Both Bella and her friends were on different sides. Both were running. It started with a kuntilanak perched above them, to the presence of a pocong sitting on a rock they occasionally passed.
The sound of laughter made them even more terrified. But what could they do? They had to keep moving. It felt like they were going insane under such pressure.
"Bella!!!" Yono shouted as he ran, calling out her name.
"Bella!!!" Pram chimed in, shouting just as loud.
In their hearts, they hoped that Bella would hear their voices there. They were exhausted from running back and forth.
They were thirsty and hungry. Their supplies were thinning.
If their logistics ran out, it felt like there would be no hope left for them.
Humans survive because of intake. If food and drink were gone, how could they survive in this dark wilderness?
The scary figures they encountered earlier were no longer chasing them.
For an hour, they continued to run, searching for Bella's whereabouts.
Until they stopped again this time, catching their breath. Amidst their heavy breathing, Tyas froze, her eyes staring straight ahead.
Tyas tapped Pram, who was still hunched over with his hands on his hips, trying to breathe. Being tapped repeatedly by Tyas eventually made him annoyed.
"What is it, Yas?" Pram asked her.
But Tyas did not answer. She pointed ahead toward a pale-faced girl with long, dangling hair.
The girl wore a hoodie with a daypack. The shoes she wore also appeared to be hiking boots.
Yono and Pram instantly looked in the direction Tyas was pointing. That pale figure's face was uncontrollable. The skin on her hands was turning white.
"Are we running again, Mas?" Tyas asked with a crooked smile.
"I'm exhausted, you ghost!" Tyas thought to herself while staring at the figure.
Yono, who was frustrated, shook his head quickly. Not again; they wouldn't keep running.
They could die if they kept running. The drinking water they were rationing could run out instantly.
"Just leave it be! I'm already tired! Just stay quiet, besides, we aren't bothering her!" Yono said to his friends.
"Miss, whoever you are standing in front of us now. Our friend Rio is gone; your kind took him. But we, here, are innocent! So please, if possible, return Bella and us to our world. This is not our place, Miss; forgive us if we have done wrong here! We are looking for a way out!" Pram explained to the figure.
The pale girl figure then nodded. The light from the headlamp shining toward her began to flicker several times. It seemed the headlamp battery was running out.
They fell silent. Until the last flicker, their headlamps completely died. Suddenly, Tyas pulled out her phone. She turned on the flash and aimed it directly at the figure.
However, it was no longer that figure standing there. Instead, it was Bella, running toward them.
"Bella!" they exclaimed together.
An exhausted Bella crashed into Pram's body. Her head rested on Pram's shoulder, as if she were hugging him at that moment.
"Let's go!" Bella said to them.
"Are you okay, Bel?" Pram asked her.
Bella shook her head quickly. For a moment, she closed both eyes, trying to find a connection with her supernatural friends.
But her connection yielded nothing. Bella tried again, and this time, a voice spoke amidst her efforts.
"Where is that hiker ghost?" Bella asked, opening her eyes and looking at her friends.
"How do you know about that?" Yono asked her in surprise.
Bella had just arrived, and those who saw the figure earlier were only the three of them, without Bella.
"I'll explain later once we get out of here!" Bella said.
They nodded. They chose to walk again this time. Until a bright light far ahead of them startled them. Not only were they startled, but they were also happy. They thought it was their way out.
With joy, they ran toward it. Their faces, dirty and full of dust, brightened. But when they almost reached it.
Cursed, truly cursed! Once again, these spirits were playing with them. A large Banaspati flew upward. Seeing that, they immediately turned around and ran as fast as they could to escape.
After running quite far, the Banaspati was no longer chasing them; it vanished instantly. And at that moment, in her exhaustion, Bella saw the hiker ghost.
She stood there, a bit far from them. The ghost stared at Bella. But this time, only Bella could see her while the others could not.
"She is coming!" Bella said to all her companions.
Her exhausted friends looked at Bella strangely. Who was coming? They had no idea. But Bella pointed toward the wilderness.
"She is pointing that way!" Bella said to her friends.
"Who, Bel?" Pram asked her.
"Let's just follow her!" Bella said to her friends.
Bella was tired; she didn't want to answer anything her companions asked. Essentially, her priority right now was to return to their world. The "other side" was dangerous enough to crush their mental state.
The female hiker ghost continued to show the direction to Bella, and Bella did not stop following her. Until the four of them arrived in front of a large rock.
On top of that rock was a starling watching them. As they passed the side of the rock, a cool breeze hit them again. The sky that was previously dark suddenly turned bright again.
And there stood Rachel, Cak Dika, and Marsya. They smiled at Bella, who had just arrived. Bella felt deeply moved seeing them.
Her three friends were currently crying while kneeling, immensely grateful that they could return whole.
"Cacak!!!" Bella screamed, running toward Cak Dika and hugging him.
"Why did you take so long to come!" Bella said while pulling Cak Dika's hair.
"Hey, that hurts, Dek!" Cak Dika said, wincing in pain.
"I don't care, it's your fault for being late!" Bella said while crying.
Bella released her hug and looked at Rachel and Marsya. They both smiled.
"The Gautama family is here! You can be at peace, Bel," Marsya said to Bella.
Bella only nodded, then she remembered Rio, who did not come out with them.
Cak Dika, knowing this, could only touch Bella's shoulder, trying to calm his younger sister.
"I'm sorry! He was beyond my capability," Cak Dika said.
Bella could only nod resignedly. After that whole series of events, they went back down the mountain.
Cak Dika, Bella, and their friends reported that their friend was missing. After reporting, the next morning, the SAR Team began searching for Rio.
Exactly at three in the morning, Rio was found. His body was lifeless, having fallen into a ravine. From that incident, Bella's mental state was somewhat shaken.
However, with the support of Rachel, Marsya, and Cak Dika, Bella's mental health slowly began to recover. There, she said to Cak Dika:
"Cak, I want to study my abilities more deeply," Bella said to Cak Dika.
Ah, this was a good thing for Cak Dika. Finally, his sister wanted to join him. With this, their group became four people.