Daniel awoke not to the sound of birds, but to the sensation of being trapped in a very warm, very soft, and very fragrant vise.
Mia's head was pillowed on his chest, her soft breaths puffing against his neck. Sophia had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder, her tablet still glowing faintly against the sheets. Kafka was draped across his legs like a protective, muscular leopard.
"I need... to pee," Daniel croaked.
The movement caused a chain reaction. Within seconds, three pairs of eyes—varying from sleepy to instantly alert—were locked on him.
"You're awake," Sophia noted, checking her tablet. "It's 10:00 AM. We've been safe for twelve hours. A record for this district."
"And I'm starving," Kafka said, sitting up and stretching. The movement caused her sports bra to strain, a fact Daniel tried very hard to ignore through his haze of fatigue. "The pantry is empty. If we don't move soon, we'll be too weak to defend this place."
Daniel tried to roll back into the abyss of the pillows. "Can't we just... order pizza?"
"Daniel, the delivery drivers are either purple-veined monsters or piles of ash," Mia said gently, though she didn't move her hand from where it was resting on his stomach. "We have to go to the supermarket three blocks away. It's a suicide mission for anyone else, but with you..."
"No," Daniel muffled into the pillow. "Outdoors has 'sun' and 'walking.' Two things I am morally opposed to."
"There is a premium memory-foam mattress store right next to the market," Sophia added, her voice dropping into a persuasive, sultry silk. "And high-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets."
Daniel's eyes snapped open. He sat up so fast he nearly bumped foreheads with Mia. "...Fine. But I'm staying in the cart."
The walk to the supermarket was a surreal nightmare. The streets were littered with abandoned cars and the occasional "Mana-Husk"—humans who had succumbed to the disease and frozen into grotesque, crystal-like statues.
Daniel trudged along in the center of the formation. Kafka led the way with her rifle, Sophia tracked mana-signatures on her tablet, and Mia stayed glued to Daniel's side, holding his arm under the guise of "medical stability."
"Movement at ten o'clock!" Kafka hissed, raising her weapon.
A pack of Mana-Hounds—beasts the size of motorcycles with glowing purple eyes—burst from an alleyway. They snarled, their jaws dripping with corrosive saliva. They lunged, aiming straight for the group.
Daniel didn't even flinch. He was busy trying to rub a stubborn bit of sleep crust from his eye.
"Watch out!" Mia cried, pulling him closer.
Just as the lead hound leapt, its claw caught on a dangling power line that had been downed during the night. A massive surge of leftover electricity arced through the wire. The hound didn't just die; it acted as a conductor, the bolt leaping from one beast to the next in a dazzling display of blue light.
Zap. Zap. Pop.
The hounds fell in a heap of charred fur and ozone.
"Natural selection," Daniel muttered, stepping over a smoking carcass without looking down. "Is the store much further? My legs are starting to produce lactic acid."
They reached the 'Global-Mart,' the sliding glass doors shattered. Inside, the aisles were a mess of overturned shelves and spilled flour.
"Split up," Sophia commanded. "Mia, get the medical supplies. Kafka, find canned proteins. I'll get the water. Daniel, you stay... well, stay exactly where you are."
Daniel didn't need to be told twice. He found a display of oversized beanbag chairs that had miraculously remained clean. He flopped onto one, his eyes closing instantly.
He was drifting off when he heard the click of heels. He opened one eye to see Sophia standing over him. She wasn't looking for water. She was looking at him, her expression a mix of calculation and something much warmer.
"You know, Daniel," she whispered, leaning over him, her long hair framing her face like a curtain. "The others think you're just a lucky charm. But I've been looking at the data. This luck... it reacts to your desires."
"I desire a nap, Sophia," he groaned.
"Do you?" She leaned closer, her lips inches from his. "Because your heart rate just spiked. And I don't think it's because you're tired."
Before she could bridge the gap, a loud crash echoed from the back of the store.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Kafka's voice boomed, followed by the sound of gunfire.
Daniel sighed, pulling a nearby display rug over his head. "Every time. Every single time."