The sun was already falling on the horizon, its orange and pink rays splashed on the greyish sky. Below, lovely water lilies were resting quietly on the serene river.
"The sunset is incredibly beautiful today," Tonton voiced out.
"Yeah," Bogart agreed while arduously maneuvering his bike. "And the sky is clear, too. There will be no rain tonight."
"Hope you are right," Kiko echoed. "And hope we can get much faster. I don't want to get caught by darkness in the road."
Instantaneously, a chilly breeze blew past them. Reflexively, the boys looked at each other. For a while, no one of them talked; they focused on pedalling their bikes. After the village where their school was located, there were would only be few houses along the way to their homes. There were only grasses and silent dirtroad in their path.
It was October and being in a tropical country, the days were shorter in that time of the year. Hence, the watercolors of the skies gradually vanished as dusk began to take over.
"We have to hurry up!" Bogart barked, and the boys vigorously turned the wheels of their bikes.
No sooner, the white roof of a dilapidated house loomed from a distance. Despite the twilight coldness, the boys sweated profusely, not only because of their relentless biking but also due to the fear they felt inside. Tonton swallowed a lump in his throat while Kiko wiped a sweat on his nose.
Jamie slowed down his bike and the other boys followed. We have to be careful, he thought. They were nearing the old house.
It was a big house, big enough to carry two floors with endless rooms. Its once varnished wooden frames and walls faded in time, leaving a termite-infested facade. Yet, the house must have been made with good lumber as it firmly withstood the fury of rain and sun. It remained standing in proud yet eerie magnificence. It must have been a beauty before. Parties must have been held inisde or around the house. Petite ladies in flashy gowns must have gracefully danced through its polished floors while young boys on the benches gaped their mouths as beauties glided past them. Jazz or romantic music must have filled the air. In the kitchen, maids were busy preparing viands, cakes, bread, and other delicacies while others washed the silver plates and shining utensils. The house must have once been bustling with life and love.
For now, it was a thing of fear to the people of Subangdaku. Gone were possible sweet tales of romance. Instead, countless horror stories about the house had been told and passed on from generation to generation. According to the villagers, creepy voices could be heard inside the house. These voices were varied. Several claimed to have heard weeping and shouting inside the house. They said that a faith healer once lived in the house who could drive out evil spirits from the possessed. She could even talk to the dead and cast out curses. Then one day, she disappeared mysteriously. The lord of the underworld supposedly took her and the spirits she had communicated with were released to the human world and dwelt on the lonely rooms and nooks of the old house.
Others also claimed that a white lady would torment passersby. During midnight, the lady would appear to anyone who gets near the house. The recent road accident in Subangdaku was even attributed to the lady. Rumors said that the victim, a young man drunk after a night of partying, unfortunately passed through the road at three in the morning. He was all alone, and just few moments after passing the house, a lady clod in white suddenly appeared at the backseat of his car. He was caught in an instant panic, and losing control of the steering wheel, his car bumped into an old acacia tree. It was already morning when people saw the crumpled vehicle. The young man was drenched in blood. Everyone assumed he died already but when he was rushed to the hospital, he gained consciousness. Yet, he lost his sanity and incessantly cried and shouted. He was asking for the lady to leave him alone. Later, the man was permanently confined in a mental institution.
The villager kids also had their fair share of horror stories about the house. For Jamie and his friends, the most terrifying was about the monster babies and the demonic centaur who was guarding them. It was told that a group of children, belonging to the same block in school, dared to visit the house one evening. They were working on their homework of collecting nocturnal animals and wanting to discover peculiar species, they ventured into the house. Once inside, the more or less twenty classmates began searching for weird insects until one of them heard a baby's mild cry.
The girl followed the voice and soon found herself inside one of the rooms in the upper level. The cry seemed to come from beneath the rickety bed. And when she stooped and peeped below the bed, alas, a baby was seen whimpering. The girl crawled through the small space and while she was nearing the baby, the latter seemed to lower down its cry. Much to her surprise, as when she was finally face to face with the baby, its face gradually contorted and transformed into a vile creature. It showed sharps fangs and suddenly shrieked. Frightened, the girl also hollered and immediately ran. Like an orchestra, the other kids also shouted, chased by the baby monster. The house was suddenly filled with terrifying screams. The helpless children managed to gather in the sala. Just as they finally caught their breath, a horned centaur showed up from the upper level. The monster baby was clutching his body. With all its might, the centaur released a deafening neigh. The kids scrambled on their feet and vacated the house. Fortunately, they suffered only minor bruises and cuts.
Presently, the boys were finally in front the house. They stopped their bikes and looked hard at the house. Jamie's hairs stood up, the same way that the other boys experienced.
"I'll never set foot on that house," Kiko muttered.
"Neither would I," Bogart seconded.
"Let's leave," Jamie suggested.
Just as when they started to pedal, a loud thunder from the dark sky echoed. The boys stopped and after a split second of fear, they sped away....