Published by Roel Angelo C. Argana
Date Published: March 17, 2023
Time Published: 2:33 PM
Category: Prose
Theme: Hybrid, Thriller
Synopsis: All of us, no matter how weak we may think we were, had the strength to go beyond lengths. We could never change the tick of the clock and the tug of fate. She knew what she had to go through for that, but really...what could a mother do?
Thump...thump...thump...
thump...
Frolicking into the midnight dust, the wispy meadows felt as if it was out purposely to hunt. Venturing the night with nothing but the sound of ticking and tacking of who knows what. It was indeed a terrifying place to be in.
The moist fog and mist, perhaps oozing out of the trees, built tall shadows that felt as if they could engulf someone in a matter of seconds.
Crunching of twigs and dead leaves could make one shiver, adding more chill to the cold breeze slashing through one's skin.
"Knock..."
It was evident from the heavy breathing that this night would forever be a nightmare. "Knock." Covering the ears that could surprisingly hear from miles away seemed futile.
Running feet that seemed to never reach the ending of the long tracks. The gigantic trees erected on the night forest moved as if they were waiting for prey to lay themselves into the trap of despair.
Once inside, no one could ever change the route of fate.
"Knock!"
"Sta. Lucita Police Department, how may I help you?" The buzzing of voices inside this building had already spoken. It showed how the busy bees continued working. Obviously, crime against people would continue even if all the people in the world had fallen asleep.
I couldn't help but furiously tap my fingers as I waited inside a room sitting down on a comfy brown sofa, which somehow made it even worse instead of calming. It was adorned with small green plants placed inside white pots neatly. Each of this room's corners had it.
A creaking sound made its way inside as the oak wood door opened, showing a man in his late 40's wearing a beige uniform with his medal of honor pinned on the left side of his chest. "Good morning, Cynthia," said this man who was holding a bagel with his mouth, quite inaudible at that, and a cup of coffee with his right hand. While the other carried a huge amount of piled papers.
"Wright! Thank God you finally arrived! I've been waiting for five hours!" I stood up and went in front of his desk, slamming my hands. "Yes, yes. We're all busy aren't we?" he nonchalantly replied, looking up and down to study my appearance. I didn't pay much attention to it as I wanted to grab this opportunity and immediately ask him for help.
"Wright, help me. Help me...my...my daughter she is..."
"Missing." I snapped my fingers after he finished my sentence for me. "Yes! Yes! And uhm..." I couldn't finish what I wanted to say as my hands shook on their own violently. Pacing back and forth, I started to feel a little dizzy. How could I explain to someone what I saw? It had been weeks since she disappeared yet I only found out about it now.
I knew for myself how useless I was as a mother. "Help me..." I pleaded. My voice came out breathless. "Cynthia, you know that we're trying very hard to look for her. That's why we need you to give a specific description of your daughter," he said. Wright sighed for who knows how many times already.
"I did! I...I did that already, Wright." How specific do they want me to describe my daughter?! "Look. Chief. My daughter...R-Raelli, you know she's a good kid, right? S-so...it just doesn't make any damn sense that she suddenly went missing! I told you! I told everyone that my daughter was kidnapped and you kept on telling me that she ran away!" I heaved heavily after that. It made me regret shouting. But what should I do? I knew it from the bottom of my guts that something bad would happen to her.
"You know that such things hadn't happened in this village since the 1700s, Cynthia. Who on Earth would want to ruin our peaceful place? I mean...who would dare do that?" I snapped my eyes towards Wright. Who? Was he really asking me...who!? "Ha..." I shrugged. "I don't know?! Maybe a psychopath who suddenly thought of kidnapping kids around my daughter's age!? Wright... the possibility is low, not zero."
I couldn't waste any more time on them. He was about to say something but I didn't let him. The door cut him off when I closed it. I guess even non-living things knew how nasty our society really was!
Upon reaching the road outside that awful building, it didn't take me quite long to see people hovering around like moths attracted to fire. As a human with a sense of curiosity in my body, I went in and checked. Anything that could be related to my Raelli, I would poke my nose in. However, it wasn't my sweet girl. It was someone else.
As expected, they chose that woman's case instead of my daughter's. I filed first! I filed first and they wanted to give all their attention to that Rica Johanson!? I couldn't believe how disgusting they were.
If they wouldn't search for my dear Raelli, I would.
No matter what the consequences would be. Whether I would find her alive or dead. I would look for her. Through any means! I would do everything!
That was why when she talked to me, I knew I would find her. I knew she would tell me where she was. My girl was clever. She was very clever.
The light bulbs kept on clunking as I let them fall on the ground. That didn't matter. I would pick them up later anyway. Paint. I need paint. My Raelli would tell me where she was using paint. If she could do it with lights, she could certainly do it using paint.
I didn't know the reason...or maybe I didn't want to know. All I could do was use my hand and wrist even if it was already sore from carrying piles and piles of missing posters.
I looked at my wall. My only hope to find Raelli. Although it was really messy, at this point, I couldn't care less. "Raelli, please...please tell me where you are. Tell Mommy where you are..." I whispered.
Maybe it was because of the gushing wind from my broken window that my hands kept on twitching even though I held my sleeves tightly to the point it was so wrinkled. Maybe it was because of the sleepless days that I couldn't figure out if what I was seeing was real or it was my hallucination.
All I knew...even if it took thousands of years...I will look for my girl.
As that thought came in, darkness surrounded me. I thought I fell asleep but I realized that I didn't when I felt myself writhing in pain. Crimson blood flowed down from my elbows to the tips of my cold, freezing, and numb fingers.
Beyond every imagination, this blood dropped onto the white furry carpet that my daughter had in her bedroom. Instead of spreading on the carpet with its natural feather-like edges, it crept inch by inch. It wasn't slow, it moved fast enough to stain the finely woven blanket in her bed. Like a white blank canvas, it was filled with the color of my blood while the smell of distasteful ironใ กthe smell of rustใ กmerged with the smell of rotting flesh.
It was a strong smell. Strong enough to make me feel as if I was drinking it. However, as crazy as I might have gotten, I didn't care. I focused on one thing. One thing that made my heart race faster. "Mom..." I wept. Just by reading that word, my tears glided down my cheeks uncontrollably, catching my mouth with my hands to cover the silent pleas. I couldn't make a sound even if I wanted to.
My eyes blurred heavily as I started to feel the heaviness of my eyelids, wanting them to close my eyes. I could feel the wretched pain in my throat along with the headache. With enough courage, I was able to mutter the question I had, choking at my own words. I wiped my tears as I read the words aloud.
Right then, everything disappeared. The bed, the walls, the carpet, and the words. All I could see was vast and empty darkness. A void. I could feel the cold wind that swept me earlier. The chill that started from the ends of my feet towards the top of my head. I shivered in fear of the unknown. Clutching myself into a tight hug, I could feel that even the pain was gone.
But I could feel it.
I know it was finally here.
It was ready to submerge me into a deeper sea of shadows, where I could never get back up...where I could only let myself be buried alive. I could feel something reaching up to me. An ice-cold sensation that made me unable to do anything. My body stopped. I was strangled by an undeniable great force that wanted me gone. "Behind you..." a wispy, airy voice mumbled.
"Run!"
I did. I ran like the voice told me to. But I didn't run to hide. Where could I hide? Why would I hide? What was this place?
What am I doing?
"Knock..." I covered my ears. What was going on? Why did this happen? When did I come here? What was this place? "Knock." Who was it? Who was she? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY!?
"KNOCK!!!"
"AHHHHHH!!!"
It stopped. Right when I slammed on a wall. "Knock..." I muttered. "Knock..." My hands reached to touch the icy wall. "Knock...knock...knock..." As if they had a life on their own, my hands knocked on the wall. Over...and over...and over again. I felt as if I was sleepwalking. They had no plan of stopping. "Knock..." As if...it was a chant. I was enchanted.
"Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. "
A crack. "Kn...ock..." And another crack...followed by another...until I saw a clump of long black hair flowing with the breeze. With my bruised, wounded, and bleeding hands, I shattered each piece of the wall. Just like when I was knocking, it was unruly...out of control. Only this time, I was more aware of when to stop.
Pale skin, dark hair, pink lips, crossed arms, broken nails, bruised hands and wrists, legs stretched in an unexplainable manner, and eyes...eyes that were opened wide staring straight at me as if it was alive.
"Raelli...!"
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