"Do you even know where we're going, Sid? Because I swear we've been roaming around the same place," Remond asked, a hint of agitation creeping into his voice. It had been nearly half an hour since they'd left the cabins, and their surroundings were starting to look eerily familiar.
"Come on, trust me, bro!" Sid shot back confidently, pulling out a compass from his jacket pocket with a triumphant grin. "I heard from someone that Team 13—Innes's team—was last spotted in the southern part of Mt. Raya Forest. And with this trusty compass, there's no way we'll get lost!"
Remond narrowed his eyes at Sid but felt his frustration subside slightly as he eyed the compass. Sid was often infuriating, but when the stakes are high, he always seemed to come through. His confidence and knack for preparation had proven reliable before. A nostalgic thought drifted into Remond's mind, bringing him back to a summer day from ten years ago.
---
It had been a sweltering summer afternoon in Laplusgus, their hometown. A much younger Sid had arrived at Remond's house, his usual mischievous grin plastered across his face. That day, his smile was particularly devious.
"Why are you smiling like that? Did you do something?" young Remond had asked suspiciously. Sid had refused to answer, leaving Remond puzzled.
The next day, the mystery revealed itself. The school bully, who had been tormenting Remond for weeks, was absent. The rumor going around was that the bully had been bitten by a dog. Remond quickly learned from Sid that the incident wasn't entirely accidental.
"Wait, you planned this?" Remond had confronted Sid that evening.
"Well, yeah. I'm not going to sit around while someone bullies my best friend," Sid replied with a shrug. "Although, to be honest, the dog wasn't my first choice. I wanted to sic some honeybees on him, but that didn't work out. Plan B it was!"
Remond had stared at Sid in disbelief. "Why would you even go that far?"
Sid rolled his eyes. "What kind of question is that? It's what heroes do."
"Heroes?" Remond asked, tilting his head.
"You seriously don't know about superheroes?" Sid exclaimed in shock.
When Remond shook his head, Sid launched into an animated explanation, his hands waving excitedly. "Superheroes are people with special powers. They save people who are in trouble. They don't wait for someone to ask—they just know when someone needs help."
"But I didn't ask for help," Remond said softly.
"W-well," Sid stammered, scratching the back of his head, "you didn't have to. I could see it, okay? It's an instinctive response."
Remond had smiled faintly. That moment, as strange as it was, had cemented Sid as someone he could always rely on.
---
Back in the present, Remond was pulled from his thoughts by a tug on his jacket. Sid was pointing at something ahead.
"Do you see that cave over there? Look closely at the soil in front of it. There are fresh footprints—lots of them. This could mean Innes's group was here before they disappeared," Sid explained, his tone more serious than usual. "We should check it out. There might be clues."
"Alright, let's go."
The cave appeared unremarkable at first glance, but they began investigating thoroughly. About fifteen minutes into their search, Sid called out excitedly.
"Remond! Over here! I think I found something."
Remond rushed over to see what Sid had discovered. It was a concealed entrance leading underground, resembling a manhole. Without hesitation, they pried it open and descended into the depths below.
The underground structure was dimly lit and eerily quiet. As they moved cautiously through the first floor, they suddenly heard faint voices coming from a nearby hallway. Taking cover behind a wall, they peeked around the corner.
What they saw made their blood run cold.
The missing students and teachers were all there, tied up and surrounded by armed men. At the center of it all was a bald man, barking orders into a phone.
"Hey, Sid, what do we do now?" Remond whispered, his voice tense.
"Quiet! Listen to what that guy's saying," Sid hissed, straining to hear the conversation.
They managed to catch snippets of the bald man's words. "Yeah, boss... We captured these people... I know you want to keep things quiet, but I don't know how they stumbled on this place... Yes, sir... Understood."
As he hung up, the bald man turned to his men. "Alright, listen up! The boss has ordered us to eliminate all witnesses. Get ready to finish them off."
Panic rippled through the group of captives. Even some of the teachers were visibly shaken. Behind the wall, Remond's heart pounded in his chest, and Sid's face was pale with fear.
"We can't just leave them here to die," Sid whispered urgently.
"Do you trust me?" Remond asked, a determined glint in his eyes.
Sid hesitated but nodded. "What's your plan?"
"Create a diversion," Remond replied before darting out into the open.
"Remond, no!" Sid thought, panic gripping him.
Remond's sudden appearance drew the attention of most of the armed men. Shouting, they chased after him, leaving only a few behind to guard the captives.
Sid clenched his fists. "Be safe, you idiot..."
Before he could act, a shadow moved at the edge of his vision. A hulking, fur-covered creature emerged from the darkness and charged at the remaining guards with terrifying speed.
"What the hell is that?" Sid muttered, frozen in shock as the creature tore through the guards.
The bald leader yelled, "Shoot it! Don't let it get close!" But it was too late. The creature was relentless, dispatching the men in seconds, even as scattered gunfire rang out.
When the dust settled, the creature turned its attention to the tied captives, its glowing eyes narrowing. Sid felt a chill run down his spine. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't done yet.