It had been a month since Harry's death. Since they couldn't tell anyone, they had buried him in the forest.
They visited his grave every week. Today was another visiting day; once again, they would go to him.
Lukas's feelings were a complete mess. "How had he died? Who did this to him?"
For a month, that was all he thought about.
They had gotten used to living as fugitives.
Alex handled their needs.
Jake took care of security. Emma dealt with the food, while Lukas was left only with his thoughts.
Now, their lives continued in an abandoned forest, hiding from the world.
But how long could this go on?
Every night, Jake would patrol the forest.
Emma prepared the meals in advance.
And Lukas… Lukas sank deeper into his tired, restless thoughts.
But what would tomorrow bring?
Would things keep going the same way, or would a new adventure arrive?
⸻
Monday
Today, Jake was supposed to meet his trusted friend Abel.
Abel had helped him a lot—he even installed a camera system at the barn; whenever someone passed nearby, they got an alert.
Jake needed someone to talk to, someone to share his troubles with. Abel was his best friend, always there no matter what.
That's why Jake had invited him to the barn today.
Emma objected, but Jake didn't listen.
They would spend the whole day confiding in each other.
Meanwhile, Lukas once again muttered, "I'll go walk in the forest," and made his way to Harry's grave.
But when he arrived, he saw the grave dug open, blood scattered across the ground. A chilling hallucination.
Looking closer, it seemed Harry's body was gone.
Panic-stricken, Lukas rushed to the barn. His hands and feet trembled.
— "I went to Harry's grave…"
Emma: "But we just went yesterday!"
Lukas: "The grave was open—and there was blood all over the ground!"
Jake: "What are you even saying?"
Abel froze in fear. The talk of graves and blood shook him deeply. He ran toward the grave in a hurry, the others following behind.
But when they arrived—everything was exactly as before. Untouched.
This time, they truly thought Lukas had lost his mind.
Lukas: "No! Don't look at me like that… I didn't lose it. I saw it—it was real!"
Nobody listened. They all walked back to the barn.
But Lukas remained by the grave, sitting beside it.
Lukas: "Did I really go insane?.."
Then, a voice came from behind him:
— "Hahaha, yes Lukas, you've gone mad!"
What was that?!
Lukas jumped to his feet. "Wait… That voice… I know it!"
It was the voice that started everything.
The man's voice.
Lukas: "Hey! You… You weren't just a dream, were you? Who are you—come out now!"
(With a deep roar) "ENOUGHHHH! COME OUT!"
Jake walked slowly toward the coop and heard his father's voice, so he headed toward the grave.
He saw his father talking to himself.
"He's really lost his mind. If the police saw him, they wouldn't send him to prison; they'd send him to a mental hospital," Jake muttered.
Lukas started pacing back and forth.
— You were the man in the suit that day, the one who left the letter and ran away, weren't you? You bastard!
Jake was shocked when he heard this,
because he had experienced something similar.
He went up to his father:
Jake: Dad!
Lukas, startled:
— Hey!
(He grabbed his throat for a moment, thinking it was that man.)
Jake: What are you doing, Dad?
Lukas: Ah, son… it's you…
Jake thought to himself: He really has lost his mind.
Abel was hiding under a tree, listening to them.
He was a very cowardly person. When he saw Lukas behaving this way, he got even more frightened.
He was recording everything on video.
Jake: Dad, I heard what you said.
Lukas: I haven't lost my mind, son. Everything…
Jake hugged his father.
Jake: Dad, I experienced something similar too.
Lukas: What do you mean?
Jake: In your dream, that man left you a letter and disappeared, right?
Well, I actually had a masked man. He left a letter and vanished.
He had a heavy voice, and when he dropped the letter, I found myself on the ground.
He had sprayed something on me.
Lukas: Then what I saw was real too!
I just heard that man's voice. He must be around here! Let's search everywhere!
Jake: Dad, stop talking nonsense! He won't find this place…
Abel had recorded all of this.
After helping them so much, why had he filmed it?
Was he going to give it to the police?..
Abel quickly left and texted Jake:
— Brother, this stuff freaks me out. That's why I left, just so you know.
Since Jake knew Abel was affected by things like this, he didn't suspect anything.
Lukas: Son, who was that?
Jake: Abel. He said he left because this kind of stuff gets to him, so he's just letting me know.
Lukas, staring blankly:
— I saw him… He was recording me.
Jake: What are you talking about, Dad?
Lukas: I think he was going to send me to the mental hospital. And he was right.
Jake immediately tried to call Abel, but he didn't answer. Every friend of theirs ended up stabbing them in the back.
Jake and Lukas went toward the coop. Jake quickly put on his mask and wig, planning to go to Abel's house.
Lukas: I'm coming too.
Jake: No, Dad, you can't.
Lukas: I said I'm coming. Let's go.
Jake couldn't resist his father. They both set off. Lukas hadn't been into the city for a long time. Emma and Alex were left behind in the coop.
But would they stay there?
Alex and Emma began to follow them.
As they approached Abel's house, they saw a lot of police officers.
When Lukas shouted, "I'm here, hey!" the police immediately caught them. Lukas was really losing his sanity.
Since Emma and Alex were hiding, they couldn't be seen. But the police captured Lukas and Jake.
While the police interrogated them, Abel watched absentmindedly. What he had done was truly betrayal.
Why had he done this to him after helping him all this time?
Jake had been a withdrawn child. But now, he had become someone both withdrawn and full of hatred for everyone.
Since he was 17, they took him to a juvenile detention center.
Alex and Emma had nothing left they could do. They returned to the coop.
However, because Abel had shown the video recordings to the police, Lukas was taken to a mental hospital for testing, at least temporarily.
Lukas's Memory in Prison
Today was Lukas's birthday.
He was turning 50, but he had forgotten that it was his birthday.
Once again, he was quietly writing on a napkin by himself.
Another one of Lukas's writings read:
Did the lights shine,
Did the day rise, I don't know,
But my heart had already closed for you
— "Emma"
Frank jumped out of his bed again:
"Hey, are you spilling your writings on napkins from the trash again?"
Lukas, calm, replied:
"Yes. Do you want to see?"
Frank: "I'm not going to ask your permission anyway, give them here!"
When Frank took the paper in his hand, it said: "Loser Frank."
Frank: "What is this?"
Lukas: "That's you."
Frank slapped Lukas's face with his heavy hand.
Lukas lost consciousness for a moment and fainted.
The guards immediately intervened, took Lukas out of the room, and bandaged his nose.
"I think my nose is broken," he said.
One of the guards asked:
"What's your last name, Lukas?"
Lukas, confused:
"What will you do with my last name, sir?"
Guard: "You look like such an innocent man. How did you end up here? I was just curious about who you are."
Lukas: "Ah, the world is unfair. They dragged me here just because I stole a loaf of bread when my family was starving."
Guard: "They can't give such a punishment for just a loaf of bread. Did you do anything else?"
Lukas: "Well… um…"
Guard: "You can tell me. I'm not like them."
Lukas: "First, I robbed the place where I took the bread. I took the money too. My family was in terrible condition. My son was sick and needed surgery. When I smelled the freshly baked bread, I thought I'd take one. If you ask me if I regret it? Absolutely not—my son's life was at stake."
The guard couldn't hold back his tears and started crying:
"Wow… you're such a good man."
Lukas touched the guard's shoulder:
"I saw that light in you too, son."
Guard:
"What light?"
Lukas:
"You shine too brightly for this world."
When Lukas returned to his room, he couldn't see Frank. He must have still been in interrogation.
Lukas began picking up the torn napkins.
Someone approached:
— "Are you okay, brother?"
Lukas: — "I'm fine, thanks."
While searching for the napkin pieces, another person came:
— "Do you want me to help, brother?"
Lukas: — "No, thanks."
They all seemed to be speaking as if guided.
When he picked up the napkin from behind, someone was peeking through the door. Lukas noticed with his sharp eyes.
— "Who's there?" — he called, but the person made no sound.
He found all the pieces but had no tape to stick them together.
Someone came and said:
— "Here, take this. Use it."
Everything seemed like an automatic system: "Are you okay?", "Do you want help?", "Here, take this." What was this? Or was it Frank's trick?
Lukas: — "Friends, thank you very much for what you said. But who's making you say it? Please be honest."
Someone said:
— "Brother, we don't know. A guard told us, and we said 'okay.'"
Lukas: — "Alright, thanks. I understand who it is. So the one peeking from the door was you… the shining kid.
I wish I knew your name… How will I find you in this huge prison, son…"
Just then, the door opened and Frank walked in. Too embarrassed to even look at Lukas, he immediately lay on his bed.
When the doors opened, Lukas called to the guard:
— "What's the name of the guard who bandaged me?"
The guard didn't know because there were many guards.
Guard:
— "What's his name?"
Lukas:
— "Such a good-hearted guy… I don't know his name, young and cheerful."
After thinking a bit, the guard said:
— "Hmm… it's Souza. Wait, I'll call him."
Lukas knelt down:
— "Thank you very much, sir."
The guard called Souza.
Lukas:
— "Ah yes, this kid!"
Souza:
— "Hello sir, you called me?"
Lukas:
— "Do I have a moment to talk?"
Souza:
— "Of course, follow me."
Souza turned to another guard:
— "We'll talk for a minute," he said.
Lukas:
— "Why did you do something good for me?"
Souza:
— "Because I went through similar things. My father was sick, we needed money. I had to steal… but I wasn't caught. And if you ask me, do I regret it? No, sir. My father could have died. I risked everything, even a lifetime in prison if necessary. I wanted to tell the police so many times, but my mother didn't want to lose me, so I stayed silent."
Lukas:
— "I figured something like that, son. The one who understands most struggles has gone through similar pain."
While Lukas and Souza were talking, the chief came and immediately ordered Lukas to his room. He got very angry at Souza.
Lukas went to his room and lay down on his bed for a while.
The chief to Souza:
— "I don't want to see you talking to Lukas Black again! Or you'll be suspended!"
Souza thought to himself, ignoring what he said:
"His last name is as dark as his life… Black."
The chief couldn't stand his silence:
— "Hey! Are you listening to me?"
Souza:
— "Yes, sir. I'll wash my feet, they might smell a bit, but…"
Chief:
— "Ah, enough! Shut up and get out!"
Souza:
— "What did I say?"
Souza immediately searched the prison records and looked into Lukas.
When he saw Lukas's birth date, he was surprised. Lukas looked older than his age; life had clearly aged him.
Souza:
— "Wait… today is his birthday. I need to make him happy. If someone did this for me once, I would've been happy too. I need to get a cake immediately."
Lukas was so tired that he began snoring deeply:
"Aaaggrr… Kaaırr…"
A guard came in:
— "Lukas Black, you have a cake," he said.
Lukas woke up:
— "Who sent this?"
Guard:
— "I don't know, take it."
When Lukas received the cake, Frank kept staring at it. There was a letter on top, which read:
"Happy birthday, brother. You are a very good person.
Souza."
Reading the note, Lukas began to cry.
— "It's my birthday today…" he said, pressing the letter to his heart.
— "I hope I get out of here soon…"
Frank couldn't resist commenting. He walked over confidently:
— "Did your tummy send it?" he joked.
Lukas: "None of your business, Frank. Mind your own."
Lukas quickly took the plates and forks and distributed them to everyone in the room, including Frank.
Frank couldn't refuse dessert. Silently, he went to his bed and ate from the cake.
Lukas couldn't stay behind with the surprise. He needed to thank him. He asked the guard for Souza, but the guard said he had been dismissed.
Hearing this, Lukas blamed himself…
Present Day: Mental Hospital
Police held Lukas firmly by both hands.
It was as if he might try to escape… They were taking extreme precautions, even though Lukas didn't care.
This time, they didn't give him the usual prison entrance courtesy. Something felt wrong.
Lukas's room was immediately on the right side of the corridor. Unfortunately, two other people were there.
The insane had a separate area; this was a controlled zone, a sort of mental evaluation.
Police:
— "Here's the new patient, Lukas Black. He will stay in the control zone for two weeks. Act accordingly."
Lukas looked at the police with sharp eyes.
It seemed this would be his life from now on.
In his darkness, the hope of a miracle had disappeared. Everything was going terribly.
After the police left, locking the door, Lukas went to his bed and accidentally dropped one of the napkins he had been writing on.
Another patient grabbed it quickly without Lukas noticing.
One room, one bathroom… three people in total.
But this time, there was a window with a view outside. He immediately grabbed a napkin from the bathroom and began writing again.
The other patient quietly watched him.
The third person was just sleeping.
When Lukas noticed the man watching him, he looked him in the eye:
— "Did something happen?" he asked.
The man, with a fearful and angry expression, immediately looked away:
— "No, brother, I didn't do anything."
Lukas:
— "I didn't say you did anything."
Man:
— "I would, but I won't ask you."
They had a meaningless conversation.
The man must have had a previous trauma.
Lukas turned to the man:
— "Why are you here?"
Man:
— "I… killed someone."
Lukas:
— "Who?"
Man:
— "My brother… but not intentionally. Then I went through terrible situations. Two days ago, they brought me here from prison. At night I would stab someone, but I always thought I was dreaming."
Lukas:
— "Then why did you kill your brother?"
The man glared angrily at Lukas.
Lukas quickly:
— "You didn't mean to, of course…"
The man calmed down and continued:
— "We were fighting over money, and the knife in my hand stabbed him. Since that day, I've been obsessed with knives! Hahaha!"
The man laughed loudly. Lukas was truly scared. What if this man did something while sleeping?
The man pulled a napkin from his pocket.
— "Here, you dropped this."
Lukas:
— "Thank you."
Man:
— "What is this?"
Lukas:
— "Nothing… I'm just writing something."
Man:
— "Write my name too. My name is Robert."
Lukas:
— "Okay, I'll write it, Robert."
After a while, Lukas asked Robert:
— "Do you have a knife?"
Robert jumped from his bed:
— "Who are we stabbing?!"
Lukas, panicking:
— "No, we're not stabbing anyone. I just asked… out of curiosity."
Robert:
— "I stabbed three people with this knife. I always keep it…"
Lukas thought: What am I going to do here? Suddenly, another man woke up:
— "Heyyy! Shut up! We're trying to sleep here!"
Robert, calmly:
— "I stabbed this too… but only in the leg. That's why he's always lying down."
Lukas couldn't even swallow after hearing this.
He needed to escape tonight.
At night, to make sure Robert was asleep:
— "Knife!" he called. Because Robert was obsessed with knives.
But Robert didn't respond and continued sleeping.
Lukas immediately rummaged through Robert's clothes and found the knife.
He positioned himself by the door and tried to push it outward.
The door opened with difficulty, but a guard was in the corridor.
He silently approached from behind, knocked him out, and dragged him aside, putting on his clothes.
Then, he took the hospital keycard from the guard's pocket, scanned it at the outer door, and it opened.
When he stepped into the hospital yard, he took a deep breath and ran outside.
The other guards, groggy from sleep, didn't even look at his face—they only checked the uniform and assumed he was a guard.
Lukas, saying: "I'm free," heard Robert shouting behind him:
— "Heyyy! Give me back my knife!"
Lukas immediately got into a taxi:
— "Take me as far away as possible," he said.
Taxi driver:
— "But the guards…"
"Shut up!" Lukas said. "I'll pay you well."
But Lukas didn't even have money for bread.
After losing the guards, he said:
— "Take me to the Amazon rainforest."
When they arrived, the taxi driver said:
— "That'll be 200 lira."
Lukas:
— "Wait for me, I'll get your money."
In this forest, they had coops where they had been hiding from the police.
When Lukas entered the coop, he saw Alex and Emma sleeping in the same bed.
Lukas was disappointed. On the table were drinks, romantic song CDs, and roses.
Had Emma done this while her husband was in prison and her son in the hospital?
Alex silently took 200 lira from Lukas's wallet and gave it to the taxi driver.
His plan had been to stay here… but now he couldn't.