Chapter 6

I couldn't say anything, the words didn't come out of my mouth, just like my legs didn't react, I just wanted to run away, not come back and pretend that nothing had happened, but two things prevented me, one, my fear, two, my stupid curiosity.

Blood stained the ground a deep red and continued to spread slowly among the rocks.

Jackson next to me did not seem surprised, I tried to analyze his face, but he was expressionless and that scared me.

—we come back? —I asked, tugging at his jacket. He didn't answer, he was just staring at the puddle, but he was quick to react.

He got closer to the blood and leaped across it, willing to follow the red trail that was traced on the ground, my final conclusion from seeing him do that was two, or he was stupid or mindless.

—What do you do?! —I yelled—. We're leaving now, okay? —I nervously expressed

—You go away, it's dangerous, I'll keep looking. —he said seriously as she watched the trail.

—I'm not going to let you follow a trail of blood by yourself. —He looked at me, analyzing my expression.

—So come with me. —He answered smiling amused.

I confirmed it, I was completely crazy.

—You're kidding, aren't you? —I asked him, hoping he would say yes.

—No. —He finally expressed as he raised his arms, turned and started walking.

I watched him, I wanted to leave but something was preventing me, I couldn't leave him alone following a probable murder, if something happened to him, I would feel guilty forever, how would I sleep knowing that I could have avoided it but had not done. It would be complete torture. Finally, I gave up and grunting I ran towards him, he smiled to himself with superiority, I hated that he did that.

—I'm only here so that I don't feel guilty if they kill you. —I murmured trying to imply that I was doing it for me and not for him.

—Whatever you say Alice. —He smiled.

We were silent while we walked through the forest, if you closed your eyes and listened, it would have seemed quiet, a perfect place, listening to the birds, breathing pure oxygen, you even felt that endearing peace that the forests sometimes gave off, as if they hugged you and make you stop feeling bad, or alone; It smelled of pine, aromatic herbs and wet earth, but if you deepened the smell you could distinguish a little smell of metal, and if you opened your eyes, you could see blood that traced a long way. How could something be so good, and instead so bad.

Little by little the trail of blood was changing, from a straight and well outlined line, now they were only spots that indicated a path, until it disappeared completely, just leaving us in front of a box, it was brown, old and splintered, it must have been about two meters long and narrowed as he got from one end of it to the other, it was a coffin.

—Do you think there will be someone inside? —I asked Jackson.

—I don't know, we better open it up and check. —Her expression was serious, and she could even look worried, but the sparkle in her eyes gave her away, she was enjoying it. I shuddered.

I was going to touch the wood to get an idea of how old it was, but my phone started ringing with the song by Raining Tacos, I blushed knowing that it was not the best time for that to happen, instead Jackson started laughing.

—Impossible. —laughed.

—Impossible what? —I said glaring at him, he just kept laughing, so I took out my cell phone and saw who was calling me, it was Tyler, I couldn't help but blush at the thought of him.

—Who is? —Asked Jackson curiously.

—Tyler. —I answered.

He rolled his eyes and the sparkle in his eyes disappeared to be transported back to the dark void from before.

—Take it, lest you miss a call with Tyler. —He spoke in a mocking tone, highlighting his name. I got angry, Tyler hadn't done anything.

—What did Tyler do to you ?! —I answered directly. He dedicated himself to ignoring me as he walked around and sat under a tree, which made me even more angry. I was going to answer but the phone had stopped ringing, I did not care, I did not feel the need to always answer, but that did not matter, now all I wanted was to give it back to Jackson, so I called.

I was walking further away, I didn't want that Jackson heard everything Tyler and I were saying. He didn't take long to answer.

"Alice ?! Are you okay ?!" I couldn't avoid to laugh at his concern.

"I'm fine" I laughed "and stop being so overprotective!"

"You had me scared!" He replied, ignoring that I had called him overprotective.

"Well now you can be calm"

"And ..." He hesitated "Can you meet?" I looked around confirming that I did not.

"Sorry now I can't, another day?"

There was a long silence between the phone and me, but I finally heard him answer.

"Well, okay, but one thing, where are you? I can't help worrying, sorry." His apology for that made me laugh. I looked around, I couldn't tell him where I was, he would go crazy, I didn't think a very good idea to tell him with whom either.

"In the house of relatives I will not be back late I swear"

"Okay, bye, see you"

"Bye" I replied laughing.

I looked at Jackson, he was researching something about the coffin lid.

—What do you see? —I asked, trying to forget that we were angry.

—You gotta see This. —He looked at me inviting me to pass him, I went and saw something right where he was looking—. What is that? —It was a very noticeable carved mark, a circle with a line running through it.

—I don't know, but we better open the coffin. —I got ready and went over, obviously I wasn't going to do it myself, I was just waiting for him to volunteer.

—Wait. —he said, I stood up and looked me—. Don't open it, before while you were talking to. —He paused hesitantly—. “Him.” —He didn't say his name—. I saw that the trail was still there, the body is not there, let's not open it. —He pointed to a distant point, he was right, the blood continued to trace the path.

—Go? —I asked him hoping he would say no

—We haven't come this far for nothing.

I understood it the first time and sighed as I accompanied him, following the trace of blood.

Little by little we went back into the thick forest like the beginning, but this time, because the sun was going down, it was in the conditions to be the place of a murder. What used to be birds singing were now crickets, and what were branches moving now animals that I could not interpret running, and the smell only moisture mixed with the iron smell of blood. My body tensed due to the environment, if something happened I was completely prepared to run away and not return, but, unexpectedly, we arrived at a cemetery. There was no door but there was a crack where we could fit perfectly, and apparently the corpse should also fit because the trail continued.

I stopped before continuing the journey, observing the cemetery, it was painted white, and tall trees pointing to the sky surrounded it, it wasn't scary, it just gave off peace, silence, a feeling of nothing, which was interrupted by blood.

Jackson and I thought about it before going in, but finally we did, I recognized the place instantly, in that cemetery my sister was buried.

I couldn't help but be tempted to walk away from the blood and visit her, and I did. But just, every time I turned following the path that had to be taken to her grave, so did the blood, I ran worried to her tombstone, and I saw her, gray, of stone, with my sister's name written, just before look down, a hole extended to the bottom, where the blood ended. In shock, I approached, and saw her coffin, that of my sister, open, but she was not inside, only the corpse of a stranger, full of blood. And there, the blood trail stopped.

I fell to my knees on the grass, the pressure that had formed in my chest at this time, came out in the form of tears, Jackson sat next to me, said nothing, only approached me trying to comfort me in front of the "empty tomb" of my sister.

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well, the dead sister has disappeared :(

and I don't know if I have translated the chapter correctly

I have many ideas for the next chapters, and if you like the book for now, then you will like it much more.

—Venus