Oliver swallowed hard, his stomach twisting."Just leave me alone..." He muttered, shifting a bit away from Liam.
" Make me," Liam whispered back, a cruel smile touching his lips. He backed away a step, picking up his sleeping bag and tossing it to the opposite side of the tent with a thump. " Just remember whose space this really is,"
He zipped up the tent door and exited, the harsh sound of the zipper leaving Oliver completely alone in the dim light. Oliver finally allowed himself to shake, wrapping his arms around his knees, the sound of happy campers and the strange dry rustling of the willows making him feel more isolated and vulnerable than he had on the long bus ride.
Nothing much happened during the day and the night, Liam never came back to the camp for a long time . Oliver could only lie down in his sleeping bag, trying as much as possible to sleep. But he could barely sleep. Every rustle of the wind in the willows outside the tent made him flinch, his mind conjuring the worst. Liam returned much later, smelling faintly of campfire.Oliver shut his eyes tight, nervous. He could feel Liam's penetrating gaze on him.
Liam's gaze darkened in annoyance. After a great deal of self control, he zipped himself into his sleeping bag without a word.
The morning light filtering through the green canvas brought no relief. The air was cold and damp.
Liam was already up, sitting outside the tent on a big log when Oliver emerged, blinking against the light. Liam didn't look at him, his gaze , focused instead on a small paper map and a compass provided by the school.
The rest of the camp was a hive of activity. The teachers were handing out brown bag lunches and a specific set of instructions to each student pair.
" Ready tent mate?" Liam asked when Oliver approached in light steps, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
After taking breakfast, they walked over to Mr Harrison, who cheerfully explained the day's challenge.
" The challenge is all about trust, teamwork and validation. You and your partner must follow the coordinates to the specific checkpoints at the valley floor. The first three pairs back gets extra credits. No GPS. Just you , your map, your compass , and your partner."
He handed Liam a small slip of paper with coordinates and a waterproof map of the valley.
Liam unfolded the map. " Looks easy , enough a couple of hours, "
Oliver, however, felt a profound unease .As they walked through the dense willows, he scanned the paper and the map. " These paths... they don't seem to match the general map we saw yesterday."
" It's a more detailed map, idiot." Liam snapped, folding it tightly. " Let's go , I want to win this thing."
They set off , their initial path , a well worn trail leading away from the camp and deeper into the wilderness. For the first three hours, the navigation was simple. Liam even stopped at the side of a large tree to rest , free of fear or worry. Meanwhile, Oliver was the opposite, he was shaking from top to bottom. He dare not rest.
Liam surprisingly efficient, took the lead , using the compass with a natural sense of direction. Oliver followed, a few paces behind, his eyes scanning the dense willows that lined the path, listening. The whispers from yesterday were quiet now, just the usual sound of nature.
" See?. Nothing to it ."
As they moved towards the third set of coordinates, the landscape began to subtly change. The established trail faded into the underbrush, replaced by a much fainter, deer path. The willows here were thicker, their branches forming natural archways that the boys had to duck under.
" Are you sure... this is right?" Oliver stammered, consulting the small map over Liam's shoulder. The map indicated a clear path here, but the terrain was a sense tangle of roots.
" The compass says Northwest and this path goes northwest." Liam stated, pushing forward impatiently. He shoved a low hanging willow out of his face.
The wind suddenly picked up, rustling the leaves. This time, the sound wasn't wind.
" Error.... Trapped..."
Oliver stopped dead, the hair on his arms standing on end.
" System override... Look back..."
" Did you hear that?" Oliver whispered, fearfully grabbing Liam's hand.
Liam yanked his arms free , disgusted.
" Hear what? The wind? Come on you asshole, you're freaking out over nothing. We're almost there."
He was focused solely on the destination, blind to the signs Oliver was picking up on.
"Wait, I think the valley's security had been triggered." Oliver stammered.
" What the hell are you talking about, is the valley a security agency. Let's just find a way to get out of this place as soon as we finish the mission" Liam yelled . The wind howled, whipping his jacket around him.
" I read some things about this valley on the Internet.I found ...."
" Shut up, you caused all these.." Liam interrupted, leaving Oliver confused and angered at the same time.
The air in the valley had suddenly turned cold, but Liam shoved the discomfort aside, focused on the small, flickering light of their destination beacon just a short distance ahead. He could barely contain his frustration with Oliver .
" It's just the wind idiot" Liam snapped over the noise, rolling his eyes as Oliver paused, hand pressed to his temple. " Stop trying to bail, the finish line is right there."
" No you don't understand," Oliver whispered, his voice shaky, staring not at the beacon, but at the shifting, emerald green forest floor around them.
" The voice... It's clearer now.. 'System override... Unauthorized presence' ..."
Oliver turned to storm the last fifty yards, but a sharp, crystalline sound - like a thousand wine glasses shattering at once, pierced the din. The ground beneath them wasn't stable earth anymore; it was a patchwork of glowing, smooth stones that suddenly began to rearrange themselves.
A massive section of the path simply disappeared, folding inward with an unsettling digital whir that only Oliver seemed to hear. Liam stumbled grabbing wildly for something stable, only finding empty air. He felt the terrifying pull of gravity as he plummeted into the darkness of the valley floor...