Anna, Luka, and Louis were walking through the forest, hoping to find their friends. They had been searching for ten minutes, calling their names, but no one replied.
"Where the heck is everyone?" Anna's voice trembled.
"We've been looking for ten minutes and haven't seen a single person," Luka said irritably.
"We can't give up, guys. We have to find them," Louis replied firmly.
"It's easier said than done, you know," Anna muttered.
"You've been searching too, and you haven't found them either. What makes you think we'll have better luck with you?" Luka asked in a grumpy tone.
"I was searching alone before, but now there are three of us. With more people, it'll be easier to find them if we all look around," Louis explained.
Anna's eyes widened nervously. "Are you suggesting… we should split up?"
"Yes. I think it would be better if we split up to cover more ground," Louis said.
"Have you lost your mind, Louis? How can you be so sure splitting up will help us find them?" Luka shouted.
"No, it's a bad idea! I don't want to be alone in this jungle," Anna added quickly.
Louis snapped back, his voice loud and sharp. "If you two don't want to split up, fine—we'll stay together. But then don't complain about how long it takes to find them! We've only been searching for ten minutes and you're already whining. It's impossible to find everyone so quickly if we stick together."
Anna and Luka fell silent at Louis's outburst. Without another word, Louis started walking again. The other two followed behind, both wondering what was wrong with him.
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On the other side, Louis, John, Luna, and Lisa were searching for Max. They walked through the forest, calling his name over and over, but there was still no sign of him.
An hour passed.
"I'm really starting to think we should give up," Luna said, her voice tired.
"Are you crazy? We can't leave him behind," Louis snapped.
"It's only been an hour and you're already giving up?" John mocked.
"Well, I can't keep walking forever just to find one guy," Luna argued.
"He's your friend, Luna," Lisa reminded her.
"Exactly! How can you even say that?" Louis said, his tone sharp and irritated.
Luna sighed. "Fine. Then I suggest we split into pairs. That way, it'll be easier to search."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" John asked. "We only found each other by pure luck. How can you be certain we'll meet again if we split up?"
"I don't know," Luna admitted. "But if we all stay together, we'll just keep wandering endlessly. If we split, it increases our chances."
Louis shook his head. "Not yet. Let's keep searching together for another half an hour. If we still can't find him, then we'll try your plan."
"Sounds good to me," John agreed.
"I also agree. I just hope we find Max soon—I really don't want to split up," Lisa added nervously.
"Fine," Luna muttered, sighing.
The group pressed on, calling Max's name, hoping they'd find him before time ran out.
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On yet another path, Luna, John, Lisa, and Max were searching for Louis. Time passed, but there was still no trace of him.
"I'm so worried. There's no sign of Louis anywhere," Luna said, her voice trembling.
"Poor Louis… where could he be?" Lisa added softly.
"We have to keep looking, guys," John encouraged.
Max frowned. "Whining won't solve anything, you know."
Luna glared at him. "Who said I was whining?"
"You literally were just now," Max replied.
"I wasn't whining, idiot! I'm just worried about Louis!" Luna snapped.
"Can you both please stop arguing?" Lisa interrupted in an irritated tone.
"Well, he's the one who started it!" Luna said, pointing at Max.
"Okay, okay! Sorry. Jeez, ma'am," Max said, raising his hands.
"You—" Luna began, but John quickly stepped in.
"Cut it out, both of you! We need to focus on finding Louis."
Luna sighed, still annoyed, but she fell quiet. The group continued in silence, searching.
Then suddenly, Luna froze. She heard a voice. It was faint, but familiar.
"Guys… where are you?"
Her eyes widened. "I heard him—it's Louis! He's calling us. The voice came from over there!" She pointed into the trees.
"What voice?" Lisa asked nervously.
"Are you sure you're not imagining things like I did earlier?" Max asked.
"No! Just be quiet and listen!" Luna snapped.
The group fell silent, straining their ears. Then it came again—Louis's voice.
"Guys… where are you?" The sound was distant but clear.
"You're right, Luna—I hear him too!" Lisa gasped.
"Yeah… it's the same voice I heard earlier," Max admitted.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's follow it!" John said firmly.
The group nodded and rushed toward the direction of the voice.
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Meanwhile, Louis, John, Luna, and Lisa were still searching for Max. Half an hour had passed, just as Louis suggested earlier.
"It's been half an hour," Luna said, checking her watch. "Shouldn't we go with my plan now?"
"I don't feel good about splitting up," Lisa muttered.
"Well, we agreed. If we didn't find him in half an hour, then we'd follow Luna's plan," Louis reminded them.
"But—" John began, before suddenly stopping. His eyes widened. He heard a voice.
It was faint, but familiar.
"Guys… can you hear me? Where are you?"
John's jaw tightened. "Wait… that sounded like Max!"
"Hey, everyone—" he began, but Luna cut him off, her voice urgent.
"Didn't you hear that? That was Max's voice! It came from over there!" She pointed into the left side of the forest.
"Are you sure it was him?" Louis asked quickly.
"Yes. And John heard it too!" Luna replied.
"I did. It was definitely Max," John confirmed.
"Listen carefully, all of you," Luna said.
They fell quiet. Then the voice echoed again.
"Guys… where are you?"
Lisa's face lit up. "That's Max! It's really him!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Louis said urgently.
Without hesitation, the group sprinted toward the sound, their hearts pounding with hope.