Escape: Heaven’s Temple

THE LETTERS

Emery quickly called an ambulance. There is also a commotion outside their classroom because of what happened to Steph. No one moved or touched Steph's body, except for the people in the hospital. Teachers and police officers ask Steph’s classmates what happened. The nuns immediately heard the news of what had happened at Hellviore High, so Sister Anasha immediately picked up Emery.

“Let’s go home now, Emery,” Sister Anasha said. The other students saw Emery with a nun again, so they looked at them outside Hellviore High. “I can’t go home at this moment, Sister. The police are investigating the death of Steph and all of my classmates were being asked. I am sure that they also need to ask me, since I was arguing to her earlier,” Emery replied.

"No, I already told you that you are not allowed to talk to other people."

“But they will get suspicious of me if ever I didn’t get questioned by the police. I won’t do anything bad, Sister.”

“The cause of death of Steph will be shown in the autopsy after checking her body. The questioning of the police is useless because Steph was not killed.”

Emery no longer knew what else she would say to Sister Anasha to let her talk to the police. She didn't know why the nun was so overprotective of her. Even if she doesn't do anything bad. Emery could already feel the looks of the students around them. She only felt more embarrassed. The interview has not subsided yet but she has experienced another embarrassment.

“Emery! Where do you think you’re going? The police are waiting for you without being asked about Steph!” A classmate of Emery's called her. They looked for her. Before her classmate could approach her, she turned to the nun.

“Just let me talk to other people for this one, Sister. You already humiliated me, so please don’t add more. I don’t want them to be suspicious to me.”

Emery did not wait for the nun's answer because she left quickly. She went back to their classroom and saw that the police were there. “I assumed that you are Emery Quinn?” opened to her by a policeman. She nodded, "Yes, I am."

“All of your classmates, except for your friend, have told us that you were always arguing and having a fight with the victim. Then before she died, you guys were also arguing to each other. Is that true?” the police asked her.

“Yes, it is true that we were always arguing. But she was the first to fought with me. What happened earlier was that my classmates startled me and then all of a sudden Steph joined the conversation. She pushed my friend Kate so I helped her stand up. As Steph approached me, she suddenly fell down and blood came out of her body,” Emery explained to him.

"Is what she said was all true?" the police asked her classmates.

“Well, yeah. Steph just suddenly fell off the ground and bled. We don’t know what happened to her,” replied by one of Emery’s classmates. "Also, no one touches Steph's body," the other one added. Emery breathed a sigh of relief at what her classmates had said. She thought that her classmates might reverse the story and blame her for Steph's death.

“Stop questioning the kids now. The real reason why the student died will be shown in the autopsy result. Let’s go to the hospital,” one of the police told the one who is currently interviewing Emery.

The police officers got up and left Hellviore High. Many students and teachers were still shocked. That was the first time a student had died there. The teachers were worried so they also waited for the result of Steph's autopsy. They thought that Steph was just sick and that she died suddenly. It is impossible that she was killed at Hellviore High because no one had any motive and touched her body.

“I already got a news from the hospital. They can’t see the reason why Steph died. She doesn’t have any bruises in her body. There was also no sign that she was killed. The doctors did not know where the blood that came out of Steph's body came from. She also did not have any pain. Steph was a healthy girl. But her death is mysterious to everyone right now. Her death is all over our area,” announced by Emery's class adviser.

Everyone was surprised. Emery thinks more deeply of those times. She felt something strange had happened after Steph's death. She even remembers seeing the old man Sister Anasha was talking to behind Heaven’s Temple when her friend Angel died.

Why is that old man here and is it true that Steph died? I feel that there is something wrong with Steph’s death. She was just like Angel's death. There is not enough reason to die suddenly. But Steph’s death is more mysterious to me now.

A friend of Steph's approached Emery. Someone handed her a small box. Emery frowned in astonishment. "What is it?" she asked Steph's friend.

"Can we talk outside, Emery?"

Emery didn't say another word and they went out with the woman at the same time. Emery had already accepted the small box that Steph's friend had given her. "What's in it and why are you giving it to me?" Emery asked her.

“That was a secret box of Steph. I don’t know what’s in that. But what she told me then was that it was for you. How many times have that I thought and wondered why she always fights you but she will give you something like this. I think you should open it now that Steph was already gone. I don’t know where is the key of that small box, so you better just destroy it later on,” said by the woman. The sadness could be seen in her eyes. She was Steph’s frequent companion at Hellviore High. She had already left Emery standing there and confused.

“Emery, Sister Anasha was already waiting for you outside the academy,” Kate called her.

"Yes, I'm coming!"

Emery hid that little box in her bag first. She also didn’t want to show it to Sister Anasha. Emery said goodbye to her friend and then they went home. Emery was quiet in the car and did not talk to Sister Anasha. She was still thinking about the contents of that little box that still had a padlock. Emery greeted the nuns when they arrived at Heaven’s Temple.

“You should eat first, Emery,” Sister Anasha told her. “I’m not hungry. I am kind of tired so I will sleep a little. I will eat dinner later,” Emery answered coldly. She went to her room then locked the door. She went to her bed and there looked at the small box she was holding.

Fortunately, she quickly broke the padlock. She immediately opened it and the papers opened up to her. She saw that everyone had numbers. She searched for number one then opened it and read it.

#1

I don't expect to see you again, Emery. But I want you to know what I can’t say personally. The day Angel died; we played hide and seek. She went to one of the rooms we could not enter. It was room number three. She went in there because she was looking for me and she thought I was there. But a few hours later, I didn’t see her come out of there. I’m always looking at that. But I was shocked that Angel was already dead.

#2

I want to admit that to you but I thought you might report me to Sister Anasha. They might blame me for why Angel died even though I’m not to blame for why she died. How many years have I thought of Angel. I did not become normal so I stopped studying. I just tried to forget her so I could get into Hellviore High.

#3

I often dreamt about an old man with a scary voice. I don’t know what he looks like. But I was too scared of that voice. He tells me he is about to pick me up. Fortunately, I woke up immediately.

#4

Once again, I saw the old man in strange attire. Next to him was Angel forcing me to pull and join them. I no longer knew what else I was going to do.

#5

I want to ask for help but I don’t know how and to whom. I tried to tell my parents about my dreams. But all they tell me is that ‘Lord’ is guiding me. Even with my own parents, I feel scared.

#6

I feel like I'm going crazy and losing my sanity. I can't talk to others.. I’m afraid to tell other people because I know they will say that I’m crazy. But the Lord... is scary.

Emery read only six papers and was almost confused by what was written there. But Emery realized only one thing in her mind. "The Lord they say is not true... I have a feeling before that what they worship is the one who commits these kinds of crimes," she whispered to herself.

She isn’t sure why many people are worshiping that scary faced statue. Ever since she came to the Heaven’s Temple, she felt that something off was in that place. And now, she already knew what was weird in that place. Everything is weird and feels not good in that place. But the only thing is that, the nuns are treating her so well. They fed Emery always and taking care of her. But to other people, they seem bad to them.

I think I am right. The people here are not normal and the Lord that they’re calling is the old man I have seen before.