CHAPTER 2

The bus pulled up along a dirt road and we were all asked to alight from the bus.

The skies still maintained it's earlier face - unchanging.

"Next - we would be taking a walk." - Miss Swan said.

I could clearly hear the stiffened groans from the other students as some couldn't help but murmur at the hard work. I picked up my bag standing next to Josh.

Once again,we were filed into a straight line - we weren't much either way - just about 20 of us.

After that,we started our journey - following the trails all in a straight line. Miss Swan stood in front and the stern Phys ed teacher took a stand at the back, with his long cain poking out by his side.

"Hey,Matt!. Do you think that we would have to walk a long way there" - Josh whispered behind me.

"Possibly" - I shrugged my shoulders.

I listened to the girls chattering and giggling, fighting the unknowing feeling of unease that seemed to grow with every passing moment .

We walked the distance for quite the long while, barely ever taking breaks. Mostly for the fear of being left behind by the others.

In what seemed like forever - we finally arrived at the small town,Nyur village.

There really wasn't anything special about it,asides the fact that it was desolated and most of it thatched buildings were in ruins.

But it was the silence that haunted me the most - creepy and unbelievably eery.

"We've arrived at the site - you all should stay still while i will go and get our curator" - Miss Swan smiled briefly.

"I trust that you all would behave well under Mr Shawn's watch" - with that being said,she turned around and disappeared behind one of the dilapidated buildings.

"Wow!,so this is the infamous ghost village" - Josh exclaimed,his eyes glowing with tense excitement.

I on the other hand, just hummed softly. Something about this little ghost town wasn't sitting well with me - something felt incredibly off about this place.

And i just wasn't liking it - not in the slightest bit.

After what seemed like ten minutes,Miss Shawn re- appeared with a bright smile. By her side stood an aged lady,with grey hairs and a hunched back. Dressed in tattered clothes and with a long wooden cane,she often used as support.

She stood there,her milky eyes scanning through the small crowd of students - nodding her head as though she was pleased with what she was seeing.

"This is our curator - Ma Li. She would be taking us on a tour through the village" - The art's teacher introduced with a big smile on her face.

"As you can already see, she's quite aged. And as such should not be strained or put under duress. I expect that you all will heed to my earlier words and be of your best behavior" - she continued,her eyes constantly accessing the crowd.

"It's alright - there's no need to give the kids so many rules. I'm Ma Li and i will be the one giving you a tour of the village" - the old lady leaned on her cane as she spoke,a warm smile etched on her wrinkled face.

"You're free to call me Ma. There's absolutely no need to be so formal" - she laughed heartily, tapping her cane on the ground three times.

The rest of the students called her Ma. in response, except me - of course.

After the brief introduction, the official tour began - with the old lady taking the lead. Pointing at some deserted buildings whilst also telling us the stories behind each one.

Some students had their phones with them, taking photos of each building and sometimes selfies. The students were sub-divided and had formed cliques of fours or fives.

At the end - I was left with Josh and two other students.

"Hey - you've been silent for a very long time now. What are you thinking about?" - Josh nudged me forward.

His movements almost made me fall face flat to the ground. I stood up , regaining my previous stance without saying a word.

My eyes lingered on the receding back of the old lady for a while before turning away to Josh's perplexed eyes.

"Josh, don't you feel that something is off about that old lady?!" - i asked. Although i knew fully well that he might have not noticed it yet.

"No!. But I think I've noticed something else." - he said softly stroking his chin.

" Which is?!" - I asked,my eyes wandering back to that old lady's hunched figure in the company of Miss Swan and Mr Shawn.

"That you've been acting strange. Although this is our first time on a field trip - that doesn't mean that you should be all worked up about it."- Josh patted my shoulders for a while as he exhaled into the air.

" But you're right - it does feel odd around here "- he chuckled before stepping away.

I stood there,rooted to that same spot for half a minute when i heard a student yelling out at a far off distance.

" Hey,i found something! "- a feminine voice screamed out at the top of her lungs, trying to draw everyone's attention to the spot where she stood.

I walked over there, hurriedly trying to escape from the feeling of being stuck in an unending trance.

Most of the students were gathered at the front of a small wooden door, each one curious as to why the other had called.

"See what I found!" - the female student exclaimed loudly.

"A door - what you found is just a door like every others" - a male student snarled.

"No - not just a door" - another male student stepped forward, quietly adjusting his glasses.

"This door is different - i often read books on historical crafts and this door, seems to lead to something else" - he briefed,his hands trying to work it's way on the door handle.

"It clearly says 'No trespassing '!" - I screamed out from the distance where I'd stood.

They all stared at, displeasure evident in their faces.

" We were brought here to have a proper tour of the place - it wouldn't be so bad to just peep in there and be out real quick "- a student tossed a dirty handkerchief at me, his eyes filled with anger.

"Yeah - it can't be that bad, right?!" - a female student shrugged nonchalantly.

My heart raced with feeling that if they went in there - there would probably be no going back from this.

Desperation surged in my veins as i tried every possible way to beg them - to dissuade their thoughts. But all to no avail- they did as they must, yanking the creaking door off it's hinges as they barged inside.

I stood there, helplessly watching as they all went in - with the knowledge that they would never be able to escape whatever was behind those doors.