Chapter 1 Men with childhood trauma

That night the sky was very clear with stars dotting the sky. Andrew had just sunk into a sweet dream when a loud popping sound filled his ears.

Andrew, who was surprised, frowned, thinking that the explosion came from outside the house, more precisely from outside his room.

He tried to ignore the voice and tried to return to dreamland. However, explosion after explosion sounded louder and closer until it echoed in his ears.

Forced, Andrew reluctantly opened his sleepy eyes, then waited a moment before finally the bang of the bedroom door suddenly opening wide made him wake up again.

Suzanna, Andrew's mother, entered the room hastily, then closed the door and locked it.

The white nightgown that mother wore when she took Andrew into bed before, still looked as beautiful as he remembered.

However, the look of fear that appeared on Mom's face this time made Andrew frown in surprise.

Without saying a word to erase the confused look on Andrew's face, his mother knelt down beside the bed, then held Andrew's hand tightly. The sound of the explosion was heard again, and Mom's frightened expression became even clearer. Afraid of what? Andrew didn't know either.

"Mom," Joshua called softly, still lying down. However, Mom immediately put her index finger to her lips, telling Joshua to be quiet.

Seeing the fear clearly visible on his mother's face, Joshua began to feel anxious and afraid.

His mother's hands, which always provided warmth every time he hugged her, this time felt cold when they touched her hands.

Tears began to roll down his mother's face as those beautiful eyes looked at him with a guilty expression.

"Mommy, why?" Joshua asked in a whisper, intending to wipe away the sadness on his mother's face.

"You have to hide, darling," asked her mother in a small voice, "come on, you have to hide quickly!"

Still half asleep, Joshua heard the faint sound of a gun going off and the screams of people outside.

Mommy immediately covered Joshua's ears while continuing to ask him to get out of bed. Finally, Joshua got up from his position and got out of bed.

With hurried movements mixed with panic, his mother opened the cupboard door, then told him to sit in there.

Don't forget, his mother took a blanket and gave it to Joshua, then hugged him for a few seconds.

The hug, which felt so tight and warm, made Joshua's fear slowly begin to subside.

"Mommy loves you, Joshua," she whispered softly in his ear, "be a tough, brave, strong and great child. You are Mommy's knight. Be brave, Joshua. Be brave."

Susana started to let go of his hug, then kissed Joshua closely on the forehead.

Mommy stared at him deeply for a few moments. However, a loud knock on the door made Mom turn around quickly.

"Don't come out and don't make a sound!" Her mother's message was firm, "Wait until the police come to pick you up. OK."

Joshua nodded obediently despite being confused. He continued to stare at his mother until finally the cupboard door closed right in front of him.

Curious, Joshua tried to peek through the cupboard, watching what his mother was doing in her room.

With frantic movements, his mother started to open the window. A second later, his mother was seen busy looking for something in Joshua's toy drawer, then threw it out.

After that, his mother rushed to hide under the bed, while the knocking on the door became more intense and louder.

As if realizing that he was peeking through the cupboard, his mother turned to him and said 'I love you' with very clear mouth movements.

Not long after, a hard and strong kick made the bedroom door wide open. Very strong thumping sound, made Joshua startled and immediately covered his ears, while his gaze continued to be fixed on Mom. Joshua was scared.

Jantungnya pun berdebar sangat cepat.

From under the bed, Susana motioned for him to remain silent, and for the second time Joshua could only nod obediently.

Fear enveloped Joshua even more when he saw the figure of a big and tall man,

The man walked slowly, checking his room like a scout looking for prey to kill.

""No one can escape Santoz," the man threatened as he stepped past his bed.

Joshua's breath hitched again.

He could see the cold gaze and cruel grin on the man's face as he walked through the room with calm but menacing steps.

""No one can escape from Santoz," the man repeated again as he opened his toy chests one by one, then just scatter the contents on the floor.

Joshua's eyes continued to follow Santoz's movements in the hope that the man would leave his house soon.

Silence and tension enveloped Joshua who sat scared in the cupboard, while his gaze was fixed on Santoz who was walking towards the window.

The man was silent for a moment while observing something outside.

But a few seconds later, the man turned around and cast his gaze throughout Joshua's room.

""No one can escape Santoz," said the man for the third time.

As he walked, the man again checked the area that could be used as a hiding place.

And, when the man was about to open the cupboard door where Joshua was hiding, Susana suddenly screamed loudly.

""Wait, I'm here..., I'm here," said Susana in a trembling, frightened voice.

Joshua saw Susana crawling out from under the bed with tears in her eyes. The man turned around and chuckled amusedly when he saw Susana's presence.

With a thin smile typical of a cold-blooded killer and a sharp gaze, Santoz pointed the gun at Susana.

Joshua was frightened, but he continued to record all the events in his mind.

The look of fear was clearly visible on Susana's face, which always looked beautiful and warm. Susana's body was shaking violently from crying.

In fact, the tears that continued to roll down her cheeks seemed to show how resigned Susana was to the situation.

Joshua knew that Susana was forced to come out of hiding just to save herself from being targeted by this man.

However, Joshua was helpless. There was nothing he could do apart from being silent and obeying Susana's orders.

The fear that enveloped him made Joshua's entire body stiff, he couldn't even speak.

"Where is your child?" asked the man in a hoarse, deep, heavy and threatening voice.

""He's not h-here," Susana answered fearfully.

"Liar!" said the man firmly as he moved closer.

"N-no! "I'm not lying..., he's going to his grandmother's house," answered Susana, trying to save Joshua's life.

Grandma? My grandmother died two years ago, Joshua thought in fear