I stumbled forward, my throat hoarse and aching. "Excuse me, isn't this supposed to be a cemetery? How did it change like this? Where did the people buried here go?"
The man frowned in confusion, then his brow relaxed as he pointed to a small hill not far away. "This used to be a cemetery, but the Watsons surveyed the land and found the geological conditions were good, so they used it to grow mushrooms."
A girl weeding nearby looked up, her eyes full of envy. "Yeah, I heard it's because Mrs. Watson's lover is in poor health, so she spent a fortune to buy this land for him."
In the distance, Phoebe guiltily looked away.
Jose kindly reminded me, "Don't worry. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to find your parents' ashes, so I specifically had them placed at the top of the hill."
My mind went completely blank and my legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
I ran towards the hill without looking back, but then it started to rain heavily out of nowhere. The raindrops stung my skin and I collapsed to my knees in the mud, exhausted.
The entire mountainside was buried under shattered gravestones, the names worn down and impossible to read.
But then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the faint letters Garrison. I dropped to my knees and frantically clawed at the sharp, broken stones.
Excruciating pain shot through my fingers as every wound on my body burst open, followed by a bone-deep agony spread within me.
I cried until my voice was hoarse and my vision blurred. "I'm sorry … I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. It's all my fault. I never knew people's true nature."
The rain intensified and a thick fog began to rise in the mountains.
Soon, Phoebe's worried voice drifted from behind me. "Hans, where are you?"
Unfortunately, Jose found me first. His hidden malice surfaced clearly in his eyes.
That man's sharp fingernails dug into my wound. Then, he viciously gripped my neck and shook me violently. "Hans, why on earth did you come back? If you just died, Phoebe would only have eyes and heart for me."
I couldn't breathe and I was dragged to the edge of the slope like a dead dog.
In my blurry vision, I saw Phoebe getting closer.
At the same time, Jose whispered provocatively in my ear. "Hans, guess who she'll choose this time?"