Reece rocked back on his heels as he took in everything that she was telling him about himself. Then she continued with several additional observations. They were just as shocking.

“Now that I have an idea of their methodology, I think I understand why their blood tastes like sewage. It’s two-fold. First...when mixing numerous chemical substances together, even properly created ones, the flavors often meld into something distasteful. It’s like making a recipe. If you add too many ingredients, the whole thing tastes like a mess. Now, that doesn’t fully explain just how horrible they taste. This means that at least some of their alchemical substances haven’t been perfected yet and will undoubtedly have side effects. Considering the taste, these side-effects will likely be awful and substantial, to their bodies and their minds.”

“Do you think they’ll all die off then?” asked Reece optimistically.

“Not likely,” she replied. “They’re probably mutating over time. It will get more and more severe as the days and weeks and years go by. They’ll begin seeing physical changes first because they are easier to notice if they haven’t already. It’s impossible to say what uncontrolled mutation will ultimately do to their bodies, but nature will try to steer it towards making them better, more powerful, faster, more cunning, and the like.”

“Oh, that’s great,” said Reece sarcastically. “This just keeps getting better and better.”

“That’s why we’d be better off killing them sooner than later,” stated the girl matter-of-factly.

“What do you mean by nature?” asked Reece, returning to her earlier statements.

He was impressed by the girl’s knowledge, memory, and intelligence. Either that, or she was one amazing storyteller.

“Well, that’s a long explanation,” replied Karina. “Suffice it to say that we all belong to nature and it has certain laws that make order out of chaos. After all, how does a mass of matter make a human body, or how does a group of plants and animals make a functioning and sustainable ecosystem? For that matter, why does this planet sustain life at all? This is the seed that leads so many into believing in gods or a god to explain how so much of this could exist the way it does. Call it natural law, if you will.”

Many of the things that Karina was saying, were ideas that Reece had never heard before, and he had considered himself well-educated. Reece mulled over her words as the two continued along their course. That got him thinking. An idea formed in Reece’s mind as they walked along the river.

“At some point, we need to stop just traveling away from something and start traveling towards something,” Reece suggested to Karina.

“I guess that’s true,” she replied. “Do you have any ideas on where we should be traveling?”

“Actually, yes. We were supposed to rendezvous with someone at Cape Canaveral. That was a long time ago, but perhaps they left something behind,” answered Reece, wondering at the fate of Naeva - the dark beauty who wouldn’t or couldn’t love him back.

“Okay, but I’m surprised you don’t want to check on family. You know, see if anyone is still alive from your hometown or whatever,” replied Karina.

Reece had the feeling she was fishing, but he decided to give her the info she was looking for anyways. “I didn’t have much family left before everything went down. My father was a habitual cheater and my mother died from one of the flu pandemics. I have a sister, but she left home a long time ago, and I haven’t a clue where she might be now...if she’s even still alive.”

“Okay, so...in that case, who is this someone you need to meet at the cape?” inquired Karina, a smirk on her face as if she already knew.

“Her name was...is Naeva. We fought on the same side against the Order on the space station...and don’t worry,” Reece explained whimsically, amazed at the girl’s intuition and deciding to playfully use it against her. “She’s not a love interest...well...not really. She made that crystal clear to me right from the moment when we first got to really know each other.”

“Oooo, it sounds like there’s a tragic story of unrequited love,” prompted Karina teasingly, as her eyes sparkled and grew large with interest. “Do tell. I love a good steamy romance.”

“Yeah... I don’t think so. Maybe another time,” answered Reece.

“Aaaahhh, come on...please,” begged Karina in her little girl voice. She seemed to enjoy teasing him with it at the worst times. “We have so long to travel, especially now that we’re going to Cape Canaveral.”

“Fine,” said Reece, picking up on the fact that she had agreed that they could head to the cape and wanting to mollify her for her agreement to the destination.

Reece recounted much of his experiences with Naeva and added in his experiences with Aika as well. He always preferred to paint a complete picture. Reece was hoping the details of his past romances would help Karina to better understand his fragile emotional state. He figured that she would stop teasing him so much once she understood him better. He quickly found out that he shouldn’t have bothered.

“I can’t believe it took you so long to realize that Aika liked you. She was right, you are dense. I’m just going to have to make my flirting more obvious.”

Reece groaned. He had just poured out his thoughts and feelings to her for nothing. Less than nothing. It had all been counterproductive. He groaned again.

“Oh, don’t be like that,” admonished the girl. “Most guys would jump at the chance to be teased by me. What makes you so different?”

“I don’t know,” Reece snapped back at her. “Maybe I see you all as more than the next sexual conquest. I’ll be honest with you. All my best conversations, you know...the ones that you remember because you learned something from them...well...they were all with women. Men talk about stupid shit most of the time. We’re either thinking with our dicks or being entirely too logical. Don’t get me wrong...I’m no different. If it wasn’t for these extreme circumstances and the fact that I just lost the love of my life, I would be putty in your hands. You’re probably the cutest girl I’ve ever seen."

"I can see why that emperor picked you out of every female in his empire," added Reece, his tone softening a bit. "...and... while we’re on the subject, not all men are like that. Unfortunately for you, your looks attract certain kinds of men. Let me guess...most of the men you’ve had experiences with are confident, often cocky and arrogant, conceited, and usually dim-witted. They are probably selfish assholes who have no issues with cheating, lying, or stealing to get their way. They take greater risks and don’t feel the rules apply to them. They also consider themselves alphas...sound about right?”

“Wow, not bad,” replied Karina with a sly smile on her face. “You’re smarter than you look. Now, if you think you’re telling me something I didn’t figure out a very long time ago, then maybe I’ll have to take the compliment back. So now...I have a question for you. You said they considered themselves alphas. That implies that they aren’t. Why do you say that?”

“Because they don’t act like true alphas,” answered Reece. “Sure, they may cow others and rule over them, but that’s just a show of strength. True alphas know that they have a responsibility to their pack and that the well-being of the entire pack is what matters...not just their own well-being. These fake alphas may be strong, but they are weak too. They don’t have the ability to successfully run a pack and make it grow. They simply leech from the top, providing very little benefit to the others. A true alpha has the strength and ability to guide his pack and make them thrive.”

“Okay...I like your answer...interesting,” Karina’s face screwed up cutely as she seemed to find some hidden meaning in his words.

“What do you mean?” asked Reece.

“It’s just interesting. That’s all. So... based on your descriptions of your lady friends, Naeva must be the one that’s a werewolf. I wouldn’t count that one out just yet,” stated Karina matter-of-factly, changing the subject.

“Wait! I never said anything about her being a werewolf. What are you talking about?” asked Reece as he racked his brain for a clue as to how she could possibly know that. It occurred to him that she may have seen it in one of her ‘visions’ she claimed she had when she drank his blood. Reece completely forgot about their discussion on alphas. He decided to let her answer for him, in case she was just fishing, and was only making an educated guess.

“You know, I already explained this to you. I can see some of your thoughts every time I drink from you,” explained the lilitu. “For this relationship to continue, you can have no secrets from me. There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m sorry, but that is simply how it is.”

“Well, some secrets are not mine to share, Karina,” Reece explained.

“And you didn’t share them, at least not knowingly. It isn’t your fault. Besides, from everything I’ve seen and everything you’ve told me, I hope Naeva is still out there somewhere and we find her. She’s piqued my curiosity,” the girl finished in a sultry voice that hinted at the promise of naughty things.

“Okay, okay,” Reece cut in, holding up his hands in a conceding motion. “I don’t want to hear anything more about your curiosity. Okay? Got it? Good! Sheesh, I thought we already went over all of this.”

“You should be nicer to me,” pouted Karina. “I could be at the cape in hours, but I have to wait on you, you know...travel at your speed. You’re so slow. And before you even think of asking me to carry you, let me save you that indignity. It’s not going to happen. I’d rather crawl on my hands and knees over broken glass than carry you around like an adult baby.”

Reece laughed out loud at the absurd thought.

“I wouldn’t think of it. So, what about vehicles?” he asked.

“Well, there’s no electricity, so no travel,” explained Karina. “And if you’re asking about the antiques with gasoline engines; even if you could find fuel, they are simply just too accursedly loud. We’d pull in every infected within two miles for the entire length of our journey.”

“Well, then maybe I could find a bicycle or something,” reasoned Reece.

“Alright, I’ll keep my eyes open. But don’t hold your breath...probably not too many left that still have air in the tires,” offered Karina.

“Fair enough,” said Reece. “Say, you mentioned werewolves without batting your eyes. What do you know of them?”

“Well, first...they don’t much care for that name,” replied the lilitu with a raised eyebrow. “Just like I’m not a big fan of vampire, bloodsucker, leech, or nosferatu. I know there are many tribes of them. They are found all over the world. Most work with human locals in secret, while some work with governments or other organizations. Sometimes they even have treaties with those governments. Oh, and they don’t all resemble wolves. In fact, of the various tribes, the ones that look like jaguars are probably more common...as are the various types of bear-like folk. I once had a relationship with a Mongolian werepanda, and we traveled all over Europe together. Those were some wild and fun years"

"Oh, yeah," she added. "The one thing they all have in common is their passion for nature. They all consider themselves as shepherds of the natural order of things and defending the planet against anything that would threaten it. When humanity really came into its own, there just weren’t enough of them to keep up against the massive waves of apathy and selfishness so many of your kind have wrought against the very planet we all call home. It’s insanity. And then, just when your species figures it out and starts acting responsibly, enter the thrice-cursed zombie apocalypse which all but wipes you out. Now, those of us who are left must try to pick up the pieces. Your species had always been the foot soldiers in a never-ending war against chaos. Now, I guess it’s time for the knights to step up.”

“So, what you’re saying is that I’m one of the last remaining standard-issue soldiers, huh? Like pawns...” said Reece, somewhat chaffing at the comparison.

“I don’t know about your role, but you are definitely not 'standard issue'. Nor are you likely to be a pawn, unless you allow it. I can promise you that,” replied Karina as her voice trailed off in thought.

“So, what about you? How do you fit into all of this?” pressed Reece on her analogy.

“Oh, me...well, I’m the white queen, of course,” she said with a wicked smile. “Why? Do you want to be my white knight? The position has yet to be filled.”

“Well, since we’re using a sustained chess metaphor...I don’t know how much the positions matter anymore. It feels like someone got upset and flipped the gameboard over,” replied Reece, thinking himself clever.

“Or... all of the pawns have switched to the black side of the board. Things look mighty grim as they vastly outnumber us. However, all is not lost. All of our most powerful pieces are still in the game and it’s our turn to make a move,” countered Karina.

“Okay, you win that one,” laughed Reece. “Besides, I like your answer better. It sounds like we’ve still got a fighting chance.”

Karina merely flashed him a wicked grin as they walked along. After a while, she watched his face as they walked side by side along the river as if trying to better understand the thoughts and motivations of the man she had chosen to make her traveling companion. They traveled day and night for three straight days, stopping only when necessary. Reece finally collapsed from exhaustion. He had taken Karina’s words about him slowing her down to heart and had stubbornly tried to keep up, going past his breaking point.

Finding himself in another dreamscape, Reece’s consciousness was surrounded by a thick fog. It soon began to dissipate, and he could see that he was in a forest. He felt the presence of something behind him. When he turned, he saw nothing. Ahead of him, he saw Karina, Pasha, Aika, Naeva, and even Angel. They were all yelling at him and beckoning him forward, but he couldn’t hear any sound coming from them. He felt the presence again, this time right behind him. He forced his body forward and ran to his friends. Each of them slapped him warmly. Some on his back, others on his shoulder. None looked at him. They all looked behind him, fear etched across each of their faces. Reece swung his head around to look...