[VERSI INGGRIS]"I still don't understand. Arres, you didn't say anything about yourself."In the living room of this log cabin, Niff was hanging out with John and Arres. The other kids were fast asleep because the clock was striking midnight—and John had told them not to sleep past ten at night.Silence. Arres, having been treated with both medicine and the spell of John's Agyss ball for the gunshot wound, couldn't say a word. He reluctantly looked at John who demanded an explanation through his sharp and curious eyes.Niff watched John and Arres in turn. Just like Arres, there was nothing Niff could do.Why did John look a little hideous when he stood up, put his hands on his hips, and looked at Arres in annoyance?"Arres," John called again.The middle-aged man whose hair was mostly white approached Arres. He stood next to the sofa, then slightly bent his body and watched Arres's face closely."Did you start feeling the symptoms of your transformation long ago?" John asked Arres.A
[VERSI INGGRIS]In a small room, the only light is a laptop. Someone in a black hooded jacket was busy humming softly. His voice echoed through the silence in the room. His eyes were closed enjoying the sound of his own humming.Fifteen minutes have passed, the laptop screen lights up. There is a video break image showing a woman wearing minimal clothing—a tight, sleeveless dress exposing her smooth shoulders and collarbone—drinking an alcoholic drink in a half-lying position to her left and her left hand supporting her body.The sound of a woman's sobs echoed in the silence of the room. The source is from a landline not far from this hooded person."Y-you... you can't do... mess with me," said the woman between her sobs."Oh yes?" A crooked smile felt challenged curved. "That's why, I'm really curious to-""No! No! Please..."The hooded person laughed in a hushed tone. Make fun of the girl on the phone who acts brave but shrinks at the same time."You know? You are really attractive
[VERSI INGGRIS]There are two things at the top of the list of things that Aleena hates: (1) Getting up late, (2) Meeting Azka.Today is so unlucky. He woke up at fifteen minutes to seven, while his class started at seven sharp.So here is Aleena, running in a hurry carrying a backpack while fixing her alma mater. Panic was so obvious from the expression on the woman's face and the look in her eyes. His breath was panting when he stopped at the side of the road to cross.Aleena's gaze was resigned as she looked at the traffic today which was very dense. He put his hands on his hips and gave a long hiss."Sshh... damn it. Why does it have to be so crowded?"Aleena waited nervously, tapping her soles on the asphalt. His gaze was anxious to find a gap across."Come on, hurry up... hurry up... you'll be late." Aleena's lips muttered a prayer over and over again.Seeing that the vehicles were so dense that there was no space to cross, Aleena looked at the watch on her wrist."Where's the i
Ada dua hal di daftar paling atas hal yang amat dibenci Aleena: (1) Terlambat Bangun, (2) Bertemu Azka.Hari ini sial sekali. Ia terbangun pukul tujuh kurang lima belas menit, sedangkan mata kuliahnya dimulai pukul tujuh tepat.Maka di sinilah Aleena, berlari tergesa-gesa membawa tas ransel seraya membenahi almamater di tubuh. Kepanikan begitu kentara dari pancaran raut wajah dan sorot mata perempuan itu. Napasnya sudah terengah-engah ketika berhenti di pinggir jalan hendak menyebrang.Tatapan Aleena pasrah saat memandang lalu lintas hari ini padat sekali. Ia berkacak pinggang seraya mendesis panjang."Sshh... sial. Kenapa harus ramai sekali, sih?"Aleena menunggu dengan gelisah sambil mengetuk-ngetukkan alas sepatu ke aspal. Tatapannya was-was mencari celah menyebrang."Ayo dong, cepet... cepet... nanti terlambat." Berulang kali bibir Aleena menggumamkan rapalan doa. Semakin melihat kendaraan begitu padat hingga tidak ada celah untuk menyebrang, Aleena menengok jam di pergelangan ta
"Aleen—AW! ASTAGA!"Aleena hampir menganga setelah melayangkan tendangan ke seseorang di samping. Rupanya seseorang yang menciptakan suara ketukan langkah lain dari belakang adalah Azka. Aleena memandang bingung Azka yang mengelus tulang kakinya bekas tendangan Aleena. Karena kekesalannya memuncak, lantas Aleena menggeplak pundak Azka."Sialan kamu, Azka! Kenapa sih harus kayak tadi, ha?! Kamu pikir itu lucu? Menyenangkan ya bikin orang lain takut?"Bagaimana Aleena tidak kesal kalau Azka tiba-tiba muncul di sela suasana sunyi lorong koridor ini. Aleena sedang berjalan sendirian, seharusnya Azka tidak mengejutkannya seperti itu!Di sampingnya, Azka meringis. "Aduh, tenaga sumo...""Apa?!" Aleena meninggikan suara. "Makanya jangan macam-macam! Tanganmu itu loh gatal sekali ke leherku!"Menegakkan tubuh, Azka berdecak. "Iya, iya, maaf. Namanya juga iseng."Aleena mendecak. "Namanya juga iseng," cibirnya mengulang jawaban Azka. Pandangannya beralih ke depan, ia merasa sedikit lebih ten
Aleena membuang napas kasar untuk kesekian kalinya.Suara erangan Aleena keluar bersamaan tubuhnya ditegakkan dengan kedua tangan diangkat ke udara, merenggangkan otot-otot. Bunyi tulang sempat membuat tersentak terkejut. Rasa pegal di pinggang sepertinya sungguh sudah melewati batas. Sepulang dari kampus, ia langsung mengerjakan tugas-tugas dari Prof. Kim yang sungguh kelewat tidak punya nurani."Ah... sudahlah. Nggak usah pikirin apa-apa." Perempuan itu menggumam sambil menggelengkan kepala.Dalam kondisi mata terpejam, Aleena mencoba menjernihkan pikiran. Selama beberapa saat itu ia mengatur ritme napas serta detak jantung. Aleena membiarkan perasaan lega mengalir menjalarkan ketenangan. Beban di dadanya seolah menguap hitungan sekejap.Kalau begini, kan, Aleena bisa tertidur nyenyak.Ting.Pandangan Aleena menengok ke layar ponsel yang menyala, lalu sedikit melonjongkan leher untuk mengecek tampilan pada layar. Sebuah notifikasi pesan muncul menampakkan diri.Aleena mengerutkan k
-----"I heard that there is a connection between the female student's death two days ago and the rumors of a secret business."The conversation starter sentence from Jena piqued Aleena's curiosity, who had been watching three Polaroid photos.Jena, who had just sat down after ordering food, asked through a glance at the object Aleena was holding, then was answered by shaking her head."What secret business?" Aleena diverted the subject.Luckily Jena didn't extend her astonishment. He replied, “No one knows for sure. He said the secret business was a website managed by a group of people. My guess is, if there is a relationship with a secret business through a website, it means that the website is not a playful business.”"Who is the group of people managing it?""No one knows.""If the website itself is that secret, it means that the group of people who manage it is also a secret," said Aleena.His mind began to drift imagining the image of a website and its organization. "What if the
[PART 5]Kelas mata kuliah terakhir sudah selesai.Sejak ditunjukkan rekaman CCTV oleh Azka, Aleena memutuskan untuk membuat mind-mapping(¹) secara diam-diam. Di kepalanya sudah tersusun rencana untuk mendatangi lokasi yang berada dalam rekaman CCTV. Aleena sungguh-sungguh tidak bisa menghilangkan rasa penasarannya. Sosok pria misterius yang mengikuti dirinya dan Azka dua malam kemarin membayangi pikiran Aleena.Mengapa pria itu mengikuti mereka?Aleena tidak merasa mengganggu siapa pun. Kalaupun memang seseorang itu berniat macam-macam, mengapa langkahnya ragu-ragu saat ingin mendekati ruangan persembunyian Aleena dan Azka?Kalau saja keberadaan si pria misterius itu tidak tertangkap kamera CCTV, maka Aleena tidak akan ingin menelusuri. Masalahnya, Aleena merasa kalau pria misterius itu ada keterkaitan dengan foto-foto yang ditemukan di dalam kotak.Bayangkan. Tiga foto polaroid dari salah satu kotak yang dikirimkan entah siapa menunjukkan wilayah Fakultas Kedokteran. Sementara pria