It was 5 a.m. - this was everyone's assumption.
By the time we all gathered our things. The air was cool, and the strange light outside had faded into a dull haze.
My body ached from sleeping against the wall, and for a moment, I wasn't sure if I'd dreamt the argument between Zichen and Yize or if it had truly happened. But the silence in the room was different now—emptier.
Biahe sat cross-legged, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
Tianyi was awake too, her gaze distant, lips pressed into a thin line. No one spoke.
Yize was gone.
Zichen stood near the window, arms crossed, jaw tight. He didn't say a word, but the tension in his shoulders conveyed a great deal. Tianyi glanced at him, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she didn't ask. None of us did.
We already knew.
"He left," Steve said flatly, confirming what we all suspected. "Probably sometime after midnight."
I felt a pang of guilt. I should've gone out. Should've said something. But I hadn't. And now Yize was gone.
"We need to move," Tianyi said, her voice steady. "Let's go back to the rest of our younger group, who are still waiting."
Zichen didn't respond. He simply turned, grabbed his pack, and walked toward the door.
We followed.
No one mentioned Yize. Not yet.
Our footsteps pressed softly against the dry ground.
Even young Tianyi, who normally broke the silence with plans or reassurances, remained quiet. Her stride was steady.
Zichen walked ahead, his pack bouncing slightly with each step. Steve kept to the rear, eyes scanning the horizon, always alert.
Biahe stayed close to me, her fingers occasionally brushing mine—not out of fear, but as if to confirm we were still here, still together.
The woman with the infant adjusted the sling across her chest, whispering soothing words to the child who whimpered softly.
Just beyond the back edge of the shelter, two figures emerged—men, lean and dust-covered, their movements cautious but purposeful.
"Hold," Steve said, rising to his feet, ready to attack.
The taller of the two raised his hands. "It's us, Steve. Mateo and Ray."
Four young girls and two boys trudged along, their small feet kicking up puffs of dirt. They had learned quickly that silence was safer.
One of the young boys began unpacking their supplies. He laid out a canvas sheet and carefully arranged the contents: vacuum-sealed packets of dried meat, bags of rice, canned beans, powdered milk, and a few precious tins of fruit.
There were also water purification tablets, a compact stove, and a solar-powered kettle. He handed each woman a ration, making sure the other children received extra portions.
I kept glancing over my shoulder, half-expecting Yize to appear from behind and the killing machines that were once humans. But nothing happened.
"Is everyone ready to go?" Steve asked.
The children nodded and walked in pairs, some holding hands, others clutching their packs like lifelines. And the woman with the infant had tied a cloth around her head to shield herself, probably from the invisible sun.
"We've got enough for three days if we stretch it," Mateo, who was the tallest of them, murmured to the eldest woman, who seemed to have taken on a leadership role among the others. She nodded, her eyes scanning the supplies.
Ray, a wiry man with a tattoo running down his right shoulder, gave a tired grin. "I should go run a check on the road we will be taking." He carried a heavy pack, which he dropped with a grunt. "Got what I could."
He stepped forward and opened a satchel. Inside were precious additions: a bundle of dried plantains, a few sealed water pouches, and—most importantly—a compact radio. "Still works," he said, handing it to Steve. "We can check for signals later."
Mateo now crouched beside the children, pulling out a small pouch of hard candies. "For the brave ones," he said, handing them out with a wink. Laughter rippled through the group, a brief but welcome relief.
Steve inspected the radio, then looked up.
"You should go ahead and check on the road. We will be waiting here for you to get back."
Ray nodded, securing his pack over one shoulder and adjusting the strap across his chest.
"I'll be back before the hues change," he said, casting a glance at the sky, which was beginning to shift.
Mateo and Steve watched him go.
Mateo turned back to the women, his voice low. "You should rest and eat while we can. It is kinda far once we start to walk, once Ray returns."
Biahe leaned against me, her head resting lightly on my shoulder. "Do you think he'll come back?" she whispered.
I didn't answer. It's either I know or I didn't know.
The children settled into small clusters, some curling up beside their siblings, others sitting cross-legged, chewing slowly on their rations.
Zichen remained standing, his back to the group, eyes fixed on the horizon. His silence was heavier now, almost suffocating. I wondered if he was thinking about Yize—if the argument had been worse than we'd realized. If he regretted it.
Tianyi moved beside us, her fingers brushing the edges of her shirt. "We'll be careful today," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "Today is dangerous." She then walked towards Zichen.
She didn't speak, just stood beside him, her arms folded. After a moment, he glanced at her.
"He shouldn't have gone alone," Zichen said finally, his voice low and rough.
Tianyi nodded. "But he did."
Mateo and the children began organizing the supplies, repacking what had been opened, and checking the seals on the water pouches. "We'll need to move fast once Ray returns," he said. "If the road's clear, we head east. If not…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
The eldest woman approached Steve. "We should mark this place," she said. "In case others come. In case we come back."
Steve considered this, then nodded. "Good idea."
The eldest woman took a piece of cloth from her pack, tore it into strips, and tied one to a nearby post. She used charcoal from the remains of the wood used last night to draw a symbol—a simple symbol, a square with an 'X' mark inside.
"We haven't introduced ourselves yet. That's Daisy, the one with the infant. Not the actual mother. The younger woman is Tracey. And I am Jane."