“It happened again,” said Nia whimpering. The prospect of serial killer wandering around her is terrifying to say the least. Even when she go home together with Rita and Jihan yesterday, she can’t stop looking behind and that freak the other two out.

Even going to school this morning was not exactly a pleasant journey. It felt like someone is watching her. Now that she is here, it should be safer, not that the anxiety wears off. The news reported another animal attack in the same fashion of the last one.

“It should be fine. What’s the worst thing that can happen in class?” Reza who were sitting in front of her replied nonchalantly. He seems to be as listless as always and she couldn’t figure out what’s in his mind. He is not exactly the most convincing person but she is just happy to be able to talk with somebody and take her mind off the news.

"I guess you are right."

They talked a bit before the class finally started. It went pretty normal and uneventful. She wasn’t really paying attention to it since her mind is going awry. Andre seems to notice it while they were sitting in school’s canteen at break time.

“You look troubled.”

“Was it obvious?”

“To me at least.”

Her face slowly turns red. It was embarrassing for her to be read like a book. “Yeah. The news really bother me. And it happened again last night.”

“If you are worried, I can accompany you going home.”

“Really? Are you sure? Our home is in the same general direction but we…”

“It’s fine, I’ll keep you company until you are home.”

It was heartwarming for her to see someone trying to protect her. She was always worrying other people, helping them in the time of need. Never before she felt the need to worry about something other than others. Worrying about herself was … unpleasant. This feeling of vulnerabilty was something new and invasive. Growing anxiety pervades her body as she thought about her being in a dangerous situation.

So hearing Andre saying that he is going to protect her was reassuring. He reminded her of her brother since he is all she had after her parents died in a car crash. They both smiled at each other before moving on to talk about something else. Their conversation is drowned among sea of students talking with other students. The noise might not be a problem for them, but some people prefer place with less noise. That’s the reason why Reza chose to stay in the class. After his friend lend him their notebook, he refused to join him in canteen and stay in his own seat.

“Still the same mister lonesome from junior highschool?” Rita along with Jihan come approached him. It’s the first time she approached him directly even though they kind of knew each other since junior high, so he was taken aback.

He just ignored her remarks and replied, “what’s up?”

“You don’t seem to like having lunch with the boys, what about with me and Jihan?”

“That was sudden.”

They’ve just started talking yesterday and Reza was a bit baffled that now he was invited to lunch by a girl. All of this is happening pretty quickly so he thought she wanted something from him. However, seeing that there is nothing else worth doing, he agreed with a condition.

They arrived at quieter part of the school. It was somewhere in the back of it. Before them is a small garden and a wall that gave off the impression of authority. It erected pretty high so that no student shall ever tresspass.

“Really? You bring us here?” Rita complained as this place gave off a rather chilling presence to her. Jihan seems to be a bit bothered too albeit not as much as Rita.

“This is my condition.”

“You look like an edgelord here you know?”

“Whatever you say, I just like quiet place. So you wanna talk or not?”

“Before that, where is your lunch?”

“I don’t have any.”

“What?! I thought we are having lunch?”

“If I wanted to have lunch I will go to canteen and buy something first.”

“Then why….” Knowing that arguing further won’t solve anything, Rita instead opened her lunch box. “Here, take a slice.”

Reza took a look at the box before eyeing her, “Salad sandwhich?”

“Yes, you don’t like it?”

“Is there mayonnaise in it?”

“Uh… yes?”

“I’ll take it”

As he bite into it he can taste all the ingredient despite all of them tasting the same. Lettuce and tomato is the two ingredients that stood out to him. The real spotlight is mayonnaise. He just loves it that he put mayo to pretty much any food he eats.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” Reza turned his head to Rita as he finished his food.

“I don’t know actually. Don’t get me wrong! I actually wanted to talk about … something. But now that we are on the quieter side of the school, I have other things in mind that’s bothering me for a while.”

Reza wasn’t too keen to listening what she has to say. He wasn't really a social person and as much as he has evolved from the edgy loner he was in junior high, he's still not acquainted well with social life especially listening to other’s problem. Sticking his nose in somewhere he shouldn’t be is the last thing he wanted.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Why me?”

“Because …,” Rita’s voice was held at that moment. It was as if she is trying to search the right word or she didn’t know how to say it. “I am worried about Nia and you seems to be close to her.”

“Depends on what you mean by ‘close’. We do talk pretty often but it was mostly her doing the talking. I’m not much for one. Regardless, what makes you so worried about Nia?”

Rita, again, hesitated. It felt like a really big secret that nobody should ever heard. As she tried to speak, the silence around them are heavy. Very rarely student or even teacher come here. It was the opposite of the cheerful atmosphere the canteen has where Nia and Andre were together.

The breaktime is almost up. Student started to scatter all over the school making the canteen less noisy than it was. Nia, noticing it, say goodbye and went into her classroom while Andre sat for a bit while holding something in his hand before finally making his way to his own classroom.

He hold onto it like his life depended on it. After what happened a year ago, life has never been the same for him.

It was a bit past midnight when he woke up. He thought of going back to sleep but figures out maybe a little bit of water would help his dry throat. As he were drinking, he heard something rustling outside. It might’ve been a thief, he thought.

So he wait.

For a while there was no sound at all. There was no movement. It was just silence in the dead of night. He thought he was just imagining things but the moment he turned around, somebody knocked on the window. He hurriedly went to see who it is and was greeted by the face of a woman, black in eyes. It’s face was pale and she was smiling; showing rotten tongue and teeth.

And she laugh.

He was frozen in place and lost his consciousness right then and there. It was in this unconsciousness he had a dream. This was a dream, or nightmare, where the city fell into the ruins and swallowed by darkness. Behind the veil of darkness, he can sense something unearth lurking, stalking him.

They still lurks even in reality. A pair of eyes glowing in the dark.

Everytime he looks at the dark, they are there not doing anything except watching. Wanting it or not, he always notice them wherever he goes. It was eating his consciousness slowly as he encounter them every night. He needed a light to guide him, to save him.

And Nia was that light.

She was brimming with it. Cheerful and easy going. It all started just when they sat side by side in a bus. He started a conversation as they wait for the bus to arrive at the school. It was nice to hear her talks and see her smile. The energy she gave off was heartwarming. It was all good until two days ago.

Those who lurks in the dark were waiting the chance for them to strike. He was going home from his friend’s house. With his parents away, he thought he can go home a bit late since he held his house key. But then, he saw that. Something out of darkness taking its form under the moon light at the edge of his vision.

He instinctively ran passing a drunk guy on the street. As he looked back, that guy was shredded to pieces. His scream was caught in his throat. He kept running until he didn’t see that thing again.

He got home safely. As he close his eyes, he hoped that what he saw was just a nightmare. The next morning was the usual one except nobody is turning on the TV. He woke up too late and was in a hurry. It was a normal day until Rita brought the news in group discussion at the library.

It was real and it is making its moves. He then went home with Bambang and Zion before part ways as they go to a ramen shop. He walked alone. There was the nagging feeling of something following him. He turned around occasionally hoping he didn’t see anything by the time he looked back.

“You can feel them, can’t you?” said someone who suddenly appeared right in front of him. He was an old man with weird accessory and jewelry all over him. One thing that stood out from him is the agate stone rings on his finger. “I can grant you a way for you to repel them.”

Andre hesitated. This old guy was, after all, a stranger. He doesn’t know him. For all he know, he might have one of those who lurked in the dark. “My mom said to not talk with a stranger, so good bye.”

“So you would prefer to talk with those from the abyss, hmm?”

Andre halted. He can see them too. Was he really one of them or someone like him?

“I understand your distrust, young man. So, to prove my good faith, I shall lend this Akik stone to you. It won’t hurt you and in fact it will help you repel them. Please take care of it.”

Andre turn around to see the man is extending his hand. On it, a polished agate stone rest on his palm. This old man’s motivation is unknown to him. What will he benefit from this. But even with all that doubt, Andre reach for the gemstone and took it. The old man smiled, “very well. I hope the stone would prove to be useful to you. We’ll meet again but for now, we have to part ways.”

And with that, the man walked away. He held it but nothing felt different. It felt like holding a normal stone. His grandpa also have obsession in collecting the so called Akik stone. It is said that Akik stone can contain a Djinn, or hold somekind of supranatural power. Of course, he didn’t believe that. He still don’t believe that.

This is just stone after all. He didn’t see the need to overthink it so he just hold it in his pocket and walk home.

It was 3 A.M. when he woke up to a laughing noise inside his house. He stood up half naked as he investigated the sound. He took a peek through his bedroom door and saw a woman in white just stand there. Her hair was black, tangled, and dry.

He started hearing a woman’s laugh and in a blink of an eye, her black eyes stared right to his. He jumped back knocking several things off his desk. The door slams open revealing the Kuntilanak. She hover closer to him as he back himself to a corner. That’s when he noticed the Akik stone on the floor near the leg of the table. He rushed to pick it up as the Kuntilanak fly to him.

The moment he grabbed the stone, darkness enveloped him. He looked around only to be greeted by a voice, "I wonder what business you have with me, son of Adam?"

"Who are you?" Andre instinctively replied.

"Who am I does not matter. What matter is your heart's desire," the voice answered. "Tell me, and I shall grant it."

"I don't trust you."

"Very well, I shall help you for this once. We shall meet again and then you will know what is it your heart truly long for."

As he blink, the room is now empty. The Kuntilanak vanished without any trace.

It took him a long while before finally able to register what had just happen. It was ghost, a demonic presence. It was supposed to be just a story to scare children. A folklore. A myth. If creature or entity like that would be roaming this land, turning what supposed to be a place for the living to live into the land of scary things, what would this world be?

The nightmare he had. The city falling into ruin and enveloped by the darkness.

Was it a premonition? But how did he stop that? How to stop the nightmare he had to not turn into reality. There has to be a way. He doubt the ability to defend himself even though it seems he has the power. The power to protect him and everyone dear to him. When the day of the dark where sun no longer shine arrive, he will have to rely on this sketchy power.

When that time comes... No, that'd be too late. Even now, he has to protect Nia. He stood in front of the gate after the school ended. He saw her smiling along with her friend Rita. She wave at him the moment she noticed him. That smile, that smile is something worth protecting.

"Hope you don't mind me tagging along for a bit."

"The more the merrier." Andre answered Rita. "It would be safer especially at times like this. But where is Jihan? Usually you two are inseparable."

Rita just shrug off the question. "She needs to meet Miss Andri. She is with Frida last time i see her, so she should be safe."

He may not be well acquainted with Jihan but she is, after all, Nia's friend. He wanted to wait for her. Nia and Rita seems to agree and head back to school waiting for Jihan. The sky this afternoon is clear and bright. There shouldn't be problem to go home a bit late.