Chapter 33: Fail-Safe

"Scar, you can't be serious,” voices Code. “Two people have died in the past week. If anything, we should wait until we know-"

I sharply interrupted, "No, it has to be today."

"I get it…" utters Ember, heads swiveling toward her. "It's because of Ace… right?"

I give her a nod of confirmation as Falcon asks, "Ace? What does Ace have to do with this?"

"Ace was exiled last night. We don't know how long he'll live. Maybe he's already dead. But if he is still alive, he can still help us. He'll serve as our distraction. It's a gamble, but today is our best chance, maybe our only chance at safely venturing to the cave," I explain.

His palm facing the sky, Falcon lifts a finger in my direction as he queries, "So you're saying that we need to go back to this cave today… if we end up doing that, how many should go? And how can we be sure it'll be safe?"

Code says, "We can't be sure it'll be safe. As Scar said, it's a gamble. Using Ace as bait could work… his powers suggest that he won't go down easily, which would buy us even more time.”

Sensing Code’s lack of support, I decided to move on from the basics and give more thorough reasoning to back up my proposition, "That's not all. There's an extra layer to this plan that may help reassure those who stand against the idea.”

Glancing to my left toward the path Ace departed from last night, I resume explaining my plan, "Out of the six paths that connect to camp, only two have been explored."

Shifting my gaze to my right, I glance at the path Ember's group took. "And we obviously need to take this path to get back to the cave. That much is clear."

Looking back at the group of people sitting before me, I stick my thumb over my shoulder at the path zigzagging out of sight into the forest behind me, "But why don't we take this chance to also check out the four other paths we haven't taken yet?"

Falcon scratches the back of his head, "Scar, I can see where you're coming from… basing this plan off Ace and all. But taking the leap and exploring the other paths is reckless. What if you're wrong about all of this, and that monster, Crow... is roaming freely?"

"I think that's a risk we have to take. If we don't get this information, the time we have left will start to dwindle. Crow will pick us off one by one… all of us will die,” I say.

As he folds his arms, Code says, "You've come up with one risky gamble, Scar… I'm not convinced, I need to hear more."

I knew Code would be against this from the start, and because of that, I’ve prepared for this situation, "There are thirteen of us here, and there are five paths we need to cover. The one path that we know has the cave and the four unknown paths. We'll split into groups of two or three, and each group will take a path. I know some people will oppose this plan, but I've already thought of a fail-safe."

I grab a branch lying at my feet and dip it into the campfire, allowing it to catch fire. Lifting the branch, I readjusted my grip, showcasing the lit end in the air as a demonstration. "We'll use the torches, which we will use to send signals to the other groups. If any group senses, sees, hears, or knows that they might be in danger… they'll light the nearest tree on fire and then begin running back to camp as quickly as possible. Smoke will rise, and that'll be the signal to everybody else to head back to camp immediately."

Hunter intervenes, "I see how that could work, but that doesn't really eliminate the risk factor for the group that’s actually in danger."

Dropping the branch to the ground, I stamp on it to snuff out the fire, "There's one more thing you're forgetting about, Ace's abilities. We don't know much about them, but we do know they are fire-related. And if we know Ace has these powers, I'm sure Crow does too."

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"The signal fire… to us, it may just be a message, but to Crow, it may be perceived very differently," remarks Ember.

Code scoffs, unable to determine if this plan is brilliant or foolish, "Scar… you're raising the stakes. And raising them high."

I state, "It's a double-edged sword. By supplying insurance via the signal fire… we also risk giving Crow key intel as well. However, I believe the pros outweigh the cons."

Hunter asks, "I'm not quite following. What do you mean about Crow perceiving the signal differently?"

I reply, "This signal will be seen by everybody in the area… that includes us, Crow, and maybe even Ace. Remember that people may use these signal fires for various reasons; however, the intent of avoiding certain death should remain clear. This is why a few different scenarios could happen…”

I clear my throat before continuing, holding up fingers correlating to each numbered outcome as I start,

“Outcome number one: the signal fire is used as intended, and everybody returns to camp safely.

Outcome number two: the signal fire is used as intended and perceived as follows, the group in danger senses trouble with Crow or possibly something else. They may end up killed or not, but everybody else should make it back to camp.

Outcome number three: the signal fire is used as intended but perceived by Crow as a threat from Ace; Crow stays wary and cautious. This will allow the signaling group to return to camp safely, along with everybody else.

Outcome number four, the signal fire is used as intended but Crow is occupied with Ace in a different location at this exact time. Everybody makes it back to camp safely.

Outcome number five, the signal fire is used as intended but perceived by Crow as a standard campfire. The group sensing danger will most likely end up dead.

And lastly, the most unfavorable outcome for us is number six… the signal fire is never used because the group was ambushed and killed. The other groups are completely unaware of what happened and may be in grave danger."

A nervous smile creeps up on Forests' face, "You know… this doesn't sound like something we should do…"

Ember says, "Weren't you listening just now?"

"I was but-"

Ember backs up my plan, "In three of those scenarios, we all make it back to camp safely; that's a fifty percent chance of success guaranteed. Two other scenarios may involve somebody being killed, but that's not assured; things could all go smoothly there as well. The last scenario is obviously not ideal, but if you think about it… there's a four out of six, maybe five out of six chance that we all make it back alive, unharmed, and with all the information we need."

Hunter nods as he says, "So, at most, there's a one in three chance of this plan not working out in our favor…"

"That's correct," I say, Code nervously shaking his head.

Remembering his past mistakes, Hunter says as his voice slightly deepens with confidence, "We should explain the plan to everybody and get going as soon as possible."

Forest cautiously asks, "This plan has flaws, Hunter. Did you even consider the risks?"

Hunter turns to Forest, his determined eyes and resolute tone stunning Forest, "Of course, I know the risks, but I want to stop all this killing. I want to figure out what the hell is going on, and if that means risking my life again, I'll do it."

Falcon chooses his side, "There's a small chance things go south, but there's a much larger chance that everything will go as planned. Hunter is right. We need to get going."

Slightly upset, Forest scratches the back of his neck, "Alright Falc, that's fine."

Leaning back, her head resting against the cup of her hands, Ember asks, "Code, what are you waiting on?"

Code sighs as he stares at the ground, unwilling to make eye contact, "I don't-… don't want to…"

Irritated by his cowardly nature, Ember further demands with a hint of encouragement, "Call everyone over already; let's get this show on the road, man."

Code scoffs, his hand covering his mouth as his head sways back and forth.

I don't have a choice, it seems…

As he glances at me with that thought, I meet his gaze, waiting to see how he reacts now. Clicking his tongue, Code averts his gaze, but then he doubles down on his resolve.

Standing up, he yells, "Everybody! Come meet over by the supplies. It's time for our morning meeting!"

As the last word left his mouth, he gave me one last look as he walked toward his tent.

Collapsing onto his sleeping bag, Code takes a long, deep breath. Rolling onto his back, he stares at the roof of his tent, the sunlight reflecting off it.

“Damn it…” he mumbles, his mouth twitching in annoyance at the growing commotion outside his tent.

At that moment, only one emotion flushes over him as he relents the proposed plan.

Hatred.

“You’ll regret this…”