Nur sat back in her swiveling chair, its gentle creaking the only sound in the room as she settled herself. With her hands resting on the armrests, she lifted her gaze to the ceiling, lost in thought.

Suddenly, a sharp knock at the door broke her reverie, and she swiveled around to face the unexpected interruption. "Come in," she called out, her curiosity piqued. In walked a young boy dressed in the unmistakable pink uniform of the staff, accompanied by another figure whose nameplate read 'Tenuk'.

"Yes?" Nur inquired, her gaze shifting between the two boys as she tried to make out Tenuk's figure behind Iyaan.

"It's our shift at the backroom today, but the receptionist asked us to go home," Iyaan explained.

"Aadam did?" Nur sought clarification, feeling a wave of confusion wash over her.

"Yeah. He asked us to inform you since your equipment needs sorting today," Iyaan confirmed.

"Well, there are a lot of things to be thrown out today...." Nur mused aloud, considering the implications of their unexpected departure.

"Is that right? Then instead of waiting for the day to get over to throw it away, can we do it now?" Iyaan proposed.

"Alright. Come on in," Nur agreed, gesturing for them to enter.

Iyaan nodded, and they proceeded into the room, followed closely by Tenuk. As Iyaan began sorting through the equipment, Nur observed their contrasting demeanors with interest. While Iyaan seemed composed and focused, Tenuk appeared visibly shaken, his hands trembling as he attempted to assist.

After a moment of silence, Nur directed her attention to Iyaan, her voice tinged with curiosity. "You seem very calm for someone who saw two dead women," she remarked, her brow furrowing in contemplation.

Iyaan nodded in acknowledgment but remained silent, his attention fully absorbed in the task at hand. Meanwhile, Tenuk's distress was palpable, his gaze darting nervously around the room as he struggled to maintain his composure.

"You couldn't handle it though," Nur observed, her gaze shifting to Tenuk, who met her eyes briefly before looking away.

Before Tenuk could respond, Iyaan placed a box on Nur's desk with a thud, drawing her attention back to him. "Check this, please," he requested, his tone firm and confident.

Nur inspected the contents of the box, her frustration mounting as she realized their uselessness. "I need these," she declared, pointing to a pair of gloves.

"They are out of use—" Iyaan began, but Nur cut him off, adamant in her decision.

"I'll decide that, Iyaan. Do your job properly, hm?" she admonished, her tone laced with annoyance. "You work part-time here because you want to pay the bills, don't you? Don't ruin this for yourself."

Iyaan's face seemed to set in a determined expression. "These pair of gloves will be infectious if used again. We were taught to throw these away, but if you insist on using them anyway, I can't force you. Just please write it down."

Nur's eyes seemed to flash with anger, but she remained silent, her hands clenched into fists.

"Write?" she finally spat out, her voice dripping with venom.

Iyaan's expression didn't falter. "Mm-hm. Please write down a pact or an informing letter that we didn't toss it away because you told us to do so."

Nur's face seemed to contort in rage, but she remained silent, her eyes fixed on Iyaan's determined face.

"Here," Iyaan passed a form and a ballpoint pen to Nur, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Kid-"

"Otherwise I might ruin this for myself." Iyaan mentioned in a cold undertone, slapping back her words towards her. Nur stayed silent for a couple seconds knowing this boy was too much trouble to win an argument with.

She then snatched the contents from him, her movements jerky and angry. She began scribbling on the sheet, her hand moving with a fury that seemed to border on madness.

She slammed the sheet on the desk in Iyaan's direction, her eyes flashing with anger. A cue for them to leave the room. Iyaan and Tenuk didn't need to be told twice. They gathered their things and made an exit, leaving Nur to her anger.

As they emerged from the building, Tenuk seemed to collapse against the wall, his eyes closed in relief. Iyaan placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, his eyes scanning the area to make sure they were alone.

Tenuk sighed standing up. They pushed the cart together towards the backroom. As the incident earlier in the morning still tormented him, Tenuk left the cart in front of the backroom. He pulled Iyaan with him, signed the register with their names and the time of exit as listed mandatory for any working member of the corporate and exited the building.

Tenuk trudged wearily toward his apartment, the weight of the day's events hanging heavy on his shoulders. Beside him, Iyaan followed in silence, their uniforms a stark reminder of the day's turmoil. The evening sky loomed above them, casting a somber hue over the world below.

Stopping abruptly, Tenuk gazed up at the darkening sky, his breath visible in the cold air. Despite the chill, his mind was consumed with the events of the day—the sorting, the arguments, and the unsettling encounter with Nur.

"Iyaan, don't mess with that lady," Tenuk finally spoke, his voice barely audible over the evening breeze. Iyaan shook his head, wordlessly wrapping his scarf around Tenuk's shoulders in a gesture of solidarity. Tenuk buried his face in the fabric, seeking solace from the biting cold.

As Iyaan strode ahead, leaving Tenuk lost in his thoughts, Tenuk blinked back to reality and quickened his pace to catch up. Eventually, they arrived in front of Tenuk's modest apartment, where Iyaan paused, turning to face his friend.

"Bye," Iyaan said simply, ready to continue on his way.

"Iyaan, wait," Tenuk called out, his voice tinged with uncertainty. He looked up at Iyaan, his expression pleading for understanding.

"Iyaan, I...well, I want to stay over," Tenuk confessed, his words hesitant yet sincere.

"No," Iyaan replied bluntly, already beginning to walk away.

"Eh? Why not?" Tenuk protested, his disappointment evident in his voice.

Iyaan offered no explanation, simply striding away without a backward glance. Left standing alone, Tenuk sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Iyaan, come on, I have leftover Ikan Bakar at home as well," Tenuk called after him, his voice tinged with longing. But it was too late—his friend had already disappeared into the evening gloom.

***

After a long day at work, Tenuk dragged himself through the front door of his apartment, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle upon his shoulders. He dropped his bag with a thud onto the worn welcome mat, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet space. Making his way to the familiar comfort of the living room, he collapsed onto the familiar red couch, the cushioned embrace offering a small respite from the chaos of his mind.

The apartment, though humble, held a sense of coziness and warmth. Upon entering, the kitchenette greeted visitors, a compact space adorned with a simple black cabinet, a white sink, and a small cooking counter. The living area, adjacent to the kitchen, featured a red couch, its cushions slightly worn from years of use. In front of it sat a wooden coffee table atop a fuzzy grey rug, with a modest flat-screen TV mounted on the wall opposite the couch.

As Tenuk settled onto the couch, he reached for the remote and switched on the television, the soft glow casting a comforting ambiance throughout the room. However, despite the familiar sights and sounds, an unsettling feeling lingered in the air, a persistent reminder of the day's disturbing events.

Seeking solace, Tenuk rose from the couch and made his way to the kitchenette, the familiar routine of brewing a cup of coffee offering a brief distraction. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, mingling with the faint glow of the overhead lights.

Returning to the living room with his steaming mug in hand, Tenuk settled back onto the couch, his gaze fixed on the flickering images dancing across the television screen. Yet, despite the attempt to lose himself in the familiar rhythm of the evening, his mind remained consumed by the unsettling events of the day.

As the night wore on, Tenuk reluctantly prepared for bed, moving through the dimly lit apartment with a sense of unease. With each step, he ensured that every door was securely locked, a futile attempt to ward off the lingering sense of dread that seemed to permeate the space.

Finally, as he crawled beneath the cool sheets of his bed, Tenuk found himself unable to shake the feeling of unease that clung to him like a heavy shroud. With the soft glow of the bedside lamp casting shadows across the room, he lay awake, his troubled thoughts swirling in the darkness, refusing to grant him the solace of sleep.

***

In the darkness of Tenuk's bedroom, the veil of sleep was torn away by the vivid and horrifying images that invaded his mind. The scenes from the backroom of his workplace played out before him, as if the walls of his apartment had become a canvas for his nightmares.

In the twisted tableau, the lifeless bodies of Melacca and Aishah materialized before Tenuk's eyes, their forms distorted and grotesque. They cried out for help in voices that echoed with a chilling desperation, their pleas reverberating through the empty room.

As Tenuk recoiled in terror, the disembodied head of Melacca floated menacingly towards him, her spectral hands reaching out to grasp his face with a cold, clammy grip. Blood stained his skin as her mouth moved soundlessly, emitting a shrill, otherworldly scream that sent shivers down his spine.

The colors of the room warped and twisted, melding into a nightmarish blend of black and red that swirled around Tenuk, engulfing him in a suffocating vortex of despair. Aishah's icy corpse materialized behind him, the chill of death seeping into his bones as her lifeless form pressed against his back.

The air was thick with the mingled sounds of laughter and sobs, a cacophony of madness that filled Tenuk's ears with a disorienting sense of dread. The women's voices blended together in a haunting chorus, their cries and laughter merging into a symphony of terror that seemed to surround him on all sides.

Just as Tenuk felt himself slipping into the abyss of insanity, a strong hand seized his wrist, yanking him violently away from the nightmare that threatened to consume him. He looked up to see the familiar face of Iyaan, his expression calm and reassuring amidst the chaos.

With a surge of relief, Tenuk found himself transported to a serene garden, where the vivid colors of spring blossoms contrasted sharply with the darkness of his memories. Iyaan took his hand and led him through the peaceful landscape, the scent of flowers mingling with the salty tang of the sea.

They settled onto picnic mats adorned with pink and white checkered designs, the vibrant hues a stark contrast to the horrors they had left behind. But as they ate, the tranquility of the moment was shattered by the sudden appearance of a thick, red liquid that began to ooze from the ground beneath them.

In horror, Tenuk watched as the liquid transformed into a viscous, gelatinous substance, enveloping Iyaan's figure in a suffocating embrace. The two dead women emerged from the crimson tide, their twisted forms reaching out to drag Iyaan down into its depths.

Desperate to save his friend, Tenuk cried out in anguish, his voice drowned out by the cacophony of screams that filled the air. But his efforts were in vain as the women tore at Iyaan's limbs with cruel efficiency, their hollow eyes fixed upon their prey with a chilling intensity.

With a final, gruesome act, they tore Iyaan's head from his body, leaving behind nothing but a soulless husk. Tenuk's cries of horror echoed through the night as he was left to confront the chilling reality of his darkest fears.

***

In the dead of night, Tenuk's eyes snapped open, his body jolting upright in his bed. His heart hammered against his ribcage, each beat reverberating through his chest like a drum of panic. Gasping for air, he frantically groped under his pillow, fingers fumbling until they closed around the cool surface of his phone.

With trembling hands, Tenuk dialed Iyaan's number, the urgency of his distress evident in the frantic speed of his movements. The faint glow of the phone illuminated the dimly lit room, casting shadows across the walls as Tenuk held it to his ear, his breath coming in ragged gasps. On the other end of the line, the quiet murmur of Iyaan's voice mingled with the static of the connection, a lifeline in the darkness of the night.

To his surprise, lyaan answered on the first ring, his voice a welcome lifeline in the darkness of Tenuk's room. Relief flooded through him like a wave crashing against the shore, momentarily washing away the suffocating weight of his nightmares.

"I-Iyaan! Are you okay?" Tenuk's voice trembled with a mixture of fear and urgency, his words punctuated by the erratic beat of his heart.

"Hm...Tenuk, it's the middle of the night for god's sake..." Iyaan's response was laced with a hint of irritation, his words muffled by the distance between them.

"Iyaan...I had a bad dream.." Tenuk's voice wavered as he spoke, the remnants of his nightmares still clinging to the edges of his consciousness like tendrils of smoke.

"Huh? What? Are you okay?" Despite the late hour, there was concern evident in Iyaan's voice, a reassuring presence amidst the darkness that threatened to engulf Tenuk's thoughts.

"Hah...Melacca, Aishah and you were in my dream...it was weird..." Tenuk's words spilled forth in a rush, his mind still reeling from the horrors he had witnessed in his sleep.

"Hey, Tenuk." Iyaan's voice cut through the haze of Tenuk's thoughts, grounding him in the present moment.

"Yeah?" Tenuk's response was hesitant, uncertainty lingering in the air between them like a heavy fog.

"Are your lights turned on?" There was a note of concern in Iyaan's voice, a flicker of worry that danced on the edges of his words.

"Yeah," Tenuk replied, his voice barely above a whisper as he glanced around the dimly lit room, shadows dancing along the walls like specters in the night.

"Talk to me then." The simple directive was a balm to Tenuk's frayed nerves, a reminder that he was not alone in the darkness that threatened to consume him.

"We have classes tomorrow." Despite the gravity of the situation, Tenuk's mind drifted to more mundane matters, the weight of his responsibilities pressing down on him like a heavy burden.

"Just talk to me." Iyaan's words were a gentle reminder of the connection that bound them together, a lifeline in the darkness that threatened to overwhelm them both.

"Hm well okay." With a sigh of resignation, Tenuk settled into the rhythm of their conversation, the cadence of their voices a comforting presence in the silence of the night.

As they continued to converse, the minutes stretched into hours, the weight of their words hanging heavy in the air like the lingering scent of smoke after a fire has been extinguished. Topics shifted and changed with the fluidity of water, each word a bridge connecting them across the vast expanse of distance that separated them.

But as the night wore on and Tenuk's eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion, a sudden knock shattered the fragile peace of the moment, the sound echoing through the darkness like a thunderclap in the night.

Gulping audibly, Tenuk rose from his bed, the phone still clutched tightly in his hand as he made his way towards the door. With trembling fingers, he peered through the keyhole, the darkness outside offering no solace, no hint of the visitor's identity.

Heart pounding in his chest, Tenuk reached for the door knob, his breath catching in his throat as he prepared to confront whatever lay on the other side. But before he could turn the knob, a voice pierced the silence, familiar and reassuring in its familiarity.

"Tenuk. It's me." Relief flooded through Tenuk like a tidal wave, washing away the fear and uncertainty that had threatened to consume him.

Iyaan.

With a sigh of relief, Tenuk swung the door open wide, his arms outstretched in a silent invitation. And as Iyaan stepped over the threshold and into the warmth of Tenuk's embrace, the darkness of the night seemed to recede, driven back by the light of their shared connection.

*2788 words*