Esther's Diary (Pages 15 to 16)

On October 3rd, after breakfast, Leo and I went to work and during the break he suggested a trip on Sunday, because we had a day off then. Of course, we needed to have our phone on anyway, and be ready for an emergency, but Leo hoped luck would be on our side this weekend. I agreed without hesitation, as I was still afraid to go home. So I suggested we go right after work, and Leo said yes. Of course, I had to pop into my apartment for a moment anyway to pick up some essentials, but I hoped it wouldn't be too bad. Unfortunately, in this case, the saying that hope is the mother of the fools has proved to be true.

I parked my car in front of the block and walked slowly up the stairs. When I stood in front of my apartment door, key in hand, I didn't move a muscle for about five minutes and listened, hesitating to open it. Then I got a text from Leo saying he was on the way to my place, so I had to open the door. I walked in quickly, switching on the light and it was thankfully working. Wearing my jacket and shoes, I burst into the bedroom, took a small travel bag from the wardrobe, packed it with a few clothes and a book without even looking at my laptop. Then I walked quickly from the bedroom to the bathroom, packing cosmetics and other hygiene products. Then I heard those whispers in my head again and they seemed to drill a hole in my brain. But this time I wasn't focusing on listening to them, they probably whispered the same thing as before. Panicked, I grabbed my bag and burst out of the bathroom, almost running towards the exit door. The lights went out again and I swear I saw some shadows walking around the living room when my gaze wandered that way. They seemed to be approaching the hallway, so without hesitating, I slung the bag over my shoulder, flew out into the hall, hastily closing the door with trembling hands, then ran down the stairs, but a little more carefully this time. After finally getting out of the building, I immediately saw Leo's car, and coming closer, also saw him behind the wheel. I got in the car, tossing the travel bag over the back seat and buckling the seatbelt. Of course, Leo started to ask if I was okay, he probably saw my face expression, but I assured him that everything is fine and we should go. Maybe I was a little rude while doing so, but I couldn't help it as I was still overcome by strong emotions. As we were leaving for the street, I looked at the windows of my apartment and again I had the impression that something moved in the bedroom window! I didn't open the window, so the curtain couldn't move by itself. Someone was there staring at me through the window, someone invisible. Plus, I was sure it was someone who didn't want the truth about the Scarlet Angels to come out. I don't know if that were those beings themselves, because I couldn't believe that any angels could haunt and scare people like this or get rid of them just to keep their existence a secret.

Anyways, we didn't go too far, just to the outskirts of Cardiff, to the coastal area, near Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve, and we stopped for the night at St. David's Hotel. There was a footpath, the Cardiff Bay Trail, that crossed the reserve from St. David's Hotel to the Yacht Club on the River Taff. We set off down this path the next day, on Sunday, October 4th, walked around the Cader Idris mountain and at the end there was a boardwalk that goes out into the water, which provided a good spot to observe the views so we could admire whole Cardiff Bay and the Wetlands Reserve from afar. Also it was really calm at this time of year, because there weren't too many people there. I have to admit that the peace and closeness of nature had a really soothing effect on me, I felt as relaxed as ever and forgot for a moment what was bothering me. Of course, my well-being made Leo very happy, there was an image of ineffable relief on his face. That made me happy too because I really didn't want him to worry so much about me. I felt a little guilty for putting him in this state, after all it was really my fault, because I could let go of this private 'investigation' about the existence of the Scarlet Angels, right? Unfortunately, I already knew then that after returning from our outing, everything would return to normal. I got into this mess and it was too late to go back.

Time passed quickly and it was already evening, time to return. There was work the next day so without a choice, we packed up and got into the car. Thankfully we managed to eat lunch at the hotel and pay for the night, of course. We were quickly in the centre of Cardiff, first Leo stopped in front of my block, then he drove to his place. I stumbled into the building unsteadily, clutching my travel bag strap. I walked slowly up the stairs and, keys in hand, in front of the door, I hesitated again. This time it took more than five minutes before I decided to open the door and go inside. Of course, the first thing I did was turn on the lights in every room I went into—first in the living room and kitchen, then the bathroom, but I skipped the bedroom. I returned to the living room, leaving my bag on the couch, then went to the kitchen to prepare my dinner. The evening went by calmly. I ate the ready-made dish in the living room while watching TV, but I didn't even look at the bedroom. The door to it was locked, of course. I had a weird feeling that as soon as I accidentally look inside, all these strange things would start happening again. I was even afraid to go to the bathroom as it meant I would have to pass by the bedroom, that's why I decided to skip the shower that day. I lay down on the couch, flipping channels on TV until late.

On Monday, October 5th, the day was quite ordinary and even a little bit boring. That is, until me and Leo got confirmation that we would be questioned at the first hearing the next day. I was very nervous about all this, and Leo tried to unskilfully lighten the atmosphere. He was REALLY bad at joking around, but it was kind of cute that he was trying to carry my spirits up. When Leo started asking me why I was sad again, I tried to reassure him that it was nothing. But he obviously couldn't be put off by just any answer, so at one point I poured out all my frustration. I suspect that had it not been for the fact that I had tears in my eyes, Leo would probably have started lecturing me again in that sceptical tone of his. Instead, he just hugged me and I didn't even think that I needed it that badly. Leo decided not to speak, not to judge me, but to simply show me some support this way. I was glad that this time our conversation on this topic did not end with a quarrel about whether what I hear and see is real or not.

When I got home in the evening, at first still avoided going into the bedroom. It wasn't until I walked past this room to go to the bathroom, and left after showering, that I realized that the anxiety I had felt before while approaching the bedroom suddenly disappeared. I stood in my bathrobe in front of the door for a while to make sure I wasn't feeling anything out of the ordinary and finally stepped inside. Of course, the first thing I did was turn on the light. Avoiding looking at my desk and laptop, I started cleaning up. I picked up a packet of half-eaten chips from my bed that I had left here few days before, then changed the sheets, got the clothes ready for tomorrow, and put on my pyjamas. Only then did I decide to go to the desk. I sat down in my chair and, after a moment's hesitation, turned it on. I didn't feel the same overwhelming fear as before, just a little nervous, so I decided to turn my laptop on. Everything seemed to be normal, but soon, I noticed that the search engine that was giving me access to the Deep Web and the unfortunate website about the Scarlet Angels was gone. All in all, I should be happy, because visiting this damn website only caused me problems, even though it fed my curiosity quite well.

Then I suddenly remembered something: that evening I had left my scarlet feather on the desk, the one that I had found in the apartment of would-be victim of the Mad Dog. It was neither on the desk nor in the drawers, nor under the desk or on the bookshelf. Then I also looked in and around the wardrobe, even under the bed or mattress. Nothing. It occurred to me that someone was definitely here in my absence, removed the search engine from my laptop, and took the scarlet feather, my only tangible proof that Scarlet Angels can really exist. Of course, how someone had gotten into my password-protected laptop was a mystery, but if that person could also get into the locked apartment on the fourth floor, I wasn't surprised. Plus, I was pretty sure the whispers I heard and the shadows I saw were also a part of this whole mystery.