The ranger hesitated for a moment, studying their faces. Then he finally spoke.
"Disappearances and accidents in the wild have been rising fast over the past month. We've reached a point where the government had no choice but to shut these areas down."
Austin's jaw tightened.
"What kind of accidents?" he asked slowly. "The government would never close entire regions over a few scratches from wildlife."
He narrowed his eyes, voice dropping.
"So unless these 'accidents' aren't just scratches… what exactly are we talking about?"
Adam's heart dropped at Austin's tone. He had a feeling he knew exactly what Austin was hinting at.
The ranger straightened slightly, forcing a neutral expression.
"The government is still investigating. More information will be shared later—"
Austin cut him off.
"I've seen them. Species changing. New traits. Bigger. Deformed." His jaw clenched. "And you're only reacting now?"
Austin stepped forward, tension radiating off him.
The ranger's composure cracked. He straightened, voice tightening.
"Sir, I'm just following orders, alright? If you want more information, the government will release an official statement soon."
He raised his voice slightly, no longer polite.
Blake stepped in immediately, hands raised in a calming gesture.
"Hey, excuse my friend — he's a bit tense about the whole situation. He's a huge forest nerd, you know? Gets emotional when things don't add up."
He forced a light tone, trying to defuse the tension before it escalated.
"We'll take our leave. Thanks for doing your job and keeping people safe."
Without waiting for anyone's reaction, Blake grabbed Austin by the shoulder and pulled him back.
"Why do you—" Austin started, trying to twist out of his grip.
"Let's go, guys."
Blake didn't give him the chance to finish. He turned away from the checkpoint, dragging Austin with him as the others followed.
Tom and Patty exchanged a quick look, hesitated for a second, then hurried after them.
Adam didn't move right away.
His thoughts tangled for a moment — the mantis, the spiders, Austin's talk about mutations, the ranger's reaction. All of it pointed in the same direction.
Unconsciously, he brushed his forearm. Not a trace of the fight from a few weeks ago. Not even a bruise.
But then another set of images pushed back: the training sessions, the progress he'd felt in his body, the rush of climbing, the stunt he'd been preparing for.
He exhaled slowly, forcing his legs to follow the group.
A few minutes later, back at the car, Tom finally asked, hesitant:
"So… what do we do now?"
Patty didn't look up from his phone.
"I've checked… it's happening in every region… It's not something specific… People are posting like crazy… getting blocked from wild areas everywhere…"
The others gathered around him.
On social media, videos and posts were flooding in. Rocky trails, reserves, tourist spots — all shut down. It wasn't local. It wasn't random.
It was the whole country.
"Click on that one," Adam said.
– Is it only me? – From IAmNotAHamster
Hey guys, I got blocked while going for a walk on a usual trail I like to use in the south of Perth.
I was minding my own business, had my gear and all that, you know, when a ranger stopped me and said the area was government‑restricted. I was surprised since I'm pretty timid. There's only squirrels and small lizards or insects in that region, and not even that many. That's why I dared to go there. But apparently there were disappearances, that's what the guy told me.
What do you guys think? I mean… is it some evil organisation or terrorists kidnapping people?
Comments section:
– From xXDarkSasukeXx – Same in Sydney, access to areas that are too far from the city or too wild are restricted. It's almost like Covid‑19.
– From Speedidi00 – The government is hiding something from us once again !
– From AllMightV2 – Could be an experiment that went wrong…
– From SachaIsStrange – Is it the beginning of the end ?!
…
The crew's faces grew progressively more grim as they scrolled through the comment section. They could already imagine how massive the impact of such a decision would be on people.
Suddenly, Austin's eyes narrowed.
He tapped a comment.
– From SupremeScience –Am I the only one who's seen crazy insects? I live in a small village and I've been noticing more and more strangely shaped bugs. They all have something in common. They're way bigger than usual. My uncle's farm was completely devoured by a horde of maggots !
Austin's breath caught. Adam's and Blake's pulses quickened. Tom's face went pale, the image of the spiders and the writhing mass of maggots forcing its way back into his mind.
Patty… well, he didn't care.
He just kept scrolling.
"Damn, are we seriously going through an apocalypse?" Blake said, his voice trembling for the first time.
"Don't say that, you're raising a flag here!" Tom snapped, fear sharpening his tone.
"I fucking knew it would happen! What did they expect? That people wouldn't notice forever?" Austin's voice cracked with anger. "I refuse to believe the government was ignorant of the situation!"
Patty finally spoke, still calm — too calm — and his voice made everyone's body go cold.
"What about the rest…? Is it only insects… or are other animals changing too…"
"No no no, I'm too young for that… I don't even have a girlfriend! I never fu—" Tom started pacing around, chewing at his fingernails in a frantic, jerky motion.
"Shut up, it's just insects! An ant, whether it's one millimeter or one centimeter long, is still an ant, you idiot!" Blake cut him off and smacked the back of his head.
Tom and Blake started rambling and snapping at each other, voices overlapping in a messy mix of panic and irritation, while Austin tried to calm the situation but got dragged into the flow as they both turned on him. Patty, tired of the noise, simply walked off and went to nap in the backseat of the car.
Adam, meanwhile, had been putting the pieces together in silence.
He had known. He had felt something like this would happen in Australia after the mantis. Marie warned him, told him to stay, begged him to cancel his plan.
But he didn't.
He lived for these stunts. It was the only time he truly felt alive. But now that he was confronted with reality, he didn't know what to think.
Should I really cancel everything…? Adam thought, his hands coiling into fists, frustration tightening inside his chest.
Finally, he cut through the noise, his voice sounding harsher and more commanding than he intended.
"Let's go back."
He walked to the car and joined Patty, slamming the door behind him.
The trio turned toward him, exchanged a look, grumbled under their breath, and followed him into the car.
As Austin drove back, the group fell into a strange silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
On the road, they saw plenty of cars returning as well — people coming back from different trails and access points, all likely turned around by rangers.
On the streets, they could feel a kind of manic energy.
People were talking frantically outside coffee shops, phones in hand, voices raised.
Small groups had already formed on sidewalks, some arguing, others shouting at passing cars, a few even starting to demonstrate against the government.
Adam registered everything. Every raised voice, every panicked face on the street, every car heading back. He absorbed it all, each detail adding weight to the same side of the scale — the side that whispered danger.
The side that told him maybe… maybe the stunt wasn't worth it anymore.
For a moment, it almost tipped.
Almost.
But beneath the fear, beneath the doubt, something stubborn still burned. That part of him that lived for the climb, for the rush, for the stunt. The part that refused to let go, no matter how heavy the other side became.
Finally back at home, everyone went to their respective resting spots, each needing some air to think about it. Patty on the couch, Austin in the kitchen eating to calm his nerves, Tom on his computer playing some games to forget, Blake smoking a cigarette on the porch, and Adam to his room.
Before Adam could leave, Blake's voice sounded behind him.
"Hey, Adam. Let's talk about it tonight at dinner, okay?"
Adam paused. A tiny hesitation. Then he nodded.
"…Hmm."
Adam went inside his room, his thoughts running in frantic circles. Unable to think clearly, he stripped off his shirt and dropped to the floor, letting instinct take over. Training was the only thing he could trust — the only place where his mind stopped fighting itself.
Push‑ups. Squats. Abs. Handstands. Again. Again. And then the Baki pose, muscles trembling, breath sharp.
He kept going for two hours, burning through the frustration, forcing it out of his body one rep at a time.
When he finally stopped, sweat dripping down his back, he felt lighter. Freer. It had been almost a month since he'd trained like this — without thinking, without restraint, without goals. Just him and his body, moving as one.
Without a second thought, he lay down on the floor, slipped his earpods in, and put on some music. He let himself drift, focusing on the simple things — his breath rising and falling, the heaviness in his limbs, the steady thump of his heartbeat.
For the first time in weeks, he felt… right. Centered. Back to himself.
He stayed like that for what felt like hours, drifting between the music and the rhythm of his own breath — until suddenly, his phone rang.
His music cut off. Adam opened his eyes, annoyed by the sudden silence, and glanced at his phone.
Evelynn.
He sighed, already knowing exactly how this would go. Then he picked up.
"Hello," he said, exasperation seeping through his voice.
"Hello, Adam. I hope you're doing well, and that your preparations are progressing as planned." A cold, perfectly controlled female voice filled his ear.
"Yeah, everything's going well, Evelynn. You don't need to worry," Adam answered.
"I expect performance, Adam. We have an image to maintain. We can't afford to sponsor just any random kid — it would damage our brand's reputation in extreme sports." Her tone didn't shift by a millimeter.
"Your parents vouched for you, and my boss trusts them. They've worked together flawlessly for years. But I only believe what I see, not what I hear. I hope you won't disappoint the expectations placed on you. Our boss would very much like you to become a new figure representing us."
"I know that. You'll see. I'm not like these kids — I'm aiming for the sky, and I'll reach it." His voice rose slightly at the end, betraying the pressure he felt.
Silence. Long enough for him to regret sounding so eager.
"I've heard some things," she finally said. "Zones being restricted in Australia."
Adam tensed up instantly.
"Will it be a problem?"
"I—" Images of the day flashed through his mind. The rangers. The crowds. The panic. But his need to prove himself drowned everything else.
"No. It won't be a problem. The spot we'll be using isn't restricted." Cape York came to mind, and he clung to it.
"Very well. I'll be waiting, then." Her voice remained perfectly flat. "We have a new product to launch, and we intend to surpass our competitors this time. If you succeed, we'll make you the face of that product, and we'll increase our investment in you."
Adam didn't care. He just wanted the freedom to do what he wanted. But money… money was a problem in this line of work.
"Have a good day, Adam." She hung up immediately.
Adam didn't react at first. The flat beep in his ear barely registered. He replayed the call in his head — the pressure, the silence, the lie he'd told without thinking.
Then the realization hit.
"I'm fucked…" he groaned, letting himself fall back onto the floor as he grabbed his head with both hands.
"Okay, okay… calm down," he muttered, forcing himself to breathe. "Not everything's lost. Technically, it's true. Cape York is too fucking wild to get blocked. Nobody even goes there normally."
He pushed himself back up and started pacing around the room, running a hand through his hair.
"It makes sense. It does make sense," he insisted to himself, trying to drown the rising panic. "They won't close it. They can't. It's useless land. No one cares about it."
He kept pacing, faster now, clinging to every argument he could find.
"Anyway… Cape York was a spot we'd already decided on," he muttered, as if saying it out loud made it more real.
"Just find the exact point with the drone, analyze it fast, map the terrain, jump in with a helicopter, and get out right after. Three days. Tops."
He stopped pacing for a second, hands on his hips, breathing hard.
"It's doable. It's totally doable," he insisted, even though no one was there to hear him.
Then the real problem hit him.
"…It's just… I'll have to convince the others."
The words came out quieter, heavier.
He forced himself to breathe, steadying the tremor in his chest, then glanced at the time. Night already. He hadn't even noticed the hours slipping by.
He exhaled sharply, grabbed his shirt, and pulled it back on before heading downstairs.
Time to shine… he thought, the irony bitter on his tongue.
When he stepped into the living room, he found the others already gathered.
Blake noticed him immediately.
"Oooh, look who finally crawled out of his cave," he teased, grinning.
"Come on, man. Austin cooked enough food to feed a small army." He added a thumbs‑up for emphasis.
"No, just enough to feed you guys. You're the ones who eat like monsters," Austin replied firmly.
"Haha, thanks Austin." Adam joined them at the table and dug in quickly, grabbing a bit of everything.
"Mmm—damn, that's awesome. You really outdid yourself this time."
"Yeah, that's incredible, Austin," Tom added.
"Good…" Patty muttered with a small nod.
Austin just laughed proudly, planting both hands on his hips like a chef presenting his masterpiece.
They slipped into conversation easily, talking about everything and nothing, laughing, teasing each other, the room warm with the kind of energy Adam usually loved.
Strangely, even after an hour and with dinner long over, no one brought up what had happened today. It lingered between them — a quiet, heavy thing they all pretended not to notice.
But it weighed on him, pressing against his ribs, whispering that he should say something. And as time passed, he finally saw it — the severity flickering across Austin's face, the slight tremor in Tom's hands, Blake's laugh that rang just a bit too hollow.
Of course they knew. They all knew. They just didn't want to bring it up.
He took a deep breath.
"Guys."
Every head turned toward him.
"Cape York," he said. "I want to do it."
Silence fell instantly — not shocked, not surprised, just heavy. As if they had all been waiting for someone to say it out loud.
"Haha… very funny, Adam," Blake laughed awkwardly, not sure what else to do with the tension.
"Absolutely not!" Tom burst out. "Austin told us it was already dangerous under normal conditions, and it's not normal right now. And the government probably blocked it, right Austin?"
He turned toward Austin, clinging to him like a lifeline.
Austin didn't answer right away.
"Cape York…" he finally said, voice lower, almost resigned.
"It's too far and too wild. The government can't block it. And even if they could…"
He exhaled slowly.
"…they wouldn't bother."
The room froze around his words.
Tom blinked, as if snapping back into his body.
"So what?" he burst out. "Even if we can, are we seriously considering going there?!"
"Seems feasible…" Patty muttered.
Every head whipped toward him.
"Not you, Patty!" Tom cracked, voice jumping an octave. "Aren't you supposed to be the voice of wisdom among us?!"
Adam straightened a little.
"Guys, seriously. We can go by helicopter like we planned. We optimize the drone to run every analysis without setting foot on the ground. And for the jump…" He inhaled. "I'm confident I can do it."
He didn't stop there.
"And my sponsor is promising to make me their main representative — their figurehead — if the stunt succeeds. That's ten years of freedom. Ten years where we can do any stunt or project we want."
He looked at each of them, trying to anchor the idea.
"This isn't just a stunt. It's our chance."
Blake swallowed, his expression shifting.
"You know you'll be playing with your life," he said slowly. "Jumping with barely any training in between… We won't have enough time with the helicopter to map out the trajectory or drill you properly. You'll have to make do with a single trajectory and a set of instructions."
He turned fully toward Adam.
Gone was the joker Blake.
Adam met his gaze, matching his seriousness for the first time.
"I'm confident," he said, firm and steady.
"I trust my body. And the training we did together." His voice didn't waver. "You, of all people, know I was already ready from the beginning. The drills were just additional safety."
Blake stared at him — at that absolute, unshakeable confidence Adam always carried. He let out a long breath.
"You're gonna do it anyway, aren't you?"
Adam didn't even need to answer. His eyes said everything.
Blake closed his own for a second, then shook his head with a helpless smile.
"I see… Guess I can't let you kill yourself alone." A beat. "You'll need me to bury you," he added, laughing weakly.
"You too, Blake?! Austin, tell them it's a bad idea!" Tom turned toward Austin, almost pleading.
Austin averted his eyes.
"Sorry," he said quietly. "At the beginning, yeah… I wanted to avoid all of this." He rubbed the back of his neck, choosing his words. "But now? I want to see what's happening out there. With my own eyes."
He finally looked up.
"And Cape York is the best place for that. If something's off, that's where it'll show first."
A breath.
"And with a helicopter, the trip becomes almost completely safe…"
"Seriously, guys—" His words died in his throat.
They were all looking at Adam with the same expression. Determination. Conviction. Resolve.
Tom grabbed his hair with both hands, pacing in place before finally exploding:
"HAAAAA— I hate you!" He pointed at them one by one, voice cracking. "I can't just let all of you go without me!"
He threw his hands up in defeat.
Adam let out a slow breath, relief washing through him. He had done it. He had convinced them — all of them. A part of him felt almost guilty, but he pushed it down.
"Thank you," he said. "All of you." He paused, then added with a grin: "I'll try not to get us all killed."
Patty nodded. Tom grumbled under his breath. Blake laughed at how serious he suddenly looked. And Austin smiled.