The golden light of the setting sun cast a brilliant glow over the jagged peaks of the Donwal Mountains, silhouetted against the evening sky.
The sound of birds chirping soothed Lemo's nerves as he gazed out the wide window of the RV—once a yellow school bus with forty-five seats, now converted into a cozy mobile home. From where he sat, he could clearly see the paved road winding along the western foothills.
"Your friends are coming from that direction?" asked Jonathan, snapping Lemo out of his daydream.
Sophia's father had once served in the military, and as fate would have it, he had played a round of charity golf with Lemo some years ago. That coincidence had been enough for Sophia and Jonathan to trust him—and lend him their ATV to get him safely back to their well-hidden RV nestled deep in the woods.
"Yeah. It'll take them a while to get here," Lemo replied, shifting carefully due to the tension in his freshly stitched wound—courtesy of Dr. Sophia's steady hands.
"You built all this yourself?" he asked, casting a glance around the RV's simple yet charming living room, decorated with light-toned wood.
"Pretty much. Sophia and I did about 90% of the work ourselves. Wiring, plumbing, painting… you name it. We only hired someone for the engine work."
Lemo was visibly impressed. The young couple had turned this twenty-meter bus into a fully functioning home—kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom—everything. A true rolling home.
"Impressive. You must've saved a fortune on hotel bills," Lemo chuckled, though he quickly regretted it as it tugged on his wound.
"Haha, yeah, something like that. We parked wherever we liked. One day a mountain, the next a lake… We planned to live on the road for a month. But then the zombie outbreak happened. And just our luck—the internet went down, too."
"No surprise there. The Interstellar Council probably shut down all dimensional gateways on this planet."
"Sounds about right. Sophia said you knew her dad?"
"We golfed once. He's a good man."
"I thought so too. Just two weeks ago, Sophia took me to meet her parents for dinner. Her mom made pasta, and I swear it was the best I've ever had." Jonathan paused, eyes glinting with emotion as he wiped away a tear. Then he forced a smile and continued.
"Colonel Romeo—her dad—he was so kind. Didn't mind that I was younger than his daughter, and even supported our month-long trip."
"How is he now?" Lemo asked, though he could guess the answer. He just wanted the kid to talk it out.
"Probably a zombie… like everyone else I knew. They shouldn't have gone to that damn refuge center. Seems like the people who didn't go ended up surviving."
"True. Same with the Amuun," Lemo added with a dry cough.
"Oh—right, you'll probably need this." Jonathan handed Lemo a plastic bottle of anti-cancer medication.
"Sophia said you won't last long without radiation therapy. I didn't really want to believe her, but she is an expert. Still… it's up to you, Lemo. How long do you think you have?"
"I don't know. Never really thought about it… aghh," Lemo winced.
"Can you promise me something, Jonathan? Don't tell my friends about the cancer."
Jonathan frowned, sensing the weight behind Lemo's words.
"Why not? They deserve to know."
"I just… don't want them to worry." His eyes darkened with quiet sadness.
"I can promise. But I can't speak for Sophia—she's a doctor, and she likes talking to the patient's family," Jonathan said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.
"Get some rest. You've got enough on your plate already. I'll wake you when they arrive."
"Thanks, Jonathan." Lemo lay back on the couch, pulling a blanket over himself. The pain meds and wound salve worked their magic, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.