Hasan was still sitting casually near Post 1, finishing his last cigarette while enjoying the mountain scenery stretching out before him. Thin wisps of smoke curled from his lips before slowly disappearing into the evening breeze.
Meanwhile, Keenan was watching Laras, Tissa, and Alya as they rested after their long journey.
Not long afterward, a long-haired man approached him.
"Hey, Keenan! Do you still remember me? Rico, the guy who once climbed Mount Ageung with Hasan."
Keenan turned around. For a moment, he seemed to be thinking before finally recognizing the man standing in front of him.
"Rico?!"
The man nodded with a broad smile.
"Damn! How could I ever forget you?" Keenan chuckled. "Unless you shaved all your hair off, maybe then I wouldn't recognize you!"
The two of them laughed, as though reminiscing about their old climbing adventures.
However, Rico's attention was soon diverted.
His gaze shifted toward the three women standing not far away. He looked at Laras, Tissa, and Alya one by one. Without realizing it, the corners of his lips curled into an admiring smile.
Damn, they're all gorgeous.
No wonder Hasan has so many female friends. Even his friends are beautiful.
Rico's gaze eventually settled on a woman wearing a gray jacket.
Especially the girl in the gray jacket. She's so pretty. Those dimples make her even more attractive.
The woman he was referring to was Laras.
While Laras wore a gray jacket, Tissa and Alya looked coordinated in their blue jackets.
"By the way, where have you been all this time? It's been ages since we last met," Keenan asked.
"Same old stuff. I've just been busy."
Keenan nodded before gesturing toward the three women nearby.
"Oh, right. Let me introduce you. These are my college friends. The one wearing the gray jacket is Laras. Next to her is Tissa, and the last one is Alya."
Rico nodded politely.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Rico."
The three women greeted him warmly, although Rico seemed a little awkward.
Not long afterward, Hasan finished his cigarette. He stood up, disposed of the cigarette butt properly, and returned to his friends.
A few minutes later, Riki and Rengga arrived. Before joining the group, they had stopped by a small food stall near Post 1 to grab something to eat.
The previously quiet atmosphere was once again filled with casual conversation.
"San," Rico called, tapping Hasan on the shoulder. "Mind if I join you guys on the climb?"
Hasan turned toward him, raising an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Rico grinned and glanced briefly at Laras.
"I figured I could get to know Laras a little better, hehehe."
Hasan fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Oh, I get it! You've got a crush on one of those three girls, don't you? You little playboy!"
"What the hell! Can't I just get to know someone?"
"Sure, sure. It's just your excuse that's suspicious."
Rico merely chuckled.
Hasan then patted Keenan on the shoulder, as though he had just remembered something.
"Hey, Rico happens to be climbing Mount Srinjani alone, so he asked if he could join us. It'll be nice to have an extra pair of hands to help carry our gear and look after the girls."
He then pointed at Rico with an exaggeratedly proud expression.
"Besides, this guy is my twin brother!"
Rico immediately turned toward him with a sharp look.
"Since when did we become twins?"
"Since we both have long hair and we're both handsome!" Hasan replied casually. "Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
After introducing Riki and Rengga to Rico, they finally agreed to continue the climb together.
With Rico joining them, their group now consisted of eight people.
None of them realized that this simple decision would bring them closer to something far more terrifying than any mountain legend.
────────
The Journey to Post 2
At 3:50 p.m., they began leaving Post 1 behind.
The journey to Post 2 was expected to take around an hour, including several breaks. At first, the trail was relatively manageable. However, the farther they went, the more challenging the terrain became.
Tall trees towered over the trail, blocking much of the evening sky. Tree roots stretched across the ground, while large rocks forced them to watch their steps carefully.
The increasingly steep slopes gradually drained their energy.
Their breathing grew heavier. Sweat covered their faces, and the backpacks hanging from their shoulders seemed to grow heavier with every step.
However, among all the members of the group, Rico was experiencing something different.
Ever since they had left Post 1, he had sensed a strange presence following them.
At first, he thought the feeling was simply a result of the forest growing darker. But as time passed, the sensation that something was watching them from behind the trees became increasingly intense.
Something ordinary people could not see.
Rico was no ordinary hiker. He had possessed what many people called a sixth sense for as long as he could remember. He could sense and sometimes even see the presence of supernatural beings invisible to the naked eye.
And at that moment, his instincts told him they were not alone.
Rico slowed his pace. His eyes scanned the trees along the trail, searching for the source of the uneasiness that had been bothering him.
But there was nothing.
Only closely packed tree trunks and shadows slowly stretching across the forest floor.
Finally, he decided to ask a question.
"Guys, I want to ask you something."
The group slowed down slightly.
"Is any one of you currently on your period?"
The question made the three women exchange confused glances.
Laras frowned. Tissa looked puzzled, while Alya raised her head with an incredulous expression.
"Why are you suddenly asking that?" Laras asked.
Rico did not answer immediately. Instead, he glanced behind them, toward the trail they had just passed.
"Something has been watching us since earlier."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"What?" Rengga turned around.
Rico swallowed nervously before continuing.
"I don't know what it is. But if any of you is on your period, we should head back now. We're still close enough to the trail leading down. I don't want anything bad to happen."
Laras immediately grew anxious.
Her thoughts went straight to Alya, who had promised to take menstrual delay medication before the climb.
She hurried over to her friend.
"Alya, could you be the one who's on your period?"
Alya quickly shook her head.
"I don't know. Why?"
"Come with me for a moment. Let's make sure. I'm worried the medication you took earlier might not have worked."
Without waiting for a further response, Laras took Alya to a more secluded spot to check her condition.
A few moments later, they returned.
It turned out that Alya was not menstruating.
Tissa had already had her period at the beginning of the month, too.
That meant none of the three women was currently menstruating.
So, what exactly had Rico seen?
Or perhaps his question had never really been about their condition in the first place.
Alya let out an irritated sigh.
"I think he's just trying to get attention. None of us is on our period. Honestly, this long-haired guy is just making everything complicated!"
They gathered again on the trail.
Laras explained what she and Alya had checked, confirming that neither of them was menstruating. Tissa confirmed the same.
Alya then turned toward Rico with an annoyed expression.
"What is wrong with you, Rico? Don't scare us like that! Who exactly is supposed to be watching us? We're here to hike, not to make friends with whatever you're talking about!"
Her words left several people silent.
Rengga immediately turned toward Alya with a sharp look.
"Al, you have every right to be annoyed with Rico, but please watch what you say."
His voice sounded more serious than usual.
"From the beginning, Keenan warned us not to say careless things before coming here. I don't want something to happen to us because of something we shouldn't have said."
Alya fell silent.
Although she was still annoyed, she did not argue any further.
Keenan then took over the conversation.
"That's enough. Let's keep moving. We can't let it get too late. We need to start setting up our tents at Post 3 before six in the evening."
He looked at each member of the group.
"Now, everyone calm down. We have to stick together and look out for one another. Nobody walks alone."
With that, Keenan resumed climbing.
Riki, Tissa, Laras, Alya, and Rengga followed behind him. Meanwhile, Hasan and Rico took up the rear as the sweepers, the hikers responsible for making sure no one was left behind.
Before continuing, Rico glanced back one more time.
His eyes searched the dark gap between the trees.
For a moment, he thought he saw something moving behind a massive tree trunk.
Something far too tall to be human.
But when he tried to get a better look, the figure had already disappeared.
Rico quickly turned away.
He did not want to frighten the others any further.
At least, not yet.