[Back to the present time]
"...I kept thinking of the grandma even after I left. So, I'd visit her whenever I could."
The forest settled back into its quiet rhythm once Ashrik's voice faded. Lucille sat leaning against the tree trunk, one knee drawn up. She listened intently to the last echoes of his story.
Sunlight filtered through overlapping leaves above, dappling the ground in soft patches of gold. Somewhere nearby, a bird fluttered away, wings rustling against branches.
After a brief silence, Lucille said softly, lips curling, "An unexpected encounter, right? But you ended up building an acquaintanceship."
All this time, Lucille had assumed that Ashrik's companions since the arrival of the apocalypse were his teammates. It turned out that he had another acquaintance who lived outside this space.
Ashrik smiled faintly, glancing at her. He took a few sips of the water, his throat quite parched from talking too much.
