Kiah figured it was a good time to check what supplies she had left.
She had brought two cans of water with her and only had one left to last her through the night.
Eden had snuck her five cans of tuna when she saw she could not stand the blob of despair. That was all the food she'd managed to carry.
She wasn't worried about her flashlight dying anytime soon.
The first aid kit still had a few supplies, though she prayed she wouldn't need to patch anything up again.
Her ribs still throbbed with every breath and movement, but she'd have to endure it.
Digging deeper through the bag, she found the stun gun Killan had given her. This time, she strapped it to her waist for easy access.
Her supplies weren't much, but it was all she could carry without weighing herself down. Water was the only thing she desperately needed, but that could wait until later.
To soothe her stomach, she opened a can of tuna, scooping the chunks of fish with her fingers and eating fast in the dark.
The longer her stomach growled, the direr for her. It would be embarrassing to die because a degenerate heard her stomach growl in hunger.
Suddenly, she heard a blood-curdling scream from afar. No doubt someone had been caught.
Shivers travelled down her spine.
Another comrade down.
Eden had warned her the degenerates were smart, but never said to what extent. Did they count their prey and hunt them down one by one?
She prayed not. She prayed to whatever gods might listen that they were not that intelligent. That would be a nightmare.
She tapped on her watch, and it showed the timer.
04:47:39.
Only four hours had passed, but for her, it felt like an eternity. She still had roughly seven hours before she could escape this place.
She would have to persevere until then.
Suddenly, she perked up when she heard a sound from the corridor. The door to the room she was in creaked open, followed by a set of footsteps.
Just as she was done eating, she heard something that made her freeze.
The creak of the door opening and the sound of footsteps getting in.
Kiah froze beneath the desk, heart pounding.
'...Shit.'
She slowly peeked out from under the table to see a faint silhouette standing by the door, his shiny brown hair catching a sliver of moonlight.
As if sensing her presence, the guy's head snapped toward her, and their eyes locked.
She was about to whisper something when he raised a finger to his lips.
That's when she heard it. The sharp, clicking sound degenerates made when they were approaching.
Brownie crept to the back of the door for cover, while she slipped back beneath the table. She put her hand over her mouth, heart thundering in her chest as she struggled to control her breathing.
The degenerate's footsteps scraped along the floor, as though it were dragging its nails across the wood. The floorboards creaked under its weight as it stepped into the room.
Kiah caught a glimpse of its pale, blood-crusted feet from under the table.
The sound of it sniffing the air was deep and animalistic.
Kiah's eyes dropped to the two empty cans of tuna beside her. She had licked them clean, but the scent probably still lingered in the air.
'Am I going to die because of tuna cans?' she thought grimly.
But it seemed God was still on her side as a scream echoed down the hallway.
Kiah recognized the voice immediately. It was Pinkie, the annoying girl who wouldn't shut up earlier.
Without hesitation, the degenerate bolted from the room, chasing after the sound.
Several tense seconds passed before Brownie stepped out from behind the door. Kiah crawled out from her hiding spot.
Their eyes met again, and this time, Kiah couldn't help but notice how unusual the color of his pupils was. They were aquamarine with specks of blue and green, but they seemed to be swirling like they were… alive?
It was fascinating, but she didn't dwell on it.
A silent understanding passed between both of them.
They had just narrowly escaped death, but someone was out there, probably alone, and was about to be torn apart by degenerates. They couldn't just stand and do nothing.
Even animals protected their own, talkless of humans like them.
Kiah's stomach twisted with dread. After her first attack, she didn't want to be near those things again.
'Goddammit, why do I have a kind heart?'
It would have been easier if she were cold-hearted like Red. In fact, if it were Red screaming, she might have left him to die without a second thought.
"She'll die," Brownie said softly.
His aquamarine eyes searched hers, quiet but resolute. It was as if he were waiting for her to make a decision.
Kiah bit her lips and considered her physical state. She would probably die if she engaged in another fight.
But she didn't want to be a coward either. Not in front of this strange person anyways.
Finally, she sighed.
"Fine. Let's try and save Pinkie."
"Pinkie?"
"This is not the time to question my choice of names, Brownie."
She pulled out her labrys and slowly exited the room. Brownie followed, and together they jogged toward the sounds until they found Pinkie cornered by not one, but two degenerates. One was big, and the other was thin and short.
"Don't come any closer!" Pinkie shrieked, backing against a wall. "I'm not tasty at all! God, why did that capsule dump us here of all places? Did the rebels want us dead? What kind of stupid test is this? What am I supposed to learn from dying?"
Pinkie went on.
Kiah sighed internally.
Even faced with death, she still couldn't shut up. Wouldn't letting the degenerate eat her be more of a blessing than a hassle?
"What's the plan, Greenie?" Brownie whispered.
Kiah shot him a glare. "Greenie?"
He stole her naming system off the bat.
"Charge in, I guess." She shrugged.
"That's a bad idea."
"What do you suggest?"
Brownie contemplated for a bit.
"Between us, you seem to be in a rougher shape. I saw you fly into that wall earlier, and might have sustained a fracture or two, so take the smaller degenerate. I'll handle the large one. If you can't behead it, sever the limbs to stop it from walking. I'll handle the rest."
Kiah scowled. Did he have to remind her of the wall? That moment had bruised both her body and her pride.
"Okay," she agreed.
They exchanged a nod.
Taking a deep breath, they stepped out of the shadows. The degenerates, who looked ready to feast on Pinkie, snapped their heads towards them.
Under the gaze of the monsters, she couldn't help but feel anxious. Anxiety was an understatement. She could feel the dread in her bones.
But that didn't stop her from swinging her labrys in the air.
'Bring it on, suckers.'