30. Santi; Between You and Him

Two days before...

I was walking on a wet highway after heavy rain, with the smell of earth wafting through my chest cavity. The drizzle from the remnants of the rain still covered us during the journey, not to mention the undead, who seemed to be enjoying the sound of the roar in the sky with blank stares until we had to cut off their heads.

My clothes were wet, and the smell couldn't be defined anymore. The smell of sweat mixed with mud and the fishy blood of the corpses combined as if to create a new aroma. I repeatedly heard rumbling sounds from my stomach; I hissed in pain when the food supply in my bag had run out since yesterday.

I glanced at Kayro who took a sip of rainwater that he had collected in a used bottle and then reached for something in his black bag. I squeaked, licking my lips, hoping he would take out a piece of bread. Even if it's stale or moldy, it doesn't matter; the important thing is that my stomach is filled.

The eagle-eyed man looked at me with an annoyed look. The gaze he always gave everyone, but his left hand held out a piece of bread that only had half left.

"Just eat it; I don't want you to be the next victim," said Kairo coldly.

My lips curved into a smile. I accepted the branded bread filled with slightly moldy strawberry jam and then divided it into two again. I gave the rest of the bread to Kayro and said,

"I don't want to be the next victim either, Kay; we must look after each other."

Kayro's lips formed a straight line, took the bread back, and devoured it in one go. Bayu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stopped in front of me, making me almost hit his back. He turned his head and put his right index finger to his lips, signaling us to be quiet.

My eyes darted around the surroundings; the quiet streets with dozens of cars silently witnessing this strange virus incident were suddenly tense. Bayu looked at me closely and whispered, "There's the sound of a motorbike approaching."

Without waiting long, Kayro pulled me to hide in one of the cars, which was unlocked after successfully killing an undead in lousy condition. Bayu chose to hide behind the car's wheel, lowering his body. Meanwhile, I hid in the passenger side with Kayro, who tried to hold my body so he couldn't be seen.

And sure enough, after a few moments, we heard a vehicle passing by with the sound of a bell ringing quite loudly. I peeked from behind the car window; there were two motorbikes with two people in each vehicle. They carried long-barreled weapons and crowbars; their clothes were nothing more than the clothes of thugs with very thick hair and beards.

"Are you sure what you saw?" asked one of them, driving a dirty sports motorbike.

A man with shoulder-length hair and a cigarette on his lips nodded firmly; he straightened his body slightly and then looked with binoculars around his neck. "Can I be short-sighted? I saw them, Bro, there were three of them. Even if they were corpses, we should be able to catch them, right?"

"Okay, let's go back there. I'm sure it's the girl's friends," said the others, making me want to get up and attack them.

Kayro held my body, holding me tightly while covering my mouth with his right hand. His black irises stared sharply as if to signal that it wasn't when we moved.

"You don't want to die in vain, right?" he whispered in a very soft voice as the roar of the two motorbikes drifted away.

Bayu immediately got out of the car when I didn't have time to reach him to wait for the foreign thugs to leave. Bayu uttered harsh curses and wished he could behead the criminals. I tried to calm Banyu's twin, but he refused rudely and continued without saying a word to me.

Kayro wanted to reply to Bayu's attitude, but I held back while shaking his head. "We don't know how he feels, Kay; just leave him alone first."

Kayro's thin lips were silent, but the look in his eyes meant he wanted to hit Bayu. "We follow their direction via the trail of that bastard's motorbike, San. Next, I have an idea."

###

The trail of the thug's motorbike led to a house with wooden fences tapered at the ends. Three people were standing guard on the second floor; their appearance was not much different from each other, and they were also equipped with long-barreled weapons. Occasionally, they walk back and forth as if stalking anyone who will enter their territory without permission.

Those hiding far away could only gape at all the risks involved. It was getting dark, and it was starting to rain. Bayu was still stalking them; he didn't say many words apart from the cynical look he gave them.

The rain became heavier, and the roar in the sky echoed again as if to invite the undead to come. The atmosphere is getting worse. It's not safe, especially since our weapons are inadequate. If we force our way there without a thorough plan, what will happen will be a senseless massacre.

I turned to Kayro, who looked very serious; he looked at me closely and said, "We should take shelter somewhere else, San. It's not safe for us here. I'm sure the undead are roaming freely because of the thunder."

For a moment, he looked up, enjoying the raindrops hitting him. For some reason, at a time like this, that stubborn man with a spicy mouth hypnotized me without realizing it.

"I agree," said Bayu. The man's gaze was not as cynical as before, but his eyes were dim, as if he was looking for hope.

I patted his shoulder while smiling and nodding. "We will complete this mission on time, Bay. Trust me."

###

Kayro leads the journey to find a suitable hiding place. One kilometer from the thugs' headquarters, a grocery store with some canned food that expired two days ago was a temporary stomach savior. After Kayro and Bayu closed the door and propped it up with chairs, they sat on the floor to join me, who was devouring sardines.

Kayro opened the can of sardines with a knife in one hand and said, "We have to rest tonight. Especially you and Bayu."

I gaped momentarily, furrowing my eyebrows at Kayro with a million questions. If I'm filled with food, I don't need to sleep any more; I have to save Rianita immediately, no matter what.

"I'm on guard tonight; you guys need much more energy than me," he continued.

"You don't have to pretend to be a hero, we are the same here," said Bayu, and I agree.

"Then what ideas do you have?"

Kayro devoured his sardines, chewed briefly, and said, "But I'm not sure either of you want it."

The wrinkles on my forehead deepened. I looked at Bayu and shook my head, not knowing where this conversation was going. Shall we become prisoners of those thugs first to see the situation? Isn't it the same as committing suicide?

"Easily, we infiltrate quietly and knock out the ground floor guards. The risk is that we will die, one or all of them. The second option is to lure the corpses to the base. Automatically, they will be overwhelmed; simultaneously, we will infiltrate and look for Rianita. The risk is the same: we will die, but the second option seems more reasonable than the first."

"How do we lure the corpses to come? When their fences are so tight," I said.

Kayro was silent for a moment, then snapped his two fingers. "It's easy, I can use a car. I will tie a corpse in the car and drive it to the base to divert their attention. We will infiltrate via the southern route; I saw one person guarding a door."

Bayu and I nodded.

"Take whatever weapon it is important to attack them," said Kayro.

"But we don't know how many there are, Kay," said Bayu.

"That's what the undead are for; they're the only ones we can use to protect us from those thugs' attacks."

"OK, agree."

"If one of us is caught, use a two-whistle signal; a pigeon whistle is also fine. Whoever receives the signal must respond with a match or flashlight," said Kayro. "You can whistle, right, San?"

I nodded and whistled like a dove in a cage.

"Okay, after eating, I'll go out for a moment to prepare the trap," said Kayro as he ate his sardines again.

"I'm coming," Bayu asked.

"You're here, Bay, look after Santi. He's the only one Rianita or Banyu can trust, their safety..."

"It's in our hands, Kay, not mine," I said, touching his shoulder. "I'm nothing without you. Don't consider me valuables; we're the same here."

Kayro nodded, and then we continued eating our dinner in silence.

###

The night was getting late; the rain seemed like it wouldn't stop for a moment, and thunder was still roaring in the sky with lightning flashing. I took Kayro to the end of the grocery store exit; without a word, he just looked at me between the darkness of the night and the light from the lightning that was still thundering.

"Be careful," I said.

Kayro nodded, then patted my shoulder with one hand and stroked my cheek. If it's like this, the guy isn't like an annoying guy. He is more suited to being a protector when we have lost direction and almost lost hope. Before Kayro took a step, I grabbed his arm; for some reason, I was so afraid that the thug would catch him. Don't we know what will happen next?

As if feeling the same thing, Kayro pulled my body, holding him tightly so that I could hear his fast heartbeat. Our skin touching each other turned into something that warmed each other with a warm breath-barrel.

Kayro cupped my face, and suddenly, he kissed my forehead gently, making my legs go weak and boneless. It took a few minutes until I returned from subconsciousness that this was not a dream. I stared at him, not understanding why the man changed his attitude so quickly.

"You have to be careful, San. Take care of yourself for me," he whispered amidst the pouring rain.

My heartbeat became increasingly erratic; all I could do was nod weakly. At times like this, sometimes I don't believe love can appear like that. Or is this just an illusion?

The tall figure stepped further away, swallowed by darkness and heavy rain. I touched my forehead, and the taste of the kiss was so pronounced that even without realizing it, my lips expanded with the sweet treatment.

When I turned around after closing and propping the door with a chair, I was shocked to see Bayu's figure standing behind me for who knows when. Armed with the light of the candle he held in his right hand, those two eyes locked on me with a gaze that could not be interpreted. Bayu approached, closing the distance that had stretched between us. In silence, his eyes didn't leave looking at me until I felt so afraid.

Bayu, with his half-wet curly hair, stood in front of me, his aura dominating as if he wanted to strangle me. He lowered his body, aligning his gaze with his left hand which was trying to reach my hair.

"Don't involve your feelings, San; Banyu needs you more than that bastard," said Bayu.

Hearing that sentence, I suddenly realized I was trapped in a circle of feelings that might never end.