Chapter 38: CH 038: The Voice from the walkie-talkie (MR2)

Chapter 38: CH 038: The Voice from the walkie-talkie (MR2)Mass Release For Wednesday! *** After the death of Dave’s parents, he had been sent to a foster home, where he became an orphan. The other kids there, the adults too, they all saw him as a burden, a bad luck. It didn’t matter that he was just a child; the labels were there, and they stuck. The orphanage workers gave him no comfort, no solace. He was just another kid to be watched, another child to be ignored. He had cried in the early days, the overwhelming loneliness and grief making it impossible for him not to. But no one ever came to comfort him. No one ever told him it would be okay. As time passed, the tears stopped. He had learned, as he grew, that there was no point in crying. It wouldn’t change anything. The world wasn’t going to change for him, and the people around him wouldn’t either. So, he embraced the loneliness, pulled it close, and made it his companion. If he was going to live, it would be by his own rules. Alone. By the time he reached high school, he had already distanced himself from everyone. ’It’s better this way,’ he reasoned. ’Anyone who gets close to me will only die.’ He had been through enough loss to know better than to get attached. So, he didn’t. He stayed isolated, away from anyone who could be hurt by his presence. Even when Tyler attacked him, when he had almost died, it didn’t bother him. The world had never given him anything but pain, so why should he care if he left it behind? He didn’t regret it. In fact, he had almost welcomed it. If death meant an escape, then maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. ’Maybe in my next life, things will be different,’ he had thought before. And for a moment, he had thought that might be true, that maybe in another existence, things would be kinder. But those thoughts had been shattered when he woke up, in his own body, still alive. Still trapped in this cursed existence. The world hadn’t let him go. And now, with the system, he was bound even tighter. Dave’s eyes hardened as he looked out the window. His past, his pain, it was all locked away, but it was never far from his mind. It never truly left him. And now, with him getting associated with others, the cycle had continued. The people around him might die again. He might die again. But this time, he would break free. No more regrets. No more waiting for an end that wouldn’t come. He clenched his fists, a new resolve forming in his chest. He would distance himself from those he love, those he care about, for the sake of their existence, he would leave casino base before he gets attached. With this resolve in mind, Dave was determined to find a way to end the punishment the system had thrust upon him, while also ensuring that everyone made it back to the base safely. The weight of responsibility was heavy, but he couldn’t afford to falter. He would try his ultimate best. As his thoughts raced through plans, trying to piece together the next steps, a sudden static crackled from the walkie-talkie resting on the dashboard of the truck. The device let out a sharp, broken series of clicks before a voice, familiar and strained, echoed through the speakers. "Is anyone there? Are you listening, this is Gunther, I repeat, this is Gunther!" The voice that came through the walkie-talkie hit like a punch to the gut. A moment of stunned silence followed, and the three men sitting in the truck froze, their mouths hanging open in shock as they processed what they had just heard. The voice was strained, but unmistakably Gunther’s alive, and speaking through the device. None of them could respond right away, too caught in the wave of disbelief that washed over them. The words seemed to echo in the truck, bouncing off the walls, leaving everyone feeling unmoored and uncertain. Dave’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with shock. His heart lurched in his chest, the initial disbelief quickly giving way to confusion. ’Gunther? Alive?’ He had seen him swallowed whole by one of the boulderback beasts, how could this be possible? How could anyone survive that? It didn’t make sense. It was unbelievable. But if it was true... if Gunther was really alive, then maybe there was hope. Maybe things weren’t as bad as they seemed. The sound of a new message popped up in Dave’s mind, drawing his attention back to the system. [The first beast attack has ended. You have one hour before the next attack. Good luck user!] [Your powers and abilities have been restored] Dave’s hands gripped the edge of his seat as he processed the system’s message, the weight of the moment settling in. Even though he was glancing at the system’s message, his mind couldn’t process them properly. He couldn’t imagine that Gunther would still be alive. But it wasn’t a bad news, in fact it was good news. The driver, Kim Fex, glanced at the walkie-talkie on the dashboard, his eyes flickering between disbelief and confusion. He shook his head, muttering, "Did we... Did we hear that right?" His voice was shaky, the weight of the situation pressing on him. Silas had also spoken up. "I think it might be a joke, maybe someone’s playing a prank on us. Or is it April fool?" He said. But the two recognized Gunther’s voice so well, it couldn’t be a prank. There was no way it will be, could it? And right then, both the driver and Silas had spoken up. "Could it be him?" They asked as they glanced at each other. The silence in the truck stretched out for a moment before Dave finally spoke up, his voice steady despite the chaos swirling in his mind. "Well, there’s only one way to find out." He reached over and grabbed the walkie-talkie from the dashboard. "Hey, are you there? Over." They all waited, their hearts pounding as the seconds dragged on.