MysteryMaven

If you're looking for a journey of imagination and emotion, I invite you to dive into 'Unraveling the Winter's Tale.' It's a novel I've poured my heart into, crafting a world and characters that I hope will touch your heart as they have mine. I truly believe there's something special waiting for you within its pages. Thank you for considering my humble work and happy reading!🫶🥹🌻

Unraveling the Winter's Tale Claud Keighley Villarusian is a complex character with a lot of expectations placed on him. His cold-hearted demeanor...

"Echoes of Silent Love"

Nikolai had been harboring feelings for his best friend, Luna, for as long as he could remember. But the fear of rejection kept him silent, for he knew Luna didn't feel the same way. Their friendship was a source of joy for him, even when Luna started dating someone else. The news shattered his heart, but he chose to keep his feelings locked away, allowing them to grow in the silence of his heart.

Throughout their college years and into their professional lives, Luna and Nikolai's bond remained strong. Even though Luna was in a relationship, she never let Nikolai feel left out. He found solace in their friendship, despite his unrequited love.

However, on Luna's wedding day, Nikolai was noticeably absent. For the first time, he broke his promise to be there for her. As Luna walked down the aisle in her beautiful white dress, she felt a void in her heart. Overwhelmed by the absence of her best friend, she fled from the altar to find Nikolai.

When Luna arrived at Nikolai's house, she was met with a sight that left her frozen in shock. A coffin stood in the living room, bearing a picture of Nikolai. His mother explained that Nikolai had been battling a serious illness for a long time. She handed Luna a letter that Nikolai had written for her.

Luna read Nikolai's heartfelt words, thanking her for being his strength during the darkest times of his life. As she read, she fell to her knees, clutching her chest as tears streamed down her face. Even in his last letter, Nikolai confessed his love for her, hoping that when they meet again, he would be a part of her new journey.

Luna's sobs echoed in the empty house as she clutched the letter, mourning the loss of her best friend and the love that could never be.

"Betrayal in the Dark"

Two Years After

At that time, I really thought that it was Reese who made our night like that. But that night, I found out the truth. Hani was really the mastermind of it all. She deliberately went that way so we would follow her. She admitted it when she took me to the warehouse after hitting me with something. Moira was also there, tied up like me. The reason for all of this was her jealousy of Kait. Hani couldn't accept that Kait got a high score even though she claimed to be smarter than her. What she couldn't accept even more was our celebration of it. The people in that place were money-hungry. Even if you ordered them to eat another person, they would do it just to get money. Hani bribed them to scare us and make their place even scarier. As a spoiled brat, she could order that, especially since her father is an influential person.

Reese died while saving my life. Yes, she came back for me at that time. She took the bullet that was supposed to be for me. I wanted to apologize and ask her why she didn't tell the truth, but it was too late so all I could do was cry. Moira also died because she fought with Hani to sn**ch the gun she was holding but she failed. Her stomach was hit but before she lost consciousness, she pushed Hani causing her to be impaled on a metal rod behind her. And I was the only one who lived.

The End.

"Betrayal in the Dark"

I turned my gaze to Reese who is now busy turning on the engine. I know she didn't notice the woman I saw who is now hiding while giving me a signal to stay silent.

What I really can't understand is what is really happening? And why does Reese have to lie that Hani is gone?

"We will find Moi," I told her, which made her stop what she was doing. "What? Are you out of your mind?!" She sounds irritated.

"I will find her!" I said and slammed the car's door after I got outside. She followed me and grabbed my hand. "Are you crazy, Crisan?! This place is dangerous. If we stay here, what happened to Hani might happen to us!"

That's a big lie, Reese. What is really your plan? What kind of game do you want?

"It's okay, I'm not scared. I'm not a coward like you!" I said that firmly and walked away. When I looked at her again, she was already speeding off in the car.

I quickly approached Hani who was still hiding. I saw several bruises and scrapes on different parts of her body. Oh God, who the hell did this! "What happened, Hani? Who did this to you?" I asked her. Her pitiful face softened my heart.

"You won't believe me if I tell you, Crisan," she bitterly smiled at me. "Tell me, Han, who did that to you?!"

"I-it's R-reese," the woman stuttered. I was somewhat deafened by what she said. "H-how could it be Reese?"

"She planned all of this. From the very beginning, she really wanted us gone. She wants to kill us all like what she's doing to Moi," she said consecutively.

"H-how? For what r-reason? M-Moi is gone? A-and Reese did it?! H-huh?! How?" I stuttered. Hani didn't respond and just bowed her head. How could Reese do this to us. My tears started to fall again so I turned away. I sobbed uncontrollably because I couldn't accept what was happening.

"Crisan."

I turned around when I heard Hani calling me. Then suddenly my vision went black as I felt a hard object hit my head. Before I lost consciousness, I heard Hani giggling.

"Betrayal in the Dark"

"R-reese?!" Hope filled my eyes when I realized it was her. "Sheesh, this place isn't normal, Crisan" she said in a low tone. "I know, Reese" I sobbed. When I looked at her, I noticed bloodstains on her clothes and wounds on her hands, but I ignored them. "Let's go" she said, holding my hands. "Huh? What about Moira? Where is she?" I asked, a series of questions pouring out. She released her grip on me.

She bowed her head before speaking. "Hani is no more, I saw her dead body inside the church." I was taken aback and speechless at her statement. "No. That didn't happen, right? HAHA She's still alive, right? Reese? Reese, don't joke around like that." I started crying and sobbing when I saw her serious face."

"We can't do anything about it, Crisan. What has happened has happened. We can't bring back what's lost." She said as if she wasn't affected at all.

"H-how could you say that? Didn't you feel any pain? Reese, she was our friend, not just anyone!"

"She got what she deserved."

I couldn't believe what I heard. She got what she deserved? How could that be right? Why has the person in front of me become like this? Why, Reese?

"Let's go, Crisan. Let's leave before anyone notices us." She was about to leave when I asked her, "Where's Moi? Where is Moira?" I felt her turn to face me. "I don't know. But what's more important now is that we get out. We don't know if she's alive or dead, so let's not waste the remaining time." She said seriously.

I faced her and read her eyes.

What happened to you, Reese? Why did you become like this?

Even against my will, I agreed to go back with her. She insisted on driving the car because she thought I couldn't handle it yet, and I think she was right, so I agreed. When she was about to start the engine, I saw someone who looked familiar to me. The hair, the height, and especially the clothes she wore. My eyes widened when I could really recognize her.

What was really happening?

"Betrayal in the Dark"

"Wait, I have a plan. To find Hani quickly, let's split up" I suggested. "Okay with me. How about you, Moi?" Reese asked Moira, who was looking around aimlessly. "Crisan is right, but what if we also get lost?" Moira replied. "Well, you have your wristwatch, and at exactly 9 PM, we'll come back here even if we haven't found Hani" I said. They exchanged glances before nodding.

As planned, we went our separate ways. I walked towards the small houses, while Reese headed towards the large church, and I had no idea where Moira went.

While walking, I noticed a particular house where I could hear people talking. I followed the voices and ended up right where they were. The houses were made of bamboo, so I could easily peek inside if I wanted to. Out of curiosity, I took a quick look.

My eyes widened, and I covered my mouth in shock. I couldn't believe what I saw, and tears started streaming down my face out of fear. My knees weakened, causing me to stumble and fall.

The noise I made caught their attention.

My heart pounded as the door slowly opened. I silently ran and hid behind the nearest big tree before they could see me. I was so nervous and didn't know what to do. I couldn't think clearly because of what I had witnessed. What kind of creature was that? What kind of place was this? What kind of world did we step into?

That was so unbelievable.

Because of the moonlight, I saw a man's shadow. He was holding a sharp chopping knife that terrified me. I covered my mouth and closed my eyes. Tears streamed down my face, and my heart raced as if I were in an athletic competition.

When I no longer felt his presence, I decided to walk away. I couldn't stay any longer; it was killing me inside.

I silently walked through the darkness when someone grabbed me and covered my mouth to stop me from screaming.

"Betrayal in the Dark"

"Why did you ask if you're just going to blame me?" Hani suddenly said.

"Who else should we blame for this? Me?" Moira shot back.

"Why not?! Who should be blamed?"

"Just be quiet!" Reese intervened. I don't know why, but it seemed like arguing had become their bonding activity. What a toxic circle.

"Don't tell me to be quiet! That girl doesn't know how to listen!" Hani said, slamming the car door before walking out.

We saw her walk towards the left path, Hacienda De Villa Village. "Uh, I don't understand that girl!" Moira exclaimed.

"What now? Should we follow her?" Reese asked. "We can't just leave her; otherwise, we might be blamed by her parents" I answered.

"Whatever, she thinks she's a spoiled brat because she always gets what she wants and isn't used to not being listened to" Moira said.

"Let's just leave her be. It's better if we follow her" I said, starting the car's engine and driving towards the left path.

We reached the entrance of the place. It seemed eerily quiet, with only the sound of barking dogs and chirping birds breaking the silence. It was so dark, and the place appeared neglected. The houses, the smell, and the overall messy surroundings made it seem like an abandoned place.

"Where could that girl be? We seem to have arrived, but Hani is nowhere to be seen" Reese said. "But we still have to find her" I stated.

"Fine, let's follow her" Reese agreed. After parking the car, we stepped out one by one.

We looked around, taking in our surroundings. The silence was deafening. "This place is weird. Kait said there would be an after-party since she got a good score, but it seems like we stumbled upon a wake instead" Moira joked, but no one joined her in laughter.

"Betrayal in the Dark"

Two Years Ago

"I told you, it was too dangerous out there. Can we just reschedule this tomorrow?" Hani said, clearly irritated.

She had been like this since we started our journey from Antipolo. We were heading to Hacienda De Villa, the estate of one of our friend's grandparents. "Can you please shut up, Hani? We're already far from turning back, and it's getting darker" Moira retorted, chewing her gum.

"I've been telling you this all along, but you never listen to me. Fine, if something bad happens, I don't care anymore!" she snapped.

"Just be quiet! Do you even know what you're saying?" Reese shouted.

I didn't join in their argument since I wasn't really fond of arguing. As they continued to bicker, I reached for my earpods from the compartment of my car and put them in, playing my favorite song. While driving, I noticed that the surroundings were getting darker.

I stopped the car when I realized there were two paths ahead. On the right was a sign indicating that it led to Hacienda De Villa (Private Area), and on the left was the path to Hacienda De Villa Village. I was confused because we weren't told which specific place to go, and it was our first time visiting.

My seatmate, Moira, tapped me, so I removed the earpod from my right ear. "Why did you stop?" she asked, sounding puzzled. "Which way should we go?" I asked her. They all exchanged glances, clearly puzzled. "I'll call Kait" Reese insisted, but as she opened her phone, she exclaimed "F*ck! There's no damn signal here!"

I let out a deep sigh and leaned against the shotgun seat. I noticed Moira and Reese getting out of the car. "Where are they going?" Hani asked me. "As if I know" I replied. She just clicked her tongue.

I heard Moira mutter a curse as she entered the car. "Damn it! This is insane! What should we do now?" I knew she was panicking, but I didn't pay much attention to it. It was almost 6 PM, and we were still stuck between these two paths.

"Betrayal in the Dark"

I remembered how tragic that night was. It would be the most unbearable night I want to erase from my memories. The night caused me so much trauma.

"Betrayal in the Dark"
–a one shot Tragic and Horror story written by MysteryMaven 👻🌻

Posted soon!