"Gale?" the woman whispered. Her small lips parted as she watched him, probably waiting for a response.
She had red hair and dark almond-shaped eyes. Not like the ones that gingers had, but a darker auburn colour. The dark circles in her eyes clearly showed the signs of almost total exhaustion. Dirt ran across her face, almost covering it up. Something about her felt warm as he kept his eye contact with her.
He glanced back at the carcass beside him, paused, then looked back at her. There were positives and negatives on continuing to butcher the resource below him. He wouldn't have to talk to anyone. On a second thought, there was no negative. It had been forever since he talked to someone, excluding the orphanage staff. It was their job to talk to the kids.
Gale gripped his spear tighter, glaring at the girl who knew his name. Her face did seem familiar, though. He never went out of the orphanage or anywhere else except school. She could've been from the orphanage or a visitor, but he couldn't exactly place his finger on it.
And now, the silence had gotten too long. He'd grown self-conscious about the situation. Only the ambient noise of leaves rustling could be heard in this awkward scenario. Continuing to butcher the carcass would definitely make the awkwardness worse now that he had given them too much silence and pause in his actions.
"Gale?" the girl repeated, thankfully breaking the awkward silence. "Do you... remember me? I used to visit the orphanage."
Her voice triggered something in him. The softness in her voice reminded him of a girl who once used to visit the staff every now and then. He lowered his spear and stepped back.
"I..." Gale said. He swallowed. Now he remembered. "You stopped coming. You left. Like everyone else."
The girl flinched, breaking eye contact and looking down with furrowed brows. "I didn't... I mean, I wanted to come back, but... some things…"
Gale put a hand up, cutting her off.
"It doesn't matter," he said and turned away. He went back to the carcass and kept cutting it up.
He felt her watching him work. Part of him wanted to ask why she stopped coming. But that was the past, and he'd left it behind. He wouldn't let anything make him weak. Connections were for the weak. In this forest, he was strong enough to handle two of these beasts he's currently butchering.
"Rachel," the girl said after a long moment. "That's my name if you don't remember. I... uh… how are you recently?"
She paused, then shook her head. "Sorry, that's a dumb question."
Gale's hands stopped for a second, then kept going. Rachel. It came back to him. The staff did mention the name before, only the name. They'd never talked about that name other than casual conversations about someone who basically had everything in life handed to her.
"Guys!" It was the blond boy with the gun. "Not to interrupt a touching reunion, but maybe we should move before more of those things show up again?"
Rachel nodded, looking relieved.
"He's right," she said, turning back to him. "Gale, we should get out of here. It's not safe."
Gale stood up straight and wiped blood on his dirty armour.
"I'm going to finish harvesting this carcass," he said. "Then I'm going back to my own camp."
"What? No, you can't... I mean, it's safer if we stick together. You're still young, Gale. You shouldn't be out here alone."
Gale let out a harsh laugh.
"Still young?" he repeated, gesturing to the fallen beast. "I saved all of you. If anyone, it's all of you that need saving."
Rachel stepped back with a frown. Her face showed everything she felt. Typical of the sheltered idiots he knew in school. Typical of those that never got hurt by anything in their life.
Before she could answer, someone else spoke up. It was the tall girl with the makeshift wooden spear. She was the one who could stun the forest beasts that he had noted. She was taller than Gale. Her brown hair was clearly covered in dirt and blood.
"If he doesn't want to come with us, then he doesn't have to. He's stronger than us anyway," said the tall girl.
Gale looked closely at the newcomer. She could stun beasts. That skill alone made her dangerous, maybe more than Rachel with her fire abilities. He added that to his list of potential threats.
Rachel shook her head stubbornly.
"No one wants to be alone," she insisted, turning back to Gale. "Even if you're strong... Come back with us. Please."
Gale paused. Her honesty caught him off guard for a second. He imagined it in his head. Being part of a group again. Talking to people and laughing at jokes about this whole situation they were in. A ridiculous situation. He'd also have time on his hands to work on other things. The work could be shared amongst those who could. However, the real world wasn't that simple. Being in a group had its own problems.
"I can't…" he said. "All my supplies, traps, and everything I need is at my camp."
Rachel's face brightened at this tiny chance.
"Then we'll go with you," she said quickly. "We can help you gather your things, and then we'll all go back to our camp together."
"You all looked pretty lost when I found you. How are you finding your way back?" Gale asked.
Rachel's smile dropped for a moment. She turned to the boy with the gun.
"Ollie?" she said.
The boy walked up with a grin on his face. He pulled something from his pocket, a small red marble.
"With this little baby," he said, holding it up for Gale to see, "it'll take us wherever we want to go, wherever you want to go, wherever she wants to go. It cost me a couple of grand, but it was worth it!"
Gale stared at the red marble. Some kind of magic navigation thingy? He almost wanted to ask for details but stopped himself. These people were still strangers, maybe dangerous ones. Ally now, maybe foe later. He couldn't show too much interest. That would be weakness. They'd try to shank him with words where it hurt the most. Possibly.
Gale looked between the group and the forest. If anything, he could ditch them anytime, and they'd never find him again. Being in a group did provide its comfort. They could also be bait.
"Fine," Gale said, "I'll come with you. But first, I need to grab some stuff from my base."
"Of course. We'll wait here." Rachel said, nodding with as a small smile appeared on her lips.
Gale turned and slipped into the thick bushes, moving as quickly as he could. He avoided all the outer perimeter's traps. As he got near his camp, he felt uneasy. He'd gotten used to being alone, and hanging with others felt weird. Not that he wanted to or anything. He could be himself when no one was watching.
At his shelter, Gale quickly grabbed his stuff. He put dried meat into a leather bag, then added bones he'd saved for tools and weapons. He looked over his few belongings: traps, half-finished projects, and what was left of his solo life.
He hesitated as he was about to leave.
But Gale. People are scary. That girl was scary. The tall girl was even scarier, looking so tall. Socialising itself was scary. Maybe they'd think I'm a freak and then what?
Here was safe. He had set up traps for days and now to leave them all behind. Though he already knew those traps were meant just for revenge. All that determination was focused on killing that one forest predator. None of it truly mattered. Making more wouldn't hurt.
Gale hoisted up the backpack he'd made of the forest beast's leather hides. He went back to the place where he found them, easily locating them with Breath of the Void.
They waited where he'd left them, all tense and ready for action. Ollie's hand hovered near his gun, while the tall girl watched the trees.
"Let's go," Gale said.
Ollie pulled out the red marble. "Everyone ready?"
Ollie flicked the red marble up. It spun in the air for a moment, then dropped, rolling towards 3 o'clock.
"This way," Ollie said, picking up the marble and putting it in his pocket.
Gale's eyes narrowed. Not as flashy as he expected, but still cool. He'd seen lots of weird stuff in this forest, but a magic direction finder thingy magicky was new and useful. He followed the others.
Rachel walked beside him, stealing glances. Gale felt her stare without even looking. Nothing escaped his senses anymore, thanks to the passive ability.
"So…" she said softly, "how long have you been out here… on your own?"
Gale grunted.
"Lost track." He didn't mention how he counted time by hunting, sleeping, and just staying alive. How days blended until time meant nothing. Every day was hunt, eat, and then sleep. If he didn't get to the sleep part, that meant he lost.
"No one should have to get used to being alone," Rachel's voice trembled.
"The forest changes you," before Gale could respond, the tall girl spoke up from ahead. "Sometimes being alone is easier than being with others who don't understand. It's just logical."
The tall girl glanced back at him from where she was. "Name's Annett by the way. Nice to meet you."
Gale looked at her. He agreed, sort of. Living in the forest changes you, or it eats you alive.
"Speak for yourself. I'd go crazy without people to talk to." Ollie chuckled. "Even if those people sometimes drive me crazy too. Man, I miss those two idiots I usually keep around. I got someone waiting for me back home too."
"So you bought that marble to find people?" Annett said, jesting. "To find people? Even on Earth?"
"Damn, you're smart. I should use this baby when I get back on Earth to do just that. But, it's mostly cuz I hate getting lost. Just like now." Ollie chuckled. "Paid way too much for it. Its dividends paying right now, baby."
"How much is 'way too much'?" Gale asked, curiosity getting the better of him. A compass was literally the difference between life and death in a forest, and a magical compass at that? There was no one who wouldn't be curious. Definitely not him wanting to take that for himself.
Ollie winced. "Let's just say I could've bought a decent car instead. A used car is decent, right?"
"A car's a car, but a car wouldn't help you here, though," Annett pointed out, stepping over a fallen log.
"True," Ollie said. "Still, sometimes I think I got ripped off. The guy selling it was... that guy was hella sketchy. He had this black hoodie, a blue facemask, and sunglasses. Like dude, why are you wearing so much in summer?"
"Why didn't you just buy it from your org?" Annett asked.
"Official sources wanted top cash for it andafter that deal, I realized that same a-hole was from my faction. I got enough bills to pay as it is," Ollie said.
Rachel shook her head. "Still, it's gotten us out of trouble more times than I can count. So to all of us, that marble was worth it, even though it came from a sketchy man. Agree?"
"Oh God, don't remind me," Ollie said. "I got lost in New York City for 3 days with my phone dead. Completely forgot I had the red marble with me at that time."
"Who the hell gets lost in a city? There's people to ask around," Annett said.
"As a man, I take pride in not asking for directions. As a man, independence is key, you see." Ollie started chuckling, almost like he didn't even believe what he was saying.
"As a man two heads shorter than me, huh." Annett laughed.
"Hey! Those words, as a man, hit right in the heart, y'know?!" Ollie laughed.
"What about you?" Rachel asked suddenly, turning to Gale. "How did you learn to navigate the forest?"
"Trial and error," he said, not wanting to discuss the countless near-death experiences that had taught him the layout of the forest.
"You must've been a hunter in your past life," Annett whistled, eyeing his equipment.
Dead on. Gale didn't know whether to be careful or chill with Annett. She was the smartest one here. Her jokes didn't hide how she always watched for threats as they walked.
"You learn fast here," Gale said.
Nobody spoke after his short answer. He caught Rachel looking at him. She gave him a small smile whenever their eyes met. She looked beat but kept checking on everyone else.
"The camp's not much," Rachel said. "But it's home, for now. Everyone looks out for each other, like a tight-knit group."
"Home," Gale hadn't had a home since... since before the orphanage, really. The orphanage was just a prison. Not home.
"You could make it your home too," Rachel said. "If you want."
"We're here," Ollie said, interrupting Gale's thoughts.
They came into a clearing. Rough wooden walls stood tall. People moved around inside. Gale could sense them. A man carried a bucket made of wood into the inner walls. A woman carried the same weird looking fruits he found with the bulging veins inside. The walls themselves looked horribly made. If he had sneezed in its direction, it could probably fall. And then there were those people on the platforms peeking through the walls, equipped with crude bows. The whole camp looked like it was all slapped together by glue, yet somehow it all worked. Like the people in it, they were just trying to survive, just as he was.
As they walked through a gap in the walls, everyone stared at Gale. His muscles tightened, ready to fight anything dangerous. A biological reaction to being watched like an animal and being out of his own comfort zone. It felt nothing like his quiet forest life. There were too many sounds, too much activity.
"Welcome to the camp," Rachel said softly, pulling on Gale's elbow.
He flinched at her touch, not used to contact that wasn't trying to hurt him. Rachel pulled her hand back fast.
"Sorry," Gale muttered, his eyes darting everywhere, checking for threats and exits.
Ollie stepped into the shack, gesturing for him to come. "Come on, I'll show you around."
As they walked, Ollie pointed stuff out like the cooking area, the small medical spot where he'd just been, and where they kept weapons. Gale noticed the mix of scavenged materials and handmade tools. Pretty good, but too exposed and vulnerable.
"Most of it were Rachel's ideas. She's worked harder than all of us," Ollie said. "Probably not as impressive as what you have back at your camp, but it got us through alright."
They went toward some of the shelters.
"This is where most of us sleep," Ollie said. "We've got a spot you can use."
Gale looked inside the nearest one. Small but dry, with a thin mat on the ground and a few personal items. Sleeping near others or letting his guard down made his skin crawl. One of them could wake up in the middle of the night and stab his throat. He wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
"I prefer to sleep up high," Gale said, looking at the tall trees by the camp's edge.
Rachel, who'd been following quietly, spoke up. "That's not safe, Gale. What if you fall? We have guards, but—"
"I'm safer on my own," Gale said.
An awkward silence fell between them. Gale felt them looking at him, curious and wary. He probably looked wild to them with his bone armour.
Gale twitched, reaching for his spear, but it wasn't there. He'd forgotten they took it when he was resting.
"Let him sleep where he wants. He's survived this long on his own. He's a big boy." Annett came up from behind, breaking the tension.
Rachel sighed, "Ok. Just don't go wandering off without telling anyone, alright? We don't want to lose any more people..."
Gale nodded stiffly, uncomfortable with answering to others. He'd gotten used to only following his own rules and survival instincts. Even in the orphanage.
"Then that settles it. Just stay and see if you like it h…" Rachel's words suddenly stopped. The next second, she collapsed to the ground.