The clock ticked past 7 PM, its hands casting long shadows over the cramped dorm room where Sebastian, Rian, Rafa, Dewi, Ajeng, and Fitri huddled in a tense circle. The air buzzed with the kind of quiet dread that precedes a storm.
"So… what's the plan?" Rian broke the silence, his voice fraying at the edges.
"What are we supposed to do now?"
Sebastian rubbed his temples, mirroring Rian's unease. "Dunno. Ask Fitri."
All eyes turned to Fitri, who leaned against the wall, her gaze fixed on Dewi—a silent baton pass.
"Dewi…?" Fitri prompted softly, as if testing the weight of her name.
Dewi flinched, her fingers knotting in the fabric of her sleeves. "I… I don't know either," she murmured, her voice barely threading through the heavy silence.
The admission hung like a guillotine.
Rafa cleared his throat, the sound sharp in the stillness. "What if we go public? Expose everything. Might work better than trusting the police."
Ajeng tilted her head, studying him. "Why's that better?"
"Last month," Rafa began, his jaw tightening, "my phone got stolen, reported it, The Police did nothing. Case closed before it even opened."
Rafa shrugged, bitterness seeping into his tone. "at least the public… listens."
The room thickened with the gravity of his words. Outside, the night hummed with secrets of its own.
They agreed in the end, the weight of resignation settling over them like a shroud. If the system had failed Rafa, if the police had turned blind eyes, then maybe the court of public opinion was their only ally.
As the group disbanded, Sebastian cornered Dewi near the door, his voice edged with panic. "Phi, why'd you send that SOS earlier? What happened?"
Dewi froze, the memory crashing back. Her hands trembled as she whispered, "Shh—I… forgot. There was a shooting. On the bus. Everyone..... everyone died. We barely made it out. Fitri… she called the cops. If she hadn't—" Her breath hitched. "Ask Emeka or Austina. They were there too." she continues
Sebastian's blood ran cold. "You're not hurt, are you?" He gripped her shoulders, scanning her for bruises, cuts—any trace of the horror she'd described.
Dewi pinched his cheek playfully, forcing a laugh. "Relax, na. Just shook up but i'm fine now. Don't worry about me"
Sebastian was relieved to hear that, making him not worry anymore even though it still felt terrifying about that matters.
"ahh sorry I gotta go, there's things to do!" She slipped away, will leaving Sebastian alone with the hum of the hallway fluorescents.
" Oke phi, be careful and don't stay out late" Sebastian asked her
"alright, see ya"
After she gone, Sebastian realize something. He realized about what Fitri said earlier when he ask the same thing about what happen or what's SOS mean?
'But Fitri said it was nothing. a misunderstanding.' The lie gnawed at him, sharp and insistent.
'Why she cover it up? What's she hiding?' Sebastian's Thought, there's something important that Fitri hiding from him or from others.
He leaned against the wall, jaw clenched.
'I need to dig deeper'