The sun shone brightly on Malaysia, specifically, Penang. Cars drove on the streets, some stuck in long traffic jams, some on a smoother path. For once, Aidan was lucky to be more on the smoother side of things as he arrived at Penang International Airport to pick up a friend of his that is landing from The United States. Aidan took the underside of the airport as of course it was the arrivals lane. He managed to park his Proton X50 between two taxis. He pressed the start-stop button to shut off the car's engine and got out.
He lifted his hand and read the time on his watch, "10 am... I am early, " and decided to rest against the fender of his car while scrolling through his phone. An on his phone article read, "Military exercise has been taking place along the Malacca Straits. "
Suddenly an old man in rags and some foul odour coming from him came up to Aidan and said, "Young man, would you like to know your future?" Aidan, looked up, seemingly uninterested said, "No thank you."
"Come on young man, it is free." the old man continued. Aidan perked up, "Sure..." The man chuckled and said, "Even if you did give me money, it'd be no use anyway, it will sink within foul blood."
"Sure, sure old man, now tell me what my future holds," Aidan said sarcastically, thinking this old man's crazy!
"Hmm let's see, you'll be gambling-" he was interrupted by Aidan
"With money?"
"You young people, tsk! Only thinking about money! You'll be gambling your life!"
Aidan was speechless. "Such insanity!" he thought to himself, "I would never want to gamble my own life."
The old man then continued, "If you are not careful, you will perish!" that was when he probably lost a screw or two. "Perish! PERISH!" he continues to shout louder and louder. Two police officers in dark blue uniforms in the area saw Aidan's distressed look. They approached the old man and escorted him away, still shouting the same word over and over again.
"Is that your friend?" a sweet female voice asked. Turning back, Aidan saw a girl with long hair and a cute Mexican look, his friend, Diana. "Ayyy Diana! Welcome!" Aidan said happily and immediately moved in for a long hug. Moving away from the hug, Diana showed a blue cardboard bag and said, "Look what I got!" excitedly.
"A bag?" Aidan said confused
"No dummy!" she said as she pulled a bottle of wine from the bag. "Tadaa!"
"You do know it was duty-free and not just 'free' right?" Aidan jokingly said before chuckling. Diana playfully punched Aidan's shoulder and said, "Hey! I'm not dumb...... Unlike you, who failed your driver's test." jokingly with a peal of laughter.
"Hey! That was one time! And I just wanted to show off my drifting skills to my instructor..." Aidan rolled his eyes. He then opened the passenger side door to let Diana in, she sank into the comfortable leather seat. Aidan pulled Diana's luggage and put it in the trunk of his car. Then Aidan went over to the driver's side and got in. He started the car and drove off.
"In the two weeks that you are staying, I got many places to bring you, including Genting Highlands maybe," Aidan said enthusiastically as he turned on the radio. "As part of the path to the reunification of both North Korea and South Korea, BTS will hold their first concert in Pyongyang, North Korea this year." the news presenter said.
"I'm going there," Diana said with complete glee. "I already bought tickets!" to which Aidan chuckled.
The commentator continued, "Merdeka fireworks will take place at the Petronas Twin Towers at midnight tomorrow..."
"Oh yeah, tomorrow, I shall bring you to Kuala Lumpur so that we can catch the Merdeka fireworks at midnight!" Aidan merrily.
"Merdeka? What's that?" Diana asked.
"Malaysia's Independence Day. Malaysia has been independent for 65 years already since 1957."
"Ohh, sounds interesting," Diana said as she yawned.
After a while of driving, Aidan reached Air Itam, a very crowded small town in Penang, especially during the Independence Day season. Aidan managed to find a parking spot and they both got out of the car. They headed for a coffee shop, or what the locals call it, Kopitiam to let Diana try out a bowl of Penang Laksa. As their bowls reached their table, Diana started digging in without hesitation.
"Hungry much?" Aidan sarcastically said.
"And tired," Diana added.
Aidan chuckled as he ate his Laksa.
"How is your family?" Aidan asked
Diana remained silent for a short while and said, "My parents are alright." Aidan could see she was slightly sad so he didn't ask further.
Once they were done, they returned back to their car and Aidan drove to his apartment. Aidan helped her carry her luggage as they reached the elevator. Upon reaching his apartment unit, he opened the door, which led to a tidy living room and three bedrooms which were tidy as well.
"Wow, you are clean!" Diana said
"Don't be too overly excited, I tidied everything up before you came," Aidan said whilst chuckling. He then guided her to a room which had a bed and an empty closet with a portrait of Michael Schumacher in his championship-winning Ferrari F2002.
"Simple but good enough, you don't have to unpack much, we are leaving tomorrow," Aidan said to Diana. To which she nodded in return.
The next afternoon, they drove on the north-south highway to Kuala Lumpur.
"The Ro... what's that food called again?" Diana said.
"Roti Bakar, just say toast bread," Aidan replied.
"Ahh yes, Roti Bakar with whatever that brown colour spread was delicious!"
"That would be kaya spread."
They continue along the highway. Diana saw the sign that showed a rest stop in 1km.
"Could we stop for a toilet break?" She requested.
"Sure, I do want to rest from driving so long," Aidan added.
"Do you want me to drive?" Diana asked jokingly.
"Trust me, I don't want you anywhere near the steering wheel," Aidan remarked sarcastically.
Aidan pulled up at the rest stop and was lucky enough to find a spot. He parked up and both of them headed to their respective toilets. Aidan got out first and decided to head to one of the stalls that were selling assorted fruits. He decided to buy one for both of them to share.
As he returned to his car, sirens blared and loud rumbles were heard. Turning to see the highway, he saw army trucks heading south towards possibly Kuala Lumpur, there were at least 10 of them which surprised the people at the rest stop. But since it will be the Merdeka Parade in Kuala Lumpur, everyone shrugged it off. Soon, Diana returned from the toilet.
"Here are some fruits we can share," Aidan said as she handed her the box of mixed fruits.
"Is this your way of saying you want me to feed you?" Diana asked.
Aidan smirked and said, "I've been caught." as they entered the car.
"You better repay for this." Diana pouted.
As they got close to Kuala Lumpur, the news was read on the radio.
The news reporter said, "The United Nations has approved a new resolution concerning Malaysia and The United States amid the increase of military activity at the Malaysia-Thailand border, Malaysia-Singapore border and the Malaysia-Kalimantan border. The contents of this resolution are unknown and are heavily protected from the public...... "
"The government hiding things from the people, very Malaysia," Aidan said sarcastically to himself while Diana had already fallen asleep peacefully next to him. As he slowly drove into Kuala Lumpur, he nudged Diana and said, "Wakey Wakey, Princess. " teasingly.
Diana groaned and said, "Princess my ass, I don't look pretty!" expecting Aidan to deny.
"No, but Kuala Lumpur does!" Aidan continues to tease. Diana glares in return. The city slowly came into view, the Petronas Twin Towers, The Exchange 106, the Merdeka 118 and not to forget, the Kuala Lumpur Tower. The sight of the city amazed Diana. Aidan drove through the heavy traffic and managed to arrive at a homestay in an apartment.
They met up with a guy, the owner of the apartment unit.
"Mr Tan right? We talked on the phone, I'm Aidan"
"Ahh yes, here is your key to the apartment, remember, it is on the sixth floor."
He then turned to Diana and back to Aidan and asked, "She's your girlfriend?"
"No, no, just a friend." Dian cut in blushing.
"What a shame," Mr Tan added, "You two would've been good together!" and left laughing.
"Ignore him, let's head to our homestay," Aidan said, trying to hide his blush.
"it's 7 pm, I shall order pizza over so we can enjoy it while the fireworks bloom," Aidan recommended.
"Can we have roti bakar again pleaseeeee?" Diana pleaded with dog eyes.
Aidan sighed and said, "You always have your way with things..." and added Roti Bakar to the list of orders along with a bottle of Pepsi. Diana cheered in victory.
After ordering, they opened the sliding door to the balcony. The balcony had a perfect view of the Petronas Twin Towers and the balcony had a table and two rattan chairs. The sun began to set and the skies were turning orange. They sat and watch while darkness slowly covers the land.
After about half an hour, the doorbell rang. Aidan got up and went to the door. It was the delivery man.
"Maaf ya I lewat sebab ada roadblock kat sebuah shortcut." the delivery man said as he handed the food over to Aidan.
Aidan paid up and said, "Tak apa lah. Terima kasih." and slowly closed the door.
He carried the food which was in paper bags to the table on the balcony. He placed the food there and sat down. Diana immediately pulled out the pizza box and the roti bakar which was in a plastic container. She began munching on crusty bread with kaya flowing out of it. Aidan chuckled as he opened one of the pizza boxes which had pepperoni on it. As they slowly ate their food, the clock struck midnight, and the colours of the fireworks bloomed behind the Petronas Twin Towers with the scene reflected in their eyes.
By then they had finished their food and were just taking in the view. As the fireworks slowly died down, Aidan closed her eyes and fell asleep. Diana, still wide awake because of jet lag, instead took out a blanket from inside the house and placed it over Aidan. Then she wrapped herself in another blanket and tries to force herself to sleep.
The morning sun shone as Aidan opened his eyes. He saw Diana, sleeping, her delicate body reflecting the sun. He decided to let her sleep and looked out onto the streets, alarms were heard in the distance and the roads were quiet, which was surprising, especially during Merdeka Day. Aidan went back into the hotel room and turned on the TV, but rather than showing a TV Show, the screen was dark green with a warning text that read,
"Malaysia National Emergency Alert System (MNEAS) Please Standby and Await Instructions." and a loud alarm sound coming form the TV.
The sound of the alarm woke Diana up and she joined Aidan in the living room.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"I don't know, there seems to be a national emergency."
About 5 minutes later, writings appeared on the screen that said, "Attention all viewers, please do not shut off your device, we interrupt your usual programme to announce that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, his Majesty, King Abdullah has announced a National State Of Emergency. This is due to the recent invasion of terrorists in the State Of Melaka. Any travelling in and out of the state is strictly prohibited. Anyone within the state must be aware of their surroundings and follow the 12-hour curfew implemented. Anyone outside the state must be careful of anyone who looks remotely suspicious."
Aidan yawned as the emergency system stopped and the TV returned to the usual programme. Diana went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water to pass the time a little.
"I'm going grocery shopping, do you mind waiting for me?" Aidan asked.
"No not at all, could you buy me Doritos while you're at it?" Diana said.
"Yes dear, I will get it for you, anything more?" Aidan said sarcastically.
Diana rolled her eyes while chuckling and said, "No."
AIdan then headed to a grocery shop. He got into his car in the multilevel underground parking lot. As he exited, the unusually quiet streets of Kuala Lumpur were unsettling for Aidan as he was used to the often bustling roads. He decided to see what was on the radio today. He tapped the touchscreen to turn on the radio.
The news presenter said, "Similar to the terrorist incident in Melaka, along the border of had reports of similar terrorist activity in the Sibu Jungle, further police activity increased near Pekan Sibu and no one is allowed to leave the town..."
Aidan soon arrived at a convenience store. He picked up the green basket from the stack of green baskets outside the store and entered. He went to the snack aisle and bought a few packets of chips and not to forget the Doritos Diana asked for. He walked around a little more, buying a few drinks and headed for the checkout counter, lucky enough, there weren't too many people.
That, unfortunately, was short-lived. Suddenly, a ruckus came from the back of the store, as if someone bumped hard against the refrigerator. The man behind the counter ran to the source of the sound, along with the other customers. Being the curious one as well, Aidan tagged along to see what was going on. As they got closer, Aidan could see blood drag marks on the ground.
The sound of struggle and groans was heard as they got closer. Everyone stood in horror as a person covered in blood biting a convenience store worker. One of the workers tries to Some of the customers begin to vomit at the sight while Aidan felt nauseous. Taking this opportunity, Aidan dashed out of the store with his unpaid snacks. His theft caused the alarms to ring, catching the attention of the other customers who stood by. Aidan ran as fast as lightning to his car and he threw everything, including the basket into his car as he hopped in.
Some passers-by ran after him but they were too late as Aidan drove off. He sped off, beating a red light or two until he reached his homestay. He carried the basket of snacks and awkwardly went up the elevator with a few other residents. He unlocked the door to his homestay where he was met with a nervous-looking Diana, pacing around the house.
"Are you alright?" he asked
Caught of guard by his presence, Diana jolted, "Y-yes, I am." she said nervously. She could also see Aidan seem shaken.
"Did you so something other than grocery shopping? You sweat a lot!" Diana teased.
Aidan told Diana everything that happened earlier. Diana was too stunned to speak.
"So... what now?" Diana asked. Aidan shrugged and said, "Maybe we should head back to Penang just in case." Diana nodded and they began packing. In a short while, they finished packing up their luggage. Aidan locked up the house and they reached the car and left.
As Aidan drove, they could see emergency vehicles zooming past them heading to a scene. Diana opened up her phone to scroll through social media.
"Oh wait, I forgot, I am not in America," Diana said, followed by a light chuckle realising that she doesn't have internet.
Aidan stopped at a junction as traffic police stopped them so that emergency vehicles could pass. Many of them seem to be heading south. Aidan made a left turn and headed north reaching the highway. They reached a police roadblock at the entrance of the North-South Expressway. A police officer waved their lightstick, signalling Aidan and Diana to stop.
Aidan winded down his window as one of the officers who looks older than Aidan, holding a rifle approached them.
"Apa khabar, abang?" Aidan said.
The officer said nothing as he looked into the car to see the occupants.
The officer then ordered Aidan to stop at the side of the highway behind a parked police car. Suddenly a few more officers came by and surrounded their car.
The officer from earlier then said, "Encik, apa hubungan awak dengan dia?" pointing to Diana.
AIdan looked to Diana who seemed to be in a slight state of anxiety, and he turned back to the officer and said, "Dia kawan I, kenapa?"
"Adakah kamu sedar bahawa dia adalah penjenayah international?" he continued.
"Penjenayah international?!" Aidan was shocked as he looked at Diana, to which she returned the look and said, "What?"
Another officer poked through the window and said in a Malay accent, "Madam, do you know that your looks match the profile of a wanted criminal from the United States?"
It stunned Diana. The officer then asked her to hand over her ID card. Diana pulled out her driver's license and handed it over.
The officer observed each nook and cranny carefully and looked at his colleague standing next to him while showing the card. They were whispering something among themselves and gave a slight nod.
"Sorry sir and madam, for causing inconvenience." the officer said as he returned the card to Diana, although she seemed like she was hiding something from Aidan as she held her card. The officers let them drive off.
Aidan shared a confused look but said, "International criminal ayy?" teasingly and Diana giggled in return.
After 4 hours on the highway, they reached Penang's mainland, preparing to cross the bridge into Penang Island. As they reach the toll to get onto the bridge, there were many military trucks with personnel setting up barbed wires and roadblocks while they slowly let people onto the bridge. On the bridge, a secondary blockade was being set up as more barbed wires were placed. At the same time, the divider on the bridge was open so that people could turn back onto the island as they were not allowed to leave.
The traffic on the bridge was bumper-to-bumper so traffic was moving slowly. Diana was sound asleep next to him, unaware of the current situation.
As he rested in his car, Aidan opened up his phone to look through his news feed to pass the time. Unusually, his feed was showing international news and nothing about the 'terrorism' in Malaysia. He checked his settings of the genres of news and sure enough, local news was a selected genre. He decided to refresh his feed but no local news appeared. Suspicious, he typed in the search bar, 'Terror attacks in Malaysia.'
It appeared the latest news about the so-called 'attacks' stated that they began in the middle of the night in both Melaka and Sarawak. As Aidan scrolled further in the news feed, the further things became odd. Other lesser-known online news websites said that the news about the terrorist was a cover-up by the government for something bigger. Upon reading this, Aidan thought back to the situation in the convenience store.
He was fearing for the worst, he then looked back to Diana, once again her cute face reflected the afternoon sun. After almost 2 hours on the bridge, Aidan managed to arrive at his home with Diana safely. Rather than waking her up, Aidan instead carried her in his arm and headed to his apartment unit.