"This is COVID-23 Task Force. There are some steps for all people to stay alive. If you have any four-wheeled vehicle, use it. There are two safe zones on the entire island of Java. One of them is in the capital, and another in Krosha City. Don't allow anyone to go with you, if showing symptoms of infection, such as uncontrollable emotion, aggressiveness, and COVID-like symptoms such as coughing, excessive sneezing, and high body temperature. Bring with you several measures to fight. Masks are still important. For all of our people. ... This is COVID-23 Task Force ..."
The radio's only on-air station is 33.05 FM - anything else is silent. And even that was just a repeated pre-recorded message from the COVID-23 Joint Task Force Leader. Though it gives us a clue of where are we going.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is our destination. I'm Varya Voize, from the task force, reporting," The driver said, turning the radio off. "Nice to work with you."
It surprised me and Serx. What are the chances?
Nothing of the looks of our vehicle gives the idea that everything had been planned before. Just original, no modifications, no signs or stickers. Just like a family paying a visit to another town. Vo said it was to prevent citizens who are unable to get rescued, from thinking that it's a specified evac vehicle. It makes sense.
"The evacuations won't accommodate everyone. You are students, all state school students are evacuated. If one of your parents is a doctor, teacher, or national civil worker, high chance they will be included."
A lot of hate sentiments towards the government were emerging a year ago. That's when the COVID-19 pandemic went to its peak. More people disbelieve the pandemic because of some reason. First of all, the symptoms resemble common diseases, especially flu, rendering people to think that it's just previous diseases that have gotten exaggerated by the medias. Not only that, the words saying that the pandemic becomes a 'corruption farm' flew all over the country. The money aids often get corrupted, making it sort of a wicked business.
I remembered that a big conflict was rising in the USA just several years ago. The clash between two political parties after the national election of 2020 induced the Civil War 2.0. The military government, led by Pentagon, fought against the official government that has just been inaugurated. It was raging for two years, until a ballistic missile - the Minuteman IV - was launched at their own country, ending the war for both sides.
Rain pours down as we slowly drift to the night. We have gone so far from our last stop. And the road is still mountainous. Usually, we would be able to see some twinkling lights from the cities far below us. But this time, everything looks dark and lifeless, convoluted by the thick fog. The temperature is colder with the air conditioner turned on, which made me feel freezing.
"I think everybody should be asleep by now," I said to Serx.
"Yeah, it feels so comfortable to sleep."
"Wait. Not now, I guess."
Suddenly, coughing sounds, combined with muffled voices arise from the other side of the separating partition of the van. It doesn't sound like a joke someone is bunking. It might be something dangerous. The sound gets more intense. Some people are screaming in panic. Then a bunch of loud knocks sounded from the metal. It was at this moment when I knew, Vo should stop the car immediately.
"Shit, those zombies got one of us, probably," Vo said, slowing the car down. "The longer they stay there, then the more chance everyone in the back can get infected."
"How far is the closest city?" I add up.
"Twenty-three kilometers. Now what?"
"It's raining out there, and we don't know where to go without this car," Serx says. "What are the chances."
It is now a lot disturbingly noisier than before. The commotion of a dozen people packed into a car. The cold and dark night added up to the uneasy feeling. It's raining outside and nobody lit the streetlamps. Our car stopped in the middle of this heavy rain, and Vo took reckless action to bail out, unconcerned by the wetness.
"As soon as I open this, run as fast as you can!" He yells out.
I was still inside the cabin, opening the door, and preparing to escape. Not for so long, he opens the van's back door.
"NOW!"
Serx and I get out and run just behind Vo. Some guys - now infected - start hustling the others out. They are flailing around wildly. Several students can escape quicker, but others are left behind. We keep running. The downpour won't stop us. I look over the surroundings as we run. It seems like there are no zombies other than the ones chasing us.
I caught a sort of path in my watery sight that led to a small village on the left side of the road.
"Go left!"
The village is quiet all around. Between the houses are a lot of passages and alleys and small paths. The paths are far from smooth. Some of them are broken down like rubble flattened down to the ground, some are full of gravel, and others are just plain dirt, which became mud for rainwater. I took a chance to form up with Serx and Vo, slipping through the narrow paths.
I can sense an infected going after us.
We were running on a straight path when another infected jumped to our shock. His pouncing move landed on Serx. Sending Serx crashing into a wall. He then dropped, pinned down by the madman which furiously gave a flurry of fists.
Vo swings his wooden stick. It connected with the zombie's head. Pieces of wood, water, and blood splashed around. Yet he seemed pretty tough with his drastically bigger body. He's able to quickly get back to motion and tries to wrestle Vo again. At the same time, the infected behind us gets closer. His eyes caught me, telling me that I had to leave Vo and Serx behind. And just in the same time, I caught his shape. He is Annent.
I ran away, leaving them. Raindrops drizzled the wet clothes, chilling the skin, and obscuring vision. For the first time, I saw one of the people we used to see, trying to maim another this way. And it blanketed my mind, another thing aside from the cold darkness. Out of the labyrinth of houses, I found myself in a little field. I took a right turn, and into a narrow passage. The now-sick Annent is still running after me.
The pursuit had to stop. I can get tired, but he can't.
Right as I pass through the passage, an arm suddenly burst out of an open door on my left. His hand grabbed my shoulder, then yanked it, pulling with it my body. It didn't give me a chance to figure everything out.
"Who are you?!" I asked with a high tone.
"Shh."
"Huh?"
"I know, I know this is going to happen." That mysterious guy says, mysteriously.
"So?"
"Stay out of the door!" The guy abruptly picks up a crossbow that has been loaded from a wooden table near him in a swift move.
Annent is still out there, probably knowing where I am and now coming for me. I hear his footstep rushing on the muddy water, splish-splash, getting closer. Dan grips his crossbow steadier. He didn't move any bits from his aim.
Then the bolt launched off in a quiet snap.
It went straight into his head, killing the Annent in place. He's gone. His body fell into the puddling rain, lifeless. Oh, isn't he already dead before? Then, why does the feeling come now? It should be ever since the hands start banging on the car. It should be in the moment the hectic laughs turned into smothered coughs. I tried to convince my mind that the disease had killed him in the first place, and not this guy.
"I'm Dannov. Are you alone?"
I can't help but shake my head in silence.
"Okay. Don't close the door," He loaded another bolt to his crossbow. "Let's see who's going to come."
A man drenched from hair to toe emerged from the doorway. Voize. Then another one, Serx.
"So, who's this guy?" asked Vo.
The other survivors showed up not so long after Vo and Serx. They have seen the death of their friends all along the run. Serx couldn't say a word, and so Anton. They surely wanted to touch the body in some way, but they held themself not to approach him. And the boys were slightly hesitant to get into the house despite Dan saying not to get trapped in emotion. But he knew nothing.
All are wet and grubby, which must be an unpleasant sight for the homeowner. But nobody seemed to care. Maybe this had been a normal thing as this room looked like a dirty chicken coop inside a house.
"I got to check you up. Tell me if you got any bites or scratches. You must've been running from something, right?" Dan said, "Oh good thing you still have masks on."