Chapter 2: Liminality

Chapter 2: Liminality. Part 1

Westside High School - United States

Ketsy: “Did I take too long?”

Haeri: “I’ve been waiting for hours. I’m growing roots.”

Ketsy: “Heh, don’t exaggerate. Here you are, the old history book. He helped me find it.”

Haeri: “U-Uhm…”

Gitta: “Gitta Vintana, it’s my pleasure.”

Haeri: “Yong Hae– I mean, Haeri, just Haeri. It’s… a pleasure too. Uhm….”

Gitta: “…”

Ketsy: “Weeeeell… They are waiting for us for a practice today.”

Gitta: “Are you guys going to play? I didn’t know there were music schools nearby.”

Ketsy: “He he, not really. We’re going to a friend’s garage south of the school. But this pretty lady made us miss our transportation. We should call it a day.”

Gitta: “Hm… It’s on the way to the gym I go to, if you guys want I can tag along–”

Haeri: “¡Yes!”

Ketsy/Gitta: “…”

Haeri: “Uh, yeah, sure. Okay, I guess… Please? …”

Ketsy: “Sure. We would really appreciate it, Gitta Vintana.”

Gitta: “Hm… Yong… Yong… Do you happen to know a man named Eldan? My instructor.”

Haeri: “Ah, do you go to his athletics gym? Sure. He’s my uncle.”

…

The memory was beginning to dissipate like the wind to the fog, and I was coming back to myself.

I slowly opened my eyes to first see the ceiling of a messy office room.

That dream… I don’t quite remember it. It was when I first met her a few years ago.

When I shook her hand, it felt damp and shaky.

A lot of crazy things happened in high school.

I wonder why I dreamed that now, but I think I really needed it.

A few days have passed since the incident that night.

Crazy… All of this… It’s crazy.

The day it all started I had returned to the hotel for Haeri’s phone. We have no means of transportation so I had to walk, and the distance wasn't exactly short. Still, seeing everything in order and then finding the world upside down in a matter of minutes is hard to believe.

I'm wearing my favorite beret.

…And I've got the phone in my hand. I don't know why I keep checking it. It's still out of signal and has been that way ever since the accident. In fact, since the announcement of the external war, all communications have been destabilized.

To be honest I'm not very motivated to get out of bed today. I barely got any sleep… And if I do, it'll be another day of arguments.

I'm hungry and thirsty. We haven't had proper food for some days.

I'm worried about that, and about her.

I know something had happened to Haeri during the incident, but when things calmed down, it's like nothing had happened.

When I asked her, and no matter how many times I asked her, she just kept repeating that she had gotten scared by something silly and had tripped at some point when she was looking for me.

I'm really worried. Should I insist?

I don't know if I should believe those words, but looking at her face, there was not a shadow of doubt in what she was telling me.

It seems that I am still a novice when it comes to dealing with women.

...As if nothing had happened.

But how could it be...? On the way I saw Alon's clothes, our friend, and they were covered... covered in blood. There was so much blood...

If an animal or someone attacked them... There's no way he could have survived considering such... blood loss...

Alon, Eldan, Ketsy, Brawell... They've all left us. It's just Haeri and I left...

I don't know why I'm not crying. At this point I don't know how to feel. Like I'm more worried than sad.

So many things have happened... Maybe I still don't process what's happening. It feels foggy. Is this what the doctors call "shock"?

That night, when we both returned, the hotel was empty.

I heard and saw people running in the distance, but it was hard to make them out in the heavy rain and darkness.

After a while of wandering around the area, we could only find that girl… Izzy Rylee.

She didn't say anything to us. Her gaze… Serene and lost.

She just looked me in the eyes and gestured for us to follow her.

After that, it was a long way to a group of buildings between tall palm trees, perhaps government buildings.

She didn't give me any explanations, nor could I thank her. She just left us there and left the place as quickly as she could. It was when she returned with her group that they told us what was happening, or at least what they thought was happening.

Dreamers… It seems more like a science fiction movie.

Since then, the situation hasn't changed much. We're still in the same building, and the same discussions continue. I'm still lying on the same couch and I see the same ceiling…

Haeri: “It's 7 pm, Gitta. Are you really okay?”

And I see the same Haeri.

She had brought a pair of headphones, handing me one of them and sitting next to me to listen to music. I guess this phone still has some use left.

Gitta: “Ah, right. I'm fine. I'll get ready in a moment.”

Haeri: “There's no rush. Let's just stay like this for a while…”

Ah. Hugging her tightly is inevitable. I'm smiling. I love her, after all.

Haeri: “You're finally smiling! Jeez. Heh.”

Maybe seeing the same thing isn't bad. No. In fact, I would have liked to keep seeing the same thing.

We should continue towards the East, right? …It's the key, the last advice Mr. Eldan told me to do. It's the only thing I know, and the only thing we have left.

Still, what is this restlessness…?

-[Ø]-

20:00 hours

An old building of approximately 400 square meters. They now called it “the mansion”, because probably calling it a “shelter” would have been a bad omen at this point.

It had been the most remote and safe place they could find.

Made up of a multitude of rooms filled with tables, seats and old computers.

Taking into account the calculators, papers, pens and files scattered on the floor, it would be concluded that it was some government financial accounting office, not very sophisticated for the time. A sepia background was all that was missing.

Absolute silence. No raindrops, no stridulation or buzzing of insects, much less the voices of people. What happened during the incident, monopolized everything that was outside, without exceptions.

When they arrived, the only two exits were wide open, one in front, one behind the building. They assumed that the offices had been immediately evacuated during the incident. However, they were now blocked by some table or heavy object.

Walking down the hall, Haeri would shine a candle wherever Gitta looked, who paid special attention to those details, making sure that the blockage of the main exit remained there, firm.

The now residents questioned the strict security, but none of them opposed the idea.

There was not much to say about what happened on the first day. One by one, they entered the building and looked for where to hide that night. Nothing more and nothing less. Between the chaos and confusion, there was little else to do but hide.

However, the next morning, when calm had finally arrived, the discussions began.

It was to be expected. They were trying to understand what had happened.

Gitta wrinkled his face just remembering it. Placing his hand on the door handle, he took a long sigh before opening it and letting his companion in.

They were in the mansion's dining room; 100m² room, a pool table separated from the dining room, some refrigerators, lockers, armchairs and chairs bordering the bar, under lamps that never worked. The young Haeri confirmed it by repeatedly pressing the switch on one of the columns.

Haeri: “We really are still without electricity. These candles are not going to last forever. Also, the little refrigerated food they left will run out quickly between so many people.”

Gitta: “What is left will spoil in a few days. But it was necessary.”

Haeri: “I should have taken more when I had the chance…”

Gitta: “Don't worry about it.”

To the surprise of both, there was silence in the place. It seemed that the rowdy ones were not present.

Haeri: “Hm, it is calmer than yesterday.”

Nisha: “Some of us went out to check on the situation... To be honest, I am starting to get worried.”

Sitting at one of the tables between the candles, the boy massaged his brown hair while answering, clearly distressed.

Nisha: “Are you all okay? Sorry for not asking.”

Gitta: “We are. Your leg…”

Nisha: “It turned purple and swollen a bit, but I think it’ll be better in a day or two. Well, that’s what happened to me before. I hope it happens the same way, heh…”

Gitta: “…”

They weren’t alone. The arrival of different individuals had quickly filled the mansion at the incident, now all waiting in the dining room. In fact, one more person sat at the same table. For some reason, she was the only person they found upon arriving at the mansion.

‘Maybe she was waiting for dinner too,’ Gitta thought.

Gitta: “I guess it’ll be better to stay a few more days. At least until we get a better understanding of the situation out there.”

Haeri: “Then we should find something to eat, right?”

Unknown woman: “I don’t really have much of an appetite right now. Thank you.”

This person was Nerina Luna, a single woman in her 30s, though younger in appearance. With long, dark brown hair, though messy like her formal office dress. She was the only person Gitta and Haeri found when they arrived, though she spent most of her time in the bathroom refusing to come out.

Gitta: “Are you feeling better?”

Nerina: “Throwing up has helped, I guess.”

Haeri: “…”

Gitta: “It's definitely a stressful situation. It would happen to any of us.”

Nerina: “Because of this? No. You're wrong. A natural disaster? Tsunami? I don't remember hearing any emergency broadcasts or sirens. I honestly don't know what's going on, but it gave me an excuse not to work. That's enough for me. I just want to get some rest.”

She rubbed her dark eyes a few times, trying hard to keep the conversation going. The drowsiness gave her soft voice a more seductive tone.

Nisha: “Uhm… You can use the chairs on the second floor.”

Nerina: “Ha…” The gloomy woman yawned slowly and adjusted her glasses. Her body swayed until it was leaning against Nisha's shoulder. “Sorry. Even though I try, I can't get to sleep. I don't know what's wrong with me…”

Clearly Nisha had been startled by the unexpected contact but decided not to move from her spot.

The awkward moment had been interrupted by the arrival of the group of explorers. They silently entered the dining room one by one, Gitta and Haeri greeted them.

Doger, Garwin, Shaun, Sein, Audrey and Izzy were recognizable. Others behind them, not at all.

Garwin: “Fortunately we found these people in the nearby settlements. They will join us for the moment.”

Sein's face gesture indicated his disagreement with the proposal but he chose to stay out of the way.

Audrey: “We could have looked for more…”

Garwin: “We will but today it has gotten dark, it would have been dangerous for everyone especially for the children.”

Doger: “Hey, man. Are you sure about that?”

Shaun: “...”

Izzy: “And it definitely hasn't been easy to bring them to us” The young woman intervened, turning her eyes towards the new members.

Unknown young man: “We really appreciate it. We had no idea where to go. I-I mean, a zombie apocalypse, how would we know?” He smiled and shrugged his shoulders nervously.

Sein: “Dreamers” He corrected him.

Unknown young man: “Sure…”

Garwin: “If we're going to be here for a while, it wouldn't be bad to introduce ourselves, don't you think? What's your name, buddy?”

Dante: “Oh sure. I'm Dante, Dante Fonseca. And these are my neighbors. Winslow and her names are… Uhm… Uh…”

Ema: “Ema Bellamy. And these are my two daughters, Lyra and Amelie. Nice to meet you. Come on, girls, say hello.”

Lyra/Amelie: “H-Hello.”

Xiomara: “Aww… What cute little ones, are you all family?”

The young Xiomara had noticed the arrival of the group, and immediately approached from the dining room, enchanted by the appearance of the girls.

Same height, around 6 years old. They weren't twins but they were dressed the same way; colorful skirts and childish pigtails that made them look like porcelain dolls.

Doger: “Doesn't it smell a little weird around here?” He murmured.

Dante: “Uh, no, we're not related. My family must be at my uncles' house, by the way.”

Winslow: “I live alone, miss. But I appreciate the confusion” The man replied nonchalantly, searching for a cigarette in the pockets of his leather jacket.

Doger: “Seriously, I can't be the only one who smells that. And no 'The one who smelled it, is the one who dealt—”

Xiomara: “Doger” She quickly reprimanded him.

One of the girls looked away in embarrassment.

Ema: “Excuse me, they got really scared on the way. Do you happen to have a bathroom?”

Shaun: “I don't blame you” Said the young man who had remained silent until now. He unloaded the bags he was carrying on his back and smoothed his own hair, sighing. “At the end of the second hallway, on the left, you’ll see one.”

Ema: “Uhm, where…?”

Shaun: “Come on. I’ll take you there.”

Ema: “Thanks.”

Winslow: “I need to go too, so if you’ll excuse me… Good night.”

Watching the small group leave, Doger turned to the others.

Doger: “Heh, well, it wasn’t me. I was already getting worried.”

Xiomara: “…”

Doger: “Okay, sorry. I’m hungry and sleepy, ‘Mara. I’m far from being at my 100%.”

Xiomara: “Garwin, Izzy, were you able to find…?”

Garwin: “Hey kid, why don’t you go find some space in the dining room too? If you don’t want to miss dinner, that is.”

Dante: “Who, me? Sure. Thanks.”

Garwin: “Sure.”

The line of people was beginning to form in front of the bar, each waiting their turn to be given their share. However, Garwin did not send him there for that reason. Xiomara was still waiting for his answer.

Garwin: “Excuse me. I didn't want the children to hear us.”

With a gesture of his chin he indicated to the group to follow him back to the aisles.

-[Ø]-

They entered one of the few rooms with lit candles, and unloaded the bags they were carrying on their backs. It seemed that the room was used as a temporary storage room.

Two people were busy organizing everything, their names were Jevo and Earlene.

Exhausted, everyone sat down on the first wooden chairs they found.

Fiddling with her dark hair, Audrey leaned against the wall and, crossing her arms, looked at the boy with some annoyance and concern.

Garwin: “I get it, we could have brought more.”

Xiomara: “Honestly... What's going on out there?”

A difficult question and an even worse answer. Impossible for anyone to describe what's happening.

Everyone remained silent until Earlene, the blonde girl in the corner, left the bags she was organizing and approached the group. The other boy, Jevo, followed her.

After the plane crash, the foreigners Haeri and Gitta came across all these people. Then they decided that the best idea was to split into two groups; Jevo and Earlene were part of the group that preferred to return to the city, so little was known about what they experienced on their journey.

Especially the young Jevo; his face now covered in bandages was the most striking.

Earlene: “It's them. I told you so.”

Doger: “Uh, Earlene, uhm…”

Earlene: “It's okay, Doger. Afterwards we'll talk just the two of us.”

Doger: “…”

Garwin: “Undeads? It must be a bad joke.”

Doger: “What else could they be, man? I doubt a crowd of civilized citizens would have agreed to… eat each other. Damn… That day was crazy. If we hadn't met by chance outside the hotel, who knows what would have happened…”

Garwin: “Believe me, it was nothing more than mass hysteria. Remember that they announced that the conflicts abroad had worsened to become a formalized global war. Therefore, it was as we have seen before, riots and looting.”

Doger: “Dude, are you listening? They were eating each other. I got a good look at them. Ask Shaun if you don't believe me. He was there when s-some guy… on a woman, his mouth red, stained all over. And I can tell you that something like that IS NOT NORMAL. I didn't believe it at the time but with everything that happened anyone would see that it's more than stupidly obvious.”

Jevo: “Undeads… Not exactly” The bandaged young man approached.

Izzy: “…”

Jevo: “It seems that… you have not been properly explained what is happening. I have to assume that you saw few or none of them outside, or am I wrong?”

Garwin: “We thought we saw crowds in the distance. But we had our hands full to confirm if they were… Dreamers, or whatever you call them.”

Doger: “They were still as statues. I'll be struck by lightning if they weren't.”

Jevo: “I see. I'll explain. My… Our group, splitting up in the mountains and arriving in the city, found areas of conflict. Robberies, accidents, you name them. It was then that—”

Earlene: “I don’t think they need to know everything we went through, Jevo. Oh, and look what I found.”

From one of the bags she had extracted a doll on a keychain. Hooded, pale and with big black eyes, she looked like a macabre little black riding hood, strange for its presumed target audience. ‘As a child I would have liked to have one,’ thought the curious Haeri.

Haeri: “Uhm… Can I see it?”

Earlene: “Here. It’s a Yevo. They were popular years ago, and the black ones like this were the rarest.”

Garwin: “Do they still bother you with that, Jevo?”

Doger: “He he, I remember the commercial for children on TV. Pure nostalgia.”

Jevo: “…”

Xiomara: “Please let Jevo finish his story. This is serious.”

Earlene: “Let's see, where was it? Oh," She said with an unusual look of disinterest, "They were all asleep."

Doger: “What?”

Earlene: “That's it. They were asleep. A lot of people were scattered in the middle of the street, in the middle of the day. And they were just sleeping.”

Garwin: “Well, that's weird.”

Earlene: “Suddenly they weren't there anymore.”

Doger: “And now it gets weirder.”

Earlene: “We wanted to go back to the institute. There were some sick people in blankets and Dr. Jazmín was taking care of them.”

Haeri: “…”

Jevo: “We didn't hear from her again. The sick people attacked all those people. We could only run away. But now I see that you're the one who explains things they don't need to know, Earlene.”

Earlene: “Uhm and after that... We found a shelter where we met Cadie Saggiatore. That shelter didn't last long being safe.”

Izzy: “…”

Earlene: “But you're right. There was too much going on to tell it all in one night.”

Jevo: “In simple terms, it seems that these people fall into a kind of temporary coma due to some illness. And when they are awake they are several times faster and stronger than any ordinary person, although you could say that they are not anymore.”

Izzy: “Unconscious people stalk other people, then… What makes them too different from the undead you would read about in fiction books?”

Jevo: “Their behavior is incredibly erratic, unpredictable. They can see and hear without any problems. One moment they can be harmless, the next they'll jump on you in the blink of an eye, and they're not necessarily doing it to feed. They can become extremely aggressive and frenzied for no apparent reason, worsening at night.”

Haeri was getting more and more used to the native language. She understood them better, but not what they were saying now.

Haeri: “Wait, wait, wait, that... All of that, is it contagious or something?”

Jevo: “...I think it's pretty clear that it is, considering their numbers.”

Gitta: “What we want is for you to tell us how it's contagious” He interjected.

Jevo: “We're not entirely sure. It could be air, it could be fluids, it could be physical contact... It's even difficult to distinguish them from ordinary people.”

Doger: “Great. That's great... Zombies that you don't know are zombies... Just the thing we needed... Because a damn world war wasn't enough... Now we have to deal with this shit.”

Sein: “M-Maybe it has something to do with it, right? A biological weapon, demons, or aliens, right?”

Audrey: “Wouldn't the fact that they exist confirm the existence of other fantasy beings? Technically.”

Doger: “Technically, yes. Personally, I hope not.”

Garwin: “Tsk. Anything else you remember, Jevo? You're leaving us in a bad light here.”

Jevo: “That's the most my memory can remember. Something... Something that shouldn't be. We should pay attention to that. Characteristics, actions, behaviors... Eyes... Ugh…”

If she didn't see the bandages and the serious look that peeked through them, Haeri wouldn't believe anything she heard...

Dreamers. The animals weren't the only ones that needed to be caged anymore.

Could it be that the Dreamers were the ones who attacked our friends...? Was the question that crossed her mind.

The situation didn't look good at all.

Xiomara: “Don't push him too hard. He's still hurt. You can… go rest, Jevo. We appreciate it.”

Jevo: “There’s no pressure at all. The pain on my face has disappeared but I’m having a hard time remembering more. Either way, I wanted to tell you about my experience before I leave.”

Izzy: “Where are you supposed to go? Considering the situation.”

Jevo: “I have to take that woman, Cadie, to the north. Her family is waiting for her.”

Izzy: “… Do you think you’re in any condition to travel on your own? The police had their hands full when we arrived in this province days ago, even before because of the riots. You’d be alone.”

Garwin: “Guys, Izzy’s right. The best option is to think about it before taking another step. We have women and children. We won’t expose them to danger just like that. It’s not just us now.”

Audrey: “But! But we must continue searching!”

Doger: “Ah… To be honest, I kind of lost the desire to go out. Thank you…”

Sein: “Y-Yeah, I mean, would we really go out again? When we did, we could see those things from afar, but if what Jevo says is true, they could be on their way to this mansion for all we know.”

Izzy: “… What do you think, Nisha?”

Nisha: “Ah, sorry. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

With a slight limp, the boy entered the room, Xiomara giving him a hand right away. Izzy pulled a chair next to her.

Nisha: “Thank you. About what you talked about… About the Jevo and Earlene’s story… I think it’s impossible to question it, right? Well, you can see what one of them did to me, and it was just an instant when he caught me by the leg. So… I think we could wait a little longer and find some other way to signal for help. I… I know that help is out there.”

Haeri: “(And he didn’t get infected because of that or something?)” She thought, discreetly moving away from the boy.

Sein: “I completely agree. The border police also told us… I remember now! We were told there were a lot of sick people all over the province!”

Doger: “Man, I don't think that helps your point. If Dreamers pile up it will be even worse to wait in the mansion.”

Audrey: “We painted the roof. No response. We set fire to papers, which actually seemed very important. No response. Call me pessimistic but it's clear that help isn't coming, not anytime soon at least. And time is the least of our concerns. Because of food, if you know what I mean. At the end of the day we're in an abandoned office complex, not an abandoned restaurant.”

Garwin: “Hm… If anyone's going to go out again, it's going to be us. And if no one wants to do it, I'll do it. Gathering food and supplies will be difficult, but this is non-negotiable. I want to be clear.”

That line was directed at Izzy.

Izzy: “Garwin, no one said you had to go alone.”

Garwin: “…”

Izzy: “We'll do both” Raising her index finger, the young woman proclaimed calmly “We'll wait 1 day. Taking into account our numbers, our supplies will run out in 2. Without water, we won't last more than 3.”

Doger: “I doubt I'll even be able to walk by then” He said, sighing heavily “Huff… Ok ok, you've convinced me… Can we go to sleep now? Or maybe eat? I'm exhausted.”

Garwin: “Fair enough. We'll get a group together and head out if we don't see any alerts or sirens out there tomorrow. What do you think? Do you agree? We'll think about this whole thing more calmly later.”

Sein: “…Okay.”

Jevo: “Not really. I need to get Cadie to her family as soon as possible. I shall not wait.”

Nisha: “Wait. Guys… How about I make a proposal? Jevo, Earlene, did you happen to find any coastal route maps?”

Jevo: “I have one with me, the one I would use for my travel actually” He extends his hand, sharing some papers wrapped in plastic.

Nisha: “Let me see it… Yes… I think this is a map of the adjacent towns. Thank you very much, Gitta. It’s thanks to you that I have this idea.”

Gitta: “…? What do you mean?”

Nisha: “My mother…” The scheming young man pulled his chair to the center of the room, placed the scattered pages on the floor and began pointing at each figure, tracing a line with his finger.

Izzy: “Have you gotten any information on her?”

Nisha: “Yes. She helped the foreigners, Gitta and Haeri, our friends, us. After seeing the places she has been, I know exactly what she is trying to do. This line ” He traced with her index finger on two connected sheets, a snaking line between one square and another “connects areas designated as safe. If we pay attention we can assume the common denominator.”

Xiomara: “Those are… the government shelters.”

Izzy: “Pre-established zones for national emergency situations. A measure taken by the government after the riots of the 26s. Nisha, do you mean that she intends to visit each shelter? It makes sense that she would do so in the middle of a global conflict.”

Nisha: “I think so. And if she follows the same subsequent order that she has followed so far, we can predict that she is heading towards the next shelter, which is north of our position. In La Quilla North.”

Jevo: “What are you getting at? I know that you are looking for your mother, but that has nothing to do with me.”

Nisha: “What I mean is… We don’t need to continue aimlessly. Not anymore. All of us can follow the same route, move together, stay together. The shelters are provided with supplies and security from the government. If we travel from one shelter to another we will never lack for anything.”

Jevo: “…”

Nisha: “We will share destinations so… Jevo, Earlene, please come with us.”

Xiomara: “I will take care of Cadie during the wait. In fact, I have checked on her. She seems to be doing better.”

Earlene: “(I actually had no complaints.)”

Jevo: “Hm… I will accept it. You have definitely thought it through again, Nisha. Although I want you to remember that I will not follow you all the way to the end of your… objectives. However, if it is for one part of it I will agree; it increases my chances of successfully bringing her.”

Garwin: “Amen, my brothers! So be it. We have a win-win deal.”

Doger: “Finally!”

Audrey: “And we didn't have to get to shouting.”

Garwin: “It's a progress.”

He said that as calmly as he could, but the uncertainty in his voice was clear. His companions didn't hide it like he did.

…

Thoughtful, tired, confused, scared... It was a mix of negative emotions, after what they had said and heard.

Garwin: “Now, if you do me a favor, ” getting up from his chair with a bag in hand that he handed to Gitta, another to Doger, and shook his own shirt before lifting another bag on his back “we distribute the provisions, eat and sleep. That's all for today. It's been a long day. Let's try to rest.”

The group stood up hesitantly from their respective chairs and some nodded slightly. It was going to be a long night of thinking.

21:20 hours

Doing the task that had been delegated to him, Gitta distributed the provisions that the group had found on their journey. He was the last one to do so.

What happened to the others?

Garwin went to his own room, did some push-ups, and slept on a makeshift bed made of waiting chairs. Maybe exercising helped him clear his mind.

Xiomara needed to talk to Izzy. They haven't left the room they used, but it seemed like the conversation had turned into an argument.

Doger fell asleep immediately after falling into his chair. Impossible to know how he managed it.

Earlene and Jevo were still in the dining room. They didn't look tired at all, exchanging murmurs from time to time.

Audrey was nowhere to be found. Despite the agreement, she didn't look very happy.

Nisha, hiding his limp, was showing the new visitors around.

And Haeri, shoulder to shoulder with Gitta, was helping by carrying a group of sheets.

Haeri: “Ah…” She yawned deeply “Let's finish before I start digesting. When that happens I won't sleep, I'll pass out.”

Gitta: “Thank you for helping.”

Haeri: “I just want us to finish quickly and go back to the room together... Dreamers, Dreamers, Dreamers... I'm sure the culprits were nothing more than wild animals.”

Gitta: “...We'll be done soon.”

He avoided going into the subject.

One by one, the families were given their supplies.

Only one group was missing, the most boisterous that night.

Unknown young woman: “I want to go home now! Pa! How much longer are we going to wait?”

Unknown man: “When the rescuers give the signal. It's emergency protocol on the coast. Tsk, but they're taking too long, and I doubt they'll compensate us in any way. But when it comes to collecting taxes, they're always ahead of the curve, huh?”

This was not an unknown man, but the owner of the hotel they stayed at and recently escaped from. Robert Anderson.

Back then he was not present during the incident; he had visited a restaurant with his daughter. His wife was standing off to the side, keeping quiet.

If they hadn't been found by Izzy's group by mere luck, they would probably have returned to the hotel, which was not the best of ideas.

Unknown young woman: “Can't I go pick up my cell phone? How boring!”

And the loudest young woman was Gwen Anderson, his daughter, although her dyed white hair and excessive makeup hid any resemblance to her own family.

Gitta: “Uhm… Excuse me. Do you need more sheets?”

Robert: “No. But they will be welcome.”

Gwen: “Mm… Thank you.”

Robert: “Oh, you were at the party at the hotel that night. You were the one who brought that huge case of alcohol. It was crazy.”

Gitta: “Uhm… Yes, sir.”

Robert: “Thanks to you we are cleaned, kid. Zombies, Dreamers, clowns or whatever is out there, it is not something we will become in the near future.”

He didn't know if he was serious or joking. There was always a hint of sarcasm in his words but it was as if he was overly in control of what he said. Or he probably didn't care what he said. It was hard to tell, especially from his expressions after hearing the story.

Shortly after the meeting at the warehouse, the subject had been mentioned to the rest of the people in the mansion. As expected, skepticism was present, although those who lived through what happened firsthand had their doubts.

Gitta simply nodded his head as he listened to such delusions, and turned to leave. Gwen, without the slightest dissimulation, took one last look at Gitta’s ‘rear’, which Haeri clearly noticed and responded by blocking the line of sight with her own body.

Haeri: “…”

She herself hadn’t noticed but she was already hugging the boy’s arm.

Gitta: “So… Do you want to eat chocolates?”

Haeri: “Do you have any!? I mean… Do you have any?” She murmured.

Gitta: “I saved a few of the provisions. Let’s consider it our small reward for tonight.”

Haeri: “I’m raising you well, he he.”

Gitta: “Heh, don’t say that. It’ll only be one or we’ll have nightmares. Just one.”

Time continued its course and morning had arrived.

Inside the mansion, the dusty shutters let in faint halos of light, enough to illuminate the tired refugees. The atmosphere was extremist; on one side were families who were completely unaware of the dangers outside and treated the situation like any other emergency, and on the other side were families afraid to go out, doubtful of what they saw on the night of the incident. Despite this, uncertainty united them in a consensus; there is a danger outside, a real danger.

Some looked through the wooden cracks at the office exits, trying to catch some movement. Fortunately, and unfortunately, there was nothing. They were safe but at the same time it meant that there was no help on the way.

The afternoon had arrived. Xiomara's light blond hair could be seen waving from one corner to another, helping mothers serve lunch. Meanwhile, Nisha and Jevo took turns taking care of Cadie Saggiatore.

Dante, accompanied by other young people, explored the rooms to pass the time, looking for something to eat or at least something interesting to look at.

Some adults talked to Garwin about the situation. They were getting impatient.

It was too quiet.

From the outside it was not even possible to hear the simple singing of the birds. It was an absolute, unnatural silence. As if all living species had disappeared.

It is said that when insects and animals detect danger they hide to the point that they are imperceptible.

As dusk approached, Doger, accompanied by Sein, watched from the windows of the second floor. Hitting his binoculars against the wood, Doger was annoyed by what he saw. Or rather, by what he did not see.

The hot and humid air currents traveled from the coast until they formed a point of dew and fog. At first it was not significant, however, as the hours passed it became increasingly thicker until they confused posts with people.

The problem became one more reason to go out, and they did not like that at all.

Without police sirens, without vehicles, without alarms, the sandy roads were desolate. Unlike the chaos that would be expected from a riot, the environment around them reflected just the opposite.

Finally it got dark.

The group gathered again. There was no discussion this time. Each and every one immediately nodded.

It was suggested to sleep early that night although the statement felt more like an order.

They were supposed to leave the next day. And that day definitely came.

This time the halos of light did not cross the windows of the offices. The mansion was secured as much as possible; nothing would enter, and only one group would leave.

Garwin, Izzy, Audrey, Shaun, Doger and Gitta. Despite Haeri's complaints, the outsider had decided to help, or perhaps his sense of responsibility prompted him, or maybe it was peer pressure again. He was among the most willing and able, so Izzy chose him. Everyone else would wait in the mansion.

If they did not find help or enough supplies, they would leave for the next shelter. And if they did not want to do it in the middle of the night and under the thick fog that increased, they had to hurry.

Gitta looked at the shovel in his hand, handed to him by Garwin.

Pieces of wood, pliers, hammers... They were given anything they could use to defend themselves if they needed it, as well as handkerchiefs tied around their mouths. They looked more like raiders than just explorers.

Audrey: “Heh, I wish I had my bow now” She said, taking the rustic hammer from Shaun's hand.

Shaun: “(I couldn't care less)” He thought “This is not a good time to be picky. Let's get this over with.”

Garwin: “If everyone has already gone to the bathroom, it's time to move.”

Doger: “And if you haven't gone, you won't want to go in there ever again.”

Garwin: “You know this, guys. Keep your eyes peeled and don't separate.”

Audrey: “Like Boy Scouts. I'll be your guide again.”

Haeri: “…”

Behind Gitta's back, Haeri waited at the entrance of the mansion. Arms crossed, frowning.

Gitta: “…There are too many badly injured and sick. For everyone's sake it's best that I go.”

Haeri: “…”

She moved closer to his back and whispered.

Haeri: “Fine fine but you already know this. If anything happens, come back immediately. No matter what.” She emphasized.

Gitta: “I will.”

Haeri: “This time… Don’t take too long this time. Tsk…”

With one last glance at Haeri at the entrance of the mansion, Gitta nodded and turned to follow the group, unaware that the world beyond would not be something he had ever seen.

To be continued…