Chapter 22: nightmare in the hometown

Kazumi wishes to spend the holiday with his family, even as much as possible he don't want to return on the place again because it just remind him of the past. He took the earliest trip on the train the next morning after Christmas. On his way, what happened back then is keep on flashing on his mind that makes him lack of sleep.

It was just a few months when he last saw this place yet it feels like years. It didn't change a bit, the bridge where he and his childhood friends used to jump is still there, the supermarket where he used to buy his favorite buns after school on the way home is still open, the playground where he loves the swing very much that he could sit there all day is now getting old, the huge house in front of the elementary school where they said that it is haunted and they used to climb the gate and steal guavas on the backyard still looks creepy, the high school where he met his first love and spent most of the time in the library didn't change at all. He admit that he miss the every part of the town and the memories made on those places. The road on the way to his house is now got cemented where he used to run a lot when his mother is chasing him with a hanger when he is going home late. And finally, the house is still there standing still and it didn't change a thing. "Kazumi!", his mother said that who just came out of the front door meeting him with a hug. Then his father and Kurumi came out next. "Brother", is the only thing Kurumi said while watching her brother being hugged from her mother from the door of the house. "Why did you just standing here, why don't you enter?", asked his mother. "I was just observing the place if it change" "Nothing really change here when you left" Then they enter.

"It's been a long time since we all ate together in one table for dinner", said mother. "Why didn't you tell that you were coming", asked father. "Actually, I don't plan on going home in the first place. I just give it a thought about it in the last minute" "So if you don't want to come back then why did you came though?", asked Kurumi. "I just felt coming back once in a while. I also spend almost half of my life in this place so it might be rude if I will not go and I miss you all. Living in the city alone is not a joke" "Then why don't you come back here, I'm sure your old school will still accept you", said mother. "No mom, I am already happy on where I am now. I started this so I need to finish it or else I wouldn't be called a man" "So what do you plan now?", asked Kurumi. "Hmmm… I guess I will stay here until new year. I will start in visiting the grave tomorrow"

Everything flashes back to his mind on what happened back then as he put flowers on the grave of the two people he used to love the most. Even the incident happen a year ago, the pain is still there, the sadness still lies inside. His life is so perfect in the past that he could not wish for anything else never thought that one day, he's losing the people close to him one by one. "Babe", he started as he touch the name engrave on it letter by letter. "I missed you, and I still love you", he said as tears started to break down. "I still love you that I wish I could be with you. I miss you that I want to hug you in my dreams. You are my first love and I never thought that we will going to separate like this, I would rather see you happy with someone else than seeing you like this. Babe, I hope you could forgive me" "Buddy, I have never given a chance to say sorry. I was too occupied that time thinking that I am the only one hurt, little did I know that you are in pain also and yet even I am pushing you away, you never leave my side and always there when I need a hand. You are the greatest friend I have, well you are the only friend I have, if I just know that this will happen, I should have gave the favor to you. I should've think more of what you feel rather than mine. All these times, I am relying on you and you always come to me first as your priority, if I just know, if you just said something. I am willing to do the same thing as you did for me. I know, you are happy now on where you are. Please take care of our girl and don't let her go this time. Please forgive me" He wipe his tears as he stand. "Did you just came here to apologize? I didn't know that you are this dramatic". Kurumi said as she walk towards him. "What are you doing here?! I told you not to come!" "I don't know that my brother is this soft. You can tell them about your life goes on when they passed away. You can tell them you met new friends like Nagisa and the others. You can tell them updates about your life and not just come here with teary eyes saying how sorry you are, it is not your fault that they died in the first place so why are you apologizing?" "I… I am about to tell them that, you just came" "Ohhhhh is that so, then tell them now that you already found a new girlfriend and her name is Nagisa" "Fuyumi is not my girlfriend okay! Can you just go, you are distracting me!", he said while pushing her away. "Okay I will go, tell them also that you met Hitoshi again" "What do you mean 'again'?!" "Nooothing", she said as she took her leave.

"Mom! Did Mr. Reiner transfer to another place? I went to his store earlier and they said that Mr. Reiner is not there already, they bought the store, I know Mr. Reiner doesn't want to sell that store, it is so much precious to him" His mother sit next to him coming from the kitchen. "Kazumi… you see… Mr. Reiner didn't sell that store, his family did" "Huh, why?! Why Mr. Reiner let them do that? Is he sick? Is he getting married? Or traveling abroad?" "Kazumi, Mr. Reiner died last month" "Eeeehhhh why?" "I don't know, no one knows, the police is still investigating the case" "I am so close to him before, I used to buy lollipops in his store then staying there pranking him all the time when I am in elementary" "I know, it is also sad for us to have him leave us this way" "Mom!!! Mooom!!" "Kurumi, do not shout you are not a kid anymore and do not run in the house" "Mom, Mrs. Yao found dead in her room just now!" "What?! Mrs. Yao, do you mean the Mrs. Yao we knew who like giving us chocolates when we were kids?" "Yes, that is her" "W..what happened?!" "They said that she had a cardiac arrest but do you think it is weird?" "What is weird with cardiac arrest? Mrs. Yao is old enough to experience such illness" "But Mr. Reiner was also said that he had a cardiac arrest last month and found dead in his room" "Coincidence?!" "This is too good to be a coincidence" "There are more than hundreds or thousands of people died in the whole world because of a cardiac arrest in a day. Don't put your nose in this situation Kurumi, this is not for young people like you. You might end up doing silly things or you might end up in danger stead"

Kazumi spend the days staying in the house watching television. Playing games or reading manga and sometimes he took detours to the place while reminiscing the past while Kurumi is always outside meeting her friends despite of the cold weather. But what is more mysterious in this little town is that people are dying one by one especially the old ones and they all have the same causes, having a cardiac arrest. It is not a pure coincidence anymore, however it doesn't have proof yet and how did it happen, Kazumi think that this is a case of murder and not just a cardiac arrest.

In Mr. Reiner's case, they found a potassium chloride injected to his body that causes kidney failure and leads him death. Mr. Reiner is known as the healthy man in the town despite of his age, he can still do volunteer works so it is shocking that he suddenly died due to that cause. It is still unknown who did this to him while he is in sleep, the injection used is found in the trash can in the same bedroom where his body is found. However, there were no single fingerprints on the evidence except of Mr. Reiner. The same thing also happened to Mrs. Yao and to the other victims that it seems the suspect is the one that everyone knows in this little town and also they trust that person that much that they open the door of their house and let that person to enter maybe they even offer a cup of tea and let that person stay in their house for over a night. The police officers take a look to cctv's around the houses of those people who died and yet, it is impossible that this person who act like a friend that hides into a sheep's skin is not shown to any of those cameras. There are some people suspected and interviewed for this case and after a few days in prison they let those suspects out because of not enough evidence that shows they are really the one who did the crime.

After for furthermore investigations, they found out that there is this young man who live alone in a small apartment in that town, most of the people go to him when they have a problem in fixing their appliances or any other things used in the house and because sometimes he don't accept payments on his work, he easily earn the trust of the people there. Fixing broken things is not really his job, it was just a talent or a skill that he shares to people. He initially is a construction worker who is currently working on the condominium building near the park. When he first came in this place, he looks like a child who got abandoned by his parents, and he used to work as an errand boy in every house he lives and then when he earn enough money, he went on his own and rent an apartment and worked in construction sites. He is too kind that can't even passed by to an injured animals in the street and do also volunteer works when he has a time. This guy always buy breads on Mrs. Yao's bakery shop every morning and sometimes offers free massage to her when she has to sleep all night in baking breads. He is the type of guy that you can count on in one call away in every time, a help is shout in the neighborhood. So it is unbelievable that he is now the main suspect to the killings that is happening in town for the reason of his sudden disappearance. Who knows that a guy like him can do such crime.

It is been a week since they lost track of the main suspect, his things are still on his apartment and his co-workers in the construction doesn't recall him taking a leave in his work. They said that he still go to work but it is just once in a while, he often take day offs and that is why their boss said that it might possible if he continue on that kind of attitude, the boss might fire him at work. He is last saw in the bridge where Kazumi and his childhood friends used to play and jump there in the river across to the way of the elementary and high school. As the witness remember, he was drunk that late at night on the way home when he saw the young man standing in the middle of it staring at the full moon. It is freezing cold that night so he wonder what is he doing there on that time. The witness is just too drunk and the alcohol is eating his thought so much so he never bother on thinking about that or confirming if what he saw that night is true. He took a few steps away from the bridge and looked back if the guy is still there but when he looked at him for the second time, he was gone. He robbed his eyes countless times to make sure if what he just saw is real but because of the influence of the alcohol, he never bothered on thinking about it. the next day after that, the guy went missing without leaving a single trace so they believe that he take his leave on that night the drunk witness saw him on that bridge.

"Potassium chloride, you say?!", Kurumi asked her brother. "Yes, when the result of the autopsy came to all the victims, they all see one thing on their body and that is potassium chloride that make all of them died in an instant" "That was so cruel, who will did such a thing?" "They said that the young man who lives in the apartment beside Mrs. Yao's bakery who works on construction did the work" "How can you be so sure, that guy is too kind. I know him for a while and I can say that he is not that kind of guy who will kill people who used to help him in the past. All the people here can say that" "There is still not enough evidence that point out that he is the killer but his sudden disappearance tell" "You can't accuse a person in murder just because he sudden disappeared, maybe something important happened that make him disappear or an emergency that he needs to attend. Don't run a conclusion if you really don't know the truth" "Why are you over reacting in defensing that guy" "N….no I'm not… I am just saying that false accuse can make you go to jail" "I know that but that is what I heard from the police who is taking this case" "Kurumi" Huh", Kurumi suddenly looked up to her brother. "Tell me, are you that close to that man?" "That man? The guy in the construction? We are not really close, I just saw him few times. I heard from the oldies that he is so kind and easy to run into. He always wear a smile while helping them in their works even he is also tired from work and even the stray animals, he helped them so why did a guy like that who can't avoid to take turn in caring for others will kill people" "You grew up so fast, you really is a lady now" "Wh…what?! What does that mean and what is the connection in the crime we are talking about?!" "You like that guy, aren't you?" Kurumi's face turned to red and she is bit shy to show it to her brother and that is why she hide her face to him. "What a…are…y…you t…talking…about. Are you nuts? Of course I don't. Why would I like a guy like that, my standards are high you know" "Hmmmm… is that so?", Kazumi said while smiling and in teasing tone. "Grrrr, you're crazy. Why do I bother talking to you anyway", she said as she stand and took her leave to the room.

Kazumi just got home from taking a walk outside where in every step he go, the memories he spend in every part of the town since he was a kid is flashing on his mind. It was past five in the afternoon when he got home and reached his mother in the dining talking with a stranger while having a tea. He has this unusual feeling about their visitor even he can't see his face, it feels like this guy is hiding something inside. He don't want to jump to conclusion as much as possible and it looks like his mother is really close to that guy that he saw her smiling at him. "Mom I'm back!!", as he walks near them. "Kazumi, you are here already", his mother said. He walks near his mother then look at the guy while asking her who is he. His mother said that it was just an old friend from school when they were young. Kazumi took his leave for a while to take a bath, he still hear his mother's laughter even he is in the stairs going up.

After a bath, Kazumi went immediately to Kurumi's room after change when he heard her went home. "Kurumi!!" "Gosh, do you know how to knock!", she said in shock when her brother suddenly opened the door in her room as if the house is burning. "When you get home, did you see the guy mom was talking to in the dining?" "Guy?! What guy?! When I arrived, mom is in the kitchen cooking for dinner" "Ah, maybe he already left", he whisper to himself. "Did you said something?" "Huh, nothing", he said as he leave her room. "He's weird, what an idiot", Kurumi said to herself as she change her clothes.

After a couple of weeks, finally the police officers already found a lead in where might the main suspect is hiding through the help of their asset. Currently, the suspect is in the neighboring town working and staying in one of the small restaurant there. After having this lead, the police went on their way immediately where the said suspect is. When they reach the place, the young guy is not there. The manager of the restaurant said that the young guy took his leave for the day because he said that he is sick. The police again leave and go to the address given where he might staying. When the police is in the corridor of the building where the guy is said to be staying, a man in his black cup and gloves wearing a thick long sleeve jacket even the weather is hot passed by them staring all down on the floor. Room 306, it is the room number of the suspect. They opened the door immediately without hesitation seeing that the door is already half opened when they went there. Before the police raise their guns and said that he is under arrest, they saw their main suspect lying on the ground with a knife in his chest that makes the floor covered in blood. The news spread faster in Kazumi's town that bothers anyone but at least the young man proves that he is not the killer of those oldies.

Kazumi's mother's friend is always visiting them in their house that makes him more uncomfortable. When he get to the kitchen to get water in the fridge, he smell something when he passed by to that guy. He went immediately to his mother who is currently in the kitchen cooking for dinner for she invited the guy to eat with them tonight. He is convincing her about what he feels or what he think about his mother's dear friend and she is wrong on what she thought he was yet whatever he do to convince her, his mother doesn't seem like to believe in him. Kurumi suddenly appear in front of them as she catched her breath while her heart is racing from fear and nervousness. "What's wrong sweety?", her mother asked. "Mom I know you are not gonna believe it but I think that guy (pointing the guy from the other room) is not what you think. I think he is hiding something, I can smell it, it is impossible that anyone could smell like that" "Did you smell it also?" The two siblings looked at each other while their mother stopped from what she is doing. "What, you too?" "Yes, he smell like a blood with a mix of a steel. I can't just stand around and do nothing" "So you two know?" "What mom?" "That he is the one who did it" "He is the suspect?!"