Watcher

Chapter 16: Memories from the past

Bradley walks towards the bushes not far from his current position and his heartbeat skips a beat every time he walks closer to the sound. His hand slowly touched the surface of the bush, however, pair of eyes stare at him in the bush.

"Good grief!"

Bradley steps back, his face instantly pale with cold sweat immediately rolling down his curves. Something moves to him and it gets closer and closer. His body is instantly frozen and refuses to move.

"What is that?"

His eyes try to find anything for protection, yet he doesn’t find anything. A few minutes later it finally reveals its forms and turns out just a cat.

"Damn cat!" he said with a sigh and wipes his sweat. “I almost get a heart attack.”

Not long after, the rain slowly subsided. Bradley reached out his hand and made sure the rain stopped.

"Okay, now it's safe. I better get home before it rains again.”

Bradley quickened his footsteps and leave the cat alone. But after a few steps, he stops in his tracks. His eyes look back and see directly into the cat’s eyes. He feels sad leaving the cat alone in that place, but he can’t bring any animals into the orphanage.

"If I take the cat home, Wolfy will be furious and so will Madam Theresa."

His head feels hot thinking about that. Bradley tries to forget all about it and returned to the orphanage. His eyes look around and slowly steps inside.

"Ok, everything is safe." Bradley closed the door and walked slowly, trying not to make any noise. “there is no sign of Madam Theresa.”

He fastens his movement to his room and closed the door immediately. He walks to his lovely bed, suddenly someone knocks outside his room. He doesn't want to open the door at first, but the knocking is getting louder and more intense.  He finally opens the doorknob and sees someone standing in front of his door.

"Madam Nigera?” Bradley furrows his eyes. “Thank God, I think you are Madam Theresa.” He sighs.

"Bradley, so what did Thomas tell you?"

"Dr. Thomas said that this wound was from the night catcher's attack," Bradley said in a casual tone. "Madam, he said you know ...."

Madam Nigera's eyeballs immediately dilated when Bradley mentioned night catcher. She quickly grabs Bradley's mouth and dragged him into the room near them and closed the door.

"Bradley, you can't talk about this here," she said glancing her eyes left and right. "What if someone could hear it."

"Madam Nigera, what is this all about?" Bradley wrinkled his brows. "What are you hiding from all of us?"

"You should not ask too many questions, boy." Madam Nigera raises her voice.

"How can I not ask, when my life is on the edge of death!"

Bradley's words shock Madam Nigera and instantly make her speechless.

"Madam, I don't want to be that thing," he said and started sobbing. "I'm scared, madam." Bradley clutched both her hands tightly.

Madam Nigera only shakes her head, she steps closer to Bradley and hugged him. "Bradley, calm down I'm sure we can heal your wound," she said in a whisper. "What stage is your wound?"

"Early stage, madam." Bradley shows the wound. "Dr. Thomas says this can slow down the effects."

"Ok, so there is still a chance of recovery. I think we should go to Mirland."

Bradley enlarges his eyeball, he doesn’t believe Madam Nigera knows about Mirland just like Dr. Thomas said. Bradley sighs and a faint smile is painted on his lips, he slowly opens the door.

“Okay, so what we are waiting for?”

However, Madam Nigera snaps her fingers and realizes she can’t go to Mirland because of something. She doesn’t want to tell about it and always attempts to change the conversation. It makes Bradley’s head feels hot and his soul feels burned inside.

“Madam, stop lying!” Bradley yells so loud. “What have you done?”

Madam Nigera takes a deep breath and starts to speak. “I have been expelled from Mirland.” Her voice cracks not long after. “Because I… I…. have killed someone.”

Bradley shocks to hear Madam Nigera words and he doesn’t believe what she said. “Madam, you are not joking, right?”

Madam Nigera shakes her head, making Bradley’s mouth wide in shock. She said some years before working at the orphanage, she was a leader of the protective members at Mirland. However, due to carelessness she accidentally killed one of his colleagues and she got expelled from Mirland forever.

“I’m sorry for asking about it.” A sense of regret crossed Bradley's mind. “I don’t wanna open those bad memories.”

Madam Nigera smiles and tries to be strong. “Yeah, that’s fine. I realize now how clumsy and stupid I was.”

"So, how do we get to Mirland now? "Bradley asked curiously trying to change the subject.

"There is another way to enter the world of Mirland, but you must find another watcher to have access to it." Madam Nigera stroked her chin. "But rules are the rules." She rolls her eyeball. “I even don’t know who is the other watcher.”

“Dr. Thomas?” asked Bradley curiously. “He knows a lot of Mirland, is it possible he is also the watcher?”

Madam Nigera shakes her head. “No, he’s just a normal human but obsessed with all kinds of weird stuff.”

“Well, that means bad luck then.” He sighs resignedly.

Madam Nigera merely said to Bradley that he should be less likely to leave the orphanage. She gives Bradley information about the night catcher who often wandered around at night and looked for victims.

"Bradley, It’s late and you should take a rest now." Madam Nigera stands up and walks away from him. "I will gather any information about the other watcher, I promise."

Madam Nigera walks away from Bradley and closed the door, leaving Bradley alone in the room.

"Madam Nigera's words seem to be true. I should rest now," He said followed by a yawn and walks toward his room.

Bradley stands up, walks to his bed, and lies down on the mattress. His mind still thinking about the things Dr. Thomas and Madam Nigera said before. However, his body is too tired and his eyes feel tired. Not long after, he sleeps soundly.

***

"Bradley...Bradley...Bradley...."

An unfamiliar voice called his name and Bradley quickly opened his eyes. He looks left and right, yet he sees no one there. He tries to sleep again, but the voice called his name again.

"Argh! That voice makes me sick!"

Bradley gets up from his bed and searches for the source of the voice. He continued moving without realizing that he is outside the house now and suddenly the voice vanished.

"Strange, how come the voice is gone?"

He squinted his eyes and moved his head. He is standing right under the only street lamp that emitted a yellow neon-colored light.  His eyes moved slowly, but since it is quite dark outside, he could not see clearly. In front of him, just an empty street with a few parked vehicles, no one sees is seen on this street.

"Weird, am I dreaming?" he pats his cheeks over and over. "Ah, never mind, probably it’s just my imagination."

He walks back inside the orphanage, yet after a few steps of walking, he suddenly feels something watching him from behind. He slowly turns his head around and sees a pair of eyes looking at him continuously.

***