Unleashed

Chapter Six - Zack

After the phone call, it seemed like the next few days passed in a blur, it didn't seem real that Caroline wasn't here with us. It wasn't till the funeral that it sunk in.

Val was gripping my arm as we walked up so she could say a few words. I  just glanced ahead at the trees in the distance because I couldn't stand to look at everyone's faces, I needed to be strong for Val. While she was talking, my mind kept going back to when Caroline said Aurora did this to her, if only we took it more seriously then maybe she'd be alive.

Once the funeral was over, our group ended up staying back just all five of us standing in silence in a circle.

"I feel like it's my fault," Zoey whispered as tears fell down her face but Danny quickly pulled her into his arms straight away making sure she knew it wasn't her fault.

"It is your fault, we wouldn't have played if you had just let it go but no you both decided to keep trying," Viktor clenched his fists and glared at Zoey and Danny before he stormed off. Val jumped back into my chest at her brother's outburst but followed after him to calm him down.

Was it her fault? Was it also my brother's fault? They both wanted to try again but at the same time, we all could have said no. Caroline could have said no as well. We shouldn't be blaming each other especially during a time like this.

Guilt was written all over my brother's face and I told them both that it was all of our faults if they wanted someone to blame. We all took part in it and we all could have left.

I left them alone to go find Val and her brother only to see them at Aurora's grave talking to an older guy.

"She killed herself," I heard the older man mumble and I saw both Viktor and Val glance down at her headstone in sadness. But when we played the board she said she was killed, something isn't right here.

Once I reached them, I introduced myself to him and found out he was Aurora's older brother Raymond. He looked so worn down and tired as he stood there by his sister's grave.

"I was the one who found her," he gave us a small smile before tears filled up in his eyes, "she cut herself and bled out in the bath." Cut herself? The same way she killed Caroline is the same way she was murdered but someone tried to make it look like a suicide. I mean, it couldn't be coincident? It's been a week since we played but that night was all I thought about. 

The four of us walked back to the car as Raymond told us about his sister. Aurora had a baby but their father gave the baby away which is why he thinks she ended her life. What kind of father was he to do that to his daughter? To put her through that.

We said goodbye to Raymond and all drove to Val's house. No one wanted to be alone tonight. The past week all I've done is just stay at Val's, we spent most days just in bed holding each other lost in our own thoughts.

We set up the lounge room like we always do when we all stay here, Val's parents helped us out but left to their room for the rest of the night.

"Do you remember when we went camping at Belmont?" Val said breaking everyone's attention from the movie and on to her. "Caroline had a heart attack when she realised we weren't going to be in a cabin like before." She laughed a little before looking up at us, "she kept going on and on about how we tricked her, she cried about bugs, the dirt, the cold and just about anything she could."

"Yeah, I remember that she got bitten by something and cried for hours before she made us bring her back home." Viktor smiled as he also looked back on that weekend which was eventful. "We were meant to cheer her up and help her forgot about Ethan breaking up with her."

"Well I mean we didn't exactly cheer her up but at least we succeeded in taking her mind off it." I said as we all started sharing memories of Caroline.

"I'm sorry by the way," Viktor muttered as he glanced up at Zoey and Danny, "I was just angry about all of us, she didn't deserve this and now that spirit might come after one of us."

They both accepted his apology but then asked us about the man we were talking to before. Val told them about Raymond and what happened to Aurora.

"Wait, Aurora told us she was killed though not suicide," Danny murmured to himself but we all heard it.

"That's what I was thinking," I explained my thoughts to the group about how she seems to be going after us in the same way she was killed. That we had to stay together seeing as we didn't for the past few days but anything could happen.

"I need to tell you guys something," Val took in a deep breath before she let it out to say, "I saw her that night we found out about Caroline, I saw her in the mirror."

I asked her why she didn't tell her us but she didn't know when to bring it up considering what had happened. I guess there never is a right time for stuff like this though.

"I'm scared, I think she's going to come after me next," she wrapped her arms around me as she cried about her fears. "Caroline saw her before she died and now she's showed herself to me."

"Nothing is going to happen to you," Viktor came by us and rubbed his sister's back, "we're going to stick together and figure out how to get rid of her."