The Van Til House: STRAF SABBAT
Chapiter 22

Isa stared at the fog. "I must have seen it wrong!" hisses.

Hendra and Magisna.

The red fog looked different this time.

A number of shapes floated in the mist. They are focused and focused. Magisna could hardly believe his vision - but he knew what he saw.

The faces.

So real!

"They are my friends" cried Mr. Isa hoarsely.

Hendra and Magisna were snapped.

Those faces were full of anger. Their mouths resembled a dark-gaping hole in a mute cry. Their eyes are black and empty. The fog swirled around them like a deadly net.

Magisna's eyes were wide-eyed to realize that.

The red mist did not kill the thirteen children!

They knew they were trapped, Magisna thought. They knew they were going to die. They dug through the mound, only to find the wall that someone had built.

Just to realize they're trapped.

Trapped forever!

Magisna could not imagine their despair. Their fear.

Their anger.

Thus Magisna realized. The fog was the anger of the thirteen children. Somehow their spirits are trapped with them. And somehow they came together and formed that cloud.

The more days the fog must be the more angry it gets.

Every day they hope to get revenge.

Waiting and waiting for this opportunity, Magisna thought. And we gave them that chance. We've freed him out of the bricks.

Now they're all gonna die.

"My friends," hissed Mr. Isa, his voice filled with astonishment. "I can't believe it's you guys."

The shadow approached him. Their faces were trembling and throbbing.

"Yes" said Isa. "It's me. Y'all remember?"

Magisna felt a pull on her arm.

"Report," murmured Hendra.

But Magisna couldn't move. He could not stop looking at those faces. 

"Eka," said Mr. Isa, while his eyes could not escape from the red fog. "There's a hole that goes up in the boiler room of Van Til's house. Turn left six times. And you'll find him."

"What does Father mean?" ask Magisna. "I-i-"

"To the left six times," ordered Mr. Isa. Then he stood up.

Hendra pulled the Magisna firmly. Magisna stepped back towards the main tunnel.

But his gaze had not moved from Pak Isa. "What do you want to do?" the half yelled.

The headmaster finally turned towards them. Face's empty. Emotionless.

"I still have a little business here" he said flatly.

He turned back towards the red fog.

The fog is moving forward. Link it.

Magisna stepped forward towards their headmaster, but she felt Hendra's hand holding her and holding her back from returning.

Isa flew into the cloud. He howled as the shadow shrouded him. Dust fell from his body. The lantern fell on the mound.

Screams echoed on the tunnel wall.

His body jerks and convulsions. His arms were pulled back and his screams stopped. Mr. Isa's body was hanging there, convulsing.

Magisna's eyes were wide.

The mist jolted high in the air, overflowing on the ceiling of the alley. The faces were blaring their shouts. Their cold and dark gazes focused on Hendra and Magisna.

"Run!" shouted Hendra.

Magisna looked up, preparing herself for the pain that would befall her. His eyes widened tensely looking at those faces.

Something is different, he thought.

The fog did not advance.

The faces are fading. The red color is no longer bright. Even the sound of their breathing was getting softer.

The fog slowly evaporated in front of them, then disappeared until there was nothing left. Even the body of Isa. His body evaporated with the fog.

Finally, only the last piece was left. It hangs there for a few seconds.

Go, Magisna begs. Go awayl.

Then disappear.

That wisp of red mist completely vanished without a trace.

Magisna fell in Hendra's arms. It's running out of energy. "Gua can't believe this is over!"

"Pull, yuk!" whispered Hendra while picking up the lantern.

"Six turns to the left" murmured Magisna.

They found all six of those turns after walking away. Along the way, Magisna leaned on Hendra as a support.

No one spoke as long as they walked. It was easy to find the hole that Mr. Isa told them. But it's not easy to forget everything they've been through all day.

A steel staircase was seen in the darkness. Far above them, Magisna saw dots of light.

"We did it" he whispered happily. He smiled at Hendra. And Hendra grinned back.

"So" said Hendra.

"So" said Magisna almost simultaneously.

Hendra grinning. "How do we explain this to everyone?"

Magisna blinked, then gulped. His heart paled in remembrance of Dika, Novi and Alexza. Then imagine how Mr. Isa sacrificed himself. Sacrificing life.

No one will believe them.

No one!

"The cave doesn't know" said Magisna.

"The cave is also confused," replied Hendra while scratching the back of his head that did not feel itchy. "Jodah, let's get out of here first. We will think again."

Magisna.

They reached out to the cold rungs, looked up at the reddish orange light, then climbed out together and screeched.

That red fog!

A glowing red mist spread everywhere, shrouding the entire place until they could see nothing but the red mist.

They did not disappear, Magisna thought in horror. But it's getting bigger and it looks stronger.

The bells in the school grounds were clanging faster followed by thunderous sounds that shook like a tsunami.

Everyone will die, Magisna thought in horror. His body trembled in Hendra's arms.

"Sambekala!"

"Sambekala!"

They heard the sound of someone shouting loudly between the continuous sounds of bells. Then another scream.

"Sambekala!"

The screams were earthy with the sound of bells that continued to whistle.

The feathers of Magisna bristles.

Out here, the atmosphere is more gripping and terrible.

Hendra and Magisna still stared dumbfoundedly at the sky above them.

"Surge!" Shouted someone at them half rebuking.

None of them reacted. Both of them were still frozen in place without blinking.

From the sky-farther feet before them, a gleam of golden light flashed like lightning, followed by a deafening roar. Before long a dark shadow shot out from the center of the light, then shot out lightning-fast toward them.

"Revelation!" A man leaped towards Hendra and Magisna, pushing their bodies until they were both slammed to the side and fell in the grass. Before long the man's body also fell between them.

Magisna did not remember how his body was positioned when he landed, he did not even notice it at all. He could not distract him from the shadow. At first glance his figure looked like a dark-robed horseman. Flashing as fast as lightning. Magisna could hardly believe his vision.

In the area around here there are no horse farms, he thought.

He was stunned with his mouth and eyes round. The shadow flashed in just seconds. But Magisna was still fixated on staring at the empty air as if the shadow was still there in slow motion.

The figure does not look scary, it does not look clearly the shape even. But his appearance felt like death. It's beyond belief and hard to believe. It looks fake, but it feels so real. An invisible great power locked down the whole place and not a single one escaped.

Time seems to stop for a second.