Day 233 - Monday, 8:00 AM
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgxbhrLf3m
The morning sun spilled through the cracks of the central hall windows. It was breakfast time at U-Zone, but the mood was different - quieter, heavier.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bdDJALybC
Everyone had gathered to say goodbye to Mr. Amar. He had been with us only a short while, but his presence left a deep mark. His calmness. His wisdom. His will to survive. Today, he would continue his journey north to find his wife - a reunion he'd been dreaming of since the beginning of the outbreak.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpY6PY36AXM
There was a microphone set up at the front, like we always did for community announcements. I waited. My heartbeat was wild.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOb3dztu8gn
And then... I stepped forward.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNxisI19To
I took the mic and spoke, voice steady but heart trembling.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8ObNsqcjz
"I want to go," I said. "I want to go find someone. Someone important to me. Her name is Valli."
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvCFe6N5AQ8
Gasps. Silence.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0NmnAhXSE
Everyone turned toward me - confused, stunned. Some shocked. Ajay blinked. The English teacher almost dropped his mug.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQ2CuS8uPP
I continued. "I know it sounds crazy. But I can't stay here and wonder anymore. I need to know if she's alive. I have to see her, even just once."
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtVmWPEgUp
Before anyone could speak, Ajay stood up beside me. "Then I'm going too," he said without hesitation.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsiuCBq4xS
Even more gasps. The chief raised an eyebrow.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWm6t2WY10
The room buzzed with murmurs and concerned glances. After everything we had built in U-Zone, two of us wanting to leave - it wasn't easy for them to accept.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtVZqvqTvc
But the chief finally stood. His voice, strong but thoughtful:
"I understand your heart. But the world out there is not the same. Are you prepared?"
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyhEPUj5oJ
We nodded.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHfTh9i0TK
"Then we'll train you," Mr. Amar added. "We'll prepare you properly. If you're going out there, you better be smarter than the virus."
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wHnuY3ucF
That entire day, the three of us - me, Ajay, and Mr. Amar - trained nonstop.
Weapons, terrain reading, traps, basic first aid, how to read weather signs, how to mask our scent. Everything. Even how to feel danger before it arrives.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfq2dvFuRe
Mr.Shaiful made a few gadgets to help on our mission which he was working all these days. He gave us the Cyclops, a four sided camera with a motion detector, The Zhask, a strong taser baton that can kill a Bulk, sticky grenades to trap the Rottens and Hackbrain, a device to unlock any powered door.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ439YRiWnPK
Later, we sat in Mr. Amar's room, going over maps and routes. According to plan, he would head toward Langkawi, while we would start the journey southwest to Melaka.
The safest path involved traveling with him for the first leg - to Pangkor Island - then splitting from there.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GkicIRQGW
Before bedtime, I visited Rosy. I gave her Jimmy, our loyal dog. I couldn't risk taking him, and I trusted her more than anyone.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzj06QyZ1xk
"You're really going?" she asked, eyes soft.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRr2cSDimMJ
"Yes."
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qH6CL1ACQ
She nodded slowly, holding back her emotions. "Then come back... both of you."
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenQAguCTl3
Before sunrise, the chief came to our room and handed us two revolvers and some ammo. Not much, but enough for emergencies.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhE8VGzx4se
He looked at us with a fatherly pride.
"You're not just leaving to find someone. You're carrying hope. That's heavier than any weapon."
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZHUxUVv9T
That night was our last in U-Zone - our home for 233 days.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Lqup52Qht
The next morning, we would begin our journey.
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntpbq791Qr
---
34Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUAdVYkUuG
and then Add to home screen.