In a world with many possibilities, the only constant is morality.

And when morality is taken for granted, the only result is punishment for the perpetrators.

Such is the unshakeable belief of 38-year-old shop assistant, I. Subahan. 

“Laws and morals, regardless of place or time stand absolute,” he reiterates, surreptitiously placing his hand phone into the wooden almirah to his left as if fearing that it might break his train of thought as he recollects scenes of the night. 

The employment pass holder was locked indoors till the wee hours of the morning as the shutters went down minutes after the commotion erupted.

As adrenalin snaked through his veins, his imagination ran amok as he heard bewildering sounds emanating from the outside – veiled from unruliness by a thin sheet of crass metal.

As fate would have it, he was scheduled to work full shift that day – tending to the shop’s operations along with the shop owner and his spouse.

The trio mustered enough courage to leave the shop’s premises only at 1am, owing to the assurance and authority of riot police troops who were busy escorting bystanders safely out of the area. 

“I never understood how or why things got out of control,” Subahan said. 

“I don’t think I ever will.”