I woke up in my car to Borislav knocking on the window.
I saw him and jumped out of the car and saw the food. I could smell a beautiful aroma of beef and mushrooms mixed into a beautiful dish.
As I stared Borislav looked at me, chuckling he said "It looks like you haven't eaten a proper meal in weeks Bratan, your drooling on your shirt!"
He broke down laughing and my face was flushed red with embarrassment.
"Listen Borislav, I-i haven't had a proper stove or enough water to get a good meal like this I-"
"I know that Bratan, I was just joking you have gone through a lot and you should relax." He motioned his hands to the two chairs and small he brought while I was asleep.
"You probably slept for about an hour and a half! How was your rest, tomorrow we will be leaving towards Manchegorsk for Filips car, you ok?"
I laughed and nodded "I'll be fine Borislav let's just eat and relax. I want to have fun and eat. We will be having a rough journey back to the cabin."
Borislav looked at me confused "Cabin?"
I realized I forgot to mention my house to anyone really "The bandits lived in a small cabin, that's where I lived for a few days while I fixed up the Volga." I took a bit out of the food, "It has been forever since I've had something this good!"
I continued to chow down on the food and the small talk. I didn't know how pale my face was when Borislav talked about the journey. I was confident, but for some reason I looked deathly afraid without realizing it.
We finished the food and he brought the plates back to the lady. I relaxed as I saw Yemelyan and his friend coming back to the garage with a few parts in their hands.
"Ahh Bratan, we have the parts and it will be ready to drive tomorrow!"
I laughed "Tomorrow! You aren't mere mechanics, you are magicians my friends! Also, Yemelyan, I don't know your friends name?"
Yemelyan had a look of confusion written on his face for a second before realization hit in. "Oh! Bratan, this is Venedikt! We were friends before this whole hell hole of a world began!"
The man standing next to Yemelyan had a flushed red face and said "H-h-hi Bratan."
He just kind of looked down and kept his gaze lowered.
"Hah! Sorry Bratan, Venedikt is incredibly shy, he isn't the best shot, but he is a damn good mechanic let me tell you that! He taught me everything I know!"
I glanced at the man and his face was a red beacon, lighting the garage up with the power of his embarrassment.
"Heh yeah oh yes, I still owe you guys 50 rubles, I'll give you the 50 now" I said as I pulled the money out my pocket "I'm not sure how you split it up. I trust you guys. I was wondering, if I could get you a spot on the expedition, would you come?"
I saw a look in their eyes, it was a different one from Yaromir and Borislav, it was a mixed look of fear of the unknown and excitement of discovery. I quickly continued,
"Everyone who participates will receive some money and you would be in charge of the disassembly of the vehicles."
The fear that was in there eyes disappeared and the excitement took over.
They both screamed "Yes yes, we'll do it!"
I chuckled at their excitement, "Alright let's finish up the car and we can get going soon."
With that the two of them got to work on my baby. I sat down and enjoyed the time I had since I was able to relax, until I saw the look on Yaromir and Borislavs faces. They looked at me with sunken, pale faces, as if they had aged a dozen years or so.
"You look like you guys have seen a ghost!" I was chuckling as I said these words.
They both stared daggers at me as I continued to chuckle.
"Don't you joke about that beast Bratan, it kills people with a fierce intensity. No one has been able to even touch it without dying. So don't ever mess with the Bukavec or the Wendigo or whatever the hell it is! The base will be in lockdown for 3 days and curfew at sunset."
I was startled by this, "The what? And that will prevent us from going to Filips car!"
Yemelyan, Borislav, Yaromir, and Venedikt looked at me with a look of horror, then Yaromir spoke up,
"Listen Bratan, if you go tomorrow you are on your own, this settlement has been plagued by these beasts, we won't risk our lives again, we have already lost too much."
Borislav looked especially pale and sat down and set his head in his hands and everyone glanced at him.
Yaromir then spoke up, "Alright end of discussion relax Bratan I guess you will sleep in your car, everyone else, head home. We need lights out. Goodnight everyone, goodnight."
I saw everyone begin to leave and decided to just let them be. I decided it would be for the best. I climbed into the back seat and set my shoes on the floor of the car, I grabbed a blanket and began to sleep on the cloth seats. Still unaware of the danger that had been following me throughout this journey.