Hendra was stunned to find Markurius's body. Not only the contents of his stomach were unraveled. Even now the poor young man's body is only half because the leg to his waist is gone.
The motorized motorboat of the company is now lying on his back under a tree. There were footprints all around the place like they came from the riverbank.
Lusia moved away a few meters because she could not stand it. Only Hendra stared for a while, then took a pile of dry leaves to heap on Martinus's messy-looking body. "Jeez ... it looks like a wild animal that ate Martinus' body ..." he hissed. He then rushed to the riverbank, where the motorboat was moored.
"Can you drive the motorboat, Hen?" Asked Lusia.
"Yes, but the distance is only five meters. After that, I do not know what to hit," said Hendra bluntly. He was confused because he never once operated water transportation.
"Jeez!" Lusia glared. "So we can't go home, please!"
"In a moment, I'll try again. Who knows I can suddenly ..." Hendra looks smiling. He quickly stepped into the motorboat, while guiding Lusia. The young man seemed less affected by the predicament they were in. The experience while working with Uncle Doni with all kinds of pressures made him accustomed to dealing with confusing things.
And it was Lusia who was the most worried. He looked glared. "If it crashes then what? Our motorboat is overturned. Then it plunges into the river, then we are eaten by crocodiles ..."
"You just want that, I don't want it," Hendra laughed. He casually started the boat motor starter.
"Hen ...!" Lusia warned worried. He saw Hendra let go of the fastening rope and then sat back in the driver's seat.
The motorboat slid slowly leaving the forbidden area. Hendra was a little nervous, but he didn't want to add to the girl's fear of the situation they were in, so he pretended he could.
"Choose to fall into the river or choose to live in the haunted forest, Luis?" Hendra teased when he saw that the girl was just silent when the motorboat rolled off.
"There aren't any good choices," said Lusia, looking around. Again, he doubts whether Hendra knows the way home or not.
The forest on the banks of the river that they were traversing seemed to be getting thicker with bigger trees. Hendra furrowed his brows. The feeling he is following the right path is by the path taken by the previous motorist.
The little river was meandering. On either side of the river consists of dense trees interspersed with stumbling blocks, a kind of small building where the bones of relatives who died for the Dayak tribe are kept.
Lusia felt her heart uncertain. The trip with Hendra, which he thought was fun, turns out to be something that is worrying.
"You sure this is our way back to base camp, Hen?" Lusia's doubts became even more intense. He could see that the condition of the forest they were crossing was getting wilder. "Hen ... this is not ben ...."
"Never mind, Luis! I'm trying to find a way out! If this is the wrong path, I turned ...." Hendra cut in. He also looked tense because the river area was not the area they were passing through.
Hendra lowered the speed of the motorboat. He looked around with a wary gaze.
Not only thickets of the forest, but also other strange sights such as the many black shadows standing between the trees. The faces were not clear. But everything is facing them.
"Uhhh .... what is that ?!" Lusia stared.
Hendra immediately turned around. Slowly the motorboat turned around.
Lusia continued to stare at the black shadows between the trees. The number is multiplying. Some of them even started walking slowly to the riverbank, some even threw themselves in and swam toward them.
"Oh, Hen! Getaway!" Lusia screamed in panic.
Hendra increased the speed of the motorboat he was driving, taking the opposite direction from the route they had originally taken.
The high-speed water transportation snakes along the tributaries in the forbidden land area. Hendra seems to be getting used to the company's vehicles.
On the way, Hendra said excitedly. "It's true what my father said first. We often do not realize the abilities that exist in us. But that ability will appear when we are in a state of urgency!"
He continued insanely twisting the watercraft as it crossed the river.
When passing the forbidden land border area, Lusia still saw the boundary mark in the form of iron pillars wrapped in yellow cloth.
But what made him dumbfounded was that among the tree trunks he saw a huge deer with pronged horns standing on the bank of the river, looking their way.
"Tame deer ...!" Lusia shouted while waving her hand. He turned to Hendra. "The deer has saved me, he can also comfort me, I'm very grateful to him!"
"Do you want him to take him?" Hendra volunteered. He slowed down the motorboat. But Lusia immediately shook her head. "No ah! Just let him be free in the wild," replied Lusia with a wry smile.
Hendra laughed. "I can't imagine that you are raising him. Surely you have to find him grass every day to feed him, not to mention if he is sick. You have to carry him to the vet!"
"Even imagining the first one I'm already short of breath," said Lusia with a laugh.
Hendra continues to trace the river's flow, hoping to find an area that he can identify as the area they have been through, and that can be a clue that they are going in the right direction.
But again what he saw was not the area he was familiar with. All he saw was a dense forest area like before.
But....
Their motor boat crosses an area where there is only one house on the riverbank. A very simple house, almost like a hut with a roof of palm leaves.
But that's not what caught the attention of the two.
There is one other view that is quite a contrast to the view of the hut between the trees.
A white teenage girl with a beautiful face is seen trying to fetch water from the river using a roped bucket.
He stood on a small wooden bridge jutting into the river trying to reach his hand down to pick up the bucket that he accidentally dropped.
"Even though the Dayak people in the village have pretty faces, Hen ..." said Lusia.
"Wait ..." Hendra suddenly looked tense. He looked at the girl with a worried look. "Why, Hen? Do you care so much all of a sudden? Is it because she's pretty? She's your type?" Lusia. Asked in a jealous tone.
Hendra stopped his motorboat in the middle of the river. He stared fixedly at the girl. Lusia furrowed her brows.
"You see ... it looks like the child is in danger ..." hissed Hendra.
"You mean, Hen?"
"Did you see? Something in the water was approaching the girl who reached the bucket ..." Hendra pointed across the river.
Lusia followed the young man's forefinger. And he froze when he saw something slide slowly across the water across the river. Something that was sticking out jagged with an elongated shape seemed to be snaking towards the girl on the river bank.
"Jeez! That's ...."
"Crocodile! Its size is huge!" Hendra immediately replied. He pulled the gun out of his pocket with trembling hands. "We have to remind him before it's too late ..." hissed the young man. He immediately started the motorboat again towards the village girl. And waved his hand for his warning to get attention. "Get away from the river! There are crocodiles!"
The girl looked surprised when she realized there was a motorboat approaching her. He tried to stand up, but unfortunately, his foot was mistakenly stepped on, causing him to slip into the river instead.
"Oh, Hen! Jeez! He fell! Help him, Hen! Help him! Jeez !!!" Lusia screamed in panic.
Something jagged in the water seemed to break its pace towards the splashed girl who was trying to swim to the bank of the river, confused and irritated. Even now, he was only ten meters away.
"Oh, Hen! I can't see it!" Lusia gave a tense squeal again. He covered his mouth with his palms while his eyes widened.
Hendra aimed his gun with trembling hands at the long shadow in the water. "Hopefully I'm not wrong to target ..." designs.
DOOR !!!
The firearm in his hand erupted. Then the terrifying jagged object in the water seemed to writhe violently, causing ripples and turmoil, then disappeared.
The girl has made it to the river bank. He was standing by the river, his face confused and frightened. His whole body was drenched.
Hendra pulled over his motorboat and quickly jumped onto the bridge and then sprinted after the girl on the river bank.
"Hurry up to the mainland! You were almost struck by a crocodile!" Hendra stretched out his hand towards the girl.
Lusia watched from inside the motorboat. He felt reluctant to deal with the village people considering how some of them treated him. And he felt a little jealous seeing Hendra's heroic attitude towards the village girl.
Aksara