As the walk carried on, the group naturally split into smaller conversations.

At the front, Karen, Mark, and Jake had drifted together.

Karen was laughing about something Mark had said, shaking her head as they walked. She had a simple white T-shirt on, comfortable and casual, and despite all the running jokes in the group chat, she carried herself with an easy confidence that made people naturally gravitate towards her.

And honestly?

She was pretty.

But what stood out more was her energy.

Warm. Funny. The kind of person who had been through hell and somehow still found reasons to laugh.

The three of them had slipped into one of those deeper conversations that somehow happened naturally in Lifted.

Life.

Mental health.

How sometimes the darker things you survived gave you an even darker sense of humour.

“I swear,” Karen laughed, “if I didn’t laugh at half the things life’s thrown at me, I’d probably cry.”

Jake nodded. “Exactly that.”

Mark glanced between them. “You either laugh or lose your mind.”

“Bit of both,” Karen replied.

That made them laugh.

Jake shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked.

“Honestly though,” he said, “humour gets darker the worse life gets.”

“That’s why normal people don’t understand us,” Mark joked.

Karen pointed at him. “Exactly. Trauma humour is elite.”

A little further behind, Neil was walking with Sam.

Sam was quieter than most of the group, softer somehow. The type who mostly listened before speaking, keeping to herself but always smiling when someone included her.

She was lovely.

Sweet.

Easy to talk to.

Neil, meanwhile, looked like a man fully prepared for any possible disaster.

His backpack looked suspiciously heavy.

“What’ve you actually got in there?” Sam finally asked.

Neil looked offended.

“Essentials.”

“You say that like we’re climbing Everest.”

He unzipped the bag slightly.

“Lucozade.”

“Fair.”

“Snacks.”

“Also fair.”

“A charger pack.”

Sam laughed.

“We’re in Sherwood Forest, Neil. Not surviving the apocalypse.”

“Preparedness,” he said seriously. “If we get lost, you’ll all thank me.”

Sam smiled, shaking her head.

“You’ve definitely overpacked.”

“Or,” Neil said dramatically, “I’m the hero this group deserves.”

Behind them, Lee overheard and laughed.

“Mate,” he called, “you packed like Ryan said we were camping overnight.”

“You don’t know the risks,” Neil replied.

“Of a marked walking trail?”

“Exactly.”

Back at the front, the conversation had shifted.

Jake had somehow ended up talking football.

“Doncaster,” he said proudly. “Born and bred.”

Mark grinned. “You lot obsessed with footy there?”

“Course we are.”

Karen rolled her eyes affectionately.

“Honestly,” she said, “blokes and football…”

“It’s culture,” Jake defended.

“It’s men shouting at grass,” Karen replied.

Mark burst out laughing.

“That’s painfully accurate.”

Jake ignored them and continued anyway.

Eventually, Mark started talking about his house.

“Still decorating,” he sighed dramatically. “Feels like it’s never-ending.”

“What you doing?” Karen asked.

“Living room at the minute. Then kitchen.”

Jake groaned.

“Mate, decorating is hell.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I swear,” Mark said, “you finish one room and suddenly another one looks awful.”

Karen laughed.

“That’s because houses are dramatic.”

“Houses and people,” Jake muttered.

“Careful,” Karen grinned. “Sounds like trauma humour again.”

They all laughed as the path curved through the trees, sunlight breaking through branches above them.

Ahead, Fawkes barked dramatically at absolutely nothing.

Tiberius immediately joined in.

Because apparently no chaos could happen without him participating.

And somehow, among the dogs, laughter, dark humour and random conversations about football and wallpaper…

The walk just worked.

 

Up ahead, standing slightly higher up on the trail like some sort of overly enthusiastic documentary presenter, was Danny.

Or, as most people knew him on Discord—

DanTheMentalMan.

And honestly?

The username fit him perfectly.

Danny was loud.

Lovely.

Completely and utterly mental.

But in the best possible way.

The kind of chaotic energy that somehow made everyone laugh without even trying.

At that exact moment, he stood at the top of a small incline, phone in hand, filming everyone as they walked below.

“Come on then, walkers!” he called dramatically. “Smile for the documentary.”

“Absolutely not,” Jake shouted back.

“You’ll thank me later.”

“We won’t,” Karen replied instantly.

Danny cackled.

“Rude.”

He had been part of Lifted for a while now and, naturally, knew loads of people. One of those people who somehow drifted between conversations effortlessly, making everyone feel included without it seeming forced.

He streamed gaming through Lifted too, and somehow managed to turn even complete disasters into entertainment.

Half the group had spent nights watching him fail spectacularly at games while confidently insisting he had everything under control.

He never did.

But that was part of the charm.

More than anything though?

Danny was easy to talk to.

The kind of person who could make someone laugh one minute, then quietly check in when they were struggling the next.

And like most of Lifted—

His humour was dark.

Very dark.

The kind built through surviving things.

The kind that sounded worrying to outsiders but somehow made perfect sense to everyone here.

Danny turned the camera dramatically towards himself.

“Right,” he announced in fake-serious narrator voice, “today on Middle-Aged Survival in Sherwood Forest—”

“We’re not middle-aged!” Heidi shouted.

“Emotionally exhausted survival then,” Danny corrected.

“That’s more accurate,” Neil called back.

Danny pointed at him.

“See? My people.”

The laughter carried through the trees again.

And somehow, Lee found himself smiling.

Because every single person here was a little bit chaotic.

A little bit damaged.

A little bit weird.

And somehow…

It worked.

As the group continued walking, conversations shifted again.

Ryan Laughed and Shook his head 

 

Susie had fallen into step beside Dan and Naomi, the three of them quickly slipping into gaming talk like they’d known each other for years.

Which, in fairness, online?

They kind of had.

“I still blame Siri,” Susie laughed, shaking her head.

Naomi frowned. “For what?”

“Phasmophobia.”

Dan immediately burst out laughing.

“Oh no.”

“Yes!” Susie said dramatically. “She streamed it and every single time she screamed, my heart nearly came out my chest.”

Naomi laughed.

“Siri screaming is terrifying, to be fair.”

“Honestly,” Susie said, “I had to shut my eyes at least three times.”

Dan looked horrified.

“On a ghost game?”

“I’m not even ashamed,” Susie admitted. “I was literally sat there going—”

She held her hands up dramatically.

“Nope. Nope. Absolutely not.”

The three of them laughed.

“I don’t do horror,” Susie added firmly. “Not unless someone’s emotionally supporting me through it.”

“Fair,” Naomi smiled.

“But,” Susie said, pointing accusingly at Dan, “you lot did get me into Burgling Gnomes.”

Dan looked immediately proud of himself.

“A superior game.”

“With Dan, Chris and Ninja,” Susie laughed. “Honestly, I don’t even know how that happened.”

“Peer pressure,” Dan said.

“Bullying,” Susie corrected.

“Friendship,” Naomi offered.

“That too.”

They laughed again.

Then Dan got that look.

The one that immediately made Susie suspicious.

“Oh no,” she said slowly.

Dan grinned.

“So…”

“No.”

“You know…”

“Dan.”

“The nickname.”

Naomi immediately looked interested.

“What nickname?”

Susie stopped walking for a second.

“Nope.”

Dan was already laughing.

“Oh, it’s too late now.”

“Dan,” Susie warned, already blushing.

Naomi looked between them.

“What nickname?”

Dan looked far too pleased with himself.

“Nine and a Half.”

Naomi blinked.

There was a pause.

Then—

“Oh my God.”

Susie buried her face in her hands.

“I hate all of you.”

Dan was absolutely crying laughing now.

“To be fair,” he said, “people have speculations.”

“Oh my God,” Susie groaned.

Naomi looked delighted.

“Well now I need context.”

“You absolutely do not,” Susie replied immediately.

Dan grinned.

“The mystery continues.”

Susie shook her head, laughing despite herself.

“Honestly, you lot are awful.”

“But entertaining,” Naomi pointed out.

“That’s debatable.”

Behind them, Neil called over—

“What’s happened?”

Dan shouted back immediately.

“Susie’s secrets are out!”

“NO THEY AREN’T!” Susie yelled.

Neil looked delighted already.

“Oh, this sounds interesting.”

“Walk faster,” Susie muttered dramatically. “I’m leaving the group.”

“You say that,” Dan called after her, “but you’ll still be online tonight.”

Unfortunately…

He had a point.

And judging by the laughter around them?

This conversation was definitely not going to disappear anytime soon.