Curse of the Nightfall

Roland takes a long vacation leave from the bank, a month-long vacation as he needs to return to the city for some personal matters. He didn’t tell us what is that personal matters he needs to address. We accompany him that day of departure drinking beer with him on their porch. His mother is there so hospitable and we chat. Of course, on things ladies prefer to talk by themselves.

He departs on his red pick-up. He is never suspected of any wrongdoing.

Tonight, is a full moon and we are wondering who the next victim of the mystery killer will be. The town is wary and men here are apprehensive as no one of them is really safe until we will unmask the mystery yet the tangibility of death by numbers of dead victims is a testament of the seriousness of the threat. Nobody knows how to avoid or dispel it once the attack is there. And surely, the day arrives for the news we already expected, a high school teacher was dead with burnt eyes. He was attacked at home while sleeping with his wife. She is panicky and trembling as she discloses what happened.

At around 2AM she noticed her husband was having a nightmare as he was babbling noisily and in a gibberish tone. She felt he was harshly trembling so she opened the light and witnessed a crippling reality. Dark vapours were tail trails on his mouth and nostrils like a monolith of dark gas swaying and vibrating altogether. Then he was dead, his eyes smouldering in burning red. She was shocked on the imagery of death in a rather unexpected way. The dark vapour didn’t harm her as it slithers away like a full fed viper.

It is then that we have a picture of who is the killer—a vapoury black mist.

During the funeral, as they march to the burial site, an additional spectacle to the horrifying event is the presence of crows on the grid lines intervening with the mournful music of the funeral parade. Their cawing is quite evident as though sending some kind of message. They never disperse until dusk when moonlight is an element to being evil but these are merely crows, harmless and are simply a symbolism of doom. Just a symbol nothing more, nothing less. We are not superstitious enough to believe they are beyond what they really are—birds!

Missy Riviera, the missing girlfriend of Roland isn’t actually missing. She is hiding. Barely alive when a mountain shepherd found her almost dead on a cliff ledge. This is how she relate her story. She and Roland had a hiking activity wherein they were mountaineers. On her birthday, Roland invites her to climb on a mountain destination. With all the gears and hiking necessities they proceeded on the plan. She never knew the murder tendency of this event as Roland discovered Missy’s affair with a work mate. He planned to kill both of them.

The hike was unhindered as through the slope they reach the mountain top wherein the terrain has in it a rock formation. They camped beside the rock formation. The ravine at the edge is deep as nobody can survive any fall. This is where Roland intended to kill her by pushing him out to die on the ravine. While preparing for dinner, Roland decided to open-up.

‘Whose Robert?’, he suddenly erected a change of demeanour.

Missy on the other hand was playing innocent. ‘He is a work mate, Roland’, but the way Roland’s outward disposition gave her alarm. He was feisty and indignant.

‘Do you like him?’, it was sarcastic.

‘What with the question, Roland? Did we come here for a fight?’, she was trying to be composed.

‘Like you didn’t have sex with him, really?’, he was persistent.

‘Oh Roland, please stop it.’, she pleads, ‘Let’s enjoy the moment’

He darted toward her in rage and grabbed her by the chin, the other hand tightening on his neck. ‘Well, you don’t know me for sure but I’m not the kind you may fool around with. I wanted you to know that I will kill both of you.’, it was rage in motion as he dragged him to the ravine. She struggled for her life as Roland begun to choke her. She is a petite lady and Roland is almost a 6-footer, so when he dragged him it was like a rag doll on the mouth of a mad dog tearing it apart by its teeth. He succeeded as Missy scampered on the edge for a grip but she fell down anyway screaming loud as it faded to merely Roland’s mad laughter.

The shepherd who found her tended for some mountain goats. He was Ricky, a native on that region. He noticed on a ledge someone dangling in colourful material. He climbed to inspect. Missy was fortunate to have not fallen straight down. She was caught on a ledge. The thing is she has some broken bones, contusion and lots of scratches. She was alive.

The shepherd carried her home, took care of her and brought to the town’s hospital and she was mended and alive. She decided to not reveal herself but went to some discreet hideout to evaluate on how she must act. Roland did some revelation which she knew needed for attention but she was afraid. Roland as she realizes now is a mad man. She cannot compromise her safety. Still limping from the murder attempt, she looked outside the window to a horizon of dark clouds approaching unusually in such fast tempo. It was the clustering of crows as suddenly it filled the air with the cawing cacophony. Crows?

He searched the internet, for something that may be connected on the Chair family. She found Stephen’s facebook account, the account I shared with him. I operate it in his behalf.

She dialled the messenger voice call.