Everyone had moved in front of him and was about to talk about their abilities, but Gareth stopped them.
'On second thought, let's just disclose this before anything else…'
Time wasn't already on their side, so he thought to not waste any more time introducing each other and directly got to the point. According to him, they could know all about the abilities later… if they managed to survive.
Looking at them, he took a deep breath and began his announcement,
"Everyone, listen closely to what I have to tell you."
Being the centre of attention already, it didn't take him long to get on the track. Looking at the cave, he explained,
"Sigh! From the earlier incident, we already know that this cave isn't safe and we can't hope to stay here longer than we have to…" Pausing for a moment, he began for real, "Because of that, I have formed a plan of action."
"As you can see there..." Pointing toward the entrance on the left side, he continued, "Ahh! Considering everything… I've decided that it will be safe for us to move along that tunnel. I know you might be worried about what's to come and not… but…"
Pausing to catch his breath, he added, "…you might have guessed from the pile of trash that humans stayed in this cave… at some point. And, I think this is the exit part of the cave system they had built as it leads directly into this mushroom field."
"From there, it wouldn't be hard to guess where the other part of the cave led to… In simpler words, I think this cave will lead us somewhere safe… I hope so, at least."
"But…" Sighing, Gareth shakes his head and looks at them once again.
"…But we can't expect everything to go smoothly. First of all, the cave has long been abandoned, and who in God's tarnation knows the real reason… and that's why before going in we have to be in our top condition."
"This is a must, it's absolute… I think… and to do that, we have to fill our stomachs first. Not only that, we have to create some rations as well…" he finished, trying to make the words as simple as possible.
"Food… but where do we find it…"
"Can't we eat those mushrooms… ahh! If I remember correctly, there are edible mushrooms on Earth, right?"
"Yes! There are, but how are we…"
"Wait… I think I can help with that!?"
As the chatters continued within the group, the hunger they had controlled till now began to erupt slowly but surely.
Nobody was desperate yet, but considering this was their second day without them eating or drinking anything, it won't take long for that time to come either.
As the chatters calmed down a bit, Gareth once again took the stage and began speaking, "Exactly… and because of this... I've decided to explore the underground tunnel before moving toward the left tunnel."
He said, pointing toward the right tunnel.
"Why!?"
Multiple of them showed concerns about his words as they couldn't understand why Gareth was trying to take unnecessary risk.
It was only logical to move to the left, but they couldn't understand the logic of going underground.
Before giving them any time to ask, Gareth began the explanation, "Ahh!.. I understand the concern, but you can see the tunnel is situated on the ground... and because of this, there is a high chance that rainwater that came inside the cave must have collected at the bottom of the tunnel."
Listening to his explanation, it began to make sense, "Water... ohhh that makes sense."
"Yes... I get it now!!"
"Right... teach, you are great.." Everyone began mumbling, as a ray of hope ignited in their eyes.
They could control their hunger, but... remaining thirsty is something that can't be done for long. Even at the moment, some were struggling to maintain themselves because of getting thirstier by the hour.
'Sigh! Now comes the important part...'
Everything Gareth had explained till now was for the things he was about to say next. Looking at the student, barely an adult, he asked with a heavy heart,
"I will obviously go underground... but I need a few of you to come along with me as well. As it is a matter of life and death… I won't sugarcoat the words. I can't guarantee safety and, in fact, am sure that there will be some danger involved with going down..."
Still in the middle of his explanation, he looked and sighed, 'It was expected...'
During the explanation, he was reading their expressions as well.
And like he had thought, most of the students weren't happy about his words. There was no one saying anything against his words... but neither were they moving forward to agree as well.
Life was dear for everyone, and so, Gareth didn't want to force any of them to volunteer against their will. Knowing how it felt, he didn't blame them either and instead thought their action was only the natural outcome.
'If only I were strong enough then... I could've looked for them without needing the help...' he thought, remembering the words his dad often said to him.
/You are a disappointment. There is nothing you can do alone. Why are you like this? A coward... A fucking coward you are, Gareth. Only instead of looking at the flower all day, you could do some work, then my name wouldn't have been brought through the mud./
/Spat! How did my blood get this soft?/
Forcing a smile, he looked at the group and opened his mouth, "There is no need to worry... if you all are not ready the—" Gareth was about to announce that he would go alone when a few students moved forward, interrupting his words.
"I will come with you, teach." Smiling, Adam moved forward. Even with his decision, his presence still makes it difficult for one to notice him.
As he moved forward, a group of four friends moved ahead and muttered,
"Well, this idiot wouldn't listen to me... so, I guess we are coming, sir, as well," a boy said, looking at the girl standing beside him.
"Whatever!" Hearing his snark, the girl just smirked and moved toward Gareth.
Shaking his head, the other four moved as well.
Looking at five of them, Gareth couldn't help but smile for real this time. Patting them on their shoulder, he chuckled, "Sure..."
Welcoming them, he suddenly remembers his commander and whispers in a low tone, "Commander… I guess I found some of those bastards you always talk about, huha!"