"I'm not coming out!!"
Ninten stared in bemusement at the trash-can that had spoken. The person inside had spoken with more hostility than he cared for, for reasons he couldn't have guessed. Curious, he asked "Why not?"
There was a moments pause, as the boy inside fidgeted awkwardly. "Everyone always makes fun of me." he finally mumbled, his guarded air giving way his vulnerability. There was more shifting, as it seemed he tried to expand on that point, but couldn't think how.
Ninten didn't really care either way. Instead he pulled off the lid, showing a cheery smile to the meek face that greeted him "I won't make fun of you," he stated, "I want to be friends!"
The boy took a second to lament over his foolishness in not finding a way to keep the trash can shut from the inside. This thought was quickly lost, however, as he took in the genuine nature of the newcomer. This was an olive-branch he was unaccustomed to, and he found himself having a hard time turning it down. He eventually gave in.
"... Okay, okay, I'm coming out...."
--------
After some assurance that he was serious, Ninten learned that this kid's name was Loid, and he'd been up on the roof hiding from the other kids since lunch began. He'd heard a few of the names the boy would get called, how many rumours were spreading about him stealing rockets, and how he had fashioned a key to get up here past the janitor who typically held the master set.
"Besides," Loid leaned against the railings that ran the parameter of the roof, "the view up here is amazing. Look, you can see the whole town, and even mount Itoi off over there!"
Ninten followed Loid's outstretched finger as it vaguely pointed toward the mountain in question. The kid was right; the base of the mountain could be seen as clear as day, poking over the rises and cliffs that separated this commercial little town from the desert. As his gaze followed the mountain up, however, it quickly became obscured by ominous black clouds. They were so condensed around the mountain that they didn't even look real. As Ninten looked at them he felt his stomach churn, so he averted his gaze.
Next to him Loid was prattling on about the rest of the town, listing off the different buildings like he was giving some sort of Merrysville tour. He'd already passed the doctor's surgery and the town hall that hadn't been open to the public recently, and soon came to a new-ish looking factory that was separated from the town, set upon a hill. "That's Duncan's Factory," he said, beaming like it was some great unveiling. "They were responsible for making all sorts of different rockets and engines, it was gonna really bring some new jobs into this region. It was truly fascinating stuff." He sighed wistfully.
Nodding, Ninten absorbed what Loid had just said, before something clicked. "Was, you said?" he asked, turning a curious gaze to his new, apparently nerdy friend.
Loid nodded, sadly, "a week or two ago, production just stopped." he replied. "All the workers just suddenly up and left, some going so far as to even skip town. Nobody's been able to figure out why yet, and it's not like we can go asking them."
"How come?" Ninten asked. He couldn't believe he hadn't even heard about this. The more he looked at the building the more he realised he recognized it; he could see the same building from his own school, as it overshadowed the route between Podunk and Merrysville. For a while he'd been under the impression his dad had worked there, since most of his classmates' parents had been employed there.
Shuffling along from his current perch, Loid shrugged. "Well the route between Podunk and Merrysville was shut down for some reason recently," he spoke, craning his head to locate something as he moved across the roof, "and- ah! There!" he thrust his finger out, pointing at the rail line that ran up the side of the town. "See that?"
Ninten had followed Loid over, and was now trying to spot what it was the younger boy was showing him. He traced the rail line up, toward the rail station, before backtracking to where the cliffs met. "Wait isn't there supposed to be a tunnel there?"
The pale boy shook his head, "nope, there's supposed to be a track, though!" He turned to face the taller male and continued. "The other week there was a rock-slide, and the tracks got completely covered. So getting around has been made difficult enough." He looked up, tapping his chin, "come to think of it, it wasn't too much longer after the factory closed."
Folding his arms, Ninten thought about that minor revelation. Going on a hunch he jerked a thumb toward the mountain, "and what about the clouds over there?"
At first Loid didn't know what he was being asked, but quickly cringed as his gaze hit the clouds. "Yeah that's a pretty recent development, too." he confirmed.
Even though he knew this was an unpleasant realization, Ninten couldn't help but feel excitement building up in his gut. "Sounds like some serious business is going down," he grinned, eyes narrowing at the mountain.
"Not that you can do much about it," Loid pointed out, "with the tracks out you'll never be able to get up there."
This didn't deter the cap-wearer for long. He rounded on Loid, his eyes sparkling eagerly, "You said Duncan's Factory built rockets? Do you reckon they build anything that could shift those rocks?"
Loid's own eyes glistened as he responded "Reckon nothing, they built all sorts of different rockets! One of their last projects was a huge missile, it'd be able to sort out the tracks no problem! I'd love to sail that giant rocket..." he ended dreamily, leaning against the rails again.
This was the sort of attitude Ninten liked. "Wanna help me set it off, then?"
Immediately Loid was snapped back to reality. "Wait, what?" he blurted out.
Ninten nodded, "Yeah! You're a smart guy, right? I can get us in and you can set off the rocket just like you want!" he explained eagerly, "It's a win-win situation!"
The sudden excitement was overbearing for the ever-meek Loid. He held up his arms, shaking his head again, "No way," he protested, uneasy, "They had all sorts of security measures over that building, and if we got caught we'd get in a lot of trouble! And it's not like I don't trust you," he shied away from the looming figure of the other boy, "but I don't really know you."
This made Ninten deflate a little. "Okay," he relented, rubbing his head, "what would it take to get you to trust in me?"
Snorting, Loid murmured "if you got a Sweet Little rocket maybe."
"Sweet little what?" Ninten pried.
"Sweet Little's factory, down south," Loid explained off-handedly, "they were put out of business when Duncan moved into town and set up shop, but they used to make rockets and things, too. Just, not so grand ones. They're supposed to still have some rockets stored away in the factory,  but when it closed they near-enough gutted the place, so it's just a rumour." With a smirk he added "If anyone could get me one of those I'd follow them to the ends of the earth!"
Silence descended over the two boys. Loid's blood ran cold as he glanced at Ninten, watching him process the information. He hoped, through all of his being, that his new friend had realised he was joking. Before he could make his thoughts audible Ninten settled a stare his way, stopping him short. The older boy's mouth turned up in a grin as he finally said "Alright, then!" and strode to the exit.
"I wasn't serious, you know!" Loid shouted, following Ninten to the doorway, "You don't have to get a rocket!"
Holding the door, Ninten turned his head toward Loid and said "If I get you a rocket, you'll come with me, right?"
The poor boy stuttered, unsure how to respond. Ninten just chuckled and continued on his way. Loid watched the door slam shut, locking automatically, before he could formulate an appropriate reply. Knowing it was too late, he instead headed for the railings again, watching the school's main doors.
As he waited to see Ninten exit, Loid began assuring himself things wouldn't work out as bad as he expected. 'It's fine,' he thought, frowning, 'he'll come out of those doors and he'll just go home. Nobody's dumb enough to do this for someone they've just met.'
It didn't take too long for the black-haired kid to show up, walking straight out of the school.
'Wait, Podunk isn't that way, where's he going?' Loid thought uneasily, fidgeting. Steadying himself he thought quickly 'No, wait, he's gotta know I'm watching. He's just trying to freak me out. Just gonna get back at me for my stupid joke, it's fine.'
Even as Loid tried to persuade himself things would be fine, he couldn't help but feel frantic the further and further toward the valley Ninten got. He kept telling himself Ninten must have known he was watching.
'... But he's not looked back once.' Loid realised, a chill running down his spine. Ninten was pretty far off, disappearing between the trees that covered the valley entrance. 'He's not even slowing down. Why isn't he slowing down. Isn't that far enough?'
Within seconds of thinking that, Ninten had disappeared from view entirely. Loid kept watch, expecting Ninten to reappear again quickly. But he didn't.
Suddenly Loid's already pale face turned white. "Oh no," he whimpered, "I've just sent someone to their death."
--------
Escaping the school grounds hadn't been the gargantuan task Loid had expected. Compared to what he knew he'd be facing, the thought of detention was nothing. But then, knowing what he was facing, there was no way to guarantee he'd be alive to attend it anyway.
Even with this in mind and a slingshot in his back pocket, Loid still took the valley path at a snail's pace, doing everything in his power to hide from anything that moved. He had no intention if getting into any unnecessary fights or attracting unwanted attention. He just had to get Ninten, and get out.
'For a genius,' Loid thought, hiding behind a tree, 'you've had some stupid ideas today.' He slunk up to the cliff walls as he watched a bird of prey soar overhead. When he was sure it passed, he continued on.
The closer he got to the factory, the more anxious he felt. The various wild animals were definitely a threat, that he couldn't deny. But what scared him more were the machines that now mulled near the property. They only popped up recently, something he'd found out when he decided to find the rumoured bottle rockets. He'd been lucky to escape the building with his life. Unfortunately he'd nearly lost it anyway back through the valley, something he still didn't know how he got through. But this place was now dangerous. Moreso now than it had ever been.
As Loid ducked behind some bushes, watching a wolf scale the cliffs nearby, he chided himself on this current predicament. 'It would have made more sense to send someone else in after him! Like an adult. Or any person who could take a hit from an animal and not die. Like anyone who wasn't me!'
Some shuffling nearby caught Loid's attention. He tensed, holding his breath as he waited for the sound again. Something was aware of his presence, and he hoped for his sake that it was Ninten.
A slow, drawn out, throaty growl sounded off to one side of the boy, not too far off. Loid's breath now caught on its own as he heard it. With wide eyes he slowly turned his head to see what had growled. A shaking hand reached for the slingshot as he did, but he already had no confidence in it as an effective weapon.
The cougar didn't wait for him to turn, and pounced.
Crying out in alarm Loid rolled to the side, just barely avoiding the creature. His instinct then kicked in and he took off running back towards town.
Even as he ran Loid could hear the cougar following behind him. With each bound it took, Loid felt a lump rise in his throat, and felt his heart racing. He wanted to look back, to see where the wild cat was, but he refused to risk it. He knew it was faster than him and, should it choose, it could overtake him easily. It was toying with him, and Loid knew it.
As the scenert flashed by, the boy could see other animals taking notice. A detached part of him wondered if they'd give chase, too, though they didn't seem to be paying him that much mind. No doubt the other hunters weren't going to muscle in on the cougar's prey.
The cougar's pace suddenly sped up, and Loid panicked. With what little time he had he tried to assess his options; weave through obstacles as he ran? Turn back round? Stop and face it? His options were slim and the outcome didn't look promising no matter what he chose.
Suddenly Loid lost his footing. He felt his heart drop into his stomach as he landed roughly on the beaten path, tumbling for a few feet more. He heard the beast stop, but he didn't look up. He could hear the gutteral panting of the creature as it sized him up, its feet pawing at the ground impatiently. It was ready to spring, and Loid doubted he could avoid it this time.
A hollow- cringe-worthy CRACK! drove the thought from Loid's mind. He raised his head to see a boy standing in front of him facing the cougar. The animal in question didn't look so hot, shaking its head and fidgeting on the spot. When it regained its composure it bared its fangs threateningly at the intruder.
Loid could only watch in fear as the two faced off. The cougar, in spite of the new distraction was still trying to sink its teeth into the weaker target. This was something the boy's red-capped friend was doing a fantastic job of preventing, his baseball bat at the ready, swinging when the creature got too close. This didn't come without some claw-marks for his trouble, but the boy remained steadfast, ensuring he was between Loid and the cougar at all times. And for the cougar's efforts, all it was getting were bumps and bruises, and no closer to its meal.
Eventually the cougar gave in, dejected. With a final hostile snarl it limped away, still keeping watch of the boys as it reached a safe distance. But it made no more effort to attack.
Certain that the creature wasn't going to come back, Ninten turned to help Loid. "You're a mess." He grinned as he pulled the boy up.
However Loid didn't stay up long, falling back to his knees. "I'm sorry!" he wailed, not looking up from the gravel. "I should never have sent you out here!"
Ninten looked confused for a moment. "You mean to the factory?"
"If the animals aren't bad enough," Loid moaned, "there are all the deadly robots in there, and I should have told you about them! All because of a stupid rumour!"
Still bemused, the older boy said "Uh, okay?"
Finally Loid raised his head, his eyes pleading, "So now I've told you, and I'm sorry! So please! Don't go to the factory! It's too dangerous!"
"Well, it's a little late for that."
Now it was Loid's turn to look confused. "...What do you mean?"
Rather than answering, Ninten held out a bottle rocket for Loid's observation.
All the fear, guilt and pleading vanished from the nerd's face as he took in the explosive offered out to him. His eyes lit up as he realised the rumours were true. "This is..."
"They were well hidden," Ninten explained, "they were up in a waste can on some really badly wrecked platforms. I picked up a few, in case you need them."
The smaller boy nodded eagerly as he took the proffered rocket, pocketing it.
With a smirk, Ninten pulled out the others and handed them over. "So," he said as Loid pocketed them one by one, "About that other factory."
Loid's face fell, one hand frozen halfway to his pocket. He looked at his new friend quizically, but Ninten didn't offer anything else. So instead the genius racked his brains to remember their last conversation, and what had been said about Duncan's factory.
Only then did he remember the terms that came with obtaining the bottle rockets.
Having watched the thought visibly click on the bespectacled one's face, Ninten grinned broadly. "You said you'd follow me to the ends of the earth, right?"
It felt like there was a pit in Loid's stomach all of a sudden. "Hoo boy," he sighed, finally shoving the last rocket into his pocket and preparing to move. As an elated Ninten talked him through the new plan, Loid lamented, once again, on his poor decisions today.
With that, Loid had joined the party.
~~~END