The old man seemed honest, kind, and friendly. He was wearing typical clothes, likely coming back from work or something.
"Oh, it's really messed up here. You kids are in real danger at this time," the old guy said.
"I know, sir. Do you have any solution for this?" Andy asked.
"Well, currently at this hour, there is no solution for you. I also don't have any tools with me in the truck. You guys can stay at my house until the rain stops, and we can get your jeep fixed. No worries," the old guy replied.
Xin looked at Kaila with a confused face.
"Sis, this is totally crap going on here. First, we met this Andy guy, and now this old dude. Do you really trust them?" Xin whispered.
"Don't act stupid all the time. We have no choice other than this. Just be with me, and you will be okay," Kaila whispered back.
"Guys, what do you say? Wanna go with him and wait until everything is back to normal?" Andy asked both Xin and Kaila.
"Well, I guess..." Kaila said.
"Yeah, dude. I can't do anything else other than follow your dumbass," Xin said.
The old man unlocked the truck doors for them.
"My house is not far away from here. You can rest there with my family until help arrives. By the way, I'm Joden Palton. Just call me Joden."
"Thanks, Joden. You really helped us," Andy said.
"Nah, it's nothing. I have a lot of experience helping tourists and visitors here. I just guide most of them. I even gave someone a ride a few hours ago. No worries. Let's go then," Joden said.
They all got inside the truck. Xin and Kaila sat in the back seat while Andy sat in the front seat with Joden. The truck started moving, leaving Andy's jeep on the road. The heavy rain continued, showing no signs of stopping. The truck moved at a normal speed due to the slippery road. Xin was suspicious of this whole 'Joden' situation.
"Yo sis, this guy has leftover chips here. Seems like someone was just recently eating them," Xin whispered.
"It's none of your business, and it's disgusting. Don't judge things too much. We are going to be out of here anyway," Kaila whispered back.
"How did you kids end up here anyway?" Joden asked.
"That's a long story. But for now, I suppose we can talk about it later," Andy said.
"Haha, tough things are going on. You three are siblings?"
"No, um, I'm just a stranger, and these two are siblings," Andy replied.
"Yeah, he's nowhere close to us. Just another random dude," Xin said.
"C'mon, Xin, cut it out. Yes, sir, we are siblings, and we were here in Matlo Rivera to explore this place. We just met Andy on the journey," Kaila said.
"Hmm, did you guys enjoy the journey in the forest?" Joden asked.
"Well, not really. We got lost halfway. We just wasted our time," Kaila replied.
"Yeah, it was something I knew would happen when I'm with sis," Xin said.
Kaila looked at Xin angrily. Xin quickly looked away.
"Well, just kidding, haha," Xin said, forcing a laugh.
"Well, you kids are interesting. You sure will have a good time with my daughter. She's also your age."
"We hope so," Kaila replied with a smile.
After an hour of driving, the truck finally reached its destination. It was a nice, big duplex house on the side of the forest. There was a border around the house and a garage. It was surprising to see such a beautiful house belonging to this truck guy. It felt weird.
"We're here. There's rain outside, so move slowly. Don't fall, haha," Joden said.
They all got out of the truck and started heading towards the house.
"Why is this old guy so happy?" Xin asked.
"Xin, just move, okay? It's raining outside, and we can talk later," Kaila replied.
"Guys, c'mon, just don't stand there. Let's go," Andy said.