Chapter 6
Layers of Fear
The car's wheels sank into the mud of the tall grass fields as if the earth had swallowed the metal and clung to it like a corpse refusing to leave its grave. The air was eerily still—no breeze, no sound except the sputtering of the broken engine and the moan of wind through the dried stalks of grass stretching endlessly like a silent, lifeless forest.
Inside the damaged car, Detective Sebastian and the driver sat side by side, catching their breath while the echo of the collision still lingered in their minds—that impact. That... thing. It had burst forth from nothingness, from a black hole that tore open in the middle of the road like a gaping wound in reality's skin, surrounded by a murder of crows shredding the sky and crumbling wooden sheds that hadn't been there a minute before—then vanished as if they were nothing but shadows in a sick mind.
Neither of them had seen the creature's face. They hadn't even had time to scream. It had been instantaneous, like the shiver before a fever. And all that remained now... was the swamp, the darkness, the infinite void around them—as if the real world had ended at the moment of impact, and everything after was a nightmare in the corpse of a dead world.
The driver spoke:
*Seems this piece of junk won't work anyway Detective. Your first story is the strangest I've ever heard but it's not the strangest thing. Tell me why you came here. What's a detective doing here Mr. Sebastian*
*That's another long story*
Four days earlier
It was a cold morning. The sun was absent, and fog filled the horizon as if a procession of ghosts crept through the silent fields.
My assistant Lux entered, followed by an elegant woman whose features suggested noble lineage.
Lux said *This is Lady Eva wife of Mr. Riski*
I studied her and asked *The suicide's husband*
She met my gaze steadily *The murdered man. My husband did not kill himself. He was killed*
I said *Police reports stated he took his own life*
She shook her head *They didn't investigate. They wrote a routine report. I knew him better than anyone... He had no intention of suicide*
Flipping through the case file I said *But the reports indicated he suffered from psychological disorders*
She replied *My husband was sane, intelligent. Yes, he believed in some superstitions, but he was never so weak as to end his life like this. Don't let his unorthodox beliefs become an excuse to bury the truth*
Despite the sincerity in her tone, I couldn't suppress my doubt. I thought her a grieving wife, hungry for vengeance. I raised my fees, hoping she'd back down. But instead of refusing... she offered double the amount.
She said *I want you to live in the mansion, to blend in with the family. The killer—I'm certain—lives among us*
—
*And now here I am with you*
The driver responded *You're a man full of stories Mr. Sebastian. Well then, seems the car's working again. Let's go*
And with that, we got into the car and left that cursed field of tall grass behind.
The road had been long, tedious, difficult, rough, even painful and terrifying—mentally and physically.
Until finally... the mansion appeared.
Its structure was a blend of beauty and an eerie aura, as if I stood before Cologne Cathedral—but emptied of souls.
Vanessa introduced me to the family, presenting me as Nolan, her brother returned from Germany.
*Lara and Tony, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. And this is Falk, his uncle. As for the woman sitting over there—Maria, his mother, though she suffers from severe neural disorders. And my son Mikhail... I don't know where he is now. Probably playing in the garden*
Afterward, I headed to my room. I opened my bag, pulled out the police report, and read it in preparation for dinner, carefully drafting my questions.
---
**(Police Report)**
Report: Tuesday, 6:15 AM. A homicide was reported at the Kostanas family mansion.
Victim: Mr. Riski. Found seated in his chair, stabbed in the heart with a 17th-century antique sword.
Weapon: No fingerprints, covered in mixed DNA residue suggesting prior use in unknown crimes.
Scene: Study locked from the inside with the original key. Windows barred. No signs of struggle.
Cause of Death: Fatal stab wound leading to cardiac arrest. Time of death between 3:00 and 4:00 AM.
Witness Statements:
Vanessa (Wife): Left the house at 1:00 AM after an argument with her husband.
Lara (Sister): Heard an argument between Eva and the victim around 3:30 AM.
Tony (Brother): Was reading the Bible, heard hurried footsteps, and saw a man carrying an axe.
Falk (Uncle): Woke to the sound of strange hymns, then went back to sleep.
Maid: The victim requested the study be cleaned at 1:30 AM, but she postponed the task.
Guard: Saw no entries or exits except Eva.
Mikhail (Son): Uncooperative.
Maria (Mother): Uncooperative.
Conclusion:
Case classified as *"probable suicide"* due to insufficient conclusive evidence of a third party.
---
After finishing the file and organizing my thoughts, I lay back on the bed. But the moment I closed my eyes—I felt something...
Someone... was watching me.
I opened my eyes abruptly to find a man standing at the foot of the bed, staring at me in silence.
Before I could move or even scream—someone pounded violently on the door.
*Dinner is ready sir!* the maid called from outside.
**I searched for my glasses, grabbed the flashlight... but he was gone.**
That man... had vanished.
It wasn't an illusion. He had been there. His body was completely real.
Who was he? Where had he gone? And why had he left no trace?
I searched the room in vain. Then, I finally went out for dinner and sat with the family.
We talked about Germany, about my work, until I began asking questions... quietly.
We sat around a long table lit by a massive chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. Dishes were served one after another, but I wasn't as interested in the food as I was in the eyes... The gaze of each family member was an open book its owner was desperately trying to force shut.
I watched Tony as he cut into his meat—his hands trembled slightly. Lara stared at her plate as if fleeing from something. Falk, meanwhile, laughed forcedly, telling an old war story, while Eva was utterly silent, watching everyone.
Suddenly, the child Mikhail entered...
A small boy, barely ten years old, his hair messy and his eyes wide—with something unsettling in them. He approached slowly and sat beside his grandmother Maria, who hadn't lifted her head from her soup bowl.
**Sebastian (smiling):** *And you, champ, do you like riddles?*
**Mikhail (coolly):** *I like watching people try to solve them... and fail.*
An eerie silence fell for a moment. Then Maria suddenly stood, gripping Mikhail's hand:
**Maria (in a trembling voice):** *He must not speak... the child must not speak.*
She led him out of the room, and no one dared to stop her.
Dinner ended, and I returned to my room, intending to jot down my notes... but on my pillow, I found a small piece of paper, written in shaky handwriting:
*"If you want to know the truth... start from the basement."*
Dinner had ended in unnerving quiet. All faces were stiff, the conversation superficial, and the air in the mansion heavy—as if something were watching us from between the walls. After wishing them goodnight, I returned to my room to write my observations... but on the desk, I found something I hadn't placed there: a broken wooden doll.
The doll was cracked down the middle, its eyes painted black, and on its chest, a Latin inscription:
*"Animam tuam teneo."*
*(I hold your soul.)*
I picked up the doll with a trembling hand—and suddenly, the lights went out. I heard small footsteps running down the hallway. I grabbed the flashlight and stepped out.
The light bounced off the long corridor walls... nothing, just the wind howling through the old windows. But then, I heard faint singing... an old hymn in a broken woman's voice.
I followed the sound—it led me to Maria's room.
**(Inside Maria's Room)**
The room was dark except for candlelight. Maria sat on the floor, drawing something on the wall with her fingers... blood.
**Sebastian (whispering):** *"Maria? What are you doing?"*
**Maria (with a vacant smile):** *"He's here, the boy... he came back from the well, but it's not him, not him..."*
I approached her quietly, looking at what she was drawing. It was a face... Mikhail's face—but with completely black eyes and sharp teeth.
**Maria (suddenly screaming):**
*"I told them not to let him play near the well... I told them! Now he whispers to me every night!"*
My hand shook as I asked her:
**Sebastian:** *"Who? Who whispers to you?"*
But she only laughed, repeating:
*"Animam tuam teneo... hehehe... Animam tuam teneo..."*
**(The Next Morning)**
I woke after a long night, my head heavy as if I hadn't slept at all, the air in the room thick with the scent of old dampness... something was wrong.
When I went downstairs, I found Eva waiting for me, her face marked with worry.
**Eva:** *"Maria... she's not in her room."*
**Sebastian:** *"When was the last time you saw her?"*
**Eva:** *"Last night... she was sitting on the floor as usual, drawing. Then she disappeared."*
We all searched for her until we heard a strange sound coming from the mansion's back garden, near the old well everyone had warned us about.
I approached slowly—the grass was tall, and a musty odor rose from the well's opening. I looked inside with my flashlight.
Maria was there.
No... not inside the well, but sitting on its edge, slowly turning her head toward the light, the same broken doll in her hand.
**Maria:** *"He doesn't like light... hates being watched."*
**Sebastian:** *"Who? Who are you talking about, Maria?"*
**Maria (laughing suddenly):** *"We've started playing... the game has begun. He told me you're the first piece of the puzzle!"*
Then suddenly... she threw the doll into the well and whispered:
*"If you want the truth... go down and ask him for it."*
Then she stood and walked away slowly, leaving behind muddy footprints... as if her feet had touched something not of this world.
---
That night, I couldn't sleep. Everything pointed to this family hiding something deeper than just a murder.
I decided to open the doll I had picked up earlier. Inside, I found a tiny, meticulously folded scrap of paper with words written in blood:
*"Look for the child... the child who does not sleep."*
---
**(That Same Night – Midnight)**
A deadly silence enveloped the mansion, broken only by the ticking of the old clock in the hall, as if counting down to some unknown event. I could no longer bear the suspense and decided to begin a search of this hellish mansion.