Melati watched in disbelief as Aman tore through the abandoned cafeteria, grabbing whatever food he could find and stuffing it into his mouth. He moved with a kind of desperation, like a starving animal finally let off its leash. She sat silently, observing him. The guy had a huge appetite that much was obvious. He didn't even try to cook properly. He simply boiled the leftover rice, vegetables, and a piece of dried fish, threw in some salt, and declared it a meal. And yet, from the way he devoured it, it must have tasted like heaven.
After finishing, Aman guzzled water straight from several mugs lying around. When one mug emptied, he casually tossed it aside and picked another without hesitation. Everything here was abandoned, after all. It was a miracle the British hadn't destroyed the place. Then again, Melati thought bitterly, the British were notorious for their scorched earth tactics. If something risked falling into Japanese hands, they wouldn't hesitate to burn it down, even if it meant locals got caught in the fire.
Melati finally looked at the food Aman had left for her. Slowly, with restrained hunger, she began to eat. She was starving, yes, but she refused to act like a savage. Despite everything, Aman hadn't hurt her. Not yet. She knew he could get violent when things didn't go his way, but so far, he had kept his temper in check.
She shoved a spoonful into her mouth and winced. "Salty," she whispered.
Aman stood up, walking into what was left of the kitchen. He rifled through drawers and cabinets before pulling out a rusted knife. Without a word, he slipped it into his sling bag. He also took a few cans of preserved food, stuffing them beside the knife.
When he returned, he approached Melati and handed her something.
She stared at it. Her eyes widened. "What?"
It was a pistol
a sidearm Aman had stolen from a guard earlier.The one Aman kill in that basement.
"Just take it," Aman said flatly. "I already have mine. You're not gonna shoot me, are you?"
"No... no," Melati replied quickly. Her voice shook. She was afraid of him. He was unpredictable. In her eyes, Aman was a savage not in appearance, but in how he acted. If something didn't work out, he'd use brute force first. Thinking came after.
That's how she saw him.
"Actually, who are you?" she asked, her voice soft but steady.
Aman looked at her and slowly sat down across from her. There was something off in his eyes a glimmer of something unstable. Then he said, with a twisted half smile, "Unfortunate."
...
The Major adjusted the binoculars and surveyed the skyline ahead. There it was the capital of Malaya.
He hadn't even bothered to link his detachment with the main division. He didn't care. Coordination was a bureaucrat's game. His men were eager. Kuala Lumpur was ripe for the taking, and the next target, Singapore, was just within reach.
Reports had been clear the British were retreating, shifting most of their forces south to defend Singapore. Other reports detailed scorched earth operations burned bridges, destroyed depots, sabotaged rail lines. The British were determined to leave nothing useful behind.
That was a problem. Japanese command encouraged its armies to live off the land, but with so much of Malaya destroyed, supplies would have to be rerouted from Thailand.
The captain beside him broke the silence. "She ran away. No one managed to catch her. And she took a weapon and some supplies. What now?"
The Major grinned without looking away from the binoculars. "Don't worry. Knowing her... she's headed the same place we are." He pointed to the city.
...
Mei Lian pedaled furiously along the half destroyed road, her legs burning from the effort. Strapped to her back was an Arisaka rifle, its length wrapped tightly in cloth to avoid suspicion. A Nambu pistol was holstered at her waist. Her backpack was filled with essential tools, food rations, and a small map she had marked with charcoal. All she learn from watching Aman it actually becaming useful now.
She wanted to arrive in the city before the Japanese did.
She had done something today she didn't need to. She could've avoided it. But Aman might be there. And Mei Lian... she had a feeling.
A memory flashed in her mind last night, something she wished she could forget.
The Major. That sadistic, cruel officer. He didn't just lead criminals he controlled them. And to control men like that, you had to be worse than them.
He was. That monster didn't just let them act like animals. He encouraged it.
She shook her head, forcing the memory back into its cage.
After an hour of pedaling, the city came into view. She rolled past a checkpoint abandoned and into the outskirts.
"Already in the city, huh? That didn't take long... but something's wrong," she murmured.
There were people, but no order. No soldiers. Not many locals either. Just scattered groups and panicked crowds trying to push their way onto evacuation trucks.
The scene reminded her too much of Jitra.
She didn't want to remember it.
Her mother had died waiting for her. She'd told her to get on the truck. Mei Lian had hesitated. And by the time she got back, the truck was gone. Her mother, too.
Mei Lian bit her thumb, blood beading on the skin. The pain grounded her.
She looked down at the rifle slung across her back, then at the desperate crowd. She didn't care anymore about the people trying to flee. Not now. All she could think was: Aman might be here. He wouldn't leave me. Right?
Maybe she was just lying to herself. Gaslighting herself into hope.
She turned away after seeing a mother and her teenage son pushed to the ground by others trying to force themselves onto a departing truck. The helplessness in their eyes made something twist in her chest, but she kept walking.
Around the corner, she spotted something odd.
A car. A Malay man was tinkering with the engine.
A Malay with a car? In this chaos?
She approached carefully.
The man noticed her and chuckled. "What, a child now? You going to tell me you're thirteen? I met someone like you just yesterday."
Mei Lian frowned. "Weird thing to say to a stranger."
Her eyes fell on the vehicle. "Ford Prefect, huh? How'd you manage to get your hands on that?"
The man smirked. "You know cars? What are you, the daughter of a Chinese tycoon or something?"
She hesitated, then replied calmly, "No. I just like cars. That's all. I'm an orphan, actually. What's your name? I'm Mei Lian."
The man looked at her, his expression softening. "An orphan, huh? War really rots everything. I'm Rahman. And I'm getting the hell out of here in three hours."
They shared a brief smile fragile, but real.
...
Back near the front of the gate, Aman crouched low, watching the gate from which they'd escaped.
"Huh. We just pulled off the easiest prison break in history," he muttered with a half laugh.
Melati followed him, her eyes flicking back toward the abandoned facility.
Her mind was still reeling. Everything moved too fast. One moment a prisoner, the next a fugitive armed with a pistol.
"Where now?" she asked.
Aman didn't answer immediately. He looked up at the sky.
"Well city center of course. That's where we head next. Lot of people. Chaos. It's easier to disappear."
"What if they find us?"
"Then we shoot first. Simple. Plus nobody searching us they abandoned everything they didn't care prisoner like us."
Melati flinched at his answer.
But she followed.
Because the world was falling apart, and following a savage with a plan was still better than wandering alone in the ruins of a dying colony.