Midnight in Duskwood

Dare House

The vehicle stops in front of motel, Lilly asked me to accompany her after her working hours as she need to collect her things in motel and she's scared to go alone.
"I will be quick, stay here" Lilly says, instantly she gets out from the car and enters the reception office. The motel located at the side of main road, a single storey with a classic motel light sign and there are forest at the back of the motel. According to Lilly, this is the only accommodation in Duskwood. I saw a teenage boy around thirteen to fourteen years old playing on the side of road. I came out from the car to approach him.
"Hi..." I says, in a soft voice. He look at my face, I smiled at him.
"What's your name?" I asked him, he's look anxious, probably scared because I'm a stranger.
"It's okay, I will not do anything to you. I'm just worried, it's dangerous to play on side of the road" I says, squatting beside him. He's still play with his toys, I think I know who he is.
"Alfie, my name is Alfie" he says, without looking at me. As I thought.
"Hi Alfie, my name is MC. Nice to meet you" I'm extending my hand. He's look at me and then look at my hand, repeatly. After a while, he taking my hand and shaking my hand with smile. I smiled back to him too, his reaction is so cute.
"Old Gray said that I shouldn't speak with any strangers but you look a nice person" he says, let go my hand and keep playing with his toys. I just nods. In my mind, do I need to ask him about the story that he told Cleo regarding the man without a face. At same times, I remember Thomas's action towards him, I'm afraid if he's get freaked out.
"Actually, I'm not a stranger. I am friends with Cleo and Lilly, so basically we are friend, right?" I tried to make he comfortable with me. He's look at me, tilts his head at the right.
"You're right! Want play together with me?" he says, quite loud make me shrugs a little. He's give me his toy, the red truck. I take a look at it, I remember Jessy told me that Richy always fixed Alfie's toy especially the red truck.
"You didn't like it? That's my favourite toy, you want others?"
"No, I like it. Thank you" I smiled at him and take the toy. He's smiled and continue play with his toys.
"Alfie? Cleo said you called her, a dead girl's friend. Is it true?" I asked him. Then, he's stopped play and look at me. His eyes wides open.
"Her friend is dead, the man without a face killed her and dragged into forest" He answered, there is no expression on his face.
"How do you know that?" I asked him but he looked away and continue playing. I'm sighs, I can't pressure him too much. While I'm thinking how to persuade him, suddenly he talks.
"I saw..... in the forest" Alfie says.
"Can you describe it? How's his look?"
"I don't know, I didn't see his face because he's covers his head. He's wearing like a black sweater with head cover at back, mom brought me a sweater like that... " he says, actually I didn't understand. Head cover?? Sweater?
"Is it black hoodie?" I asked him.
"I don't know ..." Instantly, I searched on my cellphone.
"Is it like this?" I showed him the image of hoodie. He nods.
"Yes, he's wears that. And he's carried a blonde hair woman over his shoulder" He continued. While I put my cellphone in my pocket, then I realized.
"Wait! A blond hair women??" I asked him, to make sure that I'm not wrong. He's nods.
"Yes, Cleo's friend. Sometimes, I saw Cleo talking with her, she's have a blonde hair like Lilly's hair" he answered. I'm completely stunned what I heard right now. Cleo is the one who asked Alfie at first place, and from her we're get clues about the man without a face. When I'm about to asks Alfie again, I didn't see him near. I stand up and walk around motel to search for Alfie, then I saw a path towards forest. It's reminds me of that memory, the night that Richy does the dare house. Without hesitate, I continued walks the paths that lead to the dare house. On my way to dare house, I feel an eerie like someone or something watching every step I takes. It's awfully quiet, sometimes I heard raven's croaking and it's make me goosebumps. After a while, finally I reached the dare house. It's exactly like I saw during phone call with Richy, window have bars, completely shuts, it's weird, old and strange house. I walks towards the front door, it's look completely shut and there is no doorknobs.
"Should I knock it?" I says in my heart. Immediately, I knocks the door 3 times. Silent, nothing. There is not even a hole, I sighs.
"What's I'm doing here, it's so stupid" Frustrated, I turned. After three steps away, I heard a soft thump inside the house.
"What the hell??" No, I'm not wrong. The sound is definitely inside the house, immediately I rushs and try to push the front door but unfortunately it didn't open.
"Is there anyone inside? Answer!" I says, knocks the door. But nothing, I didn't heard anything again. Then, I puts my left ear on the front door, hoping I heard something. Suddenly, I heard someone walks towards me, not from inside of the house but outside. A faint sound of someone walks on dried leafs at the ground and it slowly approach me. Instantly, I turned my back, afraid if someone tried hurt me.
"Oh my god ...." I gasped, startled. I feel like my heart gonna drop dead anytime.
"What are you doing here?" His voice firmly asks me. It's an  old man about sixty with serious look and his hair full of grey hairs. I think he's Old Gray, the janitor.
"I...I....I ...just..checked....this....this place" I says, stutterly. I'm still catching my breaths.
"You're Lilly's friend, right? She's waiting for you. And you shouldn't be here, it's will be dark soon. Let's go" he says. I just nods, both of us walking back to motel.
"How do you know I'm here?" I asks him, while walking.
"Alfie told me, he's came to me crying and said his friend go to forest. Most tourist who enters the forest will always follow the trails" I froze heard his words, he's not wrong.
"He's crying? Why?"
"He's scared that you're been taken by the man without a face" Old Gray replied. Like Jessy said, Old Gray is quite introvert and non friendly, I can see why. Once we're get out from the forest, I saw Lilly with some women in front of the car. It's probably Ms Walter, she's look like women age fourty and Alfie is wrapping his arm around her waist.
"What are you doing in the forest in this hours?" Lilly asks me once I arrived, her eyes wides opens.
"You're fine! Thanks goodness" Alfie says, immediately run and hugs me. I smiled and hug him back.
"I'm so scared, I thought the man without a face take you." Alfie says again
"Alfie! How many times I told you? Don't hugs someone you just met. I'm sorry, he's kind of attached if he's liking someone" Ms Walter says to me.
"No, it's okay. Alfie, I need to go back home. We will play again together, okay?" I says to Alfie, who still hugs me.
"Promise?" he says, look at my face.
"I promise" I smiled. Then, he let go of me and Old Gray takes his hand, lead to motel. While walking back to motel, he waves at me and I waves back to him.
"Well Lilly, I wish luck for your future but if you want back work with me, I will accept you with open hands" Ms Walter says to Lilly, before she's gone back to motel. Both of us gets in the car and drove away. My mind still thinking about the sound that I heards inside the house.
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Lilly's house
We're heard knocks, Lilly open up the door. I asked Cleo to meet us at Lilly's house, to discuss what Alfie told me.
"Hi Cleo" Lilly says, Cleo came in and hugs Lilly.
"MC, how are you?" Cleo says and hugs me.
"I'm good....for now" I replied, smiled.
"Well, what's you want to talk about, MC?" Cleo says, siting in front of me. Lilly sat beside me.
"You said that Alfie told you that he saw Hannah been taken by the man without a face, right?" I didn't want to waste my time.
"Yes, that's why he told me. Why? Is it something wrong?" Cleo answered. She's look at Lilly, and Lilly just shrugs.
"MC?" She's look at me, asking for explaination
"You didn't asks him more details about that?" I asked her again, she shakes her head.
"No, I'm stunned heard his words. After he answers that, he's running back to motel. He's maybe mental disability but he won't made up story about someone died" I nods after heard her answers.
"Why you ask me that? Is there something's wrong?" she asked me. I sighs.
"I asked Alfie about that, and his answer like yours but when I asks about how the man without a face look, I got an unexpected answer" I answered.
"What is it? Did Alfie saw the culprit's face or what?" Lilly asked me.
"No, he didn't saw his face. He's just saying that the man without a face wearing a black hoodie and carried a blonde hair women over his shoulder" I says.
"A blonde hair women?" Lilly asks
"Yes, I heard that he's said a blonde hair women like Lilly's hair" I answered. Silent, probably shocked.
"Wait, is that means that he's actually saw the man without a face dragged Amy Bell Lewis and not Hannah?" Cleo says
"Yes, I think so"
"But he called me a dead girl's friend, Amy Bell Lewis is not my friend" Cleo says
"He's told me, sometimes he saw you talking with Amy Bell Lewis. So, he assumed that you are her friend" I replied.
"Well, I do talks with her and mostly regarding about our drawing class gathering but like I told you, she's a reserved person" Cleo says.
"You said that Amy didn't came to class quite a while right? You want to asks your teacher about it? Do you already asks?" I says, to Cleo
"Oh yeah, I forgot about it. I will ask her soon"
"Then, please update me, urgent. As Amy was in Hannah's telephone list on the day her disappearance, I wonder if Hannah really on the phone with her. We're all know that she died after three days Hannah missing"
"And on the same day that Thomas added you in our group" Lilly says. I look at Lilly, only she knew the whole truth about me. She's right, what does this means?
"I never saw Hannah with Amy before, they might bumped each other but I never saw they're talking" Cleo says
Suddenly, my cellphone ringing, it's from Jessy.
"Hello, hi Jessy" I pick up the phone
"MC, please.....come.... here...I'm scared" Jessy says, then I hears sniffles.
"Jessy? Are you okay? I will come to you right now!" I hang up.
"What's happen to Jessy?" Cleo asks me.
"I don't know, Lilly please send me to Jessy's house now!" I says to Lilly and leave the house immediately.
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Phil POV
"Alright, I'm done. Good night, Phil" One of my regulars says.
"Good night" I replied, pick up his mug. He's is my last customer for tonight, like usual I need to closed earlier as there is not much people coming nowadays. While I'm wiping my bar counter, I heards the bell ringing at front door.
"We're already closed, Alan" I says, once I look at the person who just enters my bar. Alan Bloomgate.
"I'm here not for drink, Phil. I want to meet you" Alan says, he take a seat on the stool infront of me.
"What is it? Do you have arrest warrant for me?" I asks him, I still remember the day that I'm been dragged out from my bar.
"Oh come on, it's just a friendly talk, no need to exaggerate"
"What do you want?" I don't feel good about this. Then, he's slide something to me on bar counter. I look down, my eyes wides open. It's a picture of Y/N.
"Do you happen to see this woman in your bar?" he asked me.
"No" I replied, and continue wiping my bar counter.
"Come on, Phil. I know who you are, you can't resists beautiful womens. I bet you see her too, she's pretty cute after all" His comment make me pissed. I have a very bad day today, and he's added it more.
"Look, I already told you that I never saw this woman here. Period" I says, turned my back and wiping the liquor bottle. I need to protect her. I heard Alan sighs, tapping his finger on bar counter.
"Are you done? I need to go home" I says, without look at him and to avoid next question.
"I saw her, enters your bar last Sunday" He says. Last Sunday? That night is the night Jessy being followed by someone, she's came to my bar and Y/N searched for her.
"So? Is that a crime for anyone enter my bar? I already told you that I didn't saw her. Maybe my waiter entertain her, if you want, I will asks them tomorrow" Then, Alan chuckles.
"Ok then, if you say so" he says and get up from his seat.
"Oh if you happen to saw her, can you tell her something?" I turned and look at him.
"This is a last chance of my offer to her for coffee. If she didn't accept it, I will take an action. You and all her friends. Thomas, Cleo, Dan, Jessy and Lilly will be charged due to obstruction of justice. And I will make sure all of them be fair punished by law. And of course, that hacker, we will ask help from agency about him due to interfering our case and stole evidences. Good night, Phil" He says, walks out from my bar. Alan Bloomgate can be a scary man, his words just now is truly not a joke. If he will do it, he definitely do it. I need to tell Y/N.. this is very bad news.