Chapter 19: The Lover and The Witch

  A man in a black cloak sneakily entered the winery yard and disappeared into the backyard's shed. He carried a black huge bag on his shoulder  through the narrow underground tunnel lead to the underground room. He put the black bag on the top of the cold stone table. The air inside the room is bloody stink, the man feel nauseated.

  "This is the last one as you promise me. Now fulfilled the contract!" He said to the woman behind the red curtains.

  The woman smile wickedly before she speak, "There is one more woman you need. A woman with a high spiritual power. You must capture this woman before the full moon and bring her to me. This woman is really special in so many ways."

  "Where I can find this woman?" The man ask impatiently. He must accomplish his mission as soon as possible.

  "She will come to you when the time is right. Put this mirror at your place, when the woman come to your place, you will see a lotus huadian on her forehead through this mirror." She chuckles.

   The man annoyed by her sanctimoniousness. He takes the mirror handed by the woman from behind the curtains and stomp his way out. The woman smirked and her expression full with satisfaction.

  Fier pinches on her temples, her head throbs in pain since she woke up that morning. She was having a bad nightmare last night. She had to take a medical leave that day because of the dizziness and nausea.

  Fier lay on her couch like a vegetable when she hears knocks on her door. She force herself to the door and open it. Once the door is open, Ayesha grin at her while show her a paper bag she is carrying.

  "I bring you a breakfast and some herbal medicine made by my mom." Ayesha poured the chicken congee into the bowl and served it together with the hot ginger tea.

  "I don't have an appetite, Ays. Just leave it there." Fier lay feebly on the couch, her headache is killing her.

  "Eat a bit. Then, take this medicine. Okay?" Ayesha try to persuade Fier for a few times. Fier finally give in and start to taking a bite. Although she said she have no appetite earlier, she managed to finish the congee and taking her medicine too. Ayesha helps her to walk to the bedroom.

  "Thank you, Ays."

  "No biggie, babe... Well, what happen yesterday until you are like this? Did you drink?" Ayesha feel curious. She help to put the cool gel on Fier's forehead.

   "I don't know. I was having a dream of a woman that cried for help, somebody being killed and I feel like someone did straggled me from behind. When I woke up, my head feel like it was going to explode." Fier pinches on her temples again. She hissed from the pains once a while.

   "Well, rest for now. I will ask K to come later to bring you to the hospital as I have a very important appointment today. I'm taking your keys, okay?" Ayesha caress Fier's hairs like her friend is a baby.

   "Go to sleep..." She said again. Fier nodded and close her eyes. Ayesha pulled the blanket and covered Fier's body properly, open the window a little bit for the fresh air before she shut and lock the door.

   In the afternoon, K accompanied Fier to the private clinic as she refused to go to the hospital with an excuse she do not want to see any ghost for a day. She is a little bit energetic after taking the Sumatriptan injection as her headache goes away slowly. Fier insist on taking the subway on their way back home. She even argues with K over that.

   The train arrived, they board it without spoke to each other after arguing about a small matter. The train is too crowded with people are leaving from their workplace after the office hours, Fier had no place to hold on. She tried to squeeze herself to the nearby pole but her attempt failed. Her small frame had been pushed back and swayed along with the train's motions.

  K sighed and pulled Fier closer to his body when he saw her like a lost puppy in the sea of people. She resist his assistance and move back a little but her body been throw back into K's when the train was braking as it change direction at the intersection railway.

   "Stay still or you may get injured if you keep on bumping into people like this." He said and hold onto her body, he patted on her back. His lips curl into a smile, he found that she looks funny when sways here and there the same rhythm with the train's motion.

  After hear K's words, Fier is grabbing on K's jacket to avoid she been thrown again. Once she touched K's jacket's side pocket, a flashback hit her — Bloody stench, candles, black chains, a figure in a red cloak holding a knife and slash off in front of Fier's vision. Fier grunts, her head throbs in pain again.

   She cowered down while her hand grip tightly on K's chest. She is all huff and puff because of the pain. An after image of herself reflected on the mirror had come across her vision. She saw that something is glowing on her forehead. The pain strike again.

   'Are you okay?' Fier's behaviour wary K. She did not answered yet keep on panting heavily before she collapsed in his embrace.

  'Hey! Fier! Oii!' K shakes Fier's many times but she is unmoving.

  In her unconsciousness, Fier found herself standing in the middle of an unknown room. At the corner of the room, a girl is playing a piano passionately. She started singing too. Her voice is angelic and soulful.

  'Who are you?' Fier asked the girl but she did not response. The girl did not even looked at Fier who stand beside her.

  'What's wrong with this girl?' Fier feel hurt when been ignored like that, she waved her hand in front of the girl's face but she did not even blink.

  'Mia!'

   The girl turn her head, she then stand up and run towards the person who was calling her name. She pass through Fier's body. Fier stunned in shock.

  'You are here!' Mia greet the person happily. She jumped to hug the person.

  'I bring you some foods. Eat first before you're going on air.' The person rubbed Mia's head. Fier could not see his face clearly because of the dim light on their side.

  'Okay. Thank you so much, Lun.' Mia hugs him happily.

   In a blink of eyes, Fier suddenly stand in the middle of the cozy bedroom, she saw Mia is sitting on her bed while looking sorrowfully at the sky through the wide open window. She seem to be too skinny with a sorrowful expression.

  'Mia...' A man walked through Fier and sit beside the bed with his back facing Fier.

  'Lun, I want to have a walk on the garden today.' Mia run her eyes to the blue sky scenery again. She missed it, the feeling of the sun shined on her skin, the sound of the birds chirping and the smell of the grasses and the flowers on the garden.

  'Okay Mia, but in the afternoon, alright? I need to finish something after this.' He grabbed her hands firmly and she nodded feebly.

  A bright light engulfed the surrounding and Fier forced to close her eyes. When Fier open her eyes, she see a white ceiling with dimmer ceiling lamps and a pungent smell of Iodoform filling her nose. She look to her side and see an IV drip attached to her hand. She grunts as she feels her body sways when she tried to sit.

  'You shouldn't move too much.' K hold onto Fier's body when she almost fell to her side.

  'Why am I at the hospital?' She feel annoyed as she saw some disrespectful ghosts peeking on her from the door, the windows and from the corners of the room. She able to hear their whispers and mumbles.

  'You collapsed inside the train. Doctor said that your blood pressure is too low. Your body show a sign of extreme exhaustion. You didn't eat well and sleep properly, ain't ya?' K looked straight into her eyes, she run her eyes away quickly.

  'Stay here for a few days and you will be okay.' K speak again as he saw Fier is still hiding from his gaze.

  She already had fallen asleep when he wanted to scold her more. He sighed and pulled up the blanket to cover her body properly before he walked out from the room. Fier must be too tired that she fell asleep that fast.

   At the midnight, a black figure moves fast in the dark. He sneaked into the hospital's room, found his target and cover the woman's face with a small handkerchief. She struggled at first before she stop a moment later. The man carried that woman quietly out from the hospital and bring her motionless body to the winery house.

  "Bring her to the ritual altar. I will meet you there." Said the woman from behind the red curtain to the man. He obeyed her obediently and carry the body into his car before he drove away.

  Fier lay unconsciously next to the lifeless woman's body. A spirit of a woman approached her and touched her face, the spirit's expression become sadden then scowling. Fier's eyes moves rapidly as a vision have entered her dream, a projection of the spirit's memories.

  LuLu crawled on his wife's lifeless body. After been fighting the mysterious sickness for a year, Mia finally sleep forever. She bid her goodbye in a smiling face to her beloved husband, LuLu.

  Mia's final words were "Find a new happiness and let me go peacefully".

   But LuLu seem to be failed to let Mia go as peacefully as she wanted. He seek many ways to revive her but he failed his every attempts until he met a woman on a rainy night at the winery house. She convinced him that she could help him to resurrect Mia if he was willing to do it according to her terms and conditions.

  Since then LuLu start his night hunt. His target is  a woman that have the similarities to Mia — high passion for music, run a midnight radio and have a kind smile. He is killing them for their hearts. All the hearts are given to the woman at the winery house as a pact to resurrect Mia.