Hostel M2

M2-Part XXII

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The front door was heard shut, only then did they realize there wasn't any other person at home when they had arrived from their meeting with Detective Maloney earlier. Mr. Parker led the way out of the room followed behind by the two friends. There was definitely someone in the room as there seemed to be the sound of movements being heard from down the stairs.

Alex kicked off the other shoe out of her leg forcefully; it smacked the wall with a thud before landing on the lush carpet floor.  Mr. Parker's wife came through the door just as Alex took off her coat to hang.

"Where'd you ladies go off to?" Professor Parker asked, more to Alex than Lara as he got off the last step. Considering the sullen look on their faces, his best guess was that the two ladies most likely must've gotten into an argument on their way back from where ever it was they had been off to.

"The hospital," Lara said, walking off in the direction of the kitchen, purse in one hand. At the mention of the word, Henry's heart sunk into his stomach as a flash of a dreadful possibility crossed his mind.

"What hospital? Who's sick?"

"Dead, you mean." Alex flung her bag on the sofa as she dragged her self towards the stair way with weary steps.

"Dead?" Professor Parker's voice held so much surprise as the words escaped his lips.

"Rodger's dead," Alex said, halting at the end of the stair where Henry remained still, his heart already starting to pick up pace. "The best part is the Vets couldn't find anything as to what caused his death, but I'm sure Henry would know what I'm talking about."

Her eyes bore deep into Henry's with a glint of both exasperating rage and agony. Without another word, she barged up the stair and the next thing that was heard was a reverberating slam of her bedroom's door.

"What's she talking about man?" Chris asked with his eyes steady on his friend.

"The apparition, I think it was here last night." Henry swallowed as he glanced at both Chris and Professor Parker. He narrated the entire event that had happened to both of them, all the while, a question lingered in his head. "It had its chance, why didn't it take us?"

"I don't know, but I don't believe we'll be spared the next time," Professor Parker replied.

"What do we do now?" Chris asked as he started to run breathless just thinking of another encounter with Mr. Jones-or his apparition as it seemed.
"There's only one guy I can think of."

"Marcello." Henry's lips hardly parted as he breathed the name.

The kitchen door slung open, much to their surprise, they'd forgotten about Lara and there she stood, in front of a red-eyed Lara who had traces of tears lining her eyes and that was enough proof to know that she'd heard all they'd said.

"So this is what it's about," she started in a shaky voice as she tried not to let the tears break loose.

"Lara, it's not...look, there's an explanation to all of this," Professor Parker said subtly.

"You could start with why Rodger's dead."

A sigh escaped Professor Parker's lips as he took off his glasses and wiped his forehead with the back of his palm.

"Or why you brought an apparition to our home Parker," she continued.

"But we're not apparitions," Chris blurted, his heart paused for a moment when Lara's eye fell on him.

"Excuse us," Professor Parker said gesturing to the two friends to leave.

"There's nothing to say to me Parker," Lara said before her husband could think of what to say. "You promised you'd forget about all of this, leave Marcello for good," she scoffed, "I should've known better. You'd never drop your beliefs."