<H1>Chapter 9</H1> <br/<p>As he passed the funeral home, a chill ran down Awang's spine, making his hair stand on end and sending him into a panic. The dark windows filled his mind with images he hadn't dredged up since his final days in that old, terrifying place.</p> <p>He'd seen so many dead people there! People who had died naturally or from other causes were laid out there, and the flood of memories pushed him to the edge of a precipice. Had the loose curtain in one of the upstairs windows moved? It had to be a trick of the light—or the result of his brain being drunk on tuak!</p> <p>It didn't matter. Awang ran toward his house as fast as he could. His stomach lurched from the tuak he'd swallowed.</p> <p>Passing the funeral home made his fear swell even more, driving his exhausted legs to move faster still. But the closer he got to his house, the more his imagination ran wild.</p> <p>Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him, rapidly drawing closer. Panting in terror, he finally reached the front yard, then his veranda a few seconds later. As he clawed at the doorknob, the thought that the door might be locked and the pounding footsteps closing in behind him surrounded him completely. The footsteps grew louder in his ears, and he only realized he had been pounding on the wooden door with his fist when the pain finally struck.</p> <p>Kuntum's startled face appeared unexpectedly behind the curtain, and his fear surged as tears streamed down her cheeks.</p> <p>Kuntum yanked the door open with all her strength, sending her body sprawling onto the floor as Awang dove into the house and the door slammed shut behind him.</p> <p>"What's wrong, honey?" Kuntum gasped from where she lay on the floor.</p> <p>"The window... the ho-house... moving... footsteps...." The words spilled from Awang's mouth in broken fragments as he lay beside Kuntum. Suddenly realizing that the smell of alcohol was filling the room with every ragged breath he took, Kuntum snapped angrily, "You're drunk, Awang! Where have you been? I was scared to death! What's wrong with you? You look like you just saw a ghost!"</p> <p>As his breathing returned to normal, Awang felt a sudden urge to vomit. On the way to the bathroom, the sink, or anything besides the front door, that urge became reality. Tuak surged from his stomach into his throat, spilling onto the floor and splattering in every direction within a five-meter radius.</p> <p>After managing to reach the sink, Awang kept vomiting for several minutes before Kuntum recovered from her disgust and went to her husband. Her anger gave way to concern. "Are you going to be okay, Wang? You really scared me! I know you drank, but this is too much!"</p> <p>"Leave me alone, Kuntum," Awang spat, still nauseated as he slowly sobered up from his miserable drunkenness. "I don't want to talk about it tonight."</p> <p>"Fine, if that's what you want. I'll go to bed. I hope you don't mind if I turn in first. I'm tired, Wang."</p> <p>Continuing to vomit the remnants of tuak from his stomach until it was empty, Awang whispered, "Go to sleep, Kuntum. Leave me alone."</p> <p>Kuntum left him in a fury, wondering what was wrong with him. Even taking into account the accident and the blow to his head during the earthquake the day before, Kuntum had noticed his somewhat strange behavior that afternoon. But why was he acting like this now, losing his common sense while still being responsible for his patients?</p> <p>They had a lot of debt, and Awang couldn't afford to lose his medical license. Maybe he'd had an especially hard day at the clinic. Yes, that had to be the reason. It was the only thing that made sense.</p> <p>There was nothing she could do tonight. All she could do was wait for morning. There was nothing she could do for her husband while he was this drunk. Kuntum was exhausted after staying up all night, and the fatigue only dulled her ability to think clearly. Tomorrow would be a new day, and their problems weren't going anywhere tonight—except perhaps to the privy.</p> <p>Several hours later, after emptying his stomach until not a thing remained, Awang finally crawled to the sofa in the living room. Kuntum had been asleep for hours, but his attempt to struggle up onto their bed failed, as difficult as climbing the gloomy Tesso Nilo hill, when his stomach began churning again. When he finally thought he could close his eyes, the bed seemed to spin and carry him upright before he could fall asleep. Back in the bathroom, he panted and vomited several more times before finally collapsing onto the floor.</p> <p>His stomach was calm for a moment. He passed out, and the world went dark as the pain tormenting him disappeared.</p>