On December 21, 2024, the Armageddon incident occurred—a global catastrophe that plunged the world into chaos.
A phenomenon known as monstarization caused approximately 80% of the human population to transform into mindless, savage monsters.
They hunted and killed anyone they encountered, regardless of age—elderly, adults, or even infants.
During that time, Badang and Badrul did their best to help the surviving villagers escape to the emergency shelter hall.
Even though they knew the monsters were strong and could kill them at any moment, they still braved the dangers, going in and out of the shelter to save as many lives as possible.
Their bravery impressed Tok Hussein, who was proud of both his sons—especially Badrul, who had now grown into a person far better than he once was.
In the end, Badang, Badrul, assisted by Samar, Jinn, Atan, and Abu, successfully saved half of the village population from the monsters' rampage.
They all took refuge in the protection hall.
Several injured villagers were treated by Nisa and other volunteers.
Badrul stood by the window, watching the situation outside.
The monsters were no longer rampaging—instead, they were merely wandering aimlessly, as if they had lost their purpose.
A thought emerged in his mind. A crazy idea.
He immediately called Badang, Samar, Jinn, Atan, and Abu.
"Why did you call us, Badrul?" asked Jinn, confused.
"Look outside," Badrul said.
They all pulled back the curtain covering the window and stared at the now-docile monsters.
"I have a plan."
"What is it?" Badang asked in a whisper.
"Find anything in this hall that can be used as a weapon," Badrul ordered.
"I will try to kill all the monster outside."
"Have you lost your mind??!" Samar shouted, startled.
His voice echoed through the hall, catching Nisa's attention as she was tending to a wounded villager in the far corner.
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Badrul whispered sharply.
"Can you not do something stupid this time?!" Samar hissed, furious. To him, Badrul's plan was reckless—suicidal even.
"Just hear me out, Ok?" Badrul replied calmly.
"I'm not asking you to fight the monsters… I only need you to arm yourselves. If my plan fails, at least you'll be ready to protect everyone in here."
He paused, then added with quiet intensity,
"My plan is simple—I'm going to make those monsters kill each other."
"What?" Abu blinked, stunned.
"You saw it yourselves—they never attack one another," Badang said, eyes narrowing.
"That's exactly why…" he continued, a faint smile tugging at his lips,
"…I'll create a situation that forces them to turn on one another."
"How the hell are you going to do that?" Atan asked, clearly unconvinced.
"Hehe…" Badrul chuckled under his breath and leaned in close, whispering the details of his insane plan to them.
When he finished, there was silence.
Before he could leave, Badang grabbed his arm firmly.
"Badrul… are you really sure about this?"
Badrul turned to face his brother, meeting his gaze with steady determination.
"If it's for the safety of everyone here… then yes—I'm willing to risk my life."
Without another word, he slipped through the back door of the shelter and stepped out with courage and confidence..
One of the monsters was nearby, staggering aimlessly in the half-light.
With careful steps, Badrul approached it, gripping a length of wood in his hands.
And then—without hesitation—he struck.
The monster turned, locking eyes with Badrul behind it. Taunting.
"Hey, you ugly motherfucker! I'm right here!" Badrul shouted, lifting his middle finger toward the creature.
With a thunderous roar, its eyes blazed crimson. It charged at him with terrifying speed—pure rage in every stride.
Luckily, Badrul managed to dodge just in time. If he had been a moment slower, the monster would have torn him apart.
He sprinted with every ounce of strength he had, his breath ragged, heart pounding. Behind him, the enraged monster thundered in pursuit.
He darted toward another monster nearby. Without slowing down, he hurled a large rock straight at its head.
The rock struck its mark.
The second monster shrieked in fury, its focus shifting. Now, two of them were chasing Badrul—just as he had planned.
But before he could take his next step, another monster burst out from the shadows ahead.
Without warning, it struck.
Cornered.
Badrul barely managed to evade the attack, but not without consequence—the monster's claw raked across his back, tearing deep wounds into his flesh.
He cried out in pain, but he didn't stop.
"Hang in there, Badrul!" he muttered through clenched teeth.
Blood streamed down his back, but his will burned brighter than the agony coursing through him.
The time has come.
One of the monsters lunged at him again.
Badrul leapt.
He caught the shoulder of the second monster, using it as a platform. With one final push, he kicked backward—soaring higher in the air just as the first monster's strike came crashing through.
The monster is to fast to stop, blind with rage to notice—its deadly blow landed squarely on the monster in front of it.
A guttural howl ripped through the air. The beasts collided in a violent tangle of fury and claws, turning on each other with unrelenting violence.
The deafening roars reached the ears of those sheltering inside the hall.
"Badrul…" Badang whispered, worry etched into every syllable of his brother's name.
With a roar of rage, the hit monster sprang at the assailant.
The two monster were suddenly tearing into one another, biting, clawing, and punching with unrelenting savagery.
There was brutal scene happening.
Confusion and unfocused rage drew nearby monsters into the conflict. They started attacking one another one by one.
Horrible roars reverberated through the night, blood spattered the ground, and flesh was torn to shreds.
As he had hoped, Badrul's plan had succeeded. A bloody, uncontrollable slaughter had broken out as the monsters had turned against one another.
With his heart racing, Badrul watched from behind the bushes, hoping he wouldn't have to join in the violence he had just unleashed.
Blood soaked the ground, screams erupted, and the monsters fell one by one.
Minutes went by.
Silence returned slowly to the night. All that was left was the sound of Badrul's labored breathing and his quiet moans of agony.
One monster remained alive in front of him, kneeling in a pool of blood, its body ripped and shaky, its eyes half-lidded with fatigue.
Badrul exhaled deeply. He picked up a with a sharp tip from the bushes, and held it in his hand. He walked with a heavy, slow, but sure gait.
He came to a halt directly in front of the creature and fixed it with his gaze.
"Let me end your suffering," he said in a quiet, nearly whispery voice.
With a clenched jaw and aching heart, Badrul raised the branch high into the air—and with one final, powerful thrust—he ended the monster's life.
Silence fell.
Inside the shelter hall, Badang and Samar grew restless. It had been nearly thirty minutes since Badrul left.
Still… no sign of him.
The bushes in front of the shelter began to rustle.
Something was scuttling out of the shadows as the leaves shifted violently.
Samar and Badang tensed instantly.
Their hearts thumped in time with their weapons, a thick wooden stick and a machete, which they held tightly in their hands.
But as soon as they saw the figure emerge from the bushes, the tension vanished.
It was Badrul.
Even though his steps were unsteady and his shirt was covered in blood, he still had that sly smile on his lips.
"What's this? aiming weapons at your hero?" He made a feeble joke.
Before either of them could respond, Badrul's body gave out.
He fell forward, right into Badang's arms, who had run to the doorway to grab him.
Badang carefully and quickly hoisted his seriously injured brother and hurried him into the shelter.
"Badrul!"
When Nisa saw him, her eyes widened in surprise, and she let out a cry.
Without a second's hesitation, she rushed to his side. With her hands shaking, she knelt next to him and started to treat the deep cuts on his back.
The sight of so much blood was overwhelming, and her eyes glistened with tears as she attempted to stop the bleeding.
Badang held his brother's hand tightly while he sat.
People questioned how Badrul could have been so seriously hurt.
Badang spoke in a heavy voice.
"Badrul went outside to killed every monster…"
"… for us."
There was silence in the hall. Everyone gazed in wonder at Badrul. Nobody had anticipated that the boy who had once been viewed as a troublemaker would end up saving them.
When Badrul finally regained consciousness, The villagers welcomed Badrul with smiles and sincere expressions of gratitude . They gathered around him, looking respectfully and appreciatively into his face.
Badrul merely grinned a little.
After that day, he was treated very differently by others. No more critical looks, no more whispers behind his back. His sacrifice appeared to atone for his past wrongdoings.
Badrul was now revered for his courage rather than any title.
When Tok Hussein informed Badang and Badrul that one of them will be appointed as the village chief, Badrul remained silent. He no longer wished for anything in return. What mattered to him now was helping those in need.
Badrul was even willing to do something risky —such as building a wall around the village that was three meters high and going to the local police station to get weapons for self-defense.
Because of that, Nisa's affection for Badrul only grew stronger as he made sacrifice after sacrifice.
She recalled to their first encounter, when Badrul's expression was one of pure grief and intense loneliness. He was just a shadow, aimlessly wandering back then.
That shadow was now a ray of hope for the whole village.
One day, Badrul asked Nisa to meet him at the field by the shelter hall.
They took a seat on the old wooden bench by the field, the same bench that had silently observed their first meeting. Even though the paint was flaking, the memories were still clear.
Nisa looked at Badrul, a little confused.
"Why did you ask me to come here?"
"Nothin'. I just want to hang out with you. That's all." In an attempt to sound informal, Badrul answered.
"So, why didn't you ask Samar instead?" Half smiling, Nisa teased.
"Well... Samar is ve~ry busy with other matters. That's why… I couldn't ask him to hang out… Haha…" In an attempt to conceal his uneasiness, Badrul scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile.
"Oh..." Nisa answered quietly.
Suddenly, their atmosphere became awkward. Their hearts were beating faster than normal, even though the soft evening breeze was blowing through their hair. When they realized they were alone, their faces flushed.
Nisa tried to break the silence.
"You know..."
"Hm?" Badrul faced her.
"… At first, I didn't think there was anything special when I first saw you."
"I always thought that you were just a naughty kid who enjoyed stirring up trouble."
"Eh…" Badrul gave Nisa a sullen glance as he wondered where the conversation was headed.
"But..." Nisa went on in a quiet but assured voice.
"the more I know about you... I began to feel... I want to be the one who make you smile."
"I've always relied on my intuition in life. And most of the time, my intuition isn't wrong…"
"So... Badrul…"
She slowly stood up from the old bench, then stood in front of Badrul.
Her face was bathed in the golden sunlight of dusk, revealing a gentle yet sharp smile.
With steady steps, Badrul stood and slowly approached Nisa. The twilight still bathed their faces, colouring the moment with a warmth that was hard to describe.
"Nisa… actually, I asked you to meet me this evening because there's something I need to say."
Nisa raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Hm?"
Badrul took a deep breath, trying to calm the pounding in his chest.
"I… I've always wanted to thank you and Samar. Because you both came into my life.
"I'm grateful… because you were willing to reach out your hands when I was sinking into darkness. You pulled me out and showed me that life still had meaning."
He paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on Nisa, who was now silent too, listening to every word that came from the depths of his heart.
"Most of all… I want to thank you…"
"… because you made me feel happiness, even if it's just through your presence…"
"So…"
With a flushed face and a trembling voice, Badrul finally voiced something he had held in for so long.
"I hope… I can make you happy as long as I live!"
His words lingered in the air, as if time itself had stopped.
Badrul lowered his gaze, embarrassed with his confession. He didn't dare look at Nisa's face. But then, he heard a soft sob.
He looked up—and his heart trembled.
Tears were streaming down Nisa's cheeks. Her face was flushed. Badrul start panicking.
"Nisa… did I say something wrong? I—I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you cry. If you don't feel the same, it's okay, I understand, I won't be angry—"
Before Badrul could finish, Nisa slowly shook her head.
Badrul felt an overwhelming joy. His heart leaped with happiness, but he tried to control himself because he didn't want to appear insane in front of Nisa, especially during this beautiful moment that can happen only one time.
As the golden light of dusk gradually disappeared from the sky, they carried on their light conversation, grinning and laughing quietly.
"Badrul… I'm heading home now, okay?"
"All right. Be careful."
In that location, at the old wooden bench where their bond had first formed, they parted ways. In their hearts, They both wished that time would stop, even for a split second.
Though the encounter was short, they were grateful… because they had finally confess the feelings they had long kept hidden.
However...
Beneath that happiness, a dark shadow lurked.
Someone was watching from behind a tree, far from their line of sight. A pair of eyes, burning with jealousy and resentment, stared at them with growing fury.
And it was that very feeling…
That would become the beginning of the dark tragedy that was about to befall the village.