The truck ablazed one last time, sending another spew of bluish flare into the sky. It was beautiful like no ordinary fire, but it was ghastly and sinister, as if telling them to be wiser with their actions.
"Let's go," Jamie whispered. "We should not be staying here any longer."
Hurriedly, they found their way through the grasses and saw the two media men in their path. Similarly, the two were also suprised to see them. They were in the middle of their live telecast but the woman did not falter upon seeing them. The boys froze, uncertain of what to do.
"For the first time, we have seen people here," they heard the woman said. "These kids could possibly be the first ones who had witnessed the fire."
To the boys' shock, Estella walked towards them while Sonny slowly pointed the camera at them. They remained in standstill, as if huge blocks of stone were tied on their feet. Sensing what they were about to do, Jamie summoned his will and stepped back. The others followed him, while the duo were inching closer to them. Only few feet of grasses separated them.
"We will now be interviewing one of them," Estella declared.
At that announcement, Jamie hopped and so did his friends, and together, they ran away from them. Estella was caught off-guard for she was not expecting their reaction. Kids their age would love to be in TV. They would do anything to attract the media's attention.
On their first movement, she sprang and attempted to catch up with them. Sonny also leapt, trying to cover the chase on cam while he balanced himself and his gear. But the boys outsmarted them and went their separate ways fleeing from them. Confused, they gave up.
"Well," Estella continued her telecast and gave her viewers a contagious sweet girl smile, "I guess the kids refused our interview and deserted us."
Her smiled turned to soft chuckle, the sound of which was like the crunch of almond nuts. Even Sonny was melted with her gesture. Surely, the chase was an exciting angle and though they failed in having the interview, the viewers would surely forgive her. She was an angel in TV.
Meanwhile, the boys separated in their way. They did not mean to but when the media was about to ambush them in an interview, they knew they had to run away quick. They could not be seen in TV, especially by the men in camp. They should not let anyone know that they had witnessed the fire, right from the start. They could put themselves in danger if they expose themselves. They were already caught on cam. They could only pray that the resolution was too low so that they could not be identified or that the darkness was strong enough that they could not be seen.
However, the darkness was also their enemy at that moment. Except for the huge fire, there was nothing to light their path. If they ventured too far, they might get lost in the grasses. Besides, snakes, spiders and other deadly animals could be lurking in the darkness. It was this dilemma that the boys had to face.
Meanwhile, Estella was still smiling on cam when the sound of revving engine was heard on the background. Because of the crackling of fire and the chase after the boys, the news duo did not hear the screeching of tires. Only when they noticed the exit of vehicles through the silver plastic fence that they started to panic and run after some potentially more substantial news content.
"There are now some vehicles going out of the mysterious camp," Estella delivered spontaneous news while galloping on the grasses. "These trucks suddenly showed up and they could be involved in the fire."
Sonny firmly gripped the camera as he hopped through unknown ground. Unlike Estella, he could not look down to survey his pathway. He could only rely on his feet to find his way. On camera, Estella continued to blabber, ever hopeful to finally get an intriguing angle of the exclusive news. They ran until they came to what seemed to be the entrance of the camp.
"We are now here closer to the vehicles," continued her news update. "We could only hope for an interview this time."
The news coverage was watched by almost all people in Subangdaku and in the nearby towns. After the incident the previous night, people were keen in catching up the latest updates. Although the team reported only the fire, the extraordinary glow caught on cam was intriguing and interesting. Viewers were quick to link the "meteor" impact with the mysteriously flare. However, the news team had not pointed the connection and they were still chasing answers to the questions in their minds. Estella's innocence also added drama to their report, urging people to be glued on their seats.
"Now we see men in clamouflage shirts at the back of trucks," Estella said. "Why is the military involved in the incedent?"
Sonny smiled as she said the last lines. He could imagine people gasped with the image of military men departing from a scene with unexplainable fire. Estella was waving and calling out one of the men when another one shooed them away.
"Officer, we just want a statement about that fire incedent," Estella explained, her left hand pointing the fire. "There seems to be an explosion a while ago."
Despite her petite stature, Estella was reaching to the men on the truck as far as she could. That truck had already stopped the moment they saw the two running towards them. By then, others followed while three continued moving away from the scene.
"Officer, three trucks had left," Estella persisted. "Why are they in a hurry?"
Sonny shifted the camera and zoomed in on the trucks. It was dark but the lights from the trucks illuminated the place.
"This is a government operation," one of the men said. "We advise you to wait for further statements."
"So what has the government to do with this?"
"I really could answer that Ma'am. Our commander will be issuing a statement soon."
Just then, the sound of firetrucks boomed from a distance. Sonny cursed under his breath. It was ill-timed and the presence of other unwanted guests was not welcome. A big scoop was in their hands already. They should not spoil it....