Invasion Day 18Wonosobo, Central Java, IndonesiaArtha did anything he could to stay still on the stepping stone, clothes dripping wet as the lake parted ways for the supernatural beings in front of him.The beautiful woman wearing a long, green kebaya offered him a cup made of a broken human skull. The dark, red liquid seemed to call his name. She brought the skull up, almost touching his lips.Artha leaned closer and sipped the dark blood from it, forcing himself to hold his gaze against the woman’s eyes. He wanted to throw up right away, but he could only close his eyes at the moment.No matter what, he must not throw up. It was the worst feeling he had to suppress.A moment later, the woman was back on the tiger’s back. She still didn’t say anything, but her eyes shone under the moonlit night. She was proud of him, for who knows why.The white beast retreated gracefully; its long tail swayed like part of a dance. Once the white beast’s paws touched the lake’s shore, the water clo

It had been a while since Artha followed Eyang Wadas through the other dimension. He tried to focus, hoping the walk to be short. But, like many things in life, not everything goes according to his wish. As someone who could be considered a psychic, seeing ghosts and demons was something normal. He wasn’t afraid of them, nor was he interested in hearing whatever they say to him. However, the supernatural creatures in the other dimension were not like what he had seen. Besides their animal-like appearance and humanoid plant shapes, they could speak his language fluently as they tried to entice him into taking them with them. Some of them even offered food, all kinds of them, really. His mouth watered the moment their nice smell hit his nose. He almost grabbed a skewered meat a half-bull half-man brought in front of him, but Artha shook his head, clearing his mind from the craving and hunger. Eyang Wadas was testing him. Clenching his hands into fists, Artha refocused and followed

To put it simply, Mr. Bones sounded precisely like the kind of name Keira didn’t want to tangle with.She was pretty knowledgeable that mobsters usually stick to a nickname based on their usual torture specialty or killing method. Some article she found on wiki – oh, the horror – said so.The thought that Mr. Bones would easily break her bones was enough to send a shiver running down her body. As there was no way that the mysterious person they were meeting used the name Bones for his love of a crime procedural comedy-drama TV series titled ‘Bones’, right?Much less because the person Nate wanted to meet had such fascination with that 2001 slapstick comedy film made and set in South Africa. That would be far too ridiculous to think.Despite her worries, Nate swung himself to full height, giving her a ‘ladies first’ gesture.She gave him a skeptical look and pushed him forward instead, quietly demanding that he fulfill his promise about being her handsome and loveable shield. Although,

Inside was a rebellious edition of a corporate office, Keira concluded.Of course, it had posters of Playboy bunnies. Colorful glass with three bullet holes depicting an angel from the sky, who knows where a partially illegal businessman like Mr. Bones got it. Two golden horse sculptures on the table. As well as a blue pumpkin with a big hole on top – probably to empty the seed before he carves it."It's not even August," Nate muttered, a little too loud if his first intention was not to be heard by the building's owner. Although, the shabby businessman didn't give even a single reaction.Keira shifted from one foot to the other. Uneasy in this strange place and unusual situation. She lingered near the door, leaning against the wall as she wished this transaction would go faster.'Transaction,' she repeated in her head, trying to stifle her chuckle at her own choice of words.Hearing her, Nate looked over his shoulder; a raised eyebrow easily conveyed his silent question.Mr. Bones al

Rhea's blue eyes widened in terror as she hastily scooted away from the bearded driver. Her eyes darted around to spot another speck of blood on the dashboard and a folded knife just between them. "Please stop the car," she whispered in horror."I was joking," Jo smiled, but his furrowed brows made him look suspicious.The sirene behind continued to shriek, followed by a booming distorted voice from the police car's speaker, "Please stop the car."Instead of stopping the car like the police ordered, Jo slammed his foot on the gas pedal.Rhea shrieked, and she was thrust backwards in her seat as the car shot forward. She was terrified beyond belief. "Oh, God! Please stop the car!" Jo ignored her, but his eyes darted from the empty road to the rearview mirror. The police car behind them accelerated in turn, tailing them. Then, right ahead, there was a slower heavy boxed car. Jo made a diving turn and swiftly passed it, making Rhea bump her head to the side glass. Then, finally, there w