Dark Greeting

Oleh : Robin Ravisuteja - Grade 8

 

 America Brooklyn. 31st October 2013. 

Exactly 12 am midnight. A fine dry day.Levy’s Apartment. Double storied room number 635. Room in the upper level. Open the door that’s on the most left part of the wall in the hall,and you’ll see me,using a telescope,pointing it to a light place outside. That place has been  lighting up like golden laser for like,these past 7 days,and there are rumors of missing people who vanish mysteriously with a trace of watery,wrinkled peeled skin on top of their house’s rooftops. And that scares me a lot,some of my friends at school has gone missing. But for no reason,I feel that I have to go to the lit up place,to find out why. “And so,faith with no doing is useless...”I remember those words from the Bible. If I happen to pass curfew and caught by policemen,I’m okay,but I feel that I have to go there. So,like a ninja,I sneaked through the hall,out of my room,thankfully my parents are sleeping. Then I went down using the emergency stairs. I finally got out of Levy’s Apartment. Like a boss!

The light just gets bigger and brighter. I walk slowly and carefullly. I don’t see many people in the middle of the road,except for one guy who screams very...zombielike? Maybe because of a disease or something? So I walk slowly and sneakingly to the place. What is this?

Turns out,the place is a dome shaped building. “OMEGA MALL. IF YOU SHOP HERE IT’S OH MEGA!”is written all over the banner hung  with just a few dwindles of thread on 2 metallic poles. I cannot hear anything,but why does the light keep getting brighter? So I walked iniside. Through the back door of course,to the highest floor where I can see what’s going on. What the? What’s going on!?

 There are lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of...oh my God,until I cannot say lots of anymore. There are LOTS OF MONSTERS surrounding a HUGE STAR SHAPED thing,maybe for a demon ritual? The monsters look dehydrated,and they were laughing like clowns being cremated on top of a frying pan. They have no eyes. Creepy... They have got some very huge jaw with wrinkled skin and it keeps peeling off. “Maybe some of them are the missing people?”I said to myself quietly.  Suddenly,a monster with a black witch cape and a wooden Moses staff came to the center. I saw it very clear,glasses on,like seeing a seed on very clear water,someone,human,taken to the middle of the circle. Suddenly,the monsters sang a very ugly demonic choir,like flocks on a beach,and I DO NOT like it. The guy,who turns out is my friend Serene’s boyfriend,named Terry,suddenly got slime,from foot til the head,and became wrinkled. And from the inside of the slime,I can hear another maniacal laugh so bad I want to kill someone. And when the slime was opening,like a curtain call...Terry turned ugly ugly and puked. Then he became like THEM. THOSE MONSTERS. That must be how the people became missing.

 I was shocked. So,to go out,I swiftly head out from the back door. But suddenly,a couple of those dehydrated idiots spot me. I’m in big.What? Big trouble.

 These guys shoot slime from their mouths,and I hate those things. When it touched a car,the car made a laugh,then dissolves. “HOLY CRACK I ain’t getting hit with either of those stupid slimesss!!!”I screamed,and ran like crazy. They kept of stubbornly chasing me,which is dangerous and very annoying. This is the most annoying time in my life;I take it back from the day I said that the annoying orange was the most. I kept on running and running,thankfully I’m a school athlete,and they got tired and ran away. But it ain’t over yet. Accidentally,I hid in a dark place,with the garbage and all. Then,one hand touched me. Then another hand. And the hands are so slimy they dissolve when I spit on them. THE MONSTERS!? I’m sick of this!
I ducked and it didn’t hit me. But yes I kept running. Nothing’s chasing me I guess for now..

 I entered my room. Fooh ! What a hard day...let’s sleep... but THE MONSTERS ARE HIDIDNG UNDER MY BED!!!!!?? Whaaaaaaaa! I kicked the 3 monsters,thankfully I’m a jujitsu martial artist,and they popped up slime. I touched it accidentally. I thought,”This might be the end of my life!!!”
The slime then covered me,but I don’t feel dissolved. Instead,I feel that something got into me. But I’m not dehydrating! So..maybe I’m ok?? Maybe not... Maybe not at all!!

  “Mom? Dad? You can’t believe what dream I had last night.”
ell sure folks! It’s a..it’s not a dream,folks. I am definitely tired last night,and definitely I’m cleaning my room because of the mess. I’m not tellling my parents about this. Why? IF they found out I past my curfew,I’m toast. Besides,I’m 16 years old. I can handle many things by myself.
“Well,cool dream! Oh! It’s 7am. You’d better be a good boy,Robin.”
“Yeah,and you’d better be nice,”my mom said after my dad.
So..like usual American kids,I go..with a bus! My parents are quite busy,so it’s kinda shameful. Some of the kids use a car or walk by foot,but I like the bus because my best friend Neil is also using it. And it’s the most free and the most unrisky ride to school!

Walking like a boss,I got in the bus. But..after I sat to my most comfy seat in the back with Neil,I get uneasy,like I wanna throw up. “What’s wrong Robin?” “N-Nothing...” But what I saw is FAR FAR AWAY from wrong. THE MONSTERS. DANG IT! My whole friends are mon...monsters! But they’re talking normally! And..and..Neil’s not transformed? Not my parents either? Not even me,nor my dog Lucy? So....

 Like in a game,well I’m a game maniac,I thought of something...”Monster vision OFF!” And well,unexpectedly,my friends are back to normal. Then.,....”Monster vision ON!” They change again. But ,I didn’t see Neil change! “Monster vision OFF!” Neil then asked me if I’m really healthy today. So..to think of it...I asked him to gather at the school canteen on the 2nd break. I want to find some people who’s not a monster.

 So..during class : “MONSTER VISION ON!” And I saw that all of my friends,except for Neil and the teacher,are monsters.
At break 1,I find some people who arent’t monsters,students though. Paul,a very cool and sporty kid,Dangy,a game nerd,and Serene. Her boyfriend was gobbled by the slime,remember? I then asked them to meet with me and Neil at the 2nd break.

 “WHAT!? TERRY....Terry’s a monster? But he’s..he’s here!”Serene shocked. “Well...possibly they change during the night. Some of them,gone,some of them,living with us?”Dangy concluded. “You nailed it,”I said. “

 I gathered you all here,because only all of us are human. Perfectly human.” “And how the wow did you get that special ability? Even for me Terry looks the same!”exclaimed Paul. “A slime got to me,but not much. I thought I was about to die last night..” Neil,confused,redirected us,asking how can we revert the people back to normal? As a ruckus in a traditional market,we discussed this. Paul then had an idea;headshot the leader. It may not be the best idea,but at least if the leader’s killed,can all be saved? It’s risky,but it’s worth a shot. “Tonight,at 12 am,we execute this plan. Everyone knows everyone’s houses? Then use an alarm! We rendezvous at...the house closest to the OMEGA MALL...and that house is...”

 WAKE UP! “Paul called me from the bottom of the apartment.I opened the window,and said”Paul! Catch me!” “How should I catch yo-“ Boom! “Thanks Paul!” “Yo..you’re welcome? Don’t do that thing again!Everyone! Rendezvous!” Everyone then came as the schedule and appeared from the bushes. We discussed the final plan. Then everyone agreed that all should be taking weapons from the closest gun shop: CNG! So we each sneaked in,not knowing that actually a monster appeared! It is the gun shop owner!! Paul then knocked his head. “Who should take the sniper?”Paul said. “I will.” It was Dangy,as I said he’s a game nerd,but what I didn’t say is he is a sniper master at games. “All of you,bring a gun suitable to murder a horde,if the headshot fails! And if done,return to each other’s houses!”
Well...what’s waiting for us there?

 We then ready our guns. Everyone standby at their positions. Dangy then heads for a headshot. Like hunger games,he shoots! And it hits the target.
But it just made matters worse...

 The monsters ,alerted by the shot,run out of the building. Some of them met their doom by our guns. We fight so hard. SO Hard,like a man against a horde. Blood and slime doesn’t seem to stop our tracks. Paul is in trouble. He’s surrounded,so Dangy shot again. But his position is known. So I went to Dangy’s direction;I’m the closest to him. The horde then goes to Dangy. “I can take it from here! Paul,you must heal your wounds! Go home!”said Dangy. But Paul refuses to go home. And when he didn’t notice,from his back,the monster screamed so loud. Paul got thunderstruck. I mean really thunderstruck and dissapeared,leaving no trace. Then Serene notices it. She realizes that the target they were looking for is her,because she is alone,apart from the group of Dangy and me,and is in the horde’s direction,unlike Neil. So she kept on shooting like a mad women. But her ammo is out,and those monsters keep on coming like crazy kids asking for a toy,and the toy is...Serene. Bam! Serene got thunderstruck...like Paul. Now it’s only me,Neil,and Dangy. Neil,stupid,went to the direction of the horde,even when I say “Don’t go here,Neil!” And he was thunderstruck as well. I kept shooting and shooting and shooting. Stars in the sky does not reflect the one in my eyes,as Dangy accidentally fell from his position. There was nothing I can do. Thunder strikes again. And what can I do? I have to go home,bringing my only and what my friends brought:the gatling gun. It’s so heavy and I couldn’t move it much. Sooner or later,I know that I will be surrounded. Besides,the horde is a mall full! What can you expect?

 My ammunition ran out. And it’s my time to be thunderstruck.
“Robin! Robin! It’s me,Dangy!!”

 I woke up,and I saw my friends beside me. They’re alive? No. Throw that vision damn away. They’re to my right,tied up and suffering on a hard bed,like me. A horde of monsters were circling us. Behind them lies the star circle.“!!!!!!!” I do not understand a thing they say,but suddenly the person to the most right,nobody I know,puked. This means that he’s gonna transform,something that has to do with the monsters’ voices .So I tried to scream,but the person did it too,and what’s worse,it made him puke again,and green slime slowly engulf him from his toes. My friends were unconscious. What can I do? I thought,maybe I could sing something! The campfire song! A song I learnt,like this: “The campfire is already on! The campfire is already on! Campfire! Campfire! Campfire campfire campfire! And the campfire is already on!”
Something unexpected happen. What will it be?

The star suddenly spits out fire and burns only the monsters!
Maybe...we can control the star by singing!
So,I untied my friends . Then,I sang:”The star shaped circle is gone!!!! Lalalalala..”

 But nothing happens. “Neil,what should I do-“ I looked to the right. They’re standing,but with their eyeball peeled off,and blood coming out of it. They ...they died. “ Robin..you know that this day would happen? No..of course not!” A voice mutters in my head. The circle’s there,so I screamed,”DEMON! SHOW YOURSELF!”

 Then from underneaththe circle,a shadow rises up and the circle clings to its heart. Its hands multiply to 6,and horns appear at its head.
“To save your dear pity friends,there is a cost. You....  must die.”“Hell no I ain’t!” And I sang the campfire song,but the fire was sent to me.
“Ah..it hurts....”
“Alexis! Alexis! Alexis!! “ Another voice mutters in my head. But the last thing I hear before I was stabbed was...”See me at 3561...”
I don’t know what will happen to me anymore....
“Alexis!! Alexis!! Wake up dear!! Hello? Oh my God she isn’t breathing!! Doctor!! Help!! “
“Don’t worry Miss,she’ll be back in a jiffy...jiffy..jiffy...”
And that voice keeps on echoing in my head..
“Bwah!” Where am I? The hospital? What happened?
“Alexis? You awake? Thank God...”
“I’m sorry ma’am,but who are you? “ “Huh?” “My name’s not Alexis. My name’s Robin. And-“a’ what happened.”
And I told her everything that I went through.
“Umm..you said..year 2013?And you’re a boy?”
 “Yes ma’am. What I do not know is how I got here.”
“Well,this is year 3561.” Crap. The demon. For an instant I nearly puked.
“What’s wrong?”she said.
“N-nothing..”
“I know that even when you are NOT my daughter,you have her soul..I know when she’s in trouble. How she looks like.”
 “The demon will come back. I must fight it...I don’t know who’s Alexis,when or where am I gonna fight it,but I will...for the time,be ready,ma’am.”
“That’s good Ale-“
Blood came spurring out of her shirt. A demon blade hit her.
“Ma’am!”
Suddenly I awoke. To that place again.       
I’m not dead,but at least the demon’s turned his back. So,I stabbed his back with a pocket knife I brought. “Fool! “ Then...he crumbles. But...suddenly,he starts to turn into a circle,seeming to be a bomb. I run as hard as I can to get out of the place.
“BOOM!”
The dark,malicious demon exploded,and I’m still alive. But,where are the others? My friends?
“Robin! Here!”
They appeared from behind the bushes. Thank goodness! Now we can stay safe and sound...But what about Alexis? I just hope that she’ll be safe...
That night,as if nothing ever happened,I slept. I dream. I see MY grave. “Oh no...” Blood comes from it. I look behind my grave. Alexis and her mom are bleeding heavily...daughter on top of mother’s corpse....
“Hi...”

 The end?