2. Tracking

Rai heard another cry for help from Jihan. This time from outside the house. Rai dashed out of the house to save his sister, moving quickly and hurriedly. He slammed the door open, and the only thing he saw was an empty, dimly lit courtyard. Even the garden felt empty with no one in sight, and the wind didn't seem to be blowing at all! All he could hear was his breathing.

Rai's horror became compounded when he heard a moving sound not far away. Rai reached for the rifle slung around his neck as soon as he heard splashing water a few meters ahead of him.

Rai approached the sound with caution, holding his rifle. He tried to figure out what he was hearing. Whether it was humans, the monster, or just animal sounds, Rai could finally breathe a sigh of relief after discovering only a rat the size of an adult's arm. The rodent seemed content to eat whatever food he could find before disappearing into the sewer.

"Rai, help me!"

Rai appeared to go insane after hearing his sister's voice again. This time, sounding even more desperate. He dashed toward the sound, didn't mind if the monster with the black shadows kidnapped and possibly killed him. Right now, all he wanted was to save his sister.

"Help... please...."

However, it appears to spread out in all directions, which is perplexing. Rai brandished his old rifle, enraged because he felt he was being played with, he fired in every direction but only hit the wind.

He finally stopped shooting and closed his eyes, sensing the noise was coming from somewhere. Rai attempted to follow his father's tradition when they went hunting, determining where the sound of the animal they were hunting was.

"Helpp…."

Jihan's voice came back, weaker and more distant. But one thing felt sure Rai knew where the voice was coming from. Although his ears were still tricky by the sound of Jihan's screams from various directions, he no longer cared. Rai trusted his instincts, which told him to head in the direction of the sunset.

And, without further ado, he dashed down one of the streets where he had last heard Jihan's faint voice. Rai walked with wary. The old long-barreled rifle slung around his neck was already loaded with bullets, and he gripped it tightly.

The further he walked, the darker the streets became. The lights were rarely on like they were a year ago. All the lights in people's houses and on the roads were off, although some buildings were lucky enough were still be illuminated by candlelight and torches. However, not all homes have access to light, including the road he was on at the time. The road was only illuminated by moonlight, transporting him to the sixth century.

In the past, the face of Jakarta was not this gloomy. There was plenty of light illuminating every corner; even the small and narrow streets were full of lights. But the atmosphere is different now.

Not only was there no light, but he could also no longer hear the sounds of people selling, dating, coming home from work, the sound of horns and car horns urging people to get out of traffic, and the music that used to be everywhere. The city that was once great and used to intimidate newcomers with its traffic jams and overcrowded population has now fallen and plunged into a trough of darkness.

Jakarta is unlikely to rise again to its former glory. The mysterious abductions have even isolated the city from other cities. Everyone is afraid to be here, they flock to find new places on other islands, such as Sumatra, Bali, Kalimantan, and other islands, but not everyone can leave this place because wherever they are, those who are unlucky will still be targeted kidnappers.

The small path Rai traveled was getting more and more winding and narrow. He could even detect the pervasive, pungent odor of ammonia. Jakarta had collapsed and been destroyed! Buildings, famous statues, and even the Monas Jakarta mascots were in disrepair, crumbling to the ground and overgrown with moss and weeds.

The cries for help were heard again, and this time it felt closer—not just one voice, but Rai could hear other voices pleading for help. He also noticed the clinking sound of metal colliding with the steel floor. He got closer, trying to figure out where the sound had come.

A tiny earthquake-like shaking shook the ground beneath him. Rai retreated backward and hid behind an old, dusty house as if it had burned down. As he tried to conceal his location, the ground near him suddenly widened and opened up.

And one by one, Rai saw the black shadows that he saw and that resembled humans coming out one by one from the hole in the ground, just like the figures he saw when Jihan disappeared; these figures were also pale, hunched over, and had black shadows that were as tall as coconut trees, but quickly, the figures jumped away from Rai.

Rai was just about to come out of hiding when suddenly he smelled the burning scent that was getting stronger nearby. Rai immediately grabbed his rifle. He got up and wanted to try to get into the monsters' hideout and save his sister.

But before Rai could get out and carry out his plan, he was already surrounded by the monsters.

"I found you…, he…, he…, he…."

Their laughter echoed, and Rai felt like someone was poking him in the ear with a needle. And the longer the monster's laughter rang out, the more his eardrums felt like they were about to burst. Rai covered his ears, but the sound only got louder until he felt the warmth of blood seeping out of his ears.