GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 39: The Sacrificial Ground

Breathing in and out rhythmically with the sound of the rain subsiding, Singha looked down at the metal rod piercing through his waist. There was no more bleeding now; the cold air turned the pain into numbness.

“Singha!!” Merk ran towards him, covered in mud, clearly having struggled to get there, “Are you going to die?!”

“Is that… your mouth is talking?” Singha retorted almost immediately, indicating he was still fully conscious.

“Hang in there, the medical team is on its way.”

“Thup… he got captured.”

“Focus on staying alive first.” Merk looked at the wound on his friend’s stomach with a tense expression. If he pulls it out, there would be certain death from bleeding.

“Will you help me pull it out… or should I do it myself?”

“Can you stop being so crazy, Singha?”

“If Thup gets there… he’ll start killing others for sure, both Rin, King, Lieutenant Khem.”

“But…” from working together before. The four of them faced a case so big they barely survived, but only he moved away because he was scared of fieldwork, and Singha still hasn’t changed, still cares more about work, about the case than himself. There’s hope he might pull this metal out by himself for sure.

Merk decided to open the first aid kit he brought along. Inside the surveillance van, there would be communication devices, life-saving equipment, and standard weapons. The only question was what could help Singha right now.

“There’s a staple gun for wounds!! There’s anesthetic!!!”

“Let’s do it.”

“There’s liquor too!!” Merk lifted a small bottle of whiskey with joy, “Damn, whatever, I’ll take a shot first.”

After downing enough to his satisfaction, Merk passed it to the one pinned to the tree. Singha took it and gulped it down like water while his friend poured alcohol on the iron rod and saline on the wound, followed by Betadine. Even though it wouldn’t help much, in this situation, living an hour longer was already a benefit.

“I’m going to inject it now.”

“Okay.”

“My knowledge is as small as a tadpole’s tail, I’m just recalling what Rin taught me, so this is going to hurt for sure.”

“Got a cigarette?”

“Now?”

“Yeah, just in case I die, I won’t regret not having one.” Merk rolled his eyes before pulling out a cigarette and a lighter from his inner jacket pocket. Luckily, being a leather jacket, it hadn’t gotten wet inside.

The rain had stopped, making starting a fire not so troublesome. Nicotine was packed into the lungs before turning into white smoke, floating away into the air. Singha slightly frowned as the needle pierced around his own wound. He knew well that what he was doing now wasn’t good, and might even be terrible, but if he waited for the medical unit to extract him properly, waited to go to the hospital, waited for a check-up, for treatment, by then there would be no one left to save.

Three minutes passed as the cigarette burnt out, the anesthetic took effect, and the moment of truth arrived. Singha dropped the cigarette butt to the ground before looking at the person in front of him.

“Hey, Singha. Are you sure you want it this way? You could die, you know.”

“Hurry up… we’re running out of time.” Merk sighed one last time in resignation before approaching closer. The thick hands of both men were placed on the iron rod. Merk was tasked with pulling Singha and pushing it out of his body. Every movement felt like it was ripping the soul out of the young inspector’s body. The anesthetic didn’t help much, causing Singha to cry out loudly, his voice echoing through the forest, “Argh, damn it!!”

“Hold on, hold on.” Merk pressed cloth onto the wound to stem the bleeding.

“It hurts like hell!!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but if we pull it out from the back, we can’t stop now. Otherwise, you’ll die before you can save that kid.” Merk peered at the back of Singha, seeing that the iron rod was almost free from the wood, now just needed to be freed from human flesh, “Just a bit more, kid.”

Singha took heavy breaths before looking at Merk’s face. This wasn’t the first time he was injured, but it was the first time he felt pain like he was about to die.

“Busybody, ugh.”

“Well, when you were conning that kid, I was on the line.” Merk had overheard the conversation between his friend and the young man earlier. Although he felt like vomiting, he was curious how his friend was going to deceive that naive kid in the end.

“After we get this iron out, I’ll use the mag to stitch up the wound on your stomach and back, then wrap it with cloth again, okay?”

“Mhm.” Singha inhaled deeply to brace himself before gripping the blood-soaked iron rod and pushing it out with force, just as Merk used all his strength to pull it out, “Argh!!!”

When the foreign object was removed from his body, Singha almost collapsed immediately. Thankfully, Merk caught him before starting to stitch up the wound on his abdomen with staples, followed by his back. Though it wasn’t as neat as a doctor might do, it stopped the bleeding that had started to gush out. Merk used all the basic knowledge he had to provide first aid to his friend to the best of his ability, and managed to get him out to their surveillance van. Singha was laid flat on the floor and given portable oxygen to prevent unconsciousness from blood loss.

“What do we do next?”

“Turn on the 248 tracker.” Singha said, pulling off the oxygen mask to speak to Merk, who was sitting and scratching his head in front of the computer screen.

“Why turn it on?”

“I planted a tracker… in that damn kid’s jacket pocket during the fight.”

“Pretty resourceful, inspector.”

“You drive.”

“Huh? Drive where?”

“Drive to where the tracker indicates, right now.”

“But…”

“No buts.”

“I’m not a field agent, you know!”

“Well, you are now.”

“Damn it! You owe me, Singha. So if you die, I’ll follow you to curse you out, for sure!”

Thup walked up to the front of the abandoned mill, surrounded by a forest area, overgrown with tall trees in several spots. It wouldn’t be surprising if no one noticed this place. He scanned the area before looking down at the ground in front of him. Not because there was nothing to see, but because there was too much. Numerous spirits were clinging to the walls, the roof, walking around; more than he had ever seen anywhere.

“I bet you’ve seen a lot of ghosts, huh? Must be quite a sight.” The person holding a gun from behind said with a mocking tone before pushing Thup forward, “Tonight, you’re going to see even more, keep moving.”

The scent of incense, candlelight, and the sound of chanting were the first things Thup noticed. Upon entering, as he reached the inner courtyard, his eyes widened in shock because it had turned into an execution ground. The air was thick with the stench of both animal and human blood, the chants in Khmer echoed as if dozens were reciting, though only one man was there, sitting in the middle, drawing runes with blood on the ground. This man, dressed in a pitch-black robe, held a ceremonial knife, cutting his own hand to let the thick red blood drip into a silver tray. White cloths hung on four sides of the ceremony area, with frangipani flowers dangling from the edges. On the silver tray on the ground lay an orange robe, a razor, a rosary, and a sacred thread. Around were offerings of frangipani krathongs, various foods, white liquor, bananas, and betel nut sets. What made Thup’s hands shake uncontrollably was realizing this wasn’t just any sacrificial ceremony but one to appease ravenous ghosts, with heads of various animals and blood as offerings.

“I summon the spirits Vijitwaman, Wannongkran, Yakbrisut, Samolthat, Kalonthuk, Yaknongyao, Akalai, the Mae Sue Spirits to reside here and accept these offerings prepared.” Seven headless dolls were placed around, as if prepared for the residing spirits.

Thup’s eyes met those of the officiant, and he recoiled in horror as the abbot he once knew had now turned into a superstitious sorcerer. Rough hands grabbed Thup’s chin to inspect closely, those beautiful brown eyes with long lashes, a sweet face inviting fascination.

“Exactly like your mother.”

Thup hoarse voice said, “You must stop this, these practices are wrong. The Mae Sue spirits you believe in are just ghosts who died tragically.” Thup tried to reason, but the response was far from what he expected.

!!!

A slap across Thup’s cheek from the person in front made him taste blood in his mouth. Thup bit his lip hard to suppress the fear from showing to the two deranged individuals.

“You blaspheme.”

“I’m not blaspheming, do you really think suddenly you came up with these ideas on your own? Do you really believe the ghost told you these rituals to help you and your son get better? Do you think any good ghost would tell you to kill your wife and daughter? I’ve seen ghosts my entire life, and I don’t think what you’re worshiping is that good of a spirit.”

“Shut up! That’s my wife and my child!”

“You know that’s not true. At least, wearing the yellow robe should make you see things differently. You know it well.” Thup looked past the abbot to see the mother and child ghosts feasting on the offerings. “You know well that the true forms of those two ghosts are not your child and wife.”

“Whether they are or not, me and my son aren’t dying. Tie him up like the others and take him to the sacrificial platform on Tuesday.” The abbot, or perhaps now he was no longer in that position, ordered his son before walking off to grab red thread and a needle.

“Move!” Thup was led away from the ritual area by a few steps, immediately looking away when he saw that both Dear and another had become lifeless bodies. The sacred threads wrapped around them clearly indicated why he couldn’t see their spirits at all.

“Phii Rin, Phii Rin.” Thup ran towards Darin who was tied up, her face pale and with blood stains at her waist, making him start to worry about what Bom was saying.

“She won’t die, she has to die on the sacrificial platform anyway.” True, as the wound on her stomach was bandaged as if to stop the bleeding, “If you keep fussing, I’ll put a few bullets in you. How about that, since you’re going to die anyway?”

“This time you won’t succeed, or even if you do, you’ll have to keep doing this, not waiting five years like before. Their hunger grows, and if you can’t give them what they want, you’ll be the one sacrificed.”

Bom licked his dry lips. Previously, they performed the ritual every five years and managed to escape, but having to do it twice because his father started vomiting blood last week made them panic and they got caught.

“I told you to shut up!!” Deep fear turned into violence for Bom, his gun-holding hand struck Thup’s face, knocking him down, but Bom continued to straddle him, using the gun’s handle to beat him until satisfied, “Shut up, shut up, shut up!!”

After venting some emotions, Bom stood up with a smile. He looked down at the young man whose face was covered in blood; his cheeks, mouth, and temples were all cut and torn. Just seeing that thick blood and hearing the labored breathing of someone he didn’t like made Bom feel better. He walked over to untie the ropes on Jump, and returned to his father at the ceremonial ground before whistling and dragging off.

“Cough-cough…” Thup coughed out before turning to spit the blood from his mouth. Pain spread throughout his body, but it wasn’t as painful as his heartache. Now, the image of Singha in that forest still haunts him, not fading away. He truly hoped Singha would survive to get justice against these people, whether he lived or not.

“Here he is, father.” Bom threw Jump’s body onto the ceremonial platform. The unfortunate victim’s arms and legs were bound tightly to the platform, while Anaphut stood above with a needle and thread.

“That kid.” before the former abbott could continue,

“He’s not dead. You said I could do whatever I wanted, so why worry now, huh?” The father and son argued briefly before falling silent, then bent down to focus on the doll’s head instead of the man tied in the center, representing the Mae Sue on Tuesday, placed beside Jump.

“I’ll… what are you doing, uh, don’t… please.” Jump, regaining consciousness, sensed the impending death, having heard Dear’s screams here before they fell silent with his last breath.

A gust of wind blew even though no windows or doors were open. Chants mixed with Jump’s screams of pain. The tip of the sewing needle slowly pierced through his eyelid, the red thread becoming stained with blood as it passed through the tissue over and over.

“Aargh!! It hurts, it hurts so much!!!”

Jump’s cries of agony were like those of an animal in a slaughterhouse. His eyes, before incense began to move because something was touching the sharp end, cried out until Thup had to close his eyes, tears streaming from the corners.

“Khun King!”

“Shhh, see that shard of glass?” King, with blood flowing from his temple, staining his expensive clothes, nodded towards Thup.

“I see it.”

“Go get it, move slowly so they don’t notice.”

“Yes.” Thup turned to look at the father and son who were intently chanting and sewing, threading through Jump’s body. He slowly crawled towards the shard of glass, which was not very large. Thup glanced back again, fearing Bom might turn and see him. When he was sure they wouldn’t notice, he reached out to grab the glass shard, but as he turned back, the space in front of him was no longer empty.

‘Naughty child, bad child’

   The ghost girl with bulging white eyes was grinning at him, her smile wide enough to see her uvula. She was squatting, tilting her head, looking at Thup with an amused expression.

‘Must be eaten’

   The night moved on, bodies hung in sacrifice,

Moth of death, accept the flesh,

Summon spirits everywhere to enhance the magic, the body healed.

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 38: Don’t Want to See

The sun began to descend from the middle of the sky, flocks of birds flew together, calling to return to their nests as if they knew what the brooding dark clouds were about to bring rain. The wind gusted, making the treetops rustle with an eerie whistle. Thup, looking away from the sky, turned to glance back at the increasingly distant road. He was about to walk back to where this all started once more. Whoever did this must have deliberately left that warning, intentionally written, saying it was Saturday, because that way, they’d surely know where to find him.

“Will this work?” Thup muttered softly to himself.

[Talking to yourself?] A familiar voice came through the earpiece Thup was wearing, almost making him smile. He looked around carefully before responding,

“It’s going to rain.”

[Why? Are you a bride afraid of the rain or something?]

   “I’m not scared at all.” The reply was mumbled, making the person on the other end chuckle softly, “Otherwise, how could I like you?”

[What did you say?]

   Thup’s voice was so low that Singha didn’t catch the latter part.

“Nothing, are you in the car? Don’t stand in the rain.”

[I’ll treat you to dinner, what do you want to eat?]

   “Really? Hmm, then how about we eat barbecue pork?”

[Just that?]

   “If I say I want to cook and eat at home with you, you won’t allow it, right?”

Singha laughed affectionately in his throat.

[And why wouldn’t I allow it? As if we’d do something other than eating?]

   “No… not that.” Thup’s startled expression made Singha shake his head lightly.

[Well, we can cook and eat at home later.]

   Thup somehow felt surprised by the older man’s brief response.

“Is the police officer who followed me around here?”

[Yes, are you scared?]

   “I’m scared they’ll get wet because of me, and also afraid they might get hurt.”

[What do you see around you?]

   “Um, there are just trees, and then…” Thup noticed an incense flower stuck upside down on the ground. From its fresh appearance, it was clear it hadn’t been there long, and whatever ceremony it was for, it wasn’t for anything good for them, “Incense…”

[Anything else?]

   “I haven’t seen any spirits yet, but I can guess there’s going to be a ritual here, probably to bind other spirits. They’re afraid they’ll come to steal the offerings.”

[If you see anything strange, run back to the car.]

   “How can I do that? I have to lure them into catching me.”

[Then do it. I’ll cut the signal first, so the bad guys won’t get suspicious and stay hidden.]

   “Yes, thank you for staying with me.”

[Hmm] Singha hung up and then looked through the trees to see the young man sitting down on an old log.

“Inspector”

“Is everything ready?”

“The first point is in position. I’m about to take my position too.”

“Remember, if someone shows up, find the right moment to take Thup back to the car. The other unit should follow me from a distance and inform Merk. The criminals might already know someone’s here, so be careful.”

“Understood.”

After giving orders, Singha leaned against a large tree that could conceal him well. His sharp eyes watched Thup, who was twisting his body back and forth. Seeing this, the kid looked down at his bandaged hand, moved his fingers, and smiled as if very proud. This sight brought a smile to the young inspector’s face as well.

“Damn, I want a cigarette.”

Time passed until dusk, the sky turning purple with flashes of light and thunderous roars, making Thup clutch his jacket tighter. The sunlight decreased, barely reaching the ground, and the forest’s chill began to creep closer, along with a premonition that made Thup clench his fists tightly.

[Can you hear me, Singha?]

   “Hmm.”

[It’s getting dark, why hasn’t there been any movement yet?]

   “It should be soon.” Singha checked his wristwatch to see it was now six-thirty. “How far has the search team gotten?”

[Four left]

   “Uh, update me on the progress.” The communication cuts off. Now, Singha has to focus more on Thup since it’s getting dark and they can’t use a flashlight or the culprit might notice.

Ssssk..

The sound of rustling bushes makes Singha hide. The source of the noise is about five meters away from him, meaning it’s close to Thup.

“Points one and three, get ready.” Move closer.

Ssssk…

Singha frowns tightly before turning to look at his other side. He picks up the knife by his side, holding it in a ready stance, rushing towards it without slowing down at all.

Getting close… The footsteps are…

Almost there…

!!!

“Si-” Suddenly, Singha lunges to cover the mouth of the person who just came close to prevent any noise, then whispers in a tense voice:

“What’s wrong, why did you leave your spot!”

“It’s… point one, sir, point one is dead, sir!”

“What?!”

“I saw him go quiet while we were talking so I left my spot temporarily to check, but when I got there, he was lying in a pool of blood.”

“Damn it! Get Thup back to the car, now!!” A thunderous bolt strikes, accompanied by rain pouring down as if to spite them, “Damn it!!”

Singha curses before running towards Thup. Seeing the young man still curled up at the same log, he lets out a sigh of relief.

“Phii Singha, watch out!!” Thup’s eyes widened as he pointed behind Singha. The older man, sensing a shadow behind him, quickly dodged.

The man in the black raincoat slowly removed his hood, revealing his face clearly. A Spartan jungle knife twirled expertly in his hand, the blood on it washed away by the rain, leaving it clean as before.

“Heh, heh, planned so well but you still missed, Inspector. Are you frustrated?”

“Not really.” Singha replied, stepping in front of Thup, observing the other man’s movements. His subordinate was signaling to stealthily approach Bom from behind.

“Oh, why is it? Why do you never remember that no one can do anything to me?!!!” Bom shouted amidst the pouring rain, just as the police behind him were about to pounce. Suddenly, they froze as if their feet were pulled into the muddy ground, then a swift motion, and a knife slashed at an officer’s neck, blood gushing out, mixing with the rain, flowing into the earth. The officer tried to speak but only managed a faint whisper unheard by anyone, before collapsing with his last breath.

“Damn you, Bom!!”

“Ah, ah, one more step and this gun I took from the station will go off.” Singha halted as someone behind pulled at his shirt. “Do you know how much time you’ve wasted? I had to watch you guys pace around to save that kid’s life. This plan should’ve been smooth like before, but because of you… because of you!!! This cursed plan is ruined!!!”

Bang!!!

Bom yelled out, firing a shot into the sky, his other hand, eyes red with rage, scratching at his arm and body, glaring hatefully at Singha and Thup.

“I tried! Tried to act normal, working with those nutty kids obsessed with ghosts. I just sent a story, brought a ghost or two for them, and they welcomed me into their team. Utter fools.” Bom rambled, pacing as if losing control. Singha reached out, grabbed Thup’s hand, and whispered:

“Run to the car.”

“And what about you?”

“If Dad wasn’t so picky and wanted that damn kid, we would’ve completed the ceremony by now!!!” The gun barrel pointed towards Thup until Singha had to move to shield him, “Your mother’s ghost, huh, where’s your mother’s ghost!! What’s so special about it, where did it come from!”

“Where are the others!!! Darin, Lieutenant Khem, that King, where are those two other kids!” Singha shouted over the sound of the rain, his hand slowly reaching behind to grab the gun tucked at his back.

“Huh. Those guys? They’ll be dead soon, don’t worry. By now, they’re probably having their ceremony until Tuesday, followed by Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and…” Crazy eyes looked at Thup, “Saturday, the troublemaker.”

“I’m Saturday.”

“Ah. At first, I did choose you, but the only problem was Dad wanted him!! So, hand him over, and no one has to get hurt.”

“Why follow the days, why must it be a Saturday!!” Singha tried to divert Bom’s attention from the kid behind him, who was visibly stressed, pacing back and forth, biting his nails, and scratching himself, indicating how stressed he was about being caught with his father.

“You don’t know anything, do you! Because Saturday helps me! They help me live on.”

“By taking others’ lives?. You’re psychotic.”

“So what!! Those people hate their lives anyway. They wish for wealth, for their parents to change, to pass exams, for business to thrive, for happiness, ha!! Pathetic.”

“You’re the pathetic one, just because they pray for something doesn’t mean people like you should take their lives for your stupid rituals and beliefs, you and your damn father, Thup, run!!!”

Bang!!

Singha shot Bom accurately in the shoulder, causing the Spartan knife to drop to the ground.

“Damn it!!!”

Bang!!!

Bang!!! Singha pushed Thup out of the bullet’s path, the kid…

The sound of gunshots reverberated through the forest as the young man ran as instructed by his elder.

“Come back!!!” As Bom was about to shoot at Thup, the young inspector reached him first, kicking the gun out of his hand, grabbing Bom’s arm, and throwing him to the ground. He then straddled him and began punching his face relentlessly.

Amidst the rain, it seemed Singha had the upper hand, until Bom noticed blood seeping from Singha’s waist.

“Ugh!” The hand that was blocking punches now struck Singha’s side, then he quickly flipped over to escape. His madness made him oblivious to the wound on his shoulder, a sneer appearing on his face. Bom repeatedly punched Singha’s wound before trying to find a gun that had fallen in the muddy ground.

Bang!!!

The gunshot, after a long silence, made Thup turn around, his worry for leaving his elder alone made him look between the path out of the forest and the path back to the old cemetery.

If he survived but everyone else died…

If he survived but this ordeal continued…

If he survived but lost another important person…

How would he go on living…

Thup decided to run back, the ground turning into sticky mud under his feet, making every step more difficult. He took off his shoes and rushed back. Upon arriving, he saw both men exchanging blows until Singha was nearly backed against a tree.

“Phii Singha!!” The familiar voice calling out surprised Singha.

“Go back and—”

!!!

“Phii Singha!!!!” A metal rod hidden in the grass beside the tree was grabbed by Bom and stabbed into Singha’s existing wound. What was just a few centimeters deep now pierced through. The rod went through his body and pinned him to the tree, a mocking laugh echoing amidst the sound of the rain.

“Not bad, it seems like you, mister inspector, have a Vaisravaṇa’s aura, huh? No wonder my father’s ghost has a hard time working.” Bom wiped the blood flowing from his waist and brought it to his mouth, “Hmm, Vaisravaṇa’s blood isn’t bad either.”

“Want to try my foot too?” Singha smirked before leaning his head against a tree.

“Still got a sharp tongue, huh?”

“Again!! You bastard.” Bom pushed the iron rod in his hand further in, blood starting to flow from Singha’s lips.

“Don’t mess with him!!” Thup ran in, pushing Bom away before turning to check on Singha, “Phii… Singha, are you in a lot of pain? I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”

“Why run back…” Singha gently stroked the clear cheek.

“What should I do, what should I do?” Thup took off his hoodie to press on the wound for the person, the brother, his tears blurring the vision in front of him.

“Stay, ugh, calm. It’s not… it’s your fault.” Singha moved his hand to pat Thup’s head to comfort him, the young man now seemed so frantic he was losing his senses.

The cold barrel of a gun pressed against the back of Thup’s head.

“Stand up, you’ve wasted enough of my father’s time.”

“No!!” For the first time, Thup turned and shouted angrily at the other person.

“Oh, is that so?” The gun barrel changed direction, now pointing at Singha’s head instead, “Choose.” Singha spoke to Thup before looking up at Bom.

“Don’t… listen to him.” His gaze was provocative, fearless.

“Wait! I’ll go. I’ll go, but let me call someone to help him first. Just a moment.”

“Do you think you have the right to negotiate?”

“You don’t have a choice either because your father needs me!!!”

Bom clicked his tongue in frustration before looking down at Thup again, “Just thirty seconds.”

Thup moved closer to Singha before grabbing the collar of the older man’s jacket.

“Phii Merk, did you hear that?”

[They’re coming, the ambulance is on its way, and I’m going in. Just keep talking like I didn’t respond.]

   “Phii, please come help Phii Singha. Someone, please help Phii Singha, time’s up. Get up before I really blow your brains out.”

“If you follow that bastard, ugh, I’ll be really pissed.” Singha said with a hoarse voice.

“I’d rather let you be mad at me than lose you.” Thup kissed the older man’s cheek softly, then pulled away, leaving him with a final smile, “I don’t want to see you like this, Phii Singha, so you have to survive.”

Thup stood up and followed Bom deeper into the forest, turning back to look at Singha once more with a somber look in his eyes.

   He truly hoped he wouldn’t have to see Singha differently from now on. He didn’t want to see the spirit of another loved one.

   He really didn’t want to…

  

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 37: Bait Victim

Singha turned to look at the kid beside him, who was intensely reading something on his phone. In just one more hour, they would reach Bangkok. He still couldn’t decide what to do with this kid.

“What are you reading?”

“Looking for a way to stop the ritual.”

“Just arrest those two, father and son, give them a good beating to ease the annoyance.”

“How can we get close to them if those two ghosts are still around?” Thup looked up from his phone to the person holding the steering wheel.

“And what will you do, transform into a shaman?”

“I’ve never studied this before. Never worshiped anything except for the holy monk, and I don’t even know what to do.” Thup spoke before sighing in frustration.

“So, what are you reading?” Thup showed his phone screen to the older man, “How to exorcize ghosts… from Google, really?”

“Well, I don’t know what else to do.” Thup complained before turning off his phone, “Phii, Singha.”

“Hmm.”

“Can I ask something?”

“About Mesa?” Thup was surprised the older man guessed correctly before nodding lightly. “I had a sister four years younger. One day at the temple, Mesa suddenly said she wanted to play with a friend, but when I looked, there was no one there. After that, Mesa started talking strangely, speaking to someone unseen. When Mom took her to the doctor, they found nothing wrong; the doctor thought it might be her imagination from when she was little, and that it would go away as she grew up. But a year passed, and she was still talking to someone unseen. At that time, our family had problems; my dad, a policeman, was fired because he kept showing up drunk at work. After that, our home turned into hell; Mom and I were yelled at and beaten every day.”

“So, when you said you just wanted to help Mom… it was because of this?”

“Uh-huh.” Singha acknowledged with a grunt before continuing, “One day, Dad came home drunk. He hit Mom for stupid reasons like the food wasn’t tasty. That day was the first time I stood up and threw a vase at him. From then on, there was nothing but madness in that house. Mesa came to pull me away and said a kid invited her to play. Do you know what I did?”

“What?” Thup asked in a softer voice.

“I yelled at my sister, called her nonsense, said whatever she saw wasn’t real, and told her she could go wherever she wanted.” Singha looked out at the street, as if reliving that day, “After I called the police to take Dad away, I thought life might get better. I tried to find Mesa to bring her back home, and then I found…”

“Phii Singha…”

“I found her drowned in the canal behind the house. The funny thing is, the villagers whispered that months before, another child had drowned there too.” Thup pressed his lips together tightly. If what Singha said was true, it was likely a spirit seeking a replacement. “Now, do you still think it’s not my fault?”

“Is that why you believe me, Phii?”

“Just thought I’d listen. I’ve already failed once by not listening to Mesa.” Singha turned to meet the eyes of the young man he had initially been skeptical towards. He had let anger and frustration replace his judgment because Thup reminded him of his sister’s ordeal, but seeing Thup suffer from something unseen made a part of him want to try believing, “I don’t want to make another mistake.”

The sun was directly overhead when both of them arrived at the hospital. Singha walked straight to the room of his close friend who had just been caught in the crossfire of this case.

“Hey.” a hoarse voice greeted as Singha entered the room.

“Hey.” The young inspector approached the bedside of the patient. From head, neck, arms, to legs, Say’s entire body was covered in wounds, making Singha sigh, “You okay?”

“Well… still not dead.” Say pointed to the bedside table as a signal. Singha reached out, opened the drawer, and found an opaque medicine bottle. On the side of the bottle, it was written that its owner was named Isur.

“I know now. Merk found out about the name change fifteen years ago. Those father and son changed their names to conduct transactions without issues. Every time they finished a crime, they’d find a scapegoat, or if not, they’d try to hide the bodies before moving locations, building a history, and gaining trust until they started another sacrificial ritual.” Singha explained further. He had just learned that Aisuan was now the abbot, currently named Anuphap, while the real Anuphap was Bom, who had taken his father’s name Aisuan. The room door opened, revealing an intelligence officer who hadn’t been in the field for a long time.

“Hey, hey, you bunch of troublemakers, Bom and all. Is this kid Thup?” Merk turned and pointed at Thup, who was standing quietly in the corner of the room.

“Hello.” Thup greeted.

“Yeah, yeah, this is the condition at the station, Singha.” Merk handed over a file from the crime scene investigation where the officer was attacked.

“Any leads on finding Darin and the others?”

“Not yet.”

“And clues about the perpetrators?”

“The temple’s janitor named Khuean and that brat named Bom. We’ve got the exact address of the old man now. Officers are preparing to surround and capture him. As for Bom, no information yet. The CCTV was off, communication tools didn’t work, everything crashed like it was hit by a virus. The IT department is working on it now.”

“No, I meant the abbot.”

“The abbot? Isn’t he supposed to be a scapegoat?”

“No.” Singha handed a picture frame he took from an abandoned house in Sisaket to Merk.

“Wow! He’s been a monk for fifteen years, but all this time he’s been killing people like they’re vegetables or fish, you know? Do the villagers know what they’re worshiping?”

“Get all the information on these father and son, I know they’ll strike tonight at the graveyard, but before that, we need to find those who have been taken.”

“Can’t we just surround them at the graveyard?”

The young inspector shook his head before standing up to his full height, “If we go to arrest them then, no one would survive.”

Singha, Say, and Merk were discussing business seriously until Thup excused himself to wait outside, feeling that his presence might hinder the police from talking freely. While waiting outside, Thup pondered what to do with those two ghosts. Simply banishing them would lead them to haunt others, possibly causing the same trouble again. He needed to not just chase them away but eradicate them completely, even if the chances were zero.

“What should I do?”

“Hey, Thup.” a voice called from behind, making Thup slightly jump. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“What is it, Phii?” The young man noticed the serious expression on the older man’s face, indicating that what they were about to discuss wasn’t going to be simple.

“We need to find Darin and the others as soon as possible. They’ve been killing their victims before taking them to perform a ritual at the graveyard. We don’t have much time left.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Be the bait.”

Thup clenched his hands together. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered it, but he was still apprehensive. If Singha succeeded, they would find and save the other victims. But if he failed… everyone would die, including him.

“I trust you, Phii.” Thup said, reaching out to shake Singha’s hand with a smile. “You’re great; you’ll definitely be able to help everyone.”

“Don’t be too confident. We don’t know what those two bastards have planned.” Singha glanced at the kid beside him who seemed completely unfazed.

“I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Have you thought this through?”

“Yes.”

“Then go get ready. I’ll explain the whole plan to you.” Singha led Thup to a special adjacent room set aside as the operations prep room.

Clothes, weapons, and wireless communication devices, everything laid out in the room excited Thup. When they reached the bed, Singha stood and handed him a set of clothes along with a bugging device, a tracker, and a knife.

“Change, and listen while you do.” Thup nodded solemnly, took the clothes, and placed them beside him. The young man slowly took off his shirt, followed by unzipping his pants, but before he could pull them down, he looked up at his elder.

“Um… won’t you turn around, Phii?”

“Why should I turn?” Singha crossed his arms, leaning against the wall, looking at the kid in front of him. Although he was a bit skinny, his frame was large; not bad at all.

“Or should I undress you?”

“No… no need! I… I’ll do it myself.” Thup awkwardly removed his pants.

“They’re probably not far from where the first incident happened. I’ve instructed the remaining officers to search quietly. What you need to do is go to the graveyard. I believe one of them will be there waiting.

“Yes.”

“There will be two officers secretly following you, so don’t worry. As soon as they make a move on you, the officers will arrest them immediately.” Thup put on sleek black jeans, followed by an oversized black t-shirt and a matching hoodie.

“And what about you, Phii?”

“I’ll be giving orders from the van, not far away.” Singha said as he approached and took something out of his bag, “Take good care of yourself.”

The amulet necklace that almost fell into the hole that day was once again placed around Thup’s neck. His light brown eyes stared unwaveringly at his older brother. He didn’t know how this mission would go, whether he’d survive or not. So, he should seize the opportunity now, right?

“Phii Singh.”

“Use this knife only when necessary, don’t be reckless and cut yourself again.” Singha added, slipping the knife into the pocket of the kid in front of him, then he gently rubbed his ear and placed a headset for communication on Thup, “Check it, can you hear me?”

Singha put on his own headset and walked out of the room to test the effectiveness of both his and the kid’s headsets.

“Hey Thup, can you hear me?”

[…]

   “Thup”

[…]

   “The headset has a probl-”

[I like you, Phii.]

   Singha didn’t respond. From the trembling voice on the other end, it seemed like the kid mustered all his courage to say that.

“Is this what you wanted to test?”

[I don’t know if I’ll have another chance to say it So… yeah… don’t be mad, okay?]

   Laughing to oneself in the throat before opening the door to go back inside, when seeing the kid who just muttered something to himself now sitting with his face covered on the bed, the patient with blushing ears that couldn’t be fully hidden pretended to ask,

“What did you just say? I didn’t hear.”

“Uh… nothing.” made him feel affectionate to the point of wanting to…

“Oh, but it sounded like you said something.”

“No. I didn’t say anything.”

“Didn’t you say you liked me?” When Thup looked up from his hands and faced Singha, there was no sign of anger, but instead, he raised his eyebrows with a smirk, Thup felt a bit relieved.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, what?”

“I… I like you.”

“Since when?”

“Dunno.” Thup sighed before resting his forehead against the older man’s chest, “Realized it, and I already liked you.”

“Timing’s a bit off, huh?”

“Sorry.” Thup was about to pull away, but the strong, warm arms wrapped around his neck first.

“You’re safe now, Thup.”

“You too.”

“Hmm.” Singha softly acknowledged while gently patting the young man’s head in his embrace. No matter what, this plan had to succeed because they had no other options left.

After getting ready, Thup was led to a van heading directly to the site of the latest incident. Inside the van, there were four officers on duty, including Singha and Merk. They could only muster this many people because the others were either injured or currently surrounding the temple caretaker, Khuean. Moreover, Singha was worried that gathering more people might result in more injuries than there already were.

“Review the plan one more time: the officer will lead you into the forest before splitting up to hide and wait for the criminals to come for you. Make sure they don’t suspect anything. It’s crucial that they think you’re alone, understood?” Singha spoke with a serious tone.

“Understood.” Then let’s get started, synchronize the start of the mission for everyone.”

“Roger that.”

“Roger that.”

When the van stopped by the road, Thup and two officers got out. The young man turned to look at his older brother once more. No hesitation. No weakness. He wanted all this to end.

“Be careful.” Singha said as Thup’s back was turning away, his last words before looking down at his map.

Once the van door closed, Singha immediately changed into a new outfit and had the van move to hide in a dense thicket in the forest. Black jeans, a fitted black t-shirt were put on, holding a gun in one hand, with a hoody ready.

“Are you sure those two are briefed properly?” Singha asked while checking everything on him.

“Yeah.” Merk replied, sounding somewhat annoyed. “I hate your plan.”

“Me too.”

“Have you thought about what to do after they’re caught? Did you think about that, Singha?”

“We’ll think on our feet.”

“You said they’re waiting for that kid because he’s the Saturday target, but did you forget you were also born on a Saturday?”

“But he was an artist. As for me, I’m a cop, I won’t send a kid to die.” Singha said, putting on a black mask before covering it with his hood, his fierce eyes showing not a hint of worry.

“So, you’re going to be the bait yourself?”

“I think not.”

“Think?! You just think?! Singha! You bastard, you fool!”

“Instead of yelling, why don’t you ask the search team how far they’ve gotten?”

“Already checked ten places, eight more to go.” Merk looked up at the screen showing the search results of predicted areas, from abandoned warehouses, cemeteries, or any structures where a ritual as described by Singha could take place.

“Report back if you find anything. If the culprit acts first, find them before I die.”

“Such an ill-omened mouth!” Merk shouted loudly.

Singha looked out the window and sighed. He hoped the kid wouldn’t catch on that he wasn’t really the bait for the killer.

   But rather, it was him.

  

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 36: Maravijaya

Inside the car heading back into the city, after a whole day of investigating and a whole night of fleeing from ghosts, Thup was nearly exhausted. The cool air and soft sunlight made him drowsy. Thup slapped his cheek with the back of his hand to stay alert; he couldn’t leave Singha alone.

“If you feel sleepy, then sleep.”

“It’s not safe yet. How can I leave you alone?”

“Nowhere is safe if that damn ghost can appear anywhere like this.”

“Are you okay, Phii?” Thup noticed the fatigue and wounds on Singha, especially around his waist.

“I’m okay. Once we get back, we’ll collect stuff from your uncle’s house. I’ve already arranged the car rental; driving back should be quicker.”

“Take a rest, Phii Singha.”

“Do you think we have time for that?”

Thup bit his lip until it turned pale. It was true. They had no time now.

When they arrived at Uncle Chai’s house, two cars were parked in front. The once dashing young doctor now looked disheveled, his body grimy, his face unwelcoming. The tall, stern-faced young policeman looked even more formidable with his wounds. And the bright young man who arrived full of life was still like a flower, albeit one that had survived a night of ordeal.

“Blimey!! What on earth have you lot been up to? Why do you look like you’ve just come back from a war?” Uncle Chai asked as he stepped away from washing the fighting cock to approach them.

“We just came back from a war, Uncle!!! A war with ghosts!” Charn answered irritably.

“Ghosts? What have you been doing? And why is the kid bleeding?” Uncle Chai approached Thup with concern, his wrinkled hand gently brushing dirt off Thup’s face.

“I’ll tell you later, Uncle. Right now, I need to shower, pack up, and head back to Bangkok.”

“Didn’t you say you were staying for several days?”

“We have urgent matters to attend to, but I’ll come back to visit you.” Thup said, offering a wide smile to the old man, not wanting him to worry more than he already was.

Singha left the uncle and his nephews to talk. He went inside to pack, removing his black leather coat and t-shirt with one arm. His sharp eyes emotionlessly surveyed the scratches on his body before focusing on a stab wound near his waist, caused by falling into a pit and hitting a pile of bones. He hadn’t expected one would pierce him.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.” he thought it might be the little dog that had been following him around, but it was the annoying guy instead. “What do you want?”

“I helped you out there. I got hurt and was haunted by ghosts too.” Charn said, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

“Thanks.” Singha replied flatly through the mirror. He took out a portable first aid kit from his bag and started cleaning the wound with alcohol. “Why are you here?”

“To do my duty as a doctor.” Chan walked in with a much larger first aid box than Singha’s. “You can’t just clean that wound haphazardly. If you want to stay well until you reach Bangkok, sit down.”

“Thought you’d be too freaked out to do anything.” Singha said, sitting down on the bed as instructed.

“A little bit. I got tricked by that charred ghost kid. And it even burned my chest.” Chan grumbled like someone who’s easily scared. He poured salt water over it to clean the dirt before assessing the depth and width of the wound, “Looks like it needs stitching.”

“Stitch it then.”

“This is an old man’s house, not a hospital. No anesthesia here.”

“No need for it.”

“How did I end up liking you?” Charn said with a surprised tone before walking to open the window and pouring alcohol over his hands. At this moment, following medical protocols wasn’t feasible. If he forced the police officer behind him to go to the hospital, he’d likely get scolded for wasting time, and the other would just roughly treat the wound himself, it would get infected, and then he’d die. Charn nodded seriously to himself before returning to sit in front of Singha with a needle, “Promise me you’ll go to a doctor to check the wound again.”

“No promises.”

“Then I’ll tell Thup.” Charn raised his eyebrows before putting on gloves and pouring betadine on the wound.

“Okay.” Singha said before rolling his eyes. If Thup found out, he’d probably walk circles around him all day, making it impossible to do anything else.

“I guess you’re pretty tough, but better bite down on this.” Charn glanced at the roll of gauze in the box. Seeing the other man pick it up to bite on it, he started stitching the wound immediately.

The needle piercing the flesh, the tug of the thread slowly moving through the skin, made Singha bite down hard on the gauze. Sweat streamed down from his temple, the pain gradually shooting from his toes to his head. Right now, there was hardly a part of his body that didn’t hurt, but they couldn’t afford to delay any longer. Judging from the silence from the station, things over there must not be going well.

“Ugh!!”

“You moved yourself.” Charn quickly defended himself when he caught the pressuring look from the other.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Phii Singha, what are you doing? Can I come in?” a voice from outside the door asked, causing both people inside the room to look at each other.

“Will you answer or should I?” Charn whispered, seeing the injured person nod towards him, Chan knew his duty immediately, “Don’t come in yet, we’re busy.”

Singha smacked Charn’s shoulder hard when he heard this.

“Ouch! Why did you hit me? There’s a needle in there, remember?”

“Why is Phii Charn allowed in the room, Phii Singha? Open the door for me, please.” Thup’s anxious voice made Singha glare at the person who was stitching his wound.

“Keep stitching.” Singha spat out the roll of bandages before replying to Thup, “I’m talking, dealing with the case stuff. Go… take a shower first.”

Singha tried to speak while suppressing his voice, his forehead creased just like his palm.

“But…” Sweat began to appear.

“Done.” Charn exclaimed before quickly clearing the equipment and putting everything into a plastic bag. “Here are the anti-inflammatory and antibiotics.”

“Thanks.”

“Wow, impressed by me, huh? It’s still not too late for me to woo you now.”

Singha shook his head slightly before grabbing a new t-shirt to wear. The silence from outside the room made him curious enough to go and check. The young man sitting hugging his knees in front of the door quickly stood up and grabbed both of Singha’s shoulders.

“What are you doing, Phii?”

“I’ll be going then, feeling sticky, and this dirt, yuck.” Charn quickly dashed out of the room, fearing his secret might spill.

“Phii…” Thup watched Charn until he was out of sight, then turned back to face Singha, his elegant hands wiping the sweat off Singha’s forehead without any disgust.

“He just came in to ask about the case, whether we need to give a statement. Go take a shower so we can get ready to leave.”

“Phii, go take a shower first, I’ll make breakfast for us to eat. At least eat something before you drive a long distance.” Thup said as he let go of the older man’s hand and walked into the kitchen. His little heart was wilting because of the earlier incident. He didn’t dare to ask, and even if he did, the other probably wouldn’t answer, which wouldn’t be surprising. After all, he was just an outsider, just a kid who happened to be there temporarily.

After showering and changing clothes, both sat down to eat before saying goodbye to the homeowners, the aunt and uncle who kindly let them stay. As for Charn, who should have also said goodbye, he had already fallen asleep right after eating, even taking himself to sleep in the house’s shrine room. They left without saying goodbye.

In the car, there was only silence, different from previous times when Thup would always be the one to start conversations. Less than ten minutes into the drive, they turned into the entrance of a temple they had asked Uncle Chai for directions to. Inside, the temple wasn’t luxurious or grand, but it brought a sense of peace. The trees were shady, gently swaying in the breeze. Soon, they found a chapel made of bare concrete, with wooden doors that, although not intricately carved, had beautiful patterns from the wood’s cracks.

“Why are we here?”

“You said you wanted to pay respects to the old monk.”

“Thank you.” Thup got out of the car and walked into the chapel with reverence. Memories from his childhood came flooding back, making his eyes well up with tears. The Buddha statue in the conquering Maravijaya pose wasn’t coated in gold or crafted by a skilled artisan; it was just an old bronze cast, some parts worn away by time, sitting in meditation with the left hand upturned on the lap and the right hand pointing down.

Thup sat down to pay his respects as the old monk had taught him. He looked forward and saw a picture of the old monk, the only memento left. The monk had instructed that when one comes from the earth, one should return to it, with no need to keep anything that would hold back those still living.

“Reverend, I have come to visit, and I have many stories to tell you, so many you’d complain. But I can’t tell them now; I have to go soon. Thank you for leaving the Buddha statue for me, Reverend. You knew I’d lose the other one, didn’t you? sniff I…” Tears flowed from his beautiful eyes. Thup hastily wiped them away, not wanting to show weakness now, “What you said about what I see not always being bad, I understand now what you meant.”

The young man bowed to the floor, then looked up at the solitary Buddha statue in the chapel, his eyes determined, resolute, and fearless once again. A gentle breeze blew across Thup’s face as if bestowing a blessing.

“Protect everyone facing this bad situation, protect Phii Singha, protect me and keep me safe, please.”

It was considered an auspicious time to pay respects to the Buddha before returning to face the chaos ahead. And the Buddha statue that Thup just paid respects to and prayed at is believed to be…

The Buddha statue in the Maravijaya posture, which is the Buddha for those who don’t remember their birthday.

Also known as the “Conquering Pose” posture.

   Getting back into the car with a calmer heart, whatever happens from now on, I’ll do my best. No matter what happens, he believes there will always be someone by his side. A tissue was handed to him along with a blanket.

“Thank you, Phii Singha.”

“Thanks for what? Are you done? Let’s get going.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Singha and Thup left Sisaket at seven in the morning. They needed to reach the station before evening. Otherwise, it would be hard to save anyone’s life, even though they knew the father-son killers were waiting, but now there was no other choice but to face them.

On the way, nothing obstructed them. They encountered nothing strange, nothing at all, indicating those people wanted both of them to return, or maybe just Thup alone.

“Here you go, Phii Singha.” Thup, who had just bought some cold clothes, water, and snacks from a convenience store at the gas station, noticed the person behind the wheel was looking pale, so he gently touched his forehead. “You have a fever, Phii. Should we rest first? Just half an hour?”

“I’m fine.”

“If you drive like this and something happens to you, we won’t be able to help anyone.” Thup cautioned before placing his hand on Singha’s shoulder.

“You’re so fussy.” Not that he disagreed. Since it was a weekday, there weren’t many cars on the road, and traffic regulations allowed them to travel faster than expected. However, now the wound on his waist started to ache, causing a slight fever, combined with speeding and not resting at all for two days, his body began to protest.

“Alright, I’ll have a sandwich to fill my stomach first. I’ll go buy some fever medicine for you, there’s a pharmacy right there.”

After the young man went down, Singha started eating the sandwich in his hand before taking the medicine that Charn gave him, then moved to lie down in the back of the car because the front was too windy from the AC. Just as he lay down, dizziness struck, forcing Singha to raise his hand to massage his temples. Not long after, the sound of the car door opening and the sunlight made him curse softly.

“It’s glaring, damn Thup.”

“Let me put this fever-reducing gel patch on you first.”

“Come in.”

“Yes?” Thup looked at his elder, lifting his head slightly just enough to slide himself in and sit down. Once inside, Singha’s head rested on his lap, leaving the young man stiff and unsure of what to do.

“Close the door.”

“Yes… yes.” Thup reached out easily to close the door. “How’s the wound on your hand?”

“Phii Charn redid the dressing for me, but it still hurts a bit.”

“Hmm.”

“Phii Singha, are you comfortable lying like this? Should I move to the front?”

“No need. Stay here.”

“Then… please take the fever reducer first.” Singha opened his eyes to look at the lap’s owner before taking the medicine. Anything that could alleviate his symptoms now was good. He didn’t know what he’d face back home, but he had to keep himself in shape to survive as much as possible. “I’ll put the fever-reducing gel on you.”

“Do what you want. No need to talk, I’m going to sleep. Wake me in half an hour.”

“Ah, okay.” Thup watched as the older man folded his arms and closed his eyes. He brushed aside Singha’s black hair from his forehead before applying the fever-reducing gel. For the next half hour, Thup did nothing but gaze at the face of the man resting on his lap.

The slender hand gently stroked through the soft hair of the older one with familiarity. If only it could stay like this forever, it would be nice. If Phii Singha could stay by his side like this, continuously, that would be quite wonderful. The young man slowly leaned his face down until his nose touched the cool fever gel on Thup’s forehead. When Thup opened his eyes, he saw the person who should have been asleep was now awake, staring back at him.

“Should I ask what you’re doing?”

“Uh, no… nothing. I… I was just checking if there was something on your face.” Thup quickly sat up, denying with a suspicious stutter, his face flushing all the way to his ears, unable to hide anything from the one resting on his lap.

“Oh, really?” Singha said in a flat tone before sitting up. Thup, about to sigh in relief thinking he wasn’t caught, but moments later, Singha moved close, their faces less than a span apart, lips straight, nose sharp, eyes dark reflecting like the night, and eyebrows raised as if teasing, “And is there still something there?”

“Uh… no… no. Nothing there anymore.”

“Oh, really? You haven’t even looked closely.” Thup felt like his face was about to explode from the heat, his hands not knowing where to go, his eyes burning not sure if from the urge to cry or sheer embarrassment, his heart pounding harder than when encountering a ghost. What Thup did to escape this situation was to bury his forehead against the older one’s chest to hide his red face, “Heh, you little pup.”

Singha ruffles Thup’s hair into a mess before stopping the tease and getting out of the car to freshen up. His phone, over half charged, vibrated in his pocket, prompting him to answer it.

“Say.”

[Where are you now?]

   “Nakhon Ratchasima, close to Saraburi.”

[Good, so that’s why I couldn’t reach you.]

   “Yeah.” Singha’s face returned to its usual seriousness because after turning his phone back on, he tried calling Say, Darin, and King, but none answered. The urgency in “no time left” was literal now.

[I couldn’t reach King either. Checked the station only to find out it’s a total mess now… safe though… Say is in the hospital because of a car crash. King and Darin have disappeared, and importantly, the station looks like a battlefield.]

   “How is everyone else doing?”

[Several officers are injured. They’ve all been sent to the hospital now. And hey, Singha, there’s something you should see.] Merk’s worried voice made Singha pause at the car door before opening it to look at the sent picture. I don’t know what it means, but my gut tells me this message was meant for you.

Merk’s intuition was right; the message was intentionally sent to him and to the kid sitting with a flushed face in the car. The message on the wall was written in blood, a vivid red whose origin was unknown:

‘Sacrifice of souls

   For rebirth

   Before your own demise

   Send Saturday to me’

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 35: The Spirit that Got Away

The body fell, hitting something hard, causing Singha to groan softly. The wooden plank covering wasn’t wide enough for him to land properly; it grazed his skin, leaving a long trail of blood. The pain in his back indicated he didn’t just fall on the ground but onto something else too.

“Phii Singha!!! Phii Singha, are you okay? Where does it hurt? Phii, please answer me!”

The loud shouts from above made Singha open his eyes to see Thup peering into the pit with concern. This pit was probably about three meters deep, wide enough to throw a corpse in, whether human or animal.

“I’m fine! Go get that guy to help!” Singha yelled back, grateful that when he was dragged down, he managed to grab a rope along with him. Now, if anyone was unsafe, it would be Thup still up there, with that damned ghost, “Throw down the flashlight, and watch your back!”

“I’ll get Charn to help, just wait here, Phii.” The young man looked like he was about to cry before he ran off.

“Stuck in this hole, where else could I go?” Singha muttered to himself. He picked up the flashlight Thup threw down and turned it on, lighting up the area, “Damn it.”

Singha’s suspicion was correct; this was the only spot in the house with a carpet, which should have been in the living room. A carpet shouldn’t be placed where it would get the dirtiest unless something needed covering, like the dozens of skeletons now under his feet.

Thup looked left and right, conflicted. If he left, those ghosts would surely attack Singha, but staying wouldn’t help either. Just as he was about to open the door to go outside, the ghost of a mother and her child appeared, blocking his way.

‘You all must die here!!’

   “If I’m not there, the ritual won’t succeed! And if the ritual doesn’t succeed, it means you won’t get any offerings at all!! You’ll have to go back to being a low-class ghost, wandering around as before!” Thup, with both hands still clutching his amulets tightly, tries to keep his courage up. He could feel his whole body trembling like a baby bird, but if he were to show fear and do nothing, not only would he be in danger, but Singha would be too.

The door slowly creaked open, and Thup saw Charn sitting clutching the steering wheel inside the car. But he wasn’t alone; the back seat, the hood, and the roof were all covered with spirits clinging on, looking at Charn with hungry eyes.

“Why is Thup taking so long in there, and why is this damn AC so cold? I thought I turned it off already.” Charn complained before rubbing his arms repeatedly. He had been feeling cold and a shiver down his spine for quite some time now. But when he looked around, there was nothing, so he just stared ahead at the abandoned house. “What’s Thup doing standing there and not coming out?”

Charn noticed Thup standing at the door but not stepping out. He decided to open the car door, get out, wave, and call out to Thup.

“Hey, Thup! Why aren’t you coming out?!” Charn yelled, but what he got in return was Thup waving back and saying something he couldn’t hear. “What the heck, come out quickly, I need to get back to work!”

Charn approached closer to call out to the kid in the abandoned house. Just as he was about to step forward, what should have been solid ground under his foot turned soft, causing him to fall into a pile of mud.

“Ouch!! Damn it, what rotten luck layered upon rotten luck!” Chan groaned from below, as he placed his hand on what he thought was the ground, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was something he was familiar with from his days as a medical student. Under his palm, he glanced, “Eek!!!” His dark eyes shook with fear.

The skeletons piled up, indistinguishable from one another, made Chan’s hair stand on end. He quickly got up and made a respectful gesture. Even though he had studied and encountered cadavers before, those were situations where they had paid respects before proceeding with anything. Now, he was standing on someone’s bones, not knowing how he got there, and importantly, he was sure he had just stepped on and broken part of a bone.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Charn tried to climb up from a hole as deep as his height, but because of the falling dirt, every time he tried to grab something, it made climbing out much harder.

‘Fire, fire, fire, fire’

   The small voice in front made Charn’s heart beat like a drum. No one. Had fallen with him. No one was there before, so behind him now… V!… ne…

!!!

Suddenly, he felt heat on the right side of his chest. When he looked down, he saw something burning there. A few seconds later, flames slowly appeared with scorching heat burning through the fabric onto his skin.

“Ow!! Ouch, hot, hot, hot!!”

‘Aah, aah, aaah, aah’

   Chan tried to take off his shirt; he started to smell burnt flesh, the burning sensation made him furious to the point of losing his mind. The nerve-wracking laughter from a girl whose body was charred black like a burnt log made him feel almost as scared as he was mad.

“Phii Charn, reach out your hand!!” Hearing a voice from above, Charn reached out without thinking, but as he was about to be pulled up, a hand grabbed his leg first.

‘Not going!! Burn, burn, burn, get burned!!’

   “Don’t mess with me, you brat! Get away, get away, get away!!” With the pulling force and fear, Charn kicked at the burnt face until that small hand let go. He propelled himself upwards with the help of Thup’s pulling strength, finally. He got out of that dreadful pit, “I’m not staying here, damn it!”

“Wait, Phii Charn. We need to go help Phii Singha!”

“Shouldn’t we help ourselves first? Do you know what I just encountered, Thup!!”

“There’s only one ghost in that hole, but if you go back to the car without me or Phii Singha, you’ll encounter hundreds of ghosts for sure!!”

“Don’t you dare deceive me, you son of a dog!!” Charn looked seriously at Thup’s face, before turning to look at his car. Even though he couldn’t see anything, he felt that the earlier feeling of cold and heat wasn’t because of the car’s air conditioning, “Hey! Wait, is that really you, Thup? Wait up!”

Charn couldn’t help but follow the young man into the house, where he encountered ghosts inside, and outside too, but at least if he stood here, he’d face the ghost alone, without anyone to help. He wouldn’t stand for that!!

Singha used his flashlight to shine on all the skeletons in the pit, trying not to move unless necessary because it would disturb the site. Judging from the skeletons, these people were likely part of a ritual here rather than early victims of a sacrifice, or perhaps it was still in the experimental stage since each skull had cracks from being hit from behind. The killer probably chose victims based on their birthdates, then attacked when they were alone and dragged them back here.

!!!

The sound of something being dragged from above made Singha look up.

“Thup!” No response came back. Just from this, he knew that whatever was up there wasn’t the person he called out to, “Well, let it know that a human will fight a ghost.”

Singha brushed back his black hair, stained with dust and dirt, tore off the end of his shirt, tied one end to a rope and the other to the flashlight. The young inspector stretched his shoulder muscles slightly before starting to swing the rope in a circle, and then threw it upwards. He remembered he had moved the table not far away, and if this rope could hook onto the table leg, he might be able to climb up. Even if it couldn’t support his weight all the way, at least if he could get halfway up, he could probably jump the rest of the way.

The first two attempts ended in failure. Singha breathed out slowly, then inhaled deeply again to focus. On the third try, he used more force than the first two, and when he felt the tension in the rope, a smile crept onto his lips. Without hesitation, he started climbing the rope, using his feet against the dirt wall to lessen the weight as much as he could, until halfway up. As he was about to reach for the rope again, light from above was blocked by a shadow. Looking up, Singha saw that the ghost girl Thup once drew was standing, bending down to look at him, holding a needle and red thread in her hand. Her once blank eyes had turned black, indicating her intense anger. Her face twisted into a grotesque smile as she tried to crawl down into the pit on all fours.

“Damn it!” Singha was caught in the middle of a decision. If he let go, he would fall back down. But if he kept holding on, who knew what that ghost could do.

Suddenly, there was the voice of Thup calling out, his tone firm, before the sacred necklace floated from his hand towards the increasingly powerful spirit girl. He didn’t want to think about what ritual the person controlling her was performing.

Scream!!!

Singha saw the ghost in front of him disappear along with the items about to fall into the pit, including the shirt he had tied to the flashlight and the rope, which was about to break. He had to take the risk! As the fabric tore apart, Singha used the force from his feet, still planted on the dirt, to propel himself up, almost reaching the edge of the pit, but not quite.

“Damn it!”

!!!

“Got you!” Phii Charn grabbed Singha’s other arm quickly. Thup caught Singha’s hand, saving him before he could fall.

“What the hell is this! There are skeletons here, whose house is this, Jason from Friday the 13th?” Charn exclaimed loudly when he saw the skeletons below!! Before grabbing Singha’s other arm and pulling him up with force.

Singha was lying on top of Thup, the rapid heartbeat from the young man’s rising and falling chest made him sigh in relief, preferring to be with the living at least.

Thup was panting from both fear and exhaustion, mixed together, but he was relieved to have saved Singha in time.

“Not bad.” said the person lying on his chest, making Thup open his eyes to look, and he realized how close they were, their faces not even an inch apart.

“Ph…Phii, are you okay?”

“Got saved by a puppy just in time.” Singha ruffled Thup’s soft hair into an even messier state before standing up to his full height. “Let’s get out of here; we’ll deal with the rest later.”

“Agreed!” Chan quickly responded and was the first to run outside.

“You’re hurt, Phii.” Thup quickly stood up, noticing blood seeping from Singha’s abdomen onto his shirt.

“You won’t die.” Singha said as he grabbed a picture frame from the kitchen shelf, then led Thup by the hand out of the house.

As soon as their feet stepped outside, the brilliant sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tree branches. The warmth of the sun replaced the darkness and cold that gradually faded away. When they reached the car, Thup turned back to look at the house once more.

“I’ll be back.”

Singha didn’t object when the young man said that, because, after all, he too would have to return here to deal with the various pieces of evidence they found. This case wouldn’t conclude with a report of paranormal hauntings but would involve catching the murderous father and son to face justice in prison.

The picture frame, now thrown into the back of the car, reflected the sunlight. It was a family photo with parents, a daughter, and a son, all smiling happily. No one would imagine that behind those smiles lay madness and bloodshed, all because of the word ‘belief.’

An abandoned mill not far from the city’s graveyard stood unused and ownerless for quite some time. No one would think that it was currently being used for human sacrificial rituals.

The lifeless bodies of two were hanging from the beams, similar to Dear, Jump, Darin, Lieutenant Khem, and King, who were still alive but barely breathing. Darin, fully conscious, was also hung by her wrists. In the wide space in front, there was a yantra drawn in blood, with seven animal head effigies placed at various points around it, connected by sacred threads to the people sitting there. An elderly hand was counting a rosary made from human teeth until it stopped as the sunlight began to pour in.

“Go!” The commanding shout made all the wandering spirits and ghosts disappear in the blink of an eye. Blood from the mouth was spat onto a skull in front, with frustration. Angry eyes glanced up at the many animals whose throats had been slit for the spirits he had summoned. Blood slowly flowed to the ground, pooling at his toes.

“Where’s the effect you promised, father?”

“Prepare the ritual ground; that kid will definitely come back today.” he said with droplets of sweat.

“And if he doesn’t make it in time for the start of the ritual, what then? We could still find another Saturday, right?” Bom, sharpening a knife, glanced at his father who stood up. The orange robe had turned red from the thickness of blood. Gone was the man in the yellow cloth, now there was only a man soaked in the act of taking lives.

“He must come back.”

“What’s so special about that kid? Just because he’s some ghost-seeing brat. Nothing special about him.”

“I don’t just want him. I want something else too.”

“What is it?”

“The spirit that got away, is now haunting me.” Blood was wiped from the palm of a revered figure. Now, the smile and the look of kindness were gone from his face, leaving only a cruelty devoid of humanity.

“His mother’s spirit.”

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 34: Secrets from Below

Darin’s body collapsed to the ground at the same moment Bom stepped out. He shook his head, looking at Darin gasping heavily with empty, emotionless eyes. No pity. No sympathy. Only emptiness and a lack of emotion in his gaze.

“Darin!” King rushed over, knelt down, and pressed his suit jacket onto Darin’s abdominal wound to stop the bleeding.

“Th-, ugh, it…”

“What? What are you trying to say?” King was anxious seeing blood seeping from the corner of Darin’s mouth.

“It… is, ugh”

“Ah, I think he wants to say I’m the murderer.” Bom’s words made the young detective instantly aim his gun at him. “Gonna shoot again? Oh, you might end up randomly hitting someone else.”

“Step back.” King laid Darin down before aiming at the seemingly innocent young man, who raised his hands above his head as if surrendering. But the smile on his face showed no sign of guilt.

“You’re under arrest for murder, assault on an officer.”

“Huh, do you know what’s the most fun?” Bom smiled at King, without a trace of fear despite the gun pointed at him. “When everything goes according to plan.”

“I don’t care what you say, and I’m not scared of your ghost nonsense either. Now, turn your back to the wall, hands behind your head, don’t try anything funny.”

“Not scared? If you really weren’t scared, that bullet wouldn’t have missed and hit… who was it again?”

“Told you to turn around!!” King glanced at Darin, who was lying on the floor. Bom chuckled as if it was all a big joke. He followed the police officer’s instructions in front of him, turning his back against the wall.

“People born on Fridays, they say, are tough, brave, level-headed. Seems like the old man before was just like you.” King, about to handcuff him, paused.

The previous victim was born on a Friday… was Thee.

“But just seeing his dead wife made him crawl like a dog. You should’ve seen him raving like a madman, begging to bring his wife back, haha, ha!”

“Shut up.” One handcuff was securely fastened, but as he was about to secure the other, a voice behind made King stop.

‘King’

   “For that old man, his wife seemed to be what he longed for the most. And you, what about you? Job, money, position, power… or love?”

‘…Singha.’

    Singha stood before him, holding a gun. His tone was devoid of anger, disappointment, or coldness. It was Singha, who still loved and obeyed him, like in the past. Yes… it was in the past. Their relationship ended long ago. King locked the other handcuff on Bom’s wrist before turning back to look, “Go play with the ghosts in prison then.”

“Hahaha, not falling for it, huh? And do you think the others won’t fall for this too?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know where the first sacrifice took place? Summoning spirits is very hard, especially vengeful ones, so a lot of offerings are needed. My father almost didn’t make it because that place was full of evil spirits. Anyone who accidentally steps in would be in trouble, quite a sight.” Bom turned his face to look at the person behind, his eyes sparkling again with the joy of toying with others’ emotions, “I’ll give you a hint… Sisaket.”

King’s eyes widened as he realized the hint pointed to Singha. By the time he was thinking about how to contact his former lover, it was already too late.

!!!A shadow passed behind, making him turn around.

The sound of metal hitting flesh echoed around, followed by the sound of a middle-aged man falling to the ground, with red liquid flowing from his head, spreading across the floor. Lower-tier ghosts eagerly rushed in to lap it up greedily.

“Heh, dad you are still as strong as ever, aren’t you?”

“Enough playing around. Finish this quickly, the ceremony is tomorrow.”

“I know, I know, we still have to wait for that kid anyway.” A wrinkled hand picked up the handcuff key from King’s pocket before unlocking it for his son, “Why not use someone else, there are plenty of people born on Saturday.”

“That kid… he has a spirit following him. I want it.”

“It’s just a kid who can see ghosts.”

“It can extend your life, then.”

“This time, it wasn’t me at all.” Bom said, using his tongue to push against his cheek before dragging the unconscious Darin and King towards the exit leading to the parking lot, “This time, it’s about extending my father’s life.”

Thup was sitting in the car, anxious. He squinted at the road ahead, fearful of what he might see along the way but still eager to see how far he was from his destination.

“Why are you so tense, just sit still.”

“Can you drive faster, Phii?”

“There are no street lights, the road is unfamiliar, we might end up flying off a curve and sleeping outside the road.” Chan replied before slightly increasing his speed, seeing how the kid next to him couldn’t sit still all the way, “So you’re saying, that cop is in danger, danger from what?”

“From…” Thup paused, if he said that those ghosts would trick Singha into killing himself, the guy next to him would probably turn the car around and call him crazy, “A killer, there’s a killer in that house.”

“Huh!? And how do you know that?”

“I just know, turn quickly here.” along the way there were spirits everywhere, but once they turned into the forest, everything was eerily quiet. He saw no spirits or ghosts, even though this was graveyard territory. If it wasn’t because it was a peaceful place, it must be because something scarier was keeping the ghosts away, and people too.

When the car stopped in front of the house, both felt the same chilling sensation, a cold shiver down their spines, a feeling telling them to retreat and never return.

“Why the hell is it scarier than before?” Charn said, rubbing his arms.

“That’s Phii Singha’s car.” Thup pointed at the car parked in front before swallowing hard. Before he could even step out of the car, he saw white eyes staring at him with a creepy smile. It was waiting for him, it really was, “Phii, you can wait here.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I had no intention of getting out in the first place!”

Thup took a deep breath to muster his courage, though there was little left. No matter what he would face or see, his goal here was for Singha. Before Thup could open the door, Chan grabbed his shoulder.

“Well… I don’t really know what this is about, but Uncle-Chai told me to give it to you, so here you go.” A Buddha amulet was handed to Thup. It was just an ordinary amulet, with a jet-black string. No silver frame, no gold frame. Nothing expensive, just a clay Buddha in a clear frame, but Thup recognized it well because it was just like the one he always wore before it disappeared. “Uncle said that the old monk left it for you, and said you had to get it on a holy day. You forgot when you left home, so he asked me to deliver it.”

“Thank you.” Thup said, taking the Buddha amulet, reciting a chant to invite the Buddha’s presence, and then he wore it around his neck.

“All the Buddhas, all the Dhamma, all the Sangha,

Achieve enlightenment, for the lonely ones, by their own power,

For the Arahants, with their pure victory, unbind the chains, all of them

I place my faith in the Buddha, I place my faith in the Dhamma, I place my faith in the Sangha.”

Thup stepped out of the car and walked firmly into the house. Even though his heart was pounding, he couldn’t back down now. Because if he retreated this time, he would be the next ghost.

The house was quiet and filled with dust floating everywhere because no one had lived there for a long time. Thup used the light from Charn’s car to see, as he had nothing with him now.

“Phii Singha, where are you?” The young man called out to his elder, scanning around. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a ghostly woman with white, blank eyes smiling at him. “What have you done, what have you done to him?”

‘Dead, the giant must die.’

   “Because you can’t touch him, you want him to kill himself like that, right?”

‘Saturday.’

   “No, the Saturday you want is me. Not him.”

‘Hee Yii Sii.’

   “You’re not Mae Sue. You’re not Chaba, you’re just a vengeful ghost that was summoned. Just taking other people’s lives won’t make you a god, nor will it make you master.”

‘Screaaaaaaaam!’

   The scream was so loud that the house shook, causing Thup to cover his ears. His playful demeanor vanished, replaced by pure anger. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and the face of the middle-aged woman twisted grotesquely. A slash appeared on her face, dripping with bright red blood onto the floor, her limbs twisted unnaturally, everything was so terrifying that Thup dared not look.

‘I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!’

   She lunged at Thup immediately, at the same moment he started to run away, up the stairs. The sound of crawling followed him, forcing him to look back. Her hand, bending unnaturally, grabbed his ankle; her sharp nails dug into his flesh making the young man bite his lip from the pain. He tried to crawl up to the top floor but was held back, unable to move. He recited every prayer he knew to exorcize the ghost from her, but to no avail.

‘Mommy… can I eat now?’

   Thup looked up to see a girl sitting and swinging her feet at the top step. Her body was charred from head to toe, skin cracked revealing red flesh contrasting with the burnt black skin. Her eyes were still hollow as he remembered, but in her hand, she was tossing an eyeball like a toy.

That face leaned down to look at Thup before laughing out loud. Now, it seemed he would truly die here.

“Help, ugh, help me.” if he didn’t get free.

The pain at his ankle vanished, giving Thup freedom once more. He turned back to see another female ghost intervening between him and the ghost below.

“Th-thank you.” Thup turned to look upstairs, seeing emptiness, he quickly crawled up. “Phii Singha! Phii Singha!”

The young man tried to stand up and walked to open the nearest door, the pain in his ankle and the seeping blood from his bandaged hands made Thup want to cry out loud. He had never been hurt like this before. He had never faced a ghost like this, nor had he ever confronted her, that one, like this.

“Phii Si-, Phii Singha!” Thup hobbled to the innermost room. He saw Singha sitting on the floor, holding a rope in his hand, his sharp face expressionless, unreadable. “Phii Singha, are you okay?”

“I once had a sister.”

“Yes?”

“I once had a sister named Mesa.”

“Whatever you see, it’s not real, it doesn’t exist, Phii, do you hear me?” Thup held the older man’s face, trying to bring Singha back to his senses. Until now, Singha was not someone afraid of ghosts or the afterlife, but this time what he encountered wasn’t a ghost or a spirit, but a confrontation with memories and inner conflicts. No, it was strange for the older man to be this disoriented, “Phii Singha. We need to get out of here, can you stand up?”

“My sister died because of me.”

Thup rubbed his thumb along the sharp jawline before he remembered something. He took off his amulet from his neck and carefully put it on the person in front of him.

“If she were your sister, she wouldn’t blame you like that. She would help you, support you whether she’s alive or not.” Singha looked up into the brown eyes of the kid in front of him, from a scared child always ready to cry to someone with such determined eyes, when did that happen?

Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!

The sound of doors and windows inside the house slammed open and shut loudly, even though the iron that should have held the windows should have rusted to the point of immobility long ago.

“Why are you here?”

“If not for you, who would save me from ghosts?” Thup said before smiling, seeing that Singha’s eyes had regained their spark.

“Will you stay with me or go wait in the car? I have something to check.” Singha stood up, rolling a thick rope over his shoulder.

“Stay with you.” Thup looked at the older man before reaching out to hold his hand. Even though it hurt a bit, it was better than letting one of them disappear again.

As both stepped out of the room, the noise and screams inside the house quieted down. Thup turned to look at something before tightening his grip on the older man’s hand.

“The ghost I saw wasn’t Chaba and her daughter.”

“What do you mean? The picture you drew…”

“She and her daughter were the first victims here, killed by her husband to summon the spirit of the ghost to possess her.”

“Since she’s already a spirit, why does she need to summon another spirit?” Singha said before shining his flashlight up the stairs, where bloodstains made him look down at the wound on Thup’s leg before firmly gripping the young man’s hand.

“She has been a lingering ghost for a long time, consuming offerings and the lives of those who practice black magic. When the practitioner dies, she waits for someone to perform the ritual again, calling spirits like this repeatedly. And the reason she needs someone to summon her spirit is because she’s a ghost, a Cambodian one, where they don’t collect bones for further rituals after cremation. Without a ghost’s summoning, she wouldn’t have this much power.” Kruanoy said.

“So what now?” Once they reached the ground floor, Singha led the way to a room with a dining table set with four wooden chairs, shaking his head slightly, thinking it should have been a normal happy family.

“When investigating the shaman’s case, Aisuen must have been involved too, right? He probably touched something he shouldn’t have, and that’s why those ghosts followed him. Have you ever heard the elders say that when someone does something strange or commits murder without any prior indication or history, they say it’s because a ghost instructed them? I think those two ghosts might have ordered him to start worshiping and sacrificing to them. That’s why he started acting strangely.”

“If those were the first two bodies, it makes sense.” Singha said, pushing the dining table aside to clear the way before bending down to pull up the rug, sending dust flying all over the house.

“After that, he began studying black magic and probably came across the story of Mae Suea combined with human sacrifice, thinking it would work.” Thup looked at the floor, his lips pressed together, where red talismans were plastered all over as if to keep something from coming out. Seven victims equaled a full seven-day tribute to Mae Suea to look after her own child, but actually, he was only sacrificing to his wife and child ghosts. As time passed, their demands grew, forcing them to find a new victim every five years.”

“Sacrifice.”

“That’s crazy.” Singha walked over to open a cabinet under the sink, pulling out a hammer. “Are those wounds what you got from the cursed shaman’s house?”

Thup quickly hid his hands behind his back, though it was pointless since the older man had already seen those wounds.

“Don’t do it again. There’s no need to get hurt; there are other ways to investigate.” Singha glanced slightly at the person beside him before scanning around the house once more. “And how did you get here?”

“I had Charn drop me off; he’s waiting outside.” Thup looked outside, then back at Singha. “We’re out of time, Phii Singha, it’s just me now…”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m the last victim.” Singha looked up at Thup before using his tongue to push against his cheek in frustration.

“Stand back, far away.” Singha ordered the young man before starting to hammer down on the wooden floor in front of him. Each strike was followed by screams and the house shaking, indicating whatever was here was not pleased.

‘You all mock me!!’

   “Phii, we need to hurry.” Thup warned Singha as the ghost of the woman who had disappeared was now standing before them.

A vase flew towards them, crashing into the wall, scattering glass shards everywhere, luckily not injuring Singha.

“Damn it!!” Singha hammered down on the wood, which started to crack, revealing that beneath was not soil as one would expect. “Thup, go wait in the car!!”

“No way, how can I let you stay here alone!!” His words and actions contradicted each other, leading Singha to curse profusely. Thup stood sweating profusely, blood seeping through the bandage on his hand. Singha stopped hammering, took off his amulet, and went to put it back on the young man. “No, you need to wear it.”

“You wear it, don’t take it off, this is an order!! No matter what you see, don’t run off, stay here, get it?” Seeing Thup nod reluctantly, he returned to the floor. The wooden planks slowly broke apart, revealing a wide hole, and he was sure whatever was underneath was definitely not good.

!!!

The sound of wood scraping against each other made Thup look up, his beautiful eyes widening as he saw the wooden table moving towards Singha. Before he could help, a pale hand emerged from the hole and pulled Singha down.

“Phii Singha!!!”

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   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!!!!”

 

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 32: The Help That Never Arrived

Singha was sitting beside the bed of a patient who had just come out of the emergency room minutes before. His sharp eyes watched Thup’s pale face before he sighed. After leaving that house, he came straight to the hospital, right when the young man was wheeled into the ER. He could only curse himself because he knew this would happen, yet he let it occur anyway. Singha stepped outside the hospital to smoke one of the three remaining cigarettes in his pack, nicotine filling his lungs like it was the only stress relief with no side effects. After handling various matters, he secured a recovery room for Thup and didn’t leave the patient’s bedside thereafter.

Singha quietly looked at Thup’s palms before diverting his gaze to the charming face of the sleeping man. He took out his phone and called Say, but there was no answer after a long wait.

“Why aren’t you picking up?” Singha decided to call Darin instead, thinking the two might be in contact. Not long after, the call was answered with a worried voice.

“Hello?”

“Is Say with you?”

“He said he had to check out a crime scene because they found Song’s body.”

“Where?”

“At the temple, right in his residence.”

“And where are you now, with whom?”

[Uh… I’m in the nurse’s office with the kids from before, Singha… The kid named Bom has disappeared. That kid is gone now.]

Uh… but…

“Is there a police officer guarding the front of the room?”

[Yes, there is.]

“Then stay in there, I’ll find a way to contact Say myself.”

[Uh huh.]

Before hanging up, Singha was sure he heard a knock on the door, but if he was still at the station with an officer guarding, he could feel somewhat at ease.

The situation was getting tenser by the moment. From the information he had, Song born on Sunday was dead, Dear, who was just rescued, was born on a Monday, Jump, born on Tuesday, was still locked in the nurse’s office, Darin, born on Wednesday, was also there, Lieutenant Khem who had disappeared seemed to be the Thursday victim, Bom, born on Friday, had vanished, for now. And Thup was still with him here. If the killer wasn’t looking for a new Saturday victim, there’s no way he could get to this kid if he stayed put.

The abbot who was initially a suspect was still detained in a cell. Meanwhile, Uncle-Khuean had become the main suspect because the evidence pointed clearly at him. King was chasing Uncle-Khuean, Say had disappeared, and he was stuck here without any further progress.

“Damn it!” Singha cursed as he thought about this. The young inspector stood up to his full height before walking out of the room. He walked outside, past the hospital area, pulled out a cardboard box from his pants pocket along with a lighter, but threw them on the ground because he remembered the last cigarette was used less than an hour ago.

“Would you like one of mine?” A cigarette box of the same brand but a different blend was offered to Singha. At this moment, his frustration was greater than his annoyance with the person in front of him, so he took it in his hand.

“Thanks.” Singha lit the end before inhaling the cool nicotine. White smoke drifted up into the pitch-black sky, mingling in the cool air. “Thought doctors were supposed to be health-conscious.”

Singha glanced at the person smoking next to him. His annoyance towards Thup’s companion lessened partly because Charn was in charge of the case.

“You wouldn’t want to see doctors lose their minds and do everything they tell patients not to.”

“It’s enough to drive anyone mad.”

“That kid just went into shock and lost some blood; the wound wasn’t deep. But what I want to know is what happened to that kid.”

“As you see it.”

“I think your skills that got you to this position should tell you that the wounds are unusual.” Chan said, taking a drag of her cigarette as well.

It’s not that he couldn’t see it; he noticed it from the scars on Thup’s palms at the front of the house, even then. The direction of the knife was odd; it didn’t come from someone else. The wounds were self-inflicted by that kid.

“Hmm.”

“Should I tell Uncle about this?”

“He’ll find out anyway, so you might as well tell him.”

“I heard you’re investigating a murder case from decades ago.”

“Hmm.”

“I think I have some information you’d want to know.”

Singha glanced at the person beside him.

“That house, the one in the middle of the forest.”

“Know it?”

“I’m somewhat familiar with it. As a kid, I was the curious type, I guess. I went to that house at night thinking I might see a ghost like the villagers said, but what I encountered was stranger than that.”

“What did you see?”

“I’m not sure, even now I’m not certain if what I saw was real or not.” Charn spoke with a flat tone before stubbing out her cigarette in the sand. “Someone dragged something into the house… something I’m sure looked human-like.”

“And why didn’t you say anything back then?”

“I saw a man.”

“Because when I went to look inside the house, it was gone. I only saw him playing with his son.”

“What about the others?”

“I’m not trying to mislead you, Inspector.” Charn turned to face Singha with a serious look, “But I watched there for half an hour, and I only saw the father and son. I didn’t see anyone else.” Singha returned to the room again, the tall figure stopping beside the bed, his dark eyes on Thup reflecting the bright full moon from outside. His strong hand gently stroked the soft hair, his fingers trailing down to the temple and smooth cheek, whispering close to the ear once more with a calm expression.

“It took you long enough to call, your case has been a damn headache.”

“Merk, I’ve got some information for you to look up.”

“Didn’t King already catch the culprit?”

“He did, but I’m not sure if he caught the right one.”

“Alright, tell me.” The phone was lifted.

“Before, at the Kantharalak Police Station, there was an officer named Aisuan. I need all his information, and I also want to know his son’s name, and if there’s any record of name changes.”

“Where are you?”

“Sisaket.”

“Why not just ask there?”

“It’s slow, and I have urgent things to do.”

“Hold on then.” The sound of keyboard typing came from the other end. Meanwhile, Singha gently stroked Thup’s head; waiting for Thup to wake up would take too much time for this investigation. Plus, he didn’t have much time left.

Singha left the room, got into his car, and drove towards the route given by Dr. Charn. The well-lit roads with traffic lights gradually turned into dense forest on both sides. The further he drove, the scarcer the lights became, with only the moonlight providing illumination now. And if Thup were here, he would’ve kept his eyes shut the whole way due to the road Singha was driving on, filled with wandering spirits watching the car with hungry faces.

Inside the police station’s infirmary, Darin was sitting, taking a breath…she sat on the sofa. She looked tiredly towards the doors of the two recovery rooms. The first room housed a young girl who had escaped the clutches of a murderer, just moments ago, while the other room was for a young man who had been unconscious for quite some time. Three people in one room, or in other words, three victims, were now together to survive this ordeal.

“Ugh.” Darin sighed again before leaning back on the sofa, her beautiful eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Currently, everyone was doing their own duty. She should do the same. As she was about to get up to check on the two children in the room again, the lights in the room flickered on and off before returning to normal, which was enough to make Darin’s heart race.

“Scream!!” The sudden ringing of the phone made Darin scream in shock. When she picked it up, she saw the name displayed on the screen was one of her close friends.

The conversation with Singha lasted for quite a while until they were about to hang up.

Knock, knock, knock.

The knocking on the front door made Darin turn around. She placed the phone on the table and walked over to open it immediately, thinking it might be something important.

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah, Dr. Rin, here’s some rice and water for you. It’s late, I thought you might be hungry.”

“Thank you, officer.” Darin said as she took the box of rice and the glass of water. Having someone looking after her like this made her feel relieved. “How is everything at the front? Earlier, I heard some commotion.”

“Oh, villagers are protesting at the station. Right now, all the officers are out there dealing with them and should sort this out soon.”

“And… What about the abbot?”

“He’s still in the cell. He seems very calm, like he’s truly innocent. Also, I heard that King’s investigation team is close to locating the temple’s caretaker. They might have to interrogate everyone again.”

“Ah, okay then. And any progress on the children who disappeared with Lieutenant Khem?”

“Nope, still haven’t found either of them.”

Darin nodded in understanding, “Thanks again.”

“If you need anything, just call me.”

Darin gave the officer a friendly smile before returning inside. But as she turned back, she was so startled that she accidentally dropped the box of rice on the floor.

“Dear! You’re awake? Why are you walking around like this? How do you feel?” Darin hurried over to support the young girl who was standing with her head bowed at her room’s door. She led Dear to sit on the sofa before quickly fetching a glass of water, “How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere? I’ll get the scanner, wait here.”

Before she could go anywhere, Darin’s wrist was grabbed, a shaky grip that made her look down at the girl who had been bowing her head all this time.

“Will…”

“What did you say?”

“Monday.”

“Dear… I’ll go call-”

“Wednesday.”

Darin recoiled. She tried to free her wrist but couldn’t; despite being smaller and just recovering from medication, where did the girl get such strength? Darin took a deep breath before shaking off Dear’s hand. She stepped back, not taking her eyes off the girl in front of her, but instead of emptiness, Darin bumped into a warm chest that shouldn’t be there.

“Ac…ka.” Dear’s voice continued. The once bright light bulbs flickered and went dark again, accompanied by a deep voice that made Darin’s legs weak.

“Tuesday.”

The lights, now completely out, started to flicker rapidly, just enough for Darin to see that in Dear’s hand was a statue of Phra Vaisravaṇa, and she was about to throw it out the window. Those lifeless eyes on that face made Darin collapse in tears; it wasn’t an expression a normal human should have, it was too vacant, like there was no soul left.

Without the deity idol to protect the station, it was as if the night of hell had broken loose at this police station. The lights throughout the station flashed briefly, giving a clear view one last time. They were so bright that Darin saw Jump standing behind her, who shouldn’t have been free from his handcuffs. Then, all light was snatched away, leaving only darkness… both in the atmosphere and in the hearts of people.

‘Ghost’

   ‘Ghost’

   ‘Heeheehee’

   ‘Ghost’

   ‘Ghost’

   ‘Heeheehee’

   The voices speaking in a language Darin didn’t understand, and the laughter made her scramble towards the front door, hoping to get out. If she could make it out, she would find the sergeant waiting there.

“Ouch!!! Ugh.” as she was about to escape, her ankle was grabbed by someone’s hand. The pain from the sharp nails digging into her flesh caused tears to stream down both her cheeks. Darin scrambled to grab her phone from the sofa, turned on the flashlight, and shone it on her leg.

“Screech!!!” Dozens of spirits were fighting to lick the blood from the wound on her leg in a horrifying manner. The clanging noises in the room came from Jump and Dear, who were hurting themselves, banging their heads against the wall until blood flowed, stabbing their hands with a knife until the flesh opened, but neither showed any sign of pain. Instead, they were smiling as if they felt nothing at all, “Namo, hic, Namo Tassa, sob, Na-mo Tassa Bhagavato Namo Namo.”

Darin prayed with mistakes while crawling her heavy, numb body towards the door. The chilling cold she could feel made her cry until her vision was blurred by tears.

‘You are chanting wrong, I’ll help chant, Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Aamma, Sambuddhasa’

   ‘Chant it’

   The mocking voice recited the chant emphasizing every syllable fearlessly. Darin bit her lip hard before trying to stand up to reach the doorknob, with spirits and ghosts still clinging to her leg like a delicious meal.

Knock, knock, knock

The rapid knocking on the door gave her the strength to pull herself up with all her might, and finally, the door opened. Darin quickly pushed herself out of the room. Once past the door, all sounds fell silent.

…too quiet

She turned around to see that all the ghosts had vanished. Both Jump and Dear were unconscious on the floor. Darin tried to move away from that room as far as possible, but the wet feeling on her palm made her stop. Her breath, which had calmed down, became rapid once again. The light from her phone slowly moved to reveal a figure lying on the floor, tracing from the feet upwards to the torso, covered in a red fluid. The smell of blood was overwhelming. When the light finally reached the softly breathing face, Darin burst into tears immediately.

“Lie… Lieutenant, hic, Lieutenant Prom.” Lieutenant Prom, his face and head drenched in blood, was breathing faintly. Fear gripped Darin’s heart until she nearly lost consciousness. Stricken by fear, Darin tried calling Say, Singha, anyone who could help, but all calls were futile, unanswered, no help forthcoming. Her chances of survival were nearly gone.

‘Hee, hee, hee, heeheehee’

   The mocking laughter from behind made Darin slowly close her eyes before angrily throwing her phone in that direction. Since she wouldn’t survive, she no longer needed to fear anything.

“What do you want!!!! What do you want, you damned ghost! You shouldn’t have been reborn!! You’re just one ghost!!” Darin yelled furiously. The ghost girl, once cheerful with a broad smile, now let her smile fade, “Angry, huh! Good!! Be angry. If I die, I’ll become a ghost, I’ll curse you!!!! Do you hear the anger in my words?!!”

“Doctor Darin!!!” A voice called from behind along with a force that supported her up, making Darin feel like she had been doused with water on her heart once more.

“Bom!”

“Get up quickly. We have to run, we must escape now!!”

“Y…You, why…”

“I went out to buy some supplies, and when I came back, the station was completely dark, with police officers lying in pools of blood out front. What on earth happened here?!!!” Bom said while helping Darin run away through the connecting path.

“The monk! Is the abbot still in the cell?”

“I didn’t see anyone there.”

“I…I need to call, need to tell someone that the killer is the abbot!” Darin muttered to himself, as her fleeting anger caused her to throw her only communication device at the ghost earlier, “A phone, I need a phone!”

“Use mine for now?” Bom offered his phone before quickly helping Darin to continue walking with a worried look, “Call Khun King right now!!”

They took shelter in the forensic department room. Bom placed Darin on the couch and then locked the front door, also hurriedly pushing a table to block it. Meanwhile, Darin was waiting for King to pick up.

[Hello]

   “King!! There’s trouble at the station, sigh, the killer got out…and there are injured officers” and…the abbot

[What? Where are you now!]

   “I…I’m at the forensic room with Bom.”

[Bom?]

   “Y…yes, come quickly, come right now.”

[I’ll hurry there.]

   “What about Say, bring Say too, there are injured officers”

[…Can’t do that]

   “What do you mean?”

[On the way back, I saw Say’s car overturned on the road. Officers are prying the car open to get him out.]

   “No… no, that can’t be true…”

[I’m on my way, stay there.] Darin was in shock, unable to do anything.

“What the hell is happening here? Where’s my friend?! Where is my friend!!”

“…We’re all going to die.”

Darin has no idea how she’s going to survive this.

   And at the same time, the thing itself was about to face something equally terrifying–

  

GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH CHAPTERS HOME

  

   GODDESSBLESSYOUFROMDEATH, Case File 31: The Price to Pay

“Which one?” Once they were in the car, Singha immediately asked the question that was on his mind. Thup kept looking at the photo he had taken with his phone.

“Hey, Thup, which woman in this photo is the ghost you saw?”

“The one… with the stark white eyes, torn lips, the ghost full of vengeance, that’s her, but…”

“But what?”

“In this picture, she doesn’t look like when she was a ghost at all.” Thup looked up at the hospital again. The bright and cheerful face of the woman in the picture, how did it turn into that?

Singha drove following Thup’s directions until they reached a secluded house far from people. A single-story wooden house raised slightly above the ground, covered with vines and grass all around. Even though there was a faded, dilapidated white fence, it seemed like no one would want to break in. The sign at the gate had Thai letters that were starting to peel off, unreadable. The parts that could be read were not auspicious at all:

‘Ha… Ghost, Ho… l’

   The cloudy sky at four in the evening did not make the atmosphere feel any lighter. Before reaching out to open the car door, Thup looked into the house.

Both stood in front of the wooden fence; the key once there had rusted and fallen to the ground. Singha was about to walk in to open the gate but was pulled back by another hand.

“What’s with you, Thup? Let’s hurry up so we can get back soon.”

“Phii, can I ask you something? Please listen to me.”

“Go ahead, what?”

Thup looked towards the front porch with trembling eyes. His hand gripping Singha’s tightened slightly. The older man noticed when he saw an elderly man with a composed demeanor, wearing red trousers, his upper body bare, revealing various tattoo yantras clearly. He was looking at both of them with a stern face. His white mustache and hair indicated his advanced age before he would soon depart this world. He tapped a cane rhythmically on the house post, consistently. Singha, who was in a hurry, was about to step into the house again, and as his white sneaker touched the boundary of the fence, the cane’s tapping accelerated, loud and echoing throughout the area, forcing Thup to pull the older man back.

“Listen to me… I need to go in alone.”

“What? Are you mad, Thup? Are you so haunted that you’ve lost your mind?” Singha stared at the young man in front of him as if what Thup just said was completely absurd.

“He won’t let you in, so it’s only me who can go inside.”

“What the hell are you thinking? Who would let you go in there alone? If something happens, what am I supposed to say!”

“Phii, listen to me first.”

“If I’m not going in, then you’re not going in either!!” Thup, seeing that Singha was upset, quickly grabbed the older man’s shoulder to make him face him. He himself wasn’t particularly brave; in fact, he was so scared his legs were shaking.

“Phii Singha. It’s not just because he could help with your case, but I also want to know. I feel like there’s something related to me in this, so… let me go in.”

“How can you be sure you’ll come back out?” Singha asked with a serious tone. Even though he couldn’t see what the kid in front of him saw, from all that had happened, it was clear the ghost Thup encountered wasn’t just there for a scare but was out for blood.

“How could I not come back out? Otherwise, you’d be really mad at me.”

“Not funny, Thup.”

“Wait for me here, okay?” Thup smiled until his eyes nearly closed before stepping forward, passing through the gate into the house’s yard. Every step was filled with the oppressive feeling from the sharp eyes watching him, the sound of a wooden cane tapping rhythmically with his steps, sweat beads forming on his temples just like on his palms. Thup clenched his trembling hands together until he reached the stairs of the house. He turned to look at Singha, who was still standing outside the fence, watching him. Seeing the older man still there calmed his previously fearful heart.

“Ten minutes.” Singha shouted into the house, “If you’re not out, I’m coming in for sure.”

Thup nodded lightly with a smile, his little heart pounding so fast he could feel it. He took a deep breath until his lungs were full, then exhaled slowly to calm himself as much as possible. He followed the spirit of an old man dressed in red loincloth across the threshold into the house. Suddenly, a chilling cold hit him, making Thup rub his arms. Inside, the house was covered with thick dust on the remaining furniture, dark and gloomy with no light except from the doorway. Thup glanced and saw a wooden bench in the middle of the house, biting his lips together.

“Uh… hello.”

Thud!!!

Thup jolted and looked behind the slightly ajar door that was now firmly shut. He stepped back and tried to open it, but to no avail. No matter how he pushed or pulled, there was no sign it would open. A dark shadow passed behind him, making Thup slowly turn his face around. Now, he was not alone with the old shaman. Around him, sitting on wooden stools, were numerous spirits, some appearing as they did in life, others in the state of their death, both humans and animals making a cacophony of noises until Thup had to cover his ears and collapse to the ground.

‘Silence!’

   With that command, everything returned to calm. Thup slowly lifted his head, looking around fearfully. What was once an ordinary wooden stool had transformed into a ceremonial altar. Behind the shaman was a tall shelf above his head, filled not with Buddha statues or sacred items commonly seen in temples, but with offerings, enchanted dolls, and skulls whose authenticity Thup didn’t dare to ponder. The smell wafted over, making the young man press his hands tightly against his pants.

‘Why have you come here?’

   “I… I have something I need help with.” Thup never thought he’d find himself talking to ghosts and spirits like this for help.

‘Hmm, I’ve lived here for decades, and no one dared to step in here. Those who tried ended up with their heads spinning. You are quite brave.’

   The deep, hoarse voice echoed around.

‘You think bringing that young giant with you will keep you safe, huh?’

   “I… I didn’t come to mock or test. I’m just seeking answers for what I’m facing.”

‘Answers… not every question in your life needs an answer.’

   Thup bit his lip tightly; he was the one who suggested to Singha that they come here. Giving up out of fear now wasn’t an option.

“The broken-headed doll…”

‘Hmm?’

   “Someone performed a ritual… a human sacrifice ritual, with a broken-headed doll made to resemble a lion’s head according to his Mae Sue’s daily beliefs… I want to know why. What’s the purpose of this?”

As he finished speaking, the surrounding spirits shrank back behind the shaman, seeking reasons from those who chose to perform such a ritual.

The fierce eyes looked down at Thup.

‘The broken-headed doll is believed to be a substitute for taking on the ill fate of the living, whether it be misfortune, sickness, or death. It’s believed if you perform the ritual, those fates would transfer to the doll.’

   Suddenly, a clay doll rolled slowly until it bumped against Thup’s knee. Observing where it came from, he saw a pale, wet ghost child under the wooden stool, giggling at his own play.

‘As for Mae Sue, she’s believed to be either a ghost or a deity summoned to protect the child, to shield them from other spirits that might snatch the newborn’s soul. So it’s considered as a representative too.’

   “But… the murder that took seven lives doesn’t seem like protection at all, destroying others’ lives like that.”

‘That’s true. Sacrifice isn’t meant to benefit others. It’s all for personal gain. Seems like the one who did this might start again soon.’

   The old shaman spoke while stroking the head of the ghost child who had only his upper body.

“Yes.”

‘Long ago, there was a belief passed from Cambodia about a way to extend one’s life span that was effective. People tried, but all ended up dying horrifically. Do you know why?’

   “Because… the spirits didn’t accept the offerings?”

‘Because what was offered was insufficient. Welcoming a spirit, especially an ancient one, means they’re more powerful and hungrier for offerings. At first, they might trick the host into thinking their wishes are granted, but then their demands grow, and if not met, only death awaits. I’ve heard of such rituals, but there was no need for me to perform them. It’s believed that sacrificing humans to the Mae Sue spirit would be like giving her the sacrifice to extend the conjurer’s life, any ailment or misfortune would vanish, from near-death to full recovery. Do you think that’s true?’

   “Whether we live or die, we can’t escape it, right?”

‘That’s not wrong, but the person you’re looking for survived because of these rituals, didn’t they?’

   “Thank you for your help.” Thup said as he crawled backward to the door, nearly ten minutes having passed as Singha had advised. He should leave now. If he let his older brother barge in, it would surely displease the spirits here.

‘I never help anyone for free.’

   The cold voice made Thup pause. The door that should have opened remained firmly shut. The feeling of a hand gripping his ankle made Thup press his lips together briefly.

‘Everything has a price.’

   A knife fell in front of Thup, clattering to the ground. He already knew that coming here meant he wouldn’t be able to leave easily, but everything requires compensation.

‘Make a little offering. After all, you’re already marked. Saturday, right?’

   “Can I ask one more question, please?” he said, holding onto it.

‘Huh, you want to know the whole story and what’s about to happen, don’t you?’

   “If the price isn’t too high.” Thup picked up the knife by his feet before turning to face the old shaman. “I’m willing to pay.”

Outside the house, Singha was pacing back and forth like a caged rat. He cursed almost every word in the world, yet there was no sign of Thup coming out. He wondered if by now Thup had been scared to death by ghosts.

“Why hasn’t he come out yet?” Singha pulled out his phone to check the time. Less than two minutes left until the deadline, and he wouldn’t hesitate to storm into the house. His phone rang, diverting his attention from the house. “Yeah?”

[Got anything yet?] Say asked with a weary voice.

“Got it. Now we have preliminary info on the suspect, Uncle-Khuean is also on the list. The ghost Thup encountered is named Chaba, wife of one of the suspects, same name Aisuan.”

[Aisuen? Why does that name sound so familiar?]

   “Get Lieutenant Khem to check that out, and how’s it going over there?”

[Chaotic.]

   “The villagers are in uproar because they arrested the abbot, right?”

[Yeah. King made a big scene arresting the abbot right in front of the whole village still gathered at the temple.]

   “And where is he now?”

[Back at the temple, after finishing the interrogation of the abbot, we found out that before this, Uncle Khuean had been in jail. When he got out, he had to stay at the temple because his wife didn’t want him, his children didn’t want him, he had no family. Combined with the information you gave before, they went back to check on Uncle Khuean at the temple again.]

   “And what about the abbot?”

[In the holding cell. By the way, Singha, we can’t contact Lieutenant Khem at all.]

   “Have you asked Lieutenant Prom?”

[Singha, no one has seen the lieutenant since yesterday afternoon. Asked at his house, they said he didn’t return,I thought he was stuck at the station.]

   “Send people to find Lieutenant Khem, I should be able to return tomorrow, because things are getting really chaotic.”

[Okay, okay, that’s it for now. I’ll go check on the kid named Dear.]

   “Wait. Do you remember what day the lieutenant was born?”

[Huh? Can’t remember, I’ll ask Lieutenant Prom.]

   Singha waits on the line while looking into the house again; the door opens, and Thup walks out, which eases him, but as Thup gets closer, his relaxed brows furrow again, tight. Thup’s face is pale, both palms covered in bright red blood, dripping all the way down as he walks, a stark contrast from when Thup entered.

[Hey Singha, are you listening? Lieutenant Khem was born on a Thursday, Singha, Singha, it’s been seven days now!!]

   “Watch the target, I’ll rush back. That’s all for now.” Singha hangs up before throwing the phone into the car, just as the young man reaches him, his face pale as if bloodless, slowly forcing a smile.

“Sorry to come out late…” Before he can finish, Thup’s consciousness fades. He collapses into Singha’s waiting arms, his sharp face resting on the broad shoulder.

“Thup! Hey, Thup!” Singha helped the young man into the car before driving straight to the hospital. During the ride, he took Thup’s hand and noticed long cuts on both palms, with blood slowly oozing out, indicating the cuts were quite deep. He had no idea what had happened inside there. Nor did he know what Thup had just encountered.

At the police station, there was chaos due to both a protest in front demanding the release of the abbot and the disappearance of Lieutenant Khem, causing people to run around frantically. Say rushed into the medical room and sighed in relief when he saw Darin still sitting beside Dear’s bed.

“What’s going on?” she asked, noticing her friend was out of breath. “Lieutenant Khem has disappeared.”

“Huh?! Maybe he’s just taking a break with his family?”

“No one has seen him since after noon yesterday. Importantly, Lieutenant Khem was born on a Thursday.”

“It’s complete… seven days are up, right?” Darin said with a trembling voice. “Now it’s just a matter of when I’ll disappear, right, Say?” from his bed.

“Stay here, lock the room, and don’t let anyone in, get it?” Say said before he walked to open the door of another room to check on Jump, who was still sound asleep with both arms still locked as before. If the abbot was the culprit, he couldn’t commit any crimes now as he was also detained, unless the police were holding the wrong person. “I’m going to check on the kid named Bom, who should be in the resting room. Be right back.”

Say quickly left the medical room, making sure to lock it from the inside. Now, all the targets were accounted for; the only thing left was for the culprit to act. No, the culprit had already acted.

Upon reaching the temporary quarters of Bom, Say immediately opened the door to find the room in disarray, with no sign of its occupant. A piece of paper was written on with fresh red liquid, prompting him to curse before he picked up his phone to call the person handling this case second to Singha. While waiting for the call to connect, Say looked at the paper in his hand:

‘Friday, Friday’

   [What’s up?]

   “LieutenantKhem has vanished, and so has the kid named Bom.”

[That kid was a target, wasn’t he?]

   “Uh, I’m about to check the CCTV, so I hurried back.”

[Uncle-Khuean disappeared.]

   “Huh?!”

[We found some money in the wardrobe, there’s embezzlement from the temple because Uncle-Khuean was in charge of the accounts. It’s suspected he transferred money to a kid named Nai to hire him to take a car out and destroy it at the cemetery. Nai, who wanted money to buy drugs, accepted. Moreover…]

   “What moreover!”

[Song’s body was found in the bathroom, in the same condition as the first seven. Also, all seven dolls were placed in the storage room. That guy must be here.]

   …

“Damn it!” Say swore before pushing his cheek with his tongue to ease his frustration. His red hair was roughly swept up before he prepared his equipment and walked back to the infirmary. “Darin, open the door, it’s me.”

The tightly closed door opened quickly. Darin looked at his close friend through tears, making Say hesitant to inform him about finding Song’s body among the seven victims.

“Wh… where are you going?”

“King called me to check the site again. Stay here, don’t open the door for anyone. I’ll have an officer guard you, understand?”

“And… What about the kid named Bom?”

“He’s probably around here. I’ll be back soon.” Say lightly patted his friend’s head to comfort him.

After settling things with Darin, he immediately went to the station’s IT department to review the CCTV footage. Yesterday’s footage showed only Lieutenant Khem working at his desk in the morning, going out for lunch with other officers, but not returning. Today’s footage showed Bom coming to see Dear, then collapsing in the hallway before returning to his room worried. When he entered his room, the camera suddenly went off. Everything happening here made Say utterly annoyed.

“Lieutenant Prom, Singha told me to tell you to guard the front of the infirmary. No one unknown is allowed in.”

“Understood.”

Say took care of everything before driving alone to the temple. He handled everything for everyone to the point where he forgot that it’s not just living and breathing murdering people one should worry about.

While driving, Say picked up a bottle of pills. It wasn’t labeled, but by examining the shape of the pills, he might know what type they were. With one hand steering, he used the other to open the pill bottle, and a laugh began to grow louder from the back seat. Say paused and glanced at the rearview mirror. He had forgotten…

Forgotten that once he drove out of the hospital room with the statue of the deity Vaisravaṇa, the ghost would return…

Crash!!!!

  

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