Merri had her first good night sleep in such a long time that she forgot what it felt like. Her eyes fluttered open while she took in a deep breath. The air, still cold, felt sharp in her lungs. She gave a cough then noticed Matt and Greg move slightly against her. They helped her. They didn't have to but they did. Why though? She could not imagine why anyone would help someone like her. Then again, they didn't even know her name at this point. She just watched them as they struggled to wake up. Their warm breath brushed against her. It felt so much nicer than being huddled with the family. This definitely took her by surprise. Two complete strangers fought hard to keep her warm and alive through the night. She still ached, and felt weak but she lived. There had to be a way to thank them. Her revelry stopped when Matt groaned, stretched then mumbled a good morning. Merri smiled, "Thank you. For saving me, I mean."

Matt rubbed his eyes before elbowing Greg. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get all sappy about it." He elbowed Greg again, "Just think of it as a favor owed to us later." Greg slowly woke up, mumbling something hard to make out. "Come on you asshole, wake up. We got shit to take care of." Greg gripped onto Merri who squeaked with the unexpected snuggle. Matt laughed, "He seems warm and comfy, huh?" Matt stood up then yanked Greg away from Merri. "Fucking hell, wake up!"

Greg elbowed Matt in the upper calf, "Fuck, man I'm awake! Get off me." Matt rubbed at his leg gingerly while laughing so Greg elbowed him again. "Damn, I haven't slept like that in ages." He rubbed at the cheek that got scraped against the pavement. "Shit, that stings." He stood up and looked around. "We are going to have to move fast if we want to beat everyone to the dumpsters. Then again, we still have some of that shit you got last night. Might just take the fucking day off."

Matt stretched then jogged in place for a minute to get his blood flowing. "A day off? You fucking sick or something? You never take a day off." He looked at Greg's face, "Ah! It's because your face got fucked up, isn't it?" Matt smirked while Greg rolled his eyes. Matt looked down at Merri still huddled up near the dying fire. "I guess that means we get to interrogate this chick? I mean at least now she is somewhat alert." He looked at Greg who nodded. Matt crouched down near Merri, "So, let's start with the easy stuff, huh? What's your name?"

Merri took in a deep breath while closing her eyes. She was nervous. What if they found out more about her then told her to leave? That would be so horrible. She spoke almost in a whisper as she gave Matt her name. Both men began asking more and more questions. This was going to be a long day. After she told them about getting kicked out from her family's home, she piped up, "I really have to pee." Greg led her to the squat spot. Once she was finished, she went back to the now dead embers and ashes.

Greg shook his head, "Sorry to hear that your family is fucked up. You can stick around as long as you need to. We don't have much as you can tell but you can help us get the shit we need. It will be a hell of a lot easier with three people scavenging for goods." He looked thoughtful for a few minutes before he added, "I don't get why your family threw you out. I can understand that you didn't have a fucking job but damn. Not to mention that 'jobs' actually means slavery."

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Merri looked confused at the word slavery, so Matt spoke up, "Oh fuck! She doesn't know, dude. This is the shit! We rescued a bubble girl." Matt busted out laughing. Greg growled and pushed him over. Matt got back up rubbing at his chest, "Fuck, I'm sorry but this chick doesn't even know what's going on in the world. That shit is crazy." He looked at Merri, "Sure, you can offer your body and soul to the government for slave work. You'll get enough money to get a cold storage family box but that's it. These 'jobs' are just fucking torture labor camps. If you don't have any trade skills, you either disappear or get booted to the fucking streets just like the rest of the ass-hats out here trying to survive." He glanced quickly at Greg then back at Merri, "We couldn't even get into the fucking compound. We got told there were no jobs left. That's when we got a look at the frozen, starved, and pathetic looking people working there. It was fucked up. Even if you did get in there, you wouldn't last long. They wait until someone is no longer able to work and end them or street them. That's the fucking government for you."

What seemed like out of nowhere, Merri started wailing. Not just crying, she was mournfully screaming in agony. Both Greg and Matt were caught off guard by this before trying to hush her. This type of commotion would only bring trouble that they really did not need. Yelling didn't work, hugging didn't work, and she bit at them if they tried to cover her mouth. Matt barked, "Shut the fuck up! You're going to get us killed!" Merri began to quiet down after that while rocking herself quickly back and forth. Matt looked up at Greg, "Think she's nuts or something?"

Greg didn't know what to make of her, He signaled Matt to follow him so they could speak privately. "Let her calm down so she can explain herself. She may be a crazy bitch but until we get the whole story, we need to be patient. Fuck, she's been through a lot in the past twelve hours. The least we can do is give her a chance." Matt rolled his eyes and Greg shrugged, "I know. I know. We've seen our share of the shit. She has, too, though. Fuck, her family..."

Matt cut him off, "Her family got rid of her for being a nut job. Tell me how many people would run off in this kind of cold? No one in their right fucking mind, that's who. Then, we finally get her talking and she starts screaming like a fucking banshee." Matt sighed hard, "She will be nothing but trouble, Greg." Matt rarely used his friend's name but when he did, it was time to be serious. "We don't need some crazy bitch getting us killed."

Greg nodded, "I guess but..." He stopped short while looking around, "Where the Hell did she go?" They both looked around for Merri but she was no where to be seen. "Ah fuck, she left. We should look for her."

Merri wiped at her eyes. These guys were going to ask her to leave, just like her family did. No one really understood what she was going through. How could they when she didn't understand? It would be better if she just went off on her own. That is what she was thinking. It would hurt so much less that way. Now, she only had to figure out where she would go. That is when she saw someone waving to her. It was a man. Merri just ignored him but he was approaching her. She looked around, realizing that she should have gone outside more often. She had no idea where she was. The man came closer. "Hey! You look lost. Do you need directions?"