Riot woke up to a hazy vision, feeling disoriented and confused. He muttered under his breath, "Where am I?" A figure approached him and gently placed their hands on his face. Riot felt a warm and comforting presence, and a feminine voice spoke softly in his ear, "Don't worry, my child. It's not your time yet."
Feeling bewildered, Riot asked, "Who are you?" The figure began to fade, and he suddenly woke up, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. He felt a searing pain in his stomach, and he held his gut tightly as he looked around the room. Jackal, his companion, was lying on a bed next to him, wrapped up in bandages.
Riot tried to sit up, but the pain was excruciating. "Ouch!" he groaned, clutching his stomach. His eyes scanned the room, and he saw a woman walking towards him. "Oh, good, you're awake," she said. "You're heavily wounded, and moving too much can undo the stitching. Take it easy," she cautioned.
In a state of confusion, Riot demanded, "Where am I? Where's Dozer?" The woman gestured for him to calm down. "You're in a sort of sanctuary, and Dozer is alright. He's currently roaming around the campus," she answered.
Riot sighed with relief, but he was still worried about Jackal. "Will he be alright?" he asked the woman. She nodded and handed him a bottle of painkillers. She then gave him a plastic cup filled with water and said, "Take these; they are painkillers. They should help with the wound." Riot hesitated for a moment before sighing and taking the pills and water.
Riot asked the woman, "Can you tell me how we got here?" The woman replied, "Believe it or not, it was your friend Dozer who found us. We were scouting the area, and he begged us to help." Riot's eyes widened in surprise. "If it weren't for him, we would most likely have died," he muttered.
"However, there was a deal. If we helped you guys, you all would have to work for us, basically as our own militia," she said, cutting Riot off before he could finish. "Wait, what? I never-" Riot protested, but she silenced him by placing a finger over his mouth. "It's too late for that now. The deal was already made," she said firmly before leaving the room.
Riot shook his head in disbelief and sighed. He got up from the bed and tried to walk around the room, but the pain made him collapse on the floor. He held his stomach tightly, feeling helpless. His eyes wandered around the room and saw a curtain rack lying against the wall. He grabbed it and used it as a makeshift crutch to support himself.
With great effort, Riot managed to leave the room and started walking down the hallway. The sound of voices grew louder, and he saw a group of women approaching him. One of them turned to look at Riot and asked, "What are you doing up?" Riot felt uneasy and lied, "Oh, I'm feeling better now." The woman shook her head and rejoined the others.
Riot left the building and looked around, trying to get a sense of his location. In the distance, he saw people collecting apples from a row of apple trees. "They even have a farm here," he said to himself. He felt relieved that they were in a safe place, but he was still uncertain about the future. "Heh...maybe this isn't as bad as I thought," he muttered quietly.