Chapter 2 – Don’t Leave Me

2nd October 2027 17:55

‘P-Please wait for a while!’ Pov said, tired.

Since Carrie left, Pov had been following her. Not wanting to be alone, she had chased her right away, without carrying anything with her. The only possession she currently had was the white dress that she was wearing.

They had been walking for two hours. She had been asking her to slow down, only to be ignored. Now, her legs were feeling really tired.

‘Carrie, please!’

Finally, Carrie stopped on her track. Did Pov’s pleading get to her?

I doubt it, Pov thought. Carrie was looking toward the sky, orange shifting to dark blue. Night was approaching and it seemed that she was stopped by the daylight cycle than by her. They needed a place to stay for the night.

There was a convenience store nearby. A good shelter that could protect them from the cold.

Thus, they went there.

---

18:14

Thus far, Pov’s attempt to get to know Carrie had failed. Mainly because Carrie wouldn’t bother opening up to her. She wanted to know her for two reasons: 1. She was genuinely curious; 2. She needed to forge a bond with her.

At this rate, at some point, her exhaustion would peak, and she wouldn’t be able to follow her.

If she couldn’t follow Carrie, then… Pov would be alone…

Anything but that.

I have to prove my worth so that she won’t leave me behind, Pov thought.

Inside this convenience store, Carrie was looking around, searching for any supplies that she could salvage. Considering that this place was abandoned, considering that the world was not the same after the announcement of the calamity, Pov wondered if taking things would still be considered as stealing.

It was a thought that often crossed her mind whenever she had to take things.

Regardless, that was the least of her concerns right now.

‘… Are you also obsessed for the perfect food?’ Pov asked.

‘… More or less,’ Carrie answered.

Finally! An interaction! It seemed that she was responsive when the topic was food related.

‘Not for the perfect food,’ she continued. ‘Just for food that tastes good.’

‘What kind of food do you consider to taste good? Maybe I can help by cooking it for you!’

‘… I don’t know.’

‘You don’t know?’

‘No.’

That made things difficult, but Pov could work with that. Nothing that trial and error couldn’t discover!

I’ll make her value me so much that she doesn’t want to leave me alone!

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18:38

Food didn’t have to be a main dish. Often, it could mean dessert!

Therefore, for this one dish she had decided to create, she focused more on taste, specifically on sweetness, than something that could make someone full: Pancake served with honey and topped with sprinkles of sugar.

Sweet things were nice. Pov always believed that sweets were universally accepted.

This should work.

She served it on a small plate and decorated it with melted chocolate.

Carrie took a bite with a fork and… had no reaction.

‘Tasteless…’ she said.

‘Not sweet enough?’

‘From the looks of it, if you add more, I’ll have health problems…’

Well, that was a lot of sweets. ‘Do you not like sweets perhaps?’

‘Perhaps.’

Vague. Still, Pov believed that this was one of those cases where someone didn’t know what they liked. Trial and error was indeed the way to go then. If sweets didn’t work, then she had to pivot.

---

19:01

With canned meat and salt, Pov cooked meat soup. If sweetness didn’t work, then it was best to go toward the opposite direction and go for something salty.

For this dish, she served it in a bowl. There were hardly any decorations this time. However, she had made sure it had a good smell. Made sure that if the dish couldn’t initially be tasted with the eyes, then it could be tasted with the nose.

Carrie took a spoonful and…

‘Tasteless…’

Still?! Pov thought. Right now, she felt like her cooking skills were taking a hit. Not to mention, her reaction was… the worst feedback that she could ever receive. If she had expressed love or hate, then that was something that she could work with. But indifference? That was difficult!

I have to change my approach.

‘What’s your favorite food?’

‘I don’t have one.’

None at all? ‘There must be something that you like?’

Silence. No answer.

You’re not making this easy, you know? This was a difficult matter to solve. One that she had to overcome.

Believing that the third time was the charm, Pov persevered.

The next dish will be the one to make her say “tasty”!

---

19:14

The third dish was… in a sense, the worst looking of them all.

It was an instant cup noodle, with a packaging that advertised the world’s worst—spiciest pepper in it. Pov had even added more spices to it, making sure that it hurt the tongue more. It wouldn’t just burn the tongue; it might just incinerate it.

Sure, it was entirely possible for her to move the instant noodles into a bowl and then decorate the dish. However, when it came to instant noodles, she believed that the cup that it came with had a good feel to it. Made it taste more delicious someway somehow.

Also, this time around, considering that there had been no response whatsoever to the sweet or salty dishes, she figured that if she made something that was painfully spicy, she would get a reaction from Carrie.

At this point, any kind of reaction—hate included—would be better than indifference.

If she hated spice, then that was a lead that would be nice to have.

Although the instant noodles came with a foldable fork, Pov insisted that Carrie use a chopstick. Why? Well, chopsticks just felt better when it came to eating noodles. Because chopsticks, at least to her, always felt as if they were made for noodles.

Carrie blew on the noodles, then took a bite.

Waiting with anticipation, Pov was eagerly waiting for Carrie to show any form of reaction.

Come on, come on.

‘… I’ve tried this before,’ she said, casually, unimpressed. ‘The chopstick is new though.’

‘… How does it taste?’

‘Tasteless.’

No reaction whatsoever. Sweets didn’t work. Salt didn’t work. Now, even spice didn’t work. But wait! Maybe she was one of the people who liked bitter food? ‘I’ll try aga—'

‘That’s enough, isn’t it?’ she cut her short. She stared at her right in the eyes. Something about that pitch black eyes of hers felt as if void of hope. ‘You’re trying to win me over by cooking food for me. But, as we can see, nothing is working.

‘You hate being alone, you made that clear, but if you follow me on my journey, you’ll just be a burden.’

‘I can—’

‘This isn’t up for discussion. If you keep following me around, I’ll shoot you.’

‘But—But if I don’t follow you, I’ll be alone.’

‘You can walk back for two hours back to your previous group.’

‘2 hours all alone by myself?’

‘Being alone won’t kill you.’

‘If I have to be alone for that long, I’d rather kill myself. So, yes, it will kill me.’

‘… Go kill yourself then.’

‘… You’re a horrible person.’

Normally, this was where a person would leave. After all, being with such a person was… well, horrible. However, Pov would rather stick with such a bad person than be alone.

… Her future looked bleak.

Sure, she said that she would rather die than be alone. However… it wasn’t like she wanted to die to begin with. Ideally, being alive and being with someone both at once was the best solution.

She hasn’t shot me yet, Pov thought. I still have a chance.

She would create her most delicious dish. Or, at least, the food that she liked the most.

It should be here in this convenience store.

---

19:28

At the convenience store’s free space, where Carrie had set up a sleeping bag, Pov put down a portable stove. She had made a setup in which, if she took a chopstick, it would stay above the fire without touching it.

Thus, with a chopstick, she stabbed a marshmallow, sprinkled it with chocolate, and let it roast. She made sure that two were roasting at the same time. One for Pov, one for Carrie.

‘… Give it up,’ Carrie said, annoyed by Pov’s efforts.

‘I’ll die if I give up. So, no can do.’

‘… Why are you so scared of being alone anyway?’

Why? ‘Because when I’m alone, it feels like the world has ended. The world is actually and literally ending, yes, but when I’m alone it just feels like it has ended. So unbearable that I’d rather choose death.’

‘Being alone is not that bad.’

‘Who asked? Mind your own business.’

‘I’m trying to, but you’re not leaving me alone.’

‘Tough luck.’

She rotated the chopsticks so that the marshmallows were roasted evenly.

‘… I shared something with you. It’s your turn. Why are you searching for food that tastes good?’ she asked, curious. Initially, she had wondered if maybe the world’s end encouraged her to engage in a journey to have good cuisines. However, after the three failed dishes, it seemed that there was some other reason.

‘… Will you leave me if I tell you?’

‘No. But then we might get closer to getting you food that tastes good.’

Carrie considered this for a while. Decided to share, ‘I once had a food that tasted good. I wanted to taste that again. That’s all.’

Oh? That was a lead. ‘What kind of food was that?’

‘Can’t remember.’

‘You can’t?’

‘It’s… a long time ago.’

This is difficult… Pov thought.

Pov was… actually thinking about how to solve Carrie’s problem. About how to make her food that tasted good. Sure, there were her own motives such as not wanting to be left alone. However, there was also another motive: she genuinely wanted to help her.

Yes, she was a horrible person, but…

She’s not as horrible as Razor.

She knew that because… for the three failed dishes, Carrie had finished each and every last one of them till the very last bit. Till there was no remaining leftover. Who even knew how full her stomach was by now?

Perhaps she hated wasting food. Perhaps food was too valuable to waste in this new world. Or perhaps Carrie was someone who could show appreciation to someone else’s cooking by finishing what was given even when she found it tasteless.

… I’d like to believe that the reason is the last one, Pov smiled as she roasted the marshmallow.

Believing that she had roasted the marshmallow long enough, Pov took hers away from the fire. She blew on her melting marshmallow, the perfect softness and texture, and took a bite.

‘Mm!’ she exclaimed. She tapped her feet on the floor. The sweetness brought a bright smile to her face. Nothing could beat this specific brand of marshmallow combined with that one expensive chocolate. A match made in heaven. Absolutely good. ‘Carrie, this is so good! You really should give it a try!’

‘… Just this one.’

It was good that she was showing interest. ‘Here! Your marshmallow.’

Carrie gave it a try, without blowing, and—she had a reaction. Finally!

She had taken a bite, then raised her brows.

Clearly impressed, Pov thought, proud.

‘Not… bad…’ she said. ‘What marshmallow is this?’

Thus, Pov explained the brand to her.

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20:03

That night, inside a sleeping bag (the convenience had them stocked), Pov couldn’t sleep.

She was restless. Worried. Anxious.

What if, after she closed her eyes, she woke up finding that Carrie had left her. Alone.

The thought kept her awake.

I don’t want to be alo—

‘Pov,’ Carrie called. That was the first time she called out her name. ‘You can follow me.

‘But,’ she added, ‘the moment you find someone else, go bother that person instead.’

Pov didn’t mind that arrangement. More importantly… ‘You won’t leave me behind?’

‘I won’t.’

‘… Thank you, Carrie.’

That night, Pov slept peacefully.