The next day, having decided to live with Brian and Riana, Irwan and Nadia returned to their house in the afternoon to pack their belongings and retrieve their bags. After putting their clothes and marriage certificates into their bags, they checked one last time to see if anything was left behind. Irwan looked up; the thin purple mist was still swirling in and out of their house, spreading the scent of incense throughout.
"Huh, it's not working on me," Irwan thought to himself.
"Done, Wan? I checked, it's clean. How about you?" Nadia asked in front of Irwan.
"Oh, sorry, I was spacing out. Yes, I'm done too, let's go," Irwan replied.
As they walked to the door, they suddenly saw a military jeep and a silent ambulance passing in front of their house. Both hurried out to see where the two vehicles were going. It turned out they stopped in front of a house a little further down from theirs.
"Hey... if I'm not mistaken, that's the house Andi pointed out yesterday, right?" Irwan asked.
"Yeah, that's right," Nadia replied.
"Let's try to take a look, Nad," Irwan suggested.
"But is it dangerous?" Nadia asked.
"We'll hide and watch quietly from behind those bushes," Irwan said, pointing to the bushes next to Andi's house.
"Okay, let's put our bags inside first," Nadia said.
"No, just bring them," Irwan replied.
"Um... they're heavy, but okay, I'll bring them," Nadia replied.
Both immediately ran and then hid in the bushes. They peeked to see what was happening at the house in front of them. Both cars were parked right in front of the house. Five men in black military uniforms got out of the jeep and stood guard, while two people, a man and a woman in doctor's attire, got out of the ambulance. They entered the house. "Oee... oeee... oee," a faint sound of a baby crying was heard from inside.
"Born?" Irwan asked.
"Shh... quiet," Nadia replied.
Not long after, Andi was seen coming out, embracing Rika, who was carrying her baby, along with the two doctors who had just entered. Upon seeing the two doctors, Irwan and Nadia were shocked because the two doctors had bright red glowing circles in their pupils. They observed the soldiers, who also had red circles in their pupils. After the doctors, Andi, and Rika, carrying their baby, got into the ambulance, the soldiers went into the house.
"What are they doing?" Nadia whispered.
"I don't know, don't talk yet," Irwan replied.
The soldiers then came out carrying several bags and sacks from inside, then loaded them into the jeep. After closing the house door again, they got into the jeep and left, with the ambulance following behind. After the two cars were somewhat far away,
"Let's try to look inside," Irwan said.
"Okay, let's go, Wan," Nadia replied.
Both immediately crept to the front of the house, then opened the door and went inside. After entering and closing the door behind them, they saw the house empty, with no trace of Andi and Rika, who had once lived there.
"It's completely clean. So all their belongings were taken by the soldiers earlier," Irwan said.
"Yeah, where were they taken?" Nadia asked.
"I don't want to think about it. I can't bear to imagine it," Irwan replied.
"Me neither, let's just get out of here," Nadia suggested.
But as they turned around to leave, "brrm," a car was heard stopping in front of the house. Both immediately panicked. Irwan pulled Nadia, running into the room, then they hid under the bed. "Kriek," the front door opened. The sound of several footsteps entering was heard.
"Be careful," a man's voice was heard.
Irwan and Nadia covered each other's mouths. "Klek," the bedroom door opened. They saw a pair of booted feet enter, then walk to the side of the bed and stop with the feet facing the dressing table next to the bed. Both began to sweat profusely, covering each other's mouths. "Tap... tap... tap," the pair of feet turned and walked back to the exit. "Klek," the bedroom door closed again. Not long after, the sound of the front door closing was heard, and a moment later, "brrm," the sound of a car engine starting and the car driving away was heard.
Irwan and Nadia immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Then they came out from under the bed and stood up. Irwan turned to look at the dressing table. On it were two marriage certificates. He took them and opened them.
"Huh... Jaka and Hani?" Irwan asked.
Nadia approached Irwan and stood beside him. "Let me see," Irwan handed the marriage certificate to Nadia to read.
"Yeah, new people, right?" Nadia asked.
"Looks like it. Then what happened to Andi and Rika?" Irwan asked.
"I don't know. Let's get out, Wan, it's dangerous here," Nadia urged.
"Yeah, let's go. We'll go straight to Brian and Riana's house," Irwan replied.
Irwan took Nadia's hand and went out of the room. Their eyes immediately widened because they saw a skinny young man and a slightly plump girl with glasses lying in the living room. Their faces looked peaceful but appeared lifeless.
"They are... Jaka and Hani," Irwan said.
"Yeah, let's go, Wan... I'm tired of being here," Nadia urged, starting to get scared.
"Yeah, come on, Nad," Irwan pulled Nadia's hand and ran to the door.
Irwan opened the door, and after Nadia stepped out, he slowly closed it again. Then they crept onto the road. They looked right and left to ensure the situation was safe. Once sure, they immediately ran towards their house. But when they were right in front of their house, Irwan saw a motorcycle heading towards them from a distance. He immediately pulled Nadia inside the house. "Blak," Irwan closed the door.
"We'll stay here for now, Nad," Irwan said.
"Y-yes, even if there's mist, I think we'll be fine here," Nadia replied.
"Once that motorcycle passes, we'll go out to Brian's house," Irwan said.
Nadia nodded, then both peeked through the window to look outside and wait for the motorcycle heading towards their house to pass. "Brrm," the motorcycle stopped right in front of their house, and it turned out that two men in military uniforms were riding it. The soldier riding pillion got off and walked to their door.
"Come here, Nad,"
Irwan pulled Nadia. He threw his bag and Nadia's bag behind the living room chair, then sat on the chair with Nadia on his lap. Seeing the soldier at the door,
"Sorry, Nad," Irwan said.
"Uh... sorry about this,"
Before Nadia could finish speaking, Irwan held her head and pulled it towards his face. Irwan kissed Nadia intimately while looking at the window. The soldier was seen peeking and smiling, then he turned and walked back to the motorcycle. "Brrm," the motorcycle was heard leaving their house.
"Phew... sorry, that was the only way,"
Before Irwan could finish speaking, Nadia immediately pulled Irwan's head and pressed her lips to Irwan's again. Then Irwan hugged Nadia, and they continued their kiss. Irwan glanced up and saw the mist right above them both. Irwan slowly pushed Nadia away.
"E-enough, Nad," Irwan said.
"Y-yeah, sorry, Wan," Nadia replied.
"They've gone. Now we'll stay here for a while so they don't get suspicious," Irwan said.
"Hey, Wan, look up," Nadia said, looking up.
Irwan looked up, and it turned out the purple mist was gone. Both immediately looked at each other.
"We'll go to Brian's place, then we'll just live in our own house to avoid suspicion," Irwan said.
"Yeah, the mist in our house is gone too," Nadia replied.
Irwan, still holding Nadia on his lap, who was also hugging Irwan, began to think. He was truly curious about the fate of Andi and Rika, who were taken away with their baby, and their house was filled with new people.
"What are you thinking?" Nadia asked.
"What do you think, Nad? Andi and Rika seemed to have been taken away with their baby, even though they looked happy. Then their house had none of their belongings and was filled with new people. Do you think they'll come back?" Irwan asked.
Nadia thought. She understood what it meant to be taken and replaced with new ones. She looked at Irwan again.
"I don't think so," Nadia replied.
"Well, I think the same thing. And there's something else," Irwan said.
"What else?" Nadia asked.
"How could they know that Rika had given birth or was about to give birth until they came? If you say Andi asked for help, it's impossible because there's no phone here, no smartphone, and letters would take too long. Plus, there were soldiers checking on us at our house just now, probably because they knew our house was empty last night since we stayed at Brian's. What do you think?" Irwan asked.
"Don't tell me... they're watching us?" Nadia asked.
"That's right, they're clearly watching us. We don't know how or through what means. The point is, from now on, we have to be careful. I don't know if Brian and Riana know about this," Irwan replied.
"So what should we do then? Honestly, Wan, I'm just like Brian and Riana, I don't want to be here," Nadia said.
"Same here, I don't want to be here either. What I want to tell you is, we both have to be careful, not just with whoever is watching us, but also with Rahman, who claims he can help us get out. Right now, the only person I can truly trust is you," Irwan said.
"You're right, Wan, I feel the same way. Whatever happens, I'll stick with you," Nadia said, hugging Irwan.