The three individuals stood huddled together, their faces arose with fear and confusion. Each of them was wondering the same thing - why weren't George and Jules opening the door? Had something happened to them? The uncertainty of the situation hung in the air, thick and unsettling.

All of a sudden, three of them heard the creaking sound of a door opening at the motel entrance door. By the sound, everyone turned towards the entrance door.

George walked into the motel, his face tense. Alex rushed towards him and asked, "What were you doing outside?"

George's eyes turned to him and hastily replied, "Alex, when the network signal started working again, I called my mom, but the signal wasn't stable, so I went outside to get a better signal. And I just got to know that somebody has just stabbed Lily. Did anybody have seen the killer?"

"No, we were in our rooms when the incident took place," Emily said as she approached George.

Then George takes a peek at everyone around him. His eyes were searching for someone who wasn't there. "Where is Mrs. Jules?" George asked.

"She is not opening her room's door?" Emma said while knocking on the door again.

George, Alex, and Emily rushed to Jules's room with a sense of urgency. Their hearts were pounding as they approached the door. Emma and George both began to knock on the door while calling out Jules's name, hoping to get a response. However, there was no answer. After two to three minutes of continued banging on the door, George glanced at everyone and said, "I think we should break this door. What say?"

"Yes, we should break this door," Alex agreed, his voice trembling with worry.

Feeling the gravity of the situation, Emma and Emily quickly backed off from the door, giving George and Alex space to break it down. The tension in the air was palpable as they prepared to force their way into the room.

Alex and George strained against the door, pushing frantically with all their might. Slowly but surely, the door began to give way, tiny cracks appearing along its surface. With each slam, the cracks grew wider and wider until finally, with a resounding crack, the door split in two.

As they peeked into the room, a sense of relief washed over them. However, they found themselves engulfed in complete darkness. The room was pitch black and there was no source of light and even the single window was closed with the curtains.

Emily, bewildered, wondered aloud, "Why is this room so dark?" George, equally puzzled, chimed in, "The power isn't out, so why hasn't she turned on the light switch?"

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream pierced through the silence, shaking everyone to their core. George frantically searched for the light switch on the wall as he stepped into the room, determined to uncover the source of the scream. Once he found the switch, he hastily flipped it on and brightened the entire room.

Upon entering Jules's room, one would immediately notice the bathroom on their right side. Moving further into the room, the bed is located in the corner, opposite the entrance, and may not be immediately visible to someone entering the room. And the window is on the left side.

Then Alex steps further into the room with everyone walking behind him. As Alex arrived at the bed where everyone just heard a scream, His eyes widened with shock. Everyone behind him also saw what Alex made him shocked.

Stephen lay on the ground, wincing in pain as blood trickled from a deep cut on his leg. Hovering above him was a woman, her hand firmly gripping a knife stained with crimson. Her intense gaze fixed on the others in the room revealed her as the usually gentle Jules, now consumed by fury.

"Why are you doing this, Jules?" Emma's voice wavered as tears welled up in her eyes.

Ignoring Emma, Jules turned to face them, her eyes light up with anger. "I am not Jules," she declared, her words heavy with malice.

"What's happening?" George's confusion was evident in his voice. It's almost as if their mere presence is a disruption to an important task she is undertaking.

"Stay back! If you interfere, I won't hesitate to harm you all," she threatened, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

After threatening everyone, Jules steps menacingly towards the sobbing little boy who is in obvious pain. Alex, George, and Emily wasted no time and sprinted towards her. Alex grabbed her hand that held the knife, while George quickly restrained her from behind.

Meanwhile, Emily rushed to the injured boy, Stephen, and cradled him in her arms, laying him gently on the bed. Emma handed Emily a towel to use as a makeshift bandage to stop the bleeding from Stephen's leg.

Alex and George managed to wrest the knife from Jules's hand, with George using his strong hands to hold her back. Just then, the sound of fast-approaching footsteps echoed through the room. Then everyone spotted Richard and Mike at the door. While Jules began to lose consciousness in George's arms.

Richard made his way into the room and scanned the scene. He asked, "What's happening?"  Just then, Jules fell unconscious into George's arms.

                                                    ✵✵✵

An hour had passed since the shocking incident had occurred, and the atmosphere in the hall was tense as everyone sat in stunned silence. Stephen, who had just woken up from his sleep, was still visibly shaken with fear. Emma, sensing this, sat behind him and held him gently, trying to provide some comfort.

Meanwhile, Jules remained unconscious in her room, and Mike was present at the head office, as he had left the motel to gather information regarding Jules. The air was heavy with uncertainty and concern as everyone waited for any updates on the situation.

As Stephen sat there with a heavy heart, one of the staff members approached him with a warm cup of hot chocolate. Despite his lack of appetite, the rich and creamy aroma of his favourite hot chocolate wafting through the air was too tempting to resist. Without hesitation, he brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip, relishing the comforting warmth that filled his body.

Richard thought that it was the right time to ask Stephen about his mother. "Stephen, how are you feeling now?" he asked gently.

Stephen looked at Richard, replied to his question in a trembling voice "I'm not feeling so fine," and continued to drink his hot chocolate.

Richard felt sympathy for Stephen, knowing he had suffered so much at a young age. He didn't want to pry, but he had no choice but to ask about his mother.

Richard turned to Stephen and asked in a worried tone, "Umm, Stephen. Are you aware of why your mother wants to kill you?"

Stephen placed the cup of hot chocolate on the table in front of him and took a deep breath. "Yes, I am. Ever since that woman killed my father, I have been one hundred per cent aware of her condition. She is not my mother, but my stepmother, and she is a dangerous woman," he said, tears welling up in his eyes.

The room fell silent as everyone turned their attention to Stephen. Richard pressed for more information, "How did Jules kill your father?"

Stephen's voice trembled as he spoke, "She didn't just kill my father, she also killed someone else in this very motel." The weight of his words hung heavy in the air as the group sat in stunned silence.

As soon as Emma noticed that Stephen was upset, she hugged him from the side and began to offer words of comfort. Emily also joined them on the couch and tried to console him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Emily had been struggling to solve a perplexing puzzle for what felt like an eternity. She had been trying to unravel the mystery of how Jules had managed to silently commit the murders of both Harry and Mr Jones without leaving any trace of doubt on her. Despite much contemplation, she had been unable to piece together all the clues and unravel the secret during her first reading of the novel. However, she finally connected all the dots and unlocked the mystery, feeling a sense of triumph and satisfaction at the accomplishment.

Emily's thoughts raced, "In the novel, Stephen was the only one who knew how Jules had executed the murders of Harry and Mr. Jones. He had kept it to himself, but now the veil of mystery has been lifted, and I have finally pieced it all together."

"Sorry, Stephen, for asking such questions, but what else could I do? I thought you must be the only one who knows how Jules killed your dad and Mr. Jones and why," Richard sighed.

Emily cleared her throat, her voice ringing out in the tense silence of the room. "Sir," she began confidently, "now you don't have to ask about this to Stephen. I have figured out how Jules has silently killed them and why." The room held its breath as everyone turned to face her, curiosity arose on their faces.

Richard was the first to speak up. "So tell us why she has killed them?" he asked, his tone eager for answers.

To Be Continued...

Finally, the killer has been revealed. Emily is all set to expose how the killer murdered Harry and Mr Jones, as well as the motive behind the killings.

However, there is another mystery surrounding the killer's transformation into a murderer, but it will be revealed soon.

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Have a wonderful day ;)