The After I Die

Third Death

“When is the village cleaning ritual held?” Eda asked Ni Lewun who was currently pounding dried papaya seeds as medicine, today is one day since the loss of Nukas, he did not want to see many victims fall.

“When the moon is full, we will hold it, three more days.”

Eda let out a long sigh, it was too long, what if someone dies again in these three days?

Eda was worried about Kina, the black shadow behind her friend was getting bigger and bigger.

Eda had something that ordinary people did not have, he could see the shadow of one's death. This ability was obtained by him for generations, as one of the founding families of the village.

At first he saw the shadow of his father's death, he could not do anything, afraid of violating destiny, he just kept silent and waited for his father to die.

He also saw the shadow of death on Nukas, and could do nothing.

This time it had to do something before Kina actually fared the same as them. He cared about Kina, although sometimes, his mouth was very slender, but he could not ignore Kina.

His little friend, completely stubborn, his curiosity was unstoppable, approaching a stage of insanity.

“No need to worry, I see they will not come in the next few days.” Ni Lewun took the papaya seeds that had been refined into a bowl. Ni Lewun's eyesight was never in doubt, everything that came out of his mouth always happened and never missed in the slightest.

Damung villagers strongly believe in mystical things, they do not get the education bench, only know how to grow crops and raise livestock, there is no intention to go out of the village, just live like this without progress.

“Ya .. I won't worry.”

Sometimes he always thought, why are they so afraid of the corpses? Can't they do anything against it?

Living like this, isolated from the outside world, is like being caught up in ignorance.

Eda was sitting on a rattan chair, in place of his father, he had thought a lot about life in this village. At first he did not care much, but gradually he realized, the laws made too restrictive and restrictive.

What if the law wasn't to protect the villagers but to protect something else. Something the villagers do not know.

It's probable.

He noticed Ni Lewun who deftly pounded the seeds in the dimple, there was no intention of helping at all, he was not the kind-hearted type, after all Ni Lewun despite being a twilight, even though he was, his body was still as agile as a young person.

“Ni!”

“Ni Lewun!” a panicked scream from outside sounded, Sada's voice.

“What's up?” Ni Lewun softly replied, got up and found Sada in her yard with a gasp of breath.

"Nuke!"

“Nukas! Nukas found!” he cried, Eda felt his heart racing.

“Where is he? How is he doing?”

“Above the kariwaya tree, near the village cemetery! Day ... day ..” Sada could not continue his words, as if stuck in his throat, the man could not continue his words.

Ni Lewun was silent, her face turned grim.

Eda already knew the answer, he immediately remembered with Kina, without saying anything, he immediately ran towards the cemetery on the edge of the village.

Up there, Nukas was hanging by a rope, on the highest branch, the boy was killed horribly.

The villagers were in an uproar, flocking to the village cemetery, Nukas' corpse was hanging up there, his eyes were bulging, his tongue was sticking out, his face was full of pain.

“Nukas!” Kina screamed, her mother held tightly to her hand, holding her child back.

Kina felt a great pain in her heart, sad and poignant. Nukas died horribly, who could have so badly killed a five-year-old boy? It felt like Kina wanted to die after Nukas alone rather than stay in this terror-filled village.

Eda approached and calmed Kina down, she unhesitatingly hugged her little friend, Kina sobbing, beating the cry of Bu Mursa not far from there.

Barka and Sada painstakingly lowered Nukas' corpse, it was placed on a white cloth.

Mursa could not contain his tears, within a week he had lost two loved ones, his wife and child. His trembling hands closed Nukas eyes, straightened his son's broken neck, hugged him tightly, crying out in vain.

How painful it is to see his only son tragically die, he has failed to become a head of the family, failed to protect his wife and child, failed to become a village chief.

His dear son, whom he had not even learned to read and write.

He regretted, deeply regretted, never knowing the daily state of Nukas, had his son eaten? He doesn't know. Is Nukas cold? He doesn't know. The clothes, the clothes that Nukas wore, he had never even bought them, his son did not live properly.

Regrets always come too late.

Kina had already shed tears in Eda's arms, unable to accept Nukas death.

“Im sorry dad, Nak.” Like a broken cassette the words were repeated by Pak Mursa, blindly kissing Nukas face.

Kina stared at the stiff body of Nukas who was already turning blue, she was completely lost. Despite his wailing, Eda and his mother did not let go, driving him away from Nukas.

That day was the most sad day for Kina, the sky was clouded when the funeral of Nukas was held, the villagers just silently felt all the sadness of Pak Mursa.

Kina no longer rebelled, just stared blankly at the still wet ground.

His mind drifted everywhere.

It's all getting weird, something's wrong, something he's missing out on. When he was here his logic seemed to disappear.

Is it possible for a corpse whose path has not been right, its body not even symmetrical, to hang Nukas that high? This doesn't make any sense.

No. gabe. From the beginning, everything made no sense.

Kina felt that this was not the work of the undead, day by day she was increasingly hesitant about what was happening.

What if someone was behind and using it, standing behind this stage of terror, planning something that was never expected.

The real culprit must be near them all.

“Eda.” Kina whispered into Eda's ear, “What if we've been wrong all this time? There are people who deliberately ... take refuge behind the bodies?”

Eda was frozen, he was thinking the same thing, his eyes were staring one by one at the villagers, all of them showing an expression of mourning.

“If that's true, then we're all in danger.”