"You must pump the lever until water starts coming out," a voice said from within the post office.
It caught Maria by surprise, eliciting a scream from her.
Cassian didn't hear the voice from across the street; all he heard was Maria's scream and her running in his direction. Confused about what had happened, Cassian raised one hand towards her while his other gripped the knife's handle.
"Stay right there!" Cassian yelled at the young girl.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Help me!"
"With what? What happened?"
Cassian could clearly hear the panic in Maria's voice as she tried to explain.
"Someone... there's someone there."
"Where?"
Just as Maria was about to point her finger at the post office, its doors opened and a man walked out.
"I mean no harm. I'm so sorry for scaring you; it was not my intention."
When Cassian saw the man, he understood the reason for Maria's scream and started moving towards her.
"Start speaking," Cassian told the man, while Maria moved next to him, now standing shoulder to shoulder.
The man understood Cassian's intentions and immediately began introducing himself.
"My name is Jonathan Miller. I was on my way home when a bright flash of light enveloped my car. A moment later, I found myself in this old town and have been wandering around for close to an hour."
"Why were you hiding in there?" Maria asked, while Cassian remained silent.
"I was looking around when I heard voices. Since I didn't know what to expect, I decided to hide and wait to see."
"See what exactly?" Maria continued to question Jonathan.
"I don't know. It's just... this town feels off. Are we dead?"
This time, it was Cassian who answered Jonathan's question, his hand still gripping the knife's handle.
"I don't think so. Say, how long were you in there?"
"I don't know... five, ten minutes."
Cassian remained quiet for a couple of minutes, thinking about the current situation while Maria kept firing questions.
"How did you last that long in there with that stench?"
"It's not that bad, is it? I just covered my face. Anyway, what is that black liquid?"
"Not that bad, huh?" Cassian thought.
"Did you look at it?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Did you feel anything while looking at it?"
"What do you mean, 'if I felt anything'? Should I feel something when looking at it?"
Cassian could both see the panic in Jonathan's eyes and hear it in his voice. Still, he felt like trusting anyone other than himself would be a mistake.
"Hey, mister, can I ask you a question?" Maria said.
Both men turned to Maria, waiting for her question, when her attention was drawn elsewhere.
"Is that…"
Cassian and Jonathan turned to where Maria was looking and saw human silhouettes far in the distance, moving towards them.
Jonathan was about to go towards them but was stopped by Cassian.
"Don't. Not yet. Consider our circumstance and where we are."
Jonathan didn't agree, nor did he understand why Cassian was so suspicious. He had no plans on following a stranger's orders. As far as he knew, Cassian was the only dangerous person here, as evidenced by the knife tucked in his pants.
Ignoring Cassian, he turned to Maria, asking her to join him, as he felt that leaving the young girl with Cassian was dangerous. But to his surprise, the young girl completely ignored him.
Annoyed, Jonathan started moving towards the group in the distance while Cassian and Maria stood there watching him.
"So, what's the plan?" Maria asked, her eyes locked on Jonathan.
"If anything happens, we run."
"Run where?"
"Anywhere, as long as we get out of sight."
When Jonathan made contact with the group, they seemed to be discussing something for a moment before continuing towards the two, with Jonathan leading the way.
It didn't take long for the group to reach them. As Cassian was about to tell them to stop, the group did so on their own accord. Two people stepped forward—a man and a woman.
The woman was the first to speak.
"I know and understand your caution, but I assure you, we pose no danger to either of you. We've been trapped here for quite some time, and I promise that we have a higher chance of survival if we work together."
Cassian looked at Maria, waiting for her opinion, but all she gave him was a shrug. She then started moving towards the group, with Cassian following closely behind.
When the duo reached the group, Jonathan stepped forward, criticizing Cassian's suspicious nature.
Unexpectedly, it was the woman who had stepped forward and spoken to them that praised Cassian's careful attitude.
"Being cautious is the smartest thing you can be in this place. Don't trust anything or anyone. The longer you spend here, the more you'll understand what I mean."
"So, what is this place, and who are you?" Cassian didn't waste a single second in trying to gather information.
"I'm Nadia. This is George, Sam, and Myron. You are?"
"I'm Maria, and this is Cassian. You mind telling us what this place is now?"
Nadia nodded at Maria, giving her a gentle smile.
"I don't hold all the answers you seek, but I'll do my best to answer any questions you have. But first, we need to find shelter, as we're running out of time."
"What do you mean, we're running out of time?" Maria asked.
This time, it was the man named George who answered.
"The town will soon come back to life, and its residents don't take kindly to outsiders. Have you seen the black substance that's all over the town?"
"Yes," Cassian answered.
"We need a place clear of it to spend the night, because that's where they'll rise from."
"I knew it," Cassian thought.
"I found a house that's clear of it."
"Are you certain?" Nadia asked.
"I thoroughly checked every inch of the place. I'm certain."
"Good. Lead us there."
Just as Cassian began moving, with the group following him, they heard something that made them stop and turn around.
It was music—a piano, to be exact. And of all the places Cassian had been, the only place he had seen a piano was in the saloon.