The next day, Violet went to the police station. Despite communicating with the police chief, what the chief said about Alex Daniel Green's death was still the same as before.
"At present, the police can only announce that the victim was killed by someone else... Well, considering the cruel means of the crime, the cause of death has not been made public. As I've said, this case is currently under full investigation. Once we have new investigation results, we will naturally hold a press conference to explain. Miss Miller, that's all I can say. Please go back."
"But... according to our understanding, Alex's parents both went crazy after seeing their son's body and are now being treated in a mental hospital. The police deliberately concealed this from us. In addition, according to the neighbors, after the police arrived at the scene that day, many forensic doctors were sent, and finally, the vehicle used to transport the body..."
"That's enough, Miss Miller!" The police chief's face turned ugly, and he made a gesture to see her out. "In short, the police have their stance, and the government also attaches great importance to this matter. We will announce the results once the investigation is completed. Please leave!" Violet knew it was useless to say more. The chief wouldn't tell her anything more. She was almost certain that there must be something astonishing behind this. And the current situation was the same as it was seven years ago when her parents died...
No matter what her brother said, Violet was determined to find out everything.
Walking out of the chief's office, she thought about what to do next while looking at the notes in her hand. Whom should she ask? The police department had probably already ordered complete confidentiality from the media, and unfortunately, Alex's parents were both crazy...
Right, perhaps they might reveal something in their ramblings.
After making up her mind, she put the notes back in her bag and started running towards the parking lot downstairs. At this moment, she didn't notice that a long - haired woman in black was coldly watching her back.
Anyway, Violet hoped to find some clues before tonight. She didn't want to report another death case tomorrow.
On the way to the mental hospital by car, she turned on the radio. Her brother had said that a radio station would invite him to read an excerpt from his new book at noon today. After tuning to the frequency, she just heard the announcer say, "Dear listeners, today our station has invited the popular horror novelist Mr. Orion James Miller to our program. Since the establishment of our 'Voices from the Underworld' column, this is the fourth time Mr. Miller has come to our program. Hello, Mr. Miller. First of all, congratulations on the publication of your new book. This new work has also received enthusiastic attention from readers and listeners. Later, we will open the hotline and ask you to answer some questions from readers. Is that okay?"
"Well, actually, I'm also looking forward to communicating with the readers of 'Voices from the Underworld'. I'm really happy to have the opportunity to be here again."
"So, before that, I would like to ask you, Mr. Miller. Is this work, like your previous ones, an unsolvable horror novel?"
"Yes, as I said before, my horror novels ultimately have no solutions. I don't play tricks but truly let readers feel... that horror actually exists around everyone."
Violet was thinking about whether to call the radio station later when she suddenly heard her brother say this.
"Horror exists around everyone"...
After their parents died seven years ago, the two of them moved away from their original city and had been dependent on each other ever since. That terrifying scene was forever imprinted in her mind and could not be forgotten. However, she didn't have the courage to hate. So until now... she was tired of living in such a cowardly way. She didn't want to be like her brother, constantly running away just to stay away from those things... But Violet knew very well that it was useless to run anywhere. Those things were everywhere, existing around them.
After the hotline was opened, she immediately heard the excited voices of many listeners.
"Mr. Miller, are there any elements in your stories that are drawn from real life?"
"Mr. Miller, I've read your new book. I spent all night reading it yesterday. It was really terrifying! Have you encountered any sad or negative things in your life?"
Violet was listening to her brother answering their questions one by one when the mental hospital came into view.
"Mr. Miller, I've read all your works. Your creation of the atmosphere and description of the characters' psychology are quite outstanding. It's almost... as if it were your personal experience."
Suddenly, a call came through, and the following words were spoken. Judging from the voice, it should be a woman, and her tone was extremely cold, almost like an interrogation.
"This lady is really joking. If I had experienced all that, how could I still be alive?" Her brother's response was very calm, without much emotional fluctuation.
"Do you think that everything you described in your books really exists in this world?"
Violet clenched the steering wheel. "I'm just writing novels and haven't thought about studying them in connection with reality."
The car had already driven to the entrance of the mental hospital, but Violet still wanted to continue listening to the subsequent conversation. However, that lady said, "Is that so... I understand. Then goodbye." Then the phone was hung up.
Strange person... Violet drove the car into the hospital's underground parking lot and then took the elevator from the basement up.
When she came to the nurse's station and explained her purpose, at first, the nurse didn't allow her to visit. But because she repeatedly emphasized that it was related to a life and her attitude was sincere, the nurse said she was limited to ten minutes.
Accompanied by a nurse, she went upstairs to the floor where Alex's parents were. As soon as she got out of the elevator, she heard a strange scream: "Alex! Alex! What happened to you? Ahhhh..."
Entering the ward, she saw a large group of doctors holding down a middle - aged woman on the bed. A doctor was trying to give her a sedative, but so many doctors and nurses couldn't hold down her hands and feet.
"She is one of the patients you're looking for. She has been like this since she was admitted to the hospital. I don't think you can ask her anything. The other patient's condition is also very serious..."
"Alex... why do you look so terrifying... Who did this to you..."
Violet walked into the ward, and the nurse said, "You... better not stimulate her." It was really tragic... After their son died, the parents both went crazy. This was definitely not an ordinary murder case. Even if the scene was very bloody and Alex had been dismembered, it wouldn't have driven both of them crazy...
What on earth did they see to become so crazy?
In the end, she got nothing. Returning to the underground parking lot, she looked at her watch and couldn't help feeling extremely anxious. She had no clues at all, and the premonition was getting stronger and stronger. Couldn't it really be stopped?
"Do you want to know the answer?" A strange voice suddenly came from behind.
She turned around and saw a beautiful woman with long hair over her shoulders. The mysterious woman's expression was very cold. Violet searched her mind but couldn't find any memory of this person.
"You... who are you?"
"Miss Violet Miller," the woman said to her, "Can I... meet your brother?"
Ten minutes later, the two of them were sitting opposite each other in a restaurant across from the mental hospital.
"Who on earth... are you? Do you know my brother?"
"Although I don't know him, I know a lot about his and your past." She seemed very calm and didn't seem to have any malicious intentions.
"My name is Jane Sophia Parker." The woman continued, "In fact, I've been looking for your siblings for a long time."
"What?" Violet quickly asked, "Are you a police officer? Are you investigating the case from seven years ago?" "No, I have nothing to do with the police. Finding you two was what my father told me in his notes. He disappeared three years ago. Especially about your brother, my father's notes recorded it in detail. I also know very well about the case seven years ago."
"You... who is your father?"
"His name is Samuel Parker. He was a psychologist, but he was also very interested in paranormal phenomena. Three years ago, my mother died in a strange car accident."
"That... it seems that we don't know your father. My parents never mentioned knowing any psychologist when they were alive..."
"Anyway... we'll talk about the details when we meet your brother. You're investigating the high - school student's death case that happened yesterday, right? If you want information, I can give it to you. I hacked into the police's policing network yesterday and downloaded some materials. If you want them, I can give them to you immediately, but the condition is that I meet your brother."
Violet was a little restless. She asked further, "You... are you a hacker? Who on earth are you and why do you want to meet my brother?"
"I can't tell you that before that..."
Violet looked at her watch and thought that there was probably no time to waste. After all, it was a matter of life and death! She might as well agree to her first and think about the rest after tonight. "I promise you... but the premise is to let me see the information you mentioned first... I declare in advance that if I publish your information later, I will specifically state that it was sent to the newspaper office by a citizen, and we don't know who sent it."
"Of course."
Then, she took out an envelope from the inner pocket of her clothes and handed it to Violet. Then she said, "There are a total of fourteen photos of the body in this envelope. I declare in advance that I printed these photos immediately after downloading them and didn't process them in any way. There is also a death report issued by a forensic doctor, which I also downloaded."
Violet was still a little skeptical. She opened the envelope and took out the photos. However, after just a quick glance at the first one, her heart skipped a beat, and then her pupils dilated rapidly, and her hands couldn't stop shaking.
"You..." Violet couldn't say a complete sentence... It was the same as seven years ago, all these inexplicable phenomena! She continued to look at the following photos, and with each one, her breathing became heavier. So much so that when she saw the fifth one, she almost fainted.
Violet couldn't look anymore. She put all the photos back in the envelope and took out the forensic report that Jane had mentioned. Cold sweat had started to form on her forehead.
"Do you believe it?" Jane asked very calmly. "Yes, yes! Exactly because of this, I believe..." Violet's voice was already clearly choked with sobs, "Just because of this incomprehensible existence, my brother and I had to flee to this city... Even though the distance is so far, we still can't escape... No matter which city, this kind of abnormality is starting to occur..."
Jane observed Violet's expression and gradually confirmed that she and her brother were indeed the people she was looking for.
"You have the ability to foresee, right?" Violet suddenly raised her head and scrutinized this mysterious woman. Her expression was very deep, without obvious emotional expression. Her eyes revealed a kind of unfathomable depth. Coupled with her ethereal and otherworldly beauty, it almost gave people the feeling that she was not human.
"You can sense how soon a terrifying abnormal event will occur, right? I also have a similar ability. I got this ability after my mother died. My mother... was killed by a ghost..." When Jane said this, a sad look appeared in her eyes. However, it was like a ripple on the surface of a lake, disappearing in an instant. It seemed that it was already a very long - time - ago event. Even if it was touched now, it only slightly stirred up some feelings in her heart. But Violet felt that there was more... a kind of fear. A fear that she didn't even dare to think about.
"Why do you want to meet my brother?" she then asked. "If I say that one day in the future, I will also be killed by a ghost... No, maybe not a ghost, but something even more terrifying. Will you believe me? And I can't escape it at all. Even if I flee to the ends of the earth, this future won't change. This is what my father told me. He was an all - knowing and all - seeing prophet." If it was seven years ago, Violet certainly wouldn't have believed such words, but now... she had to believe. Over these seven years, her worldview had been constantly shaken. She had to believe one thing, that is -
This world indeed has ghosts and curses.
When talking about being killed by a ghost in the future, she seemed very calm, but Violet still noticed the slight trembling of her arm and the hidden fear in the corner of her eye.
"I believe you, Miss Parker... But how do you know my ability? And why do you come to find my brother?" "Not only your brother, but you too. I will naturally tell you all the details when I meet your brother. But not now. I hope to explain all the things clearly to you two siblings." At this moment, Violet suddenly remembered the thing she had a premonition would happen tonight and quickly asked, "You... you just said that you can also sense... So, do you know what will happen tonight? No, where will it happen and to whom?" Jane then continued, "My knowledge is limited, but your brother should know more. He should also have the ability to foresee. Since it will happen tonight... then, take me to see him immediately! If you want to prevent the second death from happening!"