Chapter 9: Morning Glory

My ears perk up as a chuckle comes out of Hunter's mouth. After a few seconds, his abrupt shock of a trauma response steadies as he takes a deep breath and calms back down.

"It could've been me there instead of her. And I thought I was about to join her… I began to take a few steps forward as quietly as possible. But after a single step, it spun around toward me. It turned so quickly, and the next thing I knew, I was running again, this time away from Flora and that… thing. I didn't have any time to think… I just kept going and going and going, and I did not look back. I just needed to get away. It's all so fuzzy after that moment… but my next memory is that I’m back here with somebody attempting to talk to me. At the time, I didn’t realize it was Ace. He then ran off in the direction I just came from."

Ember, who has just walked over, enters the conversation, "Our brains have been designed to lock away traumatic experiences or bad memories so we forget them. The reason you don't remember much from that point onward is that you truly felt like you were going to die."

I piggyback, "Your emotions skyrocketed, and your fight or flight kicked in. You've told us more than enough about what happened to you; don't push yourself any further."

Hunter nods and takes another sip from his canteen.

His story could be made up, but I highly doubt it. Those emotions he showed were real, and I doubt he could fake emotions to such a convincing degree. Also, our unknown knowledge of this place is weighing heavy on my conscience, to say the least.

I glance back toward where the grave is being dug and notice a few people have begun helping Ace. I continue cycling through my thoughts.

What interests me is that Hunter said Flora was still alive when he ran away. This means that if a monster was there... this monster is intelligent. You don't kidnap and torture somebody without asking questions or trying to figure something out. And considering it only took us a couple of minutes to find where she was, her death must've occurred within that small time frame. I didn't get a good view of her body, but her injuries did still look pretty fresh. Ace’s clothes being covered in blood supports this whole theory, too.

Hunter starts muttering, "It should've been me… I should've paid more attention, I…"

With arms folded, Ember cuts him off, "Thinking like that won’t do you any good, so don't blame yourself for things that are out of your control. What's done is done; nobody can change the past. If what you said was true and that monster does exist, we will see it again. So, we need to be ready for if and when it comes back."

Code asks, "Did you seriously hear everything we said these past few minutes? Weren't you on the other side of camp?"

"As I said earlier, you all talk quite loudly,” replies Ember before walking away.

Code mumbles under his breath, "She has got to stop eavesdropping in on our conversations…"

"I heard that too!"

As Code groans, Ember opens the flap to her tent and disappears.

Whether she's bluffing or not, that hearing of hers is abnormal. It could be a very helpful tool down the line.

I shift my attention to the right as Ace approaches us. His shoes are now soiled with dirt, and his forehead is dripping with sweat.

Did he see the monster as well? Or was Flora already dead by the time he arrived? It would explain the way he was acting if he did see one. And it would also verify one of two things. One, a monster really does exist. Or two, these guys were involved in her death and came up with some elaborate story beforehand to play it off. The second scenario is far more unrealistic, but I'm not convinced that a monster exists, either.

Code stands up, “Need any help with digging?”

“No, we’re fine,” replies Ace, the two passing by each other as Code heads over toward the grave.

Gesturing to the canteen beside Hunter, Ace asks, "That water you've been drinking, where'd you get it?"

Hunter points toward the trail that leads to the stream, “A stream is just down that path there. It'll be on your left, not too far from camp."

"Thanks, I'm going to go change and get some water. Be right back."

Ace walks over to his tent and goes inside. A few seconds later, he exits carrying some clothes and his canteen. I keep a close eye on him as he walks out of sight.

It's probably best not to ask him about what he may or may not have seen just yet. He's still clearly shaken up about what happened. I'll have to wait until he calms down more.

***

Since finding Flora, Ace has not been fully present, just going through the motions. But a few minutes ago, as he was digging, he snapped out of the shock. After walking over to Code and me, Ace realized just how thirsty he was, and once he learned where the stream was, he headed there.

“The blood… the blood. It’s still on me. It won’t come off. I’ve been scratching and scratching, but it’s like this blood is glued on... like it’s part of me. It just won’t come off.”

Despite his feverish scratching, the dried-up blood doesn’t go away. Quickly taking his shirt off, Ace tries to wash the blood off his arms and shoulders, but his futile endeavor remains without progress. Gritting his teeth after scratching himself with his fingernails, Ace stares down at his forearms, his own blood swelling to the surface. A tear then strolls down his cheek.

“It's happening… happening all over again…”

***

Blue thrusts his shovel into the dirt, leaning his hand against it as it stands upright at Cliff’s side.

"I think this should be deep enough. Where'd Ace go?" asks Blue.

Hazel flings the shovel back over her shoulder, the dirt she just scooped flying through the air behind her, landing near the edge of the forest line. She then glances at Blue and shrugs.

"He wandered off to get some water an hour or two ago, I haven't seen him come back yet, but I might have missed him,” replies Cliff.

Hazel presses, her grimy face skewing in concern, "Do you think he's okay? I mean, you don't think he got attacked, too, right?"

“Somebody like him won't die easily, not without putting up a good fight first. I'm sure he's fine. Probably just resting in his tent,” says Cliff as he thrusts his shovel back into the ground.

"He was the first one there,” says Blue. “Seeing Flora probably shocked him, just like the rest of us. That's not something I will ever forget, and I'm sure it's the same for him."

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Hazel sets the tip of her shovel into the dirt and leans forward on it as she gazes beyond Blue and Cliff toward the sunset, "It's starting to get dark out. We should bury her before nightfall."

Blue nods and locates Code, sitting idly next to the campfire.

Walking over, Blue says to Code, "Hey, we're done digging. Do you think we should bury her now before the sun sets?"

Not making eye contact, Code continues staring at the campfire, the crackling of the embers filling in for the absence of noise. Just as Blue is about to repeat himself, Code answers.

"Yeah, let's bury her."

Looking back toward Cliff and Hazel, who are awaiting a response, Blue gives them a thumbs-up of approval as he walks back over. They nod, and Cliff walks around the grave toward the deflated tent on the ground. Scratching the back of his neck, his eyes are locked onto something Blue can’t see from his angle.

"Can either of you lend me a hand here?"

Hazel and Blue exchange glances, and although Hazel would never say it, Blue can tell she has no intention of helping. Admitting defeat, Blue sighs and makes his way over to Cliff.

As he circles around the grave, Blue recognizes a lumpy sleeping bag zipped up from top to bottom. At first, Blue wondered what it was, but it didn’t take him long to put it together.

"When did you do this?" asks Blue.

Cliff marches toward one of the two ends of the sleeping bag and bends down.

"Wasn't me, it was Ace."

Blue’s mouth twitches as he begins rubbing my lips together, trying his best to overcome the initial front of disgust.

"Okay then."

Blue walks toward the other side, his body reluctant to do what his mind commands. Once he’s standing across from Cliff, Cliff asks, "Ready?"

"Yeah."

As people gather, the two lift up the sleeping bag and transfer it to the grave. Sky then steps forward in front of Blue and Cliff, her arms behind her back and her eyes dry.

"Wait, this will take just a moment,” she says.

Revealing the flowers she’s holding in her hands to Blue and Cliff, the two guys both understand. The flowers are funnel-shaped, each petal boldly expressing its unique lavender and plum blossom color mixture, with an array of purple ranging in between.

As Cliff partially unzips the top of the sleeping bag as they continue to hold Flora, Cliff winces and turns away, not wanting to see Flora’s dismantled face and body.

Unable to avert his gaze, Blue watches as Sky unzips the sleeping bag a little more to reveal Flora’s hair. She then intricately weaves the flowers she brought into Flora’s hair, which seems to be the only part of her unscathed.

Sky smiles as she finishes weaving the last flower, "I don't remember much about myself, but this feels like something I would do. They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Standing off to the side, I’m not necessarily separated from the rest of the group, but I’m not standing as a lone individual either. For some reason, Sky's words touch me during a rather disheartening event. And now, I watch as Faith steps up beside Sky, their hands interlocking.

"I don't remember who I am, I don't know my past, but these flowers… are beautiful Sky, and they suit Flora. I'm glad you did that for her."

Faith then opens up to face the rest of us.

"We woke up here together, and despite not knowing why... I believe it was for a purpose. Whatever is thrown our way, we'll get through it together. And I think that… we deserve to live here as people. It's our right. We are all human, and when I think of humanity, I think of our individuality. Which is why I believe we deserve to live a life of freedom."

My eyes flicker at those words.

Humanity. Individuality. Freedom…

Faith glances back toward the sleeping bag and gently brushes it, "We’ll live happily… a life of freedom, for Flora.”

Code smiles and nods. Hazel and Violet look at each other with tears in their eyes as Violet sniffles, Hazel embracing her. Cliff and Blue lock eyes and nod in unison as if to agree that it’s time.

“We are human…"

People spin toward the direction of the deep voice I've grown all too familiar with and stare intently as the serene sunlight sets out of view. Ace then emerges from the darkness of the forest. As for myself, I can’t help but wonder where he has been these past few hours.

"And there will be moments where we will struggle. Moments where we will be pushed to the brink. But I also know that there are moments when humanity has stood its ground and overcome any obstacle."

Making his way over to Flora, he smiles at the flowers before zipping up the sleeping bag.

***

“It still won’t come off. No matter how much I scrub, I can’t get the blood off! It's not working…why?! Why isn't this working…?!" asks Ace aloud.

Pounding his fists into the pebbles beneath him, his hands instantly began to ache.

“Damn it!”

After pounding his hands into the pebbles a few more times, Ace sits back, huffing. Lightheaded from dehydration, tears started to shed down his face. His quivering, trauma-induced hands resting on the pebbles, the seams of Ace’s knuckles have been cracked open.

Staring at the water, his own mirage waves back as blood from his arms spills into the stream, soiling Ace’s image.

"What is the point of all this?"

Exhausted, Ace deeply inhales and then exhales. Inhales, then exhales, inhales, exhales. Ace repeats those two actions over and over. But then, he remembers the moment Flora died in his arms… and unable to cope, his voice starts to shake.

“She died… I couldn’t save her! I did everything I could… and I couldn’t save them!”

Taking a deep breath, Ace’s vision blurs, “That riddle from earlier… only one can remain? Does that mean we’ll all die until there’s only one left? All die like Flora?!”

Due to pent-up exhaustion and trauma, Ace passes out. As he collapses due to lost consciousness, his shoulder strikes a rock, shifting his body to roll over and lay on its back just along the edge of the shallow stream. The blood on his arms starts to be washed away by the water flowing over him, but his hands remain tainted.

And then, a tiny crystal shard drifting along the stream comes across Ace and embeds itself into a cut on his right arm. Moments later, Ace’s eyes open as if just jolted awake… his eyes glimmering a bright white as all his injuries are healed. Glowing white tattoos suddenly wrap around Ace’s neck, chest, and arms.

The tattoos envelope perfectly to Ace’s physique. While Ace continues to lay unconscious, a small core of energy that serves a purpose similar to that of the human heart radiates a bright orange, showing off the luminosity of its initial awakening for all those nearby to see.

However, nobody is there to witness Ace’s newfound, mysterious power awaken within him.

The power of iris.

***

Dropping his canteen to the ground, the once brittle, dry soil at Ace’s feet is moistened as the water inside his canteen spills out. Wrapping his arms underneath the sleeping bag, Ace signals to Cliff and Blue that he can handle it from there.

But, as an act of courtesy, Ace still asks them, "May I?"

After Blue and Cliff meet eyes and nonverbally signal to accept Ace’s request, they relinquish their holds on Flora. Ace feels a sudden increase in weight, and while Cliff and Blue join me and the rest, Ace feels as if everybody’s eyes are resting on him, watching his every move.

Slowly lowering himself to his knees, Ace delicately lays Flora down inside the grave they spent all day digging.

"Flora, you can rest now,” he says before leaning forward into the grave and only whispering so nobody else could hear him. "I'll be the one… the only one remaining at the end if that's what it comes to…"

Ember squints her eyes, and I catch her reaction.

“I’ll figure out who did this to you, who's doing this to us… and kill them,” whispers Ace, standing back up and grabbing a shovel nearby. "Let's do it."

Cliff and Blue each grab a shovel while Hazel seizes two for her and Violet. Code picks up the final shovel and inspects it for a few seconds before walking to the grave along with the rest, who opted to help.

Plunging his shovel into the pile of dirt beside the grave, Ace slowly moves it above the grave, "Tonight, we bury Flora. Please, everybody… offer your support and pay your final respects. And then… if you can, try to get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow, I'm going out there, and I'm going to find some answers."

Turning the shovel over, I carefully observe Ace as the other helpers do the same.

Only one can remain… if that means what I think it means… we must proceed cautiously. Or we might be doing this… burying somebody… quite often. Ace is right, though; we do need answers, and we need them quickly. If we had solved that riddle faster today, we might have been able to save her life…

Glancing over at the supplies, I see the front of the crates illuminated by the campfire and begin walking toward them.

If we want to survive, we still have a long journey ahead of us.

Bending over, I pick up one of the swords on the ground.

"So then…"

I skewer the sword into the ground and walk away, leaving it upright behind me. Kicking some dirt into the fire, the splash made some of the embers flicker.

"What should our next step be?"