Aman opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the dimness. His body ached, his head throbbed, and the taste of metal clung to his tongue. He didn't remember falling unconscious. He closed his eyes again briefly, overwhelmed by the heavy fatigue dragging at his limbs. For a fleeting moment, it felt easier to just sleep, sleep and forget.
...
Inside a tent far away, the air was tense. Girl stood across from a military officer, her palm still pressed to a wooden table she'd just slammed.
"You... what do you mean he's just gone?!" Mei Lian snapped, her voice trembling between fury and panic. "Oi, bastard! You sent him! What actually happened to Aman?!"
The Major, seated behind the table, gave her a long, unreadable look. He took a pipe from his coat and, despite his usual composed demeanor, a flicker of disappointment surfaced in his expression.
"You know... it doesn't matter anymore if he's there or not," he muttered calmly, lighting the pipe with practiced ease. "There's a chance he betrayed you. Left you behind and went to Singapore on his own."
Their eyes locked.
"You know I've kept my promises so far," the Major said, smoke curling from his lips. "I haven't harmed you. I've treated you well. But Aman he broke his promise first. Something i'm not expecting from him"
Mei Lian clenched her jaw, refusing to believe it. "He didn't break anything. There must be something else. Something you're not telling me."
The Major exhaled, smoke drifting lazily from the pipe. "Since Aman disappeared, you've started talking a lot more," he noted. "The KMM claimed Aman never reached them. Maybe it's my fault I didn't give him proper orders. They asked for a man, and I sent... well, a boy. A boy with fire, sure, but not a soldier."
He scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Sending him was useless anyway. The reports say the British have already abandoned Kuala Lumpur. Just a few troops left barely a speed bump. Waste of time. And now? Aman's gone. No one knows where. The KMM swears they never saw him."
He lit another match, touching it to the pipe again. "The troops sent to the Dutch colonies must be in heaven right now," he chuckled. "They've got that good tobacco from Sumatra,Deli, I think it's called. What I've got now? Cheap stuff from God knows where."
Mei Lian stared at him, disbelieving.
"This isn't the time to talk about tobacco," she said, her voice tight. Beneath the frustration, a different emotion was creeping in: fear. She could pretend to be tough, to hold her composure but if Aman had truly abandoned her... she didn't know what she'd do. She didn't want to think about it.
"There's always time for something," the Major said with a sly grin. "But whatever. Sending Aman was a mistake. And now he's gone, nothing left to say. You think he abandoned you? Maybe. Or maybe not. I don't like to jump to conclusions. I'm a rational man. A realist."
He tapped ash from the pipe. "Honestly, I don't think he'd abandon you. Doesn't strike me as that kind of boy. But the human heart... it can change. People can't be trusted so easily."
Mei Lian tightened her fists. "Now what?" she asked, eyes locked on his.
"You're worried, aren't you?" the Major chuckled. He leaned forward. "Heh. You're afraid that because Aman's gone, I'll do something... bad to you."
"There's nothing funny about this," she said, voice low and sharp.
"Maybe not. But your face says it all." He grinned, then rose from his chair. "Come. Let's take a walk."
She followed him out of the tent.
What they saw outside was horrifying.
The village was burning.
Not from battle. Not from bombs. But from something darker mindless violence. Bloodlust. Soldiers laughed and screamed as they carried out their cruelty. A young girl had her hair yanked by a man before she was thrown to the dirt. Another soldier leaned over her, and Mei Lian turned away.
A baby God help them a baby was impaled on a bayonet, hanging lifelessly from the tip as its mother wailed in the background, silenced with a rifle butt.
The Major stood calmly beside her, watching the carnage with quiet approval. It wasn't his hands doing this but it was still his will.
This wasn't war. There were no British soldiers here. No armed resistance. Just villagers poor, desperate, and unarmed. People who wanted only to survive.
It had been days since Aman had left on his so called mission. Mei Lian had accepted that violence would follow her. She had expected it. This was just another horror added to the tally.
After all, these weren't ordinary troops. They were the Penal Battalion. And beasts needed to feed.
"You see?" the Major said, gesturing casually to the carnage. "They act like animals. But they're obedient. Like dogs."
"Is that a threat?" Mei Lian asked, tired of the sick games.
"No," he said, voice light. "I'm not particularly interested in punishing you because of Aman. But it's always amusin punishing someone because of another's guilt."
He took a deep breath. "You know what? Suddenly, I feel like playing a game."
Mei Lian blinked. "A game? What kind?"
"Human," the Major replied with a smile that chilled her blood.
This was it.
Aman had vanished. No report. No trace. Nothing.
And now, the Major and his battalion stood just outside Kuala Lumpur.
The time was near.
And Mei Lian, watching helplessly as the village descended into chaos, realized just how powerless she was.
---
Somewhere dark, damp, and cold...
Aman stirred.
"Ahhh... I'm awake," he muttered, his voice hoarse and dry. He shifted slightly, grimacing at the pain in his joints. "They really kept me in here, huh?"
His voice echoed faintly in the hollow space. He tried to sit up, feeling every bruise, every ache.
He was alive.
But for how much longer?
Suddenly a laugh ..... It not from sick people it from Aman itself
"Hahahahah, fuck... Ahhhh what i should expect anything this point those just keep make my blood boil... I'm gonna kill you... And eat you this time"