North pole was kinda cool. It was like walking on a beach where the water was ankle-high and frosted, but not cold. No temperature. Just a scenery of walking on semi-sand-ice-snow submerged on a foot of water. When we thought we've reached the center of the North pole, a spot wherein we can put up a flag that says "North Pole", we saw a crack through the ice with water spilling over. Then he said, "siguro ito yung cause ng Global Warming."
I felt so scared and afraid, while he was in a nonchalant mode, "okay lang yan!" like the usual. Ack! A little while later, we saw headlights coming from a distance. It's North pole goddamnit. "They're too far," Poli said. I pulled him back south, leaving us in the middle of desert military jeeps coming from the north and some civilian infantry coming from the south. The towns in the middle are all empty.
We went into a detachment-like house and gathered all ammo, guns, and necessary weapons available, slinging like five armalite guns on my shoulder. This time, our group suddenly increased. I told everyone that there are enemy from the north. While slinging like five long guns on my shoulder, I held on to one of them, on guard with the trigger, pointing towards the street, while I am standing at the entrance of the station.
I stayed in that position for a long while, until one of our comrades took hold of my shoulder and told me that I would endanger our companions with my paranoia. The jeepneys from the north were actually allies. It was not clear whether they are reinforcements, or friends or refugees. They are just... companions.
So I put down my weapon, but still had it beside me. My grandmother was there, tinkering with the gun, I was thinking of how come she's able to hold it while I was given restraint. So we settled on an encampment. While struggling for where to find fuel for cooking, and my best friend challenging me to cook by heating water in the pitcher.
That's about that. And when the feeling of danger subsided, I felt some boredom and frustration of not engaging in any form of combat. It was fun to note that all those countries were reachable by foot. All was just a dream. But the feelings of fear and danger were all real.
