The Unknown Series

ISSUE 3: KNOWING HIM. PART 2.

#THE_UNKNOWN (A series of short horrifying stories)

Author: Sam Freddy

Issue 3 [Knowing Him]

Part 2

Dafe's last words kept ringing in my head like a furious alarm clock, even though I had gotten home already. I still couldn't believe what he asked me 20 minutes ago.

"Do you want to die?"

In all honesty, that had to be the weirdest question anyone had ever asked me in my entire life. I was baffled to the bone when I heard it, and I could've sworn I felt chills running down my spine right then. Dafe's reaction was even worse. He had asked that question with a frown in place, and when I couldn't heave a response, as a result of profound shock, he just walked out on me without another word.

It's been twenty minutes since I got home, took a shower and had lunch, but I still couldn't get the mysterious boy's words out of my head. The more I tried to push the thoughts out of my mind, the more they forced their way back in. I was tormented by the distorted voices in my already aching head. Dafe's words played on and on with overlapping voices: "Do you want to die? Do you want to die? Do you want to die?"

"Do I want to die?" I was speaking aloud and I wasn't even aware of it. "What does that even mean?"

There was nobody else in the house but me, myself and I, so, unfortunately, I was alone with my troubling thoughts. I had to talk to someone! I desperately needed someone to share my thoughts with, as soon as possible, before I go nuts.

'Should I call my mother right away?' I debated, grabbing my phone from the bedstead. 'No. Bad idea!'

'Well, how about Elsa, my closest friend?' another thought popped into my head. 'Yes. Intelligent idea!'

So, without wasting any more time, I dialled Elsa's number right away. She picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello, Nita!" She called me by the nickname she'd personally given me. She was so fond of it. "What's up?"

"Hey, Elsa. I'm good. I'm kind of in a tight spot right now, and I need someone to talk to." I explained calmly. "Are you free and alone where you are now?"

"Sure, I am. I'm in my room."

"Can you lend me your ears for a few minutes?"

"Sure! I'm all ears. Go ahead."

With that, I took a deep breath, blew it out, and proceeded as instructed. I poured everything on my mind to Elsa's hearing. When I was done, she could hardly believe her ears, either.

"What does he mean by that?"

"Honestly, I don't know." I sighed tiredly. "That's why I called to let you know about it. I'm confused here."

"Relax, Nita. Relax."

I shut my eyes tight, sighed again for the umpteenth time, and opened my eyes wide, staring into thin air. "I'm fine. I'm relaxed now."

"Are you sure, Nita?"

"I don't even know. I guess I am."

Elsa coughed at the other end. She wanted to talk, but she coughed uncontrollably, and sneezed three times.

"Are you okay?" I asked when she had stopped sneezing. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Yes, I am." She replied, clearing her throat. "I just don't feel too good. I guess I've been infected with the flu, sore throat or something. But I'm fine, though!"

"Are you certain?"

"Trust me on this one." Elsa coughed again, sneezing in-between. "So, back to what we were saying-" she trailed off and started coughing again.

"Elsa, are you okay?" I was alarmed this time, afraid for the worst possible outcome. "Maybe we should end this call. You're not in the right condition to discuss this now."

"No, no. Don't do that." She spoke up immediately. "Don't end the call. We can still talk. I'll manage."

"Go and rest, Elsa. Make sure you inform anyone around you about your health," I said, attempting to end the call, due to my rising concern over her wellbeing.

"Seriously, I'm good. I'm a strong girl! Don't end the call just like that." Elsa pleaded in an almost inaudible and persuasive tone. "I can manage for now!"

"Go and rest, Elsa!" I said with finality, urging her to let it go. "We'll talk later. I'll make sure I keep in touch, alright?"

"Okay, fine. You win!" She gave up at last. "Have a nice evening ahead."

"You, too."

I hung up right away. Now, I was back to square one. I still had no answer to the questions of the overlapping voices in my head, but at least I was glad that I'd shared a piece of my mind with someone, that the burden had been partially lifted off my shoulders.

"What do I do now?" I was speaking aloud again, but the only difference was that, this time, I was fully aware of it. "Where do I go from here? Who do I call next?"

I had nobody else but myself. What a pity!

"What am I supposed to do now?" I was talking to nobody in particular. "Should I take a nap, revise today's topics, log online, surf the web for stories, stream videos on YouTube or just take a walk around the estate?"

I settled for the latter. Within a few minutes, I was well-dressed in a simple blue gown and my favorite rubber sandals. I had almost stepped out of the house when a very insane but interesting idea popped into my head. With all confidence, I stepped back into the house, carried my mini handbag, placed the notebook I had borrowed earlier into it, and I stepped out eventually. I decided I was going to do what I had in mind, come what may!

'After all, what's the worst that could happen?'

I was very determined as I walked along the road, tracing my steps back to the mysterious boy's house. Earlier, I had done a mental note of everything, specifically the shortcuts that led to his house. I was a very fast learner, so I had no trouble keeping up.

In less than 15 minutes, I got to another secluded estate and in another 10 minutes, or less, I arrived at Dafe's compound. I had a bit of a mind debate on whether or not to proceed with my plan, and the confidence in my heart pushed me to.

So, I did the sign of the cross three times and took a few more steps toward the door. Getting there, I sighed and knocked calmly, waiting to hear someone's voice from inside. Nobody answered or opened the door.

I knocked again, five more times, yet, no one responded. I couldn't even tell if the door was locked or not, due to its unique design, so I just did the only thing that crossed my mind at that point in time.

I pulled the door handle, and to my utmost surprise, the door opened just like that. It was never locked in the first place, which meant that somebody had to be inside, right?

I walked into the house, looking around like a professional inspector. "Hello?"

Anyone who saw me in such a situation would probably assume that I was nothing but a petty thief, but I had no alternative. I had to achieve what I came for.

"Hello-ooh? Is anyone in here?"

There was no response, still, but I didn't stop walking around the house. I looked around the spacious living room, admiring the pictures on the wall, the cool TV set, the flowers in their respective vases, and the other attractive furniture. The house was squeaky clean! I never knew the mysterious boy, of all people, had such a nice place and a good taste for art, music and culture. I wondered who he stayed with since I couldn't really find anybody's picture on the wall except his own.

In the twinkling of an eye, I found myself in front of a brown door. Hesitantly, I opened the door and walked right in, and as I did, my eyes literally bulged out of their sockets and my mouth fell open.

Would you believe what I saw? I found it hard to believe! I almost screamed at the top of my voice, but I covered my mouth with both hands, trembling and looking around the partially dark room.

I saw idols! I mean, real life idols, carved with wood and stone, hanging on ropes that were tied to the ceiling fan. I thought that was all, but it didn't even end there. I noticed some strange, fetish paintings on the walls: lots and lots of them. I spotted a fractured skull painted in red, a human eye with a scorpion feeding on it, a baby's placenta, a hideous demon colored with red and black horns, and two human hearts beneath the demon's ugly legs.

I couldn't believe my eyes! It was just too much for me to take in! I almost threw up, and I felt like pissing my pants right there and then, but no, I had to be strong. I had to know more! I was curious. I was determined to see what this all leads to.

'What's a teenager like Dafe doing with such fetish things?' I wondered, taking calculated steps toward his wardrobe. Something told me to open it and see what was in there, and I did. I shifted his clothes and found a big book wrapped in red pieces of clothes. On the front page, an inscription in the form of a warning flashed boldly, saying:

'DO NOT open this book.'

Only the first and second word were written in bold, capital letters, laying emphasis on the 'DO NOT' part, while the others were just bold but not capitalized. All the same, I disregarded the warning. I picked up the book and removed the red pieces of clothes on the surface.

"DO NOT open this book." I read it out again, feeling my heartbeat racing faster than ever. But, notwithstanding, I wasn't discouraged by such petty warning. After all, it was just a normal big book and not the Grim Reaper or something.

'What's the worst thing that could happen, anyway?' I thought, shrugging indifferently. I did three signs of the cross on my chest, said a quick prayer, and opened the book with confidence.

I truly wish I never did.