E9 -Shadows Behind Every Memory
1031 Words
Julia wandered through the forest, calling her sister's name.
"Julie?"
Only silence answered.
She took a few more cautious steps.
"Julie!"
Still nothing.
The trees rustled gently in the wind.
Then...
She heard a child's laughter coming from somewhere nearby.
It was coming from the river.
"Julie!"
Julia immediately ran toward the sound.
When she reached the riverbank, relief washed over her.
Julie was there.
She was crouching near the water, happily splashing her hands in the river as if nothing had happened.
"Julie!"
Julia hurried toward her.
But before she could reach her—
A man dressed entirely in black suddenly emerged from the trees.
He lunged toward Julie with frightening speed.
Julie let out a muffled scream.
"MMPH!"
Julia froze.
Her heart pounded in terror.
Without thinking, she grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it at the stranger.
The rock struck a nearby tree.
The man turned toward Julia.
Their eyes met for only a second.
Then he darted into the trees.
By the time Julia reached the spot...
He was gone.
Julia didn't hesitate.
She sprinted to Julie and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"Julie!"
"Are you okay?"
Julie was crying uncontrollably.
As Julia gently pulled her back to look at her...
She noticed two perfectly round puncture wounds on the side of Julie's neck.
Julia's face went pale.
"Dad!"
She screamed as loudly as she could.
"Help!"
Moments later, their father came running through the trees.
The instant he saw Julie's condition, his expression changed.
Without a word, he scooped her into his arms and ran.
At the hospital...
Hours passed before a doctor finally came out.
"We believe she has a fever caused by an unidentified animal bite," the doctor explained.
"We'll continue monitoring her."
Julia and her father quietly entered Julie's hospital room.
Julie was awake.
But something felt...
Different.
She barely spoke.
She barely smiled.
As the weeks passed, the cheerful little sister Julia had always known became quieter and more distant.
And little by little...
The close bond they had once shared began to fade.
"So... I really don't like remembering that day."
Julia lowered her gaze.
The table fell silent once again.
After a moment, Andrew looked at Kevin.
"What about you?"
Kevin, who had been unusually quiet, slowly sat up straighter.
He took a deep breath.
"...When I was seven..."
Kevin had always loved playing with his little brother, Keith.
Their father, who was mute, raised the two boys while their mother worked overseas in Canada.
Despite the distance, the brothers were inseparable.
One afternoon, they decided to play hide-and-seek near the edge of the forest.
Kevin was the seeker.
Keith was hiding.
Kevin covered his eyes.
"One..."
"Two..."
...
"Ten!"
He looked around with a grin.
"Ready or not, here I come!"
He searched behind the trees.
Inside the shed.
Around the backyard.
But Keith was nowhere to be found.
Ten minutes passed.
Then twenty.
Kevin's smile slowly disappeared.
"Keith?"
No answer.
He searched the house.
The backyard.
Even the nearby river.
Nothing.
Fear slowly crept into his chest.
"Where are you...?"
Just then...
He heard a faint wheezing sound.
It was coming from a cave nearby.
Kevin froze.
Without wasting another second, he ran home and called for his father.
His father immediately grabbed two flashlights.
Together, they entered the cave.
The cave grew colder with every step.
Their flashlight beams barely reached the walls.
The wheezing echoed through the darkness.
Kevin tightened his grip on the flashlight.
"Keith...?"
The deeper they walked...
The louder the wheezing became.
Every step made Kevin's heart pound faster.
Finally...
They found Keith lying on the ground.
He looked pale.
His breathing was weak.
"Keith!"
Kevin rushed to his brother's side.
As he tried to help him sit up, something caught his eye.
Two small puncture wounds marked Keith's neck.
Kevin's eyes widened.
His father quickly picked Keith up, and the two of them rushed him to the hospital.
Hours later...
A doctor stepped out of the emergency room.
His expression said everything before he even spoke.
"I'm sorry."
"We couldn't save him."
Kevin lowered his head.
Tears quietly rolled down his cheeks.
The doctor explained that Keith had died from an unidentified animal bite.
But Kevin never believed that explanation.
Every year since then...
On Keith's birthday...
Kevin cooked his little brother's favorite meal.
Just to feel like they were sharing one more birthday together.
Kevin let out a slow breath.
"...That's what happened."
He leaned back in his chair.
For once...
No one had a joke to tell.
Andrew looked at Mina.
"What about you?"
Mina lowered her eyes.
"...I don't want to talk about it."
Silence.
Andrew nodded.
"Okay."
After lunch, the four friends said their goodbyes and headed to their afternoon classes.
________________________________________________________________________________
When school ended, Andrew returned to the same spot where he had seen the old man in the gray fedora earlier that day.
He looked around.
The old man was gone.
Andrew let out a quiet sigh.
That was strange...
What was he doing near the school?
He stood there for another moment before shaking his head.
I'm probably overthinking it.
With that, he turned and started walking home.
From a distance, two men watched him leave.
One of them was the broad-shouldered man Andrew had seen the night Rosary was attacked.
Beside him stood another man, slightly shorter but dressed the same way—black clothing from head to toe, with dark sunglasses hiding his eyes.
The shorter man smirked.
"That kid likes taking risks."
The larger man let out a quiet scoff.
"Yeah."
He folded his arms.
"Things would've ended differently if I hadn't held back."
The shorter man's expression hardened.
"No killing."
"Those are the Lord's orders."
The larger man slowly turned to face him.
His voice was cold.
"I don't need you telling me what to do."
"I'm just reminding you," the shorter man replied.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then the larger man stretched his shoulders.
"Come on."
"We shouldn't keep the Lord waiting."
Without another word, the two men disappeared into the gathering darkness.
Above them, the last rays of sunlight slipped beneath the horizon.
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