The Hunter - Chapter 13 Haunted

After deciding about what he going to do with the people who want to burn the orphanage, Reid preparing himself for whatever will come to the orphanage. In his room, there’s something that he prepared for that. There’re ropes, some old bed sheets, the broken skeleton from biology class, red paints, and some other stuff. He also prepared black shirt and pants, also a wide black handkerchief.

And after the night come, Reid put all the stuff he prepared before in his backpack and start monitoring the situation from his favorite spot, the rooftop. His prediction was right, the man from the previous night show up. But he didn’t do anything, just walking around the orphanage and just watching from distance.

Since he didn’t do anything, Reid also didn’t do anything to him, but Reid already alerted by this man appearance. Reid knows this man visit this time only to observe the orphanage and will do his action later. So he just watches what that man doing and noted in his mind all things that man did during his observation. Next night Reid still patrolling in the roof, but nothing happened that night, so he just practicing his ability to spend the night time.

Finally, when the next night has come, it’s a moonless night. The weather that night is cold and dark without moonlight. Reid, that already in his post, saw the man come with his car. He parks his car a little far away from the orphanage. He gets out from his car and pulls a jerry can from the trunk. After scrutinizing the surrounding and see no one around, he comes close to the orphanage. He didn’t go to the front door but take around to the back side of the orphanage. When he arrives at the back door, he put the jerry can to the ground and checking the door lock. The door was locked, so he pulls a small bag contains many small tools, take some tools from there and start to lockpicking the door. What he didn’t realize is, when he squatting to lockpicking the door, the jerry can that he put on the ground, suddenly shift bit by bit away from him and after some distance, its fly above to the roof.

After he done lock picking and managed to open the door, he surprised when seeing the jerry can that he put on the ground not far from him is no longer there. In his confusion about his missing jerry can, suddenly he saw something white flashing into the big tree in the backyard. The man feels his back hairs start to stand from eerie feelings. To encourage himself, he pulls a knife from his pocket and starts to approach the big tree. He can’t shout a word because afraid someone will wake up because of that. So he just calls with a low voice, “Who’s there! Show yourself”.

His eyes focusing on the big tree, unaware there’s a rope approaching him in the ground, like a snake after its prey, slowly creeping near his feet. The man still calling with a low voice, when the rope already coiling around his feet, and when the man wants to step forward …

WHAMMM!!

That man fell forward with his face hit the ground hard. After finishing its job, the rope sneaking away to nearby bushed before the man realizes, leaving the man cursing around because of his fall. The man looks at his feet to see what make him fall, and see nothing there.

“Fuck! What was that? I feel like stumble on something but there’s nothing in my feet”. The man rubs his nose that feels hurt because of that fall. His eyes checking his surround and can’t find anything that can make him stumble. He grips his knife tighter when he suddenly grating sounds from nearby bushes.

“Who’s there? Get out or I kill you!” although the man tries to act tough he can’t hide his tremble voice.

The man stands up slowly and walks toward the bushes. He repeats his words before but there’s no reply from the bushes. He almost some steps away from the bushes when suddenly a skull emerges from the bushes. Its white bones can be seen clearly even though the night was dark. There’s red liquid flowing from its empty eyes sockets and lipless teeth. Its sudden emerging makes the man stunned in his place. He wants to scream but his mouth like locked with glue, can’t be opened. His body shivers endlessly and his grip on the knife also loosened, make the knife falls to the ground.

After the skull emerges, it followed with a pair of bony hands come from the bushes. Those hands wave to the man as if want to invite the man to come closer. The man’s body shiver gets heavier, cold sweat flows heavily from his head, his eyes open wide like almost jump from its socket. His legs tremble hard like a malaria patient and some liquids flow wetting his pants. When the skull opens and closes its mouth, making clack sounds, CLACK … CLACK … CLACK …the man reach his limits. He runs fast and jump the orphanage fences like a professional athlete, doesn’t care his pants ripped wide when he makes the jump. He enters his car, starts the engine and speeding to leave the place.

Reid who watches this scene can’t hold his laugh and laugh heartily. After he laughs to his heart content, he cleans up the backyards and locked the door again and go to his room to sleep.

Next morning in Sunrise Real Estate

Schonberg receives a phone from the man he hired to burn the orphanage.

“Hello boss, it’s me”

“You’ve done your work?”

“No boss, I can’t do this job. I’ll return your money but don’t ask me to go there again”

“WHAT??? Aren’t you say said you can even burn White House if the price is right? Are you ask for more money?”

“It’s not about money boss, please find another person to do that. I don’t want to go to that place again. That place is haunted”

“What do you say?”

“That place is a haunted orphanage, boss, believe me. I’ll transfer back your money and we never talk again. Bye”

“Wait…wait”

Tuuut … the man already hung his phone.

Schonberg looks the phone in his hands. He can’t believe what he had heard just now. Haunted? What kind of idiotic excuse is that? Furiously, he smacks his phone to the floor.