Shades of Wolves

Chapter 21: The Deep Forest

Bruno still chose me and Maggie on his team. He said that the others would not understand the angel he made from his paper. They would grumble all day long. He wanted to quietly pack them up and burn them, because they would protect his loved ones in heaven.

We've picked up the basic supplies, a gun and some traps. Maggie kept the gun. She said that in this life and death kind of situation, she would not be as soft-hearted as Bruno and I. Maggie would shoot anyone who enters the scope if threatened.

We were lucky to be on the third team, since the top four were already formed. Actually, $750 is a pretty good amount to arm. With only 20 dollars left, Maggie miserably gave it back to me. She said, without this big and fat body of mine, they wouldn't be able to squeeze in to submit the answer sheet. So, the rest of the money, I have the right to handle.

Yesterday we were raided when we got to the carriage. Maggie hurt her back, she hurt and always said, she has to live to see her family again. I carry her on my back, feeling my skin wet. Will we ever make it to the tower?

Barol

3pm, day 2, of the second eliminating round….

Hoa's group was tired sitting on a rock. The three of them started at dawn to save time, but they were kind of lost in here. Nabeya had climbed on a large tree to locate it, and found the tower hidden in the mist. However, it could be a long way to go.

This forest was like a maze. They had been going around and around and around, but they could not find a clear direction. There were not many trails created by people or animals. The trees were quite dense, and most importantly, they still hadn't found any water.

In such a vast space, if they found water and followed it, there was a high chance that they would find the village or upstream. Then the opportunity to overcome the jungle terrain would be greater.

Nabeya came back from afar. Her expression was quite disappointed. Coming home with her empty hands meant that she had nothing to gain from the traps. They had no shortage of food, though. Last night in the city, they had shot a deer and butchered it. Setting traps for wild animals was to use for other purposes.

"Those people don't keep animals in the forest?" Hoa tiredly asked.

As their footsteps walking much and much deeper in the forest, the temperature suddenly increased. It's not as cold as before. WIC used technology to create this tropical jungle. The humid and hot weather surrounding took a lot more energy out of them than walking in the coniferous forests.

"Nothing at all!" Nabeya drank some water.

They needed those the animals to find the source of water for them. Wandering around and depending on luck was too time consuming and dangerous. When they caught a wild boar or deer, they would cut some of its blood from its legs. Sammul or Kiki could smell the blood to follow. The animal that was used to living here would know where the water source was and show them the way to live.

"What should we do now? We are losing a day for nothing!”

"There's nothing to be afraid of. You still remember who you are, so that means there are not enough of winners yet. The first three team has not made it to reach the finish line." Sammul replied back.

Hoa felt a great pressure on her back. Losing a day meant that the life chances of all three were greatly reduced. Although Sammul was good at walking through jungle, they were slow and left behind.

“A few hours from here until evening. We have to try to find some other team trail, wild beast, water source, even fire. You should not be dismayed. In this deadly forest, the thing that made you fall is not to be lost or hungry, but mental decline. The more depressed you are, the closer you are to death.” Sammul, sitting to one side, spoke up.

His words were there to put their minds together. No matter how tired they were, they had to be optimistic. It was only a form of spirit, but to survive in this wilderness, that was the light in the dark night.

"Let's continue!" Nabeya stood up and nodded to the other two. Hoa also regained some strength.

They used knives to cut trees to open the way. This forest was very luxuriant and humid. Sometimes their whole body was covered with mud. But the most troublesome were still the small creatures. Leeches, spiders, and even snakes were always hiding in the layers of leaves. If they were not sharp-eyed, one bite from them was enough to kill all three.

An hour, then two hours passing by… Time passed and the sun slowly went hiding behind the mountain. When it lost the daylight heat, the forest went cooling down very quickly.

"Continue or stop?" Nabeya asked. It was almost dark.

Just as they decided to light a fire and set up tents, a cry of agony was heard. It was the sound of something. It felt like a boar caught in a trap. The sound was so loud. If they did not make any wrong guess, it's not far from them. The three of them looked at each other, they both knew this was an opportunity.

"Let's go!" Sammul was helped walking by Hoa. Nabeya and Kiki went ahead to open the way. The cry grew louder. Kiki wriggled through the layers of leaves. The dog's developed hearing allowed it to determine where the trapped animal was.

They arrived there, seeing a wild boar was stuck in their trap. Its legs were locked by a rope. Its mouth constantly calling for help.

“This kind of trap is very rudimentary, like the people of the small tribes used to hunt animals.” Nabeya looked at the structure in front of her and gave out a comment.

“Is anyone still using this primitive forest trap?”

Hoa laughed. The last time she had seen it had been on a TV show ten years before when they had reported on illegal poaching in Asian countries. The tribesmen made simple traps, captured wild animals and sold them to smugglers.

“Then you should be happy, right? It doesn't come from the players." Sammul pursed his lips.

This was not a bad sign. It's not a trap that WIC sold. It meant that there's people around here or a village. They would get instructions to get out of this forest when they went there.

“Animal trappers may be still around. I can smell some urine splattered somewhere. It smells pretty new. He just left half an hour ago.” Sammul pointed to the layer of leaves that were still damp over there.

“So, the way to get more attention from him, is nothing but the sound of it.” Nabeya pulled out a knife, she said sorry and stabbed the pig in the leg. The pain made it groan incessantly, echoing through the murky mountains.

They sat there waiting, until a few dozen minutes later. When Nabeya was about to raise the knife again, a voice startled them.

“Hey, what are you doing with my bait!?”

The muzzle of the gun was pointed at the three of them. A tall man holding a beer bottle looked at Hoa's group of people with not much of friendly.

…………………..

“If you had spoken earlier, I would have been friendlier” Donny said while cutting a tree branch.

This big guy's name was Donny and he lived not far from here. During the pandemic 10 years ago, his whole family moved into the woods to survive. They had built a house and grown vegetables around. Every month he would harvest and sell them. He said WIC created this ecological forest for research. His family only became residents here by accident.

Just a couple of seconds ago, when the muzzle had been pointed at them, Donny's hand had been already on the barrel. Hoa had immediately said they had no ill intentions and had been WIC players. Donny burst out laughing and immediately put down the gun. In fact, he's not a good guy at all. He wanted 10% of the money if one of them won. Fortunately, this guy knew what was enough. Some greedy guys even wanted to split up to 70%.

"Since the epidemic is under control, why don't you and your family leave here?" Hoa asked. This place as very inconvenient to get in and out, not to mention the wild animals around.

“I find this forest very good. When I need meat, I go hunting. If I miss out something, I will go to the city to buy. The important thing is that this place is quiet and fresh. There aren't many people who dare to venture in here!" Donny smiled back.

Hoa saw that he had grown up here and was familiar with the conditions. He's American but tanned. He was wearing a shirt made of animal skin, with several shotguns hanging across his waist.

"Who else do you live with?" Nabeya asked. He probably won't be alone.

“My mother, but she is sick. I usually take her down to the city hospital for treatment. So, I need money to help her live longer.” Donny talked about his mother with a warm voice. Their relationship must be very close.

"What's wrong with her?"

"Diabetes. You know, that slow-dead cancer will lead to dozens of other diseases." Donny talked about his mother's illness very optimistically.

"And your father?"

“He died from the disease. That’s why we moved here.”

"My apologies"

"It’s okay. You'll know when you get there. My mother will tell you a million things. After that, she will introduce the collection that she has kept for more than 10 years.” Donny talked very refreshingly.

"What's that?" Curious Hoa.

"Cake boxes, candy wrappers, nothing she wouldn't keep even if it’s rusty."

On the way home, Donny talked about many things, from life to work, even how many fruits he grew. He lived quite lonely, so he kind of wanted to talk to people. He was not tired of telling stories. What an incredibly energetic guy, since he even carried the pig on his back the whole time during his speech.

…………………………

8pm, at Donny's house

They finally reached the house that this Donny guy always talked about. A spacious and poetic wooden house in the middle of a large forest. It had a front yard with cooking tools set up there. He even built a well. The surroundings were lit by solar-powered bulbs. He must have bought them in the city and brought them here.

“Is this considered a castle in the mountains?”

Hoa teased Donny. In fact, if she could leave that troubled city, she would also like to come here and have a life like Donny. No thinking, no pressure.

"My mother is the one who made it. She meticulously takes care of everything." Donny puffed out his chest and said proudly.

“We need to rest. Do you have room?” Sammul asked coldly. He also did not care about anything here.

“You guys must be here for one night, I guess. For the sake of our contract, I will give up my room.”

Donny put the pig on the ground and led them inside. The interior was also made of wood. The decoration was simple but delicate. Hoa somehow only focused on one thing on the wall, the map of this forest. She looked up there. They had chosen an entrance quite far from the water, no wonder it was so hard to find animals and its currents.

“Is there anything interesting?” Donny patted Hoa's shoulder.

“Is this a jungle map?”

“Don't worry. Tomorrow I will lead you out of here. Just try to win the game and pay me.” Donny left. He even held up the signed paper with them.

"Who's that, Donny?"

A middle-aged woman came out. She wore a shawl, simple clothes. This must be his mother.

"Some friends I met in the forest. I helped them." Donny replied.

Hoa smiled in her heart, and did not even bother to reveal the contract they signed. Whatever it was, he was giving her group a way to live.

They took a shower and then went to the front yard. Nabeya took the venison they had cut earlier. It did not take long for the venison to be a little spoiled already. They had thought that the forest would be cold enough for them to store their food. Nobody could ever think that the weather in the forest was such a son of a b***h, which was too hot and humid at the same time.

“Can we use your freezer?” Nabeya asked. She left a portion for them to bake.

“Of course. But I will be making some dish from this pig today. So, you should freeze the meat for your group.” Donny laughed, then he brought a very large knife to the pig.

Donny was very good at cooking and also food prepping. He peeled the skins, cut the bones, then expertly arranged them on the grill. Hoa over there were really admiring the guy. Looking back at the deer which they had pitifully mutilated the previous day, she could say that Donny's skill was worthy of being the main chef of a barbecue restaurant.

“Why don't you come to town and buy a more modern trap? Your trap is like from a primitive man.” Hoa asked while looking at the crispy layers of meat.

“Those traps are very sharp. Most of them kill the animal as soon as they are caught. When I got to the trap, they were already dead for a few hours. The day I forget to remove it, the meat is spoiled from it already." Donny explained.

"Besides, I've set up a lot of traps. That way, if someone gets stuck in them, it won't be life-threatening to human."

Donny brought the piece of meat to Hoa and Nabeya's plate. Its scent really made their stomachs rumble.

“Look at this pig. I trapped it and brought it here while it was still alive. So, the meat you eat will be delicious.”

“Not bad, it's true that the wild meat is really delicious!” Hoa went excited. When she put it in her mouth, everything was melting right away. Donny should try some food competitions, maybe he would be famous.

Sammul sat in silence. Nobody knew what he's thinking, just seeing him touching Kiki without any further intentions. That was such a strange thing, though. He never treated the dog like that. After a while, seemingly disinterested in the outdoor party, Sammul went out into the back garden.

"Why didn't he join?" asked Donny. The blind man really intrigued him.

“Sammul is very cold. Apart from fruit beer and soup, he only eats bread.”

Hoa recalled, they had grilled meat last night, the taste was not bad, but Sammul didn't even touch a piece. He only ate a few slices of bland bread.

“Why don’t we invite him to try?”

“No need. He just wants to be quiet. Just let him walk around!” Nabeya replied.

Sammul thing was quickly thrown out of the limelight. This may be the rare moment they could get. Let them all enjoy a little before the journey became more difficult.

Hoa, Nabeya, Donny and his mother sat around the fire and talked about all kinds of things. But somewhere else, someone was acting strangely.

He opened the latch and went inside. In the thick darkness, the legs moved quickly in one direction. Until his hand touched something, viscous, lips curled in a smile…