White Musk

White Musk

That night Andy, who was walking leisurely towards his apartment which was only a few steps away, was surprised by drops of blood that hit his nose. He looked up to find the source of the drops. Before he could fully see, a man fell from the top of the building. His blood seeped on the rough side of the road. Andy looked up again to see if there was anyone else upstairs. How surprised he was when he saw someone clad in a thick gray winter jacket grinning at him. People around who witnessed the incident screamed hysterically and not a few also turned on their cellphones to record the incident. It didn't take long for the news of the tragedy to spread throughout the city.

A week went by and Andy still couldn't get over the grins from the people on the building that night. That morning he was daydreaming in the middle of language class. "What are you thinking of not answering my question," said Roy, his seatmate. "O-oh nothing, just thinking about buying a house cleaning machine or not," Andy stuttered. After that they only talked about their final language class project until Roy finally spoke about the housewarming party. Indeed, Andy has lived in the apartment for a month but has not held a moving party. Roy also suggested doing the party this weekend.

The weekend has arrived. Andy only invited a few close friends to come to his house that night. Roy was the first to arrive at Andy's apartment. "You are very lucky to have such a beautiful neighbor next door," said Roy. Andy thought, could it be the residents of the apartment next door? I've never met her. "O-oh yeah I've never met her actually," Andy replied. Soon the other friends began to arrive one by one. Ruby, a child who is always updated about events around him, suddenly tells about a murder case that was reported 2 days ago whose killer is unknown, but it always left a White Musk scent in every case.

Like any moving party, they had a good meal that night. Before they realized it, it was already 3 o'clock in the morning. His friends began to say goodbye in turn, including Roy. 

"Finally calm too," while sighing in relief. But Andy's calm was disturbed by the sound of a piano that sounded dramatic. He looked for the source of the sound. When he opened the balcony door the sound was getting louder and louder coming from the house next door. Andy doesn't want to make a fuss with the neighbors and as a result he just ignores it. But more and more days, the piano strains were heard more and more often. Until one night Andy started to get annoyed and ventured to reprimand his neighbor by pressing the doorbell. Before long, a girl slowly opened the door. Her tall stature, black hair and droopy eyes and sad face could be seen behind the door and Andy could smell the girl's signature white musk scent. "I-Is there anything I can help you with?" the woman nervously spoke. Andy started to raise his voice, "Can you turn down your piano volume? I'm a bit disturbed because it seems this apartment is not soundproof." The girl quickly replied "I'm sorry, I thought it was soundproof. I'll lower the sound next time." Without hearing Andy's answer, the girl quickly closed the door. 

After that day, Andy didn't hear the piano playing for a while. However, he passes by her more often. Until one afternoon, when they passed each other again for the umpteenth time. The girl introduced herself shyly, until finally, the two of them exchanged names and began to get to know each other. Not even a month has passed since their introduction. Andy was starting to feel like he was attracted to the girl. It didn't take long for Andy to confess his feelings to the girl. And unexpectedly it turns out that the girl received a declaration of love. A few days to weeks passed after they officially started dating, Andy's house was the place they used to spend most of their time together. "How about we use your place once in a while?" Andy asked his girlfriend. "I don't mind, just don't regret it later," he replied. 

That night Andy saw something odd when he entered the girl's room. A thick winter gray jacket hung behind the door. He had the feeling he had seen the jacket somewhere a few months ago before meeting the girl. But because he didn't want to think about anything else when he was with his lover, he ignored his memories. 

The girl came with a drink into the room, Andy drank it without a word. He did not remember anything after that and suddenly he woke up already on a wooden bed without a base. He could faintly hear the sound of people walking towards him. As the sound drew closer, Andy could smell the strong scent of white musk. When he tried to look at the source of the sound, his slender index finger drew closer to her lips. "Shhh, there's no need to be afraid we're just where you should have been from the start." The girl's grin reminded Andy of the events of that night. He fell silent for a moment, his body shaking violently. "No need to be afraid dear, you just need to sleep here forever." The girl injected something into Andy's neck and whispered "you shouldn't look at me that night".

Written by

Intan Tri Fitriani