The first sensation was pain.
Constant felt his back burning as if he'd been dragged for meters over rough stones. There was something else a horrible taste in his mouth, metallic and bitter, like when you accidentally bite your tongue but worse, more persistent. His mouth was dry, his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, and when he tried to swallow, his throat protested.
His eyes opened slowly, taking longer than normal to focus, leaving everything blurry for a few seconds. The ceiling above him was made of dark wood, the planks uneven and stained by age and moisture. The air was heavy, thick with the dense smell of grain stored for a long time not exactly moldy, but with that closed-up smell of things kept in places with no circulation. There was something else underneath, something he couldn't identify, slightly sweet and strange.
The floor beneath him was cold and hard, and he realized he was lying directly on wood, without any kind of mattress or blanket. Every small movement sent waves of pain through his bruised back.
His heart began to beat faster. This wasn't the cabin. Definitely not the cabin.
He got up slowly, feeling every muscle protest, his arms trembling slightly with the effort. During his six months alone, he had learned to wake up silently, always alert, always listening first before moving. It was a habit necessity had perfected.
So he stood still, just listening. Breaths. Two people, seemingly asleep. One breath was irregular, halting, like someone having a nightmare. The other was deeper but tense, as if the person was ready to wake up at any moment.
The place was in semi-darkness, but not completely dark there were slivers of light coming from under a door, revealing dust dancing in the air. When his eyes adjusted better, Constant could see where he was. A warehouse, definitely. There were sacks stacked against the walls, wooden crates, a few tools hanging a scythe, a rake, things he recognized from life in the forest.
And there, on the floor near him, two people. Young. They seemed to be his age.
Constant crawled over to them, making as little noise as possible, the cold of the wooden floor seeping through his clothes. A boy with dark hair was curled on his side, moving restlessly, his face twisted in discomfort. The other was a girl with long hair, sleeping in a strange position with an arm thrown over her face, her hands clenched into fists even in sleep.
He touched the boy's shoulder first, very lightly. When there was no response, he touched him more firmly. "Hey," he whispered, his voice coming out strange and hoarse, as if he hadn't used it in days. "Wake up."
Raid woke with a start, his eyes widening in the dim light. He let out a frightened sound and a kind of choked gaspand immediately tried to move away, his uncoordinated movements making him hit his back against one of the grain sacks.
"N-no," he said, his voice low and tense. His eyes darted between Constant and the closed door, looking for threats, looking for exits. "I don't... where..."
"Hey, calm down," Constant said, keeping his voice low and his hands visible. "I just woke up here too, okay? I don't know where we are."
Raid didn't seem very reassured. He shrank back against the grain sack, his arms wrapping around his knees in a defensive posture, but at least he wasn't trying to run anymore. His breathing was fast, coming in quick, short pulls, and he didn't take his eyes off Constant not exactly with fear, but with extreme caution, as if he expected something bad to happen at any second.
"It's okay," Constant tried again, remembering how he talked to frightened animals in the forest. Gentle. Non-threatening. "I'm Constant. What's your name?"
Raid opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. For a moment it seemed like he wouldn't answer, but he finally whispered: "Raid." The word came out so softly that Constant almost didn't hear it.
"Okay, Raid. Are you hurt?"
Raid shook his head slightly, but didn't relax at all. His fingers interlaced and unlaced nervously, a repetitive movement that seemed more reflex than conscious.
Before Constant could ask anything else, a sudden movement from the other side made his head turn.
The noise of their voices had woken the girl.
The girl got to her feet in a sharp movement. Her still-dizzy body made her sway dangerously, but she forced her legs to steady themselves. Within seconds, her eyes assessed every detail: the dark warehouse, the two boys, the single door. It was then that she raised her fists, mimicking a fighting stance she must have seen in movies, legs poorly positioned, elbows out, but with an expression of such fierce determination that it almost made up for the terrible technique.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" she practically screamed, and her voice cracked in the middle, coming out half-strangled. "Who are you? Where am I? SOMEONE ANSWER!"
She spun in a circle, her long hair whipping around her, looking into every corner of the warehouse. Constant saw the exact moment fear appeared beneath the anger her eyes widened further, her breathing visibly quickened. But she clenched her fists even tighter, as if physical pain could ward off the panic.
From the corner, Raid had shrunk even further at the sound of the shouts, his face partially hidden between his knees. He said nothing, but Constant could see his hands gripping his own legs.
"Please don't shout," Constant said, keeping his voice firm but not loud. "We don't know where we are either."
The girl looked at him as if she were seeing him for the first time, and her expression changed. The anger remained, but was now mixed with confusion. She lowered her voice slightly, but not her fists. "You... you don't know either? You're not the ones who brought me here?"
"No," Constant said. He was still on his knees on the floor, deliberately not standing up. "I just woke up here. Same as you. My name is Constant."
She studied him for a long moment, then looked at Raid. Slowly, she lowered her fists a few centimetres. 'Keiko,' she said, the word coming out reluctantly. Then, more softly: 'And him?'
"Raid," the boy murmured from his corner, without raising his head.
Keiko finally lowered her fists completely, but immediately began pacing back and forth. Her steps were quick, restless, unable to stay still. "This doesn't make sense. I was in my room. How can I be in a..." She gestured at the warehouse. "...in the middle of nowhere?"
Constant sat down with his back against the wall, positioning himself where he could see the door. It wasn't comfortable, the wood was hard and cold against his bruised back, but it was better. And it showed that he wasn't going to attack anyone.
Raid, seeing Constant sit down, relaxed a little. Still curled up, but at least breathing a little slower.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Constant asked.
Keiko stopped pacing. She crossed her arms over her chest. "I was in my room. Looking out the window. There was that meteor shower did you see it? On TV they said it was going to be the biggest in like fifty years." Her tone turned bitter. "My parents wouldn't let me go out to see it, of course. They never let me do anything. Always 'it's dangerous, Keiko' or 'you could get hurt, Keiko'."
She was gaining speed, the words coming faster, her hands starting to gesture. "So I was watching from inside. From my room. And there were so many stars, it was so beautiful and then..."
Her voice grew smaller, more frightened. "One of the stars was coming right at the window. Right at me. And I thought it would pass by, but it didn't. The light came in and..." She bit her lip. "Everything went white. Like when you look at the sun by accident. But worse. And... and now I'm here."
Constant's heart sank. "Me too," he said quietly. "I was outside. Looking at the stars. And then one came right at me. Everything went white."
They both looked at Raid.
"Raid?" Constant called gently. "What about you?"
Raid didn't answer immediately. His fingers continued their nervous movement for a long moment. When he finally spoke, it was so quiet they had to lean in. "I was outside. In the place where I stay. I saw the stars. So many stars. It was... beautiful." His voice grew even quieter. "One came. I couldn't get out of the way. And then... here."
Silence. Constant felt his stomach churn. It couldn't be a coincidence. Three people, three stars, three...
"So either we've all gone crazy," Keiko said, her voice trembling, "or..."
No one finished the sentence.
The silence was broken by the sound of the door beginning to open.