April part one

My eyes opened, and all I could see was green plastic around me. It looked like a camping tent. I was inside a sleeping bag. Slowly, I unzipped it and crawled out. My head and entire body ached—it felt like I had a massive hangover. When I looked down, I saw my body covered in wounds caused by the ultramutants locked inside DreamGuard. Someone had taken the time to tend to me and bandage my injuries. Was it Andrew? He was usually the one in charge of first aid, but why did the bandages look so carelessly applied? Andrew always did it carefully.

At that moment, I remembered the last thing I saw before blacking out.

An angel.

I rushed out of the tent, and the sunrise in the distance blinded my eyes. Once I adjusted to the light, I caught a scent of something burning. A campfire was in front of me, and the person responsible for it was boiling water over the flames. As they did, they looked up and stared at me in shock.

“Well, Sleeping Beauty finally woke up,” they said sarcastically.

Blond hair, a perfect smile, a curvy body, light eyes—she had everything a man could want in a woman.

“You… you’re the angel from that night.”

“Haha, your nephews called me that too.”

My nephews—of course. Where were they? Had this woman done something to them? I needed answers, or things were about to get ugly.

“Relax, they went hunting for breakfast,” she said nonchalantly while pouring the boiled water into some cups.

She walked over to hand me one, but I knocked it to the ground.

“Are you insane?! Who sends ten-year-old kids to hunt in a world full of monsters?!” I yelled, glaring at her.

“But you’ve done it before, and they’re well-trained thanks to you.”

“That’s different! I sent them, not some stranger who—based on the situation—might have kidnapped us.”

“Calm down, I didn’t kidnap anyone. I was just taking care of them while you slept. Besides, this isn’t their first time hunting. They’ve been doing it for the past week.”

A week? No… don’t tell me—

“I was in a coma for a damn week?!”

Panic hit me. After spending two weeks in DreamGuard, we didn’t have time to stop again.

“Yes, but don’t worry. We’ve been moving forward. We traveled from the wasteland to this forest.”

When she said "forest," I finally took in my surroundings. Towering trees stretched endlessly in all directions. A clear river ran beside us, and there were fruit-bearing bushes and trees in perfect condition.

Nothing seemed contaminated. But how?

“It feels like a dream, doesn’t it?” she said, inhaling deeply and admiring the same view I was.

“But how did you bring me here?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“With the help of your white steed.”

I turned around and saw the horse we had taken from DreamGuard grazing nearby, neighing softly.

Then, I remembered what had really happened.

“That net that made us fall—where did it come from?”

“Oh, that was me,” she said, pointing at herself with a grin.

“Huh? Are you crazy?! You said you didn’t kidnap us, but now it sounds like you lied. And what did you mean when you called yourself our salvation?” I recalled the phrase she had used when I asked who she was.

“Oh, that? Sorry, I just thought it sounded cool—like something from a movie. I wanted to try saying it,” she admitted, scratching her head in embarrassment. “But believe me, I had a good reason for trapping you. I need your help. I have to deliver these medicines to someone across the forest, but I can’t go alone. You know how dangerous it is for a damsel in a post-apocalyptic world.”

She pointed to a bag beside her. It didn’t just contain medicine—it was also packed with food. A lot of it.

“In exchange for your help, I’ll give you all the food. I just need the medicine.”

After thinking it over, it didn’t seem like a bad deal. If we rationed it properly, this food could last us until July. Plus, I’d be spending a week with a gorgeous woman. What more could I ask for?

“Alright, I accept. Uh… sorry, you never told me your name.”

“Valerie.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m—”

“Jason. I know,” she interrupted, flashing me a seductive smile. “Andrew and Rick told me all about you.”

“I hope they spoke well of me.”

“Trust me, they didn’t,” she said, laughing.

Damn brats. The next time I saw them, they were getting a good scolding.

“Wait, let me get this straight. You trapped us and nearly broke our backs falling off a horse… just so we could work together?”

“Yep.”

“And you didn’t think of just walking up and talking to us?”

“Nope.”

Damn it, she was really crazy. Just the way I liked them.

“Fine. You’re lucky we didn’t get seriously hurt,” I said, unable to stay mad at such beauty. “But where did you get all those supplies you want to deliver?”

“Oh, my friends and I stole them from a PowerMax base,” she said casually.

“Sorry, what? I didn’t hear that right.”

My ears refused to believe what they had just heard.

“We stole them from PowerMax.”

“You’re telling me you robbed the megacorporation responsible for destroying the world and creating ultrapowers?”

“Yeah, those guys. But they didn’t seem to care. They’re still trying to fix the whole end-of-the-world thing. Doesn’t seem like they’re smart enough to realize the world is beyond saving.”

“But what happened to your friends? It’s hard to believe they abandoned you.”

“They died,” she said, her smile fading.

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

I was about to ask how, but suddenly, sounds came from the bushes. I reached for my guns, but they weren’t within reach, so I took a combat stance. Meanwhile, Valerie continued sipping her tea calmly.

“Uncle?”

From the bushes, my nephews emerged, running to hug me while I screamed internally from the pain of my wounds.

“You’re awake, finally!” Andrew shouted joyfully.

“Now we can keep moving through the forest!” Rick said excitedly. “And look, look what I caught! A rabbit, and it’s huge! Meanwhile, Rick’s prey—a small squirrel—had managed to escape." 

“Shut up, Rick! The squirrel was bringing food to its babies, and I didn’t want them to starve,” Andrew argued.

My brain struggled to process everything they were saying—they were talking too fast.

“Alright, alright, calm down. I’m glad you two are safe. But what did I say about eating animals? They could be contaminated or ultras.”

“Relax. Nothing in this forest is,” Valerie added.

"Hmm?"

"Yep, as you can see, the forest is in perfect condition."

"But how is that possible?" No matter how much I wanted to believe her, it was hard to convince myself.

"Well, that brings us to the explanation of why I need you," she said, grabbing the rabbit and putting it over the fire to cook.

We all sat around and listened.

"No ultramutants have entered this forest in a long time."

"But why?"

"Because there’s a king of the beasts here. This creature has kept all the ultramutants away, leaving the forest just as you see it. The only way out of here is through its cave. My team and I tried to take it on, but as I said before, they all died. I was the only one who managed to escape. Then I saw you, carrying all those weapons and ammunition, and I thought you might be useful."

"You really think an ex-mercenary and two kids are going to make a difference?" As soon as I finished speaking, the horse neighed. "And a horse."

"At first, I had my doubts, but as I said, you have plenty of weapons, and I’ve seen firsthand what your nephews can do. They haven't stopped talking about how skilled you are and how you've taken down hundreds of ultramutants by yourself."

"That’s an exaggeration… but fine, I already agreed to your deal. Still, wouldn’t it be better to go around the forest?"

"It would take us twice as long. And the person who needs these medicines desperately needs them as soon as possible. You also have a journey ahead, or the end of the world will catch up with you first."

"You have a point. Alright, when do we go after this so-called king of the forest?"

"In a week. This forest is huge, and that’s how long it will take us to reach its cave."

"How can I be sure you're telling the truth about all this?"

I still suspected this crazy woman. Everything she said sounded like well-prepared lies.

"The fact that your nephews are still alive is proof enough. I could have killed them and stolen their weapons. Go ahead, ask them."

I turned to look at them and saw how both were practically drooling while watching the rabbit cook. After listening to the conversation, they responded.

"It's true, Uncle. Valerie can be trusted, she's been teaching us how to hunt," Andrew said enthusiastically.

"And she's a great cook," Rick added, sniffing the rabbit.

"Besides, I’m not an ultra. They told me how you don’t trust anyone with superpowers."

"Can you blame me?"

I said, recalling all the ultras we had encountered on our journey, each more rotten to the core than the last. Prescott’s glowing eyes flashed through my mind.

"Maybe you're right, but you’d be surprised—some have good hearts. Anyway, come on, this rabbit is ready."

And with that, we had a good breakfast, and our week-long journey through the forest began.

During the trip, I couldn't stop admiring the flora and fauna of the forest. It was all so beautiful, but mankind had to ruin it with its inventions. If only they had left the world alone instead of letting their greed consume them.

Thanks to the forest, I was able to fill my stomach for the first time in a long while and drink clean, uncontaminated water. And Valerie’s cooking skills were indeed top-notch.

Speaking of her, every passing day, I couldn't help but admire not just her beauty but also her character. She was kind to my nephews, always putting others first. No woman had ever made me feel this way before. If I had been alone with her, without my nephews around, I don’t know what I would have been capable of after so much repression. Every night, I had lascivious dreams about her. She seemed to notice my lingering gazes but let them slide.

While the kids slept at night, we kept watch by the campfire, talking endlessly about our past and present lives. 

During our trek, we didn’t encounter any threats. We only used our weapons for hunting, which made me doubt whether there really was a beast protecting this place.

As time passed, the day of the battle approached. The night before, I took the opportunity to shave using a broken mirror Valerie had lent me while smoking a cigarette. Valerie watched me intently, and I couldn’t help but get distracted.

"You know, you've never given me one of your cigarettes," she said.

"I know. They’re precious to me, and I have few left. These were my brother’s favorites. We used to smoke them together. I spent half my salary on buying boxes. These cigarettes were the only thing that kept us connected."

"I see. Then there’s no need to share."

With that, silence filled the air. Strange… I had never told anyone about this before. Somehow, she made me feel comfortable.

"Hey," she suddenly broke the silence, "how do you cope with the fact that the world is ending in December?"

She dropped a heavy question.

"Uhmm, I don’t know. I’ve been close to death my whole life, so I’ve made my peace with it. Even so, this still feels like a cruel joke. The real strong ones are my nephews—they don’t let it get to them."

At least, not since their father died.

"Hmm, I don’t think so. I think they’re just pretending to be strong for the person they admire."

"Who, me?"

"Of course, idiot. Who else? You’re the one who taught them how to survive."

"Pfft, I doubt it. Who would admire a failure like me? And besides, I’m not a survivor. You know, my old commander from my mercenary team used to say, while smoking these same cigarettes, that if we were real survivors, we wouldn’t have taken this job. The only thing we deserved was to enjoy a cigarette at the end of the day."

"What did he mean by that?"

"Who knows."

"Well, I think he was wrong. Every day, you prove to me that you’re not a disaster and that, in reality, you care about your family." She tried to lift my spirits, with the moonlight reflecting off her hair.

"If you say so. And what do you think about this supposed end of the world?"

"I’m terrified, obviously. I still have so much to do, like traveling the world or becoming famous. But at least I have someone important by my side, and that’s enough for me."

Someone important? Who was she talking about? Could it be… me?

"Hey, when we deliver the medicine… would you consider coming with us on our journey? You’d be a big help," I asked, embarrassed and timid, hoping she would stay.

"Haha, we’d be like a family. I’ll think about it."

With those words, she returned to her tent, her smile never fading. My heart pounded in my chest, and I couldn’t shake the nerves.

"What am I… a high school girl?" I muttered to myself.

And so, the next day, we found ourselves at the entrance of the king’s cave. Before stepping inside, I took one last look at Valerie’s smile, and with it, I felt invincible.