Chapter 2

The Walk

Lifted had always been more than just a group.

At first, Lee had thought it would be like every other online community — a few messages here and there, people posting memes, the odd deep conversation that disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

But Lifted was different.

Somehow, it had become a place where people actually checked in. Where someone could admit they were having a bad day without being made to feel weak. Where gaming, kids, dogs, trauma, sarcasm and dark humour all somehow existed in the same space.

And this weekend, they were doing something huge.

They were meeting in real life.

Sherwood Forest.

The plan had started casually enough in the main group chat. A walk. Fresh air. Dogs welcome. No pressure. Just people finally putting faces to names and voices.

But as the weekend got closer, the nerves had crept in.

They had all spoken in the group.

They had laughed together.

Shared memes.

Sent voice notes.

Supported each other through bad days.

But meeting face-to-face was different.

Lee had been excited all week.

And anxious.

Very anxious.

Because what if it was awkward? What if people were different in person? What if he didn’t fit in as well when he was standing in front of them instead of typing behind a screen?

Still, when the day finally arrived, he got himself ready, told himself not to overthink it, and made his way to Sherwood Forest.

By the time he pulled into the car park, there were already cars dotted everywhere. Families, dog walkers, cyclists, people in walking boots and coats, all heading towards the trees.

His phone buzzed.

Dan: I’m here. Come and see me and Naomi.

A second message followed.

Dan: You can’t miss us 😂

Lee looked up from his phone and almost laughed straight away.

Because Dan was right.

You absolutely could not miss him.

There, parked near the edge of the car park, was a huge Land Rover. Standing beside it was Dan himself — about five-foot-five-ish, ginger hair, long ginger beard, looking like someone who belonged outdoors in every possible weather.

And beside him was the main reason he was impossible to miss.

Fawkes.

His massive white fur baby.

Fawkes was part German Shepherd, part Samoyed, and fully convinced the entire world existed to admire him. He stood proudly beside Dan, thick white fur ruffling in the breeze, tail wagging like he’d personally organised the meet-up.

Then he barked.

Loudly.

Very loudly.

Lee laughed under his breath.

“Yeah,” he muttered to himself. “Definitely found them.”

As he walked over, Fawkes spotted him immediately and let out another dramatic bark, as if announcing Lee’s arrival to the entire forest.

Dan grinned.

“Lee?”

“Yeah, mate.”

“Good to finally meet you.”

They shook hands, then Dan pulled him into one of those awkward-but-friendly bloke hugs that lasted half a second but meant more than either of them would admit.

Fawkes shoved his head straight into Lee’s hand.

“Well, hello to you too,” Lee laughed, stroking the dog’s thick fur.

“He loves attention,” Dan said.

Fawkes barked again.

“Clearly.”

Beside Dan stood Naomi.

Or, as most of the group knew her online—

Inked Quill.

Lee recognised her straight away from Discord. She was just as pretty in real life as she had been online, with a warm smile and an easy kind of confidence that made her instantly approachable.

“Hi,” she said, smiling. “You must be Lee.”

“Yeah. Nice to finally meet you.”

“You too.”

At her feet was Tiberius, her French Bulldog mix. He was a beautiful mix of colours, compact and adorable, but very clearly offended by the fact Fawkes was getting attention.

The second Lee looked back at Fawkes, Tiberius shoved himself forward.

Naomi laughed. “Oh, here we go.”

Lee crouched down. “You jealous, mate?”

Tiberius huffed like the answer was obvious.

Dan shook his head. “He’s worse than a toddler.”

“He is not,” Naomi said.

Tiberius immediately shoved himself between Lee and Fawkes.

Dan raised an eyebrow.

Naomi sighed. “Okay, fine. He is.”

Lee laughed and gave Tiberius attention too.

“There you go. Can’t have you feeling left out.”

Fawkes barked again, clearly unimpressed.

“They’re like siblings,” Naomi said. “If one gets attention, the other has to get more.”

“Sounds like kids,” Lee said.

“Exactly like kids,” Dan replied. “Except furrier and louder.”

Fawkes barked again.

“Mostly louder,” Lee added.

More people started arriving after that.

Neil was one of the first Lee properly recognised.

The second Neil spotted him, he grinned and opened his arms.

“There he is.”

Lee laughed as Neil pulled him into a proper hug.

“My emotional support gamer,” Neil said.

“Thought that was your job.”

“It’s a shared custody situation.”

And just like that, Lee felt some of the anxiety loosen in his chest.

Neil was exactly the same in person.

Same humour. Same warmth. Same ability to make everything feel a little less heavy.

Then came Andy.

Then Heidi.

Then others from the group.

There were a few awkward hellos at first, a few people trying to match usernames to actual faces, but it didn’t take long before everyone started relaxing.

It was strange at first.

But not bad strange.

More like when a game finally loads properly after lagging for ages.

Suddenly, everything clicked.

Phones buzzed again.

The main group chat.

Meg: We’re running late.

James: At a tattooist 😂

Logan: No regrets.

Everyone went quiet for half a second.

Then Dan burst out laughing.

“Oh hell.”

Neil pulled his phone out immediately. “What are they getting?”

Susie: Please tell me none of you are getting Live Laugh Love.

Neil: If one of you gets that, I’m leaving.

Meg: Absolutely not 😂

James: No spoilers.

Logan: You’ll see later.

Heidi stared at the messages and shook her head. “That sounds dangerous.”

Andy grinned. “Or legendary.”

“Depends where they’re putting it,” Dan said.

Naomi groaned. “Please don’t.”

Lee laughed, and for the first time that morning, he realised he wasn’t thinking about being anxious anymore.

He was just there.

Part of it.

Part of them.

Eventually, Ryan, the founder of Lifted, clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention.

“Right,” he called, smiling. “Before James, Logan and Meg come back with matching bad decisions tattooed on their arses, shall we actually walk?”

The group laughed.

Fawkes barked like he agreed.

Tiberius barked too, because apparently he refused to let Fawkes have the final word.

“See?” Dan said. “Even the dogs are ready.”

They gathered themselves together, coats zipped, dogs sorted, drinks grabbed, phones shoved into pockets.

Then they headed towards the forest.

Sherwood stretched out in front of them, tall trees rising into the pale sky, branches swaying lightly in the breeze. The path was wide enough for people to walk in little clusters, and soon the group naturally split into smaller conversations.

Some walked ahead.

Some stayed behind.

Some drifted between people, getting to know everyone bit by bit.

Lee walked near Neil at first, listening as Dan talked about Fawkes like he was both his best mate and biggest problem.

“He once refused to move because someone stopped stroking him,” Dan said.

Naomi nodded. “Full protest. In the middle of a path.”

Fawkes trotted ahead proudly, as if being discussed was exactly what he deserved.

Tiberius followed close by, occasionally looking up at Naomi like he was checking whether she still remembered he existed.

“He’s so dramatic,” Heidi said.

“Tiberius or Dan?” Neil asked.

Naomi smiled. “Both.”

Dan pointed at her. “Betrayal.”

The laughter came easily.

That was what surprised Lee most.

How easy it was.

He had expected awkward pauses. Forced small talk. That weird pressure where everyone tried too hard to be normal.

But Lifted wasn’t normal.

That was the point.

They were awkward and funny and damaged and healing and sarcastic and kind.

All at once.

At the front of the group, Ryan was walking with Jake and a few others. Up ahead, there were red markers along the route, guiding them through the forest.

Ryan glanced at them, then turned back with a grin.

“You know,” he called out, loud enough for everyone to hear, “I normally stay away from red flags…”

Everyone looked at him.

Ryan pointed towards the markers.

“But apparently today, we’re following them.”

The group burst out laughing.

Jake groaned immediately. “Mate, I’ve had enough of red flags.”

That made everyone laugh harder.

Deena shook her head. “Same. I try to stay clear of them.”

Susie nodded. “Absolutely. If it looks toxic, I’m walking the other way.”

Neil coughed.

Susie looked at him. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, say it.”

Neil grinned. “Just saying, some people don’t walk away from red flags. They collect them like Pokémon.”

Lee nearly choked laughing.

Susie pointed at Neil. “Rude.”

“Accurate though,” Andy said.

“Traitor,” Susie said.

Ryan laughed from the front. “This is why Lifted needs walks. Fresh air and public accountability.”

The path curved deeper into the forest, and slowly the car park disappeared behind them.

The world became trees, mud, dogs, laughter and voices overlapping.

Lee found himself walking beside Andy for a while, then Heidi, then Deena. Each conversation was different, but none of them felt forced.

They talked about kids.

Work.

Gaming.

The group chat.

Bad mental health days.

The weird comfort of finding strangers online who somehow understood more than people in real life did.

At one point, Neil fell into step beside Lee again.

“You alright?” he asked quietly.

Lee looked at him.

It was such a small question.

But coming from Neil, it meant something.

Lee nodded. “Yeah. Better than I thought I’d be.”

Neil smiled. “Told you they were good people.”

“Yeah,” Lee said, glancing around at the group.

Dan was laughing at something Naomi had said. Fawkes was trying to charm a passing walker. Tiberius was clearly offended that anyone existed besides him. Ryan was still leading the walk with the energy of someone who had accidentally become responsible for a small army of chaos.

Lee smiled.

“They are.”

Neil nudged his shoulder. “You’re part of it now, mate.”

Lee didn’t answer straight away.

Because something about that hit deeper than he expected.

For months, he had felt like he was just drifting. Existing. Getting through days. Laughing when he needed to. Pretending when he had to.

But here, surrounded by people who understood the weight behind a joke and the truth behind a late-night message, he felt something he hadn’t felt in a while.

Included.

Not tolerated.

Not pitied.

Included.

The walk carried on, full of muddy patches, wrong turns, dog chaos and terrible jokes.

At one point, Fawkes decided he wanted to greet a family having a picnic and had to be gently redirected by Dan, who apologised while Fawkes looked personally betrayed.

A few minutes later, Tiberius refused to walk unless Naomi gave him attention.

“He’s sulking,” Naomi said.

“He’s tiny and powerful,” Lee said.

“He knows.”

Eventually, the group stopped for a short break near a clearing.

People pulled out drinks, snacks, dog treats and phones.

The tattooist trio still hadn’t arrived.

Susie: Update please. Are you alive?

Meg: Alive.

James: Ink acquired.

Logan: Worth it.

Neil: That tells us nothing.

Meg: Good.

Dan stared at his phone. “I’m concerned.”

Naomi smiled. “You should be.”

Ryan shook his head. “I leave people unsupervised for one morning.”

“Technically, you didn’t leave them,” Heidi said. “They escaped.”

“Valid.”

Lee sat on a fallen log for a moment, watching everyone around him.

It was strange, seeing the group like this.

Online, everyone existed in little message bubbles. Usernames. Emojis. Voice notes. Photos of dogs, dinners, kids, gaming setups, bad days, good days.

But here, they were real.

Neil laughing with Andy.

Dan fussing over Fawkes.

Naomi trying to convince Tiberius that he was still loved.

Susie and Deena joking about red flags.

Ryan watching everyone with quiet pride, like maybe even he hadn’t expected Lifted to become this.

Lee understood that feeling.

Because somehow, this didn’t feel like just a walk.

It felt like proof.

Proof that people could meet in the middle of their messy lives and still make something good.

Proof that friendship didn’t have to be perfect to matter.

Proof that sometimes the people who saved you weren’t the ones who had known you forever.

Sometimes they were the ones who sent stupid memes at midnight.

The ones who asked if you were okay and actually meant it.

The ones who turned up in a forest, nervous and excited, hoping everyone else felt the same.

And they did.

They really did.

After the break, Ryan stood again and stretched.

“Right, chaos crew. Shall we?”

Fawkes barked.

Tiberius barked after him.

Neil sighed. “Those two are definitely running this walk.”

“They’re the real founders of Lifted,” Dan said.

Ryan put a hand to his chest. “Wounded.”

Naomi smiled. “Sorry, Ryan. Fawkes has more charisma.”

“Brutal.”

The group started walking again, laughter carrying through the trees.

Lee fell into step with Neil once more.

For once, he wasn’t worrying about what came next.

He wasn’t overthinking every word.

He wasn’t wondering if he belonged.

He was just walking.

Breathing.

Laughing.

Part of something.

And as Sherwood Forest stretched around them, full of red markers, muddy paths and chaotic dogs, Lee realised something simple.

Lifted had started as a group.

But somewhere along the way, it had become a lifeline.

And today, for the first time, it felt real.