IGNITION ARC: Get Trekked

Mount Poa, Adova Province

Before they started their adventure, they were introduced to the activity first.

“Good morning, everyone! I am your local organizer for today. To brief you again, you’ve chosen a 7/9 Difficulty for your hike. This would take 2-3 or more days to complete. Elevation is at 2,956+ meters above sea level and classified as Trail Class: 3.” The local organizer explained.

“What’s 3 again?” Garvind asked.

“It means that the trails are very challenging, often rated class 4 or higher. Recommended for hikers who already have a solid amount of experience. We’ve done a background check on you regarding your hiking experience, fitness level, and permits. You all passed.” He announced.

“Yes!” Ronjun clenched his fist and grinned.

“Welcome to Adova’s Mount Poa! Together, let's conquer the Grandfather of our Local Mountains! Have fun!” This was the last statement before the local organizer left the three.

8 hours of hiking

“Whooo! That was a solid start,” Ronjun grabbed his water bottle and drank to replenish his fluid.

Windel sat on a branch. “Time to eat,” He opened his bag and grabbed his food.

The three ate their lunch together. Garvind ate his rice noodle with broccoli. Ronjun has his mashed potatoes, bread, and a granola bar. While Windel is chewing his sandwich and a banana.

“Oops, gotta dump. Aw!” Ronjun excused himself before finishing his food.

He walked away from the two, about 25 meters away from them, to find a good spot for a potty.

Windel “Here. Have this.” He handed Garvind a banana. “Ronjun might have bowel issues right now.”

*rustles*

The two were about to pack their lunch back into their bags when they heard the dried leaves on the ground rustling like a person was walking near them.

“Is that you, Ronjun?” Garvind called.

“You done dumping?” Windel asked.

The rustling sound becomes more audible, but no person or animal that could cause the sound is in sight. It was a serene place with a blissful, warm air and the rustling of trees.

“Where did that guy wander? He’s taking longer.”

“I’ll look for him,” Garvind volunteered.

“Are you sure? We could wait longer here. He might be having a really bad stomachache.”

“I’ll take a piss too.”

“Aight”

Garvind walked and looked for a cozy spot to pee. After peeing, he walked more and called out Ronjun.

“Ronjun! Where you at? Are you done? Go back now so we can resume.”

He walked further.

*peeing sound*

“Oh, there you are. You could’ve answered me, you were pissing there too.” Garvind looked at his back, where he heard the pissing sound of someone who was peeing. But it turns out that there was no person besides him. The pissing sound continues.

“R-Ronjun?” he looks confused because how could he have heard such a sound when he is the only one there. It’s not raining, no animals in sight. “Ronjun! This is no time for jokes!” he shouted.

He ran and looked for him. He heard dried leaves rustling like someone is walking towards him.

He looked where that sound was. “Show yourself now, Ron-”

“There you are,” It was Windel’s voice.

“Windel…”

“Let’s go back. He’s there. Indeed, he’s having bowel issues, which is why it took him half an hour to take a dump. And what took you so long, too?” Windel interrogated him.

“I-I was looking for him… I heard a strange noise here.”

“What strange noise?”

The two of them continued walking to go back to their original resting spot.

“A sound of someone peeing in the woods like I did, but there were no other people besides me.”

“That’s not too strange considering we’re in the mountains.”

“Guess, you’re right.”

They saw Ronjun looking pale.

“Geez, that looks far worse than an LBM,” Windel commented.

“My bad. Can we take a rest first? I promise, I’ll be okay in no time!” Ronjun promised while eating a banana that Windel gave him.

“Our lunchtime was already considered a rest,” Windel answered.

“Please, just this time.” Ronjun pleaded.

The three agreed to take an hour-long nap while Ronjun is recovering. After an hour, Ronjun is finally doing better and ready to continue the hike.

It was a challenging and diverse terrain when the sun had set. It was 7:00 PM already.

The three took a break for dinner. They secured a new resting spot and finished their dinner. After an hour, their tired bodies fell asleep.

***

1 hour later

“Guys, have you seen my phone?” Ronjun asked, wiping his drool. He just woke up. He touched his pants and rummaged through his backpack.

“Nope,” Windel squinted his eyes. “Wait, mine’s missing.”

They all woke up to check their pockets and bags. Their cellphones are missing.

“Sh*t! Do we go back? We need our phones!” Ronjun panicked.

“Is there a robber here?” Garvind questioned.

“And none of us wears a smartwatch. D*mn it! I should've gotten it.” Ronjun said angrily.

“If it was a robber, but my cash is still here,” Windel observed. “If it were an animal, it wouldn’t be bothered by phones.”

“Same with mine,” Garvind confirmed.

Only their cellphones were missing.

“Why did you wake up?” Garvind asked Ronjun.

“The signal has been weak since we climbed. I received my girlfriend’s text messages late tonight. I read that she warned us to go back. She watched the news about the wild animal attacks on the other group of hikers who went here too, almost 3 days ago. I woke up because of strange animal noises I heard and looked for it, but there was nothing. When I returned, my phone went missing.”

“So, you’ve heard strange noises too…” Garvind uttered.

"This mountain is huge. There’s no way the animals can track us here… right?" Ronjun murmured anxiously.

“There's a slim chance, so we should postpone the hike. Let’s wait for dawn and climb down.” Windel suggested.

“I agree,” Garvind commented. “We could use the map and compass for tomorrow.”

4:40 AM

The three woke up after a night's rest and a light snack. They continued walking, bringing all their belongings. The sun hadn’t risen so Windel was holding a lamp to guide their slightly dimmed path.

“What the…” Ronjun mumbled when a group of coyotes surrounded them.