LIFE SECONDS

CHAPTER 3: STORM AT NIGHT

That same night, while Rei was focusing on studying in his room, he heard a voice like footsteps walking towards his room. Then, he immediately closed his book and put his ear on the door to hear the rhythm of his footsteps.

But, the results obtained turned out to be nil. The sound of footsteps simply disappeared.

“Any,” Thought in Heart.

He went back to his desk and went back to his textbook. Twirling his pen and occasionally making rhythms on his desk.

“Tonight it was cold, yes, Little Squirrel. I wonder if you feel the same? Hahaha, of course, ‘kan?”

“Small squirrels, are you a fairy incarnation? Valencia brother once told me that fairies can disguise themselves. Is true?”

Feeling neglected, Rei then frowned and swung his mouth.

"Hey, come! Why didn't you answer at all? I feel lonely, you know. Ah...”

Rei continued his nightly chatter with the squirrel. Although he was not answered, he kept asking the squirrel a lot of things. Starting from his name, the number of his family, his favorite food, even about whoever his lover he asks him.

Zuito who happened to be sleeping next to Rei's room became curious about what happened in his brother's room.

“Why so crowded? Usually, Rei's brother is always calm at night. ” Thought.

Zuito then got up and rushed to check into his brother's room.

“Where to?” Erland asked who happened to be rooming with Zuito.

“Anu, didn't Erland's sister hear anything?”

Erland took off her handset and started sharpening her hearing, “Hm? Oh, Rei's room, huh?”

“Iya! Isn't it very crowded? I wonder what happened, did that squirrel have turned into a fairy?”

“That's impossible, ‘kan?” Erland replied with a small laugh.

“Nobody knows too, ‘kan?” Zuito laughed as he went to Rei's room and was followed by his roommate Erland.

Tok tok tok tok

They then knocked on Rei's room door and called out his name simultaneously.

“Kak Rei?”

“Rei?”

Those who feel called immediately answer their call, “Iya?”

“Can we come in?”

“Sure. Wait a minute, I'll open the door. What's up?” Ask Rei to them.

“Sister room sounds crowded. So, we were curious about what happened. But, it seems like everything is fine, huh?” Zuito asked while looking at the state of Rei's room.

“Your room is a mess, Rei. How many months have you not cleaned?” Ejek Erland when he saw the books scattered in his brother's room.

“And the mockery is quite funny yes when spoken by a child who always forgets to wash his underwear.” Reply Rei cynically.

“T Squirrel!” Zuito ran over to the squirrel. He tried to hold it from outside the cage.

“Uhh.. difficult. not until... Brother Rei, please.” Whine later.

Rei then shook his head firmly, “No. You promised that I would take care of him.”

“I just want to hold it. Please, Brother!”

“No.”

“Please...”.

“No~”

“Hahh... C'mon!”

“No want~”

Rei and Zuito continued to argue petty about the Squirrel, while Erland only noticed them and occasionally shifted his eyes.

"Basic children." Her thought.

Erland took a long breath. He then returned to look back at his two brothers. And then, he fell silent to observe for a moment.

The long debate between Rei and Zuito ended. That's a good thing. But, their debate ended because Rei suddenly became silent without a sound and stared at the squirrel sharply. And Erland was convinced that it wasn't the right thing.

“He speaks.” Said Rei suddenly.

“Ha? Who?” Erland who reflexively woke up from her sitting.

“That squirrel. talk.” The answer.

Erland and Zuito were more confused because they did not hear anything.

“That squirrel is talking... That squirrel.. That squirrel... Nokk!”

Suddenly Rei jumped back while pointing towards the squirrel. Rei's reaction just now made Erland and Zuito startled. They then tried hard to calm Rei down and find out what Rei had heard just now.

“Hey, hey, relax. What's the matter exactly?” Ask the first Erland.

“Kak Rei's.. Brother Rei.” Zuito looked even more frightened.

Rei did not reply at all, he just stared intently at the squirrel while covering his ears. Erland, who had run out of ideas, finally took the middle ground for this problem.

“Zuito, call Brother Felix and Brother Valencia. Fast!” His shouting.

“Ba-well, Brother.” Zuito ran as hard as he could down the stairs while shouting to call out the names of his foster brothers.

Starting from the kitchen, living room, terrace, Zuito continues to run around the contents of his house.

“Sister Felix, Brother Valencia, please! Brother Felix, brother Valencia, please! BROTHER FELIX! BROTHER VALENCIA! WHERE ARE YOU?!” Little Zuito at that time became very anxious because he never found them.

Zuito immediately decided to go back to the room and tell this to his brother. However, what happened was beyond his expectations.

“Sister Erland, I can't find them anywhere! Brother Erl-” Zuito's speech was interrupted, he pegged, and slowly his tears began to flow.

“Kak Erland's... Squirrel..”

Just then Zuito saw it for himself, the squirrel he had just saved was cut to death in Erland's hands and by Erland himself. Once sadistic, his red blood flowed through his hands.

Rei was still seen trying to cover his ears, trembling, and talking as if he heard the squirrel talking.

Erland who realized that her brother had returned was now also looking chaotic. He turned his head and called his name slowly, “Zuito..”.

Zuito did not respond to the call. He stared intently at the recently dead squirrel at his brother's hand. His eyes were empty, he looked like a creature that was no longer alive.

Time seems to stop with the rhythm of the heartbeat that is getting faster. Their heads began to feel dizzy with increasingly irregular breaths. They don't understand what to do with each other. The expressions they have to make or the words they say.

They were hoping to faint right then and there. So that this story can end quickly and when they wake up in the morning they have forgotten about last night. However, reality must always be reversed with delusion, ‘kan? Sure oes.

“Zuito.. sorry.. really. I don't know what to do. I was panicking. I was so panicked. I was confused about Rei. Sorry, Zuito. sorry.”.

Erland's hand was still trembling. He removed the squirrel he had cut with scissors from his hand and moved to hold his brother's face with his hand still covered in blood.

“Hey.. Zuito.. answer me.”.

"Why... Why does it have to be like this?"

Zuito opened his voice. His eyes were still staring at the squirrel sharply. Observing the blood flowing from the squirrel's body.

With a trembling voice Erland answered his brother's question earlier, "Why? You asked why?"

He then pointed Zuito's face at Rei.

“See Rei, he's so scared. What do you think is more important? Squirrel or Rei? Of course I will choose Rei, ‘kan? That's why I helped him and I had to kill his hair. Don't be mad at me yeah, Zuito.”

Zuito remained unreacted. He simply pegged throughout the night repeating the questions 'why' and 'must'. His mind was very muddled considering the fate of the little squirrel he saved was now completely gone. If he knew it would end this way, why would he save that squirrel?

That is what makes Zuito so angry and disappointed. Not only on Erland, but on the content of fate that is also not clearly visible.

In the storm that night, their troubles can finally end when his foster brothers return home. Well, even though I'm not sure if it's really over. After his brothers, they were broken up. Their rooms were temporarily separated and Rei was also given a different handling of his problem.

Without feeling it, time continues to pass. However, even so, the three of them still could not forget the events of that night. Because after all, although time can remove wounds, but not all wounds can be erased by that time.

The events of the night have now turned Zuito completely, into a quiet figure who more often withdraws from his surroundings.