"The man mentioned that a house is up to this mountainous hill," said Alice.
The mountainous hill they are tracking, luckily, to which a road leads, is in itself very reminiscent that someone lives in this place. Called the Celo Mountain, a lone residence lives here.
"It's weird," Alice said. "I didn't think anyone lived in this area. It's all so full of trees and hidden in the forests. What do you think about all this?"
"I think it's fine," said Ben.
"What?" Alice was in awe. "That's what you really think."
"Yes, indeed." He continued. "I think it's very comfortable."
Alice didn't say a thing after that. She thought of this person who lives in the mountain forest to be a loner, a nomad, or a person disinterested in the very existence of humanity residing outside of his premise, so much so that he doesn't want to interact and finds the need for it pathetic, useless, abhorrent, and in a way dissatisfied. She thinks that this person has a character that makes him superior, and them, specifically the modern human mind, to be incapable and ignorant.
"Sure....He has his reasons," pondered Alice, but really she was upset that she didn't get a satisfying reply.
They continued their ascent. It was then that they spotted the road seeming to glide to the side and beyond that, a road that stopped. At the end of the road, a metal gate was there, not in front, but in the left corner.
"Well, I guess, this is it," Said Alice as she scanned the metal gate through the gaps, finding no one inside that might help them.
"Looks empty to me," she could tell.
'How are we supposed to get inside? We couldn't just wait outside, that would be a waste of time. There has to be a way in.'
"Hey Ben!" She called out.
Ben was aware and was alerted.
"Gimme a boost!" She said.
"That's not a good idea. This isn't our place to be trespassing. We might get caught!"
"Well, we can't just wait here. We gotta do something---and that something is you helping me get over the fence, find a switch or lever and get you in as well. Does that sound good?"
"I still disagree."
"I support his decision. That's not a very good idea!" An unknown voice said.
It was in that instant that Alice and Ben were caught off guard and suddenly aware of another presence lurking around their spot.
The two could only stare as the unknown figure revealed himself. He had a tall figure (6'2) and wore a grey hoodie. He clamped his hoodie down and showed his face.
"You're looking for old man Fya, right?" He spoke.
'Is that his name?' Alice thought about the man they were after, mentioned by this stranger. Then she had a revelation, 'Wait, he looks familiar?'
"Are you---"
"You've noticed. I'm sure you have, well, it was you that bumped into me at the produce seller stall," he gestured.
'Seriously, that's him!'
The stranger walked over to them, to the gate. "If you were to trespass, that'll be a whole other reason for me to press charges." He glared with an expression telling that he might have done it. "....But hey, at least you didn't jump right away."
'This GUY...' A smug face formed on Alice. She was beginning to get irritated in some way.
"Fret not, I'm not gonna report."
The gate screeched and slid. The entrance was open.
"Follow me," he voluntarily told them.
It was on their way on their continous ascend on the stone stairs that Alice was having a hard time believing that this was legit. Like really, the guy just showed up out of nowhere, identified himself as the guy she bumped into, and welcomed them onto his property even though she was about to trespass, but he acted like he was a chill person and was not going to file a report.
'I don't buy it one bit,' she thought. 'But I'll allow it. For now.'
As always as much Ben waa concerned, he was not. He followed from the back. Alice is in the middle, and the stranger is in the front. He saw the way Alice looked at the stranger. Tested. Defied. Challenged. Much to his own mindset, he didn't have. There was a quote he followed through with that taught him better: "The rabbit runs, but the turtle walks." It was probably from a Western book he had read.
Raised in a household that rewards certain actions applicable, such as better such as respect and responsibility, he could only watch, and when the time was right, acted as a means of defence, not to attack headfirst.
A plan is a must, always.
"Alright, here we are," the stranger said.
The house was medium-sized. Not too big or small. It was average. It was like a beach house, only this was modified.
"You guys wait around the porch. I'll go in and come back. Okay."
The two nodded. That was a yes.
"So this is where he lives," Alice was impressed. "After those gruelling hours, we'll be one step closer to finding our mysterious man. What do you think Ben? Good plan?" She asked him.
He nodded steadily.
"Come on. At least say yes," she hyped.
The door screeched open, and the stranger peered through. "Old man Fya wanted to say this...." he said.
"What's that?" She asked with a smiley face.
It came to her in an instant. Her eyes widened at his confrontation. The stranger gave him straight the answer she had been waiting for. But entirely different.
With a swing of his left hand forward, he flipped the middle finger in her face and said, "FUCK YOU ASSHOLES!!!" in bold.
"Huh?"
And immediately on saying that, he slammed the door on her---TSCH!
It was momentarily that Alice regained her composure, but that too faded spontaneously as she was on the verge of madness.
"What the hell!!!" She shouted. She then stepped closer to the door and knocked hard. "Open up this instance!!!!" She yelled.
However, there was no answer. Still, she was adamant. She persisted. But also because she noticed something in the stranger's words during their first meeting.
FYA = FUCK YOU ASSHOLES
The stranger, or should I say the homeowner, picked up on her noisy exaggeration outside his front porch. The sounds reverberated through and through; the walls were even unable to cancel the noise. He smirked and turned his head to the door.
"Come on! Open up! You're just a scared idiot who doesn't know how to confront his opponent! Yeah, that's it! Scumbag!"
Splash! ---a body of water rained on her
"Gghuh!" She exclaimed. She was wet all over.
From where that body of water came from, you need only to look up and see a red bucket held on by two hands and a person coming out of a window from the very top floor.
"How's the water? Good? I'm sure it's really good," he mocked.
"You'll pay for this!"
"I don't think I will," he explained. "I suggest you skedaddle outta here before you're in for a pretty rough time."
"I'm not going anywhere!" Defended Alice.
"Suit yourself," he said and went back inside.
"Hey, come back here! I'm not finished with you!"
Alas, he was gone.
"Damnitt!"
It was then Ben realized the severity of the houseowners words as his ears picked up a warning coming from afar.
He turned to look at Alice and sound the alert. "Alice! We should go. It's no safe here."
"What do you mean?!"
Before long, it was over. A cop had appeared.
"What are you folks doin here?" He asked.