Chapter 3: Chapter 2: Where We Are?
I decided to turn off the emergency switch button because of what i see on the camera.
The dyneema plate slowly pulled down and revealing the scenary outsides. As soon as the dyneema plate pulled down, both of us can see where we are now.
It's a small dirt path that just a little bit wider than the truck itself. There is forest of connifer tree on the both sides of the roads. Those trees are so tall that it's dwarves our truck. Both of us did not utter a single word because how confused we are in this situation.
Wild connifer trees cant grow in the wilds with our current worlds condition right now. We can only see it if we go to a sanctuary or botanical garden. They are considered extinct in the wilds and you wont find this many connifer trees, not even in American continent sanctuary.
I stare at Ivanna faces and she stared back to me. Both of us stared at each other for a few seconds.
Trying to know where we are, i decides to activates the 3D mapping object scanner and heat scanner sensor.
The 3D scanner can show us the shape,size and distances of the possible object within 500 meters from the trucks. The heat sensor will detect possible heat sources like human or animal within 500 meters from the truck.
It's a little outdated tech if you look from military perspective but very great for us ordinary civilians.
Both of us stared at the monitor after the sensor activates and show us a real time object and heat sources near our truck. Ivanna takes a seats and then swipes her finger on the monitor and zooming out the gps that are now connected to real time 3D object and heat sensor.
We watches the monitor as it rendering the 3d surrounding in 500 meters radius.
There is only trees shaped object as far as both of us see on the monitor and some small red dot that moving arounds. It's definitly wild animals by the looks of it movement.
Now there is only one conclusions, and that conclusions are we are in some unknown places. The question is how?
We are on our way to New Ottoman country. It's just less than 4 hours drive until we arrive at the border when suddenly those white light flashes. And around 10 seconds later we were stranded here with no signal at all.
The 'free lands' near New Ottoman country that we were supposed to be in have arid land and dry climates. Even before the WW3 you wont find any connifer trees there.
The fact that this is a whole forest with nothing at all but trees and wild animals make me hundred 100% sure that we are not on the 'free lands' near New Ottoman anymore.
I decides to ask Ivanna for her opinions.
" Well, what do you think? Forward or reverse....?"
" What..!!?" she answer my question with questions.
" Going this way or that way." I answered her questions with my former question plus a hand gesture signaling forwards or backwards.
"What do you mean forwards or reverse Mr.Jeff? We dont even know where we are right now."
"You are too carefree to decides something like 'just go forward or backward' in situation like this." She said with slightly iritated tone.
" What other options do we have? We can't go right or left without hitting a trees." I replied with a little jokes. Hoping that it will make the situations more relaxing.
"Haha....Let's turn our distress signal to "Alley Ways" And wait for their helps." Said Ivanna with her dry laugh and still irritated tone.
" Okay, let me tell you something as someone who did this jobs for 5 years. First this situations is a first time that happened for me."
"Second it's not normal, i drive around this 'free lands' parts many times in my 5 years career and never saw a forest."
"Let alone a forest there is not a single tree around this parts, heck we were in an abandoned town just a minutes ago."
"So you still think we can just wait in here?" i calmly made my point and statement with serious tone this time.
" Do what you want then..." she said while she turn her face away from me. i can tell from her tone that she is disatisfied with my answer.
I know the first time i meet her that she is a stoic rule-obeying type of person.
I was kinda happy the first time being partnered with a beauty like her. Living on the same rooms with attractive, younger beauty like her. what kind of guy would complain with that conditions.
But it was all goes down the drains, her cold and stoic attitude make it very hard to make a casual conversation with her. In the end our relationship become just co-worker who remind about their shift and job with a little bit complain to each other.
This kind of situation cannot go on forever, especially right now when we are stranded in unknown places. we need a proper teamwork with each other in time like this.
I then initiate to try to fix this unconfortable atmosphere between us.
It's not like we're fighting in the first places but it's been like this since 2 weeks ago. well it's partly my fault too for ignoring it and not try to do anything as her senior.
" Looks, i am sorry if i offended you and makes you mad this time. I..." she cuts me before i finish my words.
" I Am Not Mad Okay, Why did you think that..." she said while raising her voices at me. She is definitly mad right now.
But i dont have any intentions to back down right now. I will fix this not-so-healthy working atmosphere that we have.
I started by saying to her with a little high voices that she can just complain to me directly without holding back if there is something that she didn't like or disagree with me.
She then let it all out what she didn't like about me. She let it out from how i always kinda little bit late on my shift to how i always looks too relaxed in the 'dangerous land' that we were crossing.
Both of us started to argue with each other. We had 5 minutes long argument before we somehow stopped and reach a mutual agreement.
"....so....yeah, we are good and clear right? Can i ask you again wich way do we want to go right now, partners...?" I ask with calm voices after our heated argument.
" Lets just go forward right now, Mr.Jeff...." She answered while hitting my left arms. It was the kind of friendly fist.
She a little bit shy and awkward after our argument but her awkwardness make her looks stunningly attractive while doing that.
" As you said." I answer before starting to drive the truck again. We had a pretty good atmoshphere right now.
There is a strange elated feeling that both of us had.
Those short 5 minutes honest argument to each others works wonders for both of us.
The walls that we build in the past 2 weeks are now crumble. The moods are lighten up now despite us being in unknown places. I kinda regretted not approaching her earlier before all of this happens.
After that, i put the trucks on reserve power mode and set the speed at 50 km/h. We're Cruising very slowly so the 3D mapping sensor can shape the routes ahead of us perfectly.
Ivanna trying to find a signal with her phone but it's all futile. Our gps still cant pick up any signals, let alone our phone.
" Hey, you can go take a rest right now. I think it's save enough right now and you've been driving for the past 8 hours, you know..." I said to ivanna when i see her still touching the co-driver monitor to see the area we're mapping right now.
" How can i sleep when we're stranded like this..." she paused for a bit after she spoke.
"You know....What you said before are right Mr.Jeff. we're not on our supposed 'free lands' now."
"I am sorry that i act like that before." She said with apologetic voices while her eyes are still on the monitor.
" Well thats all water under the bridge now, both of us are now good and all."
"Now the real problems are where we are right now." i replied to her as i watches the road that splitting the forest.
Cruising with stagnant speed at 50 km/h the road and the forest looks endlessly going on forever.
The loud sounds of the big all purpose tires that rolling on the dirts road accompany us throughout this forest.
It's the sounds that always makes me lonely when i cross the barren 'free lands' in this past 5 years. My thought always wondering somewhere when i hear this sounds.
" Mr.Jeff there is unusually a lot of heat sources around 500 meters ahead and a lot of them are in the middle of roads ahead of us." Ivanna call pull me back to my sense.
I change the mode to manual and slowing the trucks down. I take a glimpse at my monitor, and like Ivanna said there is a lot of red dots heats ahead.
Both of us focused our eyes on the roads, curious about what are the source of the heats from.
Is it Humans..? Is it animals..? well Is it definitly either of those i guess.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
RokuN
RokuN this stories will use metric system. since i am not familiar with feet or mph. below are feet to meter and kmh to mph. you can calculate them yourself. Thanks for reading ^_^
1 meters = 3,2 feet
100 centimeters = 3,2 feet
1 km/h = 0,62 mph
Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
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