[07:50 AM] Train Carriage
Realizing that he had managed to board the train at the very last second, Akasa finally exhaled a breath of relief.
Yet, a vague unease lingered in his chest. His friends were nowhere to be seen.
Moments later, he remembered the message Gita had sent earlier. Checking his phone, he pulled up the seat numbers they had booked weeks ago.
“Car 4: Seat 13B… 11, 12… this should be it, right?” Akasa muttered, walking slowly down the aisle, matching the numbers one by one.
“It’s correct… but why is it so empty? Where did everyone go?”
He scanned the area. Aside from a single middle-aged man sitting calmly in the back row, the carriage appeared completely deserted.
The man looked to be around fifty. His skin was dark and weathered, etched with the lines of age. A short but thick mustache and beard framed his face, both streaked with white. His hair—entirely gray—was covered by a blangkon. He wore a traditional Javanese surjan and rested his hands on a wooden cane.
Sensing no danger, Akasa approached him, hoping to ask for information. Perhaps the man had seen his group pass through.
“Um… excuse me, sir,” Akasa said politely. “Did you happen to see a group of people my age enter this carriage earlier?”
The man didn’t answer. He simply stared ahead, his expression unreadable. Then, he gave a slow, deliberate shake of his head.
Akasa frowned. He studied the man more carefully—and that was when he noticed it.
The man’s eyes were different colors. His right eye was a normal dark brown. But the left… the cornea was cloudy, tinged with a pale, milky blue—like someone suffering from cataracts.
A chill ran down his spine, though he couldn't explain why.
“Oh… alright then. Thank you, sir,” Akasa said softly, giving a respectful nod before turning away.
“Looks like we’re in different carriages,” he thought, reaching for his phone. “I should call them.”
But when he checked the screen, his heart sank. The phone was completely dead.
“What? It was at half battery just a minute ago…” he muttered, confused.
He tried to press the power button, but nothing happened. After a brief hesitation, he decided not to dwell on it.