Hours seemed to pass until finally, Anna woke up to switch with me. I told her I'd try to sleep until morning, and she said it was fine. As soon as I relaxed, I was out like a light.
Anna woke me up, and it felt as if only minutes had passed, but the sun was already bright in the sky. I got up quickly, and Anna immediately asked, "Why is there so much blood on your shirt and hands?"
I looked down, seeing the stains. "You have blood on your leg, too," I pointed out.
She sighed. "I asked you first. My blood came from the wound—I forgot to change the dressing. We're out of antiseptic and supplies from the first aid kit."
"Okay, I'll see what I can do for that. The blood on me is from yesterday's ordeal; I didn't notice it in the dark."
Anna nodded. "I didn't notice either."
I asked, "So, what were you up to before waking me?"
She shrugged. "Not much. I stayed in the camp, checked things around. The water purifier isn't the best, but it'll work. I also checked my wound—it hasn't healed, but it's better. I can get up without help."
"That's good news. But where are Haruki and Haruka? I don't see them."
"Don't worry," Anna said. "They're sticking with us for now since we don't seem like bad people, and they pity our situation. They went out to look for anything edible, like mushrooms or berries. They have some experience with that from their childhood with their grandparents."
"Fair enough. They're old enough to manage on their own." I noticed something on Anna's face. "You seem like you've got something on your mind."
She paused. "Our living conditions are bad, but there should be a search party looking for us. My father was an adventurer, and I've been out with him a couple of times. And, well, I'm a nature researcher. I know how to survive, mostly."
"Let's sit by the fire for now. I just woke up, and I'm not fully recovered. Pushing myself so hard after the crash was reckless—I get that now. You live, you learn."
Anna gave a faint smile. "Sure," she said as she turned. "Oh, look, the siblings are back."
"Did you find anything?" I shouted.
They walked over, shaking their heads. "Not much," Haruki said. "This place is sparse, but we did find some berries and mushrooms—barely enough for one person, let alone four."
"Did you see any lakes or rivers?"
"No," Haruka said, "but we heard a waterfall when we were attacked before. It masked their approach."
"It might be far," Haruki added, "but it's in the direction where you rescued us."
I turned to Anna. "Want to join me?"
"Sure, let's go," she agreed.
"Watch the fire," I told them.
Grabbing the makeshift spear, we set out. We walked in silence for about 20 to 30 minutes before Anna said, "Fresh water will be great. I can clean my wound, and we might be able to catch fish. You can wash that blood off, too."
"That sounds nice," I replied.
"So, what do you remember about your life before?" Anna asked.
"I remember everything about others but almost nothing about myself. I think I worked a normal office job. I had a father, mother, and brother. That's about it."
"That's nonsense," Anna said. "No way you're just an office worker. The way you move, the way you handle things... you're too precise. Military? Police?"
"I don't know. I'm telling you everything I remember. I have no reason to lie to you."
"Maybe you're a spy from another country," she joked.
"Ha, you're too smart for me. But honestly, I wouldn't know if I was. I am really not good at this."
Anna laughed. "What aren't you good at?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Walking? Fishing? Are you giving up?"
"Talking... with you. I can't find the right words." I stopped. "Wait, do you hear water?"
She closed her eyes to concentrate. "Yes, I hear it. We're close."
"Let's go," I said.
After another ten minutes of walking, we finally reached the river without encountering any trouble. "Finally," I said. "I'm not looking forward to the walk back."
Anna nodded. "Yeah, now that you mention it, that'll be awful. Let's finish up here. I'll clean my wound and redress it, and you can wash off the blood and start fishing."
"I'll try my best, but I'm not exactly an adventurer like you," I said.
After washing up, I began spear fishing. Twenty minutes later, I still hadn't caught anything.
Anna crept up behind me. "Any luck?"
"No. It's impossible," I muttered. "How do you do this?"
"My father once showed me. It takes patience," she said.
"Then show me, master," I said, handing her the spear.
She struggled for thirty minutes, catching nothing. "So, where's this 'fish of patience'?" I teased.
Grinning, she sighed. I crafted another spear from a sturdy stick I found and said, "Two is better than one."
We struggled together for what felt like hours before finally catching a fish. It took so long that it didn't even feel like an achievement, but at least it was enough for one meal. Soon, we caught another, and then another.
I glanced at the sky. "We need to stop. The sun's going down, and we should head back."
Anna's face turned serious. "We're not traveling in the dark. You'll end up breaking your foot in some foxhole. We're staying here tonight and heading back in the morning."
I sighed. "You're right."
There were no other options.