Yvonne was staring into the distance. The boy had just been taken down from the tree, but a hint of bitterness crossed her mind. Hope, doubt, and now despair: when was the last time she had felt so many emotions in a single day? It had been a very long time since she had felt like this.
As the saying goes: "every problem has a solution." But here, was this really an appropriate solution? When I look at the people around me, they all seem shocked. So was this really the right solution?
Do we really stand a chance of getting out of here alive? The more time I spend here, the more I feel like I'm losing my mind. An experiment, he said… really, all of this is starting to weigh on me. I've always felt lonely, but now I'm really starting to understand what it means to be alone.
Lost in her thoughts, Yvonne was sitting on a rock next to a tree. Azaka was right in front of her, pacing back and forth. As for the boys, they weren't far. Yvonne turned her head: they were just behind her, on the bench. They all had their heads down, surely shocked by everything that had happened.
As for Victoria… she was comforting that girl, Justine's friend. Why, and more importantly how, could this have happened to that poor boy?
Yvonne took a deep breath and decided to speak:
— Do you want us to talk about what just happened, girls?
No one answered; they were still in shock from this tragic event.
— I think it would be good if we talked about what just happened among ourselves… it would do us good to let out our fears.
…
Charlie suddenly stood up, clutching his head with both hands, repeating the same words while walking back and forth:
"We're going to die. We're going to die. We're going to die. We're going to die. We're going to die…!"
Azaka looked at him without saying a word. The others had stopped what they were doing to watch him. Yvonne stood up and tried to go toward him to calm him down.
— Charlie, you should calm down. We're not going to die, it was just a simple accident. This kind of thing won't happen again, I promise you.
— Shut up, Yvonne.
Charlie looked at Yvonne with tears in his eyes, his gaze hollow. His hands were trembling with emotion. Azaka immediately stopped standing still and rushed toward Charlie with burning anger.
— How dare you talk to her like that!! Show some respect, you piece of trash.
— No, stop, Azaka, you can see he's disturbed!
— That doesn't give him the right to insult you like that. I'm going to deal with him, don't worry, Yvonne.
— Stop immediately. This is not how we're supposed to handle things as a group, so cut out all this noise.
She stopped at those words, her irritation clearly visible in her abrupt gestures. She was still growling, but she stepped back a few paces. The rest of the group had moved closer in case things escalated.
Yvonne looked at Azaka, who had stepped back, with a visible sense of relief on her face. Azaka was someone used to fighting in certain shady environments… poor Charlie would have really gotten hurt if it had gone any further.
Azaka took a deep breath. She had to calm Charlie and the group in the absence of the leader, but how? The problem wasn't necessarily to reassure him, because right now that was difficult with everything that had just happened, but she at least had to calm him so he could return to his usual state.
— Charlie, look at me and calm down. There's no more danger here. The guy who died, died because he was alone. You have a group. Look at Azaka, Ousmane, and Victor. You are not alone and you're not going to die, understand? So regain your calm.
— It's not that easy, Yvonne.
— Yes, it is. Look at us and trust yourself. We're here for you if you need help, so don't fear what's outside.
Charlie was crouched on the ground, his hands over his face. Yvonne was also crouched right next to him, along with some other members of the group.
A forced smile appeared on his face, twisted by a nameless despair.
"His death has just proven to us that the world, or even the universe, completely doesn't care about us. We see it as something that doesn't concern us, at least for now. But when the same thing happens to this team, how will we react? Will we just nod as if it were an ordinary everyday event? I'm really starting to feel this huge stone I carry on my back every day. But what's the point now? Our death is decided by others. Existence comes before all of us, so let's follow the path until we find ourselves and see if all of this was really worth it." Charlie thought. He wanted to say it… but nothing came out that matched his thoughts.
— All of this is too absurd for me… how can you see this as some kind of street performance? They will always want more, until they have everything. Right now, no one has thought about it yet, but in a few days the seed will grow in their twisted minds and they will do it.
Yvonne and Victoria didn't know how to respond to his words. He was there, with that sad smile, still staring into the distance but remaining with the group.
— You shouldn't have such dark thoughts, Charlie. Look, everyone dies at some point, so stop with these pessimistic thoughts about the future, understand? Victoria suddenly said.
— Yes, listen to her, Charlie. You have to see the good things in this story. From now on, we'll try to make sure none of us gets too overwhelmed by dark thoughts about their life. We're a team, even a new family, so be happy and show us your perseverance, Yvonne added.
But someone spoke and abruptly cut off everything Yvonne and Victoria had been trying to do to comfort Charlie. His words were dry, but filled with an undeniable truth.
Victor sat down on the bench while looking at them. He crossed his legs and looked at Yvonne.
— Actually, I think Charlie is right about a lot of things, just like you, Yvonne. It's always important to keep hope in moments like this, but should we always?
Azaka looked at him with curious eyes and stepped a little closer so she was right next to Victor:
— Where are you going with this, Victor? I don't understand how Charlie is right. For Yvonne it's pretty obvious, but for him, I don't get it. In what way is he right?
— To understand everything, we might as well flip a coin to decide which side we die on. In that sense, our entire life would no longer have any real meaning. We could call it a crime, but for them, what is a crime? A useless dead body? Morality changes, it shifts depending on certain situations like this one. If we look closely at the other groups, most people don't care at all about the lives of others, dead or alive. So our own morality is like a scale. As they say with the Egyptian gods: Anubis weighing the heart of the deceased against the feather of Ma'at. But for us, it's a bit different: we weigh pros and cons, good and evil. But sometimes we can interfere and rig the scale. Why? To make our own laws, for free will. What is evil, in the end? What is good? All of this is subjective, like food or what we like or dislike.
Victor paused, then continued while looking at Charlie, who was staring back at him with red eyes and a dark, almost sickly gaze.
— What Charlie means, or rather what he is trying to make us understand, is that some people will kill. Why? To test their theory, or others will see themselves as messiahs, and some will try to justify their actions through so-called "justice." But is it really that unjust? Sometimes, it's better to close your eyes and accept some of these choices.
Victor pulled a two-euro coin from his pocket, placed it on his thumb, and flicked it into the air with force.
The coin spun through the air, rotating on itself. It had been thrown so high into the sky that, at its peak, their tiny silhouettes could be seen beneath it. When it reached its highest point, the coin was facing away from the sun. If it had been as large as a billboard, it would have created a brief mini solar eclipse from their perspective. Then it fell back to the ground.
The coin landed facing the vast, endless sky it had failed to surpass.
— Bang! You just died, Azaka!
She looked at him, slightly surprised by his reaction. His hand was shaped like a child's gun, with only the thumb and index finger extended. And he "shot" Azaka with his imaginary gun.
— Why are you doing that, Victor? Yvonne suddenly asked, unable to understand his gesture.
— Wait a second, Yvonne, I think I just got it!
— Really? You understood his nonsense with those incomprehensible gestures, Azaka?
— Yes, actually it's not that hard to understand… to sum it up, the death of that guy who hanged himself, and the beginning of a long list, because if the people who did this continue in the other groups, it only takes one per group for each team to be eliminated. And for each eliminated team, for them it simply means more chances to succeed. But that's not the real problem, because catching the people who did it isn't that hard. The real problem is if other people have the same idea.
The whole group listened in a certain calm. Ousmane moved away and started glancing toward the other groups. The others looked at Victor and Charlie with complex expressions; their thoughts were somewhat extreme, yet still real.
Victoria rubbed her head, her expression conflicted.
— So what do we do then? Do we just stand here staring at each other, or do we play superheroes? No offense, but even without the boy's death, someone would have eventually come to the same conclusion as you, Azaka. But I'm not sure this is going to continue. Look at all the commotion it caused. All the nuns and high-ranking officials are over there; they won't let this happen, otherwise their experiment is ruined.
Ousmane came back. He looked a bit disappointed by what he had just seen.
— Victor is right, everyone completely doesn't care about that poor boy's death. May God keep his soul and bring him to paradise. As for you, Azaka, some groups are already starting to look at other groups with very dark intentions.
— It's okay, Ousmane, Yvonne replied. She turned to observe a few groups, then looked back at them. We just need to start forming alliances with other groups to avoid more deaths. As soon as Pierre, Maxime, and Justine come back, we'll talk to them directly. Anyway, we don't really have many options left. Get up, Charlie, it's time for us to gain confidence.
Ousmane looked at them with trust. He coughed confidently to get their attention.
— Alright, now let's do a small group prayer. I'm telling you in advance, there's nothing religious about it, but I mostly hope it will give us hope to keep going.
The others nodded with slight, faint smiles. They were doing it for him, but deep down, they also wanted that hope.
Then a voice was heard. It was clear and sharp. It broke the barrier that had kept them all united during that so-called prayer.
— Why do you pray to God? God is like us, he kills every day. Every second, he erases someone from this earth. Besides, I think four days ago, a few kilometers from here, he made a chapel collapse on its worshippers. Do you know why? Because he wanted to show his greatness… You're looking at me strangely, but that's the only truth. Killing must also please God. He does it all the time. And weren't we created in his image? God is terrifying and at the same time so magnificent, a true paradox. Forget all of this: prayer, heaven, and hell, none of it exists here anymore. In this place, other gods have arrived. So explain to me why you're doing this?
— And here comes another madman, Azaka said while walking away, irritated by the situation. Why are there crazy people in my team!!
Yvonne looked at Maxime, who was coming back at a fast pace. She watched him with a strange expression. He and Pierre are hiding things, and that makes me uneasy. It's not a problem to have secrets, we all do, but with those two, I feel like there's something more important going on.
— And where do you even get your inappropriate explanations from, Maxime? Because if I'm not mistaken, believing in God isn't a sin, so why all this? And what's the connection with these "new gods"? What are you even talking about? Yvonne said, on the verge of losing her temper.
— I'm simply warning you that God has switched sides. He is no longer on the side of the "good" nor the "bad," and he's not even here anymore. That's why I wanted to warn you. But now, in a place that has just gone silent, the blood of an innocent weighs no more than dust on a shelf.
— What do you mean, Maxime? Azaka said, returning to him and standing next to Victoria. You're really coming up with nonsense about gods. But there are already gods, so why new ones? And how does any of this concern us? Seriously, stop talking nonsense. By the way, have you seen Pierre and Justine?
— We can't even joke anymore here, seriously you need to relax!! And why are you all so rushed anyway? We have all the time in the world until they come back. Why are you looking at me like that?
The whole group looked at him with tired eyes. How could he remain so lucid, even cheerful, in moments like this?
— Answer the question, Maxime, did you see them or not? Victoria asked, exhausted.
— Yes, yes I saw them, are you happy now!!
Maxime grumbled and then went to sit next to Victor on the bench. Charlie also sat down on the bench, unlike Ousmane who sat on the grass, just like Victoria, who seemed relieved after Maxime's answer. Justine's friend was still near the tree.
Azaka moved to stand next to Yvonne. She looked at her, then scanned the group with raised eyebrows.
— In the end, it's harder than expected to manage a team of broken people.
— You're exaggerating. You're no better than them, just like I'm not. I even wonder how Pierre manages to stay calm in situations like this.
She looked at her with a big smile. Azaka rested her head on Yvonne's shoulder. Yvonne looked at the group and at her friend.
"I'm going to improve. I'm going to overcome every trial if I have to, with my fists, without spilling a single drop of blood, unlike those cowards. I'm afraid to admit that maybe all of this no longer makes sense. I'm afraid to admit that maybe I was just comforting myself when I spoke to Charlie. I try to stay calm and accept what I cannot change. I must face difficulties with patience and keep moving forward to solve this whole mystery."
The only thought that came to her at that moment was somewhat sad, but she still held on to hope deep in her heart.
End of this episode.
Thank you for reading.