Secret Denis
Twenty-three

The bus that Denis and Alex were travelling on was stable on the main road connecting the cities between the provinces. Denis sat by the glass window, staring at the scenery along the way. Alex sitting next to him closed his eyes, enjoying a ride that was probably the first time he felt he was riding a bus.

The bus seat is full from the front to the back. Alex and Denis were in the third row from the front.

Denis glanced at Alex. He did not know if the man was really asleep or just closed his eyes. Ever since they got on this bus nothing was said by the man. Just sit still like that.

From before sunrise they had left Darman's cabin. He was taken by the man to the side of the road that the bus passed on foot. They do not need to go to the terminal because the bus they mean is through that road.

Now only need to wait for approximately five hours to arrive at the destination if the trip is smooth.

Denis folded his chest hand. Closing his eyes after being bored for too long sitting quietly in the bus. Kernet bus poked her shoulder when she was just about to go to sleep.

Denis glanced at Alex who did not wake up despite having been poked by the bus kernet. That means he's really asleep.

Denis mentions his destination city and the bus kernet mentions the nonimal that Denis must pay. Fortunately Alex handed over some of his money to Denis so that Denis could directly pay their fare to the bus kernet without waking him up.

"To Solo, huh mas?" A girl sitting across from Alex asked with a sweet smile at Denis. Apparently he heard when Denis mentioned his destination city on the bus kernet earlier. Aware of the question being addressed to him, Denis nodded while pulling a slight corner of his lips.

He turned his back against the chair. He leaned his head with his eyes closed.

The small movements of the man beside her made Denis squint a little bit of his eyes. Alex seemed to stretch his hand.

"It's still far?" Ask while paying attention to the place the bus is passing.

"Lumayan."

"Have you been there on a bus?" Alex continues his interaction with Denis.

"Never."

"So we'll go down where?"

"Terminals."

Alex fell silent. His gaze passed Denis' face looking out the window of the bus. Every now and then he looked at Denis' face from the side, seemingly completely unconcerned about his whereabouts.

"You sure you know the address we're going to?"

"Know."

"From the terminal is still far away?"

"Heem."

"What will it take from there?"

"........"

Alex scratched his head that was not itching. Denis closed his eyes with his head held back. Both hands fold up on him.

"Have you paid yet?"

"Buh."

Alex was silent.

"Will I go to Solo, too?" ask the girl next to Alex, making Alex turn his attention from Denis to the girl.

"Yes." Alex replied briefly.

"Sama dong's. I'm going to Solo, too, mas." The girl smiled.

"Where is Mas' solo?" Ask the girl again. Alex grimaced, glanced at Denis who did not budge at all.

"I don't understand. It's my friend who knows."

"First new mom going to Solo?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"I'm the real man there mas."

"Oh."

It was the turn of the girl who died in style. He turned his gaze forward. At first he wanted to invite to chat one of the handsome guys next to him, but what power turns out the two are not random guys. The girl fell silent and looked straight ahead.

On the way, the bus stops at a restaurant for a short break. Almost all passengers got off. Denis and Alex as well. Both got off the bus.

"We ate there." Alex pointed to the shop that sold his rice and side dishes. Denis nodded and followed Alex. He was already feeling very hungry. They had no breakfast before they left. No one was waiting for the bus to sell food. The bus hasn't stopped since they got on.

Denis and Alex sat in a corner after getting their food. Two glasses of warm tea accompanied their lunch.

"May I sit here?" The girl sitting across from Alex's seat was standing next to a table that Denis and Alex were holding. In his hand was a plate of rice and a glass of cold drink. Just enough a nod from Alex the girl immediately sat down without a sense of hesitation.

Denis did not care about the girl and focused more on devouring the rice in front of her. He ate without making a sound. And so is Alex.

The girl bribed her rice while occasionally glancing at the two handsome guys before her. He was eager to greet the two people and invite her to a chat, but it seemed that the two people were completely uninterested in talking to him.

The girl had to swallow the disappointment of not being able to look more at the beauty of God's creation before her eyes. The two guys in front of him first finished their lunch and just left.

"I'm going to the toilet for a minute." Alex said as the two walked out of the diner. Denis nodded. His eyes circulated and saw a mini market across the street. Denis immediately went there after making sure Alex went into the toilet.

Alex was in the toilet soon. After finishing his wish and washing his face to make it fresher, he returned to where he left Denis earlier. But the person in question wasn't there. Alex was a little freaked out about not seeing Denis there. He got on the bus, thinking maybe Denis had boarded first. The seat they were sitting on was empty.

One by one the passengers who had disembarked now began to refill their seats. Denis has not yet seen his nose. Alex came back down and passed the girl sitting across from him.

The girl threw her smile at Alex, but Alex did not reply in the slightest. His mind was focused on Denis. Where's she?

"Down again mas?" The bus driver who had started the engine asked Alex.

"My friend hasn't returned yet, sir."

"We've been waiting for you."

Alex almost sets foot on the ground when Denis appears in front of him. Alex breathed a sigh of relief. His smile could not be hidden.

"This is my friend already there, sir." Report Alex to the bus driver. The driver nodded while watching the passengers through the upper glass.

"Where else? Make people worry." He asked, turning back to his seat. Give Denis a way to sit first by the window, then he sits in his original place.

"From there." Denis pointed at the mini market across the street and showed what it carried. A bag of crackles filled with snacks and drinks for the two of them.

The kernet bus ensures that all passengers are in place before the bus resumes its journey. After being sure everything was there, he gave the bus driver a code to drive his vehicle.

The bus moved slowly leaving the resting place. The rate increases when you are on the highway. Alex and Denis are back to enjoying their journey in comfort.

Denis sat a little agitated. He was bored for a long time sitting in the same position. And so is Alex. His body felt stiff and stiff.

"How many hours?" Alex asked while looking outwards.

"A little while." Denis turned his face to the side, avoiding Alex's face so close.

"Related?"

"Yes. Ask the girl. He just saw you keep going." Denis ketus. Alex was surprised to hear such an answer. How does it feel like being cheated on by a girlfriend? Alex scrunched his forehead a little hard. To fill up the perverted thoughts that just pass by. 'I must be crazy!!' inner screaming.

After that no more words came out of Alex's mouth. He chose to close his eyes trying to sleep and empty his already dirty mind. But it is very difficult to sleep when the mind is in a state of turmoil. Only his eyes were closed but his ears could still hear clearly.

The day had gone by dusk when the bus entered the terminal courtyard of Solo city. One by one the passengers disembarked in an orderly manner when the bus stopped in its place. Alex and Denis step out of the bus and find a comfortable place to rest for a while.

They sat on the terminal bench watching the passersby.

"Where are you going?" a tattooed man came over. His eyes looked at the two people who from the looks of him he could already guess that these two people must be immigrants.

Alex and Denis stared at each other before deciding to answer.

"If you need a ride I can provide you mas. Take it easy, pay it for nego." The man seemed to have guessed the thoughts of the person in front of him.

Denis finally mentioned the address he was going to.

"That's a long way from here, Mom. But I can get you there."

Denis turned his head towards Alex who was replied with a nod by Alex. The two then followed the man towards the parking lot not far from there. It turned out that a friend of the man was waiting in a black mini bus.

After price negotiations reached an agreement, Denis and Alex got into the car in the back seat. In front of the man who offered the car sat next to the driver and it turned out that his friend was driving the car.

The car Denis and Alex boarded left the terminal and began moving on the crowded streets of Solo in the afternoon. There was no meaningful conversation in the car. Only a few inconsequential questions were answered by Denis.

Cars are speeding out of the city and down the village road as the day gets darker.

"This is the right way? Looks like this is in the woods, huh?" Alex watched the path that was traversed with sharp eyes. And so did Denis. His face hardened with his hands beginning to clench.

The two men in the front seats glanced at each other.

"It cut off the road mas. Let's just get to."

The man holding the wheel answered. Alex was silent still while paying attention around the passing place.

The car stopped suddenly at a place that seemed to be a hill. From that place can be seen the expanse of residential residents with sparkling lights down there.

The bertatoo guy got off first. He went to the door where Alex was and opened it.

"What's up? Why stop here?" Ask Alex. The driver came down and went to the next door again.

"Down! Don't ask too many questions." The man's voice changed. In his hand suddenly there was a knife that he drew toward Alex.

Alex is trying to calm down. Thought Denis who had gone down and escorted by the driver's man.

"Who are y'all? What do you guys want?" Ask Alex. His mind immediately remembered the events he had experienced. Why is this happening again now? Are these the same people as the ones who harmed him the other day? How do they know where he is in this town?

"Take out your money if you still love your life." The man stuck the knife in Alex's stomach.

"We don't have any money." I don't know why Alex was a little relieved. At least these people were not the ones who were deliberately hunting him. Denis stared across the body of the car which was also being held by a knife. Denis returned Alex's gaze with a steady look without the slightest trepidation. A small nod that the two men didn't realize was coded for Alex to make a move that made his guide flinch in shock.

Almost at the same time Denis and Alex smashed their hands into the hand of the knife-wielding knife until the knife fell to the ground. The two men did not expect to get a sudden attack. But they soon realized that the two victims were not ordinary people.

They swiftly attack Denis and Alex and attempt to take him down. But it turns out that Denis and Alex's martial arts are far above them. In an instant, the two fall to the ground and are in a lockdown Denis and Alex.

"Mad you. We're sorry we both attacked" the tattooed man squeezed under the pressure of Alex's foot. The trouble just disappeared. One of his hands was twisted towards the back violently making him grimace in pain.

Alex looked at Denis asking for his opinion. Denis put his head around giving a signal to release the two men.

"We're gonna get rid of you. But there's a condition." Alex turned the tattooed man's hand so that the man complained loudly.

"Yes mas. We'll do whatever we both want. Just don't give us to the police. Please let us go." the driver who was in Denis' control spoke.

"Take us to the address we're heading to!!"

*****

Denis only knew the name of the village where Pak Mijan and Bu Darmini lived. Two people who had served in his family until he was a teenager. Ever since she was born, Ms. Darmini has been her nanny. The woman who gave birth to him almost never touched him.

At that time Mr. Mijan worked as a housekeeper for his family Denis and gardener, while Ms. Darmini was in charge of caring for an innocent little baby that his parents ignored.

Denis had joined Mr. Mijan several times and Mr. Darmini returned to his hometown. Usually, Mr. Mijan will take Denis to his village if he is on school holidays. Denis would look happy if he came home with Mr. Mijan. He will play with the village children who gladly accept Denis. The memory still sticks strongly in Denis' memory even though it's long gone.

Over ten years Denis has not set foot in this village. There's been a lot of changes here that make Denis a bit of a misnomer.

Armed with only his childhood memories, Denis directs the driver of the car, later known as Slamet, to explore the village. After asking someone they met on the street, the car finally stopped in front of a simple house but large enough for the size of the house in the village.

Denis smiled happy to see the house he could still recognize even though it seemed to have experienced many changes.

"This is his house?" Alex asked to convince.

"Yes really." Denis got out of the car followed by Alex. The two men driving them were silent in the car waiting for Alex's orders.

"Wait here. Watch out if you run away." Alex stared intently at the two who were reciprocated with obedient nods from them.

Denis knocked on the front door of the house. He hoped that the residents of the house had not slept like this. The quiet atmosphere made things seem like it was late at night. If only there were no incidents in the middle of the forest, they would have arrived earlier.

A shadow of someone inside the house was heading towards the door. Not long after that the sound of the key was played from the inside direction followed by the opening of the house door. An early sixtieth-year-old man stood intercepted in the middle of the door. His eyes stared for a moment at the two people before him.

"Sir Mijan." Denis said hello to the man making the old eye focus on Denis' face.

"You?"

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******