Three days later, Cake received news from Morgaine that they were going to carry out the funeral procession for their senior. Cake glanced at his phone screen with a sense of relief. However, in an instant, that feeling was replaced with surprise.
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#Doong!
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The car brakes were suddenly pressed.
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Cake's forehead stared at the car dashboard, while his phone was flung freely onto the car floor. He instinctively rubbed his forehead before reaching for his phone, which was farthest away.
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"I didn't know you've competed in a NASCAR championship, Mademoiselle?" Cake exclaimed in pain.
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Madelaine briefly turned and grimaced, as if mocking Cake.
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"Really? I'm flattered," she said. Madelaine glanced at the rearview mirror and then looked back. "Oh, sorry, are you all okay, Gouin? Solene?"
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"We're fine, Countess," Gouin said. Solene lightly adjusted her seatbelt. "It's a comforting restraint."
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"That sounds good. I just wanted to teach this man some discipline, like wearing a seatbelt, for example," Madelaine joked, raising her eyebrows and giving a slightly sarcastic look. Cake reluctantly ignored her.
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Cake reached for his fallen phone and wiped its body clean. "There's nothing wrong with not using the brakes suddenly. But I'm sure you enjoyed it," Cake protested, giving her an annoyed look in return.
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"Besides that, I have a few questions." Madelaine briefly turned towards Cake, still controlling the steering wheel.
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"Madelaine without questions is impossible, huh?" Cake teased with reluctance.
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He put the phone back in his pocket. As he reached for his pocket, he felt something square-shaped and slightly rigid inside. He remembered something.
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"How did you settle the debt with that girl? And most importantly, where are we going?"
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Cake took out a piece of paper found near Hedlych's hanging body from his pocket. It not only caught Madelaine's interest but also drew the attention of Gouin and Solene.
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Madelaine was about to remind Cake that he hadn't read the contents of the paper yesterday, but she refrained when she saw the grief on Cake's face. Besides, Madelaine also knew the contents of the paper.
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"First, I never owed her anything from the beginning, we just used a method to persuade her. Second, I took a photo of the contents of this paper and it's ready to be sent. The question is, does she still need that information?" Cake put the paper back into his jacket pocket and turned to Madelaine.
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"Well, maybe she wants to know it in writing?" Madelaine offered her opinion, shrugging her shoulders to indicate her uncertainty.
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"Or perhaps she has actually known from the beginning?" Cake quickly changed the topic of conversation. "By the way, we're going to Picton Road, number 50,"
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"Hey, Picton Road number 50? Don't tell me that's all you know?"
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Cake relied on his phone to search for something. In a few seconds, he found the answer.
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"Ah, the village of Rhoose," he said.
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"Okay, the village of Rhoose, but why are we going there?"
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"Why are you being so grumpy?" Cake added reluctantly. "We're going to May Griffith's address. We don't know what we'll find there."
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Before his female companion could become more fussy, Cake explained that the book code, MG150-CF62-3HU-PICTON.RD-50, meant May Griffith (MG) released a work consisting of 150 pages (150). Please send criticisms and feedback to the postal code CF62-3HU (the postal code for the village of Rhoose), located at 50 Picton Road.
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"I invited Gouin and Solene because theye are alumni. Maybe they know her?" Cake said.
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"We had a few conversations during the club festival. She visited the hospitality club café. Since I was on a cooking break at the club, I also visited the hospitality club. Besides, you also bought the last copy, didn't you?" Solene said to her brother.
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"Yeah, 'Scream of the Banshee' is indeed popular!" replied Gouin.
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After about 20 minutes, their car entered the residential complex on Picton Road. The majority of the houses were two-story with garages and similar facades—red brick and sloping roofs.
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They stopped right in front of a house filled with flowers. A woman dressed in a complete gardening outfit was watering her plants. There were also tomato plants and aloe vera in her backyard. The backyard was enclosed with a transparent plastic fence that reached up to the ceiling.
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After a brief conversation, Cake's group was invited inside. Cake was slightly surprised to see that the interior of the house was ordinary for a horror writer. Cake had exaggerated his imagination a bit.
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The woman had straight blonde hair, and her face and demeanor depicted a calm nature. They engaged in simple conversations. Cake and Madelaine played a few recordings upon the woman's request.
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May Griffith spoke politely and articulately, making Cake feel impressed and convinced that she was indeed a professional writer.
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"I, Lewis, Russel, Caroline, Josephine, and Carlisle, have been good friends with Hedlych since senior Ivon Bjorne was still the club president. At that time, she was the only freshman. As information, the supernatural club is limited to six members per class. Recognizing the enthusiasm of this freshman for club activities, Sr. Bjorne appointed her as the vice president," May continued her story.
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May further shared that their first major expedition as a club was a visit to the Newcastleton Forest, which was referred to as the "dual realm" landscape at the time. During the day, the place showcased the beauty of life, while at night, it became cursed and death-like.
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"In addition to documentation, we also thought of finding material for writing. According to tradition, each cohort must create at least one written work. Because the place was easily adaptable based on people's perceptions, we found it easier to come up with topics. Senior Bjorne tried to take on the theme of Japanese ghosts, Lewis took inspiration from a fictional film and a documentary-style fiction, creating a unique concept of a ghost born without vengeance and summoned through specific rituals. Meanwhile, my work focused on the Banshee. In my imagination, the forest was filled with women who were murdered and discarded. However, there was one very unique work, a piece that presented the documentation of our visit itself. The writing seemed to challenge the existence of the supernatural," May explained.
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"Ah, the Newcastleton Forest Expedition talks about the place where a mass suicide took place. But from what I read, the writing also incorporates fictional creatures from various stories, right?" Madelaine asked, as if she understood what May was explaining.
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"Hedlych showed me, Lewis, and Senior Bjorne the script. At that time, the script was still messy and contained more fictional characters than the final version. Hedlych thought it would be better to reduce the number of fictional creatures to convey her message, which was that ghosts didn't exist," May clarified.
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"The book from the supernatural club that challenges the existence of the supernatural is certainly unique and one of a kind. But mademoiselle, why wasn't the book published?" Cake took out the book titled "Expedition to Newcastleton Forest" from his suit pocket and handed it to May.
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May took the book and stared at its front cover with an empathetic expression. She briefly flipped the book over before opening a few pages.
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"A few days before Sr. Bjorne's cohort graduated, Lewis replaced him as the club president, while Hedlych, who was still the vice president, brought in one friend from his class at a time. It started with Purcell, followed by four other people we barely knew. Since they arrived, Lewis and I felt that Hedlych became somewhat distant. When we asked her about it, she was reluctant to answer. But one thing for sure, Hedlych said that those two individuals were classmates and schoolmates named Eiriol and Bierce." She paused for a moment, her face puzzled. "When our class eventually graduated, Purcell was the only candidate we chose as the next club president. What surprised us was the sudden appearance of a work from Purcell's class that was strikingly similar to Hedlych's writing. 'Hanged Soul' by Cadell Gethin."
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Cake appeared interested in May Griffith's account, his eyebrows raised as if expecting a significant answer. "Are you suggesting that M. Gethin stole Mlle. Hedlych's work?"
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"Lewis and I were suspicious and observed from a distance. That man seemed to approach Hedlych for other reasons. But, in fact, Hedlych's work was not yet finished. Even when the final script was shown, her face looked sad and dissatisfied. In the end, because it was a unique piece, Lewis and I made efforts to have it printed, even if only one copy."
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"Hm... I suspected as much, so that's how it is," Cake sighed, turning his gaze downwards, showing sympathy.
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"You suspected?" May asked.
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"Actually, we came here as part of the investigation into that case. We are trying to find out the motives of the perpetrator," Cake explained in more detail to the woman named May Griffith. He also played the videos again to make it easier to understand. Hearing this, she wasn't too surprised. At least she wasn't alone.
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"Of course, for anyone to trample on someone else's honor... Lewis and I are actually cousins. We regarded Hedlych as our own family. Even after we left and graduated, we still kept in touch with her. Right now, I feel like she's our helpless family member."
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May explained her reasons why Hedlych was desperate at that time. She only confided in May or Lewis. She was frustrated because her grades suddenly declined, solidifying her failure as a recommended student for a particular college. May explained that Hedlych suspected Bierce and Eiriol had collaborated to exchange their answer sheets, just as they had done in middle school.
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Bevans was the man who spoke ill of her when Bevans himself asked for help with a double date.
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"What concerns me the most is that one of her eyes got splashed with acid," May said.
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"Ah, because of his father?" Cake asked.
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"His father? No. Hedlych lived alone in a small cheap flat that she never told us the location of. She has been abandoned by her parents, and none of her cousins wanted to take on the role," May added with a touch of bitterness. "Hedlych herself said that the girl named Eiriol deliberately threw acid at her during a chemistry class. Although she apologized, Hedlych knew it was intentional."
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"Intentional? How could she know?" Madelaine seemed concerned as well.
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May lightly touched her temples with both index fingers. "Hedlych's hearing is more sensitive than the average person's. Because of that incident, Hedlych was hospitalized for a month. When they first returned, sitting alone on a school bench, those friends whispered to each other, choking on their words about Hedlych. That's when Hedlych found out that those two girls had indeed done it intentionally."
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Cake finally took out the paper and handed it to May Griffith. Tears of sadness streamed down her face slowly, like a glass filled to the brim but with the dispenser's mouth still open, causing the water to overflow. May tightly embraced the book "Expedition to Newcastleton Forest" while silently reading the letter.
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The final piece of evidence...
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There is nothing to fear, there is no such thing as ghosts. Ghosts stem from regrets and past grudges. Once everything is settled, only guilt and regret will remain visible.
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There is nothing to fear except those who hold grudges. So think carefully before listening to a Banshee, whom you sow seeds of hatred towards, and seek redemption beyond mere apologies.
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Regret and guilt will become neutral once whoever seeks revenge repents and punishes themselves. Ghosts are not real, but Banshees will always exist.
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The expedition to Newcastleton Forest stops here.
D. H.
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As if the entire room was filled with pockets of sympathy and empathy, Cake felt like he understood what the perpetrator had done. It wasn't without reason, although it was unjustified, that the girl in the black squirrel mask only sought justice, Cake thought.
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Moreover, no one would ever know how long and since when Miss Hedlych had been in despair, subjected to bullying and sadness.
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No one knew how long Miss Hedlych cried or how loudly she screamed without anyone listening...
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In the end, those tears and screams held suffering. Eventually, those tears and screams would be heard...
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They were like curses, but without rituals. They only resided within tormented souls. Potential curses within the dark side of every human.
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Open your ears and extend your hand to others...
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Before you're forced to close your ears and save yourself...
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Before you hear the Scream of Banshee.
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THE END
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