One Hundred and sixty nine

CHAPTER 169

Uncle Chuck had just locked the door flap at the back of the truck to secure the items he was carrying. Uncle Chuck had planned to take the bottles of milk to the children at the orphanage. And he intentionally brought Alicia as well as Ethan along, to introduce how he built the shop business. He sold, earned a little profit from the sales and gave a little of that profit to the children at the orphanage.

"Okay, it's done," Uncle Chuck said and got into his truck.

Alicia and Ethan sat next to Uncle Chuck, the three of them, as the engine of the truck that had been his companion for ten years finally started and moved forward. They drove through the quiet country roads at night. But Uncle Chuck didn't stop surprising them. Suddenly Uncle Chuck turned the wheel, going in a direction he wasn't supposed to.

And the change sent Alicia into a panic. She scanned the road markers in confusion, looking right and left with a worried expression. Alicia cleared her throat and asked, "Uncle, you turned in a different direction. I think you took the wrong route."

Uncle Chuck laughed, and then he looked at Alicia beside him. While Ethan only turned his gaze towards them after realizing everything. The young man was so comfortable with the countryside situation that he had never found like a child who felt at home in the playground.

"I want to take you guys to the river, it's close to this area. You guys must have never seen a river in the cold, right?"

"Oh my, you're full of surprises!" Ethan shouted excitedly.

Ethan did show interest in everything Uncle Chuck had to offer. He was a businessman full of surprises and Ethan learned a lot from him. But Alicia didn't seem interested. She checked the clock on her phone, wouldn't it take longer to get back to town if they went to the river? What if Nicholas came home first and became worried about her?

"Um, I-" "We're here!"

Uncle Chuck's loud voice made Alicia swallow the words at the back of her throat. She didn't speak and kept to herself until the truck driven by her boss pulled up to the riverbank. Uncle Chuck immediately got out of the car, as did Ethan. Meanwhile, Alicia just looked around through the open truck window.

The air outside looked very cold and the sky was getting dark as the time on Alicia's cell phone read seven in the evening.

Ethan suddenly came over and stuck his head through the open window and held his face in one hand. "You're not coming down? Don't want to miss the moment of taking a walk in the countryside, do you?"

"I'm not sure. It's late."

"You... don't live with strict parents who give you a lot of rules, do you?"

Alicia smiled and shook her head. "I haven't given my boyfriend any news yet, I think it's bad for some reason."

Ethan then opened the door, shifted his body and said, "You can come down for a while, see the scenery with the two of us and call your boyfriend if you're okay."

Alicia was silent, giving no meaningful response.

"Come on, Al. It's only a few minutes, it won't take long. I'll talk to Uncle Chuck."

"Okay."

After that, Alicia got out of the truck and looked at the surrounding scenery. The sky was already dark, but the river had many lights along its path, so it made for a beautiful scene. At first, the three stood by the riverbank, looking at the night sky and the cold air in the river, while stuffing their hands into their jacket pockets.

But Alicia's eyes found something strange on the other side of the river. It looked like someone's hand.

"I think I'm exhausted," Alicia muttered.

And that voice was heard by Ethan. He turned his head and asked, "What's wrong, Alicia?" which made Uncle Chuck also turn to Alicia.

Alicia smiled awkwardly, then pointed to the other side. "I guess I was too tired to see that the tree on the other side was a human hand."

"That's terrible," Uncle Chuck commented in a joking tone.

But Ethan instead took out a cell phone from inside his jacket pocket and turned on the flashlight feature. "I'll look at that and-SHIT!"

"What's wrong, Et-"

"Oh my God!"

They were all at a loss for words when finally the flashlight coming from Ethan's cell phone highlighted the lifeless human body across the cold river.

"I'm calling the police!"

Alicia quickly took out her cell phone and called Nicholas, Alicia bit her lip in panic, and then waited until her call was finally answered.

"Hello, Nic! I have some bad news!"

The cold wind from the river seemed to carry a chill through their bones as Alicia's trembling voice echoed in the darkness. Nicholas' voice on the other end of the line was a mixture of worry and confusion, unaware of the terrible discovery that awaited him.

As Uncle Chuck and Ethan rushed to Alicia's side, their eyes fixed on the lifeless body across the river, the night turned sinister. The once peaceful atmosphere was now heavy with the weight of an unexpected tragedy.

The three of them stood frozen, their breath clearly visible in the cold air, their minds racing to understand the scene in front of them. The lights along the river, once a beautiful sight, now cast an eerie glow on the lifeless figure lying motionless.

Uncle Chuck, who was usually calm and full of surprises, found himself at a loss for words. Ethan's excitement had turned to shock, his usual enthusiasm replaced by a shocked silence. Alicia, with her cell phone still glued to her ear, was trying hard to convey the gravity of the situation to Nicholas.

The siren wail in the distance grew louder, signaling the arrival of law enforcement. Alicia's call has set off a chain of events that will unravel the mystery of the lifeless body by the river.

As they waited for the authorities to arrive, the three exchanged nervous glances. The once-promising walk along the river has turned into an unexpected and gruesome ordeal. The dark river, which now bore witness to a tragic event, reflected the uncertainty that surrounded their lives.

"What should we do now?"