It was a beautiful Friday morning at the eastern edge of Grimoir City. Despite the dark clouds and fog, people were still going about their activities. The eastern edge was a place where there were few signs of human life. The rest was just grass and trees that grew taller over time. The jungle was located near the Dewi Ijo village area.
"Shouldn't we be here? I feel uneasy," someone asked while still nervously observing their surroundings.
"Isn't this our agreement to come here? Besides, this place is supposed to be creepy, as I read in the newspaper. Vasukih Forest."
The sun had just made its full appearance. However, there were two people walking in the middle of the forest, carrying vlogging kits such as cameras and so on. One was a big man wearing glasses and a shirt, and the other was wearing a thick jacket due to the cold. The man in the thick jacket had only been using a small camera to capture the surroundings.
"We need to get away from this place immediately. There was a no-entry sign earlier."
"That's exactly why we should go in!"
In this dark forest, there was a slight rustling of leaves. even though there was no wind and only silence.
The cold air around him made the hairs on his neck stand up. He couldn't keep looking at the recording because he felt that he had to see the surroundings. He was afraid something bad would happen. In fact, something is watching, and they have no idea what it was.
After a while, he continued to observe the video footage. From a distance, he saw a pair of eyes staring intently through the leaves without blinking. The cameraman initially thought it was just a pair of flowers, but a flower couldn't stare at him, could it!?
"Eh? What!?", the man in the thick jacket exclaimed and tried to pull the other guy.
"Hey, what's going on? Let me go!"
He showed his recording while pointing towards the object he saw earlier. His hands were still trembling, and his breathing was still erratic.
"Where!? There's nothing there!"
"What? But...but there was..."
The two men continued to observe the video recording, and suddenly their focus was shattered because they heard footsteps approaching from behind. Their gaze swept around to ensure the source of the sound. Suddenly, the figure we knew as Mr. Hendri was already in front of them with a slightly angry expression.
"Who are you?!" the big guy shouted.
"That's my question. Who are you? How did you find this forest, and what do you need here?"
"My name is Master Pirsa, a horror content creator. I came here to look for scary content."
Their explanation made Mr. Hendri a little surprised since there was no prior notice. The reason he came here immediately was because he felt that someone had entered the forest.
"Content? Actually, who are you? Why don't you get permission first from the village head? Don't you read the signs that this forest cannot be entered without permission?!"
"Hah?! Since when do we need permission to enter the forest? Does the village head own this forest? Besides, who are you suddenly asking?"
The person called Master Pirsa answered all the questions arrogantly. Mr. Hendri was worried about what would happen next. Hopefully, he still had time...
"I am the caretaker here. It is my duty to preserve and protect the forest. That's why I have the right to ask you. We can discuss the issue of your arrival permit. For now, we have to leave this forest before it's too late."
"Leave? Why? We have come this far, and you're preventing me from climbing. I have supernatural powers, and I am not afraid of the inhabitants of this forest."
The dark clouds became darker, and thunder rumbled here and there. The surrounding mist was so thick that the remaining visibility was only a few meters, limiting sight and giving a sign that something was happening. The cold wind suddenly descended from above, passing them quickly. The rumble of the friction between the tall trees made the atmosphere even more convincing that a storm was coming.
Mr. Hendri realized this and immediately bowed respectfully toward the source of the wind.
"What is this guy doing?! He's been suspicious since earlier!" the man in a suit exclaimed in panic due to the sudden weather change.
"Let's go up. Even if it rains, it won't be too bad since this forest is dense," said Master Pirsa.
"Don't!" Mr. Hendri exclaimed in a panic.
A group of horse-drawn carriages was heard from above, heading in their direction. The sound of hooves pounding the ground was shaking. Slowly but surely, the sound became slow... slower, and finally, it was not heard, even though it should have been close. The limited visibility made everyone unsure of what was approaching them.
"Something is coming! I can feel it. Hey, quickly prepare your camera to record!!" said Master Pirsa.
The man in the suit who brought the equipment immediately prepared his belongings while he could still see. Although he was panicking to the point where he was out of breath, he tried to remain calm. But that calmness didn't last long. He tried to stay close to his colleague while looking for a nearby tree to lean on. Unfortunately, instead of finding a tree, he saw a corpse wrapped in a shroud standing in front of him, glaring.
"Huaaa!! Huapphh...."
Before the man could scream hysterically, a snake came out of his own mouth and silenced him. He still tried to make a sound, but the snake kept coming out and getting longer. The tip of the snake's head even turned to look at his face while showing its fangs. Seeing what was happening made him feel sick, especially since he felt the remaining body of the snake still inside his throat, moving erratically, trying to come out of his body.
Mr. Hendri immediately came and patted his back. Suddenly, everything he saw and felt disappeared. The man in the suit no longer saw the horrifying sight, but the nausea he felt remained until he was curled up, trying not to vomit.
'Looks like we have an uninvited guest.'
From behind the fog, came the voice of a woman in her 30s. A half-snake girl appears wearing a green traditional Javanese dress with various accessories.
Her face was so beautiful that it could enchant anyone who saw her. From her long black hair, there was a golden crown with a red stone decoration that looked like ruby. Her ponytail looked sweet with a long horse tail style. The bottom of her legs was a white snake body with shiny scales.
"Your majesty."
Mr. Hendri immediately knelt facing this woman. Meanwhile, the queen he respected only smiled thinly and began to dissipate the mist around so that they could see her figure more clearly.
'Did you forget to warn people to come back in here?'
"Forgive me, Your majesty. I didn't know about their arrival."
'And did you not call them here?'
"No."
The man in the suit still seems to be holding back his nausea until a question arises... where is the other person who had arrogantly wanted to enter the forest? His blurry eyes saw a woman standing beside him. He realized that the person next to him was actually not a human, but a snake empress. However, he did not have time to flee again. His confusion and fear disappeared because this was the first time he saw a very beautiful woman who made him speechless. He didn't even realize that this woman was coiling her body around him.
'Now what should I do with you? It seems like your behavior is not as bad as your friend's,' asked the empress.
Hearing the word "friend," he suddenly realized and looked around. Unfortunately, all he saw was a big guy convulsing helplessly with bulging eyes under the banyan tree.
"Master Pirsa!!"
Before this person could scream out of concern for his friend, his neck was already strangled by the tip of this woman's tail. His eyes were made to stare at her until he dared not do anything more. Moreover, an evil grin is clearly visible. The man's body trembled with fear and could only beg for mercy.
'I came here to meet my little brother. But instead, there are those who were not invited to come in. At least I can suck your blood before he comes.'
"No need," someone from afar interrupted them as they approached.
The empress was also surprised to hear the voice that was no longer unfamiliar to her. The grip on the man in a suit was released because she was already focused on the arrival of the source of the voice earlier. Suddenly, she didn't care about her actions towards the two people before.
"I'm here. Release them!" said Zeyn firmly while walking casually towards her.
"Hmm...?"
Without hesitation, the woman approached him. They stared at each other while still shortening the distance between them, and suddenly both she and Zeyn disappeared in a bright, blinding light.
Their presence vanished instantly, along with the thick mist around the area. Everyone there could now see the forest normally. The previously piercing cold air was now gone. It was as if they had disappeared, without caring about the surrounding conditions.
The man in the suit observed all the strangeness that had happened with his own eyes. Feelings of fear and panic merged, making it difficult to define with words because it was so illogical. Meanwhile, Mr. Hendri could only smile while bowing to bid farewell to them.
"Be careful," Mr. Hendri said softly. Despite the mysterious moment he had just witnessed, his attention was now focused on the two people who had previously had business with him. "Let me help you get out of here."
* * * *