Chapter Three

Alan looked further on, because the face of the young boy was bruised badly by the crash. But something drew his attention to the boy's face once again, he looked on and he couldn't find the scar, a birth mark that was on Vincent's neck. So that was why he paused, brought out a handkerchief from the back pocket of his Jean trouser, and wiped the area, he now have a clearer view. He looked back at sunny and the other guy's trailing from behind

"this is not Vincent, he said to them. Even though the face has been battered by the accident to make him unidentifiable, and even though the body structure is the same, this is still not my Vincent."

"Are you certain of what you are saying?" Sunny asked Alan expectantly

"I know my own brother more than anyone else and...….." Before he could finish his statement, his phone began to ring, it was his younger sister Mari.

He knew they would be very much worried by now, especially Anthony his elder brother. And in a condition as his, Anthony doesn't need another tragedy in his life, not to talk of the death of a young and bright child as Vincent. Such news could leave him devastated.

Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and answered the call, only to hear his younger sister Mari's voice on the other end, crying and tossing formalities aside.

"Alan!" she cried, "Vincent is back home."

"What? Vincent is home?" Alan replied in disbelief.

Mari explained that Vincent had returned while Alan was away, and there was no airtime on their brother Anthony's phone to call and inform him. Mari had gone to buy airtime and call Alan to share the good news.

As Mari continued talking, Alan's phone suddenly cut off. He shouted into the phone, but there was no response.

Turning to his friends, Alan relayed the news that Vincent was safe and sound at home. The group agreed to hurry home to check on him and find out what had happened - why Vincent was not with Roselyn at the time of the accident.

"Could you please help me with the deceased boy's body and place him on the mortuary bed for embalming before you leave?" pleaded the mortuary attendant.

"Sure, we'll be happy to assist," Alan replied. He and the other men gladly helped the attendant place the boy's body on the roller coaster bed. The mortuary attendant then took the boy's body to the mortuary. Meanwhile, the young men checked on Roselyn's condition and spoke to a nurse for an update. The nurse informed them about her health and suggested that they try to contact her family members to take care of her and settle her bills.

After checking on Roselyn, the men decided to go home. Alan instructed them not to accompany him and instead try to reach out to Roselyn's boyfriend for help in contacting her family members. Roselyn and her boyfriend lived together in a self-contained apartment, but he was not present during the accident due to work obligations. He was still unaware of the situation when he returned home. Sunny and the others were tasked with informing him of the incident.

When they arrived at Patami Creek, an unusual silence hung in the air, as though it were not the bustling town where myriad activities took place. Although the town was divided into two distinct sections, Alan and his siblings were fortunate enough to be in the quieter part. It was already half past eleven at night, and the group was exhausted and stressed after trekking to and from the hospital. They bid each other goodnight and went their separate ways. Alan felt elated and relieved to hear the news of his little brother's safety as he made his way home.

Upon reaching his house, he knocked on the door, shouting excitedly, "Where is everyone in this house?" He sounded like a drunken man returning home to a nagging wife after a long day away from home.

Mari, upon hearing his voice, rushed to the door, and Vincent came out crying, embracing Alan. While Alan was glad that his younger brother was safe, he wondered why they were coming from the neighbors' apartment and not theirs.

"It's okay, Vince," Alan said, embracing his younger brother. "I'm glad you're safe, sound, and healthy. But why are you at our neighbor's place and not ours?" He asked with a look of concern.

As he looked up, Alan saw Mari weeping profusely and didn't understand why she was crying so much, as no one had died. "Mari, it's okay. He's alive and not dead," Alan reassured her. "I too shed tears at the hospital when I thought he died earlier on."

Mari continued crying bitterly and fell to the ground. "Brother Anthony is not opening his eyes. I called several times, but your line was switched off," she said.

Alan was upset that they had left his brother alone. "Why are you here? What if he needed your help?" he asked.

Alan immediately ran to Anthony's room to check on him. He found his brother lying lifeless on the bed, cold and stiff. Alan tried calling out to him and shaking him, but there was no response. He fell to the ground and wept, cursing the angel of death for visiting his family with such a tragedy.

The neighbors came to comfort him, but after several failed attempts to lift him up, they left Alan alone with the men. One of the men, Mr. Brian, a medical doctor, conducted a checkup on Anthony's body and advised Alan on what to do next.

"I don't think this is an ordinary tragedy that befell your family," Mr. Brian said.

Alan smirked and replied, "So death, you finally had your pound of flesh?"