39 THE SINISTER TREE 1

In a beautiful day, the golden rays of sunlight showed the earth. Cool breezes blowing from Kao Ren Lake rustling the dense green grass on an empty street. On that empty street, there are a middle-aged Downer man dragging his feet forward, walking wobblingly. His posture wobbling side to side following each step he took, like he about to fall over anytime. On his body is a deep green cross-collard robe made with expensive silk, proof of his wealth and social status. His onion hair bun behind his head is loosed, his body is filthy and stink to high heaven, from days without bathing. The man kept walking forward, one step at a time, despite his exhausted legs, despite his knees is making weird noise from each step. The man dare not to stop, cause if he stops, and let his fatigued body have some rest even just a second, they may catch up to him and he'll be submitting to the disgusting fate that had befell his companions. He had walking like this on this empty street for three days. Three days without rest, without water, without food, his lips are all blistered and bloody, unstable breathing rhythm, grasping for air, his face emaciated, red sunken eyes with a lifeless gaze of a person being torturing by a fever. His mind clouded, no longer able to think straight anymore except for those stranger voices, kept whispering something in his head.

Suddenly, flapping sounds come from behind, his face contorted into a look of absolute fear and dread, he trying to speeds up his stride, but only after just 2 – 3 step, the man fell down on the road. His drained legs were barely able to help him kept walking so far, had gave up the moment his try to run. Gasping for air, he summons what left of his strength to pry his body up to look behind him.