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3. Santi; Trapped

I opened a can of milk and a sandwich to fill my stomach after ensuring no cars were passing by besides the red car. It's a relief to be able to taste this chocolate spread again. While chewing my food, I opened a black backpack containing cigarettes, matches, facial soap and two pairs of underwear.

I lifted the two grey panties high in disgust and threw them carelessly. Then I tried to feel the pockets of the bag one by one, hoping to find money tucked away as was the habit of people before they became undead.

"Empty," I muttered, reaching into the pocket.

The next second, I was silent as I felt for an object in the bag's pocket. I took an object, which turned out to be a 3x4 photo showing a girl dressed in an elementary school uniform, with her hair tied in a ponytail and two dimples adorning her face.

"Does the one with this bag have children?" I muttered again. "Or maybe the burnt corpse is the owner of this bag."

Suddenly, my body shuddered in horror, then closed my eyes while praying silently that I didn't mean to take food without permission.

Whoever's bag it is, I want to take the food. I didn't mean to rob forgive me, God. Hopefully, that corpse won't haunt me tonight.

I returned the photo to its place while moving to another place. I decided to bring a black backpack as a form of responsibility because I had taken it without permission. Besides, I have to look for food for the next few days.

With a limp, my two feet stepped on the street, which I didn't know what it was called; there were no street signs. Almost all facilities were damaged, and graffiti was replaced with writing calling for the overthrow of the government. Some of them even wrote harsh words that were not suitable to be read. Bekasi is really like a ghost town.

I looked at the sky; the weather was no longer as hot as before, and thick clouds were moving towards the west, which covered the sun a little. I stopped momentarily because I couldn't stand the pain in my feet. I saw that the soles of my feet were blistered with blisters. I searched for a pharmacy, health clinic, or health centre.

My irises narrowed when I saw a banner saying minimarket that had been torn on the left side of the road. Enduring the pain, I jogged towards the supermarket, hoping to find medicine, food, drink, and sanitary napkins.

My steps stopped when I saw two living corpses dressed in worn and tattered clothes trying to free themselves from the body of the Fortuner car that was crushing their bodies. The undead looked at me with scary white eyes while growling and wanting to eat. I'm sure they are homeless people affected by strange diseases and polluted river water. When did the pandemic first hit this country? Almost all levels of society scrambled for health facilities until medical personnel were overwhelmed. Ultimately, they decided to treat patients who had a longer chance of living.

"...It can't be helped; the hospital is overloaded, and even our doctors and nurses are also victims. Don't blame the hospital if, in the end, we choose patients who have a better chance of life," said a doctor with a big build and glasses while crying. When interviewed by mass media.

Not intending to kill, but their voices could attract other undead, I was forced to stick the tip of the knife into their foreheads until black blood gushed out. The undead died instantly, but I don't know whether this way they would die in the true sense or die temporarily.

I waited for a few minutes; the two 'dead' living corpses were no longer alive. I breathed a sigh of relief to know how to kill them finally. I looked at the supermarket door and jogged towards the pale yellow wall.

I carefully peeked at the thick, dusty glass door, occasionally on tiptoe. I'm not sure if there aren't any corpses inside, but I'm alone now, so if I face one corpse, it might not be a problem. But what if there were ten corpses inside?

But you have to eat, San!

My inner voice screamed for me to come in. I gathered my courage momentarily, then pushed gently on the glass door. A creaking sound was heard, along with a damp smell wafting through with the main lights flickering, making the atmosphere even more terrifying. Some items have run out, perhaps because of the looting that occurred. The walls were splattered with blood; who knows who it was?

I turned around when I felt something move. I sharpened my eyes and ears as I approached the shelf filled with canned food. I opened the bag's zipper very slowly so as not to make a sound, then quickly put in several food ingredients such as corned beef, sardines, instant noodles, mineral water, sanitary napkins, toothbrush, soap and perfume. Then, move towards the shelf drug.

"Dizziness medicine, menstrual pain medicine, cough medicine, betadine, plaster, bandages, cold medicine," I whispered slowly as I put the medicine into the bag.

Suddenly, a growling sound made the adrenaline rise. My pupils dilated when an undead wearing a red negligee ran towards me.

"Damn!" I cursed, running out of the supermarket and closing the thick glass door.

I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the pain in the soles of my feet. For a moment, I cursed when I forgot to take socks there or look for sandals that could be used.

"I swear my feet are fucking hurt," I said as I continued running, trying to find the main road.

Luck is not always on my side when I see a horde of undead at a dead end. They all turned and chased me like easy prey to be eaten alive. The adrenaline in my body was racing even more violently, making sweat wet my body.

I forced my brain to look for a way out, but all there was a row of houses close together. I didn't have time to look back, but their growling made the hairs on my neck stand up. I almost gave up, but my life goal is still long. I don't want to die like that.

I finally saw a two-story house with a circular staircase on the right side. I climbed the stairs as hard as I could when the undead roared and tried to grab me with their hands.

My breath was short, and my stomach growled again. I stepped quickly and tried to open the black-painted door, which turned out to be unlocked. I closed the door and propped it with a wooden chair and table.

"Are there any undead here? I swear I'm tired," I complained as I peeked at the undead still outside. "Yeah, never mind..."

My body slumped to the dirty floor to neutralise the beating of my heart. Looking around while thinking about how many months it has been since the occupants of this house left their residence. The mattress was messy, the roof was damaged, and several room decorations fell to the floor.

The thought crossed my mind to clean myself, but I was afraid to go downstairs. Finally, I decided to approach the teak wood cupboard, hoping to find the clothes left there.

"Finally," I muttered, taking a bright yellow Spongebob t-shirt, jeans, panties, bra, and shoes that happened to be my size. "Luckily, you went to the right house."

A few seconds later, the sound of the bedroom door being hit was heard, accompanied by another growl. I took the clothes I needed into my bag and then pushed aside the table and chairs blocking the exit to the balcony.

I saw the undead still below, staring at me ferociously. I swallowed while thinking hard. I don't know how many undead are in this house, but even fighting ten undead below seems impossible.

I returned to the room and looked for sharp objects to help me fight them in the drawers and cupboards. I saw broken wood from the roof of the house lying on the floor. Something inside me told me to burn the wood with the pillowcase.

I did it quickly, wrapping the wood in several layers with cloth. Then I took the lighter out of my trouser pocket. I have to thank the owner of that backpack. Whoever he is, the thing he has has saved my life. At least twice.

Slowly, the cloth caught fire; I quickly left the room and threw it far away to distract them. The wood flew before finally crashing into a trash can, causing it to catch fire. The undead moved closer to the burning object like children attracted to fireworks.

One problem solved

Now, I have to face the living corpses in this house. Whatever their number, I must be ready to survive to reach the green zone.

To seek justice and save Randy.

I held the knife tightly in my right hand while holding the doorknob in my left hand. My heart beats fast again when the growling sound gets louder.

One

Two

Three

God, protect me and forgive me for being a murderer.

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