THE HALF-BLOOD PONTIANAK
Excerpt-
PROLOGUE
At Block 934 of Vampines Street 7, the lights went on in a 3-room HDB flat on the thirteenth floor at the sound of a crying baby. Jenny Teo, a single mother in her late twenties, stretched in her bed after having switched on the lamp on her night table. She pushed her covers off herself and sat up, rubbing her weary eyes before checking the time on her alarm clock. It was nearly three o’clock.
Jenny got up and tied her hair in a ponytail as she walked towards the crib next to her bed. She lifted her crying baby boy and held him close to her, making pacifying sounds and rocking him to ease the cries.
“What is it baby? Are you hungry?” the young mother asked. Her baby’s crying didn’t stop. She put him back in his cradle, but the baby’s cries worsened still. The woman caressed his soft cheek with the back of her fingers. “Mummy will be right back with your milk bottle,” she cooed and bent down to press a soft kiss on his forehead.
Jenny left the room and made her way towards the kitchen. She could still hear the dimmed sound of the baby’s cries coming from her bedroom and tried to hurry not to keep her son hungry for too long. She took his bottle out of the drainer and poured some water out of a thermo flask into it.
The little baby was still crying loud as he was waiting for his mother. He was frantically moving his tiny arms and legs. Suddenly the shadow of a person emerged over the baby in the crib.
The mother of the baby opened the package of the baby milk powder and started adding it to the bottle filled with water. She counted the number of spoons she added to it.
In the bedroom, two female hands reached for the infant boy and lifted him, leaving the baby bed empty. Slowly, the baby’s whimpers started to become softer as he was being fed by the woman.
Jenny put the last spoon of milk powder in the bottle, closed it, and shook the bottle to mix it as she made her way back to her room.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she said, although her baby’s cries were slightly decreasing. Jenny frowned when she didn’t hear her baby anymore. How had he become so quiet while he was still hungry? The young mother cautiously entered her room. She could see her child laying in his crib from where she stood and it seemed like he was sound asleep.
“Justin?” she called his name softly. She approached the crib and took a better view of her baby.
From outside the window, The Pontianak stood at the corridor. She had just carried baby Justin, and was now looking into the bedroom. She put her hand against the window grille and brought her pale, but pretty face nearer to it.
“N-O-O-O-!-!-!” came Jenny’s scream from inside, followed by loud cries from the young mother.
The corners of The Pontianak’s mouth turned up and formed a vicious smile on her face as she was satisfied at the result. Suddenly her brown eyeballs turned opal-white, her fangs slightly grew out of her mouth, their sharp tips clearly visible, and her nails grew, after which her pale skin turned darker.
The Pontianak was still smiling deviously with the cries of the mourning mother in the background. Then she morphed into a black stray cat and jumped off the block, leaving an empty spot in front of the window.
PROLOGUE
At Block 934 of Vampines Street 7, the lights went on in a 3-room HDB flat on the thirteenth floor at the sound of a crying baby. Jenny Teo, a single mother in her late twenties, stretched in her bed after having switched on the lamp on her night table. She pushed her covers off herself and sat up, rubbing her weary eyes before checking the time on her alarm clock. It was nearly three o’clock.
Jenny got up and tied her hair in a ponytail as she walked towards the crib next to her bed. She lifted her crying baby boy and held him close to her, making pacifying sounds and rocking him to ease the cries.
“What is it baby? Are you hungry?” the young mother asked. Her baby’s crying didn’t stop. She put him back in his cradle, but the baby’s cries worsened still. The woman caressed his soft cheek with the back of her fingers. “Mummy will be right back with your milk bottle,” she cooed and bent down to press a soft kiss on his forehead.
Jenny left the room and made her way towards the kitchen. She could still hear the dimmed sound of the baby’s cries coming from her bedroom and tried to hurry not to keep her son hungry for too long. She took his bottle out of the drainer and poured some water out of a thermo flask into it.
The little baby was still crying loud as he was waiting for his mother. He was frantically moving his tiny arms and legs. Suddenly the shadow of a person emerged over the baby in the crib.
The mother of the baby opened the package of the baby milk powder and started adding it to the bottle filled with water. She counted the number of spoons she added to it.
In the bedroom, two female hands reached for the infant boy and lifted him, leaving the baby bed empty. Slowly, the baby’s whimpers started to become softer as he was being fed by the woman.
Jenny put the last spoon of milk powder in the bottle, closed it, and shook the bottle to mix it as she made her way back to her room.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she said, although her baby’s cries were slightly decreasing. Jenny frowned when she didn’t hear her baby anymore. How had he become so quiet while he was still hungry? The young mother cautiously entered her room. She could see her child laying in his crib from where she stood and it seemed like he was sound asleep.
“Justin?” she called his name softly. She approached the crib and took a better view of her baby.
From outside the window, The Pontianak stood at the corridor. She had just carried baby Justin, and was now looking into the bedroom. She put her hand against the window grille and brought her pale, but pretty face nearer to it.
“N-O-O-O-!-!-!” came Jenny’s scream from inside, followed by loud cries from the young mother.
The corners of The Pontianak’s mouth turned up and formed a vicious smile on her face as she was satisfied at the result. Suddenly her brown eyeballs turned opal-white, her fangs slightly grew out of her mouth, their sharp tips clearly visible, and her nails grew, after which her pale skin turned darker.
The Pontianak was still smiling deviously with the cries of the mourning mother in the background. Then she morphed into a black stray cat and jumped off the block, leaving an empty spot in front of the window.
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