Chapter 2 - Mysterious Sound from Inside the Tree

"Click... Click...!" There was the sound of my footsteps walking on the waterlogged road.

On the other hand, Angga, who was currently with his friends, seemed angry at Andy behavior towards him and cursed Andy in his heart.

Eventually they split into two groups: Angga and his five other friends, namely Meri, Nano, Felix, Agung, and Krisna. Meanwhile, Andy is now alone.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha..." My voice echoed in the pouring rain.

After some time, I happened to find an old hut not far from the current location.

There is a hut there, I think I have to make sure the cabin is safe! I hope nothing dangerous happens inside the old house.

In the pouring rain, I can only hope that nothing happens after arriving at the old house.

"Kree.....ek" The sound came from the door of the old house I was about to enter, where all the iron was very rusty.

I entered the house with mixed feelings and had to walk step by step past the old house where half of its foundation had almost collapsed.

After making sure there was nothing inside, I decided to take a short break while drying my soaking wet clothes until the rain completely stopped.

I'm grateful! there is nothing dangerous around this house. I also checked the back, but nothing looked suspicious.

For a moment I thought about the fate of my friends who were currently taking shelter under a big tree.

How are they doing right now? Are they okay now? I don't know why when I feel close to a big tree it makes me feel uncomfortable. Like there is something inhabiting the tree, more precisely the tree seems to have a mystical aura in it.

I briefly thought about the black shadow that I saw when I was near the big tree that looked strangely shaped.

Is it just my feeling, what I saw in the tree earlier? I thought about my friends there, anyway, after the rain stops I will try to go back there.

Previously, if I'm not mistaken, the chairman shouted at me and I heard him cursing at me.

I stood up and leaned against the wall of the old house, the roof of which could be seen starting to sway.

***

Angga was still very upset, because Andy had flatly rejected his order.

During his previous experience as a team leader on various camping expeditions, no one had refused to obey his orders. This was the first time someone dared to disagree with what Angga said.

Tch...! He's so impudent, I really have to teach him a lesson when I meet him later.

Angga admitted that he was very frustrated because even though he was previously highly respected for his excellent and firm leadership qualities, there were people who dared to challenge him.

Andy Stupid! Just watch, I will show you that my decision is the right one.

Without considering the feelings of the people around him, Angga repeatedly spoke his mind, thinking that he had made the most correct decision as a leader of his group.

Felix, who was very close to him, began to doubt every decision Angga had taken. I don't know why, but every decision Angga makes makes me feel strange?

Felix kept this thought deeply within himself, but he did not say it directly because his other friends had high hopes for Angga leadership.

Felix had no choice but to wait until he could tell openly about it, to Angga and his other friends.

Many of my other friends already believe Angga words. I also can't tell them all directly.

Besides, I also need help from Andy confession to further convince them all.

Now Angga is thinking about how to get back at Andy, after previously humiliating him as a leader in front of many of his other friends.

Meanwhile, Meri, Nano, Agung, and Krishna were seen rubbing their hands together and then pressing them to their faces to warm their bodies which were cold due to the rain which was pouring more and more heavily.

"Ssk - ssk..."

"Haa...! At least we can warm ourselves, even if it's only a small part of our body."

"How long are we going to be here? I'm starting to feel afraid of staying in this place for long."

Agung is the most timid person among his friends, where since the beginning of the journey he has actually been afraid to do it

this activity.

Angga kept listening to Agung cowardly chatter, which made him furious and unable to control his anger.

"Would it be better for you to get caught in the rain there than to be here?"

Agung listened to Angga's words while expressing his emotions. Suddenly became very frightened, unable to answer what he said.

"If one of you really doesn't like being here, can you get out of here?"

"But..... if something happens to you later! Don't ever blame me, because that is your own decision."

Hearing Angga's words made everyone there very anxious. Considering there is absolutely no light at night. If they decide to leave here, leaving Angga behind, Angga is the only person who has a map with directions to all the locations in this forest.

****

While they were busy with their own business, there was something strange about the tree trunk they were leaning against. Suddenly, from inside the tree, there was a voice crying for help.

"Help! It hurts....."

Not only that, the voice also sounded moaning like someone who was in pain.

Angga, Nano, Meri, Felix, Agung, and Krisna, who were right near the big tree, finally heard the groaning sound very clearly.

They were shocked because they did not hear clearly where the sound of groaning in pain was coming from.

"Did you hear it, there was a sound like someone asking for help?" Nano, who was the first to hear the groaning sound, looked around where he was standing, confused as to where the source of the sound came from.

"Hmm... Yeah....! like the sound of someone moaning in pain." Felix was starting to have suspicions about this place.

"Come on, let's get out of here! I can't stand this place anymore, it's really scary here?"

Agung, who was indeed the most timid person among all of them who came to this forest, started to feel afraid because he heard a strange sound that he didn't know the origin of the source of the sound.

"Hey.... You're a boy, you should be braver, right? Don't be scared like this?" Meri with her cynical voice towards Agung.

Angga, who was there, also heard the strange sounds repeatedly, but didn't pay attention to them.

His mind was still filled with anger towards Andy, so he had no idea what was going on around him.

Krishna tries to ask Angga about this. However, before he could ask, Angga first scolded him and told him not to bother him now.

"Don't you know what I'm doing now, don't bother me now?" Angga with an angry expression because he was disturbed by Krisna when he was depressed.

"Ehh, Yes..! Alright!"

Seeing that Angga was in a bad mood, Krishna decided to return to his original place.

As time went on the sound became more real and the moaning sounded very clear as if it was right near them.

They couldn't stand hearing the moaning, so they decided to look for its source.

As a result of searching the area around the big tree where the sound came from, they couldn't find anything strange in the area.

Finally they all agreed that the sound they had just heard was just the sound of the night wind, or the sound of animals that were usually active at night.

"Hmm...! I've looked around for the source of the sound, but I still couldn't find anything." Krishna shook his head.

"I also looked at the tree trunk where I first heard the sound, but there was nothing there either?" Felix with a confused face.

Nano responded casually to this incident. "Maybe it was a nocturnal animal that happened to pass by, and when everyone was looking for it, it immediately ran away?"

"I think Nano explanation is correct, so what else do we need to be afraid of!" Meri, believed Nano explanation.

Then Krishna asked Agung opinion, because he was the only person who had not expressed his opinion apart from Angga who was now depressed.

"Hmm... that's possible! What do you think, bro, do you believe their opinion too?"

"Don't worry, there's no need to worry, I just want to hear the opinions of fellow men?"

Agung the coward finally expressed his opinion even though he was a little hesitant.

"I always seem to feel uncomfortable with this place, and I'm afraid of staying in this forest for long."

"Ohh.... I see?"

Meri cut off Agung and Krishna conversation in a mocking tone at Agung cowardly feelings.

"Haaaa...! That's just an explanation from a cowardly man like you."

"I have participated in camping activities twice before, and am used to hearing animal noises in the forest like this."

"You're not much different from Andy who ran away from the group and walked alone in the middle of the forest?"

Meri, tries to equate the behavior of the big coward with Andy, whose fear has gone too far.

Hearing Meri's endless chatter, Krishna, with a bit of leadership and firmness, tried to calm the commotion.

"You two! That's enough, this is not the time to fight."

"Then! What do you think, Felix?"

"Aren't you the only person here who is close to Angga? Can you ask Angga for help to solve this problem?"

Felix was confused about what to say to Angga because he knew that Angga was currently in a bad mood.

He decided to replace Angga, to solve the problems that occurred with his friends.

First of all, Felix was confused about whether to believe Nano's opinion or not, actually he felt that there was something wrong with this whole incident.

"If these are indeed the sounds of nocturnal animals, why haven't I seen any animals since entering this forest?"

Not wanting to worry his friends, Felix made a decision he didn't want.

"I don't think Nano opinion is wrong."

"Fufu....! Didn't I say that, what the coward said was wrong?" Meri was immediately happy to hear that Felix agreed with her opinion.

"Well, we all agree that the strange noises we heard earlier were just the sounds of nocturnal animals."

Krishna agreed to this, because he knew it would not be easy for him to convince all his friends, if he refused to believe him. even though he himself didn't care which one was right, what was important to him was that this problem was resolved quickly and he could rest in peace.