The forest, now ablaze in shades of orange, leaves cascading, many already lifeless. The sounds of a crackling campfire filled the air, small chatter blending with the gentle spatter of rain.
“We can’t keep on the run like this,” Mars' voice declared. Guts responded, “We need to find a safe house for a while. It's getting colder.” Guts, donning a winter coat, now revealed his face.
Scars adorned his visage— one across his left eye, rendering it blind, and another on his right cheek. Short blonde hair framed his face, and his lone green eye stared ahead.
He delved into a duffle bag, extracting pots. “They should be back soon,” Guts said as he set up a pot, opening a can of spaghetti and pouring it inside to warm up.
Suddenly, a branch snapped, resonating from the front. Mars and Guts tensed, Guts gripping his side, ready to unclip his pistol.
In a moment, Cody emerged, holding a black bow. “We got some fresh food.” He sported a brown jacket, black sweatpants, and a handmade strap for his crowbar peeking from his back. A brown holster adorned his M9 pistol.
Aya, with longer hair, walked beside him, waving. “Missed us?” she grinned, brandishing her own bow. Mars looked over. “How were they with the bows?”
A girl emerged to the left, donned in a white hoodie and black pants. Red eyes and a toothy grin characterized her. White wolf ears and a tail slightly poked out.
“These two did good. We caught 5 squirrels.” She raised the squirrels, tethered together. “So we should definitely make some more arrows, Lucifer?” Mars glanced at her, then at Cody.
“I like using a bow. It's pretty fun,” Cody spoke, attempting a smile.
“I got more squirrels than him though,” Aya pointed out. “Only one more than me,” Cody retorted.
“You stole it from me anyway,” Cody said, looking away and walking over to Mars and Guts. “You guys were about to cook spaghetti?” he asked, eyeing the pot.
“Yeah. I wanted some. But squirrels sound better,” Mars replied. “Well, someone has to eat it,” Cody retorted. “It's open now.”
Lucifer eagerly raised her hand. “Me!” She smiled. Cody gazed at her, grinning this time. “Alright, you’re gonna be hungry enough for squirrels?” he teased.
She nodded. “Most likely,” she said, sitting on a log, grabbing the pot from the fire, and stirring it with a handmade wooden spoon. Then, she started devouring the spaghetti.
Lucifer paused and tossed the squirrels to Cody, who caught them. “Okay, let’s skin them,” he said, handing them to Mars.
Cody clutched his left side, extracting a sharp military-grade knife. He brandished the knife at one of the squirrels, eyeing it for a moment.
He then lowered the knife and commenced skinning it. Mars retrieved his knife, joining in. “Hey Aya, come with me. We need to get more firewood,” Guts announced, standing up and stretching.
Aya sprinted over to him. “Okay. We'll stay within shouting distance,” she declared, glancing at the other three. Cody locked eyes with her. “Stay safe.”
Aya nodded. “I will,” she assured him with a smile, then followed Guts into the forest. Once out of earshot for casual conversation, he turned to her. “Can I be honest?” He surveyed the woods, kneeling to find dry or quickly drying wood.
Aya approached a tree and examined the bark. “Tell me,” she replied, pulling out her knife and starting to cut the bark. “Cody. I’m worried about him,” he confessed, sighing.
Aya stayed silent, but she nodded. Eventually, she looked toward the camp. “I am too,” she murmured.
“He didn’t have to deal with it by himself…” Aya glanced back at Guts, placing dry bark into a pouch. “I’m also worried about everyone else. Where they are. When we went back, the bus was just-“ Guts halted.
“I knew him for a couple of weeks. But he was a nice dude.” Aya approached, Guts holding dry branches in his right arm as he patted her. “We will find the others. They have to be alive.”
Aya peered into the woods; a biter, its skin more pallid and ruined, eye sockets sunken, emitted a growl and limped toward them.
Aya unsheathed her knife. “We are seeing more of them in the forest now.” She approached the biter, a woman, likely middle-aged.
Aya raised her knife and thrust it into the biter's head, black blood seeping out. She withdrew the blade, and the biter's body thudded to the ground.
“We also need to settle somewhere for a few days. We are worn,” Aya stated, wiping the blood off her blade. She turned to him.
“You are right about that. Our luck is running out,” Guts concurred. “There are fewer people than before now,” Aya remarked. “It has been 2 months, biters picked off a majority of us then?” Mars responded.
Aya shrugged. “Could also be your old military,” she continued as they strolled back to the small camp.
Guts fixed his gaze on her. “That too.” Cody and Mars had wrapped up skinning, and Mars removed his helmet, letting his unique hair fall down – a blend of black, white, and pink, neatly arranged from left to right. His sharp blue eyes stood out.
“I’m starving,” Mars declared, stretching. Cody perched on a log next to Lucifer, patiently awaiting the food to cook. She continued savoring the spaghetti, finishing it with a grin. “That was delicious,” she commended, placing the pot down.
“I’m glad you liked my special canned spaghetti.” Guts grinned at her, earning a snicker from Lucifer. “Oh, I did!”
Cody stretched and gazed at the campfire. “We need a safe place,” he remarked. “For when winter approaches,” he added.
“I know. We will find one. I promise.” Mars smiled at him. Cody stared at him, remaining silent. Mars looked away, grabbing a can of broth, pouring it in.
He then proceeded to cut the meat into slices and chunks. “Cody, you can always talk to us.” Mars continued slicing the food.
“You don’t need to deal with everything by yourself.” Mars finished cutting the squirrels and added the chunks to the soup.
Cody glanced away, nodding slightly. “I know.”
