The gun slips from his right hand. His grip on the edge of the cliff with his left hand also slips, and he falls with the dog still gnawing his hand with its wet teeth.
In panic, Thomas issues a specific command.
“Inventory! Box No. 2!”
It’s weird for him to issue such a command in that situation. But suddenly, a blue light appears in the air with some sparks of lightning, and a gun drops from it.
He grabs the gun, and points it so close at the dog’s belly. And then…
Bang, bang!!!
Two bullets are logged in the dog’s chest. They both fall into the river. Sadly, just like Thomas has worried before, his legs aren’t strong enough to help him to swim.
The strong current drives him downstream. Just by depending on his arms, he tries his best to get some air to breath.
After all the struggles, and once he manages to get his head to the surface, he sees the edge of a waterfall. It looks quite wild.
“Oh, God! Why do you hate me so much?”
Looking so resigned, he surrenders to his fate. In the end, he falls into the plunge pool, and disappears.
***
About several hundred meters from the waterfall…
Cough! Cough!!!
With heavy coughing, Thomas crawls toward the river bank. His head feels so light, but his legs are so heavy to move.
Once he reaches the river bank, he issues a specific command.
“Inventory!”
Soon, an interface window in the form of a blue hologram appears in front of him, a rectangular measuring 25 cm x 40 cm, with 40 small boxes in it.
All the boxes have icons of various kinds of objects, most of which are weapons and some tools for survival.
“Take out the items in the Box No. 8, No. 11, and No. 12!”
Out of nowhere, a blue light appears in front of him with some sparks of lightning. A box of red flares and first aid kid drops from it, along with a military knife.
He takes out a certain plastic bottle from the first aid kit, and pours a mysterious green liquid on the bite wound in his hand.
Csss!!! The bite wound sizzles as if exposed to an acid
Thomas groans enduring the pain. His breath is ragged, with his face pale, and his lips trembling from the cold.
He lights one of the flares, the only way he can think of to keep warm. Later, with legs he still can’t use, he crawls into the woods.
He continues to crawl, and crawls without a clear destination, until he finds an old cemetery.
“Oh, dear! Are you sending me to the devil now?”
The place looks deserted. It is almost dark soon, but it’s not going to deter him from entering the cemetery.
He is already like a zombie coming back from the world of the dead. And fortunately, he sees someone from afar.
“Wait! Is it really human? What is she doing in a place like this by herself?”
A ghost or not, he has to take the risk to approach that mysterious figure, hoping that she has a cell phone for him to borrow.
Yes, it is just a girl, and her face is freshly rosy to be considered a ghost. Looking like an office lady, she is currently wearing professional clothes, with white shirt under a blue suit and a thigh-length skirt.
Her brown thick hair is braided loosely, giving the impression of how hard her day was. Her deep blue eyes are sparkling, looking gloomy talking in front of her mother’s gravestone.
“It hasn't been a year since you left, but your husband has now started flirting with a woman. And I don’t like that woman. She is so annoying. I think she is only interested in dad’s money.”
“You’ve been here for months. I bet you've already made some connections with a few of the dead people here. Perhaps, one of them might be able to help me to...”
The girl suddenly turns silent. Weird sensations creeps the back of her neck. A breeze blows softly waving her hair as she feels the existence of something unusual.
She looks back, but doesn’t see anything or anyone.
“Moom? Is that you?”
She observes the woods behind her a bit more, until she averts her attention back to her mother’s gravestone. Right at that moment…
“Kyaaa!!!”
She is shocked by something crawling from behind her mother’s gravestone, and slams her purse on it while screaming in terror.
“No! Get away from me! Moom! Please! This is not what I’m asking for!”
“Hey! Calm down, would you?”
“No! Be gone!” The girl keeps hitting without the courage to open her eyes. “Go back to wherever you came from! I’m warning you, I can do an exorcism! You better not get any closer!”
“Oi! What’s wrong with you? I’m just a man!”
The girl opens her eyes, and immediately steps back out of fear.
“You lie! What kind of man are you, crawling out of the grave?”
It’s just Thomas, currently grimacing at the girl's ridiculousness. He looks baffled to find someone whose appearance look like a genuine metropolitan city girl, but her behavior is so rustic and superstitious like old-fashioned countryside woman.
He then climbs onto the girl’s mother’s grave, and lies there, looking so tired after everything he has gone through.
“Do you have a phone?” he asks.
“A phone?” the girl mumbles. “That’s right! I should call the police now!”
“Hold on! Wait! Not the police!”
Thomas crawls at her in a hectic way, making the girl so scared with his look. She steps back while rummaging her purse.
“I knew it! You must be a mountain bandit!”
“No, I’m not!”
“Then why are you so afraid of me calling the police?”
She takes out a phone. But sadly, she can’t make a call.
“My phone?”
Her phone has busted after she slammed her purse on Thomas earlier.
Thomas looks a bit awry. “Don’t tell me you can’t make a call!”
“You? It’s because of you!” The girl raises her purse, intending to slam it again at Thomas.
But then, she notices a knife in Thomas’ hand. Terrified, she gets away and accidentally steps her high heel on something.
“Kyaaa!”
She hits her hips on the ground. To make things even worse, she has just stepped on a snake, and…
“Aakh!”
Thomas cuts the snake with the knife. Sadly, the snake has already bitten the girl’s left leg, right on the inner thigh, about 15 cm above her knee.The girl looks so in pain while holding her left thigh. Thomas rushes to her by crawling, intending to check on her condition. However, he accidentally sees the cute, white panties under the girl’s skirt.The blush is slowly surfacing in his face. His glance moves to the girl’s beautiful face, and they both turn silent as their gazes are locked on each other.But then…Plak!The girl slaps him hard. “What are you doing, you pervert?”Thomas looks stupid, holding his red cheek.“No! I…”He shakes his head, trying to erase all the dirty thoughts in his mind. He goes back to his honest intention to help the girl, to check on her inner thigh.“I need to see your…”But the girl doesn’t even give him any chance.“Noo!”She retaliates, kicking Thomas’s nuts with her right foot.Dsh!“Urgh! Fuuuck!Thomas squirms. He keeps hitting the ground while
“What the?” Thomas holds his forehead. “Are you fucking nuts? Do you have any idea how much that thing cost?” he deplores.“Shut up!” the girl snaps. “I know you were trying to put me to sleep with that strange liquid so you could rape me!”The girl’s bad judgment makes Thomas even more desperate. “Aw, come on! If I really wanted to rape you, I don't need to put you to sleep. Don't you realize your current condition? Oh, God! You just wasted 47 grand-worth of Ether!”“Ether?” the girl mumbles.She looks curious for a moment. But her bad thoughts towards Thomas still don’t disappear, especially when he talked about the 47 grand, which is more than enough to buy one expensive city car.She looks at him with a funny look, noting Thomas' humble outfits. “Give me a break! Like you really have that much money in your life!”Thomas grimaces. What he has worried about actually happens. The girl looks down on him because of his appearance.“Hey, look!” Thomas tries to regain his composure befo
The sun has just set, with a small part of the sky on the western horizon still bright with a rosy orange thick cloud. Meanwhile, the dense woods around the cemetery are already so dark.She walks hurriedly, no longer caring about the snake venom in her blood. Even so, she still drags her left leg because of the burning pain in her left thigh.“What kind of liquid did he give me?”Over time, the pain has subsided, but not with her irritation. She continues to grumble, until she sees a man in the distance.It’s a tough looking guy with a barren head in his mid 40s. The man is also noticing her presence, and raises one of his hands.“Young lady!” He calls with a hoarse voice.“Alfred! What are you doing there?” asks the girl.Soon, she also notices another man, lying face down on the ground near the tough looking guy she called Alfred. As she gets closer, she realizes that it is actually Thomas.“This guy? What did you do to him?” she asks.She intends to check on Thomas’s condition, bu
The next day, Thomas squirms on a cozy bed. He comfortably rubs his head on the soft pillow, and then opens his eyes. He looks so satisfied after having a good sleep.He takes a deep breath before closing his eyes again, wanting to enjoy the cozy bed even more. But soon, he suddenly opens his eyes wide.He sits up and looks around, finding himself in a rather spacious luxurious bed room. By the look of it, by the pink wardrobe, the shape of the dressing table, and the blanket currently covering him, it’s certainly a room for a girl.“Where am I? How did I get here?”He rubs the blanket on his knees. The legs are still heavy, but somehow, he can move them more freely than before.He uncovers the blanket, intending to leave the bed. But he is shocked to find that he is completely naked, and immediately covers his body again.“What the hell?”In a hectic, he tries to rub his private part, worrying about something. Whether it is just a morning wood or something else, he finds his little b
Thomas doesn’t give her any answer. He deletes Carina’s number from the out-going call list in the phone before giving the phone back to Erica.“Sorry, I need to go,” says Thomas as he walks away.The girl looks so awry, staring at Thomas’ back while holding the phone.But then, she finds Thomas wobble so weakly, causing her assessment of Thomas to change slightly.She starts to think that maybe Thomas is just a weak person who happened to be a victim of some bad people.Thomas’ appearance does give him an impression of a genuine countryside man. Erica finds his face looks too kind to be a criminal.“Are you okay?” she asks. “Are you sure you can go out by yourself? What about the food I gave you before? Have you eaten yet?”Before Thomas gets the chance to answer, he already stumbles and falls rolling down the stairs.“Hey, be careful!”Erica rushes to help him, and finds Thomas’ legs shaking as he tries to get up by leaning to the stair railing.Her face contorts, looking silly whil
“Um, Sir!” Nancy comes to Oliver, trying to handle the situation. “Please, let me talk to him for a moment. I’ll come to you soon.”“No, you don’t have to,” Laura interferes. “We know that man well. There’s no need to talk to him. Just kick him out of this place.”“But…” Nancy looks so unsure with that idea.“Believe me! He is not one of your customers,” Laura continues. “One look is enough to tell that he is just a cheap country bumpkin. We just kicked him out of our house yesterday. And I am sure he is just looking for a place to rest by coming here pretending to be a customer.”Despite what Laura said, Nancy still approaches Thomas and treats him kindly.“Excuse me, sir! Did you know this house belongs to Saunders Property Trust?” she asks.“I know,” replies Thomas shortly.“We are holding an open house for business purposes. Although the house is open to the public, we expect only those who have serious interest in buying this house,” Nancy explains.Thomas glances back at Oliver,
Sylvia can’t say a word. It’s something she has been worrying about so far. It’s too much for someone to send that many hitmen to kill Thomas who is just a countryside man. She knows she was the real target, and they can just come to her again.Right after saying all his suspicions, Thomas stares at Laura full of intent, making that lady so awry about something.“Enough with your bullshit,” Laura snaps. “We know you only wanted to squeeze Donovan’s money, and now you are trying to shift the blame to save your face! Joaquin! Kick him out of this house!”Laura’s husband comes to Thomas, and then grabs his clothes. He harshly drags Thomas before forcing him to get up. Soon after that, he throws him toward the family room.As Thomas tries to get up, his attention is diverted by a pair of smooth, beautiful legs in high heels. He then looks up, finding Naomi Saunders standing over him, the same girl he met yesterday at the cemetery. She doesn't look so happy at all.The incident at Boslow Hi
Not to mention about Naomi’s beauty which is far surpassing hers, causing the naïve girl so awry for losing her man.“Oliver! You know her?” Sylvia inquires.Oliver is shaken from his anger, and immediately puts on an ignorant face before averting his face to his fiancée.“Not really,” he denies. “I just know her as a fellow business person.”“Oh, how cruel of you,” Naomi sulks childishly. “Didn’t you once whisper in my ear that you never tired of fantasizing about my beauty before going to bed? Well, I don’t mind if we never end up together. But how cruel, now you act like you don’t know me?”Sylvia glares her eyes straight at Oliver, causing Oliver so scared. And Naomi, she looks so amused, noticing that she has successfully sparked a conflict between them.“Is this the girl you try hook after the failure in seducing me?” she teases. “It really saddens me that you give up too soon! You were so brave and bold last time, you know?”“Naomi, please!” Oliver laughs awkwardly. “Stop with
As if no longer having the strength to stand on two feet, Naomi lifelessly kneels down with a pitiful pale face. Her eyes are watery, and her two hands with trembling fingers covering her mouth.As an educated person, she knows so well that it’s already too late to save her father’s life. Not even the best doctor in the world can save Adam Saunders’ life.On the other hand, Mr. Chicote can no longer argue the two doctors anymore. He looks so stupid, gulping with a pale face, realizing how fuck up he is at the moment.“Now you realize how stupid you have been in my eyes?” Alfred, who has just come out of the isolation room, states coldly to Mr. Chicote’s face. “I don't care whether ghosts exist or not. But I can say for sure that you are just a swindler, taking advantage of other people's suffering to extort their money.”“Nonsense!” Mr. Chicote refutes. “She was the one who asked for my help, and I do what I can do based on my knowledge.”“Based on your knowledge? So what about the gho
Alfred looks so mad, but his eyes are red and sparkling with tears due to anguish and despair. And Mr. Chicote, like he doesn’t give a damn what causes Alfred’s sorrow, suddenly slaps him in the face and yells back.“Just because you can’t see them, doesn’t mean they don’t exist! It’s like your brain, no matter how stupid you are, you still have a brain even though you can’t see it. It’s either you are ignorant, or you know it but deliberately let the devil use you to lead people astray!”Alfred is stunned, his face looks baffled. Not because the word has succeeded in providing enlightenment, but because of the old man’s audacity in slapping him in front of other people.He grabs the man’s black robe with just his left hand and then pushes him hard against the wall, making the glass wall shake with it.The nurse tries to stop the fight, but Alfred ignores her and brings his face closer to Mr. Chicote.“How dare you slap my face? Even my boss never did that to me!” He croaks, his voice
Carefully, she starts tidying the bedroom without disrupting the arrangement of those strange objects. Until a few moments later, she feels a strange breezy softly blowing her beautiful hair.It could just be the wind coming out from the bathroom with an unclosed window. But she thinks it is some kind of bad premonition.Feeling eerie, she immediately gets out of the room while taking her phone out to make a call.[Immanuel Chicote here!]“Mr. Chicote! It’s me, Naomi Saunders!”[My child! How is your father’s situation?”“Um, could you come here, please? I don’t feel quite right about the situation in this house.”[Sure! I’ll be right there!]Not daring to be alone on that second floor, she hurries down to the kitchen to see the maids.“Matilda! Could you make lemonade tea for me?” She politely asks before taking a seat.“We've used all the lemons yesterday?” Matilda deplores. “It's something that Anastasia Nixon didn't like, and that Mr. Chicote used as a talisman to keep her away fro
After listening to Matilda's explanation, Naomi slowly turns her face to the direction where her father went. She no longer sees the car, but her face is now painted with worry.In the past few days, her father has often behaved strangely, always filled with excessive fear, worried about people who might be after his life.Adam even said that he was visited by Anastasia Nixon and her Chihuahua, both in his dreams and when he was conscious.And Naomi, who does believe in superstition, has also called a psychic to cleanse her house of all forms of negative energy. But it seems that wasn't enough.“Alfred! We need to call Mr. Immanuel Chicote back to cleanse my house.”Alfred is grimacing as soon as he hears what Naomi has just said. And of course, Naomi understands very well what his reaction means.“I know this sounds stupid to you,” Naomi continues impatiently. “But we have no other choice. I know for sure that my father is not crazy. Of all the hallucinations he has, he sees the ghost
The situation at the Saunders Properties Trust office is being made busy by Alfred. It’s about Naomi, who left the office without anyone knowing where she went. It’s been more than three hours, and she hasn’t come back.“How come no one knows? What are you guys doing here anyway?” He grunts.“Welcoming guests with greetings and a smile,” replies the receptionist.“Monitoring the people in this lobby,” says one of the security officers.Alfred squints at that man. “And you didn’t see her leaving?”“I did! But it’s not my place to question her, or even prevent her from leaving the office. She is the boss,” the security officer argues.“Oh, God! Don’t you even realize her situation?” Alfred deplores.All those employees can only show their oblivions. Alfred rubs his head in frustration, before coming back to the receptionist.“Have you tried to call her?” he asks.“I have! But it’s out of reach,” replies the female receptionist.“Call it again!” Alfred exclaims as he walks away. “Keep try
Feeling insulted, Alfred vents his anger by throwing a punch. Thomas evades it simply by taking his head away, and again, he responds to it with another slap.This situation continues to repeat, with Alfred continually trying to hit Thomas but never succeeding and always getting slapped in return.“Come on! Is this all you got?” Thomas taunts.Five minutes have past, and that tough looking face is now swollen on the left side. With both knees and hands on the ground, Alfred looks down with a frustrated face.“Is it the gun that you really want, or humiliation?” Thomas provokes coldly.But Alfred doesn't even dare to look back at Thomas anymore. It is a fair fight, one on one, with Thomas not letting anyone interfere with their affair. Yet, he really can’t do anything.Even with the anger filling his heart, he is now realizing how far the gap between him and Thomas is. This is the first time someone has made him so helpless. His self-esteem has been crushed so badly after receiving so m
- Two Hours Earlier, When Alfred Was Taking Erica to Visit Thomas -As before, Alfred's arrival at this dilapidated block is again greeted by several street thugs with unfriendly looks. At least, his car is no longer stopped by these thugs.It seems like they are already familiar with the car Alfred is driving, and they are just following with their BMXs and off road bikes.More than two dozen of them, and all of whom are holding weapons. Metal baseball clubs, big wrenches with some metal chains, wired wooden clubs, you name it. Some of them even have guns tucked into their waists.“Alfred! What are we doing in this place?” asks Erica, looking around with an awry face.“Didn’t you ask me to take you here?” Alfred replies rhetorically, still looking composed driving the car slowly.“What do you mean?” Erica shows her confusion.Alfred doesn’t say anymore. He simply stops the car on the side of the road, right in front of an old and humble apartment building.“This is where he lives,” ut
Some people might think that a woman’s mood can easily improve after a good night’s sleep. However, Naomi’s situation is different. Since ending her relationship with Thomas, she hasn’t been able to regain her usual self.Recently, she has been spending all her working hours inside her office. As she is engrossed with the amulet left by her late mother, a knock on the door suddenly interrupts her reverie.“Come in!”It turns out to be Erica, greeting spiritedly like always. “Yo, Naomi! Aren't you going out again today?”Naomi acts as if there’s nothing wrong. “Why? Is there something that I need to do outside?”Erica gives her a smile by shrugging a little, and approaches her. “Girl! You don't need to hide it from me. Everyone has noticed your changes.”“What changes?” Naomi looks baffled.“Come on! I admit he's a good guy. But you're Naomi Saunders. There are so many better men out there. You shouldn't be so fixated on him.”“Sigh! There’s nothing between us,” Naomi denies. “You shoul
Without saying much, Thomas decides to walk away. Naomi makes a pouting face, looking so dissatisfied.She is indeed upset. But deep down in her heart, she expects Thomas to defend himself, and tries to convince her. Carrying a feeling of disappointment, she gets into the car and starts it.Soon after that beetle car moves past the gate, Adam tilts his head a little like giving an order to Alfred. Knowing exactly what order Adam has given, Alfred hurries after Thomas.“Hey! You forgot something!”Thomas turns around, and instantly, a hard punch hits him in the face that causes him to staggering. As if that isn’t enough, Alfred punches him once more, sending him crashing on the ground.Adam approaches him composedly, and rummages all over Thomas’ body. He finds a roll of cash from Thomas’ pocket, and then gives it to Alfred.He doesn’t stop there! He keeps rummaging, to make sure whether Thomas brings any weapons with him or not.However, there’s no weapon to be found but only Thomas’ w