Amxkeen

Amid the Japanese invasion of Malaya during World War II, Aman, a young man traumatized by the brutal murder of his mother, desperately tries to reach Singapore to reunite with his younger siblings. As he navigates a war-torn landscape filled with betrayal, violence, and shifting allegiances, Aman must confront his own moral dilemmas and the harsh reality of survival. In a world where the line between enemy and ally blurs, Aman fights not only for his life but for the safety of his family, all while uncovering dark secrets that could alter his fate forever.

Pair of Walk

Two children with a bicycle and a cart.

Aman looked at Mei Lian. They had found a bicycle and a cart imperfect, but it solved their transportation problem. In a world like this, what else could it offer?

Aman was coping better with his injury now. Mei Lian had taken good care of him. He still touched the empty space where his left eye used to be... it was something he hadn't quite gotten used to. Alongside that, the two burning scars from the torture still throbbed under his skin.

He sighed. He really should have gotten a proper eye patch. Instead, he wore something Mei Lian had stitched together, probably from the batik cloth of someone already dead.

Mei Lian kept pedaling, pushing them forward on the rough path, making sure they kept moving.

"You know, it's funny how we moved from Jitra to Kampar so quickly. And now, from Kampar to Slim River, it's taking forever even though it's a shorter distance," said Aman.

"Well, a lot of stuff happened. And we got someone injured. Also, yeah... that cart and all the other stuff... huh," Mei Lian replied.

Mei Lian glanced at Aman, who looked uncomfortable. The air was cold and damp. They were lucky to have found a small hut in the middle of the plantation they'd been walking through.

"Hey, you know..." Aman muttered, breaking the silence, "try to rate me. How much of a burden am I from 0 to 10?"

"10," Mei Lian replied without hesitation, almost too nonchalant.

"That's good to hear, I guess," Aman said, strangely satisfied.

It was cold. The monsoon wasn't ending anytime soon.

This was Malaya if they had been in the northern hemisphere, it would be snowing. But here, it just rained. Still, it was cold enough to bite.

"It's gonna rain forever, I guess..." said Aman.

"Yeah. It's the rainy season now, right? Even that battle—rain ruined basically everything," Mei Lian said, her voice flat.

"Hey, you know what's funny?" Mei Lian suddenly asked.

"What is it?" Aman replied, curious.

"We don't really know each other. Not really. You helped me get out of there... to pay back what my mother did... and now she's dead."

"Hmm. Well, the world's kind of strange sometimes... Situations like that."

They both looked up at the grey sky. The rain kept falling.

"I hope the rain stops," said Aman.

Aman and Mei Lian stared at the bodies. Dead bodies. Many of them, burnt.

"It's warm..." Aman said quietly, staring at the corpses.

"Yeah," Mei Lian answered. It was warm but only because of what they'd done.

They didn't know what else to do. They just stood there, waiting for some uncertain future. A future they couldn't see.

They didn't know anymore. Whether Singapore would really be a safe haven... or just another mass grave like this.

Chapter 19: It warm