"You got a hoodie I could use?"

Claire looked to see Hannah going through her closet for something to wear as they walked back to Hannah's house. "It should be in there. Chelsea gave me a few a couple of days ago."

Sighing, Hannah continued to go through the closet, the sound of hangers being pressed together heard.

"Though we weren't able to take any clothes with us, it was super convenient how we're able to just take the ones out of the PX. I especially love learning about hoodies." Claire thought back to her first experience at the PX. The most surprising part was how the Fort had a decent amount of fashionable items, from a variety of clothing companies. Even high-end clothing brands were available for soldiers to purchase. However, after the event that night, the clothes became free.

"Though I kind of found the high-end stuff to be too much," Hannah commented with her head inside the closet as she searched for a hoodie. "Found it!" She shouted happily.

Claire saw it was the hoodie with a skull in front of a rose, styled to fit the military soldiers. The zipper even allowed the person to cover up the lower part of their face. "That's a good one. I've been wearing it often, though I kind of went with this one," Claire tugged on the hoodie that had the image of a voluptuous woman on the back, with knives on her full thighs and face covered in a mask.

"Chelsea has some interesting taste in clothing," Hannah giggled. "I wonder if it's due to being part of the military police?"

Claire joined in on the giggling, nodding her head. "But, I'm starting to like it. It kind of makes me feel strong and independent, like I could be someone cool like the girl on the back."

Putting on the hoodie, Hannah grinned. "Maybe you'll get strong enough to fight off those Modified Humans?"

Waving a hand, "What are you talking about?" Claire laughed at the comment. She began heading out of her room when it looked like Hannah was finished getting ready.

"Next time, we should do a hair dying party?" Hannah randomly mentioned as she followed after Claire out of the room.

Claire looked back at Hannah, "You mean, go to that salon place?"

"No. Like, do it ourselves. They have the stuff at the PX, so we can try it ourselves. It's been a while since I've had this hair color." She grabbed some of her brunette hair and commented, lifting it up to show to Claire.

"We could do that. It sounds like a fun idea, especially with nothing much else to do around here." Claire agreed.

As they went through the house and out the door, Claire closed the door as they exited. Once again, she didn't lock the door, knowing there wasn't much of a point with such things. "Though the outside world has fallen to chaos, this place has stayed safe, especially with all the patrols the Military Police make."

Just as she thought about them, she saw one of the vehicles driving through the neighborhood. It even had the stenciled letters "M" and "P" to indicate who they were. The large vehicle had several bright lights going off in all directions, light up the neighborhood.

As soon as the people noticed Claire and Hannah walking away from the house, the vehicle began slowing down.

Noticing the action, Claire shielded her eyes as she waved a friendly greeting to the people inside.

The lights facing towards them dimmed slightly, and the window rolled down. "You girls having a good night?" A man's voice was heard, his voice cheerful.

Interior lights turned on, revealing all the occupants.

Getting closer to the vehicle, they could saw the man in addition to two women MPs. "We're just heading to my friend's place to leave a message to her parents about us having a sleepover."

"A sleepover, huh?" The woman in the passenger seat in the front commented with a grin. "I haven't had one of those in a while."

"What are you talking about Selene, we all live in the barracks, which might as well be a sleepover," The woman in the back joked as she laughed.

The woman named Selene grimaced at the response, "Not when all of you smell as bad as the guys when it comes to personal hygiene."

The three of them laughed.

Claire raised a hand to her mouth, hiding the giggle at the banter.

"You guys need a lift?" The man asked the two.

Raising a hand to let him know it wasn't necessary, "It isn't too far, and the weather is nice and warm. It'll be fun to walk over there." Claire answered appreciatively, happy to that the Military Police were so friendly with the people living inside of the Fort.

"Yeah. We're having some girl bonding action happening," Hannah grinned. "Our parents are still working inside of the labs."

Waving his hand understandingly, the man said, "I can understand that. Make sure the two of you stay safe."

The woman named Selene leaned forward, "There'll be another patrol coming through this neighborhood in case you need a drive back. Let them know that Selene told you that they can drive you back."

"Thank you," Claire smiled at the kind thought of the woman.

As the vehicle drove off, Claire and Hannah continued to wave at them. When they couldn't see it any longer, they continued on the sidewalk on their journey to reach Hannah's house.

Most of the time, as they walked, was gazing at the stars above them. Due to the number of houses occupied inside of the Fort being so low, the light pollution was almost non-existent. It allowed them a clear view of the night sky. Occasionally, they spotted a shooting star streaking across the sky.

To save time, they cut through the back towards the nearby park. They could see the various playground equipment for children to enjoy, such as swings, slides, and hanging bars.

"Want to stop by?" Hannah suggested, seeing the swings and pointing at them.

Claire nodded, picking up the pace to reach the swings.

The sound of the chains squeaking could be heard as the light breeze passing through the night gently pushed the swings.

Claire grabbed one of the nearby swings and sat on the rubber seat, feeling the chains press against her sides like they usually did when sitting on the swings. Taking ahold of the chain, she began swinging her feet to start the motion. Not putting in much effort into the action, Claire moved a couple of feet back and forth, enjoying the feeling of movement.

Next to her, Hannah mimicked the motion. Having fun on the swing.

Swinging back and forth, Claire's thoughts slowly began making their way to the emergency shelters. She thought about where the entrances could be located.

Feeling the breeze against her face, she looked around at the dark playground.

As though sensing her thoughts, her body felt unusual. Dragging her feet along the wood chip mulch, Claire slowed herself to a stop. The sound of her feet dragging felt louder in the empty neighborhood.

Shortly after, Hannah's feet made a similar dragging sound as she slowed to a halt. "Claire?" Hannah asked, confused.

Not hearing her friend's voice, Claire focused on the feeling inside of her. It was as though she forgot something important. Something inside of the playground was making her feel as though she were being drawn towards it. The sensation was something she never felt before, which made her confused.

"There's something about this place," Claire muttered to Hannah. Looking at her friend, "It's like I need to know something."

Like being reminded of homework due the next day, Hannah's eyes widened.

"You know what I'm talking about, right?" Claire noticed Hannah's reaction to her words.

Tilting her head, "Yeah." Hannah's voice was quiet, clearly looking confused.

As Claire got up from the swing, she started to track down the source of her strange feeling inside of her. Walking further into the playground, the sensation growing stronger inside.