Horizon

A knock appeared on the door to the home.

"Ready to go?" Ruby asked, pushing it open.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I told her, walking toward the door.

"Then, it looks like Faith will be coming with us. If you don't mind me asking, why choose Faith and not somebody like Dani or Carl?" Ruby asked again, greeting Faith with a nod.

"Miss Dani and Uncle Carl will have to continue their training, and that's what they wanted as well... well... a little..." Faith said, lightly looking over to Dani.

"The day after, I'll be there. There's no way I'm letting you run loose again." Dani said to me, crossing her arms with a pouting face.

"It's not like he's dying. He'll be back within a few days I'm sure. Okay, let's get going." Ruby said.

[1:00:09]

Dammit... I got as close as possible.

I knew Ruby wouldn't let us stay anymore, as she looked aggressive in forcing us out. I wish she would just wait for a little...

"Come on! I want to get home before it's too late. It's already five." Ruby said, tapping her foot.

"Sounds like it. I'll be back, everybody." I told them. I waved goodbye to everybody and left the home with Ruby and Faith.

"Thanks for rushing us. I was worried that Dani would change her mind... or that others would make our crowd bigger. So, do you really think Cole will follow us? Won't the cell hold him back for the time being, along with the guards?" Faith asked Ruby.

What? Did she plan that?

"Of course, I've thought about that. I'm implementing a strategy right now that's currently in effect. When the guard leaves for dinner, Cole will follow us, and we'll corner him near Umbra's city, between the pathway that all cities are far from. I would bet on this strategy working, actually." Ruby said.

Once Ruby explained how it would work, I was actually quite impressed.

Ruby left the cell unlocked today, meaning that the only thing holding Cole back was the guard. She knew Cole would notice, based on the guard's description of his observational skills, and she knew his plan to follow based on his recording of one of the night's conversations, where Cole admitted to having an accomplice over a radio he had been carrying around. With this accomplice, Cole said that he would ambush us as soon as we left.

Now, Ruby's strategy counted on this fact, and she left the door open to act as a gateway. With the cell door left unlocked, and nobody attending it, Cole wouldn't waste any time destroying the city, and would instead head over to our position as quickly as possible to avoid any conflict with the guards. After all, I'm the person he wants. If the guards were in his way, he would kill them... but now that nothing is in the way, he won't kill anything.

I wondered how Ruby had been able to strategize to that level... I would like to obtain that skill at some point.

"This path, right here. We walk down this path and we'll end up where Umbra is. I'll radio her over when we're at the halfway point, and Cole should arrive once he hears it." Ruby said again.

That must've been a part of her plan as well. To talk on the same channel as Cole's radio... when did she come up with this?

"It's kind of barren and messy. Well, at least we have that." Faith said. She dodged some branches and bushes while walking forward.

"It's the security of staying hidden in the forest," Ruby said.

Ruby put handcuffs on my wrist as soon as I looked at her, which caused me to freak out a little.

"Hey! What the hell?!" I yelled out to her.

"Calm down. I still don't trust you, and I don't want to be alone with you. I don't want you to use your free arm to take advantage of me in any way. It's made of Mahina Metal, the same thing that has been blocking Cole's strands. If we get into combat, I'll unlock it, so don't worry." Ruby told me.

That woman... this doesn't even make sense right now. Arguing would be pointless, so I just decided to listen and keep my mouth shut.

"That wasn't really necessary, Ruby. Dad doesn't plan on hurting you." Faith said, pushing more bushes to the side while pushing through the jungle.

"I've been betrayed a few times, I know it too well. I'm just making sure." Ruby said. She wasn't even making eye contact with me... in fact, I was feeling uneasy about it. If Faith doesn't sense anything, then I shouldn't be worried.

We walked down the path further and further, and I decided to take in the scenery. It was still relatively safe and I didn't sense any danger.

The trees reminded me of the Isle and the easy atmosphere I felt while walking through them to explore the land with Domin. That truly takes me back... I never would've thought I would be on Earth doing the same thing, and not without him.

The dirt in the forest was nothing like that on the Isle. It seemed more compact and like mud than the Isle's dirt, but I guess I was just nitpicking at this point.

The pathway had become so skewed that it didn't even look straight anymore. The overgrowth of nearby fauna and other plants and bushes blocked our way on more than one occasion. After maneuvering through these paths, Ruby, Faith, and I all came across a large circle that looked trimmed for people to camp in.

"This is where our campsites normally are," Ruby said.

She had been dragging me along with the handcuffs for a while, but for the first time, I pulled back in resistance.

"What's your problem?" She asked me.

Something's here... I can feel it in my bones. That feeling of uncertainty and how my System used to tell me when there was danger nearby... that has become my sixth sense...

And it's firing on all cylinders right now.

"Nearby... I feel something..." I muttered.