The Midnight Murder Series: Pieces
Chapter 14

“You mean to tell me that your friend, Oliver, wasn’t my killer?” Mai asked Beyond as the two strolled around the cemetery. “But he looks just like him.”

Beyond shook her head. “Your murderers were ghouls. One of them transformed as my dead husband after it feasted on his corpse.”

Her statement made Mai bewildered. “Ghouls, they’re really real? But why does he look like him?”

The knight shrugged. “Reincarnation is my guess. It could happen, but ghouls can obtain the corpse’s memories once they’re done feeding on it.”

The ghost frowned and stopped strolling. Mai stared at the blond, who was leaning against the SUV hood and chatting with other men. “He has an angel,” she whispered to the female. “She looks beautiful. Can you tell him I’m sorry for attacking him?”

Beyond nodded and snapped her fingers.

Mai watched in awe as the men with their vehicle vanished, along with the restaurant, the old used car sale shop, the concrete street, and everything else. The first church, post office/inn, dirt road, and the original Strassburg school replaced them. Her home – Her world appeared right before her eye.

“Mai?” She spun around and gasped in shock when she saw a middle-aged man with white hair and in a black suit standing behind her with a smile on his face.

“Fa-Father,” she held back the tears in her eye. “Father, you’re here.”

“And I am as well, Mai,” a young female with red hair and a black dress stepped out behind Charles and stood next to him with a smile.

“Mama?” her mutilated essence faded to reveal her whole and human form. A clear tear trickled out of her green eye replacing her bloodied eye socket. “Mama, papa!”

Beyond gave a small smile as she watched Mai running up to her parents and embracing them. She heard Mai’s joyful cries echoing in the air.

“Oh, papa. Oh, mama, I’m sorry,” cried Mai.

Charles shushed her while his wife rubbed their daughter’s back. “It’s alright, Mai. You’re back with us, and that’s important,” he spoke with a tearful smile. “Let’s go home.”

A white light shined out of Charles and his wife as Mai melted into their bodies, disappearing into the light.

“Thanks for the help,” Beyond said as the light dissolved. “Amazing job in the disguises, reapers.”

The reapers nodded a thank you before bowing their heads towards the female.

“Anything else, your Royal Highness?” the female reaper inquired.

“Cross over the ghouls’ victims. You have at least ten souls,” she replied. “If it’s possible, ask the souls where their bones are at, then show the cops the locations. Their families will finally be at peace.”

The reapers nodded before vanishing.

The nineteenth-century world around her switched back into the twenty-first century one as she headed out of the cemetery. Beyond reached the south entrance then stopped. She turned around and paused to take one last look at the graveyard while smiling.

“Agent Salem,” Mark pulled Beyond to the side as they exited the restaurant. “Your surname reminds me of the Salem Witch Trials. Did you know that Mai had an aunt on her mother’s side in the trials?”

“Oh?” Beyond smiled politely at the human. “What was her name?”

“Well, records show that the aunt’s name was an Elizabeth Reaper.”

His answer astonished the female. Beyond’s mother was Mai’s great aunt. That would make she and Mai cousins. “Did this Elizabeth Reaper have any children?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “A Destiny or Faith Reaper. I don’t remember if it was one of the two names.”

“Beyond?” She blinked and turned back to see Oliver standing in amidst the island. “Can we talk?”

“About Mai?” she appeared behind him. He spun around to face her. “She says that she’s sorry for attacking you. How’s Mark taking the news?”

“Not too well,” he shook his head. “And that’s not it,” Oliver sighed and began. “Back in that farmhouse, what happened with the ghoul... I understand now but listen. The past is the past. We can’t change it or backpedal in time like the Doctors and the T.A.R.D.I.S. can in Doctor Who-”

“Angels can,” she interrupted.

Oliver nodded in agreement. “Okay, but my point is: Stop focusing on the past. It doesn’t do anything. It didn’t bring your dead husband back; a ghoul did that for you. And that ghoul almost killed you. Look, I get it – I look like him. I don’t know why, but I don’t care about that. I truly don’t care. You continue focusing on it, and it will eat you. You won’t see the future in front of you,” he gave her a sad smile. “It doesn’t have to be the person standing in front of you. It can be other people. My point being is this: You’re hurting yourself more by letting the past stay than freeing yourself from it. You’ll be more unhappy if you won’t let it go. You need to live in the present and think about the future.”

In the distance, Rufus and Adán looked wistful as they listened in on Oliver’s speech. They chewed the inside of their cheeks while giving each other soulful glances.

“I’m not hurting myself,” Beyond whispered while shaking her head to hold back the tears. “I’m not scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared. We’re all scared of something,” Oliver reached a hand out and placed it on her shoulder. “But we can face that fear with steps. Letting go is one of the steps.”

She inhaled deeply before vanishing, leaving Oliver with a sigh.

Inside the restaurant’s bedroom, Arvel looked in the mirror and softly cried. He rolled up his jacket sleeve and stared at the bloody bite mark on his forearm. “Oh, God,” he choked. “I’m dead. I’m dead.”

Arvel stepped onto the grass as the sound of growling was right behind him. Arvel froze in terror and hesitantly looked over his shoulder. In the corner of his eye, he could see pointed ears and legs. He turned around slowly and came face-to-face with Rufus’ werewolf form. Fear swept over Arvel as he raised his shotgun, aiming the weapon at the creature. The werewolf gave a ferocious growl before lunging at the hunter, forcing Arvel onto his back. The hunter used his gun to block the beast from making him its dinner. His jacket sleeves slid up and revealed some of the British’s forearms. The lycanthrope quickly recoiled before attacking in another direction. Arvel screamed in pain as the wolf sunk its teeth into one of his arms.

Arvel returned to his reflection in the mirror and gasped as his irises and pupils enlarged then back to normal. “No,” he gazed back down at his forearm to see the wound already healed. “Oh, God, no. I don’t wanna be a werewolf.”

“I know, um,” Adán began as he knelt before Rosario’s grave and sitting spirit. “I know I should be used to this by now. I mean, I always say goodbye or night to you when I have to go to work, but this one will be forever,” he began crying as Rosario got up and walked over to her father. “I don’t want to leave you.”

She tapped his forehead that made him close his eyes and smiled. “Daddy,” Rosario spoke. “I know you want me to stay with you, but it’s okay.”

Adán opened his eyes and looked up. He pulled back in surprise when he saw her skin healthy and glowing like before her untimely fate. “Rosario, y-y-you’re-” he was lost in words as he hugged her tightly, shocked that he could touch her ghostly figure, but didn’t care at the moment.

The little girl hugged him back and giggled. “You’re silly, daddy. I missed your hugs.”

“I missed you more, my darling,” Adán whispered as he buried his face in her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Rosario. I should’ve given you the bite. I should’ve known about that illness.”

Rosario shushed him and pulled away slightly before putting her hands on either side of his face. “I forgive you, daddy. I want you to forgive yourself. I don’t want you to look back. I want you to smile and look ahead,” she gently smiled at him with tears in her eyes. “Please smile for me.”

Adán tried to smile, but his face couldn’t mode into one and wept more. “I-I-I can’t. I’m nothing without you.”

“Daddy, you are something. You’re my hero. You always told me that it’s okay to be scared when trying new things,” she kissed his forehead and began to disintegrate. “I will never forget your smile and you.”

Adán whimpered as he held her in his arms. “Te amo mucho, mi panda. Nunca te olvidaré. Rosario.”

“I love you very much, daddy,” she kissed his cheek. “I’ll be waiting for you in heaven.” With that, Rosario dissolved into light particles and left Adán hugging the air. The father bowed his head as a clap of thunder echoed in the clear skies.