As Pillie picked up the ball and turned back, he saw his friends were no longer there.
"Where are you guys?"
They weren't there, even though their sandals and bikes were still there. At first, Pillie thought it was just his friends playing a prank, hiding from him.
"Where are you hiding?"
In the distance, he saw a white car stop, and then it drove away.
Pillie remembered his mother's words about the recent child abductions. Scared, he hesitated at first to follow the car.
But he was also afraid of losing them, so he pedaled his bike, chasing after the car. Though Pillie fell behind, luckily the road wasn't paved, so he could follow the tire tracks.
AT THE PLAYGROUND
A girl was playing on the swings, waiting for someone. She amused herself with the ants.
The girl noticed a white car parked by the roadside in the park. She kept her eyes on it. There, she could clearly see the driver smoking.
Suddenly, the driver looked toward her, making her flinch and ready to hide—
But then everything went dark. She was grabbed from behind by a man and then forced into the car.
There, Killie had actually witnessed it all. But he was too scared to do anything. Frozen in fear, he watched as the car drove away, then tried to follow from afar.
His heart pounded—the terror of a child.
His voice wouldn't come out when he tried to scream for help. In the end, he could only cry his way home.
AT HOME, THE GIRL
"Ca, come eat. The food's ready." —The girl's mother.
She was wiping the kitchen counter, but there was no response from her daughter. She went to check her room—the door was open, and it was empty.
Her heart nearly stopped.
"Ca! Where are you? Ca!"
She searched every room but couldn't find her.
Then she rushed outside in a panic, heading toward the park. There, she ran into someone.
"Have you seen my Caya?"
"No, Ma'am!"
"Where could she be?"
"Where was she last, Ma'am?"
"She was in her room. I told her not to go out because of those kidnapping rumors. Then when I finished cooking, she was gone. Oh no!"
Neighbors who heard her gathered, asking what happened. One by one, they stepped out to help.
The mother kept searching, her breath short, her eyes brimming with tears.
KILLIE AT HOME
Meanwhile, Killie was at home, hiding under a blanket. The memory of what he saw was burned into his mind.
His mother noticed his gloom.
"Why have you been so down all day?" —His mother.
But Killie didn't answer, just burrowed deeper. His mother kissed his head and left for the kitchen.
Killie was afraid of being kidnapped, but he was also too scared to tell his mother. And he was terrified the girl might never return.
PILLIE CHASES THE CAR
Pillie followed the car. When he spotted an old building there, he realized—this was the forbidden place his mother and friends always warned him about, haunted by the ghost of Noni Belanda.
Pillie hid in the woods, stashing his bike so he wouldn't be seen.
A short while later, the white car returned. Pillie was still catching his breath, exhausted from pedaling so hard.
After watching, he saw them drag out a girl, her head covered in a sack, and take her inside the building.
Curious, Pillie crept closer, peeking through a crack in the wall. There, he saw something that shocked him so much he stumbled back.
The people inside noticed movement outside and rushed to investigate. And what they saw was...
MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING
Hours later, Pillie arrived at a place where a group was practicing martial arts.
He walked up, blood on his forehead and clothes, and smiled at them.
"I want to train in martial arts too."
With a determined grin, Pillie joined the training.
KILLIE AND HIS MOTHER
AT HOME, Killie had cried himself to sleep. When he woke, he was disoriented for a moment.
Then he remembered—there was someone he needed to save. Killie recalled how that girl was the only one who stayed with him when he felt lonely.
He went to the kitchen to find his mother.
"Mom, I want to learn martial arts, okay?" —Killie.
"No, why? You'll just get hurt!" —His mother.
"I won't! There's supervision!" —Killie.
"What's the point? You'll just show off!" —She tried to dissuade him.
But seeing Killie's sad expression, she softened. She hugged him and told him to get dressed.
They set off for the training place on an old bicycle. The air was fresh, the scenery bright. The sun shone on Killie's hopeful face.
When they arrived, his mother was shocked to see Pillie already training.
"Pillie!" —She called out.
Pillie turned and walked over.
"You're training here?"
A male instructor approached.
"You're Pillie's mom? Nice to meet you!"
"Yes, that's me."
"Pillie just started today. He begged to join, said he had your permission, so I agreed!"
"He didn't..."
She noticed the swelling on Pillie's forehead, covered with gauze.
"What happened? How did you get hurt?"
She gently touched his forehead. Pillie stayed silent, then walked away without answering and resumed training.
"Ah, I'll remind him to be respectful, Ma'am!" —The instructor.
"No need. It's fine. I actually came to ask if you could train my other son too. He says he wants to learn!"
"Don't worry, Ma'am. We'll train him well!"
She left, leaving Pillie and Killie to their training.
"Why do you keep following me?" —Pillie grumbled.
"I'm not! I just want to get stronger so I can help my friend!" —Killie said shyly.
"Liar! Since when do you have friends?" —Pillie pointed accusingly.
"I do! That's why I want to help her." —Killie, still bashful.
Pillie stared, puzzled.
"Well, good luck with that!" —He smirked.
-TO BE CONTINUED-