Place: Kim’s House

Time: 7:30 a.m.

Kim’s father asks: “Does Mike know about this?”

Kim shakes her head and answers: “I don’t know if he knows about this. We’re not friends anymore, dad.” Kim sits down and joins her father at the dining table although she doesn’t have any appetite to eat the sandwich that she prepares.

Kim’s father says: “I thought you guys get along well.” Kim frowns.

Kim replies: “That’s history already. Didn’t I told you about it? I think I have though.” Kim’s father diverts his attention away from Kim and tries to recall back.

Kim’s father says:“Ah!!! Now, I remember… It’s because of Ratana…” Kim sighs as she’s worried about Ratana.

Kim states: “Yup, it’s because of her. After she went to America, she didn’t contact me again. And now she’s back in Thailand but she’s missing. Yiissshhh….. Where have she gone?” Kim’s father sips his coffee and places his cup down.

Kim’s father asks: “Are you going to help find her?”

Kim nods and says: “I want to… but I don’t know how.”

Kim’s father points at the newspaper and says: “Try contact her parents. It says in the newspaper here, she’s last seen with her parents outside of Throne Hotel.  So, if you want to know more, pay a visit to her parents.”

Kim lowers down her head and replies: “But I don’t even have her parent’s contact number.”

Kim’s father answers: “Try Throne Hotel instead.”

 “Throne Hotel?” It is Pie who just come down to join Kim for breakfast.

Kim turns around and finds Pie walking towards them.

Pie: “Morning, Uncle.”Pie greets Kim’s father before joining them for breakfast.

Pie asks: “Kim, what are you talking about Throne Hotel?” Kim is in the quandary whether she wants to tell Pie about Ratana being missing.

Kim thinks: “Should I tell her about Ratana? She seems to be frightened by the weird dreams she has about her. But then Pie is the only person who sees her yesterday……..

Yesterday! Omg, she’s hurt! Pie says that Ratana is covered in bruises and there’s blood too…”

“Kim….. Kim? Why do you look so shocked?” Pie calls Kim’s name.

Kim asks: “Pie, you said that the girl you saw yesterday is hurt right? Where did you see her?”

Pie replies: “On the street that we met yesterday. Why are you asking me out of a sudden? You said it’s just a dream…”

Kim says: “Read this.” Kim passes the newspapers to Pie and Pie starts reading it. She looks startled and her face turns white when she saw Ratana’s picture in the newspaper article.

“It’s her! The person I saw yesterday. Exactly as what it says…. She’s wearing this white dress…” says Pie in a low voice that shook a little.

Without hesitation, Kim says: “We need to go back to the street and see if she’s there.” Kim stands up, getting ready to leave.

Pie asks: “But what about school?”

Kim’s father said firmly: “Still need to go.” Kim’s father gives a you-know-what-i-mean look to Kim.

Kim sighs as she understands what her father is trying to convey.

Kim’s father says: “I’ll give you guys a ride to the street. If we can find Ratana, I’ll help you gals to settle the rest of the matter. However, if she isn’t at the place that you pointed, then I’ll drop you off at school. Wait for me to get changed and start engine. You gals take your breakfast first.”

Kim smiles and says: “Okay, dad. Glad you’re willing to give a hand.”

Kim’s father leaves the dining room as he goes upstairs to get changed. Kim goes back to her seat as Pie joins her on the dining table to take breakfast. For the whole minute the two girls fix their gaze at each other full in the face without speaking. After the minute long pause, Kim finally says: “Here, drink this tea. I brew this for you, but I guess I need a glass too.” Kim reaches out for the tea pot and pours out the tea that she brews into two cups, passing one of it to Pie, which Pie gratefully receives.

Minutes later……

Kim’s father asks : “Ready?”

Kim replies: “Yup, let’s go.” Both Kim and Pie grab their school bags as they follow Kim’s father, leaving the house. Kim’s father gets into his car and starts the engine. Kim and Pie both sits at the back. They didn’t notice that they are being observed by someone outside Kim’s house. The mysterious person holds a phone, making a call to someone in the car.

TMP says:” They are leaving the house now. Don’t worry. I’ll follow them…” The mysterious person ends the phone call.

Kim’s father starts to drive out of the porch, leaving the house. TMP waits for them to drive a little further before following them from behind as TMP doesn’t want to be discovered by them.

Inside the car, Kim once again hears thought. As Kim’s father drives pass a few people around the neighborhood, Kim looks out of the window and hears a lot of thoughts…

A man was going to get on his car when he thinks: “That boss is really pissing me off. Should I quit?....”

Another young lady crossing the road is thinking: “Why is it so far away? Huh…. I’ll lose tones of kilos by the time I reach there…”

“OMG, she’s going to kill me if I don’t bring her food to work. I better go back now.”thinks an middle-aged guy who is waiting by the bus stop.

A clumsy looking girl, carrying a buddle of books thinks: “Why does it feel so cool down there? Oh, I forgot to wear my again…”

Kim covers her ears hard, trying to block their voice out of her head. It doesn’t work at all, she can still hear their voices babbling endlessly in her head. Kim thinks: “Why am I hearing these voices again? And it’s not stopping! Oh, I don’t wanna know if you don’t wear any down there! Arh!!!! Stoooppp!!! Stop these voices in my head!!!!!!! IT’S TOO NOISY!!!!!!!!! Maybe music can help to block the voices.”  Kim can’t stand it anymore and so she requests: “Dad, switch on the radio please.” Kim’s father took a glimpse at her daughter using the rear view mirror and nods to her daughter’s request. He presses the on-button and the music starts playing. “No… Music isn’t helping at all…. I can still hear their thoughts.”thinks Kim drearily.

At the same time, a cold breeze stirred Pie’s hair which she first thought that is due to the air-conditioner of the car.

Soon, she realize that her thoughts are wrong when she sees a headless body that lies in the middle of the road, flopping around in the search of his missing head at the t-junction that Kim’s father stops, waiting for the traffic lights to change.

Pie almost screams at the sight of the indescribable horror of the headless corpse and she turns to asks Kim whether she sees it too but it struck her when she notice there aren’t any reaction from Kim’s father neither is Kim. Kim is just plugging her fingers into her ears.

 Pie thinks: “They didn’t see it. WHYYYY???? Am I the only one who sees that headless man or is it that I’m hallucinating? I didn’t take any drugs or alcohol!!!!”  She rubs her eyes for several times, wishing that what she saw isn’t true.

But then after Kim’s father drives pass the road, she gasps as she sees another silvery haired, ivory faced woman stands right next to a kid holding a teddy bear in the bus stop and the woman is weeping tears of blood out of her eyes.  

Driving down the route, Pie also sees a man hanging himself by the neck with a piece of white cloth on the tree, sticking his tongue out playfully.

She quickly shuts her eyes tightly, keeps telling herself that she’s only hallucinating. “It’s only an illusion! Illusion! It could never have been there, couldn’t possibly have been there!” Pie hypnotizes herself.

Pie feels an icy thrill of dread runs down in her spine. Again she feels the cool breeze in her hair but it felt like a breath of another world.

Pie bit onto her hand to stifle a shriek. Somehow, she feels that the breeze originates from above her. It scares her to the extent where she’s about to burst and scream out of her lung but then she found her arms reaching out, gripping Kim’s wrist.

Kim, herself is again surprised by Pie’s sudden tight grip on her wrist. Her hand feels so cold. Kim turns to take a look at Pie’s face.

“Are you okay?”asks Kim. But Pie made no answer. The cold eerie breeze that Pie feels just disappears into thin air. Pie opens her eyes and casts out of the car window once again. Her eyes wander around the streets that Kim’s father drives through. “There isn’t anything scary out there anymore!”

On the other hand, Kim notices something is different. “Buddup, buddup, buddup…..” listens Kim. That’s all she can hear… Nothing else. No unusual, strange or weird voices anymore. The voices of people that she saw, she can’t hear them in her head. Kim can clearly hear the sound of the music, the roaring of the car engine and the thumping of her heartbeat only. Pie turns her attention back to Kim as she gives a pale weak smile, saying: “I’m…. okay….. I’m fine.”

On the spur of the moment, Kim’s father reduces the volume of the radio and asks: “Kim, is it this street that you mean?” Kim and Pie both rivet their eyes outside the car but Pie didn’t let go of Kim’s wrist. Kim nods and replies: “Ya, just turn right and we’ll be there.” They fell silent again.

Kim gloats as she still feels Pie’s grip on her wrist. But Pie sunk deep in her own thoughts. She wonders about the weird visuals that she saw. One moment she saw these scary human or ghost like creatures, horrible beyond words but then the next second when she touch Kim, it all disappears. This is the second time it happens already.

 “Kim?” asks Pie. Kim rivets her eyes back to Pie and answers: “Hmm?” Pie stares at Kim for a moment, hesitating. “Better don’t tell or ask…She would think that I’m crazy…..“thinks Pie. Pie gives a smile again and says: “Nothing…” Kim raises her eyebrows, a little curious about Pie action. But it didn’t bother her much because she liked it when Pie calls her name. Kim throws her attention on the street again.

Place: The Unknown Street

 Kim notice that they are back to the place they meet last night and says: “Stop here, dad.” Kim’s father parks the car by the side of the road. Pie hasn’t release her grip yet. Kim turns to face Pie and says: “Pie? We’re here.” Pie answers: “Ya, I know that.” Kim smiles and says: “My hand?” Pie realizes that she’s still holding onto Kim and she smiles awkwardly to Kim. “Oh, sorry…”says Pie as she releases her grip on Kim’s wrist and they get off the car. Kim’s father asks: “You gals sure it’s here?” He then thinks: “What are you gals down here last night? Look kinda deserted and desolated here.”

Kim heard what her father thinks but she didn’t intent to explain anything. She walks a few steps further before answering: “Yes, dad. Pie says she saw Ratana here.” Pie follows Kim closely behind. Kim starts calling for Ratana’s name. “Rat!! Rat!!!! Are you here? Where are you??? Come out now!!!! I’m KIM!!!!!!”shouts Kim. There’s no answer that came back other than a few frightened birds that flies away from the tree branches where they are resting on. Kim frowns in frustration as she really hopes that Ratana would be found much earlier. “If she’s injured like what Pie said, oh God, please guide me to her as soon as possible… I pray that she’s still alive”begs Kim.

Kim’s father walks up and down the street to survey the area as well as looking for Ratana. There aren’t any cars passing by the street as it’s quite remote. Next to the street, there’s nothing but a few trees and a huge warehouse. Opposite of the warehouse is a small piece of grass lane with a few trees which separates the warehouse and the nearest office building. The warehouse looks old and abandoned as if no one has been there for a long time.  “An office building and an abandoned warehouse around this area of Bangkok? Something’s fishy here…”suspects Kim’s father.

Meanwhile, Kim and Pie walks side by side while Kim is constantly calling out for Ratana. Pie’s face is still white as she’s afraid that she’ll see something horrible again so she tries to stay as close as possible to Kim. Pie’s eyes wanders around the whole place and something shiny caught her attention. There was an inexplicable force that draws her to follow her instincts and approach the reflected light. Pie walks nearer and nearer to it.

Kim notices Pie’s unusual behavior and asks: “Pie? Where are you going??” Pie remains silent as she walks nearer towards the drain and found the object that reflects the sunlight. Pie shot a startled glance at Kim while pointing at the object. Kim moves nearer to Pie direction to take a clearer look at what Pie has found. “A phone? Whose phone is this?”asks Kim as she reach down to pick up the phone from the small drain. The screen of the smart phone is cracked. Kim tries to switch on the phone but it doesn’t work.  

Kim’s father looks at his wrist watch to check the time and find that it is already 7:50 a.m. Kim’s father shakes his head and exhale deeply before saying: “Kim?? Let’s go! You gals are late for school!!!” Kim’s father rushes to his vehicle and starts the car engine. Kim puts the smart phone that she found into her pocket. “Let’s just keep this phone for now. Maybe this belongs to Ratana. I’ll have someone to help me fix this. Let’s go. We can’t be late for school.”says Kim to Pie. Pie nods in agreement. Both of them run towards the vehicle’s direction.  Kim’s father waits for Kim and Pie to get on before he brings them to school.