Chapter 245: Warning Signal
Outside a bar at midnight, a group of friends was leaving after gathering to talk about much more than just their boring or happy lives. Many of them were married men; some had families, and others were trying to start one. But for many, that wasn't a reason to stay home.
"What do you call it?"
"The King's Path. It's a route that passes through the Santa Carmen mountains and can be traveled in the summer."
"Ah, it's similar to the Appalachian Trail."
"Yes, but this route has more history than mountaineers. Let's do something fun. Don't you want to go to Amsterdam?"
A man named Luke, who was part of the group of friends meeting tonight to plan their next vacation, said, "Do you want a bottle?"
"Come on, I'll go with you." Robert looked at his best friend and nodded. Despite the others declining for obvious reasons, he, sharing Luke's mindset, accompanied him.
Luke looked at his friend and joked, "Don't you think it's getting harder every year to gather with more freedom?"
"I agree…"
"Dom wanted to meet for lunch; that's freaking crazy."
But at that moment, as they entered the liquor store, Luke saw a woman with a clear bruise on her face hiding beside the counter. She was terrified, something perfectly evident from her expression.
Instinctively, Luke hid, and things took a turn for the worse when they discovered the liquor store was being robbed by a group of thieves who spotted Robert, who hadn't moved.
"Hey, give me your damn wallet." One of the thieves pointed at Robert, who said nothing about his hidden friend, and took out his wallet.
"Now give me your ring!"
Robert hesitated; he didn't want to give his engagement ring to a stranger, but without giving him a chance to explain, the thief hit his head with a metal bat.
"Damn it, man, what the hell are you doing?" The thief's companion couldn't believe his partner had hit someone; things weren't supposed to get out of control like this.
But without answering, the man continued hitting Robert's head.
Luke, hiding and holding a bottle of tequila, wanted to come out, but fear completely paralyzed him, and he couldn't move a muscle. … A few months later. Mountains of Santa Carmen.
"That dream again..." Luke opened his eyes, remembering how his friend had been brutally murdered in front of him. He had that dream every night and soon sank into depression.
Why didn't he move to defend his friend?
Luke blamed himself over and over for not stepping forward to defend his friend. He wanted to turn back time to change the outcome, but he couldn't.
When his friends told him he did the right thing and that if he had done anything else, he would be dead too, Luke knew those weren't really their thoughts.
Maybe they said it to make him feel better, but in a way, they were also a bit confused, knowing he hadn't made any move to save his friend.
"I'm so sorry." Luke murmured as he opened his tent.
To hold a ceremony for Robert, he and many more of their friends decided to hike a trail in his honor. That night, everyone remembered Robert's insistence on hiking together, so today they were here, halfway through the route, to honor his name.
At first light, Luke woke up and stepped out of his tent. After having that dream, all he wanted was to breathe fresh air to clear his mind of those hard dreams.
Those nightmares had been haunting him since the day he chickened out. None of his friends knew about his case; no one was aware he had let his friend die, and he preferred it to stay that way.
But what he didn't realize was that conscience kills. After only five months, guilt had consumed him so much that he was in immense depression.
"I made some coffee; you should have a cup." Dom, who was outside, looked at Luke's condition and offered him a cup of coffee.
Luke took it and sat down, watching the sunrise while the others were still waking up.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
SrCuervo
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