Chris and Cecilia descended as gracefully as swan's feathers, the soft rustle of their movement barely disturbing the stillness around them. Their feet touched the ground lightly, yet neither moved to break the embrace. Cecilia's arms were still wrapped tightly around Chris's waist and back. The faint scent of cedarwood from his coat mingled with the cool night air, wrapping around her like a protective cloak.
Chris's hands rested gently on her shoulders and nape, his grip firm yet tender, as if anchoring himself as much as her. His breath came uneven, a subtle catch betraying the storm of emotions raging beneath his stoic exterior. He was resolute—no harm would come to her while he stood.
The world around them faded, leaving only the two of them—two souls finding light amid the shadows.
The usual awkwardness or playful banter was absent. Instead, a quiet understanding passed between them, a silent conversation filled with unspoken fears, hopes, and a fragile new trust.
Chris's voice broke the silence, rough and hesitant. "Did they hurt you?" His throat felt dry, words heavy with concern for the fragile human in his arms.
Cecilia's gaze remained locked on his, her voice soft and dreamlike. "I'm okay… because you're here now." The certainty in her tone was a balm to both their souls.
Inside, Chris felt a warmth bloom—a hope that maybe, just maybe, this connection could heal the wounds they both carried. Cecilia, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek, realized that safety wasn't just the absence of danger—it was this moment, this presence, this shared breath in the darkness.
Chris brushed the few strands of hair that covered her face... "Let's go back up, you still need to punish them," he awkwardly said, to the point that his voice even squeaked.
Ceclia was snapped out of her trance. "Punish?" She looked up and remembered what she promised a while ago, "Those despicable jerks! They won't get away with what they did."
Chris smiled and presented his open hand to Cecilia in an invitation. "So then, shall we teach them a lesson they will never forget?"
Cecilia took his hands and replied with a resounding "Let's go!"
Back on top of the cliff, the couple was looking over the edge. The distance and darkness made it impossible to see anything. "There's no way she could have survived that!" They concluded that their victim had met a tragic end.
Robbie envelops the treacherous woman in a lustful embrace. "So, you were saying a while ago?" snickering at the thought of the carnal promise made to him.
Beth's eyes narrowed, followed by a seductive grin. They leaned in for a kiss, but before their lips could touch, a voice cut through their celebration, "Didn't I say I would come back to punish the two of you?"
"Who's there?" Robbie aggressively asked, scanning the surroundings for any sign of an intruder. He then caught sight of a shadowy figure, limping towards the two of them. When the figure came to light, their lustful bravado faltered, replaced by an all-consuming fear and terror.
Cecilia's shattered, grotesque form lurched into view, a nightmarish vision of death and torment. Her flesh hung in ragged strips, slick with dark, congealing blood that oozed from countless jagged wounds. Her arms twisted at unnatural angles, joints cracking with every agonized movement. One leg dragged behind her, barely connected by shredded, frayed sinews stretched to their breaking point. Each agonizing step echoed with the sickening squelch of ruptured muscle and bone. In a rasped and heaving voice, she spoke, "Time to be punished!"
Robbie and Beth both shot out an ear-curdling scream. The grotesque form of Cecilia lunges at them, "Don't run, the fun is about to begin!" She hissed; her voice sounded like a howl that came from the bowels of hell.
The two started to push each other out of the way as they fled. "Move, get out of the way bitch!" Robbie shouted at Beth, pushing her to the point that she stumbled.
"Asshole!" she yelled at her partner. She was about to stand when, suddenly, a pair of twisted and bloody legs appeared in front of her. She slowly raised her head to see whose they belonged to. Her eyes widened, and she started to breathe rapidly when she found out who was in front of her.
Gani, Beth's late husband, groaning and hissing, shuffled towards her. His head hanging low, because of a broken neck, his skull was cracked open, blood and brain tissues falling off. His torso twisted abnormally at the waist; his arms were like broken tree branches. His skin was a sickening grayish-green with engorged blood vessels just beneath his mottled skin. "Rick tried to save me! You were the one who killed me! You were the one who pushed me off the balcony!" he howled at the woman.
Robbie was able to reach his car, but when he opened the car doors, there on the driver's seat was Rick, a hangman's noose still wrapped around his neck. Eyes that were bulging from their sockets stared at him. His body was already at an advanced state of decomposition, chunks of flesh peeled off, exposing his bones, emitting a gut-wrenching stench. "You and I should hang out, just like how you hung me!" Robbie, fighting the impulse to faint, started to run away, and the ghastly apparition got out of the car and ran after him.