SAHARA

The white sand stretched wide, leaving behind rocks that had softened over millions of years. Eroded into mounds of sand, stacked upon each other, accompanying every gaze as far as the eye could see. Leaving behind three pairs of footprints, traversing the desert, heading toward Qaitbay Citadel, a castle on the shores of Alexandria.

The sun had risen high into the mid-morning sky, its scorching heat mercilessly beating down on everything below. The icy chill of the night had vanished in an instant, replaced by the searing sun that burned their skin and drained their bodies of moisture. Dehydration gnawed at them, yet the sheer terror of what had happened pushed them forward, urging them to escape this place as quickly as possible.

Staggering forward, Fadli and Arya took turns supporting Amar. Death had become an all-too-familiar presence, a silent companion lurking at every step, making them brace for the possibility of losing one another at any moment. But no matter how faint the glimmer of hope ahead, a true Muslim never surrenders to despair.

Suddenly, they felt the sand tremble beneath their feet, sending up soft clouds of dust that swirled like pale smoke. Fadli tightened his grip on Amar, his breath hitching as he took in the horrifying sight around them.

From the shifting dunes, a nightmare unfolded—dozens of zombies clawed their way to the surface. Seven emerged ahead, four to the right, two to the left, and three from behind. There was no time to think. The creatures lunged forward, some sprinting, others crawling, and a few leaping with terrifying speed, all converging on Arya and his companions.

"LARI!" Arya shouted.

Despite his limp, Amar sprinted ahead of his two friends, even faster than usual. Seven zombies lunged at him, but they missed—just as Fadli drew his scimitar and slashed through their necks, severing them cleanly. Without wasting a second, Fadli and Arya bolted after Amar.

"BALEGUG! Ari maneh naha tetiba sehat?" Fadli asked Amar in his Sundanese accent, shocked at how he was suddenly sprinting after limping just moments ago.

Four zombies from the right attacked, but Arya swiftly slashed them down the moment he unsheathed his samurai from his back. Two more zombies charged from the left. Without hesitation, Arya pulled out his gun and showered them with hot lead. 

The first bullet missed. Still running, Arya fired the second shot, hitting one zombie square in the forehead. The third bullet struck the other zombie's chest, but it barely flinched, still sprinting and leaping straight at Amar. Without a second thought, Arya fired the fourth shot, piercing the zombie's left temple. It crashed to the ground, just inches away from reaching Amar. 

Moments later, they finally arrived at the shoreline, only a few meters away from Qaitbay Citadel.

"LIHAT! PANTAI!" Amar shouted excitedly, completely ignoring Arya's comment as he slashed down a zombie that had managed to catch up to him.

"APA? PANTAI?!" Fadli instantly picked up his pace, sprinting past Amar. Seeing him like that, Amar and Arya were bewildered but did their best to catch up.

The area around the castle seemed safe, with no zombies in sight. However, the castle gate was tightly shut.

"GERBANG TERTUTUP, GIMANA?!" Fadli shouted to his friends, to which Amar quickly responded.

"SAMPING GERBANG ADA PINTU KECIL, LIAT! BUKA GA?!"

"YA… BUKA!!!!!" Fadli shouted back at Amar.

"AYO CEPAT MASUK..." Suddenly, Amar stumbled, tripping over a rock in front of him.

Fadli was too focused on running to notice what had happened to Amar. But Arya, who was at the back, quickly stopped in his tracks to help him.

Time, however, was not on their side. The three zombies behind them had caught up, pouncing like lions about to devour their prey.

Arya was also knocked down as two zombies tackled him from behind, sending his samurai sword flying not too far away. 

Instinctively, he switched to hand-to-hand combat. Relying on his reflexes, Arya unleashed the silat techniques he had learned in college. And it worked—both zombies were sent sprawling after receiving a series of swift strikes: sweeping kicks to the right and left, a spinning move, and a forceful thrust. 

Wasting no time, he lunged for his fallen samurai, grabbed it, and swung it in a fluid spinning motion, decapitating the zombies like a true silat warrior.

Black blood splattered across the sand as Arya took in the scene—Amar was struggling against a zombie on his own. 

Amar was never good at hand-to-hand combat, and with his recent injury from falling off the three-story mall that morning, he was at an even greater disadvantage. For several moments, he wrestled with the creature, desperately pushing back against its weight. 

But in the end, Amar lost his footing. He fell hard, and before he could react, the zombie pounced, pinning him down. Its rotten teeth sank into his arm, tearing through flesh and muscle, ripping away a chunk of his bicep. Blood gushed out, soaking his own body in a crimson flood.

Amar thrashed in agony, trying to shove the zombie off him, but he was too weak. The creature overpowered him—until, suddenly, a blade pierced straight through its forehead. 

The zombie froze for a moment before collapsing lifelessly to Amar's right. Gasping for breath, Amar turned his head just in time to see Arya yank the sword from the creature's skull. 

Biting back the pain, Amar struggled to get up. Arya immediately stepped in, wrapping an arm around his shoulder to help him stand.

"Semua sudah selesai. Kita aman sekarang." Arya assured him.

A few dozen meters away, Fadli finally reached the castle entrance. He shouted at the top of his lungs, calling for Amar and Arya to hurry and catch up, unaware of what had just happened.

"WOOOOY, CEPAT KESINI. KAYAKNYA DISINI AMAN!"

Fadli's voice rang out, competing with the crashing waves from the open sea. A second later, 200 meters behind them, zombies began emerging from the sand once more—this time in far greater numbers. Fadli froze in shock. Slowly, Arya and Amar turned their heads, their eyes widening as they witnessed thousands of zombies rising from the earth like sprouting plants. Their shock had barely registered before the undead horde charged toward them, kicking up a cloud of sand that swirled into the air like a terrifying desert storm.

"Ya Allah, selamatkan kami." Arya murmured in a hushed prayer, his eyes fixed on the towering wall of swirling sand, concealing hundreds of zombies ready to tear them apart alive.

"CEPAT LARIIIIIIIIIIIII…..!!!!!!!" Fadli screamed from a distance. Arya instantly took off, with Amar following close behind. His breath was ragged, but his determination to survive never wavered. They kept running together, racing toward Fadli, who was waiting behind the walls of Qaitbay Citadel.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Amar kept chanting "Allahu Akbar... Allahu Akbar..." with every desperate step as he pushed himself forward at full speed.

As he ran, Arya did his best to support Amar, ignoring the trail of blood dripping from his friend. His focus was singular—getting inside Qaitbay Citadel. Behind them, thousands of zombies surged forward like a tidal wave across the desert, moving far faster than Arya and Amar could. 

At the entrance of the citadel, Fadli stood anxiously, sweat pouring down his forehead. His hands trembled as he prepared to shut the door if the situation demanded it.

Fadli's face grew even more frantic as the zombies closed in. His mouth fell silent, his body trembled, and his eyes widened in terror. His heart braced for the possibility of losing his two friends, but that didn't stop him from holding on just a little longer, refusing to shut the gate until they made it inside.

Just seconds before the leading zombie could grab Arya's back, they managed to slip inside the fortress. In an instant, Fadli slammed the 2x1.5-meter iron door shut. He struggled to lock it while fending off several zombie hands that clawed through the barred gaps of the door's design, resembling a cage.

Arya and Amar collapsed as they stumbled into the fortress. Arya quickly got up to help Fadli, while Amar lay sprawled on the ancient stone floor, built centuries ago, clutching his wounded arm in agony.

"DORONG LEBIH KUAT!!!" Fadli shouted at Arya, who didn't reply—just kept pushing against the door alongside him, as zombie hands clawed and thrashed wildly through the gaps, desperately trying to reach them.

KRETEK… The sound of the lock clicked into place. Fadli had successfully secured the door. He quickly threw himself backward, shaking off the zombie hands that had latched onto his shirt. Arya knew the door was locked, but he cautiously stepped back, his hands raised defensively—just in case the zombies managed to break through.

"Alhamdulillah…" Arya whispered, his voice just loud enough for Fadli to hear.

"Ya, Alhamdulillah." Fadli continued as he stood up and looked at Arya.

He saw Amar unconscious. Arya was about to help but suddenly froze, mesmerized by the castle inside the fortress that he had just noticed. The structure was magnificent, with four towering bastions at each corner.

"Crack..." Arya and Fadli heard the door straining under the relentless force of the zombies trying to break in. Arya looked at Fadli, and Fadli instinctively met his gaze—both understanding without words that they needed to get inside the castle immediately.

Without hesitation, they sprinted toward the castle, which wasn't far. Upon reaching the inner fortress, Fadli frantically searched for a way to close the gate. Arya's eyes darted to the right, where he spotted a long chain coiled around a mechanism leading directly to the gate. He had seen similar mechanisms in colossal films before, giving him a rough idea of how to operate a castle gate.

"Fadli, disini…!" Arya called out, pointing at what he had discovered. He gestured toward the mechanism, signaling for Fadli to help him close the gate while quickly demonstrating how it operated.

"Kamu dorong ke atas, saya tarik ke bawah." Arya commanded.

With all their strength, Arya and Fadli turned the mechanism, and just as Arya had predicted, the gate slowly descended from above, inching closer to sealing off the entrance. They kept turning, pushing themselves to the limit, until the castle gate finally shut completely. But then, Arya suddenly froze in shock.

"Subkhanallah!"

"Ada apa?" Fadli asked.

"Amar masih di luar!" Upon hearing Arya's answer, Fadli was stunned for a few seconds.

"Sial, ayo buka lagi gerbangnya!" Fadli grumbled.

Without thinking twice, Arya and Fadli hurriedly reopened the gate. As soon as it was halfway open, Arya let go of the roll he was holding along with Fadli. The moment he released it, the gate started closing again.

"Kamu kenapa? Untung saya gak kejepit!" Arya shouted.

"Gerbangnya keberatan!" Fadli shouted back. Arya then started looking for something.

"Cari sesuatu buat mengganjal gerbang." Arya instructed.

Fadli's eyes stopped when he saw a crowbar near his right foot, leaning against the wall. He quickly grabbed it and tucked it under his right armpit.

"Arya, putar lagi tuasnya. Lalu kita ganjal dengan linggis ini!"

Swiftly, Arya followed Fadli's instructions and turned the lever. Once the gate was halfway open, Fadli quickly wedged the crowbar into the mechanism. The roll shifted slightly, causing the gate to descend, but it still left a small gap—just enough to save Amar.

"Saya aja yang keluar, kamu pastiin gerbang ga nutup lagi." Arya shouted quickly as he rushed to save Amar.

Like lightning, Arya dropped to the ground and rolled through the castle gate. He quickly got up and sprinted toward Amar, who lay unconscious. Arya rushed forward, stopping abruptly at Amar's left side. He grabbed Amar's left arm, slung it over his shoulder, lifted him with all his strength, and carried him back toward the castle.

"Cepat, cepat, cepat, cepat…." Fadli whispered under his breath, his lips muttering anxiously.

Arya shot forward like a bullet, as if he carried no weight on his shoulders. Fadli braced himself, waving both hands beyond the gate of Qaitbay Citadel, reaching for Amar, who had just arrived at the entrance. His face was filled with worry. Like a football player, Arya dove across the ground, sliding as he successfully pushed Amar beyond the gate.

"Cepat, tarik linggisnya!" Upon hearing Amar's shout, Fadli hurriedly yanked the crowbar free. Instantly, the gate slammed shut with a loud, echoing noise.

Gasping for breath, Arya stood up once more, supporting Amar. With Fadli's help, they navigated the darkness of Qaitbay Citadel's tunnel, making their way to the top, where they awaited the rescue promised by Bram.

"Tas kamu kemana Ar?"

"Jatuh."

"Bentar, saya ambil senter. Kamu papah Amar dulu."

Step by step, they climbed the spiral staircase along the fortress wall. Occasionally, they passed windows designed as lookout points, giving them a clear view of the thousands of creatures that had chased them—now drastically increasing to millions. Stretching as far as the eye could see, the eerie sounds of the zombies echoed clearly, sending shivers down Arya and Fadli's spines. The undead seemed to be communicating in a language neither of them could understand.

Slowly, a glimmer of light emerged—a bit blinding at first, but their eyes quickly adjusted to the brightness ahead. And sure enough, the light came from the exit leading to the rooftop. The door was made of thick wood, with broken hinges that prevented it from closing completely.

Fadli held the flashlight he had taken from his own bag, pausing briefly in front of the door while signaling Arya to open it. Without hesitation, Arya pushed the door open. 

What he saw was clearer than before—far clearer than when he had peered through the small openings inside the castle. Millions of zombies surrounded them, making escape impossible. If the promised extraction didn't arrive soon, survival would be out of the question. 

There was no food or secure shelter within the castle. It was only a matter of time before the outer walls were breached, and not long after, the zombies would flood into the stronghold.

The fortress was constructed from stacked stones, with four pillars at each corner. Standing five meters tall and having withstood the test of centuries, it was an imposing and nearly impenetrable structure—breaking through with bare hands was impossible. 

However, the zombies possessed strength far beyond that of normal humans. In overwhelming numbers, they pushed against the entrance in unison. What once seemed indestructible now appeared fragile, as cracks formed on the gate, signaling its imminent collapse.

The hooks reinforcing the gate came loose one by one, leaving behind a series of widening cracks. The gate groaned loudly, a clear warning that it would soon shatter and be breached.

The zombies kept coming, their numbers swelling endlessly. Their bodies scrambled over one another, trampling those below, forming a grotesque mound of living corpses. The pile grew higher and higher until it reached the height of the fortress walls, becoming a gruesome, writhing staircase for others to climb. 

At the same time, the fortress gate finally gave way, shattering into pieces. In an instant, a flood of zombies surged inside like a relentless tidal wave, consuming everything in its path.

"Arya! Apa yang harus kita lakuin?" Fadli asked, stunned by the scene before him.

Unexpectedly, two rockets launched from behind them, hitting the center of the zombie horde. The explosion incinerated and obliterated the undead, while some were thrown far away by the force of the blast.

Fadli gaped in awe at the fantastic sight. Without delay, from the direction where the rockets had come, five F-16 Fighting Falcon jets soared through the sky. These supersonic aircraft, owned by the Indonesian Air Force and purchased from the United States, were deployed to secure the territory of the Republic of Indonesia from all forms of threats.

Reflexively, their eyes followed the direction of the fighter jets as they streaked rapidly overhead. After launching their missiles, the five aircraft now attacked simultaneously with machine guns mounted on their right and left wings.

The bodies of the zombies were torn apart by the bullets from the TNI fighter jets. Not long after, from the same direction as the five aircraft, the sound of rotor blades echoed as a Soviet-made MI-2426 helicopter approached them. With a length of 17.5 meters, the helicopter hovered directly above Qaitbay Citadel. While still airborne, four people descended using a rope, heading toward Arya, Fadli, and Amar.

"Cepat pakai ini." ordered one of the men dressed in black who had just descended from the helicopter, fastening the safety harness onto Arya and his friends.

Without hesitation, the four men in black uniforms grabbed and lifted Arya, Fadli, and Amar up into the hovering helicopter. Once inside, they were met by a man with streaks of gray in his hair, waiting for them.

"Saya Marsekal Darmawan. Pemimpin tertinggi dalam Angkatan Udara Indonesia." said the man in the blue uniform. Arya and Fadli could only remain silent.

He added, "Teman kalian kenapa?"

"Pingsan pak, mungkin dia kecapean." Arya replied.

"Dia digigit?" the Marshal asked again.

"Yes," Fadli answered. 

Without another word, the Marshal swiftly pulled out a semi-automatic pistol, aimed it at Amar, and squeezed the trigger without hesitation. 

The bullet tore through the air, piercing Amar's forehead while he remained unconscious. 

Arya and Fadli froze in shock, their eyes widening in horror, fear creeping into their bones as the realization sank in—what if they were next?

"Tenang-tenang." the Marshal said as he holstered his weapon.

"Dia sudah terkena virus, kini tergantung imunnya dia bisa bertahan berapa lama. Tapi yang pasti, cepat atau lambat, dia akan berubah jadi mahluk buas seperti yang kalian lihat di bawah. Entah kalian sebut itu zombi, atau istilah lain yang saya tidak tau. Bisa seminggu, sehari, atau bahkan hanya dalam hitungan detik. Masalahnya, setelah dia berubah, ingatannya akan sepenuhnya hilang. Kekuatannya puluhan kali meningkat, begitupun dengan kecepatannya. Saat itu terjadi, dia pasti sangat merepotkan. Kita jangan ambil resiko, sebelum dia berubah, harus segera kita bunuh." The Marshal continued.

With determination, Arya responded to the Marshal. "Pasti ada obatnya! Kita pasti bisa nyembuhin dia!"

"Belum ada satu orangpun yang berhasil sembuh. Ketika mereka berubah, artinya mereka mati. Dan tak ada satu obatpun yang bisa menghidupkan orang mati." the Marshal replied.

"Kalian, bungkus mayat ini. Letakan di belakang." the Marshal ordered, pointing at one of his men.

Arya could only remain silent, accompanied by Fadli, watching as their comrade's body was wrapped in an orange body bag. His eyes welled up with tears—grief, shock, and fear all mixing together, though he tried his best to hide it. Along with the four other soldiers, they flew toward an unknown destination. Neither Arya nor Fadli knew where they were headed. All they could do was surrender themselves to the soldiers who had saved them.

The helicopter continued its flight, passing over the Giza area, at an altitude of 4,500 meters above the surface. Arya could see three pyramids directly below them. Covered in sand, the pyramids added to the beauty of the landmark, which was famously tied to the story of the rescue of the Israelites by Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), a rescue that was later repaid with the disbelief of his people.

By the time the Dhuhr prayer passed, they finally arrived at the edge of the beach, heading straight toward the middle of the sea. It was clear that the beach, once a popular tourist destination, had drastically transformed into a terrifying place. Zombies wandered everywhere, and it wasn't uncommon for some to leap up, trying to attack any helicopters that flew by.

The zombies possessed abilities beyond those of normal humans. Their jumps could reach up to 3 meters, or even more. However, that wasn't enough to reach the body of a plane flying at an altitude of over four thousand meters. But suddenly, the Marshal was startled. He saw a rock flying through the air, hitting the tail of the aircraft.

"Apa? Zombi itu bisa melempar batu?"

"Tidak mungkin Pak, kita ada di ketinggian yang mustahil dapat dicapai lemparan batu! Dan mereka mayat hidup, tidak mungkin mampu menggunakan alat." replied one of the soldiers.

But once again, a rock was hurled, this time hitting one of the soldiers next to the door. He screamed in agony as his body immediately fell. The Marshal tried to grab his shirt, instinctively attempting to save him. But he was too slow. The soldier wasn't saved. His body plummeted swiftly downwards, disappearing into the distance.

"Percepat laju pesawat!" the Marshal yelled at the pilot in panic.

"Baik pak!"

With a face full of confusion mixed with awe, the Marshal adjusted his seat again. The roaring sound of the helicopter's blades drowned out his heavy breaths as he panted. The Marshal's bewilderment quickly spread to the other crew members, their faces showing the same mix of uncertainty as the aircraft sped on.

Without wasting any time, a blue BE200 amphibious aircraft from the Indonesian Air Force appeared, floating above the sea alongside the crashing waves. In terms of appearance, the aircraft resembled a regular commercial plane, but it had the unique ability to take off and land on water, making it ideal for rescue missions, including the one to save Arya and Fadli.

"Siap-siap, heli Cuma bisa terbang sampai sini." said the Marshal, as he watched Fadli and Amar being strapped into safety gear by the Indonesian military personnel beside them. Fadli was quickly directed to the door, preparing to jump once the gear was fully secured. Fadli leaped, being embraced by one of the military personnel in dark black gear, and they slid down a rope to join the soldiers waiting below.

Arya followed shortly after. Below, Fadli immediately boarded the aircraft, and Arya did the same. Other TNI personnel and the Marshal followed, carrying Amar's body, and boarded the plane after Fadli.

"Duduk." said the Marshal, pointing to the metal seats along the side of the plane. The back of each seat was secured with large ropes tied in knots like a net. Arya sat beside Fadli, fastening his seatbelt quietly, following the Marshal's instructions. His heart still trembled as he remembered how Amar's head was pierced by a bullet right in front of him, but he could only pretend to be calm, sitting there with Fadli.

Two soldiers carefully lifted Amar's body, which had been placed near the Marshal, and secured it to the wall of the plane, fastening it with the same large netting used behind Arya's seat.

"Arya, apa kita akan selamat?" Fadli whispered.

"Tenang, kita harus pesimis."

"Pesimis? Maksudnya optimis?"

"Hah? Oh ia, dah gak usah dibahas. Namanya juga sedang panik." Arya whispered, watching the two big-bodied soldiers sit down after securing Amar's body.

"Saya kira dibalik hidung pesek itu ada otak yang pintar."

"Maksudnya?"

"Hehehe, peace..." Fadli said, closing the conversation.

Not long after, the plane began to take off. It sped quickly above the white clouds, piercing through the scorching sun, heading towards an equatorial country, Indonesia.

Throughout the journey, they could only remain silent. Unlike the others, the Marshal appeared more relaxed, with his eyes closed. His awareness stayed sharp, and despite his eyelids being fully shut, he showed no desire to sleep.

Time passed with a restless heart, accompanied by the imposing figures they initially thought would save them. However, after the Marshal fired a bullet into Amar's forehead, the fleeting hope they had vanished in an instant. Yet, time slowly eased the trembling in their hearts, and a sense of calm began to take hold. At times, a fake smile would unconsciously appear, just to relieve the tension in the flight.

Eleven hours had passed unnoticed, and Arya saw that Fadli had fallen asleep in his seat. The scorching sun had long been replaced by millions of stars scattered across the sky, accompanying the loneliness of the moon. Occasionally, Arya's gaze drifted to the body bag containing Amar's remains. Despite the time that had passed, Arya still couldn't believe that his friend had met such a tragic end right in front of him, and there was nothing he could do to save him.

"Sebentar lagi pesawat landing Pak." Ujar salah seorang prajurit pada Marsekal.

"Kalian, kencangkan sabuk pengamannya." said the Marshal to Arya and Fadli. However, since Fadli was deeply asleep at that moment, Arya took the initiative to tighten his friend's seatbelt.

***

In Jakarta, the amphibious Be-200 aircraft, which appeared like a ship hull at the bottom, slowly descended to the surface. The TNI AU Jakarta Airbase became the only landing option for the aircraft, due to its proximity to the government center, the TNI headquarters, and NAMRU, making it easier for medical personnel and researchers to carry out early treatment.

A neat line of distant lights stretched out, guiding the aircraft's landing position, slicing through the wind in the dark of night. Arya and the entire crew felt the jolt from the turbulence caused by the high-speed air masses, causing Fadli to wake up suddenly from his sleep.

"Arya, apa ini?" Fadli asked, his voice barely audible over the deafening rumble of the plane shaking.

"Tenang, ini Cuma turbulensi biasa akibat lending."

"Kita udah sampai?"

"Kita udah di Jakarta Fad."

"Alhamdulillah..." Fadli whispered in gratitude as the plane finally came to a stop, marking the end of their brief conversation.

However, something strange began to happen. The plane's halt didn't immediately stop the turbulence; instead, they felt a powerful vibration. With a sudden scream of panic, Fadli looked around and realized that everyone had vanished. Without realizing it, Fadli found himself alone in the plane. His friend Arya, along with the Marshal and several soldiers, had mysteriously disappeared without any explanation.

In his confusion about the sudden disappearance of all the passengers, and with the intense shaking of the plane, Fadli screamed loudly while closing his eyes. Unknowingly, this action woke him up from the terrifying dream. Fadli found himself awake, seeing Arya and the rest of the crew still seated in their seats. However, the violent shaking hadn't ceased. It turned out that the turbulence from his dream was actually happening in real life. But the turbulence wasn't caused by the plane landing; it was a result of a violent impact directly above the airspace of Singapore. To his shock, the impact was caused by large stones thrown from the land below. Dozens of stones were flying toward the plane, striking it directly. These stones had been hurled by zombies that had managed to infect even Singapore, the country closest to Indonesia. []