Jaxon didn’t know how long they had been walking.
The forest blurred around them. Rain poured without rcy, soaking through their clothes, dripping from their hair, turning the ground into mud beneath their feet.
’Why...? Why did this happen?’ His mind wandered, reaching for a mory long buried.
A chubby kid with ssy hair, standing in front of him. Back then, Jaxon had been quiet kid, easy to ignore and push around. The other boys used to tease and laugh at him.
Then one day, that fat kid stepped in. He had shouted at them, thrown a punch, and got beaten up for it.
Jaxon had not cared much at first. But sohow, that loud, stubborn kid kept showing up. Sitting next to him, dragging him out to play. Slowly, he beca one of the few people Jaxon could call a friend.
"Jaxon... Jaxon..." Natasha’s weak voice pulled him back to the present.
"Huh?"
"Where... where are we going now?" she asked, her words shaky and uneven.
He turned toward her and froze. "Natasha... are you cold?"
Her lips were pale, and her whole body trembled violently. Only then did he really look at the others.
Elaine was hugging herself tightly. Claire’s teeth were chattering. Bong-gu’s steps were uneven. Even Elena looked like she was forcing herself to stay upright.
They were freezing.
He shifted slightly and checked Sumiko on his back. She had it worse. Her arms were still loosely wrapped around his neck, but her grip had weakened. Her head rested against his shoulder, eyes closed, her breath shallow.
"Sumiko?" His voice cracked. "Sumiko!"
But she didn’t answer.
Panic rushed into his chest. "Shit... shit..."
For him, the cold barely touched his skin. His body was stronger now. But they were not like him. If this went on, hypothermia would take them one by one.
He felt anger rise inside him. Not at them, but at himself.
’What the hell am I doing?’
He quickly scanned his storage space. His heart sank. There were no spare clothes, no blankets or fabric. Everything had been used back on the train.
He clenched his jaw. For a mont, he wanted to punch sothing. But that would not help them.
He forced himself to breathe. "I’m sorry," he said quietly. "I wasn’t thinking."
The others looked at him, confused, too tired to question it.
He then stepped toward the trees for partial cover, rain still pouring through the leaves.
(150 coins spent. Waterproof ponchos successfully purchased x15.)
(75 coins spent. Heat packs successfully purchased x15.)
The items appeared in his hands.
He hurried back to Sumiko first. Then carefully pulled a poncho over her small fra, making sure it covered her head and shoulders. His fingers trembled as he tore open a heat pack and pressed it gently against her chest.
"Sumiko... hold this," he murmured softly. "Keep it close, okay?"
Her fingers weakly curled around it.
That small movent made his throat tighten. He adjusted her in his arms, then turned to the others. "Put these on. Now."
He handed out the ponchos one by one. Elena helped Natasha slip hers on. Bong-gu fumbled with the plastic, his hands shaking too much, so Claire helped him. Soon, they were all covered, the thin waterproof layer shielding them from the worst of the rain.
Jaxon passed around the heat packs next. They tore them open, slowly, warmth spread through their frozen hands and chests. It was not much, but it was enough to stop the shaking from getting worse.
No one spoke. Their eyes were empty. Their thoughts were still back there in the forest, where laughter had turned into screams.
Only Na-rin seed to gather herself enough to speak. She looked at the poncho in her hands, then at Jaxon.
"Where... did these co from?" she asked in a low voice.
Natasha’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at Jaxon. For once, she had nothing ready to say. No quick excuse or smooth explanation. Isabel and Cindy were the sa.
They were no longer inside the train. They were out in the open forest. There was no reason for such items to suddenly appear.
Na-rin’s question hung in the air. Slowly, the others began to realize it too. One by one, they turned to look at Jaxon.
Jaxon stayed silent for a long mont. "I will tell you everything in ti," he said quietly. "I’m not keeping it from you out of distrust, knowing it would only cause more harm than good."
He said nothing more, and no one pushed further.
Elena, who would normally question every detail, kept her head lowered. Her eyes lost, as if she was thinking about sothing from a distant mory.
Na-rin held Jaxon’s gaze for a few seconds, then gave a small nod. She had suspected sothing for a while now. But this was not the ti.
Jaxon exhaled slowly, then turned to Natasha. "How far are we from the safe zone?"
Natasha swallowed before answering. "If we went straight through Ironpoint City... it’s only a few kiloters. But that’s where most of the infected are. We can’t go that way."
She hesitated, then added, "Going around on foot... that could take a day, maybe two, if everything goes smoothly."
’A day or two? In this condition?’ Jaxon clenched his jaw. ’That’s too far.’
They were exhausted, cold, and ntally shattered. They would not survive another full day like this without rest.
"Everyone," he said, forcing steadiness into his voice. "Hang on a little longer. We’ll find shelter first and rest."
No one questioned, as they just nodded faintly. They looked lost, like people moving because they were told to.
Seeing that, Jaxon stepped forward and took the lead.
After a few steps, he glanced back. At the empty space where Burgors should have been.
His chest tightened. ’I promise... I won’t let anyone die anymore.’
Hours passed. The storm still poured, and the group trudged forward in silence. Without the ponchos and heat packs Jaxon had provided, they would have collapsed from exhaustion and cold long ago. Even speaking felt like too much effort, but they kept moving, driven by the chance Burgors had given them, a chance to live.
"Almost there... just a little further," Jaxon urged, forcing the words out. He wasn’t in any better shape, his own body ached, heavy with fatigue. And every second, Burgors’s voice and mories pressed heavily on his chest. All he wanted was to rest, to escape the weight crushing him inside.
After what felt like forever, Jaxon spotted a low, rural warehouse through the rain. "There! Move, quick!"
They surged toward it. Jaxon reached the door first and kicked it hard. It swung open with a groan. One by one, they slipped inside, flashlights in hand, lights he had given them earlier.
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