The police cruiser drove north-west along highway 406, getting further and further away from the ruined town of Marshall.

"That was so intense I almost wet my pants! Are you okay there, Markus?" Sabrina finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her tensed muscles.

"Could have been worse, I guess." Markus answered with a shrug while doing basic maintenance on the SPAS-12 and his Super Blackhawk. He had faced far more dangerous enemies on his missions, to the point that the zombies looked rather tame to him.

"Wow, that's cool. Your face didn't change the whole time. All that left is a cat and we have the Godfather in the flesh." Sabrina was so impressed her eyes were sparkling.

"What do you want of me?" Markus tried to imitate Vito Corleone in his iconic scene, but while cleaning the shotgun instead of stroking a cat.

"I want my gun back." Sabrina played along.

"For these many years you have not asked for this gun. Now you turn up all Marshall and want the gun back? Look how clean she is with me, watch me wipe her. Look, I used both of my hands. Perhaps you would like to use her later?"

Then the two of them burst into laughter.

"You finally laughed. Feeling better yet?" Markus asked.

"Much better, thank you." Sabrina said. His acting had improved her mood somewhat, her smile seemed much brighter than before. After a brief pause, she added "I just wish the town police would still be there to prevent the zombie outbreak."

"Don't feel too bad about it." Markus reassured her, "Even the army couldn't contain such a large zombie outbreak, let alone a small local police station. I'd say the mercs did a remarkably good job holding out for so long. Too bad that big monster ruined everything."

"Yeah, I hope at least some of them manage to get out of there alive."

That was when a cute stomach rumbling interrupted their conversation.

"It...it can't be helped! It's ways past lunchtime now and I haven't had anything since morning." Sabrina blushed and hastily made excuses to hide her embarrassment, causing a warm smile to appear on Markus's face.

"I'm hungry too, so let's find somewhere to eat and stock up on supplies." He suggested.

Lucky for them, a gas station came into view after less than thirty minutes of driving. While small, it still had a convenience store within the premise. Sabrina drove in and stopped the car next to a gas pump. Strangely enough, there was no other customers around even though it was still early in the afternoon. No attendant came to greet them no matter how long they waited.

Markus and Sarina got off the car and cautiously entered the convenience store. It was dangerous to use guns in a gas station, so they were armed with police batons taken from the car trunk and Markus also had his trusty combat knife drawn.

Inside, they found two gas station attendants, or more precisely, their bloody remains on the ground. There were three half-eaten lunchboxes on the counter, so the attendants were probably attacked by zombies during their meal, a truly sad death.

They offered a silent prayer to the deceased and began checking for zombies around the shop and in the locker room. Once done, Markus closed the doors in case other zombies or looters wandered in. Then the two of them split up to stock up on different things. Sabrina bought canned food and water, while Markus looked for medical supplies, spare clothes and other necessities like sleeping bags. The store had quite an impressive selection of goods for its size so they were able to get what they needed in no time.

To avoid further misunderstandings, Markus also borrowed the locker room to change into a less eye-catching outfit from his suitcase. He wore a plain shirt and urban camo tactical pants with a light ballistic vest on top. For some reason, Sabrina seemed quite disappointed with his new look.

"What's with the long face?" Markus asked.

"The suit fits you so well. Now you just look like a random security guard. Totally uncool." Sabrina inflated her cheeks in protest. They looked so adorable that Markus could not help poking them, causing Sabrina to be even more displeased.

"I think it's cool too. But I don't want to look like a wanted criminal being taken into custody by the police." He smiled in defeat and explained to her, "If you like the suit so much, I'll wear it for you when we have time. Deal?"

"Okaaay..." She agreed, albeit very reluctantly.

The two of them paid for eveything like the good citizens they were then exited the store to refuel the car and have a meal.

Markus finished his food in less than ten minutes then watched their surrounding for any sign of danger, a habit he developed after his squad was nearly wiped out by an ambush during mealtime. Contrary to him, Sabrina ate slowly, making a blissful face as she savored the taste of every bite. She took twice as long as him to finish her meal, but Markus did not mind. He felt like he could watch her like this forever.

When they were about to get up and leave, a motorcycle rode into the gas station. They immediately drew their guns, preparing for the worst case. Likewise, the motorcycle's rider, a man slightly older than Markus, also aimed his handgun at them. No one made a move as both sides were trying to discern the other party's intention.

"Aren't you one of the mercs who defended our town this morning? We fought together, remember?" Realizing who he was, Markus called out to the man and lowered his revolver, "Let's talk peacefully. I don't want any trouble."

"Glad to see someone else making out of there alive. My name's Alan Lawton, an operator from Duskwing PMC." The rider introduced himself and gave Markus his business card, "I remember the lady here, but who are you?"

"I'm Markus Wilkerson and she's Sabrina Franchi. We grew up in Marshall." Markus also introduced himself and Sabrina. Then he took the black fedora from his suitcase and put it on, "How about this? Remember me now?"

"The gangster guy?! You look so different now, man. I couldn't recognize you at all." Alan raised his voice in surprise. His eyes opened so wide they almost fell out of their sockets.

That was when someone else jumped down from behind his back, a petite girl with long black hair and an exquisitive face like a doll. She aimed a M14 EBR rifle at Markus's head.

"Alan, enemy attack?" She asked in a barely audible voice.

"Lower your gun, Dande. They fought together with us against the zombie horde this morning." Alan answered.

The girl instantly lost interest. She simply stood still with a sleepy expression, hugging her rifle with both hands like a body pillow.

Because the motorcycle rode straight toward them, the girl was perfectly hidden from Markus and Sabrina's view. Her unexpected entrance gave them quite a shock, especially Markus. Her presence was so thin that even the keen senses of a trained soldier like him could not pick up at all. If she had aimed a gun at them from the start, they would have been dead by now. Her appearance was another worrying aspect. If his speculation turned out to be true, she might have been even more dangerous than she let on.

"Who might you be, little missy?" Sabrina took the initiative to talk to her while Alan was busy refueling his motorcycle.

"Dandelion, from the same company as him. And before you ask, I'm nineteen years old." Dandelion answered her curtly.

"Such a beautiful name." Markus chimmed in, then he asked a seemingly random question "Say, do you know how they make blood red dandelions bloom in the glasshouse?"

His question surprised Dandelion so much her whole body flinched. She shot him a hostile glare while struggling to hold back her voice. After a brief moment, she gave in and answered as if reciting a poem:

"Dig out the heart and plant the seed of sin. Cover it with sweet lies. Nurture it with fresh blood. Caress it with the most cruel touch. Until one day the dandelion bloomed the colour of madness."

"Wah, that's disturbing." Sabrina reacted disgust while Markus facepalmed hard. Alan, who had just finished refueling his motorcycle, was confused about the whole situation.

Dandelion's answer confirmed Markus's suspicion and he was at a loss for what to do next. While explaining to Sabrina that the disturbing poem was an eastern culture supersition, he racked his brain for a solution. In the end, he decided to discuss the matter with Alan.

"Are you going west? If so, you should stock up on supplies. It will take three to four days to reach the next town." Markus suggested, trying to create an opportunity for them to talk in private.

"Good idea. It wouldn't hurt to have more food and meds." Alan agreed.

"Then I'd say let the girls get to know each other while the two of us go inside. I browsed through the store's merchandise just now so it will be much faster with me around."

"Thanks, you're a big help."

When Alan was about to go with Markus, Dandelion tugged at his shirt.

"Don't go." She pleaded, her voice filled with despair.

"Nothing will happen. I promise." Markus said and looked her in the eyes. The girl shook her head and held on even tighter.

Seeing the awkward situation, Sabrina stepped in to help. She gently embraced Dandelion from behind and soothed her like a caring sister "Don't worry, lil' Dande. Your friend's in capable hands and I'm here with you too. If anything bad happens, we can always rush in and help. So be good and stay with me, okay?"

After a while, Dandelion finally let go, sitting obediently on Sabrina's lap. Her eyes still followed Markus and Alan as the two of them entered the convenience store.

"So, what is your relationship with her? I mean the rogue Dandelion Unit." Once inside, Markus led Alan the important question.

As expected, Alan was greatly shaken by the question and reflexively reached for his handgun, but the barrel of Markus's revolver was already placed on his forehead.

"Your only chance against me was to make an ambush with the Dandelion Unit but you missed it. Frankly speaking, I'm faster, stronger and generally better than you. So let's talk peacefully in order not to agitate her. I don't want my partner to get hurt."

Both men took a brief glance at Dande. She was currently trying out new hairstyles with the help of Sabrina. They looked like a pair of close sisters playing together.

"Alright, I'll comply. But before that, who are you and how much do you know about Dande?" Alan raised his hands in defeat.

"Just...someone who fought against these Dandelion units before and knew full well of their dangerous nature. As for her story, we should start with the assassin organization known as Glasshouse and its leader, the Mistress."