Back in the kitchen, we regathered some of our nerves. I picked up my
bottle of water, ready to drink it. It wasn't as cool as it was. With a
sheepish smile, I held it out to Luke. He knew what I wanted it and
took it without hesitation. After a moment or two, he passed it back to
me. I had cool water to drink.
At this point in time, I had no idea what we should do next. "I have no idea what to do," I admitted.
"You've seen the entire right wing of the house, how about we explore the left?" suggested Luke.
"How about we go over what we know first?" I suggested. "One, you're
the first victim and Ray's the last. And Robert's the second. Two,
every victim is a young male. Three, whenever I sleep, I have weird
dreams."
"How can you know that? You've only slept once."
I fiddled with the bottle in anxiety. "Before we met, I got knocked out
for some reason. That was the first time I saw the executioner. Um,
where was I? Four, the creatures that try to attack me are weird,
bloody, bandaged, things. But at least here they're ghosts. Five, you
keep remembering a lot about Robert."
"I can't help it," he said defensively. He crossed his arms and stared out of the window.
"You really don't remember watching someone hauling a body to the cellar?" I blurted out stupidly.
"I really don't."
"It must be something else you react to, then." I tried to think. What
had Luke told me, and what hadn't he? "How did your parents die?"
"Didn't I tell you? Car-wreck."
I suddenly thought of that ruined bedroom in my dream, with the ruined
kingsized bed and oil on the floor. Huh, so the dream was trying to
tell me something. "And your sister? She works a lot?"
"At least back then, yeah. She had to take 2 jobs at least. A cleaner,
an assistant at a bookstore. I think she also worked in a mall as
something, either with those jobs or instead of one."
I remembered that floating uniform. A polo shirt and a skirt I think it was. That must've been the bookstore.
I swallowed. I was afraid to ask this. "Luke? What house did you live
in? It wasn't a one-storey with a cellar, and kitchen at the back, was
it?"
He looked at me in surprise. "Yeah. How did you know?"
"The house in my dream," I said, really tense. "It musta been yours. Were your walls in your bedroom baby blue?"
He looked at me uncertainly. "Yeah." He got nervous and looked out of the window again.
"What's your sister's name?"
... "Don't know."
"Well what's your last name?"
... "Don't remember."
This was really weird. "What did your sister look like?"
... "I really don't know. Why are you asking me all this?"
"Luke, she did something to you."
His hand was gripping the sink.
I was unsure what to do. "Or was it her that did something?"
"She did something." His voice scared me. He had said that in a demonic growl. "You have no idea."
I was really shaking. "She-uh-she shouted at you? Beat you? What?"
He wouldn't answer. He just gripped the sink harder. So hard I thought the sink would snap.
"Luke? What is her name?"
I saw a trickle of blood slide down his gripping hand.
"Luke? Please stop it! You're scaring me!" (Like I somehow scared Ray.)
He suddenly let go of the sink, as if he was startled. He shakily
looked at me. "Tanya, I..." He looked around him, as if looking for
something. "Sorry, I dunno what happened." He shook his head, eyes
pleading with me. "Please don't make me remember. I don't know what
happened, but it can't be good." He looked sad, distraught even. "It
could be useful. But it's painful. Why can't I help you more? Why can't
I be free?"
I couldn't do or say anything. I didn't know what to say. And where did
the blood on Luke's arm go? "Didn't anybody, ever, come into this house
after Robert?"
"They must've, I just don't remember them. I still don't get why!"
I thought about what little I knew of ghosts. "Some ghosts have a
routine, or others have some kind of restart button. Like, a trigger
that they can't control."
"Could it be in this kitchen?" Luke asked.
I shrugged. "You do seem to like being here, so why not? I still don't know what it is though."
I remembered once more how scared Ray was of me. Then I thought of the
executioner. Something didn't add up. I was certain the executioner
wanted to kill me. But the prime suspect is a woman, a ghost's sister
no less.
I let out a huff. "What the hell does that executioner have to do with
all this?" Luke looked at me. "Blood drawings, fine. You're a ghost,
your body's here, fine. I learn your sister's a prime suspect, we just
need proof. A name would be nice. I can kinda guess what those
creatures are. Maybe. I still haven't a clue. But the
executioner...it's a weird illusion version thing of a character in a
painting."
"Which was of a real person," Luke added.
"It still doesn't explain why he's here though." I slumped. This was annoying. I
had learned a lot, but there seemed to be 2 big mysteries.