Chapter 37

"Hello? Have you not found them yet?"Someone asks on the phone.

"No sir but we are still searching"another person says on the other line.

"What do you mean you are still searching. It's been two weeks already and no sign of them? Why can't you find them when you've found their van? How much do I pay you huh?....how much?"The person yells on the phone.

"More than enough sir. I promise we will find them for you...I promise."the other replies.

Richard sighs deeply and hangs up. He's starting to get worried. His family said they will be back in a week and it's two already but there's no sign of them.

He can't get in touch with them, any of them. That should not be something of a coincidence. There must be something wrong and he must find his family before he loses any of them.

The sky is much darker than before and Blake plans to sleep in his car since there is nowhere suitable for him in the woods to sleep.

He lays back the seat to a point he will be comfortable with. He then lays himself on the seat and closes his eyes.

"Hey, Irye."Irye is cowering near a big short tree. Her hands covered in blood as she quivers in shock.

Blake walks closer to her, stretching out his hand. He sees Irye crying and muffling words. She must have gone through something really devastating make her go into shock like that, he thinks.

"Irye.."Blake calls again in his lowest voice. "Take my hand"he continues walking closer to her.

Every step Blake takes feels like he's walking forward but moving backwards. He doesn't get anywhere near Irye no matter the steps he takes. Yet still, he continues walking.

"Who are you?"Irye whispers and raises her head.

Her eyes are black and there are scratches on her face catching one's attention with her bloody lips.

She looks like monster. Blake stops walking. Startled by what he's is seeing. "Is she the Irye he knows?"he asks himself.

"Who are you?"Irye doesn't recognize Blake."Who are you? Who are you huh? Who are you? Who are you"She asks continuously getting all worked up.

"Irye it's me,Blake"Blake tells her. "What happened to you?"He tries walking closer but gets nowhere.

Irye laughs sinisterly, mixing cries with it.

"Blake huh?"She gets up. "Who the hell do you think you are to come here? You think this place tolerates people like you. You will die before you know it."she laughs loudly.

"I will make you..."Irye says in a witchy voice as she walks closer to him.

Blkae notices the difference. Irye shortens the distance between them at every step she takes but it is as if he at the same place when he tried walking closer.

Without noticing, Irye has already shortened the distance that she is only five to six steps away from him.

Blake doesn't move even though he clearly knows and forsees what Irye is about to do. He knows he's in danger with the way Irye is looking at him but stands still.

Irye walks closer and she is now only two steps away.

Her fingers trail Blake's jaw down to his chin. Then they find their way to his throat. Blake is dumbfounded, thinking of how Irye becomes like the girl in front of her.

Irye's fingers pierce his throat and she smiles wickedly. Blake doesn't move and Irye gets full advantage.

Blake's eyes don't seem like someone who is scared but like someone who has lost something really important.

He sees Irye's other hand raise and whack at him in the face hard that it throws him in the ground.

Irye rushes to Blake and sends her hands to his neck.

A sharp breath breaks the silence in the car Blake is sleeping in. His forehead has beads of sweat on it and his breath is heavy and fast.

He looks around for water and drinks some. He has had a nightmare. He dreamt of Irye and she is not the one he knows anymore.

Behind the boundary stands Irye with her eyes closed. The family gather around, Grams in the middle under the tree.

There are movements and they are fast. The person is playing tricks on them. They make sounds and stop a while when the sounds are getting louder. Irye knows of this and keeps herself high in alert for even the slightest movement.

Because she wants no disturbances, she tells her family to stay still and not make a sound.

Soon, something passes by her fast and she hears it. Her hand stretch backwards and grabs. Using her full strength, she pulls it back and hit it on the floor.

She opens her eyes and to her surprise is the face she never thought of seeing again in real life.

She is looking at her mother's face. Her eyes are wide open not understanding what's happening.

She closes her eyes and opens them again, thinking she must be seeing things.

Her mother's face is still what she sees after opening her eyes again. Her breath hitches and she is stuck between loosening her grip around it's neck and tightening it.

At last she concludes this must be a trick. Irye tightens her grip the more and speaks.

"You think you can decide me with that? You don't have to show it to me again that she is dead alright"Her anger builds up and she raises the person from the floor and smash them to a nearby tree.

The person chokes and speaks."I am your mother. Look at me and tell me if am not."

Now that Irye's attention has come back to the person's body, she sees that it is detailed.

Not like the shadow she's been fighting. Her eyes and body stature are all the same. She quickly lets go and the person drops to the ground.

"Mom"Irye whispers but her inner soul tells her it might be a trick.