"They must all die—don't kill one and leave the other—kill them all and watch them all die—you were born to kill and watch your victim suffer in pain. The pain they never knew existed. Crushed them all, yes they are my first vegetable experiment in Lisbon. Lisbon will know evil has come upon them and there is absolutely no way of escape. The north, south, west, and east are tied by my powers and they will spell doom and see it as the unstoppable fire from far beyond their roofs and that'll make them scream to death. Duke, you must go now and do as I say. Remember, I am only a helper but you have the destiny to fulfill. A destiny of destruction, go Duke, gooooooo—"
As Pamela's words came over and over again, he felt an unusual power stirring up within him and suddenly his pace increased. As he approached the garden a few distances from the entrance door. He sensed something missing.
What exactly was it?
He can't figure out from the spot he stood but was determined to walk on.
Ten minutes later, he stood by the entrance door and pulled it wide open. He walked in and looked around. The lights were out but he could still see through the darkness.
And a few minutes later, he started calling out. "Sandra, Sandra—" He got no response and he wondered why. The silence around him weakens his mind and suddenly his countenance changed. The fracture in his brain reactivated and the words of Pamela reversed.
"They must all die—don't kill one and leave the other—kill them all and watch them all die—you were born to kill and to watch your victim suffer in pain. The pain they never knew existed, Crushed them all. Yes, they are my first experiment in Lisbon—"
His head spins around for a while as he reasoned.
Is Pamela my first experiment?
What about Alex?
Is he also my first or second?
As several uncontrollable thoughts hit him hard, he felt his head swing around, and suddenly, he screamed.
He knew he was asked to kill everybody in house number 9, but where are they?
Have they all run down to house 15?
That's impossible he thought and hissed. But then, the more he struggled to stay within the instruction of Pamela, the more his reactivated brain struggled to act contrary.
Now with his eyes still piercing into the dark, he felt Pamela must have lied.
Lied to set me up?
Where is everybody?
Why are Sandra, Collins, Annora, and Bruno not at home?
This was unusual he thought as he screamed again.
This time his brain fired up and his eyeballs spin around. "Bruno Strullid and his family must be in house 15 and not house 9." He whispered and started.
He walked past the entrance door and started through the night once more to house 15. Is gun was still firmly in his hand, he felt his left pocket with his left-hand fingers to make sure the five bullets were still intact. Satisfied, he moved on.
Minutes later, as he approached house 15 he saw Bruno's white limousine parked outside but why not inside?
Was it Bruno's?
He felt that was a stupid question. Walking close he knew the house wasn't empty. The gun still in his right hand he steadies himself and walked closer.
Three minutes later, he was at the gate staring into the courtyard. The gate should have been wooden. He remembered they were made from strong oak planks and held together by wide wrought-iron straps ending in immense hinges.
And the courtyard itself wasn't right either. There should be no pool, and instead of the flagstone paring, there should only be packed earth and nothing more perhaps.
Silently, as his memories start coming clearer. Duke walked through the gate, across the courtyard, and into the house. As soon as he stepped inside he knew he once lived here or perhaps before—but his brain can't figure out anything—anything as of yet.
Staring around he noticed an elderly-looking woman but he doesn't seem to know who she was. Raising the short gun, Duke fired into the mirror next to her. The mirror shattered, and the shards of glass flew everywhere. Then the shelves of glasses and the bottles collapsed on themselves. A moment later, all that was left was wreckage.
Pamela looked into the eyes of Duke from afar and then shouted "What a hell has come over you? House number 9, I said, and not 15. Are you dumb?"
Duke looked at her. The voice, there was something familiar about it.
What exactly is it?
He can't figure out her appearance but now everything within his brain has changed. He doesn't seem to have control over it anymore. But now as he struggled to listen to Pamela, the more his patience started running out.
"It is not me—them, you must go back to house 9 damn it!"
Duke heard other conflicting words in his head. The more he stared at Pamela, the more he got confused.
"They must all die—don't kill one and leave the other—kill them all and watch them all die—you were born to kill—"
The words came again and again. This time the word doesn't seem to be those of Pamela but words trickling down from the realm of the spirit—words from the dead.
Soon Duke whispered. "The other, do not kill one and leave the other. Where is the other?"
Alex who has been feeding his horses in the backyard hurried into the main house when he heard a gunshot and was shocked to see Duke with a gun and pointing it at Pamela.
"What a hell is going on? Duke, what are you doing with that?"
Duke looked at his hand and stared at his gun for minutes and then gazed at Alex. He lifted the gun in his direction.
"Please don't do that, Pamela what did you do to him—did you—"
"Shut up son. I did nothing." She yelled and now became furious. "He was programmed to destroy the inhabitants of house 9 and now he is here."
Alex couldn't believe his ears.
Donna was right after all he thought, but then, how can he make Duke put down the gun?
"You don't have to use that on us or anybody—I am your father and over there is your grandmother—please put that down."
Duke knew he had already wasted a bullet, and the remaining four must not be wasted. Bruno and Annora must die.
The voice that has been taunting him came again, this time stronger.
"Don't kill one and leave the other..."
Immediately he released the first bullet and then the second. Pamela and Alex suddenly dropped down to the floor. He walked closer and looked at their lifeless bodies on the floor. And their faces weren't Bruno and Annora. He looked closer and as he was about to discover something odd. The voice came again,
"Kill them all....you must go back to house 9..."
His brain cells sparked at though ignited by an electric source. He stood straight and held on firmly to his gun.
He knew Pamela wasn't dead, he could still hear her voice.
But how did this happen?
He looked away from the two dead and started for house 9. He knew he had two bullets left, and he must finish what he had only just begun.
"Didn't you hear that?" Nathan said, "The gunshot. I suspect it came from there—yes, over there. That direction—"
He came out from the police van and urged James to follow.
Their pistols firmly on their hands, they knew another fight had begun and this time, so close.
James felt nervous. He knew he hasn't felt this way before, but this night seemed different—so different he knew he had no words to explain it. The moonless night got him even more scared. The thought of using the torchlight crawled in but knew Nathan wouldn't like that idea.
He remembered Nathan once said a moonless night is always a good hideout not just for the criminals but the police as well.
James knew he is never of this school of thought as he strained his eyes to see through—
He could see absolutely nothing at first and by the time he saw a figure far off. He knew someone he couldn't figure out from the dark had just left Alex Rexon's house.
And who could that be?
His thought ran for a while, and then he signaled Nathan, who took cover behind a tree and hadn't seen anything unusual yet. "Did you notice anything strange?" He whispered as James managed to catch his attention, "Anything of interest?"