As they continued their journey, Gesus stuck close to Bottle and couldn't help but marvel at his sense of direction.

She hadn't seen him use any maps or compasses, yet he always knew exactly where he was going.

She wondered if he had been to these places before or if he had memorized them from somewhere.

As she pondered, she realized that she hardly knew anything about Bottle, his uniform, his military service, or why he was even in that abandoned building, heck she hardly knew you could eat Food People!

To clear her doubts, Gesus mustered the courage to ask, "U-um, Bottle?"

Bottle turned to her, "Huh?"

"What is a THING? Are they safe to eat?"

Without breaking his stride, Bottle smirked and replied, "Of course they are! As for 'what' they are..." he trailed off, an unsettling silence washing over his face.

"Dead man walking..." I guess.

Shrugging off the heavy feeling, Bottle quickly changed the subject, "Anyway, we're here!"

He pointed to a two-story apartment complex made of sandstone and wood, giving it a warm, tanned color.

It was located far from the walls and skyscrapers, allowing the gentle light to rest on top of the building.

However, the positives ended there. The first floor was covered in trash, and the walls and roof appeared damaged, almost as if they were about to collapse. It was like a crumbling castle.

Bottle whispered to himself, "Home sweet home."

As Bottle took a deep breath, the putrid air surrounding them caused him to cough violently.

(Cough!) (Cough!)

“Anyway, let's head inside.”

Fortunately, there was a staircase on the side of the apartment complex that led upstairs, allowing them to avoid most of the garbage on the first floor.

“I-Is this your home?” Gesus asked.

Bottle searched underneath some of the boxes in front of room 103.

“Something like that, ah! I found it and thought it was nice.”

Bottle found a thin plastic card of sorts. Gesus assumed the door had some kind of scanning feature, similar to the one at her laboratory where she stayed during the war.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

To her surprise, Bottle slipped the card into the gap between the door, and with a “flick”, the door opened.

As they stepped inside, the musty smell of old age hit their noses. The room was filled with cobwebs, and dust had settled on every surface. The floorboards creaked under their feet as they walked.

Bottle surveyed the room and noticed old antiques everywhere, from a grandfather clock in the corner with its hands frozen in time to an old gramophone in the middle of the room, with a record still spinning on it.

He walked to the window and pulled the blinds aside, letting the light in. The dust danced in the beams of sunlight, and he could see the layers of grime on the windows.

Gesus noticed a painting hanging above the mantelpiece. It was covered in a thick layer of dust, but she could still make out the image of a group raising a flag in a victory pose. She recognized one of the individuals as Bottle.

The sight of the heirlooms, war trinkets, and other valuable goods in the room gave her a sense of wonder and curiosity, as if she were in a museum.

She knew that she had to be careful, as the old building was unstable, and the antiques seemed quite fragile.

The room had the unmistakable feel of an office, with an elegant wooden desk and chairs arranged in the center. Behind the desk was a comfortable leather chair perfectly positioned by a window.

After opening the window, Bottle sat down on the leather chair, appearing relaxed and laid-back as he savored the time he had lost not sitting in that chair before.

Gesus looked around the room, trying to take in everything at once, but her attention was quickly drawn to Bottle and what he was doing.

He was drinking a black liquid from a bottle he had pulled out from under his desk.

The cold glass of Koca-Kola was sweating in his hand, and as he took a sip, he could feel the bubbles fizzing on his tongue, the sweet and syrupy taste filling his mouth.

He let out a sigh of contentment as he took another sip, savoring the familiar taste.

It had been a long day, and the cool drink was just what he needed to relax.

He leaned back in his chair, allowing himself to get lost in the moment.

With each sip, the cool liquid slid down his throat, and he closed his eyes, letting the taste take over.

The familiar notes of caramel and vanilla brought back memories of happier times, when a cold Koca-Kola was the perfect offset to any day, good or bad.

As he was just about to continue the drink, he couldn't help but smile. There was something about the taste of Koca-Kola that always seemed to put him in a good mood.

But as Bottle reopened his eyes, he could feel Gesus staring at him, her bright green eyes seeming to pierce through him.

She tried to wipe the drool from the corners of her lips as she spoke, her voice faltering.

“W-What?” Bottle replied sluggishly, knowing what was coming next.

“W-what's that…” Gesus gulped, her eyes still fixed on the contents of the Koca-Kola bottle.

Bottle wasn't a fool; he knew that after eating a burger, the hunger would inevitably give way to a thirst for something savory.

The problem was, he didn't want to share.

In this world, Bottle had collected all the Koca-Kola bottles he could find and stored them up, and he only had a few left now.

He couldn't afford to share, not now or ever.

As he held the bottle in his hand, he could feel the water drip onto his skin, mimicking the sensation of sweating.

"Kid, we all have choices to make," Bottle said.

He quickly tried to gulp down the last of the Kola, devouring it ravenously.

Gesus retaliated by grabbing for the bottle, and they both fell to the ground.

Although the Kola bottle still had some contents left, there was only a sip or two worth.

Bottle then pulled out his revolver in reflex and pointed it at Gesus, who was lying across from him.

With his eyes cold and emotionless, he calmly cocked the hammer back, and Gesus's eyes widened in shock and fear.

She tried to back away, but the man's gaze never wavered.

He didn't say a word, but the threat was clear.

The room was filled with tension as no one dared to move or speak.

The man's hand was steady as he held the gun, his finger resting on the trigger.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he uncocked the hammer, put the gun back in his holster, and stood up.

"Have the rest... You'll like it," he said.

Gesus, who was shaking with fear and anxiety, regained her calm and looked up at Bottle with gratitude and relief.

She hugged him tightly and whispered, "Thanks"

Taking the last sip of the cold Koca-Kola, she felt the fizzy bubbles dancing on her tongue, and the sweetness of the syrup was perfectly balanced.

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh of pleasure as the thirst and heat dissipated, replaced by a feeling of satisfaction and contentment.

Though Gesus felt a little disappointed by how little the taste lasted, she couldn’t feel too sad about it.

"So... how is it?" Bottle asked.

"I-it's sweet!" she replied.