Curse of the Nightfall
Chapter 2: Love in the midst of murder.

I am Marie, a nursing student and classmate of Stephen. I am in loved with him yet I never intends to compromise our friendship. Yes, he is my friend and I want the friendship to be intact rather than disrupted by some elements of romance or erotic affiliation. I think its not yet time for such attachment to pursue so I just keep it secret.

School vacation is here and after submitting a medical thesis on the afternoon of Friday, Stephen invites me for some casual walk in town. We eat some hamburger in a hamburger stand, and then proceeds for some street foods. I asked, ‘well, its kind of unusual for you to give a treat like this so can you explain?’

He stammers and compose himself in denial, ‘Nothing to explain, Marie. You’re well, uh, a special friend to me and I just wanted this.’

‘Wanted what?’ I am quizzical but unmindfully, I hold his hand and squishes formally. ‘Whatever you have wanted, I know you’re someone I can trust, right?’

He hardens his voice, ‘There is more to it than trust. I like you’.

Damn! Did I expect that? He never has hinted it before then suddenly he shocks me with great unpredictability. ‘I thought I am just a friend to you, Steph?’. Mentioning his name with such delicate manner, softened in such a special way, I am beginning to feel love euphoria as its like an electricity has just passes through me. I love this scenario of romantic indulgence. He summons the flair to kiss me respectfully on the cheek, then ‘I just wanted you to know that you’re always special to me. I love you.’

I don’t know but something magical happens and I simply kisses him back—on the lips. Then like angels are singing hymns and the tunes of violins in effectual transposition, we kissed—long enough before we realize the cheering of the people around in sweet crescendo of approval. ‘Thanks, Steph’. The thing is, there is a spoiler. Last night was a full moon. I don’t have yet the cognition to connect it to some missing people, perhaps 3 of them but someone overheard says, ‘the 3 missing people are found near the river dead, their eyes charred black.’ The connection to a full moon is not yet presupposed, but in reality, it has a connection.

‘What did you say? Their eyes are burned?’, someone interpolated. ‘Yes, the police cannot see other reasons of death than electrocution but the autopsy will confirm anything after a few days.’

We left.

Stephen is washing the dishes when his father arrives. ‘Pa, what’s with the three-missing people, I heard they are found.’ His father unholstering and undressing in his room is overheard, ‘Yeah, poor folks are farmers, they were overstaying in a field at night trying to gather some edible frogs when a companion cannot locate them. Seems like they just disappeared to nowhere then, they are dead.’

‘Who do you thinks kill them?’ He asks.

‘I don’t know but the way the police found them was quite odd. Their tongues are out and eyes wide open like they were burned from the inside.’

‘Really?’

Indeed, they were burned from the inside. Nobody has seen it yet but something evil transpired beyond natural, beyond normal.