Chapter 8 - The Cellar Door
Ethan felt his entire world violently crash down around him for a second time.
He refused to believe that the woman he mourned was still breathing.
He demanded that Celeste take him to the freighter immediately to prove her insane claim.
Richard laughed and pressed the cold barrel of his pistol against Ethan's temple.
Celeste ordered Richard to bring him along, confident that Ethan was completely broken.
They forced Ethan to walk down the creaking wooden pier toward the massive, rusted ship.
Ethan subtly signaled for Sarah to run away and find the real police.
Sarah nodded tearfully and vanished silently into the maze of shipping containers.
They boarded the decaying freighter and descended into the dark, damp cargo hold.
The air inside the ship was heavy, smelling of rust and stale seawater.
Celeste led them to a heavy steel door that was locked from the outside with a thick chain.
She pulled a brass key from her pocket and unlocked the heavy padlock.
She told Ethan that his beloved wife had been waiting for him for over a year.
Ethan kicked the heavy door open, his heart pounding violently in his chest.
The small room was dimly lit by a single, swinging yellow bulb.
A woman was sitting in a wooden chair with her back completely turned to the door.
She was wearing the exact same floral dress Clara wore on the day she supposedly died.
Ethan called out Clara's name, his voice breaking with overwhelming emotion.
The woman slowly stood up and turned around to face him in the dim light.
Ethan stepped backward, feeling a sudden surge of pure, unadulterated rage.
The woman standing in front of him was absolutely not Clara.
It was a terrified stranger wearing a blonde wig and Clara's stolen clothes.
Ethan instantly realized Celeste had lied simply to torture him mentally.
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He spun around and grabbed the heavy metal flashlight from Richard's belt.
He swung it with all his might, striking Richard squarely across the jaw.
