Chapter 2 Santi; Red MVP

April 1, 20xx

I looked at the cellphone screen with disinterest while lying down on the guest sofa; almost every day, the news reporters displayed events that were being widely discussed, apart from political issues, demonstrations, news of the arrest of a drug kingpin, and the sudden death of several animals due to a strange disease. Finally, the old news that has not been resolved is the biggest river pollution in West Java and Jakarta. However, this time, it was due to a leak in one of the chemical factory tanks.

"What are you reading? You're so serious," said Restu, who suddenly appeared and sat before me, holding his laptop.

"Reading the news makes me increasingly dizzy daily," I complained. "If it's not the state, the people who act, then it's the officials. Just look at this..."

While staying in Bekasi, I showed my roommate a sad picture of the Citarum River. Like a children's cartoon, the short-haired girl just nodded and shrugged.

"I don't dare comment; I'm afraid of being arrested," she said with a chuckle. "No need to think about that yet, San. Think about the college entrance exam."

"Tsk, yes-yes."

I read the article again about the impact of the chemical factory leak on the historic river. The Citarum River is repeatedly polluted and always caused by humans themselves. Disposal of rubbish and waste and widening land for factories is increasingly intensive. This doesn't happen once or twice, but it seems like big business owners never get deterred by the law. Or it could be all because of the slickness that means the local community's demands are never resolved.

Restu turned on the TV on our right, and the next second, the 14-inch screen displayed local news with the same theme as what I read on the internet. The difference is that the news shows the victims who are starting to fall due to the side effects of the chemical factory leak in the Citarum River.

"The number of victims due to the Mahakam Sanjana chemical factory leak in the Citarum River is increasing. Today, there are twenty poisoned victims at Mekarsari hospital; five people have died, and thirteen others are being treated..."

"Tsk, if it's like this, where do our water resources come from?" Restu commented, shaking his head.

"Yes, you can buy a gallon of water," I answered casually.

"That's crazy. Our needs almost entirely depend on water. If we only use gallons of water and suddenly the price goes up, the people are in trouble, San. One gallon won't be enough."

"Yeah, no need to shower; just drink a gallon of water," I said with a chuckle.

The news anchor also broadcast about a disease that attacks livestock and now infects humans in the Karawang area. It started with a cattle farmer who suddenly experienced a high fever after bathing one of his cows, resulting in brain complications, then spread to residents around the farmer until there was a ban on eating livestock meat. The disease, originally caused by bacteria similar to Brucella, apparently also contained a virus of unknown type. This makes anyone faint without symptoms, although the initial signs always accompany a high fever lasting several days. The streets there began to fill with people lying around helplessly.

"We are overwhelmed. All areas of the hospital are full...."

I still remember that the distribution of illegal livestock meat still exists even though the Ministry of Health has issued an order to withdraw the meat distribution and impose sanctions on the seller. However, there are reasons why traders are always selfish. As a result, many people end up becoming victims.

As you might expect, demonstrations resulting from the withdrawal of all meat from the market and layoffs in several slaughter factories took place until the bodies scattered on the streets came back to life.

#####

I'm moaning in pain due to wounds on my forehead and knees, which still hurt even though the blood has dried. I peeked behind the glass window of someone's sedan. Tired of running in an uncertain direction made my stomach thrash even more. For the past two days, no food has been left except drinking water as a temporary support. The acidic liquid in my stomach was crawling up my throat; I took a drink bottle from my bag, and only a quarter of the bottle was left, which was not enough for the next trip.

I gulped down the remaining mineral water, which only moistened my dry throat. If it's like this, I'm sure that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, death from starvation will come voluntarily. Looking around at the surrounding buildings, these tightly closed shophouses indicated that I was still in the Boulevard Raya area.

Oh, damn. Why is this elite housing complex so spacious?

My eyes narrowed to see a black object with a puff of smoke in the middle of the road. My distance from the object was around twenty meters, maybe less. There was something else on his side. Something is burning, but I don't know what. It could be wood, car tyres or animals.

My stomach growled again and became more painful until I bit my lower lip to suppress this feeling of hunger. I looked around, making sure the creature wasn't there. At least right now, I don't know what the next few minutes will be.

Open the car door very slowly so as not to make a loud noise. The sun was very hot compared to before, and a stinging sensation was felt on the soles of the feet as if reviving the nerve cells that had died when they had touched the asphalt of the road.

I jogged towards the object. It turned out that a black backpack contained a can of liquid milk, sandwiches and a lighter. My eyes widened with a wide smile, but it suddenly faded when I saw the charred object and corpse, making me vomit instantly.

Oh damn! Who burned them?

Suddenly, a loud car sound was heard. I hurriedly took my bag and food as a good fortune in broad daylight, then ran and hid behind a shop wall on the right side of the road.

The sound got louder and louder, making my ears hurt. If I had enough strength, I would feel like throwing a big rock at the car. However, this time, I just kept my head down to protect myself when a bright red MPV crossed the road and hit and ran over the charred body.

Who are they?