A son is a love letter that a father writes to his heart.
It is the greatest legacy a father can leave behind.
So, for the father, losing his son means losing his legacy.
One such father was Socrates.
He lost his legacy and he revealed that to Pablo and the ten slaves.
"Sorry to hear that, Chief." Nike said.
"Where’s your wife?" Pablo asked about something else entirely.
"She has been dead for years now. I only had my son and he too went away." Socrates was smiling but that smile had buried sadness underneath.
"How many days has it been since his death?" Pablo asked another question. He was interrogating the old man.
"Two months. Just after a few days of coming here he ventured inside the house."
"I see." Pablo put his hand on Socrates’ shoulder. "We have to keep moving no matter what comes in our way. You have gone on for two months, you will go on for more."
’So you can talk nice once in a while. Good to know.’ Cupid said.
’It’s just a formality. I don’t want him to think that I don’t care about his story at all.’
’Of course.’
Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.
Cupid went silent. Pablo was being himself.
"Thank you for your words, detective. And after hearing my story, do you want me to find some other place for you?" Socrates asked.
"If this house is that haunted why did you choose it for me in the first place?"
"Because I thought you don’t care about Ghosts. I thought you would handle it. So do you want me to change your location after all?" Socrates asked once more.
’I used to not believe in many things and I am being proved wrong about all of them in this world. Ghosts are one of the normal things here.’
"No need to change. I will take this house. And you are right, I will handle it. After all…"
Pablo patted Socrates’ shoulder.
"I am not your son."
Socrates sighed. "Fair enough."
"But sir, there are ghosts inside. What if they attacked us?" Nike asked.
"We will manage. Don’t speak now."
Pablo focused on Socrates.
"I wanted to ask you something."
"Sure."
Pablo came closer to Socrates.
"When I first came here, you said something like I can also do your job. What did you mean by that?"
When Pablo had proved to Socrates that he was a detective, Socrates had said that Pablo would be able to do his job as well.
"What do you think?" Socrates replied with a question of his own.
"I think nothing, old man. Just answer me and get this over with." Pablo just wanted the answer. Though, he did have a theory about Socrates’ job but he just didn’t want to share it with Socrates. He wanted to hear it from the man himself.
"You must be tired. Fine. I will tell you." Socrates came closer to Pablo.
"I chose this house for you for one more reason and probably the most important reason."
"Go on."
"My son died at this house and how he was hanging so high up in the air, that was not the work of some Humans. The Ghosts killed him. So, I chose this house for you. And I am sure now you know why I did it."
"I see. I get it." Pablo figured.
"You want revenge from those ghosts and you want it through me."
"Exactly." Socrates accepted. "I may not be able to see but I can tell you are not someone who will be defeated by some mere ghosts."
’Nice observation.’
"I will see what I can do. If there really are ghosts inside and if they bother me, I will kill them once more."
"That’s all I wanted to hear. Because they will surely bother you."
"Anything else?" Pablo just wanted to start his work.
"No. That’s all. Take care."
Socrates could sense Pablo’s urgency so he also ended the talk.
He turned around and went wherever he wanted.
Pablo sighed. "Talkative old man."
"Yeah. He talks so much." Nike agreed with Pablo.
Pablo gave him a look of contempt.
"You are the one who started the topic of his son. He was ready to leave but you asked, ’Did you not try to investigate?’ And time went on after that."
"Sorry, sir."
"Forget it. Let’s go."
Pablo started walking towards the big house. It was still a little far as Socrates had stopped everyone not that close to the house.
Pablo walked leisurely, not caring about anything.
It was dark all around but Pablo was carrying a lantern. Socrates has given that to them.
The slaves were behind Pablo and Sera was sticking close to him.
She wasn’t scared one bit as she had Pablo and most of all, the strongest Angel with her.
Talking about Angels, Pablo also had one with him as well.
’Can you see ghosts?’ He asked his Angel.
’I can. But Humans and others can only see them if they want you to see them.’ Cupid answered.
’Alright. I hope they are brave enough to show themselves.’
Pablo kept walking. Only the sound of their footsteps fell on their ears.
"OUUUUU!!"
"Sir!"
"Shut up! It’s just a dog."
The slaves were riled up by a cry from somewhere. The silence was broken by an animal’s voice.
"It is coming from far away. There is not even an ant here. Calm down." Pablo said.
"Al-alright."
’They all are wimps.’
"Let’s increase our speed otherwise you guys will keep shouting at every little thing."
Pablo started taking long strides and now he was faster.
The slaves did their best. They followed closely behind Pablo.
Pablo increased his pace even more as he too wanted to reach the house.
And like that, through the dirty mud and crying of the dogs, all of them finally reached the front door of the house.
Pablo raised the lantern and he finally got a good look of the house.
It was like a typical shaped house. The type which children drew in their drawings.
It had four windows, all of them broken and decorated with webs.
A single big tree stood at the right side of the house. The tree was naked. It had no leaves. It was just a log of wood coming out of the ground.
[[A/n : See the House here.]]
’This looks haunted alright.’ Pablo stated. He didn’t say it out loud as the slaves would have screamed their guts out like before.
"Is this really a good idea, sir?" Nike said.
"The girls will die first." Melon chimed in.
Pablo frowned. "Why would the girls die first?"
"Because all the ghosts are perverts." Melon claimed.
"Who said that?" Nike found it stupid.
"Girls have sixth sense. You won’t understand."
"Yeah. And it’s nonsense."
"Shut up for fucks sake. You are acting like little kids. And let me make it clear once and for all. This house is final. Ghosts or not. You can either stay outside this house or inside. I don’t give a shit. But I will stay here. This is perfect for my work."
Pablo made himself clear and all the slaves had no choice now. They had to obey him. They couldn’t change his mind.
After that, Pablo ignored them and reached out for the door. However…
KRIIIEE!
The door opened on its own. Pablo didn’t even touch it.
The slaves gulped but they said nothing.
’This is a trademark move in horror movies.’ Pablo took a deep breath and raised his right leg.
Then, slowly, he brought it down, inside the house.
He finally placed his first foot inside the house.
He made sure to hold the lantern in such a way so that he could see around his leg.
He didn’t move after placing his leg inside the house.
He looked left and right, he moved his feet in the air, as if waving a hello with it.
He did such things for a good couple of seconds but nothing happened.
"My leg is safe. The ghosts have no foot fetish it seems."
Pablo moved his second leg inside the house as well and waited once more for something to happen.
’It’s scary when you wait for something bad and it doesn’t happen.’
There was utter darkness around the house and Pablo could only use the lantern to see a small area around him. He couldn’t see the whole house.
TRING!
"What’s that?"
A sound rang inside the house.
Everyone roamed their heads.
Pablo jerked the lantern both left and right. It could be an attack.
But it wasn’t…
"Fuck."
The darkness inside the house vanished.
There was finally light.
But by the sudden light, Pablo was forced to close his eyes.
"The Ghosts are helping us by doing things for us. Opening the door, lights and all. We are guests here, everyone." Pablo jested, his eyes still closed but no one laughed at his joke. No one even spoke anything.
Pablo turned his head around, opened his eyes and looked at his slaves and he saw all of them had the same expressions.
Mouths wide open, hands shivering, eyes widened, all ten of them were terrified.
Pablo also became serious.
"What is it?" He asked.
The slaves said nothing.
"Tell me. It’s an order."
Pablo gave an order and Nike obliged that.
But he didn’t speak. Instead of that, he slowly raised his trembling hands and pointed at the walls of the house.
Pablo followed his finger and he finally saw the walls of the house as well.
"This…"
Pablo’s brows shot up as the walls of the halls were red. Completely red. And that was not paint, that was blood.
But blood wasn’t enough to surprise Pablo, there was something more than blood.
On the walls, instead of paintings and lamps, some other thing was hung and they were too many in numbers.
The walls of the house, the thing they used for decoration, was nothing but carcass of Human remains. They were Skeletons.
And at the sight, Pablo did something more scary. He smiled.
"What a nice welcome we received."