EYES SEE YOU
Chapter 9
"Sinkhole"
Ring! Ring!
The phone rang as Red sat in his coach’s office, drinking hot tea. He had a tiny bandage covering the small injuries he sustained from his earlier scuffle with Indie.
Coach Lim answered the call.
“Looks like an emergency. I’ll inform the runners.”
Red waited for the coach to finish the call, then stood by the door, ready to leave.
“I’ll be heading out now, Coach.”
“Sure, Red. But don’t go through the back of the school. There’s a sinkhole at the south wing.”
“A sinkhole? By the pond?”
“Yes. Find another way for now. They’re closing the school for safety.”
“Thanks for the heads up, Coach.”
Suddenly, Tyler, a track and field player, burst in.
“Coach, there’s a girl by the pond. She was there when the sinkhole appeared! I heard a student calling for help. We are the fastest runners of this school and we need to get there fast!”
“A girl, you said?” —Coach Lim asked.
“Yes… I think she’s the sister of the soccer—”
Before Tyler could finish speaking, Red, the fastest runner at Remnant University, knew he had to act swiftly.
“Argh, I’ll be back before my tea gets cold.”
Scarlet lost her grip but just in time, Red came running, spinning his butterfly knife to reveal the blade. He turned it perfectly and slid his body to the surface, diving in and anchoring himself with the knife stabbed between the rocks. He grabbed Scarlet’s hand with his left arm before she plummeted further.
“Red?” —Scarlet gasped.
“Don’t talk. You need to pull yourself up!”
“I can’t… I don’t have any more strength left.”
“You can’t stay weak like that, Scarlet! It’s your life!”
“I know, but I’ve always been weak. I really can’t.”
“Scarlet, listen to me. Your brother is a jerk! He threw away your sandwiches! You need to live to see the bruise on his face after I punched him!”
“Y-you did that?”
“Yes! So don’t give him any reasons to get back at me!”
“Please… tell him that I’m sorry! For being born… and for ruining his life!”
Red’s grip on Scarlet’s arm was slipping.
“You get up here and tell him yourself!”
Red realized that if he pulled her now, they would both fall. The knife was holding, but their combined weight would soon pull it out. They were slipping, and the ground around Red was eroding fast.
“Red, please let go. You’ll fall too because of me!”
“Then we die together! And it will be your fault!”
Red screamed, struggling to hold on.
“Red, please let me go!”
“Don’t you dare fall! Especially now that I just realized that egg and mayo is a good combination!”
“Y-you tasted it?”
“Who’s going to make it for the club now after you die?”
Scarlet’s tears turned to joy when she witnessed Red’s dedication to saving her and lifting her spirits.
This made her mind clearer and she saw a root of a tree peeking from the rocky wall. It was risky, but it might be their best chance. She asked Red to swing her there.
“Red, can you swing me to that root?”
“Yes, but I don’t know if it’s strong enough to hold you!”
“It’s a willow tree, its roots are strong and long.”
“How sure are you?”.
Scarlet smiled through tears.
“You can trust me, Pres!”
Red looked at her and understood he had no choice but to trust her.
“You better be right, smarty pants…”
Red anchored himself, ready to swing Scarlet to safety. He counted to three and with all his strength, he launched her towards the roots, and she hugged them tightly, securing herself while Red almost slipped off the edge.
Fortunately, Juni and Mr. Clean arrived just in time to grab him and pull him back up to safety. As they helped him, another figure appeared from behind.
A hand reached out to Scarlet, and when she looked up, she saw her brother.
“I-Indie?”
“Grab on, Scarlet!”
Scarlet grabbed onto Indie’s arm, and with all his strength, he pulled her up. Indie’s team assisted him by pulling a rope tied around his waist.
When they successfully pulled Scarlet up, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that they were all safe. However, this only fueled Indie’s urge to blame his sister once again.
“Why were you in that pit, and what were you doing in this area, Scarlet?!” —Indie shouted in frustration.
Before Scarlet could answer, Indie felt something touch his shoes. Looking down, he saw Dash, the turtle, pecking at his foot.
“D-Dash? How?!”
He knelt down and lifted the turtle up, in disbelief that Dash was alive.
DASH THE TURTLE
Indie’s mom surprised him one day by bringing home a turtle. She asked Indie what name to give it.
“I’ll name it Dash! Because it’s going to be the fastest turtle on the planet!”
She taught Indie how to feed and care for Dash. He practiced by the fountain of their house where Dash usually stays while his mom read a book.
When Indie’s parents divorced, his mom took everything with her when she left… except her son Indie and Dash. Indie started harboring hatred in his heart, unsure where to express it.
When his father remarried, Scarlet was born. As she grew older, she learned that Dash belonged to her brother and came from his birth mother. She knew the name of the turtle because it was written on the empty dirty tank that used to be its house, but she was never allowed to interact with it because Indie would get mad.
When Scarlet moved to a dorm school, Dash was neglected for years and became severely malnourished, feeding on dry leaves and small dead critters. Its shell started deforming. Indie was also busy with his tryouts and soccer competitions. Everyone was not present while the poor turtle endured.
On Scarlet’s birthday, she went home to celebrate. Indie, clearly not wanting to be there, couldn’t hold back his anger during the celebration.
“She is not my mother and she isn’t my sister!”
His father, shocked, slapped him and demanded an apology. Indie stormed out into the pouring rain.
Scarlet tried to invite him back inside, but Indie refused and yelled at her again. Not realizing that it was her birthday.
The next morning, Scarlet found Dash flipped upside down and bleeding. She rushed it to the veterinary clinic.
“The turtle is severely malnourished. The crack on its shell was caused by a blunt force, almost like something hit or kicked it.”
Feeling guilty for Dash’s suffering, Scarlet used all her savings to pay for the medicine. Thinking that Indie hated the turtle, she decided to give it a proper home without telling him.
When Indie’s mom passed away, he regretted neglecting Dash, the only memory she left him. He tried to look for Dash in his house but couldn’t find it. He didn’t ask Scarlet as they were never close.
Scarlet transferred to Remnant University to be with her grieving brother and brought Dash to live in a pond at the back of the school. She never found the right moment to tell Indie about the turtle so she held it off and cared for it everyday. That’s why when she heard of a club focused on maintenance, she joined it to ensure she could access the school premises to feed Dash daily.
Seeing Dash again, Indie couldn’t believe it survived and recovered from all the neglect.
“I’m sorry Dash. I was an idiot…”
The turtle seemed to recognize Indie. Despite all its suffering, it showed no signs of aggression. The tiny peck it gave was a motion Indie remembered from feeding it with his mom when he was younger. It remembered him after all this time.
But then, Dash slowly turned and went to Scarlet. Indie’s tears finally fell as he realized his sister had taken care of his mom’s remembrance for him. After years of hating Scarlet, guilt and shame replaced his feelings.
Scarlet walked towards the kneeling Indie, holding up the turtle.
“Can Dash come home now?”
Indie stood up, sobbing. Scarlet hugged him, and for the first time, he hugged her back. It was a touching moment, and Scarlet’s eyes filled with tears of happiness as she finally embraced her beloved brother after years of longing for him.
On the side, Red’s face twisted with disgust as he watched Indie crying over a turtle.
“What a pathetic idiot.”
“His bruises, did he get those just now?” —Mr. Clean asked Red as he observed the wounds on Indie’s face.
“Oh yeah…” —Red replied, reminiscing about their fight as his fist met his palm.
Juni smiled, happy for Scarlet.
As they were escorted outside, Scarlet’s parents were waiting. Scarlet was hugged by her mom, and Indie was embraced by his dad. Now that they were safe, Mr. and Mrs. Finch heard about how Red saved Scarlet.
“What a bummer. My tea is cold now.” —Red exclaimed, looking at his cup as he stood outside.
“Alfred Crow, right?”
Red looked at who called his name and saw that it was Scarlet and Indie’s parents.
“Thank you so much for saving our only daughter. We don’t know how we can repay you…”
“I just did what I had to do…”
“I work in the sports column and I would write about this story because I heard you are the star of Remnant University when it comes to running. This is the least I could do for what you did for my daughter. You’re a hero.” —Mr. Finch said, touching Red’s shoulders.
“We would like to invite you for dinner. On a date of your choice.” —Mrs. Finch mentioned as she smiled at Red.
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Finch, but it’s really nothing.”
“Oh, we insist. We would make your favorite roast beef!” —says Mrs. Finch.
Red was confused as to why it was so specific.
“Mr. Clean told us that’s your favorite!” Mr. Finch added.
Mr. Clean waved at Red from behind, standing with Scarlet and Juni by the gate. Red just rolled his eyes.
After all the danger the Cleaners Club faced that day, the school quieted down once the reporters, authorities, and school personnel left. But something sinister emerged from the sinkhole:
Glowing eyes peering out.
THE TRIO
Mr. Clean, Red, and Juni were walking home as the sun began to set. Mr. Clean is proud of Red, whom he saw as his disciple.
“Alfred, you’re a real hero right there.” —Mr. Clean said, putting his arm around Red’s shoulders.
Red scoffed.
“No one can get there as fast as me, so I really didn’t have a choice! But my arm hurts a lot! She’s too heavy.”
Juni smiled awkwardly, realizing he couldn’t relate to the pain. The two realized this and looked at him.
“Junn, you really can’t feel pain?” —Red asked genuinely.
Juni shook his head. Red lightly punched him, but Juni didn’t flinch.
“Woah, you’re the real superhero. I would love to not feel pain.”
“I’m truly happy that you guys are safe. I love you guys.” —Mr. Clean said, embracing the two. Red struggled to stay in the hug, and Juni just smiled.
The three were having fun when they noticed two girls in front of them.
“Jane?” —Juni saw Jane with another girl he hadn’t met before—Rachel.
“Juni, this is my friend Rachel.” —Jane said, introducing her.
Rachel nodded to acknowledge Juni.
“I remember seeing him at the shelter that one time.”
Red and Mr. Clean stayed behind as Juni introduced them.
“Jane, Rachel, this is Red and Mr. Clean. They’re from my school.”
“Oh hi, we meet again Jane!” —Mr. Clean smiled at Jane.
Rachel couldn’t help but notice that Jane knew the two men with Juni.
“You knew each other?”
“Yeah, she’s Juni’s girlfriend so we know her.” —Red added.
Jane blushed.
“Oh, he’s your boyfriend? But you told me you’re not dating anyone…” —Rachel looked confused.
“Oh no! Juni is my childhood friend and he’s not my boyfriend. There was just a little mix-up…”
“We’re actually on the way to grab something to eat. You guys should join us! My treat!” Mr. Clean invited everyone.
THE CELEBRATION
The restaurant operated on a reservation basis and didn’t seem to offer cheap food. Red felt a little intimidated and asked Mr. Clean.
“Mr. Clean, is it your payday today? Are you sure we’re going to eat here?”
“Don’t worry, Alfred! I know the owner of this place. We can order anything!”
“I’m just saying, if we can’t pay for the food here later, you’re the one cleaning the plates!”
Mr. Clean laughed, unfazed by the idea of cleaning. Red noticed the water had a price too.
“250 cedis for water? Where do they get their water from?”
Jane and Rachel sat together, while Red and Juni sat beside each other. Mr. Clean stayed on the edge of the table.
As they waited for their meal, they began asking questions to get to know each other better.
“What do you do, Rachel?” Juni asked politely.
“Jane is my schoolmate at Serene and I take photos for my club.”
“She’s very good at it too! You should see her work!” —Jane added proudly.
Rachel looked at Red waiting for him to share.
“I’m a runner, also a mailman in my free time, so I know every street in this town.” —Red said, briefly enjoying his overpriced water.
“I’m a janitor, and it’s my birthday today!” —Mr. Clean exclaimed excitedly.
Red nearly spat out his water.
“What?! You’ve been with us since morning and you didn’t even tell us?”
“Ahhhh, it’s okay Alfred. I’m turning 34 this year, not a milestone year, so it’s okay.”
“I thought you said you were 31?!”
“Did I…? Of course, I said that! Don’t I look younger?”
“You do, Mr. Clean. You could pass as our older brother!” —Jane chimed in.
“Happy Birthday, Mr. Clean!” —Juni greeted.
“Thank you everyone! Rachel, I wish you could take photos for all of us too since you’re the best at it!” —Mr. Clean said, pulling out a disposable camera to capture their memories.
Rachel started taking pictures while the room was filled with laughter. There was one while the group teased Juni and Jane and another when Mr. Clean was about to kiss Red’s cheek with sauce all over his mouth.
When the cake came out, everyone started singing for Mr. Clean. The cake had white icing with red lettering that read ‘Happy Birthday, Charlie Clean.’
Before Mr. Clean made a wish, he noticed Rachel covering her face with the camera, shaking.
“Are you alright, Rachel?” —Mr. Clean asked, concerned.
Everyone turned to her. When she revealed her face, she was in tears.
“I’m fine. I’m sorry… I just felt touched that you are all good friends.” —Rachel said tearfully.
Jane comforted her, and Juni assured her.
“You are our friend now too, Rachel.”
“Even the photographer should join us for the picture!” —Mr. Clean invited.
Rachel wiped her tears as she asked the group to pose again. She snapped one final photo before Mr. Clean finally blew out the candles.
After the meal and conversation, the five parted ways. They thanked Mr. Clean for the meal and waved goodbye as he stayed in the restaurant. Red walked left while Juni, Jane, and Rachel walked right to go home.
Mr. Clean watched them until they disappeared from sight.
As he washed his hands, he noticed something when he looked in the mirror.
Blood, coming out of his nose.