“Hold on, Lucy, we’re actually taking this guy back with us?” Saria protested. Adam clamped his jaw shut, biting off the retort before it escaped. If his mouth ruined this lifeline, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

“Why not? He’s got decent fitness, a resourceful head, and experience with the Collapsed City. He’ll be an asset to West Junction.” Lucy said. “Besides, surely you aren’t suggesting we just leave him here?”

“Of course not, Lucy!” Saria said, a mild, flustered blush forming on her pale-skinned cheeks. She composed herself, clearing her throat. She gestured across the parking lot towards the horizon. “The road back is dangerous, though. He’s just a civilian, so maybe we should tell him to hide for a bit while we call for an escort team?”

“You don’t think two of us are enough, Saria?” Lucy asked.

“Best to be safe, Lucy. We’re also loaded up with our haul.”

“Oi girls, I’m still here,” Adam said. He ignored the irritated look Saria gave him. “What’s the road like? How dangerous is it?”

“It’s littered with those monsters you fought earlier. Vagrants, we call them,” Saria replied. “As for the distance, it can take an hour of walking across semi-rocky terrain.”

“Right, and you’re saying you can’t handle these vagrants?”

“Buddy, how do you think we got here?” Saria rolled her eyes. She pointed her thumb to the rifle on her back. “We’ve been killing them for months in this hell world. What we’re more concerned about is you. No offense, but you are not equipped to fight those things.”

“I fought one in the motel.” Adam defended.

“Yeah, and it took you ages. The vagrants in the city aren’t coming down narrow hallways anymore. They’re out in the open, charging at your slow ass with their friends for backup.” Saria said. “You were lucky to have only encountered one.”

“Both of you, calm down,” Lucy said, stepping in between them. “Saria, you’re right, we can’t expect a civilian to fight. However, we also can’t let him stay here.”

She pointed to the sun. Its position had remained constant in the sky, but Adam noticed the light radiating off it had dimmed. The last time he checked, inside the second-floor motel room, it had been burning bright. He could now glance at it for a few seconds before averting his eyes.

“Sundown is approaching.” Lucy continued, “By the time an escort team arrives here, it’ll be nighttime. Our guys are good, but not good enough to escort someone while simultaneously dealing with a night raid. We have to take him back, now.”

She must have spoken the truth because Saria acquiesced immediately. “What’s the plan?”

“We rest for a bit, then head straight for the overpass as fast as possible. I’ll radio ahead and let them know we’re bringing Adam back.”

“…Fine.”

The blonde girl sighed, then turned to Adam. She jabbed him in the chest, causing him to step back.

“Alright, listen up good and well, buddy.” She snarled.

“The name’s Adam—”

“Your job is to listen to Lucy and me without hesitation. We’re the experts here, so if we tell you to hide in a trashcan and not come out, you better be sitting pretty in there until we haul you out.” Saria said. “Follow our orders and we’ll greet the next sunrise together, yeah?”

Adam nodded silently, unable to think of a comeback. That seemed to please her. She began reaching into her bag. Lucy did the same. She gave him an apologetic smile, nodding at Saria.

Jesus, what's her problem? Adam thought, looking at Saria. Was she one of those man-haters that hung around those posh schools? He rejected the theory a second later. She wouldn’t have touched him, otherwise. Perhaps this situation had awakened a few bad memories?

“Hey!”

“What?” Adam said, ending the train of thought. He could ponder it more once out of danger.

“Lunchtime,” Saria said, holding up a canteen. “You got anything in that bag of yours?”

After Saria and Lucy checked the area for threats, the three sat down in the shade to eat. Adam took out his cereal, fruit, and salted meat. The two girls produced cloth sacks containing sandwiches and handfuls of glowing blue berries. Science fiction told Adam that any light-emitting fruit was radioactive and thus obviously very poisonous. The two girls had no problem shoving them into their mouths.

“Coco pops?” Lucy said, inspecting the cereal box. “Your world has some strange cereals. Goodness, look at this carbohydrate to protein ratio!”

“Don’t eat it if you hate it so much,” Adam grumbled.

“Here, take one of my sandwiches instead. You’ll need it for the trek ahead.”

Adam blinked. “Oh, uh, thanks…”

Saria also gave him one of her sandwiches, looking sideways and muttering to herself as she did. The sandwiches contained lettuce, tomatoes, and smoked chicken beneath the fluffy white bread. Adam expected nothing when biting in and promptly got culinary greatness. Way better than convenience store food. Saria and Lucy took their share of the food in exchange.

It was funny. Take them out of their uniforms, Saria and Lucy would be just two high schoolers enjoying a snack after class.

Once they finished eating, they prepared to set out. First was the weapons. Lucy wiped down her machete while Saria reloaded a fresh set of ammunition into her rifle.

“What do you fight with, Adam?” Lucy asked.

“My fists, mostly.” He replied.

“May I take your gloves for a moment?”

Lucy took his fingerless gloves and clenched them tightly in her palms. Her fingers were long, like a pianist’s, and had tough, scarred skin like his own. Adam’s eyes widened as red sparks flowed from her fingers and wrapped around the gloves in a shroud of energy. It dissipated, leaving behind a faint crimson glow.

“Whoa, is that magic?” Adam gasped.

“Yes. Please don’t ask me how it works now.” Lucy said. “Your fists will be sturdier and stronger while wearing these gloves. Use them to block any vagrant attacks. Saria and I will finish them off.”

“Sure, but how do I kill them?”

“Crush the skull, break the neck or dismember the limbs. You shouldn’t have to do any of that, however. We will protect you.”

Next, Lucy reached into her bag and took out a bottle. Adam recognized it full of the red pulsing energy he had encountered after beating the skinless monster. Come to think of it, Lucy and Saria had been collecting the energy as well.

“What’s this?”

“Soul energy. We call it the red, for obvious reasons.” Lucy replied. “Again, an explanation will have to wait until West Junction. Take some of it now.

She opened the cap and poured the red into her hands. It flowed like sticky honey and began gently twisting in her palm. She stopped once a small puddle had formed. Adam scooped it up and watched as it pulsed into his chest. The same energizing sensation from before spread through his body. If the food had cured his hunger, then the red gave him the strength to fight.

He flexed his arm, marvelling at the fluidity. He punched the air, feeling the power behind it.

Man, I could smash straight through anything with this. This is great!

“Adam, you are not to absorb the red without our explicit permission,” Lucy said. Her tone grew harsher. “I am deadly serious. Whatever you do, Adam, do not take more than a sixth of the bottle at a time.”

“Yeah, bad things will happen to you, if you do!” Saria called out.

“I’ll be careful,” Adam said, taking the bottle. He placed it on the spot where the drink holder would be on his bag.

“Good.” Lucy smiled. “Saria, Adam, let us head out!”

They walked quickly through the desolate streets, with Lucy leading, Saria watching their back, and Adam stay in the middle. Lucy and Saria said little through the travel, except to point out potential threats and dangers. Adam didn’t mind. They weren’t tourists—not that there much pretty look in the first place.

Vagrants did approach on occasion. According to Lucy, they were scattered across the city in droves. They shambled about endlessly on their own, but grew alert whenever they detected human presence. A travelling group of three humans attracted them like flies to carrion.

The two girls held true to their word. None of the vagrants got within a street’s length of Adam. Saria blasted their heads off into little chunks with her bolt action. Any that managed to dodge the bullets faced Lucy’s wrath. She cleaved through their sinewy flesh with her machete, as if she were a chef chopping through live ingredients.

They’re good. Damn good. Adam thought, as he watched Lucy slice clean through a vagrant’s neck, sending its head toppling down like a discarded puppet. The sharpness of their movements, the constant awareness of their surroundings, and the speed at which they deal with problems all combined to form a deadly combo. Any awkward from being escorted by a pair of underage girls had long since vanished.

Imagine them in Steeldale back in the day. They’d have beaten the shit out of Trent, me and the rest and made us their bitches.

The route was familiar yet alien. The sun’s light faded as they walked, casting reddish-black shadows across the ruined streets. They walked past shops with cracked windows, powerless traffic lights, and crumbling barricades. Once again, he imagined himself walking down these roads, back in past Steeldale. It was dark out, the rain was falling, but it was okay because the homeless shelter was a few blocks down. They always gave him a bed to stay and soup for the night.

The memories did him no good. He shook his head and willed them to vanish.

Nature grew more and more verdant as they headed to the city’s exit. Adam saw red particles floating around a patch of ivy.

It’s like Lucy working her magic on my gloves. He thought, picking up a leaf. It smelled fresh, despite the dustiness in the air. Did the red do something to it?

Saria prodded him in the back. He glowered at her and kept moving.

The route took them up a hill. From there, they had a good view of the highway overpass. The roads were still intact, save for a massive gap in the center. Factories sat in the distance, like little blocks from a dusty toyset. Lucy pointed at them. The afternoon sunlight radiated across her black hair air, giving the impression of a fluffy firefly.

“Down there, past all the bridges and roads.” She said, “West Junction lies there.”

“How are we doing for time?” Adam asked.

“Not bad,” Saria said. “Can’t go down this way though, the slope is too steep.”

Their detour took them through a road between apartment blocks. They walked through the sole street, the shells of homes looming over them like faceless giants. A gale blew, cold and musty from being funneled through the urban canyon. They stuck to the left path, where the trees and untamed gardens were.

Halfway, Lucy stopped in her tracks. Adam barely halted his footsteps in time. Lucy shot him a sidelong glance; a finger raised to her lips.

Danger. Someone’s here. She seemed to say. Behind them, Saria’s gaze danced around the area, the rifle end following her. They shuffled along the ground at a slow pace. Adam’s nerves rattled in their flesh sockets. Every rustle, every crunch could be a sign of danger.

“There!” Saria suddenly roared. She squeezed the trigger, firing three rounds up at a window high up. At the same time, Mary’s pendant burned hot around Adam’s neck.

It hit him like a shotput. His skull caved inwards, grey matter spilling everywhere…

He dived forwards, allowing Lucy to pull him along. Pink smoke billowed out from the point of impact. Adam breathed in its sweet, noxious scent for a moment, before Lucy’s palm clamped itself his mouth and nostrils. She dragged him out of the smoke by the scruff of his shirt.

“Saria, did you get them?” Lucy shouted.

“No, I missed!” Saria shouted back. “Get behind cover!”

A cough escaped Adam’s mouth. His skin stung and his vision blurred with tears. He followed Lucy and Saria behind a car. They shoved their bodies against the metal. A shop awning hung above them, providing more protection.

At the point of impact lay a small crater. Concrete chunks had flown in all directions. A smooth, metallic sphere lay in the center, still emitting the pinkish smoke. Adam’s first thought was whoever caused this was either a world-class baseball pitcher or a complete machine. Then he saw the terror and fury etched on Lucy’s face, like blotches of ugly colors on a pristine canvas.

“Adam, swallow the reds—now!” Saria yelled.

“What’s going on—”

“Don’t argue!” She screamed at him, eyes bulging. Adam scrambled behind his back for the bottle. He gulped down a mouthful like it was a swig of beer. As the sour aftertaste flamed his tongue, he suddenly understood. The sphere was a man-made object. Therefore, this attack was the act of another human.

A chorus of deep moans rang out from the buildings around them. The ground trembled next, rattling window frames and shaking leaves off nearby trees. An invisible rock dropped into Adam’s stomach.

“It’s a horde!” Lucy roared. "Run!"

They leaped out from behind the car and charged straight for the intersection down the road. The vagrants threw themselves out from windows and behind doorways, chasing after the trio, screaming bloody murder.