Meetings

The silence that followed Diana was suffocating. Emilia gripped the metal device tighter as they emerged from the shadows, revealing themselves to the approaching figures. The three strangers moved cautiously, raising their weapons but not drawing them yet. In the dim light, it was difficult to make out their faces, but it was clear that they were ready for any battle, as their clothes were covered in dust, and their eyes scanned their surroundings with intense intensity.

"Easy," Diana called, her voice steady but firm. "We're not looking for trouble."

The strangers didn't respond at first, their hands still clenched over their weapons. The man in front, who appeared to be their leader, a man with graying hair and a long scar on one cheek, looked at them with a calculating look.

His two companions, a woman with dark braided hair and a younger man with a rifle slung over his back, stood watching silently. Finally, the man who appeared to be their leader spoke.

"Who are you?" His voice was gravelly, like someone who'd seen more than his fair share of hardship.

"Who are you?" His voice was hoarse, like someone who had suffered more than they should have. 

Diana stepped forward, her posture relaxed but ready for anything. "We're survivors, like you. Just ordinary people."

"Passing through?" The man's eyebrow arched. "You picked a hell of a time for a stroll."

"I just wanted to ask you a question," Emilia said, stepping up to Diana. She held up the metal device, hoping it would explain what was going on. "I found this near the park. Have you seen anything like it?"

The man glanced at the device, and for a brief moment, his face showed confusion or fear. Then he glanced at the woman beside him, who barely nodded.

"Where exactly did you find that?" the man asked, his tone shifting, more interested now.

"Near the park," Emilia repeated. "It was buried in the grass. You know what it is?"

The man hesitated, then motioned for his group to lower their weapons. "Maybe," he said slowly. "But that depends on whether you want to know the truth, or if you're just passing through, like you said."

Emilia exchanged a look with Diana, who nodded lightly and said, "We won't risk going anywhere until we know what's going on."

The man considered them for a moment longer before exploding into a sigh. "Okay, my name is Weston, and this is Lena and Jacob," he said, gesturing to his companions. "If you're serious about finding answers, you're going to need more than that little tool. There's a place we've been tracking, just outside of town. It could be connected to these events. But it's probably dangerous."

"Dangerous how?" Aaron asked, stepping closer. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Not everyone who goes looking for answers comes back alive," Lena said quietly, her voice tinged with something dark, an experience they had yet to share.

Emilia's grip on the device tightened. She'd suspected from the start that there was more to the Quiet than just people disappearing. If there was even a chance that Weston and his group knew something, they had to follow the lead. Waiting for the end to come wasn't an option.

"What's out there?" Emilia asked.

Weston's gaze hardened. "A facility. Underground. Military, or what's left of it. We think it's tied to the Quiet somehow, but no one's been able to get inside. Whatever they were working on, it's connected to what's happening now."

Diana folded her arms, her expression unreadable. "And you think we can get in?"

Weston shrugged. "It's a long shot, but with that device… maybe. We've seen others like it, though none of them were active."

Emilia felt her heart skip a beat. "Others like this?"

"Yeah," Lena chimed in. "But they were all dead, just scraps of metal. Yours is different. It's still working."

For the first time since they left the lab, Emilia felt a glimmer of hope. If this device was the key to solving the mystery of what was happening in that facility, they might have a real chance to understand what was happening and maybe even stop it.

Aaron's voice broke through her thoughts. "You're saying the Quiet came from this facility?"

"We don't know," Weston admitted. "But there's a pattern. Every place that happens is near one of these facilities. This city may be the last one standing. After this, we'll run out of places to run."

The weight of his words settled over them like a cloud. The Quiet wasn't just some natural disaster or freak occurrence. It was spreading, methodically, from place to place, wiping out entire populations without a trace. And might be they were standing on the edge of the last safe zone.

Diana's jaw tightened. "We'll go with you."

Weston nodded, a flicker of relief in his eyes. "We leave at dawn."

The night passed in uneasy silence, as the group gathered at a makeshift camp on the edge of town. Emilia sat by the fire, the device resting on her lap as she turned it over in her hands, studying its sleek, alien-like design in awe.

There were no markings, no discernible mechanisms, just the faint hum of power within. What were the military planning? And why did it look as if they had unleashed something beyond their control?

Aaron sat across from her, sharpening his knife in the dim light. "You think this is going to work?"

Emilia didn't answer right away. "It has to."

He grunted, his gaze drifting to the horizon where the first light of dawn was starting to creep over the ruined city. "I don't trust them."

"I don't either," Emilia admitted. "But we don't have a choice."

He fell silent, the crackling of the fire the only sound between them.

When dawn finally broke, Weston and his group were ready. They moved with practiced efficiency, packing up their gear and checking their weapons. Lena handed Emilia a small pistol, a grim look on her face.

"Just in case," she said.

Emilia nodded, putting the gun in her belt. They didn't know what they were going to face, but whatever it was, she had a feeling it would change something or maybe not.