CH 40: Missing A Piece To The Puzzle

[Mike]

[18 November 2021, Thursday--- the following day]

Even though it was the afternoon, the forest was dimly lit by the muted sunlight penetrating the thick canopy of trees. If one wasn't particularly attentive to the time, the day could easily be mistaken for evening. The occasional cool breeze of autumn that swept through the forest only added to the illusion, contributing to the atmospheric ambiguity of the surroundings.

Scrape, Scrape, Scrape.

Mike looked up towards the canopy of trees. The scant sunlight that managed to filter through the forest canopy resembled twinkling lights as the passing breeze playfully teased the leaves.

‘Have I ever felt this calm during these recent weeks we’ve been traversing this dense forest?’

“Hm…” David grumbled beside Mike.

Scrape, Scrape.

Adamant to not look at his grumpy comrade, Mike wiggled slightly away without ever getting up. It was the first time since leaving the facility that he had time to appreciate the intricate pattern that the canopy of trees seemed to cast. Moreover, such a moment of tranquility was rare and Mike was going to use the given opportunity to consider things fully.

Scrape.

Another breeze blew, and Mike fished out his pocket compass.

‘I wonder how much further up North we need to travel before finally hitting the capital of Nation 27. By my estimation, we should have long reached the capital days ago, yet somehow, we’re still stuck in the middle of this dense forest.’

Mike promptly jerked the compass, but the compass needle continued to point North in the same direction.

‘If the rise and setting of the Sun hadn’t indicated the direction, I would have believed that we were stranded in the very center of the Devil’s Triangle. Could it simply be my misperception? ...Or is it something else?’

Mike sighed softly as he kept away the pocket compass.

“Hah…” David echoed Mike’s sigh.

Scrape, Scrape, Scrape.

Mike’s jawline muscle twitched in annoyance, yet he chose to maintain his silence. He firmly believed that responding would only invite more nonsensical outbursts, and he was not in the mood for any of that.

‘If it really isn’t a misperception or malfunction of equipment, was land here always abnormal? It feels like a lifetime ago when we first traversed in the forest- before entering the facility… I remember Boyan having to scout out the land up ahead, but was it due to the rough and uneven terrain or the similar oddity that we’re now facing? I should definitely have a word with Brien later when-’

David’s buttocks bumped lightly against Mike’s back.

Whilst Mike was deep in thought and had completely ignored David, David had scooted over to the point of encroaching on Mike’s personal space. The man was determined to not be ignored.

‘Sometimes I wished he was the enemy soldier. That way, I would be legally obligated to terminate him,’ Mike thought darkly as he folded his arms, still adamant to neither sit up nor look at his comrade.

“HAH…” David sighed again but in a louder tone this time and closer to Mike’s ear.

Mike was upright in an instant.

“What is it, you sulky oaf?!” Mike snapped.

“...Nothing,” David replied and continued to carve the shape of a spear from a long branch.

Scrape, Scrape, Scrape.

“So, there’s nothing you want to share about?”

“Mm.”

“Alright then. I’ll be heading off to check on Jared and Brien to see how many traps they’ve managed to set up in the immediate campsite,” Mike said nonchalantly and began to walk away when David’s large hand grasped Mike’s arm.

“Wait!”

Mike sighed in resignation.

“Yes?”

“...don’t…” David mumbled.

Mike raised a brow.

“I can’t hear you. You’ll need to speak louder.”

“...Don’t leave. I’m so bored,” David said sulkily.

Mike sighed and sat down next to David.

“Despite your vows and ‘best’ efforts, you’ve grown attached to the boy, huh?”

“...Yes. It’s fun to spar with a youngling.”

“Youngling? Whoa… How ancient are you? Haha. Anyway, it hasn’t been more than a day since you two last sparred, and the boy is simply gathering wood with his sister. Can you not wait a little for someone whom you barely know for more than a few weeks?”

Unlike his friendly and calm tone, Mike scanned the vast forest before them. Perhaps it was the eerie stillness of Jared from the previous day, but Mike still had a nagging feeling that he was missing something.

‘I don’t wish to admit it to David, but Adam’s sudden absence from combat training feels somewhat… What is that word? It’s not unpleasant, yet at the same time, there’s a routine that I’ve grown accustomed to. However, it’s not as if I miss his presence in the same sense as I do for Boyan. So, what is this feeling…?’

“Yes, is that very wrong?” David retorted.

“Not at all. I’m just stating as I see it. Besides, there are still many questions we have yet to answer. I suggest that you don’t grow overly attached to anyone or anything,” Mike replied in almost a whisper. There’s no telling if there were prying eyes and eavesdroppers hidden amongst the towering trees and thick bushes.

‘Yeah, I’m sure that I’m missing a piece to the puzzle.’

“I know. You don’t have to keep repeating yourself, but I think that the siblings are innocent enough. Don’t you?”

In fact, upon Jared’s appearance, the siblings have started to exhibit peculiar behavior. Their usual cheerful and outgoing personalities gave way to a somber and secretive demeanor. It almost gave Mike a sense that they were unnerved or unsettled. 

‘But why do they act like that? Aren’t they all friends?’ Mike pondered.

Then as if reading his mind, David voiced out his question.

“Do you have any clue of why the siblings are so wary of Jared? I mean, they never acted like this before, right?”

“No, and I don’t think so…”

“Hm.,. Then again, they looked like they had seen a ghost. So, is ‘wary’ really the word I want to use? Ah… Maybe I’m just a little too sensitive. After all, we still don’t really know if what happened at the facility was intentional or accidental. Not to mention, our missing comrade…”

The forest, already filled with an air of mystery, now harbored an additional layer of tension brought about by the sequence of events and the siblings' enigmatic change in behavior.

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[Point of view of an unknown person]

[Deep within the dense forest towards the Southern side…]

Fallen leaves crunched under the weight of oversized, worn-out shoes half-dragged and shuffled sluggishly along the uneven terrain. Each step has caused immense pain to shoot up into the person’s body. It has been weeks of endless walking with close to no rest.

The landscape of the forest up ahead was monotonous and almost identical to the path before. If the person had not been using a sharp dagger to scrape at every couple of tree trunks, the journey itself was enough to convince a person that they were descending to madness to the point of wandering in circles.

The figure looked up towards the canopy of trees and could make out from the scant sunlight that filtered through the leaves that it would soon be night. Drawing in another weary breath, the figure tightened the strap of the backpack that they carried and started scouting for a nearby tree that was suitable enough to climb up.

Once the figure was safely in the tree, they vowed to have their revenge.