The sky was dark, lightning struck across the clouds, and thunder roared. The rain poured heavily, and the only sound that could be heard was the endless downpour.
On the lonely road, a group of seven people stood beside their van. The van had stopped working, and they looked around helplessly.
There were four men and three women, all in their twenties. They were dressed modestly, as though they had just returned from a party.
One of the men spoke first.
"How are we going to get back home?"
A woman replied, "We have to find someone who can help us."
But another voice answered, "In this heavy storm, no one will be out here to help us, Anna."
Anna sighed and looked down sadly.
Another man suggested, "We should wait here until the rain stops. Then we can find a mechanic or someone who can help."
Everyone nodded and sat inside the van, hoping the rain would end soon.
Two hours passed. The storm only grew heavier. The group grew anxious, especially since the road was surrounded by a dark forest.
Finally, one of the men spoke again.
"We need to find help before we run into bigger trouble."
"What trouble could be bigger than this?" one of the women asked.
"The forest," he said seriously. "Wild animals could attack us at any time if we stay here."
Anna quickly agreed. "Louis is right. We have to get home as soon as possible. Our families must be worried sick."
But another man complained angrily. "This is ridiculous! You all forced me to come to that stupid party, and now the van is broken. We're stuck here because of you!"
Louis frowned. "Don't be so grumpy, Luka. We're all in this together."
Luka glared back. "I told you I didn't want to come in the first place!"
Before they could argue more, one of the girls interrupted. "Enough! Fighting won't solve anything."
A boy agreed. "Luna is right. We need to focus on getting out of here, not blaming each other."
The group fell silent, thinking. The storm raged on.
Finally, someone said, "We have to leave the van and look for help. Sitting here won't change anything."
"But where will we go in this storm?" Luna asked. "No one will be outside in weather like this."
"Still, we should try. Maybe there's a house nearby," Max replied.
Louis nodded. "Yes, we should look around."
But Luka crossed his arms. "I'm not going out in this rain. You all can go. I'll stay here. If you find help, tell me."
Luna snapped, "Oh, how nice! You'll rest here while we do all the work?"
"You dragged me here in the first place. It's your job to get me out of this mess!" Luka shot back.
"You're such a pain sometimes! We're sick of your complaining," Lisa said sharply.
The tension grew heavy, but Louis stepped in. "Stop it, all of you. This isn't the time to fight."
John, the quietest of the group, finally spoke. "We'll go search for help. Luka can stay here and watch our things. Does anyone else want to stay?"
Anna raised her hand nervously. "I'll stay with Luka. I don't want to go out in the thunderstorm."
John nodded. "Alright then. Let's go."