Chapter 4 - We Landed

The journey to Bukit Pandan was a knotty one. There were two accidents at the Kranji Expressway, and the Colonel had to take the nearest exit.  The weather was not helpful for the prevailing moods with overcast skies. The clouds seemed pregnant with dark vibes. I felt there was a message. My intuition had picked up some frequency, but I was unable to put shape to it.

The disappearance of the three National Service boys was for a cause, perhaps an unnatural one, but I couldn’t confirm it. I knew the Colonel had put much trust in me, and I needed to be careful in managing his vibes. I could sense he was deeply troubled and needed my help, yet I did not have his complete trust.  I had experience dealing with such moods. 

As he turned into the Old Bukit Pandan road, he started to narrate. 

“We’ll be there soon. There is a road, an old one that we used to move our boys in for training. The entrance is on the eastern side of the forest. The planners labeled it Road nine. It leads to another road in the forests, road ten, which leads out to the west of the forest.”

I found the entrance to Road nine barricaded with a few soldiers standing guard.  They saluted upon seeing the Colonel which he returned in a slick fashion. After five minutes over a well cemented road, he turned left into another path which was concealed by the tall trees on both sides.

He pulled over after a few minutes. The thick vegetation had given way to a clearing. I spotted a couple of police cars and a convoy of military Land Rovers. Instantly I felt the gravity of the situation. Leng was uncomfortable and turned to me.

“It is serious.”

“Now do you regret coming along?” I asked.

The pensive look on her face gave way to stiff-lipped stoicism.

“Relax,” The Colonel assured us as we dismounted. “Come now; we have urgent business.”

I sensed the blanket of attention draped over me as I emerged from the car. Instantly, numerous pairs of trained eyes landed on me. I was ushered to a huge tentage that had been set up on flat ground.

“This is the command center. The place I called Base Camp.”

A couple of uniformed personnel had stepped forth upon seeing the Colonel. There were two burly soldiers – one Lieutenant and another staff Sergeant.

“My trusted staff –Lieutenant Razali and Staff Chua Hock.”

Handshakes were exchanged, and their no-nonsense expressions made me nervous.

Razali had a friendly countenance - a round face, heavily double-chinned. He was blessed with an impeccable glossy complexion and wore a broad smile. With his pleasant voice, one that qualified for professional voice-overs, he was a reassuring presence.  Staff Sergeant Chua on the other hand had a non-nonsense countenance and his hoarse voice made him look, in comparison to Razali, like crude beer next to smooth wine. 

“You look familiar,” I couldn't help but ask the Lieutenant.

“I was your student,” He said. “An evening module called the Interpretation of Customs and Traditions on the Master of Sociology programme.”

It hit me like hammer on a nail. Yes! Razali Bin Ismail.

“He is one of the reasons why we approached you,’ The Colonel explained. “Your stories.”

I felt a flush up my face. My habits of sharing my adventures with students could sometimes come back to bite me. I had barely continued when the Colonel motioned for everyone into a tentage where there was telecommunication equipment and a whiteboard. Instantly, my eyes caught sight of the photographs of the missing NS personnel, with their names, rank, and age below the pictures.

Corporal Chris Chen. 3rd Sergeant Ho Tai Yuan and Corporal M. Aayush.

Chris Chen and Ho Tai Yuan are both 22, and Aayush is 23.

While I was absorbed with their pictures, the Colonel made a quick introduction that caught me off

guard.

“Gentlemen, Dr. Anthony Jin, the legendary Supernatural Professor. The man who we all hope can help to find the boys.”

There was a round of lame applause, which gave me insight into how seriously they took me.

I nodded and cleared my throat before speaking.

“Thank you, Colonel. I am no Supernatural Professor, just a humble servant at your service.”

The Colonel asked for a brief, and Staff Chua stepped up and summarised with the whiteboard behind him.

“Now, we are on the third shift with fifty men searching the grounds. We will have a company of Gurkhas with us after 4pm.”

“Progress?”

Staff Chua spoke.

“The last round of searches revealed nothing. They found no traces of the missing soldiers.”

The Colonel looked at me and then added, “But-“

“But what?”

“The police squad has found something interesting.”

“Belonging to the boys?”

Staff Chua was hesitant.

The Colonel looked at me and nodded.

“Dr. Ant Jin is here at my invitation at the sanction of the Chief of Defence. Please treat him as one of us.”

Staff Chua took his orders well and went on to say,  “The police have actually found a handphone that belongs to Chris Chen.” He explained, “ It was at the spot near the huge Flame Tree at Trail eighty-one.”

“What’s Trail eighty-one?” I asked innocently.

“It is a path up to Point two-hundred-and-eighty-eight (288), the highest point in the nature reserve.” Lieutenant Razali chipped in, “However, I found this strange.”

“What’s strange?” I asked.

“We've been up and down the trail. We have covered every inch of the ground since the boys were confirmed missing, but we’ve found nothing. Nobody spotted the phone, and now they’ve found it.” Razali added.

“Maybe it was dark, and the vegetation was thick.” Staff Chua muttered.

“There is a possibility that it could be an oversight, plain luck. It would be interesting if it was left there on purpose for us to find.”

“Purpose? Who could it be?”

I smiled. “We will soon find out. Can I see the phone?”

There was a moment of silence as Razali and Staff Chua again looked at the Colonel for an answer. Good soldiers.

The Colonel nodded. “Please, go get it.”

Staff Chua stepped out and returned ten minutes later with a plastic bag that contained the phone.

I took it over from him and checked the handphone. It was a Samsung A81. The phone was on, and the battery was down to the last bar. Surprisingly, there was no password. I accessed it and began to check the folders.

“What are you looking for?” Razali quizzed.

“Have the police or anybody else checked the phone?"

Nobody answered, and I continued.

I accessed the pictures gallery and wasted no time in checking the videos. There was something in the folder I found intriguing.

“What’s this?” I mumbled, and Leng and Colonel leaned over to peep.

“Pitch black.” The Colonel pronounced.

“Exactly! Nothing but darkness. Could be a random shot.” Leng uttered.

It was tempting to pass off the picture as one taken at random. The black image indicated that the person who took the picture might have taken it by mistake while the lens was on his palm or body. However, upon examination there seemed to be a silhouette. There was a lighter shade but I struggled with identification.

The phone was passed around, Razali and Staff Chua said the same as Colonel, and then I asked for the lights to be turned off. After it was dark in the tentage, I adjusted the contrast. I checked again. I saw something.

I spotted something.

“There is something, or, more precisely, someone.”

All the heads crowded over my extended hand with the phone. In a moment of uncoordinated spontaneity, we said. 

“It’s a... face!”

A chilling blanket of eerie silence fell on the tentage. Even the other personnel in the background stopped their work when they heard our chorus.

I was intrigued.

“I think it may be...”

“What are you doing?!”

A bolt of a sharp voice broke me in mid-sentence. I sensed vexation in the voice, a lady’s voice. I turned to find a lady who had a commanding presence. Her hair was swept back in a bun, and her almond-shaped eyes lent an aura of austerity. Her deep tan also gave her a cloak of authority.

“What do you think you are doing?”

She confronted me.

I felt her voice shearing at my cheeks. Before I could offer a word of explanation, she had snatched the phone from my hands.

“Your fingerprints are all over the phone. Who the hell you think you are?”