1 The forgotten place. Part one.

Waking up from the unpleasant feeling of cold that ran through his whole body, the guy with the brown thick hair covered his face with his hands and sighed heavily.

Sighing was always the first sign of his life when he woke up. Every morning he sighed heavily, as if something very heavy was stuck in his lungs.

Sighing, he opened his eyes and directed them to the right side.

He was not the only one lying on the iron and very old bed. Next to him lay an old and small man, covered with a heavy blanket that always smelled of stale potatoes.

Stopping his gaze on the back of this old man, who lay motionless, the boy was even frightened that this was the day. The day his grandfather died. But no, noticing that his grandfather was breathing, the boy sighed, only this time with relief.

Rising from the creaky bed, the boy walked over to the basin of water and dipped his hands, then washed his face and began wiping off the remaining water hysterically and quickly. He could still feel the morning chill coming into their house through the cracks in the wall.

Looking around and seeing nothing but gray stone walls and an old bed in the middle and a wooden table with two cups and two plates on it, the boy sighed again.

"Sighing like an old man again?" An old and hoarse voice was heard that belonged to his grandfather, who was already awake and looking at him with his dull gray eyes. "I'm 95 years old and I don't sigh the way you do. What's the matter with you? Or do all young people act like they're a hundred years old these days?"

"Do I sigh?" the guy asked, beginning to light the fire in the fireplace to warm water for tea. Tipping all the contents of the iron basin into the pot that hung over the fire, he began to warm the water. And while he was waiting, he sat down in a chair and looked at his grandfather, who looked very pale today. He noticed that the end was quite near, but he wasn't sure when he should expect it. He looked at his old grandfather, who had raised him and done everything for him, and he couldn't help but feel the pain in his soul. Looking at his face wrinkles, he saw so much pain in them, as if all the horror that had happened in his whole life could fit into those folds of skin. But on the one hand, he was glad that his grandfather had lived to such an advanced age. After all, not everyone in this gray and cold world lives to be 95. After all, many die even earlier, especially those who climb the mountain.

"Arlo, stop being sad. I know what you're thinking. When is he going to die? That's what you're thinking. But you know what? Don't be afraid. Because I'm not afraid. I'm not young. And when I die, you don't have to worry."

"How can I not worry?" Arlo whispered, beginning to pour boiling water into two cups.

"Arlo, you must promise me that you will not spend your whole life being sad. You must promise me that you will live and you will try to live well."

"Live well? And what do you suggest? Go and start climbing the mountain? On the Great Horror itself?" Arlo asked the question, laughing and immediately feeling a rapid heartbeat that made him sit up abruptly.

"What is it? Is it your heart again?"

"Don't get up. I'm fine. Here, drink some water."

Handing the cup of water to his grandfather, Arlo took a deep breath, but his racing heartbeat would not calm down. Trying not to show that he was weak and needed help himself, Arlo smiled and said, "I think today the air is not so polluted."

Without saying anything, the old man drank some water and got to his feet. Though he tried to hide the fact that he was too weak to walk, he still went to the wooden door and opened it. An icy wind entered their house, putting out the fire.

"So refreshing," the old man said, laughing.

"Do you want to get sick? Close the door or get dressed."

"Bring my cloak."

"What? No. You're not going anywhere."

"Says who? I've always gone to the field with you, haven't I?"

"Yes. But honestly, I'm afraid you'll die before your time," Arlo said, trying to say it all as if it were a joke. But in fact, he barely concealed the tremor in his voice.

"You think so? Yes, if I die on my way to the fields, you'll have a hard time. All right, I'll stay home. I want to go with you, though. Remember when we used to go to the fields together and we used to love to watch the sunset there. You were always so excited about the sunset. I should have called you Sunset instead of Arlo."

"Yes, but then those sunsets disappeared, and so did the sunlight."

"Everything disappeared except this mountain," the old man said, looking up at the tall, majestic mountain covered in thick fog that was far away from them, but in the heart of this harsh world.

And every time they looked at that mountain, they fell silent. For this mountain was so enormous that one simply forgot for a moment how to speak. Alone, shrouded in mystery and covered in rivers of blood, this mountain was terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time.

"Come inside, I'll go," Arlo said, grabbing his backpack and throwing on his leather cloak.

"Be careful. There are a lot of Claws flying around these days," the old man said, pointing a finger at a bird that flew by. "Close your eyes when you see them. I heard that one of those scary birds took out both of Raymond's eyes. Poor boy. He's only 11 years old."

After noticing several small birds with snow-white wings and huge long claws, Arlo put on his hood and just walked forward.

But as soon as he stepped outside and found himself among the many wooden houses that seemed to be made simply of paper, two birds immediately began flying over his head.

Covering his face with his hand, he looked down and walked as fast as he could. But walking through these endless puddles, which are the constant result of human waste, was simply impossible.

There was an unpleasant smell all around him, and when he noticed a small child sitting near one of the paper houses trying to make a doll out of a tree branch, he felt so bad at all that he almost cried.

He wanted to cry from the hopelessness of this life. For he felt sorry for people and for himself, too. After all, he desperately wanted life to change in some way. Just as he stopped to catch his breath, two birds appeared in front of his face. His gaze met the bird's, in which he saw nothing but emptiness. The big black eyes described perfectly the emptiness that all people are always afraid of.

No sooner had he closed his eyes than he thought the bird was about to pounce on him and pull his eyeball out. But a strong hand pulled him back, and the next second he was standing behind the broad back of a tall guy.

Watching one of those snow-white birds fall to the ground with broken neck, Arlo felt an unpleasant sensation in his throat. To make matters worse, that little kid with the branch in his hands starts laughing loudly and the laughter and stench made him feel dizzy. But it all went away the moment the tall guy turned to face him and say, "Are you crazy? Do you want to lose your eyes? Let's get out of here."

"Good afternoon, Zale," Arlo replied to the guy, who is actually his best friend, with whom they have been together since they were very young.

The tall and muscular guy with long black hair and a handsome face looked at Arlo again, or rather, he looked into his eyes, in which there was nothing but fear.

"You look so pale. Going for food roots?" he asked, holding out goggles, which looked like goggles for skiers. "Here, put these on and don't take them off. How many times do I have to tell you to be more careful? What are you laughing at?!" Zale exclaimed when he saw that kid still laughing and clearly laughing at them.

Without saying anything, Arlo went forward, wanting to leave this street quickly. But the houses stretched far ahead and so he slowed his step to look at his friend.

"How have you been? Where have you been? I haven't seen you in two weeks."

"Actually, I've been getting ready for preparatory camp. I decided that I wanted to be the one to try to change this life. It's not like I can just sit back and watch my mother and sister suffer and have an incomprehensible life ahead of them amidst this stench and this gloom."

Lifting his head, Arlo really saw only gloom. An incomprehensible shroud of gray always hung over the city, and everyone knew that behind this shroud, somewhere very far away, there is light and there is happiness. But not in this world, which is at the very bottom of all other worlds.

"All those who go there die. Aren't you afraid?"

"I'm tired of being afraid. I'm already afraid to be afraid. How long can this go on? Besides, I think I can get to the top. I've got to get there."

"How many centuries have people been trying to get there. And how many centuries in a row have people lost their loved ones. That mountain kills, Zale."

"And so does this world. Or do you like to keep walking around this place where there isn't even any food?"

Without saying anything, Arlo still felt a slight jealousy. After all, he envied people who were healthy enough to say they would go climb a mountain. After all, deep down, he thought about doing something, too, to try to change things. But all he could do was just go to the field and then back home.

"They say this winter the roots will stop growing and we'll be left with nothing."

"That's what they say every year."

"I hear there's a world where people eat sweet fruit and lots of other things. I want to be in such a world."

"And when are you going to start your training already?" Arlo asked and only now noticed that they weren't going to the fields, but to a completely different place. "Where are we going? The fields are that way."

"I'm having a physical exam today. I'm very excited, and I want you to come with me."

"What? But Grandpa's waiting for me."

"How's he doing?"

"He's getting weaker before my eyes."

"You know, your grandfather is a miracle. I mean, not everybody lives to be that age. What's his secret? I can't figure it out."

"I guess because of me, he just didn't have time to think about himself. He just forgot about death."

"I'm sure Way will live another ten years."

"Way? Since when do you call my grandfather by his first name?"

"What should I call him? Grandpa?"

Laughing, Arlo put his arm around his friend's shoulders and said, "If you leave me here alone, I'll have no one."

"Well, then come with me."

"Are you kidding? I have heart and lung problems. I won't survive five minutes in prep camp."

"I'd really like you to come with me. I don't want to leave you here either."

"What sweet words. So heal me."

"I've heard there's a world where the air is clean and no one gets sick there. I want you to live in such a world."

"And since when did you get so nice?" Arlo asked, pinching his friend's cheek.

"Don't touch me!"

"Careful! Watch your step!"

Running after his friend, who was far ahead, Arlo still didn't stop until he started coughing. But even then, he took a deep breath and ran on.

Empty abandoned stone houses now replaced paper houses and there were no people at all in this part of the street. There was only death, which settled in each of the houses.

Torn laundry ropes stretched along the crooked trees and one could see dust in the air that was so thick that when it fell to the ground it created the image of snow. But everyone knew that it was not snow, but dust, which at times was not dust, but ash.

"People say it's just dust. But we all know it's the ashes of the people who burn on this mountain," Arlo said, trying to stop his friend. "I've heard that this mountain is where all the worst things are. No one can even reach the middle, let alone the top."

"I heard there's a portal at the top and it leads to a better world. That's all I think about."

"Do you have any idea what you're going for? And your mother is just so willing to let you go?"

"She's glad I'm going there. After all, it's the only way our lives have any meaning."

"How much longer do we have to go? My grandfather's waiting for me."

"We're here," Zale said, stopping in front of a stone tunnel that looked like a crocodile's mouth.

"And this is the camp where they train the strongest?"

"No. That's just the entrance. The camp is there."

Looking even farther and seeing that behind this tunnel a hill rises and a gray-colored building can be seen, Arlo experienced a kind of trepidation. Suddenly, he became nervous, and he himself did not know why.

"Well, shall we go? You just wait for me. It won't take long at all."

As they entered this icy tunnel, Zale quickly disappeared from view and Arlo was left alone. Noticing a chair a little farther away, he went forward. Noticing a few beds resembling operating tables and scary looking lamps on long iron legs, he tried to find his friend, but he was nowhere to be found. There were only unfamiliar faces that expressed only emptiness. Here were young women and guys who had clearly come here with the confidence that they would be the ones to climb to the top. Looking at them, Arlo thought of himself. And just as he was thinking about himself, suddenly a man in a black vest and wide pants, with a knife and a gun hanging from his belt, appeared in front of him.

The man had evidently been sitting behind a stack of boxes containing some bottles all this time, and now that he was in front of him, Arlo began to get even more nervous.

The man picked up one of the bottles with a strange green liquid inside and looked at him. When his face became visible, Arlo was thrown into a shiver altogether.

Big green eyes, thick black hair, bushy eyebrows, a straight and neat nose, scarlet lips, fierce eyes, and a physique full of energy and courage made Arlo experience such strange emotions as he had never felt in himself before.

Sitting still, hoping the man would leave, Arlo once again began to look for his friend. But he was nowhere to be found.

"Why are you sitting here? How many times do I have to tell you to go there? Should I put a sign up here?! Just look at him! Sitting there like he came to visit me and waiting for some tea!"

This loud voice, which belonged to a short man in a dirty robe, sounded so close to Arlo that before he could understand anything he was already following him.

"Is it so hard to understand the need to go this way? Or are they getting stupider every time? What's the matter with them?" the man in the robe asked the man in the black vest, who also followed them and stopped near the table.

Without stopping to look at him, Arlo desperately wanted to talk or run away altogether, but he was suddenly speechless. It was as if he wasn't himself anymore, and he didn't understand anything either. And he didn't even notice that he was on the icy iron table and that the man in the robe was already unbuttoning his shirt.

"Wait," he managed to say, catching a glimpse of that man in the black vest, who had begun to look at him with unconcealed curiosity.

"Don't move. I don't have time."

"No, you misunderstand me," Arlo said, but it was too late. For next he felt something very heavy and hot on his belly and that heat made him make a sound of pain.

"Bannard, how do you only take such gentle fellows to be your disciples? What can they even do? Look at him. I mean, he's too gentle."

"I came with a friend. He's here," Arlo said, raising his head, but the man in the dirty robe pressed his head violently against the table and shouted, "I don't have time! Don't move!"

"No. I didn't come for!" No sooner had he finished his sentence than a whole crowd of people burst into the room and quickly, the place filled with loud voices.

As he lifted his head and saw the round pale gray stone on his stomach, Arlo realized that he had no reason to worry. He knew perfectly well what kind of stone it was. He knew exactly what he was looking at. It was the stone that told a person's state of health. Arlo knew very well that if the stone turned blue it meant a person was in poor health, and if it didn't change color it meant a person was in good health. Deciding that he had nothing to worry about, Arlo sighed and lay back down. He even wanted to see that man again, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Just a little more and we'll know your condition," the man in the robe said and pressed the stone even harder against his stomach. "Come all of you over here! Why are you standing there? What's wrong with these guys?!" he shouted loudly and as soon as he stepped away from the table, the walls of that tunnel started to shake and the next thing Arlo saw was total darkness and silence.