Episode 4

The following day...

Marvin had been accepted at the Bumi Bangsa Elementary School, and although the school was quite a distance away, he was determined to work hard to earn money so he could buy a bicycle.

Into the evening, Marvin sold his mother's homemade snacks, though he usually sold them only until late afternoon because his mother did not permit him to sell past dusk.

Truth be told, Mrs. Rena had never agreed to Marvin's vending, preferring to earn the livelihood herself, yet Marvin insisted on contributing to his mother's work, feeling no shame in it, despite peers his age typically reveling in their childhood, playing with friends.

Counting the day's earnings, a smile firmly graced his lips—his goods had sold out.

"One hundred twenty thousand."

"One hundred thirty thousand."

"One hundred forty thousand."

He had made just one hundred forty thousand, but his happiness was immense, for he rarely saw such an amount.

Spotting a street fried chicken vendor, Marvin's mouth watered; it had been ages since he and his mother had indulged in fried chicken, which fueled his desire to buy some for her.

"Brother, two pieces of fried chicken, please," Marvin said gleefully, looking forward to a dinner featuring fried chicken with his mother.

"Sure, kid. Do you want thighs, wings, or breast?" the vendor inquired.

"Just thighs, please."

The vendor swiftly packed two pieces of chicken thighs and handed them to Marvin, announcing, "Twenty thousand in total, kid."

"Alright," Marvin replied, digging into his pocket, handing the vendor the twenty-thousand bill.

...****************...

Arriving home with the fried chicken meant to be shared with his mother, Marvin's hunger was overtaken by shock upon finding the front door wide open.

Rushing into the house, he called out, "Mom... Mom!"

The sight that met him was harrowing; his mother lay bloodied on the floor. Discarding the bought chicken, he ran to embrace her.

"Mom!" Marvin's cry shattered the silence; he wept uncontrollably.

"Who did this, Mom?"

Mrs. Rena was conscious, albeit gasping for air and in pain, her abdomen stabbed multiple times by an unknown assailant.

She pressed a finger to her lips, signaling for Marvin to be silent. He couldn't comprehend why she wanted him to keep quiet.

Footsteps sounded; someone else was in the house.

"Qu-quickly hide, Marvin!" Mrs. Rena's breath hitched as she spoke.

Marvin shook his head, sobbing.

"Yo-you must su-survive, Marvin. My-my dream is to see you grow up, my love. I want you to be a successful man, to live happily with a family someday." Mrs. Rena spoke through tears. The heartache of their final night together was unbearable—she couldn't protect her son anymore, and she wouldn't know what became of his life after this.

Wiping away tears, Marvin heard the footsteps draw nearer; he had to run, to urgently seek help for his mother, though their house stood far from other dwellings.

Attempting to unlock a window for escape, he was noticed too soon.

Marvin turned and froze at the sight of a man standing only a short distance from Mrs. Rena, his face marred by a burn scar that gave him a fearsome appearance.

Not far from Mrs. Rena, the man stared at Marvin, ten meters away, chuckling menacingly. "Hahaha... where do you think you're going, you wretched boy?" He brandished a bloodied knife that might've been used on Mrs. Rena.

"Don't play games with me, come here!" The man beckoned Marvin with a crooked finger; his raspy voice sent chills down Marvin's spine.

Mrs. Rena clutched at the man's leg to hold him back, allowing Marvin a chance to flee. "Marvin, run fast!"

"Run, Marvin!"

Tears streamed down Marvin's cheeks, torn between the instinct to stay with his severely wounded mother and not wanting her sacrifice to be in vain.

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