Lucius sat down, and Harriet handed him a bowl of steaming stew. His hands trembled as he accepted it, the weight of his hunger almost overwhelming him. He hadn't eaten in so long that the mere sight of food seemed like a distant dream.
"What are you staring at, hmm? Eat up!" Harriet urged with a warm smile.
Lucius hesitated only for a moment before bringing the bowl to his lips. He blew gently on the hot liquid and then drank deeply, the rich, savory flavor filling his mouth. He chugged it down, barely pausing for breath, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Looking up, he asked, "Can I have seconds?"
Harriet laughed heartily and took his bowl to refill it. "You're so skinny; it's clear you haven't eaten in a while, eh? Eat as much as you need."
Lucius nodded in gratitude as she handed him the replenished bowl. Meanwhile, Yu Xuan sat a short distance away, glaring at Lucius with a mix of envy and unease. His discomfort was palpable, even as he half-heartedly ate his own stew.
"What's wrong, Yu Xuan? Why aren't you eating?" a young man beside him asked, noticing his brooding expression.
"Shut up! Here, take it. I'm not hungry," Yu Xuan snapped, thrusting his bowl into the man's hands before storming off, leaving the young man standing there, bewildered by the sudden outburst.
Yu Xuan stormed off to an isolated tunnel, seeking solitude as he pulled out a small, worn cigarette and lit it up, the flickering flame briefly illuminating his tense features. He took a long drag, exhaling a plume of smoke into the damp air. "What is that guy's problem anyway?" he muttered to himself, irritation lacing his voice. "He'll eat up all our food at this rate." He grunted in frustration, blowing out another puff.
"A dead corpse, huh... Can we even trust him? What if he's still tainted by his unforgivable sin?" Yu Xuan flicked his tongue in distaste, his mind swirling with doubts. As he stewed in his thoughts, he suddenly noticed Zara approaching, her presence calming yet firm.
"I thought you quit smoking," Zara teased with a soft chuckle, her eyes catching the faint glow of the cigarette.
Yu Xuan flinched, quickly straightening up. "Miss Zara—" he began, before regaining his composure. "I got anxious," he admitted, taking another drag to steady his nerves.
Zara smiled gently. "It's the new boy, isn't it? He seems like he's your age—stubborn and determined."
Yu Xuan scoffed, his earlier frustration seeping back into his tone. "That's what worries me. We can't keep welcoming strangers into the fold, no matter how 'good' they seem."
Zara's expression softened as she handed him a bowl of warm stew. "You must be hungry. Eat."
Yu Xuan hesitated, then took the bowl without a word, the warmth seeping into his hands as he watched Zara walk away. He sighed deeply, his eyes drifting back toward the camp, where Lucius sat by the fire, lost in thought. As Yu Xuan took a reluctant bite, his gaze lingered on the new boy, uncertainty and a touch of envy swirling in his chest.
After a while, Lucius finished his meal, though the warmth of the food did little to thaw the cold dread that gripped his heart. He remained silent, staring down at his open palm, the lines of his skin foreign to him now, as if he could no longer accept that this body, his body, was something other than truly alive. The thought gnawed at him, deep and unrelenting.
Harriet, noticing his brooding silence, approached with a smile that was both inviting and authoritative. "Hey, kid, the chief wants to see you."
Lucius snapped out of his reverie, his confusion quickly turning to tension. "The chief?" he asked, his voice tinged with wariness.
"Yeah," Harriet nodded, motioning for him to follow her. "He runs this place, keeps the food secured, and hunts down predators. He's the reason we're all still standing."
As they walked through a dimly lit tunnel, the air thick with the scent of damp earth, Lucius's mind raced with questions. They soon emerged into a small, well-lit chamber where a middle-aged man stood, his presence commanding and serene. His white hair was neatly combed back, and an eye patch covered his left eye, giving him a mysterious, almost imposing aura. He wore a black turtleneck beneath a white doctor's coat, a strange combination that seemed to suit him perfectly.
The man turned slowly, his single sharp eye locking onto Lucius with an intensity that made the young man's heart skip a beat. "You must be Lucius," the man spoke, his voice calm but carrying an undeniable weight.
Lucius instinctively hardened his gaze, his defenses rising as he took in the man before him. There was something about this figure that commanded respect, even fear, though Lucius wasn't sure why.
The man continued, undeterred by Lucius's wary stance. "I am Elias," he said, his tone measured, yet there was a hint of something deeper, something that told Lucius this was no ordinary leader.
Elias gestured for Harriet to leave the room. She nodded and slipped out, leaving Lucius and Elias alone in the dimly lit chamber. The silence hung heavy between them until Lucius, uneasy but curious, broke it. "You're the leader? I thought Zara was the chief."
Elias scoffed, pulling a cigarette from his coat pocket. "That old woman? She is the chief, yes, but I'm in charge of the force wielders here, the ones who protect this base." He lit the cigarette with a practiced flick, taking a deep drag before exhaling a plume of smoke. "Why do you think Zara accepted you in?"
Lucius didn't answer immediately, his eyes drifting to the side as he tried to piece together his thoughts. Elias watched him, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Tell me about yourself," he said, extending the cigarette pack toward Lucius.
Lucius ignored the offer, keeping his voice steady. "I used to live behind the walls. A catastrophe happened... and my friend died."
Elias's expression shifted, a gleam of interest sparking in his eye. "So you're from the fall of the wall, huh? Interesting. The only reason you're alive now is because you're a dead corpse."
Lucius sighed, the weight of Elias's words pressing down on him. He couldn't deny the truth, but it was one he still struggled to accept. Elias, noticing his unease, continued with a sharper edge to his tone. "If you want to stay here, you'll have to show me how useful you can be. Rumor has it that you can't absorb a force, but I still want you to cooperate."
Elias took another drag from his cigarette, his gaze narrowing on Lucius. "The food's running low. We'll have to go out hunting tomorrow morning."
Lucius's eyes flicked back to Elias, his fists clenching slightly. "Are you saying we're going to hunt the monsters?"
"They're edible," Elias replied bluntly. "It's survival, after all. Besides, you've eaten them raw before, when you were out there alone and cold, haven't you?" His words were laced with suspicion, his gaze piercing through Lucius.
Lucius swallowed hard, the memory of those desperate nights flashing through his mind. He said nothing, his silence speaking volumes.
Elias studied him for a moment longer before letting the topic drop. "Rest up. Tomorrow, we see what you're really made of."
As the hours passed, Lucius found himself sitting against the cold stone wall, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Elias's words echoed in his head, a reminder of the harsh reality he now faced. He was a dead corpse, a survivor of the fall, and now, he had to prove his worth in a world that seemed determined to break him.
To be continued -