Miller South Teens: The Series Vol. 1

15. Boys in the Woods

It was a chill day in New York City. At the Crowne Royale Hotel, Mason grabbed a plastic bowl from the cupboard and filled it with potato chips. Then, he went into the refrigerator and grabbed a six-pack of root beer. Lastly, he opened another cupboard and pulled a pack of Oreos from the shelf. After getting his snacks, Mason went to the living room and sat on the couch.

"Alright," he began as he picked up the remote. "Let's see what Dr. Felix's been doing on Martin's Dissection." He turned on the television to find that the commercials were playing. "Aw, man. A crummy commercial..." He pulls out his phone and began to look on his phone

"Hey! Hey, you!" Mason looks up from his phone, confused. "Yeah, you! The one sitting on the couch, eating chips and watching me!" On the TV, there was a burly, muscular man with a buzz cut and wearing camo.

"Do you have what it takes to answer the call? To get back to what Mother Nature intended us to be? Well, I do. My name is Badger, and I've been answering that call for years. I have mastered everything I need, from hunting to swimming, to climbing mountains and trees. Surviving in any terrain, tundra, desert, and forest, doing what we were born to do. While many people today are sitting in their comfy hotel suites, eating snacks and watching shows like Martin's Dissection..." Mason's eyes widen and he looks at his bowl of chips. Embarrassed, he puts it down.

"...I've spent my entire adulthood, living out here, free from technology, social interaction, and hygiene. A normal life may be comfortable and clean, but does it really have what the beauty of nature could offer? The wilderness is my home sweet home. I wasn't born on this earth to stay alive. I was born to be alive. If you wanna see how I do it, tune in to my reality show, Badger of the Wild. Answer the call."

"Premiering this Friday at 5pm eastern," said the announcer.

"Woah," Mason muttered. The commercial then changed to the show.

"Previously on Martin's Dissection..."

"Dr. Felix, there's something wrong with the patent's semilunar valves."

"Yes, but there's something else more important...my love, for you."

Mason turned off the tv and stared at the blank screen for a second. Then, he rose up from the couch and looked out the balcony window to a skyline of a forest behind the city. He remembers the words: "Answer the call." Suddenly, he heard the door open.

"Hey, bro," Finn called out.

"Hey, Mason," said Brian. "Guess what we got."

"A 12 pack of tacos," Dylan answered.

"And free churros," Sam added with a handful of churros.

"We're gonna watch an MMA fight if you don't mind," Finn added. Mason just ignored them and continued to look out the window. Finn went over to him and tapped him on the back. "Hey, man. You feelin' alright?"

"Honestly," said Mason. "I have never felt more alive than I do now."

"...okay??"

After a day of eating tacos and watching MMA fights, the boys were finally asleep. Mason was laying down, still awake. He continued to stare at the window, beyond the city. Beyond New York was a new life. A way to get back to their roots. An opportunity at freedom.

"Answer the call..."

"Yes, I will."
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The next morning, the boys were still asleep, yet something was different. Finn rolled over and stuck his hand out. He arched his eyebrows when we felt a blade of grass around his fingers. He opened his eyes and saw a dandelion in his face and closed them. Suddenly, his eyes popped open and he sat up and looked around. He let out a scream that woke the others. They jumped up and saw that they were in the middle of a forest.