Primitive Man

Chapter 234: Return of the leader

Garnt stood at the threshold of his brother Baktou's room, his heart heavy with a mixture of relief and dread. His brother lay on the bed, a shadow of his former self, bandages covering his wounds which healed over time, but all of them made him look like a monster that had come to life.

Baktou's once robust frame now looked frail and broken, his face bearing the scars of the accident that had nearly taken his life and his sanity was something everyone had to question.

"Aahnt..." Baktou's voice was barely a whisper as he lifted his gaze to meet his brother's eyes.

Garnt approached the bed, his steps slow and measured. He reached out, gently taking Baktou's hand in his own. "I'm here, Baktou. I'm here for you," he said softly, his voice filled with emotion.

He was glad that Baktou was able to make some noise again, but he knew it won't be the same for him anymore. He didn't even know whether he identified Garnt or just he made some random noise because of how destroyed his vocal cords were.

Baktou's eyes brimmed with unshed tears as he looked up at Garnt. "Ahhhhhnt....Ahnnnnt...Ahhhh" he started to shout, his voice trembling with emotion and at this moment Garnt understood that Baktou was able to identify him, after all, he wouldn't react like this to a normal person.

Garnt squeezed his brother's hand reassuringly. "You didn't lose me, Baktou. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere," he vowed, determination burning in his eyes.

Mia entered the room, her presence commanding attention. She glanced at Baktou's form on the bed, her expression grave. "He's stable for now, but he won't fully recover," she stated bluntly, her voice devoid of emotion. "I was able to heal his sanity, but i don't know how long it will remain. The effect of the DNA alteration is too high in his body, and our medicine won't be able to heal him fully,"

Garnt's heart sank at her words, a sense of helplessness washing over him. He had hoped that with their advanced technology, they could heal his brother completely. But now, faced with the reality of Baktou's condition, he felt a pang of guilt for dragging him into this mess.

At the same time, he had to think about his own condition, and how he is going to deal with his own DNA alteration.

Garnt's gaze shifted to Mia, his eyes filled with resignation. "It's alright, Garnt. I've come to terms with it," he said quietly, his voice tinged with sadness.

He felt a lump form in his throat as he looked at his brother, a fierce protectiveness swelling within him. "So now that I'm leaving. I won't leave him like this. I'm taking him with me," he declared, determination burning in his eyes.

"I hope you don't have any objections," Garnt waited for Mia to respond.

Mia shook her head, a wry smile playing on her lips. "Do as you wish, Garnt. But remember, the road ahead will be filled with danger," she warned, her tone somber. "Now that you fulfilled your promise, I don't want to keep you here,"

"As much as I want to kill that woman inside you, I always like you boy, so I want to see how you survive with that treachrous woman inside you," Mia continued with a smile.

Garnt nodded, his jaw set with determination. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep him safe," he promised to himself, voice filled with conviction.

Mia nodded in understanding, her gaze softening slightly. "Take this," she said, handing Garnt a set of keys. "It's not much, but it should help you on your journey. Ttere are few guns and dry rations that will allow you to survive at least few days,"

Garnt accepted the keys gratefully, a sense of gratitude swelling within him. "Thank you, Mia. I won't forget this," he said earnestly, his voice filled with sincerity, but there was a little hint of guilt hidden beneath both of them, as they knew there genuine connection right now was nothing but the result of their deception.

Mia watched as Garnt prepared to leave, her expression unreadable. "I don't know how you're going to deal with the meteor that is going to hit, but I hope you spend your remaining life with your family. That's the least thing you can do." she cautioned, her voice echoing in the dimly lit room.

Garnt nodded, his mind already racing with plans for the journey ahead. As he turned to leave, he felt a sense of unease settle in the pit of his stomach. But he pushed it aside, focusing instead on the task at hand. With Baktou loaded onto the truck like a half dead body, he quickly started the engine hoping to get back with his family.

"I can't believe I had to spend so long without them. I hope they are safe, but something tells me they are not, and if something happen to anyone it is all my fault," Garnt muttered to Eva, who was silent as if she had decided what she wanted to do with her grand plans.

[Garnt, I am going to rewrite our life once I get the chance. I don't know whether it will be good or bad, but I will rewrite everything and make our lives better. Is it a world without death or pain? I don't know any of that, but once I get the power I will make sure that we are happy.]

Garnt smiled hearing her confident words. "I would like to see the happiness that you design for us. As always I believe in you Eva."

***

As the bonfire kindled with the heat of the flames, Gundo, Rona, and Unami gathered near Garo's sleeping area, watching as he paced restlessly, his eyes fixed on the northern horizon.

"He's acting even stranger than usual," Unami noted, her brow furrowing in concern. "It's like he's compelled to go in that northern direction."

Rona nodded in agreement, her gaze following Garo's every movement. "And did you notice how he keeps trying to take us with him? It's like he's urging us to follow. But I'm glad he is not going to leave us, despite looking so desperate."

They all looked at him as if he was their own pet, since they knew him since he was a kid.

Gundo observed Garo thoughtfully before speaking up. "I've been noticing the same thing. And it's not just Garo. Other animals in the forest seem to be heading in that direction too."

A sense of determination filled the air as they exchanged meaningful glances. They knew they couldn't ignore this strange phenomenon any longer.

"We have to follow him," Rona declared, her voice resolute. "There might be answers waiting for us at the end of this journey. Maybe a safe place. We need to hunt if we want to survive and without animals to provide us with meat and hide, we are bound to die."

Unami nodded in agreement, her eyes shining with excitement. "And who knows? We might even find Garnt along the way even though I know it is impossible that he can reach there before us."

Gundo smiled sadly at the mention of Garnt. "We'll leave marks along the road for him, just like we did before. He'll catch up with us."

"Follow the animals and you may find us there. Let's write this in few rocks along our path and leave something he can identify us," Rona gace a idea and others agreed with her in a minute.

With their decision made, they spent the morning preparing for the journey ahead, gathering supplies and saying their farewells to the temporary cave. As they stood ready to depart, Garo suddenly lunged forward, biting Rona and Unami gently on their clothes.

"What's he doing?" Unami exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise."Stop this! It tickles, Garo,"

But before they could react, Garo lowered himself, offering his back for them to mount. To their amazement, their weight didn't seem to faze him as he rose to his full height, a look of determination in his eyes.

Just by mounting, they realized how strong this creature is and they couldn't believe they were able to raise and befriend something like this, and it still felt unreal to them.

"He wants us to ride him," Rona realized, her voice tinged with awe.

Without hesitation, Rona and Unami climbed onto Garo's back, feeling the powerful muscles beneath them. As Garo let out a triumphant roar, the villagers watched in astonishment, their eyes filled with newfound confidence.

He only allowed Garnt's closest people to ride him so Gundo, Rona, Unami and Ayra were the only people that he allowed to ride him. Not even Kara or Guni got the chance to ride him, not because Garo rejected them, but someone had to make sure the villagers were following the path without straying away.

"He's leading us," Gundo said, her voice filled with pride. "And we'll follow him wherever he goes and Garo will take us to a safe heaven."

With Garo leading the way, the villagers set off into the unknown, their hearts filled with hope and determination to find their new home, without knowing the dangers of the land.