F2 Vetha 16.10.2023

11:43 AM

An early autumn morning, the breeze sang its gentle song to these adventurers. To reach their goal, many more challenges awaited them, one of them simply walking. By some calculations, if they maintained their current pace they would reach their destination before sunset. They were passing through a forest of oaks and beech trees, following the path indicated by the compass. In this age of advanced technology, the way of their elders was all they had. Danny carried the compass, occasionally checking if they were heading in the right direction. To his left was Alex, holding a map and leading the group.

"This reminds me of a field trip in high school," Owen broke the silence, his voice light and nostalgic. Mentioning that trip stirred fond memories and brought small smiles to everyone's faces.

"What part? The one where you were almost late?" Vanessa teased.

"Or when you two chased each other up the hill like a couple of goats," Alex added with a grin, just before stumbling slightly. Not because of the forest terrain or his own clumsiness—Danny had lightly tripped him. With those long legs of his, Danny could easily pull such tricks.

"Or maybe when you two got lost right before the bus was about to leave, and you showed up with two huge boxes of pizza," Danny chimed in.

"But the pizza was good, though," Alex replied with a smirk.

"So was the bakery girl," Vanessa added slyly.

"I agree," Owen added.

"Vanessa was that necessary?" Alex questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"What? I say what I think. There's nothing wrong with behaving like my true self," Vanessa shot back confidently.

"Maybe princesses would've learned to cook if she stayed with her," Owen quipped, with few chuckles.

"I think you'd need those lessons more, since you don't even know how to turn on the oven," Vanessa retorted.

"Owen would be on by now if she was there." Danny said, surprising everyone. Alex burst out laughing, and though Vanessa tried to hide it, her face turned red as she suppressed her laughter. Owen, however, was less amused.

"You bastard, do I need to mention when you almost fell off that bridge trying to take a picture?" Owen shot back, glaring at Danny, effectively silencing him. There were many secrets within their group, some still locked away.

"Too bad you said 'almost,'" Vanessa remarked dryly.

"Let's take a break. We don't have much left, and it's only noon," Alex announced.

"If we need to run, just tell us now," Owen sighed.

"Only if you're being chased by a wild boar," Alex joked.

"They won't chase us, considering we already have two boars in our group," Vanessa quipped, grabbing Alex's hand and pulling him toward the left side of the grove. Alex barely had time to shout, "Don't go so far, half an hour!" before Vanessa dragged him out of sight, leaving Owen and Danny behind, slightly humiliated.

"Where does she come up with all those insults?" Danny muttered as he sat down, leaning against a tree, his usual spot during breaks.

"She said something smart. You're just too stupid to get it," Owen teased, sitting beside him.

"I think you're the one who doesn't get it right now," Danny shot back, the tension between them growing.

"I get everything, but I don't get you," Owen said, his tone more serious. "You've got time ahead of you, but now it's the apocalypse. Who's gonna say anything to you? And who's even alive to haunt you now? That's your problem, Dan. You understand yourself but refuse to accept it."

"I don't need to express myself publicly to understand myself," Danny replied, his voice calm but firm.

"But you can't hide forever. No one controls your life anymore. Understand that," Owen insisted, turning to face Danny. When no response came, Owen saw Danny holding a small yellow flower, a faint smile on his face.

"It looks like a tiny sunflower. Are there any seeds?" Owen asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Idiot. It's a flower that somehow survived the autumn, a miracle. Not even the cold or this disaster has taken away its bright color," Danny murmured, staring at the flower as if it symbolized something more.

"Mhm. And that flower just made you so happy," Owen said, his tone teasing again.

"What kind of idiotic theories are you coming up with now?" Danny asked, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I've never seen you this happy over a flower before. Especially since every plant in your room looks like a dried-up relic from how 'caring' you are," Owen teased.

"Will you let me breathe for a second?" Danny asked.

"You want to give it to him, don't you?" Owen asked, leaning in with a mischievous grin.

"What?" Danny snapped, caught off guard.

"What what? The flower, you idiot. It wouldn't be the first time," Owen said, smirking.

"At least this time, I didn't break my back getting it from some bush," Danny retorted.

Owen chuckled. "I can see through you, Dan. Just tell me what's on your mind."

"It's nothing. Just... how I described the flower," Danny mumbled.

"It reminded you of him, huh? Our hopeless romantic," Owen teased again. "Why so quiet, you coward? You can't even say it, can you?"

Danny didn't respond, but instead, he picked up a small stone and tossed it at Owen.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE, STOP THROWING STUFF AT ME!" Owen yelled, ducking. 

"Too bad I don't have an axe anymore." Danny chuckled.

"You faggot," Owen snapped back.

After a short while, they regrouped and continued their journey. The sun was now well past noon, and Alex was pretty skeptical about whether they were still on the right track. Around 4:10 PM, they finally spotted a building in the distance—a decrepit structure with five floors and an open roof. It appeared abandoned, with barred windows up to the third floor and a safety fence surrounding it. The building stood alone, seemingly a relic of an old army radio station.

"They know we're coming, right?" Owen asked nervously.

"Did you expect a welcome party?" Danny replied dryly.

"I hope they have a proper toilet," Vanessa added with a grin.

Suddenly, a sound came from the building. Alex immediately raised his rifle and moved protectively in front of Vanessa. 

"You never know what's waiting behind closed doors," he muttered, glancing at Owen and Danny, whose reflexes were slower than usual. Before they could draw their weapons, they heard a beeping noise followed by a voice over a loudspeaker.