Her Child

Observing Sarah's lack of enthusiasm upon seeing him, Lucas couldn't help but think, 'Well, she doesn't seem happy to see me.' Turning his head in the direction of the vomiting sounds, he inquired further.

"Sarah, is my sister there?"

Upon Sarah's affirmative nod, Lucas made his way towards the source of the noise. The room wasn't particularly large, so it took him only a matter of seconds to reach it. Rapping his knuckles on the door, he called out, "Lucy, are you okay?"

For a brief moment, silence hung in the air until the sound of footsteps approached the door. It creaked open, revealing Lucy. She assured him, "I'm fine now."

He studied her, noting that her hair still bore signs of dampness. Concern evident in his expression, he spoke gently, "You can always tell me if you're struggling. It's alright if you need to rest or sleep. It's helped me cope before."

In response to his concern, Lucy shared, "I felt a bit nauseated. Killing isn't exactly my forte. Honestly, I'd prefer spending the entire day studying for an exam than doing this."

Offering a sheepish smile, Lucas replied, "If you're genuinely alright, then that's what matters."

Curious about Thomas's fate, Lucy asked, "How's Thomas?"

"He's dead. I beheaded him," Lucas answered matter-of-factly.

Lucy raised an eyebrow and remarked, "You really didn't go easy on those people, did you?"

"Yeah, sorry. Torturing isn't my style," Lucas conceded with a meek smile.

Concerned for her well-being, he inquired, "Do you need another bottle of water?"

"I'll take it. Everything's out now," Lucy replied, accepting the water bottle he retrieved from his pouch.

As she took a few sips from the bottle, she mused aloud, "Considering how loud those men were screaming, I'm surprised no zombies have shown up."

Returning the pouch to his pocket, Lucas replied, "No, I don't think so. Thomas mentioned that it's Ethan's ability that keeps zombies away from this place."

Lucy furrowed her brow and quipped, "Is he some sort of zombie repellent?"

Giggling softly, Lucas responded, "I have no idea either. Unfortunately, there's no one left to ask."

Glancing back towards Sarah and the women on the bed, Lucas remarked, "We've been a bit too cheerful here. They might think we're unhinged for giggling after just taking out a few humans."

Lucy concurred, "Oh, yeah."

As Lucas returned to the bed, he noticed Sarah's questioning gaze directed towards him.

"Sarah, please understand that we have no ill intentions. Don't you want to know why your daughter hasn't been speaking to you?" Lucas inquired; a hint of confusion was visible in his eyes. Sarah remained silent, clearly puzzled.

Letting out a sigh, Lucas continued, "We haven't done anything to your child. She might have witnessed Thomas and the other group leaders eating human flesh."

Lucy stood behind him, listening quietly to their conversation.

Sarah's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you trying to lie about Thomas? He's been nothing but good to us. Besides, my daughter wouldn't be able to keep such a secret for so long. She's just a child; she wouldn't understand the importance of hiding something like that."

Lucas aimed to make his point clearer. "Exactly. She's just a child, so she might not comprehend right from wrong. If she saw you associating with someone who was eating human flesh, she might have assumed that you're involved in it, too. Isn't that a possibility?"

Both Lucas and Lucy turned their gaze towards Sarah's child, nestled deep within her mother's arms. The child remained still and unresponsive.

"Do you see? She's likely just scared of zombies," Sarah pointed out, her tone frustrated. 

Lucas couldn't believe he was part of this conversation.

Lucy, too, found herself speechless and facepalmed in disbelief.

Regaining his composure, Lucas stood before the bed. He implored Sarah, "Let her go, and she might respond better. We aren't here to harm you or your children. If that was our intention, we could have done it a long time ago."

Sarah glared at him suspiciously. "What are you trying to achieve?"

"Calm down, Sarah. We're not here to hurt you or your children. Your daughter is scared of you right now. That's why she's unresponsive," Lucas explained, his voice reassuring.

After a moment's contemplation, Sarah slowly released her grip on her daughter's arm. "Fine, but if you do anything to my daughter, I won't hesitate to fight you."

Noticing Sarah's fiercely protective instincts, Lucas thought, 'She's truly formidable when it comes to her daughter.'

As the young girl approached, Lucas remained standing, lowering himself to her eye level. "What's your name?"

The girl stood in silence as if she had forgotten how to make a sound.

Lucas continued gently, "Nod if you're scared of your mom."

After a brief moment, the girl slowly nodded, barely moving.

Lucas seized the opportunity. "See, Sarah? Your daughter is traumatized. By being too protective and holding her too tightly, you're inadvertently making her feel scared. A child deserves to grow up healthy and happy."

Sarah's eyes widened, realizing that her daughter actually agreed with Lucas's observation. Tears welled up as she grasped the reality of her actions. All her assumptions about her daughter were being challenged, leaving her overwhelmed and emotional.

"The world is so dangerous now. There's no way she can find happiness and be lively at this time," Sarah muttered through her tears, her emotions overwhelming her.

Lucas shook his head firmly, disagreeing. "No, she can find happiness. It's not the end. Nothing is beyond hope, especially with the system's assistance, right?"

Tears continued to stream down Sarah's face as she observed her daughter hiding behind Lucas's leg, her expression devoid of any fear. How many times had she frightened her daughter for her to exhibit such a calm response?

The woman beside Sarah, witnessing her tears, gained some confidence and asked, "System?"

Looking toward the source of the question, Lucas saw a woman wearing a mismatched combination of a short skirt and a white shirt, standing just to the left of Sarah.

"Remember the voice we all heard last week, Sunday at midnight when the apocalypse began? Well, if you kill a zombie or interact with a system object, you can acquire your own system," Lucas explained, producing a pouch and retrieving another water bottle from it.

"Isn't this pouch a system item? It's pretty magical, right? You obtain items like these by completing system achievements. It's like being in a game," he continued, delivering his pitch about the system with an air of amazement. The information left everyone astonished. Even Sarah's daughter looked at him curiously.

Lucas couldn't help but reflect, 'Am I better suited to be an advertising agent? If only I had the resources for the necessary education; maybe I wouldn't be a fisherman.'

Encouraged by the straightforward answer to her previous question, the woman gathered the courage to inquire further. "So, killing any zombie will do?"

"Yes," Lucas affirmed.

The woman seemed intrigued. "I could join you guys if you're open to it. Having more skilled players around could be beneficial."

Turning his attention to the still sobbing Sarah, Lucas suggested, "Sarah, maybe you should talk to your daughter first. Lucy and I will check the outside for any hidden dangers, just to be safe."

Lucas led Lucy out of the room and into the outside of the hotel. The surrounding environment appeared unchanged from when they entered the hotel, except it now seemed desolate without the presence of Thomas's group members.

Walking alongside Lucy, Lucas admitted to himself that it had been difficult to leave that room. Sarah's daughter had quickly put her trust in him, even more so than in her own mother. Extracting himself from that situation had required determination, and he couldn't help but think, 'This is why kids are vulnerable to abductions. They trust strangers too easily. I've never been particularly fond of children.'

"Lucas?" Lucy's sudden voice pulled his attention.

"Hmm?" He turned, surprised by the interruption.

"When you were talking to Sarah about her daughter, did you consider your own perspective as an orphan? I'm sorry if that offends you."

"No, don't worry. I'm not sure if I did. It didn't really cross my mind. Maybe it did subconsciously. Anyway, once we're done here, I still want to explore more of the city. How about you? You're welcome to stay if you prefer."

"Me? Well… I do enjoy traveling with you, but now that I feel more capable of protecting myself, I'm not entirely sure. I'll give you a definite answer tomorrow. We need to teach them about the system-related stuff, and that'll probably take until noon."

"Yeah… another night in this hotel, huh?" He looked back at the small building behind her.

"Our room is on the second floor, along the path up there, right?"

"We should clean up those bodies, shouldn't we? I can't let the child see that blood-stained hallway. Maybe we could get those women to help, to help them build up their resilience to the idea of killing humans."

She shook her head. "Lucas, you're going to make them throw up again, just like I did that day."

Inhaling the fresh afternoon air, he said, "Trust me, Lucy, it's for their own good. Look at you now, handling the killing so much better. It's impressive."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed, "Fine." She saw Lucas lower himself and sit on the dirty road.

"Is there nothing else left to discuss?"

She asked.

"No, I'm giving them time to talk it out. Some mothers don't realize that even children can have their own thoughts. This is a lesson for her as a parent."

"Alright then, I'll wait too."

She said as she sat down on the ground, gazing at the empty road where cars were now crushed and abandoned, lost in thought.

'Aren't we in the middle of an apocalypse? This quiet and calm scene feels surreal.'