Riiing… Riiing…
Is it morning already? I barely got any sleep last night.
I jumped out of bed. "Gosh, I have to get ready fast… Oh shit, I need to tell Bappi everything before we get in trouble."
"Huff… huff…"
"Slow down, kid, will ya?" my mom called out.
"I can't slow down, Mom. I've got important things to do. Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"
"I tried. But you looked tired—like you really needed the rest."
"Ugh. I'm going to school."
"Sit down and finish your breakfast. It's not that late."
"I can't eat right now, I've got something urgent to do before school starts."
"I said sit down, you idiot."
Her tone startled me. I quietly sat and ate.
Because of that… I got late.
School starts in five minutes.
"Damn it," I muttered. "I can't act strange, or Rahul will get suspicious. Guess I'm doing this alone."
Someone spanked me from behind.
"What's up? Why are you standing outside the school like a weirdo?"
I turned. "Oh… it's you, Rahul." (Of all people—why now?)
"Let's go inside. What were you thinking about?"
"Nothing," I said. (Of course I was thinking about you, you shady freak.)
We walked in together and went to class.
Lunch Break
"Hey Bappi," I whispered, "come with me. I need to talk. It's important."
"Is it something personal?" he asked. "Okay. I'll follow."
Once we were alone, he said, "You wanted to say something last night, right? Sorry for hanging up so quickly."
"It's fine. But yeah… it's about Rahul."
"Oh? What about him?"
"Yeah, Walid," said a voice behind us. "What about me?"
I flinched. "When did you get here? I saw you hanging out with the others."
"I left when I saw you two walking away together. So… what were you gonna say? Something secret?"
Bappi stepped in. "Stop it. He doesn't have to say anything. Maybe it's something he just doesn't want to tell you. Let's go, Walid."
What do I do now? If I walk away, Rahul will definitely get suspicious…
Wait—I got it.
"Hey, relax. Look, Rahul—I'm sorry. I was going to talk trash behind your back."
Rahul raised a brow. "Huh? What were you gonna say?"
"I was gonna make you look dumb in front of Bappi by telling him about the dog incident."
Rahul stared, then burst out laughing. "Huh? Huuuuh?! Hahaha! Dude, I thought you were hiding something serious!"
Bappi laughed. "Dog incident? Come on, tell me!"
"No, stop!" Rahul chuckled. "Don't!"
"I'm telling him!" I grinned.
Ting Ting Ting
"Shit!" I cursed in my head. I didn't get to tell Bappi the truth. What now?
"Why do you look so stressed?" Bappi asked. "You've been acting weird. We're visiting Rahul's house soon—sure you don't have anything to say?"
"No, it's fine. Just not feeling great."
"Should we cancel the meeting?"
"Nah. We're still going."
Rahul might be listening. I need to go. The sooner we get through this, the better.
"Yo!" Rahul called out. "You guys ready?"
"Obviously," Bappi replied. "What took you so long?"
"Ahhh, my house is kind of far. Let's grab a rickshaw. Hey—where are you going?"
"Just two minutes. I forgot something inside the school."
I pulled out my phone and dialed quickly.
"Hello," I whispered, "this is me. Walid."
Detective Tihsan's voice came through. "Yes, I know. Don't be nervous. Thank God you didn't forget about the tracker I gave you. I've been watching from a distance. You and your friend will be safe."
Rahul frowned as I returned. "Took you long enough. You're so slow."
"We've wasted too much time already," Bappi said. "Let's just go."
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered.
We hopped into a rickshaw and headed toward Rahul's house.
"This is where you live?" I asked as we arrived. "Looks old… and creepy."
Rahul shrugged. "Yeah, well… we're not rich."
"This place looks cool!" Bappi chimed in. "Like a movie set. I should bring my camera here sometime."
"You're welcome anytime," Rahul smiled. "Come on, let's go in."
Inside the house was even creepier.
"How do you live here?" I asked. "I'm sure your dad earns more than mine. You could afford a better place."
"Walid!" Bappi scolded. "You're being rude. Maybe they have their reasons."
"No, he's kinda right," Rahul admitted. "We're not poor. My dad just loves saving money. He barely spends. That's why we live like this."
"That must suck," I said. "You probably hate your dad."
Rahul shook his head. "No. He's a good father. Why would I hate him?"
Bappi laughed. "Walid hates his dad, so he assumes everyone else does too. Let's talk about something else."
Yeah, I thought. That's if he even has a dad… you scumbag.
"Follow me," Rahul said. "Let's go to my room."
His room was surprisingly clean and cozy.
"Whoa," I said. "This is… nice."
"Didn't expect you to be this tidy," Bappi added.
"I hate messy rooms," Rahul replied. "When it's messy, I feel like… like I'm surrounded by blood."
"…What?" I said.
Bappi forced a laugh. "That's… a weird way to describe it."
"You guys want something to drink?" Rahul asked.
"No thanks," said Bappi.
"I'm good," I added.
Rahul smirked. "Don't be shy. I'll bring you both coffee."
He shut the door behind him.
"This place really is creepy," Bappi said.
"Finally, you agree."
"I didn't want to offend him earlier. Did you see the garage? Looks like a mafia hideout. And the whole area feels… cut off."
I scribbled something on a small paper and passed it to him.
He read it:
"Rahul will bring two cups of coffee. Tell him I'm sick and can't drink it. You drink yours, pretend to feel dizzy, and act unconscious. Don't speak. I have a surprise. Just follow along. He might hear us. Act normal."
Bappi looked at me and nodded.
A few minutes later, Rahul returned.
"Hope I didn't bore you guys," he said. "Here—coffee for both of you."
"Bring mine," Bappi said.
Rahul handed me mine. "Go ahead, Walid. Drink up."
"I can't. I feel like I'm gonna puke."
"Come on, it's just coffee. Everything's clean."
"I know. I just… can't."
"Stop pressuring him," Bappi snapped. "You're being weird."
"…Okay," Rahul said. "I'll stop."
"Let's drink up and get the meeting started," Bappi added. "I've got stuff to do."
Bappi took a few sips.
"Ugh… why's everything… spinning?"
Rahul leaned in. "What?! Hey—he fainted! Walid, what do we do?!"
"Try waking him with water!"
Rahul grabbed a bottle and sprinkled water on Bappi's face.
"He's not waking up. Something's wrong."
"I'll call the police!" Rahul yelled. "Stay here!"
He dashed out of the room.
I leaned close and whispered, "Don't move. Keep pretending."
Then I looked up…
…and froze.
Standing by the door was a tall, fat man.
He was holding a giant knife.