Chapter 3 - Hangout?
"....Up"
"...."
"Wake up.Hey newbie, can you hear me?"
"Gasp...huff huff."
"Were you having a bad dream?"The blonde girl smiled.
"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU MURDERER"
"Well, well, so it's true.But come on don't you see my pretty face ?How come a face like this can commit such a crime huh?"
"I believe.... looks can kill too sometimes."
"Well, so our newbie has a sense of humor too, which is a little broken.Hahaa..."
"....."
"Ahem, I am Maria. What's your name?" She extended her hand for a formal handshake.
"....."
'Trying to act tough huh?'
"I thought you would like a little tour to the school campus, it's lunch break anyways.
Don't you want to explore some of the special dishes of our cafeteria?"
"I don't feel like eating anything right now."
"Hey, Listen I want to be friends with you.You know,you can't have a fun life with that attitude. Sigh... at least not in good- for nothing -school like ours..."Maria scoffed while rolling her eyes.
"... Friends "
"Huh,what?"
"I said I don't want any F..R..ieeeeennds!"Jill yelled.
"Oh,okay..um, sorry. I guess you need some time alone."
Clack.
The door closed with Jill left behind in the class alone.
"...."
Swish.
'Huh?Did I imagine it or was someone actually observing us this whole time?'
(The sound of the school bell's ringing.)
"Ok class so today's lesson ends here.Don't forget to submit your assignment tomorrow.Since,cleaning duty is on Maria today, anyone wants to volunteer her?"
"....." An awkward silence filled in the class.
"No one?"
A pale hand raised in the class .
"I will volunteer for her."
The teacher paused for a moment and said "Strange..hmm, wow Jill that's a good initiative being a newbie."
"Ok, class dismissed."
Swish.Swish.
"Hey, hey,Jill.Wait for me"
"Umm..how do you know my name?"
" Oh,I heard our class teacher saying your name."
"Hmm."
An awkward silence filled in the surroundings.
Swish.Swish.
"So..are we good now? Oh put that garbage in that bin there."
"Ok.Well.. I am sorry for today.I am not really a sociable person."
"Hey, that's ok, I mean I totally guessed it.But that doesn't mean You can't have friends forever.Isn't it?"
"Well,I am not someone who people really prefer to be friends with."
"That's for me to decide." Maria held Jill's hand and holding their backpacks on the other hand went straight towards the mountain behind the school."
"WAIT..HUFF..HUFF...Hold on.Shouldn't we head to our homes directly?The Sun is about to be set soon."
"Exactly, that's why we are heading there."
"Huh.But,why?"
"Just give me 15 minutes. That's the total time it will take for us to reach there."
Click.Clack.
Click.Clack.
Huff..huff..
"Are we huff..there?"
"Shush"
Maria pointed at a distance.
"LOOK.In front of you."
"Wow....Such a beautiful shade of orange and red.How mesmerizing!"
"You liked it?"
"Yeah."
"Should we make a remarkable gift about our brand new friendship?"
"Huh?"
"Wait and watch."
"Wait..Mary.."
"It's Maria.Come on, you don't remember my name and here I was thinking about giving you a friendship gift."
"So..Sorry"
"Pfftt..how cute."
"Anyways."
Maria picked out a stone laying on the side and scratched something on the bark of the tree.
"What are you doing?"
"This..."
"MARIA & JILL FOREVER.."
"Liked it?This tree is rumored to be the oldest tree in the whole country.Rumor has it that if new friends will write their name in the bark of this old bud, their friendship will last till lifetime."
"Wow, umm so we are friends forever type something now?"
"Sigh. Ofcourse. "
"So shall we head home now "
"Oh yeah let's go.My uncles would be waiting for me."
"You don't live with your parents?"
"Sigh.Long story bestie,might tell you some other time.Let's head home for now."
"Okay.."
Swish.
"Mary..no,Maria please hold on for a minute."
"What happened?"
"I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Hey, do you even know the way back?"
"Don't worry,I have my phone, I will call you if anything happens."
She ran towards deep bushes in the mountain.
'Oh but I didn't ask for her number....But where did it go?I swear someone was here.Was it the same person peeking us through the glass?I was not able to see the face or their clothing though.'
Rustle.
'Hmm?is the person hiding in the branches?"
"...!!"
"Ugh...ugh."
"Shsh little girl.You don't want to be hurt right?"
"Buh bah bu? hy ba u boing bus?"(Who are you ?Why were you following us?)
"..."
"...?"
Silence.Complete silence could be heard.
'WHAT?Where did the person go?I didn't even see if the person was male or female.That person was whispering.Damn how much time has passed?Maria must be waiting for me.I should hurry back.'
"Ack,Now what?"
"Huh?"
The hanging branches of the tree were slowly crawling and wrapped around her left foot like a snake.
"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?"
She got dragged from her foot and was hanged from the creeping thick tree branch upside down.
"Someone..Is someone there? Please, please help me ? Maria?Maria? Are you there?Can you listen to me please "
Twenty minutes have passed and her cries of help turned into weak sobs.
"Hick.. someone please...hick will my parents or my sister care if I don't return home? Can't I deserve a little bit of happiness? What wrong I did if I made a best friend?"
"Sob..my throat hurts.I tried shaking my leg off to be free from this thing.I got scratches in my hands too in order to free myself.Is this some sort of punishment?"
" ArE YoU ScArEd?"
'Huh that voice from my dream again?'
"Maria?Is that you?"
''JiLl Valentine ee...''
"Maria, this is not funny quit it please.Sob..I beg you."
"....."
'I agree she is a funny person but she won't go to such lengths
Shivers ran through her spine.
In that deserted mountain she was not alone but some unknown entity was lurking in the shadows along with her.
"Who....Who are you ?"
"DON'T YOU REMEMBER ME~?"
"No, I don't! Release me please!!"
"Really you don't remember me or are you pretending to forget?"
"I don't know who you are! Atleast show yourself so I could try to remember you!"
She yelled with all the remaining energy.
"Really?~"
Rustle.Step step.
"No way.You are-"
"...."
"Agh my head!! my head!! It hurts.Save me please! sob ..sob..."
"Jill ,Jill hihi~ catch me."A young girl's voice could be heard from the distance.Her hair shines like a beautiful golden stream when sunlight rays fall on it.
"Sho pwetty.."
""Do u think sho Jill?Am I pwetty? U r pwetty too. Cause u r my bestie.Hihi~"
"No u r pwettier than me"
"But u r pwettiest."
Suddenly their laughter was soon replaced by deep silence.
"Jill why did u do it ? Why didn't u help me? Sob it hurts Jill..."
"No.I didn't do anything."
" I can't breathe Jill."
"No.No,I don't know who you are.I didn't do anything."
" Jill..."
"No, back off.Don't..don't touch me."
As the creature came closer Jill could smell the rotten flesh stink coming from it.
"GO , GO , Just f****** go!! Don't you dare to touch me."
"...."
"No..No, I said go away!Go, just go away!!"
"NO...Noooo"
"....."
"Haa....haa...haa.What was that.Was she Maria?How is that possible.My memories of my childhood are blurry.How is that possible if I have met her then wouldn't she have told me already?"
"...."
"!!..Wait a minute.."
"No branches?"
"My leg is free.Ugh but my head hurts.Did I hallucinated? It must be the reason,otherwise how could a tree branch themselves capture a human?"
"Ugh my head still hurts.I must hurry otherwise mother and father would be angry."
Slap.
"!!.."