Amelia's Code

Episode Three:The Unraveling

For the next few days, Amelia had some really thought-provoking moments after that thrilling rendezvous at the Blackwood estate. Isabella’s letter, the words written in it, filled her with fear, and was now playing in her mind in an alarming manner. And once again, she had the shiver that she was in a world of darkness, intricacies and lies.

A week after the meeting, it was a rainy afternoon when Amelia’s phone rang, and it was Alexander at the other end of the phone. His voice was tense, “Please come and meet me at the Blackwood’s, I will be at the old chapel. I think you need to see this.”

The chapel she knew was a Blackwood family museum that, unbeknownst to outsiders, oozed with enigma and was concealed. Her father had informed her that this was the family tomb where generations of family secrets lay amidst the corpses. This place thrilled her and at the same time discomforted her whenever she was to visit. She so much desired to understand the shadow that seemed to follow her most of the time.

She came to the small white chapel at sunset when the rain began to fall and the grass on both sidelines of the path was soaked. The building was a piece of art made of stone and had dark translucent stained-glass. Alexander was already standing in the foyer when she arrived; his face was drawn with concern.

“I am glad you came,” he said, resignation and determination reflecting in his eyes.

She questioned, though her voice was strong, there was a tremble at the end of each word, “Why the urgency to assemble at this location, Alexander?”

He stretched out his hand and, with a firm and reassuring grip, began to walk inside. “I have found something I think will alter our destinies, Amelia; it is a dangerous path, one that cannot be reversed.”

Her heart raced and was embroiled in a combination of fear and anxiousness. “Finally” she thought, “I have no other choice; I can’t go on living with mystery as my constant companion, with shadows pursuing me wherever I go.”

He gestured towards the interior, and they walked into the chapel. The environment was rather eerily unwelcoming, dark and had an almost vomit-like stench in the dark corners. He took her to a small dimly lit room, a house with a stone sarcophagus with a striking exterior with exquisite carvings.

Shockingly, he blurted: “This is where Isabella Blackwood was buried.” However, her death was not a result of illness, she was killed.

Amelia’s breath was cut short in her throat for what seemed to be less than a second; a dread sensation wrapped its icy fingers around her neck, while the words, “Murdered?” struggled to burst free from her lips.

Alexander's voice was sharp, and his jaw clenched as he spoke, “When we were younger, we were told that Isabella was not so much of a good person, and she was a danger to the Blackwood family heritage, and this was my great-great-grandfather Edward who had killed her for being a menace and for knowing too much.”

Amelia felt the weight of his words, it had enveloped her along with her thoughts, which ushered in loads of worries about the implications. “What secrets?” she asked, her voice shaking. “What else could there be on the face of the earth that would justify an act of murder of one's own family?”

Alexander hesitated for a moment before pulling out of his coat a timeworn leather-bound journal that looked like it had been around for quite some time. “This belonged to Isabella, God rest her soul,” he said as he handed it to Amelia. “Inside it, she documented every discovery she made with regard to the Blackwood lineage deception, falsehood, and the nefarious bargains struck to amass the family wealth."

With trembling hands, Amelia took the journal slowly, its pages aged and the writing faded yet clear. She found herself entangled in a story full of greed and corruption portraying the extreme a family would be willing to go to maintain their superiority and influence.

"Edward Blackwood was involved in illegal activities, drug trafficking, and human trafficking," Alexander said in a disgusted voice. "Isabella swore to reveal the truth after discovering it. He orchestrated her death in order to keep her from talking."

The sheer horror of it all overwhelmed Amelia, causing a wave of sickness to rise within her. This is disgusting, she muttered. "Your kin... they're abominable creatures."

Alexander had agony reflecting in his eyes, an expression of the understanding of Amelia's own suffering. "I understand what this means." I can't take part in this any longer, I had to warn you about this, which is why I had to tell you my family would do anything, including target you, to protect their secrets.”

It came at her like a blow to the face, how sharp the reality was. She discovered that she was entangled in a story that she couldn't even begin to understand, with her life in an entanglement with a dark and deceitful family history. She uttered in a feeble voice, "What's our next step?" "How can we extricate ourselves from this?"

Alexander spoke, his tone solemn but firm, "We have to leave this evening, before my family realizes what we've unearthed. They'll eliminate us both with extreme prejudice in order to keep their secrets hidden."

Amelia felt panic take hold of her, her thoughts racing with fear and confusion. Where, how, can we escape?

“I’ve got a plan,” Alexander stated easily, there was no wavering in his steely eyes. “Let us just move to a safe house that I have arranged, far away from this place. Then, we shall discuss our next course of action.”

She longed to believe him when he said he would save her and in the process save them both yet the oppressive feeling of reality left her struggling to breathe. “I need to pack my things,” she said, her emotions growing palpable. “I’ll meet with you here in one hour. “

Alex nodded, although the look on his face was more than a little serious. In particular, she remembered his parting words to her: “Stay alert, Amelia. My family’s eyes and ears are everywhere. Do not trust anyone.”

Her heart pounding, Amelia stepped out of the chapel into her car and drove speedily towards her family home located on the outskirts of the city. The residence was unusually silent and forlorn, for her father had gone on a business trip. She ran upstairs, took a bag and put inside her must-have items, her hands shaking nervously.

Just as she was about to leave, her cell phone vibrated, a message was delivered. She paused for a moment before reading the message from a contact she had saved as “Unknown”.

“We know both of you plan to leave. Running is useless now. Go to Blackwood Estate immediately or your father will pay dearly.”

She felt an emotion surging through her, the icy grip of fear. She tried to call Alexander, but in vain. With no other option left, she drove back to Blackwood Estate. Finally, when we got there, she stepped up to the door and began knocking on it fervently, feeling anxiety rising with each second. It was thrown open by the no-nonsense man, Edward Blackwood, and with a wicked smirk and sneer he said, "Welcome, Amelia. Your arrival was anticipated."

She tried to circumvent him, but he grabbed her arm with an iron grip. “Where is my father?” she shrieked in a tone that reeked of fear and the next moment transformed to anger.

“At the moment, he is all right.” Edward laughed sadistically. ”Your safety, however, is contingent upon you. Tell me, Amelia, what has Alexander revealed to you?”

She hesitated, her words stuck in her chest. Telling the truth was dangerous for her and Alexander, but keeping them put her father’s life in peril.

Remembering the man’s words, she nervously whispered, “He told me all about it, Isabella and the family’s hidden secrets.”

Edward’s smile grew wider and the dangerous gleam in his eyes grew darker. “Alright, you will marry Alexander and say nothing. If you do not do as I say, your father will die, and you will too.”

Hopelessness overwhelmed her, and she understood the extent of her imprisonment in a labyrinth of lies and deception. “Why are you doing this to me?” she asked, her voice barely audible as it was filled with sorrow.

“Because power is paramount,” Edward said emphatically, staring without even the pretense of compassion in his eyes. ”I will take any step possible to ensure the protection of our family’s inheritance and heritage. ”

Awakening from the paralyzing terror that had seized her, a wave of anger rushed through her. ‘You are despicable,” she began to sob and said angrily, “you will not be spared the consequences of your sins here or in the afterlife.”

The smile faded off Edvard’s face, exposing a furious glare. “I have the upper hand now, Amelia. You are now at my mercy. Go, and do not forget that I am always watching you.”

He let her go, and she was left dizzy, shocked at what had just occurred between them. She realized that Alexander had to be informed about the danger the two of them were in. As she ran back to the chapel, she had a feeling that something evil was in the pipeline.

The chapel was empty; the sound of the rain beating on the roof continued unabated. She called out for Alexander, but there was no answer. She became so panicky that she was unable to move; fear overwhelmed her.

Her adventure in the chapel came to a horrifying conclusion in the little nook that had Isabella’s grave. There was Alexander, lying on the floor as if dead blood gushing out from his body.

She shouted “No!” and collapsed beside him. "Alexander, please, wake up, look at me!"

But there was no answer, no stir of vitality as a response.