The first snowflake falling on Rivaril heralded not just winter, but also lethal colds. The sky had turned a leaden color, and every breath taken transformed into an icy needle piercing the lungs.
A massive silhouette was advancing over the snow-white ground. As Carlos crushed the snow with his heavy boots made from "Tree Bear" monster hide, his "Killer Baboon" skin coat billowed in the wind on his back. He walked with the air of a general, hands clasped behind him. The two dozen pirates behind him were struggling to follow in their leader's tracks, trembling under the weight of the supply bags they carried and the freezing cold.
Through the foggy trees, the lifeline of Open Buffet, the massive greenhouse, appeared. The rusty iron gate aligned in the middle of the four-meter fence opened with a metallic groan.
Morris appeared at the door. "Welcome, Carlos," he said, quickly rubbing his frozen hands together.
Unlike the hell outside, the interior of the greenhouse resembled paradise. It was humid, warm, and smelled of earth. Thanks to Morris's obsessive order, every vegetable was arranged alphabetically. Sprouts that would keep the twenty-one-thousand-strong population of Open Buffet alive throughout the winter were bursting from the soil.
Devout members of the church congregation murmured as they wandered among the plants, spraying holy water from giant cauldrons on their backs. By transferring their spiritual energy to the soil, they prevented the plants from freezing or burning, balancing the heat of the giant stove installed on the northern wall.
"How have you been, Carlos?"
Carlos stretched until his bones cracked and yawned loudly. "Aaaah... Everything's the same as always, my friend. Cold, unnecessary bureaucracy, and the boss's demands." He smacked his dry lips.
Morris plucked a ripe, crimson tomato from a branch right next to him and handed it to Carlos. Carlos took the tomato with tired eyes and popped it into his mouth in one go. As soon as his teeth sank in, the tomato's acidic juice and seeds exploded, spraying onto Morris along with his snot. Morris wiped the tomato off his face with his sleeve and started laughing, holding his huge dirty belly. "Hahaha! You should have seen your face!"
Carlos's brows furrowed. From the watermelon patch he had his eye on, he ripped a watermelon as big as his head with one hand. Morris's laughter died in his throat. The joy on his face vanished instantly.
Firel had appeared at the entrance of the greenhouse, but neither of them had noticed him. Carlos pressed his right hand onto Morris's belly to prevent him from escaping and pressed the watermelon in his left hand against Morris's mouth. "Haaah!! Is it good?!"
Morris was letting out muffled screams for help as his mouth and nose were blocked: "Mmmmgh!! Heeelp!"
"What the hell are you two doing?"
The voice was familiar, calm, and so clear that all movement in the greenhouse stopped. Carlos and Morris separated with electric speed. They straightened their clothes and stood at attention. Both silently pointed at each other with their fingers like guilty children.
Firel scanned them with blank stares. "The moment winter ends, the Holyland will be on our necks. Did I plant you here to have a food fight?"
Both hung their heads. Firel let out a weary breath. "Tsk... If our fate is left to you two, they won't stick the sword in our hearts but up our asses. Report, Morris," he said, and started walking among the plants.
Trying to wipe the tomato seeds from his face, Morris followed him with lumbering steps. His belly swayed from side to side. "Boss... We have no problems. We have a harvest that won't leave anyone hungry this winter. Nedim's new greenhouse plan worked just in time."
"And I brought two dozen men for security support, boss," Carlos added from behind. "Two people froze to death on the way, but still, we brought them."
Firel stopped suddenly. His back was turned to them. "I constantly lose human resources because of you, Carlos," he said, his voice icy.
Carlos's shoulders slumped, the mischievous expression wiped from his face. "I'm sorry, boss... I didn't think."
Firel looked at him over his shoulder. "If it were anyone else, I would have split them in two by now... Do you know why I tolerate your mistakes so much?"
"No, boss..."
"Because on this island, you represent the only person I am sure wouldn't betray me, even with a knife to his throat."
Carlos swallowed hard. "Boss... You can't know that..."
Firel didn't answer. A growl rose from his stomach when he reached the section with the carnivorous plants. He grimaced. "I can't believe the only thing we can eat as meat on this damn island is these monster plants. I would hand over my seat right now for a single bite of real beef." He sighed deeply. "Carlos, finish your work here and come to me immediately. Running this island alone is harder than running a kindergarten."
"Yes, boss."
"Morris, take good care of the greenhouse. If I can't feed the people, I'll spit-roast you."
"Yes, boss!"
After Firel left, Carlos and Morris went out into the cold to check the integrity of the outer walls. The wind cut their faces.
"Carlos," Morris said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "What was the boss talking about just now?"
"What?"
"That loyalty thing... Why are you so attached to him? I mean, sure, he's the leader, but..."
Carlos stopped. "It's an old and boring story, Morris."
"I have nothing more enjoyable to do within these four walls," Morris said curiously.
Carlos let out a deep breath, his breath forming a white cloud in the air. "Our acquaintance with Firel dates back to our childhood when we were both nobodies. I was sick, waiting for death among the trash heaps in the back alleys of Uçmağ. I had neither a family nor a roof to shelter under."
"Did your family throw you onto the street?"
Carlos's jaw clenched. His eyes drifted far away. "When I was twelve... My mother cheated on my father. When my father found out, he went mad. He stabbed my mother in the stomach repeatedly right in front of my eyes. I can still hear my mother's screams." He paused for a moment, then continued. "The man completely lost his marbles. He sold the house and spent everything we had in brothels. And while trying to force his way into one as a penniless drunk, he got gutted in some street."
"And so you were left alone..."
"I lived like a rat on the streets for a while. Then that plague hit. I was waiting to die on a curb, hungry, thirsty, and lying in my own vomit. People looked at me with disgust as they passed by." Carlos's eyes welled up, his voice trembled. "At that moment, Firel came. He didn't look at me with disgust. He reached out his hand. He gave me food, water, found medicine... He brought me back to life with money he stole from his own family. He gave me everything my family didn't give me, everything they took from me."
Morris had fallen silent. "My friend... I didn't know, I'm sorry."
Carlos wiped his eye with his Tree Bear fur glove. "Since the day he saved my life, I have considered him my own brother, Morris. That's why he is so sure I won't betray him. After all, how can someone who calls himself a 'man'... bite the hand that gave him the chance to breathe?"