Chapter 15: Chain Letter by Stephen Simpson
They switch back to the story and read that historical
artefacts indicate she was the High Priestess of the tribe who used to habitat
the heritage site. This High Priestess believed sacrificing lives kept her
young, drinking their warm blood as it pulsed from their hearts. She was
regarded as the evilest of evil.
Adèle says out of the blue, “We are going to have to go to this heritage site, because I can see now that finding out where this email came from originally is not going to do us any good. Besides, nobody has replied to our mail yet.”
Lisa replies, terror making her voice tremble, “E’lisa
deleted that mail, so we cannot sit around and wait for something to happen. We
must go out there and research it. Maybe this woman's soul is just lost and all
we have to do is find her bones to set her free.”
Adèle looks at Lisa disbelieving. “You believe all of this,
about ghosts and evil-spirits. I am leaning more towards the idea of the
digital transmission, but the one idea seems as far-fetched as the other.”
It has been a dreadful, long twenty-four hours. Lisa raises
her voice slightly, when she replies, “Adèle, my daughter received one of these
mails and she deleted it! People are dying all around you and you did this
because you forwarded this mail. Do you know I only receive these mails from
you, that you feed the evil that keeps these mails going?”
Adèle gasps insulted. “You need to calm down, Lisa. I
thought the emails were harmless, a bit of fun, something interesting to read
in between work documents. Have you ever had good luck after forwarding them –
no. Has anything bad ever happened to you – no? It is not my fault it feeds off
the fears and hopes of people, making them forward it.”
Lisa cannot believe Adèle is justifying her actions. She
feels as if she could slap her, but then again, how was Adèle to know that
forwarding this mail would in fact deliver what it promised.
“I am sorry; I am scared and exhausted. We have to work
together on this,” Lisa says, apologetically.
“Let's get E’lisa and go to the Blue Ridge Mountain Heritage
Site. It is about a two hours’ drive from here and if we leave now, we will get
there with enough daylight to do some searching. We could walk around and maybe
we will find out more once we are actually there.”
They go to the lounge.
Peter informs them the latest news reports said it looks as
if the cause for the heart attacks killing hundreds of people during the last
twenty-four hours was extreme shock and fear. The pathologists ruled out the
possibility of coronary disease and heart failure in eighty-nine percent of the
deceased.
With their minds made up, Lisa and Adèle are in a hurry to
leave.
“E’lisa,” Lisa calls through the house. She looks at Peter
worriedly.
“She is still outside with Paul and the dogs.”
“We have to go,” Lisa tells him.
“Why? Where are we going?”
“No, not us. E’lisa, Adèle and me.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the Blue Ridge Mountain Heritage Site.”
“Why?”
“Well, did you hear Adèle earlier today, explaining to
Stephen about the email she had forwarded starting all of this.”
“Might have started all of this,” Adèle says flippantly.
“Consider this, I received it from somewhere.”
“Yes, Adèle, but you involved my family.” Lisa looks at her,
knowing she should remain calm, but she cannot stand it that Adèle is trying to
vindicate herself from taking responsibility for her actions.
Adèle walks away and Stephen follows her.
“That woman will drive me insane,” Lisa hisses through her
teeth. “And as I was trying to tell you, Adèle forwarded this email to my mom
and E’lisa also received it from somewhere. People who delete this email are
dying from heart attacks.”
Peter looks at Lisa amused, a frown between his eyes. “I
know how it sounds, Peter, but humour me. We have to go to this heritage site,
because E’lisa deleted it and I am afraid something could happen to her at any
moment.”
“Okay, if you feel you have to, if it will put your mind at
ease. However, remember why we are here. Stephen is finding it hard to come to
terms with it, especially because he found your mom.”
Lisa does feel sorry for Stephen, but first she must save
E’lisa.
*
Stephen always leaves home early on a Tuesday morning, so
that he can go past his mom's house. They have coffee together, sometimes she
makes him waffles and then they just talk and catch up.
He remembers how it used to be, when the weeks rushed by so
fast that by the time he looked up, it had been months since the last time he
saw his mom. At first, he felt that he was inconveniencing himself by coming by
every Tuesday, but now that he has been doing it for a while and it has become
routine, he enjoys their weekly, early morning talks.
He can discuss things with her that at times he feels he
cannot chat about with Adèle.
Stephen and Adèle have been married for a while now and
although Stephen wants to start expanding on their little family, Adèle is
reluctant. She is always saying there is something else she wants to
accomplish, to create security and stability in their lives.
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