"Is he okay now?" Crystal asked Grayson in front of Zuv's house.
"Yeah. Fred will be alright — just dehydrated and exhausted. Can't believe this happened," Grayson said, staring blankly at the main door, lost in thought.
"Let's search near the window. I think that's where he meant," Crystal said.
"Yeah, this area looks uneven," Grayson said, pointing his flashlight near the plants.
"I'll go get a shovel," Crystal said, walking toward the car and checking her phone again and again, hoping for a response.
Grayson looked around and found two more spots that looked odd.
"I was terrified too when I got to the haunted house. You guys live far away, so you don't know how much people fear that place. So many things happened after I met Zuv. Not everything good, but definitely nothing I'll forget," Crystal said.
"The best employee spending time outside in the middle of the night," Grayson teased, taking the shovel from her and handing her the flashlight.
"I might become a better employee after learning how to handle scary situations. I don't think I'll be afraid of humans anymore," Crystal snorted.
"You're too much already," Grayson said with a smile as he started digging.
The sound of the shovel became the only noise. Zuv and Nora's house stood secluded in nature. Cool air brushed their faces; the moon peeked out from the clouds, then vanished again behind them.
"So, Nora and Zuv — just friends?" Grayson asked.
"Yeah. Nora and Mike had something going on, but not anymore," Crystal said as she dug at the other end of the disturbed ground.
"He could get any girl," Grayson said.
"Funny. Zuv describes him as a completely different person from before," Crystal laughed.
"Guess people change," Grayson said softly.
Silence followed. The sound of shoveling faded.
"I think I found something. We'll have to dig deeper," Crystal said after a while.
"Nice — some progress," Grayson replied, still lost in thought.
Crystal pulled out a weird tree branch wrapped in paper. She held it up to the light — strange scribbles covered the paper, none of which made sense.
They checked to see if anything else was buried there but found nothing.
"Let's send a photo to your brother. He might know something," Crystal suggested.
"He might be asleep after the medication, and he's not allowed to use his phone right now," Grayson explained.
"Right. Taking this out might be enough then. I'll send them a video too," Crystal said, taking photos and a short clip.
"You know, there were other spots like this over there. Should we check them?" Grayson asked.
"You think there's more?" Crystal asked.
"It's weird. The way they've maintained this place — it doesn't look like anyone cared for gardening or weeding. There's no sign of stray animals either. It's strange how these areas were dug up," Grayson said.
"Alright, try searching one or two more. I'll see what I can find about this. We can't spend too much time here. Allan and Zuv, might have already reached the campsite," Crystal said.
"Yeah," Grayson replied.
Crystal stayed in the car while Grayson continued searching.
After several minutes, he shouted, "Hey! There's another one here!"
Crystal turned and saw him holding another stick.
"Another one?" she asked as she got out of the car.
"Yeah. There seem to be more," Grayson said, looking farther ahead.
"I'll join you then. Let's dig up as much as we can and leave soon," Crystal said, locking her phone and the first stick in the car.
"Even if we don't completely break whatever this is, it won't be as effective, right? Wish I knew how many are buried," Grayson said, stretching.
"I did find a ritual where they used six sticks like these — it was supposed to reduce energy," Crystal said as she walked toward him.
"Did you find anything about how to break it?" Grayson asked, handing her another shovel.
"Nothing yet," Crystal said, scanning for uneven patches of soil.
After half an hour, they dug up all six sticks.
"My arms are killing me. Never knew I was this weak," Crystal groaned, dropping the shovel and branches in the car's back seat.
"Let me drive," Grayson said, holding out his hand.
"Here. When do you think we'll get there? I'm starving," Crystal said.
"There's a sandwich and some churros in the front. I grabbed extras just in case," Grayson said, glancing at her keychain. Her car key had two charms now — a big crystal heart and a small teddy bear face covered in crystals.
"You know me best!" Crystal said, shutting the door — but stopped when she noticed he wasn't moving, his eyes fixed on the keys.
"I still have it," she said with a soft smile.
But the reaction she hoped for never came. His eyes didn't flicker. His lips didn't smile.
"Do you love him?" Grayson asked.
"Zuv? Yeah… I think what I'm feeling is love," Crystal said with a small blush, finally admitting what she hadn't before — she loved Zuv. She could never lie to her best friend.
"I don't understand love," Grayson said, his gaze unwavering.
"Is… everything okay?" Crystal asked.
"Yeah. Let's get going. We can't be late," he said, snapping out of it.
He walked straight to the driver's seat. An invisible wall began to rise in his mind. Her smile remained clear, even as his eyes lost focus.
The journey continued — guided by maps and silence.