CHAPTER 3: DISCOVERY OF THE SECRET LAB

The next morning, Kluang’s weather turned gloomy. Grey clouds had blanketed the sky since early dawn, making the small town feel more mysterious than usual. At the homestay, the group was gathered in the living room. Liam was struggling to charge his camera battery using a loose plug socket. Nico was still styling his spiky hair. Zara had her legs stretched out on the table, munching on Mamee Monster, while Risa scribbled something into her little journal.

Aiman stared out the window, holding the photos they had taken yesterday. These were pictures of the large stone door, the metallic edges, and the green light captured from afar. Something about them tugged at his thoughts.

“These photos aren’t clear enough,” he finally said. “We need to find that place again.”

“You think Mr. Azmi will let us?” Liam asked, glancing over.

“We don’t need to wait for Mr. Azmi. He’s too busy arranging posters for the anti-drug poster contest,” Zara replied dryly. “He won’t even notice if we disappear for a while.”

“Business as usual, cover for each other,” said Nico, slapping Liam’s shoulder. “Let’s call it an off-site learning session.”

Risa closed her notebook. “I know a shortcut to the base of the mountain. But we have to go behind the old mosque.”

Aiman nodded. “Let’s go. But we have to be careful.”

*****

They left the homestay under the pretext of heading to the convenience store. Taking a back alley, they passed a few wooden houses and small gardens before arriving at a quiet area near an old, unused mosque. There, a narrow path lay hidden under fallen leaves and broken twigs.

“Pak Karim!” Risa called softly, glancing toward a wooden hut nearby.

An old man, wearing a worn pagoda shirt and a woven cap, stepped out with a small machete in hand. He smiled as he saw them.

“You’ve come again?” he asked. “Want to see that light again?”

“We think there’s something in the forest, uncle. A metal door. We need help,” said Aiman politely.

Pak Karim nodded slowly. “You’re just schoolkids, but you’ve got braver hearts than most grown-ups. If you want to know what lies behind that mountain, follow the trail I’ll show you. But be careful. That place used to be a lab. What it is now, I can’t say.”

Zara raised an eyebrow. “A lab?”

“Yes. People used to call it Project Lambak. I worked there once as a janitor. But one day, everyone was sent home, and the place was shut down. Still, the machines kept humming at night.”

Without delay, Pak Karim led them to an overgrown path lined with roots and tall grass. In the middle was a steel door, half-buried in the ground, rusted but intact.

“This looks like a Fallout Vault,” Liam whispered, excited.

“If we die, at least we die epically,” Nico added.

Aiman pushed the door open with a loud, dusty creak, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness. The scent of rusted metal and stale air hit them immediately.

Zara turned on a small flashlight. “Who’s going first?”

“I will,” said Aiman. “Then Zara, Risa, Nico, and Liam at the back.”

The staircase led them to a long underground corridor. The concrete walls were cracked and lined with nearly-faded hand-drawn notes. There were codes, graphs, and science symbols they didn’t recognise.

Liam flipped switches on the wall. One by one, the neon lights overhead flickered on, casting a sci-fi horror glow.

“This place is huge,” Risa whispered. “And it still has power… that’s the scariest part.”

They arrived at a glass chamber connected to a control room. Inside were shelves of files, old CRT computers, and a metal desk still cluttered with papers and a dusty plastic cup.

Aiman opened a file labelled “Phase Alpha Energy Observation: Earth Subject.” Inside were handwritten notes:

“Energy collection successful. But environmental effects are unpredictable. System must be shut down IMMEDIATELY.”

“Who wrote this?” Nico asked.

Liam pulled a tape from a dusty voice recorder.

“Dr. Johan,” he said quietly, reading the label. “Dated... July 14th, 2008.”

They inserted the tape into the machine. A man’s voice emerged, weak and anxious.

“If anyone finds this recording… please shut the project down. The energy we tried to control has triggered an underground wave. I don’t know how long before it erupts. This is no longer an experiment. It’s a ticking time bomb.”

The tape clicked off. Silence followed.

“We’ve found something big,” Aiman whispered.

“And dangerous,” Zara added.

They started to make their way back, but before reaching the exit, a ticking sound echoed. An electronic voice from the old security system activated.

“Intrusion detected. Defence systems engaged.”

Liam shouted, “We need to get out. NOW!”

They sprinted back up the staircase, gasping for breath. The metal door was slowly closing, but they managed to slip out just in time.

Collapsed on the ground outside, they looked at one another. Their breaths were still heavy, but one thing was now certain. They had unlocked the door to something long buried.