Devil's Playground @ NSMC

Fung Sheng Fatt is nineteen years old. He studies in the “prestigious” Negeri Sembilan Matriculation College for “brainy” students. Pretty impressive, isn’t it? Besides that, he is a member of the student council. Now that’s cool. I mean, twenty nineteen-year-olds being representatives of two thousand teenagers living away from home? Wow.

Now, it so happened that the student council, being aware of the general inability of the students to take care of themselves properly without the chaperoning of their parents, organized a “Love Yourself” programme, designed to give the students awareness on taking care of themselves properly.

The act was pretty commendable huh? Yeah, obviously. However, who was to know that the free dental checkups were part of a drug trial by the government? For those who went for the checkup, a jab (of the H4N3 virus strain that was said to give immunity against the next wave of influenza which would drastically hit South East Asia) was given to them.

Sheng Fatt, being an active member of the student council, was among the first to volunteer himself for the checkup. Positively filled with glee after receiving the jab, he was seen boasting around, describing how stronger he felt after the checkup. The rest of the day passed as usual. Class. Quiz. Homework. You get the idea.

But when the night came, and the moon rose, everything changed. My name is Sean, and I live in the college compound as well. There is a really tough, buff guy called Tilak, and he lives in the room right above mine, We are in the same lecture and we study together in the ironing room of our hostel whenever we are free.

Everything was as usual. Our discussions comprised of a wide range of topics from Biology to automobiles; from the tyrannical school rules to girls. All of a sudden, screams shattered the peaceful serenity.

That was the sign of danger.

I am a boy, and no girls were allowed in the hostel. The only time a boy would scream with such enthusiasm would be when he was caught naked by a woman, unless he woke up and saw a cockroach on the back of his hand.

But it couldn’t be, because the screams came from everywhere! Different directions, different people. There couldn’t be so many cockroaches in a place at a time. Or SNSD (the Korean pop group, anyone?) couldn’t be in our hostel.

“What the?”

“Hey bro, let me go check out what’s happening. You want milo?” Tilak asked.

“Nope, thanks. Just go find out why – “

Just then, there was a crash and someone I didn’t know stumbled into the room.

Hey, hold on, it wasn’t someone I didn’t know. It was Eiswaran, Tilak’s roommate. I couldn’t recognize him at first because….his features were so badly disfigured.

He struggled to keep himself standing. “Run….Tilak…” was all he managed to say before collapsing onto the floor. Being a first aider, I rushed to his side immediately. He wasn’t breathing anymore.

Around us, the commotion was getting louder by the second. Howls, groans, moans and other inhuman screams were deafening from every direction. Without pausing to think, the two of us sprinted to Tilak’s room.

And what we saw made our hearts freeze.

Shawn, Eiswaran’s best friend, had changed completely. Not his size though, he still was expanded horizontally as the day before. The difference was, he was pale white, with blood oozing out of his orifices. In his hand he held Eiswaran’s guinea pig, and as we watched, he stuffed the rodent into his mouth, making an inhuman growl as he did so.

We did the most sensible thing we could think of. We ran.

We rushed to the room of our warden. It was empty. Fearing the worst, we tried to look for his car keys, only to see the warden, half transformed into one of the undead zombies, staggering into the room.

He stumbled towards us, but Tilak, an accomplished archer, took the warden’s set of bow and arrow, and shot him. The arrow flew through his left eye and he collapsed.. One zombie down, two thousand more to go.

“C’mon Sean, get the car!! I’ll cover you!”

I fished the keys out from the back pocket of the warden’s tight jeans. So much for banning the wearing of jeans in the college. Around us, the zombies, it transpired, had the ability to smell humans. They rushed out from the blocks towards us, the fresh meat that had not been devoured.

As we made our way to the car, the zombies started attacking us. Their speed and strength were obviously devastating assets to them. They clawed and roared, trying to get to us, but Tilak’s arrows were equal to their attack. A shot from his bow took out three zombies at once. Awesome.

“Hurry Sean!”

“Hop in!” The engine was started but there was no clear path in front of us. We were COMPLETELY surrounded!

“Sean, step on the accelerator!”

“But…but…they were our friends,” I wailed, suppressing a sob.

“And they want to eat us now!”

A crash brought me to my senses. An arm smashed through the passenger seat window and grabbed Tilak’s bow. I stepped on the accelerator, hard. There was a great ripping sound and the arm was detached from its owner. The zombies in our path were knocked down like pins in a bowling alley.

We sped uphill, all the way to another of the boys’ hostel. As I drove past the building, a body was thrown out of the first floor window. It was Petra, a good friend of mine.

There were no zombies around us so I hit the brakes. Tilakrushed down the car and in no time at all, Petra was in the back seat of the car, moaning for painkillers.

Nothing could be done to save the rest of our friends. It was all about escaping this Devil’s playground or being turned into tasty snacks for our ‘friends’. The zombies were advancing towards us at an alarming rate. It was an alarming sight to behold.

“Sean, we have to get out of here now,” Tilak whispered.

Petra moaned, “the girls’ block. Mickey, Mickey…”

I stepped on the accelerator. It was a tad too late. There was an almighty crash and both Tilak and Petra yelled. I looked into the rearview mirror and saw a zombie standing on the boot of the car.

Lucky I watched Initial D. I turned the steering wheel as hard to my left as possible. The car drifted as if it was a Subaru AE86 and the zombie was thrown off. I sped down the road to the girls’ hostel.

There was a riot at the area. Zombies were tearing the place down, looking for fresh meat. I knew there was no hope left. Mickey couldn’t be saved, nor the rest of our friends whom we have gone through thick and thin with.

And then I heard a scream. Not the inhuman scream the zombies make, but something…hmmm…human. Once again I looked into the rearview mirror, praying I wouldn’t see the sight I saw a while ago, and what I saw surprised me.

Mickey and two of her good friends were climbing out of a drain.

I stopped to let them in.

A girl named Felicia, supporting a bloody cheek, was helped into the back seat by the two girls. The other girl, Sung Cheng, leapt into the passenger’s seat (which was vacant because Tilak was caring for Petra in the back seat).

“Are there anyone else we might be able to save?” I yelled.

The girls were crying uncontrollably. Their inaudible answers were drowned by the inhuman growls from every direction.

“Sean, GO!” Tilak shouted.

I sped away.

You know I managed to drive all the way to safety now you’ve read this story. I expect to be arrested under the Internal Security Act for whistleblowing this national secret but don’t worry, I’ve gone into hiding just like Paul the Octopus. The Malaysian government is in the process of destroying the college and the town of Kuala Pilah, just to remove all traces of this destruction, and of course, those whom we had, once upon a time, addressed as friends. And so, I’m making a correction to the beginning of the story.

Fung Sheng Fatt was nineteen years old. He studied in the Negeri Sembilan Matriculation College and was a member of the student council …until the government’s sinister plan was put down to action.

The Most Unforgettable Character I Have Ever Met

I could still remember the day it happened.

So clear, like it had just happened yesterday. I guess it will be a part of me, the part which I would never forget no matter what.

It was a Saturday, a day in which I was feeling depressed after losing in soccer match with nobody to talk to and no outlet to release my frustrations. The setting sun glowered at me, as if reprimanding me for being overly downcast, but even the knowledge that I will be having extra classes for English couldn't lift my spirits.

I pushed the door open, as gently as I could so as not to show the class what my temper could do. The door still banged against the wall with a force enough to knock a person off his feet, so I wasn't surprised when my teacher gave me a scowl which I returned, only pleasantly.

Then my gaze focused onto the seat I usually occupied, and my scowl became uncharacteristically prominent. A new girl. Great. Occupying my usual seat. Even greater.

'No! ' I told myself. I had to fight the strange urge to strangle her. I had to. She wasn't worth it. I glared at the teacher, who glowered at me and instructed me to seat beside her. I did so grudgingly. Really, my blood was at its boiling point.

I thought it would be polite if I could make up for any of my irrational behaviour so I offered her my hand.

A surprised look, then a cold gaze. She stared at my hand for a full second, then she turned away.

Man, this is worse than hell.

'Sir, what's her name?'

It was time to take drastic actions. Heh, I'm smart.

'Abigail. Sean, no flirting in my class though.'

'I won't'

Like I would flirt with people like her. I don't like unfriendly girls. They make my goosebumps excite.

I stole a quick glance at her. Wow, nice scowl lady. You'd scare the daylight out of anybody who looks at you.

The next two hours passed by so fast that I didn't even have the time to think about Abigail. All I could do was to finish my work as fast as possible and wait for half-past ten to arrive. All I wanted was the class to end soon. How cliche.
As I was doodling on my paper, suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, the teacher clutched his chest and stood quite still. Then he collapsed.

The silence that followed was one of the loudest I've heard in my life. A bloodcurdling scream broke the eerie silence and before I knew it, the room was filled with panic and shock.

Everyone seemed to have lost his or her head. There was a fair amount of screaming and then sobs could be heard. Annie Tan fainted. Junyang Ng vomited. As I surveyed the scene, I could not help but marvel at the only person who did not show signs of stress-Abigail.

With a commanding voice, she yelled for the class to calm down. And with a sense of authority I could never have, she gave instructions. However, the shell-shocked students remained rooted to their seats and looked as though they couldn't understand English. She took an exasperated look around the room and finally decided to utilise my hidden potential to its fullest.

'CPR?' She said, grabbing my hand.

At that instantaneous moment, I felt my heartbeat accelerate. Wow. Reflex reaction, I guessed. She gave me a small smile, and I felt my cheeks go hot. Another reflex reaction.

I nodded briefly and I blew a lungful of air into the teacher's mouth. Ewww...his mouth tasted of cheese. High cholesterol. No wonder. I pumped at his heart. One, two, three, four.

Behind me, Abigail has called the ambulance.

'They're coming'

'Of course they are. Get Annie and Junyang out'

'No I want to assist you'

My brain seemed to freeze. I couldn't think. I had to take a deep breath to steady myself. How unusual.

For the next fourteen minutes, we didn't stop performing CPR on the teacher. It was tough but with her beside me, strangely enough, I didn't feel tired. I was prepared to do it the whole night.

But the ambulance arrived. The defibrillator was used and they stretchered him to the hospital. Pushing the rue I felt to the back of my mind, I packed my bags and went home.

After this incident, I totally changed my view of Abigail. She is kind-hearted and calm, not to mention being extremely knowledgeable and street-smart. Her ability to take control of a situation has greatly impressed me and thus she tops the list as the most unforgettable character I have ever met.

The Five Men in Black

There was no breeze in the air that afternoon on the streets of Pelangi, nor any hint that a thunderstorm was on its way to ravage the little town; just the typical Malaysian hot weather casting its charm over the lands of Johor.

Zahid Dolah shifted the bag on his shoulders and prepared to cross the road. This road, as he knew it, was a dangerous place to be at, due to the number of accidents that had occurred throughout the years. He looked at his watch and cursed the unrelenting traffic. He was late for tuition, again.

There were neither pedestrian crossings nor overhead bridges to aid his goal of crossing the busy road. He waited for another moment, before finally giving up. Turning his back to the road, he decided to have lunch before mounting another attempt to conquer that road filled with never-ending traffic.

As he passed by a shop, his peripheral vision detected something that made him do a double take. It was a pencil. An unusual pencil, one that has a curved plastic handle and which is double the length of any ordinary pencil. It was a dream come true for Zahid, for a pencil that special would garner him the attention he craved so much.

All of a sudden, he heard a dull thud of metal on flesh. Zahid, too absorbed in his thoughts, did not think much about it until he turned around and saw a crowd gathering at the side of the road.

Not even pausing for a second to think, he rushed to the place where the crowd was forming. There lay a woman, in her mid-forties, whose consciousness was deteriorating fast. One moment she was able to moan for her son, and then she couldn't do anything but to mutter incomprehensible words to herself.

The woman's son, a teenager about the age of Zahid, was kneeling helplessly at the side of his mother. He had a few scratches here and there, but he looked unscathed otherwise. He was shocked though, judging by the expression on his face. Another old lady say by the side of the road, supporting a bruised leg.

The crowd was getting bigger by the minute, but nobody seemed to know what to do. Zahid's tears came running down his face. He could not help it. And then he saw them.

They came with pageantry, with a kind of beauty.

It was the kind of scene in which the slow motion technology would be used in Hollywood to maximise the emphasis on the importance of these people. Confidence was evident in their gait, and Zahid knew at once, that the injured women would be saved.

With a commanding tone, the one who seemed to be the leader told the crowd to not panic. To quote him, ' We know what we are going to do. Please step back so to let us do our jobs well.'

The leader delegated jobs to his friends and they sped off without further ado. Concentration etched on his face, he bent down and tapped the semiconscious woman's shoulders,' Sir, sir, are you alright?'

There was a minimal amount of laughter. In his haste to help the woman, he addressed her inappropriately by mistake. However, despite his blunder, firmness was present in his help for the woman so nobody laughed out loud.

Zahid was really impressed with him. He could never make such a blunder and yet continue what he was doing with a straight face. He turned his attention to the rest of the men in black.

A guy with really small eyes was talking to a phone. That's it! Why didn't Zahid think of that!? Calling an ambulance was within his means but he had panicked and didn't know what to do. There was a bespectacled guy who looked like Harry Potter carrying a first aid kit box, sprinting out from the school opposite the road at a breakneck speed. Zahid could have done that too.

Zahid was impressed beyond words. They really knew what they were doing.

Following that, the five men were all over the place, helping the victims clean their wounds. Bandaging the exposed injuries. Judging by their voices, they could only be fifteen or sixteen years old! How did they know how to do such things which most adults don't know of?

Just then, the semiconscious woman threw up. The leader gave a sharp bark of command and all his members were at his side at once. They turned her sideways and wiped away the discharged from her mouth. Her condition improved a little just then, and her eyelids fluttered. The son, clearly still in a state of shock, scrambled to her side at once. Relief filled his face, and he told her to hang in there.

The ambulance arrived about twenty minutes after the call was made, by which Zahid was feeling rather impatient. The way the paramedics lifted the semiconscious woman was extremely rough and showed the level of care they have for the woman was miserable. In fact, the leader of the Men in Black protested and offered to place the woman onto the stretcher but the paramedics didn't care and just lifted the woman indifferently.

As the other female victim went off to a nearby clinic, and the son went on the ambulance with his mother, the crowd dispersed off gradually. A few people congratulated the five men and shook their hands. Zahid wanted to do so as well; however, the leader shouted that they were late and they jogged off, leaving Zahid with the regret of not being knowledgeable enough to help them, yet.

And so Zahid promised himself, one day, one day, he will be able to work alongside the five men in black. And he will be working hard, waiting for that day to come.