Beneath the whispers

Chapter 7

Anthony

On the other side of the hotel, the houses laid scanty and there were more trees on this side than the side Bella had taken with Thelma, the houses were mostly empty and the few we saw hurried in and locked themselves before we could reach them.

From the look outside of most of the empty houses one could tell that inside was dripping with messiness. Speaking of messy, I wonder if the other girls had torn each other apart in a feat of rage

“I live in an estate so I have a hard time adjusting to this place” Rose’s soft voice wallowed in the silent atmosphere while I and Olivia grunts at her in response. She is making a video with her phone for her fans, I wonder why she needs a response from us.

She had been telling a tale that I wasn't following, the trees stood tall from the pathways and we could barely see the hills that led us here from this side. This is probably the most affected place in the town.

“There seem to be only old people here” I mutter, dragging Rose’s attention from the selfie video she was making. I had made countless videos for her and yet here she is still making countless selfies - remind me why I came here again

“This game is so real, I would give them a five star” her voice filled with excitement, she looks around and then returns her gaze back to her phone that she now holds in the air. Her dark brows crash together and her lids almost shut protecting her eyes from the bright sun rays on her raised face, slipping her shades back on she starts another video. I roll my eyes with a sigh

“I haven't gotten a single bar since I arrived" she says, not bothering to look at my bored face. She wasn't getting the hint that I am not in the least interested in her story and hearing it is all the more annoying. Shifting my interest to Olivia I half hurried to where she was, struggling to keep up with her uncoordinated steps “you didn’t come because of a game ad right?” I ask, slowing my pace to match hers. she had started walking really slowl all of a sudden

“you won’t believe anything I say?” she mumbles. What is the big deal about believing her? My clashing thoughts causes my eyes to search her face.

Maybe she is a part of the game somehow because this whole concept would be, the game and us the players. So if you are not a participant, you might as well just be a part of the game. But her joining us in the whole search could only mean her role is not the same as the old women. Shifting my gaze from her, I almost mumble “just curious”

Olivia seemed determined to not say a word till I replied to her but at what she would call a lame reply she turns away and returned to her typical lost-in-thoughts footsteps – just beautiful. This whole game concept just keeps getting weird and confusing

The sun is mid-sky now and after what seemed like hours of strolling aimlessly through the village, my legs are starting to hurt and the still breeze not helping matters at all even Rose had dropped her phone and is sighing every minute. Our steps are now sloppy and Olivia dragging her feet behind us, I really hope I am not the only one thinking of going back to the hotel.

“Guys look!” Rose’s high-pitched voice scorched through the air, with haste I follow her pointed finger to what seemed like a little hut just like the rest of the houses sitting at the end of the narrow tarred road we took a few minutes ago.

The beaded curtains covering the door differentiated the house from the regular resident house we were used to seeing, hanging through the length of the rectangular window are torn strips of the clothes

“it is a clue, the only beaded curtain in town” Rose continued, her steps now hasty as she headed toward the house

“This house is freaking me out” my narrowed eyes trying to pierce my gaze through the strips of torn clothes that beamed red slivering through their edges.

"stop being a baby” she blotted at me with a one-sided smile, then she badges in without knocking, I gasp a warning but she sticks her head out from the curtain with a big smile

“The house is empty” her head disappears again, I rush in and she was on the bed making another video on her phone. I hum a breath and looked at the papers stuck to the wall with a slimy semi-solid substance that did appear greenish on my rosy pale fingertips.

“This place is mad hot” Rose wipes her forehead getting a mirror from the black bag she wore to match her ankle boots. She set her face with a powder using a round foam – she is right, my palm dripped of sweat and my flimsy shirt was starting to soak.

I look around the room “by the looks of it, you will take a few minutes to make up even in front of the shadows” I tease. It was meant to be a tease but Rose knew me long enough to notice the minuscule orientation in my deep snarky tone

I observe the fireplace, the parchment paper covering what seemed like burning coal from the red light forcing through the paper. That explained the red light in the room. Before I could utter a word –

"I will at least be useful, unlike someone who is too scared to enter an empty house” Rose blurted almost complaining, I follow her glaring eyes to Olivia with my lips still apart from the words that clog my throat. her leather boots scrape against the floor below the beads, resting her head on the frame not moving much except her feet tapping in sheer impatience

“I think we should listen to Olivia and just leave this place” I heard myself say, stealing a short glance at the fireplace and then back to Rose

"I wonder how my fans will feel about it” Rose utters tapping her mascara handle on her jawline pretending to think, I didn’t notice she was on full makeup mode, she stops the tapping and takes a few steps towards me "I would say this is also an opportunity to gather enough hint on the shadows – you boys play the most games but here I am telling you what to do”

I shrug; as much as I hate to admit it, she was right and the weirder the place, the more clues to be found. I just cannot understand what all these mean. I stroll through the tiny house, looking around the walls and trailing my hands on each piece of paper. the drawing and words not making sense to me at all. But everything pointed to something spiritual related which makes sense since we are dealing with ghosts

“I need a picture,” Rose says. Her words click something in me, I should take pictures of these. Smiling I turn to Rose posing in front of the only bed there, by her back were most of the papers, she dabs the sweat that breaks out on her forehead with a tiny white towel, obviously waiting for me to take a few shots. A few clicks from the camera that hung on my shoulder and she drops on the bed “why is this place so hot?” she complains

Her face squeezed while she waves her hands close to her face to imitate a fan. I glance through the tiny room and stop again at the burning coal, the house was tiny and jam-packed it didn't just make any sense that someone is burning charcoal inside the house – maybe to keep people from sleeping here? whoever the owner of this house is will definitely come back home

“let's just take the pictures of the drawings and move” I declared with a voice that had a tingle of alarm in it, I plunged into action immediately hurrying through the papers, and with several clicks from my phone, I snap each one

My attention is drawn to one. It is on the table, I couldn’t make out the circular symbol with five stars around the circular line like a centimeter from the line and a candlelight drawing in the middle of the circle, a piece of what looked like a doll carved out of bamboo sticks lay on the table beside it. Puffing, I raise my camera and snap it dashing out from the tiny house right after

“Did you find anything?” Olivia half yelled

Olivia and Rose had left the house minutes before I did, from the distance they had gained from me. It’s funny however that my boss, who had made me come here against my will is indirectly leaving all the work for me.

I was supposed to take pictures of her while she uncovers this whole game stuff and Olivia is all shades of weird, which leaves me to question the reality of all this. Olivia clears her throat and I am back from my thoughts. I was just a step away from them, and from her look I remember that I haven’t answered her question "oh.. not sure” I say