When the sky was brightly lit, everyone woke up one by one.
“Is it just me or are they closer than ever before?” Brandon wondered aloud.
Angie turned back in surprise. Almost everyone was awake. “Looks like we can start planning our next step.” She slid away from Elias, then casually perched on leg up on the jeep, placing it between her and Elias.
/BaoBao… Why didn’t you tell me?/
BaoBao giggled without reserve.
/Sneaky little child./
Meanwhile, Wilbur elbowed Brandon painfully in his ribs. Before Brandon could even yelp in pain, Wilbur whispered angrily, “Did you not notice how everyone stayed QUIET about it? You know how Angie is.” He lightly
Just before Amelia’s finger touched the apple, Valerie’s hand shot out to hold onto her mother’s arm. “Mom? I don’t think you should touch it.” Her mother looked at Valerie strangely. “Since when were you… Anyway," Amelia lowered her hand. "What if we can really eat it? Won’t it be a waste?" /Hm? She’s really not going to touch it?/ [Eh? She’s really not going to touch it?] BaoBao and Angie shared the same thought at the same time. /But I'd rather she touch it than anyone else./ Angie started to worry about what the world's consciousness had in store. Would it somehow rope Angie in instead? After all, her death flag had already been triggered. Valerie pursed her
Fortunately, Jeffery still had his hold on Angie’s waist. “Woah. That was close.” Angie would have fallen over and out of the jeep. “Thanks, Jeffery.” Elias spoke before Angie could, while he pulled Angie back to his side to sit her down. “You should sit now. We’re moving off.” Elias said to Jeffery. Jeffery saw Conrad’s signal and promptly sat down where he was, beside Miryam. The whole time, Angie stayed looking at Elias with a raised eyebrow. /Did he just thank Jeffery on my behalf like he’s my lover?/ [Well, he technically is.] BaoBao giggled. She dropped her gaze at their still connected hands. He was holding onto her hand tightly, as if she would slip away from him anytime. /Oh well. He has changed./ Her gaze softened.
"Hold on tight!" Jeffery reminded everyone as he started to drift and swerve around corners, debris, and abandoned vehicles, without slowing down even a little. Although it generated too much noise that could draw more Infected over, it was not as bad as the chaos that the Infected caused behind them. The crashes, thumps, and thuds told them how the Infected easily got rid of the obstacles that the group had avoided. Brandon kept a close eye on the radar and told Jeffery which direction he could go. [Others are alerted.] BaoBao warned. He could see what the radar could not. It was no good. It was only a matter of time before the other Infected came investigating. They had to hide soon or they could get overwhelmed. "There!" Angie pointed at a
“You all will drive out on the final day. Look out for this string.” Angie held up a black string that was tied into a specific knot. “I’ll hang this outside the windows where there’s something to pick up.” “How ingenious. It looks like some of those weeds that are fighting to sprout in this desolate place.” Miryam praised her daughter as she took a closer look at the string. Angie took out a blade that was sharp enough to leave marks on the floor. “Assuming that the layout of this place is like this, I’ll clear the streets in this fashion. You can do the same. We’ll wait for you here. Okay?” Angie scanned the faces around. Everyone nodded in agreement. “Let’s eat a little before leaving?” Angie looked at Elias. “We’ll only stop moving if we have to, righ
Once Elias calmed down, Angie revealed almost everything, so that he would not worry about her needlessly."So.. You have super strength, super speed, and super recovery?" Elias summed it all up.Angie nodded. "Again, I don't know what happened but it started after that accident with Valerie." She told a white lie. “Then… Back then, when we dueled, if you didn’t hold back, you would easily win.” “Well… I guess so...”It dawned on Elias that he could not protect her like he wanted. Was there a way for him to get stronger like her? What could have caused the change?"You know… You're like a weaker version of the Infected. What if you were actually exposed to the virus during that accident, but you’re fine because you have natural immunity against it? It could explain why you didn't change completely and become like the Infected!" If that was the case, should he risk it? The problem was the consequence of failing. He could not afford to fail."I highly doubt s-" Angie cut herself off a
Angie and Elias worked silently. They tried to minimise any squeaks and cranks. Cold sweat dripped down their faces, necks, and backs. Their hearts pounded from the suspense. [Leave now.] BaoBao suddenly warned. [They saw me. Three are coming your way.] BaoBao reported as he disappeared from sight. Angie and Elias were just done. Angie bundled up their loot together as quickly as possible, then stepped out of the control room. The moment they did, familiar noisy heavy breathing and footsteps that made their hearts drop, echoed throughout the area. How close were the Infected to them? Trusting that BaoBao would not have warned her without giving her enough time to retreat, Angie promptly stashed away the light stick deep into her pocket, which plunged them into darkness. She grabbed Elias’ free hand an
One of the Infected backed out of the tussle and approached their building. Angie and Elias kept their eyes peeled. Was it going to enter? Suddenly, it punched the wall as hard as it could, clearly venting its frustrations. It sat down on the floor heavily, still breathing hard. Gradually, it turned its attention onto the one they had deemed as touch sensitive. It got up again to approach the oblivious one. The aggressor intentionally stood so close to it that it must have blocked whatever the oblivious one was interested in, because it finally looked up, only to have its face grabbed. “Are we about to witness bullying between the Infected?” Angie wondered aloud. “What's with the power dynamics? The ones around the base did not have this much… Personality
"Is it something you can't tell me?" Elias suddenly said. "It's okay if you still don't feel comfortable sharing." He sounded so gentle, genuine, and considerate that it made Angie go soft."You suspected something ever since the rooftop, didn't you?" Angie suddenly changed the topic."How do you know?" Elias' eyes widened in surprise.Angie lightly laughed. "You have been especially considerate and careful with me since then.""Sorry for being so insensitive before...""Hey, you didn't know better."They gave each other a tight-lipped smile, then a short silence followed.Angie's gaze awkwardly trailed off elsewhere. She looked