Chapter 3

Chapter 3

1

The crowd held their flashlights high, desperately trying to follow Cathleen's swift pace.

Cathleen moved with an almost supernatural speed, running so fast that even the strongest man couldn't keep up.

The back mountain was an ancient burial ground, covered with towering old trees. She dashed into the forest and quickly disappeared into the pitch-black night.

"Cathleen…" People called out her name frantically in the darkness, searching tirelessly. Despite splitting into several groups, no one could find her. All they heard were eerie, haunting laughs that sent chills down their spines.

They searched all night but found no trace of her.

The next morning, I, along with a few servants, discovered Cathleen's lifeless body in the forest behind the mountain. Her pale form was impaled on a massive tree branch.

2

In Cathleen's room, I found an unusual sheet of music. It was written in what looked like blood, a melody for a violin. My fourth sister, Harlee, could play the violin and agreed to play the piece. It turned out to be an ancient melody called "Longing for Home": "Longing for home, where beauties are like flowers beyond the clouds..."

The tune was hauntingly familiar; it was the same melody I heard someone sing in the garden every night when I couldn't sleep.

Since Cathleen's death, my third sister, Su Qinqin, had become increasingly paranoid.

She was convinced that everything was part of a conspiracy and refused to eat, always fearing someone would poison her.

She wouldn't drink water from the garden, believing it was contaminated. She even refused to bathe, thinking the water was filthy and would corrode her body. Because of this, the butler had crates of bottled water flown in for her use.

But despite drinking only bottled water, Su Qinqin eventually broke down.

One dark, windy night, she poured all the bottled water into a wooden tub and submerged herself naked.

The next morning, when the servants came to call her for breakfast, they found her lifeless in the tub. Her belly was exposed, pale and bloated.

3

While sorting through Su Qinqin's belongings, I found a yellowed diary. It detailed her past life growing up in a traditional opera troupe. Once, she led a bullying incident that resulted in a girl's drowning.

She was only fourteen at the time and served a few years in juvenile detention for involuntary manslaughter.

After her release, she fell into bad company with a gangster and eventually became the kept woman of a mafia boss. The boss, old enough to be her grandfather, doted on her, making her his favored concubine.

But the good times didn't last. The boss had many enemies and died in a car accident. Su Qinqin was then kicked out and coincidentally met Jerald, joining his troupe.

Now, out of the five of us, only Harlee and I remained alive.

Harlee became more silent and withdrawn, chain-smoked incessantly, and her room was filled with smoke from morning till night.

We didn't interact much, so I didn't check on her often.

One hot night, I was awakened by bright flames outside my window.

"Fire! Someone, help!" a voice shouted outside.

I opened the door to see the servants rushing towards Harlee's room with fire extinguishers. But the fire had spread to adjacent rooms, turning the entire manor into a sea of flames.

Jerald's old mansion was deep in the mountains, accessible only by winding roads. Without a guide, it was impossible to find, let alone for fire trucks to reach.

Choking on the smoke, I hurried towards the river. By the river stood a man-made hill covered in vines. I heard a woman's cries for help from within and rushed inside.

After searching for a while, I finally found the entrance to the hill. I bent down and entered, descending a narrow staircase to find a hidden basement.

The cries grew louder. As I walked further in, I saw a clean bathtub with a woman soaking inside.

"Please, save me!" she cried.

The fire outside grew fiercer, and smoke began to invade the hill. I didn't have time to see what she looked like and quickly pulled her out of the tub.

Once outside, I realized she was severely disfigured and both deaf and blind.