Duality Merged - Chapter 3 Sleepless Nigh

The cave did seem uninhabited and the layer of dust that had settled on the ground of the cave that had only been disturbed just recently only seemed to reinforce this idea, Charles mused as he followed behind Max. The cave, empty as it was, wasn’t actually empty of life; glowing patches of moss covered the walls and roof of the cavern, shedding a gentle light on everything inside much as if it was illuminated by the full moon. The group might’ve had issues if not for the growing moss; they had tried to turn their phones flashlights on to no avail. Their phones were dead. Not permanently, Molly hoped. Her phone being broken would only give her mother yet another reason to give her a beating.

With their worry of having to brave the elements during the night out of the way, the group quickly came together to plan out their next course of action, namely how they’d acquire food and water. “I spotted a river to the south, not more than a handful of minutes away,” Charles started, “And if I’m not wrong, nighttime should be no more than a handful of hours away We might want to search for something to eat while we still have some daylight hours left,” he suggested, something everyone quickly agreed to. That wasn’t surprising, really: they’d gone without food since the afternoon.

Max returned as the sun dipped its feet beneath the horizon. He hadn’t managed to find much of anything and ate what little he did find. A handful of berries shared amongst four people wouldn’t be much different than starving, he rationalized as he stepped into the clearing housing their cave and spotted Janette. She had her back turned to him and was staring at something above her, prompting Max, to follow her gaze, wanting to know what had caught her attention. She was staring towards the tree, he realised, but he couldn’t see anything of note, besides the tree itself. Focusing his gaze back unto the woman before him, he stepped forward.

“It’s quite a sight, ain’t it?” he asked with as much wonder he could muster. He didn’t actually find the tree to be anything special: it wasn’t the first time he had seen a tree with red leaves. But the woman seemed to be quite taken by the view, so he might as well pretend. His act, however, convincing as he thought it to be, didn’t seem to have much of an effect on Janette, only earning him a sidelong glance.

He seemed persistent, however, “I think we started off on the wrong foot,” he said as he reached his hand towards her shoulder as he continued, “We should talk more, you know?”, much to Janette’s distaste; a distaste she made very obvious as she stepped aside with an expression of disgust, “I’d rather we don’t.” She’d never managed to understand the thought process of mongrels, and she found it baffling how they thought themselves her equal.

The fool didn’t take kindly to her rejection, that much was obvious, and she didn’t really find it surprising when the simpleton decided to bare his teeth like a common stray. “Sis, did Max return yet?” came the voice of Charles as he walked out of the cave but paused when he saw Max had indeed returned. “There you are. We were just waiting for you” he said and if he noticed Max’s halfway lifted hand he didn’t show it, his everpresent smile still etched into his handsome features, “Let’s go inside and get something to eat, shall we?” he asked, getting what he assumed to be a grunt of agreement in return.

Janette walked forward to stand beside her brother after the burly man had gone inside. “He would strike me,” she whined with a pouty expression. “What would you have me do, Dear Sister?” Charles asked in exasperation, fully aware that it must’ve been his sister’s fault the crass man got riled up. “You’ll figure something out,won’t you?” she asked with a pleading tone. “There are a lot of opportunities in this place, after all,” she mentioned, causing Charles to pause for a moment after he realised what this devilish being hinted at. “Let’s go partake in the feast, shall we?”

The meal, if one could even call it that, wasn’t very filling. Janette somehow had the luck of finding an apple tree while Charles, perhaps just as lucky, found a handful of wild carrots. So the meal, to no one’s surprise but everyone’s displeasure, consisted of apples with a side of carrots, eaten in silence. They’d found shelter, food, and water, which would undoubtedly make their stay easier. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything else they should do, Charles thought and proceeded to voice his opinion, “The apple tree Janette found should be able to last us for the remainder of our stay,” he started, nodding when he realised he’d gotten everyone’s attention, “I propose we set up a night shift as an added precaution. We quite simply have no idea about what’s out in the forest and I highly doubt we’re the only ones here.”

“How’d that work, then?” asked Max with a grim look on his face. Although he wouldn’t admit it, he did agree that their current home was, more than likely, the abandoned den of a big animal. While he wouldn’t shy away from a fight, he, like most sane people, wouldn’t ever want to fight something bigger than a bull. Unless he was sufficiently armed and motivated by the promise of a big cheque, he mused. “Um… I don’t think I’d be able to keep watch alone,” came the meek voice of Molly, bringing Max out of his reverie, much to the latter’s irritation.

“I suggest we go at it in groups of two, then” Charles proposed before the restless man managed to rile himself up any further, “This would also give us a chance at some one-on-one conversations, build some trust, get to know each other,” he continued in a chipper voice. How he managed to keep a smile even while he talked about them potentially being attacked eluded Max.

“What about sleep then, Brother?” asked Janette with a slight downwards crease to her lips. “The first pair could just sleep an extra four hours in the morning, I suppose? And the last pair can sleep for the same amount of time during the evening That would work out, wouldn’t it?” Charles explained after a moments thought, satisfied when he received a nod from his sister. He knew how much she enjoyed sleep and didn’t want to be the one who got in between her and her eight hours of blissful unconsciousness. “I’ll take the first watch,” Max said gruffly as he stood and made his way towards the entrance with the hopes of using the cold fresh air to help calm his restless nerves.

Max sat down just inside the entrance and couldn’t help but lament his fashion choice as he felt a shiver creep up his spine at the chilly late-evening air, prompting him to pull his leather jacket closer around himself. The jacket was better suited for bar fights and street brawls than it was shielding him against the cold of the night. Sure, he’d worn the jacket at night on numerous occasions, but shackles of reality always seemed to loosen after a couple of drinks. It wasn’t long before he was joined by his only other male companion, Charles, and Max watched as he went through the same simple ritual he himself had: he sat, he felt cold, he pulled his jacket closer. The only difference was the fact that Charles’ jacket was clearly made with the intent of keeping its wearer warm. How envious.

“So, Max” he started, “Why would you accept Eotz’s challenge?” getting a sidelong look that could easily be interpreted as hostile. “How’s that any of your business?” asked Max, in what could best be described as a growl. It didn’t seem the cold air had calmed him down any; that, or his irritation simply grew faster than the cold could calm it Max thought, already looking forward to his next fix. Charles, however, didn’t seem to take offence and kept his smile, “We’ll be together for the better part of six and a half days, Max. I think it would make everyone more comfortable knowing what everyone is like or, at the very least, their reasoning for accepting something as grandiose as a goddess’ challenge,” he explained, satisfied he’d managed to pacify the bigger bodied man. “In my case, I was simply pulled into my sister’s momentum, no doubt driven by her delusions of grandeur,” he chuckled.

Max couldn’t help but give the younger man a strange look, “The cold one?” he asked, causing Charles to blink once at the awfully apt description of his sister. “She would come off as being like that, wouldn’t she? Please do forgive her if she’s managed to offend you somehow” he sighed, showing a rare look of what Max thought to be a pitying one, “She and her mother were beaten by her drunkard of a father He even killed her mother after one of his nightly escapades where he’d drank one too many beers,” he said with a shake of his head and regained his usual smile before he noticed the confused look in Max’s eyes. “Thought you two were siblings?” he said with a sceptical tone of voice before he suddenly seemed to remember that adoption was a possibility. ” We got adopted by the same family, making us siblings in all but blood,” said Charles, confirming Max’s guess.

Charles raised an eyebrow at his companion, urging him to share his story. It would only be fair if he did the same, Max mused. “Couldn’t afford not to, not where I’m from. I’m from a street gang, you see,” he stated, somewhat surprised that the only reaction he got was a slightly wide-eyed look, quickly followed by an understanding nod, prompting him to continue, “Imagine what would happen if what Eotz claimed was true And with the Status and all that, I can’t help but think she’s right No, I know she’s right, somehow,” he said, and he did: he somehow knew the goddess said the truth, and it irked him to no end that he’d believe someone just like that. “I feel much the same,” said Charles, breaking the silence. “To think I’d just believe in something that seemed so far fetched I thought I was going crazy,” he chuckled.

“It seems we went out on a tangent, not that I mind. I suddenly feel much saner, knowing I wasn’t the only one to just believe in what would previously be considered to be nonsense,” chuckled Charles as he shared a look with Max. “Not a fan of the laws then, I bet?” asked Charles. “No,” spat Max, “Laws are made by the filthy rich swines who doesn’t care about the rest of the people. They’re more concerned about their own money and surround themselves with other swines. Hell, they even hire them as police,” he continued, showing a malicious grin. “I don’t think I’ve ever broken the law, to be honest with you I’m simply too lazy; It’s easier to simply conform,” yawned Charles, “You do have my respects, however Going against the system and all that, even if it’s rigged against you,” he added, noticing the hard glare he got for his earlier admission before they went silent once more.

It thankfully didn’t take many more moments of uneventful silence before the moon finally reached its peak, allowing the two tired men some much-needed sleep. Their sleep was, however, cut short by a scream of terror, unlike anything they’d ever heard before.