"Stop now, or I'll make sure you can't walk home, ' Shiro threatened, his voice cold and firm.
The mysterious man seemed hesitant to continue. Finally, he decided to back off. He dragged his fallen motorbike, trying to start it.
But...
Gabriela shouted frantically, 'Don't let him get away, he's a murderer!'
Shiro who heard that immediately moved quickly, chasing after the mysterious man who had now abandoned his motorbike and ran towards the dark area around the school. Gabriela tried to stand up with the last of her strength, but the pain in her arm meant she could only watch from a distance.
Shiro inched closer to the man, but when he was only a few steps away, the man suddenly stopped, turned around, and swung a baseball bat at Shiro. Shiro shrugged his shoulders to block the blow. 'Bruakkk!' The loud sound rang out, making Shiro wobble and almost fall over.
The man didn't waste the opportunity. He raised his staff again, preparing to swing the killing blow. However, before the staff could fly, a large rock shot out from the side, hitting the mysterious man right on the head.
'Thump!' The man staggered, clutching his head while groaning in pain. From the direction of the school gate, a security guard, Gunawan, stood with his breath taken away, throwing the next rock as a warning.
"Don't try to escape, or the next rock will be harder! ' shouted Gunawan in a stern voice.
Seeing the man lose his balance, Shiro immediately rose from his position. With one swift leap, he pounced on the man, knocking him to the ground. The mysterious man tried to fight back, but the well-trained Shiro managed to lock his hands behind his back.
Gunawan ran over, making sure the man could no longer move. "Good job, kid. Hold him down! ' he said as he pulled out a rope from his pocket, quickly helping Shiro tie up the mystery man.
Gabriela, though still in pain, slowly walked over with a tense face. Her eyes looked at the mysterious man with a mixture of fear and anger. "Finally... we caught you, ' she whispered softly, but with certainty.
Shiro and Gunawan exchanged glances, both knowing that this was only the beginning of the answers they needed to find.
After the mysterious man was tied up and locked up in the security post, the tense atmosphere slowly subsided. Shiro and Gunawan made sure the man couldn't escape, while Gabriela sat on the bench at the post with a pale face and a sore arm.
"Are you okay, Gabriela? ' asked Shiro as he examined her wounds. Gabriela nodded slowly, though the pain in her arm made it difficult to speak.
"He must be arrested, ' Gabriela said in a firm voice, pointing at the man who was now silent in the corner of the room with a sharp look.
Gunawan, who looked confused, finally asked , 'What exactly happened, son? Why do you believe he's the killer?"
Gabriela took a deep breath, trying to piece together a story. With a trembling voice, she began to explain, "A few days ago, I found out about the death of Catherine, a student at this school. From the information I got, she died because she was hit by a blunt object on the back of the head, and there was no strong evidence found at the scene. But a witness said the culprit was a man on a Kawasaki Ninja motorbike. And yesterday afternoon, he attacked me with the same baseball bat that was used to kill Catherine."
Gunawan's eyes widened. 'So, you already realised he was the culprit before this incident?'
Gabriela nodded. "Yes, and he almost killed me. If it wasn't for Shiro and Bapak, I might not be here right now."
Shiro added, "She's right, sir. This man looks desperate, and it's clear he has something to hide. We should hand him over to the police immediately."
Gunawan wasted no time. He picked up his phone and immediately contacted the police. In a firm voice, he reported the incident, including the identity of the previous victim and the suspicion of the man they had detained.
"Please send a unit immediately to Kamelot High School. We've arrested a person suspected of murdering a female student here. The situation is under control, but we need the police immediately, ' Gunawan said over the phone.
Gabriela closed her eyes, trying to calm her muddled mind. She felt relieved, but nervous at the same time. It had all happened so fast, and she knew that this was probably just the beginning of a long series of investigations.
In less than 30 minutes, the sound of police sirens could be heard approaching. Two patrol cars pulled up in front of the security post, and several officers got out.
"Where's the suspect? ' an officer asked seriously.
Gunawan pointed to the man still tied up in the corner of the room. "We have him in custody. But be careful, this guy looks dangerous."
The police officers immediately examined the man and put him in handcuffs. They secured the baseball bat as evidence, and recorded all the information provided by Gunawan, Gabriela, and Shiro.
Before the man was taken into the patrol car, Gabriela stood up, although her body was still shaking. "He should be punished for what he did, ' she said in a trembling voice.
The police officer looked at Gabriela seriously. "We will investigate this case further. Thank you for your courage, child. You've helped us find a bright path to a case that had been a dead end."
Gabriela nodded weakly, then looked at Shiro and Gunawan. "Thank you. If not for you guys, I might not have survived."
Gunawan patted her shoulder lightly. "The important thing is that you're safe. Now leave this to the police. They'll handle the rest."
Gabriela could only hope that this was the beginning of the justice Catherine would get.
Shiro drove Gabriela home in his car, making sure she arrived safely. Although her body was riddled with wounds and her exhaustion haunted her, Gabriela was grateful to be alive. On the way, there was silence, until Shiro finally said, 'If you need any more help, don't hesitate to call me. You've been strong enough to get through this, Gabriela.' Gabriela just smiled weakly, feeling a little calmer with Shiro's presence.
The next day, the school seemed as normal as ever, until the first lesson bell rang. However, not long after, a commotion broke out in the schoolyard. All the curious students rushed to the windows to see what was going on. Two police cars with their sirens off were seen entering the school area, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
The foundation immediately met the police in the schoolyard. After a brief conversation, the police officers moved towards the school building with serious faces. Some students who saw this whispered speculatively, trying to guess what was going on.
Before long, the excitement reached its peak. Melissa, with a pale and shocked face, was seen walking out of the school building with her hands cuffed. All the students around started shouting and whispering, unable to believe what they were seeing.
'It's Melissa! What's wrong with her?' one of the students exclaimed.
Gabriela, standing in the corner of the corridor, watched everything with mixed feelings. She knew the truth was finally coming out, but seeing Melissa being handcuffed and marched to the police car still left an odd feeling in her heart.
Moments later, the police gave an official statement to the school. One of the officers explained that the man they arrested yesterday, a student from another private school named Jono, had confessed that he was acting on Melissa's orders.
'The motive was jealousy,' the officer told the principal. 'Melissa told Jono to 'teach Catherine a lesson' because she felt that the relationship between Catherine and Arvin threatened her. However, Jono's actions went beyond the order, and eventually led to Catherine's murder.'
This news soon spread like wildfire among the students. Everyone started talking about Melissa's relationship with Arvin, as well as her reckless actions that led to tragedy. Gabriela could only listen from a distance, trying to understand the mixed feelings that kept haunting her.
She knew that even though the case seemed to be over, the wounds left behind would not just go away. Catherine's spirit might be at peace now, but the shadow of this incident would continue to loom over all those involved.
Since that day Catherine's spirit has never been seen again, perhaps as Catherine said... she has disappeared...