1 The Road To War

I

A man in his late 20s sat in a smoking room. Cleanly shaved, slicked-back black hair, and medium to lightweight. He was wearing a grey suit with a white shirt beneath it and was fixing his red tie. He picked up his legs and crossed them while cleaning his black shoes.

In his right hand, there was a single short cigarette. The man inhaled the last cigarette and blew out the steam of smoke. He could smell his cigarette, filling the entire room he was using. The smoke warmed his trachea. When the cigarette was about to finish, he immediately put it out in the ashtray.

Brown wallpaper decorated the wall. This place has no windows at all. Just a small round table with three ashtrays on the table surrounded by three couches and a few trash cans. The man glanced at the writing on the wall, 'Extinguish cigarettes after smoking.' With the word 'cigarettes' in red. Above him was an air duct that sucked smoke inside the room. The sound of the spinning air duct fan was almost inaudible.

A woman opened the door to the smoking room. Red lipstick, eyeliner, wavy brown hair. She wears; a long-sleeved black coat and a knee-length skirt.

A true professional looks for a journalist.

She took out a cigarette and a lighter, trying to light the cigarette, but the match did not produce fire at all. She kept trying and finally gave up and tossed the lighter into the trash can, though she didn't throw it in.

The man sat right next to her and took out the lighter. He leaned over to the woman without getting up from his couch; the woman put her cigarette into the lighter. When the cigarette caught fire, the woman immediately inhaled the cigarette. She closed her eyes and let out a puff of smoke.

The woman opened her eyes gradually as she released the smoke. Her gaze was on the man. She gave a little smile.

"You have one?" asked the man in his pleasant voice, looking at her cigarette.

The woman took out a pack of cigarettes. Now it's the woman's turn to be kind. He pats the bottom of the pack of cigarettes until a cigarette sticks out from the pack. The man took it with his mouth, and he leaned back on the bench and lit his cigarette.

"I didn't expect to find you here, Jung."

The man inhaled and exhaled the smoke.

"I can say the same to you, Marie," Jung inhaled another one.

"How's the cartel you're investigating?" the woman was talking and smoking. She could not separate her eyes from the man.

"We're still chasing the story. Me, Ardan, Royem, and Jon... we're still at the tail end of those guys. The five of us will discuss it over lunch in the diner about our next move."

"What's the next step?" the woman's hand holding the cigarette was leaning on the bench. "Investigate the abandoned apartment?"

"Exactly," Jung pointed at the woman with his cigarette with a smile. "We will look at apartments on the outskirts of town. There is a source who said that the person who financed the construction is a cartel member. If this is true or if there is a single trail that hints at his involvement, then we can catch the cartels."

"That's good, darling. Just be careful with that cartel. They are far more dangerous than my cabal story. We're talking about your life and death, Jung. If they can kill a state official, I don't know what they can do to you."

"I will be fine. Are they really going to kill me? We don't know," Jung shrugged as he dusted his cigarette ashes into the ashtray. "In the end, we will catch them. Like those before them."

"You sound sure, Jung," she bit her lips. "What's the secret?"

"You should know I can look into the future by now. I'm amazing in this line of work, a masterpiece," he joked.

Jung inhaled his last smoke, even though the cigarette wasn't finished. He stood up from his seat and walked to the exit door. Before she reached the door, Marie grabbed the man's hand.

"Wait!" the woman called.

Jung saw the woman take something out of her coat pocket. She stood and faced the man; she spoke into the man's ear as she slipped the money into his hand.

"Buy me something. You choose," she backed away, staring at him. "But buy nothing that has beans," one corner of her mouth drops.

"Sure, madam."

The woman pushed Jung out of the smoking room quickly while snickering.

"Madam my butt... I'm youthful," she said faintly.

Jung leaves the room alone, erasing the smile from his face. When he was outside, Jung could see the cubicles where the journalists worked.

He was at Hellsum World News. A Hellsumer journalism centre in the country, right in the city of Hueyyad. HWN has a lot to offer to the world, from television shows to newspapers. Many people around the world turn on the television or go to the newsstand to check the news by HWN.

Jung walked to the nearest elevator and pressed the down button, waiting for the door to give him the way. The bell rang, and the door opened for Jung. The man walked in and looked at the floor options he wanted to choose to go.

Before choosing the first floor, a man ran down the hall, waving his hand to keep Jung from closing it.

"Jung! Wait!" the man called out vehemently.

Jung held down the button and waited for the bespectacled man to come to the elevator he was using. The man was panting when he arrived. Jung immediately pressed the first floor when he entered. His hair was messy as the wind shaped it when he was running.

"Good thing you hold it, Jung. I thought I had to wait for it again for the third time," he spoke out of breath.

"Relax, Dan. No need to scream in the hallway. People will think you are…"

"Are what?" Ardan raised his head to look at Jung. "I can't hear you over my heavy panting," he wheezed.

"Just forget it. We better come early so we can get a free table."

Ardan leaned against the elevator wall while controlling his breath in and out. Jung couldn't stand hearing the man's heavy breath, which made his ears tortured.

"I want meatballs. What do you want, Jung? Noodles? Soup?" he was still catching his breath.

"Vanilla flavoured ice cream, topped with mouth-watering chocolate chips. How about that?"

"That sounds like what Jonathan would order. Are you becoming Jonathan?" his voice squeaked.

"Do you think people will become fat after eating ice cream? Think about it, I'm always exercising."

"Your sport is just chasing people in interviews, Jung. And coming to work," Ardan rebuked.

"Good point. We have a mediocre body."

Ardan looked at his body, which was not muscular and not fat.

"Looks like we need Royem's help with this. That man's body is full of," Ardan pretended to flex his arms. "Muscles!" he said, trying to get his biceps muscles out.

"Does he have a gym class or what? Maybe we can get into it."

"Oh yeah, Jung!" Ardan clapped his hands. "Haven't you ever taken part in a martial art group in elementary to high school? Why isn't your body full of muscle?"

"It is not about being extremely buffed. That sounds like you need a melodic voice to have the courage to do public speaking."

"I don't get it. What are you saying?"

"I don't need bulging muscles to learn martial arts. I can choke you out right now if I want to."

The elevator doors opened, and the two exited the building to cross the street.

"Are we going to order food for them or wait for them to come?" asked Ardan as they crossed the road.

"We let them choose. Let's find a table first."

The two of them reached the diner and opened the entrance. They saw the diner which was still empty. Jung and Ardan came quicker than the other office workers. The two of them immediately chose a table near the window that overlooks the crossing they used. They were waiting to see their two friends who had not yet arrived at the dinner.

Jung could see passing cars and pedestrians through the window. When it looks noisy outside, inside this diner, they do not hear the commotion at all. There he saw a mother and her child who stopped by an ice cream vendor outside the diner.

"What are you staring at? We can buy that thing later."

"Well... It's just… Never mind," Jung set aside the thoughts.

Ardan could only shake his head while leaning back in the comfortable seat. Not long, a waitress presented herself with paper and pen in hand, ready to write the two men's orders.

"What do you want?" asked the waitress.

Ardan seemed to think hard to choose his meal. Jung, who was reading the menu, looked at the person strangely.

"I want meatball soup. I almost forgot about that. Give it a little lime. Make sure it's warm, not too hot," Ardan glanced at Jung who was still reading the menu book. "Jung?"

"Can I have the spicy ribs, please?"

"Warm meatball soup with lime and spicy ribs. What about the drink?" she asked.

"Milkshake, please," Ardan ordered.

"Coffee," Jung wanted something different.

The waitress reread it, and Ardan conformed with the waitress' words. The woman left the two and walked into the kitchen with the order in hand.

"Can we talk about the apartment we're going to visit tomorrow? Like, who's driving the car this time?"

"Later, but the important thing is that it will not be you."

Ardan's eyes looked as if they had burst open.

"What do you mean ' will not be me'? Do you want one of them to drive?"

"That's right."

"Wha-" Ardan couldn't believe it. "They can't drive fast, Jung. It's me out of all of us," Ardan pointed at himself confidently. "The one who can drive swift and fast."

"We will crash."

"What did you say? Crash? I'm good at driving!"

"You'll crash. You!" Jung pushed at Ardan's chest. "You are the last one who broke the office car! I'm still baffled why you still want to drive the car after yesterday's accident. Good thing that we're okay, otherwise we could have been in the hospital until today."

"Oh, Jung. It's only that one time doesn't mean that I can't drive a car. Roy is a Sunday driver, and Jon makes our car slow with his weight."

"That doesn't mean he can't drive, right? I think Jon should be driving."

II

The doorbell rang and a big tall man and a burly man came in. The big man was short-haired and seemed innocent. He looked at Ardan who was sitting talking to Jung. They walked over to him and stood right in front of Ardan and Jung's table.

"How are you all?" he sat beside Ardan.

The sturdy man sat beside Jung with a bag in hand. He put the bag on the table and opened a lunch box. He looks very smart and strong at the same time.

"Okay, Jon. Except for Ardan only," Jung answered.

"What's wrong?" Jon looked at Jung across the table.

"He said you were too heavy to ride a car," Jung smirks when he sees Ardan's face pleading for him not to speak.

"What does it mean?" Jon faced Ardan in annoyance.

Seconds later, Jon strangle Ardan and rocked him like a pole.

On the other side of the table, Royem was opening the food he had prepared from home. Jung peeked and saw the beautifully arranged meal. The man smiled seeing Jung peeking.

"Audrey cooks for you?" Jung smiled at his friend. "Married life is a blessing, isn't it?"

"True blessing, Jung," Royem laughed softly. "Maybe it's time for you to find a partner."

"No..." Jung shook his head. "Not yet, Roy."

Jung tapped Jonathan, who was choking Ardan when the waitress arrived.

When the waitress gave their order, she saw two more people had joined the table. She asked her new customers what do they want. Roy and Jonathan gave his order to the waitress. When the woman left, the four of them started talking as usual.

"So, are we going tomorrow?" asked Roy.

"I don't know. I still have work for tomorrow," Jon replied.

"Work?" Ardan looked in disbelief. "As far as I know, we all have the same 'work' here, which is chasing the cartel. So, what is your excuse now?"

"I have a side job. I got to play in the theatre."

"I didn't know Jon had acting skills," joked Ardan.

Jung admonishes the man not to be so impudent.

"Congratulations, man," said Roy. "What kind of story are you going to present?"

"The story was about, well... you know. Like the work of P. Karacel. A fantasy world with dragons and stuff."

"And what character will you play?"

"I play this humongous man in armour that covers head to toe."

"Like a knight?"

"On the contrary, he is the antagonist. And I don't have a single line for some reason. Maybe I'm mute."

"You're fit to play someone evil, Jon," Jung commented. "Your body is fit for scary roles. The proof is Ardan."

"You need to shut up, Jung. And by the way, do you want to go tomorrow, or do you have something to do?"

"I have a ticket to go watch football tomorrow," Jung replied.

"Polny versus Ilda?" asked Roy.

"Three-nil, I say. Ilda can't win this time," Jonathan predicted.

"Do you have any more tickets, Jung? I want to feel the excitement of a football field," Ardan sounds interested.

"Only one. You need to buy it yourself. And that's if there's still a ticket."

"One more day. I can't find one," said Jonathan.

"Too bad, I thought we could watch together," Ardan lowered his chin and peeked at Jung. Pretending like a sad puppy.

"Buy it yourself, Dan," said Roy.

The four of them talked for a few minutes before finishing and walking to the cashier. When they wanted to pay, the owner raised the TV volume. Everyone watched the television. A news anchor was reading a paper.

"Oh, look who's on TV," he was caught off guard.

"What's up with him? Close that jaw dropping mouth of yours, Mr News Anchor," Jon recognised the person on TV.

Everyone listened what the person had to say. The four of them heard the person's hands shaking as he read the paper.

"What's the matter with him?" Jon asked.

"I don't know," Roy answered with a concerned tone.

The TV presenter read the script. His voice became flatter. He frowns, resting his head by putting his forehead on his right hand while the left read the script.

"This morning the uh... the government declared a state of emergency. The cause was aerial attacks. Followed by bombings from the Nagarian armies in Harut," the news anchor didn't lift his chin. "Our current President, Mr Regis, told that the bombardment was a violation against the uh..." the news anchor cleared his throat. "The international law. The conflict zone is about a dispute about the province of Polny, or as Nagarian would call it, Polnaiat. Hellsum's government..." the man stopped reading and looked confused.

The four of them had their eyes wide open, knowing what they had heard. Their bodies froze, and a woman behind them fainted and fell to the floor. The people behind her immediately helped the woman.

"P-Polny?" Roy's voice trembled.

The news anchor frowned and now his forehead rested by both of his hands.

"Oh god..." said the news anchor before the TV went to a sudden commercial break.

"This... this is bad!" Dan grabbed his hair like he wanted to rip it off.

"If the conflict is about Polny, that means..." Royem paused.

"Hueyyad is also in the war zone. This is the province's capital. We are in the war," said Jon.

"What are we going to do now?" Dan looks unsettled.

"I-I have to go," Royem distressed.

"Where?" Ardan tried to hold him.

"I need to pick up my parents."

Royem slammed a bunch of money on the counter, paying all of them before heading out of the diner alone. Leaving Ardan, Jung, and Jonathan standing still.

"I'm leaving this place. What about you, Dan?" asked Jon.

"I'm leaving the city for sure!"

"Good, and I suggest you do the same, Jung," Jon warned.

"Leave, why leave? We are already chasing the cartel! We are ready for such a thing to happen."

"What?" Jon stared at Jung in awe. "This isn't like any other conflicts, Jung. It's war, WAR! There are either two things that can come out of this foolish decision. Either you will be killed, or you will be alive. That could mean, being wounded, maimed, shellshocked, or worse!" he shouted and stared at Jung's eyes. "You need to get out of here. This is no place for a journalist like us."

"We should go back to the office and take a leave," Ardan looked worried.

"Yeah, I'm going to grab my things before leaving Hueyyad. Let's go."

Ardan and Jon left first, Jung still uncertain. The three of them exits the diner. Not long, a convoy of military vehicles greeted them. The convoy cruised at the main road a few minutes after watching the news. They watched dozens of trucks and tanks drive down the road towards the battlefield.

"Wait, where are they going?" Ardan looked at the line of the convoy.

"Harut," Jon's eyes widened. "That's where the bombing was. That is the battlefield."

When the convoy had passed, everyone immediately rushed to the building. The three men returned to the office and took the elevator. Ardan parted ways with Jon and Jung, whose cubicle was the same way.

As the two walked, they saw a face everyone knew at work. CEO of World News, an old man smoking outside the smoking room. He started walking towards the two who were about to return to their cubicle.

"Jung, Jonathan. How are you two?" the old man gave a wrinkling smile.

"We're fine, Mr Charles," Jon felt uncomfortable.

"Good! It's good to hear that you're fine," Charles nodded. "Listen, son, I have a job for you two."

"Work, sir?" Jung asked.

"The government told me to send two brave journalists to the battlefield tomorrow... Or I should say, war correspondent," he chuckled, even though the two journalists didn't. "To my knowledge, the two of you are the ones who can do this task."

"To the battlefield?" Jung gulped. "This must be a mistake."

"Unfortunately, no," the CEO looked gloomy and spoke close to the two so that no one could hear. "The government pressured me to send people, and honestly, I didn't choose who would go. The government chose you because of your actions to pursue the cartel."

Jon's hands were shaking. Sweats dripped from his forehead as each word came out of Charles' mouth.

"Listen, son, this is not my choice. If you refuse, they will come to your house. What they did I don't know, you could be forced to go or…" Charles was silent. "In any case, my advice is for the two of you to leave if you want to survive. Doing this for the good of you and the company, okay? Come here at seven, a car will drive you from here to Harut"

Charles went straight past the two like he hadn't spoken to either of them. Jung and Jon felt grim after hearing that. They didn't know what they wanted to do. Jonathan wanted to run away from Hueyyad, the capital of the Polny region. But if what Charles said was true, then he could be a fugitive.

Both returned to their cubicles and worked until it was time to go home.

Jung got out of the building and got on a bus that took him home. When he got back, what was in his head was what would happen tomorrow. Will he run or go to Harut?

III

It's a big day for Jung. He put on clean clothes and prepared his suitcase for a change of clothes later on the battlefield. He was still worried. The feeling of running away was still there.

Jung left his house and stood at a bus stop. He looked at the paths the bus was about to take, one of which was Hellsum World News. The man sat at the bus stop alone waiting for a bus to come to pick him up. He sat there, waiting for the long bus to arrive. He paced back and forth, thinking about what would happen.

A few minutes passed, and a bus came. The bus stopped in front of the bus stop and opened the door. The driver waited, but he didn't see a single person at the bus stop. He stood and looked around. There was no one waiting for the bus to arrive. The driver closed the door and drove back to his next destination.

Jung ran three kilometres to the house of a friend who wanted to escape Hueyyad. He was already tired when he was near Jonathan's house. As he turned around the corner, he saw someone at Jonathan's house.

The military police came knocking down the door of his house. There he could see soldiers leading Jonathan into a car that would take him to the World News building. Jung sees Jonathan's family trying to attack the military police to save the man. Jung sees Jonathan's sister and mother scolding the policeman. Jonathan's mother cried and tried to push the police away. The neighbours can only watch. Some of them shouted at the MP to release the man. But they were ignored.

When Jon's sister saw Jung who was down the street looking at them, she called out to him.

"Jung! They took Jonathan!" said the girl still wearing her nightgown.

The military police who heard Jung's name immediately turned their eyes to the man. They immediately ordered Jung and told him to come closer. Jung didn't dare to run when eight armed military police were ready to shoot him.

Jung walks over and a policeman hugs him to the car.

"Relax, friend, this is the day the Nagari will collapse because of us."

The military police put the two in different cars. Jung could still hear the screams. Both Jonathan's sister and mother still calling for them. The engine started, and the car casually drove away, leaving the two women to cry out both of their names.

They brought Jung to the HWN building. There was a military convoy prepared to leave the city. Charles was there, waiting for Jung to arrive. Jung walked to the front entrance and saw Charles and dozens of soldiers waiting next to an APC. Charles watched as the young journalist approached him. Charles raised his hand, waiting for Jung to shake it. Jung shook it, and Charles sucked in his lips with his eyebrows lowered.

"Good luck, son," he spoke.

Jung nodded. The soldiers brought him to the vehicle, and the door closed. Before it completely shuts, Jung saw Jonathan speaking with Charles. Sadly, he couldn't hear what they said. Finally, the door sealed him away.