Judging You ✔

Chapter 5 ~ A Non Classified Secret

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Akira hesitated at first but then she entered the cabin. Han lighted a few candles to bring radiance to the darkened place. As light started to shine in the room, Akira noticed that there was a cot with a thin mattress above it, a round table with three chairs in a horrible condition, some spider webs in some corners of the house and a dusky kitchen.

"There's a washroom over there. You can freshen up yourself," Han said factually speaking her mind. She nodded and followed the direction his finger pointed. She locked the door and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Where have I gotten myself into? Dad was so right when he always sends bodyguards with us wherever we went and now I don't even have Adam with me. This Han guy seems nice but still he is just a stranger just like Jay Martinez," muttered Akira while splashing cold water on her face.

She also drank some to quench her thirst like a nomad who has discovered a well after getting lost in the desert. When she glanced at her reflection in the mirror, she noticed light bruises on her forehead. Using a damp towel, she dabbed it on the wounds to clean the blood and then dried her face. Tying her hair in a ponytail, she stepped out of the washroom.

Han looks like he was reading a document. She didn't bother him and instead removed her shoes and sat down on the cot. It's only then she realized that her feet were aching. She had never run so much in her life before. Heck she wasn't even in the athletic club.

Sitting on the old mattress felt soft like a marshmallow after having lain unconscious on the cold ground for a few hours.

"There are some fruits. If you're hungry-"

"Yeah sure." She gets on her feet at once and sat opposite of him at the table. She ate as much as she can and drank more water as the thirst seemed to be kicking in constantly.

"That's all I can offer you right now," Han said after noticing her devouring the apples like she had never eaten anything before.

"It's okay. I'll manage," she said before gulping more water. She lets an ugly burp out and apologizes to Han for being rude but he wasn't minding her at all. For him, she's just a lost kid who needed help.

"What's your story Han? I told you everything but you said nothing about yourself except your name," asked Akira since she has fully confirmed now that Han is trustworthy. If he wanted to hurt her, he would have done it already.

"What do you want to know?" His response was pretty straight forward and unexpected as well. Akira thought he would hesitate but he looked confident.

"How did you get in this forest? Are you lost too?"

"No. I'm not lost. I'm a private detective. A lot of people mostly tourists have gone missing here so I'm investigating."

"Isn't that the police job?" She asked as her father has been on similar missions before, traveling across the globe to find important missing persons.

"It is actually but a cop friend of mine has requested for help that's why I'm here."

"How exactly are people getting missing here?"

"Well they go for trekking, exploring the forests and never coming back again."

Akira wondered if men dressed in black with rifles in their hands shot at their vehicles and they also fell to death in the valley. But then there was a second option; a man-eater who is also known as the anaconda.

"What exactly is happening to them?"

"That's classified."

To say that she wasn't disappointed with his answer would be an understatement. Akira hated suspense. Every time she would ask her father of his whereabouts or what mission was he on, the answer will be simple as 'it's classified' so as to stop her curiosity.

"Do you mean that giant anaconda?" She spoke louder and he gave her a shocking look like he wasn't expecting her answer.

"You saw it?"

"Yes and its very huge."

"Shit, so it's true." He wiped his forehead and rummaged through some papers, looking very agitated all of the sudden.

"What's wrong?"

"My friend informed me that during an investigation, a ten year old boy said that he saw an anaconda devouring his entire family but the description he was giving was something hard to believe so he had been placed in a mental institution."

"That's so harsh to do with a kid."

"No Akira. It's in human nature to believe the outlandish only when they have witnessed it with their own eyes but I know you aren't a liar."

Akira could feel her cheeks going red when he gave proof that he has faith on her. But then she remembered that hasn't revealed his classified information yet.

"Are you going to tell me about your discoveries now? Please I shared mine. Now it's your turn."

"Look I don't want to scare you but since you are insisting, you aren't leaving me a choice. Cannibals, they are killing human beings."

"What nonsense! Cannibals do not exist."

"I guess I made my point clear then."

Basically he trusted her but she's having trust issues again. Till today she couldn't have properly trusted Maira but then Han is a complicated man. He has helped her, given her shelter and food. There's no need for him to lie.

"Look I didn't mean to disrespect but do they really exist?"

"There are four of them in this forest. They would find a target, attacked, killed and ate them afterwards."

Akira was frozen on the spot on hearing the merciless crimes. She knew that there would be a time in her life where she would be no longer dependent on her father but had never expected this situation would pop up so soon and yet hazardous at the same time.

Han placed his hand on her trembling ones and said, "I won't let anyone or anything harm you."

She nodded and stared at his hand. He removed it as he has sensed that she felt uncomfortable but he needed to assure her.

"You can sleep on the cot. I'll take the floor."

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