Run

This was an incident that happened around 16 years ago. I was a student back then. I lived with my grandma in Balik Pulau. It's a village located at the back side of the hills in Penang Island. Back then there was no cell phones, I mean they just started introducing cell phones there and not much people have it. It was a small peaceful village, they don't have fancy place like KFC and McDonald's. Yes, they're consider fancy place to the villagers. There is only a handfuls of cars, most people is on their motorcycle or bicycle. Grandma had those old bicycle with dynamo lights on it and a metal bell. Actually, back then most of the villagers had the same bicycle.

Now my grandma's house is located deep in woods. You have to pass some Banana trees, sugarcane trees and also Durian trees, lots and lots of durian trees. Yes, you guessed it, Balik Pulau is famous for its Durian. It’s a kind of fruit that you either liked it or hate it because of its smell. Google it.

So after those farms, there is a small section which you have to pass a chinese cemetery and damn I hated riding pass there as a kid. The road was dark because of the over towering trees beside it and there was always this cold breeze around it. I always felt that someone or something was staring at me whenever I pass there. Grandma always remind us "If you hear someone calling you, and you turn around and there's no one there. Just keep walking. Do not turn around again no matter what..."

What I heard from my friends in school, they said that their grandparents told them "those were the voices of the victims of May 13 incident, they are restless spirits and if you answer their call, they will take you away"

Now for those of you who don't know, in 1969 May 13, there was a massacre in Malaysia, again go google it...

One night, there was a school campfire going on. It's a thing here where they have this huge campfire and clubs from other schools will be invited over, they have plays, dance, music and so on. I was a scout and on duty to guard the 3rd floor of the west building which so happens to be the top floor. My job was simple, petrol the top floor and make sure no students are there because some students will occasionally sneak up and make out in the classroom. Oh, there were no lights so the only light shining was from the huge campfire.

Normally they will assign 2 scout at each floor but so happens that on that day they need extra scouts to help out in the east building, and so I was left alone but I don't mind, I would walk along the corridors and occasionally stood and enjoy the show down at the campfire. It was a little pass 10pm when I started hearing footsteps at the far end of the corridor. I thought to myself "there goes some horny students again" and started walking there, but there was no one.

"Cheeky bastards, they must be hiding in one of the classrooms" and I walk slowly, sneaking into each classroom hoping to catch them red handed. One by one I peek over the window before sneaking in from the back door and each one was empty. "They must have ran down to the second floor" and so I continue to enjoy the show.

The show ended somewhere after 11.30pm and people was starting to leave. I have to stay behind and wait for my captain to come and release me from my duty. That's when it happen again, I heard footsteps, this time it was like a slow draggy one and naturally I thought someone must have sneaked up here again. This time I make sure to not make a sound so I could catch them from behind them. Slowly, I peek in each classroom window again and then suddenly I heard it "Kuai Pao!" (It means run in chinese). The words were as soft as a whisper and it was right beside my ear, I feel a cold breeze pushing me from behind, every hair from my neck rises. It reminds me of what grandma said but this was different, why is it asking me to run? I turned around slowly but there was no one there, my legs gave out and I dropped on the floor. I was shivering, scared, terrified.

It happened again. Those slow draggy footsteps, this time even clearer, louder. I could hear that there was something behind it. It sounded like some metal dragging, scrapping on the floor. I turned over and look in the direction of the sound, nothing... and then there was that cold breeze again, this time it was around my hand, as if it were pulling me to stand up. "Kuai Pao!" I heard it again. This time clearer. I felt my head spinning, I was getting dizzy, I couldn't breathe.

"Kuai Pao!!!"

I saw her, she was crying and pulling my hand, begging me to run. I couldn't understand what was happening but then those foot steps are getting closer. I turn over and I saw him, he was limping slowly, his left arm was missing, his right hand was dragging what seems to be a part his left arm, and those metal scrapping sound I heard, it was because his left arm is still holding a machete. His right leg seems to be twisted in a weird angle while he was slowly limping over to my direction. His head was a twisted to the left as if his neck was broken, his long messy hair covered most of his face, His bright yellow eyes was staring straight at me and then he smiled.

She pulled me up and I saw her face, pale, white, she was scared, more terrified than I was… "Kuai Pao!" she said one last time as she push me towards the staircase. I ran... as fast as I could. Not wanting to look back. I ran straight to my bike and cycle home as fast as I could. Passed those banana trees, durian farms and the cemetery. By the time I reached home I was covered in cold sweat and then I blacked out. The next few days were a blur to me, grandma said I had a high fever. I didn’t go to school and I slept most of the time.

A few years later, I heard a story from my teacher.

"During that incident in May 13, there is also this serial killer that roam free in our village, he likes chopping up his victims with a machete. No one knows what happened to him after that day, no one knows if he's still alive because his body was never found."

Immediately those flashback of that night came to mind. I was saved by a ghost...