End Journeys
Counting Dead Stars

Ruby was crying. He struggled to hold back his tears, but the more Thomas asked what happened Ruby's crying became more and more so.

"Tell me, dear," persuaded Thomas.

"Give me some time" replied Ruby while still hugging Thomas.

"I'm here. I'm not leaving you, '" Thomas tried his best to calm his weird-looking girlfriend.

"Kylie. He's here" Ruby said.

"What do you mean?" Thomas doesn't understand and thinks Ruby is joking.

"I know something bad is happening to us. To our family, and Kylie," Ruby started telling stories.

"Kylie? What's wrong with her?" Thomas doesn't understand why he mentioned Kylie.

"Kylie's really in danger. We are all in danger" Ruby said.

Thomas who did not understand the meaning of Ruby's words just fell silent and agreed.

"What dear?"

"Kylie's here!" answer Ruby.

"What do you mean?"

"You remember when I called Kylie and Kylie told us to leave? I heard the voice of the man who kidnapped us. I'm sure it's the same guy" explained Ruby.

Thomas was silent at Ruby's explanation.

"Added to what I saw. I saw two men and a woman" Kylie said.

"Where?" Thomas began to panic.

"When we're on the trail. Looks like there's another hut like the one we live in. I don't know what they're doing but I'm sure Kylie's here" Ruby said.

"That means we need to check into that shack?" Thomas asked doubtfully at Ruby.

"You don't want us to do it" replied Ruby.

They rested for a while under the tree and ate bread. Then they continued their journey. First, they had to check into the hut that Ruby had seen. Very carefully they got closer to the hut. A woman was smoking in front of the hut while holding her cell phone. He laughed out loud when he heard the voice of someone inside the hut asking for help.

"wait. Whatisthis? isn't that Kylie?" ask Thomas to make sure he doesn't see it wrong.

"Yes dear. It's Kylie," Ruby replied in a whisper.

Kylie glanced at the tree where they were hiding. They hide by lying under a tree. There are many big trees in that place.

"Please!!" the screams sounded again. The voice of a child.

"It looks like it's a child's voice" Ruby said.

Thomas's face was pale. Sweat poured from all over his body when the weather was cold but not raining.

"What's wrong?" Ruby whispers.

"Darling, no. That voice, my brother," said Thomas stammering.

"TEAM?!" Ruby was very surprised to hear Thomas say.

"Yes. I'm pretty sure it's my brother" Thomas said.

Ruby increasingly doesn't understand why Kylie is there, looking happy without any problems. Plus the voice of the little boy asking for help and being ignored by Kylie. On the phone, Kylie screams to tell Ruby to stay away. Ruby thinks that Kylie suffered the same fate as herself, but her guess is wrong.

"I don't care what Kylie does here. I just want to save my brother" Thomas said.

"Darling, we can't be rash. For the sake of Tim's safety, "Ruby's trying to calm Thomas down.

Thomas started to calm down a little. They devised a plan to enter the hut unnoticed.

Ruby and Thomas turned off the phone. Kylie was seen pointing the phone she was holding to her ear, looking like she was about to call. He tried several times but failed.

"Damn. Why did the woman turn off her phone" Kylie said.

"I paid him a lot but he didn't pick up my phone" Kylie got angry again.

It was there that they realized that it wasn't Ruby Kylie meant. Kylie got up from her seat and left with two men. Thomas and Kylie observe them, when it feels really safe they immediately break into the hut.

Thomas and Ruby were very surprised because it was true that Tim was inside. He sat on a wooden chair with his hands and feet tied. The bond is indeed loose, but children as small as Team who is new to 1st grade SD must only be able to cry lamenting his fate. Thomas immediately untied Tim's hands and feet and held Tim out of the hut. Ruby was in charge of observing the situation.

"Honey fast" whispered Ruby.

"It has. Let's go now" Thomas, who was holding Tim, held Ruby's hand.

They walk next to a path that has very thick bushes, so as not to be discovered by Kylie and her men.

About 2 hours they walk and the day starts in the afternoon. They searched for a place to rest and decided to spend the night on the side of a small river. The river is still the same as the river that was previously the resting place of Thomas and Ruby just surrounded by thick shrubs.

Enveloped in silence, Ruby gives Tim bread and Tim eats it voraciously. Then Thomas and Ruby ate raw instant noodles.

"It's not safe to start a fire here" Thomas said.

Therefore, they decided to eat raw instant noodles that have been seasoned.

After finishing eating his noodles, Thomas picked some banana leaves as a base for them to sleep.

Thomas leaned against the tree and Ruby slept on Thomas' lap, of course with Tim in his arms.

"Darling, tonight we can't do it" Thomas teased.

Ruby blushed in embarrassment then pinched Thomas. Tim quickly fell asleep in Ruby's arms. Thomas who saw it immediately moved Tim next to him and lay hugging his lover.

"I promise to take care of you" whispered Thomas.

"Yes dear," Ruby replied to Thomas' sweet words with a kiss on her lips.

"Try to count how many dead stars there are" Thomas pointed to the dead stars in the sky.

"The numbers are innumerable" answered the lazy Ruby told to count the stars.

Thomas who saw Ruby's behavior immediately shook his forehead using a finger and then kissed her.

"Why do you like counting dead stars so much? Better pick which one is our star" Ruby said.

"good. Of course I chose that star" Thomas pointed to the brightest star.

"Then name the star" Kylie said, hugging Thomas.

"I call it Gemma" replied Thomas.

"Why?"

"Because your name is Ruby, which is the same as the name of the precious stone. So I named her Gemma which is also the name of the hahahah stone," Thomas laughed teasingly at Ruby.

They joked for a moment that night, like no problem was happening to them.

Cring.. Cring..

Ruby's phone sounded. It was a call from Kylie.

"You turned on your phone? Just pick it up, baby" said Thomas.

"No. I have a bad feeling" replied Ruby.

Ruby and Thomas then slept for 3 hours and at 3am with their cell phone batteries running low, they went on their way.

"Follow on the path beside us" said Thomas, looking to the right and looking at the path.

Ruby with eyes drowsiness did not answer Thomas' words. The team was in Ruby's arms, feeling very close to Ruby when it was the first time they met.

"The less trees here grow. Are we close to the way home?" Thomas.

"Actually it's close" said someone behind them.