Drap! Drap! Drap!
The sound of footsteps broke the silence. I looked at Sri and Rena's faces, which had been very frightened but now turned cheerful. The overcast instantly disappeared in the light of hope.
"There seems to be footsteps, hopefully someone will help us," Sri said softly.
I got up from my seat and gave Rena a glance.
"Take care of Sri, Ren. I'll see who comes. Hopefully it's the people who are looking for us," I called out.
"I'll go with you, Indri. It's dangerous to be alone, there are many wild animals outside," Rena tried to prevent me.
"It's okay if I'm alone. Sri needs you more, her body is very weak because of the fever and the wound on her leg," I said. I waved at them. A faint smile spread across the lips of my two best friends.
"Take care, In," Rena and Sri said. I just nodded, turned around and walked away from them.
Clear water dripped from my eyes. What had we done wrong to suffer such a tragic fate?
We were students from a university in the city of Sulawesi. We came to this dense forest because of a research activity from the university where I studied.
There were eight of us, but only three of us were separated from the group. That was because I didn't want to relieve myself carelessly.
As a result of my carelessness, Sri and Rena were finally affected. We got lost in the forest and didn't know the direction. We got separated from the group.
Tired of walking and infinitely afraid, Sri suddenly heard a very close growl. When she turned her head, about twenty meters away stood a sun bear ready to pounce. Its long, black hooves pointed in our direction. Fangs protruded from between its snout.
We ran at once, but unfortunately Sri fell and was scratched on the leg. Rena and I turned around and hit the bear with the pots and cookware and bags we were carrying. Luckily the beast gave up and ran away from us, but Sri's leg was badly injured.
With our remaining strength, we carried Sri through the dense forest. The large trees and other jungle plants made us frightened.
In our endless exhaustion, we vaguely saw a house that was quite sturdy.
We decided to stop and ask for help. Although we were skeptical, is there a house in the middle of the forest? Who lives here?
At that time Sri and Rena and myself tried to call the owner of the house, but there was no answer. It turned out that the house was unlocked and there was nothing in the house. It looked like it had been uninhabited for a very long time.
And since then we have been living in this old house to protect ourselves from wild creatures and other animals.It's already the third day, the wound on Sri's leg has caused an infection and Sri has a fever. The stock of noodles and other instant food is almost gone. For drinking water, I deliberately collected rainwater. It always rains at night.
We only rely on flashlights and cell phone lights. Even then, they were all dead*. Last night was also dark.
***
Drap! Drap! Drap!
The footsteps sounded clearer. I quickened my pace. It seemed like it wasn't just one person, but many.
My eyes lit up as I saw a group of soldiers walking toward our hut. I unconsciously ran towards them.
"Sirs, help!" I shouted.
They simultaneously stopped their steps. I almost lost my heart seeing the gazes of the men in front of me. Handsome, all very handsome. Their faces were not like those of ordinary indigenous people. Their eyes were blue, their noses were sharp and their skin was pure white. They wore army clothes but they were of a different color than the ones soldiers often wore.
They were silent as they watched me. As if staring in surprise at my presence.
"To-help, sa--me, sir," I whispered.My body trembled with embarrassment as they stared at me without blinking.
"How come you're in the forest. Are you alone?"
One of them walked up to me, his face more handsome than the others. He seemed to be the leader, judging by his different clothes.
"I--yes, sir. I got lost along with my two friends," I explained.
"Now where are your two friends?" he asked. He was getting closer and his face was getting clearer. Handsome... very handsome.
"Me... they're over there," I stammered, pointing towards the hut. I was really nervous around such a handsome young man.
"Troops! Please help this girl! Take them to base camp! Immediately!" he shouted loudly.
