Aman and Mei Lian sat inside the tent, their backs pressed against the rough canvas wall, the stale air wrapping around them like a shroud. The silence between them was thick, weighted with unease. Both stared at the lock on the makeshift cage's flap a simple bolt with a padlock. Nothing special. In fact, Aman was fairly certain he could break it off with one good pull.
But his sling bag was gone. Taken. And in it were most of the things he might have used to help them escape. Not that it mattered much. Even if they did run, where would they go? Japanese patrols roamed the jungle like hungry wolves, and they'd already seen firsthand how quickly soldiers could pull a trigger. Their chances of getting out were thin suicidal, even.
And now came the creeping thought: Were they being kept alive as pets? Playthings? Prisoners for some sick game?
"I hate this," Mei Lian muttered, hugging her knees to her chest. She looked up at Aman with tired eyes. "Are we seriously just... his new pets or something?"
Aman sighed and glanced toward the tent entrance. "No idea. Could be worse though."
"Worse?" she scoffed. "Worse than being caged by a lunatic with soldiers that set people on fire for fun?"
He shrugged. "I mean, we're alive. Not tortured. Yet."
She groaned and pressed her fingers to her ears. A sound had started outside screaming. Female voices. Screams that didn't belong to battlefield chaos or pain from wounds. No, these were different. Longer. Desperate. The kind of scream you only hear from the depths of human suffering.
Mei Lian winced, covering her ears tighter. "What the hell is that?"
Aman's expression hardened. "Comfort women."
She stared at him, eyes wide. "Seriously? Here?"
He nodded. "Probably pulled them from villages on the way down. Same as what they did in well technically anywhere they touch... I heard from British officer they were animal with highest libido they can get"
The screams cut again, sharper this time. Mei Lian felt her stomach twist. "Where the fuck did they get those girls? They scream too much…"
Aman clenched his fists. "If they lay a single hand on you, I swear I'll burn this entire place down."
She looked at him, a flicker of something soft passing over her face. But it faded quickly. The fear was real, but worse than the fear was the uncertainty. Were they prisoners? Guests? Future corpses?
"This whole thing's messed up," Mei Lian whispered.
"I know. But we're not dead yet."
They sat in silence, listening. Then came footsteps.
Two silhouettes cast shadows against the tent flap then voices. Male. Conversing. One voice was unmistakable: calm, composed, oddly friendly.
The Kodoha officer.
They still didn't know his real name. They'd just taken to calling him that, even if it wasn't accurate. All they knew was that he had an aura commanding, confident, wrong.
They could pick out place names in the officer's speech: Kuala Lumpur, Muar, Manila. They didn't know Japanese, but geography didn't change with translation. Whatever the conversation was about, it wasn't local anymore. The war was moving. Spreading.
Then the flap opened.
"Ah, sorry to keep you waiting," the officer said, stepping inside. His tone was light, as if he were welcoming guests to tea. "You know how it is. These animals aren't easy to control. Had to send a few of them off to pull villagers from the next town. Those girls you heard screaming? Don't worry. It's normal."
Mei Lian flinched.
The officer continued casually, as if discussing supplies. "Those soldiers don't shut up until they've got something around their cocks. Disgusting, really."
His words were monstrous, but he said them with a smile. Like none of it mattered. Like it was just... business.
Aman and Mei Lian stared at him, expressionless. They didn't respond. Not yet. Behind him stood another officer a quieter one, built like an actual soldier. This one didn't speak, only watched. But there was something off in his posture. Subtle stiffness. Was he scared? Or just respectful?
"Who are you, really?" Mei Lian asked quietly.
The officer's smile widened. "I was a major. Still am, I suppose. For those animals, anyway."
He adjusted his glasses, then added, "My name isn't important. You'd just butcher the pronunciation. Just call me Major. It's easier."
His English was flawless so was his Malay. He spoke both better than most locals, with precision and clarity. He could've been a schoolteacher, the way he carried himself. Soft-spoken, elegant. But every word that came from his mouth dripped with venom wrapped in silk.
He bent down and unlocked the cage.
Aman and Mei Lian exchanged glances. Then, slowly, they stepped out. The Major didn't stop them. Neither did the silent officer behind him.
Strangely, they didn't feel the urge to run.
Because even if they could run... something told them they'd be dead before they reached the treeline. Something told them he knew that too.
"Good kids," the Major said, as if they were pets he'd just trained. "Come. Sit."
They followed him to a table outside the tent. Chairs had been prepared, as if for a formal meeting. Tea had even been poured two cups, untouched.
"I hope my men fed you?" he asked.
They didn't answer.
"This here," the Major said, gesturing to the officer beside him, "is one of my captains. One of the few I trust in this hellhole. Doesn't talk much, but he has his moments. Sometimes, with the right push, he won't shut up. And he better compare to other animal i command is that right?" Major look at the captain.
The captain gave them a slight nod.
Aman finally spoke. "What do you want from us?"
The Major tilted his head, amused. "Ah. Straight to the point. I like that."
"Well?" Aman asked again.
The Major took a sip of tea, then set the cup down. "Honestly? Nothing. Not yet, anyway."
Mei Lian frowned. "Then why are we here?"
"I'm intrigued," the Major said. "Two teenagers survivors. You're clever. You've been running south, dodging our patrols. I've heard rumors. Soldiers talking about two ghosts slipping through the trees."
"So this is a game to you?" Aman asked.
"No. This is... a side mission. A curiosity. I give orders, yes, but even I need something interesting to break the monotony."
The answer wasn't satisfying, but something in the way he said it made Aman hesitate.
They both sat in silence, still processing.
Then Mei Lian spoke. "You called your own men animals."
"I did," the Major replied without shame.
"Why?"
"Because they are," he said. "Brutal. Mindless. Obedient, yes but that's about it. Give them a gun, they'll shoot. Give them a girl, they'll rape. Nothing more than tools. Plus you guys also refer them as animal right how they act... well probably animal was better than them"
He spoke so calmly. As if it were obvious.
"And you're better?" Mei Lian challenged.
The Major smiled. "No. Just more aware."
They sat in stunned silence. This wasn't how war was supposed to work. This wasn't an enemy general giving orders from a hilltop. This was something more sinister something quieter. Smarter. A man who spoke like a professor and acted like a butcher.
Aman leaned forward. "You razed our village. You know that, right?"
"I do," the Major said.
"So what is this? A joke?"
The Major's smile faded, just a little. "No. This is what the world looks like when you stop pretending it's fair."
They didn't know what to say to that.
The silence returned.
Not the silence of peace but the silence before something worse.