Chapter 2: On the Road

Romania, 2018.

Winter.

I feel like I should start by explaining what the Pilgrims actually are, so that you'll have some backstory. They're a group of outcast survivors who travel across Europe and... they act as couriers, essentially. How do I...? What can I use as an example to describe them? Uh, let's see - ah! Here we go. You know the video game, Death Stranding? Well, the main character is a porter who embarks on a westward expedition and throughout his trek, he delivers anything which might be of use to the people he crosses paths with. Being a Pilgrim is basically that, except you don't get to fight BTs conjured up by a dude who clearly has an interest in goth.

I mean, if I had to choose? I'd gladly take on a BT instead of those biters, any day of the week. Anyway, enough of me getting side-tracked. Back to it.

The Pilgrims are also pretty much the only real form of long-distance communication left between settlements and—! And I'll admit it's been quite tough getting to and fro, considering that people are scared of us. Why? I personally have no idea but if it's got something to do with trust issues, that wouldn't be much of a surprise as you might want to thank The Fall (or Zero Hour, if you prefer?) for that. What happened, exactly? I...! To be honest, I can't say for certain as I've heard one too many stories about it. A volatile escaping from a Level 4 laboratory in Switzerland, a political organisation's experiments going to sh*t or contaminated products such as bread, cereal and pancake mix being consumed. I'll admit that I've sometimes wondered which one was true - because to be fair, who wouldn't?

But...! Yeah, there's no point in dwelling on it. Like we're gonna find out, any time soon...

In any case, that's all the info I know regarding the Pilgrims and what happened during Zero Hour. And, er, I suppose this calls for an introduction! I'm Aiden and as previously mentioned, I've been a Pilgrim for five months. I don't remember much about what my life was like beforehand, but I grew up in a village called Crossdale River and it was a nice area, you know? Not too crowded, lots of open spaces to explore. It also had these amazing mountains and forests I would've loved to check out if I had the chance. Surprise surprise, I'm an adventure nerd. One of the perks of being a Pilgrim.

That being said however, I think another reason why my journey's been tough is because... It's...! It's been quite lonely. Now that shouldn't be much of an issue, since my faction has this particular saying that they follow: If you start to worry about someone, it means it's time to go. And...! And as much as I hated it, I couldn't stay with a person for very long. Combine that with the Pilgrims' reputation and the general trust issues everyone has: you'll get the negative aspects of my job. Sounds frightening, I know. But despite that, I'm... I'm thankful I had some positive memories to look back on.

Which brings us to my sister, Mia.

The two of us spent a lot of time together when we were kids and one thing's for certain: she's an absolute bad*ss! Two short brown pigtails. A white t-shirt, purple pants with flowery patterns and a pair of lilac velcro sneakers. One has to wonder if she was a leader in a past life, since she loved to boss me around and get me to join her games when we weren't allowed some free time. Another thing she enjoyed doing was teasing me about my relationship with our mutual best friend, saying things such as: "You two better get married when we're grown up!" or "You know you like her, Aidy! Stop being a chicken!".

Our friend in question is called Libby. She's a year older than Mia and... I'll admit the latter was right in some way, because I sensed a connection with her. Still do, as a matter of fact. What that connection was? I initially didn't know. But, er, I felt rather protective of her as well and plus, she had the most adorable smile I've ever seen! Brown hair tied back in a ponytail with bangs framing her freckles. A pink hoodie, a lilac shirt, a pair of blue denim jeans and velcro sneakers. Bubbly, but shy like I was. She and my sister were... honestly the only flashes of light for me. I've always wondered what they'd be getting up to over the years, I've always hoped that they were okay...! I've—! Lord knows how much I've missed them...

Noooow for our relationship with someone who is the reason why we were separated. This one is a different story, because I don't ever want to be associated with him again. That simple. Why? He had a hobby of experimenting on kids. He enjoyed torturing them; especially Mia, Libby and I. He took them from me and—! And if saving them meant I had to face him once more, I'd do it. I'd save them, get the answers we need and we'd settle down somewhere. Maybe in a couple of years, Libby and I could...? Argh, how do you describe a connection that could develop?! You know what? Never mind. Anyhow, if our connection did develop, maybe my sister could be a fun-loving aunt to some kids or... she could meet somebody herself? Not only that, but the three of us could decide what we wanted to do with our lives instead of him.

And more importantly, we'd be happy together! That's... That's pretty much the one thing I've wanted, you know? I just needed to figure out where to find them first.

Page 13: Anglerfish.

The anglerfish are fish of the teleost order, Lophiiformes. They are bony fish that are named for their characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified luminescent fin ray acts as a lure for their prey. The luminescence comes from symbiotic bacteria, which are thought to be acquired from seawater that dwell in and around the sea.

"Okay then?" I murmured as I tapped my finger against the page of the book I was reading. Creatures of the Deep, it was called. My review: probably a seven out of ten so far. Interesting stuff to learn. Only one problem: it didn't say anything about what colour of water would suit these things. Maaaybe blue or green? That's what rivers looked like, didn't they? So in that case, problem solved!

Nope. Not in the slightest.

They are also seen worldwide. Some are pelagic and dwell away from the sea floor, whilst others are benthic and swim close to it. Some live in the deep sea, such as the Ceratiidae. Though other species like the frogfishes and the Lophiidae (monkfish or goosefish) reside on the continental shelf. Pelagic forms are often laterally compressed, whereas the benthic forms are dorsoventrally compressed with large upward-pointing mouths.

Alright, I'm gonna change my answer.

I scoffed as I lifted my eyes to glance at the heavy falling snow. It spread across a valley of forests so much so that I knew I wouldn't be able to see the closest river if I had stepped outside the long tunnel I was held up in. I knew it was somewhere, though. Either surrounded by mountain ranges or destroyed villages. Good thing I'm not planning on finding out.

"What else do you have for me?" I thought aloud, returning my gaze to my book. "Any details worth my time?"

I was currently sat, cross-legged, on a derelict bus which was leaning on its' worn out tires and surrounded by a rusted traffic jam that clearly saw better days. It didn't help that gusts of wind liked to sweep through the tunnel, influencing me to rub my hands together in order to keep myself warm. Distant screams also greeted my ears, almost as if they were serving as a reminder of what happened six months prior. Yeah well, thanks very much for that.

Can I continue reading, please? Thank you.

As if to answer my question, static suddenly crackled. So, that's a no then? "Hello?" A familiar voice suddenly spoke through the other end of my radio. "Does anyone copy?" Huh?!

I hurriedly fished said object out of my left jean pocket and switched it on. "Spike?! Is that you?"

"Aiden," The man greeted me in a friendly manner. "Good to hear from you,"

"You're late,"

"And you still have no respect for your elders," He shot back amusedly. "Where are you?"

"I'm, I'm in the tunnel you told me to wait in," My brows knitted with confusion, as I briefly glanced to my left at the hills outside. "Er, I'm assuming you're here now?"

"Sure am, kid," Spike confirmed my suspicions. "Get over here. I want to show you something,"

"You know our meeting will cost me a few days, right?" I asked him. "I mean, there's a chance we could both get new tags and if we do, that's on you,"

"I'm sure your reputation will be fine," He reassured me. "Now come on!"

"Okay! I'm on my way," I chuckled, before switching my radio off and placing my book inside my unzipped rucksack. Once it was zipped back up, I rose to my feet, jumped down to the road and ventured left towards our meeting spot.

I wonder what you have planned, you old fart?