Before Austin went out to forage for food. Maya and he decided to eat as a family. While it was just the nutrition bars, they still felt like they should eat together. As they ate their nutrition bars, Austin felt like he was going to choke. The bar had no flavor, but the texture was somehow incredibly hard and chewy at the same time. It made him feel like he was swallowing wax that would not break down, no matter how much he chewed. After finishing about half of the bar, he wrapped it back up in the plastic. He figured that he could save it for later in case Maya or Elliot needed it.

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  “I don’t wanna,” Elliot fussed as Maya tried to feed him a small piece of his bar.

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  “Go ahead and eat yours,” Austin said as he grabbed the piece from Maya.

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  Maya nodded and started to eat her bar as she watched Austin try to feed Elliot. Each attempt was met with Elliot closing his mouth tight and shaking his head. Austin alternated between trying to just give Elliot the piece and trying to fly it towards him like an airplane.

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  “No!” Elliot grumbled as his stomach growled.

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  “Buddy, you have to eat,” Austin pleaded.

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  “I want peanut!” Elliot insisted angrily.

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  “Sorry, bud, we don’t have peanut right now,” Austin said. “You have to eat this instead.”

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  “I hate camping!” Elliot crossed his arms and turned away from Austin.

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  “I’ll get him to eat later,” Maya said as she grabbed Austin’s hands.

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  “Are you sure?” Austin asked.

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  “He’ll eventually want to eat,” Maya said.

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  Austin nodded and gave Maya the broken-off piece. “You’re right. No use in trying to force it.”

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  Austin started to prepare to go out for the day. He removed the canteen from one of the packs and filled it with water before he strapped it across his chest. While he did want to save the nutrition bar, he decided to put half in his pack just in case he needed it. Afterward, he used the cloth from Maya’s ripped dress to make a belt to attach the knife and hatchet to his hip.

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  “I’m going to get another branch so we can make you a spear,” Austin informed Maya of his plans. “I’ll bring that back, and then I’ll start looking for food. Do you have that book with things we can eat?”

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  “Yeah, it’s right over there,” Maya said, pointing to the stack of books.

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  Austin grabbed the book and put it in his bag. He then gave Maya and Elliot a hug and a kiss before grabbing his spear. “I’ll be right back.”

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  Even though Austin wanted to make a quick trip, he still wanted to get a good distance from their camp. He knew that if he gathered close to the camp, it would ultimately lead people to it. His worry was less about the wildlife and more about the other people in this Survival Game. He was unsure what a game like this could do to someone’s morality. Which was also why he needed to get a spear back to Maya as soon as possible.

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  Austin felt lucky that he had not come across any people as of yet. Maybe they would want to ally for better chances of survival, but he could not be sure how they felt about looking over a child. Not to mention, Austin never felt good with people. He was much more comfortable with Elliot and Maya than with the idea of adding others to their group.

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  Austin watched the surrounding environment carefully as he walked. People were not his only worry; he was also worried about wildlife. He was not sure if he could challenge a wild animal back on Earth; a wild animal on this strange world could be even more dangerous. Not to mention, this was their home, so they had every right to attack him and defend it.

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  Austin eventually felt like he had gotten a good distance from camp and started to hack away at a branch. It took him a few swings, but eventually he was able to cut through. After the branch broke off, he caught it in his hand and moved it up and down to get a feel for the weight. He felt satisfied and decided to walk back to camp. As he did, he picked up some fallen smaller branches that they could use for a fire later.

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  As Austin walked back to camp, he started to see some wildlife. He was not sure how to feel about seeing wildlife. It at least made him feel like there was more to the forest than just the plants, but now he knew for a fact he had to be on high alert for anything that was dangerous. Luckily, he had only come across some birds and squirrels. While their shape was familiar to them, their coloring was definitely odd. The squirrels had red fur with purple stripes throughout, while the birds all had dark purple feathers. It was as if they adapted to the environment to blend in. He wondered if he had just missed seeing them the day before because of their camouflage.

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  Austin heard giggling as he arrived back at camp and entered the building. He saw Maya and Elliot playing with his toys. A smile came across his face as he saw them. He would carry the burden of worry as long as it meant they were safe and happy. He set the branches down near the makeshift fire pit and set the larger one against the wall with his spear and pack.

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  “Hey buddy,” Austin said to Elliot as he knelt down.

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  “Daddy!” Elliot’s face lit up. “Play?”

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  “Sure, buddy,” Austin said as he grabbed one of Elliot’s toy trucks and started to push it around.

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  “No, daddy!” Elliot grabbed the truck and handed Austin a plane. “This one.”

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  “Oh, sorry,” Austin laughed as he played with the plane before he turned to Maya. “Did he eat?”

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  “Yeah, I told you he would,” Maya said. “Eventually, he gets hungry enough that he will eat whatever you give him.”

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  “Whatever it takes to get him to eat,” Austin commented.

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  “Yep, will you play for him for a little bit?” Maya asked. “I haven’t gotten the chance to read more of these books. I really think there is something in there that can help us.”

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  “Sure thing,” Austin said. “Maybe after he naps, we can talk about it.”

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  Maya nodded and picked up a book from the stack. Austin still wondered how there were so many intact books when the building was mostly ruined. But if the books could help them, how did not matter. He tried to not think too much about it and instead played with Elliot.

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  Austin and Elliot played with Elliot’s toys for the better part of an hour. As Elliot started to grow bored of playing with toys, he started to climb on Austin. Austin playfully grabbed Elliot and slammed him gently on his sleeping bag. The two continued to wrestle until finally Elliot started to get worn out. Elliot tried to force himself to stay awake, but he could not keep his eyes open and fell asleep on his sleeping bag. Austin covered him gently.

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  Maya was still reading, so Austin decided to work on her spear. As she read, he leaned against the wall and started to shape the end of the branch with his knife. It was a difficult process because of the strength of the branch. He had to be extremely careful so he could shave it with the right amount of strength without slipping and cutting himself.

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  “I’m done for now,” Maya said. “I learned a lot more.”

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  “Alright, let’s hear it,” Austin said as he sat next to Maya, placing her spear against the wall next to her.

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  “I found out how to become aware of your Essence,” Maya began her explanation. “The major requirement is for a world to become awakened. The people of a world can’t become aware unless their world is awakened.”

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  “What does that even mean?” Austin interrupted.

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  “Just let me get there,” Maya glared at Austin.

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  “Sorry, go ahead,” Austin lowered his head and quieted.

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  “There are worlds that have been awakened and those that have not,” Maya continued to explain. “There are some worlds that have been awakened since around the creation of Earth. At least that’s what I’m gathering. The people who wrote this book were from a world that went through an awakening, but there were worlds that were already awakened when theirs did. They continue to explain that each world goes through a process of elimination when it is awakened.”

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  “Just like this Survival Game!” Austin exclaimed as he started to realize what this so-called game was for.

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  “Yes, just like the Survival Game,” Maya glared at Austin for interrupting her again. “The point of this game is to find those with the potential to recognize their Essence and force them into a situation where they awaken to it. A person can become aware of their Essence through an especially traumatic experience or through the use of special plants and elixirs.”

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  “Do we know what those are?” Austin asked.

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  “Yes, good question,” Maya opened the book and showed Austin a drawing of fruit. The fruit reminded Austin of an apple. “Apparently, these fruits can help, and they are supposed to be in this forest. The description says that they are a pale blue in color and somewhat cloudy in appearance. This seems to be the easiest way because it just requires eating the fruit. There are recipes for elixirs but they require several different herbs.”

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  “So I just have to find this fruit,” Austin said. “I can do that when I’m trying to forage.”

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  “I think that’s our best approach since I have to watch Elliot,” Maya responded.

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  “Something is bugging me, though. It seemed really easy for us to find these books with all this info. Don’t you think so?” Austin asked.

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  “I agree,” Maya nodded. “All I can think is that there is a force in the Survival Game that wants to drive us forward. I’m sure other people have found similar info.”

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  “Yeah, that’s what I was worried about,” Austin groaned. “That means it won’t be as easy as just finding a fruit. It will be a race against these other people.”

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  “I think you can do it,” Maya said. “You always accomplish what you put your mind to.”

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  “Everyone will be risking their lives, though,” Austin frowned. “They are going to be fighting as hard as they possibly can to get that fruit.”

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  Maya moved closer to Austin and touched his hand. As she did, Austin felt some of his worry go away. He leaned into her, and she wrapped his arms around him. Sometimes he needed this, a moment of her comforting him. He could get lost in his worry and stress, and she was the only one who could bring him out.

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  “You’ll be okay,” Maya assured Austin. “They are fighting for their lives, but you are fighting for all of us. You have become so strong since he was born. You have pushed yourself past your limits time and time again.”

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  “We just have never been in a situation like this,” Austin’s tone was filled with worry. “I don’t know how to handle a life-or-death situation.”

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  Maya giggled as she brushed her hand through Austin’s hair. “You didn’t know how to handle Elliot at first, either. You were so scared of him. But you conquered that fear and have been a great father to him.”

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  “You’re right,” Austin said before he stood up. “I’m still not completely sure if I can do it. But I just have to try.”

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  “Exactly,” Maya smiled. “You’re my strong husband.”

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  Austin grabbed his gear and gave Maya a kiss. “Thank you for your encouragement. Now I have to go get us that fruit.”

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