His eyes wide open the boy scrutinizes the grey sky streaked by tree branches.
In his pocket the familiar weight of his blue stones.
He has lost his lantern when he fainted. Like in the mine he released his grip on his only source of light and lost it.
He doesn't need to look to know that he has a clothed bag tied to his waist. Nor does he need to look around him to know that the others are there too on their bed waking up from the same dream he had on the middle of some swamp.
It is hard to think about this situation positively but at least he tries.
His bag seems to be empty because he doesn't feel the weight of a head in it.
That's a good point.
His hands move of his own to touch the pocket-sized knife between his blue stones. In addition to his bag he now has a weapon to defend himself.
And it's day time! The mist aside he can see the area quite clearly!
Ahaha that's so great…
He sits up and the mattress creaks.
His point of view changing he can now see the face of the old man on the bed before him.
The man say nothing. His face is deviod of any expression. He sits there without moving. His stare is blank.
The shoes of Dust touch the green moss on the ground and sink a little in the damp earth.
-Are you okay?
The blank stare cross the path of the younger's eyes.
The man stammers like a child losing in the way his usual stern tone. Hearing the old man speak like this give the creeps to the boy.
-I 'am old , i am old… Maybe this ...i ...my mind creating this . It's the more logical. I must have lost my reason due to my old age. Who i am? Do i have Alzheimer? I want to die in a respectable way. Not like this crazy and… and…
-Sir?
The ugly man with his potatoes head interject. His voice as worried as Dust.
Old man freezes then look past his shoulder to watch the huge fellow in the next bed in a daze.
The he shakes his head and straightens. Wide awake his grey eyes resumes to his habitual cold glint. Shaking his limping leg he stands without a word and goes to where the others regrouped.
Dust and Potatoe exchange a glance and do the same.
In the swamp the air is damp. The weather is like an autumn day.
Cold but not freezing cold.
The group is formed around a dead tree on a lop of earth surrounded by shallow water of a greenish-brown colour.
Amisdt the green moss sprouts some long-stemmed yellow flowers.
Just like in the nightmare.
Some of them clash with the landscape.
For instance the long dress of Charismatic is more fit to a gala than to soak in the mud. She is standing next to the ugly man who in a way give to the scene an even more ridiculous impression.
Purple-belly too give a strong feeling of contradiction with his suit.
The salary man join his hands in front of him and say:
-Let's summarize.
As if to ponctuate his sentence a crow croaks in the distance.
Dust try to keep warm by crossing his arms.
Like usual one of the first to react is Pony.
- Summarize what? We need to leave the forest and after this we are free! We don't need to ponder to much. We are outside for fuck's sake!
The man shake his head.
- But nothing here is rational. We need to think about it. Did you all have the dream with the kid and the grand-father?
In the silence of the forest their voices seem especially loud. A bit too loud for his peace of mind.
The boy look behind him. Everywhere around them is an open space with trees and puddles.
Their beds are lined up like in the mine. But some of their metallics foots sink a bit too much in the earth resulting in them being tilted.
Quicksand?
He grimaces at the idea.
Bad so bad. If they need to run here not only they can lose each other in this kind of forest but the ground can also swallow them in a careless moment.
Some nod to answer. Others like Princess are more vocal.
-Yes. And I liked the dream with the mine better. Here it seems that we need to kill someone.
To the surprise of Dust Follower is behind the elegant women like a shadow.
Did she forgives everyone for real? Did she speak to Princess like nothing happened?
Her eyes look at the mud in silence. like a wronged daugther waiting for her parents to recognize that they are going overboard. The handsome man too is next to Princess. Minding his own business regardless of what is said.
- Kill? Why kill?
The booming voice of Potatoe is answered by more croaks from the crows. A dozen fly away stretching their wings above the head of the humans below.
Potatoe's face express his bewildrement.
Dust begin to feel chills. Searching for Suspicious he leaves a bit their encirclement. In this way he doesn't have to be in the front seat for the confrontation.
Again the red hair of the man is a red dot nearly impossible to miss.
Princess stares at muscular man like he is some kind of idiot she bumped into. Raising an eyebrow while managing to frown.
-Because it's how they crossed the lake? Like the key for the mine's door or how you dreamed about the exit of the Middly-Age city before we met? Everytime we dream about the solution to survive. Isn't that simple?
Potatoe seems to be vexed by her tone because he turn red with his mouth twisted.
Unwilling to let the matter drop his aggressiveness leak through his next sentence.
-So we need to kill someone? Is that simple? Why? did you already decide who we should kill?
The women snaps with sarcasm.
- Ah! Is it my fault? I am stating facts! It isn't my fault that your brain can't keep up!
Dust can see the clenched fist of the giant man. New lines are drawn on his already well wrinkled forehead. Even his bald head got a few lines. She seem to have touched a sensitive spot.
Ill at ease about the current atmosphere the boy approaches Suspicious discreetly. The red-haired man unlike him seem to like the tumultuous situation.
He has the smirk of someone watching a show.
- Has someone ever told you that you are an haughty bitch?
Princess is not impressed. She smiles.
-I remind you that like you i have memory loss. How would i know if i've ever been insulted in such a gross and vulgar way?
Purple-belly act fast.
The man spread his hand in front of the two in a soothing gesture as he put himself between the two.
- We should calm down a bit. Staying united should be the best course of action for now.
Despite his intervention the two are still glaring at each other. Princess with her provoking smile and Potatoes all riled up.
Pony interject to help the middle-aged man.
-Yes! Arguing will not help anything. We should try to find the lake to begin with. Maybe we can cross it by swimmimg? Or we can… we can find a city first. Why cross a lake ? Like i said before we are outside not locked up like in the past…
The first to give up in their glaring match is Potatoe when Charismatic put her hand on his muscular arm.
He switch his attention from Princess to Pony.
Princess follows suit , rolling in passing her eyes. For what exactly, Dust doesn't know.
Everything here stress him so much.
-We don't know how big is the swamp we should start to walk early to not stay here when night comes. Does anyone still has a lamptorch?
At old man's question Suspicious raise his lantern.
-I don't think it will be lit until night falls.
The grey eyes stay on the lantern one second then look at the others.
-Anyone else?
Some of them start to whisper.
-I lost mine before falling asleep.
-No, we were in so much hurry when we started to faint…
-I think i left my flashlight in the dining room.
It took a while but they end up deciding to discuss the details while advancing in the swamp to find a city or the dreamed lake instead of cutting off someone's head directly.
When the decision is made Suspicious squint his ice blue eyes while looking at the old man with a mischievous smile. Like a fox watching his prey in a playful mood.
- If we go blindly like this we will lose ourselves.
The older man look at him for a while, his eyes sharp.
-This time we have a knife to mark the way.
So they start to walk.
Dust find somewhere a branch that can be used as a stick.
He thinks about it and while keeping up with Suspicious he obtains another stick longer than the previous one. Without a word he gives it to the red-haired man.
the man take the stick without question a satisfied smile on his lips. Somehow Dust has the impression that the man want to pat his head.
- Good boy.
ugh.. thinks Dust.
He treats me like i am some kind of puppy…