Jeff awoke later than he wanted, his teddy in his arms like always. He did feel refreshed, like always, well most times unless he had gotten really badly hurt. It was cozy in his sleeping bag, his alarm didn’t go off so no one had tried to sneak up. He could stay like this forever but he heard a stern voice “if you wake up you had enough sleep, so time to start doing something productive”. Groaning, complaining really, Jeff got up.

  It was weird for Jeff how even after all this time … no we don’t think about that time, still it stuck with him even when he avoided thinking about it. But like someone sometime had probably said, humans are animals of habit, or creatures of habit? Was it even habit or some German saying and he just couldn’t get it together in German? Nah didn’t matter. What mattered was getting up and doing his routine. A probably weird smirk crawled up on Jeffs face as he started his morning sport. When he had stayed at the groups place in Brindgap Butch would mock him for doing this routine just to join like a week before things fell apart. Had been nice to see the big guy sweat and huff. He was much more appreciative of the routine afterwards. Well didn’t matter much.

  As Jeff ended the stretching part and began with some pushups he looked up and froze uncertain. Smoke. Smoke was weird, sure people made fires but it didn’t rise as high as in other zones, dissipated more quickly, why no clue, but this meant there was a lot of smoke. Coming from the camp … No doesn’t matter really. He was not getting involved, this was not his cup of tea or whatever. No, he had rules about this sort of thing.

  He was still arguing with himself as he had gathered some things and moved towards the camp. Sure, it probably was nothing but still, he should investigate, worst case bandits had come through the unstable new connection and started raiding he needed to know about that. And well he did want to make sure Olicia and Diego were at least alive. Would be sad if they died and he didn’t even check. Sure, it wasn’t his fault or nothing, buuut it left a bad taste in his mouth just ignoring it.

  “Son, we help when we can”, said a large figure, bending down to tussle his hair. They were on a road not far from home, another family was sitting by the road the oldest man, probably the father, standing next to what some would call a crawler, but was really more of a jeep. Large off-road tires, one of which was clearly flat. The mother trying to console a small child crying, the worry obvious on them all. They went to help the family.

  Shit and here it was, bad memories, well not bad, it had not all gone to shit then and there, but everything from back then hurt so let’s ignore it and focus. Focus on surviving. Not doing what would make his father proud and helping. This was about getting Info. Sure, if Diego and the rest were alive and he could help that would be nice, but no risking his live for anyone.

  Jeff stopped walking for a minute and took a deep breath and then he heard it. Screeching, sand being crushed, the sound of an engine. Shit. Glancing around, he found a small carves to hide in. It was rather tight, but it would be enough unless they were searching for someone. If it was Diego and co they wouldn’t need to see him either.

  Jeff had a narrow view on the road from his new hiding space, it was not a great hiding place but it would be enough. Hopefully. The car and it was one of these old cars, big for bumpy roads … ah yes jeeps. It was a darkgrey, blending in more with the surrounding, not that it really could as long as it was moving and with the light reflecting off of it … well maybe from afar.

  Driving it was a woman, from the figure at least, the windows were tinted. The jeep had a flatbed, on it lay some forms as they drove past Jeff hiding place. Long, lumpy, covered in a tarp. Well, it could be … Nah probably bodies, likely bodies. Now the question was whose bodies? Oh, and why? And maybe where they got them or where they were taking them. Ah and who? In who the fuck were these people?

  Well first things first let’s find out what happened at the camp. At least that was the plan. Jeff started this time more sneaking than walking to get near the camp. It was eerie, he was still sued to people working around it and well not used to hiding every ten minutes or so. Jeeps left the camp in what was probably regular intervals, Jeff just estimated ten minutes cause it sounded good. The fields around the camp however left little real space for hiding, the plants grown weren’t that high and while he could try to crawl through it like an idiot, only a blind fool wouldn’t see the plants move.

  So two options really, wait for like an hour or two and assume the people are gone when he arrives or risk it all and sneak in right now, probably getting caught as he just entered. Well putting it like that was quite an easy choice wasn’t it? So settling in to wait, he searched for some sort of lookout and found the perfect nearby hill, it had some formations on top, making hiding up there pretty easy, in theory. So still sneaking as best he could, and his best wasn’t all that good, Jeff moved towards the hill, rounding up behind it, he tried to stay out of sight of the “road”, if one wanted to be so generous, but had to risk it a few times, thankfully never for longe than a few seconds but still. Well at least as far as he was aware, for all he knew he was obvious to see from the “road”, he had to get a better name for it, but even path was too generous as it was mostly just a natural pathway between the hills that had sings of use and not really something purpose build.

  Enough distractions, Jeff forced his mind for once in a long while, to focus again. Not with too much success but enough, hopefully. He began to crest the top of the hill as he heard voices, not loud, clearly trying to be silent, but not enough that they didn’t reach down the hill a few meters.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Gues the guys have finished packing soon?”, a male voice, bored, was there a yawn in it?

  “Nah there were a lot of people, had to round up the lot of them, Boss wants them all, so I guess itll take a few minutes”, female, also bored, not yawning but sounding distracted.

  “Can I have a go soon? Don’t want to just stare at the fields, could use some distraction”, The man grunted, slightly irritated.

  “It’s mine, go buy your own next time we are in Brindgap, or well wait a bit”, the woman again, jovial, looking forward to something.

  Jeff was no focused, listening closely, he could get that way when it was needed, focused, thoughtful, concentrated. It was never when he wanted it to happen but only when his surrounding made him. It always felt like it wasn’t him anymore.

  “We really gonna do it?”, nervousness in the man’s voice, uncertainty?

  “Guess we are, didn’t think the Prof was joking”, non chalont, the woman didn’t seem to care about whatever they were talking. Prof, shit. Maybe a nickname?

  “I don’t know Jen, are we really just gonna take the whole zone? I know the Professor has some kind of plan, but the Boss isn’t telling us much and well you know the rumors”, still nervous. SHIT. Not a nickname, was there really a professor here?

  “Mark get a grip, the Boss has taken care of us until now, brought us through. If he says it’s for the best, we gotta trust him. You know what happened to Barnes when he tried to question the project, the Prof is bad news but the Boss ahs a handle on it.”

  “Barnes was maybe right”, mumbleing, uncertain, fearful. Jeff heard a knock like a fist hitting a head.

  “Au, what’s that about?”

  “Look Mark I like you, Ken and Mei too, so stop talking like that, Barnes had a point sure, but doesn’t matter. Boss says we do what the Prof wants and we will get to go to a zone like the numbered once. Or better rule one, think of it. Finally safe, the Boss got us through some shit so just let it rest, he knows best”, fervor, loyalty, she seemed to believe her statement. Concerning.

  “Yeah I know, look I know! I know really stop looking at me like that. I will keep my mouth shut. But you gotta admit it feels wrong. There are children among them Jen. CHILDREN. Prof’s bad news for them even if not for us”, moral dilemma feels trapped, bad. Still doing it, so doesn’t matter whatever it is.

  Silence came over the two lookouts. Then the Woman, Jen answered again, heaviness in her words.

  “Look Mark, I get it. Really, but what’s the option, no really? Stay here. The new zone is bad news, even if the Prof is wrong. Shit’s going down and sure the Prof is bad news, but it’s do or die, it’s always do or die. We hit Brindgap, get the people to the Prof and get out of here. Safe and then we can do better. I just don’t want to run anymore you know? Mei neither, twist even Ken is done. The last hit before we came here was too much. Look, I know it’s bad, but if we don’t do it someone else will and we will at best be stuck in the same shit as a few years back or worse. Boss already controls Brindgap, whatever the Prof plans he needs the people alive so let’s just hope it’s not too bad and keep our heads down until we are in a safe zone and then get out of it”, tired, done, the woman seemed just as weighted down as her words.

  Rustling, motion.

  “Let’s get up and get the last Jeep, if Ken and Mei aren’t finished, we drive with them back.”

  “What if someone comes? We were to stay until called?”

  “No one will come, only the weird pink haired girl got away, Bruce and his group already gave up, said she should be dead in some tunnels, she is on foot and has no idea what we are doing even if she lives. She won’t be an issue, and most are already gone. It’s like a week till the finale. So, get a grip and come, better to move than to talk nonsense neither of us can change. Plus, even if someone comes, we will either find them, or they will find nothing of note. We also need to get to our shift watching the Esher connection.”

  They started to walk down the hill, right past Jeff who hid in a small cave. Holding his breath, both carried crossbows, loaded with local chitin bolts. The woman also had a small pistol, and some other bolts. Damn they had real firearms too, they had become rare with time even Brindgap didn’t produce much ammunition nowadays, Crossbows were good enough for most things, outside the numbered zones guns were just too valuable and only few cities could make them or ammunition really. Brindgap imported the few firearms it had mostly through esher or caravans coming through.

  But this was bad. Like really awfully bad. A group of armed and dangerous Mercenaries kidnapping people, planning on hitting Bridngap and led by off all things a professor. Jeff knew the title once was given to educators of something called universities. But today it meant something else. He had only ever met one and that one had been crazy. Well met was a nice word, he had seen the mans live execution in Yangles, right before … didn’t matter.

  Professor meant crazy old scientist. Most were crazy in a very very bad way. Killing hundreds of thousands bad crazy. Jeff had heard about Yin-Huan who had destroyed a whole safe zone. He had done something crazy with some artifacts from before the Pandemodium, the artifacts that got cataloged by the SPA. And these artifacts were mostly very bad news. Whatever he had done he had destroyed the zone and killed a lot of people himself included from the story. And now one of these crazed lunatics was here and he would hit … shit. Now everything got complicated. Jeff didn’t delude himself that he could save Diego and Olivia, he wouldn’t stand a chance against the Professor or even a single Mercenary. If he, however, hurried he could get to Brindgap and warn Candy and the others. Not to mention the Esher connection was now a no go. They would probably watch the Greyland connection too but maybe not as thoroughly, it was much less used. He would need a crawler or car at least to get through there safe too. Candy was his best shot for that too.

  So it made sense, go to Brindgap, it would be 3 days till he got there, warn the others and get to the Greylands with them and a Crawler.

  Then there was the issue with Veari. She was probably dead in the tunnels, if she went deep enough that the mercenaries gave up searching for her … It was not worth looking, he would stay in the area regardless to look through the camp for something useful and maybe someone who managed to hide away. If Vaeri survived and showed up he would ask her if she needed help and help out if he could, if she didn’t show up until he was finished, well it wasn’t like he owed her anything and risking his live for a total stranger who might be dead wasn’t worth it. It’s not exactly what his dad taught him but Jeff knew his dad … Anyway. So scavenging and then off to Brindgap, should work out.