It was Teresa's.

-

(_()_)

*BAAM!!*

That was the last thing I heard—or should I say, left?!

Like a snail, I slowly opened my eyes. For a few seconds, everything was blurry, and I couldn't see anything. My head hurt badly. My eyes were very tired, and I didn't know how I ended up like this. I... I... sigh.

I closed and opened my eyes again, gradually getting my sight back. When it cleared, I realized I was in a wooden shack. **A wooden shack?!!**

"Wha...t am I doin...ow! My head hurts." Maybe I should check if anyone is around, I thought at that moment. I looked around the old, dusty, and dirty shack; it looked very abandoned. That's when I realized I was tied up behind a pillar in the shack.

"What the...!!" I didn't know how I ended up tied up. Thinking of which... "Wasn't I with Mrs. Teresa?... My body hurts so badly... Ah!!" I moaned quietly. Oh, I can remember now. She was talking to someone. I couldn't see the person; I think we were ambushed or something.

*Meanwhile,* it was already afternoon, and Amelie and Jonah had returned home.

[Amelie] "Anon, we're back!!"

[Jonah] "Anon, where are you? We have good news for you."

[Jonah] "Anon!! Anon!!"

[Amelie] "Anon?! Jonah, please check if Anon is sleeping upstairs in his room."

[Jonah] "Check if he is; you know where."

After minutes of searching around the house, they couldn't find Anon anywhere.

[Jonah] "Is he there?"

[Amelie] "No, he isn't. He can't even be there; he doesn't have the keys to open it."

[Jonah] "So where can he be now?"

[Amelie] "Let's check around some more."

[Jonah] "Do you think he ran away?!!"

[Amelie] "With all we've done for him, he wouldn't. He can't."

She noticed something.

[Amelie] "He hasn't eaten his food yet."

[Jonah] "I knew it; he ran away! This is all..."

[Amelie] "Stop being a baby, Jonah, and man up. First of all, he can't, and all he thinks is that we are the ones who kidnapped his friend. Secondly, he can't run when he thinks she is in the trapdoor room."

[Jonah] "Oh, okay, I get it. But where do you think he will be now, since you are so sure he hasn't run away?"

[Amelie] "Maybe he went out. We just have to wait here until he comes back."

[Jonah] "Or we can start looking for him..."

[Amelie] "Shhhhhh!"

[Jonah] "Don't sh...."

[Amelie] "Aren't you hearing something?"

[Jonah] "Hearing what?"

*Mild noises from outside.*

[Jonah] "Oh, I can hear it. It's from outside. Let's check it out."

As they went outside, they saw a crowd of people, some holding torches, some with sticks, and others with weapons. Amelie approached one of the villagers.

[Villager] "Teresa has found the person who has been kidnapping people from the village."

Amelie looked at Jonah in surprise.

[Jonah] "Are you sure it's the person?"

[Villager] "Yes, Teresa said she saw him trying to sneak into your home while you were out."

[Jonah] "Hmm, you don't say."

[Amelie] "Can you take us to the place?"

[Villager] "That is where everyone is going, to see the culprit and the one behind the mask all along."

*****Back at the Shack*****

"Mrs. Teresa! Mrs. Teresa!!! Someone, please help me!!" I couldn't shout louder because my head was pounding with every bit of strength I used.

I muttered, "Can someone hear me?"

"Yes, I can," Mrs. Teresa whispered in my ear.

"Oh, thank goodness you are here. Please untie me."

[Mrs. Teresa] "Yes, I am here and have been here, but I will not untie you."

"Why?"

[Mrs. Teresa] "What do you think?"

"I don't know?!"

[Mrs. Teresa] "There is no need to pretend. In fact, everybody is on their way here to see the killer of their daughters, friends, relatives, and sisters."

"Assassin!!! What are you talking about?"

[Mrs. Teresa] "I said there's no need to pretend. I saw you trying to go into Jonah's house, but little did you know that you were being watched. And what you didn't know again is that they don't have a daughter yet."

"I apologize for the confusion. It seems there was a misunderstanding. I still don't get it," I replied.

[Mrs. Teresa] "If you like, play stupid or innocent and don't get it, but one thing you will get is burnt here in this shack!"

"I still don't get it," I repeated.

[Mrs. Teresa] "Since you are playing dumb, I will spell it out to you. You remember being hit at the back of your head? Well, I was the one that hit you."

"But why!? I didn't do anything. I am literally just seeing you for the first time," I protested.

[Mrs. Teresa] "If you like, play stupid or innocent and don't get it, but one thing you will get is burnt here in this shack!"

"You want to burn me? This must be a misunderstanding. Someone help, help!" I pleaded.

[Mrs. Teresa] "People will come, but none will help you, I assure you."

"But I live with Jonah and Amelie now. They found me lying on the ground in the woods at the point of death, and they cared for me," I explained.

[Mrs. Teresa] *Claps* "How long did it take you to think of that? You can't fool me with your cheap lies."

Some villagers arrived.

[Mrs. Teresa] "As you can see, I have caught him. He is the one harboring our daughters."

"I swear, this is a big misunderstanding. I didn't capture anyone. I am looking for my friend—a female!" I pleaded with the villagers.

[Villager] "Shut up!"

[Mrs. Teresa] "What cheap lies. His lies can't move us. You have caused us so much pain, and today you will receive the wrath of those you caused the pain to."

I could tell the crowd was growing as people outside were chanting, "Kill him!" For some reason, everyone here thought I was a presumed killer. Not one person wanted to delve deeper and find out if I was truly the culprit. Their eyes filled with rage, I couldn't feel anything but fear.

[Mrs. Teresa] "I knew he was the one when I informed him about the tradition, but instead of acknowledging it, he said it was a dumb thing."

"I didn't say it like that, but what does that have to do with it?" I questioned.

[Female villager, sobbing] "You killed my daughter! You will be ended today, once and for all," she accused me.

She slapped me hard and went back.

I tried to explain myself again, "I'm very sorry, ma'am, but I didn't..."

[Male villager] "My younger sister really wanted to be a sorcerer and go to the academy, but you just came and spoiled plans. You are evil!" he shouted.

I tried to apologize again, "I am very sorry for your loss, but I didn't..."

[Male villager] "SHUT UP!" he interrupted. Without warning, he kicked me hard in the stomach.

The next moment, I coughed up blood. The villager kicked me so hard I was sure a rib or two broke. He continued kicking with all the strength he had, and no one pitied me. No one came to help. This was the moment I wished I had chosen death over coming back.

He kicked my guts nonstop, and then other villagers joined him.

[Villagers] "It's all his fault! Let's beat him up."

"Yes, all those precious souls, gone for nothing!"

"Beat him! Beat him!"

The villagers joined in on the beating. I felt pain so terrible that I couldn't even react to what was happening to my body. I was being kicked, whacked, and stomped on. No one cared if I died right there. Some started bashing my head into the pillar I was tied to. I never imagined I would bleed like this again. The last time I was like this was... well, the first thing I could remember.

I felt like dying that instant, but it didn't come. I realized why.

(ANNALISE: "I AM ANNALISE, DEATH ITSELF. IF I DON'T GRANT YOU THE DEATH YOU DESIRE, HOW WILL YOU DIE? I HAVE THEREFORE ORDAINED YOU IMMORTAL.")

Curse you ANNALISEEE!!!

They didn't stop hitting Anon; they enjoyed every strike.

[Mrs. Teresa] "Okay, that's enough, guys."

[Villagers] "This is nowhere near enough."

[Mrs. Teresa] "I know, but how will someone feel the pain of being burnt alive if he's already dead?"

[Villagers] "Oh yes, we should stop."

[Teresa] "Good decision. Now, let's go outside and burn it from there. But before that, I'll untie him. Let him drown in his own blood."

She untied Anon, leaving him there, broken and bleeding, while they stepped outside to burn the shack. Anon, as she said, was indeed drowning in his pile of blood. He couldn't move, couldn't even lift a finger. He was barely alive, but the only difference between him and a corpse was the fact that his heart still painfully beat.

As the scent of burning wood filled the air, Anon realized the shack was on fire. Immortality—what a cruel punishment for a mortal. His body was paralyzed, every muscle refusing to obey. Though he couldn't die, the flames drawing closer made him think this might be the end.

"Ah... (groans). Ah..." Anon moaned weakly, before blacking out.

---

After the excruciating pain, Anon woke up in what seemed like his room at Amelie's house. Confusion clouded his mind.

"How did I get here?" he wondered aloud. His wounds had been dressed, and while they still ached, it wasn't as unbearable as before. He looked down at his body, wrapped tightly in bandages like a mummy.

Despite the discomfort, Anon stood and slowly made his way downstairs. The movement tugged at his injuries, but he pushed forward.

gbmm

That was the next sound he heard as he tumbled down the stairs, his body hitting the floor with a dull thud.

"Ohh! Anon, you're awake?!" a familiar voice called out, but it wasn't Amelie's. It was Teresa's.

[Teresa] "Let me help you up."

Anon froze in shock, his blood running cold. "What? Teresa?"

Terrified, he scrambled to his feet despite the pain. "I swear I didn't do anything!" My voice trembled with panic.

Was she playing with him? After all she'd done? Why was she here now? Had she come to finish the job, to kill him because obviously I am still alive and breathing.