Haunted Escape | ONC 2022

.Epilogue.

1 month later

Coming to terms with the untimely death of my mother and siblings has been a difficult ride. I keep having nightmares and find myself crying at an ungodly hour of the morning when there's too much time to think about everything I've lost. I was once one in a family of five. We had money, we lived in Windchime manor, there were people around me who cared about me.

But my 'father' ruined all of that by driving my alcoholic mother to suicide and killing my brother and sister as a way of starting a new life with his mistress and their child. If he got his way, I would be dead, too. My small body would have died falling down those stairs. I guess I was the lucky one.

We called the police about Matthew's body a day after the incident happened. Landon and I told them we were out in the garden when we heard gunshots coming from inside the house. We told them Matthew had killed himself in Windchime manor, as he became too guilty about the many deaths he has caused over the years so decided to do the same to himself.

They believed us, and that was the end of our Matthew problem.

It turns out that the entire village knew about how my family were killed. They all recognised the name November Bennett-- quite a unique name that I guess would easily be recognised-- and were shocked to find out that I was moving back into Windchime manor after everything that happened there.

When people found out that Matthew had died, there was a sort of relief in the air. It seems like he's been haunting the village for a long time, killing my family and Keely and Jonah and who knows who else? I think people were glad to know that no other lives would be lost at his hands. I know I was.

I moved in with Landon and his father very quickly. I had no idea how gorgeous their farm was until I did. They live in a medium-sized cottage with all sorts of wildflowers blooming in the garden. The interior is lovely and modern, and Landon told me that his mother was the one who decorated the place before she went off to the army. She'll be home in a few weeks and I'm very excited to meet her.

Sadia was very understanding of my situation and didn't expect me to go into work too much, but I kept going. The last thing I wanted to do was sit inside and let my mind wander. I wanted to be earning money and meeting new people at the bookshop, so that after a long day at work I could get home and cuddle up with Landon on the sofa. We've already talked of buying ourselves our own place, so saving up the money is a good feeling. There's a lot I have to look forward to. Things are good.

"You look pretty," Landon says as he walks into the bedroom, fiddling with his cufflinks. I brush a hand down my white summer dress, observing myself in the mirror.

"Thanks," I mutter, observing him in the mirror. "You look good, too."

He smirks, finding his favourite watch on his desk and securing it around his wrist. "You nervous?"

"A little," I admit.

Some of the new friends I've made in the village asked me if I wanted to do some sort of memorial service for my mother and siblings, considering the horrible circumstances in which they died. I wasn't sure at first, worried it would be something I couldn't handle, but eventually I agreed to it. Now it looks like the whole village is attending, and I've agreed to do a speech. As someone who has kept to herself in the shadows for the last twenty-two years, this is a big deal for me, and I can feel the nausea bubbling in my stomach just thinking about it.

Landon approaches me, standing behind me and resting his hands on my waist. He presses a gentle kiss to my jaw and something flutters within me, as it always does. "You'll be okay. I'll be there with you, and we can step away whenever you need to."