The Van Til House: STRAF SABBAT
The Chapiter 40

Everything soon disappeared.

Storerooms.

Jeeps.

Cold air.

Even darkness.

There was only someone, standing in front of them, blocking their way, staring at them with a dark-colored metal object in his hand.

He's carrying a weapon, Magisna realized.

The eruption beside him made Magisna jump. But at first he didn't realize what the voice was. It sounded like it wasn't a gunshot. Not like the sound of a gunshot on TV.

The sound was louder. The sound caused a lot of echoes.

He stood staring at the dark figure in front of him and it took him a very long time to realize the eruption turned out to be the sound of gunfire.

Till…

He saw the figure crashing to the floor.

He's not making a sound. Just fell, collapsed backwards, hit the floor so hard, slammed.

Then Magisna slowly realized Hendra was the one who shot him.

After a while, all this seeped into Magisna's mind. It was as if he was in slow motion mode.

And he didn't even realize he was screaming. Screaming loudly, Gabe jumps down from the car and scatters towards them.

The incandescent lights on the rafters above them lit up. The light looks almost purple for whatever reason, then light becomes bluish gray.

Gabe flinched and looked around.

Dusk stands near the light switch next to the open door.

"Gu-caves..cave shoot orang—"

Magisna heard what Hendra said. He's really not sure.

"The gua shot people!" hendra shouted at Magisna. The gun is still in his hand. "The cave didn't mean to kill him. Gua—"

Gabe's still frozen.

Magisna suddenly felt so dizzy as if the lights that suddenly lit up made her stagger.

Or because of the gunshot?

Magisna could still hear him echoing in the rafters.

Dusk came approaching them, his frozen breath forming a mist.

She's breathing? thought Magisna. Do ghosts breathe too?

"His gun was erupting" said Hendra, staring at the gun in his hand with fear, as if he had no idea how it could be in his hand, or he doesn't even know what's in his hand. "The cave doesn't know the time of the trigger pull!"

Magisna is back in reality.

Gabe knelt near the immobile body on that floor and examined it.

Hendra and Magisna stepped forward, pinching in front of Gabe, looking down at the body that was lying on the floor.

Turns out that guy.

That guy peeked in the window with a ski mask.

And she turned out to be a girl.

The woman was lying stiff with her eyes clenched, her hands straight at the side with a dark metal object in her right hand.

Gabe took off his gloves and pointed his hand at the nostril of the ski-masked woman, then pressed down on her throat.

Magisna held her breath. Something made him stifle. Something that reminded him of Hendra when they were cooking the whole canteen.

The woman's hand was thrown up and stuck a dark metal object into Gabe's neck.

Gabe shrieked and gasped, then slammed back and fell on the floor.

Magisna screamed again.

Dusk jumps towards Gabe.

Hendra.

"Don't worry, he won't die!" the ski masked woman held a metal object in her hand, a black box-shaped stun gun with a power of 2,800 volts. The shock effect can make people faint.

It was not a firearm, Magisna thought in relief.

The woman pulled her ski mask, revealing a face familiar to Magisna.

"Miss Pinkan?" Hendra and Magisna screamed at the same time.

Dusk rose from the floor and jumped towards Miss Pinkan. Miss Pinkan didn't notice. He did not see the twilight.

"Revelation!" Magisna screamed as she leaped towards Miss Pinkan, prompting her to dodge the Twilight attack.

"It's me!" shouted Miss Pinkan. "You don't recognize me?"

Dusk jumped to the side of the warehouse, grabbed the rusted metal rake fork that leaned against the wall of the warehouse, then swung it towards Miss Pinkan.

But he slumped into the corner of the warehouse, penetrating the body of Dusk. The gun in his hand was thrown against the wall in the corner of the warehouse and bounced onto the floor.

Hendra. What the hell's going on? he thought unsure. I pierced through his body?

"Dia—" Hendra stuttered while pointing towards Dusk.

Dusk turned and grinned at Hendra. "I've been kind enough to put you in my cabin" the ghost growled. "And you attacked me?"

"The cave must be too shocked!" hendra murmured, not aimed at anyone.

"What's this?" Miss Pinkan wondered. His voice sounded trembling and slightly suffocated. His eyes widened staring at the raking fork that floated in the air.

"Senja—" Magisna said doubtfully.

"Forges?" Miss Pinkan jerked her head to the side, staring at Magisna wide-eyed.

"He's a ghost!" magisna said at last.

The twilight stopped and froze.

Hendra was flabbergasted and held his breath.

"ghosts? Eka—what are you talking about?" Miss Pinkan gripped Magisna's shoulder.

Dusk turned towards Magisna, looking at her with giddy eyes. The fork of the rake slipped out of his hand.

Miss Pinkan jumped in place.

Magisna inched away from Dusk, "A–-a—You... have died ten years ago," explained Magisna stammered. Looking at the night with fear.

The twilight remains unmoved.

"Heckhuva—" Magisna gulped with difficulty. "You remember the story of heckhuva? He is you!"

Miss Pinkan frowned. "Can anyone explain what happened?"

Hendra pulled his body up. "I know," he said half-calling. "We were punished on Saturday, we were stuck in Doolhof and confused. Inhaling toxic fumes and hallucinating. We're tired. We're frustrated and we're crazy!"

Miss Pinkan looked at Hendra. A trace of guilt was drawn on his face.

Dusk grinned and approached towards Magisna.

Magisna wavered, turned to and fro, watching Dusk, Hendra and Miss Pinkan alternately. Confusion mixed with fear.

Someone... Anyone, please! Magisna screamed in her heart.

The wind was blowing fiercely outside the warehouse. So loud that his voice sounded like the roar of an engine.

The twilight stopped again, but his eyes never looked off at Magisna.

"Receive the truth" hissed Magisna pleaded. "You're dead!"

Dusk tightened his jaws and jerked his head back, laughing out loud to tears.

"You're a heckhuva!" Magisna raised her voice.

Dusk fell on him, falling down with both knees resting on the floor. Bending with both shoulders shaking.

She was crying, Magisna thought.

Hendra dropped his gaze down, towards Dusk. The look on his face showed that he still could not believe what he saw.

Miss Pinkan was embracing Magisna's trembling shoulder. "We have to get out of here before Gabe wakes up" he said.

Magisna nodded with great difficulty. His gaze did not shift from Dusk.

Dusk lifted his face and looked at Magisna once more. His entire body suddenly shone, the longer it grew brighter. And then twitch and twitch.

He'll disappear! Magisna.

Hendra saw it too. Both of his eyes squinted while his mouth was tightly clenched.

Dusk stared at Gabe's body lying on the floor. Look at him sadly.

Suddenly Magisna's heart felt slashed. He could feel the man's sadness. But I can't explain it.

How does it feel to know that we are dead and to realize that we will be gone forever?

How does it feel to be forced to let go of someone we love so much when we're not ready?

"Gabe can't see you," Magisna told Dusk.

Dusk looked up, looking back at Magisna with a blank look.

"Your family doesn't!" Magisna added. "That's why they ignore you. They don't hate you, sir. They don't see you!"

"Gabe doesn't hate me?" Dusk bowed watching Gabe's severed face.

Magisna.

The twilight did not see it. The man was really crying right now. Crying without a sound.

"Let's go!" Miss Pinkan urges Magisna.

Hendra joins them and the three scatter out of the warehouse.

The explosion of bright light made Magisna turn back to the warehouse.

The twilight has vanished!