Paul

"Zur Waldesruh?" Tim was the first to ask as I lifted the tray to my seat. Bianca, Dummy Kaya, and Chantal were waiting for me. I sat down next to Chantal, while Tim tried to sit across from me, only for Bianca to snatch the seat first. On my right, Dummy Kaya was sitting. I looked at her suspiciously, but she just blushed, shyly turned away, and murmured silently to herself as Tim observed.

"And do you know that place?" I steered the conversation to the main point. Tim, food stuffed in his mouth, glanced at the two girls next to me with a slightly dissatisfied expression before he continued.

"No, not familiar, I don't recognize the name. I used to go with my father in the winter when I was a child to fish. I remember that it was an abandoned mine, not converted into a fancy resort or something," Tim said as he continued eating. Bianca, who had already finished her meal, was sipping her juice.

“I've heard my mom call that place a 'holy place'. Every month, she would go there at night and return shortly after, locking herself in her room for hours.” Bianca added, glancing at Tim before taking another sip of her juice. Tim gave her a puzzled look before turning to me and gesturing towards Bianca.

"Since when did you know her, man?" he asked, confused. Bianca glanced at him while Chantal smirked beside me. I just sighed wearily.

"sigh Two days ago. We talked, so naturally, we got to know each other, right Bianca?"

“Aha,” she nodded, while Tim still seemed confused.

“Dude, I've noticed more girls hanging around you lately. Sometimes I'm starting to wonder how you do it. Even Kaya seems to like you,” he said, pointing his spoon at Kaya who looked shocked by his words. I was a bit surprised that he was bold enough to say it directly to her. But, that's Tim for you. As Dummy Kaya turned away, blushing, I could confirm his suspicions.

"Calm down, man. It's nothing. I was just looking for someone to vent to, like Kaya...I don't know her feelings, though.” I glanced at her, then back to Tim.

"She helped me with Chantal. And before that, I had a chat with Bianca. She encouraged me and helped us to get to know each other.”

"Yes, My Dear, we know every nook and cranny," Bianca interjected, smiling as she placed her hand on the table. Tim looked at me with a strange expression, while Chantal chuckled.

"Oh, don't look at him like that, Timmy. I'm just teasing you," Bianca explained. Tim sighed.

"Please...don't call me 'Timmy'. Just call me Tim, that's it sigh. So, no one here knows anything about that resort, right?”

“Yes, not a single person knows much about it. Even me, who has been here since birth, heard of that place for the first time today. Do you remember anything else about it?” I asked Tim, who seemed to be trying to recall his childhood memories.

“Not much. My father would know more since he liked to go there for fishing and hunting. What I do remember is that it was a dense forest. There was an old worker's quarters in the forest. It seemed like a small town, but the trees dominated the area beyond the few houses. Oh, and there's also a small lake. I remember because I used to go fishing in the winter with my father. Other than that, there were mountains, deep forests, lots of trees, and some creepy camping sites. That's all I can remember,” Tim finally finished, scooping the last bite of food from his tray before downing his juice.

I contemplated what to do next while Bianca turned to me.

"Aren't you going to ask me?" she asked, frowning.

“You mentioned your mother calling that place her 'holy place', and that she goes there at night. That seems a bit odd to me,” I commented, just as Chantal chimed in.

"Yes darling, I secretly followed her one night-" I nudged Chantal's elbow and looked at her. I was trying to remind her, without words, who I was. She remembered quickly and covered her slip.

"ahem Sorry for interrupting you, Bianca. Did you ever tell me that you followed your mother there?” she asked Bianca. Thankfully, Tim didn't seem to notice the slip-up.

“Yes dear, I vaguely remember. But I think you probably remember better than me since I told you, right?” Bianca smiled, and Chantal returned the smile before nodding.

“Yes, I remember you telling me everything. You wondered why she went there at night, so you secretly followed her, driven by suspicion and concern. You discovered some kind of nighttime ritual taking place,” Chantal explained. I sat, listening to their conversation.

"Yes, your memory is very good. I remember a group of people all dressed up, performing strange ceremonies in the forest. I was so scared at the time, I ran home. I was so frightened, I couldn't sleep until morning. When I woke up and went downstairs to cook, I found the food had already been prepared by my mother. But she wasn't there; she was in her room mumbling something."

"Scary," Tim, Dummy Kaya, and you almost said in unison.

“So, to sum it up, that place sounds like it's straight out of an American movie. I can't remember the name. It's about a killer wearing a hockey mask, holding a knife, killing campers... something like that."

"Friday the 13th?" asked Tim. You nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes, that's the one. But should we take it seriously? Should we ask our teacher about that place?" You spoke with food in your mouth before sucking from a straw in a juice box. Before Tim or anyone else could ask who you were referring to, an announcement came over the intercom. You were being summoned to Mr. Strouth's office.

"Mr. Strouth summoned you? Why, dude?" Tim asked you. You shook your head innocently.

"Man, I don't know. Will you go with me?" You asked him, but he shrugged his shoulders while others suggested he should accompany you.

"Wherever you're going, I'm going with you," Chantal declared, standing up and grabbing your arm. As Bianca stood up and tugged on your other arm, Dummy Kaya took your hand instead. Tim made a weird face before mumbling something you could hear.

“Man, you've made me diabetic. It's all too sweet.” You laughed before letting Chantal take your hand. You placed your other hand on your friend's shoulder before walking into the room to find Mr. Strouth.

Mr. Strouth's office was the cleanest and most old-fashioned. You looked around, noticing him waiting for you. You asked your friends to wait outside before knocking on the door, identifying yourself, and entering.

Mr. Strouth was a tall man with thinning hair and thick, black-rimmed glasses. He was dressed in the same dated style teachers used to wear, seemingly wearing the same outfit nearly every day. He was a bit older than your father. The wrinkles on his face made that clear. You looked at him before he turned to face you with cold eyes and stood up.

"Mr. Strouth..." you began as he quickly approached you. You weren't sure what he was going to do, but he walked to the door, quickly closed the curtains, and locked it before turning back to you, his expression still impassive.

"What's your name?" he asked. It was a strange question coming from him, and given his demeanor and tone, you started to feel apprehensive.

"I asked you what's your name. Or have you forgotten it?” he raised his voice when you didn't respond immediately.

"Las... uh," you stuttered.

"Huh?" He looked at you.

"Lasse... Yes, Mr. Strouth," you finally said, and he began to circle you slowly, as if inspecting you. He stopped in front of you, adjusting his glasses.

"What's in your pocket, Lasse?" He pointed at your pocket, making you feel uneasy. His finger brushed against the bag where you kept the remote. You reached into the bag, extracted the remote, and pressed the green button. Before you could aim it at him, he grabbed your wrist.

"Stupid kid! You shouldn't have grabbed that so easily," he scolded. You looked at him in shock as he slowly let go of your wrist and you turned the remote in your hand to face him.

"It looks like it's been modified, doesn't it? So, you've met him, right?"

You pulled your hand away from him in anger and pointed the remote at him.

"Who are you?" you asked, the tip of the remote shaking as it aimed at him. His face was neutral. He just readjusted his glasses and sat down at his desk, indicating the chair opposite him.

"Sit down, Lasse, we need to talk," he commanded. You were nervous and looked around for an escape route, but there was no way out. Slowly, you walked over to the chair, still pointing the remote at him. Once you sat down, he crossed his arms and studied you.

"I don't have much time, and I can't afford to take any more risks," he began, seeming to contradict his calm exterior.

"Huh, what do you mean?" You didn't understand what he was implying.

"'Zur Waldesruh', also known as 'Friedlich', is not just a luxury resort. I don't know why someone as thoughtless as Mayer persuaded the Principal to approve a visit there or why our school was chosen. I want to warn you, Lasse."

"Warn me? Wait a minute! Don't tell me you are Paul--" He placed a hand over your mouth and signaled for silence.

"Don't mention that name here," he whispered. You nodded, and he removed his hand from your mouth.

"Cough cough What's the warning, and why are you--"

“I can't tell you much. But I can tell you that it's not a normal place. During World War II, 'they' used the abandoned mines there as a secret experimental site. Given the war resources at the time, the place was essentially a large laboratory before they crashed and blocked the area off from outsiders,” he explained before clearing his throat.

“Apart from a cult who believed in the god of youth and often smuggled themselves there, it's not a safe place for you or any of your friends," he added.

"Mr. Strouth, what's there? Then why are you telling me all this now?"

"I'm doing this for my own benefit. That's all I can tell you. And this…" He reached into his pocket and produced a flash drive covered with yellow adhesive tape.

"Plug this into your computer. The code is 153, remember it because I'm only going to say it once. Open it only with people you trust." You took the flash drive he handed you and inspected it. It was covered in so much tape, you couldn't see what it was.

"Do not remove that tape. It shields a tracker. If you unwrap it, they'll be able to trace it back to your home. Once you've watched it, record its contents and destroy it," he instructed, and you gulped nervously.

"Why are you giving this to me?" you asked, but he didn't respond. Instead, he pointed to the door and tersely said, "The exit is there."

Full of questions and doubts, you slowly stood up, still pointing the remote at him. You placed the flash drive in your pocket and walked towards the door. As you unlocked it and pulled it open, you saw your friends, their ears against the wall, trying to overhear your conversation with Mr. Strouth.

"Hey, dude, what did you guys talk about? We couldn't hear anything from out here,” Tim asked as you closed the door and tucked the remote deep into your pocket.

"No... nothing. It's just that I skipped class and fell asleep in his subject... that's all." You lied to him. He nodded before you walked over to Chantal, whispering softly to her.

"We... we need to talk. At my house... today!" you told her.

"Yes, dear, but we have an appointment, don't we? Or is it not that?"

"No... it's important as well. Let's talk later in the evening. Please tell the others." You said before walking away alone.

"So, where are you going?" Chantal called after you.

"I'm going to get some fresh air outside." You waved your hand before walking outside alone.