September 15, 2017

15 hours 7 minutes

Clara was sitting at the kitchen table. She was given leave for 2 weeks, so she had time to recover. Her daughter died. Elizabeth Afton is a good-natured, kind, sometimes naughty and just a cheerful child. Why did this happen to her? Why her? Her husband's invention killed her daughter. Clara knew William too well to accuse him of deliberately creating a killing machine. She didn't blame him for anything, but the ballerina understood that her husband's behavior had changed a little. He became as if... Careful. Stopped being around Charlie, for example. And those dreams... Surely, they were prophetic, and she, a fool, did not attach importance to them! Maybe if she had paid attention to it, she would have kept her daughter? All these thoughts were spinning in the woman's head. The husband, in order to distract himself from everything, delved into his damned work with his head, Naomi began to wander aimlessly around the house, Chris became even more timid, Michael became irritated, and she herself was all on pins and needles.

Clara went to the kitchen table and picked up a plate of apples. They have been standing here for a long time, and she need to give them to the children. After all, it's hard for them too... Especially Naomi. She was the last person to see her alive. How many times Clara had to convince her daughter that she was not to blame.

- Get run over by a car. - said K'hadesh, who wanted to take the apples. Yes, he likes apples. But the woman was faster. Besides, K'hadesh wasn't in a very good mood today.

15 hours and 16 minutes

- What? - Clara received a new message on her phone.

She was called to work. Something has happened there, and her help is urgently needed. She will be paid for it.

The woman, not though, got dressed, said goodbye to her family and left. As she walked, a strange, bad feeling haunted her. Something had to happen...

William...

The woman stopped abruptly. She could have sworn that just a moment ago someone nearby repeated her husband's name. Clara whirled around and absently scanned the street around her. Nothing. Probably, it seemed, but why is it so double in the eyes?

William...

The name repeated itself in her head, and the woman shook. Suddenly, the image of a distorted photograph appeared before her again, in which her youngest, already dead, daughter turned into a terrible monster, and the mother herself, along with everyone else, became part of the darkness. She also remembered her dream. The creepy shadow that beckoned her daughter so much. Creepy creatures referring her son to a monster. Naomi, who was being led away by the same creature. And that woman with curly hair... Who is she?

From these thoughts in the eyes of the beginning of double even stronger. Somewhere inside her, everything was boiling. She couldn't focus on anything but thoughts of the horror that was skillfully hiding in the deepest corners of her mind. What is it? Why is it haunting her? And why is it haunting her family? Suddenly everything was gone. Clara began to feel better again. She looked around. In Bond City, as always, there are a lot of people on the street, and almost no one paid attention to her. The woman went on, but the disturbing thought did not leave her head. What kind of nightmare is haunting her? But the most important thing is not that, but the fact that she did not even notice how, crossing the road to green, a car was rushing at her. In just one moment, her whole life flashed before her eyes. The car drove a little further and crashed into a lamppost. The driver's brakes broke. Of all the pedestrians, only Clara Afton was hit.

...

She woke up. She didn't know where she was. It was dark all around. Oddly enough, the body did not hurt. She seemed to be fine. Although she remembered that she was still hit by a car.

Suddenly there was a light in her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut and heard footsteps approaching. When her eyes got used to the light, she opened them and looked at the woman in front of her. She looked just like that stranger from the dream.

- That's right. - Sofia spoke up. - I'm that stranger from the dream.

- What? Are you reading my mind? - Clara said.

- Of course, I'm a Goddess. - she smiled.

- Where am I? - the first thing Clara decided to ask.

- The darkness, where we get quite rarely. You're dead. That's why you had to go to the afterlife, but you couldn't get there either, just like Elizabeth.

- Elizabeth? Do you know where my daughter is? - there was a flicker of hope in Clara's eyes.

- Follow me. I'll take you to her.

Sofia held out her hand with a beautiful manicure. Clara took her hand, and she led her to the light. Exit. She will see her daughter again. Elizabeth, dear Elizabeth...

15 hours 45 minutes

Just recently, William found out that now his wife is no longer alive. She was hit by a car with broken brakes. William was sitting in the kitchen with Michael. They both already knew everything. But neither of them knew how to tell Naomi and Chris about it. K'hadesh realized that he had probably croaked and it was a little his fault. It was kind of awkward for him, but it was kind of good. At least they got rid of one likely witness. But still none of them could understand only one thing.

What kind of dark magic is haunting the Afton family?