Path of the Dead Prequel: Wings of Silver

He was sent to an orphanage, where he lived until he was fifteen. Perhaps because he suffered unequal treatment when he was young, he was particularly averse to joining the church and becoming a believer. Dominic was the priest in charge of this neighborhood. He was about the same age as him. Since he always saw him wandering the streets, he chatted with him while walking. Soon the two of them became familiar with each other and talked about everything. friends in.

When Jerome was six years old, he was once teased by his companions. The urchins brought vicious dogs from outside the broken wall to scare him. When he was cornered and shivering in the corner, a column of urine fell from the sky and drenched the wild dog. He was so shocked that he ran away immediately. Jerome looked up and saw a girl of about the same age standing behind the attic window opposite, holding a urinal and raising it to him.

This is the first time Jerome and Ligeia stare at each other, and that's where it all begins. The girl lived with her father in his future home. She was also six years old at the time, a few months older than him, and the two of them got to know each other. Jerome learned to climb trees and often climbed vine branches to the roof tiles. , whistling to attract the girl, sitting sideways on the roof with her, looking up at the Milky Way in summer nights and the sunset in winter.

At the age of fifteen, Jerome left the orphanage and began working odd jobs in various shops in the area. In that era when academic qualifications were not important, most young men like this were busy at home or working part-time while studying. In that year, Ligeia followed her father and rented a house in the basement of Downton Bookstore. She worked as a clerk during the day and made a living by doing taxidermy at night. The two live so close to each other and have known each other since they were children, so they often walk together. Jerome gradually realized that he had fallen deeply in love with this girl named Ligeia. Her willow eyebrows, upturned eyes, and cherry-red lips were all stirring the boy's heartstrings all the time.

When he couldn't afford a car, Jerome rode his bicycle all day long, picking up girls to and from get out of class on time. On their days off, the two of them would prepare bread and fruit wine and go to the countryside of Atlanta for a picnic lunch. Despite this, Ligeia never became a couple with him, but regarded him as a younger brother. After five years of this, Jerome finally bought a car and wrote her name on the car

"Why did you give me a car? I don't want this stupid style."The girl smiled brightly and declined him.

Regardless of whether Ligeia wanted it or not, the car became a tool for the two of them to travel together. As they grew older, they began to travel from the area around Peach Tree Corner to farther counties. They left the county. Under gentle wind and drizzle or thunder and lightning, they sat in the car, excitedly discussing their future. Jerome said that he knew nothing and could not adapt to a strange place, and just wanted to stay in Peach Tree Corner. Ligeia advised him to have some courage. Peachtree Corner is a small place and the outside world is big. In short, she wanted to go out and have a try.

However, dreams are still dreams after all. The reality is that Ligeia got married not long after. The husband was a contractor for Downton Books, and his father did not want to stay in the dank basement all day long. Moreover, this man was covetous of Ligeia's beauty. It only took one night, and the couple got engaged the next day..Jerome was angry when he saw it, but he had no choice but to do it. Who could make him unable to muster up the courage to confess his love?

However, on the day of the wedding banquet, the fat man toasted repeatedly and got very drunk. After returning to the banquet and sitting down, he suddenly had a headache. Suddenly, she died in public due to myocardial congestion. Ligeia went from a bride to a widow in one day. She did not get anything good and was still living in the basement. Soon after, someone was thinking about her again. This time came He was a butcher shop owner, and it was said that he also had a store in Atlanta.

Unexpectedly, the same thing happened again. Just after leaving the wedding banquet to go on honeymoon, the car was hit by a group of wild cattle and rolled into a ditch. The husband was hit by various iron bars. The glass pierced her heart, and she burped on the spot. She was knocked out of the car and fell unconscious.

Ligeia, who was lucky enough to survive, became an unknown person in the neighborhood. No one dared to take advantage of her anymore. It was a joke on her life to marry such a widow, even though she was getting more beautiful every year. The heartbroken Ligeia decided to leave her hometown and make a living in a place where no one knew her. But Jerome thought that maybe this was the right thing to do. I had the opportunity, so during those lonely days, I always tried to find ways to accompany her to relax, and made bookmarks of her favorite spoon chrysanthemums, and gave her a whole book of stamps that was not full. The two went out for an outing once, and they started to talk. In the countryside of Fayette County, a young man and woman happened to ask for a ride. The four of them chatted more and more in the car. When passing by a poplar forest, they went swimming and fishing in a nearby lake. Jerome taught the woman how to swim in the water. , the other two stayed on the shore to fish. After playing for an afternoon, he was shocked on the spot when he came ashore. He saw that the man’s head had turned into a bloody gourd and had been crushed to death by pebbles, while Ligeia was disheveled and covered in blood. There were bloody scratches.

When the woman saw this, she screamed strangely and ran away. Ligeia shouted at Jerome, asking him to stop the woman. After being tripped by him, Ligeia quickly stepped forward and pulled out the He stabbed him to death with a table knife. Jerome never thought that such a thing would happen. He fell to the ground in panic and wet his pants. Ligeia said that her boyfriend had misbehaved first and she was almost strangled to death by him. He had to fight back, and if he let the woman go, she would run to report the crime, and their lives would be ruined.

Jerome carried the man's body back to the car, and then went back to carry the woman's body, only to see Ligeia She huddled under the tree like a plague chicken, her eyes frightened and her mouth trembling, staring at the blood on the ground in a daze. When she saw the crew-cut man coming back, she cried and made a fuss, yelling,"Why did you kill them so easily?" I sat on the shore with the man and just talked and laughed for a few words. How could I kill him out of jealousy?

Then the scene that I saw in my nightmare happened. Jerome dug a hole and buried the body with a sullen face, and disposed of all traces, pretending that nothing happened, and comforted Ligeia all the way back home. After this incident, Jerome discovered that there was another murderous self in Ligeia's heart. Where did this start and how did it form? He couldn't find the answer and had nowhere to ask. Therefore, he adopted the stupidest method, which was to follow Ligeia all the time to prevent her from committing another crime, lest she be arrested without his own assistance. Despite the strict defense, Ligeia still killed two more people within four years, a sculptor who invited her to an art salon, and an old man walking his dog at night outside a bowling alley.

Ligeia's heart was filled with fear, and she began to hate the crew-cut man who silently and persistently pestered her. The four deceased people had no grudges against her and treated her very well, while Jerome, who claimed to be the Dark Angel, Like a ghost, he kills all passers-by who come close to him. She had made up her mind to go quietly this time and hide in a place where no one could find her.

And that night, Jerome seemed to have had a premonition that she was going to run away, and planned to visit her for the first time to persuade her to stay. As a result, a physical fight broke out between the two parties during the quarrel. Unfortunately, the taxidermist was knocked down from the narrow corridor, and the old man fell. Got a black nose and swollen eyes. Ligeia was so frightened and angry that she no longer cared about her father's safety. She chopped off Jerome's middle finger with a boning knife and fled to another state overnight.

The real situation is that he was eavesdropping in front of the ventilation duct as usual. Suddenly he heard the old man scream, so he hurried downstairs and ran into the bookstore. As a result, Ligeia was seen pushing her elderly father down the corridor and holding a boning knife to chop him into pieces.Meat. The two began to fight fiercely, but she cut off one of her fingers and fled.

Jerome helped up the old man who fell down the stairs. His father said that he had always known that Ligeia had another dark soul, but he didn't know when it was formed. As long as Ligeia felt that someone was trying to influence her, or when she was questioned about the origin of the black soul, she would switch to another person. He even suspected that her two ex-husbands might have been harmed by her. And just half an hour ago, the old man found the bloody clothes in the cupboard that she had not had time to dispose of. He planned to have a good talk with her, but unexpectedly he suffered a backlash. Sooner or later, this matter will be exposed, the family scandal has been made public, and it will not be long before Ligeia is wanted across the country.

"Probably not. I have disposed of the body neatly. If something happens, you can blame it all on me. As for now?"

There is only one way to protect the reputation of my sweetheart, and that is to bear all this myself. Jerome fled in a hurry, and the old man immediately reported the case, claiming that a strange man broke into the house to pester Ligeia, and he happened to catch up with the plan. He tried to intervene, but he pushed him downstairs, causing him a black nose and a bruise. The man saw that he had caused a big disaster, so he ran away. A few days later, the police found the murderer 16 miles south of Albany and was prosecuted. He was sentenced to five years and sent to the Southern Prison in Atlanta.

After he was released, Jerome did not continue to ask for information about Ligeia. He only helped the taxidermist living in the nursing home through the priest Dominic and the shoemaker Jose. He changed his appearance. He changed his name to Ingram, and a few years later, he got a job at the Railway Bureau, traveling from Peachtree Corner to Stone Ridge. One day, when the train stopped at Chiming Station, he saw a The familiar figure was Ligeia, who fascinated him. She did not know when she returned to Georgia and changed her name to Kelly.

Soon, he found out Ligeia's identity. She was in guest house. Ingram met a new female companion and was introduced to the mine as a treasurer. When asked, she lied that her hometown was in South Carolina. She came back to Georgia for the first time because the railway section was very profitable.

Ingram was shocked and surprised. Fortunately, the convenience of work allows him to always see Ligeia, but because of the past, he never dared to show his face again, for fear that she would run away if he bumped into her. So he became a person hiding in the dark. The suitor who cut the note. He knew very well that he would never get Ligeia's love, so he just wanted to wait for a reply through an anonymous letter. It is said that this new financial woman is very popular and has many admirers. As long as After receiving a letter, whether she declined or otherwise, she would definitely write a reply.

Over the long years, he sent countless letters and only received three replies. Maybe he should give her a gift, so many miners would respond to her. Well, Ingram thought he should do the same. It wasn't until he spent all his savings and sent her a gold watch for women that the other party cut off a lock of his blond hair as a gift. Seeing that things were off to a good start, Ingram started Fantasies.

However, cruel things happened soon after. As more and more people came to the mine to make a living, someone opened a small casino here. The small boss who invested the money fell in love with the financial woman at first sight, and the two soon fell in love. Regardless of whether he No matter what I send, I won’t wait for a reply.

"Even I have never touched swan meat since I was a child. How can I get advantage of you, a toad?"Ingram thought bitterly. He took advantage of the convenience of his job and repeatedly peeked into the secret messages between the financial girl and this guy named Grant. He even deliberately set a fire nearby to prevent her from going out for a tryst, thus delaying Li Ji's arrival. Ya's itinerary. He walked in the night wind and gritted his teeth and said:"I must become very rich, richer than Xiao! Only in this way can I be worthy of you."

As time passed, eight months later, due to a small collapse in the Black Maple Tunnel, Ingram discovered the secret of the Condia Stone Gorge. He kept digging in the cave, and finally saw the dazzling diamonds, sparkling and embedded in the cave. Between the mountains and rocks. With this confidence, he finally planned to show his face. But it was strange that anyone who coveted her body would inevitably die. Maybe Ligeia had committed crimes everywhere during the years she was on the run. There has been a murder case. But since I met Xiao, they have been inseparable but nothing happened. What happened? Was the evil spirit driven away? Or was she cured in another province?

Many questions focused on Ying In Gram's mind, while thinking about how to make quick money, he also began to collect information about Xiao.

This family is in New York. In addition to him, he has two brothers. He makes money by injecting capital with a sharp eye. He is a man with a good life. Rich man. This man is different from ordinary rich men. He is generous and compassionate, and always likes to help others. Therefore, he has a good reputation among the working people of Diming Station. Originally, seeing that he could not defeat such an opponent, he I had secretly blessed them both in my heart. Xiao might be the best opportunity in Ligeia's life. However, Ingram couldn't hold back his anger and insisted on looking for evidence of his committing a crime. He didn't know the result until he found out. After checking, he was shocked. It turned out that Xiao and Ligeia were actually half-brothers and sisters.

He confirmed this again from the mouth of the old man in the nursing home. In the early years, the taxidermist worked in New York State to make a living, and they met once He married a woman who ran away from home in anger. It didn’t matter what the process was. In short, the two spent a few days together. Shortly after the woman returned home, she agreed to marry someone else, and soon gave birth to a baby boy, that is Grant.. A few years later, the old man also got married there and gave birth to Ligeia. Ingram never expected that originally he only wanted to catch each other's pigtails, but it was like a bolt from the clear sky.

After thinking about it, he would Ligeia made an appointment and planned to tell her the news face to face. The two of them could not be together no matter what. But when Ligeia saw him, she couldn't help but cursed. Ingram said that now I am rich too, and will be better than him. Xiao Geng was rich, so he dragged her into the stone gorge without any explanation and insisted on giving her the key to the secret realm.

On the day of the mining disaster, while chatting with Grant, Ligeia suddenly remembered the words of the crew-cut man, so she planned to go Witnessed with his own eyes, however, when they reached the fourth level, the underground gas pipe exploded, completely sealing the two of them under the cliff. After hearing the news, Ingram rushed to join the rescue. When the disgraced survivors crawled out of the ground, he found out that the two of them were The man was trapped in a desperate situation.

He frantically dug various holes in the stone gorge, trying to find a shortcut to take Ligeia out. As a result, he worked in vain for more than half a year, but to no avail. More than a year later, with his injuries, he The heartache returned to Shixia, but I saw the key in the ruins. When I opened the secret realm and broke into the rest room, I saw two men and women who had almost turned into bones. They were still hugging each other until they died. The key was grabbing In Xiao's hands!

"Since it is at my disposal, I can give it to whomever I want!"

"Xiao, I was deceived by this bastard. I was the one who hurt you. He gave me a useless ring. Maybe he was the one who set the fire. Yes, it must be him, he has done it in the past! And the fact that you were sued was caused by him secretly!"

"Life is not about length, it is about being able to stay with the one you love most. Ligeia, I have no regrets in this life."

"You actually gave the key to this bastard? Is this a reward for all the hard work I have put in over the years? Is this how you want to humiliate me? Even if you die, you won’t let go? Okay, then I will make it happen for both of you!"

"How could I do such a crazy and stupid thing? I don’t know if it’s too late to remedy it."

Seven months later, in August 1956, Ingram sealed all the letters, told Dominic this tragic story, explained his funeral, and unfolded it somewhere in the Lake District.arm, silently sinking to the bottom of the water, ending his terrible life

"Life is nothingness, death is the only truth. There are things I regret and I can't keep them. I was looking for answers in old books, but I cried alone because of the sad tune of the piano. As time went by, I realized that I had always been her angel of darkness, and could only make her lose her, and stay away from her. I would never be able to wait for the colorful clouds where you and I sat leaning on the roof when we were children."

Under the crabapple tree, the remaining flowers are flying, the dead are gone, and the black soil is still the same. Does anyone still remember the bloody and sadistic love between Jerome, Grant and Ligeia? The arrival of Yamakari Shefirna erased all this Clean and let this secret be sealed underground forever, now it seems that it may be the most perfect ending.

14:59S

The prequel to the Path of the Dead, Wings of Silver, root explanation:

Waterfront Hotel: located near the Downton Bookstore in Peachtree Corner.

Dominic Priest: Ingram's old friend.

Attic House: Originally the residence of Ligeia and her father.

Grant: Actually, he and Ligeia are brother and sister.

Two ex-husbands: The cause of death is unknown.

Single name: ISayALittlePrayer