Ch 9: Hunted in the Dark

In a certain mansion, at night...

"Mum can you read me another bedtime story?", a little boy tiptoed to a guest bedroom in the manor. The guest bedroom is the place where the little boy mum usually knitted. He knocked the door gently, but then the door opened on its own. It is very unusual for the little boy mum to leave the door open since she's a very private person, to begin with.

"Mum?", the little boy asked.

He entered the room only to see the usual white carpeted floor turn into bloody red. The room reeks of rotten flesh and the boy rubbed his nose annoyed by the rotten smell. He walked and then saw a familiar person hung up into the air. That person was his beloved mother, her face was putrid and pale. He looked toward the ceiling and noticed that a jointed blanket was tied to the ceiling platform, formed like a rope.

The little boy's mother's neck was hung up with that blanket, with a fallen chair beneath her frozen body. The tip of her fingernails was bathed in blood, dripping like a water tab to the pristine white carpet.

"Mum?" the little boy walked toward her frozen body and poke her feet.

The little boy's mind blanked as he realized that his mother didn't reply to him with a smile anymore. He fell to his knees, realizing that his mother is no more he froze. He didn't cry, he just stood there as he watched his mother's lifeless body.

Shocked by what he saw, the little boy emptied his thoughts and heart.

That's when the boy realized that no matter how many times he prayed, no matter how many times he begged for God's forgiveness. He never saved her, even when his mother smiled and told him that God exists. The little boy slumped on the floor, praying for God miracles to save his mother.

"When in doubt you can pray to God", that's what his mother always said before the little boy went to bed.

Even so, she didn't come back to live, the little boy was frightened and scared out of his wits of losing his mother.

"MUM! WHY ARE YOU NOT AWAKE!?" the little boy screamed at the lifeless body of his mother.

His mother is a faithful follower of God and yet, she never once received salvation for this God she firmly believed. She always got beaten up violently by his father until her whole body turned purple and blue.

"Mum why is your body all blue and purple?", the little boy asked.

"It's the proof of your father's love", his mother reassured the little boy and his siblings.

However, now she no longer moved, nor was she able to reply to the boy calls. The little boy clenched his fist in rage and anger. He decided to repay his father's kindness' when he grows up.

* * *

"There's two of them", Eka moved further from the living room.

He crouched backward along with Rina who is still confused about Eka plans. The mysterious steps are getting closer and clearer. Eka scanned the whole room, intensifying his hearing.

"Do you know about the other one?".

"What another one?".

"The perpetrator stupid", Eka sighed.

"I don't know!", Rina growled in hostility.

Rina's voice is pretty loud that one of the perpetrators lunges his way to Rina's direction. The surprised wife, decided to duck in and reflexively kick the perpetrator's leg. The perpetrator fell and got himself apprehended by Eka. The president put both of the perpetrator's arms behind his back.

"Where's your friend?" Eka whispered to the perpetrator angrily.

"I'm not going to tell you anything", the stranger scoffed at Eka.

Without hesitating, the president pinned the man down to the carpet harshly. Eka gritted his teeth and growled huskily to the stranger beneath him.

"I don't hesitate to break and torture you", Eka growled as he broke one of the perpetrator's fingers. There's a loud crack sound filled the hallway as the stranger screamed in agony. Rina looked at Eka, horrified with his action. She grabbed onto his shoulder, pleading for him to stop.

"Is violence is really that necessary!?", Rina asked, possibly panicked.

"You don't get it Rina", Eka sighed as he pinned the stranger below him harder than before. "This world is a dog eat dog world, a slight of compassion will destroy you".

Rina backed away from the unapproachable president as she looked at the President interrogating the stranger beneath him mercilessly. He gazed at the stranger mockingly and jeered his action as if he's planning to hurt him psychologically. The sound of the broken fingers resonated in the hallway along with the screams of agony.

"Listen here, who hired you? Is it the same bastard that killed my dad?", Eka growled to the man who had lost three of his usable fingers.

"Killed his dad?", Eka's words piqued Rina's interest.

"I'm so sorry! Please spare me! If I spill the beans, my boss will kill me!", the man said frantically.

Eka pulled yet another one of his fingers, he showed no mercy and pity toward the strangers. The stranger screeched as Eka broke another one of the stranger's fingers. Rina covered her ears as the stranger screamed in pain. Tears escaped her eyes as the scream filled the entire hallway. Rina only hopes that the screams fade away quickly, even if there's a reason behind Eka's action. Rina can't think about why he would resort to violence.

"I'm not asking you nicely like I said I'm fine with torturing you until you spill the truth", Eka grinned.

Just before he's able to speak, a bullet to his head silenced him for eternity. Eka and Rina both gasped and backed away from the lifeless man. Eka pulled Rina to his side and ordered her to open the room next to her and get inside.

"What about you!?", she panicked.

"Just do it for now woman!", Eka growled.

Rina got in Eka's bedroom and Eka followed after. Eka was drenched in cold sweats, his firm expression still remains despite being drenched in sweats. He pulled Rina away from the door, being cautious of the mysterious shooter that shot the assailant. Rina is a little bit worried about Nabila's condition, but Eka told her to stay inside the room.

"What was that?" Rina asked the man next to her, puzzled.

"Mercenary, they were sent to kill me" Eka sighed.

"Wait what?" Rina looked at Eka warily.

"It's a common thing, but anyway they seem to be getting bolder" Eka sighed heavily.

"This is bothersome, I don't have my bodyguard with me".

"Then where are they?", Rina asked the cold man.

"My little sister, she went to HongKong with her friends," he said firmly as he fixed his clothes.

"So he sent his bodyguards to keep his sibling safe, that's uncalled for", Rina thought surprised.

Eka covered the bedroom curtain as he kept a lookout, he seemed to be cautious and worried. Rina grabbed his clothes scared of what just happened. Eka brushed her bangs and reassured her safety.

"I'm the President of Kikanasih, losing you would mean losing my asset and that is very unprofessional", he said sternly.

Rina pouts a bit, knowing that he only sees her as an asset he could use for the benefit of his company. Even so, his reassurance helped her calm down a little. Eka sat next to Rina, messaging someone on his cellphone with a serious face.

"I told Nabila to contact the police, I also have a friend that can help us", Eka told his clueless wife.

"Oh okay", Rina nodded confused. "Where's Nabila?".

"Anyway I'll ask my friend for help to keep us safe, he's a private investigator and you might have met him before", he responded while ignoring Rina question.

"I have?", Rina asked the president next to her.

"Yep, anyway I don't sense any footsteps in the hallway and it looks like the assailant who killed him won't show up," Eka said in confidence.

"Why are you so sure?".

"I already checked my cell phone, it records my home CCTV and besides I think he failed his mission", Eka replied to the woman in certainty in his tone.

Rina nodded to Eka's clarification, something about him from the beginning. However, she wouldn't have thought that he's into a shady business that involves mercenary and silent assassination entering his life. Now she's not sure whether to trust her evil husband, to begin with, though she never has trusted him.

However, this incident only made her distrust toward Eka grow more. She smells something fishy going around in this household. As his official wife, Rina decided to investigate his husband privately.