Aleyah pulled the blanket and changed her sleeping position facing the bedroom door. The ghost of a teenage boy who had pale skin and a large cut on his neck came back to her. Her eyes were completely closed and she was sure that she had been dreaming a while ago but why was the ghost still in front of her? Aleyah could feel his presence in one corner of her room and she was starting to get fed up. She could even see ghosts in dreams now.
"Please, not today. I feel like I'm gonna die, please just let me sleep.." Aleyah muttered still with her eyes closed.
"I just want to..." the ghost replied slowly but his voice stopped before he finished his sentence. The ghost did not continue and remained completely silent. Instead, he sat at the end of Aleyah's bed facing the bedroom window.
"I won't do anything." he said without turning to check Aleyah's reaction to his relenting action. Aleyah remained in the same position, she waited patiently for the ghost to leave but she couldn't bear to chase it away. The ghost sounded very sad and she knew why.
"By the way you never asked my name," said the ghost. Then he laughed loudly, "For what, right? I'm dead anyway, there's nothing to talk about, I'm not important."
Aleyah opened her eyes, she clearly remembered the unfortunate incident that happened to the ghost. He was murdered in front of his own mother, he witnessed his mother's tears, he heard his mother's screams and despair. He felt guilty towards his mother and he shouldn't look for trouble with that man. He shouldn't have interfered with his father's work, he regretted not obeying his father when he was given the message to leave immediately. He regrets not being able to protect his mother after his father died.
"Sean," said Aleyah, "I know your name, Sean." she said again, now turning her head to look at the ghost sitting on her bed.
Sean, the pale ghost smiled gently and looked back at Aleyah's bedroom window. "You're right, my father used to be a detective. It's strange to hear someone's voice like this." he said, changing the conversation.
"What really happened?" Aleyah asked, the ghost knew what she was thinking but he changed the subject instead of talking about it. Sean sighed, "My father used to investigate drug smuggling cases. My father was very brave and persistent, he chased the man and his gang even though his superiors threatened him. He was alone against that damn gang and none of the higher ups supported him, not even the officials. We usually call them demigods."
Aleyah raised her eyebrows in confusion. Sean sat cross-legged and looked up at the perfectly round moon in the sky. "I mean.. they have the power and strength to make this world a better place but they indulge their desires. I really hate them. My sense of justice emerged when I saw my father, who is in trouble. I thought about helping him and my father would definitely be comforted knowing there was someone beside him."
"But he left me and my mother. I know he was murdered but everyone says he fell to suicide. They said that my father's obsession with a long-lost famous gang made him crazy. I was very angry at that time, so much so that I ignored the letter from my father. He told me to move to another city, but I stayed at home and also disobeyed my mother."
"The rest is the same as you saw. They came to my house to burn all evidence or anything about my father's doing, and then the stupid me got the punishment. I really feel sorry for my mother, she lives alone and must suffer because of me." Sean ended his story by taking a deep breath, he straightened his back and told Aleyah to go to sleep.
"Why do you look faded? I didn't see your friends either, is it the time for you to go to heaven?" Aleyah asked curiously.
Sean smiled again, "Sleep Aleyah, I'm fine." he said.
"I'm also sad as you are to hear that person is still out there, I hope you can rest in peace, Sean."
Sean admits that Aleyah is a pretty good human being. He wanted to thank her by leaving her alone but that bastard was still out there. Sean waited long enough to make sure Aleyah was asleep, until exactly 1 o'clock in the night.
Sean looked at Aleyah's beautiful face who was fast asleep. He glanced at the antique ring on the woman's finger. The gem in the ring is no longer red, now it has turned pink or clear. The gem cracked slightly and he knew what that meant.
"Sorry Aleyah. I don't want to leave or be taken by force before finishing that person off. You would definitely understand if you were me." he said then he took over the woman's body.
It took some time to do that and now it doesn't feel as easy as it used to. He insisted and finally he was able to fit perfectly into Aleyah.
. . .
Aleyah stopped her motorbike in the middle of the road. She stared at the red light and watched her surroundings. There was an ambulance beside her, both waiting for the green light to turn on. Then there was a black car across the road facing her, right in front of her and the motorcycle. There were only the three of them at this quiet intersection.
Aleyah raised her helmet visor and held her head which hurt. "Ah, she's awake," she or Sean muttered distractedly. He tried hard to turn the gas to move the motorbike but his hands were shaking. "I have important business. Why don't you just sleep?" Sean replied, annoyed.
"You damn deceitful ghost, give me back my body!" It was Aleyah's voice that echoed in the woman's own ears. The voice was like a command and just one word made Sean's chest hurt, which made Sean immediately leave Aleyah's body.
Not long after, Aleyah's body fell heavily onto the asphalt. All the men who saw that were equally confused but none of the car doors opened. They watched the woman writhing on the asphalt closely.
Luckily Aleyah was still wearing a helmet and of course, fortunately she didn't faint while riding the motorbike. Aleyah took off her helmet, cleaned her slightly dirty glasses and then looked around her.
"Actually, where is he taking me, ugh it's cold." Aleyah muttered then she immediately led her father's big motorbike to the side of the road. She noticed two cars accompanying her at this intersection. The green light was on but the two cars were still, not moving an inch. They are just there, staying still like a statue.
"Why are they still silent..." Aleyah muttered quietly, starting to get suspicious. Sean, the ghost who had bounced away from Aleyah's body, appeared in front of Aleyah and grabbed the woman's hand, even though his efforts were useless. "You have to go, Al, Now!" he said hastily.
The ambulance door opened, Aleyah and Sean's attention was diverted to the two neatly dressed men. They had iron earrings and tattoos on their faces, which was enough to make Aleyah believe that they were not good people.
Aleyah immediately got on her motorbike but they hugged her stomach and lifted her from the two-wheeled vehicle. "Argh! Let me go!" Aleyah shouted loudly. "Help! Help- hmph!" They also covered her mouth.
Aleyah's glasses fell and were accidentally stepped on by one of them. Aleyah kicked to get away from them but the other man grabbed her legs. The person lifted Aleyah's chin, "Gosh, she's beautiful." he said.
"Don't touch me!" Aleyah shouted incoherently.
"We got a bonus tonight. Get the motorbike and bring this sweet woman to the boss. When the business with the boss is finished, she will be to our satisfaction."
Aleyah shook her head excitedly, the tears she had been holding back now flowed without permission. Then they gave her some kind of anesthetic. Aleyah tries so hard to fight back but her body starts to feel weak and her vision becomes increasingly blurry.
But in the midst of her despair, she was sure there was someone walking towards them.
She doesn't know exactly what happened, but she is sure that the two men let go of her until she fell to the asphalt for the second time. This time she felt harder and more painful, but it wasn't enough to make her lose consciousness.
There was a fight in front of her, the tall man in the black coat who had approached them had finished off two men, who had intended to kidnap her. Aleyah's vision was blurry and to be honest she couldn't see the black suit man's face. The color of her hair, nose and lips couldn't be the slightest bit.
The anesthetic worked well, all that was left of Aleyah was her voice. "No, no, don't come near me. Leave me." she muttered in panic when she saw the man's black loafers approaching her.
"You wouldn't have survived if I ignored you all this time." replied the man.
Soon she felt her body at a height. The man lifted her body like a rice sack. "I want to go down, I want..." Aleyah muttered incoherently with her eyes slowly closing.
The man glanced at the girl on his shoulder. Her babbling had stopped and her eyes were completely closed. The girl's arms were also limp as was her head which dangled on his broad shoulders.
Arriving in the car, "Ash! Why are you getting involved?!" it was Lucas' voice from the man's phone. "Damn it!"
Ash put Aleyah to sleep carefully then turned off his phone. He put the seat belt on Aleyah who had fainted and smoothed the hair that covered part of the sweet woman's face. "You really need to stop now, Aleyah. The hide and seek game is over," Ash said, then put his jacket on top of Aleyah's makeshift body.