Several hours after alice, Joe walker, and Alice continued their journey until evening. Maria had woken up from her sleep and was singing as usual.
Shortly after, they realized that the tall tower they were heading towards was getting closer. It was just a matter of time until they could reach it.
Food supplies were secured for the next few weeks. They had enough equipment to survive, and their survival skills made them feel calm.
Joe Walker was carefully gazing at the sky in the evening. The sky was filled with orange hues, the blue color slowly fading away. Like any other day, there were no signs of life visible in the sky, whether birds or anything else.
Joe felt like the three of them were alone in the world. The world felt very empty to Joe, which made him uncomfortable. It was not the sky that scared him, but the feeling of loneliness that always made him uneasy.
"Hey Alice, wouldn't it be better for us to find a place to stay overnight first? It's getting dark now," Joe Walker suggested.
Alice looked at the sky for a moment and then replied, "You're right, let's do that."
They searched for a place to spend the night, wandering around the vast city and passing through dozens of strange and confusing routes.
Joe Walker and Maria explored areas around the city that their vehicles couldn't reach, while Alice stayed in the vehicle following Joe Walker and Maria. They continued this until they found a house with a broken door.
They entered and made the house their overnight shelter. The houses there were all the same shape and tightly closed. Luckily, they found a broken door, allowing them to rest comfortably without feeling the cold night wind.
Alice parked her vehicle near the house and entered with Joe Walker and Maria.
"The kitchen, bedroom, and living room are combined into one room. What kind of house is this? Are all the houses in this city like this?" Joe Walker observed the room inside the house.
Alice, who had just entered, said, "It's small to be called a house. But with this, we can feel warm at night."
"Woo-hoo!" Maria shouted as she jumped onto the bed in the room.
Alice walked around and headed to the kitchen area. Seeing some unfamiliar items, she asked, "Joe, what are these items?"
"Huh? What's up?" Joe Walker, curious, approached Alice. He looked at where Alice was pointing and found some cooking utensils left on the kitchen table. "Oh, this is pan."
"What are this used for?"
"Pan make cooking easier, similar to the iron cups we have, but this is larger, right?"
"Hmm, so, what about this?" Alice asked again, pointing to another item.
"This is a knife."
"Is it perhaps a self-defense tool?"
"No! There's some truth to that, but no! This is a kitchen knife, used to cut ingredients for cooking."
"I see, so this is A kitchen knife, I understand."
Joe Walker and Alice continued to discuss various things in the kitchen. Alice was curious about it, while Joe Walker explained. Alice only knew about spoons because she used them for eating, but she didn't even know what a fork was.
Knowing this didn't confuse Joe Walker too much. It was normal to think that Alice and Maria had started learning about life at the age of 9.
Typically, a human has full consciousness of their body and memory at the age of 3 to 5. This meant that Alice and Maria were only given four to six years of experience to learn about life.
The limited information Alice knew about the world clearly indicated that Alice and Maria's upbringing from birth was not ideal. Joe Walker was sure that Maria had experienced the same.
Children like them at the age of 9. Without much knowledge, they had to adapt to their surroundings and leave their hometown to survive.
I couldn't imagine being in their position. Would I give up? Or would I become as strong as them?
I wonder when was the last time they cried? Even though I've seen it, I don't know when it happened.
It seems like my choice to come down to this world near them was right choice. It seems like I've found another purpose, I want teach them everything about life.
It seems like I want to become their stepfather. But, it's not bad either. A stepfather... But it sounds strange if they call me 'father'... It doesn't sound cool at all...
But, it doesn't mean I hate it.
While continuing to chat with Alice, Joe Walker smiled broadly because he felt happy.
On the other hand, Maria found a snack and without hesitation, she ate it, "Mmm, this is delicious! Mmm, mmm, mmm!"
The sunlight was starting to fade, darkness was taking over the sky. The wind outside was getting colder as time passed.
Joe Walker began to cover the broken door with one of the sheets. The sheet was wide enough to cover all the gaps. This way, the cold night wind wouldn't fully enter the room.
"How is it? Am I smart?" Joe Walker asked after finishing covering the sheet.
"It's smart, but what about you?" Alice, already on the bed with her blanket, replied.
"What? What about me?"
"We only have 2 sheets, are you going to sleep without one? Even though the cold is reduced, it will be very cold in the middle of the night."
"Don't worry, I'm not sleepy yet either. You can sleep first with Maria," Joe Walker smiled, looking at Maria.
Alice glanced at Maria, who was already asleep next to her, and said, "This girl just sleeps all the time!"
"Let her sleep, it's good for her. She looks cute when she sleeps, right?"
"Annoying to admit, but you're right... By the way, how did you manage to put up the sheet like that? I didn't know our sheets could stick to the wall."
"No! I found a hammer and some nails in the drawer under the kitchen table."
"I see..."
Joe Walker smiled and approached Alice, then gently stroked her head.
"W-what are you doing?" Alice seemed uncomfortable with it.
"Go to sleep, you must be tired from driving Tony all day."
Alice yawned as she started to feel sleepy, "you're right, my eyes are getting heavy."
"Go to sleep quickly, or are you still bothered by my presence? In that case, I'll go find a rope! The rope is still in Tony, right?"
"Stop joking like that! You don't need to do that anymore."
"So, does that mean you trust me?"
"Trust... You..." her eyes began to droop, and slowly she fell asleep. Her eyes closed tightly, losing consciousness.
Joe Walker, realizing that Alice had fallen asleep, smiled.
Afterward, Joe Walker looked around the room. He then glanced at Maria and Alice again. Suddenly, he murmured, "So... I'm left alone, I feel a bit lonely."
Joe Walker walked out the door, intentionally leaving some parts unpinned so he could exit.
He looked to his left and saw a wide staircase. He sat on one of the steps.
Joe Walker gazed at the dark night sky. Then, he turned to look at their vehicle. After that, he looked around.
There was only the silver color, which turned out to be iron, and the dark yellow color, which was the surrounding buildings. The buildings there were almost all the same, making the city feel like it only consisted of residential areas. In every street and route they had taken before, they only found houses.
An odd city...
Joe Walker looked up at the sky and sighed deeply. In the silence enveloping the night, Joe Walker broke the silence by saying, "so quiet..."
Is this world always like this from the beginning? It's too quiet, the world itself is something called loneliness. A world that would make anyone still alive feel what loneliness truly means.
Being alone in this world doesn't make you become someone who has everything in this world. It's just foolish thinking to think like that.
Having everything in this world won't make you feel happiness. It's pointless to have everything in this world if you can't do anything with it.
There's only peace, solitude, loneliness, and emptiness. The world feels very empty even though there are many things in it.
Suddenly, Joe Walker remembered Alice and Maria's faces.
That's why I'm amazed by them. They are truly remarkable, I never expected to find people like them in a world like this.
They can find happiness in the small things in their boring daily lives.
But after spending a few days with them, I understand that their mundane daily life is actually meaningful.
Watching the two of them, I learned that their smiles don't come from the things in this world but from their relationship. Having someone else with them makes them feel calm and comfortable.
Alice can still smile because of Maria, and Maria can still smile because of Alice. They support each other for over 2 years surviving in a world like this, alone without any help from adults.
Thinking about this makes me a little sad. Because I realize that if one of them disappears or leaves, one of them will lose the smile on their face.
And I don't want that to happen.
Joe Walker sighed again and leaned against the wall. He suddenly remembered someone with a monkey mask.
Sebastian, what is my true task? I don't think you lied to me. But I truly don't understand why I need to come down to this world.
Even though I found my personal purpose in taking care of those two little girls. But making them feel happiness seems futile. They both can feel happiness without me.
What is my real task in this world, Sebastian?
Suddenly, Joe Walker remembered Sebastian's words, "Don't worry, you will find out for yourself. I can guarantee that."
Why did you say that at that time, Sebastian? You told me to find out about this world by myself?
What has happened to this world? It's difficult for me to conclude the state of this world just by looking at the memories of billions of humans. It would only drive me insane.
Suddenly, Maria came out, surprising Joe Walker.
"Maria, what are you doing? You're not sleeping?"
"I can't sleep, my stomach suddenly hurts!"
"Of course, it hurts, you drank fuel this afternoon and ate expired food this evening. It's your own fault."
"Ugh, that's true, why didn't you tell me it was expired? I ate it all..."
"You ate it without telling me! I was talking to Alice!"
"Huft..." Maria sighed and sat on the step above Joe Walker, leaning against the wall.
"Why did you come out of the house?"
"I thought maybe if I get cold, it will reduce the pain in my stomach."
"Huh? Are you stupid or what? You can't relieve stomach pain by intentionally getting cold."
"You can! I'm sure! I will focus on enduring the cold until I forget about my stomach ache!"
"That's called torturing yourself..."
"Joe, what are you doing out here?"
"I don't know... Thinking? Maybe..."
"What are you thinking about?"
"I don't know... Everything maybe?"
"Hmm," Maria began to gaze at the night sky.
Slowly, Maria looked at the beautiful crescent moon and asked, "hey, do you think there is life on the moon?"
"I don't know, maybe? But it definitely wouldn't be humans."
"What if there are humans on the moon?"
"If that's true, how could they be there?"
"I don't know..."
"So, you don't know."
"Yeah."
"I don't know either."
"I already suspected that."
Joe Walker and Maria suddenly looked at each other and burst into laughter.
"What are we even talking about?" Joe Walker asked while still laughing.
"I don't know... Ahahaha..."
After laughing to their heart's content, they fell silent for a moment, gazing at the same crescent moon.
Shortly after, Maria said, "it's so beautiful, isn't it?"
Joe Walker smiled and answered softly, "mmh, you're right."
After that, they spent time together chatting about random things until they fell asleep on the stairs.
***** ***** ***** *****
Alice woke up from her deep sleep.
She looked around and didn't find anyone, which made her puzzled. She removed the blanket she was using and didn't find Maria at all.
Worried, she ran outside. At first, she was confused about how to get out because the exit was blocked by the blanket Joe Walker had put up. However, slowly she realized there was a small gap that could be used to get out.
She went out and shouted, "Mariaaaa! Joe! Where are you guys?"
There was no response at all, but suddenly she heard a strange sound to the left.
She turned and found Joe Walker and Maria, huddled together feeling cold, sleeping on the stairs. Feeling puzzled, she muttered, "What are you guys doing?"