Tomorrow arrived like any other day. Bayu woke up, helped his grandmother, and then left for school. But today, something felt off.
It started with a motorbike that nearly hit him, followed by a brick that fell from a construction worker's hand and almost crushed him. Then there was the chill that lingered over him, no matter how much Bayu tried to ignore it. Luckily, he made it to school without incident.
"Ah, just a string of bad luck," Bayu muttered to himself, trying to convince himself that he was just having a rough day.
As he walked toward his classroom, Bayu felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. The chill came again. Something was wrong. His gut told him that something bad was about to happen.
Ignoring his intuition, Bayu entered his classroom. His brows furrowed when he noticed the students talking seriously about something. He didn't care to find out what.
'Probably just gossip,' Bayu thought to himself, heading to his seat. The teacher wasn't there yet, and the bell hadn't rung. Feeling bored, he pulled out his phone and began listening to music.
But just as he was about to open his app, a notification appeared on his screen, grabbing his attention. A news headline with an incomplete title.
Curious, Bayu opened the notification, which led him to a news website.
"... The emergence of a new disease?"
Bayu repeated the headline. He scrolled through the article, reading it carefully. If this was a deadly disease, Bayu knew he had to stay alert.
"The spread is fast..." Bayu muttered, reading the line that said the disease had spread to 95 countries, including Indonesia and other Southeast Asian nations.
"The symptoms of this disease include paralysis, high fever, mental...—"
"Bayu!"
Startled, Bayu looked up as his name was called. It was Juna, who was standing there.
Annoyed, but unable to do anything about it, Bayu held his patience. At school, Juna had a wide circle of friends, and if Bayu snapped, he might end up with trouble, or worse.
"You surprised? Sorry, sorry," Juna said, walking over to Bayu. He glanced at Bayu's phone, still showing the news article. "What are you reading? Can I see?"
Bayu stayed silent, nodding, allowing Juna to scroll through his phone to read the headline.
"Ah, this? I saw it on TV too. The presenter said there's a possibility of another pandemic. It's a hassle, especially since it feels like we just had the last one," Juna said, handing the phone back. Bayu stayed silent, not paying attention to Juna's words, finding them pointless.
"So, what do you think, Bayu?" Juna asked, looking at him.
'Not interested in listening to you blabbering,' Bayu thought to himself, but his words didn't match his thoughts. "What else can we do if there's a new disease?"
"Haha, looks like you've given up already, huh?" Juna chuckled.
'What do you want me to do? Head to the lab and magically find a cure to prevent this disease?'
But once again, his heart and words didn't align.
"I just don't want to think about it."
Juna nodded, his mouth opening to speak again—at least until his friends called him. "Ah, I've been called. We'll talk again later, okay?" Juna said, patting Bayu on the shoulder before walking off to join his friends.
'While I hope we didn't meet ag, Bayu sighed, returning to read the news until the teacher arrived, and the first lesson began.
Break time – the favorite time for most students. Some went to the cafeteria, others stayed in the classroom with their friends, while some played games. The sun was high, and the temperature wasn't too hot with the fan on.
Bayu stared at the instant fried noodles in front of him, still steaming. For some reason, he was craving noodles. He twirled the noodles around his fork before taking a bite.
'Noodles really are the best,' He thought, savoring the savory taste.
As Bayu was enjoying his noodles, a soft voice suddenly interrupted his concentration.
"Sorry, can I sit here? All the tables are full," said a girl standing in front of Bayu.
"Sure, sit down," Bayu replied shortly. He glanced at the girl who now sat across from him. Her eyes seemed familiar.
'Oh, Syafina.' Bayu glanced at her name tag.
'It's unusual for her to be alone. She's usually with her group.' Bayu thought, scanning the area but not seeing any of Syafina's friends around her.
"Thanks," Syafina said, stirring her meatball soup. "I'm not bothering you, am I?"
Bayu shook his head. After all, if she wanted to sit, then let her sit. As long as she wasn't loud like Juna, he had no problem.
The atmosphere between them grew quiet, even though the noise from other students filled the air. 'This is a bit awkward,' Bayu thought.
"It's not so bad being alone, huh?" Syafina suddenly said, catching Bayu off guard. He looked up, confused by her words.
"Oh, no. I just wondered if you ever felt lonely being alone all the time. But after trying it myself, I realized being alone doesn't always mean being lonely," Syafina explained. "I didn't mean to offend you, though."
Bayu nodded, understanding her point.
"It's fine," he said, not minding Syafina's comment about always being alone.
After all, she didn't say anything wrong. It's a fact.
"Why are you alone today?" Bayu asked, genuinely curious. It was odd for someone as popular as Syafina to be alone.
Syafina is same like Juna, had a wide circle of friends and was well-known at school. Many boys were attracted to her. It made sense; she was like a heroine—beautiful, smart, and kind.
Seeing her up close, Bayu understood why guys, from younger students to older ones, liked her.
"My friends aren't here today," Syafina answered, spooning a meatball into her mouth. Bayu just nodded in response.
The silence returned between them.
"Bayu, have you heard about the news that's been going around?" Syafina asked, changing the topic.
"What news?" Bayu asked.
"A new deadly disease, they say. They haven't named it yet."
'Oh, that news,' Bayu thought, recalling the article he read before the first lesson began. "Yeah, I've heard about it."
"Do you think it's going to be another pandemic? It's spreading so fast. It's probably going to be like the last virus," Syafina said.
Bayu thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. Syafina's guess seemed highly probable. "I think so too."
"I was worried, but I'm relieved that it's still mostly in small areas in Indonesia," Syafina said. "I hope it gets contained completely."
'... I hope so,' Bayu nodded slowly.
A notification interrupted Bayu's thoughts, and he pulled his phone from his pocket. His brow furrowed as he read the notification, which was about the same news.
However, suddenly more notifications began to appear, like spam, piling up among the others. "...Danger, run?" Bayu read one of the notifications.
"What?" Syafina, who was sipping her drink, turned to look at Bayu.
'... Ah, she heard that?' Bayu thought and quickly showed her his phone. Syafina frowned as she looked at the screen.
"Why is your phone like that?" she asked, but Bayu just shook his head, signaling that he didn't know.
Just then, out of nowhere. Bayu heard a scream.
It was loud, piercing, and painful to hear. The scream wasn't human; it sounded like nails scraping glass, sharp and shrill, drilling into his ears.
Then, he heard it again. The second scream, even more painful than the first. Reflexively, Bayu covered his ears, but it didn't help much as the sound still pierced through.
Bayu looked around. Everyone seemed to be going about their day as usual, as if they didn't hear the scream. Even Syafina, sitting right in front of him, didn't seem to notice.
Didn't they hear it?
It was strange. The scream was loud and painful, how could they not hear it?
Bayu shook his head. Maybe it was just his ears. He finished his noodles, but his mind kept going back to that scream.
What was that sound? And where did it come from?
If Bayu could hear it, was it in the school?
But why as if it was he's the only one who could hear it?
It was... confusing.
Then, someone suddenly burst into the cafeteria, startling everyone.
"Everyone... RUN!" he shouted, gasping for breath.
Bayu froze. His body stood up automatically, without any command from his brain.
"Bayu?" Syafina, confused, stood up to follow him.
"What's going on with you?"
"Just get out of here, go!"
"Run from what? From reality?"
"RUN!" The person blocked the cafeteria door, using whatever he could find to barricade it.
No one understood what was happening. No one understand his action.
A male student approached the person, keeping his distance, wary. "Hey, what's going on—"
The door shook as if something was trying to break in from the outside. Everyone jumped, startled. Whispers spread among the students in the cafeteria.
Then something strange happened.
Slowly, blood began to seep through the cracks of the door. Screams of terror filled the room as the blood pooled on the floor.
The reactions were mixed—fear, anxiety, shock, and concern. Some people took shaky steps back.
The door was still shaking as if something was trying to break through from the other side. The noise was getting louder. The door was dented, nearly destroyed, as though something large and powerful was slamming against it.
"RUN!... RUN!" The person continued shouting, trying to warn everyone.
It seemed like the door wouldn't hold much longer.
Bayu quickly scanned his surroundings, looking for an escape route. It looked like the cafeteria window might be an option.
He glanced at Syafina, wondering, 'Should I bring her along?' He wasn't sure if she'd be a burden.
"Syafina," he called, and she turned to look at him. Bayu gave her a serious look. "Do you want to come?"
"Come? What do you—" Syafina's words were cut off as the door was suddenly shattered by a force from the outside. Even the walls cracked and part of the structure crumbled.
A terrifying creature emerged from the smoke and debris, towering over them.
It was tall, even taller than the cafeteria door. Its body was massive, with sharp teeth and long claws, ready to tear apart anything in its path.
Everyone froze in place, gripped by fear. Their bodies trembled, sweat beading on their skin, and their eyes widened in terror. They couldn't move, as if their bodies were glued to the spot.
The creature screamed. And to Bayu's shock, it was the same scream he'd heard earlier.
Reflexively, everyone covered their ears as the scream pierced through the room, causing glass to shatter and cups to break.
"Everyone, RUN!" the person who had tried to barricade the door shouted again. But his words were cut short as the creature's claws pierced through his head.
Hysterical screams filled the cafeteria. People ran in all directions, confused, not knowing where to go, since the only exit was blocked by the creature.
Bayu slapped Syafina on the shoulder, who was still frozen in fear, and she turned to look at him.
"Let's run," Bayu said.
"But, the exit door—"
"Who said we're going through the door?" Bayu sprinted toward the window, with Syafina following behind.
'Lucky the window isn't locked,' Bayu thought as he reached the window, just large enough for an adult to pass through.
Bayu opened the window and immediately climbed out. Thankfully, the cafeteria was on the first floor. Once they were outside, Bayu was stunned by what he saw.
The once clean field was now soaked in blood. The stench of blood mixed with decay filled the air. Lifeless bodies, some barely recognizable, were scattered around.
"Ugh!" Bayu gagged, covering his mouth. The smell was overpowering. He could feel his stomach churn, and he nearly vomited.
"The smell..."
He turned around to see Syafina, also struggling with the nauseating stench.
'I need to get to the classroom,' Bayu thought. He remembered the mask he had.
He looked back at Syafina, who was still trying to hold back her nausea.
"Let's go to the classroom," Bayu said.
Syafina nodded.
Just as they took a step forward, the wall behind them shook as though it were about to collapse. The screams of people still echoed, but gradually, they faded away.
"Run!" Bayu yelled, and they both took off.
Not long after, the wall completely collapsed, the creature that had been in the cafeteria smashing through it to get out.
It seemed to know where Bayu and Syafina were. The creature screamed again, calling its comrades. It was clear that it wasn't going to let them escape.
One by one, more creatures began to emerge. Some large, some small, but they all came.
"Shit!"