GO TO BANDUNG
The truck cruised steadily at 60 km/h, with Mr. Abdullah behind the wheel. Everything still seemed relatively safe. Occasionally, zombies appeared, but whenever one blocked the way, Mr. Abdullah would run it over.
At times, they spotted zombies munching on fruits, vegetables, or other non-meat foods by the roadside before turning their attention to the truck. It became clear that, besides consuming human or animal flesh, these creatures also ate fruits and vegetables. Nothing was spared from destruction—everything became their food.
Their insatiable hunger was evident when they saw some zombies gnawing on pine trees in the Cikole area. At one point, they even witnessed a group of them devouring a tiger in the Tangkuban Perahu region.
Even though zombies were occasionally encountered, their numbers were not large. Each time they spotted one, the zombie would immediately sprint toward the truck—only to be crushed beneath its wheels, reduced to nothing but mangled remains.
The time had reached 4 AM. Pak Abdullah parked the truck beside a tea plantation. Before stepping out, he and Arya surveyed the surroundings. Once they were sure it was safe, they got out and opened the back door. Ayu, Fatimah, and Aisyah's exhausted faces were clearly visible—they had struggled to sleep through the night in the constantly moving container truck.
Pak Abdullah instructed them to perform ablution using the dew on the truck's surface, conserving their drinking water as much as possible. They had no idea how long this disaster would last—would it be a day, a year, or even decades? Only Allah knew.
With no flowing water available, they had no choice but to purify themselves with dust or dew. Arya called the adhan in a soft voice while the others spread cardboard boxes on the ground as makeshift prayer mats. With no proper prayer garments, Ayu, Fatimah, and Aisyah prayed in their regular clothes, as prayer remained obligatory in any situation—performed however possible, with whatever means available.
Without any delay, the iqamah was called, and they performed the prayer quickly due to the unsafe conditions. Afterward, they rested while eating their limited food supplies, staying on high alert. Time passed, and at 5:30 AM, the sun began to rise, casting a breathtaking glow over the tea plantation—a moment of beauty and peace amid fear and uncertainty.
They resumed their journey, with Arya now at the wheel while Pak Abdullah rested in the passenger seat. Fatimah, Aisyah, and Ayu remained inside the container for safety. Though uncomfortable, the container was still far safer than sitting in the open cabin with its cushioned seats.
Suddenly, the truck came to a halt. Right in front of Ledeng Terminal, dozens of vehicles were piled up chaotically, blocking the road. The scene bore clear traces of violent turmoil.
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Arya and Mr. Abdullah got out of the truck and approached the nearest car causing the traffic jam. They pushed it one by one to clear the road. By chance, Arya found a short-barreled firearm under the car he was moving. He quickly took it and kept it. It seemed to belong to a police officer, whose fate was unknown.
Besides that, Arya also found some snacks, medicine, bags, clothes, and other items he thought might be useful. He even found a sword. He carried everything to the back of the truck and handed them to Ayu for safekeeping. The truck was then sealed shut again. Apparently, Mr. Abdullah had done the same thing.
Everything seemed safe—there wasn't a single zombie in sight. The road was now clear. Mr. Abdullah took the driver's seat, and the truck slowly started moving forward, cruising through the empty streets that were usually crowded with
Just as the truck was picking up speed, a black
Inside the container, Ayu and the others were violently shaken. Fatimah was thrown against the metal support of the dining area. Heavy food containers fell on top of them, some even striking Fatimah's head. Ayu and Aisyah were slightly luckier; they were still conscious and managed to grab onto the metal bars beside them. But unfortunately, Fatimah wasn't as fortunate.
Mr. Abdullah's truck finally came to a halt after crashing into a steel billboard pole. Mr. Abdullah lost consciousness immediately. Through blurred vision, Arya saw several figures emerging from the BMW and approaching them before he, too, passed out.
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A faint sound of laughter echoed in the air. Arya was still unconscious. Slowly, he began to regain his senses, his vision blurry as he opened his eyes and tried to take in his surroundings. As his sight cleared, he realized he was in his wife's embrace, with Aisyah beside him.
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Arya slowly sat up and looked around. His gaze fell upon Mr. Abdullah, who was kneeling with his hands tied and stretched out against two concrete pillars. Five men stood around him, watching.
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With his body moving in a strange manner, waving a small knife around, Jarot continued, "
Arya was still in Ayu's embrace, his body aching from the recent crash. He, Ayu, and Aisyah remained silent. So did Mr. Abdullah, who seemed completely powerless, forced to kneel with his hands tied.
Jarot's loud voice filled the air once more, "You know, Dog, I ended up here because I killed a high school girl and ate her. And now we live in a world where we eat each other. I love this world—so long as I'm not the one being eaten."
The man kept pacing in circles, twirling his small knife. His bony frame was fully visible under his bare chest, his ribs sticking out from extreme thinness. A small, odd tattoo of a horse and a rose was inked onto his back.
He wore nothing but long orange shorts, identical to the four other men around him. However, unlike Jarot, the others wore ragged white shirts, full of tears and grime. Each of them carried a long-barreled rifle—completely different from the knife-wielding madman who had been ranting nonstop.
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Aisyah struggled, but Ayu's strength was far greater, keeping the eight-year-old girl restrained. Arya quickly stepped in to help hold Aisyah down, trying to keep her from breaking free.
Ayu was crying, but she knew she had to stay strong—to protect and calm Aisyah. Arya, his whole body shaking, whispered Astaghfirullah over and over, clinging to the name of God as he fought the sickening horror that was unfolding before his eyes.
Blood gushed onto the floor, pooling beneath the lifeless body of Mr. Abdullah. Jarot's men moved swiftly, untying the corpse with twisted grins on their faces, their laughter echoing through the room like demons reveling in the suffering of others. Then, the true nightmare began.
With mechanical efficiency, they stripped the body of its clothing. They gutted him. They hacked his limbs apart. One of them grabbed a chunk of meat from Mr. Abdullah's thigh, slicing through it as though preparing a feast. Another carried over a tray of burning charcoal, already lit, waiting. The meat was thrown onto the grill with a sickening sizzle.
Someone sprinkled salt. Another drizzled soy sauce. Seasonings were applied—right in front of Arya, Ayu, and Aisyah.
Aisyah fainted, unable to endure the unbearable horror of watching her father's body being desecrated like livestock before her very eyes. The sheer agony of the moment seeped into Arya and Ayu's bones, making their skin crawl, their stomachs turn.
Through choked whispers, Ayu asked in disbelief, "How… in the middle of all this chaos… can a person be this much of a psychopath?"
Arya felt an overwhelming dread—this was it. The end of the road. But as a Muslim, surrendering to despair was forbidden. No matter how bleak the situation, he could not abandon hope. Even in the face of death, Arya forced himself to believe. He had to. And so, gripping Ayu's trembling hands, he began to whisper a plan.
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Despite their weakened state, Arya rose from his place. He performed tayammum with his wife and then prayed Dhuhr.
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Jarot and his gang were busy feasting on Mr. Abdullah's body while downing alcohol. As they became more intoxicated, Arya quietly formulated his plan with Ayu.
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In the room, only one drunken guard remained. The other four had stepped out, giving Arya a golden opportunity. Seizing the moment, he called out to the one named Gobang.
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The padlock began to open, and Gobang raised his machete just as the prison door swung open. With his martial arts skills, Arya deflected the machete strike aimed at him. He swiftly dodged and delivered a critical blow to Gobang's neck. In a flash, Arya snatched the firearm from Gobang's grip and tossed it to Ayu.
Ayu, startled, instinctively aimed the rifle at Gobang.
The commotion drew the attention of the others. Casno was the first to enter, only to witness Gobang being brutally beaten by Arya.
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Arya and Ayu immediately dropped to the floor, taking cover.
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Jarot arrived with Victor and Jono, charging toward Arya. Arya raised his rifle, but he wasn't fast enough. Jarot slammed into him, knocking both his knife and gun to the ground.
Victor hesitated to shoot, afraid of hitting Jarot. Meanwhile, Ayu quickly grabbed the fallen knife and plunged it into Jarot's right side.
Jarot screamed in pain as Victor rushed to help. But Arya managed to grab his firearm first and fired two shots—one to Victor's chest and another to his head. Victor collapsed instantly.
Jono, though armed, panicked. Fear overtook him, and he turned to flee, abandoning Jarot. Despite his agony, Jarot mustered his remaining strength and wrapped his hands around Arya's throat, attempting to strangle him.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out. A bullet pierced Jarot's chest, ending his life on top of Arya.
Arya gasped for breath, as did Ayu. Aisyah had woken up, her face pale with fear. No one knew when she had regained consciousness.
Arya immediately pushed Jarot's lifeless body off him, rolling it to the left. He sprang to his feet, gripping his weapon tightly, and took off after Jono.
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He looked out the window and saw Jono attempting to open the outer prison door to escape. Arya carefully aimed his rifle at Jono and— "BANG!!!" The gunshot echoed, piercing straight through Jono's head. Jono collapsed lifelessly before he could unlock the door.
Arya stood still, watching Jono's body hit the ground. The commotion seemed to have attracted several zombies. Though they couldn't breach the prison's sturdy defenses, their guttural groans echoed from outside as they clawed desperately to get in. Judging by the sounds, there were at least three of them approaching.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Arya turned his gaze toward the remains of Pak Abdullah. A grim expression crossed his face as he spoke to Ayu, "
Aisyah remained silent, her eyes empty and distant. Meanwhile, Ayu and Arya hurriedly prepared everything needed to cleanse, shroud, and perform the funeral prayer for Pak Abdullah before giving him a proper burial. However, since they couldn't find a burial shroud, Arya took the initiative to use whatever cloth was available as a substitute.
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The burial procedure was carried out, albeit in a makeshift manner. Pak Abdullah was laid to rest inside