Inconceivable - Chapter 19
The sheriff glanced at Helen in the rearview mirror; it seemed the girl was still somewhat disoriented. He said, "I hear..."
He lived through this story, but not as a fisherman; he was a mentally ill hook-wielding man who had escaped.
Good heavens, he still thinks I'm making up a story. Helen realized she was wasting her time, and annoyed and disheartened, she turned to look out the window and fell silent.
A yellow roadblock had been erected on the road ahead, forcing the police car to stop.
The sheriff didn't recall any roadwork ahead, but perhaps it was set up by his colleagues for tonight's parade. "We'll have to take the alley," the sheriff said, turning the steering wheel, reversing the car, and turning into an entrance on the south side of the road.
The alley was even dimmer, with only a few lonely streetlights illuminating a small area, and the dark alley seemed to stretch into an endless darkness.
Helen shivered. Something had triggered her again; tension and unease caused tears to stream down her face, ruining her beautiful makeup. She had never seen her face so disheveled and ugly. It was all that wretched sheriff's fault. He should have taken her to rescue Barry, but now they were just wandering around in this dark little town.
Helen clung to the barbed wire, cursing in anguish and rage: "You wretched, stupid town sheriff, you..."
"If you commit murder, you'll go to hell."
The sheriff was getting impatient. If Helen hadn't caused trouble, he would have been drinking beer and admiring pretty girls at the club. "Fine, I'll tell you what to do. I'll contact Barry's parents to talk to him. He's probably just playing a prank on you."
Helen slumped back in her chair, dejected.
The police car continued driving when suddenly a small family van appeared under a streetlamp not far ahead. The hood was open, and a man was inspecting it in the dim light, seemingly in trouble.
"Good heavens." The sheriff wasn't happy about getting into this mess, but it was his duty, and the alley was too narrow to squeeze through. He said to Helen, "Listen, I'll be right back."
"Let's see if this guy needs help." With that, he picked up a flashlight and got out of the car.
Helen hastily wiped her wet face, her eyes blurry with tears as she watched the sheriff approach the truck. The driver was dressed in black, and in the dim light, it was impossible to tell who he was, but Helen suddenly sensed something was amiss. She and the sheriff...
Instead of changing course, someone was repairing a car in the alley at this time... Helen subconsciously craned her neck, wanting to see more clearly.
The sheriff had already walked to the car and asked the silent man with his head down, "What's wrong?"
As Helen witnessed this, alarm bells suddenly went off in her head, and she screamed in terror, "It's him!"
The sheriff didn't hear him clearly and turned around. Suddenly, the strange man rushed towards him from the shadows.
“Behind you,” Helen said anxiously, trying to remind him.
(9)
But it was too late! The fisherman pulled out his hook and plunged it deep into the sheriff's stomach. With a jerk, sticky blood gushed from the sheriff's mouth, and he collapsed to the ground without any resistance.
Helen was terrified. She tried to escape from the car, but unfortunately, the police car doors were locked. Helen frantically pulled on the handle, but the doors wouldn't budge. The barbed wire fence firmly bound her to the back seat, making it impossible for her to reach the switches in the front. Like a rabbit waiting to be slaughtered, Helen frantically pounded and flailed about.
The fisherman calmly wiped the blood off his hook with a cloth; his next target was Helen. But watching Helen struggle futilely inside the car was also quite exciting and amusing. He strode towards the police car.
As the bloodthirsty killer was about to reach her, Helen frantically kicked the car window, shattering it. She tumbled and crawled out of the only exit, completely oblivious to the pain from the shards of glass cutting her body, and ran in the opposite direction. She didn't need to look to know that the fisherman was hot on her heels.
Unaware of this, Julie stared at the computer screen, her fingers trembling as she pressed the mouse.
She found more information about David Egan and Susie: "...Susie Willis was trapped inside the car."
Murdered… Ah!” Julie gasped, her heart pounding as she read the next few words: “Father Ben Willie”
He was a local fisherman.
It was him! He was the one who witnessed everything that happened that night, the one they actually threw into the sea. We had to tell Helen and the others immediately! Julie pushed open the door and rushed out.
Blood seeped from the glass cuts on Helen's leg, along with several obvious bruises, but she felt nothing; her nerves were numb with fear. All she knew was that she had to run, run, but where could she run to? The town was pitch black, and she couldn't see a soul.
Helen's legs grew heavier and heavier, and a metallic taste filled her throat, but she dared not stop or look back. When lights finally appeared before her, she suddenly realized—it was her family's grocery store! Her legs had led her to the safest place. Helen grasped at a straw and quickened her pace, running towards the store. But the fisherman hadn't given up and continued chasing after her.
Helen rushed to the store entrance and frantically pounded on the glass door, while her sister Elsa was tidying up inside.
Helen looked back and saw that the fisherman was getting closer and closer, and was about to cross the lawn in front of the door.
Elsa had just covered the mannequin with a dust cloth when she suddenly heard Helen pounding on the door in a panic, pulling hard on the doorknob and shouting, "Elsa, open the door!" Elsa didn't know what was happening; her sister had never done this before.
She had never felt so embarrassed or scared. She walked towards the door, puzzled, then suddenly remembered something, turned back, and went back.
Helen was frantic; if the door wasn't opened soon, she would die. She pounded on the door even harder, shouting:
Elsa, open the door! What are you doing?
Elsa walked to the counter, reached out and took the key hanging there; the door was locked.
"Please, open the door! Hurry up!" Helen saw the fisherman's footsteps approaching the corridor in front of the door, and her blood rushed to her head, making a buzzing sound.
Elsa walked over unhurriedly; she hated her sister speaking to her in a commanding tone. The key finally went into the lock, and as soon as it turned, Helen pushed the door open and squeezed in, immediately turning around and closing the door behind her.
Elsa said unhappily, "Drive towards the entrance of the main street." If Helen hadn't insisted on going...
She wouldn't have to be busy in the store all this time now, instead of having that vain championship parade.
"I've been attacked!" Helen shouted, locking the door.
"What?" Elsa didn't want to listen to Helen's words at all. She was probably indulging in her acting again. Today's beauty pageant had spurred her on.
Helen was still panting from running and the tension. She had neither the mood nor the time to explain, and just breathlessly instructed Elsa, "Lock the other door...I'm going to call the police."
"What happened?"
"Do as I say! Damn it!" Helen yelled at Elsa in a fit of rage as she rushed upstairs to make a phone call.
Elsa still didn't understand what was going on, but Helen's unusual behavior made her realize that something was indeed amiss. She checked to make sure the front door was locked, then headed towards the back door. As she passed the stairs, she looked up and saw Helen dialing the police station number.
The outside light shone softly into the room, and the glass door swayed slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Elsa walked over, and using the light from outside the door, she picked out the key to the back door from her palm. Quickly, she locked the back door securely. No one could come in, and no one could leave. Suddenly, she felt something moving behind her. Elsa turned around, and there stood the towering fisherman behind her.
Elsa froze, a jumble of thoughts flashing through her mind, but she couldn't process it all. The fisherman raising his hook was clearly reflected in her glasses, while his eyes behind them remained blank, passively watching everything unfold.
Before there was any time to struggle, the hook drew a diagonal line, and a trail of blood immediately splattered onto the glass door.
"Hurry, hurry!" Helen couldn't get through to the police station; all she heard was a dial tone. Those bastards were nowhere to be found when they were supposed to be there.
Suddenly, a scream reached Helen's other ear. She froze, then called downstairs, "Elsa!"
?
In the shadows she couldn't see, the fisherman silently carried Elsa's dead body, like a fish, across the shop with his hook.
Helen put down the phone and carefully went downstairs. "Elsa, where are you?"
Only a few wall lamps were on in the shop, and the electric fan whirred softly, making the room flicker with light. Rows of plastic mannequins covered with semi-transparent dust cloths made Helen feel even more terrified.
Helen moved slowly, glancing nervously around.
Suddenly, the power went out, plunging the small shop into terrifying darkness. Helen jumped, struggling to adjust her eyes to the darkness, staring fearfully at the dark plastic mannequins in front of her. They seemed so real, as if they might turn their heads at any moment.
Helen groped her way forward, even the sound of her own breathing made her uneasy; the shop was as quiet as another world.
Suddenly, a plastic mannequin unexpectedly moved and lunged at Helen. The fisherman, who had been disguised among them, tackled Helen to the ground.
Helen mustered all her strength, kicking and punching wildly, finally landing a powerful kick to the fisherman's stomach. The fisherman cried out in pain and rolled to the side. Helen seized the opportunity to scramble to her feet and frantically ran in all directions. The fisherman also quickly got up and gave chase.
Helen's first instinct was to find an exit. She ran to the back door and pulled hard on the handle, but it wouldn't open. She then remembered that she was the one who had Elsa lock the back door. Damn it! Helen turned around, searching for another escape route. Suddenly, she saw Elsa's blood-soaked body leaning against the toilet in the bathroom next to the door, her eyes still staring fixedly.
Helen screamed in terror.
The fisherman gave chase.
Helen turned around and frantically jumped onto a plank. She remembered it was used to transport goods between the first and second floors. Helen grabbed the rope in front of her and pulled rapidly downwards, the pulley whirring. The fisherman ran over, swinging his hook towards Helen's feet. In desperation, Helen tightened the rope; just seconds later, the plank jerked upwards, the hook scraping the edge and leaving a deep mark.
Helen continued pulling the rope, and the plank slowly moved upwards. The fisherman turned around and walked step by step down the stairs to the second floor.
The second floor was even smaller, entirely used to store plastic mannequins and some goods. Before the wooden planks had even fully reached the second floor, Helen scrambled in in terror. But as soon as she looked up, she saw the fisherman had already come up and was blocking her way.
Helen had nowhere to turn; she was forced into the only small hut nearby. She rushed inside, only to find solid walls all around, a mere few square meters with nowhere to hide—a dead end. The fisherman's shadow was already looming at the door. Helen had no other choice. Without thinking, she pushed open the window and shakily climbed out. The moment her feet left the window, the fisherman's hook slammed into the windowsill with a loud thud. Terrified, Helen closed her eyes and jumped straight down.
Her vision blurred for a moment, and Helen shook her head, momentarily disoriented. Suddenly, she remembered, looked out the second-floor window, and saw the fisherman was gone. She immediately scrambled to her feet and staggered away down the alley.
A series of hurried footsteps sounded as Julie rushed into the club. The beauty pageant was long over; chairs lay scattered haphazardly, confetti and beer bottles littered the floor, and there wasn't a soul in sight. Where were Helen and Barry? If she didn't tell them the truth, something dangerous would surely happen.
Helen sobbed as she walked through the narrow alley. She had twisted her leg when she jumped down, and each step was excruciatingly painful. Despite this, she dared not stop until she was far away from the shop. Only then did she glance back. The alley was empty; there were no black raincoats or gleaming hooks. The fisherman had not followed, but it was all dark, and she had no idea where the way out was.
"Bang—" A sudden muffled thud startled Helen, causing her to scream. Immediately afterward, several bright lights shot into the air and exploded, forming beautiful flower shapes. It was the parade setting off fireworks. Helen finally saw hope, and she ran towards the lights with a mixture of surprise and joy. After a few turns, the view opened up before her; the alley entrance was just 10 meters away. And right outside the alley, a bustling crowd was playing music, and a lively band passed by. This lively sound instantly dispelled Helen's fear.
Helen felt she was about to be saved; once she reached the outside of the alley, the fisherman would stop chasing her, and then the police would help her.
She excitedly ran towards the crowd at the alley entrance. Suddenly, she thought she heard a cold laugh. Impossible, how could she hear such a faint sound in such noise? But Helen couldn't help but look back; there was indeed no one there.
Helen finally turned her head back, relieved. However, the fisherman suddenly appeared like a ghost, standing right in front of her. Before Helen could even scream, the fisherman slammed his hook into her... again and again, until the tires piled up beside her toppled over.
Just 10 meters away, the parade marched past with deafening music. If anyone had turned around, they would have seen a brutal massacre unfolding behind them, but this was the town's most joyous night—who could have imagined it? And so, they slowly walked past the dark alleyway.
The crowd participating in the parade came to the streets by the sea.
Julie ran towards them from a distance, weaving through the crowd, anxiously searching for Helen and Barry. She'd gone everywhere she could think of, but still couldn't find them. Where had they gone after leaving the club? Could it be…? Julie suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She shook her head, dismissing the thought, and continued her search for Helen and Barry. As she passed the fishing boats moored on the shore, Julie suddenly thought of Ray. She had to tell him; after all, he was involved too. Julie rushed to Ray's fishing boat and shouted, "Ray! Ray!"
But a flicker of hesitation crossed Julie's mind. Ray's decision during the day clearly indicated that he didn't intend to face this danger with everyone, and didn't want to sink with this battered little boat. This truly pained Julie. However, at that moment, Ray had already come out of the cabin. Seeing Julie come to him, he was surprised: "What are you doing here?"
"
“We didn’t kill David, we killed someone else,” Julie said anxiously.
Ray was stunned! He seemed to have heard something bizarre he had never heard of before, and he couldn't accept this fact at all:
What are you... saying?
Julie eagerly told Ray everything she had just discovered: "Susie's father, Ben Willis..."
He was a fisherman.
"But they found David's body in the water." These newspapers all reported it, so how could another person suddenly appear?
"Yes, I know, I think it was Ben Willis who killed him."
Ray felt like his mind was going blank. So, everyone's guilt had been directed at the wrong person. "He killed David, and we killed him?"
"What if he's not dead? What if he's still alive?" Julie voiced this boldest assumption, which was also the worst possible outcome.
Ray was stunned for a moment, then said, "This is insane." However, he slowly realized that this was probably the most...
A reasonable explanation.
Julie was breathing heavily with tension.
Ray thought for a moment, then reached out his hand to Julie and said, "Get on the boat, come inside."
Julie shook her head and refused: "No, I have to find Barry and Helen."
"We will go. Come on."
Ray's tone was so gentle yet firm. Looking into his eyes, Julie saw the same unwavering care and love he had always shown. This feeling was all too familiar to Julie; she had simply avoided it for so long. And now, this was exactly what she needed. She didn't know how much longer she could bear such pressure alone. Julie placed her hand in Ray's large hand.
She was about to step onto the boat when she looked down and suddenly stopped. She couldn't believe her eyes. Why hadn't she ever looked closely at Ray's boat before? A large name was painted on the hull in blue, a name that had been circling around her for so long: Billy Blue.