|Location: Wasteland, #*&$%#|
-NUK-
The weight in my chest felt the most heavy as I stepped away from the tent, the storm of emotions inside me crashing like relentless waves and I was on the verge of losing control.
Sadness came in sudden surges, pulling me under before an unexpected jolt of fear took hold, making my heart pound erratically in my ribcage.
Anger flared up without warning—sharp, consuming, and fierce—but after spending itself, it left behind a strange, unsettling calm, interrupted only by fleeting bursts of happiness that felt almost cruel in their rarity.
Was I unraveling? Losing myself in this chaotic battlefield of conflicting emotions? If someone had called me crazy, I doubt I would have cared. I was already drowning in that chaos, swallowed whole by my own turmoil.
The camp around me felt distant, like a faded memory viewed through a fogged window. The laughter, the murmurs, the flickering lights—all seemed like echoes from another world, a place I wasn't fully part of anymore. My gaze settled on Hansel and Zero, who sat apart from one another, each wrapped in their own silence. Their quiet was a mirror to the tension that hung thick and heavy in the air, suffocating and inescapable.
Hansel noticed me first. His face creased with worry as he hurried over, his eyes darting immediately to the soil-knife embedded in my hand. There was hesitation in his voice, but also a bravery I admired when he asked softly, "Nuk! You came out—I heard noises. Did you?"
The question cut through me, awakening a sharp pang of regret. I had missed my chance to confront the man fully, to make him understand the magnitude of his deeds—the pain he had caused. Yet, beneath that regret was relief, a small but real comfort that I hadn't left that tent with blood on my hands. I turned away, cursing the man who had brought so much suffering to my family.
"I hope the gods will chew on his head, and may karma rip chest clean." I murmured, just enough that only I could hear it.
Hansel's voice softened as he pulled me into a tight embrace. His warmth seeped deep into my bones, a balm for my frayed nerves. "I'm not condemning you for wanting to kill him. I'm just glad you didn't." His words were quiet but carried so much weight. "Come on, let's get out of here. This place—it gives me the heebie-jeebies just standing near it."
His words broke through the silence suffocating me, and despite myself, a light laugh escaped my lips. It was a small sound, but it lifted the oppressive weight for a moment. Hansel's presence was a steady anchor amid the chaos swirling inside me.
As I looked around, an absence struck me like a sharp stone in my path. "Where's Dia?"
Hansel blinked, confusion flickering across his face. "Now that you mention it, I didn't realize she left." His gaze swept the camp, disappointment settling deep into his eyes. "Maybe she's just nearby."
Before I could respond, a cold, lifeless voice cut through the quiet like a knife. "She left. Not too long ago." Zero's finger pointed toward the dense, dark forest bordering the camp. His words were quiet, but firm—like a decree—and they sent a chill crawling down my spine. Zero's prolonged silence and sudden shift unsettled me deeply.
Zero seemed fixated on the 'uncharted' area of the wasteland, the dark side of the forest. As he continued to stare at it, it looked like he could see or hear something as he said, "Something's calling, the frequencies it's being."
Hansel approached Zero cautiously, his voice gentle as though approaching a fragile creature. "Zero? You okay now? You seemed... um, hollowed inside."
Zero's sudden movement startled us both. He stood abruptly, the motion so sharp that Hansel took a startled step back.
"What? Oh, you asked about Dia?" Zero's rare smile appeared—too quick, too light to be sincere. "She went that way." He gestured toward the forest, then let out a soft chuckle at Hansel's near stumble.
"Zero?" I called out, confusion tightening like a fist around my chest.
Without answering, Zero dusted himself off and began walking away. "Come on, let's catch up to her." He glanced back over his shoulder, a mischievous glint lighting his eyes. "Hehe."
Hansel turned to me, worry etched deeply in his features. "Nuk—"
"I don't know what's wrong with him," I interrupted, biting my lip as unease crept steadily under my skin. "I can't explain it in detail. But it may be something related to what my sister warned me about"
Hansel's voice wavered, barely above a whisper. "That's why, I'm just worried."
The weight of everything pressed heavily on me. Should I continue trusting my sister's predictions, or trust my own instincts? I inhaled deeply, trying to steady my racing thoughts as I surveyed the rows of tents ahead.
Turning to Hansel, I forced a reassuring smile, more for him than myself. "I know. I'll be fine. What's the worst that can happen? Hopefully."
Then, as if summoned by my unease, a sudden gust of wind brushed against my face—a rare, cool visitor in this barren wasteland. The cold air cleared my muddled thoughts but carried with it a heavy sense of foreboding. Something was coming, something I couldn't yet see but could feel in my bones.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the whisper of the wind through the dry branches. The forest seemed to breathe with a life of its own, the leaves rustling secrets just beyond comprehension. Then, without warning, a sharp, piercing cry shattered the stillness.
"Ah! Help!"
The scream was unmistakably Dia's. Hansel bolted toward the source without hesitation, following Zero's earlier indication toward the dense, ominous forest. I followed quickly, guilt tightening its grip around my heart.
We arrived at a small clearing beside the camp, the lifeless forest looming beyond like a silent predator. But Dia and Zero were nowhere to be seen.
Anxiety gnawed at me with relentless teeth as we shouted their names into the stillness, searching desperately. Our voices were swallowed by the oppressive silence, returning as hollow echoes that only deepened the dread.
My breath came in short, ragged gasps. Vision blurred. Panic clawed at my mind, weaving hallucinations into reality—ghostly shapes flickering at the edge of my sight. "Hey, calm down! You're going to faint if you keep this up."
"What else can I do? Dia might be in danger." My hands trembled uncontrollably. "If she... if she's gone... I can't... I just can't. She's all I have left."
Hansel grabbed my face firmly and smacked my forehead. "Calm down! Dia isn't weak."
I nodded, swallowing the lump lodged deep in my throat. "Thanks. I have to find them."
"Good. Let's head back to camp. Maybe we can find clues there."
Hansel's calm steadied me. Without him, I feared I might have lost control completely.
We searched the camp thoroughly—from the entrance to the feast grounds, from our tents to the outskirts. But there was no sign of either.
We returned to the clearing, no closer to answers.
"Where could she be? I'm sure her voice came from this direction." Hansel's confusion mirrored my own.
A cold dread settled deep into my bones as I considered the unthinkable. Could scavengers have taken her? Was Zero responsible, whether intentionally or not? But Zero's strange behavior made me doubt any sinister plan.
I sank to the ground, exhaustion and despair weighing me down. We'd searched everywhere—except one place.
"The forest," I whispered, eyes locked on the dense, dark trees. "Unless... she went in."
Hansel followed my gaze and suddenly dropped to his knees, fear written plainly across his face.
"What? The center is off-limits. She wouldn't dare."
I knew the dangers well—the center of the forest was a place where many had vanished without a trace, swallowed by something unknown and terrible. Dia knew better than to go there. So why would she?
"Unless... Zero." The thought pierced my heart like a cold shard. Was he leading her there? Had he been drawn by rumors of treasure, or something darker?
Had I made a grave mistake bringing him here? I'd had the chance to keep him away, but I chose to deceive him instead—because I saw his power. Now, for the price of a map, I might have lost my last family.
Hansel cursed softly beside me. "I knew he'd cause trouble."
I wanted to scream, to curse the world—but there was no time. "You rant later. For now, guard this spot." Hansel gripped my arm firmly.
"I don't think we're the only ones who heard that scream."
I tried to argue for him to stay with me, but I knew his mind was made up. If either of us disappeared, who would notice? The hypocrites here would rejoice in silence.
Going into the forest alone was dangerous. I wasn't sure I could even protect myself. But Hansel's presence was my lifeline.
He protested once more, but I gave him a small, reassuring smile.
"I'll be safe," I promised.
Before I left, Hansel handed me something—his latest creation. A new regulator, more intricate and lighter than the last. It could control Sertium more effectively, reducing radiation exposure by nearly forty percent.
"Hansel, this is incredible," I said, amazed.
He grinned. "I know. Now bring them back here so I can give them a good scolding. Well i wish to be exact, Dia is a very headstrong person and especially that Zero guy, what made him act weird, he's already weird as it is and he did that creepy stunt just now."
I hugged him tightly, gratitude overwhelming me. "I just hope nothing bad will happen"
"Hey now don't jinx me Hansel" I said slightly laughing, trying to ease the mood.
Then, steeling myself, I stepped toward the forest's edge—a living shadow that seemed to swallow the camp whole. The night pressed down like a suffocating blanket, heavy with suspicion and dread. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of twig, echoed like a warning in the silence.
The forest breathed around me—ancient, unforgiving. Cold fingers brushed my skin, whispering secrets best left unheard. The path ahead was uncertain and dangerous, but I couldn't turn back.
Not now.
Not when the last flicker of my family depended on me.
With a deep breath, I plunged into the darkness, every heartbeat pounding fiercely as I ventured deeper into the unknown.
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