I wanted to scream. I think I was screaming. But why couldn't I hear my own voice? Was I going deaf? Or was I just unconscious of my voice? I have no idea. All I could feel was this unbearable breathlessness gnawing at me. I think I was breathing okay, but why won't the air just go in, like my lungs were surrounded by metal bands. This was worsening the panic inside of me. The dizzy feeling and the need to get low to the ground was arising in me. I squatted down and gasped, praying for someone...anyone to reach for me and drag me out of this endless horrific nightmare.

I felt me blurred vision as I covered my face wet with tears. I didn't want to see anything. I didn't want to be here. I think I was still screaming, but my voice was getting hoarse. My mind was completely blank and only fear occupied my entire system. Suddenly I felt a touch on my shoulders. I flinched in fright and the next moment a warm embrace braced me into their arms. I was so frightened I couldn't dare to look up to see who it was, but I feel I was still screaming endlessly into these warm arms. I heard a soothing voice cradling me and telling me that everything was going to be alright.

I mindlessly reared my head up to see my liberator and the deep emerald eyes of Eric Warnard greeted my vision. An intense wave of relief swept over me and I finally let go of my remaining sanity and fell into a deep upsurge of unconsciousness.

I don't remember much but I felt I was drifting in and out of my consciousness. Fleetingly remembering cold palms on my forehead from time to time and a profound husky voice whispering unintelligible things into my ears. When I finally opened my eyes, the gruesome scene that was cemented into my memory came to my mind and I couldn't help remembering what I saw and what had transpired in front my eyes before I lost consciousness.

My mind was into an overload mode again and I could feel myself screaming under the spell of that dreadful night. It was as if everything was hitting me all at once. All the fear, the pain and the nausea, everything was raw again, as fresh as if it happened all over again in front of my eyes. I felt as if death was a constant companion of me, rearing its head up at every corner of my life. No wonder Dilylah's death date changed. It was so unnatural. It was a murder. But a brutal murder such as this, who could commit such a ghastly crime inside a high school.

I felt my freely falling tears as my mind couldn't help repeating the horrors of that night over and over again inside my head like a broken record.

I was brought back by a sudden cold squeeze to my face. My dilated pupils relaxed when they saw a pale handsome face calling my name.

"Phina! It's alright. It's alright. I'm here. I'm right here."

Eric muttered to me in a gentle voice suffused with a hint of worry. My eyes slowly refocused into his beautiful face and I found myself lying on the infirmary bed of the school. Eric somehow looked haggard, tired even. Like he didn't have a good rest for a week.

I slowly took into my surroundings and found out that I was not inside that nightmare anymore. In an alleviated disposition I laced my frail arms around Eric's neck and hugged him in desperation. To feel that this was all real, that I was not trapped inside that tormenting nightmare anymore, I hugged him tight and cried in despair and fear. His body instantly went stiff under my embrace, but he didn't reject me. Gradually, he patted my head in an awkward manner and held me back muttering comforting words into my ears.

A long while passed since I finally calmed down. Everything that I saw that night was something I couldn't explain nor say it to another soul. Because I had no doubt that people will pack me up and send me off to a mental asylum if they heard what I had to say. So, I preferred to keep quite when Lena asked me what exactly happened to me. It was only to Eric that I could cough up my bizarre experience to because I had a gut feeling that he was...or rather he had a pretty good idea about what it was that I saw that night. I didn't want to believe it, but I felt Eric knew who Dilylah's killer was. Eric listened to what I had to say from the beginning to end and then when I was finally done narrating the events that took place that day he asked me just one question, "Where did you put that envelop?"

That's what he had to say after I told him how I witnessed Dilylah Adwell's death. I was shocked to say the least, then suddenly I caught onto his indication. Dilylah Adwell died because she discovered something she shouldn't have. It was a murder with a motive. And she wanted to let me onto the secret as well. Then... would I have died too if I opened that envelop?

The thought sent shivered down through my spine and I was reminded of that abominable red envelop that lay hiding inside my bag pack. Taking in a nervous gulp, I told Eric where I kept the envelop and he, without another word left the infirmary, most probably in search of that red envelop.

Things weren't any better after I was discharged. A day passed, and then two. But I still didn't find myself getting better at all, psychologically that is. I was always on edge. Even though I hardly talked to anyone, I wanted to subconsciously stick to the crowd and felt paranoia gripping me like a vice on my neck. On my third day, I was absent-mindedly sitting in the cafeteria when Lena came to join me.

"How are you feeling today Sara?" She had been constantly asking me the same question for the past three days. I would always curtly dismiss her with a stern reply for I didn't want to be reminded of that horrible night, but suddenly I felt bad because it seemed like I was treating my only friend who genuinely cared for me terribly.

I looked at my friend in a guilty tenor and said, "I'm fine Lena." And smiled at her reassuringly. These days she always seemed worried about me and I was really grateful to her.

"Okay, that's good then. But do tell me immediately if you don't feel well anywhere." She urged in an anxious tone.

"I will Lena, don't worry so much." I smiled some more to ease her worries. Granted it felt good to have a friend who cared about me, but I didn't want to see her grow her hair grey with worry.

"Hmm, I'm relieved." She smiled back, and suddenly changed the topic, "Have you heard, Dilylah Adwell is transferring schools."

I was chewing a tuna sandwich when Lena muttered those words and I choked on the sandwich morsels when I heard her. Lena quickly brought water to my mouth to ease my discomfort and after taking in a few gulps of water, I finally was relieved, but the discomfort in my heart had elevated a hundred folds.

"Dilylah Adwell is alive!" I almost screeched but considering the surrounding environment, I somehow managed to lower my voice down.

Lena looked at me funny and then said, "What do you mean? Of course she is alive. What could happen to her."

'Dilylah Adwell is transferring! How is that possible? I saw her die with my own eyes. How is she alive?' I shook my head violently. I pounded it down again and again, but my jumbled thoughts would not dislodge themselves.

"Sara? What happened? Are you okay?" Lena looked worried again, so I quickly tried to calm myself down and said, "Yeah of course I'm okay... Dilylah..have you seen her?" I hesitated a bit before asking because I was afraid of the answer. If Lena said that she saw Dilylah alive, then did that mean what I saw that night was nothing but my hallucinations? Was I going mental?

"No. They said that her parents came to pick her up three days ago because of some family issues and no one saw her since then. It was later informed to the school that she would be transferring." Lena answered me honestly and I swallowed hard.

What the hell was going on here?

I saw Eric at the other end of the cafeteria and meaningfully stared at him. He was standing at the far end of the room but made no efforts to walk up to us. Normally he would, but since the day he left me at the infirmary, he had been unusually passive. As if scared of the little old me. He most probably was afraid of my impending questions. And the red envelop that never saw the light of the day after the day I told him of it's whereabouts.

Classes were rather dreary today, or maybe I was just not into them at all. I couldn't help but feel very foolish. How had I not noticed the calm and mundaneness over the school since the past three days. With a murder occurring inside the school it should've been a mayhem everywhere, but everything seemed abnormally normal. As if that night was completely erased. I felt a chill run down my spine and again felt the paranoiac eyes on me. Watching me like a predator watches their prey.

I quickly got up, exited the class and almost ran to my room.

I sat on my bed and took in a deep breath. I tried to steady my mind but suddenly, like a jolt I felt all jittery. My body went stiff as if I was being stared down at by something sinister. And once when the thoughts had kick start, there was no way of stopping them.

The panic started like a tightening of the chest, as if the muscles were trying not to let another breath in, but instead to die. Then my breath came shallow, my mind became as static, there was replay of thoughts making no sense, and replays of the horrors again.

I knew then, I was not fine at all. Nothing was fine at all. I was dragged into something which I couldn't even fathom. If things went on like this for any longer, I would go insane. I had to do something, but the question was, 'Was I generous enough to venture deeper into this uncharted, possibly dangerous territory just for some troubled kid at my school?'

I knew this could no longer go on. So I dialled the number of Eric Warnard and waited for him to pick up. After about three consecutive rings, Eric picked up the call and his voice echoed through the receiver, "Hello." He said.

"Eric, I want to meet you. Now." My voice was very austere and firm. I didn't want him to refuse, so I wanted to sound as blunt as possible. I hoped he got my drift.

After a moment of silence, I heard him speak, "Where are you?"

"In my room."

"Okay, wait for me there."

Within the next ten minutes, I heard a knock at me door. I got up and opened the door to see Eric standing in front of me looking as if nothing was amiss. It was still a mystery how he got access to the girl's dorm, but I wasn't asking. He was Eric Warnard, he could do anything and be anywhere.

I let myself out of the way to let him come in, Lena was not going to come back soon today because of some of her prior arrangements, which was a bonus. I didn't want Lena to find out that Eric Warnard had visited and seen our humble abode.

I sat on my bed and he took a chair and sat close to me.

"... You are afraid." That's the first words he said to me.

I got irritated for a moment and wanted to lash out, but held it in. I could still feel eyes on me and that got me very unnerved. But Eric's presence calmed my shaken nerves a little bit.

"Wouldn't you be too when you find out that all you had seen might not have been real at all?" I eyed him implicitly.

He just stared back at me without a word.

"... Tell me Eric, is Dilylah Adwell alive?" I asked the question I couldn't find myself digesting for a while now.

"... No." Was his answer.

The fear that had subsided for a while, suddenly gripped me again with a binding force. I shuddered a little and asked, "Then why do they say she is alive and is transferring? What's going on here Eric?"

Eric had an indescribable expression on his face. In a split second, a dozen different expressions passed through his face; panic, fear, confusion and many more but he masked it all in a split second, and by the end of it all, he had a very serene look on, as if nothing could ever faze him.

"I can't tell you." Was his answer.

I gave him a dumbfounded expression. I couldn't believe after he pulled me into whatever the hell this was, he had the audacity to tell me that he can't divulge anything to me.

"I don't know why you are unwilling to tell me anything Eric, but you should know that I'm already neck deep into this mess of yours. You mustn't hide it from me anymore."

Eric had an adamant attitude on, he shook his head and said, "Please Phina, understand. I really can't tell you. You'll be in danger if they knew you're aware of something."

"Who? Who are 'they'?" I squinted my eyes; an insuppressible curiosity rose inside of me. "Was it the man in the hat?" I trembled at the reminder of that sinister smile of that shadowy Hat man.

But Eric gently shook his head denying my conjecture, "That thing is not what's most dangerous to you. I don't know how you were able to see it, but seeing it is also not a good thing Phina." Eric sighed. "If you could hear those things, I should've guessed it's plausible for you to be able to see them too."

"What do you mean?" I widened my eyes in horror. "Was that the thing that whispered into my ears that time?" I felt my back hairs rising at the thought. My heart was beating like a drum and I was pretty sure I looked plenty scared.

"One of the things, yeah." He muttered back in a meek manner.

"... One..of the things! You mean there are more of them!" I almost shrieked. Then a cold tremor ran through my body and I felt fear gripping me like never before. Making it hard for me to breathe again.

"Hey hey hey, Phina! It's okay, it's okay. They can't hurt you. They can't hurt you with me around. Calm down, take deep breaths. Calm down, everything's okay." Eric got off the chair, came to my bed and pulled the me, who was going into a spasm into his embrace while muttering words to calm me down.

"Are they here right now? Are they watching me?" I abruptly gripped his collar in a rattle, "Are they?" My eyes were wide with fear sipping out from them.

Eric looked at me, a bit disconcerted, but I still pursued desperately, "Tell me! Please!"

In a sigh he said, "Yes." And I felt myself finally going over the edge. No wonder I felt so prickly and frazzled, as if someone was eyeing me around the clock. It was them, those voices and the Hat man.

"Phina, hey! Calm down, they can't hurt you with me around. You hear me? Phina look at me, look at me!" He held my face firm with his big warm hands and steadied me, making me look at him straight into his clear green eyes. His eyes looked unyielding and strong, and his fearless resolve seemed to have somehow infected me too. "Take deep breaths and keep looking at me." I did what he said, and gradually felt my panic attack subsiding a little bit.

"Good. Now listen to me, I don't know how you are able to see and hear them 'cause no normal human being can't. And since they can't be seen, they hardly bother anyone. So, I didn't think you would be in any danger. But now they know you can see them. They will try and approach you more, but don't be afraid. They can't harm you. I won't let them near you. Trust me, alright?" There was a steadfastness in his voice that could move mountains. I couldn't refute under his determination.

"... Why are they after me Eric? And why was Dilylah killed?" I asked the most dreaded question.

He was silent for a moment, probably marveling over how to answer my question. "They are after you because of me." He said, "And about Dilylah, she rummaged too deep into things she shouldn't have. That's why I can't tell you anything Phina, your life will be in danger if you try to dig too deep." He sighed again, "So please, just listen to me and trust me, okay?"

I stared at him wordlessly, not knowing what to expect. I was in this dangerous situation because of him, but he still refused to give me answers because he feared for my safety, is what he claimed. Should I trust a guy so mysterious and so treacherous?

As such, the question hung in mid-air.

TO BE CONTINUED...