15 It's just an illusion
Cccrk!
Ssshhh!
The opened windows of the kitchen shook from the intense wind going against them.
"Gregg, could you check on the windows?" A woman's voice called out to her husband.
The house is equipped with a small kitchen, it also has a fairly small living room, four bedrooms, a spacious dining room, and a large storage room.
Shunk!
Shunk!
A woman had her black, shoulder-length hair neatly coiffed in a ponytail and bangs over an oval, friendly face.
Her smart jade green eyes set concealed within their sockets as she concentrated on the carrot she chopped on a wooden board.
"It's been like that for years, there's nothing wrong with it," Gregg grumbles.
He had his leg over the wooden table as he laid his back on a white, leather, armchair with a support cushion for his back.
Picking up the remote control, he changes the channel in a haste and looks back into the kitchen.
"You should have done that sooner." He chastised, holding onto his growling belly.
A little laugh of disbelief echoed from the kitchen.
"Says the one who didn't want to get in the rain to get the groceries a few days ago." She responds with a scoff.
Shunk!!!!
With one last chop, she slaps it on the board.
Pulling off her white apron, she walks out of the kitchen.
With her hands on her hips, she glares at Gregg.
Having a double take on her sudden appearance, Gregg stiffly turned his attention back to the television.
"Standing there won't put food on the table, Laurel."
Pointing at the bucket of chicken whose commercial was on television, he turned back to Laurel, "why don't we get that, since you're so busy?"
Laurel's hands clench as her brows twitch, "busy?! I'm a housewife, goddamnit!"
Gregg stares at her for some while before responding, "I know."
He got to his feet, took off a dark green coat from the stand and continued, "Since you can't perform your duty quietly, it's best I go get that bucket of chicken."
Brushing past her, he reaches his hand for the silver door knob.
Looking back at her hurt expression, he shakes his head. "I had thought things would have been better…"
Slipping on the coat, he lets out a sigh. "The monsters are gone, what else is left for us other than to enjoy the rest of life peacefully just by ourselves?"
Laurel averts her gaze anywhere but Gregg's.
Shaking his head one more time, he leaves without another word.
Slam!
With a dejected heart, her shoulder droops as she walks back to the kitchen.
"It has come to this, huh?" Laurel mutters under her breath and lets out a bitter chuckle.
She picks up her knife to continue from where she left off.
Clank!
The knife slips off her trembling fingers as she stares outside the window.
The sight of a little girl sitting on a bench in the garden had her take a step back.
'Lila? No, it can't be, I handed her over to the government.'
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30 minutes ago,
"We are here, brother Sylve." Lila beams with a grin, tugging at his sleeve.
Taking one last look at the holographic picture of the house from the watch and comparing it with the one that was 10 meters away, he nods his head in affirmation.
The house itself is surrounded by a gorgeous garden with many hidden lights that make the garden come to life at night.
"Look, it's a spider lily and it looks much bigger!" Lila whispers through the corner of her lips.
She points at folded bright red thin petals which create a visible bed for better visualization at a distance.
Holding her palm, Sylvester gives a light squeeze, squatting beside her. "Could you stay here for a few minutes?"
Shaking her head in protest, Lila replies. "I want to see mommy and daddy!"
Wincing to her innocent words, Sylvester pinches the bridge of his nose to calm his nerves. 'Why the hell would you like to meet them?! You couldn't have forgotten so easily.'
"They tried to kill us, mother and father sold us to buy that big house." Sylvester deadpans whilst placing his hand on her shoulder.
Lila fell silent for a while, processing the reminder of what their parents did.
Ruffling her hair, Sylvester gets to his feet and opens his palm out to her. "How about you sit and wait it out for me in the garden?"
Taking this as his way of accepting her request, she firmly grips his hands and gives a nod of readiness.
In a hushed whisper, she agrees. "Let's go."
–––––––––––
Back to present,
Wiping down her face, she finds the girl gone.
Shaking her head, she opens the tap and washes her face.
'It's all in my head. I must be tired, she can't be here.' She repeats in her thoughts.
Rushing towards the window, she lets out a sigh of relief at the thought of it being a figment of her imagination.
Creak!
Her head whips back, skeptical about the noise of the door in the living room.
"Gregg?!" Laurel timidly calls out his name.
With no response, her heart thumps loudly at the thought of it being an intruder.
Pushing away her doubts, she takes a deep breath and heads to the living room.
She takes a peek into the living room and covers her mouth to muffle a scream as the whole room was engulfed in darkness from the power being cut.
To her horror, She sees a solitude of a man leaning on the door under the moonlight.
He wore a black hoodie, with his hands in his pockets. His face was concealed beneath the shadow cast from his hood.
She couldn't see any other parts of his body due to the darkness.
Frozen in a daze, she hesitates to move forward or call out.
The figure took a step forward, his bare feet on the floorboards sounding loud.
His eyes scan around the luxurious nature-themed living space and raises his hand to his chin, taking in a slow breath. "I thought you'd be happy to see me."
'What does that even mean? I don't even know you!' Laurel freezes in place, not having any idea of what to do next.
He steps into the living room as her gaze follows his movements.
Leaning against the wall, he looks straight at her.
Staring in his direction in silence, Laurel couldn't help but think about the countless nightmares she'd had with a hooded figure like the one in front of her.
"Do you remember me?" He points to himself.
His voice sounded like gravel falling to the ground, causing Laurel to shiver.
"Take a good guess." He encourages.
She tilts her head, wondering how remotely possible it was to guess if he utilizes the shadows to mask his face and voice, probably altered.
Going to her knees in hopes of soliciting for her survival, she begs. "I can give you all the money and jewelry I have. Please, just spare me."
Shaking his head and pushing off against the wall, he takes three steps forward before pausing at the sound of Laurel hyperventilating.
Squatting, he cackles at the sight, and he replies. "If I needed that, I wouldn't have come through the front door."
Laurel gulps, feeling she had found herself in something probably much worse than a robbery.
Blaming her situation on Gregg for leaving her alone at a late hour, she hisses in her thoughts. 'I'm in this mess because of you, Gregg! I'll make sure you regret making me go through this.'
"He will be in a bigger mess than you are right now. Instead, worry more about yourself." He cuts in with a wave of his hand to get her attention.
Laurel stares in disbelief at the person, her gaze trailing to the gleam of the etheel on his wrist and back to the hooded figure.
She sees the etheel on his wrist before asking, "you are an anomaly?"
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Author's note
¶ Do check out the weekly auxiliary chapter[Bonus chapter task] to know how you can participate.
