pancason
The Part 115 California

His steps were limped, barefoot with both feet dirty, because of the dust, the muddy streets, and his own blood. He was injured in some parts of his body. He had been tortured for several days, making his body light, weak, but still he had to leave this place immediately. The offer of the gypsy woman did not necessarily make him tempted, he preferred to find another hiding place.

Because those people would definitely find it very easily, especially if the distance was that close to them. On the way out of nowhere, he remembered the words of the gypsy woman. 'Demigod's girlfriend?'

"What the hell do you mean?" muttered. He leaned against the corner of the wall in a narrow street not far from where he lived. He looked at the trash that was beside him. The dumpster was quite large, it was similar to a landfill if it existed in Indonesia. He looked over, and saw that there was a bottle of mineral water that still contained a lot. Take the bottle and gulp it to the end. The bottle he threw back into the trash. "Ah, hygienic. Right, in the water bottle." He muttered trying to shake off his own bad thoughts about the dirty garbage can, and his actions drank water from it. But he did not bring any money to buy drinking water.

Back, his net was looking for food or anything else he could take from that place. He saw a pile of cardboard, with a cloth sticking out of its crevices. He grabbed and found a red knitting scarf, a knitting hat of the same color and a sweeter that was still worth wearing. His eyes sparkled over his findings. Although it is not food, it is also enough to warm it up on a cold Venetian night.

The distance to his residence is quite far. He stepped back with various memories of what he had experienced in the last few days. The sudden death of his mother. Then followed by the father who had a strange accident. Ellea began to feel a strange presence around her. He came to Venice because he found an obsolete letter that he found in his father's safe while they were still in California. Ellea's family decides to return to California for treatment for her mother, Ruth. There are a lot of strange things happening. Ellea felt her life was not calm, like there were some people who loved her. And bad things come one by one. His mother who had successfully undergone surgery, and his condition was stable, was suddenly found dead. Doctors said Ruth had a ruptured blood vessel after surgery and a sudden head clot was detected after her death. But Doctor James said Ruth's condition was stable and could go home in a week.

At the funeral of her mother, Ellea saw a strange car parked at the end of the road. They stared at Ruth's tomb, Ellea did not remember even knowing who the people were there. When he told his father, Adrian was nervous. Trying to avoid their eyes. It was not his father he had known all along. Adrian has been weak since Ruth died. He no longer goes to the office and just stays at home. Even though they are in California, Adrian company does have many branches everywhere. He can also control all the work from his laptop, because in each branch there will be a trusted person in charge of taking care of the company. Adrian's soul is unstable, he is afraid that if he acts it will ruin everything.

That night, vividly remembered Ellea, when she was home alone. His father was seeing someone, he said, a business associate. But until midnight, Adrian doesn't come home. Ellea waited for him all night in front of the tv, the living room. The fireplace had even been extinguished a few hours ago when he heard the noise outside his house. Ellea glazed over, yawning, to throw away the rest of the sleepiness that had lingered in her eyes. He was really disturbed by the sound in front of his house.

At 02:00 in the morning. He did not know where his father was going. Ellea ventured out peeking out. Make sure that the noise from outside may be from his father. There are some human voices heard, but he still thinks positively. Maybe his dad came home with his partner because he was drunk or something. That's usually what happens in this country. But as soon as he broke the curtains and found many foreigners out there, carrying sharp weapons and even firearms, he was terrified.

"Find out! Find out how!" have someone with a typical Spanish language and accent, Ellea did learn a little about many languages since she left Indonesia. He didn't have much to do, so this is what he did to fill his time while waiting for Ruth at the Hospital.

"What about his daughter? He's still inside, right?' ask partner.

"You deaf? No, did Austin tell us to take them all out?"

Ellea was really surprised to hear that. He walked away from the door, ran to the back door of his house. When he opened the door, it seemed that the herd had scattered in all corners of his house, and Ellea was caught. He's back, scared. He knew that they were not only robbing the house, but also intent on killing it. Ellea retreated slowly as they caught her coming out. With a thousand steps he immediately ran to the second floor of his house. Those people are chasing him.

'They who? And what do you want, anyway? What does it mean to search and find? What are they looking for? So, Austin?! Who her? And he said .. Just finish them off? Papahs?' All of those questions made him uneasy with an overwhelming sense of fear.

He did not enter his room, grabbed a rope in the second-floor corridor, and pulled it down. It was a secret room belonging to his family. There were many belongings of his father and some of Adrian's private collection books. The wooden stairs come down and make Ellea can go up easily. Up above, he again closed the entrance and the rope he took so that they could not know his whereabouts.

Ellea's body trembled, she was frightened in the middle of this precarious atmosphere. Alone in the middle of criminals who want to rob his house. It's just, what are they looking for? The same two synonymous words, which he had heard earlier, were a big question mark in Ellea's heart. Search and find. That means there is 1 thing they really want. But what is it. That's how Elea's mind raged.

'Where is papa?' He was hiding in the dark corner of the secret room. This is not a secret room in general. Because this room is found in many homes in California. That was why Ellea was frightened, because the possibility of her being found was very large.

The sound of clustered footsteps could be heard all the way up. Ellea kept inching backwards fearing her hiding was known. After a few hours, they left their home. The sound of a car engine in the gas is strong. Ellea peered through the nearby air hole. They're goin. All the.

He hesitated but was curious, finally he actually went downstairs. Get out of his hiding place. As he came down, he was shocked to see his house falling apart. All furniture is upside down, glass or ceramic displays, shatter. Sofas, chairs, tables and beds were a mess. He immediately ran to Adrian and Ruth's room. The room is just as glassy. But oddly enough Ruth's jewelry and land and house certificates were in the safe they didn't take. The safe position is open. Then what are they looking for?

Ellea who was still frightened, then returned to the top. He decided to stay there. Tonight though his sleep is disturbed, but he still fell asleep while laying his body on the fur carpet that he brought from below.

It was noon, when the phone in his house rang. Ellea rushed up and went downstairs. Her knees were limp when she heard the news of Adrian's death. Police said Adrian was involved in an accident last night. Again. He heard the news, even when his mother was not buried for a week. Her tears had even dried up from the crying of Ruth's death, and now ... Adrian followed the woman. Ruth and Adrian's tomb side by side. Ellea was really desperate. He doesn't even talk much anymore. He became frightened when he saw a stranger approaching him. His heart was wounded, his heart languished.

After Adrian's funeral, Ellea returns home. The condition of his house is still the same. He has no intention of cleaning it up. Because there was no energy even his intention to live was actually half of it. He felt there was no hope left to live, no Adrian and Ruth, then what he lived for.

He went to the tallest skyscraper in California. Standing on top of the building with her hands spread, her tears dripped, even rushing over. He was scared and alone. He wanted to die but was too afraid to jump down.

"Hey!" someone pulled her body away from the guardrail, making Ellea fall over her body. He's a pretty handsome guy with a thin sideburn on his chin. Staring at Ellea with astonishment. "You dead?" ask him in Indonesian. Elle was shocked to hear someone speaking in Indonesian. He thought this man was a native of this place, but he was wrong. "Indonesians, right?"

He nodded. Looking at where Ellea was standing, "What's the matter of wanting to die?" ask again.

Ellea silence. Her tears flowed in response to the question just now. "Yes, let's go."

They left that place. And back to Ellea's house. Until the door of the house, Ellea hesitated to invite this man in. "Eh, don't go in. It's okay. I'm taking you here, because I have to go back to Venice. I'm Ronal, you?" ask the young man to introduce himself. "Ellea."

They engage in some brief chats before Ellea enters the house and Ronal goes to the airport. But suddenly Ronal prevented the girl from entering, as she noticed that there were some shadows pacing back and forth inside her house. He could see it from the outside because of the window of Ellea's house that didn't wear curtains. Ronal whispered, telling that to the owner of this house. Ellea panicked. He's afraid.

"I asked for a drink, yes," Ronal said in a loud voice. Ellea glared at the sign of not understanding with Ronal's thought path. "You come with me inside, get your passport. We're getting out of here."

"But, they ..."

"I take care of them!"

Ellea, who felt Ronal could be relied upon, followed the advice. They're in, quiet. The intruders are still hiding in their respective places. "Oh yeah, where's the book you promised me, Ell?"

"Oh, eum is on top" said Ellea clumsy. He's not very good at acting. Unlike the Ronal who looks calm.

"All right, let's go get it. I'll choose myself."

They went up, up to Ellea's room. Door's closed. Ellea rushed to get her passport and some other securities. Ronal stood guard at the door and peeked. The men now appeared, walking near to Ellea's room. Ronal locked the door and held it with a chair. "We're out the window." Ronal held Ellea up to the window. "Down, Ell. You have to hurry before they break in!"

Ellea according, get down first. "I hold the door for a second, you run to the end of the road there, wait for me there. Okay?" ronal's word, and I don't know why Ellea did it. For him only Ronal can now trust him.

As Ellea descended slowly, Ronal actually searched all these rooms. But he stared at a unique thing. The music box belongs to Ellea with a round shape but the symbol on top of this music box is interesting. Ronal picked it up and opened the inside of her music player machine. He smiled as he put the little thing into his jacket pocket.

Now Ronal went down, and at the same time the door to Ellea's room was broken. They saw Ronal coming down from the window. The shot floated almost hitting Ronal's head if he didn't avoid. Ronal jumped up to her feet stepping on the side yard of this house. Screams and gunfire attacked him. Ronal run. He fell on the asphalt of the road, because his right hand was shot. But he ran back and caught up with Ellea who was waiting for him.

___________

They're up to the airport. Ronal didn't even put a wound on her hand. He just wrapped it up with Ellea's scarf. Ellea's offer he refused when he took her to the hospital, for him this city is no longer safe. He and Ellea had to go to Venice immediately, according to a message that a few minutes ago entered his cell phone.

He responded to the message before they boarded the plane. [Ellea is with me]

______

Ellea walked back, now the memory made her smile.when she first met Ronal until all the events she had experienced once she reached Venice.

there was one thing that still made him curious. "what did the Demigod mean earlier, huh?" He knew that the demigod was a demigod. And Ellea felt she was not dating Hercules or Poseidon and his race, but somehow a face was now in her memory.

"Abimanyu? ah, it's impossible. Why did he come here ?" his murmur broke the hope he had built himself.