“So, once again, price limit, time limit.” Tang Lan looked at him very seriously. Hubbard sighed; they’d already discussed this many times throughout the day, and yesterday as well.

   “Mn.” He nodded when Tang Lan gave him a long, cutting glance.

   “Okay. Then… I will start the timer now. Let’s meet at the food stand in forty-five minutes.” Tang Lan patted Hubbard’s shoulder, and he was gone in a heartbeat on the main aisle of the black market.

     Hubbard just stood at the entrance with his hands in his pocket, and pored in the direction, where the familiar figure disappeared. After a few minutes, he checked his communicator for the time. The person he was waiting for should arrive at any moment.

     It was Tang Lan’s idea to get a birthday present for each other. From the day Tang Lan learned about their shared birth date, he always wanted to celebrate it together. They turned sixteen this year, which meant that they were now adults. His friend thought it deserved a bigger celebration. They’d never bought gifts for each other; they were tight on money due to their age. Kids couldn’t get any decent – legal – jobs; they only could earn some Rs through small tasks, like helping out elderly people or cleaning up a shop. They didn’t get enough to buy anything big. Over the years, they still managed to save up a decent amount of money.

     A gentle hand patted his shoulder, and Hubbard turned his head towards the newcomer. Before he could say anything, the officer grabbed his arm, and forcefully dragged him towards two stands, which were so close to each other, that no one could fit between them comfortably. It was dark as well.

     The soldier looked around twice, before he stuffed Hubbard between the tents, and blocked his pathway. Hubbard was almost pressed to the cold, damp wall of the building.

   “There it is.” The man spoke so quietly as if he was afraid that the tents had ears. His voice was deep, his face worried. He lifted a small suitcase, showing it to Hubbard. But there was another object in his hand: a similar device that shopkeepers used. It was an ID card reader, portable and small, faintly glowing in the dark, painting their faces yellow.

     Hubbard didn’t hesitate to take out his ID card, and sweep it on the device, which made a very subtle sound before the faint glow turned green. The transaction had already been made.

   “Don’t show off with it.” The officer enunciated each word with emphasis. “If they find out that I gave out military weaponry to civilians, we will be decapitated.”

   “I know. I will not show off with it.” Hubbard promised with the same low voice, and took the suitcase firmly, opening it up before the soldier would ditch. The half-automatic handgun was lying in the suitcase peacefully; because of its silvery surface, it reflected the green light brighter than their faces. There were a few magazines beside it as well.

     Hubbard murmured a small thanks to the officer, who just nodded, and in the next second, he left him alone between the two tents, standing with the suitcase in the dark. Hubbard waited for a minute or so before he exited from the narrow alley, and strolled towards the food distributor stand. There were a few tables and long benches scattered around it, enveloped by the rich smell of potato soup. People were walking by; some of them took a quick look at him, thinking that Hubbard wouldn’t notice. He didn’t care for any of them. He was always the centre of attention for some reason – if not for his talent, then for his look. He got used to it, and he learned to ignore it a long time ago.

     He used the suitcase as a pillow, and just leaned on it for about thirty minutes before he saw Tang Lan reappearing on the main aisle with a paper bag in his right hand. The boy spotted Hubbard right away, and walked straight towards the table he occupied.

   “Where have you been? I thought you would pick the same stand as me.” He complained briefly, sitting down oppositely with Hubbard. After Hubbard straightened his back, he cast a noticeably curious gaze onto the suitcase. “Looks like you found another good place to buy guns.”

     They were about to become official members of the mercenary team they had been training with for the past few years. As official members, they needed to own at least one weapon.

     Their very first guns. They both waited for this moment to come, so the excitement was high, but they didn’t just do it without any research. Obviously, they were already familiar with the stands that sold guns in the black market – they had favourite sellers as well. Their soon-to-be comrades often took them to shop for guns or rifles for the team or themselves. It was already exciting just to look at all the weapons, but as kids, they could only buy small knives.

   “Well, then…” Hubbard pushed the suitcase towards Tang Lan. “Happy Sixteenth Birthday.”

     Tang Lan gave him the paper bag.

   “Happy Sixteenth Birthday, Boss.” He said with a gentle smile, which made his face more handsome than it normally was. Well, he was extremely handsome anyway, with his clear and cold expressions and sharp lines. Hubbard smiled back faintly, and while Tang Lan opened the case, he checked into his own bag.

     His first gun turned out to be a Beretta 92FS, which was a very old type, and people could only find them in city ruins; it wasn’t particularly rare, but not very common either, and because of its age – since these pistols were created in the Era of Prosperities – it was still quite unique. Hubbard didn’t expect to get a pearl like this one, and liked it very much. It wasn’t too heavy, fit into his hand conveniently, and he found it easy to load.

     While he was admiring his gift, he missed the chance to see Tang Lan’s first reaction, so when he didn’t hear his voice for a couple of minutes, he glanced towards his friend.

     Tang Lan was sitting there, his eyes fixated on his new gun on the table in front of him, and his face seemed a bit pale and gloomy.

   “You don’t like it?” Hubbard asked; his voice made Tang Lan shudder before his friend lifted his gaze. His black eyes revealed his aloofness; Hubbard would almost call his look disappointed.

   “Did you forget about the price limit?” Tang Lan asked in a calm and low voice. Hubbard froze for a second, and licked his lips. He started to pack his new weapon away, attaching its holster to his waist.

   “No.”

   “Then… how much did you pay for this?” Before Hubbard could answer, Tang Lan slightly raised his voice. “Hubbard, don’t play dumb. Since we went on that trip with the Judges, the Ed Browns are my favourite guns. I definitely told you that. I KNOW that this brand is still favoured and produced by the military… This is not a piece of work you can find in a gun shop, even in the black market… even in used condition… And even if it’s a used one, it’s worth a fortune. You cannot physically have that much money… Man, I live with you, I know, you didn’t work to get this much money. So, what exactly did you do to get this?”

   “It wasn’t that expensive,” Hubbard promised, but Tang Lan wasn’t pleased with his answer, and clearly didn’t believe him.

   “Then I’m the dumb one in your eyes.”

     Hubbard factually knew that Tang Lan was way smarter than him, but he just sighed.

   “If you don’t like it, I can get you another one.” He said at last.

   “I… It’s not about… I like it… Hubbard, I set up a price limit, because we don’t… I thought, we don’t have much money, but now…” Tang Lan’s words started to come out at a faster pace, but then he suddenly quieted. It seemed like he was struggling to express his feelings, but the way he glanced towards Hubbard’s waist, Hubbard recognised shame and self-blame in his dark eyes. 

   “Tang Lan.” He called him, drawing back his attention. As they looked at each other, Hubbard decided to stick to the truth; he never meant to hide this, so it didn’t matter. “You said we have to keep the price under 1000 R. I got that for 4500.” Tang Lan’s face went three times paler hearing the amount. “You’re right, I didn’t work. I got money from my old trainer. He is in the military. He transferred it to me for my sixteenth birthday. I didn’t ask him, he just messaged me about it two days ago.” He paused before adding: “I like the one you chose me. It’s perfect. I don’t need a better or more expensive one.”

     Tang Lan’s frustration gradually was replaced by shock. For a few moments, they just stared at each other in silence, before he started to accept the explanation. He looked at his present with increasing excitement, as he ran his fingers over the silvery surface. It was shiny and pretty. It seemed like the gun hadn’t even been used yet.

   “So, you were favoured by a rich man, huh?” Tang Lan teased him a bit, already getting over his shame.

   “He is a Lieutenant General,” Hubbard answered, watching his friend getting obsessed with his new handgun. Seeing his happiness satisfied him. “I don’t know how rich he is. I didn’t expect him to send money to me. We didn’t have a connection since I left the Main City.”

   “Well… it’s still better than getting favoured by other rich men from this place.” Tang Lan concluded with a wider grin. “… Sorry for… my reaction. I love this. Thank you. You’re the best.”

   “Mn.” Hubbard just nodded; he wasn’t angry at Tang Lan for getting upset over the matter. They did have a price limit they’ve both agreed on, which Hubbard ignored. “Let’s eat. I still have a lot of money left. You can eat whatever you want.”

   “Wow. What a spoiled brat… Now that you’re rich, you instantly turned into a prig.”

   “A what?” After Tang Lan cursed at him like this, they both stood up to go to the waiting line at the stand. More and more people started to show up after the end of the working hours.

   “Hah, educate yourself, Boss. You should read some books from time to time.” Tang Lan laughed, and he grabbed Hubbard’s hand as they walked. His action seemed to be unconscious, but he also dragged him along, while he continued. “Uppish. Boastful. Swell-headed. Conceited. Do you get it?”

     Hubbard hummed, and didn’t take his friend’s words to his heart, just smiled faintly. His attention was already drawn to their intertwining hands, he looked down at them. They soon stopped at the end of the line, and Tang Lan still didn’t let him go.

    “So, tell me about your patron. You’ve never mentioned him. What is he like?”

     Hubbard’s eyes turned up, and then he fell into his thoughts, and wandered off. He didn’t pull out his hand from the loose grip, and he felt the heat increasing between their palms. 

   “He is nice. Caring.” Hubbard thought back on their interactions and discussions. “He taught me many things before I came here.”

   “What did he teach you? Did he really… he didn’t ask for something… inappropriate?” Tang Lan’s voice was much more careful now, and a bit uncertain. Hubbard shook his head, and they went one-step ahead, as the line moved forward.

   “He was like… a father. I suppose.” For some reason, a strange emotion bloomed in his chest, but the feeling was completely unrecognisable to him, and it quickly went away. He suddenly felt like he didn’t want to mention it, because he didn’t know, what was this reaction. So he directed his attention to something else. “Tang Lan… why do you like to touch me so much?”

     Tang Lan froze, as they looked at each other. His face showed some crystal clear expressions: first, the confusion, not understanding what Hubbard was talking about all of a sudden; then the shock, when he realised it, and that shock turned into a fright in just a snap of a second when he looked down on their hands. He withdrew his whole arm… no, his whole body, stepping away from Hubbard slightly as if he touched fire. Then, he turned his head forward, and fixated his eyes on the person’s nape who stood in front of them.

   “Sorry… I… didn’t notice.”

   “But why?” Hubbard asked again, briefly bothered by this turn. He didn’t mean to suggest Tang Lan to withdraw his hand.

   “What… what why?” Tang Lan tried his hardest to keep his voice casual, but Hubbard heard his tone getting higher. As he looked down again, he saw Tang Lan’s left hand… gripping the suitcase’s handle very hard, and moving his fingers back and forth on it.

     Whenever he became anxious, he would stroke something with his fingers.

   “You like touching me,” Hubbard explained calmly, and observed his friend’s profile while he spoke. “There isn’t a day when you don’t touch me in some way. I don’t see you doing this with others.”

     Whether it was just a kick or a punch, a hug or a high five, Tang Lan made sure that they were contacted by physical touches throughout the day, every single day. Sometimes they slept so close to each other, that when Hubbard woke up in the morning, he found Tang Lan snuggling with him – Hubbard basically lived in Tang Lan’s flat, so it happened pretty often, although they didn’t share the same place for sleeping. It was hard not to notice. It seemed like Tang Lan felt comfort from these instances, so Hubbard never rejected him.

   “Don’t make it sound weird…” There it came the riposte.

   “Why is it weird?”

   “If you say it like this… it’s… it’s like you’re implying something…” Tang Lan finally looked at him, and… a pink tone poured onto his cheeks. It was very faint, and maybe some people wouldn’t even recognise it as blush, but Hubbard knew this fair skin so well, that he noticed it right away. Such a rare sight… The boy wasn’t the shyest type. Tang Lan couldn’t really keep the eye contact, but he tried, wandering around Hubbard’s neck and chest with his gaze.

   “What am I implying?” Hubbard asked back. “I just meant what I said. You like touching me. You always touch me.”

     The pink colour deepened, and Tang Lan turned away once again in the end.

   “I… well…” Hubbard stood so close, that he could’ve heard Tang Lan’s fastening breath. “I guess there is a reason. I was thinking about this… a while ago. Actually… I… I have to tell you something. Or… ask you something.”

   “Mn.” Hubbard nodded, displaying his attention, but he kept looking back at Tang Lan’s fingers. They were dancing on the handle so fast, as if he wanted to polish it to shine brightly, like the weapon inside the case.

     The line proceeded to go forward; there were only three people in front of them, but many more behind them. The noise was getting louder, everyone was talking with someone else, so they had to step closer to each other if they wanted to hear their own conversation. Tang Lan took some deeper breaths; he tried to calm himself down.

   “Is it hard to tell?” Hubbard asked. “I’m not forcing you.”

   “No, I want to… Just… Hubbard, promise me something.” The boy suddenly looked deeply into his eyes, which he avoided doing until this point. “If I tell you… and you… are not interested… or disagree with my observations… can you forget that I said anything?”

     Hubbard frowned. He had no idea, how he could forget something, so he didn’t want to make this promise first, but after a few moments of thinking he started to grasp that Tang Lan was just afraid of something. Maybe the response itself, or the consequences. The best that Hubbard could do was to deliberately not bring it up ever again. That he could promise.

   “Mn.”

     Tang Lan seemed like he made up his mind hearing his answer. He looked at him, his eyelashes shivered slightly, and he opened his mouth.

     A harsh exclamation came from behind them, and made both of them startle. But not just them; everyone in the crowd complained, their voices were low but continuous, making it feel like they were a swarm of bees buzzing in dissatisfaction that someone disturbed their peace. Everyone looked at the person who scared them, but then the buzzing noises turned into the sounds of admiration: whistles were blown and compliments were thrown at the person.

     It was a woman from the third underground floor. It looked like she was happy to see someone in the line. The person hugged her; then, they stepped away, and started walking between the tables. She had an elegant posture while they went ahead with a man on her side, talking and laughing loudly.

     Both Hubbard and Tang Lan knew what kind of floor it was she had come from. They knew who she was. There was no other woman like her: she had delicate features, wearing a red skirt and a long fur coat; she had a thin waist and round breasts. She was walking in high heels, yet her steps seemed so flawless as if she was hovering above the ground. Her chestnut brown hair flew behind her, the end of her strands curled into rings, bouncing up and down. Her jewellery flickered in the small light of the lamps. Diamond in the mud. Even Hubbard would notice her, despite him not paying much attention to others; she was just that garish.

     Her name was Madam D, the leader of the brothel – Hubbard had seen her many times around the market, but he’d never actually spoken to her. Her voice was a bit deeper than he expected when he first heard her speaking, but she used a tender, yet almost slimy voice; she definitely knew, how to have an impact on other people, and how to manipulate them.

     Hubbard forgot his eyes on her, so when Tang Lan suddenly spoke up after a couple of minutes of silence, he felt like he was dragged back to reality from a dream.

   “Maybe… I chose the wrong gift for you.” He said; his voice smooth. Hubbard drew his eyes back from Madam D, who was chatting with the owner of the food stand – no one raised objections against her for going to the front of the line. The beautiful woman’s giggles travelled through the market along with the smell of the soup and the sweet fragrance of her perfume.

     Tang Lan followed Hubbard’s gaze towards the Madam, his face expressionless. His eyes visibly darkened.

   “What do you mean?” Hubbard asked after a couple of seconds because Tang Lan didn’t continue. His friend sighed, and a reluctant grimace appeared on his lips. He avoided turning back to him.

   “I thought guns would be the perfect gift to celebrate our coming of age.” He muttered under his nose. “But… you know… Maybe we should’ve bought something else.”

   “Like what?”

     Tang Lan quietly snored, and made a gesture, pointing his chin towards the woman.

   “Do you remember what Pei told us?”

     Pei was their Vice-Captain in the mercenary band they were about to join.

   “About?”

   “About what makes a man man.” Tang Lan’s voice got rusty, and he cleared his throat before his eyes left the woman in red. He still didn’t reciprocate Hubbard’s gaze. “You know… He said age alone doesn’t make us men. We don’t count as adults until we bed someone. Maybe that would’ve been a better present for us.”

     Tang Lan lowered his voice to avoid others eavesdropping on them. Hubbard hummed; he couldn’t answer instantly. He disagreed with this statement, and he thought, Pei was just joking or bullying them. He never took him seriously, but if Tang Lan did, then maybe Hubbard misunderstood the man.

     Before he could answer, they reached the front. The Madam left since then. Hubbard didn’t even notice; he thought about Tang Lan’s statement deeply, and shrugged when they were asked about what they wanted to eat.

     There was a small amount of pork that the food distributor offered. They could ask for it as a main meal, roasted or cooked; or they could ask the chef to cook the meat into a chosen soup (mostly they had potato soup, but occasionally there were tomato or mushroom soups on the menu). The price of a portion of pork was painful. Hubbard prepared to take two large portions – one boiled in their soup, and the other one fried, with mashed potato as a side dish.

     The man behind the stand cast a stunned but also suspicious look at him; the latter one disappeared only when Hubbard swept his card on the scanner, and the transaction was completed. He probably didn’t expect Hubbard to have so much money, just like how Tang Lan couldn’t believe it at first.

     Going back to one of the tables, Hubbard felt proud, and as he straightened his back, he felt taller too. How many years had he been waiting for this to happen… to be able to provide food for his friend?

     As they sat down, he began to wonder if the Lieutenant had an idea what Hubbard was going to buy first with the money he sent him. Knowing how observant that man was, and how he figured out Hubbard’s thought processes in a heartbeat, he probably would’ve guessed it right. At least, food would be his initial guess, perhaps.

     For some reason, he felt the urge to smile as they began to eat. And as he anticipated, the flavour of the soup was much more delicious, than any of the food that they could eat in the Outer City.

   “Hubbard.”

     Hubbard looked up just to see Tang Lan sitting in front of him, poking into the soup, stirring it with his spoon, but not drinking a single sip. His face was pale, and somewhat… different. Hubbard couldn’t really pinpoint what he was seeing on Tang Lan’s face.

   “Don’t you like it? Do you want to eat something else?”

   “I was just thinking…” Tang Lan slowly continued. “Are you interested… in women?” After a pause, he added. “Or men? Or any specific person?”

      Hubbard also slowed down with his soup. He didn’t expect that Tang Lan would suddenly be so interested in the matter, since they’d never talked about this before. They knew, what would happen with their bodies, even as a child; when it did, they just went about their lives, accepting this natural change. They lived together, it was impossible to hide it. Nevertheless, they respected each other’s private space, and didn’t make comments on it. From Hubbard’s view, he didn’t bring up many things just because of his disinterest in talking. But he knew Tang Lan would probably be a bit embarrassed over it, so this gave him another reason not to push the topic. There wasn’t much to talk about anyway. 

     However, it wasn’t really a secret either, so Hubbard just shrugged his shoulders.

   “I don’t really know. My body has interest in intimacy. My mind has not.”

     Tang Lan breathed out a laugh, but it only lasted for a second.

   “Yeah, I figured.” He said softly, but his voice carried another strong emotion.

     Others would say Tang Lan was just cold. Detached from the discussion. His face flawless, like a piece of art.

     But the corners of his mouth were slightly pressed together, the inside corner of his eyebrows wrinkled, and the light in the depth of the dark eyes was extinguished.

     Tang Lan was unhappy. He lost the good spirit he got from his gift, and hung his head.

     Hubbard tried to understand him. He thought back to what was the set off for this conversation, and remembered Madam D’s appearance. Tang Lan said they should’ve had another gift, not the guns. Did he maybe lose his confidence again if he chose the right present? Just like before, when he thought, Hubbard would not like the gun he gave him, because it was cheaper… It seemed like Tang Lan was very self-conscious about this thing today.  

   “I’m happier with my new gun,” Hubbard said suddenly as he continued to eat. He realised, that he never got to answer Tang Lan’s statement before, thus he corrected his mistake.

   “Mn… well, you really only care about military stuff.”

     Tang Lan’s lips curled into a sad smile. He was staring at his soup, and probably had many more thoughts than he let out. That Hubbard was a gun nut always gave a lot of opportunities for Tang Lan to tease him, and this phrase was often used by his friend. Hubbard rarely answered; he knew Tang Lan just mocked him. Usually, there was no need for an answer. However, this time, it felt different.

   “And about you.”

     Tang Lan visibly swallowed, and he couldn’t stand the urge to glance at him. Hubbard didn’t look away, but stopped eating again, and elbowed beside his plate while reciprocating his friend’s eye contact. After a surprisingly long yet short time, Tang Lan turned his head sideways. His long eyelashes trembled, like a butterfly wing in the breeze, and his dark eyes seemed to glare stronger.

   “You’re making it sound weird again… asshole.”

     Hubbard faintly smiled, and just kept looking at him. After some thinking, while letting Tang Lan calm down a bit, he spoke again.

   “What about you? Are you interested in women or men?”

     His friend opened his mouth, but he couldn’t answer. His thumb started dancing on the stem of the spoon.

   “I think so… Would that be… How would you feel about it?”

     Hubbard raised his eyebrows.

   “What should I feel about it? Are you trying to compare yourself to something again?”

     The black eyes flashed with a slight coldness this time.

   “Compare myself? To what exactly?” He asked hurriedly as if he were bothered by what Hubbard said. This confused Hubbard quite much. Nevertheless, since he started saying it, he just stuck to his opinion.

   “Don’t you suggest that I would be angry with you for wanting to be with someone? You are like this from time to time. You’re trying to impress me. But you don’t have to act like me. If you want to be with a woman, that’s fine.” Tang Lan didn’t reply, so Hubbard continued. “So either you compare yourself to me, or you want to live up to the Vice-Captain’s expectation, and be a man in his eyes… Why are you comparing yourself to other’s expectations? Just tell me, what would make you happy. I still have some money left, if you want a woman. No need to stress over it. I’m not going to be mad at you.”

     Hubbard felt like he said it right; he wasn’t the best to show support, and frankly, he was still learning. Now he felt proud again. He felt that he worded his thoughts so well. Yet, after a long frozen moment, Tang Lan put his spoon down.

   “I don’t want anyone.” His voice seemed balanced, but somewhat cold. Hubbard knew right away, he was upset. The pride Hubbard felt just a second ago dissipated in the wind. This shift was unexpected. He clearly misunderstood Tang Lan, and now he had no idea, what exactly happened in his friend’s head. “Sorry… I know the meat was expensive, but my stomach hurts.” With these words, Tang Lan stood up. “You can stay, eat well. I’m going home early. Don’t miss the last train.”

     All of this happened so fast, that by the time Hubbard came to his senses, Tang Lan walked away with quite large steps. Hubbard felt dumber than usual, but he knew, he didn’t want to stay and eat alone. Before he would lose Tang Lan, he quickly asked for a few boxes to pack their food away, and started running.

     Tang Lan was already far from him, his small figure crossed the public square in the night-lights, and Hubbard had to push away many people to catch him, but he only succeeded at the other end of the square.

     He grabbed Tang Lan’s free hand. The boy jerked and spun back, visibly frightened about the unexpected touch, but after recognising him, he looked at Hubbard as he was slapped in the face.

   “I told you to eat…”

   “I can eat at home.” He cut into his friend’s complaint, and tightened his grip around the thin, icy fingers. Now he was the one who started dragging him along towards the train station.

   “Let me go… It bothers you when I touch you. And everyone can see us.”

   “When did I say that?” Hubbard asked back calmly, and only stopped when they reached the platform. He turned towards Tang Lan, who was panting faintly, and his pale face looked even whiter under the cold light of the street lamps. “It doesn’t bother me.” He gently squeezed on Tang Lan’s fingers as a confirmation. “And unlike you, I don’t care what people think. If I want to hold your hand, I will.”

     He didn’t even lower his voice, so some other passengers around them looked in their direction and their intertwined hands. Tang Lan noticed them too, and his face grew back the red mist under his eyes.

   “Hubbard…”

   “By the way, what did you want to tell me before? About the touches. You haven’t finished it.”

     Tang Lan’s gloomy face was gone already. His eyes started to sparkle, and his mouth didn’t show distress anymore. He gradually calmed down, and regained his usual self. His fingers also warmed up in Hubbard’s grip.

   “Nothing. It was nothing important…” It felt like a lie, and Tang Lan probably thought so too, because he changed his answer. “I’ll tell you another time. I’m not ready yet.”

     Hubbard observed the boy’s handsome face for a little while until the train’s horn started echoing in the distance. It was clearly something important, but Hubbard didn’t want to force Tang Lan to speak. It seemed like his friend felt well now. There was no need to talk.

     They continued their dinner at home while starting to discuss guns and other machines, vehicles and missions, and famous people whom they idolised. It was a good sixteenth birthday.

~�HxT�~

     Hubbard just stood there, holding the worn-down gun in his palm, and stroked the engraved name on its side. This pistol was already outdated. He had to get rid of his own a long time ago because of a malfunction. As the monsters got stronger, even on the Flatlands these were considered weak weapons. Yet, Tang Lan took it everywhere with him. He would never leave this gun behind. After checking the magazine, Hubbard ascertained that only one bullet was missing.

     It was like a switch in his feelings. He knew they wouldn’t find Tang Lan now. Even if he was alive, he was not around. He either went way farther from this place, or hid somewhere… Hubbard ran into a dead end. His people were tired of the searching, and as they gathered around him, they all started to believe, their Vice-Captain was gone. This place was too large to continue looking for him now.

   “Where did you find this?”

     His comrades looked at the gun in his hand. The one who gave it to him, pointed at the grass next to them, where there was a small crushed area. A human-sized object fell on that point… Hubbard took a step towards it, and looked at the surroundings. He didn’t see footprints. Nor blood.

     There was no blood. Tang Lan must be alive, and probably unscratched.

     For now… his friend had to wait for them a little… just a little bit.

     Hubbard decided to return to the cars. It didn’t matter where Tang Lan was hiding, he would probably come back to his car. Then, when they reached the vehicle, he decided to leave the gun on the driver’s seat, and closed the door.

   “Are we going to leave his car here?” One of his people asked uncertainly. “This is our second best one… The base wouldn’t be happy…”

   “Just temporarily,” Hubbard stated in a hoarse voice, trying not to show his emotions. He had to rest and think about this whole matter later. His mind couldn’t help him now. Everything hurt. “He will come back for it. Monsters would not touch an empty car. We’ll see once we return.”

     He forced himself to say this, just like how he forced himself to get in his own car. If not for his team, he would’ve stayed here until Tang Lan showed up. But he knew, his comrades would not let him stay – not alone at least. Their food couldn’t last forever, and even if Hubbard was good at fasting, he never expected his people to bear starvation. They had to go back, they had to refill their energy and resources, and come back as soon as possible.

   “Don’t die,” Hubbard said into the silence of the driver’s cabin, looking out of the wide windscreen with his eyes fixated on Tang Lan’s vehicle. “Wait for me.”

     Ignoring the tenseness in his body that screamed “STAY”, he turned his car, followed the others, and left the place, driving his team back to the base safely.

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