Twisted Secrets: Unveiling Darkness

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So my mom recently remarried. When she was planning the marriage, I wasn't aware, but I knew she had a boyfriend. She knew I hated this boyfriend of hers, so she decided not to tell me. She disclosed it to me a week before the actual wedding. I had no other alternative but to accept it.

Before my dad passed away, he'd always tell me something, and I quote: "Accept the things you can't change, have the courage to change the things you can, and have the wisdom to know the difference."

I've contemplated really hard and have seen that I can't change my mom's mind to reconsider. She stuck to her guns, so I've come to accept that the man I loathe so much will be my stepdad, and I resent my mom for not considering me or how I feel.

They had a quiet wedding which only friends and colleagues were invited to. My mom works in a stockbroker company while he is a doctor. We moved into my stepdad's house, and to my utmost surprise, he had a son who was a year or two years older than me, at a guess.

I didn't like the look of him as he climbed down the stairs. There was something weird and even sinister about him, his father, and even this goddamn house, although I couldn't place my finger on it. But I had this hunch. Nevertheless, I concealed my thoughts.

"Hi," he greeted to no one in particular, emotionlessly.

"Hi, Jack. How are you doing?" my mom asked, smiling.

"Fine. Welcome," he replied dryly.

"Thanks."

"Jack, this is Fred, your new brother. Say hello to him, will you?" my mom's husband urged.

He just swept me a glance and nodded to me without uttering a single word. Then he turned back and went upstairs.

My mom's husband gave a nervous, awkward laugh and said that his son isn't used to people's presence, that people's presence make him uncomfortable, and that he is a loner. Which I knew was a lie.

I know he's lying because I am a loner. Now let me tell you the difference between a loner and a weirdo. A loner doesn't like associating himself with people, likewise me, either because of an inferiority complex or just because they're naturally that way or he chose to be that way. But a weirdo, the aura around him is unusual, his mode of dressing, the way he talks, and the strange characters he exhibits. And I know one when I see him, and I'm one hundred and one percent sure he's one of them.

"Jack, show your new brother your room!" he hollered and urged me to join him.

I was uncertain if I should follow him up or just stay here with my mom, so I looked at my mom, and she gave me a go-ahead nod. I gulped and carried my luggage upstairs. The upper floor was quiet, calm, and almost dark.

Then I looked to the left.

God!

I almost had a heart attack when I saw Jack leaning on the wall adjacent to the stairs. I flinched furiously when I caught sight of him.

"I'm sorry if I startled you," he spoke unapologetically and nonchalantly, then led the way.

My fright turned into fury, but I didn't show it.

So he led me to my room, which faced the entrance of the house. He opened the door and stepped aside, giving ground for me to enter, which I did. I was still looking the room over when he said...

"Permit me

to give you one piece of advice... brother," I detected irritation mixed with repulse and scorn in his voice as he emphasized the "brother," and that annoyed me. But of course, I decided to keep my cool. "If you want to live here in peace without any trouble, don't poke your nose where it isn't wanted."

And with that, he spun on his heels and edged his way out of the room.

To me, that wasn't advice; it sounded more like a warning. The threat in his voice was effortlessly detectable, and that, I must admit, somehow made me uneasy and my heart palpitate. What sort of advice is that? What did he mean by that?

I never told my mom about this because she wouldn't believe me if I did. Trust me when I say that this guy isn't just a weirdo; he's definitely more than a weirdo. My initial preconceptions were right.

Trying to adapt to this "new home" and accept this bizarre man as my "new dad" is a battle on its own, and Jack himself is another battle altogether. The way he always sneaks up on me almost gives me a heart attack. Whenever he wants to talk to me, he wouldn't call me, but he'd rather creep up behind me and touch my shoulder to tell me whatever gibberish he wants to tell me. I've reproved him severely, but all my reproof fell on deaf ears. He doesn't talk much, he doesn't like family gatherings, and I find it really hard to talk to him.

But here is the worst part of all these. I hear moans every past midnight, but initially, I didn't think much of it. But these moans become more and more persistent and disturbing to the extent that I couldn't ignore it anymore, so I decided to voice it out to my mom. A friend request from you would be highly appreciated. Whether she believes me or not, it's left for her.

She laughed jeeringly at me and told me that I sounded preposterously desperate and that I could do better than that if I wanted to break her marriage with her new husband. Honestly, Mom wasn't helping matters. She knew I hated her and wanted her to divorce him, but since I've seen her decision is irrevocable, I relinquished that long time ago. But she's still under the impression that I haven't, so it was just news to her.

I tried not to wonder where the moans were coming from and why, but I just couldn't. It was impossible! Curiosity got the better part of me, like it always does to any other person, so I decided to check where the moans were coming from. There's no harm in checking, you know. 😁

Everywhere was pitch black, and my eyes had become accustomed to the darkness as I went down the stairs. And as I did, the moans grew louder and more precise. I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to determine the direction of the moans with my ears, like a mature dog would with its nose.

The basement! It was coming from the basement!

I headed towards the basement in uncertain, ponderous, hesitant steps, and I don't mind telling you that my heart was pounding to the extent that I was afraid someone would hear it. I was within an ace of opening the door when I felt a cold hand touch my shoulder.

God! I nearly passed out from fright!

I quickly hit the hand away from my shoulder in a jolt and swiftly spun around with a speed that surprised me too. I was ready for any violence, but when I saw who it was, I heaved a slight sigh of relief.

It was

Jack!

"Jack!" I gasped for breath. "Oh my God! You scared the hell out of me! What are you... what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'd like to ask you the same question," he crossed his arms around his chest.

"Well... aren't you hearing these moans?" I asked in a whisper.

"What moans?"

"Huh? Are you kidding?" I asked, baffled.

"Do I look like I am?"

"You mean to tell me that you don't hear these moans?" I asked, astonished and tense.

"Of course not."

Oh my God! He's gotta be freaking kidding me!

"Go back to sleep and stop being absurd, will you? I assume you're now hearing things."

So he's now calling me absurd and saying I'm hearing things?!

How dare he?!

Jack, you imbecile!

"Okay," I said and headed upstairs.

When I reached the head of the stairs, I looked over my shoulder just to see him staring suspiciously at me. The way he was sinisterly staring at me gave me the chills. I quickly scurried into my room and locked the door.

Something is going on in this house, I know it, Jack knows it, and I'm not sure if his father knows it too. Telling my mom would be making a fool out of myself. Something is down that basement, and I must find out what, no matter what!

One day, when Mom and her husband were at work and Jack was in school, I decided to sneak out of school premises to get home and find out for myself. The house was engulfed in an eccentric quietness. I quickly headed to the basement, and to my dismay, it was locked. But a locked door wouldn't stop me.

I grabbed a key, took a deep breath, then headed down the stairs. My heart was pounding furiously, almost suffocating me. I knew that I was skating on thin ice, but my curiosity wouldn't leave me be. I turned on the light and met the greatest shock of my life.

Holy mother of God! You'd never, in your goddamn life, believe what I saw! Cold chills went down my spine, my hair alongside my toes curled, I became sick to my stomach, and my mouth agape.

I couldn't believe my eyes. It was indeed a terrible sight to behold! Three embalmed corpses of ladies lay lifelessly on the floor, and there was one on the bed! I recoiled in horror!

My mom's husband had been making love to these dead bodies! He's a necrophiliac! Good God! But why would he make love to these dead bodies when he has my mom to satisfy his erotic desires? There's definitely more to this!

My senses ceased to work for some time and then started again. I needed to get out of there, quick! That was the only thing on my mind!

"Do you know why curiosity killed the cat, Fred? Because it poked its nose where it wasn't wanted," he whispered.

Grave fear gripped me! I made to quickly spin around, but I was a little too late. I heard a smashing sound, and I felt something really, really hard hit my head. Blood gushed out, and then my eyes rolled back, and I fell to the floor in eternal peace.