Odyssey Fiction

Scarlet Stains

KeyLimeKeys74

In the quaint small town of Odyssey, murder is the last thing people expect. Connie and Bernard are experiencing intense delusions that are feeding into Connie’s intense revenge plans on Mr. Whittaker. Will someone be able to save them, or will they be haunted by the murder forever?

This story may not be suitable for children under the age of 13. Proceed with caution, and thank you for reading as I test out this new genre of writing – key

Chapter I: Connie

Connie nervously glanced up and down the path as she was running home. Blood soaked through her faded green sweater. It was dark and gloomy as she ran through the thick brush of the woods behind her home. As Connie lifted up her hand  to check the time displayed on her watch, she gasped, the time, 2:22 AM, wasn’t the only thing that scared her, it was the bloodied screen. She stole the watch from her roommate Jillian and didn’t think it would be effected by the incident of the night. The steps creaked as Connie crept up her patio which lied in her backyard. She was trying to be as quiet as possible so that maybe she could create the illusion she had been sleeping all night. Her shaking hand covered with a piece of her sweater opened the door and she slipped into the cover of her darkened home.

Even though Connie anxiously scrubbed her hands as hard as she could, she could still see the blood, the image was drilled in her head. Her hands were clean but her heart was not. She whispered to herself as she started a fire in her home’s fireplace. Connie placed her gasoline drenched clothes in the already raging fire and shut the gate. Her home was still, peaceful almost, if she hadn’t of done what she just did, she might even be able to enjoy it, but she couldn’t, not now at least. There was still work to be done.

Chapter II: Bernard

    As the night went on Bernard grew more and more panicked. Just one week ago Bernard was diagnosed with frequent Persecutory Delusions leaving him with constant paranoia. Bernard struggled sleeping at night and even with the strongest doses of melatonin Bernard could still believe he was sleeping with one eye open. The delusions had came out of no where, all of sudden it was there haunting him, first it took away his job, then his money, and now even friends became spooked at the near sight of him. Whit was the last friend to visit him, maybe the last real friend he had. The money went quick and then there were no more doctors to help him leaving him to deal with it on his own. 

The fact that Whit was Bernards only friend made him nervous. Maybe Whit wanted something from him, perhaps he was a killer who was out to get him. Bernard got shaky, he stood upright, even though he was dizzy he walked to his living room and instead of stirring in his bed he moved the couch a few feet from the door and sat, knife in hand, waiting for someone to attack. No one ever came leading to more delusions to take over Bernard’s head.

Chapter III: Bernard 

He stood over Whit’s body, trembling with fear. (2:02 a.m.) Bernard couldn’t believe what he had just done, his own friend. No one could know, he needed to hide the body. Bernard had muddy tears streaking down his face, he was screaming there was no one to hear him as he was in the middle of the woods and it was storming at night. This was not easy for him to do, the sheer agony of doing this act felt like betrayal and it was bitter to the tongue. Lightning cracked in the sky, so loud in fact that Bernards ears started to hurt.

The journey back to his car was the hardest. Reality was starting to set in, people would wonder what happened to Whit. He buried the body 7 feet under the ground now if he could just erase any trace of Whit around his house, he would be fine. Before long, Bernard crawled into a ball in the back seat of his car and sobbed until he couldn’t feel anything. The clock read 4:44 am, Bernard got out of his car, the rain had stopped and the sun was starting to rise. He wiped off his shirt, as if it did anything compared to the rest of his clothing. Bernard raced back to his home. There was still so much work to be done.

Chapter IV: Connie 

Connie didn’t kill Mr. Whittaker, but She did. She was responsible. She was the cause to the effect, the dominoes to the collapse. She was a murderer, She killed Mr. Whittaker. She killed her best friend, her father in ways, and she will never forgive herself for it. She killed whit through Bernard, he’ll just never know it. Connie’s perspective was blurred as she is not mentally stable, this is the real way Mr. Whittaker was brutally murdered on October 31st, 2023.

Chapter V: The Real Story

    Whit is a murderer. Connie saw it happen, she watched as Whit killed Tom Riley that freezing winter night. Ever since then she planned Whit’s own demise. With Becky’s help Connie finally had everything in order, Whit was going to die. She brought him to Bernard’s house and told him that Bernard was in trouble. She killed him there, Bernard was asleep when she opened the door. She wiped off the blade and set it in his hands. 

Connie felt dread, but at least it was over. 

Chapter VI: The Nightmares

Each night, Connie and Bernard were tormented by vivid nightmares that blurred the lines between reality and delusion. They would wake up in a cold sweat, haunted by the memories of that dreadful night. Shadows danced on their walls, whispering accusations and fueling their paranoia.

Connie would dream of blood-stained hands thrashing out to her, accusing eyes staring deep into her soul. Bernard’s nightmares were even worse; he found himself trapped in a never-ending loop of burying Mr. Whittaker’s body, the ground becoming heavier with each shovelful of dirt, the weight of his guilt crushing him.

Chapter VII: The Unraveling

As the days turned into weeks, Connie and Bernard’s sanity began to unravel. They could no longer distinguish between their delusions and reality. The line between the living and the dead blurred, and the presence of Mr. Whittaker’s vengeful spirit grew stronger.

Connie started seeing Mr. Whittaker’s face in every reflection, his accusing eyes piercing her soul. Bernard heard his voice in the howling wind, whispering dark secrets that sent shivers down his spine. The town itself seemed to conspire against them, the very walls of their homes closing in, suffocating them with guilt.