The rain gradually ceased until it finally stopped altogether. Laura and I stepped out from under the awning, and I was immediately surprised to see the ground.
"The ground's already dry?"
"I told you, things here are strange," Laura said, walking toward the others.
We walked to the awning across the street, while Will and the others watched us approach and talk.
"Man, wasn't that cool, Phill?" Will shouted, jumping up with his arms raised and smiling.
"Tell me you didn't enjoy that, Phil!" Tom yelled, running his hands wildly through his hair to dry it somehow while shouting.
"He's young; he must have liked it," Joseph said, sitting on the ground with his back against the wall, rubbing his beard.
"Who would enjoy something that could kill you?" Hana asked Will.
When we reached the awning, Will asked a question, as if we weren't there and couldn't hear everything.
"Do you think Laura is into Phill?"
"Laura? If she didn't flirt with me, she won't with this guy," Tom said, yawning.
"She was looking at him a lot, don't you think?" Hana questioned, watching us closely with a hand on her chin and squinting as if analyzing.
"No way. If I tried with her and it didn't work... it's over for all other guys."
Will, who was lying with his hands behind his head, quickly got up and went to Joseph to ask.
"And you, Joseph. As the most experienced in this group, do you think Laura likes Phill?"
Joseph, distracted and looking at the street, raised an eyebrow when Will addressed him.
"Laura and Phill?"
He sighed exaggeratedly, looking at the others as if considering the question beneath his wisdom.
"You youngsters and your trivial concerns," Joseph replied, with a half-smile. "If I had a penny for every time I've seen people speculating about this..."
"Come on, Joseph, be serious!" Will insisted, almost pleading.
Joseph rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Look, she was talking to him in a way we haven't seen before. But whether that's flirting or just a need to keep everyone sane in this hellhole, who knows?"
"So... maybe?" Hana suggested, blinking rapidly.
"Maybe," Joseph confirmed, returning to observe the rain with a thoughtful look. "But remember, guys. Survival first, romance later."
"That's right, Mr. Joseph. Romance is out," Tom said.
I couldn't help but react spontaneously.
"Are you guys nuts? Hahaha"
"Why do you waste time talking nonsense? You could be thinking of something for us to do," Laura said, with discreet, restrained smiles.
"That would be boring. Look at Joseph, the old man loves to show off how much he knows," Will said enthusiastically, smiling widely next to Joseph.
But time was passing, and standing still wasn't a good idea, as Laura pointed out.
"Enough joking around. Let's move; it's not good to stay in one place."
So we continued walking calmly through the city. It was strange and even confusing because, to me, it felt like we were walking the same streets over and over, not really moving from the same spot.
At a certain point in the walk, when everyone was quiet and silent, Laura stopped us and said,
"Guys, check your backpacks. We need to know if the food is enough for the journey."
While Will, Tom, and Hana checked, I approached Laura and asked,
"I don't know why I'm only asking this now, but how did you get the backpacks and food?"
Before Laura could answer me, the group gave her their feedback.
"Very little," Hana said.
"We're out," Will and Tom also reported. "Not much left."
"Oh no," she didn't like the feedback.
But I still wanted to know how she and the others got these things.
"Laura, tell me how."
Finally, she stopped in front of me and spoke in a low voice, as if she didn't want anyone else to hear.
"I don't know why, but in some houses, shops, cabins, and churches, there are food, supplies, and other things. But only in some, it's practically guessing where there's something. Besides, there are places that are empty today but filled with things the next day, understand?"
I was paralyzed; this didn't seem like good information, or rather, it was unsettling to hear.
"That's... scary, I know, and it is. It's completely unexplained, and we just accept it."
I was thinking and said slowly, in a perplexed tone,
"It's... like someone puts it there? Like someone is placing things in certain places?"
"Yes. That's exactly how I see it, but I forget because if you think too much about it, you might collapse in this world."
"Okay, Laura. It's alright, I can handle these things," I said, shocked despite my confident tone.
She turned to the others and spoke,
"Guys, let's split into pairs and find everything we can, understood?"