The morning was still dark when the huge lights of a factory lit up brightly.
The factory stood on the outskirts of Virel City, a fairly modern yet quiet town. Many well-known schools were built here, including Harapan Jaya High School.
In front of the factory gate was a large sign:
FreshTaste Food Industry
The newest instant food factory in the city.
Inside, massive machines worked with heavy mechanical sounds.
Giant metal tanks filled with thick red liquid rotated continuously.
That liquid was their newest product:
FreshTaste Instant Sauce.
A sauce said to make any dish taste far better.
A young worker stared at a machine control screen.
"Sir… the composition of the fourth ingredient is strange," he said.
The foreman standing nearby just glanced at it.
"Why?"
"It reacts differently than usual…"
The foreman sighed.
"We are on a tight production schedule. Just continue."
The worker hesitated but finally pressed the CONTINUE PRODUCTION button.
The red liquid inside the tank began spinning faster.
Suddenly…
it bubbled on its own.
As if something alive was inside it.
But the machines kept running.
No one noticed.
Bottles of sauce began rolling out on the production line.
Thousands were packaged.
Then loaded onto trucks.
That morning…
the trucks set off to deliver them across the city.
Including to schools.
Including…
Harapan Jaya High School.
Morning at School
The sun was rising.
The gates of Harapan Jaya High were crowded with students.
Some walked laughing, some were busy on their phones, and some ran, almost late.
Among the crowd walked a student with a backpack slung over one shoulder.
His name was Raka.
Raka wasn't overly studious, but he wasn't a troublemaker either. He was relaxed and easy to get along with.
He stopped in front of the gate.
"Still on time," he muttered, glancing at his watch.
Suddenly, a hand tapped his shoulder from behind.
"HEY."
Raka turned.
It was Bima, his best friend since 10th grade.
Bima smiled widely.
"I thought you'd be late again."
Raka shrugged.
"Almost."
They walked into the school together.
In the courtyard, some students played basketball before the bell rang.
Under a tree near the garden, a few girls chatted.
One of them was Luna.
She had long hair and was well-known for being smart and friendly.
Bima glanced at them.
"Hey, that's Luna."
Raka chuckled softly.
"You go over there."
"It's not like I like her," Bima replied, nudging him.
"Forget it," Raka said.
They continued walking toward their classroom building.
The Hallway
When they reached the second-floor hallway…
the atmosphere suddenly felt different.
Some students stood in a circle, watching something.
Bima frowned.
"What's going on?"
Raka looked toward the center of the crowd.
And he knew immediately.
Bullying again.
In the middle stood a tall student named Doni.
Doni was notorious for causing trouble.
Next to him were some of his followers.
One of them… Deon.
Deon leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets.
Handsome, but with a cold expression.
In front of them was a younger student, looking terrified.
His uniform being tugged by Doni.
"Did you bump into me on purpose earlier?" Doni asked, threateningly.
"No… I didn't…"
Doni smiled sinisterly.
"Then you better apologize properly."
He pushed the student almost to the ground.
Several students just watched.
No one dared to step in.
Raka exhaled quietly.
"Here we go again," Bima whispered.
"Just leave it… the teacher will come."
And sure enough, from the end of the hallway came a teacher's voice:
"What are you all doing here?!"
The crowd quickly dispersed.
Doni released the student with annoyance.
He stared at him sharply.
"You're lucky."
Doni walked away with his group.
As they passed Raka and Bima…
Deon glanced at them.
A small smile appeared.
But there was something strange about it.
Like someone enjoying the chaos.
Classroom Atmosphere
The bell finally rang.
Students returned to their classes.
In Class XI-B, Raka sat near the window.
Bima sat behind him.
Luna was in the front row.
The math teacher entered with a thick book.
"Good morning."
"GOOD MORNING, MA'AM!"
The lesson began like any normal day.
The teacher wrote formulas on the board.
Some students took notes seriously.
Some looked like they were about to fall asleep.
Bima leaned forward.
"Raka."
"What?"
"If it's break time, let's go to the cafeteria."
"Why?"
"Word is, there's a new sauce that's trending."
Raka raised an eyebrow.
"Sauce?"
"Yeah. They say it makes all food taste amazing."
Raka chuckled.
"You believe ads way too easily."
Luna glanced slightly toward them from the front.
"If you try that sauce… don't eat too much."
Bima looked confused.
"Why?"
Luna shrugged.
"They said the ingredients are very strong."
The teacher suddenly looked their way.
"Bima, Raka. If you want to chat, please step outside."
"Sorry, ma'am."
The class settled again.
No one realized…
a few hours from now…
this school would turn into a place of horror.
Heading to the Cafeteria
Finally, the break bell rang.
Students rushed out of the classroom.
The hallways were crowded.
Bima immediately stood up.
"Let's go, cafeteria!"
Raka followed.
Luna walked out with some friends.
As they descended toward the cafeteria…
Raka spotted something on a table.
Several bottles of red sauce with new labels.
The label read:
FreshTaste Instant Sauce
The new sauce from the city's newly opened factory.
At another table…
Doni and his group were already sitting.
And in front of them…
the same student who was bullied earlier. Arif.
Doni picked up a bottle of the new sauce.
Then smiled.
"They say this sauce makes food taste even better."
Deon sat casually beside him.
His eyes scanned everyone.
And he…
smiled.
As if he knew something that no one else did.