WORLD OF THE BEASTS

Beyond The Fog

Chapter 002: Beyond the Fog

Rezvan stood near the door, staring at the window that had turned into a field of pitch-black darkness. The fog outside looked unnatural—not merely obscuring vision, but as if it were swallowing light itself. There were no reflections. No shapes. Only darkness that felt alive, pressing against the bus from outside.

Rezvan’s breathing felt heavy. His chest rose and fell faster than usual, while the muscles in his shoulders and neck slowly tightened without him realizing it. Panic crept upward little by little—cold and slippery—slipping into his thoughts.

Behind him, Rafandra remained calm.

His gaze moved slowly, observing every corner of the cabin, every sound, every subtle change in the atmosphere. He looked like someone forcing himself to stay rational in a situation that was steadily losing all logic.

To him, fear was not merely emotion.

Fear was a signal.

A warning that the body recognized danger faster than the conscious mind.

And his instincts kept repeating one thing:

Stay inside the bus.

Do not go outside without information.

Do not move carelessly in an unfamiliar place.

Do not give whatever is out there an opportunity.

Strangely, Rafandra’s calmness affected Rezvan a little. Not enough to erase the fear, but enough to make him think again.

Rezvan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His irritation toward Rafandra still lingered, but he chose to let it go. Arguing now would only make things worse.

With slow steps, he returned to his students.

Most of them were still hunched over in their seats, struggling to regulate their breathing. Pale faces appeared faintly in the dim flashes of lighter flames that occasionally flickered on.

All of them complained about nearly the same symptoms.

Shortness of breath.

Heavy bodies.

Cold that pierced the bones.

A dull ache in the chest.

And the most disturbing part—

Rezvan himself was experiencing the same symptoms.

“Can you all still endure it?” Rezvan asked, forcing calmness into his voice.

One by one, the students nodded, though their breathing sounded ragged.

They were technical school students. Almost all of them were boys.

At that age, pride was often stronger than pain. Especially with only three female students inside the bus. No one wanted to look weak in front of the others.

Teenage ego forced them to appear strong, even as their bodies were already showing warning signs.

“Everyone still okay?” Rezvan asked again, making sure.

They nodded almost simultaneously.

But their pale faces and heavy breathing already revealed the real answer.

Rezvan let out a long breath. His eyes drifted back toward the fog outside the window.

Thick fog, dense air, freezing temperature... and... something feels wrong... as if something is watching us... he muttered inwardly.

The feeling was difficult to explain. There was no real evidence, yet his instincts constantly felt as though something outside was observing them.

Good thing most of the students are boys... maybe they can still hold themselves together. If most of them were girls... this situation might already be complete chaos...

“Pak guru, don’t you feel like we’re standing on top of a mountain?” Rafandra suddenly asked.

Rezvan turned toward him. He nodded slowly. His face looked exhausted, weighed down by pressure. He knew his students were only pretending to stay strong.

This bus was slowly becoming a chamber of anxiety waiting to explode at any moment.

“Just like the students, I feel it too,” Rafandra continued. “My steps feel heavy, my chest feels crushed, my body aches...”

“This isn’t because of the EMP.”

“You’re right, Bang. EMPs don’t affect the human body. And if this were caused by the environment, we should’ve felt it since we were still at the airport,” Rezvan replied.

“If it were the environment, I should already be used to it too. I’ve been in Kalimantan for months. But all of this started right after that fog explosion. For some reason... I’m sure that’s the source,” Rafandra answered.

He paused briefly before continuing.

“And I don’t think it’s just us. Pak Marta kept clutching his chest earlier too. I think he’s feeling the same thing.”

“Eum...” Rezvan nodded slowly.

“Honestly, I’ve been holding myself back from complaining too. My body feels tortured. This cold is strange... my body aches... my legs feel heavy, like I’m walking through mud... my chest feels tight... the air feels thin in my lungs. We really do feel like we’re on top of a high mountain.”

Rafandra gave a small nod.

He felt it too.

The cold air seemed to sink too deeply into the lungs, leaving pain behind with every breath.

For a moment, the three of them—Rezvan, Rafandra, and Pak Marta—fell silent.

None of them wanted to lose control.

Dozens of students behind them were now depending on how they behaved. The moment even one adult panicked, the entire atmosphere would collapse instantly.

“What do we do now, Pak?” Pak Marta finally broke the silence.

The middle-aged driver’s face looked tense. Cold sweat covered his temples despite the freezing air.

His question hung unanswered.

Rezvan and Rafandra exchanged brief glances.

Neither of them truly knew what to do.

“I’m not sure, Pak, but—”

BRAK!

A violent impact suddenly exploded from outside.

Everyone inside the bus jolted.

The entire vehicle shook violently until the windows rattled loudly.

Several students screamed reflexively. Others immediately ducked while covering their heads.

Before the shock could settle—

RRRRAAAAUUUGGGHHH!!

A horrifying roar echoed from outside the cabin.

Deep.

Heavy.

Long.

At first, it sounded somewhat like an elephant.

But something about it was wrong.

The sound was too deep. Too wild. And filled with rage that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand upright.

“W-w-what was that...?” Ardi’s voice choked.

“That was an accident, right?!” Indah trembled.

“What if something got hit?!” Dina shouted in panic.

“But... that sounded like an elephant, didn’t it?!” Damar asked.

“Eum... I heard an elephant too...” Kirana whispered.

“Right, Pak?! That was an elephant, wasn’t it?!” Bima added, breathing heavily.

Questions bounced throughout the cabin.

Yet no one dared stand.

They only sat frozen in fear.

The air inside the bus felt even heavier. Breathing became harder. Their hearts pounded louder.

ARRRGGHHH!!

The roar came again.

This time closer.

Very close.

As if it were right beside the bus.

Screams instantly erupted inside the cabin.

Some students curled up in their seats. Others unconsciously grabbed the hands of the people beside them.

Then—

BRAK! KRAK! KREK! GUBRAK!

The sound of metal being crushed echoed from the rear of the bus.

The bus shook violently.

The sound was far too real to be dismissed as imagination.

Rezvan immediately turned around, his pupils widening. Meanwhile, Rafandra had already become alert from the very first impact.

“Everyone stay where you are!” Rafandra shouted firmly.

His voice was low, but carried enough pressure to instantly silence several students.

Before they could recover—

BRAAAKK!!

Another impact slammed into the bus.

This one was stronger.

The entire vehicle shook violently as though something enormous had rammed it from outside.

KREEEKKK… KRAAANG!!

The screeching sound of twisting metal pierced their ears.

The bus walls sounded as if something were crushing them.

Everyone froze.

No one truly dared scream anymore.

Only suffocated breathing and quiet sobs remained in the darkness.

Their survival instincts were taking over.

Stay silent.

Do not attract attention.

Do not move.

“P-pak... w-what is that, Pak...?” Dina’s trembling voice escaped softly.

Her hands gripped the seat so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Rezvan immediately turned toward her.

“Din, calm down first...” he said quickly.

But even his own voice trembled.

He looked at his students one by one.

Terrified faces.

Wide eyes.

Shaking bodies.

“I don’t know what that is... but all of you need to stay calm. Don’t make any noise!”

Outside, the sound of scraping metal echoed again.

“Pak...” Dovi’s voice sounded small but clear in the silence. “That sound... is horrifying...”

“Pak, it sounds like... like there’s a war outside...” another student added shakily.

“Enough!” Rezvan suddenly snapped.

His voice cut through the growing panic.

He took a rough breath before continuing.

“Don’t think about weird things yet! We have to stay calm... we need to figure out what’s actually happening first.”

Even so, deep inside, Rezvan knew—

He was just as terrified as they were.

Part of him wanted to run as far away from this place as possible.

But the dozens of students inside the bus forced him to remain standing there.

And that responsibility felt far more terrifying than any sound outside.

KRAK… KREEEK… GUBRAK!

The bus shook again.

DEG. DEG. DEG.

The sound of heartbeats echoed loudly in their ears.

Now all eyes were fixed on Rezvan.

The young teacher swallowed hard.

Then slowly walked toward the bus door. His hand trembled as it touched the metal handle.

Logic told him he needed to know what was outside.

But his instincts kept screaming at him not to open that door.

BRAK!!

Before he could pull the lever—

Another violent impact slammed into the bus.

The people inside jolted violently.

GUBRAK!!

The bus shifted several meters sideways.

Not because of an earthquake.

Something had pushed it from outside.

Through the cracked windshield, a massive shadow could vaguely be seen moving quickly within the fog.

Too large.

BRAK!!

Something slammed into the front side of the bus.

Then—

DOK! DOK! DOK!

Rezvan froze.

Behind the door’s window—

A human appeared.

His body was drenched in blood. His face was pale. His eyes were wide with terror.

The person slammed against the glass while pressing bloody hands onto it.

Red streaks slowly slid across the surface.

“Dear God...” Rezvan hissed.

DOK! DOK! DOK!

The man pounded on the glass again.

Desperate.

His mouth opened wide, trying to scream something, but all that emerged was rough breathing mixed with blood.

Rafandra stood upright.

“Step away from the door,” he said quietly but firmly.

It was not a suggestion.

It was an order.

Rezvan glanced at him.

Rafandra’s face was pale, but his eyes remained focused.

Sharp.

Alert.

As if he knew something far worse was approaching.

But Rezvan could not stay still.

There was someone outside begging for help.

He moved quickly toward the door.

“We have to—”

SYUUUTTT—GRABB!!

Something moved outside.

Fast.

Incredibly fast.

The blood-covered figure suddenly vanished from behind the glass.

There was not even time for a scream.

Only blood remained, splattered across the door.

Rezvan’s body froze.

For a split second—

He saw a massive black shadow moving beyond the fog.

Its shape was unclear.

But it was real.

Far too real.

Rafandra immediately grabbed Rezvan’s shoulder and yanked him back hard.

“Stay calm!” he shouted.

His hands trembled, but his grip was strong.

Rezvan remained frozen, staring at the blood slowly sliding down the glass.

“W... what was that...?” he whispered.

Rafandra did not answer.

He only stared outside.

Then a faint sound emerged from beyond the fog.

Srak… srak… srak…

The sound of something dragging something else.

Heavy.

Wet.

Slow.

Rafandra still held Rezvan in place.

The man slowly shook his head.

His signal was clear:

Don’t do anything stupid.

“We need to know what that thing is!” Rezvan whispered intensely.

“I’m curious too, Pak... but look at the situation!”

Rafandra’s gaze sharpened. He was afraid too.

But his fear was still under control.

“You saw it yourself—he was injured... he needed help...”

“We can only help others if we’re still alive,” Rafandra replied firmly.

“We both saw what just happened. That wasn’t something normal.”

Rezvan swallowed hard. Cold sweat trickled down his temples.

“So we just do nothing?!” his voice rose.

His instincts as a teacher made it difficult to accept the situation.

Rafandra gently patted his shoulder.

“Don’t forget, Pak... your main responsibility is them.”

Rezvan fell silent.

Slowly, he turned toward the students.

Those terrified faces struck his consciousness immediately.

Wide eyes.

Shaking bodies.

Hands gripping one another tightly.

They were all waiting for him.

Waiting for the adults in this bus to stay strong.

At last, Rezvan let out a long breath and gave in.

He looked back at Rafandra.

Ever since entering the fog, the man had remained constantly alert.

Far too calm for an ordinary bus assistant.

Rezvan’s instincts kept whispering the same thing:

This man was not as simple as he appeared.

“Bang, my name is Rezvan. Yours?” he asked quietly.

“Rafandra,” the man answered shortly without looking at him.

Rezvan felt slightly annoyed by his cold attitude, but held himself back. He then looked toward Pak Marta.

“Pak Supir?”

“I-I’m... Marta...” the driver’s voice trembled. “So what do we do now? We can’t just sit here waiting like—”

Rafandra’s eyes suddenly widened.

His face immediately turned tense.

“Everyone duck behind the seats NOW!!”

He shouted loudly while rushing toward the confused students.

And within only seconds—

GRAK!! GUBRAK!!

Something slammed into the bus with monstrous force.

The entire vehicle shook violently, nearly tipping sideways.

SREEEEKKKK!!

The sound of metal being torn apart echoed deafeningly through the cabin—

As though something enormous was ripping the bus open from outside.