The Midnight Shuttle

Chapter 19: Saba Alkamah

"Help...!"

Aditia tried to scream, but not a single sound escaped his lips. It felt as though an invisible hand was crushing his mouth shut while countless others pinned his body to the ground. For a split second, he felt someone grab his shoulder from behind, and hope surged through him.

"Mr. Dirga...?"

He quickly turned his head.

No one.

His heart skipped a beat. He forced himself to stand, struggling against the icy hands clinging to every part of his body. The freezing sensation spread from his feet to his legs, across his stomach and chest, until it reached the top of his head. It felt as though dozens of unseen hands were gripping him all at once.

He fought with everything he had, but he couldn't break free.

The foul stench of blood and decay filled the air. He couldn't see what was attacking him. If he still possessed his spiritual sight, he would have seen more than a dozen malicious spirits swarming over him—a shroud ghost, a Kuntilanak, tiny Tuyuls, and countless other twisted creatures, all competing to torment the young man who had once driven them away without fear.

Unable to remain standing, Aditia collapsed onto his back. The crushing weight became unbearable. The spirits weren't just holding him down—they were climbing onto him, jumping on him, laughing as they took turns suffocating him beneath their combined weight.

His chest tightened. Every breath burned. His body shook violently from the cold.

Maybe...

This was how his father had died.

"Help..."

The desperate plea never escaped his mouth. He closed his eyes.

God... please help me.

Just as he surrendered himself completely, a calm voice echoed through the cemetery.

"Seriously? Still ganging up on one person like a bunch of street thugs."

Aditia's eyes slowly opened. He couldn't make out the person's face—only the silhouette of someone standing near his feet.

A human.

At least...

That's what it looked like.

A moment later, the mysterious figure reached out as though grabbing something out of thin air. From Aditia's perspective, it looked like they were clutching empty air, but he knew better—whoever this person was, they were pulling the spirits off his body one by one.

The figure was suddenly thrown backward, crashing several meters away as though struck by an invisible force. Aditia's heart tightened.

The stranger wore faded blue jeans, a black T-shirt, a black hooded jacket pulled low over their head, and a face mask that concealed every recognizable feature. There wasn't a single part of their face he could see.

The figure quickly got back to their feet and, without hesitation, charged forward again. To Aditia's eyes, it looked like they were fighting the wind—punching, kicking, dodging attacks that he couldn't even see.

After driving away the spirits surrounding them, the mysterious stranger rushed back to Aditia and began pulling the remaining creatures away from his body, one after another. Slowly, the crushing weight disappeared. His breathing became easier. The icy hands released him.

At last, Aditia was free.

He struggled to his feet while the stranger continued fighting the invisible enemies alone. Although he couldn't see the spirits, he could still tell they were attacking. Every few seconds, the mysterious figure staggered from unseen blows before charging back into the fight again.

Aditia reached into his pocket and pulled out his miniature keris. The stranger wasn't carrying a weapon. Maybe this could help.

Without saying a word, he tossed the keris toward the figure. The stranger caught it effortlessly.

Then, to Aditia's astonishment, they wielded it with extraordinary skill. Every movement was swift, precise, and confident. Even Aditia knew he could never handle a keris that well.

Only after the cemetery finally fell silent did the mysterious figure lower the blade.

The battle was over.

Exhausted, Aditia dropped to the ground. "Thank you," he said between heavy breaths.

The mysterious stranger walked over without saying a word and held out the miniature keris. "It belongs to you."

Aditia accepted it.

"Let's go."

The stranger turned and started walking away from the cemetery. Still trying to catch his breath, Aditia hurried after them.

There was something strangely familiar about that voice—soft, calm, nothing like the fierce fighter he had just witnessed.

The stranger led him out of the cemetery without another word. When they reached the security post near the entrance, the atmosphere was completely different. The area was brightly lit, and several people were chatting over coffee as if nothing unusual had happened.

From where he stood, Aditia spotted Mr. Dirga and Master Kusno sitting together at the front of the post. Relief washed over him. He instinctively started walking toward them.

The stranger immediately caught his wrist.

"Where are we going?" Aditia asked.

The stranger didn't answer. Instead, they led him to a small roadside coffee stall not far from the cemetery entrance.

"Ma'am, two coffees, please."

Only after sitting down did the stranger finally remove the hood and pull off the face mask.

Aditia froze.

He had suspected the stranger was a man.

Instead, a young woman sat across from him.

The contrast left him speechless. Just moments ago, he had watched her fight more than a dozen malicious spirits without hesitation, enduring blows that should have broken an ordinary person. Yet now, sitting quietly beneath the dim lights of the coffee stall, she looked gentle—almost delicate.

Her soft voice matched the calm expression on her face. No one would ever believe she was the same person who had just battled an army of evil spirits barehanded.

"Thank you so much for saving me," Aditia said. "I honestly thought you were..."

"A man?" the young woman finished with a smile.

Aditia scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Sorry... yeah."

"Can't blame you," she replied casually. "My face was completely covered, and these clothes don't exactly make me look feminine."

She didn't seem offended in the slightest.

The cool night breeze drifted through the quiet roadside stall.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Aditia finally broke the silence.

"So... who are you?"

"Oh, right." She smiled as she reached for a piece of fried tofu. "I'm Saba Alkamah. Just call me Alka."

"I'm Aditia."

"I know." She dipped the tofu into chili sauce before taking a bite. "That's why I came here."

Aditia frowned.

"You came here... to save me?"

"Of course." She shrugged casually. "Why else would I come to a cemetery in the middle of the night?"

Her gentle voice was almost deceiving.

If someone had only spoken to her over the phone...

They would probably imagine a graceful young woman who had never been in a fight.

No one would ever guess she had just taken on more than a dozen malicious spirits by herself.

"You know who I am?" Aditia asked.

"Of course I do, Kasep."

Aditia blinked.

She had even called him by the nickname everyone in the village used.

The nickname his father used to call him.

He became even more confused.

"You're... human, aren't you?"

Alka looked at him as if the question amused her.

"Of course I am. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to see me. Besides..." She smiled before taking a sip of her coffee. "You're being punished right now."

Aditia stared at her.

"I really don't understand. Who exactly are you... and why did you save me?"

"I already told you." Alka smiled again. "I'm Saba Alkamah."

She paused for a brief moment before adding in the same calm voice, "And I saved you because I had to."

"Dit!"

Aditia turned toward the familiar voice as Mr. Dirga walked briskly toward him.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

Aditia pointed to the seat across from him. "I was just attacked by... them. Luckily, Alka saved me."

"Alka?" Mr. Dirga frowned. "Who's Alka?"

"This is—"

Aditia turned around, but the seat across from him was empty.

Alka was gone.

His eyes widened.

Just a moment ago, she had been sitting there, calmly eating fried tofu and drinking coffee.

Now there was no sign of her.

"Where did she go?" Aditia murmured.

"Who are you talking about?" Mr. Dirga asked, looking around the small coffee stall.

Aditia quickly stood up and called toward the counter. "Ma'am!"

The owner walked over. "Yes?"

"The young woman who was sitting with me... where did she go?"

The woman looked confused. "Wasn't she just here? I didn't even see her leave."

Aditia fell silent.

How could someone disappear without anyone noticing?

He pushed the thought aside for now.

"Mr. Dirga... did you find Master Kusno? And what about Mrs. Mirasih?"

"We found Master Kusno," Mr. Dirga replied. "But something isn't right. The people around here said he'd been wandering around the cemetery since yesterday. He looked completely lost and refused to leave. As for Mrs. Mirasih..." He shook his head. "We still haven't found her. We searched the entire cemetery with the locals helping us, but she was nowhere to be found."

Aditia let out a slow breath.

"Dit," Mr. Dirga continued, "I searched every corner of that cemetery earlier. I couldn't find you anywhere."

Aditia looked back toward the dark cemetery entrance. "I was there. I was being attacked. They must have hidden me."

Mr. Dirga frowned. "Hidden you?"

Aditia nodded. "If Alka hadn't shown up..."

He didn't finish the sentence.

He already knew how it would have ended.