Khemjira's Rescue

Chapter 5

Khemjira had already reached the end of the pier, but before he could leap off, his entire body was yanked back from behind.

His eyes snapped open to his best friend's face.

"Khem! What the fuck are you doing?" Khemjira looked at Jhettana's panicked face in confusion, then glanced around and realized he was standing at the edge of the balcony.

How did I get here...

Khemjira's eyes widened in horror after realizing what was happening. His legs nearly gave out, but Jhettana was there to steady him.

"Jhet, I...I was dreaming," Khemjira stammered out the details of his nightmare to Jhettana with a shaking voice. Jhettana, growing more agitated upon hearing that, quickly dragged Khemjira back into the room and locked the balcony door.

"I think the yantra from Por Kru is losing its power," Jhettana said after they sat down on the floor. Khemjira swallowed hard. His ice-cold hands clenched tightly together.

"Normally, Por Kru's simple yantra like this could last for years. This fucking spirit must be a really powerful one," Jhettana continued. Hearing Khemjira recount the woman's voice telling him to go to the pier to make him jump off his balcony, Jhettana thought that this must be Khemjira's karmic enemy that Por Kru had mentioned.

Khemjira's face turned pale. If Jhettana hadn't woken up in time, who knows what might've happened to him? The mere thought made him want to cry.

"Sorry, Khem. Shit, that was close. If that woman hadn't woken me up, I mightn't have saved you in time."

Amidst the fear, a question arose. Khemjira furrowed his brows slightly. His eyes were still red and swollen.

"Who?"

"Don't know, man. But a woman's voice called my name. When I woke up, I saw you right there on the balcony. I think it must be the spirit of someone looking out for you."

Khemjira's heart raced. There was only one person he could think of, the only significant person who was no longer alive in this world, someone who'd always cared for him, even in the last seconds of her life.

"That must be my mom..." Khemjira cried out, unable to hold back his tears. He was both terrified by what had happened and relieved that his mother's spirit was still safe.

Jhettana let Khemjira cry like that for almost ten minutes. Not very good at comforting people, he could only offer tissues to Khemjira to wipe away the tears.

"I'm too scared to sleep now," Khemjira said after he was done crying.

"Yeah, same," Jhettana replied, glancing at the wall clock before continuing, "Let's just watch a movie or something. It'll be morning in two hours. We can sleep on the coach bus."

Khemjira nodded in agreement and didn't forget to say:

"Thanks for saving my life."

Jhettana patted him on the head.

"Don't mention it. Once we get to Ubon Ratchathani, I'll take you straight to Por Kru. He'll definitely be able to help."

Jhettana had a plan. If Por Kru refused to help, he'd distribute Por Kru's phone number to all the young and old ladies in the village.

Jhettana and Khemjira arrived at the university looking sleep-deprived. Upon arrival, they had to wait for the coach and those who hadn't arrived yet. Unable to bear it any longer, Jhettana dragged Khemjira to buy some coffee.

"I'll have an iced Americano with an extra shot," Jhettana ordered first.

"Sure, and what would you like?" The barista asked Khemjira.