SURVIVORS
Chapters 68. Garden Guard
That afternoon break Dean had to answer a lot of questions. They want to satisfy the curiosity that has been stored since this morning.
"So you're the guard of this place? And this little world is just for farming and ranching?" rework the Goddess for the umpteenth time.
Dean nodded.
"Dean, if you're in our country, that means you're a gardener. Ahahaa.." Nastiti laughs followed Goddess.
"My name is A." Dean reminds me somehow to who to how many times.
"All right. all right.." Nastiti flicked her hand not caring too much.
"That means if you call the owner of this garden, then he will come?" ask Widuri.
'Maybe this is a way out' he thought.
"Last night I tried to connect the transmission to the base, but I couldn't connect. Don't know what's going on" replied Dean.
"Have you ever been like this before? When was the last time you sent a transmission message?" ask Sunil.
Dean seemed to think for a moment.
"When this little world was in a state of shock that resulted in most of the farms, fruit plantations and grain fields disappearing overnight, I'd already sent out information."
Dean was silent for a moment with a frown trying to remember the things that happened.
"Before the arrival of the 2 protectors, I have installed a fence around the area, so that the remaining livestock do not get lost into the foggy area."
"After the two protectors came and checked carefully, they asked me to harvest everything that could be harvested, and store it in a special place. For that I made two storage rooms, so that the meat of the sheep could be kept separate from other crops."
The five friends listened attentively.
"After everything was prepared, Protector O said that they did not find the fence I made surrounding the area. They only see a blackish-grey fog and according to them, the fog will continue to move, and maybe one day cover the entire small world" Dean said at length.
"Where are your two protectors?" ask Alan impatiently.
"That night I reported it, and I was allowed to return with all the supplies and the two protectors. But the next morning, the working device they were carrying gave a red signal. The source of the signal was behind the cave walls. Z says it's a danger signal. They should check first before returning to headquarters." Dean paused his story.
"Then?" Curious goddess.
"Because the signal was from behind the stone wall, while the upper area of this hill had been covered in fog, then the only way to check it should be to dig a tunnel. For 2 days, I helped dig quite a distance, following the signal from the device until it penetrated the other side of the hill. But at the end of the passageway was only a pitch-black fog. Then their device signal suddenly disappeared. After discussing, we finally came back." Dean pondered considering the incident.
"That night we had a discussion, but my suggestion to return soon, they refused. They say this is very important, because not only is the small world I keep experiencing, but some other small worlds also experience collisions and shocks. There was a small world that was instantly missing from the coordinates map, some were badly damaged. That surprised me, because they didn't say anything about the crisis before. That worries me a lot."
"They asked me to close the door of the cave passage tightly so that the mist could not penetrate. They'll go check the area across the hill with food supplies. After they left, I had to close the hall again. If they're done checking and want to come back, they'll send a transmission signal so I can open the wall again."
"After waiting for 3 days, I sent a transmission message to the headquarters. They said they had not returned. Then I was asked to go back first and bring all the food stocks. Headquarters will send a senior superintendent to replace me waiting for the two protectors to return from the mission."
"That was the last time I connected to headquarters. I thought I was back, but I died here. Somehow it's O and Z behind that wall. Did they keep sending transmissions but I didn't respond because I was dead? Do they hate me?"
Dean lowered his head. 'O, Z, I'm sorry' he whispered inwardly.
The five friends looked at each other. The story of A is so tragic, they are so sad.
"Then, how is your body on a stone pedestal surrounded by water?" Alan was astonished.
"About that I can't remember it clearly. I don't know if it's because I'm feeling unwell and lying there close to reaching for medicine and water, or something else." Dean's dumbstruck.
"Ah, yes. I remember that in one of the niches on the wall there were several bottles of medicine." Widuri nodded in understanding.
"It makes sense too. You feel unwell, then take your medicine and rest in that stone tub. But it turns out you died in your sleep." The goddess concluded and nodded.
"But now the fog has not drowned this place. So, did you just die yesterday? Why didn't we see you before?" The goddess was astonished.
"I don't think it's like that. Didn't Eugene and Eugene's own servants also arrive here a few years ago? Didn't you meet any other humans before?" Widuri felt an awkwardness.
"I've never met another human being from your world." Dean answered with confidence.
"That means he's been dead for a long time" said Nastiti.
"What year did the two protectors come?" ask Alan.
The five people looked at him with strange looks.
"What year is it?" The goddess really did not expect to get such an answer.
"That's the year that's happened since the Lord of Light led us. Thousands of brilliant years." Dean explained seriously.
"Yeaahh.. We will not understand, because it is not in the record of life on earth. Maybe they came from another universe," Nastiti chimed in.
"Hemm, right. What matters now is our planning ahead. Whether to settle here or find a way home." Widuri reminded him of what he thought was important.
"Going home? I can't go home without a transmission line from headquarters" Dean replied.
"Hey, you're dead, so there's no need to bother thinking about going back to where you came from. We just want to bring Dean home." Widuri speaks ketus.
"Rubber. If you want to come, whatever. But if you want to stay here, then find another body for you to occupy. So Dean can come back with us." Dewi added.
"Other bodies?" Dean's dumbstruck.
"If you can move your stiff body in the cave, that's great. Anyway, we want Dean to be himself again. You've been mastering it ever since. Then how did he get out? Just watch out if you make him die."
Nastiti added, again,
"Again, there's something you don't want to fight with Dean, but your attitude is stiff and boring, it's not cool to fight."
Nastiti chuckled looking at Widuri. Welcomed irritated eye pelotototan which actually makes Dewi and Sunil so laugh.
Dean, who could not understand why people were laughing, turned to Alan. Alan poked his shoulders at the mark of not knowing the menau.
"Alright, we'll finish the job here as soon as we can before evening. We talked late." Alan stood up, shaking off the grass stuck to his pants butt.
Dean followed Alan. They have to install the finished door.
*
The reddish sky accompanied the afternoon activities in front of the cave. The goddess milked the sheep while waiting for her turn to bathe.
"Hey, why are the numbers of these sheep decreasing? One tail is not here." The goddess looked around.
"How many tails are there?" ask Sunil.
"There were 16 in the morning. There are 15 of them now." The goddess looked worried.
"Tomorrow we'll find, it's almost night. Hopefully not lost in the fog." Sunil held back the hand of the Goddess who wanted to go looking.
"Alright" answered the Goddess.
**
3 Weeks just passed. They now live in the cottage. The men built the kitchen and the bathroom. The water is drained with earthenware pipes from the showers near the wheat fields to the shelters on the side of the hut.
A help is very useful and makes the cottage more comfortable to live in. The women made one room together. A adept at using his hands turning tree trunks into large wooden cots. They don't have to sleep on the stone floor anymore.
Dean can go back to being himself if spirit A feels weak. But if Dean does a hard and slow job, then A soul will also replace and make the job easier and faster.
Alan and Sunil made sets of bows and arrows for everyone. Every afternoon they practice archery. Although the progress is slow, they are not desperate.
The women busied themselves gardening and made some cookware and ate from the loam. Nastiti gets better at this, making them feel like they're back alive in civilization.
A teach basic martial movements, how to sword, use a knife and all the weapons he has. He mastered so many martial skills.
Dean ended up always holding a sword on his back if he went out to check the area. The other team members followed in his footsteps. Never leave a bow and a knife when going far enough from the hut.
The sheep are made a new shelter near the cottage so that they are comfortable. There are also some forest chickens that are caught and kept in cages to continue to produce eggs.
Occasionally Sunil and Alan take turns to accompany A check the boundaries of foggy areas and build a new fence so that no more livestock get lost and lost in the fog.
The cave hallway is now given a mechanical door by A in order to be opened shut. They had stored very much food stock in a cool place like that refrigerator. So do not let the rooms there taken over the bat.
***