Chapter 5

Ajisaka stood frozen in front of the crack that had become more visible in the bunker's wall. The dim light from their battery-powered lamp highlighted every tiny fissure peeking through the concrete that was supposed to protect them. "What happens if this wall really collapses?" he thought, his heart pounding. Binar, always full of energy despite their dire situation, suddenly appeared holding an old screwdriver and a small hammer they had found a few days earlier.

"Big brother, we can use these to fix the wall, right?" Binar asked, smiling with a hope that felt far too innocent for the moment.

Ajisaka was silent for a moment, gazing at Binar with a mix of affection and sorrow. "Binar, this wall... it's not something we can just fix like a toy," he said gently, trying to keep his voice from sounding hopeless.

"But you can fix anything, right?" Binar replied enthusiastically, unaware of the danger looming over them. To Binar, the bunker was the only world he had known for a long time, and his big brother was the hero who could do anything.

Ajisaka looked down, the weight of responsibility pressing harder on him. "I... I don't know, Bin. This wall might not be fixable." The words barely left his mouth. He didn't want to make his brother worry, but the truth was becoming harder to hide.

Binar was quiet for a moment, then moved closer and touched Ajisaka's arm. "Big brother, if we can't fix it, what are we going to do?"

Ajisaka had no answer. Thoughts about what would happen if the bunker collapsed haunted his mind. They had nowhere else to go. Outside, the world was destroyed, full of dangers they couldn't survive.

"We have to stay here. We don't have another choice," he finally replied with a raspy voice. He looked into Binar's eyes, still filled with hope. A hope that was slowly fading within himself.

"Big brother, I remember... Mom used to say we should always pray when we're scared." Binar held Ajisaka's hand tightly. "Maybe we can pray now?"

Ajisaka gave a faint smile, though his chest felt heavy. "Yeah, maybe we can. But Mom's not here anymore to help us."

Hearing that, Binar lowered his head, his face turning somber. "Big brother, I miss Mom..." he whispered, his voice trembling at the end.

Ajisaka swallowed hard, guilt swelling in his heart. He wanted to say something comforting, but every word felt empty. "I miss her too, Binar... I miss her too," he said softly.

They sat together on the cold bunker floor, the silence between them growing heavier. Time continued to pass, but the sadness never truly left.

A while later, Ajisaka stood and looked at the crack in the wall once again. "I'm going to try and fix this wall. I have to at least try." Binar looked at him with wide eyes, as if he believed Ajisaka could do anything.

They started working with the few tools they had. Ajisaka tried to patch the crack with pieces of metal and glue they had found, even though he knew it was only a temporary fix. Still, he pretended to be strong in front of Binar, hoping to bring his brother some peace of mind.

"We're going to be okay, right, big brother?" Binar asked, holding the screwdriver in his small hands.

"Yeah, Bin. We're going to be okay," Ajisaka answered, though his heart disagreed. There was a sinking feeling that their time in this place was running out.

The days passed slowly. Food grew scarcer, and Ajisaka had to make tough decisions. He began cutting their portions, hoping to stretch out their survival. Even so, the gnawing hunger began to wear down their bodies.

"Big brother, I'm hungry," Binar said one night, his stomach growling. Ajisaka looked at his brother with a guilt he couldn't hide. He knew Binar needed more food, but their supplies were nearly gone.

"I know, Bin... just hold on a little longer. We have to save what we can," Ajisaka said, handing over the last small piece of food for the day. Binar looked disappointed but obediently ate it.

In the quiet of the bunker, they often talked about Dina—their beloved mother. Those conversations, though sometimes painful, were also a way to fill the long, empty hours. "Big brother, do you remember when Mom made me a birthday cake? Do you?" Binar asked one afternoon.

Ajisaka nodded, his eyes misting over. "I remember, Bin. It was the best cake I ever had." Their conversations often ended in quiet tears, but it was the only way they could feel Dina's presence again, even if only through memories.

Binar sometimes tried to cheer his brother up with funny stories or simple games he invented. But Ajisaka knew Binar was beginning to wear down too. "Big brother, why don't we just go outside? Maybe the world has changed," Binar asked one night as they prepared to sleep.

Ajisaka was silent for a moment before replying. "Outside... it's still dangerous, Bin. We have to stay here." His answer was always the same, and it always made Ajisaka's heart sink deeper into guilt.

The next morning, Ajisaka woke up with an unsettling feeling. His head was heavy, his body exhausted, but something more urgent pressed on him. He slowly stood and looked at the cracked bunker wall. His eyes widened when he saw the crack had grown even larger.

"Binar," Ajisaka whispered urgently, waking his brother. "The wall... it's getting worse."

Binar shot awake, staring at the wall with wide eyes. "What are we going to do, big brother?"

Ajisaka felt his chest tighten. "I don't know, Bin. But we need to figure something out."

They discussed nervously, but no clear solution emerged. Ajisaka knew they had to prepare for the worst, but he also knew he couldn't let Binar see how scared he was.

One night, Ajisaka was jolted awake by an unusual sound. At first, he thought it was just the usual noise of rats or insects scurrying in the bunker, but this time, the sound was different—more rhythmic, like water dripping onto the ground. He sat up slowly, sharpening his ears in the suffocating silence. "Water?" he thought, his heart pounding faster. In the darkness of the bunker, Ajisaka fumbled for the small flashlight he always kept under his bed.

When Ajisaka turned on the flashlight and aimed it at the cracked wall, his heart clenched. The crack had widened, and from the small gaps, water was beginning to seep into the bunker. The drops fell slowly to the floor, forming a growing puddle.

"Binar," Ajisaka called to his brother, who was still fast asleep. "Binar, wake up."

Binar blinked, lazily opening his eyes. "Why, Kak?" his voice weak, heavy with exhaustion.

"Water's coming in. The crack is getting worse," Ajisaka said tensely. Binar sat up, eyes widening as he saw the puddle growing on the floor.

"We can't stay here if the water keeps coming in," Binar whispered anxiously.

Ajisaka nodded, but he didn't know what to do. Outside the bunker, the world was destroyed. There was no safe place to go. "We have to try to hold the water back, at least for now," he said, though he knew it would only delay the inevitable disaster.

They gathered anything they could use to stop the water—old rags, plastic, anything they could find. But their efforts only slowed the water down a little. It kept seeping in, slowly but surely, eroding the safety they'd once felt inside the bunker.

Amid the chaos, Ajisaka increased his physical training. He knew that the chances they would have to leave the bunker and face the unrecognizable outside world were growing. He lifted the empty food cans, doing push-ups and sit-ups every day, forcing his body to grow stronger.

But Binar's health was starting to decline. Though he still tried to be cheerful, often smiling and joking, Ajisaka could see that his brother was beginning to get sick. Binar frequently complained of headaches, and his skin was growing pale. Every time Ajisaka saw his younger brother's weakening state, it felt like his heart was being ripped apart.

"Binar, you need to rest more," Ajisaka said one morning, noticing his brother coughing with a pale face.

"But I don't want to just sleep, Kak. I want to help you," Binar replied with a weak smile.

Ajisaka shook his head. "No need, Bin. You rest. I'll take care of everything." He tried to sound firm, though inside, guilt gnawed at him. The water that seeped in might already be contaminated, and Ajisaka knew the lack of food and clean water was making his brother sick.

Night after night passed, and Binar's condition worsened. Ajisaka did what he could—sharing more of their remaining food with Binar, keeping him warm, and hoping that somehow things would improve. But the guilt weighed heavier on him with each passing day. "This is my fault," he whispered to himself in the darkness. "I couldn't protect him like Mama and Papa wanted."

One night, as despair began to creep in, Ajisaka noticed that the bunker's lights were starting to flicker. The light, which had been their only source of comfort, was now fading, warning them that the bunker's electrical system was failing.

"Kak, why are the lights flickering?" Binar asked, his voice trembling.

Ajisaka stared at the light, his heart pounding. "I don't know, Bin. Maybe... maybe there's a problem with the electricity."

"Does that mean we're going to run out of power?" Binar asked again, this time with clear fear in his voice.

Ajisaka swallowed hard, trying to hide his anxiety. "No, we still have backup batteries," he said, though he wasn't sure if they had enough to last much longer.

Behind his calm words, the fear was growing stronger. If the electricity failed completely, they would be trapped in total darkness. The bunker, already feeling small, would turn into a dark and silent tomb. There was no escape, no place to hide.

After attempting to check the electrical system with their limited tools, Ajisaka found no solution. "We need to save energy, Binar. From now on, we only use the lights when absolutely necessary," Ajisaka said. Binar just nodded quietly, realizing their problems were only increasing.

Every night, the sound of water dripping from the cracked wall and the flickering light haunted them. Ajisaka tried to stay calm in front of Binar, but when night came and his brother fell asleep, he would sit alone, thinking of the worst-case scenarios. The world outside might no longer be safe, but inside the bunker, they were trapped in a slow, creeping doom.

"We can't stay here forever, Bin," Ajisaka whispered to himself, staring at the bunker wall that now seemed to be their enemy.