Murder In The Old Castle
375. The Reading Room
The afternoon sun slowly shifted to the western sky. However, the weather is not so hot because the sun is sometimes covered in clouds that are marching across the sky. The atmosphere of the forest remained quiet without the presence of birds. The wind sometimes blows softly, sometimes as if it were not blowing. The weather feels very hot and humid.
Ryan was tired of being near the makeshift tent. From then on he just paced around not knowing what he should do. He wanted to leave the place, but had no idea where to go. He only saw trees growing around him. Everything looks foreign. Instead of finding his way home, he lost his way.
The stomach is actually hungry. However, there were only sour forest fruits and leftover meat this morning. He stopped to take it. There was no sign that the black-clothed figure would return. Until now he was still confused, who was the figure who brought him to this makeshift tent, and what did he mean? If he did have malicious intentions towards her, why wasn't he killed from yesterday?
Back he took out a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant he was pocketing. He opened the locket, recovered the photo inside. The face in the photo is familiar.
"Why are you doing this? What secret is hidden?" muttered Ryan.
He could only shake his head. Maybe that figure won't come back here. It seemed like he had to make an effort on his own in order to return to the castle. Ryan began to analyze, relying on the knowledge he had. The first thing he noticed was the location of the sun that began to lean west. He remembered that the castle he had been living in faced east. He knew because he used to sunbathe, looking for morning sunlight in the courtyard beside the castle.
"So this forest is to the west of the castle. If I walk straight east, back to the sun, maybe I'll get to the castle. Why don't I try?" muttered Ryan.
Armed with courage and reckless capital, Ryan finally decided to return to the castle with his back to the sun. In his mind, he had to walk eastward in order to get to the castle, or at least the location adjacent to the castle. If only he reached the waterfall, it was enough, because he memorized the path to the castle when he reached the waterfall.
He stepped through the thick growing bush. There is no visible path. This forest area is rarely visited by people. He must remain vigilant, because he is worried that the bush he broke was inhabited by dangerous animals such as snakes, or there is a hole behind it. He was trying to find paths that looked safe. If only there were a path, he would follow it.
The more to the east, the forest area increasingly looks open, and the trees have not been as close as before. Sunlight breaks through the leaves, so Ryan doesn't feel too hot. It's just that he still feels sultry, because his energy is used to walk exploring the forest. After a long walk, Ryan could hear a rumbling sound that resembled the sound of water. Immediately he put his ears fixed to be able to listen well. A moment later, he looked excited.
"Waterfall!"
***
Dimas immediately picked up a box of utensils that were in the tool cabinet near the kitchen, along with a rather large lighting lamp. The toolbox should be given to Ammar immediately to repair the power grid sabotaged by an unidentified figure. The plan, he did not go back down to the underground, but will help Reno to secure the other residents who are in the dining room. He will enlist Juned's help to escort the struggling Ammar down there to repair the power grid.
After retrieving the toolbox, he went to meet Juned who was waiting for Niken. Juned was sitting next to Niken's bed, while Niken was still lying down. It seems the woman was unconscious.
"He's a wean?"
Juned just shook his head. He was rather surprised to see the sudden arrival of Dimas. He had made a glass of warm tea, but Niken was not aware, so he put the tea on the table near Niken's bed.
"But ... What about Niken? Who's guarding him?" ask Juned.
"He'll be fine. He was unconscious, but I'm sure he'll be fine. It will recover soon, don't worry too much about him. Niken a police officer, certainly can overcome the difficulties," said Dimas.
Juned did not dare to argue anymore. After he received the toolbox and lights from Dimas, he immediately exited the room, heading for the basement to help Ammar who was struggling to repair the electrical installation. Dimas also did not remain silent. He knew that around the dining room was in complete darkness because the light source was only obtained from electricity. He immediately headed to the dining room to make sure that the conditions there were safe.
Meanwhile, panic struck in the corridor near the dining room, because the cellphone flashlight held by Reno suddenly died because the battery power had been exhausted. He halted his steps, while the castle dwellers who were being herded into the reading room looked panicked.
"Nobody move! No one moves!" reno's orders.
All were silent with anxious eyes. The atmosphere was very tense, like waiting for something bad to happen. At the same time, Dimas had arrived. He was surprised to see the dining room was empty. Dimas holds a flashlight to illuminate it around.
"Reno! Where are you guys?" ask Dimas.
As soon as he heard Dimas' voice, Reno was a little relieved. He returned Dimas' call immediately.
"Dimas! I'm in the corridor! Get over here!"
Dimas immediately headed for the corridor, finding Reno with the rest of the castle's inhabitants. The corridor, which was not how wide, looked very dark, because there was no lighting from the outside. Dimas checked the faces of the castle residents one by one with the flashlight he held. He sighed in relief as their numbers were still complete.
"We're going to move into the reading room" Reno said.
"Yes, we just move there, waiting for Bang Ammar to fix the power grid. I'll reveal soon what we're really up against, so we can immediately catch who's doing all this. We must not lose quickly, because under the castle there are others who mess up. I'm afraid, there's a malicious conspiracy in this case," Dimas said in a soft voice, so that others wouldn't hear.
"Well, let's reveal immediately who did it!"
***