My pen name is Chempaka Biru.

But everyone calls me Chembi.

I’m a female student at a Quranic university in Country M. My life is simple—classes, memorization, friends…

Until I met someone strange, yet strangely loyal.

Her name is Sharmila.

But I call her Chami.

🌿 THE GIRL FROM THE MOUNTAINS

Chami is… different.

Her house?

Deep in the mountains.

Getting there isn’t just far—it’s exhausting. You have to drive up steep hills again and again.

“Ten times up, ten times down… if you don’t feel like throwing up, you’re not human,” Chami laughed.

Then she added something that didn’t sound like a joke:

“If you ever come back with me… just sleep in the car. That’s the only way you’ll be safe.” 🤪

I thought she was kidding.

She wasn’t.

🚗 THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY

During our one-month semester break, I

asked my mother if I could visit Chami.

She agreed.

That afternoon, around 3 PM, Chami’s “father” came to pick us up from campus.

I glanced at him from a distance.

Young.

Too young to be someone’s father.

I leaned closer to Chami and whispered:

“Cha… is that really your dad?”

She pinched my arm.

“Quiet. That’s my uncle. But he hates being called ‘uncle’. Just call him ‘Father’.” 🤫

I nodded slowly.

Alright… that’s the first strange thing.

🖤 HIS VOICE

When he spoke…

“Got delayed. Something came up.”

His voice was deep. Rough. Firm.

The kind of voice that makes people go silent without being told.

🌫️ INSIDE THE CAR

Our bags filled the back seat, so I had to sit in the front.

“Sit there. I want to sleep,” Chami said, already closing her eyes.

The car moved.

I recited my usual travel prayer.

But as soon as we reached the foot of the mountain…

something felt wrong.

“Father… can we stop for a moment?”

He… agreed.

Without question.

That was strange.

I recited longer prayers—Ayat Kursi, supplications, blessings.

Then I whispered softly:

“Peace be upon you… I’m new here. Please make my journey safe until I reach my destination.”

The car fell silent.

Too silent.

As if something was listening.

⛰️ THE TEN HILLS

One hour. Two hours. Three. Four.

First hill. Second. Third…

Until the tenth.

It was almost 9 PM.

Chami was deeply asleep.

Too deeply.

“Father” was quiet.

Too quiet.

👁️ THE THING ON THE MOUNTAIN

I looked outside.

The moon was bright.

And that’s when I saw it.

A massive shadow on top of the mountain.

Too big.

Too wrong.

It looked human…

but it wasn’t.

More like—

a giant.

My heart pounded. My hands turned cold.

I quickly lowered my head and covered my eyes.

I recited Ayat Kursi again.

Slowly.

Carefully.

When I looked up again—

the car felt heavy.

As if something was pressing down on it.

⚠️ INSTINCT

Without thinking—

I grabbed his arm.

“Don’t press the gas too hard… slow down… neutral… first gear… Bismillah…”

He followed.

No hesitation.

No questions.

The car moved again.

Slowly…

but smoothly.

My hand was still gripping his arm.

I didn’t even realize how long.

🌆 OUT OF THE DARK

Suddenly—

lights.

Voices.

A small town at the foot of the mountain.

Alive. Bright. Normal.

And then—

Chami woke up.

She looked at me.

Then at my hand… still holding “Father’s” arm.

She smirked.

“Aren’t your hands tired?” 😏

I froze.

Quickly pulled away.

I glanced at him.

His face…

was red.

I didn’t know if it was anger.

Or something else.

🏡 A WEEK AT CHAMI’S HOUSE

Chami’s home was warm.

Her family was kind.

And the food?

Absolutely heaven for someone like me 😂

That’s when I found out—

“Father” really lives with them.

He’s Chami’s youngest uncle.

And…

a silat practitioner.

No wonder he wasn’t afraid.

Or maybe…

that wasn’t the real reason.

🌙 THE WHISPERED SECRET

On my last night there, I told Chami everything.

The shadow.

The heaviness.

The feeling of being watched.

She listened.

Then stayed silent for a moment.

Finally, she said:

“My uncle isn’t afraid of things like that. He practices silat… this kind of thing is normal for him.”

I nodded.

But deep inside…

I wondered.

Is it really normal…

or does he know that thing?

🚗 THE RETURN JOURNEY (BEGINNING)

The next morning, I said:

“I think I’ll just take the bus home.”

Chami immediately shook her head.

“No way. My ‘father’ will send you.”

I started calculating in my head.

My house: 6 hours.

From here: 5 hours.

Total…

11 hours.

And if we’re late…

it’ll be night again.

I swallowed.

Chami smiled.

“Your place… is even scarier, right?” 😏

I stayed silent.

Because deep inside…

I knew.

✨ FINAL LINE

The journey to the mountain…

was only the beginning.

The next morning felt… strangely normal.

Sunlight slipped through the windows of Chami’s house, warm and gentle, as if nothing had happened the night before. Laughter filled the kitchen. The smell of food made everything feel grounded—safe.

But deep inside me, something refused to settle.

I couldn’t forget what I saw.

The shadow on the mountain.

The weight pressing down on the car.

And the silence that felt… alive.

“I think I’ll just take the bus home,” I said casually, trying to sound unaffected.

Chami immediately shook her head.

“No way. ‘Father’ will send you.”

Before I could argue further, the decision was already made.

We left before noon.

Same car.

Same seats.

Same arrangement.

And once again, I was in the front.

Chami didn’t last long.

Within minutes, she fell asleep.

Not the kind of sleep people drift into slowly.

This was different.

Deep. Sudden. Unnatural.

Just like the night before.

I stared at her for a moment, uneasy.

Then slowly, I turned toward him.

He drove in silence, hands steady on the wheel, eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Calm.

Too calm.

“Did you see it last night?”

The question slipped out before I could stop it.

For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t answer.

The car continued moving, engine humming softly beneath us.

Then, without looking at me, he said:

“You shouldn’t look at things like that.”

My chest tightened.

That wasn’t denial.

That was confirmation.

“You did see it, didn’t you?”

I pressed further.

Silence.

Then—

“Some things… are not meant to be seen.”

I swallowed hard.

The air inside the car felt heavier.

“Was it following us?”

This time, he glanced at me.

Just for a second.

But that second felt longer than it should have.

Cold.

Sharp.

Knowing.

“No.”

A pause.

Then he added quietly—

“It was waiting.”

The words sank deep into me.

Waiting.

For what?

For who?

The road began to climb again.

Hill after hill.

Turn after turn.

The sky slowly dimmed, clouds gathering like something unseen was closing in.

“Why was it waiting?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Because it knew you would come back.”

My breath caught.

“What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, his voice changed.

Lower.

Stronger.

More commanding.

“Sleep.”

“I’m not sleepy.”

“Sleep.”

Something shifted.

My vision blurred.

The edges of the world softened.

My body felt heavy… too heavy.

Like something was pulling me down from the inside.

And then—

darkness.

I wasn’t in the car anymore.

Cold air brushed against my skin.

The ground beneath my feet felt damp.

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a forest.

Silent.

Fog thick around me.

And in front of me—

a door.

It was massive.

Black.

Not just standing there… but breathing.

Alive in a way that made my chest tighten.

Something was behind it.

I could feel it.

Not see.

Not hear clearly.

But feel.

Watching.

Waiting.

Then a voice came.

Not from outside.

From within me.

“You came back.”

My body froze.

“I… don’t know you.”

The voice laughed.

Slow.

Deep.

Unnatural.

“You made a promise.”

My heart pounded violently.

“What promise?!”

The door trembled.

Something shifted behind it.

Closer now.

Closer than before.

“You will open it… just like you said you would.”

“Chembi.”

The voice cut through everything.

Closer.

Warmer.

Real.

“Wake up.”

My eyes snapped open.

I was back in the car.

Breathing hard.

Sweat clinging to my skin.

Chami was still asleep.

Unmoving.

Too still.

I turned toward him.

“You did that.”

He didn’t deny it.

“You needed to see.”

“See what?!”

My voice cracked, panic slipping through.

For the first time since the journey began—

he looked at me.

Fully.

Directly.

“You were never just a visitor.”

The words hit harder than anything I had seen.

My hands trembled.

“What am I then?”

Silence filled the space between us.

Heavy.

Unavoidable.

Then he answered.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Like something he couldn’t take back.

“Something they’ve been waiting for.”

Outside, the mountains darkened.

The road narrowed.

The air thickened.

And in that moment—

I understood something that made my chest tighten.

This journey back home…

wasn’t just a journey.

It was a path.

And I had already stepped too far in to turn back.

✨ End of Part 2

When It Finally Reaches Out

The car didn’t stop.

Even after I woke up.

Even after the dream.

Even after the truth started to feel too close.

I leaned back slowly, trying to steady my breathing.

But something had changed.

Not outside.

Inside me.

The air felt different.

Sharper.

Louder in a way I couldn’t explain.

Like the world had layers… and suddenly—

I could hear more than one.

“Why me?”

The question came out quietly.

Barely above a whisper.

He didn’t answer immediately.

His hands remained steady on the steering wheel.

Eyes forward.

Focused.

“You were there before.”

My head snapped toward him.

“What?”

His jaw tightened slightly.

Like he had said more than he intended.

“You’ve been there before,” he repeated, softer this time.

A strange chill ran through me.

“That place… the door?”

He didn’t confirm.

But he didn’t deny it either.

And somehow—

that was worse.

🌫️ SOMETHING RETURNS

The sky darkened faster than it should have.

Clouds rolled in like something unseen was pulling them together.

The road narrowed as we entered another stretch of mountain.

Chami was still asleep.

Too still.

Too quiet.

Then—

I felt it.

A shift.

Not in the car.

Not in the road.

But… above us.

My eyes slowly lifted toward the windshield.

Toward the mountain ahead.

And there—

it stood again.

The shadow.

But this time…

it wasn’t far.

It was closer.

Much closer.

Its shape was clearer now.

Too tall.

Too long.

Arms that didn’t match any human form.

A body that bent in ways it shouldn’t.

And its head—

tilted.

Looking.

At me.

My chest tightened instantly.

“It’s here…”

My voice trembled.

He didn’t ask what.

He already knew.

“I know.”

The car slowed slightly.

Not abruptly.

Controlled.

Careful.

“Don’t look at it too long,” he said.

Too late.

Because it moved.

⚠️ THE FIRST REACTION

Not toward the car.

Not toward him.

Toward me.

The moment my eyes locked onto it—

the air inside the car shifted violently.

The windshield blurred.

The sound dropped.

Like everything had been pulled underwater.

And suddenly—

I wasn’t just seeing it.

I could feel it.

A pressure in my chest.

A pull.

Deep.

Unnatural.

“Chembi.”

His voice cut through.

Closer now.

Stronger.

“Don’t let it pull you.”

“I—I can’t—”

My hand lifted on its own.

Reaching.

Not toward him.

Toward the windshield.

Toward it.

🔥 SOMETHING AWAKENS

And then—

it happened.

Something inside me snapped open.

A surge.

Warm.

Bright.

Powerful in a way that terrified me.

Words slipped from my lips without thought—

“Bismillah…”

The pressure exploded outward.

The shadow recoiled.

Violently.

The air rushed back into the car.

Sound returned.

The world snapped into place.

And the thing—

was gone.

💔 AFTERMATH

My hand dropped.

My body trembled uncontrollably.

“What… was that…?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

But this time—

his grip on the wheel tightened.

“That,” he said slowly,

“is why they’re waiting for you.”

I turned to him, still shaking.

“What do you mean they?”

Silence.

Then—

for the first time—

his voice lost its calm.

Just a little.

“More than one is watching now.”

🌫️ THE TRUTH STARTS BREAKING

The road ahead darkened again.

But this time…

it wasn’t just night.

It felt like something was closing in.

From all sides.

And then—

the radio turned on by itself.

Static.

Loud.

Sharp.

Then a voice.

Distorted.

Layered.

Not human.

“You shouldn’t have woken her.”

My blood ran cold.

I slowly turned toward him.

His expression—

had changed.

Not calm anymore.

Serious.

Dangerously serious.

🔥

The voice continued—

right inside the car.

“Now she remembers faster.”

A pause.

Heavy.

Then—

“Open the door.”

The engine suddenly jerked.

The car shook violently.

And for a split second—

right in front of us—

the road disappeared.

✨ END OF PART 3