“We need to keep walking,” John assured. “We found an abandoned castle, we will find something else.”

“We don’t know that,” Lizzy replied, “and even if we did, we wouldn’t be able to know what we would find.”

“Mmh… food you can actually eat?”

“We’re in the middle of a forest. I’m sure we could find vegetables and stuff. At least, we have shelter here.”

“Right, right. So we’re going to what? Stay here, fix the roof, and have a nice house?”

“Wait for help.”

“Sure. Let’s wait for the police to track us down to the forest with two moons.”

“There might not even be anything to find.”

“The castle didn’t build itself,” Tom replied.

“No,” Lizzy replied, sounding highly annoyed, “it probably didn’t, but I would also like to point out that the thing is not exactly fresh and that whoever built it, or even lived in it, is long gone or dead.”

“Look,” Claire interjected, “I don’t know where we’re going, but I wouldn’t mind us finding water. First to refill the bottles, but also to get a chance to clean up a bit? But I would also side with whoever is willing to look after civilization. Because I don’t particularly feel like waking up in the same underwear every day, or having to go through my period in the middle of the woods.”

In all honesty, the period comment made Tom uncomfortable, but it was a fair one. He, too, felt like he wasn’t really prepared to live here. But… he could kind of see John’s point. At least, here, they knew they had shelter. They could use it as a base while they explored. Sure, it would mean that they would only be able to explore as far as they could work within a half-day, but it also meant they had somewhere familiar to come back to. They could always decide to leave, properly leave, later, when they are sure there isn’t anything worth finding around here…

He tried to explain his point the best he could to the others and there was another half-hour of debate before they all agreed that today, they would explore around the ruins to get food, water, traces of civilization, and still have a safe place to come back to sleep. Then they would reexamine.

Tom had expected some of them to argue back. Wished them to, in fact. Because when they all politely agreed, it meant that, once more, they were looking at him as the leader of the group and that still wasn’t the role he wanted to take on.

The next topic to discuss was the way they should explore. Jamie was a little bit unhelpful when he suggested that they didn’t cover the area they came from yesterday. John wasn’t massively more helpful when he suggested to ‘wing it’. Claire, however, was a little more helpful when she offered to climb the tower again and perhaps spot something useful.

“Great idea,” Lizzy replied. “I am sure that absolutely nothing will go wrong with someone climbing ruins. The building will one hundred percent stay there and not collapse.”

“It might be fine,” Maya said, sounding like she was desperately trying to hang on to her optimistic side. Tom could relate to that. Just… maybe not enough to send Claire climbing an unstable pile of rocks.

“It’s better to be on the safe side,” Edwin replies and Tom felt grateful about not having to step up in any way. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t have to make any more suggestions today. Longer, even.

“We need to try to get a better view,” Claire insisted.

“Jeez,” John replied. “If only we were in a place full of really tall things we can climb, wouldn’t that be helpful?”

Tom didn’t particularly appreciate the sarcastic tone, but he had to admit that they kind of deserved it. Yes, trees seemed a much safer option. Claire seemed to agree and, ten minutes later, she was climbing a tree that seemed high enough to be interesting, and whose branches appeared strong enough not to snap.”

“Just… don’t fall,” Jamie voiced. Again, not the most helpful comment, but Tom was kind of thinking the same thing so he couldn’t really judge. Actually, Tom could feel his anxiety rise with every inch she climbed. At some point, he sort of could tell that she had passed some sort of threshold and that a fall would be bad. And… they had no way of helping her. Nowhere to go for help, no 9-1-1, no one to tell them what to do…

If she didn’t die instantly, of course.

But Claire managed not to fall. Almost more importantly: she managed to notice a spot without trees that, sure, could just be a clearing, but might also be a lake. Either way, it was worth looking into.

It was a lake. They knew before they found it because they found the stream first. Still. Tom would struggle to describe the joy and relief he felt when he saw it. Sure, it was nice to know they would be able to drink and clean, but… more than that, it was a win. They all desperately needed wins, it might be the only thing that kept them from going insane or spending their entire days crying: they weren’t alone and they managed to achieve some of their goals. This was a thin silver lining in comparison to everything that was happening to them, but it was a silver lining nonetheless.

Tom was seconds from running and jumping into the lake when Lizzy asked: “What do you think is in there?”

“What?”

“In the lake. What do you guys think lives in there?”

“What do you mean?”

“Fish, probably, but… leeches? Eels? Creatures we don’t know?”

“I don’t really want to go in the water anymore,” Maya said with a small voice.

“Great, thanks,” Tom replied.

“What? You can go first if you’re so sure.”

And Tom was, in fact, not so sure. It was very unlikely, but what if the castle was in ruins because everyone who lived in it had been eaten by some lethal creature from the lake?

“Guys, we’re here now,” James commented. “We’re not going to step down like little bitches? It’s literally just water.”

Was it though?

“Alright, go then,” Edwin replied. “We’ll be right behind you.”

A few minutes passed and nothing happened.

“Seriously, guys… who goes first?”