my feelings for him.

     “Is it because of Claudio? Did he say something to you? Do you want me to talk to him? Has he been hurting you?” Teo continued to ask, and I finally covered my eyes and let the tears stream down my face.

     Why can’t I just tell him to leave me? Why can’t I tell him that I don’t love him—that I don’t want to be associated with him anymore? Why can’t I even speak? With all the alters I have…why can’t one of them tell me the right words to say?

     “Teo…” I called out, and that single word was enough for Teo to grab me and pull me towards him. He wraps his arms around my fragile body, and everything around me fades instantly. His warmth became so familiar that I cried even more as I buried my face in his chest. Teo doesn’t say anything, but he caresses my head and comforts me. In an event like this, I should be the one who’s comforting him, but instead, I ended up saying something so hurtful.

     “Bishop, if you’re afraid, I am here. If there are monsters you wish to face, I will stand by you. But if you want me to leave, then I will. Just tell me the reason, and I will let you go and never turn back,” he tells me, and his words hurt me more than I thought they would.

     I swallow the lump in my throat and hug him back, holding onto him like I don’t want to let him go. “I’m scared,” I finally tell him. “I’m scared of disappointing you. I’m scared that if I hold onto you and show you who I really am, you’ll be disappointed, and I don’t want to see such a look on your face.”

     “And why would I be disappointed in you?”

     “Because I’m not who you think I am,” I say, lifting my head to look at him. “The person you see before you…that’s not even me. Honestly, I don’t even know who I really am.”

     “Then show me,” Teo says, reaching out to cup his hands on my cheeks. “Show me and make me understand. Because how can I be disappointed at something that I know nothing about?”

    “But Teo…” I whined like a child, hugging him even tighter, making him chuckle.

     “If you can’t, you don’t have to force yourself. But as long as I don’t know what you’re so scared of, don’t ask me to leave you. I’ll be the one to say if I’m disappointed or not. Sounds fair?” He asks, wiping my tears away and brushing my hair back with his fingers.

     I can’t win against him. He’s too good to me.

     What should I do now? Should I just let things continue and let fate decide? Have I always been a fatalistic person to just let destiny do its own thing? I thought breaking things off with people would be easy, but why is it so darn difficult? Why can’t I muster up the courage to let him go?

     “ You win, “ I whisper, and Teo finally smiles.

     “Being with you was never a loss,” he replies, leaning close to kiss me, but I immediately look away from him.

     “Alright, we should head back. This is still your mother’s funeral. I don’t want to be rude,” I say, but Teo suddenly grabs my waist and pushes me against the wall just behind the altar.

     “Teo, what are you doing?” I asked, trying to push him off me, but Teo wouldn’t let me go.

     “Before that, may I kiss you? I’ve been longing for it ever since we parted ways,” Teo suddenly says. I wanted to decline him and remind him that his dead mother was literally just behind us, but like earlier, I couldn’t say anything. Whenever I decide to go against him, my voice stops functioning.

     “May I?” He asks again with a much lower and deeper voice, making me gulp.

     The two of us stare into each other’s eyes for a while as the priest behind us continues to recite a verse. For a time, I felt like everything would stop, but then Teo leaned closer and then moved his nose to mine so they could touch, making the two of us giggle like we were teenage lovers.

     “ I like your natural eye colors better, “ he whispers, and right after, he presses his lips on mine, and everything again becomes magical. I felt like I wasn’t in Capo di Monte. I felt like I wasn’t bounded by a sadistic plague doctor. For a moment…just for a quick moment…I felt like I belonged to someone who desired me in a way that did not hurt.

     Mateo filled my heart with so much pleasure and delight. He made me feel alive and whole. He tasted sweet, and he was gentle and cautious for a while. Obviously, he didn’t want to be too aggressive, so to reassure him, I pushed myself deeper against him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pushing my tongue inside his mouth.

     When Teo saw the invitation, he took it with no hesitation and started kissing me more aggressively. We exchange salivas as his tongue dominates me. His hold on my waist tightens, but then it travels down and caresses my thighs. Everywhere he touched felt like it was burning, and all I could do was give in to him. I wanted him to devour me. I wanted him to know that everything belonged to him.

     “ We should stop, “ I managed to say after pulling my lips away from him.

     The two of us were panting heavily while our eyes continued to stare deeply into each other. Despite what I said, our eyes didn’t lie. I could tell that he wanted to touch me more.

     “I was scared too…” He suddenly tells me. “When you told me to end things, I was so scared too,” he then reveals, and at that moment, my entire body gives in. I kissed him again, and Teo gladly took me. He kisses my lips and then my neck, his hot tongue making my entire body shiver. After a while, he lifted my leg up and pressed his lower body against me, making me bite my lower lip so I wouldn’t release a moan.

    “ Mateo… “ I whisper to him.

    “ Amore Mio, “ he answers. 

     I bury my nails in his back as Teo pushes me further into the wall, his hot breath making the hair on my skin stand. “ I want to feel you inside me, “ I whisper to him.

     Teo grits his teeth as our bulges press into each other. “ Not yet, “ he whispers. “ For now, this will have to do. “

     Teo doesn’t explain further, but he unzips my pants and pulls out my cock with no hesitation. Right after that, he pulls out his own and then grabs both of them, gripping onto them together. The contact made me shiver even more.

     “ It feels so good, my love, “ I whisper under my breath as Teo starts moving his hand. When I thought that I was inches away from cumming, Teo suddenly lets go of it.

     “ Everyone, please rise, “ the priest suddenly says, and at that exact moment, Teo grabs my other leg and lifts me off the floor, my back pressing against the wall for support. I could hear the people rustling behind us, and the thought of having a crowd of people just sitting there made my heart beat even faster.

     I hold onto Teo for dear life as he presses himself against me. He then started thrusting onto me, almost like he was fucking me. The friction between both of our members rubbing against each other made me lose all my reason. I didn’t care that we were inside a chapel. I didn’t care that we were behind the altar doing such a sinful act while his dead mother lay inside a coffin. I didn’t care about any of that. All I wanted was to feel more of him. Like a fool who can’t even push him away, I was thirsty for his touch.

     Teo continues to rub himself against me. And then, the choir starts singing, and the music coming from an organ echoes inside the chapel. As the choir got louder, I finally let out a moan; a moan that matched every beat and every lyric.

     After one final thrust, my body shivers, and all my pent-up desires inside me ooze out. Teo presses his lips on me again, and soon after, the choir stops, and everything becomes completely silent. All I could hear now were our heavy breaths while our sweat trailed down our foreheads.

     “ That was quite naughty of us, don’t you think? “ Teo suddenly says as he gently puts me down.

     “Naughty?” I ask back, holding onto my laughter and looking down at the floor where white liquid can be seen. I immediately stepped on it to destroy the evidence before looking back at Teo. “Naughty isn’t even the right word. You almost fucked me at your mother’s funeral.”

     Teo chuckles while he zips our pants back. “My mother stopped loving me. When she discovered that I did not want to marry the woman she liked, or any woman, in particular, she shut me out. If my father could still speak, I believe he would have reacted the same,” Teo suddenly explains to me, which is quite a surprise.

     No wonder he wasn’t very excited about his mother’s birthday party.

     “I believe she’s bawling her eyes out right now after seeing us. That is my final rebellion against her,” he then says, and I reach out and touch his cheek.

     “Your family does not deserve you.”

     “Sometimes I don’t even want to be a Ricci,” he then jokingly tells me, and the way he said it made me feel relieved for some reason. For a moment, I didn’t really care if he knew about what his father did in the past, but his wanting not to be associated with them anymore was a good thing.

     “Anyway, we should head back. She’s still my mother after all,” Teo then says, and I nod my head as the two of us go back to the ceremony, pretending as if we didn’t just commit one of the greatest sins a man can ever commit in the holy grounds.

…

Mateo and I were standing near a tree, watching his family cry over his dead mother. They lowered her coffin earlier, and now they were throwing flowers in the hole. I thought it was normal for a while, but then I noticed that they were actually throwing dead roses.

     “In this town, it is a tradition that if the wife dies first, the people will drop dead roses. It signifies the husband’s love that died,” Teo explains to me, the two of us standing at the very back.

     “And if the husband dies first?” I then ask.

     “We throw in red roses, which will eventually die. The reason for that is because wives love longer, so once the roses die, the love is said to have also died,” Teo explains further, making me cross my arms. For some reason, that explanation felt a bit strange.

     “If I die, will you throw red or dead roses?” I asked, which was a question I didn’t really take seriously, but Mateo ended up looking so worried about it. So instead of forcing him to answer it, I laughed and brushed it off.

     The two of us continue to watch them cry over the grave. Even Claudio was there, comforting this older woman, who I can only assume is Teo’s aunt. Such a good actor indeed. I should give him an award.

     While the two of us quietly stood under the tree, a woman approached us. It was Isabella, the beautiful courtesan.

     “How are you feeling, sir Mateo?” Isabella asks, standing beside him.

     “I’d say I feel sad, but that would be too pretentious,” Teo answers, and all Isabella could do was nod her head. She must already be aware of Teo’s feelings for his mother.

     “How’s my brother?” he then asks her.

     “Sir Claudio has been with him. It’s a good thing he’s there. Out of everyone here, he’s the one who understands him the most,” Isabella then explains, making me look back at her.

     “What do you mean by that?”

     “Oh, I didn’t mean to be rude to your master. It’s just that sir Claudio is adopted, is he not?” Isabella suddenly reveals, surprising me. Did people in town know that he was not the real son of the Romano family? Did they know that he’s the son of the plague doctor?

     “Everyone knows he’s adopted?” I ask, and even Teo looks at me, surprised that I wasn’t aware of it.

     “Well, yes, we are aware. But that doesn’t really matter. The Romano family treated him as their own and raised him well. Like his adopted father, Claudio also proved his worth by becoming a successful doctor. The town adores him just as must as they adore his adoptive family,” Teo then explains to me, which only confused me even more.

     So everyone knows he’s adopted. Did the Romanos adopt him after they killed his real father, or even before that? But that wouldn’t make sense now, wouldn’t it? The more I dig deeper into his past, the more I end up getting confused.

     “Anyway, after this funeral is over, I’m returning to my hometown, at Orta di Atella,” Isabella then says to us, and this surprised Teo.

     “You’re going back? But what about my brother?”

     “I love your brother Mateo, but he treats me as nothing more than his prized courtesan. Besides, people are also talking about the return of the infamous plague doctor. I would not want to stay here any longer. You should trust me on this one, Bishop,” she tells me, making Teo block my view from her.

     Maybe the thought of me leaving town is not something Teo wants to hear. But I guess it’s good that Isabella decided to run away now. I don’t know what will happen to Capo di Monte in the future.

     “I will miss you dearly, Bella,” Teo then says, and Isabella smiles and nods her head.

     “I’m just going to be a train away. If you want to see me, you can just ride one. You can bring Bishop if you like.”

     “A train? I haven’t ridden a train before,” I then say out of the blue.

     “Really?” Teo asks, shocked by the new information he found about me.

     “That shouldn’t surprise you so much,” I reply, making both him and Isabella chuckle.

     “Well then, if you’re free, let’s ride one together and maybe even visit a nearby town. Just you and me,” Teo says, grabbing my hand and holding onto it tightly.

     I glance at our hands that are intertwined together, and then I glance at Claudio, who is still busy comforting the grieving relatives. When it looked like he was busy, I looked back at Teo’s face and smiled at him, squeezing his hand that I no longer wanted to let go.

     I know this is wishful thinking, but let me pretend for once. Let me pretend like there will ever come a day when I’ll be able to run away with him. Let me pretend like there will ever come a day when I will be able to show him everything that I was so afraid of showing.

     “I’d love that.”

to be continued…

(40) Waves

⚕︎

THE FUNERAL WAS OVER,  and the Ricci family invited the rest of the guests to head to their mansion for dinner. Teo asked me to come with him, but I made it clear that I came here as Claudio’s butler, so it is important that I stay by his side, especially when he eats.

     “Then I’ll see you there?” Teo says, and I nod my head in response.

     “Work hard, okay?” he adds, but before I can even respond to his words of encouragement, someone suddenly grabs me by the waist, startling me.

     “M-Master Claudio!” I shout in complete shock as Claudio pulls me even closer to him.

     Teo is surprised to see him as well, but then he smiles and greets his old friend. “Thank you for coming to my mother’s funeral Claudio. And I haven’t really thanked you properly yet, but thank you for taking good care of me at the hospital as well.”

     “Don’t even mention it,” Claudio says, gripping my waist even tighter.

     Teo glances at Claudio’s hand and looks back at him with a serious expression. I thought Teo was going to start something, so I tried to push Claudio’s hand away from me, but his hold was just too strong.

     “By the way, dear friend…” Teo glances at me, but then he puts his hand on Claudio’s shoulder and tells him, “If you still have the appetite, I would like you to join our family for dinner if it’s alright with you. I believe my father would also like to speak with you.”

     “Is that so?”

     Claudio and Teo were smiling at each other, but I could tell that they were saying unspeakable things that I wouldn’t even dare try to understand.

    Why was Claudio even doing such a thing? Is he purposely trying to tip Mateo off?

     “My apologies, master Claudio, but I would gladly appreciate it if you let go of me,” I finally say, but it only strengthens Claudio’s grip on my waist.

     Teo looked like he was about to say something, but then Claudio leaned close to me to the point where I thought he was going to forcefully press his lips on me again. I got ready to throw a punch, but just when his lips were a few inches away from mine, Claudio suddenly paused and whispered, “ Pacific escaped. “

    As soon as I heard what Claudio had to say, my entire body stiffened, and my eyes widened in complete shock.

     Pacific escaped.

     A patient who has seen all the horrors that happen in the manor has escaped the hell house.

     The mere thought of it left my mind completely blank. I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t even say a thing. None of the patients have seen any of our faces yet since we wear masks around them–except for Wednesday, but what if he runs to town and tells everyone what has been going on in the manor? What then?

    “Bishop?” Teo calls out, reaching out to me, but Claudio pushes his hand away before finally letting go.

     “I am greatly sorry, Mateo. I appreciate the invitation, but my butler and I have to go because of urgent matters. Please send my condolences to your father,” Claudio explains to him.

    Teo glances at me again and looks back at Claudio. “What urgent matters?”

    “I believe they are matters that…you shouldn’t concern yourself with, officer Ricci,” Claudio replies with a tone that hints that he shouldn’t stick his nose too much.

     “Let’s go.” Claudio grabbed my hand and dragged me away from where we were standing. I turn my head and look back at Teo before giving him a fake smile and a quick wave. Teo didn’t look okay, but he smiled too and nods his head, quietly watching over me until Claudio and I could no longer be seen.

     We eventually arrived at a corner where the car was parked. I immediately opened the back door for him, and as soon as the master got inside, I closed the door and sat at the front beside Lino.

     I glanced back at Claudio through the rearview mirror, waiting for him to say something about the situation. I could tell that Lino was anxious too, but when the two of us turned and looked at our master, Claudio surprisingly had his eyes closed, almost like he was trying to remain calm.

     Lino and I looked at each other, and then Lino gulped and finally drove off.

     The drive back to the manor was agonizingly quiet. I couldn’t even think straight, but I knew I was terrified. I was terrified of what Pacific might do, but at the same time, I was terrified of what Claudio would do. I could still clearly remember the time Claudio would hurt me whenever he got displeased by something.

     What on earth is he going to do to me this time?

     “Master, we’re here,” Lino announces, making me blink and realize that we were now back at the manor.

     It was dark out, but two nurses in gas masks arrived with oil lamps. I immediately ran out of the car to open the door for Claudio. Claudio stepped out of the car and removed his necktie while the other employees greeted him.

     “What time did he escape?” Claudio calmly asks.

     One of the nurses answered him, and I wasn’t really able to understand it well, so I wasn’t entirely certain of the situation yet.

     Lino steps out of the car right after and stands in front of Claudio. But as soon as Lino faced him, Claudio suddenly slapped him with the back of his hand, making me cover my mouth in shock.

     “You useless imbecile!” Claudio starts shouting, slapping Lino for the second time. “Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t add another scar on your sickening face!”

     “Master, please forgive me!” Lino quickly says, bowing his head and ignoring his aching cheek, which is now completely red. “I was tending the garden when the nurses informed me of what happened,” he then explains, which only angered Claudio.

     “But I already dispatched a few of the indirect employees, and I—” Lino wasn’t able to finish his sentence because Claudio slapped him again, but this time, the hit was so strong that Lino almost stumbled back.

     Lino kept his composure and stood firm regardless, but I could no longer watch in silence, so I look back at Claudio and tried to reason with him. “Master, Lino is not at fault here. He was only—”

    “You fucking shut up,” Claudio quickly says, pointing his finger at me in a taunting way. “I’ll handle you later. Don’t pretend like I don’t know what you and Mateo did at the chapel.”

     What? How on earth did he know?

     “Master Claudio,” another voice calls out. I turn around and see Adeline and father Laurence approaching us.

     “We couldn’t find him,” Laurence tells Claudio before I can even stop him from saying it. And like I feared, the report only angered Claudio even more.

     “All of you are useless!” Claudio shouts, his eyes dark and menacing that it made the hair on my skin stand. This was the first time I’d seen Claudio lose his composure like this. For a quick moment, I could feel a sense of urgency in him, almost like he was in a hurry. Is it because the town’s anniversary is coming up? Is that it?

    “If Pacific finds his way to town, what now? All my life’s work will be for nothing. Now I have a missing patient and four incompetent employees! How will I be able to finish the last plague!” Claudio shouts even louder until veins start popping out of his neck.

     “Master, we will make sure to find him. He is already weak, so it is most likely that he has not gone far,” Laurence tries to explain, making Claudio walk toward him.

    Laurence swallowed the lump in his throat as Claudio suddenly wrapped his hand around his neck, surprising all of us. “If you do not find him tonight, I will cut you all open and feed you to the rats!”

     “ M-Master…l-let go… “ Laurence struggles to say. Claudio only tightens his grip on his neck, but just before Laurence can even lose consciousness, Claudio pushes him away and finally walks back to the manor, the two nurses immediately following behind him.

     Laurence drops to the floor and catches his breath, Adeline running to his side so she can help him.

     “Are you alright?” I then ask Lino, and Lino touches his cheek, pretending to act tough even though I know damn well that he’s hurt.

     “We have to look for that fucking patient,” Laurence then says as Adie helps him stand back up. “If we don’t find him before the sun rises, we might as well jump off the cliff because I am not letting that mad doctor cut me open.”

     Wait…jump off the cliff?

     “The ocean!” I shouted, making the three of them look at me.

     “Lady told me that out of all the rooms, Pacific’s window is the only one that’s covered. The reason is that it triggers him when he sees any body of water, especially the ocean,” I explain, and the three of them started looking like they realized something too.

     “One of the nurses told me that Pacific was able to punch the wood that was covering the window, and then he just started shouting. He was so erratic that they couldn’t hold him down,” Lino tells us.

     “Then that confirms it. He’s definitely heading to the ocean.”

     “But if he’s traumatized by any kind of water, then shouldn’t he be running away from the ocean and not running toward it?” Laurence then asks back, which would actually make sense too.

     “That could be, but I just have this gut feeling,” I insisted.

     “Alright, if you’re so sure about this, then head to the cliffs. He might be wandering off there. The rest of us will look around the woods,” Lino suggested, and the three of us nodded our heads in understanding.

     Before we parted ways, little Adie suddenly grabbed my hand and stopped me. I look back at her, and then she hands me a flashlight. I thanked her for it, and the four of us finally ran off.

     Out of everything that could happen, Pacific just had to run off now when everything was a complete mess. And there’s Teo that I have to worry about. I was supposed to fucking cut ties with him, so I won’t have a hard time leaving this town, but now I have a reason to stay, and that reason is ruining everything for me.

     Well, I’ll have to worry about it when the situation demands it, but for now, I have to look for that patient because if we don’t, Claudio’s gonna kill us before I could even worry about my future with this town.

     “Pacific!” I call out as I run past the woods, the waves getting louder as I approach.

     I tightly held onto the flashlight as my feet continued to move. But as I continued running, I couldn’t help but remember a familiar scene. It felt like I was once in a similar situation.

     “ Mathilda! Run! “ I suddenly heard a voice shouting in my head, making me lose focus in an instant, and causing me to trip and fall to the ground.

     “ Mathilda! “ The voice continues to shout, making me close my eyes and cover my ears while squatting on the muddy floor.

     The wind blows on me, sending chills down my spine. I waited for a while until the voice stopped. When it finally became quiet, I slowly opened my eyes again and removed my hands from my ears, panting heavily as I tried to catch my breath.

    “Bishop…I’m Bishop,” I say as I stare at my hands, making sure I didn’t accidentally switch and that this isn’t all an illusion.

     I try to calm myself down, but then I notice the footprints on the ground, and that makes me snap back to my senses. I grabbed the flashlight and continued running as if nothing had happened a couple of seconds ago. I would stumble a little, but it wasn’t enough to make me stop.

     “Pacific!” I continue to shout until I reach the cliff. But after running around for a couple more minutes, I stopped when I saw a familiar figure. Lo and behold, Pacific was standing right in front of me, making me sigh in relief. 

    I got closer to him so I could grab his arm, but then I realized that he was standing just inches away from the cliff’s edge. If he takes just one more step, he might fall off.

    “Pacific,” I call out, slowly moving towards him so I wouldn’t scare him. Pacific was still, but he turned his head to me. He was confused for a second, but then a wide smile appeared on his face, an unsettling smile.

    “Oh, it’s you. The loyal butler,” he says, the strong wind making him sway back and forth.

     I swallow the lump in my throat and smiled at him as well. “What on earth are you doing there? Come here. We can talk back at the manor.”

     “N-No…I have to join Maria. I have to tell her that I…that I forgive her,” Pacific explains to me, making me furrow my brows in confusion.

     Who’s Maria? Is it the wife he killed and threw in the ocean? If I remember correctly, Claudio explained that he saw his wife having an affair, so he killed her as well as their son. But why the son too? Why on earth would he kill their son when he obviously had nothing to do with it?

    “Pacific, we can do that some other time, okay? For now, we have to return to the ma—”

     “No!” he suddenly shouts, making me flinch. “Maria is waiting for me. I must forgive her because if I don’t, Jacob will be very upset.”

     “Jacob?”

     “Jacob was the one who saw Maria with another man. He blamed himself for it, so I removed his eyes so he wouldn’t have a reason to be sad. But he wouldn’t stop bleeding. He wouldn’t stop bleeding…” Pacific explains as tears start streaming down his face.

     You sick bastard. Why the fuck are you the one crying? If I weren’t afraid of Claudio, I would have pushed you off the cliff myself.

     “Alright, alright, I understand what you mean. But everyone in the manor is worried about you, Pacific. We have to go back. The doctor will not like it if you stay here,” I tell him, stretching my arms out so he can grab it.

    Pacific looks at my hand and wipes his own tears, but after that, he starts laughing, almost like he heard the funniest thing in the world.

     “Doctor Giovanni,” he says in between his waves of laughter. “The mad doctor…the evil doctor…the plague doctor.”

     “Pacific please. Just grab my hand, and we’ll go back. I promise you; I’ll make sure they don’t hurt you when you return. I’ll fucking make sure of it,” I start begging this time, but Pacific only continues to laugh.

     “ Do you know what the doctor told us before we were brought to the hell house?“ Pacific suddenly asks me. I didn’t want to know anything else that would come out of this man’s mouth, but I found myself waiting for him to continue.

     The wind blew again, and I could still hear the waves crashing on the rocks below us. Pacific kept his mouth shut while his eyes were still locked on mine, but after that agonizing silence, he grinned and tells me, “I promise. I will cure you all.”

     My eyes widened in disbelief as soon as I heard him say those words. I couldn’t move from where I was standing, and everything I had ever known suddenly started flashing before me.

     So these patients…all of them went here in hopes of getting cured by him but were subjected to experiments instead. I couldn’t help but feel sick inside. But what was even worse was that master Claudio…Dr. Giovanni… has promised me the same thing.

    “I will cure you! How dare he say such a thing in our faces!” Pacific shouts before laughing again. “He never was going to cure us. So if I were you, butler, I would run away now while I still can.”

     “D-Don’t say such a thing. We’re different. I am not a patient like you,” I try to defend, and that statement made Pacific finally stop laughing.

     He looks at me seriously and tells me, “Lady was wrong.”

     “What are you talking about?”

     “The person working for the doctor…it is not the soldier, but somebody else,” Pacific then reveals, and my jaw instantly drops.

     “Among the cook and the maid, who do you think holds the same evil and grudge as his master? Who do you think will turn their backs on you and gladly watch you rot?” Pacific then asks, and before I can even say a single word, Pacific opens his arms wide and leans back before finally being one with the ocean.

to be continued…

(41) Restless

⚕︎

I STOOD AT THE  back while four men carried Pacific’s lifeless body like a garbage sack that they couldn’t wait to dump. I stare at his body with little to no expression on my face compared to last time’s funeral. He was pale, and it was a miracle that we even found him before anyone else could. According to Claudio, it’s better to have him dead than have him speak.

     “Drop him,” master Claudio instructs, and the men dump the patient’s body inside a hole that the others were able to dig. When we all heard the thud sound, Claudio looked at father Laurence and nodded at him, making Laurence open up the bible he was holding so he could read a verse.

     “ So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; and it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body…“

     The verse left a shiver down my spine. Other than the fact that we were surrounding Pacific’s grave while holding candles as if we were some kind of cult, the graves of the other patients were just right beside it, reminding me of the deaths that came before this.

     I stare at the hole that Pacific was in and then at the other graves. I met all of them just moments before they died. Such a feeling cannot even be explained. Now we are only left with one, and I don’t know what else I’ll be able to do if Wednesday follows. I might not be able to stand silently like this anymore.

     “ Are you alright? “ A voice suddenly asks, snapping me back to reality.

     I turned my head and saw Lino standing beside me. I was about to ignore him, but then I remembered Pacific’s last words. Lino isn’t the one working for doctor Giovanni. All this time, he wasn’t the person I should have run away from.

     “ I just saw someone jump off a cliff. What do you think? “ I sarcastically ask back, whispering as well so we wouldn’t interrupt the ceremony.

     “ I just came back from a funeral too, and now I’m attending another one. It can’t get any more depressing than this, “ I then tell him, and Lino doesn’t say anything and just looks back at Laurence and the others.

     Laurence was standing near the hole, while Adeline was standing beside Claudio and the other guards. Among those two, who will stab me in the back with no hesitation?

     I’m not saying I fully trust Pacific’s claims, but what he said made a lot of sense. Thinking about it now, Lino hasn’t done anything that would harm me. In fact, he has walked an extra mile to make sure I don’t get in trouble. As for Laurence and Adeline, they haven’t really done anything that would make me suspect them, but they were the only people who knew about the attic, and Claudio just miraculously found out about it too.

     But what if Pacific is wrong? What if none of them are working for Claudio? Or maybe all of them are working for him, and they’re just pretending to be on my side. What if they’re actually going to kill me too? What if—

     “Bishop,” Lino once again calls out, making me flinch. “The ceremony is over,” he then says, and I realize that they were already dumping dirt on top of Pacific, while Claudio and the rest were already walking back to the manor.

     “You don’t seem well. Maybe you should rest first,” Lino suggests, making me massage my temple this time. Lino was about to touch my shoulder, but I immediately pushed his hand away, surprising him.

     “D-Don’t…” I say.

     “Are you okay?” He asked me again, but I couldn’t answer him. I didn’t know what I felt, and I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I was starting to lose focus, and that was something I was trying to avoid. I had to keep myself together, or I might end up losing full control.

     “I’m fine,” I say. “I’m fine.”

     Lino was about to say something to me, but I quickly ran back to the manor before he could even utter a single word. I ran to my bedroom at full speed and slammed the door shut, the dark empty space making me feel like something was going to swallow me whole.

     “Among the cook and the maid, who do you think holds the same evil and grudge as his master? Who do you think will turn their backs on you and gladly watch you rot?” I remember Pacific saying, his voice echoing in my ear like it was a buzzing fly I couldn’t seem to kill.

     Father Laurence, Adeline, and Lino. All this time, I’ve seen them as people I may as well consider family, but now…was it all a lie? Have they all pretended to have cared for me because they were tasked to do it?

     When my mother left me here alone, was I really meant to be alone?

     “ You have us, Bishop, “ a voice inside me suddenly says.

     I look around the room, searching for someone despite knowing full well that the voice came from within. I opened the cabinets, the door to the bathroom, and even under the bed as if I had completely lost my mind.

     “ Bishop… “ a voice whispers.

     “Stop. Please, stop.”

     “ Bishop…don’t leave us, Bishop. “

     “No, just leave me alone, just leave me alone,” I start begging, dropping to the floor and pressing my back on the wall as I embrace myself inside this empty bedroom.

     My hand trembles as I close my eyes so I can try to calm myself down. The voices got closer and louder, but before these dark thoughts could consume me, I suddenly felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, and then everything turned into this warm and bright yellow that instantly made me feel relieved.

     “ Amore mio. I am here, “ a calming voice whispers, making me open my eyes back. I reach out to touch my face and realize there are tears on my cheeks.

     “My name is Bishop Lancaster. My name is Bishop Lancaster,” I repeatedly say to myself, holding onto my chest as I slowly walk toward the bed. Maybe Lino is right. Maybe I just need to rest. The sun is already setting, and I haven’t slept at all. If I don’t take a break now, I will definitely fall off a cliff like Pacific, and I don’t want to share the same fate as him.

     I removed my clothes and dropped them on the floor, removing the dirt I also got after running in the forest. I took everything off until I was left with only my underwear. The room felt cold, but I didn’t mind because it made me feel alive in some sense.

     I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, hoping for that sweet rest that would help me calm my nerves. My vision starts to blur, and after a few minutes of silence, everything becomes completely dark.

     My body gets engulfed by the softness of the bed, and for the first time, I feel like I could really drive myself to a peaceful slumber. But as I lay on this bed, I got a distant smell of something metallic. The smell became stronger and stronger until I realized that the smell was actually not anything metallic but was the smell of blood that came from inside my nose.

     I immediately opened my eyes, gasping for air as blood oozed out of my nose. I quickly grabbed my blanket and wiped it off, staining the white sheets with red.

     “ Shit… “ I whisper to myself, looking at the dark red that dirtied my bed covers.

     I got ready to stand from the bed so I could wash my face, but then something stopped me. I look down at my hands again, and then I realize that my hands were actually chained to the frame of my bed, my wrists covered in bruises because of it.

     “What’s going on?” I ask myself, trying not to panic. But when I lifted my head up to look around my supposed empty room, I was surprised to see that I was actually surrounded by books, familiar books that I was forced to read when I was a child.

    “What am I doing here?”

     I don’t know how, but I was back inside my childhood bedroom in Totten’s Landing. Did mother take me back? Am I no longer inside the manor?

     “Brother?” a voice from outside the room calls out.

     A bright yellow door was right in front of me, just adjacent to my bed. The room is silent for a second, but after a while, it eventually opens, revealing a little girl wearing a very beautiful pink dress.

     The girl was holding a tray of delicious food, and as soon as she saw me, a bright smile instantly appeared on her face. I couldn’t really recognize her, but as she got closer, my heart practically stopped, and a tear immediately streamed down from my eyes

     “Mathilda?” I ask as my sister Mathilda approaches me.

     “Good morning, brother. How are you feeling?” She asks, gently putting the tray of food on the side table so she can sit on the edge of the bed. “Look at you. You’re a mess,” she then adds, reaching out to wipe the blood off my nose. Her hand felt so cold that I couldn’t help but move away from her.

     “What are you doing here?” I ask, but Mathilda ignores my question and grabs a spoonful of the porridge that was on the tray instead.

    “Here, brother, say ah. You have to eat before father finds out. You don’t want to be called for dinner again, don’t you?” She asked, but I couldn’t even move. This wasn’t real. Mathilda isn’t supposed to be in this house. She’s not supposed to see me like this.

     “Mathilda, what are you doing here? Mother and father, they’re—”

     “Winter, you’re being too stubborn again. I told you to say ah. You have to eat before the food gets cold,” she tells me instead, surprising me.

     When I didn’t do what she was asking me to do, Mathilda suddenly dropped the spoon. She stood still for a while, but then she shouted and pushed the tray of food away from the table, making it all fall to the ground.

     “Look what you made me do, Winter. Now you wasted food,” she angrily says.

     “Mathilda, why are you here?” I asked her again, and Mathilda’s expression suddenly became sad.

     “Father scolded me because I spilled the food on the placemat during our meal. He hit me five times,” she explains. “You’re always so proper, Winter. I want to be like you. Mother and father see potential in you. I want to be like you, brother. I want to be like Winter. I want to be—”

     “Mathilda!” I finally shouted, making her stop talking.

     She was obviously startled, probably because this was the first time I shouted at her like this. But instead of showing me her disappointment, she laughs it off and pulls something out of her pocket.

     It was a key.

     “Now come on, Winter, I’ll get you out of here. Mother and father are looking for you. You haven’t finished your meal yet,” she says, removing the chains on my wrist. When I was finally free from the bed, Mathilda grabbed my hand and tried to pull me, but I wouldn’t move.

     “Winter, what are you doing? Let’s go home.”

     “N-No…” I say, pulling my hand away from her. “This is my home, Mathilda. What are you talking about? And I’m not Winter. My name is Bishop. Winter isn’t real.”

     “Stop this nonsense, brother. Let’s go now.”

    “I said no,” I replied, and Mathilda’s expression became angry.

     “Why are you being like this, Winter? Why won’t you come with me?” She asks, tears now pouring out of her eyes. I looked at her and tried to reach out for her cheek so I could touch her for one last time, but I immediately pulled my hand away. If I touched her now, I don’t know what else I’d do.

     “I c-can’t…Mathilda. I can’t,” I tell her.

     “Why, brother? Do you not love me anymore?”

     “It’s not that. I just…I can’t come with you anymore because…” I pause and grab hold of my aching chest before telling her, “You’re not real, Mathilda. You’ve been dead for a long time.”

     Mathilda became quiet, but then she started giggling, that same giggle that left butterflies in my stomach and would always fill me with so much joy. Such innocence always filled me with so many emotions.

     “You’re so silly, Winter,” she continues to say. But after a while, the giggles turned into sobs, and Mathilda’s tears turned into blood. Dark red oozed out of her eyes, and she tried to touch me again, but I immediately pushed her away from me.

     “Winter…”

     “I’m not Winter!” I continue to shout at her. “I am not Winter. I’m still trying to bring him out. Once I get cured, Winter will be able to own this body. I’m still not ready, so you have to wait for me, okay?” I then tell her, and Mathilda smiles and sits beside me on the bed, touching me as the blood on her hand stains my face.

     “You don’t have to be so mad. I’ll wait for you, Winter,” she says, caressing her thumb on my cheek. “If you don’t want to come with me now, I’ll wait for you.”

     I nod my head, and then Mathilda leans towards me and presses her forehead on mine, making me close my eyes. “You don’t have to worry, Winter. I’ll always be here. I’ll always be inside you.”

     A loud thunder sound was suddenly heard, and I immediately opened my eyes, only to find myself still lying on the bed inside my bedroom at the manor. When I realized it was all just a dream, I quickly ran to the bathroom and started vomiting.

     “ I’m sorry, Mathilda…I’m so sorry, “ I say, sobbing my eyes out along with the rain that’s just outside my window.

to be continued…

(42) The Letter

⚕︎

I OPEN MY DRESSER and aggressively pull out the clothes inside, throwing them away as it made a pool of discarded clothes on the floor. I plucked each and every fabric out until I found what I was looking for. It was the metal box from the attic that was locked by a code.

     The room was dark as I stared at the box, my hands trembling. I tried to open it by putting in random numbers, but the box wouldn’t budge, making me throw it across the room, completely irritated.

     While I stood helplessly in the pile of clothes, someone suddenly knocked on the door, and the sounds of keys rattling could be heard outside. A couple of seconds after, the door opens, revealing a tall man wearing a military uniform with a large scar on his face. It was Lino. It was dear Mr. M.

     “Bishop?” He calls out, turning the lights on to see me better. When he saw my state, his eyes instantly widened in shock. He must have been surprised to see how messy my room looked.

     “What happened?” He asked, but I didn’t answer him. Lino continued to stare at me like he was disgusted. I look down at my body and remember that I wasn’t even wearing anything. I was completely naked, but I still didn’t move from where I was standing.

     The soldier walks closer and stares at the clothes scattered on the floor. He stops in front of me and grabs my arm so he can start examining my body. Right after that, he takes a deep breath and picks my uniform from the ground.

     “You weren’t able to properly sleep, and that’s going to be a problem,” he says, grabbing some boxers and helping me wear them like I was some kind of kid who didn’t know how to do it.

     While Lino was putting clothes on me, I stared in a distance and asked him, “Who was the girl in the picture, Lino? Who was she?”

     Lino paused, but he didn’t look surprised. he didn’t ask where I saw the picture, and it seemed like he knew I’d ask about her eventually.

     “She’s not important,” he answers, making me chuckle.

     “You remember my sister? The one I talked about? I saw her in a dream. I never saw her in my dreams, but I did…last night. When people see their dead relatives, doesn’t that mean they’re going to die soon?” I ask next, and Lino angrily looks at me. I thought he was going to scold me for it, but he remained silent.

     When I was fully clothed, Lino searched for my eye cover and handed it over to me this time. I didn’t want to take it, so he grunted and forced me to hold onto it.

     “Don’t act like that.”

     “Like what?”

     “Like you’re giving up. That’s what he wants.”

     “You’re too kind,” I sarcastically say, touching Lino’s cheek.

     Lino doesn’t push my hand away, but he grabs it instead and stares deeply into my eyes. He stares at me with great curiosity. He’s probably wondering if I’m still Bishop or if I switched. To be honest, I’m not even sure myself.

     “What? Want to fuck?” I then ask him, and Lino finally lets go of my hand. His reaction made me laugh, and Lino started looking irritated—an expression I am more used to seeing on his face.

     “You’ve been locked in this room all day. Lunch is ready,” he tells me instead before running out of the room. I continued laughing, but when Lino was already gone, I stopped and put on a sad smile on my face before touching the clothes that Lino wore for me.

     “ You didn’t have to look so worried, “ I whisper to myself. “ I’m still me, “ I add, wearing the eye cover before finally heading out of the room and walking my way to the dining room where the others were.

     Lino and Adeline were already sitting in their usual seat, and when little Addie saw me, a smile instantly appeared on her face. The doors to the dining room closed, and I approached her so I could give her a quick kiss on her head.

    “Good morning, or rather, good afternoon,” I say, and Adie smiles in reply.

     Lino glances at me as I take a seat and remove my eye cover, but he doesn’t say anything to me anymore. Father Laurence eventually arrives as well and hands me a cup of tea. “Here. This will help you feel better,” he then says, making me look back at Lino again.

     Did Laurence know that I wasn’t feeling well? Did Lino tell Laurence about me?

     “Thank you,” I say instead, taking a sip of the minty-flavored tea.

     “Where’s your eye contact?” He then asks, and I immediately look away from him. I had it on last night, but then I removed it and threw it on the ground. It’s probably gone or buried under the pile of clothes in my room.

     “I lost it.”

     “You should find it.”

     “I’ll try,” I answer, uttering the littlest words so he wouldn’t question me any longer.

     The four of us were now sitting in front of the table that was filled with delicious food. We didn’t say a single thing, and it’s probably because of the funeral we were forced to attend earlier. We didn’t have the energy to joke around like before.

     While waiting for our master to arrive, I stare at the three people in front of me while I fidget with my fingers.

     Lino was reading a newspaper, Adeline was playing with the strawberries on her plate, and Laurence was enjoying his cup of coffee. It was a peaceful afternoon; if the word peaceful was still possible to exist in this Hell House.

     “Have you all been tricked before?” I asked out of the blue, making the three of them stop what they were doing so they could look at me. 

     “Tricked? What are you talking about?” Lino asks back, wondering why I even asked such a strange question.

     “Well, on my sister’s tenth birthday, my father showed me three items from which I could choose one. He didn’t explain to me what it was. He just told me to choose. The three items were a goblet, a knife, and a ring. “

     “What did you choose?” Laurence asks.

     “As a ten-year-old boy, I didn’t really know what that meant, but I chose the goblet because it had gems on it, and I told my father it was pretty. I laughed as I said it, but he didn’t. At that moment I knew I chose wrong,” I told them while they attentively listened to my story.

     “Why would there be a wrong choice? You were just a kid,” Lino asked, and the sad look on my face made him gulp.

     “If I showed you the same items without any context, without knowing what they were for, what would you pick?” I asked them, and the table became silent, almost like they were afraid of giving their answer.

    “The safest answer was the ring,” someone suddenly says, making all of us turn our heads to see who it was.

    Master Claudio arrives and walks towards us with a smile on his face holding an envelope. He was too jolly after such a depressing event last night. I bet he even slept like a baby compared to the rest of us.

     “Good morning, master Claudio,” the four of us say, immediately standing from our seats to properly greet him.

    Claudio nods his head to acknowledge us and walks towards the table to take a seat. As soon as he sat down, the four of us went back to our seats as well.

    We stare at him as Claudio takes a sip of his water. After putting the cup down, he looks back at us and says, “What happened last night was unfortunate, but we must move on. Pacific’s death was a waste, but we still have Wednesday.”

     “What do you mean?” I quickly ask, making Claudio look back at me.

     “What do you mean?” Claudio asks, repeating my question.

     I was about to say something, but Laurence—who was sitting beside me—immediately nudged my side, making me stop talking.

     Wednesday is the last patient left. Does that mean that she’s the only one who’s going to be experimented on for the final plague? No, this can’t be. I can’t let that happen.

     “Anyway, we can talk about that at a later date, but for now, I actually got a letter for you, Bishop. Sunny saw it inside the mailbox in the mansion earlier and handed it over to me this morning,” Claudio suddenly says, showing me the envelope he was holding when he arrived.

     “A letter? Could it be from…m-momma?” I ask, and Claudio chuckles and shakes his head.

     “I’m sure you would have been very pleased if it was from your mother, but unfortunately, it was from someone else. You might be delighted to see who it was from, though,” Claudio says, turning the envelope so I could see the writing on the back.

     I wasn’t expecting anyone, but then my eyes widened when I saw the name. Mateo Ricci.  I was about to grab the letter from Claudio’s hand right after seeing the sender, but just before I could even touch it, Claudio moved his hand away so I wouldn’t be able to reach it.

     “Hand it over,” I demanded, but Claudio just chuckled.

     “As your master, I believe I can’t hand you this letter. The two of you might be conspiring something. Who knows,” Claudio says. “But don’t worry, I’ll read it to you. We’ll read it together.”

     “Master, you don’t have to—” Laurence was about to speak, but he stopped when Claudio took the breadknife to cut the envelope open. He opened the letter, and the moment he saw the context, he started laughing.

     “Oh Mateo, what a hopeless romantic. It’s almost embarrassing,” Claudio comments. I tried to snatch the letter from his hand again, but Claudio still wouldn’t even let me touch it.

     “Amore Mio, I hope you are doing well. I don’t want to sound obsessive when we only saw each other yesterday, but I am writing this letter in hopes of inviting you out on an overnight trip. You mentioned that you had not ridden a steam train yet, so I think this is a perfect opportunity for you to try it out while I stand as a companion,” Claudio recites while reading the letter that was supposed to be intimately between Teo and me.

     I felt so humiliated.

     I clench my fist in anger as I look back at Laurence and the others. Lino was looking away from our master while Laurence and Adeline tried not to listen.

     “I am hoping to ask for Claudio’s approval, but I believe my dear friend will understand. I can speak to him and explain our relationship in a civil manner, but if you wish to keep things a secret, I can always—”

     “Enough,” a low voice suddenly says, hitting the table that abruptly made Claudio stop reading the letter. I lifted my head and saw Lino standing from his seat, looking at Claudio like he was about to throw a punch at him. It surprised me because Lino never really went against Claudio like this.

     “Your childish behavior and teasing are exceptionally inappropriate, my master. I suggest we begin eating before the food gets cold,” Lino says, sounding so polite and insulting at the same time that I don’t even know how Claudio would react to it.

     “Lino, it’s fine,” I immediately say, but Laurence backs him up.

     “Master, the food I prepared is better when it is still hot. To be honest with you, the majority of us aren’t interested in hearing a policeman’s love letter,” Laurence then adds, and even Adeline started putting food on her plate, indicating that she was hungry and would rather start eating.

     Claudio didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, and I honestly thought he would end up flipping the table or maybe even start laughing, but instead, the master took a deep breath and surprisingly nodded his head.

     “You’re right. I apologize. That was a bit immature of me,” he says, carefully folding the letter back and handing it over to me. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you like that, Bishop. But I hope you know I was only making sure you’re not planning anything with Mateo. I’m just being cautious.”

     Of course. It’s not your fault. It’s never your fault.

     “Fuck you,” I say instead, grabbing the letter and walking out of the dining room, holding the paper close to my chest.

    I ran to an empty room and leaned on the door behind me. With my trembling hands, I decided to reread the letter. This time, by myself. With only my eyes to see.

September 26, 1952

Amore Mio,

I hope you are doing well. I don’t want to sound obsessive when we only saw each other yesterday, but I am writing this letter in hopes of inviting you out on an overnight trip. You mentioned that you had not ridden a steam train yet, so I think this is a perfect opportunity for you to try it out while I stand as a companion.

I am hoping to ask for Claudio’s approval, but I believe my dear friend will understand. I can speak to him and explain our relationship in a civil manner, but if you want to keep things a secret, I can always say that I am inviting you out as a friend.

Don’t worry. This invitation isn’t obligatory, which is why you can always decline. If there is a different place, time, or date where you wish to go, I am always ready to accompany you there. That is if you’re willing to spend an entire day with an older man like myself.

We never really talked about ourselves, and I desire to know more about you. I hope you desire to know more about me too.

Anyway, this letter is getting longer than I expected, and I do not want to bore you, so I will end it here.

You are a beauty to behold, my love. I wish to see you and hold you despite having already held you just a while back. Am I being too greedy? I hope not. I do not wish to scare you this way.

If you are free, you may visit me at the police station. Just don’t mind the other officers—they can be a bit outspoken. But if you can’t visit, I will be waiting for your letter.

Take care of yourself before our next meeting.

Love,

Teo

     Right after reading the letter, my heart was instantly filled with so much warmth that I almost forgot everything else that happened last night. I didn’t know that a simple letter like this would bring me so much joy.

     “Oh, Teo. I wish I could give you my honest reply, but I…” I pause and bring the letter close to my nose, smelling the scent that reminded me of him. After looking at Mateo’s handwriting for one last time, I quickly folded the letter and hid it in my pocket to put it inside my diary and…

    “My diary!” I shouted, instantly remembering that I had left it at the Romano Mansion.

     I opened the door and got ready to ask Claudio about it, but as soon as I got out, my entire body stiffened, and everything around me completely stopped. “ Read the diary, “ a chilling voice inside my head suddenly whispers, making me hold onto the wall while my other hand massages my forehead.

    “ Read the diary, “ the voice repeatedly says.

     I try to catch my breath, but before I can even start losing control, a cold hand suddenly holds onto my arm. I quickly looked up and saw Claudio staring at me with furrowed brows. When I saw him, I immediately pulled my hand away and took a step back.

     “Are you alright? You should head back to the dining room and eat your lunch,” he says, and I swallow the lump in my throat and nod my head.

     “Y-Yes…I’ll go back,” I answer.

     I turn around and walk away from him. But as my feet moved forwards, Claudio suddenly told me, “I am giving you my permission.”

    I immediately stopped after hearing what he had to say. I thought for a second that I heard him wrong, but without even asking him what he meant, Claudio added, “Regarding the letter you received from Mateo. I am allowing you to go.”

to be continued…

(43) Two-day Trip

⚕︎

I HELD ONTO THE strap of my suitcase while I stood at the main entrance of the manor. Lino, Laurence, and Adeline were standing in line behind me, while master Claudio, whose face looked neutral, stared at me while holding onto his plague doctor mask.

     “Mateo told me that it would only be for one night. I hope you enjoy your time with him, my dear Bishop,” Claudio tells me, making me hold onto the strap of my bag even tighter.

     “I will see you tomorrow. All of us at the manor will be waiting for your return,” he continues to say.

     Why did Claudio agree to this? Why did he tell me to go despite knowing the fact that I may never return again? Is he planning something? Should I just stay?

    “Why did you permit me to come on this trip?” I finally ask.

    “Teo told me that he’ll bring you home safely after,” Claudio answers instead, and I could perfectly guess that he’s not going to tell me his reasons even if I force him to.

     “You trust Teo that much?” I ask him next, and this time, Claudio’s expression changes. He paused and took a step forward until he was now standing just a few inches away from me. He then lifts his hand up and gently touches my cheek. “I do not trust him. But what I do trust…is your fear.”

    Fear?

    “You will return, Bishop. Whether you decide to run away or hide, you will return to me. That is something I am certain of,” Claudio says with confidence as his hand continues to caress my skin. I wanted to push him away from me, but before I could even make my move, Lino touched my shoulder, interrupting our pleasant conversation.

     “We should go,” he says, looking directly at Claudio.

     Claudio looks back at him in silence, but after a couple of seconds, he chuckles and finally lets go of me. “You may go.”

     Claudio continues to stare at me as Lino takes the suitcase from my hand and walks out of the manor. I turn my head and look back at little Adie and Laurence. Adie gave me a sad smile while Laurence spoke nothing but nodded his head as if we understood each other’s silence.

     I take a deep breath and turn my head to look back at Claudio for one last time. He smiles at me and waves goodbye as I finally walk out of the manor—the Hell House.

     Lino was waiting for me outside, holding the car door open for me while I approached him. “Watch your head,” he says as I finally head inside the back of the car. Lino closes the door and goes to the driver’s seat. He adjusts the rear-view mirror and looks straight at me before starting the car and driving away.

     I look out of the window and stare at the manor as it becomes smaller and smaller. For some reason, driving away like this made me feel nervous. But what scared me the most were the words that Claudio told me before I left. This was the perfect opportunity for me to run away, but his confidence that I would return made me feel uneasy.

     “Do you love this man, Bishop?” Lino suddenly asks, making me remove my eyes from the window to look back at him through the rear-view mirror.

     “Who?” 

     “The police officer, Mateo Ricci. Do you love him?” He asked me again, and the question was so sudden that I wasn’t able to give a reply. It wasn’t because I was unsure or because I didn’t know what the answer would be. I wasn’t able to give an immediate answer because I wasn’t the right person to answer it in the first place.

     “Are you asking me, or are you asking the others?” I ask back, making Lino furrow his brows in confusion.

     “Who else would be in love with him other than you?” He wonders, and I look out of the window again, catching a glimpse of the ocean in a distance.

     “I don’t know. Whenever I’m with Teo, I feel…whole. I feel like I’m not myself. I feel as though I’m not Bishop but someone else, and that someone is there but not there at the same time,” I try to explain as much as I can because I was confused about it myself. “Why are you asking me this?” 

     Lino adjusts in his seat and grips the steering wheel, almost like I asked an uncomfortable question.

     “I asked because if you truly did love this man—” Lino pauses and looks straight at me through the rearview mirror before continuing, “You must return to the manor no matter what. Whatever happens, whatever you hear or see, promise me that you will return.”

     “Why? Do you know something that I don’t?”

     “I don’t,” Lino immediately defends. “But I do know that master Claudio sees that officer as your weakness. If you try to cross him, you will surely regret it.”

     “And why should I trust the opinion of the man who is considered Claudio’s mad dog?” I then asked next, not to offend him, but because I was genuinely curious, and I wanted to hear what Lino would say about it.

     Lino was quiet for a while, thinking of an answer to my question. After a couple of seconds, Lino takes a deep breath and finally opens his mouth. “You once told me that I did not swear my loyalty to master Claudio. Instead, he sold me fear that was masked in an act of goodwill. Ever since that day, I have thought about those words over and over again. But after some time, I realized that you were wrong.”

     “How so?”

     “Like a mad dog, I followed him and swore my loyalty to him—that is the absolute truth. I swore my life to our master, but ever since the first plague, I realized that we are no longer serving him but doctor Giovanni de Vincenzo. The master who saved me…he died the moment the first plague was released. I am no longer loyal to the man in the mask. And I hope you are no longer in love with him too.”

     “I was never in love with him,” I answer way too fast, causing Lino to chuckle.

     I smiled at him, and the atmosphere between the two of us became light that it instantly made me feel better.

     “Why do you think master Claudio agreed to this?” I ask this time, and Lino takes another deep breath while his eyes are glued on the road.

     “I don’t know. But he’s a doctor, isn’t he? He must be waiting for something, maybe something like a reaction. It’s almost like he’s considering this as an experiment. If I were you, don’t let his reason bother you. Enjoy your time with the officer as much as you can. Show him that your fear will not spoil your fun,” Lino encourages this time. I’m still not used to him speaking in such a manner, but I appreciate this change.

     Well, maybe not so much of a change, but an eye-opener. Lino has always been kind, after all. I just didn’t want to see it. Whenever people show kindness, my first instinct is always to put my guard up. That’s why Lino and I never met eye to eye. 

     “Take care of little Adie while I am away. Don’t argue with Laurence, and make sure to wash the dishes tomorrow,” I reminded him.

     “Such a reliable butler you are,” Lino sarcastically replies, and all I can do is chuckle.

     I look back at the window again and realize we are now in town. It was still early in the morning, so the townspeople were out doing their daily routine. Whenever we visit the town, it always gives me a small shock because of how different it is compared to the dark and barren area surrounding the manor.

     “We’re here,” Lino tells me as he parks the car in front of the police station. “Make sure you don’t forget your suitcase.”

     “I won’t. Thank you,” I reply, grabbing the suitcase beside me and reaching out to open the door. But before I could even step out, Lino turned around and suddenly handed something over to me.

     “What is it?” I ask as I look down at the item in my hand. I didn’t know what it was at first, but I was surprised to see that it was actually the container of my eye contact.

     “You found it?”

     “Adeline found it when she was cleaning your room. We properly cleansed it for you with the eye solution in your bathroom. I think it’s safe to use now,” Lino explains.

     “Thank you.”

     I opened the container and found my brown contact lens. I stared at it for a while and almost decided not to put it on, but I immediately stood from my seat to lean at the front so I could face the rearview mirror. I stared at my eyes for a couple more seconds, but after debating with myself, I finally decided to put it on.

     It stung for a bit, but I blinked it off and looked back at my reflection, where my other eye was now covered.

     “Thank you,” I say again, turning my head to look back at Lino, who was now just inches away from my face.

     Lino doesn’t say anything and nods his head in reply. I didn’t say anything either as I reached out to touch the scar on his face. Lino flinches, but he doesn’t push me away. The two of us were silent, but after a while, I leaned close and gently kissed his scarred cheek.

     “Thank you,” I repeated for the third time before moving away from him.

     Lino touches his cheek in surprise as I rush out of the car, slamming the door shut and pretending like I did not just give him a kiss. It was innocent and not sexual, but I think that was the exact reason why I felt a bit embarrassed.

     I ran towards the police station but stopped right at the entrance to look back at the car. The car windows were tinted, so I couldn’t really see Lino properly, but I could tell that he was looking back at me, so with a shy smile on my face, I finally waved goodbye before running inside the building.

     The police station was small, but it was filled with people. There were officers, civilians, and an old woman who was complaining about her missing cat.

     “Sir Bishop!” A voice suddenly calls out, making me turn my head to face him.

     A tall man approaches me wearing a similar uniform that Teo has. He had this bright smile on him, and I could tell that he knew who I was even though I couldn’t even remember who he was.

     “You’re sir Bishop. Claudio’s butler. I’ve seen you around town a couple of times. I was once partnered with the chief,” the man explains, making me realize that I did see him once. I think it was during the time when an old man with Alzheimer’s was painting in the middle of town, and the police had to take him home. He was one of the officers that Mateo was with.

     “Did sir Claudio send you? Did something happen?” He continues to ask. Claudio really is such an important man that even the police are worried about his well-being.

     “N-No, he did not. Don’t worry,” I immediately say, and the officer looks down and notices the suitcase I’m holding.

    “Are you perhaps…running away?” He then asks, but just when I am about to open my mouth to explain myself, a group of men walks out from one of the rooms. They were all so intimidating that the officer that was speaking to me even moved away from them.

    I gripped the strap of my suitcase and pressed my back on the wall so I wouldn’t stand in the way. But as the men walked past us, a familiar officer followed behind them. He looks around and spots me, instantly making his eyes widen in shock. Soon after, a dimpled smile appears on his face, leaving me in a complete trance.

     How can Mateo Ricci look so handsome?

     “Bishop! You really came as I requested,” He announces with no hint of shame, making everyone around him stop so they could look back at me.

     I awkwardly smile and wave my hand to him. “I came,” I repeated, and the smile on Teo’s face widened even more.

     “It’s great to see you, sir Bishop,” one of the men with him says.

    “Good day, Bishop,” another officer greeted me while tilting his hat.

     The other men tried to speak to me, but Teo quickly blocked my view of them so they could no longer say anything.

     “We just finished our meeting. Let’s talk in my office first,” Teo says, grabbing the suitcase in my hand so he can carry it for me. He then bids farewell to the other men he was with and leads me to a different hallway.

     “Did I come in the wrong time?” I ask, worried that I disrupted his work.

     “Of course not. You came at the perfect time. I was just about to clock out,” Teo explains. “I already told the others I’ll be gone for two days. I even have the things I need for our trip. You can say that I’m very much excited. I’ve never been this excited for a trip since I was ten.”

     I chuckled at what he said and continued to follow beside him.

     “To be honest with you, I was worried that Claudio might not agree to this because you’re such a capable butler, and he might not be able to do anything by himself, but I’m glad he called me yesterday to give his permission. He really is such a dear friend,” Teo then says while I laugh at the first statement he made.

    “Anyway, here we are.”

     Teo stopped at a door with a nameplate that said ’ Chief of police Office. ’ He opened the door and gestured for me to come inside first, so I excused myself and got in as Teo followed right behind me.

     “You can take a seat while I fix my things.”

     Teo places my suitcase on a chair and starts fixing the files on top of his desk. While he was doing that, I didn’t take a seat and decided to look around his office instead.

     There were shelves filled with books, a portrait of him in his uniform, some trophies, certificates, and boxes filled with papers. It was a messy office, but it was a good mess if that made any sense. It felt like you could still breathe despite the number of cluttered items around the room.

     “How long have you been working as a police officer?” I ask while I stare at the photos that are hanging on the wall.

     “Let’s see…I’m thirty-four now, so about ten years,” he answers.

     I quickly turn my head to him and decide to tease him a little. “Thirty-four? You’re already thirty-four years old?” I ask with a shocked tone.

     “Why? Does that bother you?” Teo quickly asks back, now removing his eyes from the files he was arranging so he could look at me with a sly smile on his face. I chuckle and decide not to answer him, so Teo immediately puts the folders down so he can approach me. He grabs my waist and pulls me towards him, pressing my body against him while his face stops just inches away from mine.

    “ My age doesn’t matter to you though, “ he whispers close to my ear. “ After all, I’m still strong enough to lift you off the ground like last time. “

    His hot breath made me shiver. I try to move away from him, but Teo locks me in his arms so I wouldn’t be able to escape. I stare at him for a while and reach out to remove his cap. “Were you working all night?” I ask while I fix his hair for him.

     Teo pouts like a baby and nods his head, making me hit him with his cap. He laughs, but then he wraps his arms around my waist tighter and leans close to kiss my forehead. “It’s fine. As long as I am with you, I won’t feel tired.”

     “You just got out of the hospital too you know, and you had your mother’s funeral the other day. Do you really think it’s okay for us to have this trip?” I ask him, genuinely concerned.

     “Well, if you were so unsure, you wouldn’t have brought your suitcase with you. If you ask me, you’re just as excited about this trip as I am,” he teased this time, and I finally pushed him away from me.

     “I always do, my love.”

     My love. Amore mio.

    Every time he says that sweet endearment, my heart would uncontrollably beats faster. How can simple words make me feel this thrilled?

     “I have prepared for everything, so there’s nothing for you to worry about. We’ll ride the train to Sta. Rosalia, that’s an hour’s ride from Sorrento, so we’ll have to drive there first. Don’t worry. I already asked someone to drive us there,” Teo explained with such excitement that I couldn’t help but smile with him.

     “Once we arrive at Sta. Rosalia, we’ll stay in this little inn. I have already rented a room. And then we’ll eat lunch at a local restaurant nearby and look around the city. I visited the place a few years ago and remembered this beautiful park near a lake. We can visit that too if you like. How does that sound?” Teo asks, looking at me.

      “It sounds perfect,” I answer, and Teo walks towards me again to gently touch my cheek. His hands weren’t soft, but they felt safe. So I closed my eyes and reached out to touch it.

     “Thank you for inviting me to this trip,” I say before opening my eyes.

     Teo was smiling at me while his thumb continued to caress my cheek. “Thank you for agreeing to it. Let’s enjoy this two-day trip together, okay?”

     “Okay.”

     Two days.

     Just two days.

     Let me enjoy this trip for two days.

     And then I’ll return to the manor as promised. I’ll return to the hell which I can’t seem to run away from. I’ll return to the master who has chained me with iron that I can’t seem to break. I will return…because my fear will bring me back like he already predicted.

     “Shall we go?”

to be continued…

(44) Steam [m]

⚕︎

A FRIEND OF TEO —who’s also a police officer, was kind enough to give us a ride to Sorrento. He dropped us off at the train station, so when we got there, I was instantly filled with excitement.

     “Wait here while I buy our tickets,” Teo tells me, and I nod my head and wait for him beside the railings while he rushes to the ticket booth where dozens of other passengers are lined up.

     I look around the area, watching all kinds of people waiting on the side for the train to arrive. There were solo travelers, couples, and even families, but they weren’t as excited as I was. This was my first time in a train station, let alone riding a train. I feel like I’m a kid again because of it.

    “Bishop,” Teo calls out, approaching me while waving two tickets he was able to purchase successfully. “Here’s your ticket,” he says, handing me the other one.

     “Thank you.”

     “Do you want to buy some snacks so you can eat something on the train?” Teo then asks, but I shake my head in reply.

     Teo smiles at me and reaches out to fix my coat. “You look lovely,” he suddenly compliments, not even caring if people would hear him or not. “I can’t wait to spend this entire trip with you.”

     “ Me too, “ I softly say as the two of us stare into each other’s eyes.

     Mateo leans close and is about to give me a kiss, but then we hear a loud sound coming from a distance. Both of us turn our heads as a cloud of steam appears in the sky. The ground partially shakes, and Teo immediately pulls me away from the railing as the train finally makes its appearance.

    The hair on my skin stands as this large vessel stops in front of us. I’ve seen one of these in books, but I never thought it would be this big in real life.

     As the train stopped right in front of us, I couldn’t help but stare at it in complete fascination. Teo stares at me from the reflection in the windows, but he doesn’t comment anything about it and just chuckles to himself. The door to the train then opened, and passengers started heading out one by one.

     “You look excited. Shall we go inside?” Teo asks, showing me his hand. I smiled and took it with no hesitation, and then we followed the crowd and went inside the train.

     “It looks like a bus,” I comment as soon as I see the interior, and Teo chuckles again. It seems like he finds my reactions amusing.

     “Stop laughing at me. You’re treating me like I’m some kind of child,” I quickly say as the two of us walk in the middle of the aisle.

     Despite my complaint, Teo still couldn’t contain himself and could only squeeze my hand even tighter. “I’m not laughing at you. I’m just overwhelmed with extreme happiness. I didn’t know that seeing you this happy over a train would fill me up with so much joy.”

    His statement was so unexpected that it made my entire face heat up. I couldn’t even look straight at him because I felt so embarrassed. I say the corniest things too, but when I hear someone else say them, I can’t help but feel weird inside.

     “How can you even say that so confidently?” I ask, and Teo laughs even harder.

     The two of us eventually arrive at our seats. Teo takes our suitcases and puts them in the overhead compartment. He then let me take a seat first so I could sit beside the window.

     “There aren’t a lot of passengers,” I noticed as Teo sat beside me. “I thought the seats would get filled when I saw the passengers waiting outside, but I guess the train’s bigger than I expected.”

    “Well, not a lot of people visit Sta. Rosalia at this season. Usually, they come and visit in spring when the flowers bloom the prettiest,” Teo explains.

     “Then maybe we should—” Just when I was about to invite Teo to go on another trip during the spring season, a tall man in uniform suddenly stopped in front of us and showed us his hand. “Ticket, please,” he says, and Teo hands his ticket first, so I follow and hand it to him as well.

     The collector punches a hole in our tickets before giving them back to us. Soon after, the doors start closing.

     “Are we leaving now?” I ask, and Teo checks his watch first and answers, “We have two more minutes left. Do you want to head to the restroom first?”

     “No, it’s fine. I don’t want to miss the view,” I tell him, and Teo smiles and nods his head before reaching out to touch my temple, just beside the eye that was covered with a brown contact lens. I thought Teo was going to comment about it, but then he pulled his hand away and remained silent.

     A few minutes later, the train slowly started to move, and I immediately looked out the window in excitement.

     “It’s moving, Teo,” I say.

     “It’s moving,” he repeats.

     The sound of the train sent a shiver down my spine as we started moving faster. The steam trails behind us, and then a bunch of kids start chasing after us. One even waved at me, so I smiled and waved at him back.

    The train continues to move faster and faster, and then…complete darkness.

     My heart drops for a quick second. I thought someone had suddenly switched with me, so I looked around the dark in panic. But just when I was about to call out for someone, a warm hand reached out to me, intertwining his fingers with mine.

     “ Don’t worry. We’re inside a tunnel ,“ he whispers, and so I take a deep breath of relief.

     I continue to hear the sound of the train as it moves at a fast speed. My heart races with it, and then, at that very moment, overwhelming light shines in front of me. I briefly closed my eyes because of it, but as soon as I opened them back, I was welcomed by this breathtaking view that made my mouth drop in an instant.

     We were on the side of a mountain. And just outside the window was a vast sea that was perfectly kissed by the rays of the sun, making it glimmer underneath it.

     I almost shed a tear because of how beautiful it looked. The world really is big and beautiful. I can’t believe I missed out on so much.

     “Teo, are you seeing this?!” I ask in excitement as I continue to stare at the crystal waters. “It’s so beautiful.”

     “It is,” he replies.

     I chuckle at myself and quickly turn to look back at Teo. “I didn’t know that we were just beside a—” but just as I was about to finish what I was going to say, I quickly stopped midsentence when I realized that Teo was not looking out of the window at all but was looking straight at me instead.

     “It really is beautiful,” he repeated, and for some reason, I was suddenly filled with so many emotions that I ended up grabbing Teo for a hug.

     Teo was surprised, but he eventually hugged me back too.

     “Thank you for inviting me on this trip,” I tell him, squeezing him tight. Teo doesn’t say anything, but when I pull away from the hug, he suddenly leans close and presses his lips on mine, surprising me.

    My eyes widen in shock as I move away from him. I look around to see if someone has seen us, but when I realize that there aren’t any passengers near our seat, I end up sighing in relief.

     I wasn’t trying to offend Teo, but when he saw my reaction, he immediately apologized. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to steal a kiss from you. I was caught up in the moment and—”

     Before Teo could finish his sentence, I leaned close and pressed my lips on him to reassure him that everything was fine. “I was just making sure no one saw,” I explain. And just when he was about to give a reply, I kissed him again.

     Teo was startled, but after a while, he kissed me back. As he kisses me, I slightly open my mouth for him. Teo takes the invitation and sticks his tongue inside, tasting me while I taste him.

      “ Wait… “ I whisper, pulling away to catch my breath. “ This is getting dangerous, “ I tell him while Teo continues to kiss my neck. I tried to contain myself because his beard tickled me, and I didn’t want to suddenly burst into laughter.

     “ Teo, we might get arrested for inappropriate public display. “

     “ Don’t worry. I’m a cop. I’ll handle it .“

     “Mateo…” I say this time, and Teo finally stops, looking at me with such lustful eyes that I can’t help but gulp. If he continues to look at me like that, I might just ask him to fuck me instead.

     “You really do know how to play with my feelings,” he tells me, and this time, it’s my turn to laugh at him. How can he look so dejected? It’s not like I’ll never kiss him again.

     “When we get off this train,” I start, leaning close to his ear to whisper, “ I’ll give you all of me, my love. “

     I look back at Teo to see his reaction. For a second, I thought he’d feel shy about it, but instead, he looked serious, almost like he was mentally preparing himself for it.

     “Then I hope this train moves faster,” he comments as he looks straight into my eyes. I immediately look away from him and stare out of the window instead, hiding my burning cheeks and hoping that the train would be loud enough to cover my rapidly beating heart.

…

“ You have arrived at Sta. Rosalia. Please do not forget your luggage in the overhead compartment. Thank you. “

     The train makes its complete stop. Teo immediately stands from his seat and grabs our suitcases. “I booked us a room at the inn that I mentioned to you earlier. But before we head there, do you want to grab something to eat?” He asks as I stand from my seat as well.

     “We can leave our luggage at the inn first,” I say.

     “Alright then. Let’s go so we can grab a cab.”

     Teo hands me my suitcase as the two of us walk out of the train. The station was much more crowded than the one in Sorrento. And I was almost crushed by the hoards of people if Teo wasn’t able to grab my arm fast enough.

     “Walk close to me,” he says, and it helped that he was bigger than the rest because we were able to get out of the station in one piece.

    Sta. Rosalia was a much bigger town compared to Capo di Monte, and for some reason, it felt warmer and brighter. The buildings looked like paintings, and the people seemed friendly too. It was such a breathtaking place. I’d stay here if I could.

     “Bishop,” Teo suddenly calls out, making me look back at him.

     “The cab is here. Come on,” he says, and I realize that a cab is already parked right in front of us. Teo grabbed my suitcase and put it in the back of the cab, and the two of us got in.

     While I sat in the cab, I couldn’t help but continue to stare out of the window. It was such a wonderful place that I couldn’t help but feel like all this wasn’t real. It felt like I was free and that I could just be myself with no worries.

     Despite my desire to keep on staring at the town’s scenery, the drive didn’t take long, and we eventually arrived at the inn called Lakeside Inn. It was a small building that was just meters away from the lake, which could be the reason why Teo chose this place out of all the inns we drove past.

     “Mateo Ricci,” Teo tells the receptionist who was waiting near the entrance.

     “Oh yes, the room with one bed and a great view. You’re on the second floor, room 12,” he says with a smile as he hands him the room key. Teo grabbed our suitcase, and I was about to follow him, but then the receptionist stopped me and asked, “And you, sir?”

     “I beg your pardon?”

     “Your name, sir.”

     “He’s with me,” Teo immediately says, and the surprised look on the receptionist’s face immediately made me lower my head to stare at the floor. Teo doesn’t say anything anymore and just drapes his arm around my shoulder as the two of us walk our way to the room.

     “What’s so strange about two men sharing the same room together?” Teo immediately complains as soon as we arrive at the room. He closes the door behind us and angrily places the suitcases on the bed while I walk towards the window that has a beautiful view of the town.

     “He didn’t have to look so disgusted. If I hadn’t already paid for this room, we would have left without hesitation,” Teo continues to say, obviously irritated over what happened.

     “You chose the perfect room, Mateo. The view is also amazing from here,” I say instead as I continue to stare out of the window, watching strangers as they walk past us.

     Teo paused, and it seemed like he had already calmed down, so I turned to face him with a smile on my face, making him look at me with a sad expression.

    “I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t want to spoil our trip.”

    “No, don’t say that,” I quickly reply. “We’re two men, Teo, and that is something we cannot change. But don’t worry, I’m fine. I’ve seen people look at me with disgust a lot of times now. Such a thing doesn’t bother me.”

    “But they shouldn’t be looking at you like that in the first place.”

    “But they do, Mateo, they do. And that’s fine. As long as you don’t look at me that way, it’s fine,” I tell him, reaching out to touch his cheek.

     Teo takes a deep breath and puts his hand above mine before looking straight at me. “And I never will.”

    I smile and lean close so I can give him a quick kiss on the lips. Teo takes another deep breath, but he finally smiles as well, which is a relief to me. He doesn’t have to be angry for my sake. It’s my obligation to get angry for myself. I don’t want him to be burdened by such a thing.

     “Now, shall we continue off what we were about to do in the train and let out some steam?” I then teased him.

    Teo looked like he wasn’t in the mood after what happened, but I wasn’t going to take a no for an answer after keeping it all in since our train ride. So before he could decline my offer, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips on him.

     “I thought you’d still be strong enough to carry me, Mr. policeman?  Or was all that just a bluff?” I seductively ask, and Teo groans and finally grabs my thighs and carries me off the floor.

    “You really do know how to mess with my feelings.”

     Teo kisses me as he walks to the bed. When he got close, he took a seat on the edge while I sat on his lap, my lips still locked with his until I could no longer catch my breath. As we parted, Teo started unbuttoning his shirt, his eyes glued to me while he did so.

     “You’re so fucking sexy,” I tell him while I feel his growing bulge beneath me.

    “I should say the same thing to you,” he replies as he finally removes his shirt. “May I?” He then asks. I wasn’t sure what he meant by then, but when I nodded my head, Teo reached out and started unbuttoning my shirt as well until I was finally naked on my upper body.

     Teo stares at me and gently touches my skin before giving me a kiss on my shoulders. “This view really is better than the one on the train,” he says, making me giggle.

    “Don’t be ridiculous.”

     Teo smiles and kisses my shoulder again. He then turns around and reaches out for his suitcase that’s on top of the bed. He opens it and starts pulling out the clothes he packed. After making a mess, Teo pulls out some lube and a condom, making me widen my eyes in surprise.

     “So you really planned this.”

     “It was better to be safe than sorry,” he replies. “Now unzip your pants for me.”

    The way he commanded me gave me an unnecessary shiver down my spine. I wanted to tease him, but my hands ended up following his instructions. I unzipped my pants and pulled them down, along with my boxers, to expose my erect member.

    Teo grabs my waist and lifts me up as I kneel on the bed, my cock directly stopping right on his face.

    “Look at it. It’s already leaking,” Teo teases as he puts lube in his hand, making my face heat up in embarrassment.

    “How can you say something so—” Before I could even voice out my complaint, Teo leans towards me and suddenly puts my cock inside his mouth. My entire body shivers, and I immediately hold onto his shoulder because I thought I might end up fainting.

     “M-Mateo, wait…” I try to say as Teo licks the tip of my cock before putting it back inside his mouth. His hot tongue made me bite on my lower lip because of the overwhelming pleasure. Soon after, Teo pushes himself even deeper, his tight walls almost making me cum.

     “Fuck, Teo, that feels so good,” I say, gripping his shoulder as he starts pulling and pushing himself in. 

     But just when I thought that nothing would feel better than this, Teo grabbed my ass and suddenly shoved a finger inside me, making me widen my eyes in shock.

     “S-Shit…”

     A moan escapes my mouth as I try my hardest not to pass out. Teo continues to suck me while his fingers start playing with my back. He puts a finger in and then slowly inserts a second one, pushing it so deep that his knuckles stop him.

    “Teo, wait, I’m going to…c-cum,” I say as I try to push him away, but Teo wouldn’t let me. He pushes himself further until I almost felt my tip touch his throat. At that exact moment, he moves his fingers on my prostate, and I finally release my load inside Teo’s mouth.

     My body trembles as I pull Teo’s hair between my fingers. When I was finally able to release everything, Teo pulled his mouth away from me. He lifts his head and stares directly at me, his eyes watery after such intense oral sex. He then sticks his tongue out, showing me this white liquid that just came out from me a second ago.

    My cum oozed down from his tongue, and such an image made me harden again in an instant.

    “That’s cheating,” I say, and Teo swallows the rest and wipes his mouth before replying, “The game hasn’t even begun, Bishop. Make sure you’re ready.”

to be continued…

(45) Hold Me Dear [m]

⚕︎

“THAT’S CHEATING,” I SAY,  and Teo swallows and wipes his mouth before replying, “The game hasn’t even begun, Bishop. Make sure you’re ready.”

     Teo lifts me up and puts me down on the bed so I can finally lie on my back. I stare at the ceiling as Teo puts our luggage aside. When he was done cleaning up, he pulled down my pants which were still halfway through my legs and went on top of me.

     The two of us stare at each other, and then my eyes lower, and I start admiring his body this time. When Teo notices me staring, he grabs my hand and brings it to his chest so I can touch it. “You like what you see?” He asks with such a low voice that it makes me gulp.

     “It’s yours if you like it,” he continues to say with that low and husky voice of his. He knew what he was doing, and he knew exactly how that made me feel.

     “Offering yourself to me can become very dangerous,” I tell him, and Teo just grins and gives me a quick kiss. I lean closer to him and get ready to lick him, but Teo pulls away and puts his finger on my mouth to stop me.

     “ Shh… “ Teo slowly slides his finger on my lips and kneels as my body lies in between him. Without removing his eyes from mine, he starts unbuckling his belt with one hand, an action that I did not expect to turn me on so much.

     The room was quiet, and the only thing we could hear was the distant voices from the people outside the window and our heavy and constricted breaths.

     I bite my lower lip as Teo finally unzips his pants, making me see his hard bulge. I get tempted to reach out and touch it, but I try my best to contain myself as Teo slowly pulls his cock out from his underwear, stroking it as his eyes continue to stare back at mine.

     “ Oh, my love, “ I whisper under my breath, and Teo seductively licks his lips before grabbing my ankles and pulling me onto the edge of the bed so my legs can dangle. “You’re a lot more eager than I thought,” I then tease him, but Teo doesn’t answer and just grabs my legs so he can put them on his shoulders, the position making my hole widen as Teo presses himself on me.

     “I would be crazy if I weren’t eager to hold someone as beautiful as you,” he then says, and the statement came as another shock that I ended up looking away from him because of embarrassment.

     Teo chuckles at my reaction and reaches out to touch my cheek so I can look at him again.

     When I turned my head back at Teo, his dimpled smile instantly welcomed me. And at that moment, that exact moment, the sunlight coming from the window directly shines on him, giving him that glow that made him look so warm and alive and real. It wasn’t my intention, but my eyes started to water at the overwhelmingly beautiful sight of him, and before I knew it, my vision became blurry because of the tears that had flooded me.

     “Bishop…” Teo says in shock, but I quickly cover my face with my hands so he wouldn’t be able to see my reaction.

     “Did I do something wrong?” Teo then asks, his voice in a panic as he gently puts my legs down. “Shall we stop? Do you want to take a break?” he continues to say, but I immediately shake my head while tears pour out of my eyes.

     Teo tried to calm me down, but before he could say anything else, I gathered all my courage and told him, “Despite not knowing its true nature and meaning, these are the words I strongly feel about you, so allow me to say this… I love you .”

     The room fell completely silent, and the silence scared me so much that I immediately opened my eyes and removed the hands from my face so I could look at him. I was afraid of what expression he would be making. I was afraid that I had said something selfish and he’d end up looking at me like the receptionist did, but as soon as I saw his expression, my heart was once again filled with so much warmth.

     Teo stares down at me with wonder. He furrows his brows and tries to comprehend what he has heard, but then he smiles, and then he laughs, and soon after, tears pour out of his eyes as he makes the biggest smile I have ever seen.

     “Ti Amo,” he replies with no hesitation. I love you.

     “I love you,” he repeats, leaning close and giving me a long, passionate kiss.

     My heart races as Teo continues to shower me with his love to the point where I thought I would drown in it. But as soon as Teo pulls away from me, he reaches out to touch my right eye and says, “Your eye contact…I think it fell off. Do you want me to—”

     “No,” I quickly say. “I want you to hold me now. I can no longer wait.”

     “Alright. Relax first,” he says as he positions himself at my entrance. He reaches out to grab the lube on the bed so he can put some on his cock. He massages himself for a while, and then he grabs my legs again and puts them on his shoulders. He gave my leg a quick kiss, and then he pressed the tip of his cock on my hole, making me clench the sheets to prepare myself for what was about to enter.

     Teo massages the skin surrounding my entrance. While doing so, he slowly pushes himself inside, the sensation making me close my eyes in complete ecstasy.

     “ Ah shit, you’re so t-tight, “ Teo mumbles under his breath as he continues to push himself in. “ Relax, baby. I might cum if you tighten too much. “

     “It feels so fucking good, Mateo. You feel so good inside me.”

     Teo pushes himself deeper one more time, but on the final push, he ends up hitting my prostate, and in an instant, my entire body shivers, and a loud moan escapes my mouth. The hair on my skin stands while I feel his warmth inside me. I couldn’t explain the feeling, but after a while, it finally sank in that Mateo was inside me. We are now one with each other—hearts and bodies.

     “Are you okay?” Teo asks, reaching out and wiping the sweat on my forehead as I try to adjust to his size.

     “My l-love…don’t move too much. I’m gonna burst if you do,” I tell him, and Teo ends up laughing, immediately making me hit him.

    Teo continued to laugh, but then he started massaging my entrance again, which made it feel even better. I didn’t know that sex would feel like this at all. I always assumed that it would be painful, but why does this feel nothing like that at all? Is it because Teo is gentle with me? I never thought gentle sex would feel this good.

     “Will you allow me to move now?” Teo says, making me laugh this time because he was asking for my permission like the good cop that he is.

     “A couple more seconds,” I reply, and Teo chuckles again.

     I lift my head up a little to see what’s happening at my ass, but when I saw Teo’s dick connecting to my entrance, my body trembles again, and I could instantly feel pre cum oozing out of me.

     “I can’t do this, Mateo. I’m going to fucking cum. I’m serious,” I say, and Teo smiles and looks down at his cock before looking back at me. “Shall I pull it out then?” He asks, obviously teasing me.

     “I’ll kill you if you do.”

     “How scary.”

    Teo massages my entrance again, but after a while, he starts to move, almost like he is testing the waters. When he saw that I was fine, he slowly pulled away and then aggressively pushed himself back, instantly making me turn into a moaning mess.

     When Teo realized that I had finally adjusted to his size, he started thrusting himself in, his pace getting faster and faster as the bed began to shake.

     My voice echoes inside the room. I didn’t care if the people in the other rooms could hear us. I didn’t care if the passerby walking outside could hear us. Heck, I hope the receptionist downstairs could hear us so he’d know exactly what the two of us are doing.

     “I-I’m about t-to…cum. I’m going to cum, Mateo,” I try to say as my body moves with the bed.

     “M-Me too.”

     Mateo moves even faster, but then he grips my thighs and closes his eyes. His body trembles, and then finally, hot liquid pours inside of me. The sensation felt so good that my toes curl up, and I end up cumming just seconds after his release.

     Both of us stopped moving for a second as we tried to catch our breaths. It took at least two solid minutes for Teo to put my legs down so he could finally pull himself away. As soon as he did so, I could instantly feel his cum leaking out of me, and all I could do was sigh in relief.

     “I think we were a little too loud,” Teo jokingly says as he puts his pants back on. He then grabs a couple of tissue papers so he can clean me.

     “You think the receptionist downstairs heard?” I then asked him while Teo continued to clean my entrance.

     “Would it bother you if he did?”

     “No.”

     “Then it doesn’t matter,” Teo says, looking at me with a smile.

     “It doesn’t matter,” I repeated.

     When Teo was done cleaning me, he walked to the bathroom and turned the faucet on. I continue to lie in bed, still completely naked. When I heard the sound of birds chirping outside, I turned my head and looked out of the window, staring at the clear blue sky and the tree branches that danced with the wind.

     “Amore, do you think you can stand, or do you want to rest?” Teo suddenly asks from inside the bathroom.

     I didn’t remove my eyes from the window as I answered him, “I don’t want to waste my time lying in bed the entire afternoon. If I can’t stand, I’m going to force you to carry me.”

     Teo laughs at my statement but doesn’t say anything against it. “Then take a break, and let’s clean up when you’re ready. We’ll visit the park and walk around, maybe feed some ducks, and then we’ll look for a place to eat lunch. Sounds good?”

     I continue to stare at the window with complete fascination. The sunlight was still shining inside the room, but then a cloud suddenly blocked it, instantly making everything look dark. But as I wait for the cloud to move away, the darkness suddenly starts to grow.

     A dark veil consumed the room, and in the corner of my eyes, I could see a shadow reaching out to grab my neck. I try to turn my head to look at it, but then a warm hand touches me, finally making me remove my eyes from the window.

     “Bishop? Are you okay?”

     Teo stares directly at me with a worried expression, but instead of answering him, I quickly sit up from the bed and grab him for a hug. “Don’t leave me,” I tell him.

     Teo was surprised, but he didn’t ask any questions and just hugged me back even tighter. “I won’t,” he says with the gentlest voice I have ever heard. “ I won’t. “

…

There weren’t a lot of people at the park, which was a good thing because it wasn’t overcrowded like the station. Teo and I were walking beside the lake while I held onto his arms. I was feeling a little tired from earlier’s activities, but I didn’t want to miss out on anything.

     “Have you always thought of being a butler,” Teo suddenly asks as the two of us continue walking.

     “What a strange question,” I reply.

     “Is it? I was just wondering because you work extremely well as a butler. I witnessed it at the mayor’s party.”

     “I guess I just naturally do well on the job that’s given to me. Besides, I was taught proper etiquette when I was young. My parents have always been strict with that, and they’ve practically controlled my life since the day I was born. To be honest, I wanted to be a painter when I was a kid, but they didn’t like that idea either,” I explain, making Teo stop to look at me.

     “I have always wondered, but…what do your parents do? Where are they? How did you meet Claudio?” Teo suddenly asked the number of questions he suddenly gave me, making me chuckle.

     “How about we take a seat first, and I’ll try to answer your questions as much as I can,” I tell him, and the two of us walk our way to a bench that faces the lake where there are no people around.

     As I sat there, I took a deep breath and stared at the clear waters that reflected the clouds in the sky. It was a great view and a calming atmosphere. I think I can manage to recall a few things for Teo’s sake.

     “My parents…” I started. “They were something like food critics, so growing up, meals were sacred to us. We had to sit properly, know what utensils to use, and even had to eat properly. They constantly held parties as well, so I know a thing or two about dressing properly and knowing how to act around guests.”

     “You sound like you came from a noble family then.”

     “I don’t really think that’s the case,” I replied to him. Lino also told me about this and said I look like I grew up with a silver spoon, but I never thought of it that way. Living with my parents…

     Was torture.

     “Regarding Claudio, well, it’s not really anything deep, but mother knew him and referred me to him. I just work in his mansion as his butler and nothing more. It’s not really a job I’m greatly attached to. It’s just something that I have to do,” I try to explain as truthfully as I can. It’s not entirely a lie, but I hope Mateo doesn’t end up questioning the story.

     “Then, if that’s the case, do you want to live with me?” Mateo suddenly asks, the question startling me a little because I looked back at him too fast. I thought my neck would break.

     “Of course, not at my family’s house, but we’ll rent a small house someplace else, just the two of us. Don’t you think that would be nice?” Teo continues to ask, reaching out to squeeze my hand.

     Live with Mateo?

     Leave the manor and…live with him?

     “We’ll split the housework. I can cook and wash our clothes, and you can clean the house if you like. We can even make a garden in the backyard. How does that sound?”

     “Mateo…” I say, the expression on my face making Teo look worried.

     “Please don’t misunderstand. I-I’m not forcing you or anything. That was just a suggestion. It’s not like I’m—”

     “I’m sorry, Teo,” I quickly tell him, making him stop midsentence. “I’m sorry.”

     I don’t know why, but I couldn’t say anything else to him other than to apologize. I wanted to tell him that living with him was a wonderful idea and I’d do it in a heartbeat, but deep down, I knew how difficult that decision would be. I didn’t want to give him false hope. I just wanted to enjoy the moment and worry about the future when everything had been said and done.

     “I’m so sorry,” I say to him again, and Mateo reaches out to touch my cheek. At these kinds of moments, he would smile and tell me that everything was okay, but he didn’t. He looked serious, and the question he asked soon after made everything else stop.

     “Claudio is hurting you, isn’t he?”

     “W-What?”

     “I apologize, Bishop, but at Ludwig’s party, I unintentionally saw bruises on your neck,” Teo suddenly says, unconsciously making me reach out to touch the place he mentioned. “I’m a police officer Bishop, and I have seen a lot of things. I am certain that the bruises on your neck were from someone who strangled you.”

     My body starts to tremble, my eyes wide in shock. The bruises he mentioned were from the time Claudio forced himself on me so Wednesday could have female nurses. It was an unpleasant memory, and I didn’t want anyone, especially Teo, to see such a thing.

     “At that time, I didn’t want to assume, and it wasn’t my place to say anything either. But then, at my mother’s party, when Claudio took you away from my hands, I saw fear in you.”

     “Teo, why are you suddenly—”

     “Bishop, I am here, and I will protect you, so please…run away with me,” Teo finally says, and those simple words filled me up with so much joy and fear, so tears started to appear in my eyes before I could even control it.

     “Don’t do this, Mateo. Please.”

     “I love you, Bishop,” he says, quickly grabbing both of my hands in desperation. “If Claudio is hurting you, I will not allow you to return to him. I cannot, for the love of me, let you return to his side, knowing for a fact that you are constantly consumed by fear.”

     I stare at Mateo and bite my lip as my heart continues to race. I wanted to nod my head and tell him that I wanted to go with him, but the darkness I saw in the room earlier suddenly appeared again. I immediately pulled my hand away from Teo, standing from the bench and moving away from him as fast as I could so the darkness won’t end up consuming him too.

     I can’t escape the manor and just run away. I can’t escape him. There is nothing I can do.

     “Bishop, I don’t want you to—”

     “I am not who you think I am, Mateo,” I finally tell him.

     “ Do you think Mateo will accept you when he finds out who you really are? Do you think he’ll look at you the same when he sees all of you? “ Words that Claudio once told me started to linger in my head like it was an itch I couldn’t seem to scratch.

     “I am not who you think I am,” I repeated, my hands now trembling more than I thought they would. “I am a terrible person. I am selfish and broken and scared. There are voices in my head that I wish would go away, but they don’t. I am constantly consumed by this darkness that keeps on growing, and I am so tired of waking up every single day and wondering if I am still the person I was before. I am not who you think I am, Mateo Ricci. So if you wish to let go of me, then please, hold me now so I won’t have any regrets.”

     The two of us were silent after that. I thought Teo would say something, but he didn’t. We stood in front of each other for a while, the wind blowing on us like it was trying to make us move. But after a while, Teo took a step, and another, and then another, until he finally stopped right in front of me.

     He stares at me for a while, but then he grabs me and wraps me in his arms, hugging me so tight as if he doesn’t want to let go of me. The action surprised me because I swore he’d run away, but he didn’t.

     “Hold me dear, and don’t be afraid,” Teo says with so much warmth before looking straight into my eyes. “Look at me, and only me, and I will hold you until you’re ready to let go. Until you’re ready to run away from the demons that bind you, I will wait for you here…I will wait for you, and the rest of you, to come back to me like a hopeful man waiting for a bright tomorrow.”

to be continued…

(46) Visible Imprint

⚕︎

“YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU  wanted to be a painter. Is there a reason behind that?” Teo asks while the two of us are cuddled up on the couch, staring out of the starry sky just outside the window of our inn. 

     Teo and I never talked about our conversation at the park. He didn’t question my reason and my decision to return to Claudio either, which was something that relieved and pained me at the same time. I wanted to tell him everything, but we both knew that for now, we only needed silence, silence that spoke more words compared to when we spoke.

     “When I was a kid, I was in love with the idea of colors. I lived in a world of black and white, and colors were the only thing that reminded me of the beauty the world holds. They were all different, almost like people. Some were wild, some were calm, and some were strong,” I reply, pressing my back further into Teo as he tightly hugs my waist.

     “What’s your favorite color then?” He then asked.

     I continued to stare out of the window and told him, “I’m starting to like the color yellow.”

     “Starting? Then you had a color you liked before that?”

     A small smile appeared on my face as I answered, “Crimson.”

     “Crimson?”

     “Yes.”

     “What a strong color to like,” Teo says before giving me a soft kiss on the back of my head. “I hope you can become a painter one day and create a masterpiece that’s filled with different colors. And maybe one day, I’ll be able to see your works with my own eyes.”

     “You want to see them now?” I ask him, making Teo look at me with furrowed brows. “Shall I draw for you?” I ask further.

     “If you wish to, then I’d be delighted,” he says, and so I removed his hands from me and stood from the couch.

     “Do you have any kind of pen and paper?”

     “I don’t have paint with me, but I have a couple of pens from our meeting earlier,” Teo answers, rushing to his suitcase to pull out a black and red pen, as well as a piece of paper that had writings on them. Teo handed the materials to me, and then I turned the couch to face the bed.

     “You can take a seat on the bed and make a pose,” I tell him, and Teo excitedly smiles and does what he is told.

     “Will I be posing the entire time?”

     “No, just make a pose for a minute or two, and then I’ll remember,” I reveal to him, and Teo couldn’t help but be impressed.

     I stared at the black and red pen before tearing the writing from the paper so I could have a clean surface to draw with. I looked back at Teo, and I could tell that he was a bit embarrassed to make a pose because his body looked unnatural.

     “Amore, tilt your head down a little and then look straight back at me,” I instructed, and Teo did just that. As soon as he did his pose, the hair on my skin immediately stood as soon as I saw his intense stare. He looked at me like he had no fear. Almost as if he was ready to take me on with no ounce of hesitation.

     “Please stay put for at least a minute,” I say, staring at him while my hand starts making lines on the paper with the red pen. It took a while, but when I finished my first sketch, I asked Teo to relax as I spent the rest of the time drawing him.

     Teo insisted on watching me draw, but I never really liked the idea of anyone looking at my work while it was in progress, so Teo nodded his head in understanding and grabbed a book from his back so he could start reading instead.

     The room was silent, but we could constantly hear distant noises from outside our window, which was relaxing in itself. I paused for a while to take a deep breath and continued drawing Teo as accurately as I could. I reminded myself of his image, his scent, and his touch. When the image became clearer and clearer, I ended up finishing the piece without saying a single thing.

     It took forever, but as soon as the image was finished, I took a deep breath and touched the paper.

     “I’m done,” I announce. “Come here and judge it for me.”

     Teo yawns and puts his book down before walking towards me.

     “Are you tired?” I then ask, and Teo smiles and nods his head before taking a seat beside me. I showed him the picture, and Teo and I stared at the picture together in complete silence. I thought maybe Teo wouldn’t like it, but when I looked back at him, Teo had the sweetest smile on his face.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/c93fe0152e3e16213cc9a67d70554c8a08fe962c/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f42586f7038367362707a704b7a673d3d2d313330373130343635382e313733626133363162666565386135313132353432353036303632352e6a7067)

     “Did I always look this handsome in your eyes?” He asks me.

     “Believe me, my hands couldn’t even draw 50 percent of you,” I say, and Teo leans close and gives me a kiss on the lips.

     “It’s amazing. Thank you.”

     “You’re welcome.”

     “May I keep it?”

     “Hold it dear for me.”

     Teo kissed me again, and the two of us went to bed so we could finally rest. While lying in bed, Teo continued to stare at the image that I made for him while I, on the other hand, stared at the subject whose beauty I couldn’t seem to fully draw.

…

“He is a demon child, and he must be killed!” I could hear a voice say, immediately making me run behind a colossal statue to hide myself. I looked around the area and realized that I was in a large mansion wearing a suit that had dirt on its sleeves. My heart was pounding, and my hands were shaking as I continued to hide behind the statue.

     “ It’s okay. We’ll be okay Mathilda. We just have to stay quiet, “ I whisper, closing my eyes as I touch my rapidly beating chest.

     Everything was silent for a while, and all I could hear were footsteps getting closer. I try my best not to make a single sound, but then a strong hand suddenly grabs my arm and pulls me towards them.

    I was about to scream, but then a familiar woman appeared in front of me and kneeled down so she could level me. She then covers my mouth with her hand and whispers to me, “ Do not make a sound. You will be coming with me. Do you understand? “

    The woman lets go of my mouth and stare at me with watery eyes. “Your name is Bishop,” she says, making me furrow my brows in confusion.

     “N-No, I am Winter. My name is—”

     “Listen to me child,” she says with a much more serious tone, grabbing both my arms and holding onto them tight, making me realize that her hands were trembling too. “Bishop. Your name is Bishop. Bishop Lancaster. Remember this, do you understand?”

     “I…I understand.”

     “Now what is your name?”

     “B-Bishop…”

     “ Your name? “

     “Bishop?”

     I gasp for air and open my eyes, Teo directly staring at me while his hand holds onto my arms. “Bishop, are you okay?”

    I swallow the lump in my throat and look around the area. When I realized that we were on the train, I touched my chest and took a deep breath of relief. “I’m fine,” I answer, and Teo nods his hand and stands from his seat.

     “Well, we’re back. Let’s go?”

     My heart continues to beat fast at the unpleasant dream. I look out of the window to calm my nerves. When I saw the unfamiliar people walking at the station, I took another deep breath and finally stood up, grabbing Teo’s hand and squeezing it tight.

     “Let’s go.”

     We got off the train at Sorrento, and then Teo’s friend picked us up and drove us back to Capo di Monte. The entire time, both of us were silent. We didn’t say a thing, but our hands were intertwined with each other the whole time as if both of us didn’t want to let go of the other.

     The drive back was as difficult as when momma brought us to the manor. Like before, I was filled with fear and anxiety. But now, I was also filled with sadness. This could be the last time I could see Mateo, and I could feel that Teo felt the same.

     When we arrived at Claudio’s mansion, Teo walked me to the door and handed me my suitcase. The two of us still did not speak a thing, and Teo just stared at me with a small smile on his face. He didn’t say his goodbyes to me and just kept nodding his head. But when he turned away from me so he could finally leave, I quickly grabbed the hem of his coat and stopped him. Teo stood still, but as soon as he turned around, he grabbed me with no hesitation and gave me the tightest embrace.

    “ Amore Mio… “

    “ I will wait for you at the place we promised. As long as it takes, I will wait for you there, “ he whispers.

     As he pulls away, I see the tears pouring out of his eyes. I force myself to smile for him as I reach out to wipe the tears from his cheeks with my trembling fingers. “It’s alright,” I lie. “We will be alright.”

     Teo continued to hug me for one last time, but soon enough, I had to push him away.

     My desire for a normal life has now come to an end. I have returned, just like master Claudio has predicted. And like a tree in autumn, I watch Mateo Ricci walk away from me, letting the man I have given my all walk away from me like a tree that could only watch all his leaves fall.

     Teo walks inside the car and looks at me through the window. He didn’t wave his hand goodbye as the car drove off, but I kept smiling so he didn’t have to worry. But as soon as he was gone from my view, the tears I have kept finally streamed down from my eyes.

    I bite my lip so I can keep myself from making a sound. I cover my eyes with my arms and continue crying, reminding myself of how beautiful Sta. Rosalia was because he was by my side. I continued crying because I knew deep down that I could never return to it again, and all that will forever be just another distant memory.

     “Bishop,” a soft voice suddenly calls out.

     I swallow the lump in my throat and slowly put my hands down. I didn’t know who it would be, but to my surprise, the man standing in front of me was Lino.

     The two of us stare at each other for a while, but then he grabs me and gives me a tight embrace. As soon as he wrapped his arms around me, I finally started sobbing, letting out the sound that I had kept shot as Lino continued to give me his tight embrace.

     “You did the right thing,” Lino tells me. “Cry, and let it all out. When we return, do not give him the pleasure of seeing you in such a state. When everything has been concluded, we will all walk away and never look back. Just a little bit more, Bishop. Endure it, just a little bit more.”

…

I took a deep breath and looked down at my lap where my diary sat. I was supposed to check what was written on the torn page last time, but I didn’t have the chance to because of what happened to Pacific. Thankfully I was dropped off at the mansion, so I was able to get it back. Lino also gave me my butler uniform and mask and told me to wear them before we headed back, so I did.

     “We’re here,” Lino announces as he glances at me from the rearview mirror.

     I turned my head and looked out of the car window, watching the manor that got bigger as we approached it. Without saying a word, I took another deep breath and clenched the diary that I was holding.

     Lino parks the car at the front. I opened the door and stepped out, staring at the old building in front of me with a blank expression. It had only been a day, but the manor felt so unfamiliar now that I felt like I was gone for years.

    “Is the master in?” I ask.

    “No. He left last night and has not returned yet,” Lino answers as he takes my suitcase from the trunk. “The manor has been still since you left.”

    “Then Wednesday and the others, where are they?” I continue to ask.

    “They’re in the same spot as you left them,” Lino says, handing me my suitcase.

    I thank Lino and walk inside the manor. Like what Lino explained, nothing drastic has changed, which is a surprise because I thought Claudio would have done something crazy again like kill everyone. But the idea that nothing happened is what scares me more.

    “I’ll head to my room first,” I tell Lino. “I want to rest, so I’ll just see you at dinner.”

     Lino stares at me and doesn’t say a word. The two of us just looked at each other, but for some reason, it felt like we both knew that something was wrong, or rather, my return would trigger something that none of us would have expected.

     Without waiting for his reply, I went upstairs and went straight to my bedroom, greeting the nurses with a gas mask like normal. This time, I was expecting something weird to have happened in my room, but when I got inside, there was still nothing. It was the same room.

    “What is going on? I was a hundred percent sure Claudio was up to something when he agreed to let me go on that trip with Teo,” I say to myself as I throw the suitcase on the bed. I guess there’s no point acting paranoid. This is probably what Claudio wants.

    It would be better if I worked on the diary entry instead. I couldn’t find the charcoal I bought back at the mansion, so I walked to my desk and tried looking for a pencil or pen as an alternative, but there wasn’t anything. It looks like someone cleaned my room and arranged my things.

     “Guess I’ll have to head to the art studio upstairs,” I say as I head out of the bedroom, holding onto the diary.

    When I got to the empty studio, I hurriedly went to the desk that was filled with pencils. I quickly placed the diary down and opened the page that came after the torn entry. Before shading the paper, I took a deep breath and readied myself.

     “This could be just one of my alters playing around, or it’s really something important, but one thing’s for sure, I have to see what it is.”

    I finally start shading the page, and the writing imprint automatically starts to be visible. As I shade the page, I begin reading the words as carefully as I can…

09/24/1952

Bishop…

I don’t think I have the strength to come out for a while, so make sure to take care of yourself and everyone else. The police officer is also okay. And the doctor…

He is not evil, and you may actually be able to trust him, but you should still be cautious. This is just something I have observed, so you should still make your own judgment.

“Who wrote this?” I ask as I stare at the letter. “This was the time I went to the hospital with master Claudio. So I really did switch with someone back then.”

I continue to shade the page with the pencil, sweat trailing down my forehead as my breathing starts to become heavy. I was eager to know what the rest of the letter said, but as soon as I saw the entire entry, the pencil in my hand dropped.

There’s also something else that you have to know. “Tomorrow” came out. It’s been a while since he came out, so I had to drain myself just to push him back in. You have to be careful and make sure to hold your ground, especially since Winter’s trying to take control again. You don’t want the past to repeat itself, Bishop.

You know how much damage Winter has done when he locked us all in.

That is all.

• Alice

     My heart races as I stare at the words on the page with a horrid expression on my face. I tried to calm myself down, but I couldn’t. 

     Tomorrow.  The letter mentioned the name Tomorrow.

     How long has it been? How long have I last heard of him?

     For months, I have pretended that I knew nothing about him. I acted like I didn’t know he existed. When I saw his name in the folder that master Claudio gave us, a folder that contained the criminals, I instantly knew why I was brought to this mansion, but I said nothing. 

     This was the reason why Claudio was certain that I would return. This was the reason why he knew that whatever he did to me, and whatever he told me to do, I would follow him because of the sins Tomorrow had committed. All this time, I knew that I was a patient in this manor, but I didn’t say a thing.

     “After everything I’ve done to keep you locked up, why are you starting to come out now?” I ask myself as I immediately close the diary.

    My head starts to ache, and everything practically starts spinning, but I try my best to keep it together. I have to stay focused and alert, especially now that Tomorrow is trying to come out again. Tomorrow is our weakest alter. This is the reason why he’s part of Claudio’s suicidal watch list.

     Why didn’t I know all this? Why didn’t I know that this was happening?

     “I have to warn Lino and the others. I have to tell them to lock me up in case Krimson ends up revealing himself. If Tomorrow comes out, Krimson will—” I instantly stopped myself when I saw the large painting on the side of the room that was covered in a white sheet. This was the painting that I saw last time when I first visited this art studio.

     “Addie didn’t want me to see what it was, but what could be behind this picture?”

     I walked towards the painting and took a deep breath. And then, in the moment of silence, I grab the cloth and pull it off. As soon as the fabric was off, my mouth instantly widened in shock, and I took a step back from the canvas.

     It was a painting of Capo di Monte being engulfed by green flames.

     “ The three patients, Tomorrow, Messiah, and Doll Face…I was confused about who Doll Face was. I always thought it would be Adeline, and for a while, I was certain that it was her, but now— “

     “Do you like it?” A chilling and unfamiliar voice suddenly asks, making my entire body stop moving.

     “It took me a while to paint that,” the voice continues to say. “But the manor gave me a perfect view of the town. It gave me the perfect image of everyone dying when the final plague would be released.”

     I gulped as I heard the footsteps getting closer. But when the entire room became silent, I slowly turned around to see who was standing behind me.

     “Welcome back, Bishop. I missed you so much,” she says with a baby tone voice, showing me her innocent face before returning back to her cold and lifeless expression.

     “Adeline.”

to be continued…

(47) Chained

⚕︎

ADELINE STOOD IN FRONT  of me with such innocence—innocence that did not match the painting that was sitting behind me. All this time, this sweet little girl has been standing beside Claudio as his pet. She’s been telling our dear master everything that we’ve said and done without his presence.

     I should have never let my guard down. I should have known that such innocence is never what they seem. Out of everyone here, I should know that better.

     “I painted this during the entire time I was in the manor. This painting is a reflection of the hatred and pain I have felt as a resident of this forsaken town,” Adeline says, walking towards the painting behind me.

     “You can speak,” I say in surprise as if it wasn’t so obvious already.

     “I could always speak, but I was just never heard,” Adeline replies, taking a paintbrush and dipping it in the paint that was on the palette.

     The art studio was silent as Adeline started adding some details to the painting. I continue to stare at her. I was still too shocked even to say a single thing, or rather, I couldn’t fathom that this was the real her all this time.

     Was this even the real her?

     “I am a child who grew up with terrible adults. Dr. Giovanni was the only one who reached out to me. He told me his story and his plan for revenge, and at that moment, I knew that we have the same purpose, and I will serve him with no question to achieve that purpose,” Adeline explains, her hands carefully moving with the brush.

     “But my role here is done. The plague is almost complete.”

     “Role? Was this all just a role to you?” I ask her next, and Adeline stops moving her hand like I clicked a switch. “Was everything about us even…real? Did you ever see us as your comfort or your family?”

     Adeline was quiet for a while, but then she started to giggle. That same giggle that Lino and I heard that made us feel completely thrilled because we thought she was finally opening up to us.

     “How about Lino? He took care of you like you were his own. Was that fake too, Adie?” I continue to ask, and Adeline finally puts the paintbrush down to look at me.

     “Marcelino treats me like his sister, and it’s sickening. She was the one who was supposed to be in the manor, but that stupid soldier took the blame for her crimes. That’s not an act of love but an act of foolishness,” Adeline reveals, surprising me.

     So the patient named Doll Face wasn’t exactly Lino; it was his sister. Then that means the picture we saw in his room was her. That means Lino took the blame and went through this hell for her sake.

     “Family? How disgusting that word is,” Adeline says as she walks towards a drawer. “My family didn’t love me, so why on earth would I care about strangers who are even criminals.”

     “You’re a criminal too, Adeline. You’re willing to kill the lives of innocent people who have nothing to do with the things that happened to you in the past. You are willing to sacrifice hundreds, and you—”

     “Do not lecture me, Bishop Lancaster,” Adeline suddenly tells me, making me stop midsentence. “You have committed crimes of your own, so don’t act like a hero in this story. You helped with the plague too, and you will continue to help until the very end.”

     “And what if I don’t want to help anymore?” I threatened her, and Adeline looked at me and laughed before taking something out from the drawers. I checked what it was, and to my surprise, it was actually a gas mask.

     “You know, Bishop, Winter told me something about you. Some very interesting things,” Adeline says as she starts wearing the gas mask.

     “W-What are you doing?”

     “He told me about how you’re the overseer of your system. He told me that your role is to make sure all alters are at bay and to make sure that mistakes do not happen,” Adeline continues to say, securing the mask in place and making me take a step away from her.

     “Adie, what are you doing?” I ask again, moving even further away from her.

     “Bishop,” she calls out, looking directly at me with a cold expression. “You’re not the host, aren’t you?”

     The moment Adeline said those words, smoke suddenly started to engulf the room. I look around and realize that this smoke wasn’t smoke at all but gas. I immediately try to cover my nose, but then three nurses in similar gas masks enter the room. My eyes start to burn, and my body becomes weak, making me fall to the ground as if I have completely lost all my strength.

     “ Carry him to his room, “ I could hear Adeline instruct, and the nurses grabbed me by the arm and lifted me from the floor.

     I try to stay conscious as the nurses drag me to the exit. But as soon as they pushed the door open, a tall man wearing a suit approached me.

     Tears start to pour out of my eyes because of the poisonous gas. The tall man wearing a familiar mask walked closer to me until his face was only inches away from mine. I tried to reach out to his neck, but my hands couldn’t even move anymore.

    “ Master… “ I weakly call out.

     I could hear a low chuckle behind the mask that he was wearing as master Claudio reached out to touch my cheek. I couldn’t even feel his touch because my body started to feel numb.

     “How was your trip?” He asks with an almost sweet-sounding voice. “I bet you’re wondering why I agreed to it. Well, I wanted you to know what heaven felt like. I wanted you to have hope. Because starting today, you will be in hell, and that memory will be your ultimate torture. Doesn’t that sound exciting, my dear Bishop?”

    “ F-fuck you. “

     Claudio laughs and pats my shoulders before walking away with Adeline. And as I watched them go, my vision finally started to become blurry, and after a few more seconds, I eventually fainted.

…

I gasped for air as soon as I opened my eyes. My head was in pain, and my body was covered in sweat. I looked around and realized that I was inside one of the patients’ rooms. It was dark, and I was in bed wearing the patient’s uniform that Wednesday and the others wore.

     Everything was quiet as I slowly stood from the bed. I tried to walk towards the door, but before I even got close, I was stopped by the chains that were around my ankles.

     “N-No…” I say, trying to remove the chains even though I knew that it was impossible for me to do such a thing. “No, I can’t be here. I shouldn’t be here.”

     My hands tremble as I forcefully pull the chains off. I pulled and pulled, but it only left painful bruises on my skin. I let the chain go and looked around the room, searching for a window to escape. But like the bedroom I had downstairs, the windows were also covered shut with plank wood. I tried to remove the planks with my bare hands, but while I was doing so, someone suddenly opened the door behind me, making me stop.

     I quickly turned around to see who it was, and when I saw that it was Claudio, I immediately ran to him and tried to wrap my fingers around his neck. But, like earlier, the chains stopped me from going any further.

     “Giovanni!” I angrily shouted. “I have been good. I have followed your orders, and I have returned as you wanted. Why are you locking me up like this?!”

     Claudio stops just a few inches from where I can reach him and stares at me with a sadistic grin. “How long have you been aware of Tomorrow’s existence?”

     “What are you talking about?”

     “For a while, I was convinced that you didn’t know who Tomorrow was, but it seems like I was wrong. After all my sessions with you, I always knew that you’d been keeping something from me. You’ve known about him from the very beginning. You knew you were a patient here, and you knew that you’re a criminal like everyone else. You really are something, Bishop. I commend you for that,” he says before laughing at himself.

     “But I guess that’s the reason why you never ran away. You knew that there was nowhere else for you to go. You knew that you could never return to…where was it again? Ah…in Totten’s Landing. You’re a wanted man, after all. You were dubbed as the so-called devil’s child,” Claudio continues to reveal.

     “H-How did you know all this?”

     “You’re my patient Bishop. Of course, I’d know,” Claudio replies with a smile. “I know everything about you. I’ve studied you, observed you, and even held you so that I know how to control you.”

     The last sentence made me clench my fist in anger. From the very beginning, the smile he showed and the things he said were all experiments that he had to test. I know all that, but it still angers me so. He treated me like an asset, just like the rest of the patients he killed.

     “I found out how to manipulate you. It was easy. It’s actually so easy that it’s laughable,” he continues to say. But as he took a step forward, his expression suddenly changed.

     “But there was a major error in my research,” he says, reaching out to touch my cheek again. The room was completely silent, and all I could hear was my loud beating heart. But before I could even make a sound, Claudio suddenly opened his mouth and said, “I fell in love with you, Bishop.”

     “W-What?”

     “You were different. You understood me, and I understood you. You saw my flaws, and I saw yours, but despite that, I continued to desire you. You have been the most beautiful thing that I have ever laid my eyes on. I was so jealous of Mateo. Why didn’t you look at me the way you looked at him? Why did you show him your brightest sides while you left me with your darkest?”

     “What are you talking about? I don’t—”

     “Love me, Bishop. If you fall in love with me, I’ll make the pain go away. I’ll let you go and give you more than you desire,” Claudio tells me, leaning close until our lips are only inches away from each other. I tried to push him, but my body couldn’t move. But just when he was about to kiss me, Claudio suddenly stopped.

     The room falls silent again as Claudio suddenly leans his head on my shoulder. My entire body became stiff, but after a while, Claudio suddenly started to cry. I could hear him sobbing as he continued to lean on me like I was his comfort. But then, after all that, the sobbing sound turned into a laugh. And soon after that, the room was filled with hysterical laughter.

     Claudio lifts his head up and looks directly at me, laughing at my face as if he made the funniest joke in the world.

     “You should have seen your face! For a moment, you believed me, didn’t you? You thought I really loved you, didn’t you?” He asked as he continued laughing while holding his stomach. “I acted it so well that it made my own hair stand. It would have been such a beautiful moment between us, but I guess that wouldn’t work anymore because of that damn cop.”

     Claudio moves away from me and suddenly removes the leather gloves that he had on.

      “I would have told you that I loved you, and you would have been on your knees, believing every word I said like the hopeless romantic that you are. But Mateo Ricci had to ruin it for me,” Claudio reveals, hiding the gloves in his back pocket.

     I didn’t know what he was planning, but then he puts on a ring on his middle finger and walks back to me. Before I could realize what he was about to do, Claudio suddenly swung his hand on my cheek, making me widen my eyes in shock.

     “Ever since he was a kid, he has always been the clever one. I told you before that Ricci is sharp. He notices things that he shouldn’t notice, and that annoys me,” Claudio explains, pretending as if he did not slap me a couple of seconds ago.

     I tried to say something in reply, but then Claudio slapped me again. This time, it was stronger and harder. My cheek started to sting, and for a second, I almost lost consciousness.

     “Are you aware that when you left the other day, the police contacted me and asked me to go to the station? An anonymous report stated that I was abusing my servants, but I knew damn well that Mateo made that report,” Claudio explains, slapping me for the third time, making me stumble back on the bed.

     Tears unconsciously stream down my eyes as my cheek starts to burn. It hurt so much, but I couldn’t even move. Compared to the gentle touch Mateo had given me, this felt even more painful. As Claudio said before, this truly was my torture.

“That fuckin cop! I had to waste an entire day at the station to clear my name. After allowing you to come with him on that trip, he does that to me? Do you understand how humiliated I felt? I, a Romano, was questioned by police officers because I abused you! How dare they?! They didn’t even have any proof!” Claudio angrily shouted, walking towards me and slapping me for the fourth time until blood appeared on my cheek.

     “Do you think I abuse you, Bishop? I have been nothing but kind to you! I fed you, gave you a home, fucked you. What more could you have wanted?” Claudio asks, clenching my collar as he looks straight into my eyes.

     My body trembled, but I couldn’t even look away from him.

     I was so scared.

     I was so scared of him.

     “P-Please…enough. I’m sorry. I am so sorry.”

     Claudio’s expression instantly changed when he heard my apology. He slowly lets go of me, and then he reaches out and gives me a gentle kiss on the cheek, making me flinch.

     “If you weren’t so careless, Bishop, this wouldn’t have happened. So know that this is all your fault. Do you understand? The reason why I did this to you is because you displeased me. You cannot blame me for hurting you,” Claudio says, and I bite my trembling lip and slowly nod my head.

     Claudio smiles and wipes the tears off my face before looking at the door. Soon after, nurses in gas masks arrived with two chairs. Claudio moved away from me as one of the nurses carried me up.

     Blood streams down from my cheek as the nurses strapped me on one of the chairs. Claudio, on the other hand, takes his plague doctor mask from one of the employees and wears it before taking a seat on the chair adjacent to mine. He then takes his gloves and wears them again.

     I stare at Claudio as he crosses his legs, now holding a notebook that was given to him.

     The nurses left right after, and then Claudio opened his notebook and told me, “Well, nothing will happen if we continue to cry over spilled milk. What’s done is done, and I’m just glad that everything worked out in the end.”

     “Why am I really here?” I finally ask him.

     “Are you asking why you’re strapped in a chair, or are you asking why you’re in this room?”

     “You know what the fuck I’m talking about.”

     Claudio chuckles and adjusts himself in his seat before replying, “Well, you missed your session with me the other day, and we can’t have that. I promised you that I’ll help Winter, and I’ll do that till the very end.”

     “There’s no reason for you to do that anymore,” I say with a weak voice.

     “Why is that?”

     “Tomorrow got out,” I answer him. “I’ve been trying to keep Tomorrow out because that’s the only way to hide Krimson. If those two stay dormant, Winter can be able to take full control with no problem.”

     “Are you implying that Winter can’t take full control with Tomorrow around?” Claudio asks, and I shake my head to correct him.

     “Winter can’t take full control…with Krimson around.”

     “Why?”

     I took a deep breath and looked straight at Claudio’s eyes through the mask. And then I grinned and revealed, “It’s because Krimson is trying to kill him.”

     Claudio becomes quiet after hearing what I had to say, but then he looks down at his notebook and starts writing something down. While he was writing, I tried to move my hand, but it was impossible because of how tight the straps were.

     When Claudio was finished writing, he closed the notebook and said, “May I speak to Winter?”

    I stare at Claudio, the blood on my cheek still dripping from my chin. I couldn’t help but laugh at the request. I didn’t want to call out Winter, but I’m sure that Dr. Giovanni won’t take no for an answer, so instead of agreeing to him, I said instead, “If you tell me the entire story of what happened to your family and why you’re doing all this, then I’ll call out Winter.”

     “My entire story?”

    “Yes. Tell me everything, and I’ll let you talk to him.”

     I could hear Claudio chuckle as he adjusted himself in his seat again. For a second, I thought he would ignore my request, but then he removed his mask and told me, “Alright then. Where shall I begin?”

to be continued…

XLVIII: de Vincenzo I

DISCLAIMER : The places, dates, and events that happened in this book are fictional, so any mention of historical wars or locations is not accurate to real life. Thank you.

☣︎

IN THE YEAR 1873,  Fortunato de Vincenzo, a retired doctor who helped cure victims of the bubonic plague, moved to a small town called Capo di Monte with his wife.

     Due to the nature of his previous work, Fortunato was subjected to skin deformations, which caused him to be shunned by society. In fear that the people in the new town they moved in would consider him a monster and attack his family, Fortunato bought a barren land far from the main residences of the town; land just on top of a hill where all the townspeople could see.

     For two years, a magnificent structure was built on the said land. The manor was grand, a home that Fortunato dreamt of for his wife and son. But unfortunately, such a structure would spark curiosity among the townspeople who resided below them.

     The de Vincenzo lived in secrecy. It was a quiet life that they desperately wanted, but people didn’t want quiet. They wanted to be part of the story. They wanted to be part of other people’s stories as if they helped write them.

     Rumors started to spread that a powerful man built the manor on top of a hill to feast over the townspeople. Day by day, Capo di Monte’s fear grew. The manor was used for stories to scare children, but no one dared visit the manor because you had to enter a dark forest first. It was something no one wanted to risk.

    The maids and butlers—refugees who knew and followed Fortunato even before his retirement—wanted to defend the kind couple, but Fortunato didn’t want to make unnecessary noise. As long as they quietly lived their lives at their manor, everything was okay.

     And so everyone in the manor lived in peace and harmony. Every year they would add a section in the manor, and more refugees would come and live with them. But as the manor and its residences grew, the rumors grew with it. 

     Since the refugees would arrive at the manor at night, some residents in town would spot them and make even more absurd stories. One time, Fortunato even went out of their manor wearing a mask to hide the deformities on his face, but this also sparked more rumors. Eventually, people started calling the manor the ‘Hell House.’

     But despite what was going on in town, everyone in the manor was happy, and this happiness grew when Fortunato’s wife finally gave birth to a young and healthy boy who they named Francesco de Vincenzo.

     Francesco was kind like his mother and curious like his father. He was a boy who wanted to learn new things, so the ideal life that Fortunato wanted was far from what Francesco wanted. The young boy didn’t want to be quiet. He wanted to explore. He wanted to learn and see the world. He had endless questions, questions that even his father could no longer answer.

     “Father, why did you choose to be a plague doctor?” Francesco once asked while his father was reading a book in his study.

     “Well, I studied medicine and had the ability to help. You see, son, if you have the ability to help others, that is a gift that you must share,” Fortunato explains, making the young Francesco pout.

     “But because of that, you have scars all over your face and body. One of the maids told me that that’s the reason why we’re not allowed to go out of the manor. This gift you speak of…it has given you nothing,” Francesco complains.

     Fortunato sighs and puts his book down. “Francesco, come here.”

     Francesco doesn’t say anything and walks towards his father before getting lifted up so he can take a seat on his lap. Fortunato then opens a drawer, showing letter after letter that came from people all over the country.

     “What are those?” the boy asks.

     “They’re letters…” Fortunato answers, taking a bunch of them and showing them to his son. “Letters from the patients I helped cure during the plague. Most of the doctors I was with started leaving when the situation got worse. No one even wanted to touch them, let alone get close to them, but I did. I didn’t want to abandon these patients. Even after what happened to me, I didn’t want to leave them.”

     “You weren’t afraid?”

     “I was. I was very afraid. But I was mostly afraid of your mother’s safety,” Fortunato reveals, taking a letter and opening it so they could read the contents together.

     “Thank you for saving my wife and my daughter. You have rescued my family,” Francesco read in the letter, making his father smile.

     “I was afraid, Francesco, but imagine how terrified these people were. I was the only one who was willing to save them. I had the gift to save them, and I gave it to them with no question. I asked for nothing, but these letters are enough,” Fortunato explains, and Francesco continues reading the letters.

     “They must have been very thankful, father.”

     “I think they were. This could be the reason why some of them are even living here in the manor. Other than a home, this manor is a refuge for them. Even your nanny was one of the patients I helped during the plague.”

     “Really? That’s amazing!” Francesco exclaimed, making Fortunato laugh and pat his son’s head.

     “But the plague is not over yet, son. There are still parts of the country that are affected by it. If I did not become what I am now, I would continue my service,” Francesco then tells him with a sad smile.

     The two of them continued reading the letters, and Fortunato even told him stories of his time serving during the plague. Francesco’s curiosity grew even more, but this time, his perspective about his father and the world changed.

     “I want to be a doctor, father,” an older Francesco announced during breakfast, which came as a shock to both his parents as well as the maids and other residents of the manor who were joining them.

     “A doctor?” his mother asks.

    “Yes, like father. I want to be like him. I want to be able to help people. I want to help cure them,” Francesco insisted.

     “Well, that’s a very serious thing to say, and you’re only fourteen. Are you certain that you want to—”

     “I’m sure,” Francesco immediately answers, making his mother turn her head to her husband, Fortunato, who was busy drinking his coffee and reading his newspaper. Everyone was waiting for his response, but Francesco took his sweet time to finish his drink before finally looking back at his son.

     Francesco was worried, and he thought his father would disprove of his decision, but after looking at him, Fortunato smiles and nods his head, giving him his approval. “Whatever you wish to do, you do it, son. Just make sure to do it with no bitterness in your heart,” Fortunato explains, and Francesco immediately stood from his seat and tightly hugged his father.

    “I’ll be just like you, father. I will share my gift and change lives as you did. I promise.”

     And so, Francesco started reading books and started studying at a very young age with the help of his father. Fortunato taught Francesco everything he knew, but everything he knew came with a price. A prince that Francesco would have to pay in the future.

     “This mask is designed to protect us from airborne diseases,” Fortunato explains before handing his son the mask he wore during the bubonic plague that affected their city in the past. “Inside this mask contains herbs and flowers that block the poison. It doesn’t entirely protect you, but it slows the process down.”

     “Wait, are the flowers the one mother is growing in her greenhouse?” Francesco asks, and Fortunato nods his head to confirm it.

     “You’ll need to know all the herbs that will help you with different types of poisons. Other than that, you’ll need this.”

     Fortunato pauses and walks towards his bookshelves before pulling out a notebook from the very top. He blows the dust off it and places it down on the table while Francesco stands beside him.

     “What is that, father?” Francesco asks.

     Fortunato doesn’t answer him but instead opens the notebook to show it to him. The notebook contained notes and ingredients that Francesco wasn’t familiar with, but after some time, his eyes widened when he realized what it was.

     “Father, this is—”

     “One of the soldiers found this at the enemy base when I was still under the military. These are some of the poisonous gas and plagues that they created. You see, son, when you want to make a cure of something, you have to understand how it’s made so that you know all of its properties, which will help you counter it,” Fortunato explains.

     Francesco couldn’t help but feel something in him as he skimmed through the notes. His chest was beating fast, and sweat was trailing down his forehead. Something about this felt terrifying to Francesco, yet he couldn’t understand why.

     “Remember, this information is not given to us because we will use it for evil. Do you understand?”

     “Yes, father.”

     “Now, let me teach you how to treat an open wound properly.”

     Fortunato continued teaching his son the things he learned from the war, explaining that most of the things you learn in books won’t be enough when bombs are exploding outside your tent while you perform surgery. Experience is always the best teacher, and that was something that Fortunato realized along the way…

     “Your mother and I have talked about this, and we’ve decided that we’re sending you to a medical school,” Fortunato said to Francesco while he was taking notes in his bedroom.

     As soon as Francesco heard what his father had to say, he immediately dropped his pen and looked at him with complete shock. “What?”

     “I can only teach you so much, and I can see the passion you have for this field. I have a friend who is a medical professor at Verona Università. It’s far from where the battles are so that you can study there safely.”

     “Wait, father I—”

     “You’re leaving tomorrow by train. Gabriele will drive you to the station. I want you to pack your things and—” Before Fortunato could even finish, Francesco stood in his seat and hugged his father, surprising him.

     “Thank you, father. Thank you.”

     Fortunato takes a deep breath, and then he hugs his son back. “I’ve been to wars, and I’ve seen people die because of a plague. Wars are full of noise, which is why your mother and I decided to live in peace and quiet. But you do not have to live as we do. Explore the world and see its greatness, its cruelty, its pain, and its beauty. But always remember that this is your home, and you can return whenever you want to.”

      It was a bittersweet farewell, but Francesco left with a smile on his face regardless. He was fearful, but at the same he was excited. The curious young boy inside him felt free, and he could not wait to see the world with his own eyes.

     Francesco went to the city of Verona and studied for years with his father’s friend, professor Benedetta, who also took him under her wing. Francesco studied everything he could in university until he was assigned to a hospital. He eventually became a well-established man, which was expected thanks to his skills, passion, and talent.

     He would visit cities affected by the plague and was once asked to help soldiers who came back from war. He experienced the horrors of the world and saw things he never expected to see, but he didn’t give up. He continued on with his dream despite the constant doubts and met different kinds of people. 

     But beneath the horrors of the world, he also saw the beauty his father promised. There, he met a woman who was as breathtaking as the sea, and this woman later on became his wife.

     Throughout his years as a doctor, Francesco was not able to return to Capo di Monte. He would send letters to his parents, but while he was away, he finally understood what his father meant when he said that wars are filled with noise.

     You hear bombs that would shake you to the core, screams that would wake you up at night, and cries that would make you feel helpless. Francesco understood that noise, and that was the reason why he didn’t want to return to the manor. He didn’t want to destroy his parents’ quiet.

     Well, not until…

     “I’m pregnant,” Adele—Francesco’s wife—announced when Francesco was shaving his beard in front of a mirror. The news came as a surprise that Francesco ended up bruising himself because of shock. “W-Wait, is this true? Did you get tested?” Francesco asks, washing the blood off his chin.

    “You don’t seem happy.”

     “No! Heavens no,” Francesco quickly defends, running to his wife and holding onto her shoulders. “I am very happy. In fact, I’m thrilled! But Adele, I can’t help but be afraid. The world we are in, it is too—”

     “Noisy?” Adele finished, and Francesco took a deep breath and nodded his head.

     Adele smiles and leans close to kiss his husband on his forehead. “We can find our quiet. You, me, and our child…there is a place for us somewhere. I just know it.”

     Francesco was still unsure, but he smiled and kissed his wife back, hugging her and spinning her around. “I’m going to be a father!” Francesco finally shouts, making Adele laugh with glee.

     The news about the baby changed everything in Francesco. The thought of having a child finally gave him a full understanding of why his father wanted to live in a far and small town like Capo di Monte.

    Because of his fear of getting his family in harm’s way, Francesco made a very important decision, and that was to move back to his hometown where his parents lived. Francesco was willing to put everything on hold for his family’s sake, so without any hesitation or second thought, they left.

     Capo di Monte was the same when they arrived. It was still the small and quiet town that Francesco remembered when he was looking over it through the window in his bedroom, and it was a town that Adele would soon learn to love.

     “Looks like we’re here,” Francesco says, holding onto their suitcases with both hands while his wife followed behind him.

     “Darling, why did we have to walk all the way here? Could we not have taken a carriage? My legs are killing me,” Adele complains, her shoes now covered in mud after walking in the forest.

     “I apologize, but our manor is very exclusive to our family. Other than the fact that refugees live here, my parents do not wish to get their quiet disrupted,” Francesco explains. The two of them made a turn, and finally, a large structure welcomed them, leaving Adele in shock.

     “T-This is your home?”

     “Yes. And it will be our home. Do you not like it?”

     “W-Well, it’s massive!”

     “It was actually bigger, but a couple of years ago, my father said that a missile struck the hill, causing the grounds to shake and destroy a portion of the manor. But it’s still big enough for us,” Francesco explained as the two of them walked towards the door. He was about to knock on the door, but Adele immediately stopped him.

     “Francesco, wait. Do you think your parents will like me? Will they get mad that we just got married and now we’re moving in with a baby?” Adele asks with a worried expression.

     Francesco chuckles and puts their suitcase down before holding onto Adele’s cheeks and giving her a quick kiss. “Amore mio, they will adore you and our child. They are old, but they are lovely and kind people. There is nothing for you to be worried about.”

     And he was right.

     Fortunato and his wife welcomed Adele like she was part of the family, and they were happy to have them in the manor, which was something that everyone was thrilled about.

     The outcome was better than they expected, but with a new home and a baby on the way, Francesco didn’t want to just stay in the manor while his father provided for his own family. With his parents’ permission, Francesco decided to look for a place to work. Fortunately for him, there was a clinic in town, just below the hill.

     A clinic owned by a son of a very wealthy family.

     “Hello, is anyone here?” Francesco calls out, holding an envelope as he enters the small clinic.

     The clinic was quiet, but after a while, a man wearing a doctor’s coat emerged, welcoming him. “Oh, hello, how may I help you?”

     “My name is Francesco de Vincenzo, I just moved to this town and I’m here for work,” Francesco revealed, lying about moving as per his father’s instruction.

     “You specifically moved to this town? Not a lot of people would want to move here since it’s relatively smaller than the other towns,” the doctor says.

     “W-well, the view of the ocean is magnificent, and it’s always quiet here.”

     “Francesco, no one likes being quiet all the time, don’t you think? Too much quiet makes you crazy.” he then asks, but this time, Francesco does not answer. “Anyway, what work are you looking for? If you’re here to be a helper, this isn’t the right place for you.”

     “I’m actually a doctor. You may check my resume and my accreditations here,” Francesco reveals, handing him the envelope. The doctor looked at the file, and he couldn’t even hide the surprise on his face when he saw what was written in it.

     Francesco was a well-known doctor from a big city, and that impressed and envied the doctor at the same time.

     “Why on earth would you like to work here when you’ve worked at the biggest hospitals in the country? You can even open up your own clinic!” The doctor explains, but Francesco only laughs.

     “Titles mean nothing to me. Where I worked and what I’ve done is nothing compared to the patients I’ve cured. Besides, I want to work in this town where I will raise my child. This will be our home, and I want to know the people so that he will grow to love them, too,” Francesco explains.

     The doctor was still confused, but he took a deep breath and handed Francesco his envelope back. “Well, I would be a fool not to hire you. Besides, I do need the help. I’m the only doctor in this town, and it may not look like it, but many people get sick here.”

     “Thank you. I’ll do my very best,” Francesco says with a wide smile.

     “You’re strange, Francesco,” the doctor comments before showing his hand. “By the way, my name is William Romano. Welcome to Capo di Monte.”

     “Thank you,” Francesco replies, shaking William’s hand.

     “Oh right, since you’re already here, why don’t you come to the party tonight? This town may be small, but we love to celebrate and make noise. There are three major families in this town, and they’re all going to the party. If you want to meet people, I suggest you meet them first. They’re the important ones, after all,” William explains with a smug look on his face.

     “I don’t think you can put a level of importance on anyone, even if they’re the king. We are all equal, are we not?” Francesco asks, making William laugh even harder.

     “You really are an interesting one. The others will definitely love you. I’ll introduce you to them, and bring your wife too. The other wives will be thrilled to meet her,” William explains, which was something that Francesco was excited about as well.

     “I’ll definitely come.”

     “Good. We’ll see you there.” 

 to be continued…

XLIX: de Vincenzo II

☣︎

“ADELE, MY LOVE, YOU  won’t believe this, but we were invited to attend a party downtown!” Francesco excitedly says when he barges inside the dining room where the others are having their lunch.

     “A party? Who on earth would invite you to such a thing?” Adele asks, chuckling at how excited her husband looks over something like a party.

     “And didn’t you go downtown to look for a job?” His father—Fortunato, who was now in a wheelchair—then asks before taking a bite of his food.

     Francesco removes the hat that he is wearing and then approaches his wife so he can give her a kiss on the head. He then sat on the chair beside her before explaining, “Oh, I found a job at a clinic. William, the doctor who runs the place, accepted me and mentioned the party. It would be too rude of me if we didn’t attend it.”

     “We?”

     “Yes, dear. He told me to bring you with me.”

     Adele was about to say something, but Fortunato immediately put his fork and knife down to look at his son. “Francesco, you know that the safety of the people in this manor is our top priority, correct? Throughout all the years I have lived here, I have kept the people safe.”

     “And we will keep doing that,” Francesco replies with no hint of hesitation. “I didn’t tell him that I live here like what you instructed. I won’t put anyone’s life in danger.”

     “Son—”

     “If I may, father,” Adele quickly interrupts, and Francesco looks in her direction and nods his head.

     “Francesco has been fighting in the war for years. I believe this is the only time he’ll be able to enjoy his life with people who can give him the little fun that he was not able to experience in the past. Please allow him to go, father,” Adele explains, and Fortunato massages his temple and looks back at his son.

     “You have brought home an excellent wife, Francesco,” Fortunato simply says, and a smile instantly appears on the couple’s face. “I will allow you to attend that party.”

     “Thank you, father!”

     “But,” Fortunato quickly adds. “You must remember that there are things that we cannot control, son. You will one day realize that these people live in a world that is different from ours. There aren’t always good in people.”

     “I know, father. I know,” Francesco answers.

     Despite his father’s doubts and fears, Francesco was excited to attend the party. But unlike his father, Francesco’s mother—who was now bedridden because of an unknown sickness—was happy to know that his son gets to meet the people in the town they had lived in for years. In fact, she was so excited that she let Adele borrow some of her expensive dresses.

     “It’s beautiful, mother,” Adele says, staring at the dress that was given to her before sitting on the edge of the bed where her mother-in-law lay.

     “You must wear the most beautiful dresses before the bump becomes visible,” she explains, and Adele touches her stomach before looking back at her in-law. “Are you happy that you were able to live this kind of life, mother?”

     The old yet beautiful woman stares at the ceiling before reaching out to grab Adele’s hand. “I grew up in a rich family. My father was an architect, and we lived in the biggest house and attended the grandest parties. It should have made me happy, but it didn’t. It was a noisy lifestyle that I got tired of, so when I met Fortunato, I was finally able to enjoy a quiet life. Darling, a quiet life is a privilege. Remember this.”

     “Yes, mother.”

     “Now, wear the dress. I would love to see you in it.”

     Adele wore the red dress given to her while the maids helped put makeup on her and even fixed her hair for her. After getting everything ready, Adele’s mother-in-law told her that there was a necklace in her drawer, and she wanted to pass it down to her. So when Adele wore the diamond necklace, everyone in the room was left speechless.

     “You look absolutely beautiful, madam Adele,” one of the maids complimented, making Adele giggle.

    “Oh, thank you, mother. I have never worn something like this,” Adele says, rushing to her mother’s side to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Thank you.”

     Francesco’s mother smiles and reaches out to touch Adele’s face. “You will be the most beautiful woman at the party. Even the other wives will be envious of you.”

     “What have you done to my wife?” Francesco suddenly asks, entering the room wearing a dashing suit. Adele is about to defend her mother-in-law, but then Francesco adds, “Now the men will keep looking at her all night.”

     “You…” Adele walks towards her husband with a smile. Francesco stares at her, and then he takes her hand and twirls her around to see her better. “It is almost unfair that I get to marry such a woman like you, Adele.”

     “You flatter me too much, doctor de Vincenzo.”

     Francesco smiles, and then he leans toward his wife and gives him a gentle kiss before pulling away and looking at his mother. “We’ll be off now, mother.”

     “Alright. Enjoy the party, you two.”

     And so the couple went to the party, which was at the mayor’s house. The mayor was older than Francesco, and they heard that his family had founded the town, so they had a lot of power over the townspeople.

     When Francesco and Adele arrived at the party, they were welcomed by people wearing the most luxurious clothes they’d ever seen. There was a live band playing music, and waiters were already handing drinks at the entrance. Adele was glad that her mother-in-law could dress her up, or she would have been underdressed.

     “ Amore, I feel as though we don’t belong here, “ Adele whispers to her husband while tightly holding onto his arm.

     Francesco eased his wife as they walked further into the mansion. When they got there, a tall man wearing a white suit approached them. It was William Romano.

     “Francesco! You actually came,” William says before looking at Adele. As soon as his eyes fall on her, a wide smile appears on his face. He couldn’t help but look at her up and down, and that was something that made Adele feel uneasy.

     “This must be your wife?”

     “Oh yes, this is Adele. Adele, this is William Romano. He owns the clinic I’m going to work at,” Francesco introduces him, and William grabs Adele’s hand and suddenly gives it a kiss.

     “It is a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman in this town.”

     “The pleasure is mine,” Adele answers, giving out a fake smile before quickly pulling her hand away.

     Francesco noticed his wife’s reaction and was about to tell William to refrain from touching her like that, but before he could even say anything, two other men approached them.

     “William! Is this the man you were talking about earlier?” One of the men asks, looking at Francesco and Adele.

     “Yes, this is Francesco de Vincenzo. He’s a doctor from the city.”

     “A doctor? Splendid!” The man in an officer uniform says before grabbing Francesco’s hand to shake it. “My name is Alfredo Ricci, the chief of police in Capo di Monte.”

     “And I’m Camillio Winchester, the mayor of this fine town,” Camillio introduces next. He was expecting Francesco and Adele to react to such a title, but the two didn’t give such a response. Instead, Francesco shook his hand as he did to Alfredo, which was something that surprised Camillio.

     “So you folks are from the city? I hope you don’t cause any trouble. People from the city are always up to no good,” Alfredo—the cop—tells Francesco while hitting his shoulder, and Francesco could only laugh, glancing at his wife, who was laughing as well.

     “Anyway, we should introduce you to the others,” mayor Camillio then says.

     Francesco nods his head to agree to it. He then takes Adele’s hand and brings her with them, but then Camillio stops and looks at Adele before telling her, “Oh dear, we’re going to have a ‘men only’ conversation, so why don’t you join the other wives at that table over there? I bet you wouldn’t even understand us if you tag along.”

     “My wife and I can—”

    “It’s fine,” Adele immediately answers, letting go of his husband’s hand. “You enjoy the party. Mr. Winchester is right. I don’t want to intervene in such an important discussion.”

     Francesco was about to stop her, but Adele smiled at her husband and walked away to join the other wives who were sitting at a circular table. Adele takes a deep breath, fixes her hair, and then walks towards the women who are all chatting with each other. As soon as they saw her, the women instantly stopped talking to look at her from head to toe.

     “H-Hello,” Adele awkwardly introduces. “My name is Adele, Francesco de Vincenzo’s wife. We’re from Verona city, but we moved here last week. It’s nice to meet everyone.”

     All the women at the table were quiet, while some simply giggled. But before Adele could say another word, the older woman, who was wearing a sparkly black dress, cleared her throat and said, “You’re the doctor’s wife?”

     “Why yes.”

     “For a second, I thought you were his courtesan. I guess even girls like you are given rings,” the woman then reveals, and everyone at the table starts laughing, making Adele look down at the floor in embarrassment.

     The wives continued to laugh at her, so without any face to show, she ran off. She tries to look for Francesco, but then she accidentally bumps into a young girl, about seven years old.

     “Oh my, I’m sorry,” Adele quickly apologizes.

    The young girl was startled, but when she saw Adele’s face, she instantly smiled. “You’re very beautiful, miss.”

     Adele was surprised, but such a comment from a little girl lifted her confidence in an instant. “You look beautiful, too,” Adele tells her. “My name is Adele. Nice to meet you.”

     “My name is Valentina Winchester.”

     “Nice to meet you, Valentina Winchester. Would you like to keep me company for the rest of the evening?”

     The night continued on after Adele’s encounter with Valentina. Francesco was able to meet the rest of the guests, and as he anticipated, he enjoyed his night at the party and went home with the smell of cigarettes and booze.

     Adele never told her husband about what happened with the wives and that she didn’t want to interact with any of them anymore, so Francesco only assumed that she had a good time as he did. Adele didn’t want to ruin this for his husband, so she never complained.

     A couple of months passed after that party, and Francesco became the local’s favorite. He was a charming and kind fellow, and he was even an outstanding doctor. While his beautiful wife, Adele, was a woman the men desired and the women greatly envied.

     Francesco attended party after party, and like a drug, the noise became addictive. He craved that noise, and so that noise eventually affected their quiet life to the point where he and his wife decided to move out of the manor for the safety of everyone who lived in it.

     The new house was big, but it was almost empty. Adele didn’t want to leave the manor as she had started to adore the company of her in-laws and the other refugees, but as always, she didn’t complain. She knew the risk of still staying with them. If the townspeople end up connecting the dots and finding out they actually live in the manor, something is definitely bound to happen.

     So even though it was hard, they stayed in the empty house as a facade.

     Everything was going well for the couple, especially for Francesco, but just after a month since they moved to their new home, Francesco’s mother eventually passed.

     The funeral was held in secret on top of the hill, and as per his mother’s request, she was cremated, and her ashes were thrown into the sea.

     Fortunato wept for days, and the entire family grieved. Adele requested to stay in the manor for a while to take care of his father-in-law, which was something that Francesco was very thankful for. It was also something that he agreed on because Adele was about to give birth, and Francesco thought it would be best if the people at the manor took care of her.

     Adele stayed on top of the hill while Francesco stayed at their mansion so the others wouldn’t suspect anything. But due to Adele’s absence, rumors started to spread—rumors that Fortunato and his deceased wife once experienced.

     Rumors started that Adele found another man and cheated on Francesco, while some talked about her being a prostitute. Francesco tries to explain that such rumors are false, but the noise is already too loud, and the only thing Francesco can do is remain silent.

     Francesco did not want to burden his wife with such ridiculous rumors, so she never told them about it and even kept her pregnancy a secret from the rest. Thankfully, on February 18, 1917, a healthy baby boy was born, and the couple named him Giovanni.

     “I’m going to let Giovanni stay here in the manor with father,” Adele announced while holding onto her baby and looking out of the window from their bedroom.

     “You’re going to let our son live here?”

     “You once told me that you had your entire childhood here. The manor is big enough for him to explore. He may leave when he is ready,” Adele insisted, but Francesco was not too keen on the idea.

     “It will not be big enough, Adele.”

     “I will not let the townspeople curse at my child,” Adele quickly says, turning around to face her husband. “You don’t have to lie anymore, Francesco. I know what the people say about me. I know that they think I’m some kind of slut. There will be a time when they’ll think he’s not even yours. What will happen to Giovanni if he hears such things?”

     “Not everyone in town thinks that way, my love. Once the people see how kind and beautiful you really are, then everything will be okay. This town is our new home. We must be able to learn to love it,” Francesco defends, which only angers his wife more.

     “You know what your problem is, Francesco? You always try to see the goodness in everyone when there is none at all. Not everyone is kind. Not everyone can change. You are not a saint, Francesco. You are my husband, and you protect us first before anyone else,” Adele truthfully says, her voice louder, causing Giovanni to start crying.

     Adele quickly turns around and starts calming her baby down while tears pour out from her own eyes. “If you do not listen to my request, Giovanni and I will leave this town and return to the city. Do you understand?”

     Due to the fear of losing his family, as well as the town he grew to love, Francesco agreed to let their only son live in the manor in secret.

     While Francesco lived in his mansion with Adele, Giovanni was in the care of the maids and butlers, the refugees, and his kind grandfather, Fortunato. Fortunato was already 90 years old, and the effects of the plague would cause him body and stomach pains. But despite his condition, he cared for his grandson like he was his own.

     Giovanni was a smart boy. In fact, he was smarter than his own father. He excelled in many things and spoke maturely for his age. But like Francesco, he was always curious, and he would sometimes even make trouble. He wanted to explore the world. He wanted to see what was beyond the manor.

     “When will mother and father visit?” Giovanni asks while a butler helps him wear his clothes.

     “Don’t worry. They will visit you tomorrow. They are busy since master Francesco is planning to open his own clinic. He’s going to have a grand opening during the town’s anniversary celebration, but after that, they can visit you frequently again,” the butler explains, making Giovanni pout.

     “But why can’t I just stay with them? Are they ashamed of me?” the young master asks.

     “Of course not. Your parents love you very much, which is why you’re here. Once you’re ready, you will be introduced to everyone,” the butler continues to explain while buttoning Giovanni’s shirt.

     “But I am ready!”

    “If you’re ready, then why don’t you tell your grandfather that you’ve secretly been stealing the first aid kit in his office and have secretly been visiting the town? The walls here are thin, Giovanni. I hear everything that you’re trying to do,” The butler then reveals, surprising the young master.

     “I’m helping someone with it! A boy is wearing a dress in town, and people are laughing at him because of it and are even throwing things at him. His father also beats him up, which is why I try to help him like what father does,” Giovanni innocently explains, making the butler smile and look at him proudly.

     The butler goes down on one knee and fixes his master’s collar before telling him, “For a six-year-old, you are a very kind boy, master Giovanni, just like your parents and grandparents. You are so kind that your mother was terrified of the things you’ll end up hearing. When the time comes, you will be able to understand her feelings.”

     “Is it because people think I’m not my father’s son?” Giovanni suddenly reveals, leaving the butler speechless.

     “Oh no, master, where did you hear such a thing? You heard it in town, didn’t you? I have told you a hundred times that you shouldn’t—”

     “That’s enough,” a voice suddenly says.

     The butler turns around and sees Fortunato enter the room while a nurse pushes his wheelchair, immediately making him stand and bow his head. “I am sorry, master Fortunato.”

     “It’s alright. Please leave us.”

     The butler and the nurse bowed their head and walked out of the room. As soon as the door was closed, Giovanni immediately bowed and started apologizing to his grandfather.

     “I am sorry, grandfather. I did not mean to sneak out of the manor. I didn’t want to—”

     “I know,” Fortunato suddenly answers, turning the wheels in his wheelchair to move closer to Giovanni. “I’ve always known you’ve been sneaking out. Your father was a curious boy too, and would do the same. I never stopped him, either. I wanted him to explore on his own. I wanted him to get hurt, to love, and to find his meaning on his own,” Fortunato explains, immediately making Giovanni look at him with shock.

     “Though he was like you, he grew to become a very protective father. In order to protect you and the people in this manor, he decided to live in a different house so that the townspeople wouldn’t go here,” Fortunato continues to explain, leaning down and picking up a toy horse from the floor.

     Fortunato stares at it, but after a while, he looks back at his grandson and asks him, “Would you like to attend the town’s anniversary next week, Giovanni?”

     “I can?!”

     “Well, if you behave, I’ll even let you watch the fireworks.”

to be continued…

L: de Vincenzo III

WARNING: Before you proceed, I would like to inform you that this chapter will contain dark themes such as sexual, verbal, and physical abuse that will be uncomfortable to read.  Know that these themes are a significant part of the story and are not a way to promote them in any shape or form.

Please read at your own risk. Thank you.

☣︎

THERE ARE AT LEAST a hundred   people at the town square who are there to celebrate Capo di Monte’s annual anniversary. You can find stalls everywhere, kids running around in the mud, and even men drinking beer on the side. In the middle, you can even find a stage where the beloved mayor will make his speech.

     Everyone was in a good mood, but a particular name was being uttered from people’s mouths. A name that was starting to get the recognition of the townspeople.

     “I heard Dr. Francesco will be opening up his own clinic, and it’s going to be cheaper than Dr. Romano’s,” an older man says.

     “He has been making regular rounds too. He visits the old folks and gives them free medicine. Dr. Francesco has really helped our town. Maybe he should run for mayor next year,” a woman replies, and everyone can’t help but agree.

     Chief of Police Alfredo Ricci, who overheard the conversation, rushes to a covered stall where Dr. William Romano, mayor Camillio Winchester, and businessman Finn Vanderbilt can be found.

     “We have a problem,” Alfredo announces as soon as he joins the group. But when he entered, a camera flash suddenly welcomes him, making the police officer flinch and close his eyes. “Finn! You asshole!” He shouted, and Finn only laughed and put the camera down.

     Camillio, who was smoking a cigar, exhales the smoke from his mouth and looks at his friend. “What is it now? Did you catch a group of teens with drugs again?”

     “No, it’s about Francesco. People are already talking about the clinic he’s planning to open, and there are talks that he might even run for mayor,” Alfredo explains. 

     William—who looked obviously annoyed by this—takes a sip of his alcoholic drink first before slamming it back down on the table. “That Francesco…I was only trying to help him because he seemed useful, but now he’s trying to take over. Who does he think he is? Just because he’s from the city, it doesn’t mean he can take over this town,” William explains with a bitter tone.

     Camillio finishes his cigar and puts it on the ashtray before looking out at the crowd outside. “The people of Capo di Monte are gullible. We can manipulate their thinking and turn things around.”

     “But the townspeople love him,” Finn Vanderbilt says, irritating the others.

     Finn, like Francesco, just moved to the town three years ago. He bought land in Capo di Monte for his tobacco business. But unlike Francesco, he doesn’t care about the people in the town, which is something that William and the others like.

     “When you denied giving him that building permit for his clinic, the people practically rioted. But then our kind Francesco didn’t want to argue, so he decided just to open a clinic inside his own house,” Finn explains further, and all William could do was take another sip of his alcohol.

     “We have to teach him a lesson. If we put our guards down, he’ll ruin everything we’ve built for this town,” William explains, and the others can’t help but agree.

     William Romano couldn’t help but be extra annoyed by how Francesco was getting recognized by their townspeople. He grew up in this small town and didn’t precisely finish his studies in the big city like Francesco did because he was afraid of the ongoing war. Other than that, Francesco had a beautiful wife like Adele. His own wife was infertile, so she got depressed and let herself go, which was something that William hated. He blamed her for a thing she couldn’t even control.

     Francesco had the life that William desperately craved. He would do anything to destroy that perfect life of his.

     “Those rumors about his wife didn’t help either. We tried getting him drunk and would even introduce him to different women, but nothing worked. He’s sickeningly faithful to her,” Alfredo says.

    “Well, who would even cheat when you have such a woman beside you? My wife looks like a hag, but Adele is fucking sexy. Looking at her slim fingers already makes me horny,” Camillio then comments, making the others laugh.

     “But have you all ever wondered why they never had a child yet? Is Francesco actually infertile?” Finn then asked, and the others couldn’t help but laugh again.

     “What a shame. If I were him, I’d plant my seed on Adele every year,” Camillio comments.

     “Anyway, what should we do about him? We have to put him in his place. Capo di Monte belongs to us. A de Vincenzo shouldn’t ruin that for us,” William says, and the four men look at each other and start coming up with a plan.

     “When we were patrolling, I saw light coming from their window. It seems like they’re still at home,” Alfredo Ricci shares, and a smile instantly appears on William’s face.

     “Maybe we can pay a visit,” William says, finishing his alcoholic drink and standing from his seat. “He’s been pissing me off, and I’d want to let out some steam. We already have the police and the mayor on our side, so this won’t be much of a hassle. We’ll just scare him a little and remind him who we are.”

     “You sick bastard,” Camillio replies. He honestly didn’t want to join William in his plan, but whenever he had the chance to exercise his power, he always wanted to take it. So Camillio stands from his seat and decides to come with them.

     William, Alfredo, and Camillio look back at Finn, who is still smoking his cigar. They were expecting him to join them, but Finn was a businessman. He wasn’t the type to play around as they did. He only cared about money, so Francesco was the least of his concerns.

     “You gentlemen can go ahead and enjoy the night. I’ll stay here,” Finn stated, which was a quick decision that would, later on, save him from the calamity that would soon fall upon them.

     “Then let me borrow this,” Alfredo then says, grabbing Finn’s camera so he can take it with them.

     The three powerful men of Capo di Monte left the town square and drove to Francesco’s home. There weren’t any other people around because everyone was in the town square, so the streets were very quiet, which was much more likely in their favor.

     “Francesco! The anniversary celebration has started. Where are you?!” William shouts, aggressively knocking on the door. Since he had a few drinks, William was intoxicated and acted a little off. But this wasn’t enough for Alfredo and Camillio to stop him.

    “Francesco, my dear friend! Open the door!” William continues to shout, making the two men behind him laugh.

    Alfredo uses the camera to take a picture of their drunk friend, but as soon as the camera flashes, the front door to Francesco’s house suddenly opens, revealing a beautiful woman who is wearing a long white dress.

    “W-William…and mayor Camillio and Alfredo. What are you doing here?” Adele—Francesco’s wife—asked, surprised to see the three figures.

    “Oh, my lovely beautiful Adele. I didn’t know you were home,” William says, leaning his hand against the doorframe and moving closer to Adele.

    Adele could instantly smell the alcohol in his mouth, so she quickly moved away from him. “I apologize, but Francesco isn’t here at the moment. He left just a couple of minutes ago. We’ll join you all at the town square when he returns,” Adele explains, which wasn’t entirely a lie.

     Francesco was back at the manor. After receiving the message from his father that his son Giovanni wanted to attend the town’s anniversary celebration, Francesco went to the manor to get Giovanni so the three of them could go together.

     Adele tries to close the door on them, but then William stops her and forcefully opens the door, startling the poor woman.

    “Aren’t you even going to invite us in? We’ll wait for Francesco together,” William suddenly asks. Adele wants to decline him, but then he sees officer Alfredo. Alfredo touches the buckles of his belt, making Adele notice the gun. The sight of the deadly weapon made Adele gulp in terror, so with no other choice, she nodded her head and let them in.

    William smirks and walks inside the house, Alfredo and Camillio following behind him.

    “P-Please have a seat,” Adele says with a nervous tone.

     William looks around the house but ignores Adele’s request. “Adele, your husband will be opening a clinic here. Is that correct?”

     Adele turns to face William and glances at Camillio before answering, “We weren’t given a building permit, so he decided just to open it here.”

    “Are you perhaps blaming me for that?” Camillio then asks, making Adele flinch.

    “N-No…no…of course not.”

     “Well, can we see the clinic? Maybe I can donate some equipment that Francesco might have yet,” William then says.

     Adele glances at Alberto this time and looks at his gun before looking back at William. “Why yes, it’s right this way.” Adele leads the three men to a spare room that is made to look like a clinic. It was small but had the equipment needed, even for major surgery. The fact that Francesco was able to put all this together only angered William even more.

     “This is the clinic. Now please, if you have no other purpose here, I want you to leave,” Adele continues to request.

     William grins and approaches Adele, reaching out to touch her cheek. “ Why? Do you not want us to be here? “ William whispers close to Adele’s ear. “ Aren’t the rumors true? You’re a prostitute, right? So why don’t you help us out here? “ William continues to ask, gently sliding his finger down her cheek. Adele couldn’t move, so she could only let a tear fall from her eyes.

     “Please, I don’t know what you want, but Francesco isn’t here,” Adele tries to say, her lips quivering in fear.

   William grins when he sees the look on Adele’s face. He moves closer to her and tries to kiss her, but Adele finally gets enough strength to push him away so she can escape. The action was something that William wasn’t very pleased with, so he quickly chased after her, grabbing a fistful of her hair and slamming her on the metal bed, pinning her down so she wouldn’t be able to escape.

    “Let go! Please…let go!” Adele starts shouting.

    “You two! Help me out here, for god’s sake!” William struggles to say.

    “Shit!” Alfredo then curses, but he runs to where William is, helping him put straps on Adele’s arms and legs. While Camillio, who was just watching on the side, takes a seat and pulls out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket to start smoking.

     “Stop, Please! Francesco! Help me! Francesco!” Adele continued to shout while the two men strapped her to the metal bed. She tries to struggle, but Alberto punches her and shoves a handkerchief inside her mouth, finally making her stop.

     When Adele is now tied down, William stares at her and starts stripping her, making Adele cry even more. But William didn’t care as he removed every cloth in her body until she was fully naked.

     Adele trembled as the men gazed down at her body like they were starving animals. William leans close and presses his lips on her skin while Camillio approaches her to stare down at her too.

    “Such a beautiful woman. Francesco is wasting you for hiding you here,” Camillio says, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth. He stares at Adele, but then, out of nowhere, he presses the cigarette on her skin, making Adele scream. Her reaction made Camillio sickeningly turned on, which made him repeatedly burn Adele with the cigarette.

     “Hey! Stop it, you’re ruining her,” William complains, pushing Camillio away. He tried to act like a savior to her, but a shiver ran down his spine when William saw her eyes. Adele looked back at him with so much anger that it only irritated William even more.

     “Why the fuck are you looking at me like that, huh bitch?! You think I’m pathetic, don’t you? You think so, don’t you?!” William shouted, looking around the room and spotting a container that had medical equipment.

     “You. Hand that over to me,” William instructed. Alfredo wasn’t entirely sure if he wanted to do it, but Camillio was intrigued, so he did it himself. He hands the container to William, and then William takes a large needle and some surgical sutures. As soon as Adele saw what it was, her eyes immediately widened in shock, and she instantly started pulling her hand off the straps. But despite her efforts and her muffled screams, she could not escape.

     William was now blinded to realize what he was willing to do. He was blinded by rage and jealousy, so with no hint of doubt, he asked Alfredo to hold Adele’s head down while he mercilessly started stitching her eyes shut.

    Adele screamed and screamed as blood oozed out of her eyes. Camillio, on the other hand, started laughing. He takes the camera from Alfredo and starts taking pictures of her.

    When Adele finally had no strength left in her, the three men decided to r-ape the helpless Adele. William even removed the handkerchief inside her mouth, letting her scream in pain and agony. But that still wasn’t enough to stop them. Her hopeful cries drove them to further insanity.

    “Francesco! Francesco!” She continued to shout as the men defiled her body and every being.

     They took turns on her like she was some kind of object, and Camillio would even take pictures. But after an hour or so, Adele finally stopped screaming, and her body became lifeless. Their adrenaline finally disappeared, and when William checked on her, he immediately moved away from her.

     “W-what’s the problem now?” Alfredo asks while still thrusting his hips, sweat streaming down his forehead as he does so.

     “S-shit…” William says in a panic. “She’s fucking dead. She’s dead!”

     Camillio, who didn’t even flinch—almost as if this was an everyday activity for him—continued to defile Adele’s body despite hearing what William had to say. “Isn’t that better? She’s quiet now,” Camillio answers, but William doesn’t want to continue anymore.

     “I’m heading out. We have to escape now,” William insists, quickly putting his clothes on.

     Camillio didn’t want to leave, but when they heard a car approaching, Camillio finally stopped. He looked at Adele’s body for one last time and gave out a satisfied look. With no ounce of guilt, the three went to the back and ran off, leaving Adele and the camera behind.

…

“Why did you have to make such a mess at your grandfather’s office, Giovanni? We had to clean it all up, and now your mother is probably worried about us,” Francesco scolds while he and his son got off the car.

    When he got out of the car, he noticed a vehicle driving away in such a rush, but he didn’t pay much attention to it.

    “I apologize, father. I wanted to give mama a card because it’s her birthday today,” Giovanni answers with a sad expression, making Francesco sigh.

     Francesco goes to Giovanni and kneels in front of him so he can give him a warm smile. “Listen, I’m not mad. But next time, ask for permission when you want to go to your grandfather’s office. There are a lot of important files in that room. Do you understand me, Giovanni?”

     Giovanni looks at his father and slowly nods, making Francesco pat his head while the young boy tightly holds onto the birthday card that he made.

     “Well, I think you did an excellent job with that birthday card. Let’s give it to your mother, okay? I’m sure she’ll be thrilled,” Francesco says, and Giovanni smiles, excited by the mere thought of it.

     “Let’s get your mother, and then let’s head to the town square together. I think the fireworks will start soon, so we have to hurry. And remember, Giovanni, we have to keep a low profile. We can’t let anyone see you, okay? So stand close to me and don’t run off again,” Francesco then instructs, and Giovanni nods his head in understanding.

     Francesco takes Giovanni’s hand, and the two of them walk towards the front door together. He takes the keys from his pocket and tries to open the door, but then he notices that the door isn’t locked. As soon as he realizes it, he drops Giovanni’s hand and runs inside the house.

     “Adele!” He calls out, trying not to panic. “Amore Mio! Where are you!?” Francesco continued to shout, but no one answered him.

     Francesco starts looking around the house, but his heart drops instantly when he opens the door to his clinic.

     “M-My love?” Francesco calls out, taking careful steps to see better. But as soon as he got closer, Francesco’s eyes widened. He quickly rushed to the metal bed and finally saw his wife there. At first, he didn’t want to believe what he was seeing, but as he continued to catch a glimpse of the blood that was all over his wife’s body, Francesco’s heart started to beat faster and faster until he could no longer breathe properly.

    “Adele…n-no…hang in there, o-okay? Let me remove this first. I’ll get you out of this, so p-please, stay with me.”

    Francesco couldn’t even look at the state of his wife as he tried to remove the straps off her hands and feet. When she broke free from the straps, he touched her face with his trembling hand, staining it from the blood that was on her cheek. But when Francesco finally saw the stitches in her eyes, he completely lost it.

     Everything around him had now sunk in.

     “Adele…” he calls out, tears pouring out of his eyes as he gently embraces her lifeless body in his arms. “My love, please…please don’t do this. P-Please…dear god, no! You can’t do this to me! Adele!”

    Francesco’s cries echo as he embraces his wife close to him. But when Adele can no longer respond to him, the pain inside Francesco slowly turns into anger.

     “Take me instead! Not her….please, not her.”

     As Francesco cries for his wife, young Giovanni enters the room. Francesco didn’t notice him, and Giovanni couldn’t really understand what was happening either. But he spots the camera on the floor when he enters the room. Giovanni approached it, and then he looked at the pictures. As soon as he sees the images, the boy drops the camera in shock, and Francesco immediately turns his head and spots him.

     “Giovanni!” Francesco shouted, startling him. “H-Head out for a second, son. Can you do that?” He then asked him, but Giovanni was too scared by what he saw that he couldn’t even move.

     “I said get out! You can’t be here!” Francesco shouted, finally making Giovanni run out.

     Francesco didn’t shout at Giovanni because he was mad at him. He shouted at him because he didn’t want his son to see the state of his mother. He was afraid that Giovanni would see, but sadly for Francesco, he already saw it all through the camera.

     Francesco tried his best to calm himself down because he knew they had to leave this place as fast as possible. With a heavy heart, he cleaned his wife, carefully removed the stitches in her eyes, and then put her dress back on before covering her face with a clean white sheet.

    “Adele…we’re going home,” Francesco says, but then he also spots the camera that Giovanni found earlier. He doesn’t have the strength to look at the pictures just yet, but he takes them with him.

     Francesco carries his wife and heads out of the room. Giovanni sees them, but he doesn’t say anything. His father lies and tells him she’s just sleeping, but Giovanni already knows. Despite his young age, he was smart. He might not fully understand what he saw in those pictures, but he knew enough to know that his mother had died. So without saying anything else, Francesco drove his family back to the manor, tears pouring out as he did so. 

     When they arrived, Francesco carried his dead wife inside, alerting everyone.

     “Son! What are you doing—” Fortunato, Francesco’s father, sees Adele in his arms. And with one look, he instantly knew that something evil had fallen upon them. All Fortunato could do was let a tear fall from his eyes as he watched his son carry the lifeless body of his wife.

     The maids, butlers, cooks, and even gardeners gathered at the manor’s entrance, surprised to see the state of the mistress of the manor, Adele.

     “You are right…father,” Francesco says, his eyes practically dark because of the anger and pain that was slowly consuming him. “The world is cruel. You were right. I always tried to see the goodness in others, but I was a fool. There is no goodness in those who are blind.”

     Fortunato watched his son, but he could no longer say a thing. He knew that he could no longer stop the fire that was starting to burn inside Francesco’s eyes. He knew he could no longer stop the plague that would soon fall upon them.

     “They made a fool out of our family long enough. They want hell? Then let me show them what hell really is. Let me show them what a real de Vincenzo is capable of.”

to be continued…

(51) Sinful Crimes

⚕︎

“CLOUDED BY ANGER, MY  father plagued the entire town using the knowledge passed down to him by my grandfather. He also confronted William, Alfredo, and Camillio, but instead of running away or asking for his forgiveness, they found out my father’s connection to the manor and used that to scare the townspeople.

     They told them that my father was actually evil and that plaguing their town was his original goal all this time, so the waves instantly changed and people went against him without even questioning the story.

     During my seventh birthday. My father gave me a letter. It’s the letter you read in the attic. On the same day I received the letter and the wooden horses, the townspeople raided the manor,“ Claudio explains, leaving me speechless as he continues to tell me this insane story that has now left me in tears.

     “My grandfather welcomed them at the entrance, hoping to talk to them, but they killed him with no hesitation. Everyone tried to run away after that, but some weren’t able to make it.

    I hid inside a cabinet in the dining room, and then I heard gunshots. I peeked through as the remaining people in the manor tried to protect me. During the first five gunshots, our gardeners died and then followed by the cooks, the maids, and finally the butlers. On the last gunshot, everyone was gone,“ Claudio explains, no longer wearing the plague doctor mask he had on early.

     “After the chaos ensued, someone eventually found me. It was William Romano, my loving and caring stepfather,” he says, a mischievous grin suddenly present on his face. “When he saw me, he instantly knew who I was. I thought he was going to kill me, but I begged him not to. I pretended like I hated my father and that I was held hostage here, so he ended up taking me.”

     I listened to him attentively, trying my best not to lose focus so I could fully understand why he was doing all this. But as I paid attention to him, I couldn’t help but feel like my own heart would burst from extreme pain and anger, while Claudio, on the other hand, looked indifferent. He told the story like he’s said this a million times before and he was growing tired of it. There wasn’t pain in his eyes, nor was there anger. He was just telling a story, and the way he was approaching this matter made me pity him somehow, which was something I never thought I’d feel about someone like him.

     “When the manor was already empty, my father surrendered, and then they took him to the town square, where they tied him in a post. People shouted at him, cursed his name, and even threw things at him, but my father didn’t falter. He didn’t scream. He didn’t cry. He was just still,” Claudio continues to explain, moving his head to look at the mask he’s holding.

     “William wanted to see if I really didn’t care about my father, so he forced me to watch what they were about to do to him, which was to burn him alive. I thought for a second my father would finally scream and beg. But as I watched from afar, do you know what he said?” Claudio asks, now looking straight into my eyes.“

     “‘Capo di Monte is my home,’” Claudio recites, and the moment I heard those words come out of his mouth, a cold shiver instantly went down my spine.

     Those words, though harmless, sounded so powerful that I could imagine that exact scene unfolding in front of me. I thought I was going to cry, and I thought Claudio would feel something too, but he didn’t. He still looked indifferent despite all that.

     “He said such pathetic words that when they finally burned him, I didn’t feel a single thing,” Claudio then continues. “After that incident, the Romano family moved to the city and brought me with them. They saw the potential in me, and I was obedient, so they eventually treated me like their own. The other things that followed aren’t really important, but that’s about everything.”

     Claudio smiles at me after sharing such a gruesome story that I don’t even know what to feel about him after. My emotions were in such a mess that I ended up feeling numb.

     “Do you have any other questions?” Claudio asks me.

     “The mansion that we usually go to…that was your parent’s house, wasn’t it? That’s where they killed your mother,” I guessed, and a grin appeared on Claudio’s face again.

     “William bought the house after the incident so no evidence could be found. I was forced to live there despite that.”

    “And the indirect employees? I always wondered how you were able to gather all those people to work for you, but now I understand. They’re the refugees who lived here in the manor. They were the ones who survived when the town raided the place. They all followed you because you were their previous young master,” I then add, and the grin on Claudio’s face became wider.

     “Oh good, you’re listening.”

     “Alright, I get it now. I do. But why are you still doing this then? You saw what happened to your father with your own eyes. Nothing good will come out of this. In the end, he wasn’t even able to take his revenge,” I tell him next, and this time, Claudio’s face instantly became serious, almost like he was disappointed.

     “Looks like you haven’t really paid close attention after all.”

     “What are you—”

     “I hated this town, yes. I hated the people. I hated William Romano, Camillio Winchester, and Alfredo Ricci. But other than that…” Claudio paused and took a deep breath before adding, “I hated my father even more.”

     “What?”

     “I hated his kindness. I hated how he tried to find goodness in people but got nothing in return. Because of him, my mother died a gruesome fate. Because of him, the people at the manor were killed; my grandfather was killed,” Claudio explains, and for the first time since he started sharing this story, I finally saw the anger that he has been trying to hide for so long.

     I finally saw the monster that was born inside of him after that night.

     “Because he said this was his home…” Claudio paused and suddenly wore his mask before standing from his seat. With a much more serious tone, he finished, “I am bound to destroy it.”

     My eyes widen in shock as I swallow the hard lump in my throat.

     So after everything his family went through, this was his purpose all along. He wasn’t really mad at the Romano family or the Winchesters and the Riccis. He was mad that his father wasn’t able to see what kind of people they truly were.

     “It seems like you win this round for now, Bishop,” Claudio says, adjusting his necktie before looking down at me. “Our session for today is over. We’ll continue this again. And I hope by that time, you will finally allow me to speak to Winter.”

     I couldn’t say anything anymore as Dr. Giovanni finally made his way out of the room, leaving me still tied to the chair that I was in. I thought some of the nurses would at least free me from the straps, but the door completely shut, and no one else went inside to free me.

     “You bastard! At least untie me you sick fuck!” I shouted in anger, my cheeks aching in an instant as soon as I was finished. Obviously, no one from outside responded, so I tried to pull my hands away from the straps. But while I was doing so, I suddenly heard a very familiar voice from the other room, making me stop in an instant.

    “Don’t waste your energy. You’re going to need that more later,” the voice from the room on my left suddenly said.

     My eyes widened in shock when I realized who it was. “L-Laurence? Are you there?”

     “Oh, so he got the priest too,” another voice from the room on my right replied next.

     “Lino!?”

     “I’ve always known that doctor was crazy, but I didn’t expect him to be this level of madness. I guess it goes to show the world doesn’t choose the monsters they wish to create,” father Laurence says, and just hearing his and Lino’s voice instantly made me feel relieved.

     “I can’t believe the two of you are here. I thought I was the only one who was locked up,” I say, turning my head to the walls where Lino and Laurence can be found on the other side.

     “I was in the kitchen when smoke started to appear. Next thing I knew the bastards wearing gas masks started dragging me here and chained my ankles,” Laurence explains.

     “Looks like we’re now in our supposed designated rooms. I’ve always been walking past this hallway before, but I never really realized how quiet it was,” Lino then says, and the three of us instantly become quiet. No one really said anything, but I could tell that we all felt strange inside. It felt like yesterday when we were all just eating dinner together downstairs, and now we’re chained like the patients we once took care of.

     “When did you realize that you were also one of the patients?” I finally ask, breaking the silence.

     Lino and Laurence weren’t able to answer right away, probably because they were waiting for each other to go first. But when no one said a thing, I could hear the sound of chains getting dragged on the floor, indicating that someone was walking around in their room.

     “I’ve always known I was one of the patients,” Lino’s voice explains. “I told you before that master Claudio saved my life. That’s the truth, and the reason for that was because I took the blame for my sister’s crimes.”

     “Is she the girl in the picture?” Laurence then asks, talking about the picture that we found in Lino’s room when we snuck inside so we could go to the attic.

     Lino didn’t even act surprised, and he sounded like he already knew about it when he answered, “That’s right. That was her. She was a very beautiful woman, and people in our town used to call her Doll Face. The two of us were really close, so when I was fighting in the war, we sent letters to each other consistently, but then it suddenly stopped. When I got back home, she became different.”

    “Let me guess. She went crazy and ended up killing someone,” Laurence then speculated, and it seemed like Lino’s silence confirmed it.

     “I found out she was r-ped and ended up losing her sanity. I blamed myself because while I was protecting the country, I couldn’t even protect the woman I loved the most,” Lino explains with a sad tone. I honestly wanted to tell him he had no fault in this, but I knew my words wouldn’t mean anything to him now.

    “I went rogue and took care of her. But day by day she started becoming violent. She’s the one who actually gave me this scar,” Lino then shares, surprising me.

     “But I didn’t leave her. She was my sister, and I was going to take care of her no matter what. Everything was fine for a while, but one day, she escaped and ended up killing the teenage boy down the street who kept teasing her. I knew what would happen to her if she was ever caught, so I took the blame and acted as if I had killed him myself.

    After that, I ran for my life as the police tried to catch me. I went to different places and met people who even betrayed me. I was a lost cause and was ready to give up, but that’s when I met doctor Giovanni. It was by chance, but it was a chance I was willing to gamble,“ Lino explains to us.

     “Where’s your sister now? Do you still keep in touch?” I then asked him, which was a question that I shouldn’t have asked at all because what Lino said next was something that I did not expect.

     “I came with Giovanni because I agreed to be his patient. In exchange, he will help cure my sister’s insanity. But when we tried to return to her, we found out that she had killed herself. In the end, I still wasn’t able to protect her.”

     The three of us became quiet after that, and to be honest, I didn’t want to talk about it anymore either because I already had enough depressing stories on my plate. But at the same time, I knew that this was the only chance we’ll ever have to share these things with each other.

     “I found out the same day our master handed us the folder that contained the criminal files of Wednesday and the others,” Laurence then adds, making me turn my head to the wall again.

“When Giovanni bought me, I thought he was just going to use me as a slave of some sort. But when I saw that file that contained the three patients, I knew in an instant that I was the Messiah that was mentioned there. I also became certain because the age matched the time when I committed the crime, which was five years ago,” Laurence tells us.

     It looks like we had a similar realization. I also realized I was a patient when I saw the files and saw Tomorrow’s name.

     “So what did you do? Preach your followers to death?” Lino sarcastically asks, and I can already tell that Laurence is rolling his eyes back in complete annoyance.

     “It’s not really as dramatic as you might expect. I was just a regular priest, and I’ve been one for twelve years. Priests stay at a certain church for about 6 years before being reassigned. On the third church I’ve been assigned to, I was welcomed by a disturbing secret,” Laurence shares, reminding me of the time when he was bought by this woman who treated him like a baby. Like before, he was telling this story in a casual manor, similar to what Claudio did earlier.

    “In this particular church, the other residing priests made false prophecies. They told people that in order to be saved, they had to sacrifice their children for them. They knew quite well what the priests did to their kids, but the parents didn’t bat an eye because they were blinded by their so-called faith. I tried reporting to the bishop, but I was ignored. One day I just got sick of it, so I poisoned the sacramental bread during a mass ceremony and fed it to them. And like Marcelino, I have been on a run ever since.”

     “Not really dramatic? You just casually told us that people sacrificed their kids for the church!” I exclaimed, and Laurence could only laugh.

    I was about to tell him that he should try to express his feelings more instead of just acting like they’re not a big deal, but as I could hear Laurence laughing in his room, I suddenly realized that the laughter was now mixed with loud sobs.

     Father Laurence was crying for the first time. It could have been because it was his first time opening this up or because we were all alone and chained in our dark rooms, but Laurence was crying like he was finally able to release everything he tried to hide inside.

     “I saw the children. I saw what the other priests did to them. I blamed god for letting that happen, and I was just clouded by anger and hatred. I have sinned greatly, and I know that there is nothing I can do to atone for them,” Laurence says, making my own tears start pouring out of my eyes.

     “I never repented and added more of my sins as I continued my life. In the past, when I fed them the poisoned bread, I just watched them at the altar and felt nothing. And when I arrived in this manor, Giovanni assigned me as the cook and asked me to add poison to the patients’ food every day. And like before, I felt nothing.”

     Laurence continued to sob, and I couldn’t help but cry with him. I could also tell that Lino was trying to keep it together too. But as the three of us finally shared our sentiments, what father Laurence said next finally made me break down.

     “Bishop…you were right. I should have grabbed your hand, and we should have run away that day like what you wanted,” Laurence said. And as soon as he said that, more tears started pouring out of my eyes.

     I wanted to wipe my tears away, but I couldn’t because my hands were still strapped to the chair that I was in.

     My chest ached so much. These people…the people I have been with in this manor…they are not good people. They are far that, but they are kind. They have kindness in their hearts, kindness that Claudio’s father—Francesco—believed he could find in this town. And he was right. There are people like them here.

     When the rest of the world tried to shun us out, we all ran here, to this very spot.

     “Despite everything, I was happy to have lived in this manor with you. You, Lino…even Adeline,” I paused and clenched my fists before adding, “For fuck’s sake, even Giovanni…all of you were like family to me. The times we ate together at the dining hall, the times when we’d all just chat as we do our regular duties…all of them were things I will genuinely cherish,” I said to them, which was a pill much harder to swallow compared to everything else that I was forced to admit in the past.

    “Why does it sound like this is the last time you’re ever going to say those words to us?” Lino asks, his voice heavy and fearful.

     I took a deep breath and stared at the metal door in front of me. I wasn’t sure when Claudio would enter from that door. But what I’m certain about is that the next time he shows himself in front of me again, Winter isn’t the only alter he’s going to want to meet.

     “I’m telling you all this now because I’m afraid that this might be the last time you’ll ever hear those genuine words coming from me again. And when that time comes, I just want you all to know that I…the person speaking to you now…will love you more than the gods who will never forgive us for our sinful crimes.”

to be continued…

(52) Last Confessions

⚕︎

I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT  time it was, and I didn’t know what day it was either. All I know is that my body ached, my stomach growled, and I was still strapped in the chair that Giovanni had left me in. I couldn’t even sleep, and I could tell that Lino and Laurence were feeling the same thing because they were no longer talking.

     “ I’m so hungry, “ I whispered under my breath.

    The darkness and emptiness of the room didn’t help me understand the reality that I was in because I couldn’t tell if I was awake or if I had already passed out. Everything just felt completely numb.

    “I’m so hungry!” I shout this time in complete frustration, pulling my arms from the straps again, making my already bleeding wrists start aching even more.

     I continue to pull my hands off the strap, shouting my lungs out as if I was losing my mind. But as I proceeded to subject myself to the pain, I suddenly heard someone start laughing. I stopped and looked around the room, but no one was there.

     “Lino? Laurence? Is that you?” I asked, but instead of hearing an answer, I could only hear the growing laughter in the background.

     The laughter became louder and louder until I could finally hear the sound just inches away from my ear. I quickly turned my head to see who it was, and to my surprise, it was Patient 02, Miguel Santiago, better known as Hunter.

     “W-What are you doing here?” I ask, and Hunter stares at me and starts laughing again before reaching out to gently touch my cheek.

     “How does it feel to be in this position now? You looked down on us like lab rats, and now you’re in the very same spot I was in before I died,” Hunter says, circling around me.

     “I never looked down on you. I’ve never looked down on any of the patients in this manor,” I answer, and Hunter laughs again.

     “Never? Are you certain about that?” Hunter says, still circling around me like it was some sort of game. “You thought you’d be safe. You thought you were special because doctor Giovanni fucked you, but that’s not the case. Even after everything you did for him, he still chained you here, like everyone else. You’re going to die in this room like what happened to us. And your body will be buried six feet underneath the soils of this Hell House too.”

     “That’s not true.”

    “Oh, it is. He’s going to feed you the poison he fed to us. Your skin’s going to rot, your teeth’s going to fall, and all you could wish is that Grimm reaper could just take you away so the suffering could finally end,” Hunter continues to say.

    “I said that’s not true.”

     Hunter laughs and circles around me for the fourth time, but when the figure appears in front of me again, I am surprised to see that it is no longer Hunter but Patient 03, Oz.

     “Always so noisy,” Oz then complains, stopping in front of me to look at my face. “Always talking about his wife and his kid, but we all know he doesn’t care about them at all. I saw him once having sex with one of the female nurses. Doctor Giovanni got angry and killed him first.”

    “W-What?”

     “You should believe me, Bishop. After all, I’m the only sane person here,” Oz says, circling around me too as Hunter did. “I can’t believe I died though. But did you do what I told you about? Did you go to the extra floor upstairs? What did you see? Were there more patients? Were there dead bodies?”

     “There wasn’t anything like that. We didn’t really find anything important,” I answer, and Oz suddenly stops and moves his face behind my ear. I couldn’t see him, but I could tell he was there because I could feel his hot breath on my skin.

    “ Why are you so fucking useless? “ He then whispers in my ear, making me gulp. “I’ve killed more than I can count. I should have killed you too when you visited my room because you are useless. I should have killed you. I should have killed you. I should have killed you stupid son of a bitch and danced on your grave!”

     His scream echoes in my ear, making me close my eyes shut. But when I opened them back, Oz was no longer there. Instead, another figure was in front of me. This time, it was Patient 04, Lady.

     There was suddenly a table in front of me, and Lady was sitting in front of it, playing cards like the last time I saw him.

    “Oh dear, it’s getting quite boring now, don’t you think so?” Lady asks, not removing his eyes from the cards that he’s holding. “That doctor, if he hadn’t always worn that mask, I could have easily seen his intentions. Why do you think he keeps wearing that mask?”

    “It was a mask passed down from his grandfather and father,” I explain based on the story Giovanni told me earlier, but the answer ended up making Lady laugh.

    “Do you really think so?” he asks me. “After everything I’ve told you, you still believe everything you see and hear at its surface level? I thought you’ve at least learned something.”

    “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

    “You don’t? That’s too bad,” Lady says before throwing the cards toward my face. I closed my eyes again, waiting for the impact, but when I opened them back, a different man’s face welcomed me instead.

    “Boo,” patient 00, Pacific, asks, startling me. He grins at my reaction, showing me his rotten teeth. He then pulled away from me, making me realize that he was actually wet, probably because he had jumped off a cliff the last time I saw him.

   “How are you, Bishop?” Pacific asks, grabbing hold of my shoulder and squeezing it. “Have you found the traitor?”

    “It was Adeline,” I answer him, and Pacific lets go of me and starts laughing.

    “How wonderful!” He shouts. “It’s always the quiet ones. Silence is deadly after all.”

    “Why are you here? Why are you all here? Why are you all showing yourself to me now?” I ask, but instead of answering, Pacific starts vomiting in front of me. He was vomiting out water, and I couldn’t even look away from it.

    After that, Pacific finally stops. He wipes his mouth with his hand and looks back at me. He doesn’t say anything, but then he reaches out to grab my neck, surprising me.

     “W-What are you doing?” I ask, but Pacific doesn’t answer me anymore as his hold on my neck starts to tighten.

    “S-stop….stop…” I struggle to say as Pacific continues to strangle me. I tried my best to remove the straps on my hand, but it still wouldn’t budge. I was pulling so hard that I thought my hands were going to rip. But as the blood on my wrists starts to drip on the floor, a loud voice suddenly calls out my name.

     I gasped for air and opened my eyes, making myself realize that I was actually unconscious all this time, and everything that I saw was all just a dream.

    I looked around the dark room that I was in. No one was there, and I was still strapped on the chair. My hands weren’t bleeding out either, but I was still very much hungry. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. Maybe hours, or perhaps even days. The metal door hasn’t opened yet, and the waiting game is killing me more and more with each passing minute.

     “Bishop? Are you still there?” A voice asks. This was the same voice that woke me up earlier.

     “Laurence? Is that you?”

     “It’s me. Don’t fall asleep. It will only get worse,” Laurence suddenly explains to me.

     “What are you talking about?”

     “The gas earlier…it’s doing something to us. If you lose focus now, something bad might happen,” Laurence explains.

     I took a deep breath and looked around the room again. “Where’s Lino?” I ask this time because he would usually have said something by now. Father Laurence didn’t answer me, and his silence started making my chest beat even faster. “Laurence, where the fuck is Lino.”

    “They took him. Just a while ago,” Laurence answers, making me clench my fist in anger.

    “Fuck!” I shout in frustration. “We’re going to die, Laurence. We’re going to die.”

    “We’re not going to die,” he quickly answered back, but I could tell that he only said that out loud because he wanted to believe such words himself. He was trying to convince himself and not me.

     I lifted my head and stared at the ceiling, and then tears started pouring out of my eyes. I didn’t even understand why I was crying, but the tears wouldn’t stop streaming down my cheeks. There was something about that dream that felt so real. It felt so real that I could even feel Pacific’s hand on my neck.

     “What have we done, Laurence?” I ask, letting the tears pour. “We knew what they were doing to the patients, but we just watched. We are no different than Giovanni.”

    “We needed to survive. We’re alive because we only watched,” Laurence explains. The cruelty of such an explanation made me cry even more.

     “You’re a priest, right? Will you allow me to confess?”

     “I’m not the right person to receive your confessions, Bishop.”

     “Will you please?” I insisted, and Laurence didn’t answer me anymore. It took a while, but I started hearing him mumble something I couldn’t quite comprehend. I then began hearing chains getting dragged on the floor. I can only assume that Laurence is moving closer to where I am so he can hear better.

    “Are you kneeling?” I ask, but Laurence no longer answers me.

     I take a deep breath and lift my head up to look at the ceiling again. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” I say before closing my eyes. “Bless me father for I have sinned. It’s been years since my last confession, but I remember these sins as if I have written them with permanent ink.”

     Laurence is still silent, so I clench my fist and continue, “I have killed someone. Someone very dear to me. This grave sin lives inside me every day. It has depressed me to the point where I created these alters so I could pretend that that sinner wasn’t me. But despite the walls I’ve built, this sin keeps on reaching me, and I am afraid that one day, it will finally break free. What shall I do, father?”

     The room once again fell silent as soon as I finished speaking. I thought father Laurence would have ignored me and decided not to participate in this at all. But as soon as I turned my head to the room where he was, a soft and almost angelic voice spoke.

     “Are you familiar with the act of contrition?” He asks.

     “No.”

     “Alright. With no malice in your heart, follow me. O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee…” 

     “ O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee… “ I whispered under my breath, closing my eyes as Laurence’s voice echoed in my head.

     “And I detest all my sins because of thy just punishments.”

    “And I detest all my sins because of thy just punishments.”

    “But most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love.”

     “But most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love,” I continue to whisper, repeating every word that father Laurence would utter.

    I waited for him to continue, but as the two of us proceeded with our solace, I suddenly heard the metal door open. I quickly opened my eyes back and expected that the sound would come from my room, but to my surprise, it didn’t. I immediately heard the sound of chains and the sound of someone struggling. When I heard all this, I instantly knew what that meant.

     “N-No…don’t take him! Please! Father Laurence!”

     “Do not stop child!” I heard him shout while I listened to him getting dragged by the nurses from his room. “I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace!”

    “I f-firmly resolve with the help of…T-thy grace,” I struggle to repeat as tears start pouring out of my eyes.

     “To sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin!” Father Laurence shouted for one last time before I could hear the door completely shut.

     I gasp, and everything instantly becomes silent. My tears pour out as I clench my fist in anger. But with the little sanity I had left in me, I closed my eyes for one last time before whispering, “ To sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.“

     I continue to close my eyes for a few minutes, letting the tears dry on my cheek. I allowed the silence to consume me, and I let it take over whatever pain I had in me. As I stare at nothingness, a small light suddenly appears in front of me. I started to walk towards it, and then I began to run. I ran, and I ran, stretching my arms so I could finally reach them. But just when it was finally a few steps away from me, the sound of a metal door suddenly opened, making me open my eyes back in an instant.

     Nurses enter my room. Three of them to be precise. I thought they were going to take me like what they did to Lino and Laurence, but to my surprise, there were holding three large mirrors.

     I watch as they put two mirrors on my left and right side, and then the mirror directly in front of me, making me see my reflection. I don’t even know how long it’s been, but I already looked like a total mess. If Teo saw me now, would he still be able to tell me that I’m beautiful?

    “What the fuck are you guys doing now?” I weakly ask, but the nurses don’t say anything and just leave the room, leaving me alone with my reflection.

     I stare at my reflection, staring at the state that I’m in. When I first came into this manor, I was clean and proper, but now I looked like the complete opposite. I was a mess, and I’ve been a mess before but never like this.

     “Look at you,” I say to myself almost mockingly. “Always so proud and sly, but what happened to you now?” I continue to ask, staring directly into my eyes.

     Soon after, I started laughing at myself. I laughed and laughed, but the more I did so, the angrier I got.

     “Get that look off your face!” I shout, spitting on the reflection in front of me. “And you too! Why are you looking at me like that? Why are you looking at me with those pitiful-looking eyes?!” I continue to shout as I turn my head to the other mirrors.

     “Oh shut up already!” A female voice suddenly shouts back, making me stop in an instant. “I’ve grown tired of your complaining. You’re the one who got us into this hell. Who do you think has to clean up your mess whenever you screw up?”

     “A-Alice?”

     “Whenever something happens, I always come to your rescue, but you never fucking help yourself. Do you understand what I mean? Last time too. Who do you think helped when Dr. Harvey Steward—”

     “Alice, don’t scold the child. It is your duty to protect him.”

     “But I have grown tired of it Autumn. Everything is a mess now. Everything we worked hard to keep is now crumbling. The system is breaking, and Tomorrow has now come out after everything we’ve done to keep him locked up, and it’s all because of Bishop.”

     “You can’t blame me for this Alice. You were the one who told me to act as the host. I didn’t want to come out!”

     “Well Winter was the original host, wasn’t he? But you ended up spoiling him despite the signs. You couldn’t even properly scold him so look what happened. Momma had to hand us over to this doctor you ended up trusting,” Alice angrily fires back.

     “But you trusted him too, didn’t you? You spoke to him with every moment you got yet you did nothing. You’re the one who told me that he might be trusted. You wrote those exact words in your letter.”

     “It was because I had to protect you from him too! We didn’t know who he was, and so I was trying to understand whether he was to be trusted or not. He was our only shot at getting cured. That’s what you believed too, didn’t you, Bishop? That’s what you believed too.”

     “It’s because we had no choice!”

     “Enough! Both of you!” Autumn suddenly shouted. “Continue to argue now, and we will definitely unlock the wrong door. Do you both understand what I’m talking about?”

     “Fuck both of you. Let him come out for all I care!”

     “You don’t mean that, Bishop. You know damn well that he’ll try to kill Winter if he comes out. You know full well what will happen to all of us if he tries to do such a thing.”

    “Then isn’t that better, Autumn? Isn’t it better for all of us to just die so we can finally end this suffering? I’m growing tired too like all of you. I’ve tried to find a reason to live. I’ve tried to, but there is nothing this world has to offer to someone like me,” I say, tears forming in my eyes again.

     “Then how about that officer, Mateo Ricci?” Autumn suddenly asks, surprising me. “Was he not the bright color that painted your darkness? Was he not the beauty that constantly took your breath away? Was he not the man who made you feel alive?”

     I wanted to answer Autumn’s question, but for some reason, I couldn’t. I couldn’t say a single thing, and all I could do was cry as the memories I had with Teo flashed in front of me.

     I miss him.

     I want him to hold me. I want to see him and tell him that this is me. This is the person he thought he was in love with. And I’d watch his reaction because I knew that he wouldn’t hold this against me.

     “Oh Bishop…” Alice says with a much calmer tone this time.

     “I’m tired, Alice. This is the last time I can keep holding on. I can’t do it anymore. I was never the host anyway. I could only do so much,” I say, my words heavy.

     I have made my final confession. There is nothing more I can do now.

     “No, Bishop. We still have time. We can still do something.”

     “I’m sorry, Alice. But please, let me rest,” I plead, closing my eyes so I can finally be at ease. I could hear voices in my head telling me no. They were shouting at me, telling me to stay awake, but I couldn’t anymore. I wanted my final memory to be the memories I had with Mateo so that I would have no regrets.

     Mateo Ricci, your touch has burned my body and my soul, and your words have broken the shackles of my heart. When we meet again, will you be able to recognize me? When we meet again, will I be able to recognize you? 

    Oh how I wish to return to the place where you held me for the first time. I wish to ride the train and stare at the scenery outside the window for hours on end. I wish to draw you…every inch of you…so that I will remember the face of the man I love.

     Despite not being able to speak to you personally, I hope you can promise me one thing.

     Promise me that we will meet again in the place where the sun is brightest, and the waters are clearest. Promise me that no matter what happens, you will find me among the crowd of strangers, and when our eyes meet again, you will not look away. And you will hold me and tell me you love me, and I will feel alive once more.

    Promise me this, and I will finally rest in peace.

    “ Farewell, “ I whisper under my breath as my body relaxes.

     The bright light appeared in front of me, and the warmth of it made me smile.

     “ No! Bishop! Stop! “ I could hear someone say, probably Alice, or maybe even Autumn, but I didn’t stop. I walked towards the light, reaching out to it as if I could finally be one with it.

     After one last step, the light touched my skin, and everything else blinded me. Voices started screaming and shouting, but it began to die down. And then, in a split second, the light turned off, and I was welcomed by complete darkness.

     I took a breath, and then I slowly opened my eyes. Everything was dark and quiet, but I wasn’t afraid. I looked around at the unfamiliar room and was surprised to see a figure in front of me. I tilt my head to the side and furrow my brows. “Winter? What are you doing there?” I ask.

     I try to reach out to it, but then I realize that my hands are actually strapped on a chair.

    “W-What’s going on?” I ask, pulling my hand, only to feel the pain on my wrist that made me wince and stop in an instant.

     “Hello? Is anyone there?! Let me out, please. I don’t like it here,” I say, my voice echoing in the room. When no one answered, I started moving around the chair, accidentally kicking the object in front of me which soon made me realize was actually a mirror.

     The mirror shatters, making me flinch. As soon as it falls, my eyes widen as a man wearing a bird mask suddenly appears in front of me. Has he always been there?

    “Who are you?”

     The man doesn’t say anything and simply approaches me. He was wearing a mask, but I could tell that he was staring at me.

     “What are you?” I ask again.

     “What is your name?” the man asks me instead.

     I furrow my brows at the familiar voice, but I don’t pay him any mind as I answer, “Tomorrow. My name…is Tomorrow.”

    “ Excellent. “

 to be continued…

(53) 3 Important Tests

⚕︎

“EXCELLENT,” THE MAN WEARING the bird mask says as he walks closer to me. I still couldn’t see his face, but I could tell that he was staring at me, probably even observing me.

     “Who are you?” I asked him again because I could swear that I’d heard this voice before.

     “We’ve met once, but that’s no longer important. What’s important is that my previous request still remains the same. For you to be released, you must show me Krimson,” the man says, making me furrow my brows in confusion. Why does he want to meet Krimson? What’s he planning?

     “No.”

     “No?”

     “I don’t know who you are sir, but I would like it if you release me instead,” I say, and the man starts laughing in response.

     “It seems like you don’t fully understand the position you are in right now Tomorrow, so let me put some light into it for you,” the man says, suddenly removing the glove from one of his hands. I couldn’t fully understand what he meant by those words, but when the palm of his hand made contact with my cheek, my eyes instantly widened in realization.

     “Y-You slapped me,” I say in disbelief, my cheek burning.

     The man doesn’t answer, but then he slaps me again. I got ready to shout at him, but then I felt like something was pulling me. Or rather, something inside me was trying to get out. For a moment, my vision starts to become blurry, but before anything can happen, the man grabs my cheeks, forcing me to look at him again.

     “Oh no you don’t,” he says, holding onto my cheeks tightly. “I know that’s you, Alice. I know you’re trying to get out, but if you haven’t already realized, that’s no longer possible.”

     Alice? Has he spoken to Alice too?

     “You were my least favorite alter, but I did enjoy our conversations together. You were the observant one after all. But the biggest mistake you ever made was trying to observe me,” he says before pushing my face away.

     “Now, Tomorrow, I want you to stay focused. I want you to be fully aware of your surroundings because what’s going to happen next is very important,” the man says, snapping his fingers, automatically making two other people enter the room.

     The people who entered the room were wearing gas masks. I didn’t know why they had them on, but doesn’t that mean that something bad is in the air?

     The two gas mask people approach me and start removing the straps on my wrists, freeing me from the chair’s armrest. I thought they were finally going to release me, but to my surprise, they strapped my body to the chair instead so I wouldn’t be able to escape.

     “I don’t like this at all,” I say, looking at the man in a bird man who was simply watching me on the side.

     “Believe me, Tomorrow, you will hate what happens next even more,” he says, walking towards me again as the other two leave the room. “You will go through three tests. Tests that will measure your limits. If you don’t want to do any of them anymore, you only have to do one thing, and that’s to call out Krimson.”

    Krimson again. Why is this man desperately trying to call for him?

    “I hope you can make this experiment worthwhile,” the man says before heading out of the room.

    I quickly looked around the moment he left, and then I realized that there was actually a surveillance camera on the ceiling, directly pointing in my direction. I stare at it and tilt my head to the side and pay it no mind. I then look down at my wrist and found bruises on them. They’re probably bruises from the straps and not because I was cutting them.

    Autumn and the others always hated it when I cut myself. But the bruises from the strap were familiar too. It reminded me of the past. She used to tie our hands like this too.

     “Hello! Is anyone there?!” I shout, my voice echoing. I tried to move from where I was seated, but the chair wouldn’t budge somehow, almost like it was nailed in place.

     “Hello!” I shouted again, finally making the door open.

     I thought the guy in a bird mask would enter the room again, but to my surprise, one of the gas mask people entered the room instead. They didn’t say anything, but then I noticed that they were actually pushing someone in a wheelchair. It was a girl wearing similar clothes as I was.

    The person wearing the gas mask puts the girl in front of me, locking the wheelchair in place before heading out. 

     I stare at the stranger with furrowed brows, unsure of who she may be. Her skin looked terrible, and she almost looked like a skeleton because of how thin she was. I stare are her some more, but all of a sudden, a tear falls from my eyes uncontrollably.

     Do we know this person? Does one of us know her?

     “Are you still alive, miss?” I finally ask, and the girl in front of me moves slightly.

     It took a while for her to lift her head, but when she finally did, a weak smile appeared on her face in an instant.

     “ Nana, “ she whispers under her breath, making me tilt my head to the side.

     “Nana? I’m not nana silly. They call me Tomorrow,” I tell her, and the girl in front of me suddenly furrows her brows, probably confused.

     “ W-Where’s…nana? “ She then asks, making me furrow my brows again because I can’t really tell who she’s talking about. It seems like she recognizes the face that I have, but I’m not really the person she’s expecting. Could it be one of us?

     “I don’t know who nana is, but are you talking about the hopeless romantic one? The serious painter? Or maybe the mentally unstable one? Oh! You’re talking about Autumn, aren’t you? She always wanted Winter to call her nana too, but Winter didn’t like it,” I say with a bright smile, but when I saw the look on the girl’s face, my expression instantly changed.

     “Why the fuck are you looking at me like that?” I ask as the woman stares at me with disgust. “Why the fuck are you looking at me like that?!” I shout at her this time.

     “Y-you’re not n-nana,” she tells me, angering me even more.

     “Of course, I’m not her! Are you stupid? Why are you even looking for that old hag? She only scolds me, and she’s always the one running away whenever something bad happens,” I complain, crossing my arms and pouting just by remembering her.

     “How about this? I pretend to be her so you can speak to her. That’s a great idea, right?” I asked the sick girl in front of me, but without waiting for her response to the suggestion, I cleared my throat and immediately changed the expression on my face so I could start acting like Autumn.

     “Oh, hello, child. It’s nice to finally meet you again,” I acted, and the girl instantly looked like she was about to cry.

     “Nana?” She asks, tears now forming in her eyes. “D-Do you know? Do you know what they’ve done to me? T-They’ve…they’ve injected things in me. And then t-they forcefully feed me pills that taste horrible. I don’t want it anymore nana. Please t-tell them to…s-stop.”

    The girl, despite looking like she’s minutes away from passing out, does her best to reach out for my hand. I felt like I was holding bones because of how thin and how cold her fingers were. I wanted to make fun of her, but like earlier, tears started forming in my eyes again. Something in my heart felt heavy, and for some reason, I couldn’t help but feel sad. I hated this emotion, but I couldn’t brush it off somehow.

    Without even thinking about it, I grabbed the girl’s hand back and squeezed it tightly. I couldn’t say anything as I stared into her eyes which were surrounded by red.

     Why did I pity her this much?

     “ I’m sorry, Wednesday, “ I whisper, the words just flowing out of my mouth before I can even stop them.

    The girl looked at me, and to my surprise, she smiled. Her teeth were rotten, and her lips chapped, but it was the sweetest smile I had ever seen.

    “You are nana,” she says, still smiling.

     “I’m not—” Before I could even deny it like earlier, the girl suddenly started coughing. She immediately covered her mouth with her hand, and when she pulled it away, I instantly saw the blood from her palm. Something inside me practically exploded when I saw the red liquid. And before I could even control myself, I grabbed the girl and wrapped my arms around her frail body, hugging her as if I was afraid of letting her go.

    “ Don’t die. Don’t die. Please don’t die too, “ I continuously whisper in her ear, hugging her even tighter despite the way she felt in my arms. The girl doesn’t say anything, and she doesn’t even push me away. She’s too weak to do it anyway.

     “I am very, very sorry,” I then tell her. And before this pitiful stranger could even say anything else, the metal door opened again, revealing the same person wearing the gas mask.

     They walk towards us and then push me away from the girl before pulling the wheelchair.

     “N-No…wait,” I try to say, but the girl is already being pulled away from me. She doesn’t say anything, but she continues to smile, waving at me until she’s out of the door.

     My body stiffens once the door shuts. I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t even understand why I felt such an emotion. I didn’t know why I was overwhelmed by the feeling of pain, but what I do know is that I didn’t like it one bit. I had no reason to feel anything to a complete stranger, but I did. I really hated it.

     “Why are you doing this? Who was that girl?” I ask, directly looking at the camera in front of me. “Please, let me out. I don’t want to be here anymore. I want to go home.”

     No one answers, but after a while, the door opens for the second time. I once again thought that it would be the man wearing the bird mask or maybe the people in a gas mask pushing someone in a wheelchair like the last one, but when I saw what was being pushed inside, I immediately furrowed my brows in confusion.

     A different person enters the room: a woman. This time, she was wearing something like a chef’s uniform, but she still had a gas mask on. She pushes a food trolley and puts it right in front of me. There was a cloche on top of the trolley, covering what I could only expect was food.

     “Enjoy,” the woman says, removing the cloche and revealing what’s underneath it.

     I wasn’t expecting much, but the moment I saw the dish in front of me, my eyes instantly widened, and my body made a complete stop. It was a stew called Osso Buco . The appearance and the smell were terribly familiar, so while I stared down at it, tears started falling from my eyes more than the tears I had from the girl earlier.

    Memories I have tried to forget start appearing in front of me. I remember the dining table, the people, the food, and then her .

    My hands started to tremble, and before I knew it, I threw the plate across the room and kicked the trolley, making the other utensils fall to the ground. Soon after, my stomach churned, and I started vomiting in an instant, making a complete mess on the floor as I did so.

     “Y-You sick fuck,” I angrily say, my hands still trembling as I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and slowly look at the floor to check the dish again. When I saw its reddish color, I immediately looked away and almost gagged again.

     “You sick fucker!” I shouted at the woman who only stared down at me. I tried to reach out to her, but I couldn’t move from the seat because of the straps.

    “You sick fuck!” I continued to shout, trying to get off the chair as much as I could. “Ahh! I’m going to kill you! I’m going to kill you! Let me out of here!”

    The chair starts to shake, and before I can even let myself lose, the metal door opens again, and this time, it’s finally the man wearing the bird mask.

     The man looks at the woman and nods his head, making her leave the room. As soon as she was gone, the tall man stopped in front of me and started staring at me. “You’re still not Krimson. I thought for sure this would trigger his appearance. Isn’t that dish your favorite?”

    “I hate you,” I say with spite, and the man just chuckles before taking a step closer to me.

    “You’re holding off better than I expected. I thought seeing Wednesday would make you break, but it didn’t. I tried this dish next, but it still isn’t working. I guess there’s only one thing left. If this still doesn’t work, I’m going to start torturing you, and we don’t want that. Isn’t that right…” the man pauses and grabs hold of my cheeks again before finally revealing, “Winter?”

     “What did you just say?”

     “Winter is your name, isn’t it? Why, am I wrong? Your Winter, aren’t you? Did you seriously think I wouldn’t recognize you? I’ve observed you long enough to know who you really are,” the man says, surprising me.

    I stared back at him with a shocked expression, but after a while, I could no longer hold it in, so I started laughing intensely, my laughter echoing in the empty room as I did so.

     “Oh Dr. Van, you’re good. Very good indeed,” I say with a grin, trying my best not to laugh even more. “I tried really hard to act the part, but I guess there’s no fooling you.”

     Dr. Van doesn’t react to what I said, but he takes a step closer to me and says instead, “You really are the terrifying one. Looks like your other alters were right. Your innocent act is too deadly.”

     “Don’t flatter me, Dr. Van, or I might fall in love with you like stupid Bishop did,” I say, laughing at myself again just at the thought of it. “But I was playing along well, haven’t I? After all, they wanted to get cured. I had to at least give them hope.”

     “It’s because you’re the host, isn’t that correct?” He reveals next, making me laugh even more.

     “Winter Hollow, the name my dear parents gave me before I was taken away by the Lancaster’s. I had a terrible experience with them, but the family was kind. I guess I shouldn’t have asked Tomorrow to kill that pig. It made things harder for them. But whatever, Tomorrow is just an ignorant boy who carries the trauma, so he was easy to manipulate,” I say with a smirk on my face before looking directly at Dr. Van. “Manipulate…you’re good at that, aren’t you, Dr. Giovanni de Vincenzo?”

     “Is that the reason why Krimson wants to kill you? Is it because you forced Tomorrow to do a crime he’ll never recover from?” he then asks, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.

     “I told you, I didn’t force him. He did it himself,” I say, and Dr. Van doesn’t say anything anymore and just turns to the door.

     One of the nurses immediately entered on cue, holding a metal container that seemed familiar.

     “This is a box that Bishop and the others found in the attic when they were trying to search for dirt on me. Bishop wasn’t able to open it, but I guess it’s time I reveal the truth of what’s inside. There’s no reason to hide secrets now anyway when I’ve told everything about me,” Dr. Van suddenly says, putting the code in before handing the box over to me.

    I glance at Dr. Van before looking down at the box on my lap. Without saying a word, I opened it wide to see the contents. And to my surprise, they were pictures…

    Pictures of me in my previous hospital.

    “Why on earth do you have these?” I ask, staring at the photos with shock.

    There were pictures of me when I was still a teenager and those when I grew older. There were pictures of me in the psych room too. And then pictures of me with Dr. Harvey Steward. The last picture was a group photo of Dr. Steward with a bunch of nurses I don’t even remember anymore. But when I looked closer, I realized that the other doctor besides Dr. Steward had his face torn off.

  ![](https://img.wattpad.com/2b0496ee1cc1dcb30877c40da776044810de6278/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f424279346439317a537a76694a673d3d2d313332303231353838342e313734386530306533623631353965623333363538303233393731302e706e67)

     I couldn’t recall who it may have been. But after digging deep into my memories, my eyes widened in realization. This was the newly assigned doctor that assisted Dr. Steward in the past.

     “It’s been a while, Winter,” Dr. Van then says, immediately making me look back at him with my eyes wide.

     Dr. Van adjusts his gloves, and then he starts removing the mask he’s wearing for the first time. I couldn’t really see his face properly because the room was dark, but the moment I finally recognized who he really was, a grin instantly appeared on my face, and soon after, I started laughing.

     I laughed and laughed, and when I finally stopped, I looked back at the man in front of me and told him, “It has been a while…Dr. Romano.”

to be continued…

(54) Final Diagnosis

⚕︎

“WINTER HOLLOW, THE TWELVE years old alter who has successfully manipulated the other alters and everyone else into thinking he’s this innocent child who can’t even hurt a fly,” Dr. Van, who I know best as Dr. Romano, says as he directly looks at me.

     “Please, you give me too much credit,” I say with a smile, but Dr. Romano doesn’t say anything back. It seemed like he wasn’t impressed by what I said, so the smile on my face immediately vanished.

     “I saw you a couple of times. You’re the intern who always stood behind Dr. Steward back at the asylum. You were quiet, but you were actually observing me all this time. Now it makes perfect sense. When momma said that a doctor sent her a letter and offered to help cure me, I thought it was suspicious. But that doctor was actually you,” I say, and Dr. Romano still kept his expression neutral.

     One of the nurses entered the room again, but this time they were holding a chair and a notebook. They placed the chair in front of me and gave the notebook to the psycho doctor. As soon as they leave the dark room, Dr. Romano takes a seat and faces me.

     He opens his notebook, reads through the notes, and looks back at me. “This will be our final session. But unlike the first time, I encourage you to answer them truthfully and straightforwardly. Is this understood, Patient 06?” He then asks, almost making me laugh.

     I decided not to answer him, but I could tell that he already knew that I’d answer him regardless. There is no other reason for me to hide anything now, and he knows that perfectly well.

     “Let’s begin,” he says, adjusting in his seat before looking directly into my eyes. “When did you first get diagnosed?” He asks me first.

     “1942, exactly ten years ago. When momma found out about my strange condition, she sent us to a mental hospital called Hope Garden Asylum, where I was taken by Dr. Harvey Steward. I stayed there for eight years,” I answer without batting an eye.

     Dr. Romano writes the information down and looks back at me right after. “Are you aware of how many alters you have?” He asks next, making me grin as I realize that these are the same questions he asked us during our first session in this manor.

     “There are six of us in total. The first one is Bishop, the 22-year-old gatekeeper alter. He’s the one who has the most control over our system, and he keeps the traumatized alters from appearing, AKA Tomorrow,” I start explaining, making Dr. Romano write everything down so he doesn’t miss anything.

     “And then we have me, Winter, the child alter. But Dr. Steward coined me as the host alter that didn’t grow up and stayed 12, while Bishop is the adult version of me that had to grow up,” I explain further, which doesn’t seem to be much of a surprise to him anymore. I guess he checked a few things about me while he was working back at the asylum.

     “Next, we have Alice, the 36-year-old protector. That speaks for itself. She basically makes sure none of us experience any kind of trauma. Well, she tries to, at least. And then we have the old hag, Autumn, the 72-year-old caretaker alter. She’s the one who cares for us and is very motherly to external people too.”

     “And then you have Tomorrow and Krimson, is that correct?”

     “You’re so eager, but yes, there’s Tomorrow and Krimson.”

     “What’s their role?” He then asks. And based on his eagerness, I could tell that he knew little to nothing about these two alters. Dr. Steward barely studied them either, so it’s difficult to understand their purpose in the system. They come out very rarely, so others might not even know if they really exist or not.

    “Let’s begin with the obvious one, Krimson. He’s what the others call the crazy alter. It might be difficult to imagine when I’m enough crazy myself, but Krimson is just on another level. He’s violent, and he doesn’t hesitate. He lets out his anger and pain externally. He’s very troublesome. That’s why he’s the perpetrator,” I explain, which was an explanation that Dr. Romano wasn’t much interested in anymore.

     I guess the one he’s really interested in is…

    “Tomorrow, the criminal, and the one you call Patient 06. This might not be obvious, but Tomorrow is the complete opposite of Krimson. He’s the persecutor, and unlike Krimson, he lets out his anger and pain internally rather than externally. He tends to blame himself since he also holds most of the trauma. I can’t blame him, though. We went through different stages of hell after all,” I finally reveal, and Dr. Romano immediately writes the information down in his notebook.

     “Do you know why Tomorrow is considered a criminal?” He then asks, not even removing his eyes from his notes.

    I stare at him for a while before lifting my head up to look at the ceiling. I then slowly close my eyes and let the silence consume me. It took a couple of seconds for me to open my eyes back, but when I finally did, I looked back at Dr. Romano and finally told him, “It’s because he killed Dr. Steward.”

     Dr. Romano wasn’t even surprised when he heard me say it, but he seemed intrigued that I was even able to tell him about it.

     “Can you tell me more?” He asks.

     I scratch my neck and look around the room again as I unconsciously start bouncing my leg up and down. “You know I wasn’t really like this. I was the sweet and innocent kid, just like everyone thought I was. But the world’s cruelty made me realize that innocence is a privilege made for the weak,” I stated, lifting my hand up so I could bite on my nails.

     “You only worked at the asylum for a year so you wouldn’t know that Dr. Steward is a disgusting pedophile. He had this liking for the young patients. Whenever I had sessions with him, he’d touch me too. And Bishop…our poor Bishop…he thought the fucker was in love with him. Dr. Steward would shower him with sweet words and make him feel special, so whenever he’d ask to pull me out, Bishop would do it with no hesitation,” I explain, and the hand that was continuously writing on the doctor’s notebook suddenly stopped.

    It seemed like he realized something from what I said, but he tried his best to keep a neutral expression.

    “He’d force himself onto me and act kind again whenever he’s with Bishop. Bishop didn’t know because he promised Dr. Steward he wouldn’t watch whenever I’m in a session with him,” I continue to explain, my legs bouncing even faster as I go further into the story.

     “I eventually got sick of it, so despite everyone telling us not to communicate with him, I reached out to Tomorrow and befriended him. And then I told him everything that Dr. Steward does to me, and so I forced him to kill that mother fucker with a hammer,” I reveal, my chest beating fast for some reason.

     I remember the pool of blood under my feet that day. And then I remember the smile I had on my face as I stared at the lifeless body of the doctor who treated me like I wasn’t even human.

     I remember Tomorrow sobbing over what he did. Autumn was crying, too, and was scolding Alice for not being strong enough to stop us. And then, as I stared at the blood, my hands started to wrap around my neck, and Krimson eventually ended up strangling me. If the nurses didn’t find me fast enough, Krimson would have killed me.

     Krimson would have killed us.

     “Bishop eventually found out what happened and felt guilty. He was so sorry for what he did that he shut himself in and let me out for a long time. Of course, after the incident, the doctors and nurses didn’t know what to do with me since I’m a mentally unstable patient. They can’t really put me in prison, so they hid it under the rug and made it seem like an overlooked accident,” I say, stopping my leg from bouncing up and down.

     I then looked at the nails that I was biting and realized that some of them were already bleeding, so I immediately hid my hand away.

     “Your momma didn’t like it when you chewed on your nails?” Dr. Romano suddenly asks, making me look away from him.

     “Thanks to Bishop, I freely got out. I did whatever I wanted, but that didn’t help anyone at the asylum, so they called momma and asked her to take me back and handle me herself. That’s probably the last time you saw me, too,” I explain, looking back at Dr. Romano, who was writing in his notebook again.

    While he was writing, I looked down at my wrist again to check its condition. There were bruises because of the straps that we were in earlier, but these bruises weren’t uncommon at all.

     Back when I was in Totten’s Landing, when I was starting to act strange, momma had to lock me up in the bedroom and chain me to the bed. All I had were books that kept my mind busy. She pitied me, I could tell, which could be the reason why it took a while for her to bring me to a mental hospital.

     But when I was sent back to her a few years later, I could tell that she was getting tired of me. Her personality changed, and she became angrier. But despite that, she didn’t abandon me like the others. That’s why when Dr. Romano sent her that letter telling her that they knew about our condition and were willing to cure us, she didn’t even hesitate to bring me here.

     After all those years, I should have told her I was thankful.

     “You know, Dr. Romano, I was listening to the story you told Bishop, the one about your past,” I say, finally making Dr. Romano look in my direction again.

     “Back in Totten’s Landing, people were afraid of us because of papa. He was a military man. He was strict and tough, but he cared. One day, when he returned to war, he never came back,” I tell him before pointing at my eyes.

     “These eyes, they’re a curse. The townspeople said I was a demon child, so they tormented me and momma. As soon as they realized that my father wasn’t going to return, they raided our house and burned it. Our little house that quietly sheltered me burned down in front of my eyes,” I continue to say, now remembering the growing fire in front of me as momma held my hand tightly.

     I remembered her crying, but she didn’t say a word. She didn’t blame me, and she didn’t get mad. She just cried, and I regretted not crying with her that night.

     “After our house got burnt down, she finally decided to bring me to Hope Garden Asylum, a place where I experienced more tragedy,” I say with a sad smile, and I could tell that Dr. Romano understood what I felt.

     “Why do such tragedies happen to people like us? It’s very strange indeed,” I say, biting my nails again. But as I was doing so, I suddenly felt something run down my cheek. I reach out and realize that they were actually tears, so I immediately wipe them away, laughing it off and pretending like it wasn’t a big deal at all.

     “Anyway, the past is in the past, and here I am now, strapped in a chair, waiting for my death,” I say with a grin, but Dr. Romano doesn’t comment anything about it. He looks at me for a few more seconds before writing something down in his notebook again. It was a bit short because he looked back at me again right after.

     “I appreciate you telling me all this, but I believe there is a huge part that is still greatly missing in your story,” Dr. Romano says, adjusting to his seat again. “Your past. Do you know what happened in the past? Do you know what happened that caused you to create all these alters?” He finally asks.

     I pause and look at him with a blank expression.

     As much as I want to share these things with him…

     “I don’t,” I truthfully answer him. “Like what I told you during our first session, I don’t remember a lot of traumatic experiences that happened before… this. I’m not the alter who remembers them.”

     I thought Dr. Romano wouldn’t believe me and force me to tell him, but to my surprise, he nodded his head and didn’t ask anything further.

     “Well, that’s not really important to me anyway, so we can skip that,” Dr. Romano says, closing his notebook so he can stand from his seat. He placed the notebook down, and then he approached me. “Before we officially end this session, I want to ask you something first. This is my final question, so I hope you can also truthfully tell me about it,” he asks, adjusting his necktie before looking back at me. “Do you know the main cause of Dr. Steward’s death?”

     The main cause? What is he talking about?

     “I already told you about that, didn’t I? If I hammered you in the head, do you think you’ll—”

     “It wasn’t that. After his death, we ran an autopsy. The hammer in the head didn’t kill him,” Dr. Romano reveals, making me widen my eyes in surprise.

     “What do you mean?”

     Dr. Romano leans forward towards my face before showing me this grin that made the hair on my skin stand.

     “It was poison,” he says, instantly making me gulp as soon as I heard it. “The very thing that killed him was poison.”

     “P-Poison?”

     “You see, Winter, there’s a very specific reason why I decided to work under him during my final internship,” Dr. Romano says, moving away from me so he could start walking around the room. “During a research convention, I heard about him from a colleague. Before becoming the head director of Hope Garden Asylum, Dr. Harvey Steward…created plagues.”

     “What?”

     “He assisted the military and made biological weapons to be released at the enemy base. He had created plagues similar to the knowledge my grandfather and father passed down to me, but during his time at the asylum, he was creating one final weapon. It was a plague big enough that once you release it, the smoke can practically engulf an area as big as a town,” he reveals, surprising me even more because I didn’t know any of this.

     Dr. Romano continued to walk around the room, and then he kicked the tray that had the food that was served to me earlier.

     “I couldn’t really ask him about it because they were highly classified. He knew the ingredients and how to properly make it, but when he died, all his documents were burned before I could even find them.”

     “Why are you telling me this?” I ask him, making Dr. Romano stop to look back at me again.

    “You see, Winter, during the time he was creating this plague, he allowed someone to assist him,” Dr. Romano says, walking closer to me again. He then points at my chest and finally reveals, “Krimson.”

     “W-What?”

     “Why did you think I asked your mother to bring you here? Because I wanted to cure you? Because I needed another patient to experiment on? No! Of course not! I needed you because Krimson is in you. And Krimson…he knows how to make that final plague,” Dr. Romano finally tells me, immediately making me cover my mouth in shock.

     “Why do you think I gave you the white horse? Why do you think I gave you the horse that represented pestilence? It’s because of this exact reason! I told you, didn’t I, that one day, you will all realize the roles that I assigned to all of you,” he explains, and all I could do was look at him with disbelief.

     How did I not see this coming?

     How was I not able to connect the dots?

     “Please, Winter, let me speak to Krimson. After that, you’re free as promised. I will not hurt you or any of your alters. Just tell me how to create that plague. Lino and Laurence are still alive. If you do this, I’ll release them too,” Dr. Romano says, now grabbing my hand and squeezing it tightly. I could see the desperation in his eyes. But behind such desperation, I saw a fire in him that was slowly burning him too.

     I know that look because I had a similar look in the past. This was me when I asked Tomorrow to kill Dr. Steward. I didn’t think about reason. I only thought of myself and what I wanted to be done. I didn’t think about the consequences. I didn’t think about how it would affect me.

     “No.”

     “No?”

     “No,” I repeated, making Dr. Romano laugh.

     “You’ve been saying no to me since earlier Winter. But as I told you before, you’re in a position where no isn’t an acceptable answer,” Dr. Romano says before snapping his fingers again. Soon after, someone barges inside the room. They were nurses and an indirect employee that was pushing another food trolley. The sight of it alone made my eyes widen in an instant.

     “You should be glad that I’m not going to feed you the one you threw at the floor. After all, food is something sacred to you, isn’t it?” Dr. Romano asks with a sadistic grin.

     “N-No…please…no…”

     The nurses approached me and held onto me so I couldn’t be able to move. After that, one of them forced my mouth open as the other employee removed the cloche of the food trolley, revealing the dish that I hated so much.

     “Enjoy,” the female voice says again, taking a spoonful of the food and moving it close to my mouth.

     “No! Please, stop!” I continue to shout, but the other nurse pins me down as she shoves the food in.

The taste instantly made me want to vomit. I wanted to spit it out, but they didn’t allow me to do it. They forced me to swallow the food, tears now streaming down my eyes as Dr. Romano watched in front of me with a blank expression.

     “This is your final trial, Winter. Let’s see if you can still hold it in after all that,” I could hear Dr. Romano say as the nurses continued to shove the food inside my mouth.

     My stomach starts to churn, and my eyes start to become blurry because of the tears. The taste of the food in my mouth was disgustingly familiar that I couldn’t even hold it in anymore. But as they continued to feed me, unfamiliar memories suddenly started appearing in front of me.

     “ Happy birthday, Winter! “ I suddenly remembered someone greeting me, making my head spin.

     “ Finish that food on your plate, and then open your presents right after. “

     “ Mommy, where’s Mathilda? “

     “Who?”

     “Mathilda. Where is she?”

     “Oh, don’t worry. She’s right here, son.”

     “What?”

     “She’s right here.”

     The employee shoved a spoonful of the food inside my mouth again until the plate was completely empty. My head becomes dizzy for a second as I swallow it down my throat. My body felt numb. The red sauce was all over my mouth, the smell was appetizing, but at the same time, it made me sick. I looked around the room to check if I was still conscious. But as my eyes wandered around the room, I suddenly started smelling blood.

     The familiar scent instantly made my eyes wide in terror. I quickly tried to remove myself from the straps, fear consuming me in an instant. I knew what this smell meant. I knew what was about to happen.

     “Help me,” I beg, staring at Dr. Romano, who remained expressionless in front of me.

     The smell of the blood became stronger, and soon after, my vision started to become blurry. I continue to try to get off the straps the best I can, but then my entire body stops in an instant. Everything became quiet, and during the silence, my hands slowly moved on their own, and they started wrapping around my neck with no hesitation.

    “ Times up, little Winter, “ a voice inside my head suddenly whispers. “ An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. “

     “H-Help me, please,” I struggle to say.

     “ If you wish to see Tomorrow, then die. “

     My hands started strangling my neck, and I could hear the nurses in the room start panicking. People were grabbing me, pulling my own hand away from my neck as I continued to strangle myself. But just before I could stop breathing, they were able to remove my hands in time, automatically making me gasp for air.

     The smell of blood was no longer in the room when I awoke. My body ached, and this disgusting taste lingered in my mouth.

     There were a bunch of people staring at me. Most of them were wearing gas masks, while another one wasn’t wearing anything to hide his face. He stared at me, but he didn’t say anything.

    One of the people wearing gas masks then approached me. He reaches to touch my face to inspect me, but as soon as he puts his hand on my cheek, I quickly bite his finger like a mad dog. The masked stranger screams in pain as the others try to help pull him away from me. I started tasting the blood in my mouth as I continued biting into him, but before I could even bite his finger off, they were able to pull him away.

     Blood streams down the sides of my mouth as I lick my lips. The masked man groans in agony as the others help cover his bruise up. I look at them with a wide smile, making them flinch and move away. But when I looked up, the stranger without the mask still stared at me, his expression neutral.

     “ Ein Dämon steht vor mir, “ I said to him. “A demon stands before me,” I then repeated, a grin slowly appearing on my face as I said it.

     “You stand there, looking at me as if you can wrap me around your fingers,” I tell him before laughing. “ Geh zum Teufel! Step forward if you dare, and let us see whose fingers will be wrapped, Giovanni de Vincenzo.“

to be continued…

(55) Dining Table

⚕︎

“YOU STAND THERE, LOOKING at me as if you can wrap me around your fingers,” I tell him before laughing. “Geh zum Teufel! Step forward if you dare, and let us see whose fingers will be wrapped, Giovanni de Vincenzo,” I say, and the man I heard is called Giovanni, doesn’t even move a single step.

    I craved to touch him. I desired to hold him, to wrap my hands around his neck, and to break him until his body becomes lifeless. Please, step forward so I can quench this thirst. Let me grab you now and never let go.

    “Get the tranquilizer,” Giovanni says instead, and a few nurses scurry out of the room to follow his command.

     “I’ve watched you, Giovanni. I’ve watched your pitiful attempt to break the host of this body. But you are not enough to break what is already broken,” I tell him, wiping the remaining blood off my face as my eyes continue to stare at the doctor.

     “Who are you?” Giovanni asks me instead, making me laugh.

     “Have you not been searching for me? Have you not begged for my glorious presence? Here I am now, plague doctor. Come closer so I can whisper to you the plague you desperately wish to create,” I say, my body trembling just at the thought of him getting closer.

     “Let me taste you, Giovanni. I want to know what a broken man tastes like,” I continue to say, practically salivating as I stare at his body.

     “I am no fool. I know your strength. Of course, people with dissociative identity disorder don’t just magically become stronger. They’re not some kind of monster. But Bishop and the others just hold back well. You, on the other hand, don’t,” he tells me, making me laugh even more.

     “Oh, Bishop…Bishop Bishop Bishop. You should have done more to him. You should have fucked him until he passed out. You should have strangled him and tied him up. I see what you do to him, but what a waste. What a waste indeed,” I say, but before the doctor can react, the nurses return to the room, holding a syringe.

     “Doctor, here’s the tranquilizer.”

     “Alright. Hold onto the patient, but be extra careful. He’s very dangerous. Krimson is a perpetrator type, so he is modeled by the people who abused him and caused him trauma. It’s going to be very difficult to handle him from now on,” Giovanni tells the other, making me laugh even louder.

     “Is that what the other doctor said? It has a ring to it, Giovanni. I like how you describe me as…dangerous.”

     “You’re the alter who’s created to handle the trauma that was subjected to the host. You were created so that the original Winter could pretend that nothing is wrong,” he continues to explain.

     “And am I supposed to be sad about that?” I ask him, and in an instant, I start fake sobbing.

     Giovanni seemed fed up with me, so he nodded, finally making the nurses approach me. As soon as they got closer, I leaned close and pretended to bite them, almost making one of them flinch and back away.

     “You’re going to hurt yourself, sweetheart,” I say, licking my lips as I stare at the terrified nurse before me. 

     They hesitated, so Giovanni asked them to cover my mouth first. One of them went behind me, holding a white cloth so he could force me to bite it down before tying it tightly behind me while the others chained my hands together.

     I tried to move, but soon after that, a sharp object pierced through my neck. I turn to my side and found Giovanni injecting the syringe into my skin. I stare at him and try to laugh as my saliva oozes out of my mouth. The doctor looks at me in disgust before taking a step away.

     “Y ou think this is enough to stop me, Giovanni? “ I thought to myself as I watched him walk away from the room.

     The others start removing the straps from me. But before I could even think of anything else, my vision became blurry, and my body and head became heavy. Seconds after that, everything turned dark, and the world completely stopped.

…

NOTE: Starting in this chapter till the final chapter, the POV will be 3rd person Omniscient, which means the narrator will no longer be any of the characters but an unknown voice. Thank you.

The indirect employees wearing the gas masks struggle as they hold onto two patients who have been violently acting up ever since the day they were chained in that dark room.

     “Show yourself, Giovanni! I’m going to rip your head off! I swear to god!” Marcelino, the military man and the manor’s official gardener, shouts while a bunch of nurses drags him across the hallway.

     “Save your breath, Marcelino. Shouting won’t help,” father Laurence Monet, who was much calmer compared to Lino, says as a nurse holds onto the chains around his neck like he’s some kind of dog.

     “I thought he was going to kill us. What the hell is he planning now?” Marcelino then asks, barely walking straight because he was starting to feel weak despite screaming all day.

    Laurence takes a deep breath and looks at his bruised ankles before looking back at his dear friend. “I don’t know, and I don’t entirely care anymore. When he injected us with that medicine earlier, I thought I would drop dead, but nothing happened. For the first time in forever, I was disappointed.”

     The two continued walking down the hall and no longer complained. But as they reach the first floor, Marcelino looks at the priest and asks him, “How about Bishop? Do you think they did anything to him?”

     Laurence didn’t answer, but anyone could tell by the look of worry he had on. None of them knows what Giovanni is really planning, especially concerning Bishop. But what they do know is that it’s not going to end well for any of them.

     “Stay here and don’t try anything funny,” one of the nurses says when they arrive at their designated location.

     The employees remove the chains that bound them and push the two of them inside the room. The door was automatically closed and locked as soon as they got inside so none of them could escape. Marcelino and Laurence turn around and realizes that they’re actually in the fancy dining room where they eat together with their master, Claudio Romano.

     The two of them walked closer to the long table and saw that it was filled with a bunch of food. As soon as Laurence saw it, he couldn’t help but laugh.

     “Giovanni, you fucking psycho. Is he seriously expecting us to eat lunch together after everything he’s done to us?” Laurence asks, staring at the food and grabbing a dish before throwing it across the room in frustration. “What a joke!” He shouted, looking up at the ceiling and finding a surveillance camera. He rushes to the camera and flashes two of his middle fingers toward it. “Fuck you, Giovanni! Fuck you! What the fuck are you doing to us?! What the fuck are you doing to Bishop!?”

     “Laurence! Calm down. You’re the one who told me not to waste my breath,” Marcelino reminds him, even though he completely understands Laurence’s frustration.

     Laurence puts his hands down, then closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before looking back at Marcelino, who is now sitting on his usual chair at the table.

     Laurence stares at him, but then he aggressively scratches his head before also taking a seat.

     The two of them stare at the food on the table before looking at each other. They were both a complete mess. They smelled, they were dirty, and their eyes were practically bloodshot. If people saw them, they’d assume they’ve escaped some sort of horror film.

     “What kind of hell is this?” Laurence asks in frustration before grabbing his fork and grabbing a bite of the fish on the table, which surprisingly tasted incredible. At first, he didn’t mind if it was poisoned, but he immediately started eating more when he tasted the food. After all, they’ve been locked in that dark room for almost three days with no food or water. Having the pleasure of eating is the best they can do for now.

     “Look at what they’ve done to us. We look like complete savages,” Marcelino says, staring at Laurence, who is now eating the food with little to no care.

     “Bishop is going to scold you for eating before the master arrives,” Marcelino then jokes, but as soon as he says it, Laurence drops his fork and immediately stops eating.

     Laurence grabs the table napkin and wipes his mouth with it. But after that, he slams it back on the table. “Marcelino…do you believe our sins deserve this kind of punishment?” Laurence asks him, slowly looking at Marcelino with his tired eyes.

     Marcelino reaches out to touch the scar on his face before looking back at the priest. “What punishment is too much punishment? And what sin is too much of a sin? Such questions are questions we might never be able to answer.”

     The two of them become quiet again until the door opens for the second time. They were expecting to find Giovanni, but to their surprise, it’s actually a young girl wearing her maid uniform, Adeline Winchester.

     “Oh wow, look who we have here. Our cute little Addie,” Laurence mockingly says as Adeline walks her way to her seat beside Marcelino. She doesn’t say anything as she approaches them, but when she is about to pull the chair out, Marcelino immediately stops her.

     “If you think you can just sit here and act as if nothing happened, then you’re dead wrong,” Lino threatens.

     “Go cry me a river,” Adeline fires back, instantly making Laurence laugh.

     “I like her better,” Laurence jokingly says, but Adeline just ignores him and finally pulls the chair so she can take a seat.

     Lino couldn’t believe that this was the girl he had cared for all this time, while Laurence couldn’t help but be impressed. After all, he always found her strange, but he just didn’t care enough to think about it.

    “You both look like shit,” Adeline suddenly comments as he looks at the two men with disgust. She wasn’t even afraid they could easily do something to her whenever they wanted.

     “Don’t say a single thing. I don’t want to hear your voice,” Marcelino replies, massaging his forehead because of frustration.

     “Why, did you like little girls who are much quieter, Mr. M?” Adeline asks in a mocking manner, and Marcelino finally turns to her, grabbing her by the collar and pulling her towards him.

    “I cared about you, Adeline, because I saw my sister in you. I wanted what was best for you, and I felt completely guilty that you had to be subjected by this fucking plague doctor!” Marcelino shouts just inches away from Adeline’s face.

     Laurence watches and sighs, but he doesn’t say anything to stop him. While Adeline didn’t look a bit fazed. She wasn’t scared of the gardener. Or rather, she simply knows that whatever happens, Marcelino wouldn’t have the guts to hurt her.

     “You were a child I hoped would grow up in a better place, but here you are now. When I see you, Adeline, I—” Marcelino clenches his fist and continues to stare at the young maid, but after a while, he finally lets go of her, slamming his fist on the table before grabbing the glass of water.

     Laurence expected Adeline to say something back, but surprisingly enough, she remained silent.

     The three of them became quiet again, not saying a single thing. But as they waited for something else to happen, the once loyal employees couldn’t help but admit to themselves that they missed the little times they had at this same table.

     They remembered the times when they ate in this dining room and just talked about anything. They remembered the time when they would fight for the last piece of some dish, and Bishop would scold them. They remembered how their previous master, Claudio, would quietly sit in the middle and read his newspaper.

     As fucked up as everything is, they were like a family. In a world that was cruel, the bond they hand in this Hell House was the only thing that was good. And now, everything was ruined…

     It was ruined by greed—greed extensively fed by revenge. Revenge did not only hurt the people who were being targeted but the people involved in it. That was something that all of them eventually realized, but they were already so deep that they could no longer return to such times.

     They could no longer go back to the days when they were just eating at this table with no doubt or fear. Just complete contentment.

     “Where’s Bishop?” Marcelino finally asks.

     Adeline stares at her empty plate and decides not to say anything.

     “I asked where’s—” Before Marcelino could even finish his sentence, the door to the dining room opened for the third time. All of them turned their heads to see who it was, and when they saw that it was actually their master, Marcelino immediately ran to him.

     Marcelino throws a punch at Giovanni’s jaw without hesitation, making the doctor stumble back. The other nurses were about to barge inside, but Giovanni raised his hand to stop them, so the employees guarding the room outside nodded their heads and closed the door.

     “I advice you to calm—”

     “Fuck you!” Marcelino shouts, punching him again until Giovanni finally falls to the ground.

     Giovanni wiped the blood off the side of his mouth. He tries to stand, but Marcelino grabs him by the collar and instantly slams his body on the wall.

     Adeline was surprised, but it was a reaction she had already expected. Laurence was already on his feet, watching as the military man continued punching their master. After a few more blows, Giovanni was bleeding on the floor, gasping for air.

     “A-are you now…s-satisfied?” Giovanni asks him.

     “No!” Marcelino immediately shouts back, tears pouring out of his eyes as he stares at the doctor with complete anger. “Even if I kill you now, it will never be enough. You have treated us like rats in your experiments! I have given my life to you. I was willing to follow you because you have rescued me, but you are no longer the master I serve.”

     Giovanni lets the blood from his mouth drip on his clean shirt as he tries his best to stand from the ground. He looks at Marcelino, but he doesn’t get angry at him. He doesn’t pity him either, but his feelings for him are as unclear as the feelings he has ever since his parents died.

     “I have spared your life, haven’t I?” Giovanni asks him.

     “And you expect us to be grateful?!” Marcelino shouts back.

     “What more do you want from us, Giovanni?” This time, it was a question that came from father Laurence.

     Giovanni turns his head to look at Laurence as the priest walks toward him. He doesn’t punch him as Marcelino did, but you can see the anger in his eyes as he stares at him. “We have done everything you asked us to do. All the patients in this manor are practically dead, and you’ve released multiple plagues that have sparked the fear of the townspeople. What more do you want from us?” Laurence asks, his voice sounding much more desperate than usual.

     Giovanni looks at him and then at Marcelino and Adeline.

     “The final plague,” he tells them. “I promised you that I would give you the freedom you have all craved to have. I do not back out of my words. That is why you are all still alive. At the end of the day, you are still the four horsemen that I elaborately chose.”

     “That’s bullshit!” Marcelino shouted.

     “Where’s Bishop?” Laurence then asks. “Can you say the same thing to him?”

     Giovanni doesn’t answer his question; instead, he turns to the door, making everyone else turn their heads to it too.

     Everything was silent, but soon after, they heard distant screams outside the room. Laurence and Lino couldn’t help but look at each other in confusion before looking back at the door. The screams became louder and closer as they waited, but after a few more seconds, the entrance to the dining room finally opened, revealing four nurses dragging a particular patient who was now wearing a straitjacket.

     “Bishop!” Laurence excitedly says, instantly relieved. He is about to run to him, but Giovanni immediately stops him and says, “I won’t get close to him if I were you.”

     Laurence instantly stopped on his heel as every one of them looked at the man they call Bishop.

     “I am starving!” He shouts in a language that Marcelino and Adeline couldn’t understand, “You bring me here to eat. Now release me! Release me now!”

     “Bishop?” Marcelino asks, worry and sadness present on his face, while the young Adeline can’t even look at him.

     “He’s speaking German,” father Laurence realizes before immediately looking back at Giovanni. “Where the hell did you get this man, Giovanni? Who the hell is he?”

     Giovanni continues to ignore his question but instead looks at the nurses, nodding his head and asking them to release him. Despite having doubts, the man famously named Bishop was eventually released.

     As soon as they remove their hands from him, Bishop rushes to the table, instantly making Laurence and Marcelino move away from him. Bishop doesn’t even look at them as he buries his face in the plate filled with food like a dog. The others watch in horror as they can no longer recognize the man they have spent their time with at this manor.

     “The man before you…that is Krimson,” Giovanni finally reveals, leaving Laurence and Marcelino speechless.

     “Winter and Bishop are the alters who represent the original’s earlier past. But Krimson, alongside Tomorrow, represents the further past. They are the alters that were first created. They are the alters that started the system,” Giovanni explains to them.

     Krimson continues to eat like an animal, practically clearing the plate. As soon as he was finished eating, he immediately turned his head to Adeline. Adeline remembered the words that Bishop once told her. That if ever she stumbles upon Krimson, she should run. So without any hesitation, Adeline quickly stands from her seat and moves away from him.

     When Krimson saw her reaction, he immediately started laughing.

     “Are you scared of me, little one?” He asks her, and Adeline continues to take a step back, tears now forming in her eyes as she looks at the man before her.

     “ H-Help me— “ Adeline whispers under her breath as she looks at Giovanni, but Giovanni doesn’t say anything. As the doctor that he was, he was curious, so he stood his ground and only watched.

     Krimson takes a step, and another, and then another. But before he could finally reach her, he stopped. He laughs, and then he bows to her, an almost respectful bow that Bishop does whenever he meets people.

    “Do not be afraid, child. I only eat naughty ones,” Krimson says, smiling and showing his red-stained teeth that were probably from the finger he bit earlier. “Have you been naughty?” He asks, licking his lips and terrifying Adeline even more.

     “I c-cannot…understand you,” Adeline nervously says.

     The room became quiet but soon was filled with Krimson’s laughter.

     “Oh, my apologies!” Krimson says, moving closer to Adeline. “What I said was… I will rip your hands off and use your blood as paint, you fucking brat. Did you think making friends with Winter would keep you safe? Believe me, you made friends with the wrong one. Do you understand me now?”

     Adeline’s mouth instantly drops as soon as she hears what he said, but thankfully Krimson doesn’t move any closer to her and instead turns to look at Laurence and Marcelino.

     “My dear friends! It is good to see you,” Krimson then says, moving close to Marcelino and leaning to kiss his cheek. He then turns to Laurence and does the same, staining their cheeks with the food he had just buried his face in earlier.

     “Now, what are you all doing standing there? Let us take a seat and enjoy this feast together. Come on,” Krimson then says, walking towards the seat Bishop was first assigned.

     Marcelino, Laurence, and even Adeline looked at each other, hesitating to even move from their spot. Thankfully Giovanni was smart enough to follow his instruction, so he went to his seat first. Giovanni then looks at Adeline and instructs her to take a seat. Adeline shakes her head in protest, but when Laurence and Marcelino take a seat, she eventually does the same.

     The five of them were finally back on the table. Adeline was quiet, but she was a crying mess. Lino and Laurence literally looked like they had not taken a bath for days. While Giovanni had blood all over his mouth and shirt after the strong punches that Marcelino gave him.

     It was a strange sight to behold indeed.

     “How will I eat if I still have this jacket on?” Krimson then asks, looking straight at Giovanni.

     Giovanni doesn’t want to do it, but he stands from his seat anyway and finally helps him off the straitjacket. The doctor already knew his place as soon as Krimson showed himself to them. This was an alter that did not listen to reason. And as someone who is in desperate need of his assistance, Giovanni will do anything for him as long as he gives him what he needs.

     Krimson smiled widely as soon as his hands were free, and then Giovanni returned to his chair.

     The atmosphere around them was tense. But with an intimidating and sadistic smile, Krimson grabbed the bread knife and slowly licked it.

     “Let us eat.”

to be continued…

(56) Delicious Revenge [m]

WARNING: 

This chapter contains an unpleasant [m]

scene . Please read at your own risk. Thank you.

⚕︎

EVERYONE AT THE TABLE did not say a single word as they stared at Krimson with worry, fear, and simply pure disbelief. The shift from seeing how Bishop carries himself to how Krimson now carries himself is just a sight none of them expected to ever witness. The difference was very unsettling.

     “Come on now, pick your spoons and forks up and start eating,” Krimson insisted, and the four looked at each other, hesitating.

     “Let us eat.” This time, Giovanni says it, so the rest of them finally pick their utensils up and start eating like what was instructed.

     While everyone is quietly eating, Krimson stares at his plate and suddenly twitches. Without looking at them, he mutters, “I know, okay, so shut up. I’m handling it.”

     Marcelino, Laurence, Adeline, and Giovanni look back at him. It was obvious that they weren’t the ones he was talking to, but they couldn’t help but look.

     “We’re just going to that part, so stop talking,” Krimson adds before lifting his head up, practically making Adeline and the others flinch with just a single look.

     “Well, now that we’re all gathered together, I just want to say thank you for having us here in this manor,” Krimson tells them out of nowhere, leaving everyone speechless, even Giovanni. “The place is amazing, and the food is exquisite. Tomorrow is very pleased.”

     The others couldn’t say a single thing after hearing what Krimson had to say. But as they remain silent, Giovanni takes the table napkin and uses it to wipe his mouth, removing the stain and the blood from his lips. After that, he looks at Krimson and asks him, “There is something you need, isn’t there?”

     “Need? Oh, heaven’s no. I don’t need anything,” Krimson immediately answers before grabbing a piece of meat and putting it on his plate. “But if you insist, there is something that I want.”

     “What is it?” Giovanni quickly asks back, not even thinking about what sort of request it may be.

     Krimson smirks and elegantly slices the meat with his knife before putting it in his mouth. He closes his eyes and savors the flavor before opening them back and looking at the doctor. “You want me to help you with the plague, is that correct?” Krimson asks, looking at Giovanni, who is nodding his head like a trained dog.

    Krimson licks the juice from the meat off his lips and reveals to him, “I will help you create the plague that will envelop Capo di Monte, but in exchange…Dr. Giovanni will inject the same poison in himself and be subjected to the horrors that it will bring.”

     The moment Krimson reveals his terms, Adeline ends up dropping her fork in shock. Lino was surprised too, while Laurence, who was chewing on his food, tried to hold his laughter in but failed miserably as he spilled the food in his mouth so he could start laughing. The priest’s loud laughter was made to mock the doctor. Laurence found the request beautifully ironic. What the doctor craved to have was the very thing that would end up killing him too.

     Giovanni was left speechless, but he didn’t show it. It was a request that didn’t entirely scare him, but it was a request that he was not expecting to hear from someone like Krimson.

     Was he going to be backing out from this? Of course not. He came this far, killed people, and tortured his own horsemen just to be able to acquire this plague. Being poisoned isn’t going to be enough to stop him from achieving what he intends to achieve.

     “Is that all?” Giovanni finally asks.

     “No, doctor Giovanni—” Adeline quickly interrupts, but Giovanni stops her as he looks back at Krimson with no hint of fear or hesitation. If he wants him to die after plaguing the town his father loved, then it is an honorable death he will gladly take.

     “There is nothing else for now,” Krimson answers, grabbing a bite of the meat on his plate for the second time.

     “Then consider it done. Just do not back away from your words, and I will not back away from mine,” Giovanni tells him, and Krimson, who isn’t even looking at him anymore, slices another piece of meat on his plate before grinning from ear to ear.

     “ Excellent .“

     Adeline looked at the doctor with disbelief, while the other two didn’t say anything anymore and just continued eating their lunch. Everyone was dead silent. The meal practically looked unappealing now, thanks to earlier’s conversation, but the growling of their stomachs didn’t stop them from eventually eating again.

     Adeline couldn’t help but steal glances at Krimson the entire time, while Lino found the entire situation strange. Father Laurence, on the other hand, who has surprisingly kept his composure calm the entire day, looks at Krimson and asks him, “So you’re Krimson? You’re the alter who appeared after Tomorrow?”

     Krimson, who was busy with his food, doesn’t even look at Laurence as he answers, “After Tomorrow? No. I appeared before him. Tomorrow came after, and then cute little Alice, and then the old hag, and finally, my sweet…sweet Bishop.”

     “Bishop came last?” Laurence replies, confusing not only him but Lino and Adeline as well. They always thought that Bishop would be the earliest alter, so having Bishop as the last to appear surprised them.

     “Bishop is weak. He was created to keep me and Tomorrow from appearing, but he failed. And when an alter could not fulfill his purpose…well…” Krimson ends his sentence there and just takes another bite of his food.

     “Have you always watched everything whenever Bishop is out?” This time, it was a question that came from the soldier, Marcelino.

     “Why yes, I have seen them. I have seen the warmth in his eyes whenever he’s with the gardener and the butler. As well as his fondest to little Adie,” Krimson answers, making Adeline gulp. He then looks at Giovanni and continues, “I have seen the new expressions he made whenever he’s with that cop…and I can feel his burning hatred as he gazes upon the doctor.”

     “Do not bring this to—”

     “Have you enjoyed it, Dr. Giovanni? Experimenting on him? Did you like how he fell to your knees with your sweet words and venomous touch? Did it feel good when you manipulated him into thinking he was someone special? How about when you shoved yourself inside him? Did you like that too? Or was that also an experiment?”

    “Enough,” someone quickly says, and surprisingly, it was not Giovanni but Lino. “Adeline is still here. Do not utter such nonsense in this table.”

     “Oh, my apologies, Mr. Marcelino. I didn’t know you still cared about her. But do not be fooled by her age. She knows more than anyone at this table. It’s actually quite sad,” Krimson says with a sarcastic pout, and that alone finally made Adeline drop her utensils so she could leave the room.

     “Darling! Come back!” Krimson jokingly shouts as Adeline runs out of the door. The moment she was gone, Krimson ended up laughing before grabbing his glass to take a drink. “Anyway, you haven’t answered my question yet, Giovanni. How did Bishop make you feel?”

     “I am not obliged to answer that,” Giovanni quickly replies.

     “But you are! Have you forgotten? In this deal, you are on the losing end. You hate others asking you too many questions, correct? Then answer instead,” Krimson says as he leans closer to him.

     “Is it that hard to admit that a heartless doctor like yourself enjoyed monopolizing people so that you could actually feel something in that useless body of yours? Wasted your time plotting for an act of revenge? Ha! Don’t make me laugh, Vincenzo. You became a good son to the Romanos because that’s all you could do. You had no choice because, inside you, there is still that weak young boy who helplessly saw how his mother was killed. Do not act like you have all the cards in this game because the moment you decided to bring us here, you already lost.”

     The already quiet dining room becomes even quieter as Giovanni looks at Krimson. And for the first time, his expression faltered. He knew Krimson was going to be hard to control, but he wasn’t able to prepare himself in time to face the alter’s true nature.

     Bishop has always been different from his other alters. He was easy to manipulate because he saw hope in people. As hard as he may seem to appear, Bishop hoped for change and still tried to find the innocence of things. But Krimson was different. He didn’t care about the world and its cruelty because he became the very definition of cruelty.

     He is the alter created by the trauma of the past.

     And someone who is created by trauma fears nothing.

     Krimson laughs at the reaction, but right after, he grabs his bread knife and stares at it with a grin that shows he has something wicked planned in his head.

     “Well, I have to give him credit for hanging on for so long. I think Bishop deserves something special after everything you’ve done to him, don’t you agree?” Krimson asks before dropping the knife on the floor. Without even looking at Giovanni, he tells him, “Doctor…can you go under the table and pick that up for me?”

     Lino and Laurence were dumbfounded by the request and knew exactly where this was going.

     Giovani looked at Krimson, and they could all see that he was clenching his fork in anger. They thought that he would even ignore him, but to their surprise, Giovanni dropped his utensils and wiped his mouth with the napkin. He then stands from his seat and looks at Krimson for one last time before going under the table to pick up the knife, but as soon as he gets down on his knees, he is welcomed by an unpleasant sight.

    Krimson unzipped his pants and pulled his cock out. He grabs his soft member and strokes it. Nothing happened for a while, and the only thing you could hear was the sound that the clock made. A whole minute almost passed, but soon after, a hot tongue eventually touched Krimson’s dick.

     Giovanni hesitantly licks him, the smell making him gag as Krimson has been locked in that dark room for days and has not cleaned himself in a while. But once again, it was the irony of it all as he has done the exact same thing to Bishop in the past.

    While Giovanni was licking him, Krimson grabbed a handful of his hair and forced himself inside his mouth, almost making the doctor choke. The strange sound starts to be heard from under the table, so Marcelino angrily throws his table napkin and gets ready to stand. Despite his anger for their previous master, he didn’t want any part of this disgusting act, but as soon as he got up, Krimson shot him a look and said, “Finish your food before you leave. It is very disrespectful to those who prepared it.”

     Marcelino stops in an instant, suddenly remembering how Bishop would always make him finish his food. When he remembered it, a tear fell from his eyes, and all Lino could do and head back to his seat and finish his food, ignoring whatever was happening under the table.

    Laurence closes his eyes and tries not to peek under the table as Krimson is sitting right beside him. But even though he didn’t see him, he could still feel the motion in his leg, and the thought of it immediately made him grab the wine bottle on the side so he could chug it down.

     Krimson lets go of Giovanni’s hair as Giovanni starts bobbing his head. While the alter continues eating his food, Giovanni pushes himself deeper, his tongue sliding against the rough skin.

     He pushes himself and then gently pulls out, continuing that motion for a few more seconds despite the tears that were already forming in his eyes. He wanted to pull out, but he knew what would happen if he did, so all he wanted was for Krimson to release his load so he could finally move away.

     “The risotto tastes extremely exquisite, don’t you agree?” Krimson suddenly asks, but neither Lino nor Laurence can even look at him. “Whoever made this knows what they’re doing. Good food should always be complimented, after all. That’s what my father said,” Krimson adds, still eating his meal while Giovanni sucked him off, saliva now oozing out of the side of his mouth as he did so.

     Lino and Laurence eventually finished their food. Krimson, who also ate the last bite of his meat, puts his fork down with a wide and satisfied smile on his face. Soon after, he snakes his hand under the table again to grab a fistful of Giovanni’s hair for the second time. He then pushes himself deeper until his tip reaches the doctor’s throat.

    Krimson lifted his head to look at the ceiling and closed his eyes in pleasure. His body trembles, and then he finally releases the load inside Giovanni’s mouth. When he lets go of him, Giovanni immediately pulls away and starts coughing the white liquid out. Krimson, on the other hand, sighs in relief and looks back at Marcelino and Laurence.

     “The dessert was also very good,” he says before licking his lips.

    Giovanni finally stands from the floor, his eyes watery after what had happened. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and then slams the bread knife on the table. “Here’s your knife,” he then tells Krimson.

     “Thank you,” Krimson replies as he zips his pants back.

    Lino could no longer take it, so he stood from his seat and walked towards the exit. When he opened the door, the nurses were about to grab him, but Giovanni stopped them and said, “Leave him.”

     The nurses were surprised, but they moved away eventually so Marcelino could finally head back to his room. Laurence also stood from his seat. He looks at Krimson for one last time, and when he realizes that Bishop is no longer there, he clenches his fist and walks out of the room as well.

     “Is there anything else that you need?” Giovanni then asks, looking at Krimson with anger present in his eyes.

     When Krimson sees that look, he smiles and stands from his seat in satisfaction. “There is nothing else. Thank you for the meal, master Claudio,” Krimson then says before giving out a mocking bow.

    Giovanni continued to stare at him, but before he could do anything, Krimson had already walked out of the door. The nurses were too afraid of him, so when he got to the door, they immediately moved away from him. They were all worried that they let him out with no chains or binds, but they also knew that it was already too late to hold him off.

     Krimson’s laughter echoes as he starts skipping down the hallway, dragging his nails on the walls as he makes his way to the room that was once designated for Bishop. He enters the room with a grin on his face, but as soon as he closes the door, his expression changes in an instant.

     Tomorrow, who has now taken over, runs to the mirror and suddenly punches it with his bare fist. “Krimson! Why did you do that?! Winter will be very mad at me. We’re not supposed to touch the doctor!” He shouts, blood now oozing out of his knuckles.

    “ Oh, shut up. Just be glad I didn’t stab him with the knife. “

     Tomorrow pouts at the response, but when he sees the reflection in the cracked mirror, he sighs and wipes the blood on his knuckle, staining his shirt. 

     Soon after, he rushes to the bathroom to finally wash himself down. He closes his eyes and tries to listen to the noise, but nothing is heard. Everything was quiet, and the silence made Tomorrow hold onto his chest.

    The water from the shower runs down his skin as he opens his eyes back. He stares at the bruises on his body. He then stares at the wounds on his wrist and is about to scratch it, but Krimson stops him before he can do anything.

     When Tomorrow finally finished bathing himself, he headed back to the bedroom naked and soaking wet. But as he walks towards the bed, he suddenly spots a black box now placed on top of it. It was a box that had a red ribbon on it, and on the box was an engraved symbol of a white horse. Tomorrow approaches it and pulls the ribbon off before opening the box.

     Inside the box was a familiar suit. It was similar to the uniform that Bishop usually wears, but it had details on it that made Tomorrow realize that it was brand new. There was also a horse logo on the chest area. And on top of the suit was a card, and the writing on the card read:

     Let the town burn as they stare at your beauty.

• Ms. Sunny.

     Tomorrow grabs the suit and stares at it. He uses the bed covers to dry himself up. Afterward, he wears the suit, the gloves, and the shoes with no worries. When he looked down at the box, he saw that there was another item below.

     It was an eye cover similar to the ones horses wear.

     Tomorrow stares at the item and eventually puts it on. As soon as he tightens the buckles, his eyes closed, and the smell of blood engulfs the room in an instant.

     Krimson, who was once again in control, looks down at the suit and smirks. He adjusts his cuffs and necktie and walks toward the cracked mirror. He licks his lips and removes two buttons to expose his collarbone and chest. When he was already satisfied, he stepped out of the room and walked down the stairs.

    When he arrived at the lobby, he spotted three figures lined up together. He fixes his necktie again and joins them, walking between them to stand in the middle. He looks at Laurence, whose eyes are practically dead, and then at Lino, whose face is entirely covered. But despite not being seen, Krimson could feel the anger oozing out of him, and that alone made him grin. While Adeline was once again expressionless, but this time, there was fire burning in her eyes.

     All of them are now wearing their new uniforms, hiding beneath them like a shield. They were all in pain, confused, but no doubt angry, and that anger was the only thing keeping them from holding on for one last time.

     Giovanni wants to watch this town burn? Then let it burn.

     “Four horsemen,” a voice suddenly calls out, making everyone turn their heads.

     As they stood there, Giovanni de Vincenzo finally walked down the stairs as well. He walked towards the four and stopped in front of them.

     “Master Giovanni,” Krimson greets back, holding his chest and slowly bowing his head. Adeline does the same as well, and then Laurence and Marcelino follow.

     Giovanni stares at them one by one and says nothing before putting on his plague doctor’s mask. After adjusting it, he looks back at them again and releases a breath.

    “Alright. Let us begin…the final plague.”

to be continued…

(57) Preparations

⚕︎

KRIMSON WAS AT THE laboratory with a couple of nurses. He was mixing up a bunch of chemicals that he requested a week ago, and despite his attitude a while back, Krimson was a lot more serious now. It seems like when it comes to things like this, he really knows what he’s doing.

     “You’re all watching very carefully. You think I’m making a fake one?” Krimson teases in a language that the nurses understand, surprising them.

     “I heard from the doctor that you’re refugees of the war. It seems like we’re similar in that aspect but not entirely the same. The war we fled away from was very different from yours,” Krimson says, turning to look at the nurses again, almost making them flinch.

     When the alter sees their reaction, he laughs and adjusts his safety goggles before looking back at the greenish liquid he was concocting. “But nonetheless, after all this is over, we’re all back to being just refugees. It’s funny, isn’t it? One day you’re plaguing a town and killing everyone, and the next, you’re living your life as if you didn’t just commit genocide. Very funny indeed.”

     The nurses look at each other, obviously uncomfortable with the words Krimson uttered. But before any of them could even say anything against it, the door to the lab suddenly opens, revealing the master of the manor, Dr. Giovanni.

     Giovanni, who’s wearing the right safety gear like everyone else, approaches Krimson to see what he’s doing. He’s letting Krimson make the plague all by himself, but the reason isn’t that he trusts him. Krimson might end up screwing him over and make a completely different poison. That’s why he’s asking the nurses to watch over him and take note of everything he does so Giovanni can check it later.

    “How many have you already made?” Giovanni asks, grabbing a flask to get a better look at the liquid.

     “That’s sample number 8. I only assisted Dr. Steward, so I don’t entirely know the exact measurements of everything. But I’m getting closer to it,” Krimson explains, making Giovanni sigh.

     “You seem to be in a terrible mood, Dr. Giovanni. Shall I give you my warm and sweet comfort like last time?“Krimson sarcastically asks, making Giovanni cross his arms in irritation. If it’s about comfort, he already had his full.

     “I’m not in a terrible mood. It’s just that we only have a week left before the town’s anniversary, and it seems like you’re still not done with the plague,” Giovanni tells him, making Krimson chuckle.

     “You’re an idiot if you think I can make this in a day. Finding the ingredients already took you a week, so don’t blame me, or I might just switch with Tomorrow and never come out,” Krimson threatens, and Giovanni doesn’t say anything about it anymore.

     “Where are the others?” Krimson then asks.

     “The others? You mean Marcelino and—”

     “Yes, the others. Where are they?”

     “Marcelino is at the greenhouse, Adeline is preparing the table in the dining room, and Laurence is in the kitchen cooking,” Giovanni answers, and in an instant, Krimson drops what he’s holding and looks at the doctor, his eyes smiling.

     “Then I’ll join them and take a quick break,” he says, and before Giovanni could even complain, Krimson was already out of the door.

     Krimson removes his gloves, his goggles, his gas mask, and then his suit before getting sprayed by the nurses outside. Soon after, he laughs and skips down the hallway to join Laurence in the kitchen.

     The moment he arrived there, the other cooks who were assisting Laurence immediately started leaving, making Laurence give out a heavy sigh.

     “Why on earth are you here again, Krimson?” Laurence asks with a tired tone, showing that they’re been in this kind of situation a couple of times now.

     “I would like to help you cook,” Krimson says, stealing the spatula from Laurence’s hand and having a quick taste of the sauce he was making. “As expected of you. This tastes exquisite as well.”

     “Krimson, we have already established that you are not a decent cook. You were asked to make poisonous gas, not poisonous food,” Laurence fires back, snatching the spatula from Krimson’s hand, making Krimson furrow his brows.

     Laurence looks at Krimson’s reaction, and then he quickly looks away, trying to hide the smile he has on his face. 

     During the first week after all the commotion, everyone went back to normal, which was, in fact, very strange. But the reason behind this was that they were just tired of fighting back, and following their master was the easiest way out.

     Another thing they discovered was that Krimson was very different from the other alters. He’s like a ticking time bomb, and at any second, he’ll just explode and start firing at everyone. But at the same time, Laurence, Lino, and even Adeline and Giovanni realize that Krimson is the alter that has the closest personality to Bishop.

     Giovanni once concluded that the reason behind this might be because Bishop was created through the image of Krimson, so they have the most similarities.

     “Why are you so insistent on helping with the cooking?” Laurence asks, and Krimson—who was already trying out the rest of the dishes—casually answers, “It’s because my parents have always been nagging about learning how to cook, but we just never got a hang of it.”

     “Your parent’s at Totten’s Landing?”

     “Totten’s Landing?” Krimson asks back before looking at Laurence. “Heaven’s no, that’s Bishop’s hometown. Have you not been listening? Tomorrow and I aren’t from here.”

     “Oh yes, I almost forgot. You’re from a totally different country,” Laurence says, trying to make Krimson share more about his backstory because he has always been trying to dodge them.

     “That’s right. Alexandra Lancaster, the woman who acted as Bishop and Winter’s mother, took us to this country and tried hiding us,” Krimson explains, and Laurence stops whatever he was stirring in the pot to look at Krimson.

     Adeline, who was finished arranging the table, enters the kitchen to grab a quick snack, but when she sees Krimson, she immediately stops.

     “What are you cooking this time, shitty priest?” Marcelino—who was also finished with his gardener duties—enters the kitchen as well. But when the two of them entered, Laurence quickly looked at them and shushed them, making them both look back at Krimson, who was now staring at the dishes on the table.

     “Alexandra was a sickeningly kind woman, but her efforts were not enough. My real father, Lincoln Hollow…he was the real deal. He’d hit us if we picked the wrong utensils on the table. He’d also starve us for days if we wore the wrong suit for a certain party. He basically just didn’t want us to embarrass him.”

     “Was he some kind of nobleman?” Laurence asked while Adeline and Marcelino listened at the back.

     “Nobleman?” Krimson asked back before laughing at himself. “My father was everything but noble. He led people to believe that they will achieve eternal life if they practice one thing.”

     “What one thing?”

     Everyone was quiet as Krimson slowly turned around to face Laurence and the others. He grinned at them, and the look on his face made them gulp in terror. But before he could even say anything, a bell was suddenly heard.

     Five rings.

     Krimson stops and looks around as Marcelino massages his temple. “Five bells. That’s me.”

     Everyone doesn’t say anything as Marcelino walks out of the kitchen. As soon as he was gone, Krimson took a deep breath and returned his almost blank expression.

     “Well, I guess that’s all for now. If you don’t need my help, then I’ll just head back,” Krimson says as he walks towards Adeline this time. “How about you, little Addie? Do you need some of my help?”

     Adeline quickly moves back and shakes her head to decline the offer, so Krimson just shrugs his shoulder and finally heads back to the laboratory.

     Laurence checks if Krimson’s already gone, and when he is, the cook looks at Adeline and asks her, “You. Winter once talked to you, right? Did he tell you anything? About their past?”

     “No, he wasn’t—”

     “Don’t even lie to me, you piece of shit.”

     Adeline is startled by how Laurence addressed her, so she gulps and finally answers him, “Winter once told me that the exact moment when everything fell apart was during his sister’s 10th birthday.”

     “His sister? You mean the girl named Mathilda?”

     “It seems like the two of them…they were twins,” Adeline reveals, surprising Laurence. This was, in fact, a piece of information that should be very useful to him, but at the same time, Laurence still couldn’t put things together.

     According to everything they’ve learned so far, Winter is the host who basically didn’t grow up. He’s the original, if that makes any sense.

     Something traumatic happened in their past, so Krimson was created, and then Tomorrow. After that, Alexandra Lancaster—a woman who has no connection to the story yet—took him away and brought him to Totten’s Landing, where Alice, Autumn, and Bishop were born.

     Alexandra and her husband took care of Bishop and treated him like their son, but the townspeople called him a demon child and made their lives miserable simply because of his eyes. So to protect him, Alexandra’s husband threatened those who would hurt his family, but they still had to hide Bishop away, which only made things worse for him.

     When his papa, or his adopted father, didn’t return from war, the townspeople in Totten’s Landing burned their house down because they thought Bishop would end up bringing them misfortune. So after that incident, Alexandra finally brought Winter and his alters to Hope Garden Asylum, where he met Dr. Steward, the doctor who ended up molesting him.

     Winter eventually asked Tomorrow to kill the doctor, and after that incident, the hospital called for Alexandra and asked her to take him again because they could no longer take care of him.

     Alexandra had no choice but to take him back, but without a home, she did not know where else to hide him. Fortunately, during their time of struggle, a letter was sent to her. And that letter came from Dr. Giovanni. Thus the beginning of Bishop’s life in the Hell House.

     But before Totten’s Landing and before Dr. Steward, what was his story? What happened to Winter that led to the birth of Krimson and Tomorrow?

     How tragic was their past that Winter had to create those alters in order to survive?

…

“A week from now, the Capo di Monte’s annual anniversary will be held at the town square. Everyone, and I mean everyone, will be there to celebrate it,” Giovanni states as he and the rest of his direct employees are eating dinner.

     “What a shitty reason to celebrate something,” Krimson comments while cutting his steak. “Who would want to celebrate because of how old their town is? That’s so strange.”

     “ You’re the strange one here, “ Marcelino whispers to himself, but Krimson overhears him and just looks at the gardener before taking a bite of his meat.

    “Anyway, during that time, we will make our appearance on the stage where the mayor will give his speech. And at that moment, we’re going to release the gas,” Giovanni explains further, and this time, Krimson ends up laughing.

     Giovanni finally got tired of his attitude, so he angrily put his fork down and looked at Krimson with irritation. “If you’re going to comment on everything I say, I suggest you leave instead.”

     “Oh, come on, lighten up, doctor. We’re killing the people who have nothing to do with the death of your deceased mother. We should celebrate!” Krimson exclaims before lifting his glass up. When no one followed him, he rolled his eyes and finished his wine himself.

     “ Killjoy. “

     “Are you trying to make me feel guilty about this so we wouldn’t push through? It seems like you’re kinder than I thought,” Giovanni tells him, making Krimson laugh even more.

     “Guilt? You’re already in it too deep to even feel the slightest guilt so there’s no reason for me to even try it,” Krimson replies, and Laurence and Lino look at each other before looking back at Krimson because he surprisingly did not deny the ’ you’re kinder ’ statement.

     Giovanni stares at him, but then he just sighs and continues eating again. “As I was saying, we’ll make our appearance during their ceremony itself. I heard that they’re doubling the security, so we all have to be cautious. As for that chief, Mateo…” Giovanni pauses and looks at Krimson again.

     “Let’s not be distracted,” Giovanni reminds him, and this time, Krimson ignores the doctor. But as he tries to ignore the statement, an image suddenly appears in front of Krimson right after hearing the police officer’s name, making Krimson drop his knife all of a sudden.

    Lino and the others got startled by the sound of the knife hitting the plate, but before any of them could even say anything, Krimson immediately wiped his mouth with a table napkin and stood from his seat.

     “Excuse me,” he says, leaving the dining room in a hurry.

     As he walks down the hallway, the image continues to flash before him. It was an image of a familiar man who was giving him the sweetest smile.

     “ Amore Mio.

.. “

     “No. Do not appear.”

     “ I will wait for you at the place we promised. As long as it takes, I will wait for you there.“

     Krimson slaps himself and then starts hitting his head on the wall in hopes for the image to disappear, but it just wouldn’t. So as images continued to play in his head, Krimson slapped himself again, but harder this time. The slap almost made his cheeks bleed, but it thankfully made the images and the voices stop appearing.

     Krimson breathes heavily as he leans on the wall. “You damn Bishop…so you’re still in there. You’re still alive,” Krimson tells himself before wiping the blood that was now streaming down his nose. “Alice was definitely right about you. But I’m not gonna let you come back. This is my body now, Bishop. You had your chance. If you want it, then go ahead and take it. I dare you.”

     Krimson approached the painting in front of him and stared at his reflection in the glass before giving it a punch, making the glass shatter in an instant. 

     As his knuckles bled, Krimson made his way to the laboratory again to occupy himself with other important things.

     Nurses who were guarding the door bowed their heads to him. And before Krimson could make his way to the lab, one of them said, “Your test subject is inside.”

     Krimson furrows his brows, but instead of asking about it further, he makes his way inside so he can see it for himself. As the nurses said, there was a patient right in front of him, lying on the metal bed.

     “Oh, how convenient,” he says as he approaches her.

     The patient was a woman in her twenties. She looked sick and was in terrible condition. But she was still breathing.

     Krimson walks towards the table to grab a sample of the poison he’s been making and puts it in a syringe. If this is the right formula, the patient would be dead within seconds. If it’s a fail, then he’ll just have to try again. And maybe even grab a bucket in case she starts vomiting.

     “Let’s try this out,” Krimson says as she approaches the patient. He grabbed her arm and got ready to inject it into her, but as the needle was just millimeters away from her skin, the woman suddenly called out to him.

      “ Nana, “ she weakly whispers, making Krimson stop in an instant.

     “What did you say?” He asks her, but the patient no longer says anything.

     Krimson brushed it off and got ready to inject her with the poison again, but when he was about to do it, something inside him suddenly made him stop.

    Krimson curses as he pulls away. He walks towards the table again and slams the syringe down before massaging his temple in frustration.

     He was aware…

     He was aware that despite everything he’s shown, there was a very specific reason why he and Tomorrow rarely came out compared to Bishop and the others.

     The reason behind this is that they’re the weakest.

     They hold the most trauma among everyone in their system, so having them out for a long time only brings more bad than good. Krimson knows this. Tomorrow knows this. And even Alice and the others know this.

     So despite trying everything he can to stay, he knows well that he won’t be able to hold on long enough. Bishop and the others will definitely be able to take control again.

     “ I don’t have much time… “ Krimson whispers to himself before grabbing an empty syringe. He mixes a few chemicals and puts them inside the syringe before walking back to where the female patient is.

     Krimson stares at the patient, and as soon as she sees his face, she ends up giving him a weak smile. “ Nana… “ She says again.

     Krimson doesn’t say anything and just continues to stare at her. But after a while, he leans close and suddenly gives the patient a gentle kiss on her forehead.

     “ Goodnight, Wednesday, “ he whispers to her before finally injecting the liquid into her arm.

    Wednesday was too numb to even feel it, but as Krimson looked back at her face, Wednesday continued to give him a weak smile, and then she slowly reached out so her cold hand could touch Krimson’s bruised cheek. Seconds later, she whispers to him, “ Autumn has a-always been…my favorite s-season. “

     A tear streamed down Krimson’s cheek as Wednesday’s eyes slowly close, experiencing the most peaceful death anyone in this manor will ever be able to experience.

to be continued…

(58) Choices

⚕︎

“ IN THE NAME OF the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Amen,“ father Laurence prays before closing the bible that he was holding. He turned around to look at the people standing behind him, but he stopped and stared at a man who was staring at dirt being dumped inside the hole where a dead body could be found.

     Krimson, who had his face blank the entire time, has said nothing since the death of patient 01: Wednesday.

     Wednesday died last week, and they were only able to bury her today because Krimson wasn’t letting them touch her. But after a couple of days, when they finally took her, Marcelino and the others were surprised to see that Wednesday looked better. Compared to the other patients who have died, Wednesday looked the most alive. It was unsettling and sad at the same time, but they could say anything about it because they were afraid that Krimson would start throwing a fit again and start biting people like a madman.

     Everyone waited as the hole was completely covered. When the nurses all went back to the manor, Laurence grabbed the wooden cross on the floor and stabbed it into the soil. Afterward, he stepped back and joined Marcelino, Adeline, Giovanni, and Krimson, staring at the number of graves that were now in front of them.

     “That was the last patient,” Marcelino says in a soft tone. There was something about the way he said it that felt regretful. Despite not showing it, Marcelino felt something about those patients. Whether it was sadness or pity, having them buried six feet deep altered something inside him that would never be the same again.

     “It’s over. This was the last one,” Laurence then adds.

     Adeline, who has been holding onto an oil lamp, looks up at the sky and stares at the moon before letting a tear fall. Wednesday reminded Adeline of her mother, Valentina. Valentina was a beautiful woman but was eventually destroyed by his own father.

     Adeline was the sick product of that destruction, and when she was about nine years old, his grandfather started molesting her too. If Dr. Giovanni didn’t find her, if he didn’t take her away and brought her here, would she be the one buried six feet underneath now?

     “ I’m sorry, “ Adeline suddenly whispers, making Marcelino and the others turn their heads to her.

     Adeline looks away from the moon and looks at the men standing beside her. As the tears stream down her face, she tells them, “I’m sorry…for being born.”

     The moment Adeline says those words, Marcelino grabs the little girl and gives her a tight embrace. The anger he had for her had disappeared in an instant. Marcelino was reminded that Adeline was just a little girl who had experienced things too early. She experienced things that a child shouldn’t have experienced at all.

     “It’s okay,” Marcelino comforts, holding onto Adeline as she starts sobbing loudly.

     Laurence takes a deep breath and reaches out to pat Adeline’s head. “You’re still a little brat, but you’re just a kid. We’re not cruel enough to hate on a kid, so stop crying,” Laurence then says.

     While the three of them were making amends with each other, Krimson continued to stare at the graves in front of him. These graves contained people they interacted with. They were people who committed crimes that were born from hatred and anger. They were people just like them, but there they were now, in a completely different position than Krimson and the others were in.

    “Come with me, Dr. Giovanni,” Krimson suddenly says, finally making Adeline and the others stop to look at them.

     Giovanni, who has been quiet since earlier, doesn’t say anything and just nods his head. But before he could even follow Krimson, Adeline suddenly grabbed his hand to stop him.

     “Master…no…” Adeline begs, holding onto Giovanni’s hand tight, almost as if she knew exactly what Krimson was planning. She wanted to stop him from leaving, but she knew well that holding onto him wouldn’t be enough at all.

     So Giovanni smiles at the little one and then pats her head before pulling his hand away and following Krimson.

     Adeline tries to follow him, but Marcelino and Laurence grab onto her, stopping her from following the doctor who is getting ready to face his final fate.

…

“Hop in,” Krimson says with a playful grin while holding the car door open for Giovanni.

     Giovanni stares at the car with an expressionless face before looking back at Krimson. “And where on earth are you bringing me at this hour? If you’re planning to murder me at the forest, I’d rather walk.”

     Krimson laughs but doesn’t reply to what the doctor said, so Giovanni has no other choice but to sigh and head inside the car, sitting on the passenger seat as Krimson shut the door for him like the proper butler that he is.

     After grabbing the car keys from Marcelino earlier, Krimson headed inside the car as well and sat in the driver’s seat. He adjusted the rearview mirror and then glanced back at Giovanni. “Sit tight,” he says to him before turning the engine on and driving away.

     Giovanni wasn’t sure where Krimson would bring him. In fact, he wouldn’t even be surprised if Krimson decided to crash the car and kill both of them. But as Krimson continues driving away from the manor, Giovanni notices the route. He furrows his brows in confusion, unsure of what Krimson is planning to do. But when Krimson made a turn on a familiar street, he finally realized where they were going. Giovanni just couldn’t help but be surprised that Krimson remembers all this despite being hidden away by Bishop.

     Now knowing where the alter is bringing him, Giovanni takes a deep breath and leans his head on his seat before looking out of the window. “The night is cold,” he says before closing his eyes. “Just like last time.”

     Krimson glances at the doctor but remains silent until they finally arrive at their destination. 

     Krimson steps out of the car first and opens the door for Giovanni. Giovanni opens his eyes and looks at Krimson before stepping out of the car as well. He takes a deep breath and then turns around to face the white mansion where his deceased parents once resided.

     “Why did you bring me here?” Giovanni asks.

    “You told Bishop that when you’re both here, your relationship is more than master and butler, correct? Then let us talk here as equals. There is something I wish to tell you,” Krimson explains, heading towards the mansion first and opening the door.

     Giovanni continues to stare at the mansion, not moving a single inch. Tomorrow was the town’s anniversary, which also marks his mother’s death anniversary. In this house, where he was forced to live by the Romanos, was where his mother was defiled and killed. Giovanni purposely avoids this place whenever the town’s anniversary comes, so Krimson forcing him to come here is torture enough.

     “Come now,” Krimson calls out as he enters the mansion, making Giovanni sigh and follow behind him.

     Like the first time Bishop came here, the mansion was empty and quiet. Krimson walks further inside, and then he turns around and asks him, “In the kitchen, that’s where you fucked Bishop, correct?”

      “Why did you bring me here?” Giovanni asks instead, making Krimson grin.

     “Well, as this may be the last time where we can properly talk, I wanted to bring you to the place that started it all. I feel as though it would be very symbolic, don’t you agree?” Krimson says before turning back to look at the doctor. “Now, where did they kill your mother?” He then asks.

     Giovanni clenches his fist and tries his best not to slap Krimson for asking such a question. But instead of doing such a thing, Giovanni takes another deep breath and walks towards a hallway that leads to a double door.

     Krimson was following behind him as Giovanni grabs the doorknob. He takes one last heavy breath before finally opening the door. He enters the room first, and then Krimson. Krimson was expecting to see a small clinic like what Giovanni described in his story, but when they got there, the room was completely empty.

     “William, my step-father, took all the items here to hide the evidence of their crime,” Giovanni explains as if he was able to read what Krimson was thinking.

     Krimson looks around the room in silence before looking back at Giovanni.

     “It’s strange how places like these remain while the people involved in it don’t,” Krimson explains as he walks towards the large window in the room that was covered with thick red curtains. When Krimson pulled the curtain, he was surprised to see that it was not a window at all, but a painting.

     It was a painting of Capo di Monte, similar to what Adeline drew at the manor.

     “My father bought that from a local painter in town. I placed it here as a reminder that my mother died because of his foolish love for what killed her,” Giovanni explains, showing little to no emotions—emotions that Krimson was able to see through.

     While staring at the painting, Krimson says, “You say you want to destroy the town because it’s something that your father loved. But let me ask you a question, Giovanni de Vincenzo. Do you not love anything?”

     “I am not capable of such a useless feeling,” Giovanni answers with no hint of hesitation, making Krimson chuckle.

     “You know that’s a lie, don’t you?” Krimson asks, turning away from the painting to look back at Giovanni. “You say you are not capable, yet here we are. You didn’t abandon the manor you grew up in. You didn’t abandon the people your grandfather took as refugees. And you even took us in, giving us certain roles as if mimicking the past.”

     “What are you implying?” Giovanni asks back, now clenching his fist because he wasn’t pleased at where this conversation was going.

     “You say you hate your father, but the only reason you hate him is because you know that you are similar in more ways than one. Because like him…you love this town too. And it pains you that the town you love had betrayed you like this,” Krimson reveals, leaving the doctor dumbfounded.

     “Are you saying these rediculous claims in hopes that I will back out from this plague?” Giovanni then asks, and this time, Krimson didn’t laugh. He had this serious expression on him; an expression that was almost unrecognizable.

     “No, but I am giving you a choice,” Krimson explains, making Giovanni furrow his brows in confusion.

    “You see Giovanni, in the past, we were given a choice too…” Krimson says as he turns away from him so he could look back at the painting again. “On Winter’s tenth birthday, he was shown three items to choose from. A goblet, a knife, and a ring. I believe you’re already familiar with this story, but I’ll still share it with you,” Krimson says, looking down at his hands this time.

     “Winter didn’t know what they meant, so he chose the prettiest one, which was the golden goblet. And that choice…it was the worse choice he could ever choose,” Krimson explains, his eyes starting to water as memories start flashing in front of him.

     “You see, Winter had a sister. They were twins, and in their family, twins were bad luck. But Winter was different. His unique eyes saved his life and people made him into a god. The items presented to him…were items that would determine his sister’s fate. The ring was to marry her off, the knife was to kill her, and the goblet…” Krimson immediately pauses, closing his eyes and trying not to lose focus.

     When he opened his eyes back, a tear streamed down his cheek, making him chuckle.

     “I grew up in a cult,” Krimson finally reveals before turning back to Giovanni who was surprised to hear the sudden confession.

    “His parents believed that we would regain immortality through cannibalism. Winter was forced to eat people he used to talk to. People he would play with. And even people who took care of him. His father forced the meat in his mouth every day, and because of it, I was created. Krimson, the alter who willingly participated in the act so that Winter doesn’t have to be subjected to it again,” Krimson explains, his hands now trembling as the memory becomes clear to him.

     “I chewed, I tasted, and I swallowed. It was I who did it all so that Winter wouldn’t have to. But on his tenth birthday, this boy…this foolish boy…he chose the goblet. Out of everything that was presented to him, he fucking chose the goblet.”

     Krimson starts hitting his chest as more tears pour out of his eyes.

     “We ate her…” Krimson finally confesses, the memories vivid as it has been playing in his head every night.

     “ Finish that food on your plate, and then open your presents right after. “

     “ Mommy, where’s Mathilda? “

     “Who?”

     “Mathilda. Where is she?”

     “Oh, don’t worry. She’s right here, son.”

     “What?”

     “She’s right here.”

     Krimson stares at his hands and drops to the floor, kneeling in front of Giovanni as his tears fall to the ground. “That’s when Tomorrow was born, and everything just fell apart. A couple of months after that incident, their mansion was raided by the townspeople, who found out about the sinister act. They wanted to kill Winter as he was the next leader of the cult, but Alexandra Lancaster, one of the maids, took him, and they both ran away.”

     “And that’s how you got here…” Giovanni says, finally understanding the entire story. He knew some parts of it because it was disclosed back at the Hope Garden Asylum, but he didn’t know the entire detail of such a sinister event.

     Krimson takes a deep breath and wipes the tears from his eyes before standing back up. He walks closer to Giovanni and then holds onto his face, staring at him with desperation. “We have made mistakes in the past, mistakes that we will never be able to fix. But you…you can still have a choice,” he says as he slowly reaches out for something inside the pockets of his coat.

     “You say you are not capable. Then let us see if there really is no love left in you at all,” Krimson continues, leaning close and suddenly pressing his lips on the doctor’s.

    Giovanni was surprised, but he didn’t push Krimson away. Krimson kisses him, tasting him for one last time as a farewell gift. But as he was about to pull away, Giovanni suddenly felt something sharp pierce his arm, immediately making him push the alter away.

     Giovanni looks at his arm, and then he looks back at Krimson’s hand, his eyes widening in an instant when he noticed that Krimson is actually holding an empty syringe.

     “I finished your plague, and as promised, you are the first to taste it,” Krimson explains.

     Giovanni stared at his arm again, waiting for a reaction and expecting he’d drop to the floor and die, but he didn’t. “What have you done?” He finally asks the alter.

     “You have until tomorrow before the poison inevitably kills you,” Krimson explains to him. Soon after, he pulls out another syringe from his pocket and hands it over to Giovanni. Giovanni stares at the syringe before looking back at Krimson with a confused expression.

     “Is this…”

     “It’s a cure,” Krimson reveals, surprising Giovanni even more. “There is only one of that, and if you’re planning to recreate it, it would still be too late for you.”

     Krimson reaches out to touch Giovanni’s face again. With their eyes locked together, he tells him, “There is only one cure. You may use it to save yourself, or you may hand it over to proper authorities so that they can mass produce it. I’ve written detailed instructions on how to easily make it, which will be enough to save the town.”

      “What are you talking about?”

     “Tomorrow, when the gas is released, it will spread in a large area, affecting hundreds of people. Unlike what I injected on you, I lessened the effects of the gas, so if you decide to hand them the cure, they will have more time to recreate it. But you won’t,” Krimson explains, and in an instant, Giovanni grabs him by the neck and starts strangling him.

     “So you lied to me. How dare you double-cross me, Krimson!” Giovanni angrily shouts.

     “This is…h-his last…w-wish…” Krimson struggled to say, not even trying to push the doctor off him.

     When Giovanni finally lets go of him, Krimson falls to the ground and immediately tries to catch his breath.

     “I t-tried…but my time…my time is up. Tomorrow and I…we no longer belong here. We are remnants of the broken past. We can no longer stay in a future where everyone is trying to forget. So as my parting gift to the only alter who wished to cure us, I will gamble,” Krimson says, holding onto his neck, looking straight at Giovanni with no ounce of fear.

    “I am no hero, so it is not my duty to save this town. But there is still one thing I wish to accomplish. There might never be a tomorrow for us…but I, along with Alice and the others, wish to give him a tomorrow. A tomorrow where he no longer has to be afraid.”

     “You are a fool, Krimson! You are weaker than I expected you to be.”

     “No,” Krimson quickly answers, pointing at the painting of the town that was hung in the room where Adele was killed before looking back at Giovanni. “You are the fool for wasting your family’s sacrifices for an act of revenge that contradicts everything they have done for you. I will watch it till the end, Giovanni de Vincenzo. I will watch your resolve till the very end. And I will judge if your life was even worth everything you have done.”

to be continued…

(59) The Final Plague

⚕︎

KRIMSON TAKES THE LAST piece of meat on his plate before grabbing the table napkin to gently wipe his mouth with it. He then lifts his head up and looks at Laurence, Lino, Adeline, and of course, Dr. Giovanni, who were all quietly eating their meal, their expressions almost blank.

     Tonight, they were having their last dinner together. Because in a few hours, they’ll be heading to the town square to release the final plague. Everything they’ve done was for this very moment, so seeing it come to an end has left them all in a state of emptiness.

     “My four horsemen,” Giovanni suddenly says, making all of them turn their heads to look at him.

     Giovanni has bloodshot eyes, his skin is starting to change color, and they’ve also been hearing him cough since this morning. None of the residents in the manor knows anything about what exactly happened to him except for Krimson, and looking at the state he is currently in, it seems like Giovanni hasn’t used the cure for himself yet, proving to Krimson that this choice was definitely a hard one.

     If Giovanni were really as selfish as he claims he was, he would have injected that cure into himself the moment he got a hold of it. So Giovanni having hesitations mean that there is still something in him that wishes to make things right. The question now is, how long is Giovanni willing to pretend and deny it?

     “Today is our final meal together,” Giovanni announces. “There is not much I can say to you, and I will not shame myself by giving out a half-hearted apology. But what I do want to say is that I have done what needed to be done. So after all this, you may go. I have left special gifts for you all once it’s over.”

     “So what, you want us to thank you?” Laurence then asks with a mocking tone, making Giovanni chuckle because he, too, finds a ‘thank you’ quite ridiculous, given their situation.

     “To be fair, we all had one purpose for coming here, and leaving was the main goal. I’m just glad it’s over now,” Marcelino says before chugging down his wine.

     “And I know that we’re here to plague people, but why on earth did you send guns to our room? You think the gas I made isn’t gonna work, so we’ll just start shooting them?” Krimson sarcastically asks, making Laurence sigh and massage his temple in frustration.

     “Were you not listening to anything we’ve talked about? We already went over this,” Laurence reminded Krimson, and the alter just smiled and shrugged his shoulder, making Laurence and the others sigh.

     The five of them became silent again, but after a while, Giovanni grabbed the table napkin and started coughing. When he placed the napkin back down, everyone was surprised to see blood. Without any sort of explanation, they understood what was happening to the doctor.

     He was dying.

     He was experiencing a slow and painful death.

     Adeline immediately stands from her seat and pours water into Giovanni’s glass. Giovanni thanks her and then drinks from it to ease his tightening chest.

     As the silence in the dining room consumed them, Laurence and the others suddenly started hearing loud cheers from a distance. Adeline placed the pitcher of water down and quickly ran to the window to see what was happening. Up in the sky, bright lights flashed, instantly putting an excited smile on Adeline’s face.

     “Fireworks,” she says, immediately making Krimson run to the window as well, like some sort of little kid.

     Bright flower-like images illuminate the dark sky, making Krimson start laughing. He was laughing not because he was enjoying the display but he was laughing because, in a couple of hours, those cheers and laughter would be changed into agonizing screams. The thought of it simply made him laugh.

     “The ceremony has started,” Krimson says, turning to look at Giovanni with a grin on his face. “Are you ready to release the final plague, master Giovanni?”

     Laurence, Lino, and Adeline turn their heads to look at Giovanni, who is finishing the last drop of wine in his glass. As soon as he was done with it, he wiped his mouth with the blood-stained table napkin before standing from his seat. He looks at his horsemen for one last time, and then he tells them, “Get ready, all of you. In an hour, we will let Capo di Monte know that an apocalypse will fall upon them. It is time for them to pay for their sins. And it is time for us to mercilessly collect them.”

…

“Chief! We have dispatched a couple of officers around the area as you instructed. Do you have any more orders?” An officer asked as he approached the town’s chief of police, Mateo Ricci.

    Mateo looks over the crowd before looking at the officer with a serious look on his face. “That’s all for now. I just want all of you to be alert. If anything happens, evacuate the townspeople as we planned. And don’t forget the masks we prepared in case of emergencies. Ms. Sunny graciously offered to make them for us, so ask her where she delivered them.”

     “Yes, chief,” the officer replies before running back to his post.

     Mateo looks back at the crowd before looking at his watch. While checking for the time, a kid suddenly bumps into him, making the man turn his head to face him.

     “S-sorry!” The kid nervously exclaims when he realizes who he bumped into.

     Mateo smiles and goes down on one knee to level the child, who seems to be terrified of him. He then reaches out and gently pats his head before telling him, “You should be careful next time, okay? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

     The kid was surprised, but a smile instantly appeared on his face after realizing that Mateo wasn’t as scary as he thought he was.

     “By the way, where are your parents?”

     “Emanuel!” A woman’s voice then calls out, making Mateo stand from the ground to see who it is.

     A woman wearing a very pretty dress rushes towards the boy and quickly grabs his arm. “I told you to stay close to me. What will happen if you get lost?” The woman scolds him before turning to Mateo. “My apologies, officer Ricci. My brother must have caused you trouble.”

     “No, he’s fine,” Mateo answers with a charming smile, making the woman look away to hide the shy look on her face.

     “Laura! Let’s go! The program is about to begin,” the boy then says while aggressively pulling his sister’s hand, causing Mateo to chuckle at the sight of them.

     The woman named Laura scolds her brother again, but right after, he looks back at Mateo and asks him, “Officer Ricci, would you like to join us at our stall? Our family prepared a feast for everyone. You should stop by and grab a bite.”

     “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to stay here all night to make sure nothing happens. But if I get the chance, I’ll definitely drop by,” Mateo answers.

     Laura nodded her head, and then she and her brother finally ran off to join their parents.

     As soon as they were gone, Mateo took a deep breath and leaned against a light post. He stares at the crowd with a smile. There are families who are happily celebrating their town’s anniversary, some vendors selling sweets and other snacks, and kids just playing around as music sings in the background. But as Mateo was staring at the scene unfold, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared, and all Mateo could feel was great sadness.

     While the people celebrated in a distance, Mateo pulled out his wallet and opened it, revealing a torn paper with a drawing of himself that was made by someone very important to him. He reaches out to touch the drawing, a sad expression now painted on his face as he stares at it. 

    “ Amore Mio… “ he whispers, closing his eyes to remember the short moments they had together. “ Please come back to me. “

     Mateo tried to remember the face of his beloved, but as his eyes were closed, someone suddenly grabbed his arm out of nowhere. Mateo opens his eyes, hides his wallet back, and then immediately turns around to face the person who grabbed him.

     “Whoa! Relax, it’s just me,” Ludwig Vanderbilt, a man from a famous household, immediately says when he sees the officer’s quick reaction.

     “Ludwig, you can’t just grab me like that,” Mateo tells him, making Ludwig laugh.

     “Well, you shouldn’t be closing your eyes like that when you’re on duty either,” Ludwig replied, and Mateo couldn’t say anything about it anymore.

     “But seriously though, shouldn’t you be enjoying yourself? I remember your father in the past. During events like these, he’d be in one of the stalls drowning himself in booze. You should loosen up,” Ludwig playfully says, but the serious expression on Mateo’s face made him clear his throat in awkwardness.

     “Anyway, your father Alfredo will be appearing later, right? Heard he’s going to be given some sort of award,” Ludwig explains, making Mateo put on an unimpressed expression.

     “And I also heard that William Romano will make a surprise appearance too,” Ludwig then reveals, surprising Mateo this time. “That man hasn’t been back ever since the supposed great plague, so I’m surprised he decided to show himself again. Well, I can’t blame him. William hated this town and always wanted to be in the big city.”

     “Dr. William Romano will be coming as well?” Mateo asks, and Ludwig nods his head.

     “Yeah. That’s probably why no one has seen Claudio yet. Some said he returned to the city as well. Hopefully, he’ll show himself tonight,” Ludwig then adds before patting Mateo’s shoulder. “Anyway, since you’re already here, work hard and catch some bad guys. The ceremony will be starting soon, and I have to get ready too because I’m planning to make a huge donation to the town.”

     Ludwig winks at Mateo and finally heads back to join the crowd. 

     “Dr. Romano is coming back? Why didn’t father tell me about this?” Mateo asks. He was about to report the news to the other officers since William’s appearance would definitely cause unexpected events. After all, the town considers him a hero. But just as Mateo was about to grab his walkie-talkie, the sound of a microphone suddenly echoed around the town square, making Mateo look at his watch again.

     “Looks like the ceremony is about to begin,” Mateo says before looking back at the crowd.

     Just across the waves of people are a stage that has a microphone in the middle and some balloons and a banner that says, ‘Happy anniversary to Capo di Monte!’

     As the townspeople gather, a woman arrives pushing an older man in a wheelchair. That old man was none other than the town’s mayor, Camillio Winchester.

     The crowd cheers as their beloved mayor makes his appearance. The woman pushing his wheelchair locks him in place and then adjusts the microphone towards his mouth, automatically making the crowd stop talking so that Camillio can be heard.

     It took a couple of seconds, but soon, his voice echoed across the town square.

     “T-the people…of…C-capo di…M-Monte,” Camillio starts, his voice shaky due to his age and declining health. “As we celebrate t-this…occasion, I w-would like to…t-thank you all…for making this town…the t-town that we can all b-be…p-pro…proud of.”

    Camillio pauses and starts coughing, making the woman behind her pat his head to help him out. She then leans towards his ear to whisper something to him, but the mayor pushes the woman away and continues on with his speech.

     “B-but…your efforts a-alone…w-wouldn’t be enough. That is w-why I would like to give a special a-award…to the f-families who really b-built this town,” Camillio says as a figure appears on stage, holding a cane that barely supports him.

     “Alfredo Ricci,” Camillio announces, and Alfredo—the former chief of police and Mateo’s father—walks towards the stage as his son, Ricardo Ricci, holds onto him so he wouldn’t fall. Alfredo could barely get out of bed a few weeks ago, and people thought he’d be dead, but I guess money can do miracles.

     The crowd starts cheering as Alfredo waves to the crowd with his trembling hand. He was smiling like a star, acting as if his wife didn’t pass recently.

    “N-Next is…Finn Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, Finn p-passed away a few years ago…so his s-son will stand in h-his…honor,” Camillio then says, and the charming Ludwig jogs towards the stage with a huge smile on his face, waving at the crowd as well.

    “N-Now…t-to the family…who s-saved us from a terrible plague 28 years ago, please give him a w-warm welcome…William Romano,” Camillio announces next, and the mere mention of his name alone instantly made the crowd go wild.

     A tall man with a pretentious smile fixes his necktie before heading to the stage to join his old friends. William Romano, the town’s previous doctor and the man who claimed to have defeated the plague, shamelessly waves his hand to the townspeople who practically worship him as a god. Some were even crying as they stared at William in awe. The way they just blindly praised him was both unsettling and pitiful at the same time.

     If they really knew what kind of man he was, would they still cheer the same way?

     “It’s good to see you both,” William says, patting both Alfredo Ricci and Camillio Winchester’s shoulders.

    The woman pushing Camillio’s wheelchair pushes Camillio aside so William can speak over the microphone. But before the doctor could even say a single word, the crowd got startled as fireworks suddenly exploded in the sky.

     The first one was an almost palish green color and then followed by a bright red. The crowd starts clapping as they stare at the fireworks with wide smiles on their faces, while William and the others are confused because fireworks aren’t supposed to be set off during the ceremony.

     While the cops try to figure out what’s going on, black petals start falling this time. And unlike the fireworks, the townspeople weren’t as excited anymore.

     “What the heck is going on?”

     “Is this part of the ceremony?”

     The people were starting to ask questions, panic slowly appearing in their eyes as they stared at the petals on the ground. William, who hasn’t even given his speech yet, looks back at Camillio and asks him, “What is the meaning of this, Camillio? I have not returned to this town for years, and you decide to sabotage me?”

     Camillio was about to defend himself, but just when things were starting to become strange, white smoke suddenly appeared on the stage, immediately making the crowd back away. The police immediately rushed to the scene, including Mateo, who was now standing right in front, trying to push the people back.

     The smoke completely blocks the stage, making it hard for the others to see what is happening. But as the smoke disappeared, the people of Capo di Monte gasped in shock as four unknown figures appeared in front of them.

     Ricardo Ricci and the woman pushing the mayor’s wheelchair were now unconscious on the floor. People stared at the four figures in horror, unsure of what their purpose was for ruining their celebration.

     The one wearing a mask that covered his entire face was holding onto Ludwig Vanderbilt with a knife pressed against his neck. The other man wearing a mask covering his mouth was looking at a crowd with both his pointing a gun at them. And then there was this little girl who was pointing a gun at mayor Camillio Winchester’s temple.

     Mateo, who was too stunned to even move, looked at the man holding onto his father, Alfredo Ricci. The man was wearing an eye cover, but for some reason, when Mateo gazed upon him, his chest started to beat fast.

     “ Chief, do you copy? What do we have to do? Who are those people?! “ a panicked voice from Mateo’s walkie-talkie suddenly asks.

     “ Chief! Tell us what we need to do! “ Another voice says.

     Mateo continues to stare at the man with the eye cover. But soon after, amidst the growing confusion, another figure makes his appearance. The crowd was dead silent, but when the figure emerged and when everyone saw the familiar mask, Mateo finally snapped out of it and quickly shouted, “Evacuate the people, now!”

     At that very moment, the town square was filled with screams. People started running while the police officers tried their best to evacuate them. But as everyone was in a state of panic, the man with a bird mask walked toward the microphone and said, “Good evening, my beloved Capo di Monte. Happy anniversary!”

     As soon as the voice echoes throughout the town, the crowd starts to mellow down. The voice was oddly familiar. It was a voice that everyone in this town admired and heard, yet its familiarity left them in denial.

     “It is such a touching scene for me and my horsemen to see you all giving the highest honor to these men in front of us tonight. It makes me so proud to be a resident here,” the masked man, Giovanni de Vincenzo, says as he approaches William Romano, who is as scared as the rest of the townspeople.

     “Aren’t you proud, Dr. William? To be dubbed as the hero of this town?” he asks him, reaching out to touch William’s face, making the old doctor tremble in fear.

     “W-Who are you?” William asks, making Giovanni chuckle. He then reaches out for something in his pocket, but before he can even pull it out, a man suddenly rushes in front of him and screams, “Put your hands in the air, now!”

      Giovanni stops and then looks at the man wearing the police uniform. When he saw who it was, he instantly started laughing.

     Laurence immediately pointed his guns at the cop before glancing at Krimson, who was still holding onto Alfredo Ricci. Laurence thought Krimson would say something, but the alter’s reaction did not change. It seems like he doesn’t remember who he is. Or rather, he feels nothing about him, unlike Bishop.

     “We do not know what your intentions are here, but let your four hostages go,” Mateo Ricci, the only officer who was brave enough to come forward, firmly states while still pointing his gun at Giovanni, making Giovanni laugh even more.

     “Oh, my dear old friend, your noble and honorable personality has always annoyed me,” Giovanni then tells him, making Mateo’s eyes widen in shock.

     The people started to whisper among each other as Giovanni walked toward the edge of the stage. Soon after that, he reaches out to remove his mask. Everyone waited in anticipation as Giovanni slowly pulled the mask off his head. And the moment his face was revealed, everyone in the town square gasped in complete disbelief.

     “Claudio?!” William—his stepfather—shouted, almost fainting as he stared at his once obedient son. He tries to grab him, but Giovanni just pushes him away, making William fall to the ground.

     Mateo was shocked as well, but the moment he saw his supposed friend’s face, he immediately turned to look at the man wearing an eye cover. “ B-Bishop ?“ He asks, trying his best not to run to him.

     “Yes, Capo di Monte! It is I, Claudio Romano, the beloved son of the Romano family!” Giovanni shouts, angering William even more. He then steps on William’s chest and tells him, “Surprise, father. You were proud that you were able to adopt a capable boy like me, but you knew nothing of what I felt about you. Now I’m going to destroy you and your precious name. I will destroy the family you proudly built and force you to watch it crumble.”

    “H-How dare you…”

     Giovanni’s intention was never to reveal his real identity to the public. He wanted people to know that he was a Romano. He wanted them to know that all the misfortune happened in their town because of a Romano. He wanted to destroy the Romano family like how they destroyed the Vincenzos.

     “Mateo!” Giovanni then calls out, immediately making the cop look back at him. “Release the four hostages? Apologies in advance, my old friend. But who said there are only four?”

     As soon as Giovanni uttered these words, green smoke started appearing around the town square, and in a matter of seconds, people started falling one by one. 

to be continued…

(60) End of the Beginning

⚕︎

THE TOWNSPEOPLE STARTED RUNNING while others were seen dropping to the floor, leaving them unconscious. The police officers could no longer evacuate them properly as some cowardly escaped as well. The gas masks that were supposed to be ready for such instances were also nowhere to be found. It was total chaos.

      As the commotion was being unfolded, Giovanni looked at his adopted father and grabbed him by the cheeks before forcing him to look at what was happening in front of them. People were screaming, and children were helplessly crying. They were all in great agony, but underneath the pain, they were angry, and that anger was transmitted to none other than the Romanos.

      “This is all because of you, my dear father. I hope you enjoy it while it last,” Giovanni says with a satisfied grin before pushing William away from him, leaving him to die from the poisonous gas surrounding them.

     “You are like your father. I should never have thought you were different,” William angrily tells him.

     Giovanni chuckles but doesn’t say anything about it anymore. He then looks at the crowd again, and then he looks back at his four horsemen and tells them, “We’re heading back.”

     Laurence nods his head and follows Giovanni toward their escape route. Lino knocks out Ludwig Vanderbilt and heads out as well, while Adeline, who was still pointing the gun at the mayor of the town, suddenly faces the old man with tears in her eyes.

     “You have forsaken your children and treated them like animals. I always wondered how you lived this long after all that, but I guess the reason behind it is so that you can witness all this,” Adeline says before removing the mask that covered her face so that Camillio could see her.

     Camillio was confused at first, but then his eyes widened when he finally realized who she was.

     “A-Adeline…” he says. “Y-you’re…al…alive?”

     “Do not utter my name as if you have given it a meaning!” Adeline shouted, pushing the gun further into Camillio’s temple. Tears now poured out of Adeline’s eyes as he stared at the man who had molested her for all those years. Her hands trembled, and she couldn’t even make the tears stop. But as Adeline continues to stare at the evil man in front of him, she suddenly pulls the gun away from him.

     “What you did to my mother…and what you did to me…you do not deserve a quick death,” Adeline says, pushing Camillio off the wheelchair as the poisonous smoke slowly creeps towards the stage.

     “You deserve a slow death! Do you understand me, Camillio Winchester?! I hope you just die and rot in hell! And when you do, I will follow you there and torment you for the rest of eternity!” Adeline shouted, releasing all her anger before finally following Giovanni and the others.

     Camillio stares at his granddaughter, trying to reach out to her as his chest starts to tighten. When Adeline is finally out of his sight, he turns his head and looks at William this time.

     William was lying on the floor, weeping like a little boy. “Claudio!” He shouted despite Giovanni no longer being there. “How dare you do this to me?! I have fed you, I have given you a home, status, and power, but how dare you—” Before William could even finish his agonizing speech, another man suddenly squats beside him and gives him a taunting grin, making William stop in an instant.

     “So you’re the man who r-ped and killed his mother,” the stranger named Krimson says, making William widen his eyes in shock. “I can leave you here to die, but I could also just shoot you.”

     “W-What? No…no, please…”

     Krimson licks his lips and pulls out a gun from his pocket before pointing it at William’s forehead. William couldn’t even move because of complete terror, but before Krimson could pull the trigger, someone suddenly jumped on stage and tackled him.

     “You mother fucker!” Krimson angrily shouts as an officer grabs him and pins him down on the floor so he can’t escape. Krimson tries to struggle for a while, but when he sees the man’s face, his body automatically stops moving.

     Krimson furrows his brows in confusion, not being able to recognize the man in an instant. But as he stares at the man’s eyes that are filled with tears, he smiles and tells him, “Oh, so this is Mateo Ricci.”

     “B-Bishop…” Mateo suddenly calls out, looking at Krimson and then looking back at the townspeople who were falling to the ground one by one. Mateo was holding onto Bishop with his trembling hands and his aching chest. He wanted to say so many things to him, but none of them would come out.

     “Why, Bishop?” The only words he could ask him.

     “Bishop? Oh, you have it all wrong, darling. I’m not Bishop,” Krimson reveals, confusing the cop.

     Krimson uses the confusion to knee Mateo on the stomach, successfully making him escape from the cop’s grasp. Mateo tries to approach him again, but Krimson immediately points the gun toward him, making Mateo stop in an instant. He then glances at the smoke that is getting closer to the stage. If he doesn’t leave now, he’ll be affected by it too, and that would be very troublesome.

     “I would like to chat with you more, Mateo Ricci, but I have to go. Save the people if you can, but I warn you, it will be very difficult,” Krimson tells him. He was ready to make a run for it too, but Mateo quickly pulled out his gun and pointed it at Krimson too.

     “ I really hate cops ,“ Krimson mumbles in irritation, staring at the gun that Mateo is holding.

     Mateo continued to stare at Krimson without saying a word. He couldn’t really see his eyes because of the cover, but he could tell that it was him.

     “Why are you doing this, Bishop?”

     “For the love of all things holy, I am not Bishop! How many times am I going to tell you?” Krimson says with an annoyed expression. “You can’t even recognize the man you love? Poor Bishop. But I guess I can’t blame you. Bishop is very good at hiding his dark sides from you.”

     Mateo was still confused by what he was seeing, but at the same time, amidst the confusion, there was a certainty. This was Bishop. Or rather, Bishop was there. He could see it, even without fully seeing it.

     “Look, big guy, if you don’t let me go now, we’re both going to die from the smoke,” Krimson says to Mateo, but Mateo still doesn’t budge. Krimson thought that the cop would never let him go, but to his surprise, Mateo slowly put his gun down.

     “Looks like you still have common sense,” Krimson says with a grin. He continues to point his gun at the cop, slowly stepping back to escape. But before he could even make his exit, Mateo suddenly asked him a question that surprised him.

     “What is your name?” He asks.

     Krimson was confused, so he tilted his head to the side before saying, “My name? I don’t know why you want to know, but it’s Krimson.”

     “Krimson,” Mateo repeats, and right after, a tear streams down his cheek. “That’s Bishop’s favorite color,” he then tells him with a sad smile, and for a quick second, Krimson felt a sharp pain in his chest.

     Krimson wanted to just make a run for it, but something inside him wasn’t letting him go. He just stood there, staring at the cop as he slowly walked closer to him.

     “Krimson, I am speaking to you, not as the chief of police that’s supposed to capture you, but I am speaking as the man who is deeply in love with someone named Bishop. If you are able to speak to him, I hope you can tell him that whether it is his darkest or brightest, or whether it is his happiest or saddest, I will hold them all dearly. And I will wait at the place we promise no matter how long it takes,” Mateo tells him, and in an instant, a tear falls from Krimson’s eyes too.

     Krimson tried to laugh it off, wiping the uncontrollable tears away, but it still wouldn’t stop. It simply wouldn’t let him.

     “Now go, and do not let yourself be captured,” Mateo tells him, startling Krimson.

     Krimson still couldn’t move, but when he saw cops running towards them with gas masks, he looked at Mateo for one last time before finally running away. As he was running, Krimson wiped his cheeks and whispered under his breath, “ Bishop…you don’t fucking deserve that man. “

     As Krimson and the rest of his accomplices escape, cops arrive at the stage and hand Mateo the extra gas masks that they prepared at the police station.

     “Where are other gas masks that were supposed to be given to the townspeople?” Mateo asks as soon as he wears the mask himself.

     “We went to Ms. Sunny’s shop to get them, but she was nowhere to be found. But we still have to leave, chief. The mask isn’t enough to block the gas. It’s way stronger than the last ones we had experienced,” one of the officers explained, making Mateo curse.

     “Some residents are starting to get affected by the gas, while some were able to escape. The gas is starting to spread even more too. We have no choice but to head to the other town.”

     “Then retrieve the others and send them to the evacuation area for the time being. I’ll notify the town nearby and inform them about the situation, so prepare the cars. We can’t let these people die,” Mateo instructed, and the officers nodded their heads and did what they were told.

     Mateo looks around the crowd again, and then he looks up and stares at the massive structure in the distance. He didn’t say a single thing, but deep down, he knew what was going to happen next.

…

“All of you, head to the bus and prepare to escape,” Giovanni says as soon as they enter the manor.

     The nurses and the other workers in the Hell House started running to the back of the manor so they could get into the bus that once brought them here. Like Marcelino and the others, it was their time to bid farewell to the place they called home.

     “Marcelino, prepare the car,” Giovanni then instructs, and Marcelino nods his head and follows the others.

    “That was fun! Wasn’t it, little Adie?” Krimson then teases as he looks at Adeline, whose eyes are filled with tears.

     Adeline is about to say something back to Krimson, but Laurence immediately stops her and says, “If you start bickering at each other again, I’m going to smack you both. Now go help Marcelino load the bags in the car.”

     Krimson pouts like a kid, but he heads at the back like he was told. Adeline, despite acting like a rebellious teenager, also followed the priest’s command and left to help Marcelino.

     “Giovanni, you should head to the back too. I’m certain that the townspeople will come raiding this place like what they did last time,” Laurence says.

     “I’ll follow soon after. I’ll just head to my office to grab some files,” Giovanni answers, and Laurence nods his head and heads to the back while Giovanni runs upstairs.

     As soon as he arrives at his office, he immediately starts stumbling forward. He coughs out blood and barely reaches the table that has a box on top of it. But when he does reach it, he quickly removes the lid and pulls out a syringe. It was a syringe that Krimson gave him yesterday.

     Giovanni stares at the cure in his hand. With just one injection, everything will automatically be alright. But as Giovanni stares at it, he curses and shoves the syringe back inside the box.

     He touches his aching chest as he slowly walks toward the large window in the middle of the room. He looks out of the window and sees the town. He could hear the screams in the distance, and he could see the plague that he had dreamt of for years. Giovanni stares at his successful plan with a smile. He starts laughing and laughing, but as he continues to laugh, tears eventually start pouring out of his eyes for the very first time.

     Giovanni drops to the floor and kneels down as tears continue to pour out of his eyes.

     “W-Why…after all these years…why do you feel nothing?” Giovanni asks himself.

     After everything that he has done, after all the people he killed, and after all the years he wasted just to get to this moment, he felt empty. He thought he would feel relieved or maybe even overjoyed, but instead, he felt nothing.

     “Father! This is what you wanted, right?! I have taken our revenge, but why do I feel like this?! Please tell me?!” Giovanni starts to shout.

     Tears continue to pour out of his eyes as the regret and the pain starts to consume him. Giovanni realized something, but it was too late.

      Krimson was right. He didn’t do this to Capo di Monte because he hated his father. He didn’t do all this because he wanted to destroy what his father desperately tried to love. Giovanni did all this…he destroyed himself…because he loved this town too.

     Giovanni grew up in an environment where the people around him loved this town. For a long time, he believed that this was his home, so when they were betrayed by the very town that they loved, he was consumed by anger. He couldn’t accept the fact that despite everything his family had done, they had betrayed them like this.

     “Giovanni, everyone is ready,” Ms. Sunny—who also just arrived at the manor—says as she barges inside the room. But the moment he got there, she was surprised to see Giovanni on the floor, crying.

     “Giovanni! What’s going on?” Ms. Sunny says, running to where the doctor is to help him up. Giovanni stands from the floor with Ms. Sunny’s assistance, coughing out more blood which causes him to stain his shirt.

     “What’s going on? Did you inhale the gas? I thought you—”

     “Are the cops coming?” Giovanni asks instead. Ms. Sunny looked like she didn’t want to say anything, but she took a deep breath and nodded her head anyway.

     Giovanni pulled his arm away from Ms. Sunny and walked towards the box that had the syringe and a couple of files inside. He was about to grab a hold of the box, but then he felt dizzy and stumbled again, immediately making Ms. Sunny run towards him to catch him.

     “Giovanni! What is going on? Do you need to go to the hospital? Should I call Bishop and the others?” Ms. Sunny asks, worry present on her face, but Giovanni can only shake his head.

     As Ms. Sunny tries to convince his childhood friend to head downstairs before the cops arrive, the door to his office suddenly opens, revealing the plague doctor’s loyal four horsemen.

     “Giovanni, the car is ready, and the other employees are now waiting on the bus,” Marcelino explains as they arrive inside the room. But when he and the rest of them saw Giovanni’s state, they instantly knew what was going on.

     “Bishop!” Ms. Sunny calls out, running to where Krimson is to grab his arm. “Bishop…n-no…Krimson. What’s going on with him? do you have a cure? Do something about this!”

     “I already gave it to him,” Krimson reveals, surprising everyone in the room.

     “What?” Adeline asks in shock before looking back at her master. “You already have the cure? Then why are you still—”

     “T-take this,” Giovanni weakly interrupts, grabbing a couple of envelopes and handing them over to the four figures in front of him. “As promised, the plague is complete. Here is your freedom.”

     Laurence and the others were confused as they took the envelope. They didn’t exactly know what it was for, but when they checked the inside, they were left speechless. The brown envelope contained documents, IDs, a passport, and even a check that was enough for them to start a new life. They didn’t know when Giovanni was able to prepare all this, so they couldn’t help but be left speechless by the thought that he had taken his end of the deal seriously.

     “These documents…and the money…these are enough for us to start again,” Marcelino says, surprised that he was able to receive something that can potentially make him live a normal life.

     “Well, I’ll have to thank you for this, at least,” Laurence says before looking back at Giovanni with a sigh. “I’m still not going to forgive you though, so get your things and let’s go before the cops arrive to arrest us. I’ll have plenty of time to think of a revenge plan when we escape,” he then says, but Giovanni looks at them and suddenly shakes his head, leaving Adeline and the others stunned.

     The master of the manor didn’t really explain anything to them, but they already knew what he was trying to say.

     “N-No…” Adeline says, grabbing Giovanni’s hand and squeezing it tightly. “You have to come with us.”

     Giovanni, despite the bloodstain on his mouth, smiles at the little one and gently pats her head before saying, “I’ll have to stay here. There is no other reason for me to come along.”

     “No! Giovanni, what are you talking about?!” This time, it came from Ms. Sunny, whose eyes were already filled with tears. “You have to go with them. You’ll get caught and—”

     “I’ll already be dead before that happens,” Giovanni continues to say.

     “Master! You can’t! Please!” Adeline then shouts.

     Giovanni takes a deep breath and lowers his head to face Adeline. He then leans towards her to give her a soft kiss on the forehead before saying, “Adeline, you do not belong here. You deserve to explore the world and see its wonder. Do not be like me. Do not waste your life seeking revenge that will never be able to fill the emptiness inside you. So promise me that you will see that world, and then you will paint the beauty that it will show you.”

     Adeline bites down her lips, but then she grabs him and wraps her arms around Giovanni before sobbing in his arms.

     “T-thank you for finding me, master Giovanni. Thank you for saving me when no one else wanted to save me,” Adeline says. She didn’t want to let go of him, but Marcelino took a deep breath and pulled her away from him.

     Giovanni looks back at his four horsemen again and nods his head toward them. “I know I said that I won’t apologize, but I do still want to apologize for getting you all involved in my greed. You did not have to be subjected to my own trauma…”

     “But here we are,” Krimson finishes for him. “We’re all fucked up and traumatized in our own accord. And I have to admit that staying in this Hell House brought us more crazy than normal. But I guess we got together like this because of you, so that’s that.”

     “What are you implying this time, Krimson?” Giovanni asks, and Krimson shows him his usual playful grin before telling him, “What I’m implying is that you at least did something good with your life that wasn’t entirely wasted. That doesn’t make you a good man, but at least it makes you something.”

     Giovanni stares at him for a while, and then, like the first time they’ve seen him, before the plagues, before the patients, and before everything else in between, Giovanni laughs. His laughter echoes inside the room, making Adeline and Ms. Sunny shed a tear. Marcelino looks away, and Laurence looks at the floor.

    “You should go now before the cops arrive,” Giovanni says right after.

     Laurence takes a deep breath and nods his head before leaving the room first. Marcelino was about to follow him out too, but he suddenly walked towards Giovanni and patted his shoulder.

     “Despite what you’ve done, you made me stay in this manor for two years. You fed me, clothed me, and taught me things I never knew I’d be interested in. So for that, I am grateful, Dr. Giovanni,” Marcelino genuinely says, making Giovanni nod his head to him.

     Adeline still didn’t want to leave, so Marcelino took her hand and nodded his head toward her, finally making Adeline accept the outcome. Without saying anything else, Adeline looks at Giovanni for one last time before finally heading out with Marcelino.

     “Giovanni…” Ms. Sunny then calls out.

     Giovanni turns his head to her, and then he grabs her and gives her a warm embrace. “ I hope you can create and wear the most beautiful dresses anyone has ever seen, “ Giovanni whispers to her, making Ms. Sunny hug him even tighter. When she pulled away from him, she leaned close and gave Giovanni a soft kiss on the cheek before finally heading out with the rest.

     As soon as the door closed, Giovanni was left with one more loyal employee. And that was Krimson.

     Krimson stares at Giovanni, and then he chuckles and walks towards the box where the cure could be found. “What? You expect me to thank you too and kiss your ass?” He sarcastically asks him, but Giovanni doesn’t say anything.

     “You manipulated one of our alters, abused him, and practically forced yourself on him. And then you locked him up and chained him before mentally torturing him so that you could fulfill your dream of plaguing this town. So no, Dr. Giovanni, I will not be thanking you like the others,” Krimson says as he takes the syringe from the box and stares at it with a smirk on his face.

     “But the fact that you didn’t really use this has still amused me, Giovanni. I hope as you watch death take you away, you could at least ask for forgiveness,” Krimson then adds, putting the syringe back inside the box before looking at the doctor again.

    “I’m sorry to all of you,” Giovanni suddenly tells him.

     Krimson doesn’t laugh or grin, and he doesn’t respond to it either. Instead, he removes the cover from his eyes and looks directly at Giovanni. The moment Giovanni sees his eyes, he’s suddenly flooded with memories of their first meeting.

     He remembered their sessions, the sketch Bishop once made of him, when the two of them strolled downtown, when they first attended a party together, and their intimate time back at the white mansion. Everything really did go downhill when Giovanni released his first plague.

     If there were really any regrets, it would be that time. If Giovanni had been given a choice, he would have never released his plague, a plague that poisoned him more than the town he wanted to kill off. 

     With Bishop, Laurence, Adeline, and Marcelino…they could have just quietly stayed in this manor and never worried about anything else. We could have been happy.  That’s what he thought.

     “Then this is my last farewell. Goodbye…plague doctor,” Krimson says before giving Giovanni a respectful bow that he once did when he was still his loyal butler. Without looking back at him anymore, Krimson walks towards the door and grabs the doorknob. But as he is about to leave, Giovanni gives him his one final gift.

     “Your biological father, Lincoln Hollow, is still alive. Do whatever you wish with that information,” Giovanni reveals to him, leaving Krimson’s eyes to widen in shock.

     “I do hate that man…but I do hope we don’t end up like you too,” Krimson says before finally heading out.

     The door shuts, and Giovanni coughs out blood again as he walks towards the window. In a distance, he could already see the flashing lights coming from the police cars, so without any hesitation, Giovanni grabbed his cane for support and then the box on the table before walking downstairs.

    He walked outside, towards the front of the manor, and stood right at the entrance before dropping the box on the ground. Despite what he has done, Giovanni at least wanted to give his four horsemen and the other employees enough time to escape.

     So Giovanni, whose mouth and shirt were covered in blood, fixed his hair and held onto his cane. He stood straight in front of the main entrance of the manor, and then he waited for the police to arrive in silence.

     He closes his eyes as the sound of their sirens gets louder and louder. Eventually, the cars arrive, and cops rush in front of the dying doctor. Giovanni takes another deep breath and slowly opens his eyes back. He was welcomed by armed men, all pointing their guns in his direction as if he was going to escape. 

     “Mateo Ricci,” Claudio says as a familiar figure appears right in front of him.

    “Claudio Romano…” Mateo says back, slowly walking closer to Giovanni, who no longer has the strength to fight back. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a country of law. You have the right to an—”

     “The poisonous gas will be gone in an hour. It won’t spread any more than that,” Giovanni suddenly reveals, making Mateo stop in an instant.

     “Where are your accomplices?” Another officer asks.

    “No accomplices. I did this all by myself. The people with me at the town square earlier were hostages. They were just for show,” Giovanni lies.

     “You think we’re stupid?” The officer angrily asks. He was about to enter the manor, but then Giovanni’s expression changed into a much more serious one as he immediately blocked the door and shouted, “No one will step foot inside! I will not let you defile this manor like what you have done in the past.

     The officer is about to retaliate, but Mateo stops him and looks back at Giovanni instead.

     “Alright, we’ll stay put. Just come with us, and we won’t have any problems here,” Mateo calmly says, but Giovanni shakes his head and starts coughing again, making everyone see that he is actually coughing blood.

     Mateo instantly looked worried and was about to call for a medic, but before he could even do so, Giovanni wiped his mouth and kicked the box toward Mateo.

     Everyone backed away from the box, but Mateo walked towards it and kneeled down to check its content.

     “Inside, you can find the sample cure for the plague and detailed instructions on how to recreate it. If you don’t believe me, it’s up to you. But the townspeople who inhaled the gas only has 48 hours left. If you don’t do anything about it, they will all die,” Giovanni explains as Mateo pulls out the syringe from the box.

     “Why?” Mateo confusingly asks, and Giovanni looks at him and coughs out blood again before answering him, “It is because I am a plague doctor, Mateo.”

     “Claudio, let me help you. Just come with me, and I won’t let anyone harm you,” Mateo tries to say, but Giovanni continues to ignore him.

     “Other than the cure, there are files of the other plagues I created. And beneath those files…are pictures of a crime committed in the past,” Giovanni explains further. “My dear friend, I always found your good nature annoying, but I hope you can prove to me that you are different from your father.”

     “What are you talking about? Claudio, I want to—” Before Mateo could even finish his plea, Giovanni suddenly felt this insane pain in his chest, instantly making him fall to his knees, causing the other officers to look at him in shock.

     Mateo was about to approach him, but he stopped when he saw that blood was now streaming down from Giovanni’s eyes and nose.

     Giovanni looks up at the sky as his vision starts to become blurry. And as he looks up, he sees the sun rising in front of him, the warmth slowly touching his skin as if it was calling him.

    “ Giovanni…that’s enough, “ a soft voice suddenly says.

     “ This is enough, son. You have done enough. “

     As the voice echoes inside Giovanni’s head, the doctor starts sobbing in realization. For the first time, he finally understood what his father felt. When his mother died, his father got blinded by anger and plagued the town. But when he got caught, and when he was strapped in a post in front of the townspeople like an animal, he didn’t cry or even scream.

     He understood that despite what had happened to his family…Francesco believed in something that kept him going for all those years of agony.

     “M-My name…is Giovanni de Vincenzo. I am the grandson of Fortunato, the son of a great doctor named Francesco, and a selfless mother named Adele. I am the last living de Vincenzo, and no matter how h-hard…or how cruel…” Giovanni pauses as his vision turns completely black. But amidst the darkness, two warm hands suddenly reached out to hold onto his shoulders.

     Giovanni smiles at the familiar warmth. And as his tears fall from his eyes, he finishes with a declaration that his father once uttered before he died. A declaration that reminded them of the world’s beauty and cruelty that can never be masked or hidden.

     A world where children end up being swallowed in darkness but are still able to search for the light.

     A world where broken people can be healed.

     A world where there is hope.

     A world…where there is a tomorrow.

     “Capo di Monte…is my home.”

END

THE MAID

4TH 

HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE: 

DEATH

ADELINE RUSHES INSIDE A cabinet to hide, covering her mouth so no one would be able to hear her. She sits there quietly, hiding behind a coat and hoping it will be enough to keep her hidden. But as the room outside falls silent, the cabinet suddenly opens, and then a hand grabs her and pulls her out of it.

     The poor girl shouts in despair, kicking and screaming so that they can let her go.

     “Adeline!” A man’s voice shouts.

     “N-No! Please let go! I don’t want to go to the bedroom! I don’t want to!” Adeline continued to shout, scratching the man’s face until it got bruised. But the man didn’t let her go. He didn’t want to let her go.

     “Adeline, calm down! It’s me, Marcelino,” the man, who was apparently Marcelino, says as he tightly grabs hold of Adeline’s shoulders, her body still shaking from a dream she thought was real.

     “That’s right, it’s me,” Marcelino says as Adeline finally adjusts her eyes to look at him.

     “ L-Lino? “ Adeline weakly asks, and Lino smiles and nods his head before giving Adeline a tight hug. 

     “Oh baby girl, that’s right, it’s me. Everything’s okay now. No one’s going to hurt you,” Marcelino says, hugging Adeline before giving her a gentle kiss on her head. 

     Adeline doesn’t say anything, but she slowly wraps her arm around Lino and finally starts sobbing in his chest. Her body was still trembling, but after a while, she slowly started to calm down after feeling the warm embrace of a man who had treated her like family more than anyone else.

     “ I’m here…and I’ll always be here. I promise. “

     It’s been two years since the incident that happened at Capo di Monte. The plague that haunted the town had been on every headline across the country. People talked about it, but none of them were mentioned as Giovanni promised. But despite the events of the plague, what was more talked about was the photos that were released of a crime that happened 30 years ago.

     The mayor of the town, Camillio Winchester, alongside the former chief of police Alfredo Ricci and hospital director William Romano, were instantly arrested for the crimes they had committed during that year. Unfortunately, just a week after the court trial, Camillio passed away due to the effects of the poisonous gas, and then Alfredo followed and passed away just a couple of days after.

     Needless to say, no one attended their funerals.

     “Alright, class dismissed,” the art teacher says before packing his things and heading out of the room.

     The rest of the students left the room as well, leaving Adeline alone in her seat, staring at the canvas on the easel with a blank expression. She doesn’t say anything as she continues to brush different strokes, creating an image that pours out all the emotions she can’t seem to express in words.

     “That’s such a powerful-looking piece. You must have poured your heart and soul into that,” someone suddenly says, making Adeline stop moving her hand.

     A girl approaches her from behind. Aurora was her name. She was in the same art class as Adeline, but the two of them never really spoke. In fact, Adeline never spoke to anyone at all, making the other students tease her, calling her mute as if such insults would hurt her.

     Aurora was different from the other girls in their class. Like Adeline, no one really liked talking to her. She wore clothes that were different from others, and she painted pieces inspired by war, which was something she was constantly scolded for. But that didn’t really stop her.

     “You’ve always stayed behind after classes,” Aurora continues to say as she grabs a stool so she can sit beside Adeline. “Is it alright if I watch? I’m waiting for someone, and they haven’t arrived yet.”

     Adeline stares at the girl with a blank expression. She wanted to tell her no, but she didn’t want to speak to her either, so Adeline just ignored her presence and continued painting, pretending as if no one was sitting beside her.

     “You know, I’ve always sat at the back, so I got to see some of your paintings from afar. You make one of the most breathtaking realism paintings, but after you make them, you end up splattering them with intense colors. It’s very interesting,” Aurora tells her.

     Adeline glances at her again, but she continues to finish her work without letting her classmate disturb her. 

     Aurora was her complete opposite. She was outspoken, and she wasn’t afraid to express herself. She was someone that definitely annoyed Adeline without even trying.

     “Do you have this great hatred over beautiful things?” Aurora then asks, but Adeline just sighs and continues to ignore her.

     Adeline thought she would leave if she didn’t say anything, but just after a second of silence, Aurora tapped on her shoulder this time, forcing Adeline to look at her. When Adeline was now looking at her, Aurora, out of nowhere, started to sign with her hands, surprising Adeline. 

     If it were someone else, they would have been very touched, but sadly for Aurora, Adeline didn’t know sign language, so as a response, she ended up laughing at the wasted effort, surprising Aurora this time.

     “You can speak?!” Aurora asks in shock, making Adeline laugh even more.

      “And here I was, practicing how to do it just in case you really couldn’t hear me,” Aurora then explains, so after hearing that, Adeline stops laughing in an instant.

     “You practiced so you could speak to me?” Adeline asks in shock, and Aurora smiles and nods her head in response. “Well, I’ve always been interested in making friends with you. I like your paintings. They’re very loud.”

     “I can say the same to yours,” Adeline replies before looking back at her canvas.

     “My paintings have the purpose of sending a message to the masses. Your painting is like sending a message…to yourself,” Aurora assumes, and this time, Adeline takes a deep breath and puts her paintbrush down.

     Aurora saw the sad expression on Adeline’s face, so she quickly cleared her throat and tried to change the subject. “Anyway, how old were you when you started painting? Did someone teach you?”

     “I started painting not so long ago. It was supposed to be just a hobby, but someone made me more interested in it, so now I’m trying to work on it better,” Adeline explains, making Aurora impressed. 

     “Is it alright if I ask who?”

    Adeline looks back at the canvas and stares at the painting. She didn’t really want to say anything to her, but she thought that nothing would be lost if she did. So without removing her eyes from the painting, she answers, “Just a very peculiar woman named Alice.”

     “Alice? That’s an interesting name,” Aurora replies before looking at the painting as well. She was about to ask her about the painting this time, but before she could even open her mouth, a man suddenly appeared at the door and called out to her.

     “Rora! There you are. The protest is already starting. Let’s go,” the man said, and right after, he was gone again.

     Aurora stands from the stool and looks back at Adeline before scratching the back of her head. “Looks like I have to go. Thank you for letting me accompany you,” she tells her, and Adeline just nods her head as Aurora waves goodbye to her. But just as she was about to leave the room, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Adeline again before asking, “Hey, Adeline, right? Tomorrow, after class, would you like to hang out? Just something normal, you know? So we could get to know each other.”

     Adeline was surprised by the request. This was the first time that someone had asked her out like this, so she didn’t know what to feel.

     “I-I’ll have to ask…my brother,” she then replies, and Aurora excitedly smiles and nods her head before finally heading out.

     As soon as she’s gone, Adeline looks back at her painting again. She grabs her paintbrush and draws a few more strokes before putting the brush down. She takes a deep breath and stares at it with a blank expression.

     The painting was a picture of the sea that she once saw outside her room in the manor. She drew the waves perfectly, almost like you could feel them moving. Adeline stared at it in satisfaction, and then she grabbed a small container filled with red paint. She was about to splatter the red paint above the one she had just created like what she usually does to her other works. But just as she was about to do it, Adeline stopped herself and put the paint down.

     “ I think it looks better like this, “ she tells herself.

     She stands from the stool and grabs her things so she can get ready to leave. But before heading out, Adeline forgot to sign the painting. So she took a thin paintbrush, and with a small smile on her face, she puts on a signature that read: Little Adie.

END

THE GARDENER

2ND HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE: WAR 

“ARE YOU SURE YOU can head to class by yourself? I can accompany you if you like,” Marcelino insists, making Adeline roll her eyes in annoyance before pushing him out of the house and then handing him the box that’s filled with freshly picked flowers.

     “If you continue to act like this, I’m seriously going to run away,” Adeline threatens. 

     Marcelino was simply worried because ever since they started living together, Adeline had been having more dreams and night terrors about her past. It could be because she’s no longer in the manor where she thinks she’s safest, or maybe because she’s a lot more nervous about being free like this, and she’s scared that her past would come back to her. Either way, Marcelino has been trying her best to take care of her until she can finally live on her own. But before then, he’ll have to act like an annoying big brother to her.

     “I’m just worried, that’s all,” Marcelino says, and Adeline finally calms down as she looks at the man in front of him.

     “I’m fine. Now hurry off. You don’t want to open the stall late again,” Adeline insists, and Marcelino finally smiles and pats her head, making the little girl angrily push him away and slam the door shut, hiding behind it so that Lino wouldn’t be able to see the smile on her face.

     Marcelino chuckles at the reaction. He then puts on his face mask to cover the scar beside his mouth before heading downtown.

     After the final plague, Marcelino, Adeline, Laurence, and Krimson went to a far-off city where no one could recognize them. For a while, as the case of the plague was such a hot topic, the four of them stayed at motels, inns, and other places to hide before finally going their separate ways.

     Krimson didn’t say much and just went up and left. Laurence, on the other hand, rode the bus and never looked back. At times he would send letters to Marcelino and the others, but he never really told them where he went or what he was actually doing.

     When the two of them left, Adeline didn’t exactly know where to go. She was still young, and she knew nothing about the world outside Capo di Monte. So with no hesitation, Lino asked her if she wanted to stay with her for the time being. Adeline was reluctant at first, but she eventually agreed.  The two of them moved to a smaller town that was beside the sea. They’ve been staying there together for two years now since then.

     “Good morning Mr. M,” a familiar old woman says, making Marcelino smile with his eyes before waving at her.

     Marcelino arrives at a small stall just beside the port. He puts the box down, and then he removes the cover from his little stall before hanging a sign up for everyone to see. Afterward, he took the flowers out from the box he carried and started arranging them.

     Despite his tough appearance, Marcelino decided to open up a small flower stall in the town. Other than fighting in a war, Marcelino knew nothing else than to take care of flowers because of the role that was assigned to him in the manor. At first, when he opened it up to Laurence, they thought it was silly, but now that he has actually done it, Marcelino felt like this was the perfect decision, especially when flowers reminded him of his sister.

     “Mr. M!” Someone suddenly shouts while Marcelino’s putting some flowers on display. He puts the flowers down and turns his head to see who it is. When he spots a familiar figure, Marcelino automatically smiles behind his mask.

     “Livia! It’s good to see you this early in the morning,” Marcelino says as this woman wearing a beautiful floral dress approaches him, holding onto a basket filled with fresh fish.

     “Just got back from the market?” He then asks, and Livia chuckles and replies, “You know I have to be early, or the old ones will get the big fish again.”

     Marcelino laughs, looking at the fresh fish in her basket before looking back at Livia. “So, how can I help you today?”

     “Oh, yes…well, I’m going to order a bouquet of flowers that I’ll bring to my father’s grave later. It’s his death anniversary, so I want to leave something pretty behind. I’ll pass by to get it, maybe around 1 PM,” Livia replies, and Marcelino nods his head and writes the details down so he wouldn’t be able to forget.

     “Do you have any flowers in mind?”

     “You can go on ahead and choose what you see fit. You always make the best arrangements anyways, so I highly trust your opinion about it,” Livia says, and Marcelino smiles again before nodding his head.

     “Anything else?” He then asks.

     “That will be all,” Livia answers. She was about to take her leave, but then she stopped herself when he suddenly remembered to ask, “By the way, how’s your sister? Every time I see her, I feel like she’s growing bigger.”

     “She is. And she’s turning 18 too, so I’m afraid she might pack her things and just leave,” Marcelino then worries, making Livia chuckle.

     “You’re a very caring brother, so I doubt she’ll just escape,” she says before looking at the mask Marcelino was wearing. “You know, Mr. M, I’ve always wondered why you wear a mask. I know you mentioned that you got injured when you were serving in the military in the past, but I feel as though you don’t have to hide it. Everyone in this town adores you, after all.”

     Marcelino reaches out to touch his mask, but then he looks away from Livia and tells her, “I just don’t have a genuine smile to show.”

     “Really? Then why did you name the shop Mr. Smiley’s Flower Shop then?” Livia asks him next, and Marcelino ends up smiling just from hearing others say it out loud. He wanted to explain to Livia that it originated from someone dear to him, but instead, he looked at her and said, “If I remove my mask, you promise you won’t laugh or be scared?”

     “Mr. M, you’ve known me long enough to know that I won’t do such a rude thing,” Livia insists, so without any more hesitation, Marcelino pulls the mask off and shows Livia the scar he’s been trying to hide from everyone.

     Marcelino was still expecting to see some sort of reaction from Livia, but as she explained, she furrowed her brows in confusion and asked instead, “Now, what on earth were you trying to hide? Because if you ask me, all I see is a very handsome man.”

     Marcelino was surprised by the response, but then he started laughing.

     “You really are an amazing woman Livia,” Marcelino says, and this time, it was Livia’s turn to laugh.

     “I’m just a librarian, Mr. M.”

     “And I see no problem with that,” Marcelino says back, and for a quick second, Livia felt something sharp pierce in her chest, immediately making her look away from the kind florist.

     “W-Well, I must be going. I’ll drop by later to take the flowers,” Livia quickly says before rushing away from the scene.

     Marcelino laughs and looks at the face mask again. He was about to put it on, but he took a deep breath and decided to hide it inside his pockets instead.

     “Mr. M! Look out!” Another voice calls out. Marcelino turns around and spots the mailman riding a bicycle. He rushes towards him and then stops just inches before he can hit his stall, making Lino sigh because something similar has already happened before.

     “Timothy, one day, your breaks won’t work, and you’ll end up crashing in my stall. Pedal slower next time,” Lino warns him, and Timothy, the young mailman, awkwardly laughs before handing Marcelino his mail. 

     “Whoa! So you actually have a scar from war?! That’s so cool!” Timothy then says when he sees the scar on Marcelino’s face.

     “For Pete’s sake, just go and deliver the other mail!”

     Timothy chuckles and tilts his hat before finally driving off. As soon as he was gone, Marcelino looked at the envelope that was given to him. He opens it up and finds a lengthy letter. At first, he thought that it would be from Laurence, but to his surprise, the signed name was from someone very important to him.

     “ Bishop… “

END

THE COOK

3RD HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE: FAMINE

LAURENCE ACCIDENTALLY CUTS HIS finger while chopping some onions, instantly making him curse. He rushes to the sink to wash the blood off. When the bleeding stopped, he opened a drawer and pulled out a band-aid.

     “Did you cut yourself again?” An old nun suddenly asks as she enters the kitchen.

     Laurence turns to her, making the nun spot the bandaid he’s holding. She shakes her head and sighs, but she approaches him and takes the bandaid from his hand so she can put it for him. “You know, you have to stay focused whenever you’re in the kitchen. Food is sacred, so preparing them takes extra time and care.”

     “I know. You’ve mentioned that about a hundred times now,” Laurence sarcastically says as soon as the nun finishes putting the bandaid on him. After that, he walks back to the counter and continues cutting the onions in silence. The nun stares at him for a while, but then she sighs again and joins him, grabbing the rest of the onions so she can help him with them.

     “Sister Catherine, you don’t have to help. I can do this on my own,” Laurence insists, but the nun, who Laurence referred to as sister Catherine, chuckles and continues to chop the remaining ingredients on the counter.

     “You always want to be alone in the kitchen, Laurence, and you always eat alone even though we keep on asking you to join us. It seems as though there is a piece of you that you left behind that simply wouldn’t let you move on,” sister Catherine says, making Laurence sigh.

     “I just prefer to be alone.”

     “But people aren’t meant to be alone,” sister Catherine quickly fires back, making Laurence stop chopping. He lifts his head up and looks out of the window in front of him, and outside, Laurence sees children running around the courtyard, laughing and playing without any care in the world. Just merely looking at them made him remember his past.

     Despite the way he speaks or expresses himself, Laurence enjoyed his time at the manor with Marcelino and the others. He wasn’t entirely happy, but he felt something more than sadness when he was with them.

     After the plague, the four of them decided to stay together like wanted criminals even though none of them were mentioned or named. If you thought about it, you’d think that the four of them just wanted to be extra cautious in case something were to happen. But the truth is…they just didn’t want to get separated from each other. They were all just too scared to say it out loud.

     For a short while, they acted like they were a family, and that included Krimson. Even though he was still very much hard to control at times, everyone saw that he was trying. One time, when they were having a meal together, Alice suddenly came out, and then Autumn, and even Winter.  But during their short time together, Tomorrow and Bishop never came out. Alice and the others never talked about him either, so Laurence never asked. But even if he tries to deny it, he still does miss him.

    When the time for them to separate finally came, Krimson didn’t say anything to them and just left without a trace. He didn’t say goodbye, he didn’t tell them his plans or where he was going, and he didn’t even leave a note. Maybe it’s because he didn’t have any sort of attachment to them as Bishop did, or maybe he just didn’t want to show what he really felt.

     Laurence left right after him. He didn’t tell Marcelino and Adeline about his plans either, but he kept them updated. Deep down, Laurence knew that they were going to get separated either way, so to lessen the burden, he went out alone, knowing full well that Lino would be there to take care of Adeline.

     He traveled by himself for a year, visiting churches and rural areas and handing out free food to them before being approached by sister Catherine. She asked him if he wanted to work as a cook in an orphanage run by nuns, and luckily enough, Laurence agreed.

     Ever since then, he’s been working here with no worries, living a peaceful life of solitude and constantly repenting for the sins he had committed in the past. It’s not a perfect life, but it’s a life that he freely chose.

     “The children adore you. Do you know that?” sister Catherine suddenly says, making Laurence look away from the window.

     “Well, I don’t like them. And besides, I’m just a cook,” Laurence replies.

     “You keep on saying you don’t like them, but here you still are.”

     Laurence pauses after hearing the statement, but he eventually ignores it and continues cutting up the ingredients for the food he’s making for the kids. 

    “You know, Laurence, you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. I see goodness in you, goodness you’re trying to hide from everyone else. I understand that you are chained by the sins you do not wish to share, but it is difficult to repent when you cannot forgive yourself,” sister Catherine suddenly says.

     Laurence swallows the lump in his throat and looks up again to stare at the children outside the window. Right after that, he looks at the bandaid that is carefully wrapped around his injured finger.

     “You know, you remind me of someone. Someone caring and motherly,” Laurence then says before looking back at sister Catherine. “Her name was Autumn.”

     “That sounds like a lovely name. And she sounds like a lovely woman.”

     “She was,” Laurence replies before giving out a small smile. “I’ve always run away from things. I was just terrified of realizing that I…that I deserved to be alone. I couldn’t find a purpose that would push me to move forward. Maybe I’m just too stuck in the past. Or maybe I just see myself as someone who doesn’t deserve to move forward.”

     “You know, that’s not how you really feel, Laurence. I can see it,” sister Catherine tells him, putting down the knife and grabbing his hand to squeeze it gently. “The very thing you’re feeling right now isn’t what you think it is. It’s loneliness. You feel lonely.”

     The moment Laurence heard that word, he suddenly felt something squeeze his chest. It felt like someone was trying to expose him, squeezing out the secrets he’s been trying to shove deep inside him.

     “There is an emptiness inside you. There is something you wish you could have done differently, but you keep convincing yourself that the path you chose is the right one,” sister Catherine says, pulling her hand away from Laurece so she could pat his shoulder.

     “If you miss someone, you say it out loud. If you want to be with someone, you scream it to the world. And if you wish to return to the path you already walked away from, then turn around and run back. Because it is always easier to run back to pick up your broken pieces than to move forward and leave more of yourself behind,” sister Catherine genuinely says, and for the first time since he got to this orphanage, Laurence shed a tear.

     “T-Thank you,” Laurence says, making sister Catherine pull him towards her to give him a warm embrace.

     “We’ll always be here for you, Laurence. So stop running away.”

     When sister Laurence pulled away from him, Laurence chuckled and quickly wiped his tears away.

     “Thank you again. But before I think about that, we should finish cooking the children’s lunch first,” he then says, and the nun laughs and nods her head in agreement. 

     As the two continued preparing the meals, a younger nun suddenly rushed to the kitchen holding an envelope. “Laurence! A mail came for you,” she excitedly says, surprising Laurence because no one is supposed to know where he is.

     “A mail…for me? Who is it from?” Laurence asks, washing his hands and drying them in his apron first before grabbing the envelope.

     “I don’t know. It didn’t say,” the nun replies, so Laurence takes a bread knife and cuts the envelope open, realizing in shock that the envelope actually contains a long hand-written letter from a familiar penmanship. 

September 30, 1954

Dear horsemen,

I’m not the type to write lengthy letters, so I’m just going to write one and photocopy the rest and send them to you individually. That would save me more time, after all.

First off, how have you all been? I’m aware that Adeline is still with Lino, and father Laurence is somewhere out there hiding, acting as if we’ll never get to find him. But people don’t just disappear, Laurence, so you better try harder.

Anyway, you all must be confused. It’s been two years, and you haven’t heard from me. Well, I went to different places and worked on getting my shit together. I want to tell you all the details, but that would have to wait.

It took a while for me to write this because I had to seek help. This time, for real help. I’m still not entirely ‘cured,’ if that’s the right word for it, but I’m better. I’m better because I finally understand that I have to want to be better if I want to be better. No one else is going to truly help me other than myself, and I had to learn that the hard way.

My psychiatrist told me that the next step in moving forward is looking back and accepting the past. You might not know this, but my biological father is alive. I tried looking for him, but then I found out that he was already in the hospital for three years now. I didn’t forgive him, but I didn’t hate him as much anymore, and I think that greatly helped me.

Now, to fully commit to my fucking expensive therapy sessions, I’m writing this letter because  m̶y̶ ̶p̶s̶y̶c̶h̶i̶a̶t̶r̶i̶s̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶l̶d̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶…no…its because I miss you all.

I want to see you again. And I want to know how everyone’s been doing. Strange, isn’t it? But you are the only family I have left, so what am I supposed to do?

On October 8, at the town’s anniversary, let us meet again at the place we all first met. I will all wait for you there.

Promise me this.

Yours Truly,

Bishop L.

     “L-Laurence? Are you okay?” sister Catherine asks when she notices tears streaming down from Laurence’s eyes.

     Laurence quickly wipes his tears away before giving out an excited smile. Without wasting any time, he tells her, “I know this is going to be very out of the blue. And I am aware of all the things you’ve done for me so far. But is it alright if I–”

    “Is that even a question? Just go,” sister Catherine replies, and Laurence hugs her tightly before running out of the kitchen, preparing for a trip that would take him back to the place that was promised. 

END

THE BUTLER

1ST HORSEMAN OF THE APOCALYPSE: PESTILENCE

“WHAT ARE YOU FEELING at the moment?” A psychiatrist named Melinda Cartel asks while looking at the man sitting in front of her.

     The man was looking out of the window, staring at the tree that was swaying with the wind. He watched as the leaves fell, and then he chuckled when he saw a kid trying to catch them like the leaves were butterflies.

     He continues to stare at the falling leaves in complete silence. But as he was staring, he was suddenly reminded of the autumn leaves that fell on him when his adoptive mother, Alexandra Lancaster, was pulling him out of the forest to escape the cult that was trying to chase after them. It was supposed to be a terrifying experience, but all he could remember was how warm and motherly Alexandra’s hands were.

     “Bishop?” Melinda calls out to catch his attention, instantly making him blink and look back at her.

     “I-I’m sorry. What was it again?”

     “I was asking about what you felt at the moment,” Melinda calmly asks again, and Bishop takes a deep breath and looks at his hands, staring at the paint that he wasn’t able to properly wash off before he got here.

     “Fine?”

     “You’re not sure?”

     “I just feel a bit lonely sometimes, but I’m not entirely sad about it. That’s all,” Bishop then explains, and Melinda nods her head and writes it down in her notebook.

     “Have you been hearing anyone from your system recently?” She then asks next.

     “Sometimes Alice would come out and speak with me, and there are moments I just blackout and get notes from Winter, but those only happen about a couple hours, sometimes even minutes,” Bishop explains, and Melinda nods her head again, but this time, she doesn’t write it down.

      “How about Krimson and Tomorrow? How have they been?” She asks next.

     Bishop scratches the back of his neck and looks out of the window again, staring at the dancing tree and falling leaves. 

     “They’ve been quiet. Ever since that day…they’ve been quiet.”

     Two years ago, when Krimson, Marcelino, Laurence, and Adeline went their separate ways, Krimson went out to find more information regarding his real father, Lincoln Hollow.

     Thanks to Giovanni, Krimson found out that he was still alive. Before they left the manor, Giovanni told him about it, and in the envelope that he gave them, records about Lincoln were found inside. It seems like these were the records that Mateo Ricci once mentioned that went missing at the hospital.

     Krimson used up some of his money to make calls to find his father’s whereabouts. When Krimson first saw the records, he thought that he would have died or maybe been discharged, but when he found an informant from his home country who told him about his father, everything became clear.

     Lincoln Hollow, the once proud leader of a cannibal cult, has been in the hospital for over ten years now. Due to their practices, Lincoln ended up having rare and incurable diseases, diseases that he never recovered from. 

     Krimson was surprised by this and didn’t even want to believe it at first. But when the informant sends him a picture of him, Krimson ends up laughing and then breaking down.

     All those years, during all the times he suffered from the things his family did to them in the past, his father was finally paying his due. It was the irony of it all. And for the first time, Krimson felt relieved.

     “ I can finally go to fucking sleep! “ Krimson shouted when he saw the picture of his dying father.

     “ Do you want to go to sleep now, Krimson? “ Tomorrow then asked him. “ Let me come with you! Don’t leave me, okay? You have to take me with you. “

     “ Why do you always cling to me? You’re such a brat! “

     “ It’s because you saved me, Krimson. Everyone says you’re mean, but that’s not true. You’re the kindest, Krimson. You’ve always protected me more than Alice. That’s why I want to be with you. Bring me with you, Krimson. Don’t leave me! “

     “ Ah! Shut up already! You’re so annoying. “

     “ But Krimson… “ Tomorrow whines like a kid.

     “ Fine! Who else is going to take care of a criminal like you anyway? Come on. If you bother me so much, I’ll throw you away like last time. Do you understand? “ 

     “Yes!”

     Right after that exchange, the body fell to the ground, and everything became dark. The constant smell of blood was slowly disappearing, and then everything turned into ashes. Silence filled the room for a few more minutes, and right after that, a bright light appeared.

     “ Wake up, “ a gentle voice whispers, and soon after, the man with blue and brown eyes awoke in an unfamiliar motel room. He stood from the ground, his head aching. But as soon as he saw his reflection in the mirror, a tear instantly fell from his eyes as overwhelming emotions started to consume him.

     He looked at his hands and then started touching his body, making sure he wasn’t hurt anywhere. But the truth was, he was only checking if this was all real. 

     “ I-I’m awake… “

     And that all happened a year ago.

     “It seems as though your system is more organized now compared to the first session we had, and I believe it greatly affects how you stay focused in real time. As long as you are aware of everything that’s going on around you, you’ll be fine,” Melinda says with a warm smile before closing her notebook.

     “Alright, looks like we’re done for today. I’ll lessen your dosage for this month, and then we’ll see how it goes,” Melinda says, standing from the sofa so she can write the prescription for him.

     Bishop thanks a deep breath but continues to look out of the window. “You know, I’ve sent the letter to Mr. M and the others. It wasn’t much, but I think I was able to express my feelings.”

     “Then isn’t that wonderful? When are you going to meet up with each other?” Melinda asks while writing something down.

     “On the 8th. That’s a week from now. I don’t know how it will go or whether they’ll even show up, but I just know that after doing this, I think I wouldn’t feel less lonely anymore. Maybe I’ll really be fine this time,” Bishop says before turning his head to his doctor. “I’m really thankful for everything you’ve done.”

     Melinda stops writing to look back at Bishop with a smile. “Don’t mention it, Bishop. And besides, the records you gave me from your previous doctor helped a lot. The details he wrote down made it clear that he was really trying to help you, so it’s basically a joint effort.”

     Bishop smiles and looks back at his hands again. Melinda didn’t mention his name, or rather, Bishop never told her, but just remembering him made Bishop feel some kind of sadness despite the past he had with Claudio.

     When he woke up, he immediately talked with Alice about everything that had happened. He saw the news of the plague and then the exposed crime that was once committed by three powerful people from Capo di Monte. But the news that shocked him most of all was none other than the news of Claudio Romano’s death.

     On October 8, two years ago, the great Giovanni de Vincenzo passed away in front of the famous manor called the Hell House. In the news, the name Giovanni was never mentioned, only Claudio Romano, which greatly affected the Romano family’s reputation. The crime that William Romano committed also added fuel to the fire, which completely destroyed their name. Since William is also the only living suspect for the r-pe and murder of Adele de Vincenzo, it’s safe to say that he’ll finally pay his due debt.

     Bishop also tried catching up with the other events that happened after the final plague. He looked for information regarding Marcelino and Adeline, as well as father Laurence Monet. But the person that he really did search for when he woke up was none other than his adoptive mother, Alexandra Lancaster.

      Bishop, despite everything that he went through, went back to his hometown, Totten’s Landing. He went back in disguise, and there, at a small cottage, he found his mother, Alexandra, tending a small garden she’s been taking care of ever since she left Bishop at Capo di Monte.

     “ M-momma… “ Bishop called out.

     Alexandra dropped her watering pot in shock. And without saying a thing, ran to Bishop to give him a tight hug.

    “ You’re back, “ she says.

    “ I’m back. “

     “ How have you been? Did you get cured? Did that doctor help you? “ She continues to ask, ignorant of the things that had happened when she left him there.

     But Bishop nor Winter did not have any grudge. Out of everyone he had encountered in the past, Alexandra was the only one who saved him. She was the only one who believed he could be better. Of course, she wasn’t perfect, just like any other mother, but she loved him. And that’s all that mattered to him.

     “ Momma, would you like to move away with me? I would like to take you somewhere. Somewhere peaceful…a place where we can start over. “

     “ Okay. “

     Since then, the two of them have been living together as promised.

     Bishop was able to move on from the things that happened in his past. After having experienced such heartbreaks, Bishop finally understood what needed to be done. So when he and his mother moved to Sta. Rosalia, he searched for someone who could truly help him, and that was Dr. Melinda Cartel, who had a small clinic downtown. She was kind and thoughtful, and she knew how to help him as she had handled a similar case in the past.

     It was refreshing to see someone who sincerely cared about their patients.

     “Now here you are, Bishop,” Melinda says as she hands him the prescriptions. “Update me if you end up feeling something unusual. And remember, I’m just one call away. If you need anything, just let me know.”

     “Thank you, doctor,” Bishop replies as he grabs his coat from the hanger. He was about to walk to the exit and head out, but then he remembered something, instantly making him stop. “Oh, by the way, my art gallery just opened up at 178 Marthel St. It’s the building beside the barber shop. If you have any time, I hope you can visit.”

     “Really? It seems like yesterday when you opened up about wanting to open a gallery, and now here you are. Maybe I should buy one of your pieces when I drop by,” Melinda says with a wink, making Bishop chuckle.

     “I would be very much delighted,” Bishop then replies before finally heading out of the clinic.

     As soon as he got out of the clinic, he was instantly welcomed by a crowd of people walking down the pavement. Sta. Rosalia was bigger compared to the places he used to live in, so it was naturally livelier. Bishop decided to move here with his mother because he knew that the place would be able to help him clear his mind more, and it did.

     The lake, the building, the people…everything was beautiful. Exploring the world outside your bubble can definitely help you find the right place where you can truly belong. Of course, it wasn’t anywhere near perfect, but this was a place he wanted to grow and call home.

     Bishop was determined to get his life fixed. He was determined to move on from the horrors that he experienced and find real meaning in what the world had been offering him. He was willing to let go of the chains that shackled him. He was ready to walk a different path. But despite all that, there was one thing that he wasn’t willing to let go. And that was the very reason why he chose to stay in this specific town.

     Because in Sta. Rosalia, there is a promise that he still holds onto dearly. He’s not certain if this person even remembers it, but he still wants to believe that it will be kept till the very end. Even if it takes months or years, Bishop will stay here…

     In the place that was promised.

     “Good morning, sir Bishop,” one of the workers watching over the art gallery greets when Bishop arrives.

     “Good morning,” he replies, walking inside and turning the lights on. “Can you help mop the floor for me before we open?”

     “Right away, sir.”

     The worker runs off to do what he was told, so Bishop walks towards his paintings and starts looking through them. 

     When Bishop and his mother arrived at Sta. Rosalia, Bishop still had enough money for them to buy a small house near the lake. He spent most of the money he received from Giovanni on that house, while half was already spent by Krimson. Without any means of feeding himself and his mother, Krimson bought art supplies with the little money he had left and started painting near the lake.

     He painted tourists for a few months until he was able to open up a small studio where he started selling his pieces. Eventually, he found a benefactor who helped him open up his first gallery.

     The paintings he made for the gallery had familiar names. Some were named after his alters, and some were named after the patients that they once had at the manor. But in the middle was a relatively large painting that onlookers have been very curious about. Some even tried to buy it, but Bishop never sold it to anyone, even those who offered a huge price.

     The piece was simply a canvas that was filled with various shades of yellow. It was explosive yet warm. It was filled with emotions that resonated with the eyes of those who looked at it. There was even a time when someone ended up crying as they stared at it.

     “Amore mio… “ Bishop whispers, reading the title of the painting in front of him.

     While Bishop was staring at the painting, the door behind him suddenly opened, immediately making him turn around to check who it was.

     “I’m sorry, but we’re still closed,” Bishop quickly says. But as soon as he turns around, he spots a familiar man walking toward him. And in an instant, a tear falls from Bishop’s eyes.

     “I came as promised. I hope I am not too late…my love.”

     “Teo.”

END

THE OFFICER

SURPRISE CHAPTER: AMORE MIO

“YOU WILL REGRET THIS,  Mateo Ricci! You will regret this!” William Romano shouted as he was being dragged by the police. William continuously shouted at the officer, but Mateo didn’t show a single emotion. He just stood there and watched as they dragged the town’s hero into the police car, reporters stealing pictures of him as the townspeople threw things in his direction.

     After the death of Claudio Romano, Mateo took the box that he presented to him before he died. The box contained pictures of William Romano, Camillio Winchester, and even his own father, Alfredo Ricci, with a woman he did not know.

     The first time he saw it, he couldn’t help but vomit at how sick and disgusting it all was. The other officers encouraged him to throw the pictures away as the crime was committed years ago, and exposing this would cause great damage to their town. But Mateo didn’t care. He reported the case and instantly arrested the culprits.

     Soon after, the woman in the picture was revealed to be Adele de Vincenzo, the wife of the man everyone once called the Plague Doctor. The town was divided for a while, but eventually, they wept and grieved. They felt guilty for turning their backs on the Vincenzos, who were the only family that was kind enough to help them in the past. But Mateo didn’t pity any of them. Regret may make someone feel better, but the dead cannot accept forgiveness.

     As the story about the plague and Adele resurfaced, it didn’t take long for Capo di Monte to be all over the news. Mateo Ricci, as the chief of police, had the role to make sure everything ran smoothly, so for a few months, he has been busy trying to make things right.

     “ My dear friend, I hope what I did is enough, “ Mateo whispered as he placed a bouquet of white roses on the steps of the manor that the people once called the Hell House.

     “ Rest easy now.“

     The townspeople started calling him a hero when the news went down, but Mateo vocally rejected it, claiming that they should stop idolizing others and start thinking for themselves. But despite everything that had happened, Mateo only needed one thing…

     “Krimson, I am speaking to you, not as the chief of police that’s supposed to capture you, but I am speaking as the man who is deeply in love with someone named Bishop. If you are able to speak to him, I hope you can tell him that whether it is his darkest or brightest, or whether it is his happiest or saddest, I will hold them all dearly. And I will wait at the place we promise no matter how long it takes.”

     That short encounter had left Mateo in shambles. For a while, he was confused, but then, as he continued to ponder over it, he realized how it all made sense.   

     He didn’t understand what Bishop went through and what caused him to be what he is now, so during his time alone, he would read records and studies of this disorder to further understand it better. He wanted to understand what Dissociative Identity Disorder meant. He wanted to understand Bishop and everyone else that was in him. He wanted to understand so that when he met him again, he wouldn’t end up showing an expression that might hurt him.

     “ Sir Ricci, you asked us to make a report if someone named Bishop Lancaster moves to our town, correct? Well, someone did. Just a week ago. “

     A year after the plague incident, Mateo searched high and low for Bishop. He didn’t know where he was, so the only hope he had was the promise he kept with him.

     Before they went back from their trip, Mateo and Bishop promised that they would one day return to Sta. Rosalia. They told each other that whatever happened, they would find each other there. So with only just a promise, he took the chance.

     For a while, he waited and waited. He was patient, and he occupied his thoughts so that he wouldn’t give up on him. But when it was finally reported to him that someone of the same name had moved to the town, Mateo almost ran and rode a train with no second thought. He wanted to check if this was the person that he had been waiting for, but he stopped himself.

     He contemplated for a while, wondering if he should really go, but instead, he waited for a few more months to finally head to where Bishop was said to be found. He needed to be ready to face him too, so when he finally decided to take the chance…

     “Yes, Bishop Lancaster. I heard he lives around here,” Mateo asked a local who was tending a vegetable stall. 

     “Oh! Sir Bishop! Yes, he lives near the lakeside. But if you’re looking for him, he’s probably in his art gallery. He just opened it yesterday, and people have been visiting that place since it opened,” the woman answers, and a smile instantly appears on Mateo’s face.

     “Art gallery?”

     “Yes, at 178 Marthel Street, just right beside the barber shop. You won’t miss it.”

     “Alright. Thank you.”

     Mateo heads to Marthel Street, where the gallery is said to be found. It wasn’t hard to find because of how flashy the barber shop beside it was, so when he got there, he was instantly filled with anxiety.

     “ It’s alright, Teo, don’t be so nervous. He might not be the Bishop we’re looking for, but at least we tried, “ Mateo whispers to himself before looking at his reflection in the window to fix his hair.

     After one last deep and heavy breath, he finally walks to the door. He got ready to get inside, but then, as he was about to enter, he suddenly spotted a man standing in front of a large yellow painting. He couldn’t see him well at first, but as he continued to stare at him, a tear instantly fell from his eye.

     “ Bishop… “ Mateo whispers under his breath, and then, like his feet had a mind of their own, he enters the gallery with no second thought. In a single breath, as he walked towards the man who almost seemed like he was part of the painting, he was overwhelmed with emotions that he had kept hidden all this time.

     “I’m sorry, but we’re still closed,” the man in front of him suddenly says, quickly turning around to face him. But as soon as their eyes met, Mateo sighed in relief. 

     It was Bishop. It was the man he loved. And he was okay. He always believed that he’d see him again one day, but now that he was actually here, standing right in front of him like an art piece that people could not look away from, Mateo was left there in complete awe.

     “I came as promised. I hope I am not too late…my love,” Mateo says, his voice almost shaking. He wasn’t sure if Bishop wanted him there. He doesn’t even know if he recognizes him. But when Mateo saw the look on Bishop’s face, all his doubts instantly left him.

     “Teo…” Bishop says, the name sliding out of his mouth like he has uttered it a hundred times already. As tears continue to pour out of his eyes, Bishop runs towards Mateo, practically throwing himself towards him so he can give him the warmest embrace.

     Mateo automatically wraps his arms around him, and then he lifts him up and starts twirling him around like an ending of a romantic movie, making the two giggle at each other like teenagers in love.

      “Oh, darling, it really is you. It really is my Bishop,” Mateo says before putting Bishop down.

     “How did you know I was here? Was I hard to find? Did you wait long?” Bishop asks while Mateo wipes the tears off his cheeks for him.

     “Of course, I waited,” he answers. “And I would have waited a decade more for you.”

     “ Mateo… “ Bishop whispers under his breath as he holds onto Mateo’s hand that was caressing his face.  Mateo stares at his lover and then gently kisses his forehead. He wanted to ask about Claudio and what had happened between them, but Teo knew that this no longer concerned them. Whatever happened in the past should be forgotten and left in the past. If Bishop wants to talk about it, then he will listen.

    “By the way, Bishop, I met someone,” Mateo excitedly says before letting go of him.

     “Met someone?”

     “Yes, his name, if I recall, was Krimson,” Mateo reveals, and the smile on Bishop’s face instantly turns into terror. Without even thinking about it, he pushes Mateo away from him and quickly hugs his hand.

     “Y-You met him?” Bishop nervously asks.

     “Yes, I did. But what’s wrong, my love? It’s alright, I don’t—”

     “N-No…you think I’m a monster now, don’t you? Is this why you came here? Claudio was right. You’ll hate me for it because I kept it away from you. I should have never—” Before Bishop could even start breaking down, Mateo quickly grabbed his shoulders and directly stared into his eyes, making sure he was looking at him.

     “Bishop, it’s okay. You are not a monster, and I absolutely do not hate you. I love you, remember? And so I will love all of you as I have loved the small bits of you. I will try to learn more as much as I can so you do not have to look so scared,” Mateo genuinely says, making a tear fall from Bishop’s eyes.

    “A-Are you sure?” Bishop asks him, and Mateo gives him the warmest smile before answering, “When it comes to you, I have always been sure.”

     “ You don’t fucking deserve that man,“ a voice suddenly whispers in Bishop’s ear, making him realize that it was a memory from Krimson. Bishop wipes his tears away, and then he gives out a small smile before saying, “ I know. But I still want him. “

     Mateo looks at Bishop confusingly, but then  Bishop grabs him and gives him a tight embrace. “Thank you for always staying by my side. Thank you for not letting me go. Thank you for being the brightest during the times I was consumed by the dark. Thank you…for being the beauty in this cruel world,” Bishop says, hugging him tightly, feeling his warmth and smelling the familiar scent that had calmed him down dozens of times.

     When the two pulled apart from each other, Mateo leaned close and got ready to give him a kiss, but because Bishop had not seen him for such a long time, he ended up looking away in embarrassment.

     “I want to introduce you to the rest of my alters. Come,” Bishop says instead, grabbing Mateo’s hand and pulling him inside a storage room that also acts as his art studio. 

     The room was slightly a mess, but Mateo didn’t mind. Everything reminded him of Bishop. Even the paint in his hand made him smile.

     “I made some paintings and stored them here. I was contemplating on whether I should display them with the others, but these felt too personal, so I just hid them,” Bishop explains as he walks towards a painting of an old woman standing under an autumn tree.

     “This is Autumn,” Bishop introduces as Teo stands behind him. “She’s around 72 years old, and she’s very motherly. She’s the one who takes care of us.”

     “She sounds lovely,” Mateo comments, making Bishop smile and nod his head to agree to it.

     “She is,” he replies before walking to another painting. This time, it’s a painting of a woman jumping down what seems to be a rabbit hole. “Now, this one is Alice. She’s the toughest one out of all of them. When I was younger, my mother used to read me the story of Alice in Wonderland, and I think that’s how she was named.”

     “These are very beautiful paintings, Bishop.”

     “Really? I’m glad,” Bishop says before excitedly going to the third painting. This time, it’s a kid standing in the middle of the snow. “Now this one is—”

     “Winter,” Mateo suddenly finishes, making Bishop look back at him with surprise. 

     “You remember,” Bishop says in disbelief because Winter has only been mentioned once, and that was during the masquerade party where the two of them first shared an intimate night together.

     “Of course, I remember everything about you,” Mateo answers in a lower tone, immediately making Bishop look away from him again because of how hot his cheeks were starting to feel.

     Bishop tries to calm himself down again. So in order for Mateo not to notice how nervous he actually is, Bishop clears his throat and continues, “I haven’t finished the rest, but there are still Krimson and Tomorrow. I want to finish the painting quickly because I feel like it would greatly help me mentally. But I’m still trying to capture the right emotions,” Bishop explains, walking towards the table to arrange the paint brushes.

     “So what do you think? You once told me you wanted to see my paintings, so that’s why I opened up a gallery here,” Bishop casually adds, making Mateo widen his eyes in shock.

     “W-Wait, you opened this…for me?” Mateo confusingly asks, and Bishop chuckles in response.

    “Well, there are a few more reasons, but that was the main one,” Bishop then replies while wiping his wet brush with a dirty cloth already filled with paint. “That’s why I really wanted you to come here and see how my paintings look.”

    Mateo stares at Bishop in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that all this time, Bishop had been thinking about him like this. For a second, as he stared at him, Mateo thought that he didn’t deserve someone like him at all. Just like how Bishop thinks he doesn’t deserve him too.

     “They’re all beautiful. They’re all very beautiful,” Mateo stated, and when Bishop turned back around, he was surprised to see that Mateo was no longer staring at the paintings but at him instead.

     Bishop instantly remembered the time they had together on the train. So when Mateo moved closer to him again, Bishop no longer moved away. He stayed still as Mateo moved closer to him. But as their lips were about to touch, Mateo leaned towards his ear and whispered, “ I’m going to kiss you, so I hope you can tell your alters to close their eyes first. “

    Bishop laughs, but seconds after, Mateo finally pushes his lips on him. Bishop tries to adjust, but after a while, he opens his mouth and lets Mateo’s tongue slide inside his mouth. The two taste each other’s familiar flavors, sharing passionate kisses, taking back the times they were apart.

     As they continue to kiss each other, Bishop drapes his arms around his lover’s neck as Mateo lifts him off the ground. Mateo then puts him down on the table and continues kissing him again. When they finally pulled apart, Mateo rested his head on Bishop’s shoulder and started panting heavily.

     “You’re driving me crazy, Bishop. I didn’t want to do this when we only just met again today, so let me calm myself down first, and then we can talk again,” Mateo explains, making Bishop laugh.

     The two of them were quiet for a while, but as Mateo was taking deep breaths, Bishop started playing with his hair before asking him, “Would you like to live with me, Officer Mateo Ricci?”

     Mateo quickly looked back at Bishop, his expression making Bishop laugh at him again.

     “Is that a no?” Bishop then teases, and Mateo starts shaking his head.

     “N-No, of course, I want to live with you! I would be very honored to live with you,” Mateo replies, grabbing Bishop again and giving him a kiss for the second time. When he pulls away from him, Mateo carries Bishop off the table and starts laughing in complete happiness.

     “I really love you, Bishop. Did you know that?” 

     Bishop smiles and gives Mateo a kiss again before adding, “Of course, I knew. I wouldn’t have waited if I didn’t.”

END

EPILOGUE

⚕︎

THE RAIN HAD FALLEN  hard on us a couple of hours ago, but thankfully the sky was starting to get clearer. The temperature inside the cab was also warm, and calming music was playing on the radio.

     I look out of the window, staring at dozens of people who are walking down the pavement. Some were folding their umbrellas back, while some got wet because of the aftermath. One boy was even hopping on the puddles, making the adult with him laugh at the sight of his innocence.

     “This will be a long ride,” a voice suddenly says. “Rest.”

     I politely nod and lower my head, making me catch a glimpse of the watch that I am wearing. I stare at it for a second before finally pulling the sleeves of my jacket to hide it.

     Soon after that, I closed my eyes and slowly drifted to sleep. As I dive deeper inside these deranged thoughts of mine, I spot a glimpse of light shining toward me in the darkness. What was once a small light peeking through the distance eventually turned into something that almost blinded me. I covered my eyes from it, but when I opened them back, I realized that I was teleported back to our little town called Totten’s Landing.

     Kids ran around, getting mud on their clean pants while their mothers chased them with a broom. Vendors were selling fresh fish and vegetables in their stalls, calling for customers willing to bargain with them, while old man Buckely was walking around the market, pretending to be drunk so he could pickpocket those unknowing onlookers.

     The town was as busy as ever, so I tried to push through the crowd to get to my merry way. But as I continued walking down the familiar yet unfamiliar path, the noise from the town square suddenly disappeared, and when I looked back, everything was gone.

     A strong gust of wind then pushed me back, almost making me stumble. And while I tried to hold my ground, I spotted a small house surrounded by beautiful flowers. I walked towards it and headed inside, and as soon as I got there, the smell of delicious pancakes suddenly welcomed me.

     The house looked homey, and everything was arranged and kept together. But when I walked towards the dining room, the table was completely empty. I had expected that it would be filled with delicious dishes, but it wasn’t.

     I continued to walk around the house to check if someone was inside, but as I got closer to the stairs, I suddenly heard laughter. So, without any hesitation, I climbed the steps and found a door where the waves of laughter were coming from. I walked towards it and reached for the doorknob. But as I was about to open the door, a cold hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder and whispered in my ear…

    “ Wake up, Bishop. “

     I gasped and opened my eyes, a man’s face right in front of me while his hand was on my shoulder. I adjusted for a couple of seconds, but after I rubbed my eyes, I looked back at the man again and asked, “Mateo, have we arrived?”

     Mateo Ricci, my lover, looks at me with a smile and gives me a quick peck on my forehead. “Yes. Did you sleep well? Maybe I shouldn’t have woken you up and just carried you there.”

     I laughed at the suggestion and hit his shoulder before stepping out of the cab. Mateo laughs as well and then heads to the trunk to grab our suitcases while I grab the flashlight and the fruit basket.

     “I apologize, sir, but I can’t go any further than this,” the driver says to us with a worried expression. “It’s already a bit late, but will the two of you be alright? Do you know the rest of the way?” He then asks me.

     “We do, thank you,” I answer before handing him our pay. The driver was still unsure, but he nodded his head and closed the trunk before heading back inside his cab and driving away.

     “Shall we go?” Mateo asks, and I nod my head in reply.

     The two of us went further inside the woods, already familiar with the path to take since I had walked in them a dozen times in the past. “This feels so strange. I haven’t been here in a long time,” I say to Mateo while pointing the flashlight on the ground so we wouldn’t accidentally step on something. “The town seems to be very peaceful now.”

     “It is, and that’s probably because people are more certain than afraid. For a long time, whenever we looked up the hill and saw the manor, we thought bad things would happen. But now, it’s different,” Mateo explains, and I couldn’t help but be relieved.

     “To be honest, my stay in the manor wasn’t the best, and I experienced a lot of traumatizing things there too, but I’m glad I met people there that I actually care about. I’m also excited for you to meet them. Well, if they actually come,” I tell him, acting as if it doesn’t bother me. But I could already tell that Mateo wasn’t buying it just by the way he stared.

     “These people really do mean so much to you, don’t they?” Mateo asks me.

     “They do.”

     “Then there is nothing for you to worry about. They will definitely come,” Mateo reassures me next, and I look at him and nod my head, now feeling a lot more optimistic.

     As the two of us continue walking, my stomach suddenly growls. We left a couple of hours ago, and I haven’t eaten a single thing since. Mateo had been telling me to eat at the train earlier, but I was so nervous that I couldn’t even grab a bite of anything. This is definitely karma.

     “Looks like we’re close,” Mateo assumes, but judging by this path, I could tell that this wasn’t the case. “I told you, I could have just gotten my car and driven us up this hill,” Mateo eventually starts to complain, making me chuckle.

     “I don’t want the townspeople to know I’m here, and besides, this is a crucial part of my therapy. I have to walk these steps again like the first time I got here. Dr. Melinda told me that it would greatly help me to move on from my past if I walked down its path again,” I explain, making him sigh.

     “Darling, I believe she didn’t mean it literally,” Mateo continues to complain, so I move close to him and give him a quick kiss on his cheek to give him a little boost.

     “If we get to the manor in one piece, I’ll let you fuck me without a condom on,” I teasingly say, making Mateo’s eyes widen in shock.

     “You’re serious? Alright, ride on my back. I’ll run there at light speed,” he then replies, making the two of us laugh.

     After distracting ourselves from the mud, mosquitoes, and the dark, we finally saw the roof of the manor peeking out from the woods. As soon as I saw that, I looked back at Mateo and excitedly told him, “There it is, amore. Hurry now…”

    The two of us rushed our way out of the woods, running towards the structure that was only a couple of meters away from us. After a few more steps, we finally arrived at our destination. I was expecting to see the familiar barren land, but to my surprise, as Mateo and I finally reached the manor, my jaw instantly dropped when I saw hundreds of flowers lying on the ground.

     “W-What’s going on? Why are there…”

     “I closed the manor and issued a notice that no one is allowed to enter,” Mateo explains. “But Ms. Sunny and I went inside to check whether Claudio left something else. As expected, we found a diary. It was a diary written by his grandfather, Fortunato. It gives detailed accounts of what happened in the past. We shared it with the people of Capo di Monte because we believed the Vincenzo family deserved to speak their truth.”

     “You did?” 

     “Today’s the town’s anniversary, right? Well, after the plague and the news of what William Romano and the others did, the townspeople stopped celebrating and instead went up the hill to offer flowers as a sign of respect to the Vincenzo family who has been wrongfully treated all those years,” Mateo explains further, and a warm feeling inside my chest instantly overwhelms me. For a second, I thought I’d cry.

     “This is beautiful. Francesco and the others can finally rest in peace,” I say, and Mateo nods his head in response.

     The two of us got closer to the entrance, walking past the sea of flowers that almost never ended. But as we got closer to the manor, I suddenly saw light coming from the second floor. Soon after, a figure appeared from the window, immediately making me drop the flashlight and the fruit basket that I was holding.

     “Bishop!” Mateo shouted as I ran my way to the manor, pushing the door open so I could get inside.

    “Lino! You’re here, aren’t you?! Lino, please, show yourself!” I started shouting at the top of my lungs, but no one answered.

     “Bishop, are you alright? Did you see anyone?” Mateo then asks as he appears behind me.

     “I…I don’t know. Maybe I just–”

     “Another boy with a peculiar eye color enters the Hell House. How unlucky,” a familiar voice suddenly interrupts, and my entire body stiffens then and there.

     “You’re gonna cry for your momma again?” He then asked as he got closer. I didn’t want to turn around because I was afraid that it might not be him, but when I saw Mateo encouraging me to do it, I took a deep breath and finally turned around.

     Standing right there, like the first time my alters and I got here, was Marcelino. He wasn’t wearing a military uniform anymore, and this time, unlike in the past, he really had a smile on his face now.

     “Lino!” I shout, running towards him to give him a hug. “I missed you so so much! I can’t believe you came! I didn’t know if you’d even come,” I quickly say, making Lino laugh.

    Lino chuckles and continues to hug me back before finally pushing me away. He was about to say something to me, but then he saw Mateo. As soon as he saw him, he quickly looked back at me with a grin. “So you actually hit it off with the cop. Good job Bishop,” Lino says, making me roll my eyes in annoyance.

     “Anyway, are you the first to come? Did you bring Adeline? Have you heard anything about Laurence?” I then ask him, suddenly making the grumpy Lino smile.

     “Follow me,” he answers instead before walking towards the backyard.

     I turned back to Mateo and asked him to put our suitcase down before following Lino outside. When we got there, I instantly spotted the five graves that were buried underneath. And right in front of them was a bigger grave that had the words Giovanni de Vincenzo written on the cross.

     Mateo and I walked closer to it, but then I noticed two figures standing in front of the grave, holding white roses. Without waiting for them to notice me, I ran towards the two and immediately grabbed them for a hug.

     “Little Adie! Father Laurence!” I shouted.

     The two were surprised, but then Laurence smiled and hugged me back.

     “It’s safe to assume that this is Bishop, right?” He asked, and I smiled and nodded my head before letting go of them. “And it’s also safe to assume that the man you’re with is the officer you’re very much in love with, right?”

     “I like you already,” Mateo replies, and the two of them shake their hands together, almost making it look like Laurence is my actual father and I’m here to introduce my boyfriend to him.

     While the two were talking, Adeline then approached me with a shy expression on her face. “Oh wow, little Adeline isn’t as little anymore,” I jokingly say, reaching out to pat her head. But as soon as I let go of her, Adeline drapes her arms around me to give me a tight hug.

     “ I missed you, Bishop, “ she whispers, instantly making me smile.

     “ I missed you too. “

     “Alright, look at this reunion. I might start crying,” Lino then says, making all of us laugh.

     “There’s so much I want to tell you all, but for now, shall we head inside? Teo and I bought some fruits we can eat,” I tell them.

     “I actually bought ingredients to cook. How about we eat dinner instead,” Laurence then says, and Adie and I excitedly nod our heads to agree to it.

     Lino and Adeline head back inside first, and then followed by father Laurence.

     “Amore, let’s go,” Mateo tells me.

     “You can go on ahead. I’ll be with you right after,” I say, and Mateo doesn’t even have to ask me anything as he gives me a quick kiss on the head before walking back inside with the rest.

     As soon as I was alone, I stared at the graves of the patients before bowing my head low to give my respect to them. Right after that, I looked at the grave in the middle, where Adeline and Laurence placed a white rose.

     “ Like you always said, I have returned…Master, “ I whisper before giving him a deep bow, a bow that I had given him multiple times when I was still his butler.

     The wind whistles and a relieved smile instantly appears on my face. I stared at the grave for one last time, and then I pulled a paper out of my pocket. I opened the paper up and stared at the drawing I had made of Giovanni. I kneeled down and gently placed the drawing on top of it, staring at the final gift I was willing to offer him.

    I closed my eyes and touched his grave, and then I finally got up and went back to the manor, walking away from the past that had both given me happiness and sadness. Walking away from the past that had awoken my darkest parts. And walking away from the doctor…who had shown us the beauty and the cruelty of the world that will forever be injected into our hearts.

      “ Goodbye, Master Claudio Romano. Goodbye… Doctor Giovanni de Vincenzo. “

     There are stories that mothers would usually tell their children to keep them from playing outside at night. But in a small town called Capo di Monte, stories about the plague doctor kept even adults locked inside their homes.

     In the middle of the woods, there is an abandoned manor called the hell house, where the most dangerous criminals reside.

     Stories about the manor kept the residences away. And as soon as midnight strikes, the people of Capo di Monte would automatically lock their doors. Children would hide under their blankets, afraid that the plague doctor would come to take them to the Hell House.

     Little did they know that such stories aren’t always true.

     Or rather…

     They are stories that are yet to be told.

     And those who are willing to listen…

     Might not even be alive to tell the tale.

FIN

The plague doctor…

Is ready for you now.

ABOUT

⚕︎

We have finally done it! We have finished The

Plague Doctor ! But of course, before I officially end the book, I would first like to share with you my thoughts on how and why I created this story.

I think, as an author–I’m speaking for myself here–I tend to make my characters perfect. I want them to make the best decisions and be the best they can be, but that’s not the case for any of us. We aren’t perfect, and we don’t always make the right decisions, and that’s what I wanted to do in this book.

There are moments that I know you find them stupid or you find them annoying, and that’s exactly what I wanted to create. These characters are people who have gone through the most traumatic experience one can face, so expecting them to be able to think the way we want them to think is just impossible. The way they’re problematic and imperfect is what made me love these characters even more, and their rawness is what made me proud of them entirely.

To be honest with you, this book was the book that physically and mentally drained me. I think I’ve said this in some of my books in the past, but this was different. Writing a single chapter tired me out. My sisters know this well. After writing a chapter, I bring myself to the bed and just rest because I feel like I ran a marathon. It made me sick for some reason, so finishing this was a challenge.

Now when it comes to the individual characters, I already had their personalities in mind, but things just progressed as I wrote the book further.

First, one of the main characters,  Claudio Romano or Dr. Giovanni de Vincenzo . My original design for him was some kind of bachelor/player. He’s suave and has this way of speaking that just lures people in. As I wrote him, I saw how I wanted his character to progress. I wanted you guys to see his transitions from a handsome, flirty, prideful playboy to an actual manipulative psychopath and finally to a tired, ugly, and defeated man who’s the exact opposite of what he first portrayed himself. 

For his ending part, I know a lot were surprised, but I really wanted to kill a major character. Before writing this book, I wanted to write a story where the main character dies, so from the very beginning, Giovanni was intended to get killed. Of course, there’s also another reason why he had to go.

Giovanni was a lost cause, and I always told my sister about this, but he died when his parents died. He was practically an empty shell. His desire for revenge was his plague, so having an actual plague kill him was very symbolic.

A lot also wondered if he was ever in love with Bishop. To answer this, no, he was not in love. As he already stated, he was not capable of it, especially after the death of his family. I think the closest person he could have been in love with if he did have a normal life was Ms. Sunny. I actually loved their dynamic together, and their backstory was very special.

You might have also noticed this, but the picture ( header ) you see in the epilogue actually has the word providence written on it. This is actually the title of the fifth horseman, providence, whose purpose is to clean up after the four other horsemen. He signifies renewal/rebirth, and Claudio’s death highly signifies this meaning.

Overall, I loved writing Claudio. And I believe I will never be able to write a character like this again. If I didn’t love him, the name of this book wouldn’t be titled after him haha

Now moving on to another main character, Bishop Lancaster. Writing Bishop was a challenge, and we already know why. I don’t really want to give further explanations about his character because I want you to experience and understand it in the book, and it would take me literally hours to write about him, so instead, I would like to share with you how he became the Bishop we know and love.

The original design I had for him was that he only had two alters. I wanted to have him switch from one alter to another and call it a day, but after reading about this disorder further, I realized that I couldn’t just decide to add two because I wanted it to be two.

I learned so much from this book, especially about Dissociative Identity Disorder. Of course, I’m not an expert, but I needed to be as accurate as I could since this disorder is real. So I read articles and even papers that dated back to the 90s. I watched videos, interviews, and vlogs from people who also have DID. It was also in an article that I read that some children who developed this disorder grew up in a cult, and this is the reason why Bishop has this kind of backstory.

After looking over this, I planned out the entire process of Bishop’s past, and that’s how we ended up with six alters: Krimson, Tomorrow, Autumn, Alice, Winter, and Bishop, who I will no longer explain in detail.

Now for his ending, if you guys can tell, his alters did not magically disappear. The reason behind this is that there isn’t an immediate cure for this. I didn’t want to write Bishop’s ending into a path where he just magically got ‘cured.’ This was the reality of things, and that’s what I wanted to do.

Also, just for a special easter egg of some sort, Bishop’s new doctor is named Melinda, who oddly sounds like his sister’s name, Mathilda ;)

Overall, Bishop is definitely on top of my list of favorite characters that I have written. He was so complex and beautiful and just everything in between. He will definitely have a special place in my heart.

Next, we have  Mateo Ricci. It was funny because people really found him suspicious, which is a very realistic take. When people are kind, or if they show good intentions, we tend to think that they’re doing this because they want something. This kind of thinking shows how cruel and fucked up the world is, so I really wanted Mateo to be the opposite.

Others might be disappointed that Mateo never really got to see Bishop’s darkest side. I was contemplating this too, but I feel as though has been a very common trope in stories where the character is broken, and they find someone who will help heal them, and we’ll all assume this is true love because “ you loved me at my darkest “. I know because I’ve written, and still am writing, stories like this. But when you really look at it, is it so wrong to be the best version of yourself when you’re with the person you love?

I had this idea that Bishop didn’t want Mateo to see his dark side. Mateo had no obligation whatsoever to help heal him or to be subjected to all the trauma he went through. Of course, if he were, he would definitely help Bishop as the person that he is, but Bishop didn’t want that. He was his sunshine. He wanted Mateo to see the brightest version of him, and that’s okay. For Bishop to be able to show the best version of himself to Mateo is the greatest form of love he can ever show to anyone. And Mateo’s patience and trust that Bishop will return is his way of showing his love to him. After all, love has no shape. We cannot measure one’s love.

In this book, Mateo balanced the characters. He was the one who had no traumatic backstory. He was kind, an honorable policeman, and a lover whose willing to understand Bishop no matter the circumstances. I wanted him to symbolize the beauty of the cruel world portrayed in the book. Or maybe even innocence. And I think he was able to pull that off nicely.

Alright, now we have the rest of the horsemen, Adeline , Laurence , and Lino . To be honest, there’s not much to say about these characters. They are the opposite of Mateo, which is the cruel part of the world. With these three, I wanted you to be confused about whether or not they are good or evil. They drew the line between the right to justice and the right to be free, and this line is very thin. Just like us, we make decisions that we are not proud of, and they embody this statement completely.

Another fact, if you have recognized it in their uniforms, they represent the three wise monkeys or better known as  “ see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil .“ I think that little touch gives their character more meaning.

I want to talk about the other characters as well, but I feel like I cannot truly explain them unless you’ve read the book. There are just things that you have to experience yourself to fully understand them.

Now there are some aspects that I didn’t want to write in the book because I wanted them to be discovered instead. For instance, the reason why the nurses had gas masks on was that there was poisonous gas inside the manor that slowly killed the patients, but this was different with Bishop and the others because their food was tampered with to protect them. Laurence knew this.

Another thing is, despite what was stated in the book, Giovanni could have made a cure with the instructions that Krimson gave. After all, he’s still a very smart plague doctor. What’s different is that he just chose not to.

There’s also the bell Giovanni uses to call for them, which actually mimics the number of gunshots he heard when the workers in the manor died. I think there are a few more, but you’ll just have to find them yourselves.

Lastly, for the epilogue , it’s actually a reflection of the prologue. If you put them side by side, you’ll definitely notice the similarities and differences. I also love the last paragraph because those were the words spoken in the trailer, so it really ties everything together.

In conclusion, this book wasn’t simply a book to be enjoyed. It was a book made to feel, to reflect, and to realize. I really poured my heart and soul into this, so I hope you guys enjoyed it.

Well, I guess that’s it! I hope this somehow clears some things up. But if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

Also, you may check my other stories here:

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AND, this is not mandatory in any way, but if you enjoyed the book and would like to give some sort of tip/donation, I would be very very thankful as it can help me continue writing. Pledging to my Patreon account will greatly help me as an aspiring author. 

( The   link is in this comment line )

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

⚕︎

And here we are again, at the end of another book.

There is so much that I want to say, but first, let me thank you all for joining me in this journey. I would have never thought that I’d be writing the last chapter, but here we are. To be honest with you, there were times when I just wanted to drop this book, so thank you for staying because you were the reason why I decided to push through.

Thank you to the readers who have been with me from the very beginning, as well as the readers who came when the book was completed. I really really appreciated you guys for trying this book out and enjoying it till the end.

To my readers who leave comments, especially theories. Let me say you guys are amazing! Some of you were able to guess the story, and that’s what I love about theories. Some authors might not like it because they don’t want people to ’ guess ’ their plot, but in my case, I absolutely adore it. It just means you guys are paying attention and are seeing the details, so for that, I am very thankful to all of you.

Of course, I would also like to thank my silent readers. You guys know me. I don’t ask you to comment or even vote, but you being here to read the book is enough. Believe me. I’m not saying this just to say it, but without you, I wouldn’t even have written this, so thank you so much. I appreciate you as much as I appreciate the others.

Also, to those who might not have finished the book, you might not be able to read it, but I also want to thank you for still giving this book a chance. I hope to improve further, and hopefully, I will be able to write a book that will make you stay ;)

I would also like to sincerely thank the readers who corrected my typos and mistakes. I am just one person, and English isn’t my first language either, but you guys have been patient with me and have helped me throughout, so I really appreciate it when you point these things out. Thank you for helping me become a better writer.

Lastly, I would like to thank my family, who have surprisingly supported me in this book. I know you guys are tired of hearing me share ideas, but you listened to them well and even gave me honest feedback, so thank you for being my number 1 supporter.

I guess that’s it! Thank you, everyone, for this opportunity. As I always say, I am honored to have written this book for you. This is my official goodbye to THE PLAGUE DOCTOR!

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! This is your author, N , signing off.

∙ July 23, 2021 - April 8, 2023  

∙