Crazy Of You

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

.

Joshua Andrew's heart beat faster and faster. He was scared to death seeing what was currently happening in front of him.

Even though he was only 10 years old and half awake because he was forced to wake up from his sleep, Joshua Andrew slowly began to understand what was happening.

In his bedroom, an assassin intends to end their lives. Joshua Andrew didn't know who had been shot by the gun in the man's hand.

But at this moment, the gun was pointed right at the face of his mother who was crying in fear.

Unable to contain his fear, Joshua Andrew's tears began to fall. His body shivered with cold and trembled with fear.

Meanwhile, he did not take his eyes off his mother who was trying hard to protect him.

But it seemed the assassin didn't care about every word his mother said.

"Yeah, that's good," said the man quickly and sarcastically, "I don't need it anyway. I was only asked to end your lives. That's enough."

"P-please, don't kill me," his mother begged in tears, "how much did they pay? I-I..., I will pay you ten times over."

"Too late," said the man briefly and quickly before pulling the trigger of the gun and shooting it straight through his mother's forehead.

Joshua Andrew immediately covered his mouth, preventing his scream from escaping.

Her tears began to flow even more, and she held back with all her might so that her sobs could not be heard by the assassin.

With shortness of breath and an excruciating pain in his chest, Joshua Andrew looked at his mother's body lying lifeless right next to his bed.

Joshua Andrew's body was shaking violently due to the immense trauma and fear.

He even blamed himself for not being able to do something to save his mother.

He's so weak. He was so scared that all he could do was stay still, hide, and wait until the police came to save him.

Without the slightest feeling of guilt, the man started to leave Joshua Andrew's bedroom.

However, Joshua Andrew still did not dare to come out of his hiding place. He tried hard to hold back his urge to open the door and approach his mother.

Not only because he was afraid, but he remembered his mother's message before the killer took his mother's life.

As a result, Joshua Andrew could only cry and cry without taking his eyes off his mother in the slightest.

Joshua Andrew kept waiting until he didn't know how long he had been in the cupboard. The time that passed felt so torturous to the mind and soul.

However, when the atmosphere felt very quiet, not even a single sound of the dog barking was heard which was usually heard every time a stranger entered his house, Finally, Joshua Andrew was absolutely sure that the killer had left his house.

With his hands shaking with fear and tears that wouldn't stop flowing, Joshua Andrew dared to push open the cupboard door.

He tried to move his legs which felt stiff, then crawled weakly towards his mother's lifeless body.

Finally, Joshua Andrew burst into tears. Joshua Andrew hugged his mother's waist as tightly as possible, then closed his eyes. He hoped that this was all just a bad dream, but it wasn't.

Joshua Andrew could feel the coldness of his mother's hands. He also couldn't feel his mother's heartbeat.

Joshua Andrew knows that he is living alone now. Without family, even relatives.

Forced, Joshua Andrew let go of his arms from his mother's body.

With all the remaining strength in his body, Joshua Andrew tried to stand on his weak legs.

He continued to look at his mother with a look of sadness, fear, disappointment, hurt and anger.

He kept all these incidents in his mind, and let the feeling of revenge begin to grow within him.

Joshua Andrew promises to catch the man who killed his mother. He even swore he would kill the man with his own hands.

Santoz .

He will never forget that name. Won't!

"I'll be brave, Mom. I'll be brave."

*****

Joshua Andrew woke up from a nightmare that always haunted him. Sweat dripped down his temples, while tears just rolled down his cheeks.

No sobs escaped his lips. However, his heartbeat was so fast, it spurred adrenaline which always appeared every time he wanted to vent his anger.

His breath was ragged and his fists were as hard as rocks. Until this moment, Joshua Andrew cannot forget that incident. An event that changed the course of his life and his world.

Joshua Andrew can still remember every detail of the incident.

In fact, the sound of the gun going off when the trigger was pulled and taking his mother's life still rang clearly in his ears..

Twenty-three years have passed since that fateful incident claimed his family.

Twenty-three year old Joshua Andrew tries to forget everything, but can't. Never will!

This incident changed his life, changed himself and his world.

Joshua Andrew even had to live a sad life during his youth because he was always haunted by flashes of that incident.

The trauma was so deep that it made him feel like he was crazy.

Joshua Andrew underwent treatment at a special psychiatric hospital for five years in order to suppress this scary shadow.

Or more precisely, suppressing the anger and controlling the revenge that was flowing in every cell of his blood.

But the older he gets, the more skilled he becomes at controlling everything within himself.

This scary incident made Joshua Andrew the sole heir to all of his parents' wealth and company.

However, Joshua Andrew could not enjoy all these comforts and facilities before turning twenty years old.

For five years, he lived a life full of suffering in hospitals.

And after being declared healthy, his parents' lawyer put Joshua Andrew in a hostel in accordance with the instructions stated in the will.

He lived a life full of torture while living in the hostel. All his friends treated Joshua Andrew badly.

'Be brave, Joshua Andrew. Be brave.'

His mother's message always rang in Joshua Andrew's ears every time he started to give up on his life.

Luckily, Joshua Andrew has Mors who faithfully accompanies him. He always poured out his heart and sadness to Mors. Only Mors understood his pain.

Only Mors knows how much hurt and grudge he has against Santoz.

Ten years. Yes, for ten years Joshua Andrew lived a life full of suffering.

Before finally he received all the inheritance and took over the company owned by his parents which had been looked after by the Neandro family.

The Neandro family are the only relatives of Joshua Andrew's parents. The only person his parents trusted.

And, the only person who really looks after all of Joshua Andrew's parents' wealth well without asking for anything in return.

In fact, Neandro's family also helped him to get up. Apart from Mors, of course.

The Neandro family knows how tragically and cruelly the hitman took the lives of Joshua Andrew's family.

However, they don't know who killed their parents. They had no idea at all because the hitman committed his crime cleanly.

Yes, clean according to the man, but not according to him. Joshua Andrew knows the name of the killer, and will never forget how cold and cruel the man was when he took his mother's life.

After leaving the school dormitory, Joshua Andrew continued his studies while continuing to search for information about Santoz.

Luckily, Mors always supported him. Mors knew what Joshua Andrew wanted. And, only Mors knows that all this time Joshua Andrew was not as good and as great as people thought.

No! Joshua Andrew is not that good and perfect.

Exactly at 23.57, the train arrived at Hornsby Station. Nora immediately got off the train and rushed towards the station exit.

Working as a nurse at a hospital in the Neringah area requires her to come home late tonight.

Nora was supposed to be able to go home in the afternoon, but today two nurses suddenly couldn't come in.

The doctor asked him directly to help treat an elderly patient whose condition was getting worse as the afternoon approached.

Luckily, the patient's condition began to improve three hours later after the patient's beloved child arrived.

Finally, he was allowed to go home. And right now, Nora couldn't wait to lie down in bed.

His body was tired, and so were his legs. However, he still enjoys carrying out his routine every day.

Nora is no longer young, she is already five years old. However, the energy and enthusiasm in her are like a girl in her twenties.

He loves his job, very much, but he loves his only daughter more.

Nora lives alone with her daughter, Soraya, who is currently 26 years old.

Soraya works as a waitress at one of Sydney's famous coffee cafes. The distance between Soraya's workplace and the unit where they live is quite far.

But at least, the salary Soraya earns is quite large when compared to other places.

They both have to work hard to pay the remaining monthly installments for their residence.

Nora also sets aside her monthly income to finance Soraya's educational plans for the next two years. His son wants to become a graduate.

Even though she is almost three years old, it is never too late for Soraya.

That's why Nora continues to work hard to provide for their living needs and their children's future.

Under the night sky, Nora walked from the station to her residence four blocks away.

It only takes 15 minutes if he walks slowly. However, tonight Nora slightly accelerated her steps because the surroundings were quiet and still.

The air feels quite cold tonight. Nora tightened the jacket she was wearing while putting her hands in her pockets to keep her body warm.

A car suddenly appeared from behind, driving down the quiet street with a roaring sound that made Nora startle slightly.

Nora continued to walk past two residential blocks while occasionally glancing to her right, hoping to find someone or a group of people there.

However, tonight was really quiet. Maybe it's because it's winter and the temperature outside is getting lower, So people prefer to stay indoors and pull the blankets up to cover their noses.

Nora continued walking on the sidewalk under a row of shady trees. The sound of an incoming message on her cellphone shocked Nora until her breath hitched. He immediately took out his cell phone from his small bag.

'Where is Mom now?

The cafe is about to close.

I'm tidying the table.

I'll be home in 15 minutes.

Kevin will accompany me.

Let me know, Mom.'

A smile spread across Nora's face when she read the message. Nora is very familiar with Soraya. The two of them are like best friends.

Today Soraya had her last shift which meant she had to go home at midnight.

Luckily, Soraya works with Kevin, a neighbor who lives in one of the units in their apartment building.

Kevin was also the one who offered the job to Soraya. At least, Nora felt calmer because Kevin was there to look after Soraya if her child had to come home late at night like this.

'Mom is already on her way home.

Coming soon.

Let Mama know when you want to go home, okay?

After replying to the message, he put his cellphone back in his bag and continued walking until he passed the third block. His heart was happy and joyful even though his body was tired.

Not because he is too good like an angel, but because he is happy living a life full of love with Soraya.

Nora only lives alone with Soraya, but she feels that everything is very complete and perfect. Husband?

Nora never thought about how or what her current husband-or ex-husband to be more precise-did. The man just left him when Soraya was three years old.

He had forgotten those sad times and got up as quickly as possible to raise Soraya.

Nora doesn't want to sink too long into sadness and a dark vortex that can make her world fall apart. Now, he is happy living his life with Soraya, and that alone is enough for her.

However, Nora didn't realize one thing.

The happiness he felt right now would change in a matter of seconds to a painful feeling accompanied by screams of fear.

Because without Nora realizing it, a man had been waiting for her arrival all along. A man who was standing behind a large and tall tree trunk.

A man who is ready to take her life.

The man deliberately chose a tree that was not exposed to street lights in order to hide his presence under the dark of night.

With a knife in his right hand and a cloth in his left, the man occasionally peeked out from behind a tree, waiting for the arrival of Nora, whom he had been stalking for several days.

After reaching the fourth block, Nora turned left and continued walking on the fairly wide sidewalk.

The three-story building they had lived in for ten years was visible from a distance. The living unit is on the second floor.

The place only consists of two bedrooms, one bathroom, as well as a kitchen and TV room. Not too big, but comfortable to live in.

The atmosphere in the residential area was very quiet. Occasionally there was the sound of a car horn in the distance, but it still couldn't fill the silence of the night.

One of the visible street lights was starting to dim, occasionally blinking weakly before finally turning off.