The next day, we arose from our sleep with the sole purpose of finding our ship and getting the hell off this accursed planet. Finally, we were all on the same page. Teamwork could finally take place.
I got out of my sleeping bag and opened my eyes. The sun seemed unusually bright today. It was blinding, even through the tent or maybe it was just my eyes. When my eyes adjusted, I saw Jennifer standing in front of a mirror, dressing.
She turned to look at me and her face turned red as she threw the nearest thing, she could find at me. I simply just crept back into my sleeping bag and apologized.
"I didn't see anything."
I saw everything… every tiny detail. She had on a cute black bra and black panties that hugged her body ever so tightly. You probably think I'm a pervert.
I mean what could you expect when a guy is clearly sleeping here. I sighed.
"It's okay. I'm done, Michael." She said as she began tying her hair. I then got out and dressed as well. Her face turned red once again.
"What the hell are you doing?!" She shouted, obviously startled.
"I'm getting ready."
"But I'm still here!" She kept shouting as she averted her eyes and then turned her body 180 degrees.
"I don't see the problem."
"J-just get dressed already, please." She caved as she lowered her voice, still flustered.
About 2 and half minutes passed.
"I'm done."
"Thank you." She said with her face still red.
Graham then walked in and ordered us to be done in the next 5 minutes so that we can begin the search. We nodded and followed his orders. Celeste was already outside gathering the weapons. As we got our things together as well, Graham began packing away the tents and everything was swiftly repacked for travel.
He smiled as he looked at Celeste who returned said smile. Very suspicious if you ask me. Of course, Jennifer was too oblivious to see anything, but we all know what happened here.
"Okay, everyone. We will begin the most intense hiking trip known to mankind. We don't know what to expect out there and we will be risking our lives. However, everything we do is for the good of humanity and if we are to die, we shall die in honor and glory. There can be no objections to this because we are all stuck on this giant rock, but together we can find a way off it. Now… let's go." Graham began and ended a speech in an effortless attempt at motivating us.
Graham was great at many things, but leadership had to be his best ability. Even I, with my ideals, would follow him anywhere. We then set out, however this time, Graham and I walked together as the girls walked ahead of us.
Our entire walk together, he never stopped smiling for even a second. So, I had to ask the obvious question at hand.
"So, did you guys do it?"
"Wow! Why did you ask that with such enthusiasm?" Graham asked, kind of startled by my straightforward question.
"I mean you've been smiling nonstop ever since we woke up and don't think I didn't see that little eye contact and smile exchange between you and Celeste."
"Damn. Why are you so observant? Well, it is a yes to your question. Now, I have a question for you. You know what, make it 2 questions." He said
"Ask away."
"So, Jennifer… what do think her?" He said with an odd grin on his face. He kept on lifting his eyebrows vigorously.
"She's a nice girl, I guess. Sweet, sincere, and adorable."
"I knew it! You like her!" He shouted, as the girl's turned their backs. I slapped my forehead in disappointment. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head at them, indicating that everything is fine. They shrugged their shoulders and just continued with their conversation.
"Geez man. I don't like her like that… I just… like her as a person, you know?"
He just chuckled again and shook his head at me with the same grin on his face.
"That's your problem, Forrest. You don't know when to lie and tell the truth. You can tell me, I'll keep it a secret, Scout's Honor." He said as though he knew something I didn't.
"Enlighten me, Captain. Even though, I would try and convince you otherwise, you would not deviate from your standpoint or view. Tell me, what do you know that I don't?"
"There goes that observance again. Well, there's a way you two look at each other. It's a new sparkle, but it's growing. So, what I'm saying is, is that it'll be inevitable." He said pretty sure of himself, his right eyebrow lifted as he stared at me, brimming with overconfidence. I could see where he was going with this, and I fell and sunk into the temptation of masculinity.
"Would you like to bet on it, Captain?"
"And the observance hits a homerun. Yes, I would like to bet on it. It'll be a little different from a regular bet. It'll be a non-binary, non-mutual way. I will bet my life on it, and you'll bet your eternal happiness on it." he said with a joyful expression.
Now I was obliged to take his bet. I didn't have a choice here. I would look like I had to be hiding something. You got me in Catch-22. Nice one.
"Alright, we have no other conditions, so the bet is set in stone."
"You will see, Forrest. I never… lose a bet." And the overconfidence brings itself out once again.
Yes, indeed captain, one day we shall truly see. I never go back on my word, and something tells me things are going my way today.
"You'll see, Michael. You'll find the love of your life. I know I found my angel of light." He continued as he looked over at Celeste. They exchanged smiles again. This time however, I envied them in a way.
"He said my name." I thought when Graham addressed me. He almost always uses my last name. It is a bit of a rarity that he would use my given name. I seemed to be getting closer with him and Jennifer. I'm… gaining friends. It feels… nice.
Friendship always seemed to be a concept that eluded me for years. The thought of people getting to learn my innermost secrets made me fearful of friendship. Who's to say that if, in the unfortunate event, we stop being friends, you are not to spread those secrets out of spite? So, my trust issues never allowed me to open up to people.
But now, seeing Graham in a state of vulnerability, that being his girlfriend, makes me want to be his friend… a close friend.
…
A few hours later, we came upon a rocky hill. It also seemed to be the only spot where plant-life did not really blossom. It reminded me of the Great Grand Canyon. With all of us being exhausted from our 9-kilometer hike, we decided to rest on this hill.
Jennifer took off her bulletproof vest and utility belt for the wind to reach… deeper areas. She wiped her face of the sweat and laid down on the ground. She released such a loud sigh, that it echoed off the surroundings.
Celeste downed an entire 750 ml bottle of drinking water. The gulping of her throat sounded like a cry for help honestly.
Graham and I simply removed all the clothing and protection off our upper bodies, exposing our muscular physiques. We high fived as it was a bro moment.
"Hey, Michael. Wanna look around the rock?" Graham invited me. He claimed it was because of the walk, but I knew this social queue meant the discussion between bros. I probably watch too much television, but hey, you only live once, right?
I nodded and followed him to the other side of the rock. As I left, I could hear Jennifer and Celeste chuckling and giggling behind me, but I decided not to turn my head.
As I turned face around the rock, Graham let out a valiant sigh and sat down, staring into the distance… admiring the view probably.
When he sat down, I couldn't help but notice a concaving scar on his back. That scar looked like a chunk of his flesh was taken out and his skin regrew, but the flesh never healed itself. Like an imploding mushroom cloud, deep.
"Hey, Captain. Where did you get that imploding scar from?"
"You really wanna know, Mikey?" He asked as he slowly looked at me through his peripheral vision. It was piercing… his stare. As if he was staring deep into my soul.
I just nodded because I was curious. He smiled and indicated with his head that I should sit down. And so, I sat next to him.
The ground was warm beneath us. Odd that it wasn't super hot. It was like 94 degrees out here.
"When I was kid, like 9 or 10 years old, my father used to abuse my mother." He paused and stared into the distance. The wind whistled as he prepared to continue. It was clear speaking about his past wasn't something he particularly indulged in. I sat silently and waited.
"So, one day, I decided to try and stop him." He paused once again. This time, it sounded like there was a frog stuck in his throat. He cleared his throat and inhaled. This topic is taking a toll on him.
"He was threatening her with a knife, and I was scared, so I jumped in the commotion, recklessly." His eyes began to tear with this pause. I stared at the ground as I listened, pretending not to see.
"He stabbed me right in the back, no pun intended. After that, he went silent and 3 weeks later, he left. I never saw him again after that. That's when I decided to never do things on a whim. Everything must be calculated perfectly. Some may see that as trauma, but I see it as learning from my mistakes." He explained. I couldn't help but feel empathetic. However, I didn't say anything. He probably heard every type of comfort known to man at this point. My sympathy would be meaningless.
"I grew up homeless with my little sister. Our parents abandoned us when I was 8 and she was about 4. I had to look after the both of us. Probably why I seem so dead inside and emotionless to everyone, but I can promise that's not the case."
"A sad existence most of us had after the 11th World War, right? The spiral of emotions we go through in life… it's like riding a rollercoaster. But I guess that's just life for us, you included. After all, you're only human." Graham simplistically said. I felt more comfortable as we spoke.
We hung out for about thirty minutes before we continued our journey. I remembered Jennifer's words as Graham, and I walked side by side behind the girls.
"You have a nice smile. Why do you hide it? You should smile more." Kept echoing in my head. I felt confused and looked at my hands.
"Smile, huh? But I have no reason to." I mumbled to myself. I glimpsed at Graham, and he just smiled, obviously hearing my statement.
Felt like I could sense what he was thinking, like telepathy. "You already lost this bet, Forrest. You just don't know it yet." It seemed like the most logical thing to think at this point. Nevertheless, I have never lost a bet either, dear captain, nor do I plan to.
We shall see who loses and who wins in the end.
I accidentally dropped my bag and some of its contents rolled out.
"Go on without me, I'll catch up!"
They continued. About 3 minutes later, I caught up to them. After about 12 kilometers, we decided to rest once more.
They decided that this would be the rest point.
It was a little opening within the jungle. Big purple, oval shaped leaves hung from the odd and rather large red trees. There were odd looking bugs as well. They had 7 legs and an estimate of 5 eyes, I presumed. The sounds they made were relaxing though.
At this point, Graham was weighing his options: Set up camp or keep moving. Everybody had been exhausted. Who wouldn't be? We walked 21 kilometers in 6 hours.
Jennifer was getting so hot; she was weighing her options as well. It appeared she really wanted to take off her shirt, but she didn't. Celeste did though. Like I said, complete opposites.
"Although being stuck on a desolate planet in another galaxy sucks, I have to say, a part of me is glad we got stuck on this world. If we hadn't, I wouldn't have felt so… comfortable around you guys. I had lost hope in humanity when I was a little kid. However, I feel as though my ideals and beliefs are completely and utterly wrong. At first, I felt confused, but now, I see that friendship is necessary." I said on a whim. I accidentally expressed emotion. I have opened a door of vulnerability. I grabbed my chest. It felt as though my heart was on fire.
Everybody looked at me in silence and surprised expressions on their faces. Graham then suddenly put his arm around my neck and rubbed my head with his knuckles. Celeste actually smiled at me, and Jennifer's eyes were vividly tearing. As though they were waiting for the moment or day for me to finally express myself.
"I knew you felt that way, Mike. Hehe." Graham said as he rubbed my head. I honestly began to regret what I said. However, simultaneously feeling a sound heartfelt experience. Then. It happened once again… I let my guard down and smiled.
"Well, I guess I'm slowly winning the bet, Forrest." Graham said smiling as he stood up. I looked at him and nodded.
He simply smiled and turned to the forest.
"Nature calls. I'll be back soon, okay." He said as he began walking into the forest.
A few minutes came and went as Celeste and Jennifer were clearly gossiping about me. Graham didn't return yet. Something felt off again. Of course, the girls didn't feel it.
Then, a shout. A distance away, clearly the shout of a male and the only other living being on this planet.
"Wait… was that…?" Celeste said, panicking as she stood up.
Jennifer looked at me. Staring into my soul telepathically saying: "Go check it out, Michael." I was not going to do that. Then, a second scream followed. This time with a loud buzzing sound. Jennifer and I then stood up. Celeste, being the impulsive her she is, ran after the noise. Naturally, we had to follow.
A few meters in, she stopped. Jennifer and I stopped behind her. She stared at the ground and red liquid flowed passed her… a lot of red liquid.
"Is that blood?" Jennifer asked. We couldn't see what she saw, because her body was blocking what it was, but we had an idea of what it could've been.
Her body quivered and shook as she stared at the ground. The blood flowed all the way to where we were standing. Jennifer took a few steps back as she attempted to speak but failed. I stared at the blood and walked towards Celeste.
And so it was.
The deceased and near-unrecognizable body of Graham Young laid before us.
"What… is… this?" Celeste questioned as her widened eyes began tearing. Her voice shaking and her body quivering.
I looked at what was left of the body. A trap seemed to have been set and Graham was caught in it. A buzzsaw and a pressure plate. Whatever set this was most certainly sentient. We are in trouble.
His torso was cut in half, along with half of his left arm. His face hung by the skin from his skull and his legs were broken in many places.
Since the trap was set by a tree, I could only deduce that it lifted him by his torso. Which is where the first scream came from. It then proceeded to drop him at an enormous speed and with force. Bringing the second scream and the buzzing noise. As it dropped him, his face scraped against the tree, and he attempted to stop the machine with his left hand. Hence, with the force of the landing, cutting straight through his torso and taking his left arm in the process.
You were a great one, Graham and you will clearly be missed. A sad existence, truly, my friend.
Celeste began running towards where we came from. Jennifer followed her. She was probably going to attempt to comfort Celeste.
I guess whilst I am here, I should probably take the equipment he has that isn't shattered or destroyed.
It is quite a shame, Graham. I truly apologize. You had a promising one ahead of you. You and Celeste had something going there, something beautiful. However, it is as you said… A sad existence and a spiral of emotion. Nevertheless, one good thing did come from this.
I stared at his deformed corpse. Even in this dire, depressing time, I couldn't help but say it, even if it was under my breath. "Guess I win the bet, Graham Young."
-Chapter II End-