"The night is so serene here," Hashim thought quietly to himself. Fariza had fallen asleep almost immediately after dinner. The calm of the night did little to ease Hashim's troubled mind. Everything seemed shrouded in mystery. Since their departure from Malaysia, strange events and bizarre dreams had felt like omens of something significant.
"Tomorrow, I need answers from Pak Reno," Hashim resolved firmly.
"I'm sure Pak Reno knows more than he's letting on," Hashim's thoughts were resolute.
As Hashim lay on his bed, lost in contemplation, he suddenly felt a tremor in his room. He jumped up from the bed, panic rising.
"Is it an earthquake?" he thought anxiously.
Hashim grabbed his mobile phone and tried to call Fariza repeatedly, but her phone went unanswered.
"Damn, she's sleeping like a log." The tremors in his room ceased momentarily, but just as Hashim began to calm down, another jolt shook the room. He moved from the bed to a chair, and noticed his drinking glass shaking violently. "This is not a good sign. This quake could get worse," he thought, distressed.
Determined, Hashim stood up. "I need to wake Fariza and get out of this hotel quickly," he decided. He was well aware of the frequent and potentially high-magnitude earthquakes in Sumatera Barat.
As he tried to rise from the chair, he suddenly felt as though his body was glued and tightly bound to it. The shaking intensified, making the hotel building seem like it was on the verge of collapsing. Furniture and the bed crashed into each other, and water from his cup spilled onto the floor. Hashim struggled and screamed for help, but his fear and the unfamiliar situation made him feel weak and immobilized. Yet, he wondered, "How could my body be paralyzed but I can still shout?"
The room's lights flickered off abruptly, and a short circuit caused some of them to catch fire. Hashim's room was plunged into darkness. The shaking suddenly stopped. Hashim tried to get up but found himself still stuck to the chair.
In the pitch-black room, he felt a chilling breeze as though something was passing through him. In the faint darkness, Hashim heard a chair being dragged across the room, the sound growing closer and more menacing.
In that eerie silence, Hashim was startled by the sight of two red eyes glaring at him.
"Allahu Akbar!" Hashim cried out. His heart raced, and he began to recite prayers he could remember.
Overwhelmed by fear and shock, Hashim tried to muster his courage. "Who are you?" he shouted into the darkness.
A growl filled with rage echoed before Hashim. "Who are you? You smell awful!" Hashim retorted, feeling a surge of strength. Hashim had always been easily startled and frightened since childhood, but he had also developed a knack for regaining his composure quickly.
The entity, which had been merely growling, suddenly spoke harshly.
"You and your lineage should not have come here. I despise your kind," the being declared.
"What's wrong with me and my lineage?" Hashim countered. "Who are you?" he demanded.
"You only endanger yourself, human! This is not your place! Go back to where you came from," the being bellowed with intense hatred. "Enough of humanity's meddling in our realms; we detest the descendants of Adam!" it roared.
In its furious outburst, Hashim felt a rush of wind strike the creature. The room grew increasingly hot, and breathing became labored, as if something tumultuous was unfolding before him. Hashim sensed a struggle, with indistinguishable voices mixing with the being's angry shouts.
Gradually, Hashim felt his breath become shallow, as though he were trapped in a tank running out of oxygen. His consciousness began to wane, and he could no longer keep himself from losing consciousness.
The next morning...
The sound of the doorbell ringing repeatedly jolted Hashim awake. He glanced at his watch, alarmed. "Allahu Akbar... I'm late," he thought, scrambling to open his hotel room door. Fariza stood there, her face showing clear frustration.
"I've been calling you over and over," Fariza scolded.
Hashim quickly grabbed his phone, noting more than ten missed calls from Fariza.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep last night," Hashim said quietly, offering an explanation.
"Give me about 15 minutes to get ready... umm... you wait for me in the lobby. I'll be quick," Hashim said, feeling a pang of guilt.
Hashim was troubled, unsure whether what happened the night before was just a dream or reality. Yet, as he woke up, he found himself asleep in a chair. The room was orderly, not disheveled as if it had been through an earthquake, which only added to his confusion.
Today, Hashim and Fariza were set to return to the old Pagaruyung Palace. Their visit from the other day would continue, once again guided by Pak Reno.
"There are so many questions I need to ask Pak Reno later..." Hashim muttered to himself as he got ready.
Today, Hashim just brushed his teeth and washed his face.
"Hope no one notices that I didn't shower... haha," Hashim whispered to himself.
