Chapter 3: Where is Dal?
While everybody had been sleeping Dal packed some food in his backpack, took his sleeping-back and left the Mall unnoticed through the sewerage.
Next evening as the Mall-Rats wanted to eat Jack asked, "Has anybody seen Dal? I'm searching for him the whole day, but he's nowhere."
"Perhaps he has gone out," his girlfriend Ellie meant. "I'm sure he'll be back till tomorrow evening."
But he wasn't back next evening. Jack was really worried about his best friend, "What if something has happened to him. Perhaps he was kidnapped by the Chosen."
"He has just gone, because he couldn't endure it here," Lex said. "We should be happy. Now we can divide up his food."
"You don't mean that for real. He's also a member of the Mall-Rats just like you. You also wouldn't like it if you were kidnapped by the Chosen while we were sitting around and dividing up your food," Jack shouted at him.
"He's old enough. He can take care of himself. If he had been kidnapped anyone would have come in and the alarm system would have begun. He has gone of his own free will. If he wants to he'll come back otherwise he stays where he has gone to," Lex replied. "Besides that a few preserves are missing. He also will have taken something to eat with him."
Tai-San, who heard this discussion, said, "Dal is on his way of finding himself. He's searching his own way. You shouldn't stop travellers."