Chapter 8 Who is the real evil?

"Yes, it could. It's a lot of work." Fajar paused, then he seemed to have just remembered what he had to say to Andy. "Andy, I will send you the number and address of the high school student you will teach," said Fajar; when he was about to send the student's number, his eyes were caught by the WhatsApp news circulating in his group. "What's this?" he asked with a stiff face.

However, none of his other friends understood what Fajar was talking about.

"What's wrong with you?" Andy asked; he was a little worried about Fajar's face now. His body immediately moved closer to Fajar, and he, too, was stunned at what he was seeing. "Who's this?" Andy asked in a worried voice. "Why was he being beaten mercilessly like this?"

Not long after, the messages on their WhatsApp group rang continuously.

"Who's he?" asked Jack; he was the leader of the class.

Subsequent messages came in the same vein and happened so quickly, and it was as if they couldn't wait for each other's response. "Is he our senior named Jerome?"

Another chimed in, "Where is he right now? It's best if someone helps him right away."

Andy also looked at his cell phone. He was grateful that his name was also in his batch group on his cellphone. He had not experienced this in his previous life because what happened was the opposite; it was not Jerome who was beaten to a pulp like this time, but himself who was brutally beaten. Seventeen years ago, he got an F when he was drunk, barely unconscious. Tony came home early, so he didn't know Andy's condition. At the same time, Fajar was suddenly contacted by his friend and asked to see him immediately. Andy, who was going to the bathroom to vomit his food, had not found Fajar again when he returned to their table; he was confused, then contacted the two friends. Unfortunately, they both didn't pick up Andy's calls.

Damn, Andy cursed in his heart. His head was already hurting badly, and he was staggering around with the pain in his head.

When Andy walks outside by accident, he bumps into someone.

"Where are your eyes!" snapped Andy, who had lost his sanity. The day was so chaotic. His grades were so bad that he drank so many drinks that he wouldn't remember anything anymore, but he completely forgot his manners and caused trouble with other people he met.

When Andy blinked his eyes, he just realized that the mistake he had just made was fatal. He had just cursed at a giant man, much bigger than him, and unfortunately, the man was not alone, while Andy was alone. The man did not accept the word "Sorry" from Andy. Instead, the man beat Andy to his satisfaction. After the big man succeeded in making Andy's face shapeless, he handed it over to his friends, who also wanted to beat Andy.

Andy was stunned. He realized that the current events were the opposite. It wasn't him who was battered, but Jerome, who had put a pass for him, who had to be beaten all over.

Andy remembered that place, the place where Jerome was currently lying. He typed something into his batch group. "Jerome's position is behind the cafeteria of building A, and I'm going over there, helping him. Is there anyone to help?"

Tony and Fajar raised their faces at the same time. "Are you sure where this is?" asked Fajar, his voice shaking.

How evil the person who had harmed Jerome and put him behind the canteen was rare for anyone to pass through that area, Fajar thought to himself. Deliberately putting Jerome there was the same as letting him die slowly there.

Andy nodded confidently, and it was the place he had just told his friends because Andy had been there in the past. "Yes, I'm sure. We must help Jerome immediately." Not many know the place, and the question "Who has brought Jerome to that place?" piqued the curiosity in Andy's mind.

Fajar immediately typed something on WhatsApp. "I'm coming. Those who want to come, go there. We need a lot of help."

About fifteen people answered excitedly.

"Yes, I will come."

"Wait for me there."

"I'll phone the ambulance."

"I have already informed the campus, don't worry, this will all be taken care of."

"I'm coming with Abdul; wait for us there."

"We've informed the head of the course Jerome, and they're already preparing to go there as well."

While the rest replied, "Sorry, I can't."

"It's late at night, and I'm not allowed by my mother to come there."

"I wanted to help, but my parents forbade it. I'm sorry."

"I'll help raise a relief fund for Jerome so that he can pay for the hospital fees."

As they all stood up and were about to leave, Andy remembered the strangeness of the photo. He picked up his phone again and looked intently at the screen. "There are cigarette butts," he said quietly, deliberately lowering his voice so that neither of his friends could hear.

Andy suspects someone that demon has harmed Jerome.

The three of them immediately drove to campus; by that time, it was already dark, no one was going in and out of the canteen area, the canteen curfew was only until nine o'clock, while now it was eleven o'clock at night.

The three of them were the first to come to the scene, and Andy immediately looked for the place where Jerome was severely beaten. "Over here," Andy shouted to his other two friends. After hearing Andy's screams, Fajar and Tony immediately came to Andy.

Previously Andy had contacted the police and the hospital. He remembered that he had a friend in the police force, his name was Richard.

"Hello, Richard. How are you?" In the future, Richard is a respected police chief in their town, but seventeen years ago, Richard was a nobody. Andy remembers that Richard is a man who has the courage and a strong heart. He was famous for never leaving his case alone; Richard would always solve his issue to the end.

"Yes, what's wrong? Who is this with?"

Andy just realized their relationship was not very close at that time. They don't even know each other by name.

"Ahm... I'm sorry, my name is Andy; I'm majoring in business economics at Sun Technology campus. I have news that we found a student injured. It is suspected that he has been beaten badly. He is my senior, and we study at the same campus. We found him behind the cafeteria of building A on our campus. Someone had spread his photo in our group, and after we found out where our senior was, one of us has phoned the ambulance."

After Richard said, "Wait, until we come," the phone is ended.

"What happened to him?" Tony asked with his mouth open. He couldn't believe that Jerome would suffer like this.

"Looks like he's been fighting with debt collectors," said Fajar.

"Our friend will be here soon, and we have to get Jerome to the hospital as soon as possible. Otherwise, he will bleed out." Andy opened his cell phone and called another friend. "Where are you?" he asked.

"Please wait, we will come soon. Now that we're on campus, we'll be there a few minutes again." It was David's voice coming together with Jack.

"Okay, I'll wait here. Remember behind the cafeteria building A," Andy reminded David once again.

"Yeah, I already told Reynold."

A few minutes later, the police, ambulance, and the campus had arrived.

A lecturer named Mr. James, who served as the lecturer in Jerome's class, saw the wounds on Jerome's body, his mouth gaping in disbelief.

Then Jerome's friends started arriving. They gave the same reaction as Mr. James.

Several police officers found cigarette butts like those on cellphones and then evidence.

"Thanks for the report," Richard walked up to Andy, then greeted him.

Andy wanted to say, "Please tell me what you found when you checked who the cigarette butt belonged to," but he quickly stopped himself. Andy just said, "You're welcome." After staring at him for a long time, Andy smiled again and added, "You are a great cop in the future. A lot of people will be proud of you." Richard didn't budge; he didn't say anything, only Andy's words lingered in his mind, and after staring at Andy's back for a while, Richard smiled, he straightened his collar, and stood up straight, like a respected police chief. "Yes, I will look forward to the day I will lead the police force to which I have devoted myself."

Far in the future, a photograph is engraved with Richard, who is seventeen years older than now. He wears a full police uniform, with many award stars adorning his uniform. He smiled, and his smile warmed the heart.

"It's late; let's go back to our respective homes. Jerome's family has gone with him in the ambulance, and some have gone to the hospital," said Mr. James to the others. When Andy turned around, he felt someone smiling horribly at him. He looked but couldn't find anything out of the way.

Andy kept this in his memory.

"Someone is trying to help Jerome," said Fajar, who suddenly walked beside Andy.

Andy looked; he was looking for Tony's whereabouts. "Where's Tony?"

Fajar shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't see him. He rode his motorbike. We'd better go home now."

"All right," said Andy.

"I feel sorry for Jerome," said Fajar. His face looks very sad.

There wouldn't be anyone who wouldn't have mercy on a weak, helpless body that just lay in a lonely place.

"The villain has no heart," Andy replied. He didn't talk anything about cigarette butts to his friends, and it would be hard to see cigarette butts like that in such dim lighting.

Andy thought that only the owner and followers knew about the cigarette butts.

However, the heart is already night, and he should have rested first. Tomorrow he has a business math class at eight in the morning. And he had to be in bed already if he didn't want to be late tomorrow.

From a distance, someone glared at Andy; he smirked and whispered to himself, "This is the result of not being able to do the job properly."