Chapter 1
MAYRA’S POV
A short sharp knock on the door woke me up. It was already morning. The sun was pouring through my window. I sat up on my bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. It was already 8 am. I got up and went to get ready for breakfast. It was Sunday, so I didn’t have to go to college. After getting ready, I remembered the knock on my door. Nobody ever knocks on my door, then why today? Strange. I shrugged and went downstairs. It was eerily quiet, and nobody was around.
“Mom? Dad?” No response.
Again it is strange. Every day Mom would be making breakfast, and dad would be reading the newspaper. Today was an exception. Still confused, I started towards their room. I knocked on the door, but no one responded. I frowned and knocked on the door again, but still, there was no response. I pushed the door slightly and surprisingly it wasn't locked. The moment I pushed it open, I froze, and a strangled scream left my mouth. The scene inside was horrifying. The lifeless bodies of my parents were lying in the pool of their blood. The blood looked fresh. One can tell that they were killed not long ago. Both the wrists were slit, and their neck seems twisted at an odd angle. The scars on their face and body were visible clearly.
My legs gave out, and I fell to my knees. I couldn’t move anymore. The metallic smell of the blood almost made me puke, but my whole body got paralyzed. Sometimes later, I could hear a distant voice calling my name, but nothing was registering in my mind. I don’t know how long I was sitting there, but I came to my senses when someone came and hugged me. I looked up and saw my uncle crying and trying to comfort me. But I was completely numb. He then picked me up and took me to another room. He went out and came back with a glass of water. He handed me the glass of water, but I kept staring into space. He sighed and placed the glass on the table, and took out his phone.
After a few minutes, he said, “ I called the police. They are on the way here. ” I was silent. “Mayra….” He then hugged me and mumbled comforting words in my ear.
About twenty minutes later, the cops came. They sealed the whole scene, and photographers took pictures. Later they came to me to enquire, but my uncle spoke for me. “ She is still in shock. ” I heard my uncle saying. “ When I came in, she was in this state. Please give her some time. ” He added. “ Alright, Mr. Matthew, I understand. But we need to ask her some questions. When she is feeling a little better, bring her to the police station. ” The cop responded.
The cop wanted to say something else, but he stopped and looked at me. My uncle nodded and asked him to continue. “ We found a strange symbol near their body. Not sure what it is, but we will investigate that. ” My uncle nodded. “ Thank you. ” With that he, escorted him out.
Strange symbol? What symbol? I have to see. I got up and started towards the bedroom, but my uncle came and stopped me. “ Where are you going, Mayra?” He asked. “ I want to see that symbol. ” My voice was hoarse. “ No, don't go there. Paramedics are there taking their bodies out. ” He said softly. At that moment, I broke down. Tears fell from my eyes continuously. I fell to my knees and started screaming and crying hysterically. My uncle hugged me and tried to comfort me. After some time, I fell asleep in his arms.
When I woke up, it was already afternoon. I was on my bed. I sat up and saw my uncle sitting on the couch. He saw me awake and said, “ You woke up. Wait, I will get you something to eat. ” I shook my head and said, “ I want to see that symbol.” “ Mayra, you have not eaten anything since morning. Eat something first, and then we will go to see that symbol. ” He said with concern. “ No, I want to see that now. Please.” I insisted. He sighed and nodded. We went to the bedroom. When we reached there, the horrible scene flashed before my eyes. My uncle saw me hesitating and said, “ You don’t have to do this.”
I shook my head. I stepped forward and opened the door. The paramedics had taken their bodies, and the bloodstain was gone. The metallic smell was also gone, but it smelled like disinfectant. Not a single thing in the room was disturbed, everything was in its place, but it felt empty. A small sob left my mouth. But I gathered myself and went in. I turned to my uncle, who was standing at the door and looked at him questioningly. He entered and went near the dresser and pointed his finger.
I looked where he was pointing. There was a small symbol carved on the floor. That symbol was of a triangle encircled by a snake biting its tail. Inside the triangle was a cat-eye. It was indeed a strange symbol. “ I have never seen such a symbol before. ” I mumbled. “Me neither.” My uncle responded.
I looked at the symbol for a few seconds. Then I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from the table near the bed and scribbled that strange symbol on it. I looked at the symbol again, and this time something flashed through my mind. It was my dream from the last night. The next moment I heard my uncle asking me what happened. I looked at him, puzzled. “ You look so pale. ” He explained. “ Is everything okay?” “ Yeah. ” I answered distractedly. My uncle looked at me with concern.
I took a shaky breath and asked, “ Can we leave now?” He nodded, and then we left. It was already dinner time, so we decided to go out and eat. We didn’t have much appetite, so we ended up eating a few sandwiches. We got home and retired to bed.
I couldn’t sleep and kept thinking about everything that happened. Soon my eyes got heavier and heavier. I was almost asleep when I felt that someone is watching me. My room was completely dark except the part near the window illuminated by little light coming from outside. I sat up and reached out to the switchboard near my bed to switch on the light. My room was fully illuminated, and everything looked fine, but still, I felt chills. I wrapped my blanket tighter around me.
I was already tired so, I may be imagining things. So without giving it a second thought, I switched off the light and lay down on the bed. As soon as I closed my eyes, the feeling of someone watching came over me again. But I felt too tired to get up again. My eyes felt too heavy to open, and soon I drifted off to sleep.
