Between Two Souls – Chapter 25
BAMMNN!!!......... BAMMNNN!!!!
That evening, as the sun began to set, a massive shadow emerged faintly from deep within the swampy forest. The ground trembled, the water rippled, birds flew away, and fish darted from the murky depths. Slowly, the shape revealed itself, a hulking green giant, its belly swollen, with jagged teeth and enormous eyes.
It was Buto Ijo.
"TIMUN! SHOW YOURSELF! RAAAH!!!"
The giant roared, bellowing Timun's name across the swamp.
Timun, her mother, Zero, and Rose readied themselves for battle. Each switched off the safety on their weapons. Timun dashed back upstairs, grabbing a few rocket launchers — RPGs and M72 LAW tubes. She rushed back down, bursting through the upper floor of their wooden stilt house.
"ZERO! ROSE! CATCH!" Timun shouted, throwing each of them a rocket launcher and a bag full of ammunition.
BAMMM!...... BAMMNNN!
The thunderous footsteps grew louder and closer. The tall trees cracked and fell aside as the monster pushed through them, revealing its enormous form. Buto Ijo waded into the shallower swamp water — towering even higher than the trees he had just swept aside. His massive gaze fell upon Timun and the others as they prepared to fight, but he ignored their weapons.
"SRINI! I gave you a child and made a promise! You were to give her to me — my meal — eighteen years later! And now this? You repay me with defiance? I honored my word, now honor yours! GIVE HER TO ME!"**
Buto Ijo roared, stomping closer, each step sending waves across the swamp.
Srini ran out of the house to face him once more — but Timun stopped her.
"Mom? Where are you going? NO! Let me deal with this monster!"
Her mother turned to her with gentle resolve.
"I must try to speak to him one last time. I must face the decision I made that night. If he cannot be reasoned with, then let him eat me instead. I want you to live, my child."
Before Timun could react, Mbok Srini stepped forward toward the monstrous figure.
"MOM, NO! He's nothing but a beast!"
"Oo Buto Ijo!" she cried, her voice trembling but resolute. "Please, have mercy on my daughter. She is still young, her life has barely begun. Take me instead. I have no dreams left to chase, no purpose left to live for."
Srini fell to her knees before the ravenous giant, trembling in both fear and guilt.
Rose and Zero watched carefully from behind cover, their rocket launchers at the ready. Zero turned to Rose, giving her quick, firm instructions.
"Rose, the situation's bad. Give the boat key to Timun. She has to escape. We'll hold Buto Ijo off until she's gone."
"Alright, I can handle holding him back." Rose nodded, reaching into her pocket for the key.
The towering Buto Ijo hesitated for a moment — as if considering the plea — but his rage quickly returned.
"RAHH! NO! GIVE ME TIMUN MAS! GIVE HER TO ME!"
He advanced closer and closer, his heavy footsteps shaking the swamp floor and sending ripples across the dark waters. Birds fled the trees; fish scattered beneath the surface. His massive hand reached out to grab Timun Mas.
But before he could, Timun's mother snatched the rocket launcher from her daughter's hands, shoving her back behind her. Her trembling fingers steadied the weapon as she aimed straight at the beast.
BAAMMMMMNNN!!!!!!
"ARGHHHH!!!!"
The rocket struck Buto Ijo's chest. The explosion sent mud and water spraying everywhere.
"TIMUN! RUN!"
Rose heard the desperate cry and immediately darted out of hiding, tossing the motorboat key toward the girl.
"Timun, take the boat and get out of here! We'll hold the monster off! You're the one he's after—GO!"
BAMMNNN!! BAMMNNN!!
Rose and Zero fired their rockets in unison. The projectiles slammed into Buto Ijo's torso, tearing chunks of his green flesh and exposing raw muscle, but not deep enough to reach his organs. Zero quickly realized that their RPGs and M72s wouldn't be enough to take the giant down.
Timun caught the key mid-air and sprinted toward the motorboat as fast as she could. Buto Ijo let out a furious roar, his rage amplifying as he stumbled from the explosions. Then, with a horrifying growl, he lunged forward — seizing Mbok Srini in his colossal hand.
"YOU WRETCHED OLD WOMAN!"
With monstrous strength, Buto Ijo tore her body in half. Blood and viscera splattered across the swamp. He hurled what remained of her body toward Timun.
"MOMM!!!" Timun screamed, her voice breaking through the chaos, a cry of grief that echoed across the swamp.
"AARGHHH, TIMUUUUNNNNN!!!"
BAAMNN!! BAMNNN!!
Rocket after rocket rained down upon Buto Ijo once again…
Timun had already run far from her old shack. Her face was twisted with rage as she turned back, firing wildly at the giant. Buto Ijo, who had begun to move away from the hut to chase her, was struck again by rockets launched by Rose and Zero. Enraged, the creature spun around and charged toward them, smashing through the hut and the small wooden dock.
"YOU WRETCHED INSECTS!"
The monster's massive fist slammed down onto the dock where Rose and Zero stood. The structure exploded into splinters, but they barely managed to roll away in time.
Zero quickly got back on his feet and climbed the collapsing hut. Buto Ijo tried to grab him from below, his enormous hand crashing through the roof, but Rose aimed swiftly and fired, striking the monster's hand.
"ARGHHH!! DAMN YOU!"
The beast roared in pain. Though his hand was badly damaged, it wasn't severed. Furious, he lunged straight for Rose. Rose reloaded her rocket launcher as fast as she could.
BAAMNNN!!!
The rocket shot out once more, but Buto Ijo managed to deflect it mid-air with a violent swing of his arm. Rose tried to dodge the incoming debris, but Zero had already leapt from the collapsing roof, landing right in front of the charging monster. With a guttural yell, he swung his axe and drove it deep into Buto Ijo's eye.
"MY EYE!!! ARGHHH!!!"
The giant staggered backward in agony, thrashing wildly. Zero clung to the embedded axe, pulling himself up onto the creature's head.
A: "ZERO, JUMP! NOW!"
Buto Ijo swayed to the right, about to collapse. Zero was ready to split the monster's skull in half — but at Adrien's warning, he released the axe and leapt just in time, landing hard on a small, broken platform of the dock.
The swamp erupted as Buto Ijo crashed face-first into the murky waters. The beast groaned, injured and furious. After a few moments, he clawed his way out of the bog, glaring at them with his remaining eye.
"DAMN YOU ALL! I'LL BE BACK!"
Buto Ijo turned and fled, limping toward the trees. Rose fired one last rocket, grazing his shoulder — but this time, the monster didn't retaliate. He simply ran, his massive figure vanishing into the misty forest.
Silence fell. Only the sound of bubbling mud and the faint hum of Timun's motorboat echoed through the swamp.
Rose finally exhaled.
"Well… her house is gone, but at least we managed to drive him off, right?"
Zero stood still, watching the giant's shadow disappear between the trees. His face was expressionless, but his mind was already racing, planning to kill his prey. Next time, he would kill that monster. High-penetration rockets, traps, anything it took. But first, he'd have to wait for Timun Mas to return. There were plans to make. Zero turned back toward the wreckage of the hut as smoke curled above the swamp. Zero was turning to meet Rose, but Rose stopped him before he could move farther.
"Woah, Zero — wait there. You need to be cleaned first. That green stuff from the Buto is radiative; you may tolerate radiation, but people nearby might get sick just for being close to you. You don't want that to happen, do you?"
Zero heard Rose's scolding and came back to himself. He already knew the risk, but he'd simply forgotten that others aren't like him.
"Aren't we all exposed to radiation anyway? We're outsiders, not as clean as those people inside the domes. Besides, where am I supposed to clean up?"
Rose dug into her bag, produced a spray can, and tossed it to Zero. He caught it and read the label.
"Use that on your clothes, but you must still wash them later."
........................…..
Night fully fell. Birdsong gave way to swamp silence, broken only by owl calls and the chorus of insects. Timun Mas had returned from her hiding place deep in the marsh. Rose climbed onto the shattered dock and stared at the ruins of her house. For the first time, tears ran down Timun's face — but she wiped them away; there was a vengeance to be fed.
"Zero, Rose… please help me," she whispered.
Zero and Rose helped Timun collect what remained of her mother's body. They gathered the scattered pieces and set them to cremation. The flames consumed Mbok Srini quickly — and so did Timun's burning need for revenge.
"That Buto will come back sooner or later, Timun. I can buy a high-penetration rocket launcher to kill him, but first we need to weaken him and trap him so he won't run. Do you have any ideas?" Zero asked, already planning.
Timun finished mourning and turned to Zero with cold resolve.
"A trap. I've set traps in the lake nearby. There are several snares before that, enough to weaken him before we lure him into the lake trap. And yes, I need that high-penetration rocket launcher to finish him. And thank you, Zero."
Zero immediately headed for the motorboat. He left once again, traveling outside the city of Bandung to search for and purchase a high-penetration rocket launcher. Meanwhile, Rose prepared a campfire using an old metal drum, filled it with trash, and set it ablaze. She warmed herself while heating a few canned meals over the flames. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Timun Mas sitting silently, lost in thought.
"Timun, come here! Aren't you cold over there?"
Timun Mas, still heavy with grief, slowly walked toward Rose, who was sitting by the fire. The brown jacket she wore — trimmed with fur around the collar — was still damp but beginning to dry from the swamp water that had splashed on it earlier.
"Timun, I'm sorry," Rose said quietly. "I couldn't protect your house… or your mother."
"It's alright," Timun replied softly. "It wasn't your fault. My mother made a deal with that Buto long ago so she could have a child — me — in exchange for not being eaten. She also promised that eighteen years later, I would become his meal."
Rose blinked, her curiosity piqued. She turned to Timun Mas, eyes widening.
"Huh? Wait—so today's your eighteenth birthday? Can you… tell me everything?"
Rose moved closer, standing beside Timun Mas, eager to hear her story.
.........To Be Continued.........