[3.23] End of Year 2117 Part 2 - Unexpected Year End

All the members of the Club of Helpers, assisted by the bus driver and two servants of the Amarta family, had finished carrying the luggage to the cottage.

Then, the driver and the two servants excused themselves from the cottage and went to a special place for guests, drivers and others near the forest parking lot.

"Nothing has changed about this hut, huh, Leon?" said Radit looking at the new hut building.

"No, it hasn't changed, it's just a little wider than it used to be," Leonardo said.

"That's right, there's no way the hut wasn't destroyed that day," said Radit.

"Ok, everything is ready, time for us to make food," Leonardo said.

Then they all started making food together and they were done.

Then, each of them did their own thing. Some relaxed while playing the guitar, wandering around the forest, fishing, and some did nothing, just lazing around. However, they were warned that they should not be alone if they traveled far from the hut.

Radit, Raka, and Ronal walked through the Than Thie forest.

"There are many new things in this forest," says Raka.

"Have you ever been here?" said Ronal.

"Yes, before that day, we came here quite often," said Raka.

"So, this is an artificial forest. When this forest is destroyed and grows back, will it still be called an artificial forest again?" said Radit.

"I don't know, if there is human intervention, maybe it's still true?" Ronal said.

They wandered around like curious children.

"Hey, isn't this forest deserted?" said Ronal as he looked around.

"Yes, it's true, we see many empty huts," said Raka.

"Instead of tourists, more officers are seen," says Radit.

"That's right. So it's dangerous to be in a deserted area around here, isn't it?" said Ronal.

"Not really, the forest is not too crowded," said Raka.

"Hey, it looks like the officers are a little excited," said Radit as he saw several officers running.

"That's right. Hey, that officer saw us," Ronal said.

The officer who saw them approached Radit, Raka and Ronal.

"Son, are you a visitor to this forest?" said the officer.

"Yeah, right, what's going on?" said Radit.

"A while ago, we received a report of a missing person in this forest. It's better to go to the hut and wait for our instructions," said the officer.

"Yes, sir," Radit said, and the officer left hurriedly.

"That's what he said, let's go back," Ronal said.

"Ah... but I still want to go around. Never mind, let's just go back, instead of something troublesome happening," said Raka.

On the way back to the hut, the forest was quieter than usual and there were no officers in sight.

"Hey, watch out, there's something strange about this forest," said Raka, who sensed from his intuition that the surroundings were dangerous.

Ronal looked around and realized that the guards around them were no longer visible. Raka also felt a bad feeling.

"Raka, Ronal, you have weapons, right?" said Radit.

"Look, I've been carrying this big weapon on my back and even these two knives," said Raka.

"Are you too cautious or what?" said Ronal.

"No, he just wants to show off. But it's good, the intention to show off is not bad either. Ronal, do you have a gun?" said Radit.

"Yes, I have a gun," Ronal said.

"Good," said Radit.

Raka and Ronal stared at Radit in astonishment.

"Bro, where's your gun?" said Raka.

"Is this a sword, or is it a display?" said Radit.

"Well, it's going to be a burden," said Raka.

"Swords are still better, they don't need ammunition. If it's a firearm, it will run out," said Radit.

"Hey, look right, I brought everything up to the knife. Are you blind? If everything breaks, I still have elemental powers," said Raka.

And they argued about who was the best.

"Hey, already, we're in a state of anxiety, you're joking around," Ronal said.

"The one with the gun, shut up," Raka and Radit shouted.

"Okay, whatever you want," Ronal said, a little annoyed with both of them.

"Stop joking, Raka," said Radit.

"Who was the one who asked me first," said Raka.

"Raka, Ronal, look around. We're going slowly to the hut, don't panic," Radit said.

The three of them walked towards the cottage slowly and very cautiously. Suddenly, while walking, they seemed to cross a boundary or go through a wall.

As they penetrated the invisible wall, their heads felt heavy.

"Akh... what is it? My head is a little heavy," Ronal said.

Raka then looked in the direction they were passing and checked or felt the air.

"Raka, what are you doing?" said Radit.

"I felt like we had passed through a barrier, but I felt like it wasn't there," said Raka.

Radit then felt the air.

"Nothing?" said Raka.

"I don't know, but I've had a bad feeling since my head felt heavy," said Raka.

"Ronal, stay alert. The slightest thing that makes you feel strange, let me know. Let's go back," Radit said, becoming a bit serious.

Ronal was a little amazed and shocked to see Radit as a different person today. 'His character has changed drastically, is this really him?" Ronal thought.

"Hey, Raka. Radit looks a little different," Ronal said, curious.

"Is this the first time you've seen him like that? Well, if you're serious like this, just do what he says. He's a bit strange and mysterious," said Raka, giving his advice and a bit about Radit.

They kept walking and walking, but they couldn't find their way back to the cottage.

"This is strange, we headed to the hut but never arrived, and it was already getting late. Luckily this weapon has a flashlight," said Raka.

"I looked at the map, but this map is also strange, it doesn't match the position and there is no internet either," Ronal said.

"Maybe it's because we're in the forest," said Raka.

"This is a map application with GPS, which is 99% accurate," Ronal said.

Shortly afterward, gunshots were heard.

"There was a gunshot, let's go there," said Radit.

"Uh, why are we going there? Shouldn't we normally avoid it?" said Ronal, a little frightened.

"Yes, normally we should stay away from it, but we've been circling around it, it's dangerous. If there are gunshots, it means there are officers there. We can get current information and protection," said Radit.

"Already, just follow it. He has a point," Raka said.

Ronal, who looked scared, slowly calmed down and entrusted him to Radit.

They ran towards the direction of the gunshots, but when they got there, the gunshots stopped.

"Hey, the sound is gone," said Raka.

"Yes, I know, let's go a little faster," said Radit, who felt something was off.

While running there, Raka felt a bad feeling again.

"Radit, stop," said Raka.

"What's wrong?" said Radit.

"I have a bad feeling," Raka said, feeling a little panicked.

"Okay, then we'll just walk but a little faster and be careful," said Radit.

"Ok, thank you, Radit," said Raka.

Radit smiled at that. "Raka, turn on the flashlight on your gun. The view is starting to look unclear because of the darkness," Radit said.

Raka immediately turned on the flashlight on his gun, and so did Radit who turned on the flashlight on his smartphone.

"Radit, do I turn it on too?" said Ronal.

"No, just save your cellphone battery for calls or when both of our flashlight batteries run out. You are an emergency flashlight," said Radit.

"Okay, okay," said Ronal, who was beginning to admire the two of them, especially Radit.

They slowly walked along and then they discovered something unusual.

There was a severed hand lying on the ground and several blood splatters among the trees.

The three of them began to look shivering and scared, except for Radit and Raka who were still strong, although not too much.

Not far away there was a stream of water, and they headed towards it. Then, they got there.

In a river that was only ankle-deep, there were three bodies lying there, all in very poor condition.

Radit, Raka, and Ronal were so shocked that they couldn't say anything, because they didn't know what kind of situation they were in.