The Midnight Shuttle

Chapter 8 : Wealth

Alya had been transferred to a regular hospital room, though she remained asleep. Night had already fallen, and Pak Dirga had gone home.

Alya's mother had passed away years ago, while her father... never returned. Truthfully, Aditia hoped he wouldn't. There were things he needed to discuss with Alya first.

To stay by her side, Aditia had introduced himself as her older brother. After all, only family members were usually allowed to remain with hospitalized patients. There was no way he could admit he was merely a friend trapped in the friend zone. He would probably be kicked out immediately.

Past midnight, exhaustion finally caught up with him. He stepped out of the room, hoping to find coffee or at least some hot water from a nurse or security guard. As an angkot driver, he always carried instant coffee wherever he went. Sleepiness was a luxury he couldn't afford, especially as a driver who traveled between two worlds.

When he passed the nurses' station, one nurse was busy working on a computer while another had fallen asleep. Not wanting to attract attention or answer unnecessary questions, Aditia decided not to ask for help.

He kept walking.

Only to discover that the metal gate connecting one section of the hospital to another had been locked.

"Great. It's closed." He stood in front of it, hoping someone would pass by ... Anyone.

Maybe they could help him get coffee.

"Mas, what are you doing here?" A voice suddenly spoke behind him. Aditia turned around. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

A female nurse stood there, though he had no idea where she had come from. He hadn't heard footsteps. Hadn't heard a door open. Nothing.

Behind her stretched an empty corridor lined with patient rooms. Every door was closed. At this hour, everyone should have been asleep. There were no doctors making rounds.

No one should have been there.

"I'm looking for coffee. What are you doing?" Aditia asked cautiously.

The nurse didn't answer.

Instead, she turned around and walked deeper into the silent hallway.

Then the lights began to go out.

One after another.

Every room she passed was swallowed by darkness.

Screams erupted from inside.

At the exact moment each light died, the bulb exploded.

Glass shards flew everywhere.

Two rooms.

Four rooms.

Six rooms.

Darkness spread with every step she took.

The screams grew louder.

Patients tried opening their doors, desperate for help.

None of them could get out.

The doors were locked.

Aditia rushed to the nearest room and grabbed the handle.

It wouldn't budge.

The people inside cried for help.

Fear filled the corridor.

Left with no choice, Aditia ran after the mysterious nurse.

"Assalamu'alaikum." She stopped.

Exactly one step in front of him.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aditia. I—" Before he could finish, the nurse slowly turned around.

Her face was horribly disfigured, a massive hole gaping through one cheek while her eyes were swallowed by endless blackness. Her lips were torn apart, and part of her skull had split open, revealing the horror beneath. Her uniform hung in dirty tatters, and her feet never touched the floor. Of course. She was a demon.

The nurse drifted forward without walking, dragging herself through the air until she stood directly before him.

The stench hit him instantly.

Rotting flesh.

Death.

"Kaseeeppp..." The ghostly nurse shrieked into his face.

The scream echoed throughout the hallway.

Aditia stared calmly for a moment.

Then he ran.

Fast.

He shot past the spirit and sprinted down the corridor, ignoring the terrified cries coming from the rooms.

They would survive.

Alya might not.

Passing the nurses' station, he noticed something strange.

Invisible hands covered the nurses' eyes and ears.

They couldn't see.

Couldn't hear.

Couldn't react.

Something was terribly wrong.

Aditia pushed himself harder.

The ghost continued chasing him.

When he finally reached Alya's room, he slammed against the door.

It didn't open.

Again.

Nothing.

There was no way Alya was strong enough to lock it herself.

Breathing heavily, he peered through the small glass window.

Inside, a nurse stood motionless beside Alya's bed.

Her expression was empty.

Lifeless.

Alya, meanwhile, stared upward with bulging eyes.

Just like before.

As if something unseen was strangling her.

Damn it.

Aditia slammed into the door again.

Begu Ganjang.

It had to be.

He should never have left her alone.

Pulling out his miniature keris, he pressed it against his right palm. The moment the blade appeared, the ghost nurse vanished.

Aditia struck the door with the keris.

The lock shattered.

The door flew open.

He rushed inside.

Alya weakly stretched out a trembling hand toward him.

Aditia immediately searched for her ring.

Where was it?

Where?

His eyes landed on the nurse standing beside the bed.

Something gleamed in her clenched fist.

Aditia grabbed her wrist and forced her hand open.

There it was.

Alya's ring.

Without hesitation, he slipped it onto his pinky finger.

At once, Begu Ganjang appeared.

Towering above the room.

Its enormous hands wrapped around Alya's throat.

Still choking her.

Still trying to kill her.

Aditia began reciting the magical verses once more.

Ka Rama nu ngayuga...

The chant echoed through the room until the final command exploded from his lips.

"NYINGKAH SIA IBLIS JAHANAM!"

He drove the miniature keris into one of the creature's hands.

Begu Ganjang recoiled instantly.

Its skin hissed as if burning.

The monster released Alya and glared down at Aditia with pure hatred. Its face stretched far beyond the ceiling, nearly disappearing into darkness itself.

Then it vanished.

Alya gasped for air.

Relief washed over her face.

Aditia immediately pulled her into a tight embrace.

This time, she didn't resist.

Not long afterward, she fell asleep again.

Her body was simply too weak.

After making sure she was safe, Aditia approached the nurse whose eyes still looked vacant. He gently closed her eyelids with his hand.

The moment he did, she collapsed.

Fortunately, he caught her before she hit the floor.

The nurse had been placed under a supernatural trance.

The spirits serving Begu Ganjang had manipulated her into removing Alya's ring.

And for a moment, they almost succeeded.

Thankfully, he noticed something strange when he saw a nurse running toward Alya's room while chaos erupted elsewhere in the hospital.

That instinct had saved Alya's life.

When the nurse finally regained awareness, she burst into tears.

She described seeing all her coworkers acting strangely, as though hypnotized. Their bodies moved unnaturally. When she tried calling security, another nurse approached her.

Except it wasn't a nurse from this hospital.

The woman laughed directly into her ear.

A horrible laugh.

The sound made her dizzy.

Then everything went dark.

After that, she remembered nothing.

"You were placed under a trance," Aditia explained calmly. "The spirit never actually touched you. It manipulated your fear. Once panic takes hold, it's easy for them to control what you see, hear, and feel. Everything seemed real, but none of it actually happened."

The nurse listened quietly.

"Go back to the nurses' station. Review the CCTV footage. Ask your coworkers if they remember doing what appears on the recordings. If they don't, then everyone on this floor was affected."

She nodded.

"Thank you for saving me. But if we were all under a trance... what ritual should we perform?"

"Ritual?" Aditia blinked. "Do I look like a shaman? Pray more. Do good things. Don't mess with things you don't understand. That's enough."

The nurse looked relieved.

Then Aditia added,

"Oh, and make sure there's always hot water available near the nurses' station."

She frowned.

"For keeping jinn away?"

"No."

Aditia grinned.

"I just wanted coffee."

The nurse laughed.

For the first time that night, the atmosphere felt lighter.

Not long later, she returned with a cup of coffee as thanks.

Meanwhile, Alya smiled softly in her sleep.

Perhaps she had heard everything.

Perhaps she knew she wasn't alone anymore.

Aditia sat beside her bed and watched over her until dawn.

...

Aditia woke to the sensation of someone stroking his hair.

Startled, he sat upright.

Alya was awake.

Her hand still rested gently on his head.

"I never imagined you were connected to... them," Alya whispered. "I thought I was alone."

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

Aditia adjusted his posture.

At last.

She was ready to tell him everything.

And he desperately needed answers.

"You know," Aditia said lightly, trying to ease the tension, "most people don't expect an angkot driver to be working after midnight."

Alya let out a weak laugh.

"How would I know? I've never ridden an angkot."

"Right. Rich kid privilege."

Aditia smiled.

No mockery.

Just truth.

"I may be rich," Alya said quietly, lowering her gaze, "but what's the point of all that money if nobody can protect me? I don't even have control over my own life."

"Don't say things like that, Al. Life belongs to God. As long as you're alive, keep fighting for it."

Silence followed.

Then the door opened.

"Is Alya awake?"

Pak Dirga entered carrying several packs of porridge.

"Don't worry," Aditia said. "He's my father's friend. He helps me all the time. Not just with people... but with them too. You can trust him."

Pak Dirga pulled up a chair.

"Alya, tell us everything. Start from the beginning."

Alya took a deep breath.

"My name is Alya Harsawi Manjaya. I am the sole heir to Manjaya Corp. As of last year, my family's wealth was estimated at around ninety-five trillion rupiah. We are the fifth-richest family in this country."

Pak Dirga nearly choked.

Ninety-five trillion.

The number sounded unreal.

Alya's eyes dimmed.

"You probably think my life is easy." She smiled bitterly.

"You think wealth means happiness."

"It doesn't."

"Forget happiness." She lowered her head.

"For the rest of my life..."

"...I will be hunted by Begu Ganjang." Her voice trembled.

"Because I am the final sacrifice."