‘I’m fucking freezing,’ Webber said as they trudged south through the Zone 2 forest. Seemed like this late at night, even the insects had decided to sleep. A chill wind whistled through the trees and blew at their backs. Made walking easier, but damn was it cold.

Eve stabbed at a bright orangegill with her new wooden pole, ‘You always complain this much?’ She had this permanent bitchy scowl on her face, Webber found it oddly attractive.

‘We’ve been walking for hours,' Webber complained. 'Can’t we stop and make a fire or some shit? I’m still soaked through from the river.’

‘He’s got a point,’ Pango said. ‘Wouldn’t mind warming my scales.’

‘The point is not to be seen by the Foresters.’

Pango spun around them with a theatrical flourish, his thick armoured tail swishing out behind him. ‘We’re not being followed. I think we’re safe.’

‘You always think we’re safe.’

‘Yeah but this time, I’m pretty sure I’m right.’

Eve huffed, ‘Fine.’

They stopped in a small clearing. The fiery coloured shroom carpet and the surrounding shroomlit trees provided ample light. Considering the night he’d had, a little rest seemed like a huge victory. But not one Webber was too keen on celebrating.

‘I’ll find some wood,’ Webber offered, walking off. Least he could do for them. After all, Pango did save his life earlier. Webber’s decision to charge after Caruso into that group of Foresters in Zone 3 probably wasn’t the smartest of ideas. But dropping one of those Forester cunts would’ve been worth it, Webber thought, clenching his fists.

He hauled a large pile of dead wood back, hoping Eve might notice how much he could carry. But she just nodded at the ground, next to a small circle she was clearing of shrooms. Pango was off picking shrooms from a nearby tree—an elm tree, Webber reckoned, and a good dimly lit one at that.

‘You still think the Foresters will be looking for us?’ Webber asked Eve as she piled a hump of pine needles into her circle.

‘They’re always looking for us.’

‘What about me, you think they’ll be looking for me?’

‘Probably.’ Talking with Eve was like squeezing juice from a berryshroom—but that wasn’t enough to discourage him.

‘You used to be a Forester,’ Webber said. ‘So what do you think they’ll do with Caruso?’

‘You ask a lot of questions.’

‘Yeah well my fucking friend just got taken by Foresters and I want to know if he’ll be okay.’ Webber found himself clenching his fists again and had to take a couple deep breaths.

Pango returned with a bunch of dim purplepuffs, ‘I didn’t see them hurt your friend,’ he said. ‘I doubt he’s in any immediate danger, right Eve?’

‘Depends,’ She said, scraping her knife against a flint rock into her bed of needles.

‘Depends on what?’ Webber asked.

‘They’ll make him eat a truthbutton and send him to that mind-fucker, Niko,’ Eve said. ‘If he’s lucky, they’ll decide to recruit him.’

‘Recruit him into the Foresters?’

‘No, the travelling circus…’ Eve said.

‘And if he’s unlucky?’

‘Then he’s unlucky.’

The needles began smoking before erupting into flames. Pango sat down and chomped on a purplepuff, he tossed one at Webber but he was in no mood to eat.

‘I tried joining the Foresters once,’ Webber said.

Eve looked at him like he was touched in the head.

‘What?’ Webber said. ‘Didn’t seem like a half bad idea at the time.’

‘I’m sensing a pattern with your ideas,’ she said.

‘Whatever. Point is, they just told me to fuck right off. I can’t imagine Caruso will have a better chance.’

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

‘It’s not like you think,’ Pango said. ‘The Foresters aren’t strong because they hire strong people. When it comes to recruiting, they have a very specific type…’

Webber waited for him to elaborate, but he had stuffed too much of his purplepuff into his gob. Eve finished his sentence, a trace of venom to her words: ‘Spineless weaklings who can’t think for themselves. That’s their type. Unless your friend fits that description, I don’t fancy his chances either.’

‘Hmmm,’ Webber felt a glimmer of hope.

‘Your friend, uh, fits that description?’ Pango asked.

‘Well, I mean, not the exact words I would use. But he's not the most assertive chap I've met.’

Pango stacked a log on the fire, it was beginning to spit out some decent heat. Webber shed his damp coat and layed it out to dry.

‘Why would they want someone like that?’ Webber asked. ‘Seems like the complete opposite of what they would look for.’

‘Yeah, I know, it sounds backwards,’ Pango said. ‘But it makes sense if you think about it. Think of the Foresters like a cult. They are after minions, people who will take and follow orders without question. Accept whatever bullshit they feed em. Last thing they want is another Eve.’

‘So assuming they find Caruso to be a…’

‘Spineless weakling who can’t think for himself,’ Eve filled in.

‘Then what?’

Eve let out a deep breath, like she was preparing herself for some giant task. ‘Back when I was at the compound, a mousy little girl was brought in—a real weakling. That old-bitch Niko decided she had Forester potential. So that cock-sucker Ferris took her out to find which Zone 4 shroom she took to. Turns out she was a blinker. Ferris wasn’t too thrilled with that. Put a crossbow bolt to the back of her neck, and that was the end of her.’ Eve scowled into the fire.

Webber sensed a depth of sadness hidden behind that scowl. He had a crazy idea to put his arm around her, but figured Eve would likely snap it off.

‘What’s a blinker? And why wouldn’t Ferris like them?’ Webber asked Eve.

‘Too hard to control.’

‘Don’t worry, Webber,’ Pango said. ‘Chances are good your friend isn’t a blinker.’

‘Chances of not being a blinker are two in three,’ Eve said. ‘Pretty piss poor odds when your life’s on the line.’

‘Eve,’ Pango said, giving her a disapproving glare. ‘Surely Webber’s had enough to worry about.’

Eve shrugged, ‘Just being straight with him. It’s what he needs.’

‘I need to save him,’ Webber found himself standing, fists clenched again.

‘You had another intelligent idea?’ Eve asked, poking at the fire.

‘You expect me to just fucking sit here, warm by a fire, while Caruso gets shot in the back of his head. I don’t leave my friends behind.’

‘Sit back down you fucking idiot,’ Eve said.

‘Chill out, chill out, both of you.’ Pango waved his hands down in a calming motion. ‘Eve’s right, Webber. There’s no way we can rescue your friend. Too many powerful Foresters in that compound.’

Webber reckoned there was nothing worse than being geared up for a fight then having it ripped away from you. He reluctantly sat back down, plucked a redparasol from the ground and threw it into the flames to watch it sizzle.

‘Your best bet,’ Pango continued. ‘Is to hope Caruso runs away. If he absorbed that slimekey he’ll be able to escape and run all the way back through the Zones.’

‘Pango, what the fuck?’ Eve said. ‘You fucking told a civilian that shit?’

‘C’mon Eve, his friend just got kidnapped. He needed comforting.’

‘Idiots. Both of you.’ Eve shook her head. ‘Besides, why would they tell Caruso that he can easily escape through the Zones? Ferris will keep that nugget of information from him. And your little friend will have no choice but to stay there.’ Eve glanced at Webber and her expression softened a bit. ‘I’m sorry, Webber, but it’s true,’ she added.

‘Yeah,’ Pango said. ‘I guess that makes sense.’

‘So what am I supposed to do, then?’

‘Not our problem.’ Eve poked at the fire again.

‘What Eve’s trying to say, is you should just stick with us for the meantime, we’ll keep you safe from any Foresters.’

‘That’s not what I was trying to say.’

‘Yeah, well, we rescued him. Feels like we have some responsibility to keep him safe.’

‘You rescued him. It was not part of my plan. He’s not another one of your pets that needs saving.’

Webber hadn’t thought much about what would come next, never been a big priority of his. But this seemed as good a time as any to try. The Foresters would find him back in Jamala. Bob would be safer, but it was a boring shit-hole. The more he thought, the more he felt like sticking with these two was the best option. They could handle themselves in a fight, and knew the Forest beyond Zone 2. And could teach him more about all this Zone 4 shroom stuff. Besides, as long as Webber stayed in the forest, it would feel less like he was abandoning Caruso.

Also, he was starting to warm to these two. Pango seemed like a laid back guy, easy to get along with. Eve—not so much. Made up for it in other ways though…

Eve caught him staring and Webber couldn’t help but grin. ‘I’m going to stick with you guys.’

‘No,’ she said.

‘What the fuck’s your problem? Why not?’

‘Firstly, after we leave you, we’ll be heading back into Zone 3 and beyond. Secondly—’

‘I don’t care about going into Zone 3.’

Pango chuckled at that, ‘He proved that much back at the river.’

‘Secondly,’ Eve continued. ‘We are not your babysitters, we have a specific goal and you would get in the way.’

‘You won’t need to babysit me, I can be useful.’

‘Useful? How's that?’ Eve asked.

‘Like before, when I fetched the wood.’

‘Okay, no, you’re right,’ Eve admitted. ‘Can’t imagine what we would’ve done without that heroic contribution.’ Eve had the ghost of a smile on her lips. Webber wondered what she would look like with a full proper smile.

‘That was a dumb example. But I can help, I can fight. I like to fight. Teach me about the Zone 4 shrooms. You’ll see.’

‘We are not in the habit of teaching random civilians about Zone 4 shrooms. Or anything else about the deeper Zones,’ Eve glared at Pango as she said that.

‘I say we take him,’ Pango said. ‘I’ve got a good feeling about this one.’

‘You get a good feeling about everyone.’ Eve said.

‘Yeah but this time, I’m pretty sure I’m right.’

‘It’s settled then,’ Webber said.

‘No, it’s not.’

‘Two against one,’ Webber said, sitting back down and grabbing one of Pango’s purplepuffs.

Pango grinned at Webber. Eve gave a frustrated huff and stabbed at the fire. It was roaring away by now, certainly didn’t need a poke. Eve on the other hand…