LOCATION - NO WAY!

|Location: Leaving for Shelter 31O|

-ZERO-

Hansel looked at me and Nuk with doubt in his eyes and said, "No way! That can't be true." I quickly fixed my gaze on him to reciprocate what he did, but as soon as our eyes touched, he turned away as well. "Dia can't do such a thing."

I observed Nuk's attempts to console him, but all that happened was that Hansel pushed his hands away and bolted from the tent.

Nuk shouted, "Hansel!" but Anna held him down, shaking her head.

"Just let him go; he needs time to organize his emotions."

Anna said as she handed Nuk a warm cup of water to calm him down after what just happened. She then looked at me and smiled.

"Now that your friend is here, it's time to talk about your plans."

She crossed her hands and grinned at us while sitting directly in front of the two of us. I also noticed that she was holding on tightly to a particular wrinkled letter in her hand.

Nuk looked at her in confusion. "Plans?"

Don't tell me you're returning to your "tribe," Anna said bluntly, waving the letter in front of her. "Just from Leila's letter, it's easy to understand that they're all nut jobs."

Nuk began to reflect very hard after seeing that letter, and he then cast a glance my way. His emerald eyes were fixed on me, and it was obvious that he was expecting a response from me. Then, with a warm smile, he appeared to have come to a satisfactory conclusion.

Nuk threw me a question, "Zero, what do you plan to do now?"

Never having imagined that I would be asked a question like that, I was taken aback by it. But now that I was, I was unable to immediately respond to him. I began to consider the things I needed, but the problem is that I don't know what I need.

When I was in the desert back then, I became so bored that I looked for someone to talk to, but now that I've personally experienced it, I'm left with nothing to do and no purpose.

I kept thinking deeply and began to go back and review the actions I had taken the previous few days. Back then, I could still feel the surroundings calming my body, bringing me the satisfaction I didn't know I needed, and igniting my desire for new experiences.

That's when it struck me; it was like a spark in my brain that gave me an exciting idea. I need the map Nuk promised me in order to travel to more locations.

Imagining the new places, I might visit at this precise moment made me giggle out of sheer excitement, and that thought alone gave me a reason to be there.

I smile broadly as I turn to face Nuk. "Me? I'm still going to wait for that map, Nuk."

When Nuk suddenly widens his eyes and begins to appear embarrassed, he makes an effort to avoid looking at me as if he has done something wrong.

"Oh, you mean the map."

Nuk was acting very self-consciously in front of me, and Anna couldn't help but notice and wonder why. "What is this map you're talking about?"

"Well, you see." Nuk rubbed his head before he leaned towards Anna and whispered something in her ears.

I saw Anna's face change a lot as Nuk continued to whisper, but the one that stood out to me the most was when she gave me these pitiful eyes for no apparent reason. After Nuk finished whispering, she also gave him a gentle nudge on the head as if to punish him for something.

Anna then turned to face me and gave me a shoulder pat while sighing. Anna said, "I see, I understand. Unfortunately, that was just a lie Nuk made up to force you to accompany them back to their camp."

"You lied to me?"

I couldn't believe Nuk had fooled me as I looked at him right away. I believed there had been a promise, and although he seemed to be a little different from Dia, I suppose their blood ties were already quite thick. As I rebuked him with my words, I glared angrily at Nuk.

"But I want to explore new places!"

I'm starting to feel a little anxious at this point because I'm worried that I might end up lost and stuck somewhere unfamiliar, like when I was in the desert. It left me with a very bad feeling.

Joshua, however, unexpectedly embraced me from behind. I was about to toss him aside, but I realized it wouldn't be best if I did, so I decided to leave him alone after he unexpectedly said something that caught my attention.

"Then come back with us to the shelter and become one of our sightseers, why don't you?"

'Sightseer' is a very familiar word. My introduction to "Project Sightseer" came from a man whose name I can't even recall, and the first thing he said to me was about the program SAI and its peculiar functions for recording locations.

I turn to look at Anna, who appears content with the advice Joshua provided.

"You can train there, and we can give you some resources to help you improve your ability," she said proudly. "What do you think, Nuk? Just so you know, a lot has changed since I became the leader."

Nuk looked at me with a repent-full smile.

I somehow felt relieved and secure when he said, "I'll do what Zero wants, it's the least I could do for him."

Knowing from experience that some of the words in their vocabulary may not be the same as mine, such as how they treat apostles like monsters, it won't hurt to ask. "What does a sightseer do?"

Joshua began tilting his head as he organized his thoughts, but after that, he explained them with full energy.

"Well, I'm not sure about the other shelters, but in our shelter, we try to explore ruins and bring back bountiful resources to be exchanged in the 'Market Shelter.' You can see new places if you become one of us."

I don't know about this, but somehow his blond hair and crystal blue eyes made the things he said really bright for me. It's weird, but that's what I felt.

Nuk raised his concern and said, "Zero, you don't have to." I could infer from the sound of his voice that this job might be risky, but that would be from their point of view.

The job description Joshua gave me made me excited because I thought it was exactly what I needed. I knew right away that I would enjoy exploring ruins and visiting new places. And I won't worry about getting lost.

I immediately provided him with a satisfactory response without pausing to think. "I'm in! It sounds like fun."

Joshua continued to squeeze me tightly. "I love your energy; not too long ago, you were fighting for your life, and now you're that happy."

Anna sighs and smiles warmly as she turns to face Joshua and me.

"Well, that settles it, we'll leave this place as soon as the cargo vehicle has finished packing our stuff," she said.

Following that, Anna and Joshua left us in the tent while they gave orders and assisted with the organization as they packed their belongings.

Nuk also felt a little better after a few hours of resting on his bed; the bed was much different from the ones he had in the camp. Unlike those dusty straw beds, this bed looks fluffier and more comfortable.

The sun is almost out of the sky, and Nuk is now, for some reason, able to walk easily—a little stiffly, but manageable. When I questioned Sai about it, he explained that he had taken some sort of medication to quicken his metabolism, which also expedited his recovery.

I followed Nuk after he left his tent because I had to know where he was going.

I noticed Hansel sitting on the ground and gazing out into the wasteland. I wonder how they can know where the other person is without help or knowing where they are. I even need the help of SAI to find items; however, it appears to be instinctive for them to find each other.

Nuk slowly approached Hansel.

He asked, "Did you calm down now?" Nuk sighs as he continues what he was going to say as Hansel stays silent.

"Hey, I'm leaving this place and I'll be glad if you come along," the speaker said. "I know that you might need time to process everything."

Although I couldn't see Hansel's face when he turned to face Nuk, I could hear his voice quivering and sounding uncertain, as if he had started to doubt many aspects of his life.

"How did everything turn out this way, how come we never noticed anything from Dia?" he lamented.

"Hansel I!" Nuk was hesitant, perhaps because he didn't know what had happened to Dia. I'd like to share what I've learned, especially when DIa mentioned 'He needs the seed' or something, but I know it's not appropriate to interrupt them right now.

Nuk received a bitter smile from Hansel.

"It's all right, you don't have to console me," he said, twiddling his thumbs. "I just want everyone to be happy; it wasn't long since Leila died, and I tried to accept it as a natural thing, but now Dia has turned into a psychotic monster, and you guys have no choice but to kill her."

I could sense longing and pain in what he said. I can't help but listen to them until the end at this point.

"Dia made her decision," Nuk stated confidently.

Hansel then turned around to face Nuk, his face filled with fear and sadness. "Then what if you're the next one to abandon me, Nuk? I'm afraid to be alone."

I could see Hansel trembling as tears fell from his eyes, and Nuk gripped his hand tightly.

"Hansel, it's okay. I'm still here," Nuk said, smiling as if to assure him that he would not be alone in this life.

Hansel quickly wiped his tears away and tried to laugh them away.

"Ugh, I can't believe I cried that much at this age," he said. He then stared at Nuk, unflinchingly.

Nuk, from what I can tell, didn't understand why Hansel was staring at him so intently.

"Hansel?"

"Nuk, I'll be joining you guys; I don't even like the tribe anyway," Hansel said firmly. "And could you please tell Zero to stop acting like a creep?"

I heard my name come out of his mouth, and at first, I thought he was guessing, but what Nuk said afterward made me extremely embarrassed.

"Don't worry, I'll tell him." After Nuk said that, I immediately came out of the rock nearby, all flustered. "Zero, your hair is poking out."

"Don't mind me, I was just about to go check if they were finished packing their belongings," I explained to justify my eavesdropping.

And then, as if fate had chosen me, Joshua came rushing towards me.

"Zero!" He called out my name, then noticed Nuk and Hansel nearby and said, "Great, Nuk and Hansel, you guys are here too. Let's go. We are just finishing packing up. Well, that is if I assume Hansel is also joining."

"The timing was perfect," Nuk said casually, trying not to laugh out loud with Handle.

Joshua was confused; he looked in my direction.

"Don't ask me anything," I said immediately.

After that embarrassing moment, we went to meet Anna, who was getting ready inside these four-wheeled vehicles. She told us to jump in as she sat in the driver's seat.

Everything happened quickly; not long ago, I was in the desert, then I met Nuk and got to experience a lot of things while I was here, but now I'm on my way to a new location.

I sit inside the car, looking out the window for the last time, over the wasteland. I felt relieved just thinking about leaving that claustrophobic place and going somewhere new.

My excitement grew as the vehicle's engine began to rumble, indicating that we are truly prepared and about to depart for Shelter 31O.

"By the way, Zero, I think you need a quick lesson about common sense after we get to the shelter."

Anna said as she stepped on the gas.

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