Once in the guest bedroom, Frederick lay down on the plush mattress, observing the shadows cast by the candlestick on the wall in front of him. The rain had stopped abruptly, just as it had begun, and everything was eerily quiet. Perhaps too quiet for his liking.

He knew in advance that he wouldn't be able to sleep that night. Not after realizing that he was nothing but a fool, a deluded dreamer deceived by false visions that had compelled him to act absurdly, and, of course, unaware that just a few steps away lay the body of the poor man who had just lost his life due to his mistakes and stupidity.

After an hour of contemplation, and despite his own predictions, Fettes's body began to succumb to sleep, slow and subtle, haunted by the faces of Paris, his mother, even his own father in an advanced state of decay. They all stared at him with hostility as they slowly approached. The six hands reached out towards him, and the three figures moved as if they were mindless beings, devoid of their own thoughts.

Unfortunately, the cruel nightmares that demanded his defeat were overpowered by something even more terrifying: screams emanating from the hallway.

He jolted out of bed and rushed out of the room, where he immediately encountered Evangeline Dalburick. He would never forget the expression in her almond-shaped eyes, nor the strength and panic with which she grabbed his shirt.

"It's my husband!" she exclaimed. "My husband is calling for me! He's calling me from the beyond!"

Then, the name Evangeline was heard again, shouted by a hoarse and powerful voice that seemed to lament intense pain.

"Come here, Evangeline!"

"Oh, my God! We're going to die! Paris will take us to Hell with him! We're going to die! We're going to die, Mr. Fettes!"

"Calm down, Evangeline, please!" he shook her. "He was probably alive."

"It's impossible, impossible!" the woman cried. "I am absolutely certain he was dead."

"Stay calm, I will find out what's happening, wait here..."

The woman nodded, covering her mouth with her hands in, an attempt to contain the scream of terror that was lodged in her throat. Suffocating.

Slowly, Fettes approached the main bedroom where the screams grew even louder. As soon as he entered, the sight of Paris sitting on the bed, looking at him, left him stunned.

Paris smiled serenely upon seeing him enter the room.

—Well... it's about time you arrived.

—M-Mr. Dalburick? —The man furrowed his brow, confused.

—No longer.

—What are you talking about?

—Paris? —Evangeline cautiously entered the room, hesitant to distance herself from the lawyer.

— I have just wrestled control of this body against the person you speak of, and I emerged victorious.

—Who are you? —the woman asked, hiding behind the breathless young man.

—My name is Benjamin Fettes —he said, and a solemn smile crept onto his lips.

As those words escaped his mouth, Frederick lunged towards him without hesitation, embracing him affectionately. He didn't even mind seeing that unfamiliar and stone-like face. Something in his eyes told him that this was none other than his own father.

—It worked, father! I managed to bring you back from the dead!

Evangeline pressed her fingers to her lips, surprised by what was unfolding before her. But then, when coldness once again took hold of her thoughts, a smile appeared on her lips. If that were true, then she could finally be free; she could continue to enjoy the luxuries and comforts she possessed and had grown so accustomed to. And most importantly, she could marry the man she had loved for the past five years; she could see him without worrying about prying eyes, no longer needing to keep their relationship a secret.

—But I won't be able to stay for long, my son. At most, maybe until tomorrow afternoon. We need to complete the ritual properly.

—What are you talking about?

—So, I was right, weren't I, father? Those visions I had were from you. You know what to do.

—That's correct, son. I wanted to spend more time with you; I couldn't rest in peace knowing I left my little Fred. But listen carefully, we must act quickly, or we won't have more time together, understood? I need you to go to the forest and get a deer. The size doesn't matter much, but it must be fresh.

—Do you want Frederick to go hunting for a deer now? —the woman interjected.

—No, my dear, I'm afraid you haven't understood... he can't go alone. You are part of the ritual too, you both initiated it, and you both must conclude it. Unfortunately, I can't help you, so you'll have to go alone.

—But...

—Of course, we'll do it! —Evangeline fixed her gaze in Frederick—. Please, you must help me. It's the last thing you'll have to do to free yourself from your husband, Evangeline. If we don't do it, we both will have lost, and you'll be utterly ruined. Everything will have been in vain.

That dire prediction served as an incentive for the woman to decide to comply with the peculiar request. So, without further hesitation, they ventured into the forest adjacent to the late Dalburick's vast estate, in search of the unfortunate creature that would serve as the sacrifice.

They left the mansion in the early hours of the morning. Their steps were the only intruders in the sepulchral silence that enveloped the surroundings.

To venture into the forest, they had to cross a steep hill that left them exhausted when they were barely halfway up. Amid slips and scares, they managed to climb the inclined slope slowly.

The winter cold seeped through their clothing, attempting to overcome them. However, once they reached the edge of the forest, they both smiled with satisfaction upon finding a young deer wandering between a couple of dry trees that the storm had surely separated from the herd.

The deer couldn't be seen clearly, but Fettes trusted his instincts and asked Evangeline for the pistol she had taken from her now deceased husband's belongings. He swiftly loaded the weapon, aware that he would only have one chance to kill the deer, or else he would scare it to death, and they would have to venture into the forest again to find a new specimen with the same characteristics as that one. It was already fortunate enough that such a small deer was right on the edge of the forest, so they couldn't waste that opportunity.

Frederick firmly planted both feet on the ground and, once he had the young deer in his sights, he had no hesitation in pulling the trigger. A shot to the head was the last thing the creature felt and saw before it fell violently onto the damp grass.

As expected, the journey back was much more arduous and treacherous, especially when navigating the steep slope, they had to descend with the deer in tow.

The rain began to fall again, albeit slowly, under the dismayed gaze of Evangeline, who was not accustomed to such physical exertion in such a short time. Nevertheless, she remained resolute despite constant falls and stumbles; she had to do it, or else all her efforts up to that point would be meaningless in the face of the ruin that would befall her.

Once back in the dark mansion, both Frederick and his weary companion were surprised to find everything perfectly illuminated. The place seemed serene and immaculate, as if no torrid crime had taken place, ending the life of a poor innocent being right within those very walls and not long ago.

Fettes carried the deer, exerting all the strength he could muster, to the point where his cheeks turned red, and he roughly threw it onto the rectangular table in front of him.

Evangeline couldn't help but let out a small protest as she saw the bleeding animal on top of her expensive and delicate dark mahogany dining table. She was on the verge of expressing her displeasure when Paris Dalburick emerged from the dimly lit corridor that led to the spacious kitchen, holding a pair of glasses and a bottle of wine in his hands. He had put on the deceased Paris's velvet robe and worn the expensive cotton slippers.

"Excellent!" he exclaimed as soon as he saw the deer. "A bit small for my taste, but it's a splendid specimen, no doubt about that." He placed the glasses and the bottle on the table, right next to the carcass. He smiled triumphantly, brimming with a restrained joy that only Frederick could sense.

"What do we do now, Father?" Frederick asked with a hint of enthusiasm. He hadn't fully recovered from the exhausting journey to the forest, but his overwhelming excitement was too evident and powerful to not rejuvenate him.

Paris gave a mysterious smile. "Now? Well, now you must eat it," he said calmly.

"What?!"

"Yes, I know... repulsive but necessary, my lady. All the vitality and strength of that animal will pass into your bodies, and that way, you'll have the power needed to complete the unfinished ritual up there. Otherwise, the spell will only last until dawn, and this body will return to its rightful owner, unharmed, as if nothing had happened."

"No, Father, that won't happen!"

"Mr. Fettes!"

"Please, you have to help me! Don't you understand that this is the most important thing in my life? I never had my father with me, and this is my chance to share some time with him. We've come this far, Mrs. Dalburick; we can't abandon everything when we're so close to success. Just a little more effort, and I assure you, tomorrow all of this will be over, and you'll be free."

Evangeline lowered her gaze and stared at the damp fur of the dead animal. She needed to be free at last, to rid herself completely of her useless and despicable husband. She yearned for it more than anything in the whole world.

Until that moment, there was no reason not to obey the orders of the man she had seen die and come back from beyond, even though the idea of looking at herself eating the raw animal seemed inconceivable.

Dalburick seemed to notice her wavering and immediately produced a thin, sharp kitchen knife hidden in his pants, extending it to the recent widow.

"You should start, if you please."

Evangeline blinked several times as she nervously took hold of the handle of the silver knife. She swallowed and, looking at both men in front of her, she crouched down, hesitating and anguished. She disgustingly observed the deer's corpse near her face. Its small tongue protruded from the open snout, and the slightly opened eyes seemed to gaze at her with intensity and reproach.

Under the pressure of the men's stares, Evangeline directed the blade of the knife towards the stomach and pressed it—softly at first, then with desperation as she realized it didn't cause any harm. This time, the blood subtly dripped onto the animal's dark skin, and a few spurts eager to escape jumped onto her face, forcing her to turn her head in desperation.

"Perhaps the tongue would be better," interrupted Benjamin in the voice of the deceased husband.

"The... tongue?" she asked, timidly.

"Yes, of course. I suppose it will have a much more pleasant texture than the hairy skin. Let me see..." He approached the animal and delicately snatched the knife from the woman's pale hands. Then he stretched the deer's tongue and cut a good piece of it. "Here you go," he said, handing it to Evangeline. He promptly removed one of the eyes with the help of the knife and offered it to Frederick. "My son, please, appease your father."

Frederick didn't hesitate for a moment. He took the slippery and slimy eye and swallowed it as if it were a juicy and exquisite ripe fruit. Juices dribbled from his lips and stained his chin as he chewed it over and over, but Fettes continued devouring the organ without even displaying a hint of disgust.

It wasn't the same for Evangeline, who at that moment attempted to bite into the rough and sticky tongue, making superhuman efforts not to vomit right there.

Paris Dalburick watched them, pleased with their sacrifice and sporting a wide smile from ear to ear. "Now, eat everything!" he exclaimed. "Absolutely everything! That way, I will live forever!"

Frederick was the first to obey. He snatched the knife from his father's hands, made a large incision, and stretched a sizable piece of meat, promptly placing it in his mouth as if it were a delicious delicacy he had been longing to taste.

Evangeline observed the young man with a clear display of disgust, wondering how on earth he was able to eat that with such tranquility and indifference. But Paris drew her attention with a slight cough. He looked at her kindly and pointed to the animal with a half-smile on his face, opening and closing his mouth, imitating the act of chewing.

She approached Fettes, overwhelmed by the gaze of the man who had been her husband and executioner just a few hours ago. It was true; she couldn't find Paris in those blue eyes. Nervously, she looked at the chopped-up animal and started tearing off small pieces of meat and offal, consuming them with increasing disgust until her body couldn't take it anymore, and she vomited everything she had eaten.

"Oh, my dear!" exclaimed gentle Benjamin. "Come, have a glass of wine. It will do you good."

She took it and drank hastily.

"More..." she pleaded, almost breathless.

"Of course, of course. I opened this bottle especially for the two of you," he said and poured again and again until Evangeline had quenched her thirst. Frederick joined her shortly after, drinking the entire bottle.

"Well, it seems you were quite thirsty," Benjamin smiled.

After drinking and consuming the repulsive raw deer, they went upstairs to sleep for the remaining hours of the early morning, urged on by the man who kept expressing gratitude for their sacrifice.