Interaction [Dreamnotfound]

8 | Talk

~A week later~

The sun had just began to rise, dusting the forest treetops with a sparkling light.

Zak sat on the edge of a branch, high above the forest outpost below, alone with his head full of thoughts.

They had been at the outpost for a full week now, receiving care from Illumina and the three others at the camp, who had introduced themselves as Eret, Punz and Ponk. Apparently, there were plenty more people in their organization, just not at that particular outpost.

They called themselves the forest upturns.

Zak didn't trust them, not completely, but they were nice enough, offering shelter and food for both him and Darryl. They were free to leave whenever they wanted, but as they didn't really have anywhere to go...

Well, they just planned to stay there for a while.

Zak still wasn't too clear on what exactly the "forest upturns" were, but he knew that they were against the government.

That was enough for him. Control wasn't his thing anyways, and he hadn't loved their old lifestyle.

But Darryl hated it.

Zak knew how hard Darryl had worked for his position as a tech supporter, and now... well, now they were being chased by the government, all because of Zak.

The guilt was building up. Because of him, Darryl had lost his position. Because of him, they could both die.

A clambering behind Zak startled him, and he turned to see Darryl struggling to climb up the stiff branches. Wordlessly, Zak held out his hand, and Darryl grabbed it, pulling himself up with a grunt.

"Oh my goodness, Zak. How did you even get up here?" He exclaimed, struggling onto the branch next to Zak and letting out a sigh of relief.

Zak didn't reply, merely sitting and watching the peaceful sunrise. Darryl sat next to him in silence.

A few minutes passed, and Zak finally worked up the courage to speak. "Darryl?"
Darryl turned, slight concern in his eyes. "Yeah?"
Zak bit his lip nervously. "I think... we need to talk."
Darryl turned, his concern growing, and faced Zak. But instead of objecting, he nodded. "Yeah... I think so to, Zak..."
Zak had tried to work out what to say, but once he was face to face with Darryl, it all spilled out at once. "I'm so sorry, Darryl. I'm so sorry. I ruined everything... You lost your position because of me, and I feel so bad, I don't know, I don't know..."
He turned to Darryl. "What if they catch us? What if-"
Darryl grabbed his arm. "Woah, woah woah Zak, hold on!" Zak couldn't stop, tears spilling from his eyes. "I don't want to die..."
Darryl grabbed Zak, forcing him to look in his eyes. "It's gonna be ok, Zak. I'm gonna be with you all the way."

Zak let his tears flow, vision blurring. His thoughts were all over the place.

How could he have done this to Darryl?
They sat on the branch for some time, the sun gradually rising in front of them. Eventually, Zak closed his eyes, exhausted, and leaned into Darryl.

Darryl ruffled his hand through his boyfriend's hair gently, sighing.

Zak sat up suddenly. "Darryl?"
Darryl nodded, confusion flashing across his face briefly. "Yeah?"
Zak hesitated, and then asked "How did you... do that thing? With the wall?"
Darryl eyes lit up. "Oh, that? It was a test, one I maneuvered together. The microchip has a custom update I'm testing, and it transfers the information to the band through wireless syncing, which enables the band to scan an object and break it down into particles for a brief period of time, which, in turn, allows human contact to pass right through it!" Darryl broke off, grinning, and turned to Zak, who was just slightly overwhelmed. "And the government allowed you to do that?!"
Darryl's face fell, and he squirmed around on the branch. "Well... I may have been working on this update without their, er, permission..."
A small smile found its way to Zak's face. Darryl had never been one to break the rules... but wow, that wristband was epic. His boyfriend had quite the mind.

Darryl added, "But you... you were in the forest! Every day. And I had no idea... how did you pull it off?"
Zak winced slightly. "I just... every time you left, I left too. I made myself an axe, and hunted small animals - just to practice. I'm pretty good, but I left my axe back at the house, so..."
Darryl shook his head. "And they only realized now?"

Zak's forehead creased. "Yeah, that's what I don't get. They must have known, now that I think about it. How didn't they notice?"
Darryl sighed. "Well, I sent a report about malfunctioning wristbands, so people will be working at that for days now. I feel kinda bad, honestly."
"Don't," Zak advised. "It's really not your fault".

Darryl sighed, looking out at the forest. "Do you know, I've been working on this project for months now. I just wanted to get it finished. And Zak..."
He turned to face Zak, worry in his eyes. "I don't think our government is... The right thing for us anymore. I don't think it's working for us..."
Zak nodded, still facing the open sky. "I know, Darryl. It's just getting worse. Maybe..." He didn't want to say it, but he did. "Maybe it's better that we left..."
He was expecting Darryl to retort in anger, but Darryl just nodded. "Maybe."
They both sat in silence for some time more.

It was then that a voice called.

"Hey!"

Zak nearly fell off the tree in shock, his heart rate increasing to nearly twice it's previous rate. Darryl leaned over the edge. "Yeah?"
"Come down!" The voice yelled, and from the edge of the shadows, Zak could make out the cloaked figure below. Illumina.

"Coming!" Zak yelled back his heart rate slowing, and then expertly lowered himself from the branch, jumping the last few feet and landing lightly on the forest floor. Darryl, however, was having some trouble.

"Uh... Zak?" Darryl yelled down, nervousness clear on his face. Zak sighed, hearing Illumina's amused chuckle behind him. "Just lower yourself slowly, and then drop down!" He shouted to Darryl.

Illumina snorted. "If anyone's around, they're going to hear you. I bet I could hear you from a mile away."
"Yeah, but that's only because you have great instinct," another voice said. Zak spun around as Punz exited from the covering of tents behind them.

From what Zak had heard, the tents were just a temporary outpost. They could be packed up and moved at will, if needed.

There was a thump and a loud "Oof!" Zak turned again to see Darryl on the ground, a sheepish look on his face as he dusted himself off.

Zak walked towards him, the other's voices fading away as they headed back towards the tents. "You okay?"
"Yep," Darryl replied, getting to his feet. Zak hesitated.

"Uh... We're good, right?"
Darryl looked up. "Huh? Yeah, we're good."
Without a word, the two walked back towards the tents.