Emily tried to look at her hands, but it was still too dark. Her whole body ached a lot, especially her head. She felt very weak. Fleetingly, the pain made her remember that Richard had been viciously murdered and she began to cry again.

As the tears welled up in her eyes, Emily noticed that Ian was trying to reach her with some effort. Then, he began to wrap some cloths around her feet, trying to protect them. "Calling them boots is too pretentious." Ian whispered.

Emily didn't add anything else. She could only think of... "I'm really thirsty. Aren't you thirsty?"

Ian looked in one direction and indicated. "The ground sinks that way. We can try our luck and see if we can find some water." After a sort pause, he added. "Although it maybe not a good idea, those fucking apes came from there."

Emily closed her eyes. Sad and pained, she whispered, unable to wipe away her tears. "I don't remember anything. What happened? Where are those apes? How did we survive? I just saw more coming when..." Emily looked at Ian, feeling guilty. "I passed out, didn't I? I left you alone against everything. I'm sorry..."

Emily was unable to utter any more words and began to cry. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry." Forgetting that her hands were covered in blood, Emily tried to wipe away her tears. Maybe it was because of the total darkness, or maybe because of the memory of that horrible situation. "Why am I covered in blood? My hands, feet and head hurt so much."

After trying to look at her injuries, Emily looked back at Ian who was looking at her seriously. He had one hand on his abdomen. He looked tense. "You really don't remember anything? Nothing at all?

Emily tried her best to remember while her gaze was fixed on her feet, but she couldn't remember anything after passing out. Ian smiled awkwardly. "You don't tremble when you're next to me anymore?"

Even Emily was surprised to realize it. The reassurance she felt being near him reminded her again of when they were inseparable friends. In response, Emily whispered a half-truth so that it wouldn't be so noticeable that she saw him differently. "You're not angry now. It scares me when you're angry."

Ian replied without looking her in the face. "Yesterday, I asked you if you thought I would hurt you..."

Emily raised her voice in puzzlement. "Yesterday?"

Ian smiled showing signs of pain. "Yes. I spent all night keeping watch in case those fucking apes came back. Truth is, I'm a little tired."

Emily felt embarrassed at her calm demeanor. "I thought it was getting dark. Sorry! Go to sleep! I'll keep an eye out!

Ian struggled to his feet. He had an exaggerated amount of bruises and scratches all over his body. Emily covered her mouth and felt ashamed for complaining about her bruises. She had several, but there was no comparison to Ian. The apes had focused on him. She felt she should be thankful for that. She couldn't imagine what he must be suffering.

When Ian managed to get up, Emily noticed that he was carrying more stuff than she remembered. She could tell he had been busy the previous day. He had several spears, a bone knife and a stone ax, courtesy of the apes. He had also manufactured many protections from some skin, wood and bones. Underneath, he must have had many more bruises, because Emily felt he was enduring a lot of pain.

She watched in alarm as Ian struggled to walk. "Where are we going? You can't move in that state."

Ian explained without turning to her. We're too close to the corpses. Soon, something will come to devour them. I'm in no condition to fight back against anything." Emily understood that they had narrowly escaped death.

Ian smiled. "Serves me right for yelling and provoking them. I knew they were watching us. I wanted them to kill Beth."

Then, he stared thoughtfully at the ground and made a confession Emily hadn't expected. "I haven't recognized myself when I look in the mirror for years. I've let myself be carried away for so long by those I hate and by the hatred itself, that... I think I've become like them."

Emily felt a shiver as she heard that. She could feel hatred in each of those words. A lot of hate, but also sadness. "They hurt me with their humiliations and their taunts. Not him. Why did he hate them so much? Maybe it's not a good time to ask."

Ian looked at her with sadness. With tears in his eyes wanting to fall down his cheeks. Emily was completely bewildered. "What's wrong?"

Ian looked down again. The words came out choked, unseemly of his confidence and impassivity. "Remember Scott? That kid who used to play with us in the park. He came four summers in a row. It was before THAT."

Emily understood that THAT was what made them stop talking to each other. Ian continued. "I heard he died a couple of years ago in a traffic accident with his parents." Emily didn't understand what that was all about. She guessed that he had also remembered his childhood.

Emily remembered that Scott was a very solitary and kind boy. He pretty much only talked to Ian. Emily supposed he felt more comfortable with him. She never knew him well, even though she liked him. Whenever they played, he was Ian's right hand. Like Batman and Robin. She was almost always with the other two girls. Nycky and Martha. Martha was very shy and Nycky was the opposite. Nycky was the heart and soul of the group. She always lifted everyone's morale when something bad happened.

Emily even remembered when Nycky had confessed to her that Emily was, and would forever be her best friend. Emily hadn't seen it that way, but she never told her. She never saw her again after she left her hometown for two years. Obviously, not answering her calls had something to do with it. Emily caught herself smiling at the memory. It seemed she had forgotten it. "Yes, I remember Scott."

Emily wanted to add that she didn't know he had died and that she thought she had seen him recently, months ago, but she didn't say anything in case it was a simple mistake.

Ian started to walk away. "Well, thank Scott that we're alive. He saved us."

Emily couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you serious? How is that possible?" Ian, without barely turning around added. "I think we're in hell or something. Because we were going to die tomorrow too. Remember?"

Emily listened skeptically, but it didn't seem so far-fetched as the seconds passed. "Could it be that Scott has also come to terms with the Grim Reaper?" She looked around and asked without noticing Ian walking away. "Where is Scott?" Then, she ran towards Ian, trying not to make too much noise.

Ian turned around to wait for her and when she was at his height, he handed her several of the weapons he was carrying. She could tell he was having trouble carrying them. "Let's head to the settlement. We'll be safer there than in the middle of this shitty forest. There's nothing here but death!"

Emily didn't press any further. It was clear that Ian believed that Scott had helped them. Emily didn't say it, but she considered the possibility that Ian had had a hallucination or something similar. Perhaps, when Ian himself had endured the unspeakable while defeating those damned creatures by himself, for some reason, he had lost his sanity. It didn't seem far-fetched considering his growing pain.

Emily and Ian decided to return to the starting point. They walked between the edge of the plain surrounding the settlement and the forest. It was unlikely that those in the settlement would attack them being so close to the forest, and even less likely that they would deign to leave the settlement, exposing themselves to danger.

Emily and Ian moved slowly, but Ian seemed to know where to head, Emily just helped him walk. "Do you think if we get closer they'll give us water? Maybe if we tell them we fought those disgusting apes..." Emily couldn't help but remember their disgusting smell as she spoke of them.

Ian cut her off. "Don't count on them helping us for free. I find it rather odd that they didn't send us out here naked." Emily thought about it for a second. She already had something else to be thankful for.

On the horizon, the sun was beginning to peek out, so they could see well enough. For example, they could see how several individuals left the settlement, leading a herd of some kind of cows with huge horns. There were enough warriors to protect the whole herd. Emily, curious, pointed out. "What are they doing? Why are they taking the animals out of the settlement?".

Ian quickly replied. "We're going to follow them at a safe distance. I don't want them to attack us. We don't have those damn collars. That way, you'll see by yourself where they're taking them."

Emily frowned. "Why don't you tell me if you know?"

Ian smiled, trying to hide the bitterness and sadness in his voice without success. "I love when you talk to me like you used to."

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

Emily looked at the ground, felling her eyes begin to fill with tears. Emily whispered. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! My mother..."

Ian interrupted her. "That's in the past, Emily. Don't let it haunt you here." Emily smiled ruefully. She noticed Ian very differently. She liked that Ian. He was back to being his usual nice self.

The herd of cows did not go too far. Near the settlement, there was a trough with enough water for the thirsty animals to drink. The water was a bit stagnant, but that didn't seem to matter to the animals. Emily watched the cows quench their thirst, but she also noticed that none of the warriors drank there. Emily surmised that they must have another supply of cleaner water.

As Emily watched those cows quench their thirst, she couldn't help but remember how horribly thirsty she was. "I would have drunk without hesitation."

Emily turned her attention back to Ian, she could tell he was getting worse by the minute. That was making her more and more nervous. She had no idea what she should do.

Ian had decided that they wouldn't hide, so they approached slowly, allowing themselves to be seen by the large group, so they didn't seem like a threat. Emily was uneasy, the five warriors guarding the cows began to approach. Among them, was the human who had been their guide when they first arrived. They approached with a apparently peaceful attitude.

When they got close enough, the guide spoke to them in amazement when he saw Emily. "You have already killed each other? What a lot of blood. I expected it from him, but not from you." The guide laughed as he pointed at Ian without taking his eyes off Emily. His expression changed as the seconds passed. More and more serious. He looked at Ian with some complicity. "Of all the girls, you got the prettiest, huh scoundrel?"

Emily sensed that Ian was very upset, but not by the guide's last words. He was back to his usual self, that is, back to being the Ian that Emily feared. She soon discovered what the change in both of them was about.

Ian finally spoke, glaring at the guide. "The welcome speech was an act, I guess. You already knew those things will come to kill us, didn't you? Did you just send us straight to die, or how's it going?".

The guide felt pleasantly discovered and confessed something to Ian as a reward. "I'm following orders, boy. And the orders were to kick you all out preventing you from revealing yourselves. The act was part of that order."

The guide continued with a smirk that sent chills down her spine. "You all had to know that this would be difficult, but not that we were practically sending you out to die. Only rough diamonds survive."

Emily was lost as usual in her anguished thoughts. She began to feel as if a huge hole was opening below her feet and at the bottom of it, she could almost hear everyone who had died. She felt betrayed, used and deceived. "Why did they do that? This feels like a typical video game where everyone else is just filler characters. They're just future corpses. That's atrocious. They were people. With their lives and ...."

Emily watched as the group of warriors acted differently than the day before. They were leering at her. They hadn't seen her like that the day before. They looked at her as if they felt they were in company with their own kind, as if they were turned by the fact that she had killed others. "They were all degenerates."

The guide watched them closely, especially Ian. He saw their wounds and bruises. "I must assume you guys ran into those fucking apes. Was it fun? You must be in a lot of pain."

Emily noticed how Ian listened intently to every word that came out of the guide's mouth. Meanwhile, he slowly raised his left hand and slipped it even more slowly into the shoulder strap that had been crafted from George's or Richard's cloth. Emily didn't know what he was going to get out.

When Emily saw what Ian grabbed, she couldn't help but wince. Ian pulled out a handful of hairy, bloody ears. Too big to be human. Her stomach began to churn and she almost threw up. However, Emily was not the only one who reacted to that. Two of the warriors looked away and another one took a step back when Ian threw them at his feet. It was obvious that these warriors had not faced many enemies in their lives. They looked very young compared to the guide. Emily understood that they were some kind of subordinates or apprentices of the human. Ian reached back into his shoulder strap once more and grabbed another handful. Very seriously, he said. "Twenty-three left ape ears and one human. We've been busy."

Emily looked at Ian dumbfounded. "I've been with him the whole time while he was carrying that around?". Emily felt disgusted.

Ian smiled menacingly. "I cut them all myself, but only nine of the twenty-three are mine. We got seven between the two of us. The rest are hers alone."

Emily was stunned by those words. "Why does he lie like that? He never lies, I know I didn't do anything like that." Then, she tried to think as Ian would. "Is he doing it to make them afraid of me? I guess he's noticed how everyone sees me."

Emily glanced at Ian and thought. "I'm so lucky he doesn't see me like that. I'm lucky he takes care of me. One more thing to be thankful for." Emily reluctantly acknowledged that Ian's methods were drastic, but very effective. "What if they don't believe that lie?"

The guide looked at them seriously and turned to Ian arrogantly. "Seeing how wounded you are, I could believe they are all yours and at least five of your classmates who had to give their lives to get them. But hers? Do you expect me to believe that stupidity? Are you sure you haven't stained her on purpose with the blood of some corpse?"

Ian blurted out a threat that made Emily's hair stand on end. "You don't have the balls to try to hit her. I would love to see you try. I would love to see her killing all of you." That instantly made Emily's heart race. Her body was trembling and her jaw was chattering so much that she almost forgot about the nagging headache that accompanied her. Even her eyes glazed over. The young warriors burst out laughing.

The guide raised his hand to the laughter of the inexperienced warriors. They immediately understood that this was not a joke, and stopped in unison. The guide turned extremely serious. "I have been forbidden to touch you, but don't provoke me. I have the guts for that and for something a thousand times worse. Do you think these bastards welcomed me with open arms?"

Ian reached down and began to pick up the ears one by one, not letting the guide finish speaking. The guide took that contempt very badly, and grabbed Ian by the hair, trying to lift him up, but that was a big mistake.

Ian grabbed him by the testicles and put a knife in the same place. The guide released Ian, yelling at his companions not to attack them. Emily was so scared that her heart felt like it wanted to burst out of her chest. She didn't understand why Ian always defied everyone.

Ian asked the guide without letting go of his testicles. "What's your name?"

The guide, quite tense, answered. "Ben. My name is Benjamin."

Ian looked him in the eyes very seriously, without hurting him with the knife. "A thousand times worse? A thousand is a big number, don't you think Ben?"

Ben remained silent, not wanting to add anything else. The warriors stood tense with their hands on their sheathed weapons. Ian relaxed his hand and released Ben's balls. Then he stood up very slowly. Ben did the same. Nobody did anything stupid. "I never lie, Ben. I would appreciate if you do the same."

Ben looked at Ian very resentful. With his pride visibly wounded. Ian took a step back and asked something more relaxed. "How many people before us have come to this place? What really is this place and how did we get here? And what matters most to me... Who forbade you to touch us?"

Ben's expression changed dramatically. "You'd better go check on that or you'll be dead in a few hours. Assuming it's not already too late. If you show those ears, they will let you in. Say you're hurt and that you want to see Mother Fae or Nikad. They'll know what to do." Finally, Ben paused briefly. "If there's something that can be done."

Emily couldn't believe her eyes. Ian was dripping a lot of blood. Possibly, he had wrapped himself with those filthy clothes trying to stop the bleeding from some wound the apes had inflicted on him. And as usual, he hadn't told her anything.

Emily, who was on the verge of tears, whispered to him. "Please, let's get those wounds looked at."

Emily and Ian started off. No one helped Ian except Emily. Ben walked ahead of them, not looking back and not checking to see if they were following him. He reached the gate long before they did and addressed the guards. They let them pass without a word. Ben had already walked to Mother Fae's hut.

Emily didn't say a word as she served as Ian's support. She was angry with him for not telling her anything. She guessed that he was wary of being attacked by those from the settlement, or perhaps he wanted to get in by threatening some people. She didn't understand what was going on in his head. Perhaps he had an infection and was no longer thinking clearly. That thought made her believe even more strongly that Scott had not saved them, and that Ian was delusional.

"If you had all those ears, why didn't we trade them sooner?". Emily looked at Ian, waiting for him to say something back. He looked worse by the minute.

Mother Fae came out to meet him, laughing. "Good thing I didn't take your bet, or my head would have to roll on the ground." However, Ian was no longer in the mood to laugh. He simply collapsed as Emily screamed in despair.

Mother Fae ordered six warriors to pick him up by weight and carry him to a hut very different from hers. A hut located a few steps above, in the central street that climbed to the top of the settlement. It was the hut of the healer Nikad.

Emily was crying in despair. She felt that everything was going too slowly, and that they wouldn't save him. She kept thinking that if he hadn't taken care of her all night, he might have saved himself by coming all the way to the settlement alone. Without realizing it, she was already giving him up for dead. Perhaps because of the phrase that strange being had said to her. "I must warn you that where you will go, there are no doctors and the medicines are really scarce and ineffective."

Emily watched as he was carried up the stairs as blood dripped. Emily was shaking and crying desperately as she struggled up the worn steps. She was crying so hard that she didn't even care about the damn headache that didn't stop.