Life or Death

Return to the Bukit Barisan area, at the western foot of Mount Kerinci.

Aldi traveled the arid lands alone by riding a chameleon – a large motorcycle that was first launched in the early 23rd century. A vehicle capable of carrying loads of up to 500 kilograms. This unique vehicle is equipped with GEU technology – Geomagnetic Energy Utilization – and can float one meter above the ground and even water. And PV-Photovoltaic engine, which consumes solar energy. Chameleon is capable of racing with a maximum speed of 300 km / h.

Aldi's calm in the hot afternoon was disturbed by the sudden appearance of a little girl from the right side.

The little girl ran as if she was being chased by something terrible so that she no longer paid attention to her surroundings.

"Hey…!"

Aldi braking suddenly so that the chameleon almost overturned. The strong magnetic field pressure of the chameleon blows sand and dust. And stopped sideways just a step in front of the little girl.

The little girl gasped, both hands raised, shielding her eyes from the flying dust and sand.

Aldi sighed, the thumb of his left hand pressed the small button on the handlebar, activating the crutch on the underside of the chameleon. Two standards support the weight of the chameleon, one at the front, one forked at the back.

Aldi took off the auerbrille so his eyes could look more freely at the little girl who was standing still, and placed the Dustproof Glasses on his forehead.

The thirty-year-old man scanned every inch of the shabby little girl's body. Again, he sighed. Heavy, sounds very heavy. Aldi could guess, even without the bloodstains draining from her melted genitals down to her thighs, with just her naked and pathetic condition, Aldi knew very well: Someone must have raped the little girl!

Aldi shook his head, a pair of dim eyes as if cursing a life that was no longer alive. Then he put his auerbrille back on, raised his crutches, and spun the chameleon to continue his goal.

"Next time, be careful," Aldi smiled faintly at the little girl. "Or you'll be dead, little girl."

"Life or dead, what difference does it make?" said the little girl with quivering lips and a look that seemed to have lost its life.

"What do you know about life and death, little girl?"

Again, Aldi shook his head before finally continuing his journey to the north. Only a few meters away, from the rearview mirror of his vehicle, Aldi saw the little girl chasing him, but he did not try to stop the vehicle.

The little girl hastened her run. Even though she felt her legs were so weak, even though she was gasping for breath, or the thick dust covering her vision, she kept on running. Chasing Aldi who left her just like that.

A few meters later, the little girl stopped her pursuit. She bent down because she felt her chest was so tight. She almost fell. The dust she inhaled made her cough loudly. And then vomited, yellowish vomit mixed with the dust she had inhaled earlier.

Aldi stopped his motorbike again. He turned and approached the little girl. He took a deep breath. Two standards were lowered again. Aldi got off his bike, opened the left trunk of the chameleon, chose something, and closed the trunk again.

"Put it on!" Aldi threw a thick blanket at the little girl.

The little girl accepted the blanket and rushed over to cover her naked body. She stuck her hand out when Aldi offered her a bottle of water. Hastily, she opened the bottle cap and drank the water.

She choked and coughed.

"Hey-hey, take it slow!" Aldi could predict that. A naked body that had been tortured by someone, had to run in the scorching air. Of course, she must be very thirsty. "Why did you follow me?"

The little girl drank quite a lot of water, even wet her neck and chest.

"You're wasting my water!"

Yes, with the current condition of the Earth, water is something very precious, far more valuable than even gold or diamonds. You will be a millionaire if you have a drum of freshwater.

Aldi lowered his head to hide his smile.

"I—I… want to come with you," the little girl's gaze was expressionless.

Aldi bent down, took a closer look at the pair of eyes in front of him. Empty, the eyes look full of emptiness.

"Why?" Aldi folded his arms across his chest. "Are you afraid of the people who have hurt you will bother you again?"

The little girl shook her head. Her gaze still looked wistful as if she hoped Aldi would take her with him wherever he went.

"This is a very uneasy thing!" Aldi muttered half inaudibly. "And, then what? I'm not a good person, you know that?"

The little girl pointed to the right, to be more precise, at the bursts of steam and flames that were now only thirty meters away from them.

Aldi's eyes widened behind his protective glasses. Shocked and scared at the same time. He looked around. All the land was in the same condition, cracked with bursts of steam and flames.

"Hey-hey, come on up!" Aldi jumped on his motorbike. "Come on! Get on!"

The little girl rushed up. She had a ride in the back—even the back seat could be seat by two adults at once.

The chameleon engine roared and the next second it shot out of the area, heading west.

Cracks in the ground spread in all directions as if chasing the chameleon that was far ahead.

Aldi drove even faster. Because the vehicle is flying low, of course, the air friction that occurs makes the vehicle seem like it shoots cubes of dust behind it.

The ground bursting open with spitting hot steam and smoldering flames was not a common sight. However, this had all been expected for a long time. Yes, of course, this is what will happen if you continue to drain the contents of the Earth without caring about the preservation of the Earth itself.

At least, that's what Aldi was thinking. He wanted to reach the westernmost side of Andalas Island as soon as possible. Aldi just wants to avoid driving on the mainland, the water may be safer.

"God damn it!" Aldi cursed himself. "This is suck! I have to cancel my goal!"

***

TO BE CONTINUED ...