Silent and cautious, Collins, James, and Amara ran through the woods with Collins leading the way. Using his mental map, he guided them to avoid where mutated beasts lurked. After a while, he led them to a clearing where they could rest and recover from their injuries. They stopped under a huge tree and took a deep breath. Amara looked around nervously, her eyes full of worry.
"Why are we stopping here? Let's just get out of the forest!" she said urgently.
"Don't worry, we're safe here for now," Collins replied wearily. He had exhausted a great deal of mental strength trying to figure out where to run and hide from the monsters. His gift only allowed him to see where they were, not their exact positions, which made it even harder.
"And how do you know that? How is it possible we haven't run into any monsters?" Amara pressed.
James frowned at her demanding tone, irritation bubbling up. To him, it felt like she was treating them as if they owed her an explanation.
"We didn't save you so you could question us like we owe you something," James snapped. "Just sit down and regain your strength while you can."
Amara clearly didn't like the way James spoke to her. She glared and shot back, "Who do you think you're talking to?"
Both Collins and James were taken aback by her arrogance.
Wasn't she supposed to be grateful that we saved her? they thought.
James, being the hot-headed one, couldn't hold himself back.
"Who the hell are you, huh? We risked our lives and almost died saving you, and you act like you're better than us! I regret even pulling you out of that mess. We should have left you for the ghouls! You're lucky my friend here wanted to save you, because I didn't even have the thought."
His anger made him look fierce, his upgraded body radiating strength. Even though his voice was low enough not to attract nearby monsters, his tone carried explosive rage.
Amara's irritation only grew. She tried to throw a punch at James, but with her exhausted body, it was slow. James dodged easily.
"I'm Uche Amara! How dare you dodge my punch!" she shouted furiously.
"Huh?!" James froze, his mind snapping to attention.
Uche Amara? Wait… Uche Amara?!
"Y-you're Uche Amara?!" James asked in shock, pointing at her.
The moment Amara saw that James recognized her, her anger faded, replaced by pride. She lifted her chin proudly, almost basking in the recognition.
Collins, meanwhile, didn't understand what was going on. He wasn't interested in arguments as long as they didn't attract monsters. But James' reaction made it clear this woman wasn't ordinary. So why have I never heard of her? he wondered. Still, he brushed it aside, her identity might have meant something in the old world, but here in the apocalypse, it didn't change survival.
Yet, curiosity got the better of him.
"What were you doing in the forest?" Collins asked.
Instead of answering him, James looked at Collins as if surprised by his ignorance.
"Collins, don't you know who she is?" James said.
"Who is she? What's her identity?" Collins asked again.
James' voice was full of awe. "She's Uche Amara. She's the number two female street fighter in Akure! She even saved the governor of Ondo State from an assassination attempt once."
Amara's lips curled into a proud smile as James spoke with admiration, her posture turning even more arrogant.
"And especially," James added, his eyes gleaming dreamily, "whenever she fought in the rings, her huge breasts would always bounce, so smooth and soft…."
"You bastard!!!" Amara screamed.
Before James could react, she slammed a punch into his face. This time, despite her exhaustion, her fist connected. James was sent flying, crashing into the ground a few meters away.
Collins' jaw dropped. He was shocked by James' words, but more shocked that Amara truly was a huge figure he had never even heard of. Still, he found it normal, of all the books and knowledge he consumed, newspapers and local gossip were never his thing. Unless it was truly important, he didn't pay attention to such news.
No wonder she has that mysterious aura, he thought.
His eyes flicked over her again. Now that he really looked, he noticed she indeed had a large chest. He hadn't paid attention during the fight earlier, but it was impossible to miss now.
When Amara caught Collins glancing, she scowled.
"You too? I thought you were decent. Seems you're just another scum."
Collins blushed, scratching his head with a weary, embarrassed smile.
Trying to change the subject, he asked again, "So, what were you doing in the forest?"
At that question, Amara's expression dimmed. A trace of sadness flashed in her eyes.
James stumbled back, rubbing his bruised face and silently crying from the pain.
"Some of my friends died," Amara finally said. "The rest of us abandoned each other."
"You mean you abandoned your friends to survive," Collins said quietly.
"Yes," she replied coldly. "You can take it that way. After all, we weren't close friends, just friends with benefits. Nothing more, nothing less."
The sadness in her eyes was gone now, replaced with cold indifference.
Collins and James exchanged glances, both silently thinking the same thing:
Don't trust this woman, unless you want to die.
"Well, let's just continue recovering," Collins said finally. It wasn't that he didn't want to hear Amara's story, rather, their situation was too dangerous, and her past couldn't help them survive. Amara also seemed unwilling to say more.
The three of them sat under the tree in silence, focusing on regaining their strength.
Meanwhile, in a massive building far away, a formless cloud drifted swiftly through the halls until it reached a grand door.
The cloud stopped before it and spoke in a deep, echoing voice.
"I have something to report, my lord."
The door creaked open, and the formless mist entered. Inside, a dwarf stood before a window, gazing into the endless abyss beyond.
"What brings you here, Aija?" the dwarf asked without turning.
The cloud began to shift, slowly shaping into a humanoid form. It was a Djinn.
"The gods have been complaining about the new world," Aija said respectfully.
"Oh? And what are their complaints?" the dwarf asked, his tone calm but dangerous.