8. Jarak; Deka
Of course, I wondered how a seven-year-old child could survive in conditions like this alone. How could he be as strong as he is now?
How is he not crying?
Deka said that he was with his brother after his mother and father were taken by the government. Two days ago his brother went looking for milk, but didn't return until now. My mind was focused on one thing: if Deka's brother didn't survive, died, and then became a living corpse out there.
If only I hadn't left my bag filled with milk. Deka would be able to drink it by now.
Just a moment, I remembered something, "What's your brother's name?"
Deka looked at me, then looked down again. "Tiyo."
"Tiyo? What's the long name?"
Deka thought a little, maybe he remembered it, then answered, "Ah, his name is Yulistiyo."
The bag I was carrying wasn't mine. Julia and I got it when we saw several corpses, and I took the bag; one contained canned milk.
However, I chose to remain silent; I would not make this child's mental disorder even more chaotic. He also said that if his brother always said his mother and father were still alive, they would meet again later in the green zone.
Green zone, I have a problem with that word and place. Either everything is true or just a public lie. It's been days, weeks I've been walking to survive. However, I didn't want to go to that place at all.
Deka continued to tell the story; if his brother was the one who put food in the refrigerator, even though it wasn't on, it was the safest place to store a piece of food.
"Tiyo said he wanted to go home this afternoon but hasn't come home yet. It must be because he hasn't gotten any food, so he didn't go home yet," said Deka. After saying that, he smiled at me, "He's coming home, right?"
I smiled to lie to him but didn't dare say anything so he wouldn't get his hopes up. I want him to forget immediately and then look at me as his older brother.
"Tiyo must be a great brother." I encouraged him.
"Yes, that's right! My brother always read me fairy tales before I went to bed. I still remember he said, all humans are good, but when they grow up, they change."
"What's that fairy tale about?" I also often read fairy tales in the past, but I had never heard a fairy tale from a child who said that.
"Hmmm, my brother said the title was human."
"Is there a book?"
Deka shook his head humorously, waving his right hand before his face, "No, that's among my brothers."
Ah, the composition itself. I think Brother Deka loves this child. Judging from what was said, that person must be gentle and easy to like with children.
Deka was always talking, talking about his brother until he yawned several times. Then I took him to his room and put him to sleep with a fairy tale, of course not mine, but a fairy tale that already existed.
He was very enthusiastic when I started saying the first words. The fairy tale of the mouse deer, well, he said he had heard it, but he said it didn't matter as long as he read a fairy tale.
Not long after, Deka fell asleep. While I couldn't possibly do it, I went back down to the ground floor, checking every gap and closing the hole no matter how small.
The wall clock has run out of battery. Some of the undead banging around had left, perhaps finding new prey. I sat near Deka's bed; I looked at him, who was sleeping beautifully.
Poor thing, his life was accidentally taken away by those in power, who felt they had more rights because they were so rich and acted according to their wishes. Deka's childhood will no longer be as fun as mine used to be.
These factories were built for the reason of creating employment opportunities. It's not a problem, but you should also look at the surrounding conditions; the waste pollutes rivers that used to be used for bathing and washing.
What now? It's rotten, smells bad, and what's worse is that this country is simply destroyed. The struggles of heroes in the past were slowly destroyed by those who had no thoughts.
The trash dumpers are just as bad. With feelings of complete disregard for the environment, they just go around putting plastic in the river.
I say this not because I never litter. I dumped some of it consciously in the surrounding environment; the result was that the trash piled up high and had an impact on my breathing.
I realized that protecting the environment is important, and throwing rubbish in the right place is highly recommended, even mandatory. After all, everything is for the common good.
Now, nowadays, it's not just rubbish that's piling up. But it's even worse, smells even worse, makes vomiting for those who aren't used to it. Corpses were scattered, bones scattered without being buried.
The terror of corpses makes humans more selfish. These two people are examples, and I can also be used as a bad example. Kill it's still the wrong thing to do, and I was wrong.
Once again, I asked myself. Am I wrong?
Still, I was asleep; Deka woke me up by shaking my body quite hard. While he was still holding the cute cat, it meowed several times.
"You're hungry."
I woke up immediately. From between the window curtains, you can see the sun shining brightly. Meanwhile, Deka is now standing still stroking his cat.
"There's cat food, isn't there?" I asked.
"No, just give me the food in the refrigerator."
I got up. Heading to the kitchen, checking what's in the refrigerator. I took the canned sardines, and they would have expired in a few days.
Deka is seen waiting on a chair, holding his cat. If the few remaining sardines were given to the cat, I don't know what Deka and I would eat.
OK, maybe I can think about that later. Now, I approach the stove and turn it on. Well, of course, I can't; it most likely expired weeks ago.
I opened all the cupboards until, finally, I found a match. I collect fabrics that will no longer be used. I also took pieces of wooden chairs worn out by age for fuel.
I burned it all; then, I cracked open two sardines. I put it in the middle of a burning fire. Maybe Deka has been eating the bread in the refrigerator for two days; there's no way she can cook like this.
I might not have bothered to make something as troublesome as this. However, if he only eats that bread or that wilted fruit, it will not be enough to fulfill his nutrition, especially in a disaster like this.
This house is still clean; I guess Tiyo previously cleaned it. The floor is also not dirty, as if it was taken care of for use as a residence.
I don't chat much with the kid; he's busy with his cat, and I'm grateful for that; it means he can be looked after easily, so it's not too much of a hassle.
Once it was cooked, I put out the fire, not with water because water was so scarce, but by stepping on it and hitting it with other objects to make it go out.
I let the sardines sit until they were no longer hot. I cleaned the plastic bowl, took a spoon and served it on the dining table.
"Deka." Call me quietly. The child immediately rushed over, sitting on the chair.
"Where is for Bilu?"
Gosh, he was still thinking about his cat's stomach. Even though I'm sure he's starving himself. Even so, I immediately prepared it for the cat, not too much; just three sardines were enough. After all, a human's stomach is bigger than a cat's.
"Eat, don't get sick."
I, who had chewed one sardine, smiled slightly, "Deka, you have to eat too; let Bilu eat herself; no need to keep petting her."
Of course, I spoke with my voice lowered. Meanwhile, Deka immediately nodded and ate the sardines with gusto.
"It's delicious," he said. Even though when I ate the sardines, they weren't delicious at all, lacking a few things like some spices. Yes, maybe because it will expire in a few days.
"Deka, the food in the refrigerator is finished. There is some, but it won't be good to eat soon."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I'll look outside; Deka will stay here, okay?"
Deka looks annoyed. He looked at me with a sharp gaze, then his expression changed. Did I say something wrong? Does not seem.
"No, don't leave; you won't come home later." Deka looked sad; tears dripped, then rolled down his cheeks. "Later, if Jalak goes away and doesn't come home like Tiyo, Deka will be alone again."
I approached Deka; I took the cat and put it on the table. I wiped his tears while saying, "If we don't come out, how are we going to eat?"
"Tiyo also said that if we don't go out, how can we eat? But we haven't come home until now."
I can only be silent. Maybe I can go out tonight, sneak out to find food and go home before Deka wakes up. However, it seemed a bit dangerous, wandering around after dark, and leaving Deka alone.
"If you want to find food, just come along; Deka is bored here, too. That's okay, right?"
I looked into his eyes. He was no longer sad. Instead, he smiled, showing his teeth. However, it was also risky, taking Deka out there and definitely with her cat.
Deka stood up from sitting, picked up the cat on the table, and then went to his room. A moment later, he came out and showed the cat cage he was carrying with Bilu.
"Let's go out. Bilu wants cat food, not salad. There's cat food outside, right?"
I exhaled slowly; it didn't seem wrong either. As long as he's with me, I think he'll be safe. Moreover, children are easy to manage. "Yeah, later, we'll find food for Bilu, okay?"