When Mark woke up, he found out that he was alone.

"Well, what did I expect? I don’t even remember when I fell asleep."

He walked out of that room, scratching his head, as if he had no clue where he was. Fatigue had built up for so long that he slept way more than he should have.

"Tomorrow, well, I guess today is that tomorrow."

He climbed down the stairs. He saw Luke sitting at a table, a blank expression, which turned to a smug look when he noticed Mark.

"Well, well," laughed Luke as he approached Mark, hands up in the air, ready for a high five. "Say, man, I saw Angela leave your room a few hours ago. Did you, perhaps –wink- do, you know, -wink wink- the deed?"

Mark stared at him, face slightly reddened. "Man, I thought that you knew me better. I’m not a big fan of flying from flower to flower, you know!" spluttered Mark, trying to save face. Yet, he also didn’t know why Angela was in his room for a few hours. All he knew was that he fell asleep the first thing after laying down.

Mark did his usual index and thumb under his chin, which he did when thinking. "Now that you put it like that, it is weird that she spent a few hours in my room. Wait, don’t tell me..." yelled out Mark, the sudden realisation waking him up for good.

"Tell you what?" asked the voice of the very being they were talking about. Angela made her way in, her hair trembling slightly with her every step, a dazzling spark in her eyes. Both of them faced her, with Luke looking at Mark from the corners of his eyes, smiling ever so slightly.

"...Nothing..." answered Mark, his voice barely audible.

"Well, I'm hoping it's not about yesterday, but if you say it's nothing," Angela blushed as she spun around."I hope you're all set to go."

Luke answered, "Yes, I’m ready. Mark, I got your stuff as well. Let’s move."

Mark had more questions than answers, "Wait, my things, when, how... and Angela! What happened?"

Angela turned around once more, in her playful manner. She slightly touched her lips with her finger, as if telling Mark to keep quiet. "I’m not telling you –wink-."

Mark’s face reddened some more before he gave up and went outside. A horse drawn dray waited for their arrival. The horse was in a good condition, strong and healthy.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Both Mark and Luke got in and they started their journey. Behind them, the village and the forest were vanishing like the setting sun, ever so slow, yet ever so sure. It was the first time in a few weeks that they left this place.

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They kept going, talking about whatever came to mind during their trip.

"So, how was life on the other side?" asked Angela, radiating curiosity more than the sun does light.

"Well..." started Mark, in an awkward voice, "For me, kind of boring. I always wanted to go on an adventure, similar to what we are doing now. Of course, life was easier from certain points of view, yet it didn’t have the spark that I wanted."

He turned at Luke, encouraging him to talk.

"Well, I couldn’t care less. I just want to live a nice life, enjoy whatever I can, wherever I can. This one might prove to be better."

"Hm... What about your families?"

Mark’s eyes widened. He knew about it, yet he didn’t want to remember. "I’m quite sensitive to this subject, so I'll say pass."

On the other hand, "They can handle it." Luke reacted like this.

Mark, as if waking up from a deep slumber, faced Angela. "You know, I want to ask this now. Where is your family?"

The edges of her thin lips crooked downwards. Her eyes, almost teary, opened up, reminiscing about what could be described as better times. "They are... no more. My parents and my sister died. I was too young to remember..."

Mark, knowing what he had done, could only apologise.

"It’s fine, it’s just... I’m tired of being alone..."

"You have us now." added Mark with a mild smile, as if returning the favour. "Two idiots are better than nothing."

"They sure are." confirmed the voice of the second idiot.

Angela’s face barely lightened up, yet barely is better than nothing. "Perhaps you are right." followed by the same calm look on her face. Mark could only look at her, his face dead stuck in her direction.

After some more galloping, they were about to traverse a forest, yet this one was the same as a child compared to the one near the village.

"I guess we should watch out. At this point, I’m tired of forests being filled with nothing but bad news." jinxed Mark. If only he kept his mouth closed. Not long before entering the forest, trouble started.

"Guys, I think we have company!" called out Mark as he reached for his sword. Not like he would have time to use it. Right before his helpless eyes, Luke was grabbed. Similar to the forest eating something, that’s what this scene looked like. The shadowy figures who grabbed him were gone.

Angela cried out, still rushing the horse on the road. "What do we do now!? They took Luke!"

Mark, unsheathing his sword, declared with a cold tone, "We’ll have to take him back, no matter how."

Luke, almost cursing his head for feeling pain, was opening his eyes, only to find himself in an unknown room. The last time something similar happened, it had a good ending. It was time to see how things would turn out now.

"Fuck! I couldn’t even react..." thought Luke. "What now? Will they kill me?" were the words echoing through his brain.

Before he could even wake up properly, he heard a knock on the door. There was barely any light coming in, so it was hard to even see the room he was in. With a creaking noise, the door handle turned.