The Curse Of A Stranger's Gift 4 Other Than Herself

Her heart beats erratically as she remembered the gruesome pictures of the victim. She like to think that it was just for pure entertainment, as Celestine had put it. However, there's a faint whisper in the back of her mind that kept telling her the truth behind those deaths.

A ring on her phone disrupted her thoughts. The name of her mother was blinking on the screen. She breathed in and out before pressing the green b.u.t.ton.

"h.e.l.lo? Zheira? Oh my goodness! What happened? The hotel called me and they said you were injured. Are you in pain? This is what I'm talking about earlier. Robert doesn't know what would happen. My gos.h.!.+ Don't go anywhere, okay? We're on our way. These hoteliers. I'm going to sue them!"

Zheira moved away from the phone. Her eyes closed for a fraction, cringing at her mother's loud voice. She pressed the loudspeaker b.u.t.ton, cleared her throat, and said, "I-I'm okay, mom. They took care of me?"

Melinda scoffed, "They should. If I see one scratch in your skin, I'm going to make sure they'll go downhill."

Robert b.u.t.t in, "Hon, your daughter's okay. Calm down! It's not the hotel's fault."

"Oh yeah! It's not their fault!" she paused, "It was your fault! If you let her come with us, this wouldn't have happened!" And there, their arguments started. Zheira sat and crossed her legs while listening to their bicker. It was starting to get in her nerves.

Before ending the call, she shouted, "Mom! Dad! I love you!" Silence followed her statement. She smiled before pressing the red b.u.t.ton. It always stopped any of their arguments. They're probably holding hands right now, praising how sweet their daughter was.

With a deep sigh, Zheira bounced on the bed. Her weight pressed deeper on its softness. She giggled and put the phone on her chest. It always felt nice every time she got to say how she loves her parents. It's like she's floating with the clouds and nothing would lift her mood right now. Not until her phone vibrated.

Her brow furrowed when an unknown number texted her. Out of curiosity, she opened the message. The color seemed to drain out of her face as she read through. 'We're coming, Zheira! You'll never escape your end.' It repeated itself a hundred times inside her head. Her grip on her phone tightened.

"This isn't real. This isn't real," she whispered. Her hands were shaking as she pressed the number. She's hoping that this was just a prank, but she couldn't help but feel as though it's a threat. The thought that this has a connection to that serial murder case lingered in her mind. The host said that two days from now, another victim would die in the culprit's hand. Coincidentally or so it seemed, it's also the day of her birthday. Her heart started hammering. If the two incidents were to be glued, it would looked like the 'soon' in the text would be the day after tomorrow. The main question was, who's the 'we'? Did it mean, the culprit wasn't alone?

The number you have dialed is not in service. Please try again later...

She tried calling the number again, but it couldn't be reached. "W—who are you?" she whispered as her last call didn't work.

Tears trailed pa.s.sed her cheeks. Her body was shaking and sweat streamed profusely in her forehead. This was the first time she received such message. She wished for her parents to be home sooner. They'll know what to do with this.

Melinda ran towards her and caged her to a tight embrace. All the tension building inside her vanished with her mother's touch. It was what she needed. The comfort of someone she loved with all of her heart.

"Thanks G.o.d you're alright!" Melinda murmured under her quick breaths. "I thought something might've happened to you. I shouldn't have let you be alone in this hotel. Entrusting you to this bunch of stupid hoteliers has been my worst decision ever. I might have lost my mind lately." She shook her head as she stroked her daughter's golden hair.

It was when Zheira sniffed did they realize she was crying. Melinda wiped her tears. "Ss.h.!.+ It's okay now. We're here. No one's going to hurt you." She cupped Zheira's cheeks and narrowed her eyes to her wounds. "Oh! Look what this ugly wounds do to your face. Tell me, what happened? Did a b.a.s.t.a.r.d thief tried rubbing you or did some maniac tried raping you." Her voice shook as her insides writhes. Robert cleared her throat. He thought her wife's being too much. How could someone walked pa.s.s the hotel's tight security?

Instead of answering, Zheira handed her phone. Melinda's brow knotted. "What's this?" She looked at Robert who gave her a confused look.

"A—an unknown n—number m—messaged me," Zheira said between her sobs.

Robert grabbed the phone and started looking at the messages. Meanwhile, Melinda gave Zheira a gla.s.s of water before walking back and forth with her hands ma.s.saging her temple. "How could someone get your number like that? I made sure to keep it private. Unless, you give it to someone—which is probably not tha case—looking how rattled you are. Whoever it was, he better make sure to hide well. I'm going to make sure he rots in h.e.l.l." She clenched her fist and stopped walking when Robert looked up with creased brows.

"That's odd," Robert said, "there's no recent message here, Zheira. Are you sure someone texted you?" He handed the phone back to his daughter.

"Yeah, there is. It's here." Zheira started scrolling her message board. It took a while before she stopped scrolling. She faced the screen to them. "The text was clear. They're saying that I couldn't escape my end, mom. What would I do? The host said that two days from now, I would be facing the culprit that would end my life."

Robert wrapped his arm around Melinda's waists. They looked at each other wearily.

"Uhm, Zheira?" her mother called, "I think you needed rest. The one-day trip might have exhausted you." She clenched her fist to the hem of her blouse. They couldn't see any message. It's just the screen and Zheira's own message. It was drafted there. 'We're coming, Zheira. You'll never be able to escape your death.' Why would their daughter write such words and think as if it came from someone other than herself?

Zheira's eyes narrowed. "You don't believe me?"

"No, no! It's not like that. We're just concern about your health. It has been a long journey, you needed rest to recuperate. Right, hon?" She pinched her husband who nodded.

"Of course. Zheira, you need rest. Why don't you sleep? We're going to guard you." Robert smiled awkwardly.

"Liar!" Zheira shouted before burying herself to the thick blanket. How could they act like this? Did they think she's crazy? But they saw it themselves. The threat was written on her phone. Yet, they were still not convinced. For the first time, she's disappointed with her parents. When they're at Angleton, they would panic in everything she does; now that someone's threatening her life, they'll just look at her like she's a madwoman. She expected them to at least call the authority.

Melinda sighed and sat on the bed. "Zheira, please don't think that we're lying to you! We have never ever lied to you. Everything we know, we say it to you. There's no way we can lie with your ability, you know. You can try reading us now and you'll see the truth." She tried patting her but hesitated.

"Let's give her time to rest, hon! She'll be okay when she wakes up." Without waiting for any response, Robert walked out of the door.

"You rest, okay?" she murmured before following her husband.

When they're out of earshot, Zheira stood. There's no way they're going to believe her. Thus, she must do something to make them believe.

Hurriedly, she wore her black jacket. It felt so nice to be concealed once more. She made sure that the hood would be enough to put darkness in her face. For now, she'll not wear any sungla.s.ses. It would give a weird impression to the police, and that's the last thing she wants.

Before she could open the door, she stopped. What's causing this abrupt change of reaction? She should've rest like what her parents told her, but why was she so intent to prove them wrong? Supposedly, she should cry a lot now. However, that wasn't the case. Earlier, the way she talked with Celestine wasn't her usual self at all. It's like someone's taking control of herself, and she didn't know who it was.

She shook her head and started opening the door. Before she could open it fully, it locked itself. Then, shards of gla.s.ses pierced it. She moved back. Her mind was in chaos as she watched a mirror building itself on the door.

A wild gasp escaped her throat when she stared at her reflection. Her eyes changed. The red crystals were replaced with gold. She raised her hand and waved it in the air. Oddly, her reflection did not follow. It was just standing there with its sharp eyes glaring at her. She turned, wondering whether there was someone behind her, but she's alone.

When she looked back at the mirror, her reflection wasn't there. Her eyes widened. She looked left and right, but no reflection revealed itself.

Her breathing quickened as a cold hand brushed her hair. It was gentle. "Are you looking for me?" The voice was ice-cold, like it could pierce her soul. "You don't have to. I am you." She planted a soft kiss in her nape. "And you are me."