Chapter Text
It’s stuffy. Incredibly stuffy. The windows in this old car have been jammed for a long time, and the refrigerant in the air conditioner has needed to be replaced for two years.
Ranboo was sitting in the back seat. Because of the uncomfortable chair, even those muscles that he did not know about were numb. The guy watched as small houses flashed by the window. They appeared in the field of vision and disappeared faster than the eyes would have time to properly examine them. But each of these conceals someone's life. Someone's incredibly huge life fits into one small building. One of thousands of small and so similar to each other buildings.
Ranboo wondered - how similar are the lives of their tenants? Most likely, they were all born in a local maternity hospital, went to the same school, experienced a similar horror of finding their way to stop at an ordinary job in an ordinary city. Although in the end none of these lives made much sense. In the end, only old useless ruins will remain from any building, which they have already passed dozens. And in the end, only useless dust will remain from each person.
The car screeched to a stop at a gas station. Ranboo got out of it, almost falling. The right leg was pierced by a white noise and it simply refused to move normally. Damn three and a half hours of driving. But there were about four more to come. The guy smiled tightly at his uncle and stretched with a groan. As soon as his leg returned to a semblance of normality, he limply wandered to a small shop. And let the prices there be inflated several times, but he needs at least something to brighten up the further path. The salesman barely spared him a glance when Ranboo entered. And barely bothered him with a parting nod when he left.
Clutching a pack of chips in his hands, the guy stretched again. Uncle Sneeg was in no hurry to get back into the car, so it looks like he had a little more time to warm up. Exercising the muscles of his arms, Ranboo began to turn circles around the gas station. His attention was attracted by a stand with ads. Almost nothing interesting. Someone is selling their house, someone is looking for a roommate, someone is looking for a missing kitten, someone is looking for a missing child. Wait. What?
Among this pile of almost useless pieces of paper, a photograph of a boy with disheveled blond hair and deep blue eyes looks like a spot of oil in the middle of the ocean. The message is half-torn off, even his name can't be read now. Something very heavy stirred in the guy's stomach. Maybe these chips won't be useful to him. This boy looked to be sixteen, almost the same age as Ranboo. This poor guy hasn't even finished school yet, and all that's left of him is a photograph. Looking closer, Ranboo noticed several bruises visible on his neck from under a white and red T-shirt, and there was no joy in his eyes, but only deep sadness. It seems that not everything was good in his life. Maybe he became really important only after his disappearance, although judging by the state of the ad it wasn't for long.
Ranboo could only longingly wish that wherever this boy was, he would be better there.
When the guy got back into the car, he had a headache. Well, this trip is really going to be a long one. When the car, having sadly sneezed with a muffler, started off again, the guy took a last look at the stand. He wonder if he disappears, how long they will look for him. A month? Two? And then his existence will be forgotten by everyone as well. The flyers with the ads will fade and tear, the traces that he left on the ground will be washed away by the rain.
The city "Lostfield" was very gloomy at first glance and at the second, too. The bright hoop of the sun was sinking behind the dense spires of green fir trees. Several children were playing on the playground, flooding it with their laughter and shouts. Tired adults slowly and even reluctantly trudged home.
The car stopped near a small house. Ranboo almost fell, not feeling his legs again. His gaze fell on the broken window on the first floor. It was like an ugly scar. Like a black toothy hole against the background of a cracked white facade. The guy froze for a moment, peering into the dark void. "So my life will fit in here? Well, it's not like I deserve more."
His uncle patted him on the shoulder.
- I know it doesn't look good. But hey! This is a new life, and I'm sure everything will be fine!
Ranboo smiled tightly in response to the warm words. After the death of his parents, Sneeg did everything for him. He even transferred to this town to take him away and help him forget about everything. And Ranboo was grateful for that. Rather, he felt that he should be grateful. But he just couldn't squeeze anything out of himself after the loss. Not a single emotion. He's just a walking shell of a human and nothing more.
His room was on the second floor. A dust-covered table and a record player. An empty closet. A perfectly made bed, on which a heavy bag immediately fell.
Ranboo fell down next to it. The moldy ceiling met his gaze.
The first day at a new school is never easy, but Ranboo didn't care. He didn't care about anything. Classes dragged on in an endless stream and he just wondered "What's the point of knowing all this if I still won't do anything worthwhile in my life? What's the point of me doing anything if in the end everything is meaningless?"
Ranboo stared at the dinner plate in front of him. Sliced apples have already darkened. The mashed potatoes had cooled down and were now just a nasty cold sticky mass.
A slap on the back brought the guy out of oblivion. Before he could react, someone crouched down next to him.
- Hi, you're new, aren't you? I'm Tubbo!
It was a kid a foot shorter than Ranboo. His dark brown hair was disheveled and almost covered his eyes. He looked very casual, but his smile interrupted everything. It was so bright that Ranboo wanted to close his eyes. Instead, he found himself smiling.
- Yes, I... we moved here recently. I'm Ranboo.
- That's how you got into it, of course. There's just a hole. Why would anyone move here at all? However, it's not my business. Have you met someone yet?
Ranboo did not notice how he slouched.
- You're the first person to talk to me at all.
- Maybe it's because you're sitting like you're going to kill everyone who comes near you? A simpler face, dude, and people will reach out to you.
Tubbo grinned, slapping him on the back again. For some reason, Ranboo felt a strange warmth from this touch.
- Do you want to hang out at my place today? - Tubbo continued - I have a board games and we can also call Aimsey.
"I... I.".. Ranboo really didn't know what to say. He hasn't even talked to his coevals for a long time, not to mention spending time together. - I'll come! in the end, he blurted out so loudly that he winced himself.
- Great, then after class.
Unfortunately, Aimsey couldn't come and Tubbo decided to show Ranboo the city instead of board games. Although not that there was anything to see here. Lostfield was just a bunch of houses, a sawmill and a lot of huge warehouses surrounded by dense forest.
But still, the walk turned out pretty good. Cheerful, Ranboo would even say. Tubbo constantly chatted about all sorts of trifles and found something to tell about literally every house - "Old man Brad lives in this house. There's the world's grumpiest woman in this house. And no one has lived in this for a long time, but about a month ago a van stopped there and now I sometimes see it. When I was given a camera, I even took a picture of it. Oh! Do you want me to show you my photos tomorrow?!"
Ranboo smiled once again during the evening. His mouth was already hurting. He really wanted to.
But when the guy returned to his new home, all the fun disappeared again. Empty walls squeezed throat again.
Ranboo sat in his room over his notebooks for almost two hours before he decided to go outside again. The sky was already darkening.
This day turned out to be quite good, according to the guy. No problems at school and this fun walk with Tubbo. Although Ranboo felt a little strange. Just a simple conversation with a new possible friend was able to cheer him up. Did he really lack simple communication all this time? Was the well he was drowning in really not that deep?
Carried away by his thoughts, Ranboo found himself in the forest. Not too deep, he can easily come back. But it was enough to feel a cold shiver. Pine trees rushed into the sky, dangerously swaying in the wind. The last rays of the sun barely filtered through their branches. The guy had already turned back to the house when he noticed it. A small battered box leaning against a tree and covered with branches. As he approached, Ranboo saw a strange symbol carved into the bark - a number four or something like that.
He carefully opened the box. Inside there were only cassettes marked with a red marker. One of them had the same symbol on it.
Well, it doesn't look like anyone needs them. And he can still throw them away at any moment. Nothing bad will happen if he takes it.
The player turned on with a loud whistle and the first cassette started playing. There were some notes on all of them, but Ranboo couldn't make out the handwriting, so he turned on the one with the number "1" on it.
For about ten seconds it was just ordinary white noise, shamelessly pressing on his ears. But then some text began to appear among the interference. The words flashed so fast that the guy didn't even have time to comprehend them. He approached the screen when a stream of sharp photos hit him in the eyes. Some buildings, people with faces covered with a red square - all this flashed on the screen in an endless string.
Ranboo literally stuck to the screen. "Find the founder" flashed on the screen before the screen showed that strange symbol among the all-consuming darkness.
Interference again. The tape ended.
The guy wanted to play it again, but his uncle called for dinner, and after that Ranboo just fell asleep. It's been a long day.