The days past slowly as we sent out the invites and set up all the wedding details. Finally the day arrived. We all dressed in our best and headed out I left first as to not see the bride until the ceremony per request of her mother. 

Alfread volunteered to bring her to the chapel when the time was right. I walked up the coblestone street towards the chapel.

I whistled a tune softly today the ghosts were the farthest thing from my mind. I walked up the hill and entered into the chapel where I would wait a few minutes for everyone to arrive. I stood next to the alter and flipped through a hymn book to pass the last bit of time.

One by one the guests poured in. Some where friends others where neighbors, they all shook my hand offering their congratulations. I thanked all of them and the priest entered the room.

The organ began to play and everyone stood up awaiting to see the bride. People began to glance around when she did not enter. Suddenly the doors swung wide open revealing a bloody Alfread.

"Alfread," I cried, "brother pray tell what has happened to you and the bride?"

"Elizabeth shrieked that she saw a ghost then went into a frenzy clawing and kicking. She ran off towards the woods around the chapel. 

"We must find her and make sure she is all right," I said running down the aisle towards my brother, "any man who is able I ask that you'll aid me in each for Elizabeth."

A large group of men volunteered and we all raced out of the chapel and back to our houses to get hunting dogs. I ran inside the house running up the stairs to grab something with her scent. I rummaged through Elizabeths chest and pulled out the red ribbon she had worn in her hair the day before.

Running back down the stairs I met the men outside. They had all gathered their dogs and I put the ribbon out for all of them to sniff. 

They began to sniff the ground and went up in a series of howls when they caught her scent. We ran after them following them over the hill and past the chapel into the woods. We ran for a time but then the hounds became confused and ran in separate directions.

The party split up and ran opposite of each other. After a time we all crashed back into each other with no luck. By that time a few hours had past and we were becoming increasingly worried. 

Still the hounds were divided and we decided to go around one more time. I went down a path with half of the group when I spotted something hanging on a branch.  Moving over I plucked it up and found that it was a torn piece of fabric from Elizabeths wedding dress.

Another man saw the piece and hollered to the others, "Oi Williams found something!"

We let the hounds sniff the fabric and for the first time in a few hours headed in the same direction. 

After sometime I stopped running with the group since I had noticed Alfread wasn't with us anymore. 

"Hey Alfread is gone!" I shouted to the party.

We took a moment to search for him but quickly decided Elizabeth was of higher priority.

"Don't worry he's probably just slow he looked like he had taken quite the beating."

We continued moving when we heard a scream.

"WILLIAM HELP! HELP ALFREADS GOT ME!" Elizabeth cried.

We all charged in fury to the sound of Elizabeths voice, and soon came to a clearing and a little cabin. I could see Alfread inside one of the windows but couldn't see nor here Elizabeth. 

We ran to the cabin and broke down the door. I ran inside with a few other men and shook with fury and shock when I came face to face with my brother. 

"Where is she!" I yelled as lunged for Alfread grabbing the collar of his shirt. He chuckled at me "Are you going to kill me brother?"

"I damn well just might, where the bloody hell is she!"

His eye's changed as he narrowed them to to thin slits "Do you think you deserve her William?" he snarled at me.

"Whether I do or not is not your concern!"

"Huh, you never proved that you loved her what did you do you teased her. I proved that I loved her."

"What are you saying?"

His head fell back as he laughed, my brother was a mad man. "Oh Brother I thought it was obvious I'm the one who killed all those people, I did it for her. Oh William why does she not love me?" He wailed.

"God Damn it Alfread you've gone bloody mad!" I hollered as I shook him by his collar, "tell me where she bloody is!"

"My Eliza doesn't love me. She loves you instead!" he growled, "I couldn't have that I had to make it so she wouldn't love you anymore."

"Alfred what did you do!"

his eyes moved to the rug. I and one of the men moved to pull it back. We puled the rug back revealing a worn out trap door. The man bashed it open with a crowbar and another one of them climbed down.

We heard nothing from him, the only sound was Alfread's continuous pattern of laughing then sobbing.

"You are a fool too brother."

"So what if I am?" I barked.

"You are studying medicine yet you found no trace of the poison I was slipping into your foods!"

"Poison?"

"You didn't really think ghosts were real did you?"

"You would poison your own family! You poisoned Elizabeth to the near point of madness?"

"Yes, to prove my love for her."

"Mad bloody mad you are! You think murder will get her to love you, she'll see you for what you are."

"And what is that dear brother?"

"A monster! A monster is exactly what you are a vile human being not fit to walk upon gods good earth."

A few noises came from the trap door as the man climbed back up. Everyone in the room turned towards the door hoping to see Elizabeth following behind. When the man emerged his face was pale and my heart thumped inside my chest.

"Well?" I asked straining to keep my voice steady.

The man turned to look at me and uttered the three words that would haunt me for the rest of my days.

"Elizabeth is dead."