LACUNA OBSCURA - A Horror Thriller

CHAPTER II

Amelia pulled her coat closer around her as she stepped out of the terminal at Salzburg Airport.

The journey had been hectic, to say the least.

Added to the fatigue of the journey were the lingering thoughts of the email from Professor Sean.

Why would there be a reason to bring a Glock 19 here to Moosham? What could have gone wrong for him to exercise such caution, Amelia wonders.

And as for the book, Amelia knew all about the witchcraft myths in many old European castles, but it was rather childish to assume that any of it had anything to do with reality.

Amelia stood in the waiting hall guarding the luggage while the others went in search of the car that was to pick them up from the airport to the accomodation.

She was really worried about such an email from Professor Sean.

Was there a mortal danger in this expedition?

But what could be so wrong and deadly about an Austrian castle?

She had not shown this email to the others in the group, however, and they all seemed to be looking forward to their month-long stay here once they landed.

It was an almost three-hour drive from Salzburg Airport to Moosham through the picturesque Austrian countryside, which was hard to beat in its beauty.

The Alpine trees flew by in small pockets.

Densely forested areas separated by wetlands with small rocky hills peeking out between them, it all looks so beautiful.

Rexi breaks the silence "This place already looks like my swarm, so marvellous.

I wish I could live here permanently"

"Well, who knows, if you fall in love with a local here, it may well be the same in real life." Farhan comments with a grin.

"Farhan seems to be very interested in the locals...hawww," Amelia replies to the joke and they all burst out laughing.

In the meantime, Amelia had informed Farhan of the rather secretive but urgent requests the professor had made in his email.

It had not escaped her notice that Farhan was thinking deeply and trying to gather clues in his analytical mind.

Rexi's quick lips kept the surroundings lively, even as Zani lost himself a little in contemplation of the surroundings.

When the car arrived a few kilometres from the village of Moosham, a mist suddenly hung in the air.

Fog in summer, Farhan's eyebrows shot up and then drew together suspiciously.

He tapped Amelia's elbow, who knew exactly what Farhan was trying to say.

Fog like this in summer was very unusual, even in the Alpine plateaus of Europe.

☯︎

"What could have happened, Professor?

She's my only daughter, how could she just vanish into thin air like this?

Sarza felt helpless. Together with her daughter, she was the last of the lineage of the Archbishop of Salzburg.

They did not used to be so wealthy and nobody knew about her.

The divorced and single mother was informed by the Austrian Heritage Society about her deep-rooted connections to the castle when her daughter was only ten years old.

Whilst the castle remained a private shareholder in alliance with the Austrian government, Sarza was granted residency as she had direct roots to the castle.