Chapter 1: episode 3

The memories are still fresh in her head, repeating like a broken loop. She had to think again and again if those were a nightmare or not, but the bleeding said no, the freezing water last night said no, and all the cream and wet dress indicated that she was right.

Knowing something that never happens before did happen made her bone-chilling like a soft jolt at first until it make her know it was there, she felt it like an electrocuted on her back. She was scared. Too scared.

She convinced herself that it was alright, nothing would happen twice as she went to shower and change her clothes. She checked the stitching on her head before she decided to put on some bandage later. She walked out of her room, still having a little shaking as her fingers played with her dress. She steps one by one of the stairs as she was hoping nothing would happen today with every step she took.

Reaching the floor, she heard the faint sound from the television in the living room, she looked around in the hallway, on her right to the laundry room, bathroom, and guest room that never got used since this house had any guests as long as she can remember. And to her left, to some other room, a room to store something like cleaning stuff and gardening tools. A room that lead to another hallway to her parent's room's and another living room with a whole wide window wall to see the view outside or we called them a family gathering room, though it was not used since she insisted to left the house for a day.

She walked towards the arch opening and walked to the living room and she could see the dining table from there. Her parents were already seated motionlessly as if they were some mannequins that were staring at the food with empty eyes. The television was the only sound she heard in the room. She walked closer to the television and turned it off.

"You are here honey. Let's eat."

Her mother suddenly called right behind her. She flinched so hard, shocked that her mother suddenly behind her without making any sound not even her scarf scraping the floor. She stares back at those empty eyes, the smiles so wide just as she saw them on television of those mannequins. As she was processing the situation, her mother gripped her arm, so tight that she was hissing in pain before pulling her to the dining room. She was so surprised by the strength her usually soft mother have.

She sat down just right before her father move to cut the steak and open his mouth to eat them. She looked to her mother beside him again, her smile never faltered, and her move was stiff like a doll's arm as she move to follow her husband's move. Felt everything was wrong, but she still moves to cut her steak and shove it into her mouth, the savory sauce and softness of the meat make after two days left her stomach empty making her forget those two odd movements parents. She took some potatoes mashed and some salad into a bowl as much as she could before popping a question before her head was able to register what she was about to say, only to realize after it was too late.

"Can I go walk pass the gate after this?."

Her parents stop moving before her father suddenly got up, his stiff movements were gone as if it has never happened. He shove all the food in front of them to the ground as he glared at her, as a sudden reflexes she pulled down the bowl and hide them under the table.

"Why can't you eat quietly and put some senses inside your brainless head?!. You can't get out! No matter what happens! You hear me?!."

His father yells as extends his arm from the opposite table and pushes her head so hard that she almost fell off her seat, her head tilted to the side. Her father suddenly gave her a harsh slap that cut the wounds from last night. Her head felt weird and a little dizzy after his parents stormed off from the dining table, Varnishing behind the wall, she guesses towards their room. Her ear ringing as her eyes were a bit blurry after that. She tightly clutches the bowl, trying to steady herself to get a grip and control of herself again.

It's all messy.

Knowing it will be more messed up, something inside her telling her if she didn't clean that up she will get beaten, and maybe that time her head wasn't the only thing that bleeding. She got up, bearing the dizziness in her head as she stumbled to the kitchen, the kitchen cabinet shook before something rolled down from the top of it. It was a parchment, rolled and tied up with a little deep red bow. She bends down before picking it up, as far as she knows, that type of parchment was too old based on its yellowish-brown color as if it has been so long and the color has faded through the years.

She pulled the bow, and push the parchment down onto the cabinet. It wasn't one parchment, but three parchments rolled up together. She picked up the first one. There's a picture of her mother, a little bit younger than she was now. It was her entire information, her mother's full name, her mother's parents. It was as expected until she dropped her eyes to others' information.

Name: Susanne woods

Age: 34 years old

Birth time: 18:37 25 march 1780

Death time: 00:48 23 October 1811

Death cause: the house caught in fire, and the victim couldn't get out. 89% burnt.

Her eyes bulged, so big that she could pop them off from the sockets. Her heart beating harder, her chest swirled with the ice outside and the anxious, confused mixtures making her dizzy head was nothing compared to them. She picked up another parchment hastily, still can't believe her eyes.

Name: William Edinburgh reign

Age: 39

Birth time: 12 03 1 May 1772

Death time: 00:48 23 October 1811

Death cause: the house caught in fire, and victims couldn't get out. 95% burnt.

Her heart beat harder as her head refused to believe her eyes. She took another parchment, this time the parchment titled " psychological department ". Her name was written there, with a piece of complete information with some notes: " unknown mental sickness " " undetected throughout the poor sessions and a short time given to fully observe and confirm the sickness."

She gasped loudly. Then, who is she? Who are those people she called parents? What has happened? Who exactly died? She grew up here, and all her memories started here as long as she can remember those two were and will always be her parents. Yet, those pictures stamped on the paper said they died years ago, hundred years ago. Was she crazy? What kind of mental sickness she had?

Her head was running so fast, trying to find any solutions. It's scattering all the memories. But, her head can't move on for so long from those parchments in her hand. No matter how far she tried to think, her mind will always turn to the parchments. Frustrated with her head she read once again until her head popped some documentary on asylum and psychiatric hospitals. If she wants to know, she needs to go, visit them and do some checks.

She stormed off from the kitchen, like an eagle her feet barely touching the ground as she was speeding to her room. She pulled out a bag, shoving some clothes, hygiene products, and some money she got from helping her dad wash his car and water the garden for her mom.

Everything changed for a second, she couldn't even process what has happened in her head. However, deep down she felt something off. And because of that feeling, she knew she had to get work on some information, something, anything, from the outside of these trapped walls. Perhaps, do some checkup on her mind on her way searching for some information.

It wasn't so big and wasn't too obvious, but still could catch any attention. She throws her black backpack onto her shoulders. Her heart thumped as she was reconsider her choice for a second. She slides her back under her bed and went to have lunch and dinner as normally as she can be.

'No. Why would those documents be there? It's whether I am sick or there's something twisted here. All I need to do was find out what was happening and I will back before morning until I found out what was going on.'

She repeated the voice in her head, getting hope up, being persistent as always. She looks around to find anything safe since she didn't want to risk her plan by using the door and getting caught in a mere second, who knows what will happen. She walked around searching for any ropes, a thick one at that. She crawls closer to her bed, pulling something small, and rounded, that looks like a rope until she pulled out, it's just turned out to be a small rope that her parents used to use with hanging some ornaments, and attached to the ceiling, it was too thin and short to throw out of the second floor.

Sighing, she sat on her her toes. Looking around with her hope begging to not give up yet. Her eyes faltered on her thick duvet, slowly a smile forming on her lips. She hurriedly gets up and pulls the duvet to the window, accessing if the duvet is enough to be her ladder. She glanced around to see if she can tighten it anywhere, but nothing seems possible, she dropped her bag on the floor together with her duvet and sped out of her room. She went to the kitchen, scanning for a broom before, racing up to her room again.

She locked the door, making sure she will be safely out of the room before midnight. She sat there, contemplating all the new things she might see out there. How she will react? Will she freak out? Will she be afraid? Will it traumatize her? She was excited by the thoughts. She can't stop smiling.