Hogwarts 1991

Chapter 584

December 1993, 12, afternoon,

That's Christmas this year.
Alone, Fleck Bryce returned to Little Hangleton, where he had lived for more than 30 or [-] years.

In the snow, Fleck limped with a suitcase, got off the bus, and stepped into the thick snow.

There was no one around but himself,
A piece of desolate dead silence.

Only the snow blowing down, and the whistling wind.

Fleck felt something was wrong.

He looked into the distance, relying on his experience in the army many years ago, he discovered the source of the sense of vigilance in his heart.

Far, far ahead, at the end of the snowy road—Little Hangleton,

It's not popular at all.

Or there is no wisp of smoke.

Such a heavy snow, such a cold day... How could there be no fire to keep warm?
It's not London, or the big Hangleton town next door.

Fleck knew very well that in this village, almost all families would light fires at home in winter.

At least, it was like that until he left here a few months ago.

Those nasty little Hangleton villagers certainly don't use the city folks' electric fireplaces.

How could it be possible that their chimneys did not emit smoke from burning in this cold weather!
Time passed by, and the cold, along with the snow and the strong wind, bit by bit, scraped every trace of body temperature on Fleck's body.

Reminding him that he cannot stop here.

Fleck reached out and took off the black bowler hat, patted the snow on his thigh, put it on again, and then put his hand into the inner pocket of his brown-gray coat until he touched a cold old man!
a gun!

Old Colt revolver, 12mm caliber.

This extremely powerful guy calmed Fleck's restless heart.

He was convinced that even if something scary happened there, he would 'kill' everything he saw with this guy.

Fleck Bryce was limping in the snow, leaning on crutches, carrying luggage forward step by step.

The big bus has already mercilessly spewed out a puff of smoke and drove towards the Great Hangleton next door.

The traces they left behind were completely wiped away by the ruthless wind and snow of nature.

To be honest, as the former gatekeeper of the 'Riddle Mansion', Fleck didn't want to go back to this outdated, closed...hidden little village in a rural corner of England.

The villagers here did not welcome him either.

Those gossiping women who love to chew their tongues, and drunken old alcoholics... are still spreading the sensational tragedy many years ago.

Those infiltrating rumors and rumors made everyone here not welcome him, and it could even be said that he hated Fleck.

The adults avoided Fleck, for fear of having anything to do with him, and the little kids threw stones at him in groups, attacking Fleck, taking this as a little game to distinguish status and show off.

And he waved his crutches to drive these little devils away, but he couldn't catch them, which made those little devils even more confident.

Thus, Fleck himself and the villagers of the Little Hamptons disliked each other.

If he hadn't been alone all this time, without relatives or friends, Fleck would have escaped from this ghost place long ago.

At least it was like that a few months ago.

He only has such a job of looking after the house to maintain a poor life.

Fleck Bryce even once thought he would do this until he died!
Until three or four months ago, probably in mid-August... It was a very ordinary day, and Fleck received a very strange job invitation.

— In London, the wages are high,
And the most important thing is to include food and housing, so that he can have a place to stay.

It was a senior nursing home located in the suburbs of London, and it was recruiting a relatively honest, reliable, elderly security guard.

I don't know which owner of the Riddle House, but I remembered the old Fleck and recommended him.

Originally, Fleck thought it was a cheap joke, or a prank by the kid.

Until I saw the number on the check inside the envelope:

— £2500.

Just kidding!

For a moment, Fleck thought it was the owner of the letter's mistake, and comforted himself that he would return the money. (Actually, Fleck was also praying in his heart that all this might be true. Although the hope was slim, Fleck still wished so extravagantly), so he went directly to London with his luggage.

then--

It's actually true.

Exactly as it says on the envelope.

It was as if he had won the only big prize in his life.

It stands to reason that after leaving this dilapidated place, Fleck should be determined not to come back.

But who made him owe a favor to a policeman many years ago?
This is still related to the murder that happened at Little Hangleton'Riddle House' many years ago.

Years ago, in a dark, gloomy police station, Fleck insisted over and over that he was innocent.

He had nothing to do with the murders of the three members of the Riddle family.

The only unusual thing he saw that day was: a boy in his teens, with black hair and pale face...appeared near the 'Riddle House'.

But almost all the policemen didn't believe what he said, and decided that Fleck himself made it up out of thin air, in order to divert his suspicion...

The grim situation at that time once made Fleck think that he would almost spend the rest of his life in prison.

Only Overland D. Webb, then a young policeman in Greater Hangleton, insisted on sending the three bodies to London for examination.

Only then did the autopsy report that came back at that time reverse the whole situation at that time.

Get Fleck acquitted.

So... When Overland D. Webb begged him for a favor, Fleck couldn't refuse.

It's just that Fleck still doesn't understand why a guy who has retired from the post of chief of the Greater Hangleton Police Department needs an old guy like himself who is old and disabled to come back here to help.

Flake Bryce smelled an extremely dangerous smell from this unusual incident.

It's just that now, for the sake of the favor many years ago, Fleck has no choice but to go forward and head towards Little Hangleton.

Soon, Flake Bryce came near the intersection of Little Hangleton Village.

He saw a very old Morgan model parked here, well maintained.

But it has been completely covered by thick snow, and from a distance...it looks like a bulging snow bag.

When Fleck approached, the door of this old Morgan brand car was opened, and two muscular men stepped out of it.

One old and one young.

Although the old man looked not much younger than Flake at first glance, his body frame, bones, and bulging coat could also tell that he was old-hearted and full of tendons.

As for the young man, about 30 to [-] years old, the same woolen coat, a big man of nearly two meters, with arms as thick as the thighs of ordinary people.

However, even with such a body, in such a weather, those two guys were still terribly frozen, trembling all over.

"Weeb!"

"Fleck!"

The two held hands tightly and greeted each other without exchanging pleasantries.

Overland D. Webb directly introduced the young man next to Flake Bryce.

"It's Legrasse!"

The two touched hands lightly, nodded to each other, and they knew each other.

Several people were considered to have worked in violent institutions, and they all had a clear understanding of this operation.

So without much nonsense, let's start the topic directly.

Fleck didn't talk nonsense, and asked directly, "What happened, Webb, why did you have to come over like me, an old guy."

"What's wrong with that little Hangleton...?"

Fleck looked up at the small village ahead - it was completely different from his impression, although from a distance, he could see one or two figures walking in the snow on the streets of the small village.

But—too quiet,

And there are no annoying drunks, playful children, and the barking of dogs that should come from time to time...

Legrasse shook his head and said with a gloomy face, "I can't explain it, you'll know it when you go in."

Wei Bu said a few more words, "My daughter Tilton and her classmate came to this town to visit another classmate of hers two days ago..."

"She disappeared..."

"She must be here, I know it!"

Wei Bu, an old police chief who has always been forged with iron blood and perseverance, unexpectedly showed such a fragile and helpless face.

And when he looked towards the village of Little Hangleton, the expression on his face was actually a kind of fearful and withdrawn expression.

This was something Fleck had never seen and could not have predicted.

in the end?

what happened...

Fleck's heart sank.

Legrasse explained, "After Miss Tilton disappeared, the police station in Greater Hangleton once organized people to come here to check... nothing was found."

"We just learned...that Tilton's classmate's family...was also missing a week ago."

"So?" Fleck asked.

"That's right, Miss Tilton is probably involved in this incident."

"At least I and Chief Wei think so."

"Although the bureau has changed the direction of the investigation to the kidnapping of people outside the territory, or human trafficking, and murder..."

"But... the director and I, who have been to Little Hangleton often, found that this town has suddenly become extremely strange and mysterious."

"Listen..." Legrasse said suddenly, pointing to the town.

Fleck pricked up his ears, and as the wind direction changed, he vaguely heard the dull sound of tambourines, the screeching Scottish bagpipes, and a frenzied scream...

The sound surrounds Fleck...

Intermittent, vague, once he thought he was in a dream.

He seemed to see a building, extremely tall and dilapidated...

—It was the Riddle House.

"You heard that too, didn't you?"

Legrasse suddenly yelled out of control, and the crazy voice was heard far away in the wind and snow.

Fortunately, the villagers don't seem to care.

The nearby village was still silent, without any waves of reaction.

Snapped!
It was Overland D. Webb who reacted in time and slapped Legrasse on the face directly, waking him up.

"It depends on the situation, you have to stay here, Legrasse...you wait here...to meet us! It's still the old rule...we will come out before nightfall, and we will definitely not spend the night in this ghost place."

"No, what's going to happen to you, how can I explain to Tilton!"

"Le Grass! I'm afraid that if you enter the village again, you will become one of those guys..."

"What member?" Fleck asked.

"Paganism!" said Wibb hoarsely.

"They... the residents of Little Hangleton... those drunkards in Dort...are heretics?" Fleck was a little bit unconvinced, but he had no choice but to believe it when he saw that Wei Bu didn't look like he was joking.

"They're not ordinary heretics... After my investigation with Legrasse, those guys' cults are self-contained and completely different from the teachings of all formal religions in the world. If there are similarities... that is, they are somewhat similar to the sacrifices of those cannibal savage tribes..."

"As long as you have seen it, you will understand..."

"But why don't you ask your former subordinates for help?" Fleck asked.

"This is just our conjecture and private investigation. We don't have any evidence to point out the hundreds of people and dozens of families in Quncun..."

"That'll just make people think we're crazy..." Overland D. Webb said slowly.

After he finished speaking, he took out a shotgun from the back seat, a light submachine gun, several pistols, magazines... such weapons and firearms were hung on his body, put them in his pockets, and handed them to Fleck.

After that, he said, "As for why I called you here."

"Because only those who belong to Little Hangleton can find Tilton... my daughter."

"What?" Fleck really thought that the old policeman in front of him, the man in his memory, was not like this...

Is he already a little crazy?

— Such an outrageous reason!

Before he could continue, Webb stuffed Fleck's suitcase into the trunk of Morgan's classic car, and pushed him into the village.

When he entered it, Fleck finally understood,
——There is no way to explain it. Only by going in can you experience the strangeness of this village.

It's like it's alive.

That's how Fleck feels.

Everything seemed to be watching him, even the snowflakes falling in the sky.

As heard outside, the village is very quiet, there is no dog, no crying of children.

Every household lights up the lights in the house during the day, pulls the thick curtains, pokes their heads through the gaps...

They stood there observing the two of them one by one.

Not a trace of cooking smoke rose from the roof.

Fleck's ears... always echoed from time to time... the weird and maddening sound from before.

And what surprised him the most was that every villager he met on the road... was waving happily and greeting him.

"Hi, Fleck Bryce... are you back?"

"Hi, Fleck Bryce...you're back!"

"Hi! Fleck Bryce..."

They were exactly the same, as if they were wearing masks, they smirked and cared about Fleck.

I can't imagine how shocked and panicked Bryce is now.

No matter who those villagers were, Flake Bryce knew at this moment that the village of Little Hangleton was completely different from what he thought.

And seeing that he only greeted himself, and ignored the villagers of Overland next to him... Frank immediately understood why Overland D. Webb called him over.

Why do you say that only you can find his daughter Tilton.

……

Night falls on the village of Little Hangleton,

The originally happy and noisy Christmas has almost no festive atmosphere at all.

On the streets of this eerily quiet small village, two figures suddenly appeared.

The two were wearing black robes, and each held a ten-inch short stick in their hands.

This big and small figure is looking up and looking around, as if looking for something.

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(End of this chapter)