By evening the next day, Ben was seated, looking at his watch. After several minutes, with hands that trembled even more as the Rust Bucket moved, he pressed on the device button.
The dial lifted, then he turned it slowly. Once, twice, ten times. Each black silhouette representing a possibility he could become: bigger, smaller, beastier… far more dangerous.
His finger hovered over the center dial, yet he didn't press it, just feeling the smooth texture of the watch, when suddenly a hand shot out, gripping his right hand.
"Are you serious right now?"
Ben lifted his head. Gwen stood in front of him, her phone gripped tight in her other hand.
"I'm not transforming," Ben said as the dial automatically sank back down. "Just looking."
"Just looking when you are touching!" Gwen stepped closer, her voice deadly calm. "People are dead, Ben. Dead because of what you did yesterday."
"I didn't kill anyone. And we don't know what—"
"Now we do." She shoved her phone centimetres from his face. The screen blazed with news headlines with updated information: BELLWOOD FOREST INCIDENT - BODIES UNRECOVERABLE and VIOLENT FIRE CLAIMS MULTIPLE LIVES - NO SURVIVORS.
Ben read the details. Charred remains. Dental records impossible.
"You see that? That's what your curiosity cost." Gwen's voice cut like a blade, showing a headline: FAMILIES DEMAND ANSWERS.
Ben pushed the phone away, sweat beading on his forehead. "We both know that the cleared areas and the stone paths make it impossible! The culprit is whatever's tracking this watch."
He knew it, he knew it was impossible, yet Gwen somehow made him doubt, just for a few seconds, but the feeling was still too uncomfortable, twisting in his stomach.
He continued. "And even if this was the case — Max left this thing lying around without any supervision. How was I supposed to know?"
"Listen to yourself." Gwen stared at him. "You're relieved you won't get caught. Not devastated that people died. Grandpa obviously invented this story to make you feel better."
Ben blinked, then let out a bitter laugh, though his voice was clearly not amused — especially as the uncomfortable feeling struck him a second time. "What do you want me to say? That I should throw myself off a cliff in guilt? That won't bring them back."
"Enough." Max's voice cut through their argument. The Rust Bucket lurched as he pulled into a parking area beside a gas station. A restaurant with flickering neon sat nearby, and beyond that, the fence of a landfill. "We don't have time for your bickering."
Ben turned toward his grandfather. "I need to know what we're facing here. What is after the watch? And could I get caught for the fire—?"
"Ben." Gwen's voice was flat with disgust. "You're worried about getting in trouble."
"And you're being annoying, Gwen. Yeah, I'm human — I don't want bad things happening to me. Sue me."
"Maybe I should just call the police to turn in a criminal!" The soft tapping sounds from her phone clearly indicated she was dialing a number.
Max shut off the engine. "We're stopping here for the night. Both of you, calm down!"
But Gwen wasn't finished. She turned on Max with sudden fury. "And you — why won't you tell us anything? What exactly is this device? Where did you get it?!" Her questions came rapid-fire. "Who or what is tracking it? Why Mt. Rhumorse? What aren't you telling us? WHO ARE YOU?!"
"Gwen." Max's patience was wearing thin.
"No, I'm done with secrets. Ben's acting like he has no conscience, you're acting like some kind of spy, and I'm supposed to just sit here and trust that everything will work out?"
Max rubbed his temples. "The less you know, the safer you are."
"Safer from what?"
"From making the kind of choices that get people killed. Just stay calm please."
The words hung in the air ominously, yet still infuriatingly unclear and evasive — even Ben couldn't help but frown.
Gwen looked between Ben and Max. "I don't trust either of you."
Ben met her stare. "Good. You shouldn't, since I'm supposedly a murderer and Grandpa is supposedly a secret spy."
He then turned to his grandfather Max. "Look, I get that you want to protect us or whatever. But keeping us in the dark? That's not helping anyone. We're not gonna magically forget this happened, so you're just being stubborn."
"I think I know what's best for you better than you do, Ben." Max frowned. His gaze made both cousins flinch.
The silence stretched between them, thick with suspicion and blame. Outside, the neon restaurant sign buzzed and flickered against the growing darkness.
But Ben could feel it — whatever fragile cooperation they could have had was cracking apart… not that he cared much.
Just waiting to get the watch removed and not using it? Simple enough, I'm not suicidal.
He exhaled as he exited the RV and headed toward the restaurant.
This road trip was a clear mistake; the watch accident just made it clear from the start.
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The restaurant's interior was cleaner than expected. Wood paneling lined the walls, an old clock marking 20:00. Dozens of customers hunched over their meals in concentrated silence. The place was filled with a fragrant perfume, yet some strange odor mingled with it — perhaps the very reason for the heavy fragrance.
Ben stepped inside seeking nothing more than food and quiet. After the incident and family disputes, peace felt like a rare luxury.
Seconds after Ben entered, Gwen followed. He exhaled, then ignored her completely, as if they were strangers who happened to arrive at the same time.
The muted conversations suited Ben perfectly. He approached four men near the counter — they'd been talking when he entered, but their voices died as he got close. The strange thing was, he couldn't recall understanding a single word before. Foreign language, maybe. Now they just stared at untouched plates, steam rising from cooling food. And why was everyone's head covered in hoods, hats, or scarves?
Weird, Ben thought, shrugging it off. Not his problem.
He scanned the menu, then addressed the slim waitress behind the counter. Her loose hoodie obscured most features, her face hidden in shadow.
"Fries. Double quantity. Just for me, not the person behind me," he said, placing money on the counter while pointedly ignoring Gwen. "With ketchup and salt."
The waitress nodded wordlessly and disappeared into the kitchen without taking the money.
She'll grab it later. Obviously checking stock.
Ben glanced around while waiting. More customers had gone silent when he'd spoken. Now strange silence filled the room, food growing cold before them.
Everyone's tired.
Ben told himself.
It's late. People are quiet when they're tired.
But the longer he stood there, the more everything felt wrong.
What crossed his line from weird to wrong was a man near the exit door, holding a phone upside down while murmuring incomprehensible words to it — words that were somehow clear enough in tone to…
Give the illusion of a discussion?! Is everyone here just… pretending?
Sweat beaded on Ben's forehead. The sudden sizzle of fries hitting oil made him flinch, then breathe easier.
Nah, I'm just tired too.
He glanced at Gwen, who was growing paler by the second, eyes darting between customers.
Gwen too…
…
Nope.
Ben's hand moved toward the watch, fingers tracing the dial's edge. He could feel the familiar weight of it, remembering the rush of power, the feeling of becoming something else. But Max's warnings slammed back. Signal. Mass deaths. Whatever was tracking them.
He put his hand away.
Ben grabbed Gwen's wrist and bolted for the exit. She didn't resist — she clearly had the same idea. The man by the door stepped directly into their path.
"Show me that black belt earned its keep, karate girl." Without hesitation, Ben pivoted and hurled Gwen toward the blocking figure. "Gwen, attack!"
"I'm not a Pokémon, you d—"
Momentum carried her forward too fast for insults. She read the man's stance, waited for his move, then used his weight against him. He hit the ground hard but uninjured, unable to stop them for crucial seconds.
They burst from the restaurant and ran. Three meters out, hands erupted from the earth, gripping their legs…
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Distance Road XXX - Mt. Rhumorse: 1'200 Kilometers
Distance covered: ~200 kilometers
Remaining distance: ~1'000 kilometers
__________________
To be continued…