Episode 4

Marcus Petrus threw his father's diary on the desk.

The last entry was on November 25, 1985. That's where the diary ended, along with his and his mother's lives.

Twenty years ago, this news shocked him, and since he returned to the island, he rarely left.

His father couldn't bear the weight of the Petrus fate, and from what he read in his diary, he took his own life and took his wife with him. He didn't want her to suffer watching their son and giving him this curse. Because of this, Marcus was there, isolated on the island that had belonged to his family for generations. He knew that the curse had been tormenting the Petrus men for centuries.

It took Marcus a while to accept his destiny, but at 39, he learned to live with it and be careful not to hurt anyone. As a precaution, he had his father's gun in the safe, loaded with melted silver bullets, one of which in the brain would stop the beast that lived within him.

He didn't understand his father's attitude and for years he rebelled. There were other ways to survive all this chaos. Marcus' solution was isolation. He rarely left the island, and when he did, it was always with specific dates for his return.

He pushed the chair away from the desk and stood up, turning his gaze to the open doors of the veranda. He leaned against the door frame and began to observe the ocean. Seabirds flew over the surface of the waters with their strident cries. He appreciated this chaos, it made his isolation more acceptable.

The morning sun reflected on the waves. A brief breeze brought the smell of the sea air to him. Marcus inhaled, wishing that the heavy air would make him feel renewed, but what he felt was exhaustion.

He looked at the impeccable lawn. His only employee, Julios, kept everything in order for him. His employee and friend insisted that he could take care of everything, the house and the garden were kept impeccable.

He looked at the clear sky, he knew that a storm was approaching in the next few days, at that time of year, he knew that the storms could turn into torments. He moved his head from side to side, trying to lessen the tension.

He was at the deadline. He returned to the desk, cracked his knuckles and placed them on the keyboard, returning to work. Only when he heard a light knock on the door did he realize that it was past one in the afternoon.

"Come in." he murmured.

His loyal servant opened the door and entered, carrying a silver tray in his hands. His hair was neatly combed and he wore an impeccable dark suit. Julios' hair was already turning gray. Dressed severely, he took his work very seriously.

Walking calmly, he placed the tray on the sideboard and served one of the large cups he brought, letting the smell of coffee spread through the room. Next to the cup was a plate with two sandwiches.

"Roast beef and salad." Julius explained.

He placed the plate with one of the sandwiches in front of Marcus.

"Now eat. You shouldn't go so long without eating." he brought him a small pot of french fries. "you tend to get very irritated when you don't eat red meat."

"I didn't realize it was so late."

Marcus looked at the sandwich in front of him. Bread, lettuce, tomato, onion, special sauce, and roast beef. The bloody meat made him salivate. While chewing, he observed Julius. He was aging, showing every minute of his 60 years.

"How is the revision going?" Julius picked up some cups of coffee and sat in one of the leather chairs near the desk.

"Slowly, more than usual." Marcus was silent for a while. "I'm uninspired, I believe I'm the problem."

"You should take a vacation." Julius took a good sip of his coffee. "You need to go to a beach, with eligible young women in bikinis."

"You know I can't get involved."

"I disagree. A solitary life is not convenient. But it's not up to me to judge your way of life. You know you're not becoming unbalanced like your father." he straightened in his chair and was emphatic. "You're a good man, sir. An honorable man, with the notion that what he does is the only way, but this journey will be easier if you have company." taking a deep breath, he continued "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

Marcus thought about Julius' words. The man always insisted on this subject, but he didn't want to put the lives of innocent people at risk, it was enough to worry about his old friend.

Marcus sighed and pulled the notebook back to the middle of the desk, cracked his knuckles:

"Just write something." he muttered as soon as he was alone "You can always come back and fix it." he started typing…

What was wrong with him? He was disturbed, maybe it was the moon...

Maybe it was something more.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he saved his work and went to the kitchen to meet Julius.

He was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He wasn't superstitious, but this uneasiness suggested that something was about to happen. Maybe it was the storm that was coming.

Or maybe it was something more.

He found Julius in the kitchen, where everything was clean and organized.

"I'm going for a walk." he warned. I hope it clears my head.

"Be careful, sir." Julius advised.

Marcos found his old and faithful friend's concern amusing, as if he didn't know that the only danger was himself.

As he crossed that winding path that led to the woods, a part of Marcus longed to run wildly to expel the demons that tormented him, but he knew it wouldn't work. He had done it before and it didn't help. He had to be content to hear the roar of the sea and calm down.

He stood at the top of the cliff, watching the waves crash against the rocks. He pulled the refreshing air into his lungs.

When he was alone, just him and nature, he could almost ignore the problems associated with his family.

Almost.

His gaze rose to where the sun was. A few more hours and it would be dark. In a few days, there would be a full moon suspended in the sky.

After a few minutes, he had an idea of how to reveal the true identity of the murderer in his book. He jumped up, ready to put everything on paper before he forgot.

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