The figure who greeted them spoke up. The boy noticed his southern accent almost immediately.

  “ Well, it’d be quite rude of me to not introduce myself,” he gave them a nod, “the name’s Gravel, got it from the fellers thinkin’ I talk like I’m swallowin’ rocks.”

  The boy studied Gravel, looking him up and down. Gravel was older than him, but much younger than his voice implies. Gravel had curly red hair with a stubble beard growing in. His voice was like he said, it was raspy and sounded like a rock was being scraped across concrete. He was wearing a torn up polo and jeans followed by a pair of thick leather boots. He had scars across his arms and wore a hat that made his face a little hard to see.

  Gravel tipped his hat to them.

  “Now what should I call fine folk like y’all selves?”

  Wrighty smiled and held his hand out for a handshake, “I go by Wrighty, It's very nice to meet you.”

  Gravel shook his hand then turned and looked at the boy. He waited for a bit but the boy said nothing and just stared at him blankly.

  After a while of awkward silence Gravel decided to speak.

  “Ay, what’s your name boy?”

  The boy gave no answer and instead gave him a puzzled look.

  Another long pause passed before Gravel sighed and moved on. He ushered the two boys into the woods towards the camp.

  As they walked through the forest the boy took note of his surroundings. He could see animals he didn’t recognize on the trees. A strange creature flying overhead that looked like a bird but with the face and horns of an ox. Each detail of his surroundings made things more and more apparent. He was sure he was not from here. That ruled out at least one possibility, thought the boy as he walked passed strange trees and vegetation.

  Suddenly a strange beast jumped out the brush. It was a quadruped with fur covering its whole body. It looked like a dog mixed with a bear, but something looked off about it. Its fur was a mixture of purple and blue and it growled at them. Three eyes on each side of its narrow head stared at them as it leaned back ready to pounce.

  It looks like a misshapen canine.

  The canine growled once more as it bared its long, sharp teeth at them.

  Wrighty stepped back in fear, “w-what the hell is that thing?”

  Gravel looked solemn before taking out a small pebble that was in his pocket.

  The boy was confused. What the hell is a pebble gonna do against that thing, it’s at least 200 pounds.

  Gravel studied the canine before staring into its eyes before cocking his hand back and throwing the pebble directly between the canine’s eyes. The boy might’ve been mistaken but he thought he saw the pebble glow before being thrown.

  The canine jumped as soon as it was hit before letting out one last whimper and then falling to the ground, dead.

  Both the boy and Wrighty stared at Gravel in shock.

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  “How the hell did you do that, THAT WAS AWESOME DUDE!” Wrighty said in excitement.

  The boy was just as amazed but said nothing and instead was trying to figure out how that was possible.

  Gravel looked at the two and gave them a faint nod before saying, “I ain’t sure myself, since I fell from the sky my throwin’ arm has been quite good. I often wonder why.” He continued walking before saying, “come on, we are close you gotta meet the folks.”

  A few hours of walking went by before they finally reached a clearing. As the group entered, the boy began to see several tents and small campfires. With many people staring at them.

  Gravel stopped and turned around.

  “We are here,” Gravel said simply.

  The clearing wasn’t small, but it felt crowded. People lingered at the edges, half-hidden behind twisted roots and uneven shelters made from cloth, bark, and broken debris. No two looked the same. Some sat near low fires, flames carefully smothered to keep smoke down. Others stood, arms crossed, eyes locked onto the newcomers.

  No one smiled.

  Wrighty shifted under the attention. “Uh… hey.”

  No one responded.

  The boy felt it immediately, the weight of being watched by people who had nothing left to lose. These people were not happy to see them at all. They weren't a welcoming committee. They were survivors deciding whether two more mouths were worth the risk. The boy didn’t blame them, he would be just as weary if he were in their shoes.

  Gravel stepped aside, letting them move forward on their own. “Ain’t much to look at,” he said, “but we survive, mostly.”

  A woman near one of the fires tightened her grip on a crude spear as they passed. A man with a bandaged arm leaned forward slightly, eyes sharp. Somewhere deeper in the clearing, a child coughed.

  The boy catalogued everything.

  Shelters were temporary. Fires were scattered. No perimeter. No walls. No clear center.

  Wrighty leaned in close, whispering, “Doc… this place might have people but I am not sure it's safe.”

  “I know,” the boy replied quietly.

  Gravel glanced back at them, one eyebrow lifting. “Don’t take it personally,” he said. “Folks here ain’t unfriendly. Just tired.”

  He paused, then added, “And hungry.”

  That earned a few dark looks from the group.

  Gravel cleared his throat. “Rules are simple,” he continued. “Don’t steal. Don’t scream. Don’t bring trouble back here.”

  “And if someone does?” Wrighty asked.

  Gravel shrugged. “Then someone doesn't come back.”

  The boy’s gaze drifted toward the trees surrounding the clearing. The forest felt dense like a thick metal. The undergrowth pulsed faintly, like it was alive in ways he didn’t understand yet. Something out there was moving.

  He could feel it.

  Gravel followed his stare. “Yeah,” he muttered. “That’s why we don’t stay long.”

  Wrighty frowned. “Don’t stay long?”

  Gravel gave a thin smile. “Ain’t nothin’ here meant to last. Its just a place we are gonna stay until we get an understanding of the world.”

  The boy walked towards a campfire where a group of people were sitting. He needed to sit down, his ribs were still broken and pain began to consume him from all the walking. Wrighty walked behind him, following him wherever he went. The boy found this annoying.

  When they sat down, the boy studied everyone at the campfire. There were 5 other people not including Wrighty and himself. First he saw a solemn looking boy who was chewing into a piece of meat. Next to him was a girl who was wrapped in a fur blanket warming her hands by the fire but still shivering. Another boy who turned to them before they sat down and smiled. The other girl in the group was a blonde haired girl wearing glasses in a custom made chair. It was made of some wood and vines and seemed surprisingly sturdy. The last of the group was a young boy who was sharpening his sword on a nearby rock.

  The boy who smiled at them spoke up.

  “Hello you two, I take it you’re new here?”

  Wrighty nodded and smiled, “yes we are, just arrived on this island not too long ago.”

  “That’s very good, we are glad to have you. The boy nodded his head, “My name is Five it is an honor to meet you both.”

  Wrighty nodded delightedly at Five, but the boy gave no response. Instead he sat still staring at the girl in the chair.

  “You, you’re paralyzed aren’t you?”