(One Week After the Events of the Last Chapter)
Cold air, black clouds, and snow began to fall from the sky.
Jenny, with her new friends and Mira, who came to visit them, sat in their warm little cabin playing a board game.
Nicholas sat outside with Alexander, tasked by Marcus to keep an eye on him.
Jessie and Ethan stood outside the cabin, enjoying the sight of the falling snow.
Ethan gazed at the snow with awe and wonder, captivated by the strange and beautiful spectacle despite the biting cold he felt.
Jessie noticed Ethan was wearing only light, white clothes stained with dirt and blood. He went inside the cabin, grabbed the clothes he had bought earlier, approached Ethan, and handed them to him, saying, "Put these on. Staying in those clothes in this weather is bad for you."
Ethan looked at the clothes, then at Jessie, nodding in agreement before putting them on over his dirty ones.
Jessie watched him silently for a few seconds before letting out a light laugh. "Hahaha, you're wearing your shirt inside out, it's backward! Let me help you."
Jessie removed Ethan's backward shirt, fixed it, and helped him put it on correctly.
Ethan examined his new shirt, feeling its warmth and pleasant scent for a while, then looked at Jessie with a simple, gentle smile, nodding happily and revealing his teeth, which had healed significantly since the last time. Jessie, surprised, said, "Wow! Your teeth healed fast, little guy!"
Ethan turned his gaze back to the falling snow, while Jessie watched him with a smile mixed with relief and hope, his eyes reflecting a comfort he hadn't felt in ages. He admired Ethan's childlike, joyful features under the glow of the falling snow, his heart warmed by knowing he had helped this boy live a peaceful life in this hellish world.
Jessie took a deep breath, as if his heart had shed some of its burden just by seeing Ethan warm. He thought to himself, "It hasn't even been a month since I met this kid, but I'm already starting to see him as a little brother… I think my mother would be proud of me if she saw me." He looked at the falling snow, his face radiating increasing comfort and happiness. "An almost normal life… a bit of safety. There's some danger in the missions, but at least I'm spending good times with my new friends, even if it's tough."
Suddenly, without warning, a loud crashing sound came from the direction of the main gate, shattering the calm and peace, startling everyone around.
Worry and tension spread across Jessie's face, while Ethan paid little attention, continuing to stare at the snow.
Out of nowhere, Mira rushed past them at full speed. Before Jessie could process the situation, Mira's hand transformed into something like tentacles, swiftly extending toward Jessie and Ethan, pulling them both toward her instantly.
Jessie stared at Mira's tentacles in shock and disbelief, saying in a stunned tone, "Wait, what the hell is that?!"
Mira shouted at him, "Stop asking questions and let's see what happened first!"
They reached the source of the sound and were shocked to find the gate completely destroyed, with a massive truck flipped on its side in the middle.
The gate was entirely wrecked, and the truck lay tilted on its left side, its front slightly crumpled inward.
Citizens gathered around the truck, trying to open its cargo hold.
Mira pushed her way toward the truck to figure out what had happened, while Jessie and Ethan stood in place, exchanging looks of confusion and slight fear.
As Mira approached the truck, the front passenger door opened just as she arrived. A young woman with long, dark hair, wearing a long, dark coat, stumbled out. Her face was covered in wounds, blood dripping from various parts of her body as if she had just emerged from a life-or-death battle.
She looked at Mira with difficulty through her dark eyes before fainting from the severity of her injuries.
Shock spread across Mira's face as she rushed to pull the girl from the seat, shouting in a mix of panic and disbelief, "Maria?! She's alive!"
With lightning speed, she grabbed Maria with her tentacles and raced toward the hospital without another word.
Back to Jessie, still standing in place, watching Mira in silence and shock, thinking, "Who is this girl, seriously? She's turning her hands into tentacles and doesn't seem worried about using them in public. That probably means everyone knows about this, and yet they don't act hostile toward her, which also proves they don't care… Seriously, what is all this?"
He turned toward Ethan's spot but was startled to find him gone.
Looking around nervously, he spotted Ethan standing among the crowd gathered around the truck.
Jessie hurried toward him, calling in a tense whisper, "Ethan! What are you doing there? Get back here!"
But the boy didn't move. He stood frozen, staring into the open cargo hold of the truck with wide eyes, as if something had completely captured his attention.
Jessie's worry grew. He rushed to Ethan, grabbed his arm, and said in a low, tense tone, "I told you to stay away. Get away from the trou—"
His words were cut off by a loud banging sound from the cargo hold, as if someone inside was trying to break it open by force.
Everyone nearby stepped back, gripped by fear and tension over what might be inside.
Ethan looked curiously at the cargo hold, then at Jessie, whose face was dominated by tension and seriousness. Jessie slowly reached into his clothes, pulling out his pistol, preparing for any potential danger.
The moment Jessie drew his weapon, a loud metallic screech erupted, followed by the cargo door bursting open with force, slamming against the truck's damaged side.
A massive, muscular man with a bald head emerged from the vehicle, dressed entirely in black from head to toe, a visible wound on his head.
The man wiped his eyes in irritation, saying in a gruff voice, "Ugh, finally some peace… That girl can't even drive properly." He then looked at the stunned crowd gathered around him.
One of them stepped forward, saying in a shocked tone, "Wait a minute? Isn't that Yahya?"
Another responded, "Oh, you're right! It's him!"
The noise in the area grew, as if everyone recognized him.
A wide smile spread across Yahya's face as he spoke in a mix of shock and excitement, "Ohhh, we're back in the village, finally!"
He turned around and called out with a voice full of hope and enthusiasm, "Luke, get up! We're back in the village!"
Within seconds, the sound of footsteps echoed from the dark interior of the cargo hold, approaching the exit.
Another man emerged from the hold, much shorter than Yahya, with thick, messy black hair and cold, perpetually tired eyes. His lean body wore a tattered black jacket with patched sleeves in various colors, a faded gray shirt clinging to his skin from sweat and dust, and wide military pants stained with oil and old blood.
Luke exited the cargo hold without a word, bypassing the crowd and walking away silently, which made Jessie feel a sense of unease about him, though the others didn't seem surprised.
One of the crowd stepped forward, addressing Yahya with shock and questions, "What happened to you, man?! A whole week since you disappeared! We thought you were dead!"
Yahya stepped out of the hold, his face showing anger, and said in a resentful tone, "It's all because of that woman and her stupidity. We followed her, and here we are, nearly dead."
The same person asked, "What? What happened to you?"
Yahya replied as he began fully opening the cargo doors, "Shut up, I'm not in the mood to say anything. Just do your job."
As he opened the hold, everyone could see scattered crates inside.
Yahya turned to them, pointing his thumb at the crates and saying, "At least we didn't come back empty-handed." He then walked away from the crowd, who began carrying and organizing the crates away from the truck.
Meanwhile, Marcus arrived at the scene, his eyes scanning the truck and the people organizing the crates in the freezing cold. He walked slowly toward them, wrapped in a dark coat reaching his knees, covered in frost and snow.
He stopped in front of one of the workers, who looked shocked upon seeing him and said with a hint of fear, "Oh! Hello, Commander."
Marcus stood silently for a few seconds, looking at the crate, then at the man, and said calmly, "What happened?"
The man, with suppressed tension in his voice, replied, "The team sent to Fog City last week has returned."
Marcus responded calmly, as if the news didn't faze him, "Good. It looks like they didn't come back empty-handed. What's in the crates?"
The man hesitated, glanced at the stacked crates, and answered uncertainly, "Canned food, from what I saw, and some seeds and fertilizers."
Marcus slowly approached a crate, opened it, pulled out a can of food, and said in his usual tone, "This is good. Put it in the storage."
The man nodded quickly, "Understood, I'll tell the others now."
The man moved away to inform the others of Marcus's orders, while Marcus remained, quietly observing the scene.
Marcus's gaze shifted to Yahya, who was approaching him with slow, tired steps.
Upon reaching him, Yahya said in a weary but restrained tone, "Marcus… I hope you've prepared double pay for risking our lives and our good haul."
Marcus, shifting his gaze to the truck, replied, "With a haul like this, even if it took a week, you'd deserve a raise. But since you destroyed the gate, your request is denied."
Yahya responded with anger, his face showing clear frustration, "What are you saying?! We risked our lives for your mission, and in the end, we don't even get a bonus? Even so, that's Maria's problem—she was the one driving, not us. She should take responsibility."
Marcus's eyes paused from watching the truck, and he slowly turned to face Yahya, saying calmly, "We can negotiate this later. For now, go submit a report on everything that happened during your mission."
Yahya calmed his anger slightly and replied, "Clearly, Luke's already gone to submit the report. As for Maria, I don't know where she is. She was in the front seat, but she disappeared." He sighed. "I hope she's dead."
Marcus, trying to end the conversation, said, "Mira already took Maria to the hospital. Now go to the village center. I'll join you soon."
Yahya took a deep breath, turned, and walked quietly toward the village center, leaving Marcus standing silently, watching the work unfold. The sound of Ethan and Jessie's laughter, as they played in the snow with some children, echoed behind him, mixed with the innocence and warmth of the moment despite the harsh weather.
Meanwhile, in a place resembling a hospital, Mira sat outside on a chair, her fingers interlocked, her knees trembling with worry. She glanced at the cabin door where Maria was every few seconds, her eyes red from crying.
As soon as Alexander emerged from the door, her heart leapt, and she said in a voice filled with tension, "Maria! Is Maria okay?!"
Alexander removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes, and said calmly, "Relax, her condition isn't that bad. Just some head, stomach, and hand wounds, along with a few broken fingers."
Mira responded with agitation, "That's not that bad?!"
Alexander interrupted as he put his glasses back on, "The important thing is she's still alive, likely thanks to the truck's airbag, which prevented any serious damage." He coughed. "But the strange thing is, the injuries don't seem to be from the crash itself."
Mira, confused, asked, "What? Then what caused them?"
He replied, "I don't know, but they were likely caused by an attack from those creatures."
Mira, her tension easing slightly, said, "The important thing is she's alive."
Alexander stepped aside to let her enter, saying, "Yeah, and you can talk to her now."
Before he finished, Mira had already rushed inside.
Mira entered the small room, lit by sunlight streaming through the windows. Maria lay on a narrow bed among other patients, her head wrapped in white bandages and her hands in small splints. She was yelling at Nicholas, who sat in front of her eating from a bowl of apples.
"You idiot, put the plate down, it's mine! Are you even listening, you heartless jerk?" She stopped when she noticed Mira standing at the door, looking at her with surprise and saying, "Why are you staring at me like that? Also, get this filthy jerk out of here."
Nicholas mocked her, "Shut up, you crazy woman. No one told you to start cursing as soon as you woke up."
Suddenly, Mira rushed toward Maria, trying to hug her, crying with joy, "Mariaaaa! You're alive!"
Maria shouted in annoyance, "Get off me, you menace! Everything in my body hurts, and you're making it worse!"
Mira backed off in panic and said worriedly, "Sorry… I was just worried about you…" I thought you were dead."
Maria replied with sarcasm and irritation, "And here I am, alive and wow. Now kill this filthy black jerk next to me."
Nicholas, with a mocking grin, said, "No, I don't want to."
Mira snatched the apple bowl from him and quickly pushed his chair away from Maria, so fast that Nicholas barely processed it. She said angrily, "Get out, please."
Nicholas stood slowly, glaring at Mira with suppressed anger, and said in a low voice, "You're right, I don't want to stay here with this lunatic any longer." He left the room.
Mira turned to Maria, who was watching the situation with a satisfied smile on her bandaged face.
"Hahaha, well done, Mira. Seeing that creep's ugly face when he's angry makes me feel better. Now hand me an apple."
Mira took a deep breath to calm her nerves, sighed, picked up an apple from the bowl, and handed it to Maria, saying, "You really worried me… You idiot, how can you not drive?! You wrecked the gate and nearly killed yourself!"
Maria took the apple and began nibbling it slowly, mumbling with a full mouth, "Yeah, I can't drive, what do you expect? I'm only 19. Plus, the brakes were broken, I couldn't do anything. The important thing is I'm alive, woo!"
Mira replied sarcastically, "You look like a one-eyed monkey and say you're fine. Stop talking nonsense."
The two girls started laughing, especially Maria, who nearly choked until Mira helped her.
"Hahaha, I love your bad jokes."
Mira replied playfully, "And I love how you react to them."
Silence fell for a few moments before Maria spoke, "Give me another apple."
Mira looked at the bowl and said, turning back to her, "It's empty."
Maria, surprised, said, "What?"
Mira showed her the empty bowl with a mocking shrug. Anger spread across Maria's face as she groaned in frustration and disdain, "I'll kill him! I swear, if I see him again, I'll strangle him with my own eyes!"
Meanwhile, Nicholas stood outside, staring at the ground, his fingers interlocked, his face heavy with worry and thought, as if hesitating over a decision, barely hearing anything but the sounds of determination and seriousness ringing in his ears.
"It's time… I can't hesitate or delay anymore. I've been late for too long…"
He placed his hands on his face calmly, his features radiating determination, "It's time to put an end to this weakness… No excuses, and I don't need excuses. I have what I need, and the time has come."
He stood with a face full of resolve, removing the bandages covering his eyes, revealing a blind eye surrounded by scarred, burned skin from an old battle, his shining eyes gleaming with unwavering determination.