Chapter 10: The Gears Finally Start Turning

Dropping his canteen to the ground, the once brittle, dry soil at Ace’s feet is moistened as the water inside his canteen spills out. Wrapping his arms underneath the sleeping bag, Ace signals to Cliff and Blue that he can handle it from there.

But, as an act of courtesy, Ace still asked them, "May I?"

After Blue and Cliff meet eyes and nonverbally signal to accept Ace’s request, they relinquish their holds on Flora. Ace feels a sudden increase in weight, and while Cliff and Blue join me and the rest, Ace feels as if everybody’s eyes are resting on him, watching his every move.

Slowly lowering himself to his knees, Ace delicately lays Flora down inside the grave they spent all day digging.

"Flora, you can rest now,” he says before leaning forward into the grave and only whispering so nobody else could hear him. "I'll be the one… the only one remaining at the end if that's what it comes to…"

Ember squints her eyes, and I catch her reaction.

“I’ll figure out who did this to you, who's doing this to us… and kill them,” whispers Ace, standing back up and grabbing a shovel nearby. "Let's do it."

Cliff and Blue each grab a shovel while Hazel seizes two for her and Violet. Code picks up the final shovel and inspects it for a few seconds before walking to the grave along with the rest, who opted to help.

Plunging his shovel into the pile of dirt beside the grave, Ace slowly moves it above the grave, "Tonight, we bury Flora. Please, everybody… offer your support and pay your final respects. And then… if you can, try to get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow, I'm going out there, and I'm going to find some answers."

Turning the shovel over, I carefully observe Ace as the other helpers do the same. 

Only one can remain… if that means what I think it means… we must proceed cautiously. Or we might be doing this… burying somebody… quite often. Ace is right, though; we do need answers, and we need them quickly. If we had solved that riddle faster today, we might have been able to save her life…

Glancing over at the supplies, I see the front of the crates illuminated by the campfire and begin walking toward them.

If we want to survive, we still have a long journey ahead of us.

Bending over, I pick up one of the swords on the ground.

"So then…"

I skewer the sword into the ground and walk away, leaving it upright behind me. Kicking some dirt into the fire, the splash made some of the embers flicker.

"What should our next step be?"

***

You know, spending a night out in the wilderness isn’t too bad once you take away the constant feeling that you could die at any moment due to circumstances out of your control.

That’s what I was thinking, at least, as I laid back on my sleeping bag, unable to fall asleep. The empty darkness of night has been filled with crickets chirping, owls hooting, and the refreshing smell of nature. Staring at the roof of my tent, moonlight glimmers off of it.

Damn it, I just wish I could get some sleep in before tomorrow, but it looks like that won't be happening. Oh well. 

Slowly getting up and walking toward the entrance of my tent, I notice the light of the campfire still going strong. Opening up the flap and exiting outside, the faint scent of cherry reaches my nose. As my eyes adjust, I recognize Ace, Code, and Sky sitting silently around the campfire.

It might be awkward, but at least I’ll be warmer.

After determining the spot that would be furthest away from everybody else, I sat near the campfire without saying a word. The campfire crackles as an ember wisps off the flames into the bleakness of night.

Not minding the silence, I close my eyes, the smell of cherry growing stronger. Letting my body feel the full warmth of the fire, I begin to relax until somebody speaks.

"I guess you can’t fall asleep either?" asks Code.

Reopening my eyes, I locate Code, who’s sitting criss-cross with his jaw resting against his closed fist.

"You could say that.”

Sky pokes at the dirt with a stick as she says, "Seems we're all shaken up by what happened today…"

Glancing over toward Ace, he was sitting back with his legs stretched out in front of him, one overlapping the other. His arms acting as support beams behind him, Ace’s face is being dimly lit by the campfire.

"Are any of you three going to come with me tomorrow?" asks Ace, not looking away from the fire.

Not rejecting his proposal, I counter, "Actually, I wanted to ask you about that. For tomorrow, what exactly do you have in mind?"

He picks up some twigs and tosses them into the fire. Some embers sizzle, "Not exactly sure, but there's gotta be something out there that'll explain what happened today."

I continue studying him as he throws some more twigs into the fire.

Reckless? Yes. Stupid? Yes. But this means that he didn't see what Hunter saw. Or maybe he did, and he's just confident that he won't die from it. Or maybe it's the third possibility, where he's blinded by his dumb pursuit of avenging Flora. No matter his reasoning, he's putting himself in danger with minimal knowledge of what he's up against.

I ask, "When you first saw Flora, did you see anything with or near her?"

"No, I didn't."

If that’s true, he doesn't know what he's up against. This guy has some balls. I'll give him that. But his emotions might be leading him down a road toward a premature death.

Ace then transfers his gaze toward me, looking away from the fire for the first time.

"Which is why I'm going out there. I'll go alone if I have to. Even if I die, my death will give you all more information. And hopefully, in return, that information will give you all a better chance at surviving."

"Don't ever think of yourself as somebody expendable. Everyone, including you, will have to contribute and work together to survive. Don't go out there with the mindset that your life is worth throwing away right after somebody just died."

The fire crackles, emanating an eerie atmosphere.

I notice a fire is then lit in Ace’s eyes, "I actually did see something. Crows, I saw these crows circling above her…"

Code leans forward, "What? Crows? What do you mean by that?"

Ace shifts his focus from me to Code, "Before the rest of you got there, Flora… she was still alive."

Code and Sky glance at each other, shocked by what was just said. 

Ace continues, "But it was clear that she was going to die very soon. Seconds before Flora died in my arms, she pointed up to the sky. And when I looked up, there were crows. As I watched them circling above us, she uttered her final words… ‘they're always watching’."

It could be true, but how she worded that… they’re? Could there be multiple monsters or people responsible for her death? Or perhaps she was referencing something else? Maybe it's as simple as referring to the crows. Either way, there is more than one. Good to know.

Ace lifts his canteen to his lips while Code, who has grown uncomfortable, readjusts himself.

If it was just one, why didn't Flora say something like, ‘it's always watching'? Then again, she may not have been thinking clearly due to the blood loss and torture she went through beforehand…

Code begins massaging his forehead as he stares down at the ground, "The entire left side of her body was severely damaged, crushed even… and it looked like her entire body was bloody. What could have possibly happened to her-"

I look at him and respond, "Hunter told us that he saw this monster. And this monster… was apparently holding her captive. As of now, my best guess is that monster is probably responsible for her death."

Ace chuckles to himself after hearing what I said, "Are you listening to yourself? How stupid do you think I am? You're telling me there's some big, bad monster roaming these woods, and it's out to kill us? If you're going to make a joke, at least try to make it funny."

His chuckling stops as he glares at me, "I don't buy that one bit."

Code gestures toward Sky as he attempts to support what I just told Ace, "He's telling the truth. We heard the same story.”

As Sky nods reassuringly, Ace chuckles again as he sifts his hand back through his hair, "Do I believe there could be a monster out there? Yeah… I think that's possible. But what you just said doesn't make sense with everything else we know."

Sky asks, "I'm confused. What are you trying to say?"

Ace replies, "If that monster is just going to kill us all, why were we given enough stuff to survive here for at least a few weeks? We got food, we got shelter, we got fire, we got tools, there's a stream just a minute or two away, hell, we even have weapons. And then the whole thing with the riddle earlier, why was that something we were able to solve if our purpose here is to just die to this monster?"

Ace… he's smarter than I gave him credit for. Seems he's figured it out, too, at least partially. Something is happening here, and we aren't meant to just die. This brings me back to what I was thinking about before. My guess? We're being tested, part of an experiment.

He continues, "We still have three unopened crates, a ripped piece of paper, a compass, and that wooden plank cut out. I have no clue what the last item could be for, but they should all have a purpose, right? Just like that riddle. So, as I said, we aren't meant to just die here. We are meant to wake up, follow the clues, solve the riddles, and hopefully survive this hell. We are meant to live. So yes, I'm going out there tomorrow to find some answers. I know full well that I might not return, but that's a risk I'm willing to take."

I respond, "If that course of action is what you believe is best for yourself and us, then I trust you. I trust your judgment."

Code bobbles his head, "Me as well, I trust you."

Ace barely smiles, "Thanks, both of you."

Sky looks back at the fire, her chin resting on her arms, "Ace, do you remember what you said to us earlier?"

He scratches his chin, "Yeah, but I'm not sure what you're talking about in particular.”

Beginning to hum, Sky closes her eyes, "You said… that we are human. And that by working together, humanity can overcome anything."

Opening her eyes again, Sky gazes optimistically at the fire, "Faith… she spoke about our humanity too. She talked about our individuality and how our individuality is what makes us human. It's funny, isn't it? She brought up individuality, while you brought up cooperation. Opposites in a way."

She breathes out through her nose and resumes, "But for some reason, humanity struggles when trying to separate those two things. It’s weird, isn’t it? We are forced to rely on one another, but how we have evolved as individuals has helped our race survive and even thrive at times. I like to think of this dynamic as a well-oiled machine. Without the gears, the oil holds no value. And without the oil, the gears can’t work. And without both, well… you don’t have a machine at all, just spare parts gathering dust. Individuality and cooperation, if we respect and treat both of those aspects of life as equals, that’s where it’ll seem as if the cogs have loosened, and the gears will finally start turning once again."

Sky looks at Ace, "We as humans deserve to live a life of freedom. So tomorrow, I’ll support you. Because I want to live life to the fullest. To live a life of freedom."