GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 33: Lord of Friday

Singha drove along a road lined with dense forest, with no houses in sight. Even the street lights flickered annoyingly, and the rugged road made his head shake, indicating that not many people come here often.

[Singha, are you still there?]

   “Yes, I am.”

[The officer, Aisuen, has served for forty years, initially stationed at Sisaket Police Station, later married Khun Panneepa, and they moved to Kantharalak District. He had two children there, a son named Anuphap, and a daughter named Phonpraphat.]

“Anuphap?”

[Yeah, the son had a frequent treatment history at the district hospital, but after age five, there’s no record anymore. It’s like the data disappeared twenty years ago, especially strange for his wife and daughter. No financial records, medical treatments, or educational history at all.]

   Singha’s car stopped in front of a house; the headlights were the only source of light now. The tall trees covered the area so much that even moonlight couldn’t reach down. The old wooden house was covered in vines, no lights, no signs of life, but it felt like someone was watching all the time.

[No, it’s weird that after Aisuen resigned, there’s no record of his family anymore. It’s like… they just vanished.]

   “Or were erased.”

[What do you mean?]

   “Before that cop disappeared, he erased his own data from the Kantharalak Police Station’s records.” Singha turned off the engine before stepping out, opening the trunk to grab a flashlight he bought from a convenience store. “Contact the local police here for me, tell them to come to the address I sent.”

[What the hell were you doing in there?]

   “This must be where it all started.”

[Singha… but that place is in a graveyard area.] His friend’s warning made Singha pause, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

“Not that surprising.”

[I think there’s something you need to know, and I haven’t been able to contact anyone at the station at all. I think m-]

   Now I can’t reach Say either, honestly.

Suddenly the line cut off, Singha looked down at his phone to find it had shut down, the red battery symbol from before was probably its last warning.

“Great.” Singha tossed the phone onto the car’s hood, his tall figure scanning the area with a flashlight to ensure no one was around. The only sounds were his footsteps crushing grass and leaves, so quiet he could almost hear his own breathing. It was too silent to be a normal situation right now.

As one of his feet stepped onto the decaying wooden porch of the house, the once calm atmosphere shifted. A sudden gust of wind whipped around as if a storm was approaching, crows and other animals started making noise, the rustling leaves sound like screams. Singha pulled out his gun, holding it at the ready. Even though he knew the real killer wouldn’t be here, something else that had been obstructing this case all along couldn’t be far.

The creaking of the wooden planks followed every step he took. Singha pushed open the ill-fitted wooden door, dust scattering everywhere, forcing him to cover his nose with his arm. The flashlight beam swept across various points in the house; it was almost a perfectly normal house, just missing occupants. Furniture was still there, even electrical appliances. Singha stepped over the threshold, the creaking floor made him think this place wasn’t built to standard. The musty smell made him frown. He explored the house cautiously, fearing he might destroy evidence if this was indeed a crime scene.

Thud, thud, thud!!

Sounds of running from the kitchen made Singha quickly turn his flashlight, but he found only emptiness.

“Good thing that kid didn’t come.” Singha muttered to himself, thinking if Thup had come, the kid would be making a fuss by now.

This was a two-story wooden house, and no matter where you walked, the creaking of wood always followed. Singha approached a glass cabinet near the television. Shining his light inside, he saw a photo of a boy and a girl. The boy sat in a wheelchair. The girl, in sports attire, held a track relay trophy, her face beaming with a smile full of joy from that moment. Unlike the boy, who looked weak and utterly displeased.

The next level down is a collection of several academic achievement certificates.

“Boy Anuphap, named like…”

‘Phii Singha’

   Singha immediately turned towards the calling voice, a voice of a girl still etched in his memory. Even though he knew it was impossible, his legs were moving towards that voice without a second thought.

‘Phii, sob’

   The calling voice and sobbing came from the house’s staircase. Following the sound, Singha lowered his gun and walked, shining his flashlight up each step until he reached the top. The sound of running made him raise his flashlight to scan around, but there was nothing but emptiness.

‘Phii, I’m scared, huh’

   Upstairs, there were four doors, only one of which was slightly ajar. Singha walked in without fear, and as his thick hand pushed the door wide open, he encountered something he never expected to see.

A musty and bloody smell assaulted him, making him wrinkle his nose. On the floor in the middle of the room, there were Khmer script carvings on the wooden floor. Blood splatters covered the floor and walls. Skulls, both animal and human, were piled up on the side. On an altar, there were offerings full of dried remains of some creatures, various clay dolls, and a bundle wrapped in red cloth with spells written on it. There was no distinction between sacred and divine here; this altar was specifically for ghost worship.

“Damn it.” Singha muttered as he shone his light to the top of the altar and saw a human skull with patches of long hair indicating the gender.

‘Because of you… I died.’

   The voice from behind made Singha press his lips together. From the moment he stepped in here, the young inspector had touched the unholy, entering the realm where the local spirit reigns supreme.

“Mesa.” What’s scattered in this room isn’t just dust but also bone ash from the red cloth bundle, floating everywhere, drifting into the sharp eyes like the intrusion of an outsider.

Singha saw a small girl, only as tall as his thigh, standing in front of the door. She was looking down at the floor, her whole body from head to toe soaked, water dripping from her hair. Her white dress made Singha’s hand tremble.

‘Phii, can you stay with me… please stay with me?’

   Her pleading voice, so pitiful, made Singha bite his lower lip hard. It was the same tone his sister used with him that day.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Mesa.”

‘Let’s stay together…let’s die together.’

   A rope dropped from the beam, falling right in front of Singha as if on purpose.

Intending for the young inspector to sacrifice himself.

“Phii Singha!” Thup jolted awake in the hospital room, drenched in sweat from the dream he had, but what made Thup hastily pull out the IV, ignoring the pain, was because he wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure if it was just a dream.

The young man got off the patient bed and looked around. He tried to compose himself and picked up his phone to call the older man.

[The number you have called is currently unavailable, please-]

   Anxious, but before he could go anywhere, his shoulder was grabbed.

“Phii Singha, where are you?” Thup rushed out of the room with urgency.

“How did you get out?!”

“Where is Phii, have you seen him?”

“Phii, Phii Chan, have you seen Phii Singha?”

“That inspector? He said he had some business to attend to, but before he left, he took a map with him.”

“A map to where?!”

“To that abandoned house in the forest.” It felt like ice gripped his heart; Thup brushed off Chan’s hand and ran off without direction.

“Hey, Thup, wait, where are you going, you just woke up!”

“Phii, do you have a car?”

“What?”

“I asked if you have a car!!”

“Yes… yes, you damn kid, you’ve got me all worried now.”

“Take me, take me to Phii Singha, take me to that house.”

“Wait, wait, we can’t go now, you need to get a medical checkup first.”

“There’s no time, we need to go now, right now, Phii Singha is in danger!!”

“Alright, alright, then walk carefully to the fire escape, meet me at the parking lot, to the right, a black Mazda, don’t let any staff see you. Otherwise, they’ll carry you back here for sure.”

Thup nodded vigorously and followed the instructions by running to the fire escape. At this point, even if he saw a ghostly woman with a severed arm standing at the staircase corner or an old man at the end of the exit, he couldn’t stop.

He now understood it wasn’t a dream; what he saw of Phii Singha about to hang himself wasn’t a dream!!

The police station today looked different, the lights that should be bright were completely dark, missing the usual hustle and bustle.

King parked his car in front of the fence because it was locked. It shouldn’t be like this; the young man jumped over the side wall to get into the station area. He pulled out his shiny silver gun and held it in a standard stance. He cautiously entered, the silence and the smell of blood making King more alert. When he reached the officers’ desks, he found two policemen lying unconscious on the floor, with sharp object wounds at their legs, blood pooling around, but both were still breathing. At this late hour, there weren’t many officers on duty, and with an incident requiring a manhunt, he had called out enough men to block Uncle Khuean’s car at various points, leaving this place unguarded.

The young detective walked towards the holding cells, his flashlight sweeping the area until it landed on one cell. Inside, there was a man wearing an orange robe sitting calmly. Hadn’t Darin said the abbot escaped?

“Abbot.”

“Devotee, what’s happening here, why is it so quiet, the lights are out, devotee.”

“Show both hands above your head, let me see, now!” The abbot sighed before raising both hands as instructed.

“I heard a woman’s scream from somewhere, not to mention all the clattering, should we go check it out?”

“Stay here.” King immediately walked towards the forensic room. On his way, he saw Lieutenant Prom, unconscious and breathing heavily on the floor beside Darin, the phones here were out of order, cut off, and his mobile phone was lost when he helped Say onto the ambulance!

‘Four, four, four, now it’s Friday, Friday has come.’

   King halted abruptly upon hearing the shrill, ear-piercing laugh. He was just about to pass through the corridor leading to the forensic room, but first, he had to get past the ghost of a woman standing in the middle of the path.

Bang!!

‘Four, four, four, again, again, shoot again, ha!’

   Bang! Bang!

Two consecutive gunshots rang out, and the targets were all aimed at the ghost, the woman who was sneering with her long tongue visible to him. King wasn’t as much a believer in the supernatural as Singha.

‘Shoot again, go on, shoot!’

   Bang! Bang!

Darin jumped at the sound of gunfire from outside. She stood up, then ran to look through the small glass pane in the door but only saw an empty corridor.

“It might be King.”

“Don’t go out, it’s dangerous.” Bom grabbed Darin’s wrist, “What should we do now? We don’t know whose gun that was.”

“…I’ll go out and check for myself.”

“Wait, wait a moment. I’ll try calling him.” Darin picked up the phone and dialed the latest number, but no matter what, it seemed the other party wouldn’t answer, “Why aren’t you picking up!”

“Then, I’ll sneak out to check myself.” Bom said and immediately opened the door and left without listening to any objections.

Darin could only pace back and forth with anxiety. She looked outside repeatedly until she heard two consecutive gunshots. The room’s door was opened again with Bom panting heavily.

“Let’s, huff, let’s go, it’s really Khun King.”

“Really?”

“He, huff. He shot the abbot. We’re safe now.”

Darin felt relieved instantly. She hurried out of the room, unaware that the person once panting behind her now made no sound.

“If we can leave here, we’re safe, meaning he failed.” No one got caught then.

“The Friday guy has arrived. Just missing one day.” Darin stopped abruptly upon hearing the words from behind her, her spine chilled, and her calmed heart started pounding again.

“Wh…what do you mean?”

“It’s Khun King.” The deep voice moved closer until it was almost in her ear, “Born on a Friday, right?”

‘Ghost’

   ‘Ghost’

   ‘Ghost’

   From the corner of her eye, Darin saw a spirit slowly appearing behind Bom, its terrifying smile made her pull away and start running for her life, except…

‘Uh… uh… uh… shoot dear sister, close your eyes and shoot to hit.’

   Bang!!

The howling sound of a lullaby followed by the final gunshot, the smoke from the gun barrel slowly dissipating. The scene before me gradually became clear: the ghost tilting its head with a smile at King, revealing its teeth, one by one. When it left, what remained was a drop of blood from the last bullet.

“Darin!!!!”

 

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