Alptraum

Kapitel 2

I reached out with trembling hands and slammed the window shut. Then I sat down on the floor as if I had collapsed, my knuckles white as I gripped the gun, and my forehead and back were covered in cold sweat!

What could it be? Could it be... a ghost? God, can I believe what I'm seeing?

I reverently picked up the cross on my chest and kissed it. My violently beating heart finally calmed down a bit. The first mate also poked his head out from under the bed and blinked at me in fright.

(3. Death comes)

15:56:17

My eyes were puffy and I felt very tired because I hadn't slept all night.

Honestly, I've never faced such a terrifying situation in my life. I don't consider myself a coward, because I once fought seven Indians with my bare hands and hunted five wolves, but when I encountered something beyond the realm of biology, I still couldn't suppress the fear that welled up from the bottom of my heart.

After a night of reflection, I decided not to tell anyone about last night's events, because few would believe me, and I couldn't offer any evidence—the first mate is a taciturn man. Even if I told them my haggard appearance was due to seeing a ghost, I'd probably be ridiculed as "a hallucination caused by not adapting to the new environment."

So I forced myself to get dressed, but the maid who brought me up last night—I think her name was Alice—didn't wake me up at 7:30 as she had said. So I grabbed the first mate with one arm and opened the door with the other and went down the stairs.

Everyone gathered in the restaurant again, and everyone except me looked well; they must have slept soundly last night. Could it be that the ghost only bothered me?

Nora was sitting next to me. Miss Palmer asked me with great concern if I hadn't rested well, and I mumbled a lame excuse.

"Actually... I'm a bit of a light sleeper, Miss."

"Really?" Her beautiful eyes widened. "I thought soldiers were very adaptable to their environment!"

"Well...that refers to an extremely small number of exceptionally talented individuals; the majority are just like ordinary people."

I lowered my head and drank my milk.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Attorney Field said loudly from the other end of the table, "your little game is officially on a timer starting today. You have one month to find the 'Lily Emblem' here, by any means necessary—of course, without harming anyone else or this manor. I will not give you any hints; I am merely a notary and supervisor."

Everyone listened quietly as he finished his call, without any particular reaction, except for Terence Brooks. Mr. Brooks gave us a hostile look, while the others wore friendly smiles.

I saw Hans. Butler Luther and another maid stood stiffly by, seemingly indifferent to who would become their new master, but I didn't see Alice. Was she in the kitchen? Or was she ill? In any case, she had become negligent in her duties, and the butler hadn't offered me any explanation. This was hardly the manners expected of a respectable household.

After breakfast, I decided to go for a walk before getting down to business. I was quite philosophical about it: since my aunt had gotten so many people to search for the "Lily Emblem," it couldn't possibly be hidden somewhere easily found. Why should I be as neurotic as Mr. Brooks, crawling around on the ground with a brush and a magnifying glass?

There wasn't much to be described as beautiful at Flores Manor. I wandered aimlessly through the overgrown back garden, the mist rising below my knees—a desolate scene. The first mate sat quietly on my shoulder, blinking. I could see my window from here, and if my calculations were correct, the ghost from last night had vanished in this area. Was there a cemetery here? But who would choose a cemetery beneath their window? Because of the light and my fear, I couldn't even make out the face outside the glass; otherwise, I could have asked the butler, Hans Luther, for clues.

“Mr. Green.” A clear voice suddenly interrupted my meditation. I turned around and saw Miss Palmer walking towards me.

"Hello, miss." I nodded slightly.

"What are you doing?" She wasn't wearing a veil today, and I noticed that her complexion was rosier than before, and she seemed to be in good spirits.

"Just taking a stroll, miss."

She smiled and said, "I thought you were looking for the 'Lily Emblem'!"

I shook my head: "Miss, I don't even know what it looks like!"

“Me too.” She walked over to me. “To be honest, we don’t seem to know much, not even Mr. Field. We’re both searching for something we don’t even understand ourselves. What do you think, Mr. Green?”

Her beautiful brown eyes looked at me, making me a little flustered. "Ah, Miss," I said, "as you may know, there are no flowers here, not even wildflowers, let alone lilies; and the Brooks family is not noble, they have no heraldic insignia, so... so I think that thing must be something that my aunt herself cherished, perhaps a mark she made herself, something that only had meaning for her personally."

“But she should have specified certain characteristics in her will, otherwise even Mr. Field would not be able to determine whether the ‘heraldry’ found was the one she was talking about.”

“Perhaps that thing will allow everyone to tell the difference between the real and fake at a glance,” I said. “My aunt is a smart woman, and she probably wants to choose someone who understands her to inherit this manor, since she spent the rest of her life here.”

The dark-haired woman lowered her head and chuckled softly, "I really didn't expect this..."

"Can't figure it out, miss?" I looked at her curiously—did she disagree with my deduction?

"I never expected Mr. Green to be so understanding."

Being praised like this by a lady for the first time made my face flush slightly, but I felt very comfortable inside, as if even this wasteland had become lovely. We walked and talked slowly, and as we approached an abandoned fountain, Miss Palmer seemed to trip over something and lurched forward. I quickly grabbed her, and the first mate jumped off my shoulder, squeaking.

“Oh, there’s something here,” she said, lifting her skirt and leaning against my chest. “I just touched something.”

"It might be a stone," I comforted her, supporting her body as I brushed the grass with my foot. But—the thick, low white mist dissipated, revealing a stiff arm starkly before our eyes!

The air seemed to freeze, and then Miss Palmer let out a scream. I was startled and stood there frozen! The first mate was jumping and making a ruckus beside me, spinning around incessantly.

I held my breath, shielding the trembling lady behind me, then crouched down and parted the grass—a cold, dew-covered body lay in the thick, withered grass, her disheveled hair covering her face, her clothes and headscarf in disarray. I could see her pale skin and wide-open eyes, the contorted muscles of her face showing the immense pain she had endured before her death; this horrific sight was something Miss Palmer could never see, she would surely faint from fright.

Now I finally understand why poor Alice didn't wake me on time; she herself had long since fallen asleep in the quiet garden.

(4. The Shadow of Vampires)

15:56:57

This is a terrible thing. People who were alive yesterday have become corpses overnight. This is something we can hardly accept.

I quickly found Attorney Field, who, along with several gentlemen, carried Alice back into the house and instructed the housekeeper to stand guard and prevent anyone from approaching the area. Mrs. Austin held the frightened Miss Palmer and whispered words of comfort, while the others gathered grimly into the small drawing room. Mr. Carl Dewey, who had once worked as an intern in a private clinic, briefly examined the body and then joined the group.

I briefly recounted how the body was discovered. Attorney Field and Mr. Austin both looked at me with disbelief, while Mr. Brooks stood by the window, his magnifying glass clutched tightly in his hand.

“This is truly unfortunate, my God.” The lawyer crossed himself, clearly distressed. “This is all so sudden, Mr. Dewey. What do you think happened to this lady? Was it a sudden death from illness?”

The young man shook his head: "It doesn't look like it. Her skin is as pale as a shroud, which is a symptom of massive blood loss."

"Massive blood loss?" Mr. Austin exclaimed. "How could this be?"

“But we didn’t find any blood in the garden,” I said, puzzled. “And I don’t remember seeing any large wounds on her either.”

Mr. Dewey's previously gentle expression darkened further: "Mr. Green, you're right, there are no major wounds, but there are small ones. Didn't you see them? Right here—" He pointed to his neck, "—there are two small holes, about the size of a fingertip, as if they were bitten..."

A hush fell over the room, and I nearly jumped up as if pricked by a needle. I immediately thought of the rumors we'd heard on the way here. A wave of fear washed over me, and Mrs. Austen's voice echoed in my mind: "I've heard that place is very unsettling; some say there are vampires there."

"Some villagers nearby once said that many people used to live there decades ago, but after a vampire appeared, everyone left."

...

My God!

In the past, I would have just laughed off such rumors, but since last night I've known that they might all be true, and I can no longer easily believe any of them.

Mr. Brooks was the first to exclaim: “What does this mean, Mr. Dewey? Two small holes could cause a lot of blood loss, and there’s no blood at the scene—unless it’s a vampire!”

This word jolted us, and the first mate, as if he understood, screamed and jumped into my arms.

“Mr. Brooks, please don’t talk nonsense.” Attorney Field looked at him seriously. “I think we should call the police immediately.” He turned to another maid standing by. “Mary, please go and call Hans here. We need him to make the trip.”

"OK."

I looked uneasily at Mr. Austin, whose handsome face also bore a look of apprehension. He knew of the terrible legend, and we both understood that perhaps Mr. Brooks's idea wasn't entirely absurd, but we couldn't bring ourselves to say it.

This ominous feeling suddenly chilled me. I hugged the first mate tightly and told the others that I felt very unwell and that perhaps going back to my room to rest would make me feel better. I also needed to go see Miss Palmer.

The lawyer and others comforted me kindly, and I slowly walked up to the second floor and knocked on Miss Palmer's door. Mrs. Austin opened the door and raised her index finger to signal me to be quiet.

“The poor girl had just fallen asleep,” the young lady said to me. “She was nearly driven mad by what happened, but she’s alright now. How were Mr. Dewey’s examination results?”

“It’s terrible, madam,” I told her. Our temporary doctor said the maid had died from massive blood loss and the wound looked like a small bite.

Mrs. Austin's made-up face suddenly looked uneasy. She clenched her hands and pressed them to her chest. "Is that so? Oh my God, my God... Is it really so? I thought those were just legends... My God..."

“Now Attorney Field is asking the housekeeper to call the police, which might be better, since we’re just guessing right now and need the police to investigate.” I felt my words were not very convincing.

Mrs. Austin nodded, said goodbye to me, and went back to her room.

I slowly walked up the empty staircase to the third floor. The walls along the way were covered with ancient portraits, their frames covered in dust and cobwebs. The various faces stared at me blankly, making me feel uneasy. I carefully looked for any decorative borders or emblems on the frames, and also looked for lilies or other flowers in the paintings, but I found nothing.

I looked at the timid first mate in my arms and smiled wryly, "Old friend, perhaps coming here was a mistake at all."

Unexpected things continued to happen. When I returned to my room, I heard muffled sounds outside. The already cloudy sky was now covered by dark clouds, and serpentine lightning and rumbling thunder foreshadowed a heavy rain. Large raindrops pounded against the windowpane. I watched as the maid who had been guarding the scene hurriedly ran into the house. Then the thick white mist dissipated, revealing the large patch of overgrown grass that had been crushed by the corpse, clearly showing the shape of a person.

From this angle, I suddenly noticed something: in the dense thicket of weeds, only the spot where Alice was lying was crushed, while the surrounding weeds stood tall and straight, without any breakage or tilting. What was going on? Did that mean there were no signs of struggle at all?

Even if Alice died from a medical episode, judging from the pain she showed before her death, she should have been rolling and twisting her body. So, the scene we're seeing now is rather abnormal.

Is she unable to move? Or is she simply no longer in control of her own destiny?

I fell into deep thought...

Around noon, the clock in my room reminded me it was time to go to the dining room. I went downstairs with the first mate and, to my surprise, saw the butler, Hans Luther, at the long dining table.

"Didn't you go to the police station?" I asked him, somewhat puzzled.

“No, sir,” the man said to me. “It’s raining, the horses’ hooves will slip on the road, and the mud from the nearby swamp will flood the way back. We have to wait until the rain stops.”

“Is that so?” I sat down, somewhat skeptical, and noticed the seat next to me was empty. Mr. Austin told me that his wife was dining in the room with Miss Palmer.

Before the food was served, Attorney Field said in his usual loud voice that even with such an unfortunate event, our search could not stop, because my aunt had only given us one chance in her will, and once the time had begun to run, it could not be reversed.

"Gentlemen," the lawyer said seriously, "I now hope that everyone will treat each other kindly and not let any wild thoughts interfere with your actions. This is just a minor accident and has nothing to do with our purpose."

Perhaps it would have been better if he hadn't said these things.

I looked up at the people at the other end of the table. Mr. Brooks was drinking his soup, his face ashen. I guessed he hadn't found any clues today, and with this unexpected turn of events, he must be very upset. Mr. Dewey didn't speak, but he wasn't in much better spirits either; after all, no one wants to be involved in the unfortunate task of examining a corpse. Mr. Austin, on the other hand, seemed uneasy. He must have connected his wife's words with the current situation, and was therefore very anxious, yet unable to say it outright.

Therefore, no one enjoyed lunch very much, and this mood affected the first mate as well. Instead of squatting beside me waiting for food as usual, it just sat on the ground clutching an apple. I chewed my roasted potato listlessly, feeling utterly bored. Looking out the window, I could see the entire courtyard in front of the gate; the rain was still falling, and it was pouring down harder and harder, seemingly not going to stop for days. Suddenly, I didn't want to stay here anymore, not even for the money. I felt unbearably uncomfortable, as if covered in damp moss.

I sighed towards the gate, and just then I saw a blurry black figure there, waving its hand as if desperately trying to get our attention.

"Look!" I jumped up and shouted, "There's someone over there!"

My voice made everyone look up. Mr. Austin, who had the best eyesight, was the first to say, "Yes! It's a person. He seems to be calling us."

Hans Luther hurried to the porch, opened an umbrella, and walked towards the man. We went out of the restaurant and watched from a distance, wondering what was going on.

"Is there a successor?" Mr. Brooks asked Attorney Field in an unfriendly tone. "If they're late, they shouldn't participate."

“No, there aren’t any more,” the chubby middle-aged man replied. “Mrs. Brooks has only a few of you as her successors.”

“Perhaps they’re just passing by,” said Mr. Dewey, who was always very mild-mannered. “They seem to be looking for shelter from the rain.”

The man with the sharp mustache snorted and said nothing more. Just then, the old butler brought the man over with an umbrella. He was carrying a small leather bag, soaked to the bone, and looked quite disheveled. When he brushed the hair sticking to his forehead back and looked at us, everyone was stunned.

5. The Mysterious Stranger

15:58:02

The man, soaked to the bone by the rain, looked like an angel. His skin was as white as porcelain, his features were handsome, and his sapphire-blue eyes were filled with a serene and tranquil air. His long, dark hair, wet and clinging to his back, was tied back with a white ribbon. Although he looked terrible, everyone immediately felt a sense of goodwill towards him, especially when they saw his white stiff collar and the cross hanging on his chest, which brought them a sense of comfort.

“May God bless you, gentlemen,” he said to us with a smile. “I am Father Assam Gada. Thank you very much for allowing me to come in, otherwise I might have gotten sick from the rain.”

“Oh, it’s a pleasure to help you, Father,” Attorney Field said politely. “What brings you here? Don’t you have a horse?”

“Oh, how unfortunate.” He shrugged. “I just officiated a wedding in Devon and was on my way back to London when this rain came. The water in that nearby marshland overflowed the bushes, and my horse got lost and sank in. I struggled to get out and ran here to ask for your help.”

It's true! I saw that his trouser legs were covered in mud and water.

“I’m sorry, Father,” the old butler shook his head. “Once the swamp water rises, it will be no good. It will completely block out the road, and no one will be able to find it.”

"Strange," I muttered to myself, "We didn't find any swamps along the way when we arrived."

“Sir,” the old butler explained calmly, “that’s because it’s behind the bushes, hidden by trees and weeds, and you can’t see it most of the time. Only people who live in this area know its temperament.”