Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Painful Truths

Read chapter 12 of Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Hazel didn’t return to the tent after her talk with Alden. She wasn’t really sure what happened, only that Liam had simply ordered the chief butler to escort her out of his residence safely. All she knew was that Liam needed to ‘sort something out with Chester’, according to Alden. She could only hope that the two did not have a fight or something like that. They were good guys, both of them. And she was growing rather fond of their company, although she was still too embarrassed to admit that to herself. After another fifteen minutes of walking, Hazel found herself back on the streets of a nearby neighbourhood. The familiar sights would have been comforting to her, if not for one thing. It was quiet. Too quiet. An eerie feeling ran down her spine as she took another glance at her surroundings. The street lamps were still functioning, and cars were still parked along the streets as usual. But not even one of the apartments or shops was lit. It was as though this place had turned into a ghost town overnight. The girl’s heart raced against her footsteps as she broke into a jog. An unusually thick fog had also settled in for some reason, but she couldn’t care too much about that right now. Her house was only one street away from this neighbourhood. Hazel shuddered at the memory of her grandfather’s premonition. By the time she could see what was in front of her again, Hazel was right in the middle of a dark forest. It wasn’t the same one as before, but it felt just as creepy. Deja Vu crept into her mind as the girl tried to turn back, only to see more trees in her path. “Hazel!” She almost screamed in shock despite the familiar-sounding voice. “T— Tomoko? What the hell?” Hazel’s mouth hung open at her classmate, who was still dressed in her school uniform on a Saturday night for some reason. “What are you doing here?” “Waiting for you, of course!” Tomoko giggled enthusiastically. “I just pulled off an amazing prank; you’re going to be so proud of me!” The Japanese girl tugged on Hazel’s hand like an excited child, leading her deeper into the forest. “Look, look! They’re all trapped!” Hazel looked at where Tomoko was pointing. Her mouth fell further, and her hand flew up to stop it from dropping to the ground. More than a dozen bodies were hanging by their feet from the trees around her. Ropes bound their feet and snaked along their bodies up to their mouths, gagging them tightly. Recognition flashed as Hazel’s eyes met the pleading gaze of one of the victims. They were all residents of that deserted neighbourhood she passed by earlier. “Jesus Christ, Tomoko!” she yelped, reaching for the nearest knot on a tree. “What are you just standing around for? Help me get these people down.” “Huh, so quickly?” Tomoko’s voice was filled with genuine confusion. “But we haven’t even played with them yet.” Hazel froze. “What do you mean?” She watched in horror as Tomoko began tugging on the loose ropes dangling from the trees like a crazed puppetmaster. Frightened wailings began to murmur around them as the ropes tied to the people’s bodies began jerking their limbs up and down. Hazel rushed forward and shoved her classmate roughly. The two girls yelled as they crashed onto the ground. “ You were the one who did this?!” Hazel exclaimed. “How did you even tie all of them up?” “I’m so glad you asked!” Tomoko piped. “I went into all of their houses and misplaced their possessions. I left obvious hints to make them think a thief stole them. The hints lured them to this forest, where I laid my traps. All of them stepped on my traps and tied themselves up! Isn’t that hilarious?” “No, no! What the hell is wrong with you? ” Hazel shook her head angrily. “Do you know how many laws you just broke? It’s not funny. None of this is funny at all! You’re hurting innocent people. You have to let them go now! ” “Are you…? You are angry… You truly are mad at me,” Tomoko muttered, her expression darkening as well. “But what did I do wrong? What’s wrong with havi