Chereads / By The Nightfall / Chapter 9 - Eerie

Chapter 9 - Eerie

The whole thing with the sudden car crash and the fact that he may or may not imagining things when he saw it hit a whole person makes Nagarjuga unconsciously find his way closer to the scene—wanting to see for himself whether it was true or not that there is no one there, in front of the bumper of the car. People already gathering before him despite the security of the museum telling them to back off until the police and ambulance arrive. He slips himself in between, not close enough to be a bother but not far enough to be unable to see things clearly. Just enough for his eyes to confirm it.

There is indeed no one in front of the car.

From the way he saw how the car hit the spot where it stops, if there is indeed someone there, he will either be thrown off quite far away or stuck under the car—but no matter how far his eyes search the green field in front of him, no one is there. When he bends down to see the under of the car, it is empty too. No human body can be found.

Did he just really imagine things? Does this have anything to do with the fact the man that he thought was hit is the one that just disappear from him a few minutes before? Does his head mix things up and confused him?

Nagarjuna looked around towards a few people that he thought maybe the ones voicing the same concern just like him: that they saw someone getting hit by the car, but most of them did not look as shocked as if—maybe because they thought they got things mixed up too? He doesn't know but it makes him doubt what he sees even more.

'Just what is happening with my head right now?' He thought.

In the middle of his musing, someone yanks his hand so hard that he almost lost balance and automatically pulls him away from the scene. He was just about to shout out his complaint about being treated as such, but when turned towards the direction where he was pulled, he found no one is there.

Only when he looks down, does he realize the owner of those 'rough' hands is a little boy—probably around 6 years old by the baby fats on his cheek—that is currently looking at him in the eyes with an unreadable expression that sent chills down Nagarjuna's body.

'Does this kid is really the one who yanks my hand just now?' Nagarjuna wonders.

The boy is so small. Nagarjuna doesn't think it is possible for the other to yank him that way but no one around him is looking in his direction besides this child. His eyes follow the small hands that clap around each other and shudders to even think that size hand can yank someone with his size rudely like that. It somehow reminds him of a scary doll Chucky.

Nagarjuna decided to think positive about it—perhaps he was a little bit lightheaded because of what he just witnessed and what he thinks he saw; thus, it makes him lose footing easily, which is why it feels like the 6 years old have yanked him quite harshly when perhaps the boy does not do so.

He crouched down to align with the little boy's eyes height and then smile, hoping it did not come awkward as he asked, "Um, hi, there, do you need help, little one?"

Without warning, the boy's hands lifted and cradled Nagarjuna's cheeks, his small eyes suddenly turned darkened completely—a pitch black that drowned his eyeballs. His lips form a smile for a split second before turning into a smirk that looks so off on a child this small. Automatically, Nagarjuna tries to push himself off the cradled but he finds himself unable to move at all, he can't even let out any sound even when his lips are half-open. He is completely frozen.

Then suddenly Nagarjuna hears those voices.

It sounds like many people whispering something incoherently at the same time at a fast pace to his ear—making it rings painfully as the whisper gets louder and louder. It started to hurt his head and Nagarjuna swears he thinks his ears may be bleeding because of it, so he opens his mouth to scream but a tap on his shoulder cut the voice off on his ears and his throat abruptly.

The man gasp at the sudden changes and turned around so quickly that he almost once again lost footing.

"You shouldn't stand there," a man with glasses, holding an umbrella, is currently looking at him weirdly, "You block the exit of the parking lot. Those cars need to drive passed through you to get out or get into the parking lot area."

"Huh?"

Nagarjuna looks around and finds himself standing by the gate of the parking lot, quite far away from where the last time stood. A car beeps on him and he quickly back off to give the way as well as sent his regards towards the man with glasses who just nods at him and walk away dismissively.

The tall man blinks confusedly.

'What in the world—'

The child that just cradled his face not even a second ago is nowhere in sight. He looks back at the crowded people around the accident scene and wonders how he got to stand this far when he knows that he was yanked by a 6 years old boy only a few steps away from the car. He also takes a note that he was standing when the man with glasses tap his shoulder all this time when he very much remembers crunching down just to be able to see the child's eyes.

A goosebump wash over Nagarjuna's body once again today.

Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Nagarjuna decided that this is it—time to go home. Whatever he just experienced until this moment, he will think back about it later.

He was just about to turn towards the museum and pick Nina up when the corner of his eyes catches the silhouette of Nina talking with a man he has never seen before in the parking lot instead. Why in the world is Nina who he just left behind in the museum suddenly out here now?

So Nagarjuna makes a run at her—completely putting all the eerie things he's been experiencing today at the back of his mind and trying to focus on his duty as the girl's bodyguards.

What he doesn't expect is to have the said man that has been talking with Nina—a stranger, to catch his eyes the moment he arrives then proceed to make an expression as if he saw something so shocking on Nagarjuna's face.