Maria

Growing up I was pretty close with all my cousins. With the exception of Maria. I wouldn’t call her the “black sheep” of the family because she wasn’t disobedient or mean spirited or anything. She was just quiet and awkward. She was the only “only child” in our extended family and also the only one with divorced parents. During family events instead of playing with the rest of us she was be glued to her dad. I tried to reach out to her to join in but she always avoids eye contact and said “no thank you” in a quiet meek voice. My mom told me she was on the autism spectrum.As we got older she became a little more open but she was always still reserved. We ended up going to the same high school and she had friends. We were in different social circles but she did have her own friends. Namely an obnoxious boy who looked like he didn’t know what personal hygiene was, a tiny androgynous art kid who was always covered in paint and known for submitting suggestive projects, and an outspoken goth girl who was in my honors classes. At that point in my life I just didn’t really think about Maria. We were two different people with different lives who happened to share some DNA.Eventually we graduated and we all went off to college. After that Maria stopped appearing at family events. I didn’t really think much of it. She was always uncomfortable during them and I figured since she was an adult her dad no longer forced her to come. I overheard my mom asking her dad about her. Apparently she had some problems at college and ended up dropping out. Nobody was really surprised.One morning I stopped at a coffee shop on my way to my shitty office job when a woman tapped me on the shoulder.“Hey, are you Taylor Smith?” She asked. “I’m Bridget Laurent. We were in classes together in high school?”“Yeah.” I said turning around and smiling politely. “How are you?”“I’m ok.” She didn’t seem ok. “Hey this might be a weird question but do you know how your cousin Maria is doing?”“No. I’m sorry” I shook my head. “Nobody’s really heard from her in a couple years. I think she’s still at her moms”“Ok…” Bridget said biting her lip. She pulled out a notepad and pen. She wrote something and handed it to me. “This is my phone number. If you hear from her can you call me??“Ok/” I said, nodding.“Thank you.” She nodded, taking her coffee and leaving the shop.A few months have passed when I got a call from my mother.“hey . Did you see today's newspaper?” My mother asked gravely.‘No I don’t really follow the news. It depresses me” I said.“Your cousin, Maria. She was murdered.” She said. “The funeral is Wednesday. Please try to make it. Your uncle is devastated, he really needs the support.”“Murdered?!” I asked.“The authorities think it was The Virgin Killer.” My mother said. She sounded shaken.I didn’t really pay attention to the news or true crime because it just made me depressed and anxious. I had heard of The Virgin Killer, however. I had overheard some of my coworkers talking about it. Over the past two years there had been an active serial killer. All the victims were discovered to be virgins through the autopsies and had their blood drained from their bodies. Apparently Maria had been found in those conditions. I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone. I figured Bridget would probably want to come to the funeral.The funeral arrived and I saw Beiget come in and stand awkwardly in the back. I figured I should approach her since I was the only person there she knew.“Hey.” I said holding up my hand. “You can sit with me and my siblings,” I offered.“No thank you/” She said, holding in tears. “I’m okay back here” I nodded and returned to my seat.The funeral was an open casket. She wore a white dress with a high collar. Her face looked like it was made from porcelain. Her wavy long brown hair was brushed out and layed gracefully around her body. She didn’t really look like herself. Her hair had always been unkept and her always had at least a small amount of acne. She would never have chosen a dress in that style for herself. I wondered who dressed her, probably her mother. The ceremony opened and the priest said some rites and sprinkled water on the body. After the holy water was placed, small plums of steam admitted from the coffin. The crowd gasped. The priest continued the ceremony like it didn’t happen. The rest of the ceremony went as a typical catholic ceremony.After the burial I approached the funeral director.“Hey what was with the steam?” I asked. “Was it some kind of chemical reaction?”“I suppose” he said. He seemed just as baffled as me. “Honestly I’ve never seen something like that before maybe there was something wrong with the holy water”Before I left for the luncheon I went over the Bridget again and told her I was sorry for her loss and that my family would welcome her to the luncheon. She shook her head and told me she just wanted to come to the funeral and burial. I nodded in understanding and told her goodbye.A few days after I was awoken to a loud knock on the door to my studio apartment. I slowly got up and walked towards the door. There was another loud knock.“Police!” A loud masculine voice called from behind the door. I scrambled to open the door.“Sorry, Officer” I apologized.“We just needed to ask you a few questions” The officer told me,“Ok” I said calmly. I didn’t do anything but I also didn’t hear any gunshots or screams so i had no idea what this could be about.“You attended the funeral of one Maria Smith?” He asked evenly.“Yes. She’s my cousin. Did something happen?” I was confused.“Her grave was found decorated and her body is missing. Do you know who would do something like this?” He asked.“No...I have no idea. I don’t think she had any enemies, she didn’t even really have friends” I was shocked.“Alright, well here’s my direct number if you find any information about it.” He handed me a slip of paper, tipped his hat and walked away.I called my mom,“Hey is Uncle Charlie ok?” I asked. “I ..heard what happened. I feel so sorry for him. He’s suffered enough losing his only child.”“He’s...not doing so great. He’s actually been staying with me. His ex wife called saying she SAW Maria and that was before they found the grave” My mother replied.“Did Aunt Karen do it?” I asked. My uncle’s ex wife had always had a few screws loose.“No.” My mom sounded certain. “They searched her house. Besides she’s too frail to be able to do that.” It was true Karen was going through chemo which had left her frail.‘Who do you think-” I started and was cut off.“I have no idea. Maybe the murderer but that doesn’t really seem like the Virgin Killer MO” She whispered.Later that day I received a text from Birgid. She wanted to talk to me in person. I agreed to meet up with her.We met up at a coffee shop the next day. I arrived first and took a table in a back corner. I figured she wanted privacy. I ordered two black coffees, She came in and spotted me. She looked shaken. She took a seat across from me and took a sip of the black coffee. Her hands were shaking and some of the coffee spilled out.‘Ok. So this is going to sound insane.” She said. “But...I SAW her. And at first I thought I was just grieving and my mind was playing tricks on me. Then I heard her body was missing and I just..” She trailed off.“I understand,” I said, trying to be as calm and rational as I could. “My aunt said she was her too. Maybe someone is trying to mess with her parents?”“Maybe.” She nodded. “I want to find out who thought. She was my best friend in highschool and I blame myself honestly. I shouldve made more of an effort to reach out to her.”“It’s not your fault.” I said sympathetically. “It’s nobody’s fault except that bastard that killed her.”Brigif nodded, as we stared into her cup. She started to get up.“I’m- going to find out who did this. Call me if you find any information.” She said, as she left. The shop.The sun was setting as I walked back to my apartment. It was fall so it was setting earlier and earlier. The streetlights started kicking on and the sun had set completely about halfway through my walk. Off in the distance I saw a young woman in a dirty white dress standing. She had long messy brown hair that was fluttering in the light autumn breeze. She looked a little like Maria but I was probably just imagining things. Everything was just starting to get to my head. I looked away and continued my trek home. My curiosity got the better of me and I looked over again. She was closer. And I got there faster than she should have been able to travel. I could make her out better now. She definitely looked like Maria. Just..wrong. She was wearing the dress she was buried in but it was now caked in dirt and dried blood. Her fingernails were long and dirty. I couldn't really make out her face as her tangled mess of hair was covering most of it. I started walking faster. When I arrived at the entrance to my apartment building she caught up with me. Now I was close enough to see her face. Her skin was a deathly white, one of her eyes appeared to be burned out as well as a speckling of small burn scars across her face. Her mouth and neck were caked in blood. Her non burned out eye was a demonic red. She reached out to me.“Help..me” She croaked out in a dry voice.I ran inside and called the police officer’s direct number. I was directed to a voice mail so I hung up and dialed 9-11. I was rattled and I told the operator what I saw as coherently as I could. After ten minutes of convincing them that it wasn’t a prank they agreed to send a police officer. They arrived at my door, annoyed saying they didn’t find anything and not to waste their time. I kept pleading so I was taken away and put in an involuntary hold at a mental hospital. Nobody believes me but I know what I saw. via /r/libraryofshadows https://ift.tt/2HppeYo