The Monster In Me

Need a Strategy

Adira carefully follows Firda's steps leading her to a large, dark artificial cave. The road he was walking on was now wet, making him grimace feeling the coldness in his socks. The dense smell of chlorine made Adira realize that he was now behind one of the water sports rides.

The two girls headed for a hidden place away from the large pool where the rubber boat was stored for rides. After passing through several dark and stuffy hallways, they arrived at a narrow room with a dim light. From the appearance of the wall that has not been fully painted, it seems that the place is still under construction.

After a while adapting to the dimly lit atmosphere, then Adira realized the existence of some teachers and also his friends who hid while jostling. Most of them are struggling with their phones. Calling in a whisper, accompanied by a sobbing cry.

“Adira, Firda, Oh my God, you guys made it here too,” Danita said with an anxious look. The young teacher continued to cry as he looked at his students one by one. “What are you out there seeing other friends?”

“No, Mom, no.” Firda answered.

“Did anyone get hurt?” asked a young man with a sharp nose with a shady look. The young man slowly approached Adira, but was blocked by Firda.

“Do not get close! You're not even trying to save her out there!”

The young man's forehead was wrinkled. His two feet slowly stepped back. “I didn't see you guys!”

Both of Firda's eyes did not stop glaring. “Omong empty! You can search us!”

“Sstt, Firda, Karsa, relax,” Danita said gently. “That's important we're all already here.”

Being rebuked by her homeroom teacher forces Firda to hold back all her anger. With a voice made as slow as possible, he grumbled beside his best friend. “Cih! Now he's just pretending to worry about you, Dir. Don't get caught by his trickery.”

Adira just fell silent and looked at her friends one by one.

‘In addition to me and Firda, there are Karsa and Abian, some other students who are here are other class students that I do not know.’ Adira counted in her heart while watching some students close the driveway with all the bags they were carrying. ‘Only Ms. Danita teacher who is with us here.’ The girl took a deep breath to calm herself down. A miracle he was able to survive until now. It seemed, his brain was still trying to digest the situation so that he did not scream in fear.

Or maybe he was too shocked to scream.

"Have anyone tried to contact anyone? I lost my phone outside" Adira later said.

Firda seemed to reach into his pocket and unzipped every zipper of his backpack. A heavy breath sounded from him. "It looks like I am too."

Danita looked at the students who were still sticking cell phones in their ears. But none of them are making a sound now. "Everybody keeps trying to contact the family or the police out there. They said they'd do something soon." The teacher seemed to bite down on his lips at a glance. "Mom thinks we can only wait."

Bruk!

A schoolgirl in a uniform similar to Adira fell down with tears streaming down. The hand with the fingers closed tightly shut so as not to make a sound. His long hair was draped forward as he lowered his head almost kowtowing on the ground.

“Why ... why do I have to experience all this?” tanyanya. “What's wrong with the people out there? W-why did they ... turn into that crazy?”

“This is a zombie attack! They had all turned into undead that continued to attack and bite blindly! The police can't do much!" abian said excitedly before someone scolded him to keep his voice down.

“Shut! You think I believe?” The student continued to whine. This time he stood up and embraced spoiled at the young man nearby. “Karsa, say something!”

Unyielding, Abian continued to fumble. “Trust me, many times I saw it in movies. Just ask Adira who was attacked by one of those zombies!”

“Enough, Abian. Trisha was terrified,” reprimanded Danita while approaching her sobbing student.

Adira who heard everything stared intently at Abian. “I don't know about zombies. All I saw was like ... old man in pain? Tell me everything you know,” tell the girl firmly.

The young man who had originally spoken with passion now opened his mouth wide in disbelief. “Dir, don't tell me you haven't seen a zombie movie before?” Abian widened his gaze even more after Adira nodded. “Yes, pardon .. you spend too much time studying.”

“Don't talk too much unnecessarily. I don't know how long we can keep hiding here,” urged Adira.

“Alright, fine.” For a moment Abian was silent to think. “Hmm ... The first thing I know about zombies is that they rise up from the ground and eat every contents of a human head near them.”

Hearing that, Trisha's sobs sounded louder, making Danita continue to wipe her back slowly.

Abian just shook his head while staring at Adira lightly. “Listen to me first until it's done. That was my first theory.”

“We don't have much time!”

“Alright, fine. I saw everything that was going on out there, too. It seems that they are not corpses that rise from the grave.” Abian tapped his own chin with his index finger. “Truely too, after all, where is there a grave in the middle of an amusement park like this?”

“Abian!”

Adira's shout made everyone aghast. “Sstt!” reprimand them simultaneously.

The two girls hands finally gripped her head in frustration.  His long hair that was originally neatly tied, now began to look messy. His eyes closed, trying to calm the growing heartbeat

obviously dentumannya. But for free, every time his eyelids closed, all he saw was the anarchic sight of a bunch of weird humans out there.

Adira even hesitated, if he could still call those anarchists ‘man’.

Suddenly a shadow of a bus with a large sunflower appeared in his mind.

“Bus between rides ...,” murmured Adira suddenly.

Firda who was right beside him turned his head. “What did you just say?”

Firda's question made all the attention directed at him and Adira. Especially Karsa who had been continuously spinning the brain, trying to find a way to get close to Adira.

The sound of impact and screams still rang out from the distance, making them continue to shudder even though everyone was trying not to show their fear.

So does Adira who looks strong and keeps thinking in silence.

“Open bus that takes visitors around the tourist park!” suddenly shouted. “There is no way the news of this chaos has not reached the ears of the authorities. Right now they must be going around saving the survivors, right? If we continue here, no one will pick us up.” Adira continued to speak for herself. His feet stepped to and fro, before he accidentally kicked several cardboard boxes of water sports equipment nearby.

Adira's lips paled, but the look on her face did not show the slightest pain. Suddenly he turned around and saw his friends and teachers. “We have to get out of here any way. Despite having to run, we have to pass through the exit gate right now!”

“True also.” Abian flicked his finger with excitement. “In the movie, there will usually be a helicopter picking up survivors on the roof of a tall building. But it seems, in our case this time there will be no helicopters involved because we are just ordinary High School students, who have no connection nor useful for the government.”

“Stop telling me everything you've seen in the movie!”

“No, wait a minute.” Firda cut Adira's speech. “Maybe Abian's knowledge will be of any use.”

Adira clucked irritably. “Alright, let's listen to the opinion of the last ranked student in the class,”

said cynical.

Abian was too excited to feel hurt. The young man frowned increasingly as he dug into his memories. “The first rule to survive is the food supply. Then the equipment for self-defense and to attack.”

Adira tries to stop herself from exploding on the spot. “Where can we get all that? That we were that just a few light snacks. And the stuff we have here is just a pile of floats and swimming gear.”

“We have to go to the store center.” One of the students with thick glasses suddenly made a sound. “We should all know where it is if we read the flyer that was shared.”

“That's the problem, Evan. Among all of us, who really paid attention to the floor plan might just be you and Ms. Danita. Even an Adira ignores such a thing,” complained Abian.

At once Adira lowered her head and cursed herself inwardly. He does not believe exemplary students seem to be able to be childish. Her brother's words some time ago may have so penetrated her brain. So, when he arrived at the tourist spot, there was nothing but fun on his mind.

“It's okay, kids. I think I can show you the way there.”

***