Alex's Rage
Months passed, and the year changed to 2022. Alex returned to school after the New Year holiday. When he arrived in class, two of his classmates immediately approached him.
"Lex, Happy New Year!" a guy said.
"Oh yeah, Happy New Year to you too, Man," Alex replied.
"Hey, me too! Don't just greet Lukman... Happy New Year, Lex," another friend chimed in.
"Yeah... he was first, though. Happy New Year, Rian," Alex replied.
"Where did you go for the holidays, Lex?" Lukman asked.
"I just stayed at my aunt's place, didn't go anywhere," Alex answered.
"I thought you went to America. You're half-American, right?" Rian asked.
"Yeah, but America is crazy far, and besides, I don't feel like that's my home. My aunt and uncle did go there yesterday, though. I house-sat for them, hehe," Alex replied.
"Wow, by yourself? Why didn't you say anything? I could have kept you company!" Lukman exclaimed.
"Not entirely alone, their kid, Dina, was there. I felt awkward inviting a friend," Alex explained.
"Oh, Dina from the next class?" Rian asked.
"Yeah. Sometimes her boyfriend would visit too, so I'd just stay in my room, hehe," Alex replied.
"Pfft, instead of peeking? That's free entertainment!" Rian countered.
"Peeking at what? You're terrible, Yan, hahaha!" Lukman retorted.
"Oh, where's Jon?" Alex asked.
"Joni? That kid's a mess. I went to his house yesterday to return a book, and his mom said he was out with his friends. Now he hasn't shown up yet," Rian replied.
"Is he still on drugs?" Lukman asked.
"Dunno, I don't think that kid will ever recover," Rian answered.
"That's pretty bad, yeah," Alex replied.
The bell rang. All the students immediately entered the classroom and sat neatly, waiting for the teacher to arrive. Alex, Lukman, and Rian were already in class. Alex fell into thought, worried about his friend Joni. When he first started school, Joni was the one who initiated conversation with him, and they became quite close. He knew Joni had bad company; he liked to hang out with friends from the outskirts of town who were known as thugs and used drugs. He was often seen at boarding houses near the harbor. Alex remained silent and returned his attention to the lesson being explained by the teacher at the front of the class.
After School
As Alex walked towards the dormitory, he saw a large crowd of people and the flashing siren lights on a building wall. Curious, he walked toward the crowd to see what was happening. He immediately asked the man next to him,
"What's happening, sir?" Alex asked the middle-aged man beside him.
"Drug dealers got raided by the police," the man replied.
Growing more curious, Alex pushed his way through the watching crowd. When he reached the front, he saw several police officers apprehending three young men who seemed to have just been brought out of a boarding house behind him. One of the young men had been shot in the leg for trying to escape.
"Huh?"
Alex's eyes immediately widened, and his mouth fell open because he recognized the young man who had been shot in the leg and was being put into an ambulance to be taken to the hospital.
"Jon..." Alex yelled.
The young man turned, his face looking scared, but he couldn't answer Alex's call because the police pushed him into the ambulance, and after he was inside, the police officer with him immediately closed the door. Alex immediately asked where they were taking his friend, but none of the police answered him. Finally, Alex attacked and walked back to his dormitory.
That Night
As Alex lay on his bed, he opened his smartphone. In his class's group chat, the incident he had witnessed earlier that afternoon was a hot topic of conversation because Alex wasn't the only one who saw Joni being escorted by the police. He tried to search for news about it online and on social media. It turned out that the arrest incident that afternoon had indeed gone viral and was officially reported.
It was stated that the arrested dealers would be interrogated to trace the whereabouts of the drug lord where the arrested dealers worked. Unable to do anything, Alex put his smartphone down, intending to sleep. But suddenly, "Driiing... driiing," his smartphone rang. He saw Lukman calling him.
"Hello?" Alex answered the phone.
"Bro, it's bad, bro, Joni..." Lukman shouted on the phone.
"What about Joni? He was arrested, right?" Alex asked, confused.
"No, bro, you should just come here. Rian and I are at Joni's house," Lukman replied.
"Okay, I'm on my way," Alex replied.
He hung up the phone and put on his t-shirt, then he left his room and exited the dormitory. He walked a little faster towards Joni's house, which was not far from the dormitory. When he arrived, Alex was shocked to see two police officers at Joni's house talking with his mother, Lukman, and Rian. Alex went inside and saw Joni's mother sobbing hysterically. Lukman and Rian were trying to comfort her.
"What's going on, sir?" Alex asked the police.
"Are you Joni's friend?" the police asked.
"Yes, I am," Alex replied.
"Joni passed away at the hospital due to an overdose. It's suspected he was silenced by people working for the drug lord based in the warehouse area at the port. We are still conducting a thorough investigation. Hopefully, the two other individuals arrested besides Joni can provide information. Our deepest condolences," the police officer said.
"Boom!" Alex's head immediately exploded. Unconsciously, his hands clenched and trembled, his teeth immediately ground together, and large veins bulged on the sides of his forehead. His already muscular body now looked even more massive as he tightly clenched his hands. Alex turned and walked out of the house.
"Hey, Lex, where are you going?" Rian yelled.
Alex didn't answer. He opened the gate and walked out, then he walked down the road towards the port area. His steps began to quicken slightly, and he continued to increase his pace. The road he was on was already somewhat deserted because it was night. Only a few cars passed one by one. Alex's body began to emit white smoke. Slowly, his feet transformed into tiger paws. Alex ran on his feet, and his body also began to change, his tail emerged from his waist, and finally, his face became a tiger's face. "Graou," then he immediately ran using both his hands and feet like a tiger chasing its prey, its tail held high.
"Grooooar..." Alex roared, his eyes sharply fixed forward as he ran rapidly towards the port area.