A rasping, guttural sound tore through the air. "You're lucky you ran into us. A little later, and you'd be done for," said the girl with the dreadlocks. "Louisa, don't talk nonsense." The man beside her cut her off. He looked a lot like her. Siblings, most likely. Louisa chuckled, the sound bright and full of life. She grinned widely, dimples showing deep on her cheeks. That kind of smile was rare in a world like this. "My name's Louisa Vale. What about you?" "Theresa Hall," Theresa answered directly. "This is my companion, Quentin Kerr." After she spoke, the man next to Louisa introduced himself. "I'm Dominic, Louisa's brother." He was the one with both water- and metal-based abilities. "I'm Liam Ward, a good friend of Dominic and Louisa," another said. Theresa gave the two of them a brief nod. Up in the front seats were two more people—a man and a woman. Their vibe was different from the trio in the back. The girl in the passenger seat turned to glance at Theresa. Her voice carried a quiet sadness as she said, "I'm Flora Sinclair." The driver, however, didn't speak at all. His gaze stayed fixed on the road, cold and sharp, as he guided the vehicle along the hillside by the railroad tracks, steering wide to avoid the swarm of zombies. His presence was as chilling as his silence."He's Miles Sullivan. Doesn't like to talk much," Louisa explained. Theresa pulled her gaze back and quietly took in everyone in the vehicle. Three men and two women, all of them young. Most of them were dual-ability users. The girl named Flora carried both plant- and space-based abilities. What surprised Theresa was the driver—he had no ability at all. She tested him again and again with her mind power, but the result never changed. He was ordinary. The only one without any power. "Where's your camp?" Theresa asked. "Camp? We don't have one." Louisa shrugged. "We just met on the road and stuck together. We've all been trying to make it home. We came all the way from Drakemire. Stopped by each of our homes along the way. Now it's just Flora's place left—her family's in Firestone." "Drakemire?" Theresa's voice tightened. "That far?" "Yeah, it's a long way. It's taken us four years to drive this far," Louisa said, almost casually. "Always dodging crowds, swarms, and zombie hordes. Inch by inch, we made it here. By the way, what brings you to Firestone?" "We're looking for someone." At those words, Louisa's eyes lit up instantly. "Perfect! That means we're headed the same way. We could travel together." "Ahem." Dominic cut her off, his voice sharp. He studied Theresa and Quentin with a steady, guarded look. "Who are you looking for?" "Someone important." "And where exactly is this person?" "Near Firestone South Bus Station.""Dominic! They're heading to the South Bus Station—the same place as Flora's home!" "Quiet." Dominic shot her a warning look, then turned to Theresa with grim authority. "We can take you with us, but you follow our lead. No trouble, no exceptions. If you can't agree to that, we won't bring you." Theresa hesitated, then gave a curt nod. "Fine." Just then, a haze of green mist thickened outside the car windows. Miles eased off the gas and pulled the vehicle to a stop by the tracks. Louisa pressed a button, and a purifier inside the car whirred to life, keeping the air inside clean. "See? Told you you were lucky," Louisa said. "This poison fog rolls in every morning and evening. If you're caught outside with no shelter, you'll breathe it in. Too much of it will wreck your body." Theresa frowned. "What is it?" "No idea. Maybe some chemical leak from the factories over there." "And it's been leaking for four years?" Louisa shrugged. "Who knows? All I can tell you is, ever since we came through, this fog's been here." "When exactly did you arrive? How long have you been watching it?" "About six months ago. We made it to Firestone a month back. The fog hit us the first day—we inhaled a little, and the next morning we were feverish and coughing up blood. That's when we stopped dead, set up outside the city, and didn't dare push further. We only just packed up and moved on today… and ran into you. Talk about timing." "Quite the coincidence," Theresa said softly. "Maybe it's fate, giving us a few more people to walk beside," Louisa murmured. Her voice carried both hope and regret. "We started out with a lot more, but most didn't make it. Some quit halfway—the road from Drakemire to Firestone is too brutal. Others lost their families along the way, and after that, they left too. In the end, the only ones who lasted to Firestone… are us." Her words trailed off, tinged with sorrow. "It's been over a year since we met anyone new."