Melrika ran towards the screams across the square. She hurried to get there because the voice screaming belonged to her younger sister. Asuqim followed her.
- Help! Help! Another one... Another one...
Even before entering the main door of the Kamshir house, she knew what her sister was referring to. Another murder had been committed, for the second night in a row; and she feared that it would not be a loose case. The rest of the village still hadn't woken up. Some never would.
The door was open and one of the windows was broken, which created a slight draft that ruffled the curtains. The voices came from the master bedroom.
"Please, please don't be the little one…" she thought as she made her way there. Her neighbors' daughter was very sweet and a friend of her sister, Kalloca.
She leaned against the door and noticed that Mr. Kamshir lay on the bed and Jiama, the daughter, wept on his chest. The poor thing had lost her mother a few years before and now she was an orphan. Some people are unlucky in life.
- What happened? - she asked Kalloca
- It seems that she woke up in the morning and her father was already like this...
Her sister Kalloca, who was a little taller than her, got up and went to the door, pulling them both towards the entrance.
- From what I could observe, he died in his sleep and did not suffer anything.
- Any sign of the weapon used? - asked Mel
- No. I don't even think a weapon was used...
- What about the broken window? Someone used it to unlock the door...
- That was me, when I heard Jiama's screams, and couldn't get in. - replied Kal - It was the only thing I thought of.
That made sense, actually. In fact, the only thing that didn't make sense was the consecutive deaths, with no cause in sight.
- What could it be? Do you think our water could have been poisoned?
- It's that demonic box, I tell you. - Asuqim intervened for the first time, pointing to the outside - Since it appeared, two days ago, it has already killed more people than the last plague...
She could see the box by the well outside. A simple hard paper box that no one could open.
- That's why I think it could have poisoned our well. It's right next to it...
- Until we manage to open it, we will never know. - said Asuqim
- What if it's worse? - Kal asked
- Let's find out, then! - Mel said, picking up the sword that was leaning against the wall between the two rooms.
Without the other two being able to react, she started to run towards the well. The grains of sand crunched and cracked under her feet as she stepped out into the middle of the village's central square.
When she got close enough to the box, she raised the sword above her head and let it fall, putting all her strength behind that blow. Her intention was to split it in half.
The sword barely touched a corner of the lid for a moment before the box gave a strong thrust back, sending Melrika flying backwards until she hit the Kamshir's house again, leaving her unconscious.
