Chapter 9

I stormed inside the cabin to meet the person who has the capacity to give the answer to my first question despite the fact that he doesn't know a bit detail of the book or Heil.

"Rakesh!!" I slammed the book on his table which created an unpleasant sound that made him jerk away from a little, but when his eyes met mine he relaxed visibly and leaned on the chair. He placed his clasped hand on the table just below where I slammed the book.

"Yes, beautiful." Sure he has the nerve to flirt with me where I'm burning inside like a volcano.

"Where did you find the book?" I asked pointing the book on his table.

He looked at me blankly then his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Just tell me where did you find?" I asked once again.

"Huh?" He started to think but it seems he doesn't remember a thing. "Are you going to tell me or not?" I brought my hands towards his throat pretending like I'm going to kill him by squeezing his throat but before my hand could touch his pretty throat he shouted dramatically as I placed a knife in his throat and forced him to spill the truth.

"I found the book near the bungalow which is 2km away from this center and don't think I'm coming with you because I'm not coming!!!" He raised his hand as a surrender while I'm throwing him a murderous glare.

Who the heck going to invite him anyway. I will go by myself.

"Stop dreaming, you little brat. Anyway thanks for the information. I'm leaving." I took the book in my hand before made my way towards the bungalow.

One hour later, I reached the bungalow which exactly looked like a ghost house in the scary movies. 'Do we really need to go inside?' my inner mind questioned.

I'm about to consider her questions but no, I won't back away. Who knows I may find the missing 30 pages or even find another book if I have luck.

Letting out a loud sigh, I stepped inside the building with shaken hands. My urge to find the book may overcome my fear but I can't betray my soul.

Goosebumps taken over all my body when I heard the sound of my own breath, it's like someone is here with me and I'm hearing their breath but deep down I know I'm alone.

As I'm wandering inside the huge hall which would fit more than a hundred people, my eyes landed on the staircase that leads the upper portion.

I have a second thought to run away but my first thought pushed me to death and here I'm standing in the middle of the wooden stairs unable to move back or forth.

Rakesh has the gut to come alone, then why don't I? I will do this. I forwarded my step one by one until I reached the small room where I could see almost ten racks loaded with a bunch of books.

Yes!! I succeed!!! Happiness overwhelmed my body.

I hurried my way towards the rack and took the book one by one but it all gone vain because I didn't find the book I was looking for. Though disappointment raced through my heart my willpower didn't give up, I entered into another room expecting to find another bunch of books but the room was empty as hell.

I used my phone's light to get a clear vision of this room and a beautiful portrait welcomed my sore eyes. It was the image of a cute child with black eyes, pale skin as mine. He is smiling ear to ear and the artist must have a talent of Angel otherwise he couldn't have painted this.

"You are beautiful," I whispered looking at the smiling beauty. The baby must have grown a lot, no doubt he would be a handsome man.

I wanted to take this portrait with me but my mind warned me that I'm invading someone's privacy and the portrait looks so neat and clean as it's someone's treasury and they are obsessed with this portrait as it is their last solid memory of their childhood.

What if Rakesh-- my thoughts have interfered when I heard the footsteps just below where I'm standing. Who's that?

It must be Rakesh. The only person who knew where I went is him. I marched out of the room and stepped down to ask exactly where the hell did he find the book but no one is there when I reached the hall.

"Rakesh!" I called his name but my voice echoed through the hall making my knees go week.

"I know you are here. Just come out." I whispered somehow glued on the spot unable to move. My willpower was broken and I'm scared as hell, my whole body is shaking.

Darkness enveloped my surroundings as sunset so fastly. I looked at my phone and if I hadn't clutched the stand for my support I would have fallen down out of anxiety.

It is 5: 30!!! Time flies so fast...

I can't reach the cottage on time, that is a bitter truth. And the research centre? Huh!!! I can't go there too. It took me one hour to reach here, then how the hell could I reach there on time?

'Reil, your running capacity is twice as your walking. If you run, you sure reach the center on time.' My devil mind advised me.

Being a naive I consider her thoughts and wasting another second I ran out of the building as how fas I could until my leg trapped on something and fell with my butt off.

"Huh!!" I groaned in pain while rubbing my sore butt. "Why it all happened today?" I asked to no one particular because I was left alone in the narrow road.

But see how wrong I was.

I heard the most terrifying roaring sound of a furious animal and in a blink of eyes, the same brown color monster which attacked me on the other night stood a feet away from me whose eyes are solely on my hand which is holding a portrait.

Opps! I could have taken the portrait with absence minded.

I tried to stand up but It snarled and barged its sharp teeth, grey eyes locked my fearful brown eyes. Bread of sweat poured down through my already wet body. I have no weapons to kill this monster though it's a great opportunity to grab.

"Seriously, Reil. Think about your safety!!!" My mind screamed.

In a flash of a second the cruel Heil raised its hand, I mean it's paw to knock me down and I saw butterfly everywhere before I blackout.

It's going to eat me alive...

---

'It feels soo good, please don't stop.' I wanted to tell this sentence to the stranger whoever is stroking my hair gently but I was too lazy to open my eyes.

After a while, I heard a laughing sound from afar as someone is mocking me. "Who the hell is that?" I shouted, my eyes are still closed but got no response.

Feeling frustrated of their immature behavior, I stood up from my place and started to walk towards that irritating source of the voice but a hand grabbed my forearm and asked, "Where are you going?"

I wanted to snap at him but he sounds familiar. I turned around and looked at the brown eyes which were looking at me with the painful expression as he was not happy to have me here.

"Dad!!" I hugged him tightly. "Oh, my sweet girl." He laughed and patted my back more affectionately.

"You are alive!!" I was so happy because of that my brain didn't work well.

"No." He furrowed his brows. "You are dead." He let out a defeated sigh.

"What do you mean?" I asked him disbelievingly.

"Look at down." I followed my dad's gaze and found my lifeless body is lying on the ground but what I saw next made me furrow my brow even deeply.

"How did it die." I pointed my finger towards the lifeless body of the monster who is lying beside me. My father smiled and said, "It was suicidal. He drank all your blood that lead his death."

"Ohh." Was I managed to able to utter. Then once again I heard the laughing sound. "Ahh!" I screamed dramatically. "I'm going to kill that person."

I ran towards the laughing sound but my mouth hung open when I saw who it is. "It's your Karma, it will follow you wherever you go." My dad shot me a sympathetic glare.

"Huhahha...huhahha...huhahha..." The monster laughed richly.

"Stop!!!" I screamed pulling my hair frustratingly.

"Shut the fuck up!" A hand clasped my mouth, definitely, it does not belong to my dad.

Then Mr. Hunter's face appeared in front of my sight. "How did you die?" I asked blinking twice, my eyes were wandered around the place but there is no trace of my dad or the stupid monster.

The place is full of dark and the only source of light is from the candle which is shining in the corner of the room. I looked between the walking stick and the candle then decided to ask him another question.

"Where is my monster? ahhh... Never mind. Where is my dad?" As usual, Instead of answering my question he placed his warm hand above my forehead and said, "I think you didn't come out of your anxiety, yet."

"Huh?"

"Your dad is not here. You were dreaming." He said, a smirk grown in the corner of his lips.

"I'm not dreaming. The monster drank my blood and died right after my death. I saw my dad and the monster just before you appear." I tried to explain to him but he chuckled as I told him a funny joke.

"First, you were not dead. Second, it's not the hell and third Heil is waiting outside for you." He said as he is explaining something hard to the 3-year-old kid in her language.

"So, I've not died?" I asked once again to confirm. He nodded his head and our conversation stopped right there.

"I went to heaven, not hell." After a long pause of silence, I defended myself. I haven't committed any kind of sin in my entire life except the part of cursing and naming at people.

"I see." Even though I can't see him I could sense the sarcasm in his tone.

"What?" I asked irritatingly.

"In your dream, Heil is with you, isn't he?" I found myself nod my head at his question.

"Heil has killed a lot of innocent people, do you agree?" Once again I nodded my head.

"So how comes he get the place in heaven after his death? Definitely he won't get until he bribes God. And you must have seen him in the hell that means you too went--"

"Enough... enough. I get your point." I surrendered myself that made him laugh richly, his sound echoed through the room but I couldn't see his face because of the dim light. So, the walking stick knows how to laugh.

"How did you save me?" I asked the question that itching my mind since the time I had opened my eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, I heard a sharp annoying sound that made me shut my ears immediately. "He is allergic to this sound. I invented this when I was young and it saved my life a million times."

"Here have this." He handed me a thing that exactly looked like a pen.

"One tap on the top is enough to create a sound. Double tap will shut the sound." He told me how to use his pen but I didn't get the point why.

"Keep it with you. You need this more than me." And when I was going to protest he said, "I will make another one for me." That shut my mouth immediately.

I wanted to thank him but no, it never happens. He broke my Scooty...such an idiot.

"If I had arrived a bit late, Heil would have eaten you wholeheartedly. His paws were on your stomach when I saw you. Thankfully, you have me for your rescue." He added.

Just when I was about to ask him further the candlelight blow off and a complete darkness surrounded us. "Go to sleep." I heard him mutter.

"Don't go outside. Heil is still wandering around the building." Was he said before a long silence occupied the room.

Though I have plenty of questions to ask I put all my stocks in the back of my head decided to ask him in the morning and drifted off into sleeping on the cold floor.

*

What questions would you have asked Mr. Hunter if you were Reil?

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