BUNCHES

CHAPTER 5

Dusk enveloped the atmosphere of Kelok Nine West Sumatra. The breeze blew, feeling very bone-chilling when Dony and his office colleagues finished performing the magrib prayer.

Dony, who was descending the steps of the small musholla, only realized that he had not seen the figure of Akmal since the afternoon before dusk.

"Where's Akmal? Is he still seeing his friend? Who's he meeting? Why rush!!! Akk....!" yell Doni around the musholla.

Dony searched for Akmal's whereabouts, trying to reach him via a cell phone, but had no answer.

Dony looked confused, his clean face because of the water, giving a different light when he passed by Sony.

"Bro...! You see Akmal?"

Donya was still looking left and right, behind where Sony stood, even looking towards the decline of the forest is very dark and only heard a stream of sound swift river. 

"Feelings since I haven't seen Akmal, I've been looking for him. Because his wife called me several times!"

Sony and Dony looked at each other and thought.

"We look for it first, don't let the boy get lost. But lost where is he? Our guy's been here since, yuuk. They might know where Akmal is."

Dony patted Sony on the shoulder, approaching his office, who was getting ready to board the bus.

They leave only the managers of the Riau area branch. Events are usually done every three months by the company where they work, making everyone know each other.

Slowly Dony noticed some of the shopkeepers, getting ready to close their sales pitch, Dony took the initiative to ask Akmal where he was.

Dony's question, heard by the head of the branch where they work, made Mr. Sukoco immediately approached the handsome man, followed by Sony, and other friends.

"What's up, Don? What's wrong with Akmal?" Mr. Sukoco patted Dony's shoulder.

Dony still seemed calm, but there was a bit of concern in his heart, "Where is Akmal? Is he deliberately playing around in this area?" he mumbled to himself.

"It hasn't been seen since afternoon sir, I've been looking everywhere! Afraid he's lost or something even happens, how do we find him around here sir? Don't go yet."

Dony asked his superiors, of course, to be accepted by the 45-year-old man.

They split up, asking the local people to also look for Akmal.

"Akmaaa..... Ohhhim...!!!"

"Akmaaa... Akmaaaa....!!"

The sound of a shrill call sounded mutually unpretentious in the area of nine turns.

Dony and Sony are excited to find his best friend, "Where's the kid? What did he do suddenly disappear?"

Dony could only smile thinly, the face changed drastically obvious hue, fear, haunting his mind, many times he intended to go down the small steps that were at the corner of the nine-legged concrete bend road.

"I'm afraid he slipped, or even fell into the river" Dony lured Sony into accompanying him down the stairs.

"Ck, nahusahin. Got one, likes secret games. We are so hard, we cannot understand him. It's been two days, Akmal changed, hasn't it? Always aloof, even like someone who is drunk with romance. Or maybe, he ran away from the group, left us, went with customers who looked for him yesterday afternoon to the office?" Sony whispered a little to Dony's ear, reminding Akmal of his attitude the last few days.

Sony's thought was dismissed by Dony, "What a cruel, very cruel thought? Akmal the sweet daddy and sweet husband. There is no way he wants it that way, far from the figure of an Akmal whose name is cheating!"

Sony chuckles, hearing Dony defend his best friend, "Yes-yes... Akmal is the best, for what is the name of his wife bro? Forgot me."

"Saw...!"

Dony snorted in annoyance, hearing Sony's words just now.

"Sory bro, just the next time. Sorry, don't be mad dong!" Sony embraces Dony's shoulder to step onto the bus which still looks panicked because it does not find Akmal's whereabouts.

Dony let out a long sigh, he covered his head with his hands, approaching the companions who had been searching for Akmal's whereabouts ever since.

"How's Don? Any sign of Akmal around here?"

Mr. Sukoco approached Dony and Sony.

"Not yet sir, but I'm sure Akmal's headed that way!"

Dony pointed out a dark direction, next to the road's perimeter wall that had stairs.

Mr. Sukoco patted Dony on the shoulder, "How do we ask for help with the citizens here. Because as far as I know, it's a road to the river, and a lot of big rocks, even forests. It's late at night, and there's no way we're just three without the help of the local lads."

Dony nodded in agreement, hurrying he glanced at Sony for help with some young men who were preparing to close their stalls.

Of course the local youth, willing to help the bank employees, there are some of them who just realized that Akmal has been lost somewhere.

Dony was accompanied by two local youths, carrying a head flashlight, and covered his body with a warm jacket, covering his head with black skulls, accompanying them in search of missing colleagues.

Mr. Sukoco was just waiting for the bus area, on the grounds of recurrent gout, while Dony and Sony joined the two young men.

How many other colleagues, also accompany Dony and Sony looking for the existence of Akmal.

Dony went down the stairs, the darkness of the night that made his hair goosebumps, the air was moist and cold, making him rub his arms many times.

Sony seemed to see from a distance the figure of a man in red-striped black clothes standing behind their arrival.

"That's Akmal...!" Sony showed me his index finger.

Donya immediately turned to the direction Sony pointed at, but could not see anything.

"Where...? You're not kidding...!" Dony searched for Akmal's presence on Sony's index finger.

"There was a man standing straight, wearing a red striped black shirt. Which Akmal uses. I didn't see it wrong...!" Sony showed me his finger.

The two young men who accompanied them and some of the other companions, were busy approaching the rocks and heard the rushing sound of the flowing stream.

"You're wrong Son... There's nobody here!"

Dony looked frantically at Sony.

Now they stand in a place designated by Sony, in front of them looks wilderness, which has a path to climb steep hills and looks very scary.

"So, what is this place?" Doni whispered something in the ear of the young man.

The young man let out a long sigh, "Have Bang, just find Brother's friend. Don't say much, if you've met we go upstairs again."

Dony nodded in understanding, his face changing more and more, frightened by the more goosebumps, muttering in his heart, "Oh my God, where is Akmal? Don't let us lose him, pity his son and his wife...!"

Sony shouted, "I found it. I found it.. woiii please. I found it!!"

"Akmaaaaaa....!?"

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Note:

Uda it's a call for Minang men.