Bound to an Apparition

PAGE FOUR - Past

Sol Kaye Evans

Like what they have said, I have endured my fake poop while listening to their boring class, they were all so against me going to the bathroom, which really piqued my interest and annoyed me at the same time.

They all look so terrified back there when I tried to excuse myself, they even cornered me from my chair just to prevent me from going out.

Something serious must’ve happened that caused them to be like this, traumatized by what they have witnessed or experienced.

Maybe the Urban Legend was really true and I’m just making fun of it, the bell rang and all of them sighed in relief. I furrowed my eyebrows because I’m really weirded out and confused by them.

What the hell is up with them? Jeez, the people here are really starting to creep me out! And that man in a crimson red cloak and smiley face mask… it’s so weird!

I wonder if he has done something to scare a lot of people and students? Well, scratch that, the whole freaking town!

All of them went outside one by one and I have decided to go last since I’m that type of person who doesn’t want to crowd up with people with such small spaces.

I cleaned up my desk before threading my bag lightly on my shoulders and was astounded upon seeing Lily on the door, waiting for me patiently so I just smiled at her.

“Lily!” I beamed before dashing towards her side, I was about to hug her when she smashed her fist into my precious little head.

“O-Ouch! What the hell is that for?!” I complained, which made her shook her head like she can’t believe me.

“What? Spill?” I asked so she just sighed before motioning me to follow her so I did. The hallways weren’t crowded and usually, the comfort room is full of girls back in my city before just to retouch their faces, but in here? Nah, I don’t see one give a damn care.

“I heard what happened a while ago! You scared them to death! Why would you ask permission to go to the bathroom when I told you that’s the only place you should avoid at this place!” she scolded me in the hallway, which made me sigh before pouting my plumped peach lips.

“I’m surprised… that got out that quickly even though it looks like no one's talking about anything,” I mumbled guiltily, which made her shook head making her auburn hair messy. I forgot to elaborate on what Lily looks like, she has this pure black eyes and auburn hair, she’s pretty decent for my eyes.

“They keep muttering ‘the new girl is safe’ so I asked about it plus you’re the only one who’s new here!” she exclaimed, which made me stop, surrendering at her worried scolding.

“Alright, alright I’m sorry okay? I just saw something interesting from the outside of the windows,” I honestly said, but I don’t want to elaborate it to her even more. I don’t know why, but something keeps telling me that I should keep it to myself.

She just shook her head like she can’t really believe my valid reasons, “Whatever Kaye let’s just go to the cafeteria so we can eat okay?’ she firmly said so I just lazily nod at her.

My eyes were busy glancing at our surroundings while Lily is busy telling and pointing me the specific spots and places inside the University that I should be familiarized with.

The Crimson University looks like my old prestigious University before, it looks really new like it was just established last year ago, but if there’s one difference that I’ll point out, it’s that the students here were really trying not to make a sound or be noisy around the hallways.

It feels like I’m studying inside a special school for people who can’t talk, even Lily here is whispering while educating me about the important places like the infirmary, library, computer labs, and gymnasium.

“Lily… if you don’t mind me asking… other than the 20 students that were killed and missing… what is the reason why you and the other students here acting like they don’t want to make a sound?” I curiously asked, so she just sighed before looking at me intently.

“Maybe it’s really time for me to tell you the back story of he-who-must-not-be-named,” she stated, so I furrowed my eyebrows at her. Is that Voldemort?

“Are you talking about Voldemort, Lily?” I confusingly asked, which made her chuckle for a moment before shaking her head in a graceful manner.

“No, our guy here is much worse than that guy,” she claimed, which made me click my tongue. I see so he looks way worse than Voldemort then.

“Let me just order our meal for this lunch before I’ll talk to you about the history of our University and why has this town become like this,” she added like she’s really scared to talk about it, but she has to enlighten me about things so I wouldn’t be left behind.

I gave her some pocket money telling her that I’ll treat her first for this day, she refused to me at first, but I managed to persuade her so she just obliged with me to buy our food with my money. I have then decided to look for our table.

It wasn’t that hard since not all of the students were gathering at the cafeteria during lunchtime, but right now, I can count people here like I’m counting my bangs that were cut into six strands.

“Usually students here eat at their dorms, they feel safe over there so don’t expect students crowding up a place here unless something serious matter has occurred,” Lily stated, so my eyes glance at her and she’s currently holding a tray before placing it casually on our table.

“I-I see how did you know what was I thinking?” I asked, which made her smile as she placed my food on my front.

“Oh, you know your face is really easy to read maybe if you’re planning something devious people would easily guess it,” she chuckled, which made my eyes widened. Am I that transparent? Jeez.

“Thank you for treating me by the way, are you sure that your appetite can handle my stories right now?” she asked, which made me nod my head exaggeratedly.

“There’s no situation that can ruin my appetite girl!” I exclamed before thanking the Gods for my food, so she just laughed while slowly shaking her head.

I took mouthful bites of my meal and it made me really happy because it tastes really decent, the heavenly smell of special garlic rice filled my nose that arouses my appetite for more.

“So, let me first talk about Aka Manto,” she mumbled while taking mouthful bites of her food, glancing at our different sides before whispering to me again.

“Wait, wait before you continue… is that really his name?” I curiously asked, so she just nodded at me so I just sighed.

Poor guy, such a very weird name for an apparition, maybe that’s the reason why he’s still vengeful from this University. Even I wouldn’t really like that name.

“It was said that he was brutally murdered to one of our bathrooms here inside the University years ago and because of that, he started lurking from different toilets to one another even though he was mainly killed at the gymnasium’s comfort room so it’s closed for our safety,” she shared, which caused me to be really curious and confused.

I’m starting to get really confused, ghost can’t kill anyone maybe it’ll affect your mental state if you have seen one but it can’t kill you unless like what I have said before, it’s an apparition.

“His first victim was a really diligent student inside our University so we can’t forget about it up until now because we still can’t believe that she was already gone since she was really famous here before because of her looks and talents,” she added while were both munching our foods peacefully.

“She was desperately in need of comfort room back then and she didn’t think of anything other than herself since the gymnasium girl’s toilet was the closest one, she thoughtlessly picked the fourth stall to do her business, since it looked the cleanest. When she reached for some toilet paper, she found none in the dispenser, that’s when she heard the voice of Aka Manto outside the stall door,” she continued talking and I on the other hand was starting to get really interested in her story.

“Aka Manto kills his victims by letting them choose different colors of paper, he will ask our students what paper do they want to pick, blue, red, or yellow,” I can tell that she was starting to get really uncomfortable so I shook my head at her.

“Don’t push yourself, Lily, it’s alright for me,” I reassured her, which made her shook her head while drinking a glass of water.

“I-It’s alright because I have to tell you this for you to be aware,” she insisted, so I exhaled out a lungful air and just let her continue.

“She shouted at first because she was wondering why was a man is inside a girl’s toilet room, but Aka Manto insisted that she should choose which paper or she will not get out of that toilet so she had no choice but to choose one so when she has chosen red, Aka Manto burst down to the door of the stall and began stabbing her with a knife, he didn’t stop until every inch of her clothing was stained red from her blood,” she exhaled out a lungful air before munching some of her foods, which made my eyes widened.

What the hell?! That’s so freaking brutal… is that even real? Is Lily shitting on me? I glance at her again and she really looks scared while telling it to me, it almost looks like she’s having a hard time breathing.

“A-Are you okay Lily? You can stop now if you want,” I firmly said, which made her shook her head. Wow, I never thought that she would be this stubborn.

“I have to tell you for you to take this matter seriously,” she still insisted in a hopeful tone, so I just sighed in disbelief. I can almost feel her shaking on the other side of the table, jeez!

“His second victim was the same as her, she didn’t much have a choice because she badly needed a toilet at that time, and this time when she reached out for the tissue and found none in the dispenser that’s when Aka Manto appeared again and asked her the same questions,” she continued while we're both busy eating.

“This time she chooses the blue paper because she doesn’t want to end the same fate as the first girl did and at that night, she was found lifeless in our toilet, her face almost turned blue because she was suffocated to death,” she added, which sent a chill down to my spine. Damn, that sounds really terrifying right now.

“His final victim chose the last color, the yellow one and that’s where we have heard the stories about what happened to those two victims before her, she wasn’t mentally stable after what has happened because she keeps telling us when you choose yellow you’ll be dragged down to the underworld and get tortured… so we’re really surprised how she managed to get out of there,” she narrated while exhaling out a lungful air, which made me really confused.

“If these three girls died to err... those two girls died, why did the school still allow anyone to go in there?” I asked, but she immediately shook her head.

“They already closed that because of what has happened, the family who lost their sons and daughters already left this town, frightened that they might be the victim next, but Aka Manto started lurking around the different bathroom and killed lots of students inside this University so it’s really not safe anymore… we even stopped for a year and still went back because we have to study in order for us to get decent jobs and leave this place,” she replied, which made me really confused.

What did the police, mayor, or president of this town do? Why did they allow this to happen? I can’t believe this!

“We tried to leave this town, but the mayor didn’t allow us from the other town, we also don’t have enough money to leave this place that far so we have decided to stay here and endure our horrors and griefs inside this town and University,” she added like she’s about to cry, so I immediately offered her my hanky and she gladly accepted it.

“So you have to promise me that you’ll avoid every bathroom or toilet room here except for the dorms,” she mumbled, which made me sigh before nodding at her.

“I will, I promise, and thank you for telling me… I didn’t know that it was that serious, I thought it was just really an urban legend story,” I firmly said, but honestly, I’m quite interested in this Aka Manto because something doesn’t just add up.

Why didn’t they look for his killer for him to peacefully leave this place? What will he gain by killing those girls?

The way they were all killed was really brutal plus why didn’t the police dig into this matter even more? Why didn’t they allowed them to leave this place?

I don’t understand, is she really telling me the whole truth? I just shrugged as we both continued eating our lunch together quietly.

“Why didn’t the mayor on the other town let you guys leave this place? They should’ve done that,” I broke the silence that we have on our table, which made her look at me intently.

“They won’t believe that it happened plus he told us if that was really the truth, he most likely won't allow us entering their town telling us that we might be cursed,” she furiously stated, so my eyes widened.

What kind of mayor is that?! Jeez! You really can’t trust higher-ups these days, you’re on your own.

“Do you guys have any idea what Aka Manto looks like?” I asked and what she said bombarded my mind like missiles at the bright blue sky, chills were climbing up to my chest that almost made me want to puke.

“We don’t know, all we know is that he wears a bright crimson red cloak and a mask that covers his entire face,” she stated.

To be continued…