"Huh?! What just happened?!" the old man woke up from his sober. His cheek is still hurt from the slap as he touches it. He quickly gets up from the floor and looks around him. He didn't even care about the horrible stench whatsoever.
"THOSE DAMNED KNUCKLEHEADS!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!! I'M GOING TO SLICE YOU ONE BY ONE! JUST YOU WAIT!"
He scours through the house's upper floor angrily and violently. He opens and slams every door on that floor. Well, of course, he couldn't find anyone on that floor. So, he comes downstairs while stomping like a little child.
"COME OUT NOW YOU COWARD! FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN! COME ON! I'M RIGHT HERE YOU DAMNED TURDS!"
His loud and angry shriek echoed all over the house. Like a crazy man, he keeps searching for them. He goes to the back door but finds no one. Unsatisfied, he madly dashes to the front door but the result is the same.
He goes outside and keeps on yelling loudly and angrily. His search goes all around the house but he only wastes his energy and time. So, he went back into the house with frustration in his heart. All the pent-up and anger turn into burning revenge.
"Those damned youngsters… If I see them next time…, I will find them and take them one by one… Then, I put each of them into each sack, tie them up to a heavy rock, and throw them into a river… Yeah… ha ha…" giggled him as he imagined.
He glances at the living room and notices someone. A young man is standing there with an empty gaze looking back at him.
"Heh… he heh," he chuckled, "Another pathetic imbecile. Come here. I want to talk," said the man as he ambled toward the man.
The young man is also coming slowly toward him. The old man clenches his fist and looks sharply into the young man's eye. Step by step, they are getting closer and closer. The mad old's heart is beating louder and louder.
THUMP!
His right fist was caught by the mysterious young man. The young man squeezes the fist in his grip with ease. As the grip gets tighter, the old man begins to groan agonizingly in pain. He falls onto his knees and cries to be let go.
DUSH!
The old man kicked right on the young man's rib. He runs away immediately from the front to the back. He didn't care if he injured the young buck, he only cared about himself. As long as he lives, nobody is important other than him.
"Oh, thank goodness! Please! Please help me!" he cried as he saw a young woman in the kitchen. The young woman saw him with an emotionless expression.
He grabs her by the upper arms, "Please! There's a madman that's trying to kill me! You must help me– Ach!" The woman starts to choke him in the middle of his speech.
THUD!
He got thrown onto the cold and hard floor. He gets up slowly with grunts of pain and trembles. The young man and woman surround him front and back. This situation makes the old coot panic out of control.
"Stop! Stop it, please!" begged him to both of them. Sadly, his words are like they flew past their heads.
Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!
The man and woman rush to him like starving beasts. They open their mouth with drool flowing out.
At this very moment, the old man felt fear and terror for the last time. At this very moment, it was too late for him to escape.
Chomp!
AAARRRGHHH!!!
***
Huff…, huff…, huff…,
"Adipati! Why…, are we…, running…?!" questioned Carla, catching her breath. "We need to improve our health, Carla. Isn't it nice to jog this morning?" said Adipati. "He's right. This feels very good…," agreed Yusuf while keeping up his run.
On that morning, they decided to have a healthy exercise. They are running not far from the hotel where they slept. Even though they have a stronger body, they want it to keep in check. Plus, they could explore more places that are unknown to people.
They run and run while maintaining their breathing rhythm. Together they follow the road where it leads them. The smell of fresh morning air clears their minds as they breathe. The morning sun that is full of vitamin D shines on their skin.
Carla calls out to Adipati panting, "How long…, huff huff…, do we need to run…?" "Oh, good question Carla! We will stop… now!" said Adipati slowing down his run. "Slowly…, slowly…, we don't want to harm our body after exercise…," guided him.
All of them slowly reduce their speed little by little. Their breathing is also getting more and more relaxed than before. They walk together with their sweat flowing down their faces. Their skins feel hot and their throats feel dry.
They begin to look for a nearby grocery store. They finally found one and entered the chilly store. Cold water bottles are their primary need right now. A fridge filled with a variety of drinks near the counter was found by them.
"Thank you! Come back again later!" said the cashier.
Three cold water bottles were bought and opened up. They drink it straight like no tomorrow to rehydrate themselves. They release a breath of relief after a few gulps. The water from the bottles tasted so delicious to them.
It's time for them to go back to the hotel. They have other important plans and activities for later time. The cool air welcomes them into the building lobby. At that moment, the television is broadcasting the news.
"Breaking news," the screen cuts off to the reporter. "A 17-year-old girl has gone missing since yesterday evening," said the reporter.
Some people begin to pay attention to the news reporter. The gang is also intrigued by the sudden event.
The reporter continues, "A girl named Anong Asnee was reported missing by her parents. Based on the report, the teenager was going out on a motorcycle. 'It was her usual routine during the evening,' they said. 'We begin to worry when she doesn't return home while it's getting dark,' they continued."
"Based on some witnesses, she was last seen at the abandoned mall. One witness claimed, 'She rode her motorcycle on the way towards the old mall.' Another witness also claimed, 'I saw her walking into the mall basement parking lot.' So far, the police are still investigating this case," ended the news reporter there.
The broadcast is still ongoing with other news on the television. The gang finally decided to go to their rooms using the elevator.
When they finally arrived, Carla entered her room meanwhile Yusuf and Adipati entered theirs. Yusuf takes a rest on a chair while Adipati gets ready to shower. He's breathing because of the tiredness from the exercise. His head was lost in wonder so far from his own body.
Shhshhshh…
Not even the sound of a shower interrupts Yusuf's daydreaming. Maybe it will take a while to wait for Adipati to finish.
"Hey, I'm finished," Adipati said as he stepped out of the bathroom. Yusuf snaps from his imagination, "Oh, alright. I'm going in then." He gets up from the shower and prepares for the shower. As he goes toward the bathroom, his friend asks him a question.
"Hey Yusuf, do you think that these monsters could hide in the dark place?"
Huh?
Yusuf couldn't answer that question because he had another thing to do. "I don't know. How about we discuss it together with Carla?" replied Yusuf. "Alright. I'll tell Carla later," said Adipati leaving Yusuf to shower. Yusuf closes and locks the door, and immediately turns the shower knob.
In the meantime, Adipati calls Carla using his smartphone. She greets him on the other side of the call.
"Oh. Hello Carla. Look, I think all of us need to talk. Are you busy right now?" "No, no, I'm not busy. I just finished dressing. What is it that you want to talk about?" "You see…, I think that those monsters are hiding somewhere from the daylight." "Huh? What makes you think of that?" her tone shows that she is really confused. "This is why I called you. All of us need to gather around to discuss this. Are you in?"
She agreed without saying a word and told him to wait. After she ended the call, Yusuf coincidently finished showering. Moments later, Carla knocks on the door, wanting to get inside. Adipati unlocked the door and invited her into the room.
He closes the door and locks it back in place. All of them finally sit together at the same spot.
"So Adipati, you are saying that these creatures are hiding from the daylight. Why?" He replies to her question, "You see, have we ever found one during the daytime?" "No. I don't think we have ever encountered one during the day before," said Yusuf.
"That's what I thought! Also, have we seen a picture of these things in the day?" "No. Not at all. I'm scrolling through right now, yet there are none at all," said Carla. The boys begin to take a peek at it and Yusuf responds, "It is true. There is none of it."
The more Carla scrolls down the page, the more pictures pop up. Just like Adipati said, no pictures show monsters during the day.
"That's it. I'm tired. I want to give my thumb a break," then she puts down her phone. "So…, do you have any idea where to find their hiding place?" Yusuf asked Adipati. Adipati smirks, "Actually, I think I know where we can start," he said to them both.
***
The hot sun shone brightly on the sky that afternoon. Three of them are standing in front of an entrance. That entrance –so dark that no light ever enters it – leads to the basement parking lot of a mall. The abandoned mall is unwelcoming, not to mention the dark place in front of them.
They come there after they have lunch nearby. Now, they need to enter to test the hypothesis.
"We are finally here, the basement parking lot. Are you sure Adipati?" asked Yusuf. Adipati smirks and says, "Indeed. We are going into the basement and investigate it." "Let's just get in and get out quickly," said Carla, "I feel uncomfortable about this."
They enter the dark, cold, and silent place together. It is like the sunlight slowly leaving them as they go on. It's time for their phone torch mode to get in the action. The further they go in, the darker it gets.
That dark place would give anyone an uneasy feeling. It feels like exploring a cave during the night. The basement parking lot is so wide as if there is no end to it. All three of them stay together so they will not get lost.
Bright light from their phone shines upon the ceiling and the floor. What they can see are the cracks on the ceiling and dust on the floor. The pale paint from the pillars that support the building starts to peel off. Small bugs can be seen flying in front of the light.
Several spider webs could be seen hanging at the ceiling. They are placed between the beams and the pipes of the ceiling.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Screech…! Screech…! Screech…!
The sound of the rats and the bats echo all over the place. With the appearance of these animals, the gang knows that this place isn't safe.
KRAKA-BOOM!!!
"Ah!" Carla was surprised by the loud thundering noise. It not only surprised her but also the boys too.
Thrum…
The sound of raining cats and dogs could be heard inside. Water starts to dripping from the ceiling onto the floor.
"Oh no! It's raining outside! What are we going to do?" asked Carla while panicking. "Looks like we have to stay in here right after we found the monster!" said Adipati. "It's just a heavy rain! I don't think it will go on for a long time!" explained Yusuf.
They continue to complete their objective that hasn't been completed yet. The situation that they got into is making them quiver a bit. The cold wind is blowing into the basement parking lot. They could sense the eerie sounds followed by chilly blows.
Whoosh…
As the temperature drops, their body begins to shiver. Almost there, they supposed, it won't take long, they thought.
Then, suddenly, Adipati stopped, making all of them also stop moving forward. Both Yusuf and Carla are confused about what is going on.
"Adipati," Carla asked, "What is going on? Why are you stopped? Are you okay?" Adipati opens his mouth, "I think… I found something," he said while pointing to it. They took a good look at where Adipati points and it should not shock them at all.
After walking for a few minutes in the basement, they found it. An objective that they achieved only surprised them with the gruesome imagery.
It is a stain of yellow blood like it is splatted from somewhere. They move their light sources to show where the blood comes from. The light shines upon the enormous figure, lying on the floor. It is so big as big as a single-sized bed.
They come up to it and they can see it more clearly. It resembles a human but its mouth like stretched so big, so far, down to its waist. Its mouth looks like a kiddie pool – the lips so thick and tall enough to trip someone. Inside the red mouth, it is so flat like a mattress.
Not only that, there is a body inside the mouth. Yusuf crouches to take a good look at the victim's face. Half of the girl's face is visible to him. He assumed that the other half had sunk into the mouth of the thing.
The top of its head is gone, hence where the blood came. Adipati touches the blood on the floor – it's not dry yet!