3.) Leaving

The next day, Dawn was in the middle of going over her notes when she felt a presence sneak up behind her, peering over her shoulder. Switching her phone off, she shoved it in her pocket and was greeted by her noisy intruder.

"Hey, Dawn~! What were you doing on your phone? It looked pretty interesting!" Standing next to Dawn was a pretty girl with chestnut brown hair and brown doe eyes. The crop t-shirt and fitted jean shorts did nothing but emphasize the girl's curvy figure and ample bosom.

The appearance of this girl mentally caused Dawn to grimace, recognizing the other girl as her coworker from the cafe. The girl's name was Misty, and despite the impression she tends to give others as a charming sweet girl who could do no wrong. Dawn discovered firsthand how this was nothing but a facade to fool others.

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Misty was the type of girl to lull others into believing she was caring and sweet. Which made others drop their guards and believe she was truly their friend. Only to be stabbed in the back once she was bored or viewed them as a threat.

Dawn experienced this first-handedly, and would never forget the burn of humiliation Misty bestowed upon her.

One day, a good-looking group of college guys visit their cafe, and Misty was instantly captivated by the group's charm and she wasn't the only one. Even the female customers inside couldn't resist eyeballing the group. Dawn was also guilty, shyly sneaking glances at a cute boy whose smile made butterflies erupt in her stomach.

When Misty caught her in the act, she playfully demanded which guy she had her eyes on. Dawn confessed, oblivious that Misty was eyeing the same guy, and narrowed her eyes at the short brunette when her back was turned. A cruel glint flashed in her brown doe orbs.

While everyone else was too shy or afraid, Misty was the first to have the courage to walk over and start up a friendly conversation with the group who enjoyed her company and cute looks. Dawn would admit a small bit of her felt jealous of Misty bravery, but she didn't dig too much into it. Continuing with her job until she heard Misty call her name and signal her to joined the group.

"Steven this is my friend Dawn. The one I said was interested in you!" That is when Dawn's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. In disbelief and unable to believe what Misty had just done, but when she looks at the girl she saw her happily sitting beside the cute guy whose name was Steven, resting her hand on his forearm.

Dawn couldn't believe Misty had busted her out like that! She didn't want him to know, plus that was something she only confined with her! What made her feel even worse was the disinterested look Steven shot her. Glancing her up and down, before letting her down with a half-hearted apology. Dawn could feel his friend's eyes staring at her with ridicule or self-pity.

Their actions did nothing but feed her self-consciousness, tears burn her eyes, but she refused to cry. After the boy turned her down, Dawn tried to scavenge her image with a lie, but the lump in her throat made it hard to talk.

Before leaving the table, Dawn's eyes caught Misty. Reading the other girl's lips, which was an apology. Dawn had wanted to believe Misty meant no harm, but she knew this to be a lie, cause no one apologizes with joy beaming from their eyes, taking satisfaction from the other misery.

Dawn would never forget the embarrassment and shame that consume her, shooting a glance at the table only to see Steven flirting with Misty who enjoyed his advances.

Misty tucked a loose curly strand of her hair behind her ear, showing off a flowery smile as she flirted with Steven and happily chatted with his friends who couldn't keep their eyes off her.

That was when Dawn realized her co-worker's true colors. The type of girl who relished in the misery of others by putting them down. Pointing out that when compared to her, they stood not a chance. Since then, Dawn never again considered Misty a friend and kept her distance from the other girl.

A message that Misty received and kept her distance as well, but made sure to keep her persona intact. Back in the present, realizing that Dawn would not share what she was up to, Misty pouted.

"You're so timid, Dawn. It would help if you loosened up some!" joked Misty as if the apocalypse didn't happen and recalled the reason why she made her way over.

"Oh, that reminds me, Roger would like to talk to you in his office!"

Such words brought nothing but dread to Dawn, who reluctantly followed Misty to the second floor. Walking past Roger's cronies, who smiled and happily greeted Misty, who returned their greetings with a friendly gesture.

It was then that Dawn remembered that Misty worked in the kitchen and could feel it in her gut that the girl was up to no good.

While you had those who reluctantly followed Roger and his lackeys, there were also those who saw a bright side to this situation and used it to their advantage, throwing away their pride for the sake of protection.

Misty showed zero resistance when those dirty men's eyes raked over her body as if she was naked. Dawn had to resist the urge to shudder when they moved their eyes onto her and counted herself lucky when their gaze turned disappointed.

Misty knocked on the door three times before a voice told them to come in. Twisting her hand on the knob, Misty opened the door and happily walked inside. The room Roger occupied was a spacious but simple office room, furnished with a desk, a couch, and a bookshelf.

Dawn felt her cheeks blush when she saw a woman remove herself from underneath the desk where Roger say and nonchalantly pulled the front of her dress up. She heard Roger zip up his pants and watch him straighten his suit.

It was apparent to Dawn what the woman may have been doing, but the shorter girl did not want such an image stuck in her head.

Standing on her feet, the attractive woman took a seat on Roger's lap. Roger was a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties, fit and slim, an average-looking businessman with an air of arrogance attached to him.

Dawn watched Misty smile at Roger and made her way over to stand by his side. Sitting arrogantly in his chair like a king on his throne, surrounded by his concubines, Roger analyzed Dawn with his eyes.

"Hmm, her looks measure up to nothing." Roger's eyes showed disappointment as Dawn had to resist the urge to give the man a fat middle finger to his face.

Sighing like a child let down on Christmas, Roger rested his cheek in his hand. "But you were the one to recommend her to me saying she was a great baker. Besides, the kitchen staff could use an extra hand."

When Dawn heard that Misty recommended her to Roger, her entire mind frame shut down, watching with blank eyes when Misty smiled and leaned over, speaking softly into Roger's ear.

"I'm just trying to help out a friend. Plus, we women should start putting up our own weight. We can't let the men do all the work, right?" Misty coyly whispered into his ear. Playing on the man ego which had earned Misty a place in his heart.

The woman sitting on Roger's lap scoffed at the younger girl and the lies that sprouted from her mouth. For a brief second, she felt a tinge of pity for this so-called friend. Knowing whatever Misty had plan, it wasn't for selfless reasons.

"Since you're my favorite girl, she can start work tomorrow. Now shoo, begone!" Roger waved his hand at Dawn as if she was a fly he was ready to get rid of, pulling Misty over to his lap, murmuring something in the girl's ear that got a giggle out of her.

Without saying another word, Dawn's eyes met Misty, and what she saw was pure evil. Turning around, Dawn made her way down the stairs, returning to her spot in the corner she folded her knees to her chest and made up her mind.

'I gotta get out of here tonight.' Dawn opened her system and clicked on the items shop which displayed various items, yet most of them were outside Dawn's price range.

After scrolling for half an hour, Dawn found a dagger for 200 coins. 'This will just have to do. Now let's see what I can get with the 100 coins I have left.'

For the next two hours, she scrolled up and down, finding a few items that she believed would come in handy and were in her budget.

Dawn waited until everyone was asleep and as quiet as possible, she made her way towards the exit located on the other side of the warehouse. Hand on the doorknob, Dawn felt nervous and afraid. Once she turned this knob, there was no going back.

'I can't stay here forever. If I want to survive, I must grow stronger. In this world, the weak are slaughtered, but the strong stand above the rest. I refuse to be slaughtered by those greedy bastards!'

Using this new profound courage, Dawn turned the knob and ventured outside for the first time since the world fell to ruin. Yet, as  she walked out the door, Dawn was unaware that her phone in her back pocket fell out and landed on the floor.