Dante, Zoe, Mia, and Kenn had just finished dealing with the mutated deer.
Zoe: "Phew… that's done."
Dante: "Are you alright?"
Zoe: "Yeah, I'm fine."
Dante: "I was asking Liza."
Zoe: "Oh, sorry."
Liza: "…Yeah… I'm okay…"
Mia: "There were so many of them…"
Kenn: "It's only getting worse…"
Dante: "Let's head back. Get in the truck."
They climbed into the vehicle. Mia sat beside Dante, who drove. Zoe and Kenn sat beside Liza in the back, with Liza in the middle.
Zoe: "…So… how old are you?"
Liza: "Eighteen."
Zoe: "Wow… you're still just a kid…"
Kenn: "…No wonder this is all too much for you…"
Mia: "It must be terrifying…"
Liza: "As long as… my dad isn't here… I don't feel that kind of fear… not like before."
Zoe: "…Right… yeah…"
Mia: "…Maybe for you… this world is less cruel than the last one…"
Suddenly, Zoe placed her hand on Liza's forehead.
Zoe: "Hmm… I knew it…"
Dante: "What?"
Zoe: "She's burning up. That explains all the sweating. What do we do?"
Dante: "We don't have any medicine…"
Mia: "We can't just leave her like this."
Liza: "I'm okay… I haven't slept in about a week, that's all…"
Zoe: "…When we get there, you're sleeping in my tent. Got it? I'll keep watch. Don't worry."
Dante: "That's a change of heart."
Zoe: "I didn't know she was so young. I'm not heartless. I had a younger sister about her age… I know how to take care of someone like her."
Dante: "Alright."
Zoe: "We're almost out of the woods…"
They finally exited the forest and entered the ruins of a once-functional world—destroyed buildings, empty streets, wrecked cars everywhere. Civilization was gone.
Zoe: "This is the world now… Pretty messed up, huh? Though maybe for you, it was already worse before. You barely knew the old one."
A few minutes later…
They arrived at the camp.
Zoe: "Okay, we're here. That's my tent. Lie down."
Liza: "…But…"
Zoe: "No buts. Just lie down and rest, alright?"
Liza: "Okay…"
She lay down on Zoe's bedding.
Zoe: "Finally. Damn… I hate all of this."
Dante: "Watch your mouth."
Zoe: "Shut up, Dante."
Mia: "Why are you so angry?"
Kenn: "Let me guess—you feel bad for how you treated her earlier?"
Zoe: "That's not it. I still don't like her much. But she's here now, so we deal with it."
An hour later…
Zoe was on watch when she heard something.
Zoe: "Huh…?"
It was Liza. She was making noises in her sleep… afraid.
Liza: "ghh…ghhh…"
Zoe: "…Hmm…"
Liza: "ugh."
She woke up in a panic.
Liza: "Hahh…hahhh…gahhh…"
Zoe: "Here."
She handed Liza a bottle of water.
Zoe: "It helps when you wake up scared."
Liza took it and drank.
Liza: "Thank you…"
Zoe: "You're welcome."
Liza looked at the bottle.
Liza: "Oh… I drank from the bottle… sorry."
Zoe: "It's fine. Water is water. Better you drink it than spill it… your hands are shaking."
Liza: "…hahh…"
Zoe: "…So… how do you like this messed-up new world?"
Liza: "I… don't really know… how to feel about it."
Zoe: "Yeah… well… at least monsters can't do what people did to you…"
Zoe suddenly took out a bottle of wine and took a sip. Liza flinched.
Liza: "ghhh…"
Zoe: "What?"
She noticed Liza's reaction.
Zoe: "Ah… got it. Your dad was a drinker… and now you're scared of alcohol."
Despite that, Zoe took another sip.
Zoe: "Don't worry. I'm a woman… no guy parts. Nothing to fear from me."
Liza: "…uh…"
Zoe: "Heh…"
Her stomach growled
Liza: "Ugh…" (blushing)Zoe: "…Heh, here—take this."
It was a cookie.
Zoe: "Of course you're hungry in a world like this. Bet it's been a long time since you had anything sweet, huh?"Liza: "Mhm."
She ate it quickly.
Zoe: "Hehe…"
Zoe tossed her another cookie.
Liza: "Uh…"
She immediately ate that one too.
Zoe: " oh my .is eating sweets really that unusual for you?"Liza: "Mmm."Zoe: "I gotta say, you're kinda cute when you eat like that… Curled up, small, and chewing like a little kid. Even your face looks young."
Liza: "…Uh…"Zoe: "It's a compliment."Liza: "Thanks…"Zoe: "Alright. Now lie down. We've got a long walk tomorrow."
Liza: "Where to?"Zoe: "Georgia… Not far. Maybe there's a city there that's still safe. So rest up."
She lay back down in bed.
(The next morning)
"ROAAAAAAAR!"(BAM… BAM!)
Zoe: "Ghh…"Dante: "…Here we go again…"Zoe: "These mutant attacks are getting worse in this forest… it's really not safe anymore."
They kept driving.
Dante: "Hmm…"Zoe: "Hey, Dante, look at this."
She handed Liza another sweet. Liza took it quickly and started eating just like before.
Liza: "Mmm…"Zoe: "Hehehe. Isn't that adorable… just like a kid."
Dante: "That's not funny, Zoe… This is all new for her."Zoe: "Oh… sorry… you're right."Dante: "Hahh…"Mia: "Look over there…"
Dante: "Ugh…"Zoe: "Dante, stop the car!"
They stopped.
In front of them—a crowd of humanoid mutants.
Dante: "…Where did they all come from?"Zoe: "Doesn't matter. We need to move—now."
Suddenly, they were attacked.
Zoe: "What are you waiting for?"Dante: "I'm trying, damn it!"Zoe: "Gghh!"
Zoe grabbed her weapon, as did Kenn, and they started firing.
Zoe: "Come on, you freaks!"Kenn: "Ghh!"
(BANG!) (BANG!)
Zoe: "Huh?"Kenn: "What…"
They looked ahead—a mutant in armor… holding a weapon.
Zoe: "Are you kidding me?!"Kenn: "Back inside! Now!"
They jumped back in.
Dante: "Ghh… I have an idea. Hold on!"
Zoe grabbed Liza and held her tightly as the vehicle launched forward, plowing through the mutants.
Dante: "Eat this, freak!"
(SPLAT!)
The car hit a bump and bounced as it tore through.
Dante: "Woooo!"Zoe: "You crazy bastard!"Dante: "We made it."Mia: "Hahhh…"Kenn: "Oh man…"
They kept going.
Zoe: "You okay?"Liza: "Yeah…"Zoe: "Good…"
Kenn: "Wait—you've got a cut on your cheek."Liza: "Must've been from the glass earlier…"Zoe: "Oh no… it looks bad. Why didn't you say anything?"Liza: "It doesn't really hurt… not much."Kenn: "Your forehead's bleeding too. That has to hurt."Zoe: "Once we find somewhere safe, we'll need to stitch that up."Mia: "I can do it. I used to be… a pediatrician. I know you're not a kid, but kids get wounds like that too…"
Dante: "Ugh… guys, look!"
There it was—Georgia.But not as they hoped…
Dante: "…Damn… this is even worse than Miami…"Zoe: "…Ugh…"Liza: "…Huh?"Kenn: "This… this can't be real."Mia: "…Oh no…"
Everything was destroyed. Highways, buildings, bodies and skeletons everywhere.
Zoe: "Hahh…"Dante: "…Huh."
Suddenly, something slammed against the window.
Zoe: "What the—!"
A mutant.
Dante: "It's one of them."Zoe: "I'll handle it—"Kenn: "Wait! Everyone look… there's more of them!"
A whole group was closing in.
Dante: "Can't we get a single break?!"Zoe: "Step on it! We'll rest when we're not being hunted!"
Dante tried to drive—but—
Dante: "What the… it's not working… it's broken!"Zoe: "What?!"
As the mutants approached, they drew their weapons——but someone else opened fire. A large vehicle appeared.
(BANG!) (BANG!)
Dante: "Ugh…"Liza: "Huh?"Zoe: "…Ugh…"
(SPLAT! SPLAT!)(AAAAAAARGHH!)
"You guys alright?!"A voice shouted from the new vehicle."Get in—quick!"
They jumped out of their broken-down car and into the newcomers' vehicle.
Marlon: "Name's Marlon."Henry: "…And I'm Henry."Dante: "Thanks for the help."Marlon: "No problem at all. Come on—we've got a camp. About a dozen people are there."
Zoe: "A dozen…?"Marlon: "Yeah. You're not alone anymore."