Startled by the unexpected sight of a living person, she hastily retreated outside, grappling with the shock of encountering another human being after two months of solitude. Gathering herself, she cautiously reentered the room, carefully observing the peacefully sleeping man.
"This is alive, and he is also sleeping peacefully," She noted aloud. Driven by instinct and a mix of caution, she retrieved her (Steyr AUG) and pointed the gun towards him.
As the man slowly woke up, he found himself greeted not by the solitude of the post-apocalyptic world he had grown accustomed to, but by the unsettling presence of a gun pointed directly at him. The shock on his face mirrored the unexpected encounter, leaving both of them in a tense and uncertain moment.
"Woah! Woah! Woah! Take it easy, ma'am! Why are you pointing your gun at me?" he exclaimed, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.
"Shut up, don't talk! Or else, I'll trigger this gun," she sternly replied, her gaze unwavering.
He went completely silent, his mind racing as he observed his surroundings, calculating the best possible route to escape the ominous barrel of her gun. In the tense atmosphere, she suddenly interrogated him, "Who are you? And how come you're alive? Did you set up this monstrosity?"
He remained tight-lipped, not uttering a single word in response. Instead, he looked at her with a stoic expression, silently conveying his adherence to her directive not to speak.
"That's what I thought; you also don't know why," Oswald replied immediately. As he attempted to stand up on his bed, a clicking sound echoed through the room, catching his attention. Turning his gaze, he saw the girl poised to shoot him at any moment.
Remaining remarkably calm, he asked, "What are you doing?"
She hesitated before responding, "I may be clumsy with my words, but that doesn't mean I'm afraid to kill you right here, right now!" The tension in the room escalated, and the exchange between them
There was a heated silence in the room as if they were locked in a stalemate. Oswald carefully appraised the situation, recognizing its precariousness. To diffuse the tension, he said calmly, "Listen, we're both survivors in this inexplicable situation; instead of turning on each other, we should figure out what happened together."
Oswald saw a chance as she paused, obviously weighing his statements. He surged forward, disarming her and grabbing control in a quick and planned action. He effectively pinned her on the bed with his Glock 43, aiming the gun at her forehead.
Oswald offered a chilling threat while holding her to the bed, his voice low and menacing tone. "If you don't cooperate, I won't hesitate to pull the trigger on your forehead. Answer my questions, and if you provide satisfactory answers, I'll release you. Do you understand?"
With few options, she nodded, her eyes filled with terror and resistance. "If you don't keep your promise, this will end in a bad situation," she cautioned, a subliminal threat hanging in the air.
Oswald, unfazed by her tough tone, retorted, "Is that a threat?"
In a swift and assertive response, she shot back, "What do you think?"
In the dimly lit room, the air hung heavy with tension as Oswald maintained his firm grip on the Glock 43. Her eyes darted between the gun and his unwavering gaze, a palpable sense of unease enveloping the space.
Oswald gave her the same question as her previous question.
She paused before responding, carefully selecting her words. "My name is Voila Palmer. I woke up alone in this isolated world, just like you. I don't know how or why I'm alive. I've been trying to survive and make sense of everything ever since."
Oswald lessened the pressure on her, still hesitant but intrigued by her answer. "Survival comes first, doesn't it? But there's something more to this world than meets the eye. Do you know anything about the unusual occurrences, the deserted streets, and the abandoned buildings?"
"No, I'm as clueless as you are," Voila said.
Viola Palmer seizes the chance to reverse the flow of the situation when Oswald lowers his guard, assuming the tension has subsided. She overtook him with incredible speed, forcing Oswald to the bed and snatching the Glock 43 from his grip, now pointing it at his back.
"I may not be your enemy, but that doesn't mean I trust you completely; we'll work together, but I won't hesitate to take control if necessary," she said, her gaze a mixture of resolve and caution.
"I didn't expect you to counter me, so what now are you gonna shoot me?" Oswald asked with a mix of astonishment and interest.
Viola responded with a steady stare, "No," and moved her gun behind his back carefully. Before she could react, Oswald quickly shifted his body, reclaiming the upper hand, leaving Viola immobilized on the bed.
Oswald quickly tossed the Glock to the other side of the room, removing Viola from the direct threat of the handgun. He slammed his hand on the bed to the right side of her head, closing the gap between them with a contemptuous tone. "So, what are you going to do now? Take control? Me!? You're gonna take control of me? Hahaha, don't make me laugh, Viola. In any situation, I've always had the upper hand."
Unfazed, Viola moved towards Oswald's face almost touching both of their nose, and said, "We will see about that." A bold challenge hung in the air between them.
Oswald could not help but laugh as he was amused by her reaction. "Bring it on, Viola," he said, a teasing confidence in his voice. He released her with an abrupt change in mood, creating a temporary space.
"So, what's your current destination after this?" Oswald asked as they rebalanced their interaction.
Viola, who continued to lie on the bed, paused for a bit before saying, "I don't know. I haven't explored this place yet. How about you?"
"I already explored this place; the only valuable find is the arsenal on the 50th floor. I'm guessing you already found that room and tried to search for more. Sadly, that's the only place with anything worthwhile," Oswald explained.
Viola, rising from the bed, nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, Mr. Oswald, let's decide on our next destination."
Oswald, taken a step back by her unexpected cooperation, stuttered, "I-I didn't expect that you would cooperate, especially after all those interactions."
Viola retorted, "Oh, please, let's be real. In this kind of situation, the best choice is either to stick together or, if I found you untrustworthy, I would have probably already left."
Oswald, considering her perspective, replied, "Makes sense."
Suddenly, a massive earthquake shook the skyscraper violently. Oswald, caught off guard, exclaimed in surprise, "Ohh, what the...!"
In the chaos of the intense earthquake, Oswald instinctively sprinted toward his bag. Viola, frozen in shock and fear, watched as the skyscraper trembled and then began to collapse. The world turned chaotic as the structure crumbled, and both of them were sent tumbling.
In a quick and decisive reaction, Oswald managed to grab Viola, yelling at her, "Close your eyes!" She obeyed instantly. Oswald, holding Viola tightly, ran towards a glass pane. With the skyscraper crumbling around them, he swiftly pulled out a parachute from his bag, their only hope for a safe escape.
As the building descended in a symphony of destruction, Oswald activated the parachute, and they were carried away from the collapsing skyscraper.