The Longest 42 Minutes

"Wait! Break." I call out.

Defne stops. She looks at me. There's something in her eyes. Disappointment, surprise, or maybe the regret of why did I save this man? I'm not sure.

“My feet aren’t used to this. In Istanbul I walked on flat concrete. My daily walking distance: probably two kilometers.

Now we've been walking on a dirt road for hours.

Grace: Using the point where you descended from the roof as reference, you have been walking for exactly 42 minutes.

"That's ridiculous!? I'm sure we've been walking for hours."

"What did you say?" Defne says.

"Ah… I wasn't talking to you. The watch keeps giving notifications. About my physical condition. I was talking to it."

Defne mutters something and leans against a tree.

Grace: You did not ask but let me mention it; you do not need to use your mouth to speak to me. I can see the signals in your brain.

"Wha-"

What do you mean?

Grace: Electrical signals are constantly moving through the organ we call the brain. Since I’m connected to that system, I can read those signals.

I guess this is what Defne meant by the chip.

Grace: That is correct.

I want to examine the watch but I’m mentally exhausted too. I'll leave it for later.

Grace: Good idea.

Please stop butting in.

Grace: Apologies.

"How long until we reach the guild?" I ask Defne. "I'm very tired."

"Your memory looks pretty bad. I said we're going to the village."

"Sorry. So why are we going to the village?"

"To warn them about the Polybear and to spend the night there. The guild is very far. We'll go there in the morning with the traders."

"So how far is the village?"

"About a meal break."

"A meal break?"

"Yes."

"How many minutes of a meal break are we talking about?"

"A what?"

“Minu-”

Wait… How many years since the war, Grace?

Grace: No data. Last watch update 152 years, 7 months, 13 days ago. If the manufacturer did not shut down or update support was not discontinued, the only remaining reason is war. In that case roughly 152 years have passed since the war.

152 years… In 152 years everything can change. And everything can be forgotten. Add a war to that—a nuclear war—and I’m basically in a different world.

I open my backpack. I forgot to fill my canteen. Unbelievable…

"There's no time for a picnic," Defne says. "We have to reach the village before evening."

"Is there water?" I ask.

Defne takes the canteen off her belt. She hesitates for a moment. Then holds it out.

I take a sip. Cold, clean. No water has ever tasted this good. I wipe the mouth of the canteen with my hand and hold it back out.

"Thank you."

…

We walk for what would’ve been a standard forty-five-minute meal break at the factory. Apart from ruined buildings there isn't a single settlement anywhere.

"Aren't we there yet?"

"No," Defne says harshly.

"One more break please. My legs are giving out."

A grunt comes from Defne. I ignore it and drop myself onto the grass.

I said it doesn't matter whether it's good or bad. I said I'm feeling something for the first time. So, Orhun, how are you feeling?

While I'm lying on the ground it occurs to me that Defne might have gone on without me. I lift my head immediately.

She's crouched at the foot of a tree, scanning the surroundings. She's not resting, she's watching. Her eyes move constantly: trees, bushes, shadows. Then our eyes meet.

"Why are you so weak?" she says suddenly.

"What?"

"Your battery ran out right away. You're not a fighter, fine. But even traders are more durable than this. Did you come from the domes?"

The domes. That's the second time she's saying it.

"I don't know the domes," I say.

Defne looks at me. This time curious. "You really don't know?"

"Really."

She stands up. "You've rested enough. I don't want to be caught in the dark."

…

We walk about one more hour.

I'm about to die.

I’m keeping track of time through Grace. It also has a calendar. Of course. It is a watch after all.

Right now I'm in the year 2197. I came from 2026. 171 years. So the war happened 20 years later. People kept talking about nuclear war but nobody cared. It had practically become a meme.

A nuclear war plus 171 years of system decay. There's nobody I know anymore. Not my family, not my coworkers, not the people I saw on the internet. Everyone… Dead.

Strange feeling.

Whenever I thought of isekai, I imagined stepping into a game. Right now I'm in the future rather than in a game. Or in one of the alternate futures.

The isekai god had mentioned a writer. Makes sense. Alternate universes to get around time travel paradoxes… Still, I'm in the future.

I wonder if there's another version of me in this universe? Or rather, was there?

I was probably wiped off the earth by the first bomb that fell on Istanbul.

Grrowl…

My stomach growls. It's even started digesting itself. My pride died a long time ago. I don't know why I'm being stubborn.

"Is there food?" I ask directly.

Defne sighs loudly. Then she stops and opens her bag.

"Here."

A piece of dried meat.

I thank her and take it.

I bite off a piece. Tough. Hard to chew. But it tastes good. Salty, smoky meat. Perfect.

"What meat is this?"

"Deer."

My experience with meat in the old world: chicken döner, debatable whether it was really chicken, ready-made meatballs, frozen döner. That was it.

…

I'm not counting how many hours it's been anymore. I'm just walking. Silently. I don't even have the breath left to whine. Defne walks in front, I drag along behind. The distance between us opens, Defne slows down. The distance closes, she speeds up. She isn't "waiting" for me. She just slows down.

The scenery around us changes slowly. The trees thin out. The color of the soil changes, from dark brown to reddish.

Different smells drift toward me. The smell of grain. Burned wood. Animals. Goat especially.

Ah! Are we there?

We enter a narrow path. Low stone walls on the right and left. Behind the walls there are small fields. Then a small village appears.

Built along the slope of a hill. Ten, maybe fifteen structures. Wooden walls on stone foundations, plastered with earth or straw. The roofs are flat, a mix of adobe and straw. In the middle there's a wide open space and a well. Past the well there's a big walnut tree. Beside it a fire pit, surrounded by blackened stones.

At the entrance to the village, next to the path, a wooden sign is planted:

KIZILPINAR

Written in faded red paint. Underneath in smaller letters: 'Welcome, traveler. Keep your weapon sheathed.'

My watch vibrates.

═════════════════════════════════

NEW REGION DISCOVERED

◈ KIZILPINAR VILLAGE

Agricultural settlement

Estimated population: 30-50

Discovery reward: +25 XP

XP: 25 / 100

══════════════════════════════════

Region discovery gives XP!? Nice…

There are two men chatting at the entrance to the village. One of them is armed like Defne. After greeting Defne they size me up quickly.

"DEFNE!" a child's voice comes.

No, three children. No, five. I don't know where they came from but suddenly they're all around us. Ages between six and ten. Dirty faces, torn clothes, enormous smiles.

They surround Defne. Defne, the Defne who said "why are you so weak?" to me a moment ago, crouches down and ruffles the smallest one's hair. The warrior from a moment ago seems to disappear the moment she crosses the village line. Her steps become shorter. Her hands leave her waist. Her shoulders loosen.

"How are you all doing?" she says to the children. "Have you been good?"

They all tell Defne something different.

"Grandmother asked about you!"

"A rabbit fell in my trap!"

"I set the trap!"

"Liar! I set it!"

Defne laughs.

One child looks at me. Then the others turn too. The children go quiet.

Five pairs of eyes. Big, curious, a bit frightened.

"Who's this?" one of them says. A boy with a dirty face and curly hair.

"I don't know, I found him on the road," Defne says.

Nice introduction. Thanks.

As we walk toward the village square people come out. Women at the doors, men by the well. Everyone is looking at Defne. They're smiling. A woman waves.

Then they look at me. The smiles disappear. Curiosity replaces the smiles. Unease too

Normal. I'd be uneasy too if a stranger in odd clothes came to my village.

An old man approaches. In his sixties, maybe seventies. Short, broad-shouldered, his face cracked by sun and wind. White mustache, thick eyebrows. He has a cane in his hand but he isn't leaning on it. He carries it like an accessory. It must be habit or a weapon.

"Welcome back, girl," he says. His voice is deep, warm but authoritative. It's clear he's the village elder. "What's this, is there a problem?"

"No problem. I ran into a Polybear on the way back. I came to warn you. Maybe I'll spend the night here too."

The old man's eyebrows knit. "Where did you see it?"

"On the southwest slope."

"You did well. I'll warn the watchmen, we'll increase the traps. And you're definitely staying here tonight. No setting out at night."

"Thank you."

Then he turns to me. He gives me a quick, sharp once-over. My shoes, the tear in my trousers, the odd buttons on my shirt, the watch on my wrist. He takes in everything about me in five seconds.

"Who's this young man?"

"I don't know," Defne says. "We ran into each other on the road. I saved him from a bear."

"He looks strange. Did you come from the domes, son?"

I groan internally. Same conclusion every time. Strange clothes + weak physique = dome.

"He came from far away," Defne says in my place. "But he says he doesn't remember how he got here. I'm taking him to the guild."

The old man looks at me again. Longer this time, more carefully.

"Maybe the bear frightened him badly," he says finally. His voice softens. "Let's not press him. Come sit, let's get food ready. You look tired, son."

Ah! The nuclear catastrophe didn't kill hospitality.

They take me to a tent. I'm not sure "tent" is the right word. Three sides stone wall, one side wood, tarpaulin and a covering of branches on top. On the ground a thick felt, a wool blanket on top of it.

I'd stayed in a village before. My mother's village. They dragged me there as a child. But that place was a bit more developed. They had a television and everything.

I wash my hands and face. Then I stretch out on the felt. There's a hole at one point in the tarpaulin. The sky is visible. It's starting to get dark.

══════════════════

Safe zone detected.

Rest duration recommendation:

Minimum 6 hours.

Ideal: 8 hours.

Realistic: Considering tomorrow's muscle pain, never waking up is the most sensible option.

══════════════════

The Polybear comes before my eyes. That moment when it reached its claws toward me. I almost died today.

But I didn't die. I'm alive. And in a completely different universe on top of that. In an isekai. Even if it's different from the one in my dreams, I'm in an isekai… Did I really do it?

"Don't spread out so much," Defne says. She pokes me with her foot. "You're a guest."

"I ran from a bear and walked for hours. Leave me alone."

"The poor boy is tired, let him lie down," the old man's voice comes from outside.

Defne grumbles.

I close my eyes. My body melts. Every muscle unwinds. My brain shuts down. And…

Nothing happens. No dream, no nightmare. I'm too tired for those. Just darkness. Deep, warm, peaceful darkness.

When I open my eyes a cloth has been laid out for dinner.

A linen cloth is spread over a thick felt mat on the floor, wooden plates on it, a pot, bread and… a smell.

Beans. Stewed white beans. Kuru fasulye!

I sit up. Defne, the old man, and an old woman. The old man's wife probably. Spoons and plates in their hands, they’re setting out the meal.

"You woke up right on time," the old man says.

Defne points at the water jug in the corner. "Wash your hands, we're going to start eating."

It's already gotten dark. There's nobody in the village square. Faint lights come from the houses.

We sit around the spread. The old man, his wife, Defne, me. The old woman fills the earthenware bowls with food. Defne helps too.

"Make sure the children get the meat," the old man says. Then he turns to us. "Forgive us, the hunters couldn't catch much this week. This is all we have."

"A guest takes what he's given, not what he wants," Defne says, looking at me.

I look at the plate. This is the result of an unproductive hunt? A third of the plate is meat. Back at the massive factory where I worked, forget the meat in the kuru fasulye, you were lucky if there were actual beans in it. It was something like soup.

Then the old man holds out bread. Fresh tandır bread. It smells wonderful. They've warmed it a bit on the fire. This is it! Natural life. Village life!

Once everyone has taken their food the old man dips a piece of bread in his plate then throws it into the small fire in front of the door. "Spirits of our fathers," he says, "taste before us, guard us, keep our hearth from going out, and make our soil and our line fruitful."

Then everyone starts eating.

Looks like the belief system changed somewhere along the way. But I'm in no state to think about that. I'm moving with my stomach, not my brain. I plunge my spoon into the food right away.

Hmm… The taste is… How do I put it… Strange.

Strange in a good way.

Probably my city palate isn't used to natural, organic flavors. I take another spoonful.

The flavor is strong, but well balanced. But the taste of the beans is a bit strange. Does it taste strange because I'm not used to food without hormones and additives?

The taste of the meat is amazing. The meat falls apart in tender, smoky fibers. I'd never tasted anything like this before. So this is what game meat is like.

I remember the stale bread at work, the rice swimming in oil and the meatballs where you couldn't tell what meat.

This food makes a person feel alive. It offers more than filling your stomach. The only thing missing is a bit of salt.

There's a small container on the spread. The old man opens the container, throws a pinch of salt into his food.

"Use your salt sparingly," Defne says. "The crystal bugs are in their breeding season. Extracting salt has gotten harder."

"We were going to stock up but the traders moved before the bugs did," the old man says. "They raised the prices at the start of last week."

"Something has to be done about the prices," the old woman says.

I should be listening. This is exactly how I’m going to learn about the world. But I can't focus from hunger. I demolish everything on my plate.

While they're talking I cut in timidly, "Could I have another plate?"

The old man laughs, a deep, hearty laugh from the belly.

Under Defne's gaze I eat the second plate more slowly.

I hadn’t helped set anything up, so after the meal I help clear it away.

Meanwhile the old man throws a log on the weak fire in front of the door. He puts the kettle on top of it too. One tradition apparently survived the apocalypse: tea after dinner.

…

The fire crackles. Outside a dog barks. A cat dozes beside the fire.

Defne sips her tea. They give me a glass too. Normally the crusted old tea boiler and cheap tea at work disgusted me. I used to carry coffee in my thermos. But I have to give this one a chance.

I take a sip.

Different from the tea I’m used to. But better. Hot and soothing.

Defne and the old man are talking about the Polybear. Armed people come and go beside the old man. They're talking about the bear and jackals too. A jackal pack or something was spotted nearby. I don't have the knowledge or the energy to join the conversation. Besides if I talk the subject will turn to me. I need to prepare myself for the guild.

My watch vibrates.

══════════════════

Status update:

Hunger .......... [resolved] Two plates…

Dehydration ..... [resolved]

Stress .......... [resolved]

Active: fatigue, transfer shock (decreasing)

>First day summary: water, food, shelter.

>List complete. You are alive.

══════════════════

I'm alive… By the fire and under the stars. I want to fiddle with the watch as soon as possible but I can barely keep my eyes open.

I drift off.

When I open my eyes the old man and his wife are gone. They probably went to their house. Defne has spread her blanket at the entrance to the tent, her back against the wall. Her sword in her lap. There's a blanket over me too.

"Defne."

"Hm?"

"Thank you. You saved me from the bear, you brought me here. I… I'll pay my debt."

"Ok."

After a short silence she says, "It gets cold at night."

The air really is starting to get cold. I wrap myself tightly in my blanket.