(NOT) Your Ordinary Lab Girl
Oh, Sera
“How is Remi? It's Sera! Sera disappeared!”
“Quiet, Meha. It could have been that he just turned around and the clerk skid noticed Sera.”
“Oh, Remi. This time I really can't think straight. My gut feeling is bad about this Remi.”
The old police stalker jumped into the wheelhouse and rang the siren towards the last address Sera was seen, joining the officers waiting there.
“Hey, we're spinning for a minute huh. Your friend is missing from radar.”
“Pak! What was the meaning of my friend – Sera Ramirez lost from the observation? Did you guys observe it?”
“Yes, not only him. We do have the task of monitoring one-on-one of you. I should have been monitoring you, too. Look what happened when you disappeared! Another murder is revealed! It's so weird to say coincidence. Are you cursed, or are you the culprit?” the sharp lyrics of the old detective to me were peeking out of the bars that separated us.
“It looks like I'm just in the wrong time and place, sir. I consider this just bad luck.”
“Berasumsilah, until proven otherwise.”
“I won't worry, BECAUSE THE CULPRIT ISN'T ME.” My assertion to this pretentious old detective. Just be careful if they accuse me of the no-no!
Remi patted my back, spreading a sense of calm. Muffling the anger, I sat folding my hands and took a deep breath so as not to increase the burden of my emotions that had been emergency from earlier.
Remi and I waited anxiously. The night is getting closer to the morning. But it feels like my day since yesterday has been long. Horrible events occur repeatedly without giving a pause.
This prisoner's car pulled over in front of my dorm building. From the narrow barred window, Remi and I noticed that 5 police officers were discussing. Radio calls in the wheelhouse were busy reporting multiple violations and requests for reinforcements in other parts of the city, but it did not appear to be an urgent call.
The policemen scattered with cocked flashlights and weapons ready to be fired at any time. “What's up? Didn't they just want to find Sera? Has the situation turned into alert?”
“It looks like so. Given the circumstances of your two friends – sorry, they might raise the level of vigilance on the people in our circle, Meha.”
“My circle, maybe you mean.”
Remi did not answer, throwing his face away.
“Hopefully Sera is fine.” My whisper slowly crept his hands nervously.
“Hey, come here.” Remi offered his chest a field, this time I did not fight and leaned there while closing my eyes.
I got it right if I was dreaming, because my body feels tired, many times more tired than when awake.
This time the dream led me to a labyrinth of unfamiliar passageways. It looks like a hospital with many doors. But I saw the emblem of the University of Elephas on one of its doors, the impression that I stepped foot.
“Hallo?” my broom and pensive when I realize where I am now. This is a campus cafeteria, although it looks like an unkempt place and was left for a long time but I memorized it. The glass window is high, making me feel at home spending food while looking at the behavior of other students with a normal life and without burden.
I'm happy to assume I'm in their position, how does it feel? Do they plan their lives 10 years in such detail as I do? Are they, busy arranging schedules so as not to clash with part-time work on the sidelines of lecture assignments and assistance is mounting?
Do they sleep well at night? How does it feel to fight while carrying the expectations of loved ones? Is it heavier, or lighter?
Such was my inner debate while sitting under one of those large windows. That's why I'm sure this room is the cafeteria I used to go to. Why did the dream bring me here?
Duk duk.
The sound of regular impact muffled by something thick. I was looking for the source of the sound.
“Halloo?! Who's there?” sweep me again.
Duk duk duk duk duk. The sound was heard again this time like haphazard.
“Halloo?? Nina?!”
“To- please. Meha!” That's not Nina's voice.
“Seraa!! Where are you?!”
“In-cold, Meha!”
‘Cold?’ I remembered my previous dream, Sera's body covered in ice flowers, my whole body was shivering. The cafeteria room was suddenly covered in snow as high as my chest, it felt squeezed by so much snow.
“Hm? Why?”
“You're delirious and suddenly shiver Meha. What was? Are you sick? But you don't have a fever.”
“I dream again about Sera. I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I think Sera is in danger.”
“Entahlah, Meha.”
“I know, but there's no harm in trying, right? I don't want any regrets, Remi.”
“You're on a suicide mission, Meha.”
“Remi, are you coming or not?”
“First of all, did you forget where we were? How do we get out of here? Do you suddenly have ninja abilities? Puff, disappeared in a puff of smoke?”
“You underestimated the ability of someone who grew up in some of these foster care, Remi.” After saying that, I removed the bobby pin embedded in my hair, making it unravel.
Mimicking the style of a villain breaking into a house in a movie I often watch, I unlocked the car door easily.
“Why didn't you do that earlier?” Remi looked at me in disbelief, I pulled my hair up with a bobby pin earlier.
“I have no reason?”
“Alright, then after this how?”
“If obey ‘hintu’ in my dream, we should look for Sera in the cafeteria.”
So impression me and Remi went by taking a thousand steps, before being caught by the officers. Compared to my reputation, Sera's safety is more important!
The campus field we cross today is usually full of students who are chatting or doing assignments. It is now like a cemetery.
Arriving at the locked cafeteria, without a second thought I launched my action earlier. Krieet! The sound of heavy wooden doors being opened by me and Remi when we were careful.
“How now?” Remi whisper.
“Do you think they have a refrigerator?”
“Should, feeding students specially classified as decomposers it would require a food supply that is not small.”
“My leads to it?”
“Why do you look doubtful?”
“This whole event still feels foreign to me.”
“Fair enough.”
We walked slowly to the kitchen area and found a room that was very tightly closed with a rotary wheel. There is a digital temperature panel on the wall that refers to the number - 25 oC.
Remi turned the door wheel and opened, a bone-freezing wind came out of the door, Remi who was not wearing a sweater at all immediately hesitated and held the door closed.
“You'd better stay outside, Mr. Remi. Please do not go anywhere, because this door can only be opened from outside.”
“OK. But your skinny body can't linger inside either,”
“Noted.”
After meeting a deal with Remi, I went in. This room is really cold, even Remi's sweater is not very helpful. On the shelf full of meat. I shuddered for thinking that Sera was right here.
Since the plastics were frozen, I had a little trouble seeing the contents inside. With teeth grinding I examined the plastic one by one. In the 10th plastic located on the corner shelf that is, I was surprised amazing.
Wrapped in black plastic, different from the other meat packs, I ventured to open it. The first thing that greeted me from the plastic.
The fingers of the fingers of the fingers are neatly cut off, with metallic blue hint green nail polish.