This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/dontshowtell on 2023-08-10 13:02:34.
“Don’t worry, Dad, You’ll be alright. Just breathe,” I say as my dad exhales for the last time, leaving a forever-haunting smirk on his face.
It happened in the 1990s, when the world was constricted by an epidemic then called GRID, now AIDS.
Whoever died under unknown circumstances was labelled a parasite, and the parasite family was bullied like shit.
As my father passed away, the whole village restricted everyone from touching or entering our house. We were given a small piece of land located to the west, where my uncle and I dug a grave and buried him.
Getting groceries was a tough battle, especially when there was a Taboo Swirling around you.
I always remember my father saying before passing away, “You can’t stop what’s coming, which is definitely unholy to the people. Oh, my dear daughter, you better leave the village in the next 24 hours; I can see the Forthcoming.”
I would have left the village if situations were in my way. But no one was willing to give a ride to the bus station, and it’s better not to talk about the judgmental passengers.
As the time passed by, I realised it had been exactly a day since my father passed away and the warning he left me.
Sitting by the window, watching the sun set, I slowly fell asleep.
I woke up to the scream of a lady outside my house, crying. As I was taking a peek through the window, I could see people gathering, forming a crowd near the Tree.
Drawn by curiosity, I gently sprint down and go near the crowd.
Amidst the chaos, I saw a man and a woman hanging from the tree. “Why would someone even think of harming my son?” The mother of the dead person cried.
The village was on high alert because it was the first time they had witnessed something like this.
"Whoever killed Alex will definitely have to pay the price,‘’ a guy from the crowd screamed.
I immediately went in and locked myself up. Every time I walk past my dad’s room, his memories crawl back to me, haunting the peace. I always used to think how funny life is when I remember talking to my father the other day, and now he doesn’t even exist anymore!
The next day, when I woke up and went outside the house, I got to know that three more people had been found dead last night.
Chaos erupted in the village. “Maybe there’s a ghost haunting the village,” one of the villagers said. “Nah, definitely some Serial killer on the loose,” Another guy replied.
The Head of the village ordered everyone to stay indoors and asked us to report anything that was doubtful or related to the crime to the police.
I always believed that if you want to move on, you have to get out of your house and travel. Go on a journey. But In my case, I was restricted from even stepping out of the house. Dealing with the haunting memories of my father, stagnated in a room, was Pain in the ass.
The next day, two of the villagers reported that they saw a lady lurking near the lake nearby. Immediately, the villagers checked out the place and found another dead infant.
“Holy sh*t, There’s someone haunting the village!” The people screamed.
The family of the deceased was also informed about an unknown lady passing through their house.
The villages decided to be divided Into groups and perform a search operation at night.
Witnessing the mayhem, I closed the windows and started praying to the Lord.
Later that night It was 2am when I got up to get some water. As I opened the refrigerator door, the cold breeze consoled me.
When I finished drinking, I felt something behind me. My Tremors started going wild.
The breathing became heavier, and the sweat mimicked a mini waterfall. I realised that the window behind me had been kept open.
The refrigerator’s breeze was comforting, but the window’s squall was discomforting.
I could hear someone trying to sneak in by pounding the window.
As the heartbeat paced up, I gently turned behind and saw someone, presumably a lady, running away from the window.
I sprinted, closed the windows, and made sure to close the other ones as well, before going upstairs.
I couldn’t believe that I spent that whole night without even taking a piss.
The next day, when I confronted the villagers, informing them about the incident that happened last night, I observed that they weren’t surprised as another five people were murdered the same way last night. All Of them were found hanging.
The police were shocked by the brutality of the murderer.
I always felt like someone was watching me—stalking me, to be honest—the whole time.
Though everyone felt safe inside the homes, I felt extremely constrained. I wish my dad was with me at that time.
It Was 8 In the night when I got out of my house to go near the place where my dad was buried, As I Was missing him badly.
As I stepped out, all I could see was police patrolling. No one was around, so it was extremely easy for me to go the forest route.
The place where we buried our father was near the lake, towards the west. The whole village felt abandoned. Imagine Silence fetched over 100 Miles!
Walking by the lake was refreshing to the ears. The closer I get to the grave, the more wet my eyes get.
I couldn’t control my tears, imagining the pain and agony he went through before passing away.
The blurry vision suddenly witnessed something that wasn’t blurry anymore.
When I reached the burial spot, I found out that someone had dug up his grave.
Amidst the shock, when I took a peek Into the grave, I didn’t find my father’s body but instead found his clothes.
“What the…?” I Mumble as I see a letter inside the grave. When I opened it, it said…
“I knew you would be here; I told you to escape. I did not want my daughter to witness her own father committing sin. Now that you have found out the truth, I plead with you to leave the place and never look back again. Growing up in this village, they always shared pain with me; now it’s my time.”
“This village took away my sexual freedom, in the form of purity. Now they have to Repent for their deeds. I don’t want you to be a part of this, so just leave the past and move to the city.”
“I always loved you, and my blessings will be with you forever. Now that you’re here, please bury the pit again. I’ll miss you forever. Good bye.”.
That was the letter written by my dad. I didn’t know what to feel. Should I be happy that he’s alive or sad that he’s turned into a demon? In a state of quest, I return home.
The whole night, I was losing it because of the dilemma I was in.
The same night, police found another guy dead, whose throat was slit.
For the greener pastures, I packed my bags and started retreating barefoot, escaping the police, watching the village burn with quest and chaos.
It’s been 33 years since I left that shithole. Though I still couldn’t move on from the past, my dad really helped me get through all the trauma. He’s now nearing 90 and has enjoyed most of his life.
He always keeps on reminding me that sometimes death paves a way for new beginnings.’