The police started moving forward to apprehend Mr. Charles, Dr. Jenkins, and Penelope. However, Nyx's heart was filled with disbelief and desperation as she moved to talk to her Aunt.
"Please, Auntie, tell me it isn't true," Nyx pleaded, desperately hoping for a different outcome.
"Nyx!" Ann called out urgently. "Come here!"
Penelope fixed Nyx with a stern, calm gaze before suddenly grabbing her by the neck and brandishing a knife dangerously close to her throat.
"Do not come any closer!" Penelope cried, her voice laced with desperation. "Or I will kill her!"
Nyx stood frozen, her mind reeling with disbelief. All the chaos that had unfolded within the mansion, the ghostly encounters, the deranged intruder, and Ann's suffering from hunger—all of it traced back to her own beloved aunt, who now held her life in her hands.
"Move, you foolish girl!" Penelope hissed, forcefully dragging Nyx along with her. The police attempted to reason with Penelope, pleading for her to release Nyx, but Penelope remained resolute. They proceeded toward the laboratory door, Penelope's grip never faltering.
As they passed through the door, Penelope shut it behind them. As they descended the stairs, Nyx's tears flowed uncontrollably.
"Auntie, please," Nyx sobbed, her voice choked with despair. "Please don't kill me, please..."
"Silence!" Penelope snapped, her voice low and unwavering. She forcefully threw Nyx to the laboratory floor and retrieved a pistol from the nearby table, pointing it directly at her trembling niece. "You are the cause of this entire mess. You must learn to stay out of matters meant for adults."
"I'm sorry, Auntie," Nyx sobbed, unable to contain her anguish. Her Aunt, with whom she had shared laughter and cherished moments, now held her life in her hands.
Penelope swiftly moved towards a large door, still aiming the pistol at Nyx. She opened it with haste. "Get in there quickly, you wretched child. And make no noise."
Nyx, her heart pounding with fear, complied with her Aunt's command, stepping into the dark abyss beyond the door, not knowing what fate awaited her.
Nyx followed her Aunt through the dimly lit corridor, trying to hold back her tears and remain silent. Penelope trailed behind her and locked the door behind her with robust latches. The passage stretched ahead, revealing boxes and shelves that lined the way.
"Wh-Where are you taking me, Auntie?" Nyx questioned, her voice trembling with fear.
"This is a secret passage," Penelope whispered, her tone hushed. "Only Charles and I know where it leads. You will stay with me until I board a ship bound for the Netherlands, where our wealth remains."
They continued their journey in silence, moving straight ahead before making a sharp 90-degree turn to the right. Nyx muttered under her breath, her words filled with desperation. "Dear God, please save me."
Unable to contain her emotions any longer, Nyx succumbed to her fear and burst into tears, her cries echoing through the passage. "Please, Auntie, I don't want to do this!"
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"Will you keep quiet!" Penelope hissed, her voice barely audible, as she maintained her grip on the pistol, ensuring Nyx's compliance.
"Nyx!" the voice of Ann echoed through the corridor. Nyx turned her head and noticed a small gap in the ceiling from where the voice was emanating.
"Keep moving!" Penelope urged Nyx, pushing her forward.
Nyx was on the verge of obeying when she heard the desperate cry, "No! Thomas, what are you doing?"
Suddenly, Thomas descended through the small gap, landing gracefully on his feet, facing Penelope with a determined expression. It was clear that the gap was too narrow for a grown man to fit through.
"Thomas?" Penelope exclaimed, her surprise evident.
A loud and resounding bang echoed from the massive door they had previously passed, but it was securely locked.
"Quickly, Nyx, keep moving!" Penelope shouted, extending her arm with the pistol pointed toward her niece.
However, Thomas positioned himself in front of Nyx, defying Penelope's intentions.
"Thomas?" Nyx whispered, astounded by his actions.
"What do you think you're doing, Thomas?" Penelope demanded. "Do you want me to shoot you?"
Undeterred, Thomas stood his ground and began to speak through tear-filled stammers, "My life... My life... was a lie." His voice quivered with intense emotion.
"Step aside, or I'll end your life!" Penelope screamed, her voice fraught with anger.
"I REFUSE!" Thomas cried, his voice filled with despair. "I NO LONGER WISH TO LIVE. IF NOT, THEN MAKE ME YOUR HOSTAGE INSTEAD!"
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? DO YOU TRULY SEEK DEATH?" Penelope bellowed. "Step aside! I have no use for you any longer. I require a girl as my hostage, not a boy."
Ann emerged from the small gap, wielding a musket rifle, her slender frame allowing her passage, Penelope flinched in surprise [https://img.wattpad.com/1913222860c295d2a2aef23d599e2aae055de60b/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f49386e4535595751526c346777673d3d2d313336303736333037352e313737316263636231636332306662323932373834343334303630392e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Ann emerged from the small gap, wielding a musket rifle, her slender frame allowing her passage, Penelope flinched in surprise. In a swift motion, Ann pushed Penelope to the ground and aimed the rifle at her.
"DO NOT DARE TO POINT YOUR WEAPON, OR I SHALL SHOOT YOU!" Ann screamed with fierce determination.
"You have murdered Seraphina, you are an abomination!" Ann's voice seethed with fury. "I will not let you escape the consequences of your actions."
"You were consumed by envy, weren't you?" Ann continued, her anger palpable. "You resented Seraphina for having a child and it filled you with such malice that you saw no other way but to end her life."
"Seraphina, that wretched girl," Penelope sneered, her voice laced with bitterness. "Parading her motherhood, carrying Thomas with utmost happiness while I remained childless. You cannot comprehend the pain it caused me, feeling undeserving of such happiness."
"Is that so?" Ann retorted sharply. "Do you not know that I, too, am incapable of bearing children? 15 years ago, when a doctor first informed me of this truth, it plunged me into deep despair, as motherhood had always been my cherished desire."
Penelope remained silent, unable to find a response.
"However," Ann continued, her voice filled with conviction, "I would never resort to murder out of envy. I shall never forgive you for what you have done to Seraphina."
Upon seeing Nyx and Thomas, Ann's voice trembled with urgency, "WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?! RUN!"
Penelope, however, was poised to aim her pistol at the young pair. Sensing the impending danger, Ann desperately clicked the trigger of her rifle, but to her dismay, no shot rang out.
She continued clicking the trigger, growing increasingly frantic, yet the weapon remained silent and inert.
A twisted laughter escaped Penelope's lips. "That was a mere prop, you foolish woman," she sneered.
Ann's nerves frayed as she kept futilely clicking the trigger, her gaze fixed upon Penelope with growing trepidation. The gravity of the situation hung heavily in the air.
Rising to her feet, Penelope steadied her pistol and fired two resounding shots. The sound echoed through the corridor, reverberating with finality.
Ann crumpled to the floor, life extinguished. Nyx stood frozen in horror, her eyes locked on the lifeless body of Ann.