pancason
part 186 Angikuni Village

This village is located far from the city, about 3000 miles from the previous village. To get to this place must pass several kilometers of forest and rice fields that are already dry and barren. It took a lot of struggle to get to this village. Its unpaved roads make access to this place quite difficult.

They began to emerge from the eastern horizon until dawn. The journey was long and exhausting. Accompanied by the strange events they experienced last night, leaving them undaunted. And now they have entered the Angikuni Village area.

The caravan stopped near the village gate. The big nameplate is above the gate of this village. The name of Angikuni Village with capital letters is large and very clear. "Welcome to the uninhabited village" said Gio as he descended from the caravan. One by one they began to go down and enjoy the morning air in the village of Angikuni.

It was silent and there was not a single living creature there. Let alone humans, not even pets were in that place. "Actually what's going on here? Where's everybody going?" asked Abhimanyu, sweeping his gaze around. The house and some grocery stores are still standing. It is very similar to other inhabited villages.

They decided to split up, tracing one by one the buildings there. Looking for life or the possibility of human existence in that place. On the right and left of the street, stood a building that is still sturdy even though the paint has faded. All of the villagers were suddenly lost 30 years ago. The location of the village which includes far from other villages requires a village midwife to often monitor this place, to check the health of toddlers and pregnant women. Village midwives will come once a month. This has been routine for several years.

But the next month a village midwife would make her visit with an assistant, to their surprise, not finding a single villager. Surprisingly they seemed lost overnight, because when the midwife came, she still saw the lights in each house lit up. Not only that, television and other electronic devices also still work. It was as if the citizens left the place in a hurry. Radios, streetlights, even cooking stoves still lit up with charred rice cookers left out for quite a while.

The village midwife reported to police and other village devices. After getting the report some police and village devices visited the village of Angikuni, and they were equally surprised to see the state of the village was deserted without a single citizen and their livestock. However, there were still visible traces of activity before they left. They just seem to disappear.

One by one, get into the house. But for women will remain accompanied, because they still have to be vigilant. This is the first time they have come to this place. All the houses they went to were still intact. The furniture, even to the food at the dining table. It was as if they were about to eat with some side dishes already available. But now the food is stale and there are many maggots mixed with dust. The dining table was covered in thick dust, naturally, because this house had been abandoned for decades.

"Nay, don't get far from me" prevented Arya when Nayla was about to enter a house that had not been inspected. Nayla nodded then followed back to Arya who was walking in front of her.

Now that the day has begun to go by, those who are tired are now getting fed up with search without results. There were no clues whatsoever and the thing they were looking for did not know where it was. They regroup outside. "There's a clue?" abhimanyu asked, looking at them one by one. They all shook their heads while grunting. Tired and hungry now began to gnaw at them slowly. Ellea who was near Abhimanyu started stroking her stomach. It made Abi's attention split and realized that his lover and everyone here had not eaten anything since arriving in this Angikuni village. "Darling, laper, huh?" abhimanyu asked while tidying up Ellea's haircut that was messy with the wind and dirty from the fall of dust. Ellea held onto Abi's waist and looked up while displaying a thin smile. He was tired and hungry, and he also knew that the man in front of him must feel the same way. Abi stroked her girl's cheek with a loving look.

Nayla cleared her throat as she glanced at the young man beside her who had since stolen a glance from the romantic scene before them. Aware of being noticed by Nayla, Arya then turned her head with a cynical look. "What?!"

Nayla then approached Arya while whispering, "Look, our son is romantic, yes. I became curious, whether Arya in life used to be romantic like her son or remain this cold, yes," murmured Nayla meant to insinuate Arya. Arya snorted bitterly, then grabbed the girl beside her and pulled her into an embrace. Nayla smiled and returned Arya's embrace.

The sun was already rising overhead, the scorching weather was beginning to be felt. They choose to wait in a place to eat that still looks safe for shelter and lunch. Nayla and Ellea prepare a potluck meal. They have brought enough supplies for each nutrient intake. Well, even if only canned food and instant food at least that is more than enough.

The table has been cleaned of thick dust that sticks, maybe almost 30 years. So far there is no sign that anyone else was there before they came to this place. Instant noodles have been served in their respective bowls. Surprisingly water and electricity were still in this place, so they could wear them for a while. Dishes and bowls that are indeed dirty, can be clean immediately and can be used for eating.

"So where do we think we should go to find that key?" nayla asked with her mouth full of food. Arya then wiped the corner of Nayla's lips that contained food marks. Nayla was a little surprised, then smiled with a warm gaze but looked disgusting to Arya.

"Like a child, eat a cane. Clean it yourself!" cetus Arya then gave the tissue he had just asked of Ellea. Nayla pursed her lips a sign of resentment. But in the next two minutes, Arya fell silent. He felt a pulse in his head that was quite intense, but he just remained silent while looking down. Because now the pulsation of the head began to display a silhouette of events that he had never experienced before. But it happened exactly as he had just done with Nayla. Surprisingly again, the girl in his vision was very much like Nayla.

Arya looked at the girl who was still eating with an annoyed face. Comparing with the girl in his shadow earlier. Resembled. Same. His head was pulsating again, and now a voice made Arya more convinced that the woman in his shadow was indeed Nayla. And the shadow doesn't just leave. Arya just as if sucked in a time vortex and saw another scene that is no less strange. Where he had never experienced all of those things, but he could imagine this. Nayla and Abhimanyu. The two were in his shadow. Also Gio and Adi whom he had never met his figure. Arya suddenly screamed as all the shadows made her head feel full. This made them stare strangely at Arya. Arya moved on and out of that place.

The young man decided to sit in a chair in front of the old building. He tried to remember but the more he remembered, the more his head hurt. The hero caught up with Arya and now sat down beside the young man. Arya tried to act ordinary, as if what she was feeling did not want her to tell anyone.

"Yes, you know that since we were first thrown to earth, all your character and nature has never changed. You're still Arya like this. And, actually, Nayla just loves you. A long time ago, the man Nayla loved the first time was just you. There was a time when I captured Nayla's heart first. I won, Yes. But apparently, that's not the fate that has to happen. It was the only time my life was destroyed. I became the worst person, especially to you. And when I tried to fix everything, it was too late."

"..." - ".Arya was silent, not responding to the words of the Hero. But in the bottom of his heart, he wanted to ask a lot of questions that until now stuck in his heart and mind.

"You were my best friend long ago, and forever will be. I'm sorry, Ya."

"We are ...." Not yet Arya finished her sentence, she saw the shadow of people running at the end of the road. Arya was very sure that she saw someone who was now hiding in the corner. "Who is that?!" call Arya, then move on. The hero who saw that followed Arya's steps.

While the other friends are still eating, just staring at their departure with a confused look. Gio and Abi, who were originally about to follow, were forbidden by Wira. They still have to be there, at least to make sure the woman is safe.

Wira and Arya continue down the place where the person disappeared. "I'm sure he was here!" arya pointed to the corner of the house that was locked tightly. There was no trace of anyone passing through the place.

"Let me check!" he said and walked in that direction, alone. Arya who was ordered to wait where she stood, would certainly not be silent. It is not Arya's name if she just keeps quiet and obeys someone else's orders just like that. He swept a glance around, looking at the environment that they had not seen since they had come.

This village environment is only filled with wooden house that almost all models are the same. Only the color of the paint distinguishes. And there are several wooden chairs in front of the yard of each building.

Arya sees Wira who is dragging a man in shabby clothes. Like a beggar with a burlap sack in his hand. Wira then pushed him to be in Arya's hope. The man just kept quiet while continuing to look down. He also felt uncomfortable around him.

"Please, let me go," said the man by fusing his palms together in front, facing Wira and alternating to Arya.

"You who? Why is it here?" ask Wira. Seriously.

"I'm just a scavenger looking for food and stuff that can still be used."

"Have you scavenged here for a long time?" arya asked, looking at the man.

"New ... I've only been here one week." He continued to look terrified, as if showing himself in the open was a threat.

"Do you know what happened in this village?"

"We can't be here! It's dangerous!" said seriously.

Of course, Wira and Arya are more curious. They looked at each other with a thousand questions in mind. "You mean?!"

The door opened violently, Gio was approaching a connecting door to the kitchen, accompanied by Abhimanyu behind him. Gio squatted down with the tip of the sword trying to uncover something in that dark corner.

"What's up?!" arya asked closer to Nayla. Nayla and Ellea who were standing next to each other looked frightened and pointed towards Gio.

"Corpse!" he said with a horrified expression.

"Corpse?" tanya Arya repeated Nayla's words just now.

Arya and Wira were curious, then came closer to something that became the center of attention to make the women scream earlier.

"What's that?" ask Arya. Abhimanyu turned his head, taking a deep breath. "So, when Ellea was going to go back, suddenly this guy showed up. Maybe he's been hiding here for a long time. But his condition is terrible. His skin is flaking. Similar burn marks but ... Just look at yourself," Abi explained, pointing at the charred body and looking the other way.

Gio without hesitation noticed the figure in front of him. The body is no longer moving. Gio was still checking his condition. Cause of death, to what happened to his entire body.

"Endri!" the scavenger scream that came with Arya and Wira. He ran closer with a face of disbelief.

"Endri? You know him?" ask Wira. The man immediately squatted down and stared at the person he knew. He cried without daring to hug or touch Endri with his own hands.

"Well, he's my brother. A week ago, we came here. We were robbers hiding from the police. And when we looked at this village, we thought this was the safest place." He kept telling me the beginning of their coming. And Abi, Arya, Wira and the others continued to listen carefully.

"But on the third day, the village began to feel strange. At night, when we sleep, often heard the activities of some humans. They cook and other activities. Like humans in general. But ... Something's weird."

"Any?"

"Yes, we ... Peering out of the window, and it turns out that man is terrible. Their figure is similar to ...." He pointed at his friend who had already died on the floor. "Like Endri!" His face was frightened, and tense. The look in his eyes showed a great fear.

"You mean?"

"Their bodies have no skin. Like Endri's. Bleeding all over his body. There were even those that stood out that gave off a disgusting liquid. And the smell ... It smells so bad."

"So at night you see some people with this shape?" arya asked pointing at Endri's corpse on the floor. "Almost every night or just once you see it?"

"First and second nights, we didn't find anything strange. The empty village is as uninhabited as it is now. But on the third night, there began to be boisterous sounds outside."

"Why did you get separated?" ask Abhimanyu. The man took a deep breath. His face looks so exhausted. Sweaty and dirty make it very ugly. It really looks like a bad guy or a crazy person on the street.

"After that night. We can't sleep. And keep hiding. We hid in a house, and fortunately there were no inhabitants. We decided, we're leaving this place tomorrow morning."

"The next day, we started packing and carrying things. The clothes and food from this village" he continued

"Wait for you to say food? Sure enough? Not that this village has been empty for 30 years, huh? Then what kind of food do you get here?"

"The creature last night had a party. They cook food, there are goat rolls, various vegetables and side dishes to fruits."

"Really, right? Whoa!"

"Yes, we bring the food as necessary for the trip later. Because this place is surrounded by forests and far from the settlements of other villagers, right?"

"You're sure, what's served isn't human bone soup or bolted human flesh?" asked Nayla while shivering in horror. Arya glanced at the girl while scratching her head. "Why? It's natural, right, my question. Look at the shape of this Endri. He said the figure who came that night was shaped like this!"

"I'm sure it's goat meat, because we saw when they cooked it."

"Continue?"

"Even and Endri split up. To find other valuable items, eum, so that later we can sell in the city. After that, I never saw Endri again. I roamed this village, every house and building I searched, but Endri didn't meet."

"So why are you still here? Isn't this place terrible? You should just go, right?" hatch Gio.

"Yes, I'm leaving. I decided to leave without Endri, but unfortunately, I could not get out of this village. I always come back here. I can't get out of this village. Just spinning around in the woods around. My frustration. Wanted to die, but couldn't" his whiney now began to cry.

Everyone looked at each other, they were confused and did not know what to do. If he alone who had been here for a long time could not come out, what about those who had just come?

"What's your name?" ask Wira.

"I'm Hidayat."