Broken by war and reborn through purpose.

Cold, dark, desolate. The state the world was left in after the Third World War was beyond description. Buildings collapsed under the weight of their own infrastructure. Trees and fauna burned to a solid crisp, leaving behind a charred surface of ash that blew away with the slightest breeze. Dilapidated and abandoned vehicles riddled with bullets served as makeshift covers during firefights.

As for what sparked the war in the first place, the reasons varied from country to country. Some fought for resources. Some started as a civil war between their populace. A few even fought simply to curry the favor of other countries for aid.

Regardless of the reasons, the tension of which country would be next, advocates spitting lies and half-truths to convince those who were still apprehensive, the sudden stop of agricultural production, and totalitarian control of innocent citizens spilled into violence.

Weapons were drawn. From makeshift shivs to full-on firearms, insurrections all over the world had led to governments from around the world to respond with military force, sparing no one who held weapons in their hand, whether justified or otherwise.

Eventually, the war escalated to the point where nuclear arms were considered despite the Geneva Convention. Some were used in less-populated cities, resulting in retaliation of a mass launch of other nuclear warheads.

Plowing through cities like a tidal wave, cities were reduced to rubble and melted iron. If the blast hadn’t killed those within the vicinity, the radiation fallout certainly did. The first places targeted were central states and cities, from New York’s Albany to the capital of England, London. The bombings took their toll on the planet’s atmosphere, paving the way for a disaster no one could anticipate.

A Carrington-level superstorm. With the world too busy mending its wounds from the bombings, no one was ready for the solar flare that struck the Earth, destroying all manner of electronic devices as the world’s entire power grid system collapsed overnight. Satellites were rendered worthless, and vehicles of war turned into glorified metal boxes. The internet, which the world relied on so much, was scrubbed beyond recovery. Automated factories and farms were rendered inoperable.

With the world’s tech forced into gridlock, the solar flare that bathed the Earth had reverted most of the world’s functions to a time before technology reliant on electricity reigned. The world was already in dire straits during the war and bombings. The world was far too wounded to recover from those, let alone the effects of the solar flare.

If there’s a silver lining to all the tragedy, it’s that the solar flare forced an abrupt end to the war. After all, who’d be in the mood for bloodshed when they have their own problems to deal with?

With the world ravaged by the aftermath of greed, desire, and the people’s will and intentions, good or bad, it found itself in disarray. There were a few places spared from violence, but they’re far in between. Even then, the solar flare that hit the world has rendered nearly all forms of communication and entertainment non-functional.

But of all the crises that hit, none were as catastrophic as the effect on the food supply. If nuclear arms didn’t destroy the farms, they were certainly tainted beyond edibility by radiation and the winter fallout that followed. Growing crops was impossible between the frigid temperatures and the radiated soil.

Any greenhouses accessible to the general public were ransacked and/or claimed by various groups. Either greed or desperation, sometimes both, caused many to overeat, rendering their farms empty. Some of those who were pragmatic were selfish and monopolized the fruits of their labor. The few that were charitable were quickly taken advantage of, usually killed or thrown off their farm.

Factories that manufactured edible goods were also targets. But they too fell into ruin before long. And suddenly, starvation was the big concern for many. People can survive without shelter if they are resourceful enough. But sustenance was non-negotiable. A person would die in a matter of a few days without water, and weeks without food.

One by one, those who lived on the surface died out. Like rain snuffing the flames of a raging fire, the embers of humanity were snuffed away until every person on the surface died. The only remnants of humanity that survived were those who hunkered down in underground shelters. Forced to dig complex tunnel systems, they did whatever they could just to survive. To persist. Relying on archaic tech that predates electricity. Time passed into decades, then centuries. And so, the world’s surface was left in disarray while humanity ‘survived’ beneath it.

*SMASH!*

Or more accurately…breaks through. As the rubble gave way, the figure rose from the debris. Caked in soil and concrete, her skin was pale gray. Wounds of past battles mar her body. Dried and scabbed, her clothes were tattered and shredded in several places, yet miraculously held intact just enough to keep her decent. Based on the ballistic vest strapped to her chest, the ensemble suggests she was a soldier of war. Her pants had several pockets, though most had holes. On her waist, she wore a belt with a holster for a standard 9mm pistol and a knife. Then there’s her shoes. They’re military issue boots for comfort and reliability.

Faded with age, her long, wavy hair’s color was an ashen white with the faintest hint of yellow, hinting it could once have been blonde. But the most striking feature by far was her eyes. They’re bright gold in color. They glowed almost ethereally. While her sclera is white, she doesn’t have any pupils.

“…” Staring out in the distance, she awoke with no memories of what happened, why she was here, or even who she was. From her perspective, the sight before her was unexplainable. As far as she could see, the ground was littered with concrete and rebar from collapsed or collapsing buildings nearby. Street lamps lined the cracked roads, bent and rusted with age. Vehicles of various brands were scattered across the city’s roads and walkways, all of which were broken beyond repair. Piles of dirty snow covered most of the surface.

Turning her attention to the sky, grey clouds smother any view of the stars and even the sun. The gentle fall of snow blankets the landscape. She could barely feel it, but the nip of the cold did make her body shiver. However, this was an act of memory reflex, rather than a biological response.

She did not know why, but staying here would accomplish nothing. Taking sluggish steps, her buried body needed a few minutes of moving to get warmed up. Her arms and legs were as stiff as rocks. As she moved, her body felt more responsive. Flexibility first returned to her ankles, then her knees. While swinging her arms, her elbows start to bend. By the time she walked down the pile of rubble she was buried in, she was moving with the same grace and flexibility as any person.

The crunch of snow and debris fills the otherwise silent air. Chilling winds add a howling tune as they pass by broken buildings. Sensitive to the noises around her, she’d stop every time she heard something.

*Crack!*

Turning to the left, she looks over at a pane of glass that has cracked with age.

“…” It was slightly blurry from the layer of dust, but the woman saw her own reflection from the window’s surface. She took a cautious stance, lowering her arms and bending her legs as if to strike. It was only after a few seconds that she realized what she was staring at was herself. Cautiously, she moves closer to her reflection, getting a clearer view of herself.

“Aaahh…” Vocalizing for the first time, her voice was hoarse, undoubtedly dry from being buried for so many years. Despite the years she spent buried, her face was relatively intact compared to the rest of her body—hardly any blemishes to speak of aside from a scar on her right cheek. Tentatively, she runs her right hand over her scar. She felt a sense of familiarity as she felt the scar subtly on her fingers.

Taking notice of her eyes next, they narrowed as she observed their golden sheen. It was the only color on her body that was brightly colored. It stood out too much compared to the rest of her body. It confounded her for reasons she couldn’t understand. It was too much for her to think about, given that she had just woken up, so she backed away from the mirrored surface.

“Hmm?” Backing away, she notices a badge on the upper left corner of her vest. Made of metal, the name ‘Tairaiah’ was punched onto it. She had no idea what it meant, yet it was another aspect of hers that felt familiar. But, just as quickly as it happened, her memory of the article disappears into the void in her mind.

“…” Tairaiah couldn’t understand why she was upset. It’s like there was a persistent itch in her brain that refused to budge. Shaking her head, she decides to move on.

Walking aimlessly with no memory of what’s around her, scars of war that have yet to heal surround Tairaiah. Not even a century was enough time to recover. Skeletal remains from both sides of the war peeked through the dense snow. Some had firearms next to them, while others seemed to have carried their loved ones in their arms. Surrounded by the victims of war, Tairaiah walked past every one of them, unaware of herself, while each body told a hidden tale. She had no idea why they invoked such familiarity in her. But with every body she passed, her lips would curl into a slight frown.

Whether she regains her memories or not, only time could tell.

____________________

A few days into her journey, Tairaiah had moved away from the city and into a small town. The buildings were surprisingly intact compared to the large city. Still, they were all in different states of disrepair. Many had their windows and doors broken. The likely cause of said damage was probably due to desperate looting rather than collateral damage during the war.

With a little over a dozen buildings making up the whole town, it was one of those settlements that, at most, had a population of a few dozen to a little over a hundred people living there. Communities like these were often united during the war. In fact, baricades around the town’s edges could still be seen. They were meant to block government vehicles from entering the town. But makeshift barricades were no match for military tanks. Bullied by the government into cooperating or being arrested, many towns chose to rebel against totalitarian control. As a result, many deaths occurred in towns like this one.

Curious, Tairaiah went into a gas station building. The shelves were, of course, empty, save for opened bags of chips or opened soda bottles. Devoid of anything edible, she moves on and leaves the building, exploring some more.

Other businesses, like clothing stores, were also stripped bare as clothing became scarce. Tool shops were a treasure trove for survivors. Tairaiah found nothing of interest and was about to move on…

*Rustle…*

However, the town was not as empty as Tairaiah thought. Her ears perked up as she heard the sound.

“Hmm?” Standing in the middle of the road, Tairaiah stood her ground. For reasons she couldn’t explain, her body trembled instinctively. It’s like she knows what’s about to happen.

“?” At the corner of her eye, Tairaiah spots a shadow moving in between the ruined buildings. She doesn’t turn her body. Instead, she followed with her eyes only. Focusing on her surroundings, she listens closely for any sudden noises.

“!” Hearing a sudden shift in the air, Tairaiah leaped backward six feet away, avoiding an attack from above as the assailant dropped from a building behind her. Landing ungracefully, the attacker lands on their chest with a cracking thud. The attacker lay still on the ground for a few seconds before stumbling back to their feet. As they turned around, Tairaiah recognized the assailant as someone similar to her.

Standing on two legs, her attacker was no doubt a human man. Like Tairaiah, he has pale, gray skin with visible marks and bruises all over. His chest had caved in from the fall he had taken earlier. Still, the damage done to his body didn’t seem to bother him. Slowly, he moves closer, bending his knees as he did to crouch. That’s when Tairaiah notices the man’s eyes. They were different from hers.

His irises were a shade of red. The sclera around his irises was dark grey, with bright red veins that all pointed toward the center. And his pupils were pitch black. The feral, animalistic eyes narrowed as if he was ready to attack again.

“?!” And unfortunately for Tairaiah, he wasn’t alone. Now that the element of surprise was ruined, three others showed themselves. Two other men and one woman. From their attire, they looked like civilians. All sharing the same type of eyes.

“Hrraaghhh…” And all showing the same level of aggression, they snarl and growl like rabid dogs. The woman hid behind an abandoned car, while the other two men surrounded Tairaiah, cutting off any chance of escape.

Then…

“HRAAAAH!!!” The one who attacked Tairaiah makes a move. Propelling himself forward on all fours, he stretched his arms forward. His fingers splayed, curling as he aimed to rip and tear at Tairaiah’s flesh.

On reflex, Tairaiah moved her right hand down to the right holster of her belt, unclipping the gun holder before pulling out her pistol. She pulled the safety down and aimed. This all happened in less than half a second. But from Tairaiah’s point of view, she was moving normally while her attacker was floating in midair in slowmotion.

*Click*

“?!” Pulling the trigger on her pistol, the bang had not come as her body had expected. Her arms and legs had braced themselves for the shot that never came. It’s only natural that her gun didn’t fire, given it was exposed to the elements and unused for more than a century. To begin with, Tairaiah didn’t know why she moved the way she did. All she knew for sure was that the man in front of her had hostile intent.

The man’s hands were now mere inches away from Tairaiah’s chest. Rather than try to fire again, she clenched the gun, pulled her right arm back, and threw it at the man’s face.

“UWAARRRGH!” The speed and force with which she threw the pistol were so hard and fast that the gun broke to pieces on contact. But not before the barrel of the gun pierced through the man’s skull. Occurring in real time, the man’s head bursts into a bloody red pulp, sending chunks of skull fragments and brain matter all over.

“RAAAAHH!!!” In response to the attack, the two other men lunge simultaneously. Tairaiah turns her attention to the man on her left. Aiming for her ankles, Tairaiah twists her body to the left and jumps off the ground. Bending her knee, her thighs, and her calves flex as the muscle fibers within expand to the point of stretching her tendons. Swinging her right leg, she slams the top of her right foot directly at the man’s left temple.

*CRRUUUNNNCCH!!!*

Cracking the temple on impact, Tairaiah swung her whole body to the right, timing her attack perfectly as the body twist added weight along with the centripetal force of her kick, turning the man’s head into a blood splatter not dissimilar to her first attacker.

The third man managed to grab Tairaiah by her left leg while she had struck the previous one with her right. Feeling him tug at her leg, Tairaiah pulls her leg back, pulling the man off the ground before she kicks forward, slamming him into the second man she had just kicked.

“GRAAUUGHH!!” Knocked off his feet, the third man hit the second by the chest, bouncing off the second man’s body before he flew forward another three feet into the air, finally landing on the ground soon after.

“Psshh…” Tairaiah lands gracefully on her feet. She checked on the two men, making sure they wouldn’t attack. One had his head blown off. The other was still dazed from tackling the other and falling.

“SSHHHYAAAHH!!!” The woman who was using a wrecked car nearby as cover finally made her move. She ran toward Tairaiah with her mouth agape. Drooling with visibly sharp teeth, she lunges at Tairaiah with the intent to bite her. As the woman closed the distance to four feet, Tairaiah reached for her left holster and drew her knife. With a length of seven inches, the fixed bayonet knife was a standard issue for military personnel. Unlike her gun, the holster for her knife protected the blade from the elements, leaving it in relatively pristine condition.

“…” Flipping the knife on her left hand onto a backhand stance, Tairaiah crouched and lunged at the woman, closing the four-foot distance between them in half a second. With her right hand, Tairaiah threw it with her palm open upward, slamming directly under the woman’s jaw.

“GRRRHHH!!!” The sheer impact instantly broke the woman’s lower jaw and cracked her teeth. Then, for good measure, Tairaiah stabs the woman in her stomach and below her sternum, keeping the blade fully embedded on the second stab before slicing upward, cutting right through the sternum with brute force, with a spray of blood. The force of the blow she took to her chin, and having her chest sliced vertically from the bottom, caused her body to fly up to four feet into the air.

“Aaaahhhh…” The woman lands on her back, writhing and convulsing in pain. The slicing attack from Tairaiah’s knife exposed the woman’s chest cavity. Damaging her heart from the attack, the woman’s convulsions slowed. After a few seconds, her body goes limp from both blood loss and the lack of blood pumping into her body.

“…” Staring at the attacking woman’s corpse, Tairaiah’s hands shook at the sight of it. Deep inside her fogged mind, there was something familiar about the sight before her. Before she could dwell on it further, she heard the third man groaning.

“Graahhh…” The impact from earlier had broken the man’s ribs. Despite that, he tries to get back on his feet, pushing off from the second man he was slammed into.

“!” Acting on instinct, Tairaiah leaps ten feet into the air. Narrowing her gaze, she homes in on the second man before landing feet first on his back.

“GRAAAHH!!” With a sickening crunch, Tairahia breaks the man’s back on impact. She plunges the tip of the knife straight through the back of his skull, halting his movement shortly after.

“…” Once Tairaiah was sure he wasn’t moving, she stepped off the man’s body. She took a moment to look at each attacker to check if they were down for the count.

*Clap, Clap, Clap!* Echoing forty feet behind her, Tairaiah hears the sound of someone clapping their hands, followed shortly by a muffled, but loud voice.

“Woo! Bravo, miss! That was impressive!” Turning to face the source of the voice, she spots a fifth person clad in all-black attire. Wearing a leather jacket over a black shirt, he wears black snow pants with a myriad of pockets filled with all sorts of survival tools. His boots nearly match the ones Tairaiah was wearing, only a larger size and a different color. But the biggest outlier of his attire was his face. He’s wearing what looks like a black-tinted lens gas mask. He slowly approaches her while still clapping.

“?!” Understandably on guard after her scuffle, Tairaiah clenched her knife and bent her knees, lowering her stance and ready to pounce as he closed the distance at twenty feet.

“Whoa! Relax…” The man stops clapping, knowing Tairaiah was ready to lunge out of self-defense. “I’m not gonna hurt you, I swear.” Slowly and carefully, the man raises his arms, palms facing forward, with his hands over his head. Raising her right eyebrow, Tairaiah recognized this gesture. It was a gesture of surrender. The open palms show he has no weapon on hand. Putting his hands above his head shows the willingness to yield. And while his mask made it impossible to read his expression, his tone was calm, lacking the aggressiveness of Tairaiah’s attackers.

“…” Seeing Tairaiah’s stance slowly easing, the man’s patience pays off. Tairaiah still held her knife in her left hand, just in case.

“Alright. Since you’re not talking…I take it you’ve only woken up recently. Can you understand what I’m saying at least?”

“…” This was Tairaiah’s first encounter with a person who spoke. His words felt familiar to her, yet she couldn’t figure out why. Regardless, she seemed to understand that he was asking her a question, at the very least.

“Hmm…maybe it’s a little early to ask you questions like that.” Squinting his eyes, the man was close enough to read Tairaiah’s name tag. Along with her attire, he was able to piece together that she’s part of the military. “Tairaiah. So that’s your name. I’m Estevan. Can I put my hands down now? My arms are starting to cramp.”

“…” Considering him friendly, Tairaiah nods before sheathing her knife back into her holster.

“Phew. Thanks. I gotta say…” Estevan trails off for a moment, staring at the four zombies that attacked Tairaiah. “You handled yourself pretty well. Taking on four feral zombies at once is pretty good. Then again, your clothes are a dead giveaway.” Tairaiah tilts her head sideways. How does Estevan know about her outfit?

“Hmm? You look like you’re wondering how I know that? Well, let’s just say I’m in a similar field to yours.” Again, Tairaiah tilts her head. She doesn’t know what Estevan’s alluding to. While she was mulling over what he said, Estevan crossed his arms, taking the scene around him in deep thought.

‘There’s no point in telling her now. It’s better if she remembers things piece by piece on her own…’ There’s something Estevan clearly knew about Tairaiah that could help her regain her memories. But he refrains for now.

“Anyway. I’m surprised I ran into another aberrant like you here. I was initially looking for human survivors. I heard that people were roaming around this empty town. But I guess the only thing here was these four feral zombies.” Estevan lets out a sigh before looking up at the sky. “Judging from the sky, it’s going to get dark soon. Though…I doubt you have trouble seeing in the dark…” Referring to Tairaiah’s glowing, gold eyes, she hardly noticed a difference in light from her perspective.

“One of the benefits that comes with being an aberrant. Still, it’s better if we find shelter before it gets dark.” With smoke clouds from the nuclear fallout blocking the sun during the day, visibility was at best like staring into a perpetual twilight. But at night, only the moon shines in the sky, barely visible under the layer of clouds, leaving the rest of the area in pitch darkness. “You have nowhere else to go, right? Why not come with me?”

“…” Appearances would say otherwise, but Tairaiah felt like she could trust him. It’s something about his uniform that feels familiar to her.

*Nod.* Earning her trust, Estevan nods back at Tairaiah before putting his right hand forward for a handshake. It’s another gesture Tairaiah was somehow aware of.

“Great. Once again, I’m Estevan. It’s nice to meet you, Tairaiah.” Grabbing his hand, Tairaiah firmly grasps it, shaking it shortly after. “Heh, nice and firm. Good.” Following Estevan’s lead, Tairaiah follows him as they leave the town they were in. Following a stretch of road leading away from the town, Estevan pulls out a small, but powerful flashlight as night rolled in. With the moonlight barely penetrating the thick layer of clouds, it was nearly pitch black. Tairaiah was able to see just fine, though, barely noticing the dark around her. All around them, the remnants of war were still present. Chief among them were abandoned military vehicles and artillery. Estevan brings attention to one of the vehicles, shining his flashlight at it.

“Ah…it’s disheartening how often I see these just lying around…” Tairaiah recognized the vehicle as a tank. “The M1 Abrams. An old reliable. If you can call a vehicle of destruction that.” Approaching the tank, Estevan runs his gloved finger through the tank’s rusted exterior. Several spots on the tank’s armor were filled with holes from anti-tank rifles. A century’s worth of neglect left the tank as nothing more than a hunk of metal. The scars on it are a reminder of a time of chaos.

“They deployed dozens of tanks just like this, even in small towns and cities, you know? The military spared no one who opposed them. It’s either cooperate and be forced to fight, or get captured and be tortured and killed.” Estevan’s voice softened into a somber tone. “It’s a shame no one took the time to listen. Instead, the only thing they were interested in was their own interest.” Moving on, they pass by a few more vehicles. Each was in a different state of disrepair. There are also skeletal remains of people peeking through the snow. A reminder of the casualties racked up in the senseless war that ravaged these lands.

“Ah, there it is…” Seeing a house down the road, Estevan points his flashlight in its direction. “We’ll rest there for the night.” Judging from the acres of land around the house, it must’ve been a farm at one point. However, several barricades and military vehicles line the property. They move past them for now, taking shelter in the house. The interior wasn’t what Tairaiah expected.

“This is one of several shelters I came across during my travels. I set them up as temporary shelters for myself and any survivors I happen to come across. Make yourself at home, Tairaiah.” Using it as one of several shelters throughout Estevan’s travels, he fashioned the house with folding chairs, an old, but still usable coffee table, and even a small electric heater to stave off the cold. The heater was attached to an outlet among other appliances, which in turn was attached to a gas-powered generator.

“Go on, take a seat and relax for a bit. I know you probably don’t feel tired, but sitting should still feel nice.” Taking Estevan’s offer, Tairaiah sat on one of the two folding chairs. “Let’s get some light and warmth in here while we’re at it.” Walking toward the generator, Estevan turns it on. A lamp in the corner fills the living room with a dull, warm light. Aside from the heater, there were a few other appliances plugged into it, like a lamp and a two-burner electric stove.

“…” Watching Estevan pick up the electric stove, he brought it to the coffee table. The heat emanating from the heater felt nice to her, so Tairaiah scootched closer to the heater, feeling the warm air on her pale, gray skin.

“Heh…so you like the heat, huh? It’s only natural. I wonder if that means you have the urge to eat too?” Moving toward the kitchen, Estevan had cleaned the area before. The previous residents of this house left behind pots and pans that Estevan had since cleaned and used on multiple occasions. On the chance he found survivors, he’d use them to cook meals with non-perishable ingredients, which he stocks on a bi-monthly basis. For now, he takes out three bottles of water, a can of spam, and a bag of rice.

“Alright. I got something for us to eat. Just sit tight while I cook.” Turning the stove on, he puts one pan on the left burner and a deep pot on the right. Tairaiah watched closely as Estevan poured water into the pot, then added some rice. “First, I’ll cook the rice since it’ll take a bit to cook.” Estevan left to go to the kitchen for a second to grab the lid for the pot to cover it, and a small, wooden plastic cutting board.

“I stock shelters like these with food on the off-chance I find human survivors on a bi-monthly basis. It’s not much, but just enough to fill their empty stomachs.” As he talked, Estevan opened the can of spam, plopping it onto the cutting board before chopping it into pieces with a kitchen knife. When he finished slicing, he scraped them onto the heated pan.

“!” Tairaiah’s eyes widened as she heard the sizzle of the spam cooking on the heated pan. There was something nostalgic about the sight of the sizzling spam. But she couldn’t figure out what it was. “?” Her attention was drawn to Estevan when he lifted the lid on the steaming pot of rice. The bubbling of boiling water as the rice grew in size was mesmerizing to watch, getting a chuckle out of Estevan when he noticed how fixated Tairaiah was on watching him cook.

“You know, seeing you look so intently at food like this probably means you are hungry. That’s good. The rice should be just about done. Technically, you don’t have to cook spam, but it tastes better when it’s pan-fried in my opinion.” Estevan shakes the pan, making sure every piece of spam sears. Heading back to the kitchen for a moment, he grabs two paper plates, two pairs of plastic utensils, and a large, plastic spoon.

“Welp, food’s ready now. I’ll serve your plate first.” Scooping two cups of rice and half of the spam on the pan onto a plate, he hands the first serving to Tairaiah before plating himself. He turns the electric stove off afterward, handing Tairaiah one of the water bottles he brought earlier. “Okay. It’s not exactly a healthy meal, but it’s food nonetheless.”

“…” Staring at the ‘meal’ before her, the scent of cooked spam fills her nostrils. Deep inside her gut, she felt the stirrings of what she could only describe as a rumbling sensation. It didn’t hurt, per se, but the rumbling felt unpleasant for some reason. It wasn’t just her stomach. Her mouth starts to salivate to the point that drool starts leaking from the corners of her lips. Estevan, upon seeing Tairaiah, chuckles again before calling out to her.

“Um…you do remember how to use utensils, right?” Turning her attention to Estevan, he shows Tairaiah how to use the plastic fork and spoon. “With rice, it’s easier to scoop it onto the spoon. Use the fork like a shovel and push it onto the spoon, like this.” After watching Estevan, Tairaiah mimics his hands. She brings the spoonful of rice and spam close to her nose, sniffing it one more time before she opens her mouth. Taking the food into her mouth, she pulls the spoon out of her mouth, leaving the rice and spam inside. Instinctually chewing afterward, Tairaiah’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise. While the rice and spam weren’t seasoned or anything, she nonetheless hummed in glee.

“Hahaha. Looks like I didn’t have to teach you how to chew. Seems like you remembered how to do that on your own.” Almost as if she were starving, Tairaiah shoveled down spoonfuls of rice and spam, chewing vigorously until her plate was empty. She lets out a satisfied sigh before Estevan points at her water bottle.

“It’ll feel even better washing that all down with some water. I’m sure you could use the hydration too. Just twist the cap on top.” Staring at the bottle, Tairaiah found the top Estevan was referring to. With a twist, she sniffs the opening of the bottle. “Uh…water doesn’t really smell like anything, Tairaiah.” Bringing the opening of the bottle to her lips, she tilts her head up, letting the cold water flow into her mouth and throat. Her throat reflexively swallows, gulping down the hydrating fluids.

“Hmmpfff?” Feeling pleasantly refreshed, Tairaiah doesn’t stop, gulping down each mouthful until the bottle is empty.

“Wow. Empty already. Don’t worry, I have more bottled water stored. For now…” Finally, Estevan looks at his plate. He wanted to watch Tairaiah eat first. “I can’t very well eat with this in the way.” Estevan refers to the gas mask he’s been wearing. Bringing his hands to the back of tos head, he unclasped the mask before pulling it off.

“?!” Tairaiah’s eyes widened as she finally saw what Estevan looked like under the mask. His skin is pale gray, just like hers. He has short, straight black hair that runs down to his neck. There’s also his eyes. Glowing brightly, his bright gold eyes were just like hers. But, unlike Tairaiah, his eyes have visible black pupils. Aware of Tairaiah’s gaze, Estevan smiles before setting the gas mask down on the floor.

“Right, I guess I should’ve mentioned this from the beginning. Like you, I’m an aberrant. Though maybe my military attire should’ve given that away. I wear the gas mask to hide my face since humans I rescue tend to run first when they see me as an aberrant. As for why, well…” Internalizing his thoughts, there were things Estevan would rather keep under wraps until the right time comes. “Humans feel safer when they don’t know I’m an aberrant. So whenever I go on rescue missions, I put on the mask to put them at ease. Plus, wearing the mask makes sense, given how arid the air is for normal people. So it doesn’t seem suspicious when I have it on.” The sound of rushing winds whistles through the cracks and crevices in the shelter.

“It’s best if we sleep here for tonight. The wind’s picking up. We’ll leave in the morning, so you’d better get some sleep. We technically don’t need sleep, but it’s still good to get some. I still have my meal to eat and finish.” Understanding that they’re stuck there for the night, Tairaiah nods before leaning against her folding chair.

‘Tairaiah seems to be adjusting well. Here’s hoping her recovery goes smoothly… Estevan finishes his meal, then throws his and Tairaiah’s empty plates and utensils in the trash. With some water he stored away in the shelter for cleaning, he washes the pan and pot he used for cooking before turning in for the night himself.

“…” An hour past midnight, Tairaiah was sound asleep with her arms folded under her chest. Estevan was also sleeping, slumped against his chair with the heater rotating between him and Tairaiah. As time passed, Tairiah started to grumble in her sleep, indicating she was dreaming.

[Roughly over a century ago…

“Please! Y-you can’t! This store is all we have…”

“Excuses, excuses. How many times have we told you to surrender your goods to us? You must’ve heard the announcement long before we got here. Yet you chose to resist. You only have yourself to blame for the outcome.” It was a scene one could only describe as horrendous. Inside a local market, men and women in military uniforms were in the process of seizing aisles of food and other necessities. On the ground, a mess of fallen produce, lying corpses, and the dying occupies several areas, with the most bodies found near the entrance.

“What choice did we have?! Our local community is small as it is! If we gave control of the store to you people, we won’t have enough for ourselves!” Forced to his knees, the store owner protests the military’s actions. Behind the owner were several people, consisting of fellow employees and rebel civilians.

“How stupid…” Displeased with the store owner’s response, the man who forced the owner to his knees pressed the barrel of his pistol against the owner’s forehead. Based on his uniform and the patch on it, he holds the rank of Command Sergeant Major. He pulls the safety off his pistol, making the owner visibly shake. The Sergeant Major narrows his gaze, staring at the store owner in disappointment.

“You could’ve avoided needless casualties if you had just done what you’re told. Instead, you rebelled against us. You only have yourselves to blame…” The store owner was beyond appalled by the lack of empathy in the Sergeant Major’s voice. From the owner’s perspective, it’s like he regarded him as nothing more than trash. Angered, the store owner frowned and raised his voice.

“What?! You ca-” But, before he could finish, a harsh bang filled the store as the Sergeant Major pulled the trigger. Shooting straight onto the store owner’s forehead, the last thing the store owner saw before his world turned black was the unmistakable glow of the major’s gold eyes.

*Thud!*

“Dumbass. Talking back as if he has the right to say what’s right or wrong…” The other employees and civilians screamed and yelled in a mix of horror and anger, showing fear and disdain toward the military. Unperturbed by their cries, the Major turns his attention to a small group of corporals under his command. One of whom had long, wavy blonde hair. Like the major, her eyes were a striking gold color.

“Hey, greenhorn. We’re done with our ‘negotiations’ here. Go kill the rest…”

“Wh-what?! But, major! They’ve already surrendered! Can’t we just-” The Major didn’t even let her finish before he backhands her with his right hand. His arm turned into a blur as the impact sent the Corporal flying several feet onto a grocery shelf, landing on her back and breaking it in half. Despite the clear force he used on her, the injury she sustained was nothing more than a bleeding nose. “Ack!” With a look of indifference, the Major wipes the bit of blood on his right hand off on his sleeve.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, greenhorn. You may be a corporal, but need I remind you that while you’re under my command, you are to follow my orders.” The Corporal raises her head and wipes her bleeding nose with her left hand. Once the Major has the Corporal’s attention, he points at the captured employees and civilians. “Do you hear that, corporal? There are still rebels among them. And like a disease, once a rebellion starts, it unequivocally spreads. Therefore, our job as the military is to purge this ‘disease’ whenever they pop up. Since you’re like ‘us’, they’ve put me in charge of teaching you the ropes so you can lead your own platoon.” Approaching her, the Major stops mere inches in front of the Corporal. He looks down at her, narrowing his gaze.

“Don’t forget that ‘his’ fate lies in your cooperation.” The corporal’s eyes widened when the Major mentioned ‘him.’ Sweat forms around her face, struggling to come to terms with what she agreed to. The conflict written on her face amused the Major somewhat, causing him to smirk. “Now, go on and kill them. If you refuse, I’ll consider it insubordination and act appropriately.” Leaving to check on his men, the other Corporals follow, leaving ‘her’ alone with the captured rebels and civilians.

“…” Fisting her hands, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying her best to cut out the voices of anguish and anger around her. Then, in the next moment, she opened her golden eyes, which appeared hollow and devoid of light. She gets up before approaching the rebels and civilians.

“W-wait! Y-you’re not really going to…” One of the rebels spoke up momentarily before losing his voice. He watched in disbelief as the Corporal pulled the safety off her machine gun. She wastes no time and begins firing, fanning her shots to make sure she doesn’t miss a single one.

“AAACCCKKK!!!”

“HYAAHHH!!!” The store fills with the anguished screams of the rebels and civilians. Their blood splattered all over themselves and around them.

*Pssshh…*

“…” The Corporal fired until she emptied her magazine. She pushed her morals as far as she could into the back of her mind. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but her priorities, her very reason for being in the military, were at stake. Even so, she lowers her head, avoiding eye contact with the dead, leaving only the pooling mass of blood visible to her. “I’m sorry…” Just as she removes the empty magazine, she looks up. Two of the civilians she gunned down caught her eye. It was a mother and her son. Even in death, the mother held her son in her arms, dead together with the others. The sight of the two made the Corporal shake. Her pupils narrowed in shock and self-disgust.]

“AAAHHH!!!” Waking up screaming, Tairaiah threw herself off her folding chair, standing straight and hyperventilating.

“Wah?! What?!” Tairaiah’s screams woke Estevan as well, causing him to panic and fall onto his back in his chair. He got up and noticed Tairaiah sweating. She was clutching her head almost as if she were in pain. “Tairaiah, are you alright?”

“Ahh….aha…” In her mind, Tairaiah saw flashes of what she had just dreamt about. But before she could grasp it, the images blurred in her head. It’s as if thick fog rolled into a clear sky, obscuring what was within her grasp. “…” Before long, she lost sight of what she saw, forgetting all about her dream just now.

“Tairaiah!” Calling out her name, she turns to Estevan. He was clearly worried for her. Once she acknowledged him, he relaxed his stance. “Are you okay?”

“…” Standing still, Tairaiah couldn’t recall what she panicked about. It was pointless to dwell on it, so she nodded in response.

“I-I see…” Letting out a soft breath, Tairaiah relaxes. ‘What was that about? Did she have a nightmare? Things could’ve turned out badly. She seemed to have calmed down in the meantime…’ Seeing as she’s calmed down, Estevan turns to face the window in the living room. Judging from the dim light, it was early in the morning.

“Morning already, huh? Well, that means we got some good sleep then.” Estevan picks his folding chair, collapsing it in the process. “Well, now that it’s morning, we should probably get going.” Tairaiah was still worried about what she was in a panic about. But rather than dwell on it, she shakes her head and puts the thought behind her. She waits for Estevan to put everything he had set up away, turning off the gas generator before leaving the farm shelter with him.

____________________

Following Estevan, he and Tairaiah ran toward their next destination, covering miles of land that would tire even the most seasoned triathlete.

“Heh. You’re keeping up rather well, Tairaiah. We’ve already passed two shelters I’d use when I’m travelling with humans. Nice work.” They were running along on a highway, passing through abandoned vehicles, both civilian and military. The snow made the terrain uneven, yet they ran as if it were nothing.

“…” Tairaiah had no problem catching up to Estevan, matching his speed as the two were running over forty-eight kilometers. As aberrants, they weren’t even running seriously, moving at a relatively normal pace from their perspective. This consistent speed and pace helped them reach their destination in no time.

“Alright, we’re here…” Slowing down, Estevan and Tairaiah arrive at another abandoned city. Just like the one she woke from, many of the tall buildings had collapsed. Some are due to time, while others are from the war. “I’ve scouted this city before. Still, like us, potential survivors don’t stay in one place for too long. Hopefully, we’ll run into ones here.”

“…” Following Estevan closely, Tairaiah passes by more abandoned stores. Some sparked her interest, like a clothing store. Deviating for a moment, Tairaiah stares at the mannequins used to display the clothes. Surprisingly, two of the mannequins still had clothes on. One was a white midi pencil dress with black heels. The other was a yellow crop top and skinny blue jeans combo, wearing blue sneakers.

“Ah, those clothes caught your attention, did they?” Tairaiah felt an inkling of a desire to try them on. The military garb she had on now was practical, but torn in many places. “They’re pretty, but in the freezing hellscape of the Earth’s surface the way it is now, hardly any sane person would wear something that thin and revealing. The only clothes worth salvaging here are jackets, sweaters, snow pants, etc.” Understanding how impractical the clothes on display are, Tairaiah acknowledged and nodded with Estevan before they moved on.

Looking through every empty building, Estevan calls out to any potential survivors to no avail. Abandoned markets, restaurants, and shops were all devoid of any possible stragglers. They looked for two hours straight with no tangible luck.

“Well…I’ll be damned. I was hoping we’d find survivors, but it seems unlikely…” Taking his gas mask off, Estevan sighs in frustration. “Maybe…I should just head back with the others?” He pondered to himself whether he should go back to his comrades. Tairaiah technically counts as finding a survivor, but he’s apprehensive about bringing her along, given she hasn’t recovered her memories yet. There’s also a factor to it that he’s keeping to himself.

“Hmm?” Suddenly, Estevan sees Tairaiah’s body stiffening, breaking him out of his thoughts. Focusing on his surroundings, he hears the sounds of groaning in the distance. “Alright, I guess this place isn’t completely empty…” The groaning only grew louder, emanating all around them until the sources of the sounds began to appear. Ambling toward them, Estevan shouting earlier must’ve drawn the attention of zombies nearby. “Fuck…maybe I should’ve been searching quietly rather than yelling.”

“!” Getting into a battle stance, Tairaiah pulls her knife out and bends her knees, ready to lunge at any moment. Estevan takes a more staunch posture, pulling out a machete strapped to his back by its holster.

“Get ready, Tairaiah.” The zombies numbered in the dozens. And, to make matters worse, Estevan recognizes some of them. “Oh…shit…” Among them were humans who were reported by fellow scouts, but couldn’t be followed due to weather conditions. “Dammit…so there were survivors here. But…I was too late…” Their pale, gray skin and red, bloodshot eyes with dark gray sclera were all the proof he needed. Those survivors were victims of infection.

“GRAAAHHH!!!” As one of the zombies let out a battle cry, the rest followed suit, emboldened by it, before they all came charging at once.

“Here they come!” Moving erratically, but quickly, Tairaiah was the first to make a move, lunging forward and slitting the first zombie in front of her on its throat.

“Groaahh…” Nearly cutting the zombie’s head off, it hung only by half an inch of flesh and skin from the left side. While the injury didn’t kill the zombie, it did stop its movements.

“Good! Aim for their heads! While they’re still zombies, they still rely on their brains to relay movement. If you cut that off, they’ll be rendered immobile!” Being a former military worker himself, Estevan held his ground just as well as Tairaiah, if not better. With swift, deft movements, he slices at the zombies, cutting off their outstretched arms and their heads near instantaneously. He moved with more practice and swiftness than Tairaiah, showing a noticeable gap in skill between the two.

Tairaiah mostly relied on her body’s instinctual reactions, so she focused on defense and retaliation. Estevan was more forward, attacking the zombies before they could even react.

One by one, the attacking zombies’ numbers dwindle, while the number of limbs and decapitated heads rises. They skillfully dispatch their attackers, leaving a pile of twitching bodies and blood all over themselves and around them. Once they were all taken care of, Estevan sheathed the machete back into its holster.

“Phew…glad that was over…” Sighing in relief, Estevan approached one of the zombies that attacked him. It was a young man in his teens. “A sixteen-year-old young man and his father.” He then turns to look at one of the zombies that attacked Tairaiah. One of the zombies that attacked her was that kid’s father.

“…” Tairaiah watched as Estevan got on his knees in front of the young man before taking his mask off. He prays for his soul to find peace before moving on to the Father to do the same thing.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t find you two in time. Hopefully, you two ascended to heaven peacefully. Amen…” Standing up shortly after, Tairaiah could see the frustration on Estevan’s face. He balled his left hand. “It’s frustrating. Every once in a while, I find survivors end up in this state. They get lost…and end up infected.” There’s more to Estevan’s story he wanted to tell Tairaiah, but he had to cut it short when a scream echoed throughout the city.

“GROOOAAAAHHH!!!” Compared to the zombies, this scream was much louder, menacing even. Soon, the source of the screams shows itself. It was another zombie, but this one was different.

“?” Tairaiah narrows her eyes, focusing on what is ahead. She sees a man wearing a military uniform like Estevan and her. “!” Something else she noticed was his eyes. They were gold too. So he must be an aberrant like her and Estevan.

However, unlike them, the man’s sclera was dull gray rather than white. That put Estevan on his guard immediately, drawing his machete back from its sheath.

“Tairaiah, take a battle stance, now!” Hearing the urgency in his voice, Tairaiah clutched her knife in her right hand tightly, crouching and taking a defensive stance. “I should’ve told you this earlier, but the zombies that’ve been attacking us came from fallen aberrants. They’re like us, only they’ve lost their sanity. So they attack anyone nearby. Any humans they attack then turn into zombies, just like the ones that attacked us just now. And because this guy is just like us…” Before Estevan could finish his sentence, the man suddenly lunged forward. With inhuman speed, he closed the gap between them, aiming for Tairaiah.

“Ah!” Tairaiah, not expecting the speed, reacted too late as the fallen aberrant threw a right punch, landing a hit directly onto her stomach. “Guh!” Sending Tairaiah flying several feet, she slams onto a light post hard enough to bend it, slumping down and holding her stomach in pain.

“Shit!” Estevan was too busy explaining to react on time himself. By the time he noticed the fallen aberrant had moved, he had already struck Tairaiah. That’s when he swung his machete, aiming to slice the fallen aberrant’s head off.

“GRAH?!” Seeing the machete coming, the fallen aberrant does a split, crouching away from Estevan’s attack. As soon as the blade passed him, the fallen aberrant swung his body to the right for a sweeping kick, knocking Estevan off his feet from behind.

“Wha!” Falling on his back, Estevan was left momentarily dazed.

“Grah!” The fallen aberrant, seeing his chance, jumped up before raising his right leg for an axe kick. Estevan saw it in the nick of time, regaining his bearings before rolling to the left side, narrowly avoiding a kick that would’ve caved his face in.

“Tch! You must’ve been the one who infected these poor souls. Oh well…” Lunging forward, Estevan swung his Machete left and right. The blade whistles through the air with each swing, leaving afterimages at the speed he swung them. Despite that, the fallen aberrant dodges each attempt at decapitation, ducking and weaving through them. “Damn you! Stop, dodging!” This wasn’t Estevan’s first time fighting a fallen aberrant. They have the same strength, speed, and reactive skills as he does, along with the vicious, feral instinct to attack anyone but the likes of themselves.

“Ugh…” While Estevan kept the fallen aberrant busy, Tairaiah recovered from her injury, standing up before clutching her knife hard. She sees Estevan struggling to get a single cut as the fallen aberrant continues to avoid them.

“Hraaahh!” The fallen aberrant wasn’t just avoiding Estevan’s attacks; he was watching carefully, waiting for any openings Estevan could have. Then, just as Estevan raised his machete above his head to slice downward to catch the fallen aberrant off-guard, that’s when he saw his chance. “Grruuaah!” Leaving his sides open, the fallen aberrant kicks again, this time with his left leg.

“GAH!” Connecting a solid blow to the right side of his waist, Estevan grimaced in pain, causing him to lose his grip on his machete before falling on his left arm.

“HRAAAHH!!!” Once the fallen aberrant knocked Estevan down, he aimed to smash Estevan’s head in with a hammer punch. Just then, Tairaiah saw an opening and flung her knife toward the fallen aberrant, striking him right at his left temple. “GUAAH?!” Dazed by the sudden attack, the fallen aberrant was left stunned, giving Estevan a chance to retaliate.

“Nice one, Tairaiah!” With the fallen aberrant struck, Estevan picks up his machete and swings it to the left side of the fallen aberrant’s neck, slicing through skin, flesh, and sinew. Blood spews from the stump on the fallen aberrant’s neck as his head falls to the ground with a loud thud before his body falls shortly after. As blood pools to the ground, the fallen aberrant’s body convulses for a few seconds before going stiff. At that moment, Estevan relaxed and dropped to the ground, falling on his butt and letting out a deep sigh of relief.

“Ohh…fuck me. That was close…” Walking toward Estevan, Tairaiah grabs her knife from the fallen aberrant’s decapitated head, pulling it back before swinging the knife sideways to fling the excess blood off. “Thanks for the assist, Tairaiah. He would’ve caved my head in if you hadn’t thrown your knife.” Expressing his gratitude with a thumbs-up and a smile, Tairaiah returned the gesture with a subtle smile and a nod, taking him by surprise. She offers her left hand to help him up.

“Whoa! Y-you’re smiling, Tairaiah! That’s the first time I’ve seen you do that.” Taking Tairaiah’s hand, she lifts Estevan off his butt and onto his feet. He looks at the fallen aberrant one last time, making sure he is really dead. He even kicks the body for good measure. “As I was saying, this guy’s an aberrant like us…” Esteven flips the body onto his back. Now that it wasn’t attacking, the clothes he wore were the same military uniform as Tairaiah’s. “Former military soldiers who have the same level of strength as we do. We’re lucky we only ran into one.” Looking at the fallen aberrant’s nametag, the name read as ‘Darius.’

“It’s a shame, Darius. You must’ve lost your reasoning and succumbed to it.” Giving Darius a moment of silence, Tairaiah wondered how she and Estevan were different from Darius. For that matter, what made her different from Estevan? Unlike her, Estevan has visible pupils in his golden eyes, whereas Tairaiah lacks any. “I guess there’s no point in scouting for the time being. The human survivors I was made aware of were, unfortunately, victims of infection. This time, I’ll take you straight to ‘our’ base. At the very least, finding another sane aberrant like you should bolster our forces.”

“?” Piquing her curiosity, Tairaiah nods at the change of plans. There was nothing more to gain from scouting an empty city. They leave the scene of the battle, leaving the bodies there as snow piles on them, turning the snow crimson.

____________________

Nearing the border of the city in the opposite direction from where they entered, Estevan paused near a manhole. Different from the other manholes they’ve passed, there was no snow within a five-foot radius. In fact, there’s visible heat haze emanating from holes in the lid. Estevan bent down and pinched the edge of the lid with one finger, lifting the lid with little trouble before sliding it aside. Warm air gushes through the hole leading to the sewers.

“From here on out, we’re travelling underground. You go in first.”

“…” With a nod, Tairaiah’s the first to go down the sewers, descending beneath the snow-covered earth. Compared to the chilling air outside, the underground sewers felt incredibly warm. Estevan followed shortly after, covering the lid on his way down. With no working light inside the sewers, the pitch-black darkness posed little problem for Estevan and Tairaiah with their enhanced night vision. There are two walkways on the left and right edges of the walls, with foul sewer water running in between. It was also warm, but the stench from the sewers remained the same, making Tairaiah recoil slightly from the awful smell.

“Yeah, I know. It literally smells like shit in here. But this awful stench actually helps cover our tracks from the zombies. Aside from noise, zombies are attracted to the scent of human flesh. Since the sewers smell this badly, it prevents them from tracking humans, making it a perfect place for survivors to hide in. In any case, make sure you follow closely. The sewers are like a labyrinth. It’s easy to get lost if you don’t know what to look for.”

Tairaiah nods once more before following Estevan. Just like he said, the numerous abrupt turns they took as they moved around the sewers would disorient anyone without a compass or knowledge of where to go. In Estevan’s case, the survivors left subtle hints like a discolored pipe or a mark on a wall, indicating they were heading in the right direction.

Lost in thought, Tairaiah follows Estevan while rethinking her dream earlier that morning. Flashes of images return to her. The major, who was her superior, had the same eyes as Estevan. She acknowledged the events in those dreams as memories, piecing them together bit by bit. What struck her the most in that dream was the scene after she slaughters the innocent rebels and civilians at the major’s orders. Why were they rebels? What were they rebelling against? Why did she feel compelled to follow such an inhumane order? Finally, there’s the image of two of the civilians. There was something about the mother holding her son in one final embrace before their demise that tugged at her heart.

“…iah…”

Tairaiah was at the cusp of an important recollection when she was interrupted by Estevan calling out her name.

“Tairaiah, you there?”

“Ah?” Clicking her tongue in frustration, Tairaiah loses sight of what it could’ve been once more. She knows it wasn’t intentional on Estevan’s part, so she shook her head before looking at Estevan.

“Sorry. I was calling you out for half a minute there. I wanted to tell you that we’re at the entrance of one of the bases of operation for the survivors…” Pointing ahead of them, Tairaiah didn’t even notice they were now at a fairly lit section of the sewers. Several electric lanterns lined the upper walls, illuminating the path ahead. “We’re almost there. Oh, and uh…people might react differently when they see you. Just stick close to me, and you should be fine.”

“?” Tairaiah didn’t understand what the issue could be, but regardless, she closed the distance between them, walking side by side with Estevan.

“There. You see the door up ahead on the right side? That’s where one of many human survivors hides. They know me, so they’ll let me in no problem. And another thing, you can’t make physical contact with the humans there. Remember earlier when Darius, that fallen aberrant, attacked us? I mentioned that the feral zombies were caused by him, right? Technically, the same goes for you and me.”

“?!” It makes sense when Tairaiah thought about it, but it didn’t cross her mind at the time since they were in the middle of battle. Her eyes widened in shock, realizing he’s just as capable of infecting humans and turning them into feral zombies as Darius.

“Thankfully, infection only spreads through bodily fluids. So, for example, if a human ingests our blood, or it seeps into an open wound. Physical contact in itself won’t spread the infection. Still, it’s best if we keep our hands to ourselves once we’re there. It’ll make the humans there feel more at ease.” Heeding his instructions, Tairaiah nods before they proceed further. Once they reached the metal door, Estevan knocked in code.

*Knock, knock knock knock, knock.*

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Kirk. Estevan.” There were a few seconds of silence before a speakeasy grille on the top of the metal door slid open. A pair of brown eyes peered through the opening, narrowing at the sight of Estevan.

“Estevan. You’re back, huh? Did you find the survivors?” Standing to the side, out of view, Tairaiah guessed Kirk was a man from his voice.

“I did. But…unfortunately, I was too late. By the time I found them, they were already turned into feral zombies. A fallen aberrant got them.”

“What? No way. We just had contact with them this morning!” Kirk was clearly distraught from the tone of defeat in his voice.

“Yeah. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to them on time.” Estevan’s voice carried frustration, filled with self-hate. Tairaiah couldn’t help but feel guilty. Estevan might’ve found them sooner if he hadn’t stumbled onto her first.

“Well…at least you came back to us in one piece. Come on in. I know you don’t really feel exhaustion, but I’m sure you’d like to sleep in your own bed again.” Tairaiah hears the sound of clicks as the locks on the door slide open. Before Kirk could open the door, Estevan grabbed the handle and stopped him. “Estevan?”

“Actually, before that, I did find someone else out there. Her name’s Tairaiah. And she’s an aberrant like me.”

“What?! Estevan, why’d you bring an aberrant here?!” Kirk yelled in panic, locking the door once more. “Estevan, we can trust you because you’re sane! Did you lose it the moment you thought bringing another aberrant here was a good idea?!”

“Look, I get it. But look, Tairaiah’s not like the fallen aberrants. She’s like me. If she were a fallen, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. I’d be fighting her tooth and nail.”

“Hmm…” Kirk hummed for a moment before turning silent. With her enhanced hearing, Tairaiah could hear Kirk talking to other people on the otherside of the door. They were going back and forth, gathering consensus on whether to let her in. While gathering said consensus, a few minutes pass by, giving Estevan some time to fill Tairaiah in.

“Tairaiah. Listen. The survivors…the only aberrants they’ve come across aside from me have all been fallen ones. They’ll probably be scared of you. Just ignore them and stick close like I told you.” Nodding, Tairaiah and Estevan hear the locks click. As the metal door slides open, a man of African American descent walks out. From his appearance, he’s at least in his mid-thirties. Wearing baggy pants and a white undershirt, he held an AR-47 in his arms.

“So…this is Tairaiah?”

“Yup.” Meeting Kirk’s eyes, Tairaiah gasped softly when she saw his irises were hazel brown with black pupils and white sclera. She was so focused on them that she didn’t notice the AR-47 aimed at her for a few seconds. Sensing no immediate hostile intent, Tairaiah stood still, knowing any sudden moves she made would ruin her chances to get in.

“Huh…she’s pretty. Her eyes, though. Where are her pupils?”

“I dunno. If I had to attribute it to anything, it’s likely a visual sign of her lack of memory.”

“Wait, you’re telling me this woman has amnesia?”

“Uh-huh. Tairaiah hasn’t even spoken yet. But, at the very least, she can understand what we’re saying and respond to questions by nodding or shaking her head.” Kirk, understandably skeptical, raised his right brow.

“Okay…and why are you so sure of that?” Estevan returns that skepticism with a smile, chuckling nervously afterward.

“Just a hunch…” There was more to it than just a hunch, so Kirk narrowed his gaze before rolling his eyes.

“Fine. I guess Tairaiah can come in then. I don’t feel anything from her. But Estevan. She’s YOUR responsibility. Make sure she doesn’t go anywhere without you being there.”

“I know, I already told her. Isn’t that right, Tairaiah?” To prove Tairaiah can understand him, Estevan cleverly reiterated what he told her earlier, to which Tairaiah responded with a smile and nod.

“Yeah, yeah. Come on in.” Moving out of the way, Kirk gives Estevan and Tairaiah some space as Estevan leads Tairaiah inside.

“Ah…” Stepping into the sewer’s inner sanctum, there were several canals along the interior that led to different chambers. The amount of walkable surface was much wider than the inner channels, allowing for the setup of camping tents all over the place. For light, low-power LEDs lined the inner sanctum’s walls. All of which were connected to several hydro and wind power generators connected to the surface. Around the tents were boxes, barrels, and containers made of wood and/or metal. Filled with various supplies, the surviving humans taking shelter here have turned this section of the sewer into an effective, albeit smelly, shelter.

“Pretty impressive, huh? Puts the shelter we camped in the other night to shame, doesn’t it? This area’s the main residential hub.” Tairaiah nods as she’s genuinely impressed by how much better it was by comparison.

“Mommy, look. Estevan’s back. And he brought a lady who looks just like him.”

“?” Even though Estevan had just told Tairaiah to stick closely, she couldn’t help but stop in her tracks when she heard the voice of a young child from behind. Turning around, she spots the child in question. She had short, blonde hair cut in a pixie bob. Her blue eyes sparkled with innocent curiosity. And her warm, ivory skin was a far cry from the pale gray color of the feral zombies she’s seen.

Despite having open wounds visible on multiple parts of Tairaiah’s body, along with the blood from the feral zombies that muddied her body and uniform, Mio wasn’t at all deterred by Tairaiah’s dishelven appearance.

“Mio! Get back on the tent, now!” Peeking through the tent was the little girl’s mother. Like Mio, the mother’s hair was also blonde, but hers was tied to a single braid from the back. Her blue eyes shook with distrust and fear, worrying for her daughter’s safety. The mother’s voice got Estevan’s attention before he noticed Tairaiah had stopped following him. He pulls Tairaiah close to him afterward.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Mrs. Rene. Tairaiah’s friendly, I swear.” The mother, named Rene, was only acting out of paternal love, holding her daughter Mio tightly. It’s only natural, given how Tairaiah looks. Estevan’s been the only exception, as he’s the one who found and brought them here.

“…” Mio, however, didn’t feel the same animosity she got from the feral zombies. She understood Tairaiah was just curious.

“But mommy, the lady’s not growling or anything. Her eyes are just a bit weird.” And so, showing no fear, Mio gives Tairaiah a toothy smile. It was that trusting smile that sparked an image in her mind. There was someone in her life around Mio’s age who smiled at her just like that, only it was a boy. While his face was obscured by some fog in her mind, his smile undoubtedly resembled Mio’s.

“Ah…” To everyone’s surprise, Tairaiah closes her eyes and smiles warmly back at Mio. “Aha…” Her voice came out, carrying a soothing, paternal tone. As a mother, Rene understood the meaning behind said smile, relaxing her grip on Mio.

“See? The lady’s nice.” Garnering attention from other survivors, Tairaiah opens her eyes again. She’s taken aback by how different each person looks. Each has different skin tones, eyes, and hair colors. How they looked at her changed from one individual to another, with some looking scared, while others looked curious, like Mio. Seeing as this could be too much for Tairaiah to take in, Estevan tugs at Tairaiah’s left arm, getting her attention.

“Come on, Tairaiah. You’ll have plenty of time to process what’s happening later. For now, just follow me closely, please.” Sensing the unease around her, Tairaiah nods. But before leaving with Estevan, Tairaiah turns to Mio and Rene, bowing as if apologizing.

“Oh…uh…” Rene didn’t know how to respond to that. Mio just casually waves before Tairaiah follows Estevan again.

“Phew…you almost caused an uproar there, Tairaiah. It’s a good thing it de-escalated.” Passing through the main hub, they walk through another, smaller section of the shelter with a kitchen area filled with electric and propane-powered stoves and several fridges. Another section was a bathroom area with shower tents. Then, for recreational purposes, they even have a small leisure area with round tables for sitting. It includes books, board games, and even a single TV shared by everyone for entertainment purposes.

“Pretty nifty, huh? It may be small, but this is actually one of the nicer shelters out there. The other human shelters I’ve been to would be lucky to have access to electricity. Things we once took for granted are now as precious to us as breathing. We can’t afford to waste a single thing. And that’s where people like me come in. Aside from scouting for survivors, I also look for any materials and goods that are still usable. Of course, I can’t just pick up any random, usable thing I find. Depending on the area, some could be highly radioactive from the nuclear fallout. As aberrants, we’re pretty much immune to the effects of radiation.” This was the first time Tairaiah was even aware that the Earth’s surface was plagued with radiation from the nuclear fallout. Seeing the surprised look on her face, Estevan had just realized this was the first time he mentioned that to her.

“Oh, crap. I forgot to tell you that all this time, didn’t I?” Estevan then remembered why he didn’t tell Tairaiah. He wanted her to regain her memories on her own.

As for why, he kept it under wraps for now since it’d be a long story.

“Look…I’ll explain everything tomorrow. We should get some sleep. Luckily, we’re approaching my humble abode.” Changing the subject for now, they reach their destination. “Tada!” Estevan points at a large bivouac used by the military as a temporary base of operation. “You should recognize what this is. I fashioned this bivouac as my personal tent. Call it a perk of being a scout for the survivors here.” Walking into the bivouac’s opening, Estevan had everything he needed here, from a small kitchen burner and a kitchen island with storage boxes, a small round table with three folding chairs, a couch, two beds, and even a curtained shower in the far corner.

“Make yourself at home, Tairaiah. You can use the bed on the left to rest on.” Getting a chance to relax, Estevan sees his own reflection in the floor mirror next to the bivouac’s entrance. “Shit…I didn’t realize just how dirty we are until I got a good look at myself. Heh. I guess I’ll take a shower first. You go on and rest, Tairaiah. I’ll ask around for some clothes in your size when I finish. That way, you can take your shower and change into some fresh duds, alright?” Considering the day they had, Tairaiah was more than grateful for the chance to rest and wash up.

*Nod*

“Good. I won’t take long.” Heading to the shower area in his bivouac, Tairaiah walked toward one of the two beds on the right. She sits on the bed to the left, letting out a sigh as she gathers her thoughts by lying down shortly after.

“…” Resting her head on a pillow, a sudden wave of mental fatigue hits Tairaiah all at once. It’s not like she was physically tired, but the oversaturation of new things filling her mind, along with flashes of her memories coming back, forced her to feel sleepy. Lying on the bed didn’t help things. The ambient sound of rushing water from Estevan showering was the final nail in the coffin. Her eyelids shut, causing her to fall asleep seconds later.

[Roughly over a century ago…

“Mommy! Look, I’m doing it!” The scene before her looked like a picturesque morning. Bright, warm sunshine, crisp, fresh air, clear blue skies. It’s what many would call a perfect day.

“I see it, Ashton. I’m right next to you, silly.” Before her time in the military, Tairaiah was a mother and nurse. Her husband worked for the military, serving time overseas. Looking after their nine-year-old son, Ashton, Tairaiah was jogging beside him while Ashton was attempting his first bicycle ride without training wheels. Her bright blonde hair and blue eyes were bright with color, reflecting her happier times.

“This is harder than I thought.”

“It’s okay, sweetie. Mommy’s here to catch you if you fall off. Just take it nice and easy.” They lived in a gated, suburban neighborhood. It was a time of relative peace before war broke out. Tensions were rising, but were controlled for the most part.

“Okay. I think I’m getting used to it! Mom, are you seeing this?!”

“Yes, sweetie. I’m right here. I’m so proud of you!” Tairaiah had her phone ready, recording a milestone in Ashton’s life to send to her husband later. From the outside perspective, they were as happy as could be.

____________________

“Excuse me…I know my husband’s busy with work lately, but he hasn’t been answering his calls…” One night, while on her break at a hospital where she works, she got news of her husband that changed her and their son’s lives forever.

“Mrs. Tairaiah Liams, right? I’m sorry to inform you that your husband, Preston Liams, was KIA’d. He died serving his country dutifully. So don’t worry about your family’s care plan. We’ll send a death gratuity check shortly. You’ll also keep your survivors and healthcare benefits. Goodbye.” Hanging up, Tairaiah was at a complete loss for words. The last thing she expected during her break was that her husband was dead.

“…Wah…” Struggling to come to terms with it, Tairaiah bursts into tears, crying loudly before passing out from shock. Suffice to say, she was discharged from work after and given mandatory time off to grieve.

A few days after the military gave her the news, Tairaiah was in her living room, huddled in the corner and hugging the throw pillows with all her might.

Coming back home from school, Ashton had walked in on Tairaiah while she was still grieving. Naturally, Ashton also fell into tears when Tairaiah broke the news of his father’s death.

However, Ashton remembers the man-to-man talk he had with Preston before he went overseas. Preston emphasized that while he’s gone, Ashton would be the ‘Man’ of the house. Taking their talk to heart, Ashton steeled his nerves, hiding his pain as much as he could to help his mother get over their mutual loss.

“Mom…have you been here since I left?” Tairaiah peeks from the throw pillow before burying her face back into it. “Did you eat at all? You need to eat, Mom…” Depression hit Tairaiah hard. Due to the benefits she received from the military, she didn’t have to worry about income for quite a while. So she took an undisclosed amount of time off until she felt ready to go back to work.

“Mom…please, you need to eat.” Nudging Tairaiah’s shoulders, she let go of the pillow before pulling her son into her arms.

“Oh, Ashton! I-I’m so sorry! Mommy’s…been a disappointment for the past few days…hasn’t she?” Pouring her sorrows onto her son, Ashton was on the verge of tears himself. He is still a kid, after all. Yet, for his age, he acted incredibly maturely, honoring his vow with his father to look after his mom. Ashton then gently pats his mother on the back, reassuring Tairaiah wasn’t alone, both in their sorrow and in life.

“I-it’s okay m-m-mom! I’m here for you! I-I’ll…take care of you…in dad’s place…” Ashton choked on his words, but they instilled Tairaiah with the confidence she needed to move on. And, thanks to his persistence, she eventually moved past her grief, returning to work a month and a half after Preston’s funeral, which took place two weeks after the military had called her.

____________________

Four years later…

“Mom, I’m heading off to school now. Do you need me to pick anything up before I go home later?” Given time, Tairaiah recovered from her depression. Ashton honored his promise with his father, Preston, to look after his mom as the ‘man’ of the house. He feels more confident in his role with age now that he’s a high schooler.

“Yeah. I have a small grocery list’s worth of stuff, actually.” Tairaiah, busy as ever, is working as a nurse at a government-owned VA hospital, where the constant need for workers and flow of patients is forcing Tairaiah to work overtime nearly every day.

“Hmm? These are all ingredients. Does that mean you’ll have time to cook?”

“Yeah. Apparently, the number of patients today is expected to be manageable, so I’m likely to get home in time for once.” Busy with work as she was, Ashton rarely got home-cooked meals. This would be the first time in two months.

“YES! Man, your cooking’s always the best, Mom! I can’t wait!”

“Hehe…geez. You’re just like your father. He always made such a big deal out of it whenever I cooked dinner.”

“Well, duh! It’s like a rare treat at this point. Oh, man, I don’t think I’ll be able to focus on school today, I’m that excited!”

“Now now, young man. That won’t do. I know you’re doing well on your grades, but you can’t slack off, alright? You can’t be the ‘ideal’ man if your grades suffer.” Scolding Ashton appropriately, he chuckled nervously before nodding in agreement.

“I know, Mom. Don’t worry. I’ll study hard so you don’t have to work as hard.”

“I’m glad you’re motivated. But don’t just do it for my sake. Do it for yourself.” Tairaiah pats Ashton on the head before pulling him to kiss him on the forehead. “Text me as soon as you’re out of school, okay?”

“Okay. See ya, Mom!” Rather than taking the bus, Ashton would take his bike to school. It is less than three miles away, so the trip was more than doable. Tairaiah held her head high and felt motivated after seeing her son so excited for a home-cooked meal.

Then, as she neared the end of her shift…

“Tairaiah! I know we said we’d let you go home early. But we need you to stay for another hour.”

“What? Why?!” A sudden influx of patients forced Tairiah to stay an extra hour. And among the patients wheeled in…

“Aaahh…” Staring in utter disbelief, Tairaiah couldn’t believe her eyes as her son, Ashton, was brought into the emergency room with life-threatening injuries. She had checked her phone prior and saw his text message. He was fine and told her he had bought the groceries. Rushing toward one of the emergency responders who brought him to the hospital, Tairaiah shook the man by his shoulders for answers.

“Wh-WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON?!?!?! WHY IS HE HERE?!?!?!”

“Ack! W-wait! Are you that young man’s son?”

“YES! I’M TAIRAIAH LIAMS! WHY IS MY BOY HERE?!”

“AH! Okay! Listen, we responded to a nine-one-one call regarding a hit-and-run! Your son, Ashton, was hit pretty hard.”

“WHAT?! N-NO! NONONONONONONONONONO!!!” Realizing she could very well lose her son next, Tairaiah screamed in anguish, crying and begging to help in the life-saving procedure in any way she could. Naturally, due to her clear mental instability, they couldn’t allow it. Instead, they insisted she go home.

“NO! I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE! I’M HIS MOTHER! AND I WILL STAY HERE UNTIL I KNOW HE’S STABLE!” For the next ten hours, Tairaiah paced back and forth outside the operating room, peeking through the window. The hit-and-run broke his arms and legs. The right, in particular, was a compound ankle break. Ashton’s saving grace was the fact that he was wearing a helmet. If it weren’t for that, he would’ve been dead by the time the EMTs showed up.

“My poor baby. It’s my fault…myfault…myfaultmyfaultmyfaultMYFAULTMYFAUL!!!” All Tairaiah could do was watch, praying for Ashton’s recovery while blaming herself for what happened. In her mind, Ashton wouldn’t have gotten into that incident if he had headed straight home from school, rather than going out to buy groceries afterward.

Tairaiah prayed and prayed some more until mental and physical exhaustion took its toll before passing out, slumped against the wall. The operation finished a few hours later, giving Tairaiah some time to sleep before one of the surgeons finally noticed her.

“Ah, Mrs. Tairaiah, wake up.” Shaking her shoulders, Tairaiah opens her eyes. Raw from crying, she jolts up, realizing she had passed out.

“M-my son! Is my son-” Calming her down, the surgeon shakes her shoulders.

“Mrs. Tairaiah. I need you to listen VERY carefully…” Turning to face the window, Ashton’s vitals were steady based on the life support monitor he was hooked to. Seeing that alone put some of her tension away, calming her down just enough to listen to the surgeon.

“Okay…my son. Is…he’s stable, right?”

“Yes. Ashton’s vitals are stable. We were able to successfully reattach his broken bones. But…that’s not the issue I want to discuss.” The implications left a pit in Tairaiah’s stomach as the surgeon continued. “His external injuries are fixed now. But…he suffered a major concussion. The helmet he was wearing saved his head from external damage, but the major whiplash jostled his brain severely. Right now, he’s in a comatose state…”

“Aahh…n-no…” Feeling weak on her knees, Tairaiah nearly collapsed. The surgeon kept her upright by holding onto her shoulder.

“To be honest, I don’t know if he’ll recover from said coma. His brain swelled significantly. It could be months, probably years, before he regains consciousness. If even. I’m sorry.” Tairaiah couldn’t even form a response to that. Utterly struck with grief, the only relief she has is the fact that Ashton is still alive.

Forced to go back home after, Tairaiah spent the rest of her day crying and blaming herself before falling asleep.

Since the incident, Tairaiah continued her work at the hospital, visiting Ashton whenever she could. More often than not, she’d spend the whole night in his room, praying for him to wake up. On the days when she does go home, Tairaiah feels nothing but regret. Coming home to an empty house was just a reminder of her dead husband, Preston. And leaving Ashton by himself ate away at her.

Regardless, to pay for the life support and hospital bills keeping him alive, Tairaiah worked diligently at the hospital, taking overtime work whenever it presented itself. Days, weeks, and months pass. Then, before she knew it, a whole year had passed since the accident. Ashton showed no signs of waking anytime soon.

____________________

“What? Who’s calling for me?” During her day off, while visiting Ashton, one of the other nurses informs Tairaiah that a man in a decorated military uniform came looking for her. Claiming to be Preston’s colleague, Tairaiah decides to heed the call. She meets the colleague in an empty patient’s room.

“Hello, Tairaiah. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sergeant Major Yelv.” Just as the nurse described, the man was well-decorated with multiple medals pinned on his uniform. The patch on his uniform was that of a sergeant major, the highest rank one can attain in the military. He offers his right hand, shaking Tairaiah’s in turn.

“Oh. H-hello. When I heard a well-decorated military man call for me, I didn’t think it’d be someone of your rank.”

“Hahaha! Oh, please. You don’t need to be so formal, ma’am. When Preston, rest his soul, was still with us, he and I were sergeants. He always yapped on and on about his wonderful wife waiting for him back home. Seeing you in person, I can see why.” Based on his laid-back manner, he didn’t act the way she expected from someone in his position. It made her feel at ease, knowing she didn’t have to be so formal around him. Especially considering he’s a friend of her late husband.

“A-ahaha. Thank you. That’s nice of you to say.” Tairaiah chuckles, brushing the compliment off as a tease. “So…um…Yelv. What can I do for you?” They both take a seat with Tairaiah facing Yelv across a small rolling table.

“Hah. Well…it’s rather complicated. But, to keep things short…” Explaining why he came to see her, Tairaiah’s eyes widened in shock. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing before she abruptly stood up from her chair.

“What?! Are you asking me to join the military as an on-site nurse? B-but I can’t!”

“Why not? Of the nurses here, I hear you’re one of the more diligent and experienced ones. We could really use your skills out there.” Despite Tairaiah’s clear refusal, Yelv didn’t back down. He pushed further, pleading to Tairaiah that her help is needed.

“I-I said no! I’m sorry, Yelv, but I can’t! My son…he needs me…” Tairaiah had already lost her husband, Preston, when she wasn’t there. In her mind, she can’t do the same thing to her son, Ashton.

“Oh…you mean Ashton, right?” Suddenly, Yelv’s voice took a tonal shift. What was once a soft, friendly voice turns to one of authority. One he uses when commanding others. “Don’t you mean the life support is what he needs?”

“H-huh?” Tairaiah looked into Yelv’s eyes. There wasn’t a shred of empathy beneath his green eyes.

“Need I remind you that you work for us? This is a VA hospital. Meaning this is government-owned property. You only got this job due to Preston’s position in the military. Don’t you think it’s your civil duty to carry on his legacy?” Tairaiah could hardly believe what was happening. Telv was guilt-tripped into agreeing to serve.

“A-are you threatening me?”

“Threatening? No. That’d imply you had a choice in the matter. It’s either serve your time in the military or be arrested for treason. And, naturally, if you get arrested, you won’t have a way to pay for your son’s life support. There’s also the matter of him taking up space in the hospital that could be used to save someone’s life.” Given an ultimatum, Yelv gave Tairaiah no room to argue. “A third world war is about to begin, Tairaiah. Frankly…we’re already stretching our forces thin. We need an on-site nurse to help our soldiers as soon as possible. I can promise you that if you do agree, not only will your son’s treatment continue, we’ll see to it that he gets the best medical care possible. And first priority if something were to happen to him.”

“The BEST care?”

“The best…” Staring into Yelv’s eyes, Tairaiah saw no deception beneath them, despite his lack of tact.

“Fine. But, I have one condition…” Yelv narrows his eyes. “I want you guys to send videos of my son every day. I need to know he’s still alive if I’m going to be out there serving the troops. Otherwise, I’ll be too worried to do my ‘job’ properly…”

“Hmm…” Yelv hummed softly, getting an idea shortly after. “Fine. We can do that. But, we’ll need more from you in that case.”

“Wh-what?!”

“You’d do well to remember that you have no room to complain. You should be grateful I’m humoring your condition at all. Anyway. In addition to your duties as an on-site nurse, we may deploy you to combat zones to fight if needed. Naturally, we’ll train you first before sending you out there. We call it the ‘super soldier’ program. By the time you’re training’s done, you’ll be a soldier leagues above those from other countries.”

“I…you can’t be serious?! I’m willing to treat our soldiers. But you’re asking me to take the lives of others as well?!”

“It’s either that, or you can trust us to keep our word and keep Ashton safe without your daily video feed condition…” Closing her eyes, Tairaiah clenched her fist and gritted her teeth hard.

‘Preston…forgive me…’ Tairaiah apologized to her husband in her mind before nodding. “Fine. I’ll do it…”

“Good. I’m glad you made the right choice…” With their meeting done, Yelv escorted Tairaiah to a nearby military base. There, she signed a mountain of paperwork and contracts, ensuring her enlistment in the military.

Trained rigorously by the military in hand-to-hand and firearms combat, Tairaiah was made to do things she never thought she’d ever do. Harm others. Thankfully, Yelv kept his word and had Ashton taken care of by the best medical staff the military had to offer. Whenever Tairaiah felt like she was going to break, she watched the videos of her son’s progress that they promised to send her daily.

Then, just a few days after enduring intense military training, the whole world was plunged into a third World War. The catalyst that sparked it was scuffles for precious resources like oil, agriculture, and foreign goods. While the governments of multiple countries readied for war with other countries, infighting within their territories from disgruntled civilians roped into a war they never asked for only escalated the matter.

In the end, the US and many other countries split their military forces into three main units.

The first unit, called the ‘Pioneer Platoon’, was in charge of taking the fight to other countries.

The second unit, called the ‘Defender Platoon’, defends the US from invading forces.

Finally, there’s the ‘Suppression Platoon’ that enforces martial law on citizens, detaining foreign invaders that made it to US soil as well as any civilian sympathizers. They also suppress civil unrest through any means necessary.

Tairaiah was placed in the Suppression Platoon.

“Please! I-I have a family!”

“…” Given a fate worse than what she signed up for, Tairaiah detained and gunned down the very people she’s supposed to protect. If any foreign sympathizers harbored illegal immigrants, terrorists, or soldiers, the harbored people and sympathizers would be captured and tortured for intel before being killed.

“I do too. I’m sorry…” If they resisted in any way, Tairaiah and a few other soldiers in her platoon would kill them on the spot. This wasn’t exclusive to the US. Other countries did the same, culling their own citizens if they were suspected of treason, violating the Geneva Convention in its entirety in the process from across the globe.

The repeated slaughter broke her mentally, causing her to block out the anguished screams of the innocent so her son Ashton could live. And this went on for five years until the first nuke since World War II was deployed. It’s unclear who started it, but with the Geneva Convention already thrown wayside, other countries launched their own nukes.

Caking the Earth with ash, dust, radiation, and mass death for all things living, it seemed like Earth would’ve been turned into a radioactive wasteland if it kept up. Just then, whether a blessing or a curse, a coronal mass ejection even more powerful than the Carrington event hits Earth. Blasting through the Earth’s magnetic field, everything that relied on electricity was suddenly rendered inert. With communication systems down, armies from across the globe couldn’t coordinate beyond those within proximity. Most vehicles wouldn’t work. Advanced tech used in combat was reduced to paperweights.

If there’s a silver lining, nukes were also rendered useless as the machines needed to fire them were disabled.

In a way, the coronal mass ejection acted as a hard reset for everyone. No one had time to fight anymore when they could barely support themselves. Leaders from across the globe called for a ceasefire, putting an abrupt end to the war in favor of securing a future for humanity. The nukes before the coronal mass ejection made farming near impossible due to the nuclear winter that followed. Any crops that could be grown in winter weather were still inedible due to radiation leaking into the food supply.

And as all of that occurred, Tairaiah was finally discharged from the military. But it wasn’t because she was no longer needed…

“No! A-Ashton…” Abandoned shortly after the coronal mass ejection, the VA hospital Tairaiah worked in was in shambles. Medical equipment was strewn about. The place was stripped of any medical supplies civilians were desperate for them. Tairaiah didn’t care for any of that. She went straight to the patient room where Ashton was. There, she found her son emaciated and dead. Without electricity, the life support machine that kept him alive stopped working. Tairaiah was already a broken shell of her former self. The only thing that held her together was the hope that her son Ashton could be saved.

“Why…all those years I spent spilling blood…” Ambling toward Ashton’s corpse, she lifts his right hand. Tairaiah felt no weight as his hand was nothing but skin and bone. Her gold eyes shook as the shock of her son’s death hit her all at once.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Grief, sorrow, anger, anguish. All meld together as Tairiah screamed her lungs out, filling the empty hospital walls. She lost two of the most important people in her life while she lived violating everything she stood for, taking the lives of people she had taken an oath as a nurse to save, and robbing them of their loved ones. How could she live with herself now that she lost all reason to stay alive? Does she have the right to when she’s denied so many others? Tairaiah asked herself those questions again and again.

“Dammit…DAMMIT!!!” Pulling out an M17 pistol from her right gun holster, Tairaiah pulled the safety before pressing the barrel of the gun directly on her right temple.

*Bang!*]

“WAAAAHHH!!!”

“Whoa!” Waking up from her dream, screaming, Tairaiah sat right up in her bed. Estevan, who was waiting for her to wake up, was sitting on one of the chairs on his small round table. “That’s the second time you woke up screaming. Are you alright, Tairaiah?” Breathing heavily, Tairaiah’s voice quivered before she spoke for the first time since her ‘death.’

“N-no. I’m not…alright…” Hearing her finally speak, Estevan sat still for almost half a minute.

“E-eh. T-Tairaiah…you’re…talking…”

“Yeah, I am.” Realizing what that meant, Estevan immediately shot up from his chair before sitting on his bed next to the one Tairaiah was sleeping on.

“Th-that means…your memories…did you recover them?” Sweating bullets, Tairaiah frowns, nodding at Estevan.

“Yes. I remember everything. Though…I kind of wish I didn’t…” Instead of bombarding Tairaiah with questions, Estevan sighs before standing up.

“There are a lot of questions I want to ask you. But for now, it’d do you some good to gather your thoughts first. And nothing helps with that like a good shower.” Bringing it up, Tairaiah looked at herself in the standing mirror across from her. Her body was covered in blood from the feral zombies and the fallen aberrant they fought earlier. And that’s on top of the dirt, soot, and open, dirty cuts on her body. She then looks up at Estevan, who then points at the enclosed shower tent behind him.

“There’s the shower over there. I was going to ask you to go after I did, but you already fell asleep by the time I finished. I asked some of the survivors here for any spare clothes your size while I was at it, so they’re in that hamper next to the shower tent. Just pick whatever. When you’re done, I’ll cook us a nice meal so we can eat while I fire away those questions. That sounds good?”

“Heh…yeah. I could definitely use a shower. And now that you mention it…” Bringing up food made Tairaiah’s stomach growl. “Food sounds nice too.”

“Great. I have better ingredients to cook with here.” Happy that he can finally converse with Tairaiah, Estevan got to work cooking while Tairaiah took a shower.

“…” Washing her body thoroughly, she uses a loofa and applies a healthy dollop of body wash, scrubbing her skin clean from a century’s worth of soot, dust, and grim off her body. A part of her was hoping that as she washed her body, she’d see her natural, warm ivory color of her skin. Alas, her skin remained pale gray. Her hair had miraculously kept some shade of blonde from the tips. But most were a bone-white color.

When Tairaiah finished showering, she picked out a comfortable black T-shirt, green shorts, and white sneakers. She then joined Estevan at the small round table where he set a plate of chicken breasts, green beans, and mashed potatoes for them both.

“Heh. Looks good, Estevan. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. So…Tairaiah, tell me. Why did you work for the military? Of course…if you don’t feel comfortable answering…”

“No. It’s okay. You should know about it. After all, you’re part of the military too.” Tairaiah points at the badge on Estevan’s uniform. “Sergeant Estevan…” Tairaiah poked at Estevan a bit for fun before going over everything she remembers.

From who she is to what she did for a living, she left no detail out, filling their bellies as she vented her regrets. Estevan would stop her every so often, but only to ask for clarifications. By the time she finished telling most of what she felt comfortable sharing, they long finished eating as two hours had passed.

“That’s rough. Losing loved ones is never easy. I lost mine when my family got nuked while I was out there fighting.”

“From your uniform, I’m guessing you’re from the Defender Platoon.”

“Yup. To be honest…I got really lucky back then. Between the three Platoons, being assigned to the Defenders was the most moral. It’s easy to praise the defenders for protecting their country and its citizens. You can’t say the same for the ‘Pioneer Platoon.’ Invading other countries for their resources is never the right answer…” Tairaiah chuckled. But not out of amusement, but at herself.

“Those in the Pioneer Platoon were more like invaders than pioneers. But even they’re better than the Suppression Platoon, which I was part of. I can’t recall how many I’ve unfairly killed with these hands. The only thing I know for certain is I’ve killed more innocent civilians than the ‘enemy.'” Tairaiah’s tone softened, self-deprecating about her war crimes. “The super soldier program was only done to make suppression easier…”

“Well, not everyone who was given that serum could take it. But, those whose bodies acclimated, like you and I, gained enhanced strength, speed, flexibility, and regenerative abilities…” Estevan points at his gold eyes.

“The sure sign of someone who’s acclimated to the super soldier serum is that they all have golden eyes. But super soldiers like us can still be killed. And I was glad for it. When I found my son Ashton dead, I lost my reason for living. I had planned to kill myself there and then.”

“And yet…you chose to stay alive. Why?”

“Because…” Tairaiah had planned to kill herself, just like how she remembers back when she was dreaming and recalling her past. She froze once her finger touched the trigger. Why was she hesitating? She said it herself. She lost her reason for living. She did press the trigger.

However, during the time between the trigger pull and the pistol shooting, she recalls a conversation she had with her husband, Preston. It was that recollection that made her pull her head back. With her enhanced reflexes, she narrowly avoided the bullet from her pistol.

“I remembered what my husband told me while he was still alive overseas. I asked why he kept fighting when he could just come home to Ashton and me. He didn’t need to risk his life when he had a loving wife and son waiting for him. My husband, Preston, replied, saying that it’s because he has a loving family that he fights. Not everyone’s as lucky as he is, so he wanted to protect others so they could get a shot at happiness.” Smiling, Tairaiah fondly remembers Preston’s voice in her mind as he proudly tells her his reasoning. “Remembering that…I couldn’t bring myself to kill myself. I knew if I did, my husband would be struck with grief. I’m sure Ashton would’ve too, given how much he took after his father.”

“Then…what did you do after that?”

“I gave my son a proper burial. After that, I made up my mind. I’d use my abilities as a super soldier to help others. Whether they’re citizens of the US or foreigners left over from the war, I wanted to help them in any way I could. I’d been doing it for a few months when, one day, I was rescuing a family from a collapsing multi-story apartment complex. I swept the building one last time after I got the last people out before it collapsed on top of me. After that…nothing.”

“That’s probably when you died.”

“About that. How am I still alive? And for that matter, how are you? Why’s our skin pale grey? And…did a whole century really pass since then?” Tairaiah had several valid questions, all of which Estevan could finally reveal now that Tairaiah had regained her memory.

“Right. So, you know how the world was bathed in radiation from the nuclear fallout and the coronal mass ejection? Normally, being exposed to radiation like that would undoubtedly kill normal people with cancer. But those in the army who were given the super soldier serum react differently to it. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause, given the lack of working medical instruments to check, but the radiation likely enhanced the effects of the serum. But its effects are delayed since only in the past three years have super soldiers like us started awakening.”

“Th-that’s…”

“I know…it’s incredibly far-fetched. But it’s the only plausible explanation since it’s only military personnel given the super soldier serum who revived. We’re referred to as aberrants.” That explained how she was alive, but Tairaiah then had another question.

“Wait…then what about the feral zombies? From their clothes, they don’t look like they’re part of the army. Yet they’re zombies like us…” Estevan grunted, taking a deep breath before looking at the entrance to his bivouac.

“Those feral zombies are a result of a fallen aberrant. You see, when we’re revived due to the radiation reacting to the super soldier serum, we all revive with no memories. At some point, whether due to time or a trigger, we eventually regain our memories. And it’s that moment that’s pivotal. You either regain your sanity and become an aberrant, or you go insane from the reality of what you’ve become, turning into a fallen aberrant. You can tell the difference between an aberrant that hasn’t recovered their memories from their eyes.”

“Ah! So…the reason why I didn’t have pupils at the time was…”:

“Yeah. It’s a sign that you still haven’t regained your memories. When an aberrant does regain their memories and remain sane, their pupils reappear. And…if you remember what Darius, the fallen aberrant we fought earlier, not only were his pupils still missing, his sclera was a dull gray color.”

“So…that means being near or being attacked by a fallen aberrant causes humans to turn into feral zombies, right? That’s why the survivors here initially panicked when they saw me, since they didn’t know if I was a fallen or not.” Putting two and two together, Tairaiah made an educated guess.

However, Estevan shook his head, confusing Tairaiah.

“Not exactly. You’re right about the cause, but it’s not just the fallen that can infect humans. Technically, you and I could also turn the humans in this shelter into feral zombies.” With that morbid revelation, Tairaiah stood from her chair in a panic.

“W-wait! Then why are we here?! Aren’t we endangering the surviving humans here?!” Estevan understood Tairaiah’s reaction and waved his hands down in a gesture to calm her down.

“Relax. If that were the case, they wouldn’t have let you in here, let alone me. The process of turning a human into a feral zombie can only happen via liquid secretions. So, for example, if we bite a human and our saliva gets into their wounds. That would turn them into a feral zombie. Our blood spilling into an open wound on a human can also trigger the infection. It isn’t airborne, so it’s safe to be around them.”

“Oh…I see…” Tairaiah let out a deep sigh of relief, knowing she couldn’t infect others just by being around them.

“In any case…I’m glad you got your memories back. I’m sure you want some time to yourself, so I’ll leave you alone to gather your thoughts for a bit.” Getting up from his seat, Estevan was about to leave when Tairaiah called out to him.

“Wait. Before you leave, Estevan…” Now that she remembers everything, Tairaiah struggles to find a reason to stay alive again. She made up her mind before she lost her memories to stay alive out of respect for her husband’s duty. It was also her hopeless way of redemption after all the war crimes she committed. But now, even after she thought she had died, she lived. Does she even have a right to stay alive at this point? Especially knowing she’s a vector that can turn humans into feral zombies.

“What’s motivating you to stay alive, Estevan? As aberrants, we’re carriers of a disease that could harm innocents. Wouldn’t it be better if we just die?” Turning around to face her, Estevan shook his head before smiling.

“It’s true. We’re definitely a risk for them. But at the same time, our bodies are immune to radiation. We can go out there without the fear of developing cancer. We don’t exhaust nearly as easily. We technically don’t need to eat either. And it’s because of those traits that we can effectively rescue people who’re still out there. We can help human survivors find underground shelters just like this one. For me, that’s more than enough reason to stay alive. Also, there’s likely more aberrants with amnesia still out there. If we can turn them into allies when they regain their sanity, then that’ll help bolster our forces. If they go insane and turn into fallen aberrant or we find one, we’re the only ones capable of ending their suffering.” Estevan saw the internal struggle in Tairaiah’s head written all over her face.

“Ultimately, it’s up to you what you want to do, Tairaiah. Whether you want to keep on living and help others to right the wrongs you know you’ll never truly fix completely, or end your suffering and join Preston and Ashton in the afterlife. Regardless of your choice, no one here would blame you for it.” With those parting words, Estevan left, giving Tairaiah time to think for herself.

“Whether to help…or end it all, huh?” Taking a deep breath, Tairaiah lies back on her bed, spending the rest of the night contemplating her options.

The next morning, Estevan told everyone in the shelter about Tairaiah, putting their minds at ease now that they knew she wouldn’t attack them.

“Kirk, are you sure you heard it right?”

“Yeah. We received radio confirmation from another shelter that their scouts haven’t returned in three days. They’re requesting any shelters nearby for help.”

“Gotcha. I’ll head out in a bit then. I just gotta-” Overhearing Estevan and Kirk’s conversation, Tairaiah greets the two at the main hub with a smile on her face.

“Hey…do you mind if I join you, Estevan?” Admittedly surprised, Estevan knew what Tairaiah decided on just from one look.

“Oh yeah? Sure. I’ll feel way better knowing you’ll have my back. But you’re not going out there like that.”

“Heh. True. I don’t feel the cold out there as much, but I doubt my ensembles fit for our little excursion.” Kirk was surprised to see Tairaiah making jokes, considering just yesterday, she was quiet. Once they got geared up, Mio spots Tairaiah again, walking up to her with a bright smile.

“Hello, pretty lady!” Chuckling softly, Tairaiah smiled back at Mio.

“Hello, Mio. Thanks for your warm welcome yesterday.” Mio’s eyes widened with glee when Tairaiah talked, making her blush shortly after from Tairaiah’s sincere thanks.

“You’re welcome! Are you leaving, miss?”

“Yes. But we’ll be back. Until then, make sure to listen to your mother, okay?” Seeing Rene peek out of her tent, Tairaiah flashes her a smile.

“I will.” Leaving the shelter, Estevan and Tairaiah left with two hiking bags filled with rations and warm clothes. Just before approaching the manhole, Estevan pats Tairaiah on her right shoulder.

“So…this is your answer, huh?”

“Yeah. I still find it hard to believe a whole century has passed since we died. I’m amazed you still have the drive to keep on living for the sake of others after all this time. But you know…I understand why you do it. And…knowing that, I can’t leave you to do it alone. It’s thanks to you that I regained my memories. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if I turned into a fallen aberrant. Hopefully, when we find others just like us, we can help them. Just the way you helped me. I am a nurse, after all.” Tairaiah smiled warmly at Estevan, confident she still had a purpose in her life.

Tairaiah can always end her life whenever she wants to. But there’s no going back once she does. So until that day comes, she’ll do whatever she can to help those in need.

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