I never really liked night hiking.
Not because I was afraid of the dark.
At least, that's what I always told people.
To me, night hiking just didn't make sense.
We walked through places we didn't know with limited visibility, carrying weight on our backs, while the only light came from a small lamp attached to our heads. Ground that looked flat could turn out to be a hole. A rock that looked solid could be slippery. A path that was clear during the day could turn into a black corridor where every stretch looked exactly the same.
If we got lost, the night made everything worse.
If we fell, no one would know.
And if something happened, we wouldn't even know what was a few yards ahead.
So when Bon sent a text to the group chat three weeks earlier, I didn't answer right away.
The text came in around ten at night.
I was sitting in front of my laptop, working on something that should have been finished an hour earlier.
My room was a little messy. The glass of coffee I'd made that afternoon was still sitting beside my laptop. Snack wrappers were scattered across the desk. The fan turned slowly, giving off a hum so familiar I could barely hear it anymore.
My phone buzzed.
I glanced at it.
One text from the old group chat, usually used to send memes, talk about games, or make last-minute plans to grab food.
The group chat's name was still the same as it had been for months.
**Lost Kids.**
I didn't know who had named it that in the first place.
Probably Darma.
Almost certainly Darma.
I opened the notification.
The text was short.
> **Bon:** Lawu next month. Night trail. Leaving Friday afternoon.
I read it once.
Then twice.
My index finger stopped above the screen.
Lawu.
Night trail.
Two words that, in my opinion, should never have appeared in the same sentence.
I set my phone down again.
I had no intention of replying.
It wasn't because I disliked hiking. I could still enjoy a trip if the trail was clear, the weather was good, and most importantly, I knew when to stop.
The problem was Bon.
When Bon invited us somewhere, he usually already had a plan.
And when he had a plan, there was a good chance he wouldn't cancel it just because one person said, *I'm not going*.
A few seconds later, my phone buzzed again.
Darma.
> **Darma:** Night trail? So the ghosts can welcome us?
I smiled faintly.
I hadn't even had time to answer when Ozan followed up.
> **Ozan:** Ghosts only exist in stories told by people who watch too many movies.
Darma replied almost instantly.
> **Darma:** So if we meet a ghost, you'll take a picture with it, right?
> **Ozan:** Sure.
> **Darma:** What if it asks you to go home with it?
> **Ozan:** I'll tell it to go home by itself.
I shook my head, smiling.
The conversation started getting crowded.
Fathur asked about gear.
Adit sent a picture of his new camera.
For some reason, he always felt that every trip had to be documented like he was making a documentary.
Alin asked who was going.
Bon started listing names.
I read them one by one.
Bon.
Darma.
Ozan.
Fathur.
Adit.
Doy.
Alin.
Eka.
Eight names.
Then mine.
I still hadn't said anything.
Bon sent another text.
> **Bon:** Joy?
I stared at the screen.
I could have typed *I'm not going*.
Done.
No problem.
But for some reason, I didn't do it right away.
Maybe because I really did need to get away.
The past few weeks had felt monotonous. Work, home, sleep, wake up, work. The cycle was always the same. Even weekends, which should have been used to rest, were often spent watching something on my laptop while lying around.
Maybe I really did need to get out.
Maybe.
I typed.
> **Joy:** Which Lawu?
Bon replied immediately.
> **Bon:** Mount Lawu, obviously.
> **Joy:** I mean the trail.
> **Bon:** Cemoro Kandang.
I frowned.
> **Joy:** At night?
> **Bon:** At night.
> **Joy:** Why at night?
Darma jumped in again.
> **Darma:** Because it's hot during the day.
I laughed.
Bon replied.
> **Bon:** So we can reach the top in the morning.
> **Joy:** What if we don't make it?
> **Bon:** Then we stop.
A very Bon answer.
Practical.
Not much explanation.
I stared at the screen again.
There was no strong reason to refuse, really.
We weren't complete strangers to mountains. Some of us had hiked together before. We weren't professional hikers, of course. We were just a group of friends who occasionally felt that life was too boring if we didn't do something a little exhausting.
I was still considering my answer when a text appeared.
From Eka.
> **Eka:** I'm in.
I stopped.
The text was simple.
No additions.
No emoji.
No joke.
I didn't know why, but that short text was what finally made me type:
> **Joy:** Okay. I'm in.
Bon replied immediately.
> **Bon:** There we go.
Darma sent a sticker.
Ozan sent a thumbs-up emoji.
Adit sent a picture of his hiking boots.
I chuckled.
Then I turned back to my laptop.
For some reason, after I hit send, a small feeling rose in my chest.
Not fear.
Not a premonition, either.
More like the feeling you get when you've made a decision and only afterward realize you can't take it back.
I ignored it.
Three weeks was still a long time away.
I still had plenty of time to prepare everything.
At the time, I didn't know that this simple decision would become one of the things I'd want most to forget for the rest of my life.
Two weeks later, we held our final meeting before leaving.
We chose a small coffee shop not too far from where most of the group lived.
It wasn't a big place.
There were only a few wooden tables, low-hanging yellow lights, a shelf of coffee beans near the register, and a small chalkboard listing the menu.
I arrived about five minutes after Bon.
As soon as I entered, I saw him.
He was sitting in the corner with a tablet on the table.
His bag was on the chair beside him.
His head was slightly bowed.
His fingers moved across the screen.
I walked over.
"You always get here first?"
Bon looked up.
"If I came later, who would check on all of you?"
I pulled out a chair.
"You haven't even started climbing and you're already acting like the leader."
"I am the leader."
"Who elected you?"
Bon pointed at himself.
"I did."
I laughed.
"Must be nice."
"If I waited for you guys to choose, we wouldn't leave until next year."
I sat down.
A server came over and offered us menus.
I ordered black coffee.
Bon already had a drink.
I glanced at the tablet in front of him.
A map of the hiking trail filled the screen.
The trail lines looked like veins splitting through green and brown colors.
Several points were marked.
I recognized the names of a few checkpoints.
"You memorized it?"
Bon nodded.
"More or less."
"More or less?"
"If I say I've memorized everything, you'll blame me when I get something wrong."
"I would blame you."
"That's why I said more or less."
I laughed.
Bon looked back at the screen.
I watched him for a few seconds.
There was something I liked about the way Bon prepared for a trip.
He wasn't the type to simply say, *let's climb a mountain* and leave everything to chance.
He always had a plan.
Departure time.
Rest stops.
How to divide the gear.
Who was carrying what.
Even what to do if someone couldn't keep going halfway there.
That was one reason I didn't mind coming along too much.
If I had to choose one person from our group to lead the trip, I'd choose Bon.
He had climbed Lawu several times.
He knew the trail.
He knew where to stop.
He knew when to slow down.
He knew what to do if someone got tired.
And most importantly, he didn't panic easily.
At least, that's what I thought at the time.
The coffee shop door opened.
Darma came in.
He was carrying two drinks he had apparently bought somewhere else.
As soon as he saw me, he raised one of the cups.
"Joy."
"What?"
"Here."
He set the cup in front of me.
I looked at its contents.
"Coffee?"
"Coffee-flavored mineral water."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Darma laughed.
"I'm kidding."
I pushed the cup back toward him.
"Drink it yourself."
"I've already had some."
"And?"
"That's why I'm giving it to you."
I stared at him for a few seconds.
"Gross."
Darma burst out laughing.
Bon just shook his head.
"Are you two always like this when you get together?"
"Yep," Darma answered.
"And we haven't even started climbing."
Darma pulled out a chair.
"That's why we have to start practicing now."
"Practicing what?"
"Patience."
I laughed.
Darma sat down and looked at Bon's tablet.
"So?"
"So what?"
"The trail."
Bon turned the tablet slightly so we could see it.
"Cemoro Kandang. We're going in at night."
Darma nodded.
"What time?"
"We'll leave here in the afternoon."
"Then?"
"Base camp around nighttime."
"Then?"
"Get ready."
"Then?"
"Climb."
Darma waited.
Bon looked at him.
"What else?"
"That's it?"
"Do you want me to tell you the whole story all the way back down?"
Darma thought for a moment.
"Sure."
Bon picked up a napkin and threw it at Darma's face.
Darma laughed.
I shook my head.
We hadn't been sitting long when Fathur arrived.
He came in carrying a small bag and a clear folder.
As soon as he sat down, he opened the folder.
"Bon, rain jackets are covered."
Bon nodded.
"Headlamps?"
"Got them."
"Power banks?"
"Got them."
"Medicine?"
"Got it."
"First-aid kit?"
"Got it."
Fathur checked his notes.
"Water?"
"How much?"
"Two liters."
"Not enough."
Fathur looked at him.
"You sure?"
"At least two and a half."
"Why?"
"Because it's at night."
Darma cut in immediately.
"Amulets?"
Fathur looked up.
"What?"
"Amulets."
"I'm bringing prayers."
Doy, who had just arrived and happened to hear the conversation, gave a faint smile.
"Prayers are better."
Darma turned to him.
"Now that Doy's saying stuff like that, I'm starting to get scared."
Doy simply pulled out a chair.
He didn't talk much.
Compared with the rest of us, who could make a racket just deciding where to eat, Doy spent more time observing than talking.
He opened a bottle of water.
Drank.
Then looked at the map.
Fathur continued his inspection.
"Personal medicine?"
Everyone started answering.
"Got it."
"Got it."
"Got it."
"Not yet."
Everyone turned toward Darma.
Darma raised his hand.
"I'm healthy."
Fathur snorted.
"That's not medicine."
"If I'm healthy, what do I need medicine for?"
"What if you get sick?"
"Then I'll be sick."
Bon chuckled.
"Come on, put some basic medicine in your bag."
Darma nodded.
"Yes, sir."
The coffee shop door opened again.
Ozan came in.
He looked at us.
"Late."
Bon checked the time.
"You are."
"Traffic."
"We haven't left yet."
"I was late warming up."
Darma laughed.
Ozan pulled out a chair and sat down.
"What have you talked about?"
"Gear," Fathur answered.
Ozan nodded.
"Good."
Then he looked at me.
"Joy."
"Hmm?"
"You're really coming?"
I nodded.
"Really."
"I thought you were just saying that in the group chat."
"Why?"
"You usually think the most."
I laughed.
"True."
"And?"
"I'm tired of thinking."
Ozan smiled.
"Good."
I didn't know why, but that simple answer made me smile too.
For a while, everything felt like an ordinary meeting.
Nothing strange.
Nothing felt wrong.
Just a group of friends planning a trip.
Adit arrived not long afterward.
He came in carrying a camera bag that looked far too large for a one-night trip.
Darma whistled.
"Damn."
Adit turned toward him.
"What?"
"Are you hiking or making a movie?"
"Documenting it."
Darma pointed at the bag.
"Is it all cameras?"
"Pretty much."
"How many?"
"Don't ask."
Ozan laughed.
"What if there's a ghost?"
Adit lifted his camera slightly.
"Take a picture."
"What if the ghost isn't there?"
"Then it isn't there."
Darma slapped the table.
"There he is. The most realistic person here."
Adit sat down.
He opened his camera bag for a moment to make sure everything inside was in place, then closed it again.
I watched the camera hanging around his neck.
"New?"
Adit nodded.
"New."
"Any good?"
"Should be."
"How much?"
Adit fell silent.
I laughed.
"Okay. So it's expensive."
"Don't say it so loudly."
Darma immediately leaned closer.
"What if it breaks on the mountain?"
Adit glared at him.
"I'll kill you."
"Why me?"
"Because you'll definitely bump into it."
"Slander."
They started arguing about the camera.
I wasn't paying much attention.
My eyes were fixed on the door instead.
Eka arrived with Alin.
They came in almost at the same time.
Alin waved.
"Hey."
We greeted them.
Eka only smiled.
He sat beside Alin.
I didn't think much of it until a few seconds later, when I realized Eka wasn't laughing along.
He was looking at something.
Bon's tablet.
More precisely, the map open on it.
His gaze lingered.
He wasn't just looking at it.
It was as though he were remembering something.
I followed his eyes.
The map.
The trail lines.
Several markers.
Nothing strange.
I turned to him.
"What's wrong?"
Eka looked up.
"Hmm?"
I pointed at the tablet.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing."
"You look like you're thinking."
"I'm not."
Alin, sitting beside him, looked toward the tablet too.
"What's going on?"
Eka shook his head.
"Nothing."
Bon turned toward him.
"Anything you want to ask?"
Eka gave a small smile.
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Bon turned back to the tablet.
I kept watching Eka.
There was something about his expression that made me feel he actually wanted to say something.
But maybe I was wrong.
Maybe he was just trying to remember the trail.
Maybe he'd seen the same map before.
Maybe he was simply curious.
I didn't ask again.
The conversation picked up again.
Bon started discussing the schedule.
"All right, listen up."
Everyone gradually fell silent.
Bon slid the tablet to the center of the table.
"We're leaving Friday afternoon."
Darma raised his hand.
"What time?"
"Sometime in the afternoon."
"What time in the afternoon?"
"Five at the latest."
"What if we're late?"
"We'll wait until five."
"What if it's after five?"
"We leave."
Darma nodded.
"Got it."
Bon looked at everyone.
"Don't be late."
Ozan leaned back.
"What time will we reach base camp?"
"If traffic's smooth, at night."
"What time?"
"Around nine."
I looked at my watch.
That was still a long way off.
Bon continued.
"Eat before we start."
Fathur nodded.
"Then we start climbing?"
"Yep."
"Target?"
"Checkpoint 3 around midnight."
Darma raised an eyebrow.
"Checkpoint 4?"
Bon pointed at the map.
"If conditions are good, we'll pass it after midnight."
"What if conditions are bad?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Darma sighed.
"So if I can keep going, morning."
Bon looked at him.
"I'm serious."
Darma immediately raised both hands.
"Yes, boss."
We laughed.
Bon didn't.
He waited until things quieted down again.
Then he said,
"Most importantly, don't split up."
His tone was different.
More serious.
I looked at the members of the group one by one.
Bon.
Darma.
Ozan.
Fathur.
Doy.
Adit.
Eka.
Alin.
Me.
Nine people.
Everyone nodded.
"Why?" Ozan asked.
Bon answered,
"Because it's nighttime."
"Yeah."
"And we don't know what condition the trail will be in."
Ozan shrugged.
"Okay."
Bon continued.
"If anyone wants to stop, say so."
"Yep."
"If you need to use the bathroom, say so."
Darma raised his hand.
"What if I need to fart?"
"Shut up."
The table erupted in laughter.
Even Eka smiled.
Bon rubbed his face.
"I'm serious."
"So are we," Darma said.
"If anything happens, don't try to act tough."
Fathur nodded.
"If anyone gets tired, we stop."
"Exactly."
Bon looked toward Doy.
Doy only nodded.
I leaned back in my chair.
For a moment, everything felt completely normal.
Almost too normal.
I didn't know why that thought occurred to me.
Maybe because we'd finally set a date.
Before, this trip had only been a conversation in the group chat.
Now there was a schedule.
A route.
Nine people who were actually going to leave.
Something that had been just a plan was beginning to feel real.
Darma suddenly said,
"Hey."
We turned toward him.
"What?"
"What if someone goes missing?"
Fathur sighed immediately.
"Here we go."
Bon stared at Darma.
"Don't say things like that."
"I'm asking."
"Well, don't let it happen."
Darma laughed.
"It was just a question."
Ozan laughed too.
"If someone goes missing, we just look for them."
Doy, who had been silent until then, suddenly said,
"Don't."
Everyone stopped.
Doy was still looking at the map.
I stared at him.
"Don't what?"
He didn't answer right away.
"Don't let anyone walk alone."
"Of course not," Bon said.
Doy nodded.
"Good."
Darma raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you being so serious?"
Doy looked at him.
"Nothing."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
Darma shrugged.
The conversation moved on.
I didn't think much of it.
Not until a few seconds later, when I realized Doy was still staring at one particular section of the map.
I leaned closer.
"Have you been through here before?"
Doy shook his head.
"No."
"Then why have you been staring at it?"
"The trail."
"What's wrong with it?"
Doy pointed to one section.
"Don't stay here too long."
I looked too.
There was no special marker.
Just a winding stretch of trail that went deeper into the forest.
"Why?"
Doy shrugged.
"That's what they say."
I turned toward him.
"Who says?"
"People."
"What people?"
He fell silent for a moment.
"People who live near the mountain."
Ozan, who had heard him, joined in.
"If we believed everything people said, we'd never climb anything."
Doy gave a faint smile.
"I'm not saying you have to believe it."
"Then what?"
"Just know about it."
I looked at the map again.
"Have you heard stories about this trail?"
Doy shook his head.
"A few."
"Like what?"
Doy was about to answer, but Bon closed the tablet first.
"Enough."
We turned toward him.
Bon put the tablet in his bag.
"Just follow the trail."
Doy nodded.
No one argued.
The meeting returned to casual conversation.
What food to bring.
Who would bring extra water.
Who would bring the tent.
Who would bring the stove.
Darma suggested bringing as much instant ramen as possible.
Fathur rejected the idea because it was too heavy.
Adit insisted on bringing extra batteries.
Ozan said they weren't necessary.
Then they argued about it for nearly ten minutes.
I just listened.
I joined in now and then.
Laughed now and then.
Looking back, maybe that was the most painful part.
Because that night, there was no obvious sign that would have made us realize something was going to happen.
No strange sounds.
No figure standing in the corner of the room.
No nightmare.
No one came to warn us to cancel the trip.
Everything felt ordinary.
Too ordinary.
The meeting lasted almost two hours.
When we started getting ready to leave, rain began falling outside.
At first, it was only a drizzle.
Then it grew heavier.
We stood near the coffee shop's entrance, waiting for the rain to let up a little.
Darma looked outside.
"What if it rains like this on Friday?"
Bon answered,
"We'll see how it looks."
"What if it pours?"
"Then we don't leave."
Darma nodded.
"Good."
I put my hands in my jacket pockets.
The night air felt cold when the door opened.
One by one, we went outside.
Before we split up, Bon reminded us again.
"Don't forget Friday."
"What time?" Fathur asked.
"Five o'clock."
"Gear?"
"Everything."
"Documents?"
"Already done."
"Water?"
"Already done."
Darma raised his hand.
"Amulets?"
Bon looked at him.
Darma laughed.
"Kidding."
We started going our separate ways.
I walked with Eka for a few yards before we stopped at an intersection.
Alin had already left.
Eka stood under the awning of a closed shop.
I looked at him.
He was watching the road.
"Who's picking you up?"
"My ride."
"Oh."
The rain was still falling.
We were silent for a moment.
Then I said,
"What was up with you earlier?"
Eka turned toward me.
"What do you mean?"
"When you were looking at the map."
He was silent.
I waited.
Eka finally smiled.
"Nothing."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"You looked like you'd seen the trail before."
"I haven't."
"Then what?"
Eka drew a slow breath.
"I just..."
He stopped.
"Just what?"
"I don't know."
I waited again.
Eka looked toward the road.
"Sometimes when I look at something, it feels like I've seen it before."
"Déjà vu?"
"Maybe."
I smiled.
"Then it's nothing."
Eka smiled too.
"Yeah."
A car stopped in front of us.
Eka opened the door.
Before getting in, he turned to me.
"Joy."
"Hmm?"
"Don't walk at the very back."
I chuckled.
"Why?"
Eka shrugged.
"That's what they say."
"Who says?"
He smiled.
"I don't know."
Then he got into the car.
The door closed.
The car drove away.
I stood beneath the awning for a few seconds.
The rain was still falling.
I didn't think much of what he'd said.
Maybe he was just joking.
Maybe he was remembering something he'd heard from someone else.
Maybe it was because Doy had also said not to walk alone.
Maybe it was all a coincidence.
I went home that night with an ordinary mind.
Until my phone chimed after I was already in my room.
One text from the group chat.
Bon.
> **Bon:** Don't forget. Friday afternoon.
Darma replied.
> **Darma:** Got it.
Ozan.
> **Ozan:** Let's go.
Fathur.
> **Fathur:** Gear is good to go.
Adit sent a picture of his camera bag.
Alin sent an emoji.
Doy only sent:
> **Doy:** Ready.
Then Eka.
> **Eka:** Ready.
I looked at all the texts.
Nine people.
Without thinking, I counted the names on the screen.
Bon.
Darma.
Ozan.
Fathur.
Adit.
Doy.
Eka.
Alin.
Joy.
Nine.
I smiled faintly.
Then I turned off the screen.
I didn't know why, but before falling asleep that night, I imagined a mountain trail I'd never seen.
Darkness.
Trees.
Wet earth.
Nine headlamp beams moving slowly upward.
One in front.
One in back.
And seven more in the middle.
I even imagined the sound of our footsteps.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Then I opened my eyes.
I didn't even know why.
The room was dark.
The fan was still turning.
I looked at the clock.
2:17 a.m.
There was nothing there.
I pulled up the blanket.
Tried to go back to sleep.
A few minutes later, my phone lit up with a notification.
I reached for it.
It wasn't from the group chat.
A private message.
From Eka.
I opened it.
There was only one sentence.
> **Eka:** Joy, when we're on the mountain, don't automatically assume everyone we see is a hiker.
I read the sentence twice.
Then three times.
I typed:
> **Joy:** What do you mean?
There was no reply.
I waited.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Five minutes.
I typed again.
> **Joy:** Ka?
Still no answer.
I stared at the screen longer.
Then the message suddenly changed.
Not its contents.
Just its status.
Eka was typing.
Three little dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
Then disappeared.
I waited.
No message came.
I set my phone beside my pillow.
Tried to sleep.
Five minutes later, my phone buzzed again.
I picked it up.
There was one new text.
From Eka.
> **Eka:** Forget what I just sent.
I stared at the screen.
I was about to reply when a second text came in.
> **Eka:** Don't ask why.
I frowned.
My thumb was already above the keyboard.
Then the third text arrived.
This time, it was only four words.
> **Eka:** I sent it wrong.
I chuckled.
Maybe that was really it.
Maybe the message had been meant for someone else.
I typed:
> **Joy:** Okay.
Eka replied immediately.
> **Eka:** Sorry.
I turned off the screen.
That was it.
There was no reason to think about it.
Tomorrow I would wake up, work as usual, and probably even forget the conversation.
Friday was still several days away.
The hike hadn't started yet.
And there was no reason for me to feel afraid.
At least, not yet.
Two days after the meeting, I was at work when Bon sent a picture to the group chat.
A picture of a mountain in the distance.
There was no caption.
Darma replied immediately.
> **Darma:** Is this the mountain?
Bon:
> **Bon:** Yep.
Ozan:
> **Ozan:** Looks ordinary.
Darma:
> **Darma:** Every mountain looks ordinary from far away.
Fathur:
> **Fathur:** How's the weather?
Bon:
> **Bon:** Forecast says Friday night should be fine.
I looked at the picture.
The mountain looked enormous in the distance.
The sky was lightly overcast.
I zoomed in.
There was nothing there.
Just the mountain.
Then I noticed something.
At the bottom of the picture, there was a narrow road.
It looked like a path leading toward the mountain.
I didn't know why I kept zooming in on that part.
Until the image became pixelated.
I laughed to myself.
What was I even looking for?
I zoomed back out.
Then returned to work.
A few minutes later, another text came in.
From Eka.
A private message.
> **Eka:** That picture was from Bon?
> **Joy:** Yeah.
> **Eka:** Don't save it.
I frowned.
> **Joy:** Why?
There was no answer.
I waited.
Then typed again.
> **Joy:** Ka?
Several minutes passed.
Finally, a reply arrived.
> **Eka:** It's nothing.
I started getting annoyed.
> **Joy:** What is wrong with you?
No reply.
I set my phone down.
This time, I really didn't want to get involved.
If Eka was nervous about the hike, let him be.
Not everything needed an explanation.
I went back to work.
But from that moment on, one small thing began bothering me.
Eka's message from two nights earlier.
*Don't automatically assume everyone we see is a hiker.*
I tried to find a logical explanation.
Maybe he'd heard a story from someone.
Maybe he was joking.
Maybe he'd been reading too many horror stories.
Or maybe he just wanted to scare us.
That was the most likely explanation.
I chose the last one.
Because I had always preferred explanations that made sense.
Friday finally arrived.
That morning was nothing special.
I woke up as usual.
Showered.
Had breakfast.
Worked.
But one thing was different.
My hiking pack was already by the bedroom door.
I looked at it several times.
As though it were reminding me that I wouldn't be coming home as usual that afternoon.
I was going away.
I was going hiking.
At night.
Mount Lawu.
With eight other people.
I checked my gear one more time.
Headlamp.
Batteries.
Power bank.
Water.
Jacket.
Rain jacket.
Medicine.
Food.
Everything was there.
I even made a small checklist on my phone.
Not because Bon had asked me to.
I just didn't like forgetting things.
As afternoon approached, another text from Bon came in.
> **Bon:** Don't be late.
Darma:
> **Darma:** Let's go.
Ozan:
> **Ozan:** All good.
Fathur:
> **Fathur:** Ready.
Adit:
> **Adit:** Camera's ready.
Alin:
> **Alin:** On my way.
Doy:
> **Doy:** Ready.
Eka:
> **Eka:** Ready.
I read all the texts.
Nine people.
Everyone was ready.
I sighed.
Then picked up my pack.
As I was about to leave the room, I stopped.
For some reason, I looked back.
The room was empty.
There was no one there.
I smiled to myself.
"What am I doing?"
Then I closed the door.
I didn't know that a few hours later, nine people would be standing at the foot of a mountain.
I didn't know that the trip we thought was just an ordinary trip would slowly turn into something we couldn't explain.
I didn't know there was something far worse than getting lost on a mountain.
It was being certain that we'd counted everyone with us...
...when from the very beginning, there might not have been nine of us.
And the most frightening thing of all was something simple.
Not one of us knew when the tenth person began walking with us.