It was almost an hour before Raven stirred again. His eyelids twitched, then lifted slowly as if weighed down by stone. His body ached all over, but the sharp pain from his wound had dulled into a heavy throb.
When his vision cleared, he realized he wasn't in the cramped bathroom anymore. He lay on a cushion, patched up with rough layers of tissues and bandages. It wasn't professional work, but it had stopped the bleeding.
'Did Chris… bring me here?'
As that thought crossed his mind, the sound of footsteps reached him. Chris appeared, balancing two steaming cups in his hands. The rich aroma of coffee drifted into the stale air.
"You're awake," Chris said, his tone light but his eyes heavy. He set the cups on a small table nearby. "You fine now?"
Raven pushed himself upright, gritting his teeth. The motion hurt, but he managed. "Yeah… I'll live." His voice was hoarse.
"Sorry about that," Raven muttered after a moment. "How long was I out?"
"Almost an hour." Chris's answer came quietly, his face grim.
He glanced at Raven's makeshift bandages. "I found some supplies while looking for clothes for you. It's not great, but it's better than nothing."
Raven exhaled, leaning back against the wall. "Yeah… thanks for that."
Chris shook his head, his jaw tightening. "Don't. This happened because of me."
Raven didn't bother replying. He could tell from Chris's tone that no matter what he said, Chris would carry that guilt. Silence was easier.
Instead, he reached for one of the cups. The warmth seeped into his cold hands. He took a sip, letting the bitter liquid slide down his throat. "This tastes good."
Chris grinned, a bit of pride breaking through his usual nervousness. "Found a coffee machine here. Thought we deserved something decent."
Raven blinked, frowning slightly. Coffee machine? He hadn't seen electricity anywhere since the world had gone dark. His suspicion must have shown, because Chris was already smirking, waiting for him to ask.
"Go on," Chris said, rocking back on his heels. "I know you're dying to know."
"You can use equipment, right?" Raven asked bluntly.
The smug expression froze on Chris's face, replaced by an exaggerated look of betrayal. "You ruined the mood, man. I was so excited to drop that on you, and you ruined it in one line. Do you even know how to build suspense?"
Raven sipped his coffee again. "No. It's easy to figure it out when I already know your skill."
Chris threw his hands up. "You are no fun. I bet you are probably single too." The words tumbled out, half-thought, half-spoken. He blinked in realization a moment later. "…Wait, did I say that out loud?"
Raven raised a brow. "Yes."
Chris groaned and dragged a hand down his face. "Great. Anyway… yes. I can use machines. But it costs me mana, and I need to activate my [Crafter] skill at the same time."
"That explains it," Raven said with a short nod. He didn't overthink it. Useful, but not his concern.
Chris, however, wasn't done. His grin widened, eyes glittering with the kind of energy Raven found both irritating and useful. "And do you know what else I found out?"
Raven stared at him blankly.
'This bastard is no fun.' Chris sighed in his head. But he pressed on anyway.
"It applies to vehicles too. Cars. Bikes. Generators. If it's built by human hands, I can make it run. Even without fuel."
That caught Raven's attention. His eyes narrowed, but this time with interest. The thought of being able to move quickly, escape quickly, lit a spark in his mind. If Chris was right, then distance no longer bound them. They wouldn't have to walk through endless streets filled with the dead.
Chris leaned forward, smug at last. "Judging by your face, I'm guessing you understand how huge this is. I haven't tested it yet, was waiting for you to wake up, but I have a good feeling."
"You're sure?" Raven's voice was sharp, testing.
"I am." Chris puffed his chest a little, though his grin softened. "Man, I don't know why you always look like you're carrying the weight of the world. Relax a little around me, will you? I'm not gonna pry into your past, but you don't have to act like a walking gravestone all the time. I might look dumb, but I'm smarter than you think."
Raven didn't respond. His silence was not rudeness but calculation. Chris's ability was valuable, far more than he realized. And Raven had a destination. Chris might just be the key to reaching it.
The room settled into quiet again, broken only by the faint clink of cups.
Then Chris tilted his head curiously. "By the way… that weird tattoo on your back. What's up with that? Does it mean something?"
Raven frowned. "Tattoo?"
Chris nodded quickly. "Yeah, the one with the tentacles. Creepy as hell, like some eldritch nightmare."
Raven froze. Tentacles? He had no such tattoo. His first thought was that Chris had mistaken his scars for ink, but the certainty in Chris's voice made his stomach tighten.
"What are you talking about?" Raven asked.
Chris set his cup down and stood. "I saw it earlier when I bandaged you. Big, black, twisting thing. Right here." He moved behind Raven.
But he stopped mid-sentence. "…Wait. It's gone."
Raven turned his head slightly, catching the confusion on Chris's face.
"Maybe you mistook my scars for something," Raven said, though unease crept into his tone.
'I didn't mistake it,' Chris thought grimly. He could still picture it, ink crawling across skin, alive even in stillness. But Raven's back was bare now, nothing but old burn marks and pale flesh.
Chris forced a laugh. "Yeah, maybe I did."
But his eyes betrayed the doubt he couldn't shake.
The silence between them thickened. The shadows in the room seemed darker somehow, stretching long across the walls.
Finally, Chris broke it with a sigh. "There's something else I need to tell you. And it's… not good."
Raven's hand tightened around his cup. "What is it?"
"You said the undead seemed fewer, right? That the streets looked… emptied?" Chris's voice lowered, trembling slightly.
Raven nodded once.
"You were right. Their numbers dropped. But it's not because they disappeared." Chris's hands trembled now, his face pale. "It's because of something worse."
Raven's gaze sharpened, tightly grippingthe cup on his hand, "What did you see?"
Chris swallowed hard. His usual joking nature was gone, replaced by fear. "Something we can't fight. Not with chains. Not with crowbars. Not even with guns, probably."
He met Raven's eyes, his own filled with dread. "Finish your coffee. I'll take you to see them yourself. After that… we talk about what to do next. I suggest we go to hospital first, you need to go to a hospital. I know one nearby. But..." His voice faltered. "I don't know if anyone's still alive there."
The bitter taste of coffee lingered on Raven's tongue, but all he could feel was the chill that crept into his veins.
Something worse than the undead was waiting.
***
Thanks for reading.