Few hours later, the three siblings were hitting through the woods. Hopefully, they hurried to their traps but unfortunately they caught nothing. So disappointed, they were. They took their traps and were about going.
“Just like that? With nothing?” the unbothered Mata asked.
“What do you imply?” Ben questioned.
“At least today being the last day we need to go home with something. Last catch”
“Was that our initial plan? Ok, even if we should change the plan, for how long do we dawdle In search of things we are not sure to find? You know the more you catch the more you want to catch and also the more you don’t catch the more you are hopeful to catch whereby taking much time and before we realize it will be late. So it’s better we go like this. Have I made….?”
Immediately what looks like big hares ran past them. They were two, and of unusual size. Immediately the boys went after them but at a certain point they lost them. The hares were not seen or heard again. The forest became quiet. They searched and searched until Rickie saw a hole which he thought they might be Inside even as the hole was obviously small for the hares.
“Let’s look for the exit of the hole before digging” Rickie suggested and they searched but couldn’t find a thing like that. So they came back to dig believing that they will get to where there’s something.
“We are close. I heard a sound” Rickie who was digging announced.
“Let me see” Mata rushed to the hole, shifted the sand from the mouth of the hole aside, bent and peeped into the hole.
“There is something inside” Mata announced.
“What exactly” The others asked
“It is dark inside, I can’t see it clearly” Mata stretched his right hand inside the hole to pull out whatever was in it.
“What are you trying to do?” Dylan asked.
“To get the creature out”
“Do you know what’s inside?”
As Dylan was still questioning him Mata felt a hold on his hand inside the hole. It wasn’t a bite. It was just like a hand holding him but he felt his hand burning with severe stings. Mata shouted and tried pulling out the hand but it was stuck. His brothers tried helping him but it was not making any difference. Gradually the color of his hand began to change, it began to look dry. Black veins appeared like that of beasts or like that of preserved old corpse. It was moving from his fingers to his hand, from his hand to his wrist and still moving. He was beginning to vomit blood. They were scared he was going to die. They thought of what to do.
Dylan removed his necklace, giving to him by his father for protection. It is said to protect from demons and witch crafts. He tied the necklace above Mata wrist. Immediately the reaction ceased. But the one that appeared already remained like that. Now they were able to pull his hand out. Mata who never panic about anything was terrified, especially when he thinks he’s transforming into a beast.
“We almost lost you” Dylan said.
“What do we tell Mom concerning this?” Rickie asked.
They agreed on forging a story that won’t get them blamed.
“I warned you about this” their mother reminded. They regretted their actions. They disobeyed their mother and was the consequence.
Mata was taking treatments. Their mother was good with herbs which she learned from her friends father. She grew with them because she needed to cater for herself and her blind father, as the only child she was.
“You guys will take a break on these. We were doing great while you helped in selling fruits and vegetables”
“But we can do more than that” Dylan said.
“We are grown ups mom” Nazi added.
“I know. I am not talking about your age here. I accept, eighteen is an adult but I mean let’s see what selling in the shop has to offer”
“Ok. But remember it’s not our choice”
“I mean it’s for a while”
Mother takes care of Mata while the rest went to the shop to buy and sell. They have been making good profits from their sell but that could barely get them all they needed. Sometimes Nazi and Rickie goes and convey people’s goods for money, leaving Dylan to control the shop. That act wasn’t easy but at least doing it with his brothers with a good heart and for the purpose of improving life they did not feel much of the inconveniences.
“Why have Jennie stopped coming?” Dylan asked his mother. “It’s been up to six days you got dismissed from captive. We haven’t set our eyes on her. Not anywhere”
“What could have been the problem?”
“The question goes to you Instead. What happened between you when you were still with the securities?”
“Nothing bad. She was so caring. She treated me like a mother and never complained about anything”
Dylan felt bad all these while. Sometimes he is absent minded and sometimes he would want to be alone. He didn’t know where to find her. Nobody knows where she leaves and there was nobody to ask about her.
They continued with what they do. Nazi and Rickie saw her one day while they went to deliver somebody’s goods in the same area.
“Is this your street?” Rickie asked.
“The tallest roof there” Jennie pointed at the particular building a few distance away.
Nazi and Rickie were startled. They never knew that Jennie’s family were so rich.
“What happened?” They inquired.
“We stopped seeing you”
She wasn’t comfortable not just about telling them of what the problem is but basically about standing in with boys near her residence. She kept spinning side by side.
“You are not safe here” She alerted them.
“Why?”
“Just go. We will talk about it later”
“When?”
“I don’t know”
“What if we come here by 8pm?”
“Better. Come with Dylan”
“Of course. We should be going”