Byar!

The power came back on, the lights were on, and it was very bright now. Thank God. I was getting ready to finish the report again so I could finish it tonight and submit it to Boss Tama. There was no time; I had to hurry so I could go home.

Suddenly, I had to urinate, very suddenly. I left my work to record the report. I asked permission from the foremen, who were still calculating. I went to the bathroom first. They nodded and let me go.

I hurried, navigating the corridors and the large factory. When I entered the bathroom, I immediately entered oitand closed the door gently. I urinated, feeling like I couldn't hold it in anymore and wanted to get out.

While I was going to the bathroom, I overheard two people chatting in the open space before choosing which bathroom to use. This large room was often used after urinating and for washing hands and faces. "It's unusual for the lights to go out," one of them said, and I heard them clearly because the bathroom's ceiling was wide open, allowing their conversation to be heard.

"That's true. It's unusual for a switch to trip and drop on its own. If it weren't for an industrial purpose, it could be due to an overload, causing the power to go out and shut off on its own. But in our factory, we've installed several sophisticated components, so it's impossible for a switch to trip suddenly."

Another one explained. They understood everything related to facility and infrastructure management, including electrical repairs for minor damage. If the damage was serious, they would immediately contact PLN officials for immediate resolution. This time, the sudden power outage had to be investigated. We couldn't let it happen again, because Tama's boss would be furious, as a careless power outage could disrupt his business, even for a few seconds.

"Ah! Maybe it's because the current is unstable at night, and the electricity in the factory automatically goes out. That could happen, of course."

I continued listening to their conversation until their voices faded away. And, it was time to return, as things had improved, of course. However, when I was finished and about to leave, several people appeared to be about to enter, so I paused in the bathroom. They seemed to be heading in too. In the large men's bathroom, there were about 12 bathrooms lined up. I paused for a moment because it seemed like they were all rushing in.

I paused. Their voices were so low; something was odd. They seemed like a group of criminals, and I started to think like a detective. I laughed to myself, he... he... he...

"They're all gone!" One of them whispered, but I still heard it. It seemed like something was really up. I slowly raised my feet to the bathroom step. I climbed slowly so that my feet wouldn't be visible if anyone were watching from below.

Sure enough, I saw someone moving to look around and monitor each bathroom. They must have sensed someone leaving, namely the security guard. I kept my mouth shut even more. Who were they, and what were they up to? Was there any malicious intent?

"Get everything ready, let's just cut the main cable!" His tone was firm but low.

I remained silent and tried not to make a sound. I even held my breath to avoid making even the slightest gasp.

"Rinto! Get the cloth ready!"

"Ready, Boss!" one of them replied.

I was increasingly convinced that something was wrong.

"When the time is right, you do what we planned!"

"Yes, Boss!"

What was going on? Was I really in the middle of a discussion about the crime they were planning? I remained silent, not daring to move or make a sound. I even sat on the edge of the bathtub so I couldn't be seen from below. There was a hole under the door, so if someone urinated, it would be obvious from their feet.

They seemed to be getting ready and leaving the bathroom slowly and carefully; I  could feel it. After a few minutes, it was safe, and there was no one around. The sound was silent, and I slowly and quietly exited the bathroom. Safe.

I walked slowly, seemingly unscathed, through the long, safe corridor without any problems. I headed to the front room where the others were gathered. They asked me what was taking so long, and I said my stomach hurt.

"I thought you met a ghost and ran away, Mr. Adnan, ha... ha..." Andi's voice came out. I simply smiled at his taunt.

"No ghost would scare me, Mr. Andi. If they saw my black face, they'd be the first to run away."

We laughed and went back to our work. Boss Tama said that tonight, he would distribute the money to the foremen to be distributed to the employees under our respective supervision. At least, they will distribute it immediately tomorrow. So, each foreman would be responsible.

This was because Boss Tama was leaving tomorrow morning and had urgent business in town regarding a new business agreement that would involve receiving carnel. He said someone had offered a high price for the top-quality carnel. Boss Tama was interested, so he agreed to work overtime today,y and it would be calculated immediately. Fahri just said that; he got the news directly from Tama's boss.

But... then I started thinking. About those people in the bathroom earlier, was this all related to what they were planning? If so, were those people trying to rob us? If that were true, then things could go awry, and the workers' money wouldn't be shared. This would be dangerous!

But... that's if it were true. If they had other plans, I didn't know yet. Be prepared, anything could happen. But didn't they say they were going to cut the power lines? Could the power outage have been their fault? It could be. Who should I talk to? Well, if they believe me, if not, then it wouldn't matter.

I quickly finished my rec.p, I just hurried through, hoping nothing would happen. I quickly completed the employee's daily schedule, ticking off each person's correct marks, and double-checked them. I also checked their daily schedules to see if they were consistent. If they didn't show up, I'd see their average income for that day.

I sped up and finished. I waited for the others to see if they were ready. It turned out not to be the case. I then recorded the salary allocations of each person under my supervision. They all varied according to that day's departure and the day's targets. Then there were bonuses for meeting targets for each person.

Okay, I've added them all up one by one and rounded up the total. The total is seventy-five million six hundred and twenty-three thousand rupiah, or Rp 75,623,000. Okay, I looked at the others; they were all still busy. I was the nervous one, but they were all relaxed, still adding up the numbers and checking which employees were leaving and which weren't. Why was I so nervous?

The ticking of the clock on the wall seemed too close to me.

Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock!

And so on, until I saw one or two foremen squirming and happy, signaling they were done.

"Are you done, Mr. Adnan?" Mr. Fahri looked at me.

"Yes, I have been for a while, sir," I answered simply.

Everything was finished; nothing had happened. Andi stood up and said he would inform Boss Tama when everything was finished. He asked us to gather the required notes. Eleven notes were collected. Andi took the notes, glanced at them, and then went to the boss's office. He knocked on the door. A second later, he entered.

I was nervous; it seemed like Mr. Jarwo had spotted me.

"What's wrong, Mr. Adnan? You seem anxious and want to go home. That's not usually you?"

"Eh... Uh, no, Mr. Jarwo, it's nothing. It just feels like it's taking so long tonight."

"Wow... maybe you're afraid of ghosts, Mr. Adnan," Mr. Jarwo joked, and the others laughed along.

After a while, Boss Tama and Andi finally emerged from the room. There were several packages that Boss Tama had prepared, packed into a cardboard box. As usual, Andi carried the box and carried it on his shoulder. Andi is indeed Boss Tama's best right-hand man. The box was filled with money, as usual; it felt like Eid al-Fitr.

Handing out the money. Ha... ha... ha...

My worries and anxiety vanished when I saw the pile of money on Andi's shoulder. Andi placed it on the table and looked at us all with a smile, his usual signature smile, meaning everything was in order!

"So... all of you. Here's the money for each of your groups. I've counted it with Andi as usual and matched it to your records. Andi, distribute it!"

Boss Tama ordered, "As usual, each package will have the name of each foreman on it, and we, the employees under our supervision, will be the ones distributing it."

"Ready, Boss!"

Andi's hands were about to touch the cardboard. Suddenly...

Clap!

The power went out again. The atmosphere became dark and tense.

My mind immediately imagined what had happened in the bathroom. Was this what was going to happen?

"Where are the security guards? Call security quickly!"

Boss Tama's shouting voice rang out. The atmosphere in the factory was tense at midnight, but I knew one thing now. This could be the criminals' plan. Fahri was next to me. I patted his shoulder. Even though it was dark, his voice was still audible, and I recognized it.

"Fahri."

I whispered to Fahri. Fahri jumped up and almost screamed, apparently startled.

"Adnan, don't startle me. I thought it was a ghost whispering."

"Shhh!" I begged him to be quiet.

"What's wrong, sir?" Fahri whispered next to me.

"If anything happens, we have to be ready, sir," I lowered my voice, so that maybe only Fahri and I heard it.

"Don't scare me, Adnan, I'm already shaking."

I patted Fahri's shoulder firmly. "Remember, Fahri, if anything happens, don't run. I'm afraid someone has bad intentions!"

Fahri paused for a moment. He was thinking, especially since the money had just been placed in front of them.

"If anything happens, help me, sir."

"Okay, ready, Adnan."

We were whispering a bit. I didn't want to scare anyone. Everyone was still making their own noise. Others were still complaining to the electricity company and such; the power outages were indeed troublesome!

At that moment, there was a rumbling sound that sent shivers down my spine. It came from outside, from the inner door, a light beam moving and approaching.

Andi immediately shouted, his voice familiar, "Is that a ghost!" The others began to jostle and press against each other. Was this them? My mind was still reeling from the incident in the bathroom, especially the cloth I'd heard earlier.

And sure enough, the sound of giggling, like the eerie voice of a female ghost in a horror movie, sounded terrifying and instantly made my hair stand on end. Everyone crowded even more, and some could be heard running frantically out. From the inner door, a puff of smoke like mist rose, and two white figures emerged, their heads poking out from each side of the door.

They were white and had bands tied around their heads.

"Pocooonggg!"

"Pocooonnnggg!"

Everyone scattered and ran aimlessly, but it was still dark, and I grabbed Mas Fahri's hand. We flashed, but instead of getting out, I pulled Mas Fahri's hand to the other side and hid behind a large chair nearby. I covered Fahri's mouth because he was breathing erratically from holding back his fear.