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4. Jarak; The Saviors!

The rain had not stopped; even lightning announced its presence. The corpses were probably confused right now, hearing the thunder booming.

To hell with all that. Now, I only have one goal: to get out of here from the car I'm in. The two people chatted briefly, then approached the two-story house in front.

This is my chance; I climb up the bed of this car, then climb down slowly by stepping on every iron. Very carefully, I jump when my feet almost reach the asphalt.

The corpses could not hear the sound of my shoes. However, I froze for a moment; this was much scarier.

"There seems to be a stowaway," said one of the four men and one woman who surrounded me.

I'm still squatting and looking up at every face that looks at me with a frown on their forehead. I'm dead; will my life end here?

I tried to break through, intending to get away from their encirclement. However, of course, it wouldn't be that easy; a burly man with a scar on his right cheek immediately hugged my body tightly.

"Let me go!" I shouted. However, they did not respond.

A female voice asks, "What's your name?"

Stupid, I won't answer that. I won't believe people; times have changed now. The careless and the weak will die. Those who easily believe will be lost in their stupidity.

At least I didn't die; after the words I ignored, I lost consciousness. I looked at the clean white ceiling; there was no smell of blood.

I was clearly in the room. I looked to the right; a slightly open curtain was there, a glass window with a night view without light; at least there were a few stars.

"You're awake; I'm sorry I had to make you unconscious."

That woman's voice. I looked to the left, and she was sitting beside me, a woman. Her hair was shoulder length, and several strands had turned white. She smiled. In her hand was a white piece of glass with a picture of a small green leaf. She placed the glass on the round table.

"You didn't answer earlier, what's your name?"

I chose to remain silent rather than having to answer this suspicious woman; it would be better to leave immediately. However, I couldn't move my hands, not because I couldn't move them, but because there were handcuffs that shackled my freedom.

"Sorry, if we don't handcuff you, you will attack me. It's just for safety."

Safety, you say? What kind of nonsense did she say? Besides, I wouldn't hurt her, especially a woman almost the same age as my mother.

"We are good people. Don't be afraid."

I'm still silent. Occasionally, I move my handcuffed hands and feet even though I know it's useless.

She gave up, got up, then went towards the exit and closed it. A little chatter could be heard with men, and after a while, someone came in.

A man's head was bald, with a scar on it. His trousers were torn on the right knee. A knife was neatly sheathed at his waist.

I stared at him closely as he started to sit down. He smiled a smile that made me sick.

He flashed the key, held the handcuffs in my left hand, and opened them, saying, "It's dangerous out there; here, you are safe. Be with us, join us."

After opening the handcuffs on my left hand, he put the key away, then stood up, "Open it yourself; after that, it's up to you what you want. I suggest you clean your body, then join us at the dining table."

The bald man left without closing the door. I immediately opened the handcuffs on my right hand and both legs. My shoes were downstairs, close to the bed, I immediately put them on and approached the window.

The streets were so empty, cars were strewn around like trash. Human carcasses also contribute to making the landscape ugly, especially for those who are still alive.

I approached the door. Since it was open, I peeked at it, and there were only stairs leading to the ground floor. There was the sound of chatting while the corpses were trying to get in at the front door by banging.

They didn't chat loudly. Very slowly and only occasionally. But I don't want to be trapped here; I must get out somehow.

I went down the stairs, and those at the dining table - about four people - looked at me. There several food dishes are available. I approached the door blocked by several cupboards and other heavy items.

It's useless. I can't go out now; I'll look at those people again. Should I join them?

No way, never. I have to find another way out, maybe by entering all the rooms in this house.

A few moments passed, and I had given up. There was no safe way out, so I cleaned myself in the bathroom. Change into new jeans, a short-sleeved shirt with very soft fabric, and well-known brand shoes. They prepared it for me.

I also joined them at the dinner table. Not because I was inconsistent with my attitude, but because of this feeling of hunger, I was forced to take part in the banquet.

I've got meat, rice and some vegetables. I endured the shame because I finally wanted to eat their food; maybe I now looked really hungry, as evidenced by my plate emptying faster than theirs.

"If you want, I can shave your head." The one who looked the youngest spoke; he was a boy who was probably the same age as me. His hair is neat; did he shave it himself?

"Andre shaved his hair, you know." The bald man answered.

"Andre used to have a busy salon; besides that, he was famous on social media for his hair-shaving content." The man with the oval face on my right explained. His hair was also neat. Andre had shaved it.

I once saw Andre's face on a YouTube channel by accident. I'd better keep quiet for now. Please don't believe them too easily, or my fate will be bad.

After some praise, Andre laughed out loud. Instead, he choked and immediately drank the glass of water he had previously poured from the bottle. The others laughed at him while I held back my laughter.

"What is your name?" Again, the woman with a little grey hair asked.

I looked into his eyes; he was facing me across the table. "Jarak."

"That's your name? Strange, yes. But cool, unique," said Andre.

"Jarak, come with us. Because in conditions like this, it's not good to be out there alone."

I'm not interested, but what can I do? I'm stuck here with them. So, I nod; it doesn't mean I want to; it's just so I'm safe.

That doesn't mean I'm taking advantage of them, but this is an effort to save lives. After a while, I knew all their names; the woman's name was Helena. The bald man's name is Bobianto, while the man with the oval face is Wawan.

I'm full; I haven't tasted meat like this for a long time. My place to sleep was right in the room where I was handcuffed earlier, while the others also had their place.

They told me to sleep; they said my eye bags looked very black. That's right, I haven't slept for a long time, maybe only for a while; my thoughts are always mixed up, especially since I left my bag behind when I burned those two people. Inside is a photo of my sister, it is very precious.

A knock on the door woke me up, even though I hadn't had time to sleep. Someone came in, it was a woman named Helena.

"You're coming with us, right?"

I had to nod; I had no choice.

They were all ready. Packing what they could carry using bags on their backs, they also had several sharp weapons; it was clear they were used to it.

"Where are we going?" I finally spoke, too.

"Looking for friends, two people, they said they went to look for food. But after several hours, they didn't come home. Have you seen them?" Helena showed a photo; there were six people.

I swallowed my saliva accidentally. Two adults, obviously two of them, were dead.

I burned to death, and the one who burned was me.

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