“We should go,” I tell the boy. “Come on.” I pick up Benny, patting his back gently as we walk back down the hallway. I’m glad I shut all the doors; I don’t want the kids to see inside. I stop at the bathroom with him, which is nearly unscathed compared to the rest of the room, and change his pull-up.

I knock on the door to the Lilac room softly to try and avoid scaring the kids. The handle turns and I see Ren’s face peeking out. It softens in relief as soon as he sees it’s me.

“Hey, everything go-oh, hey Benny,” Ren says, smiling at the boy in my arms. Benny doesn’t reply, simply burying his head in my shoulder, and I don’t blame him. Poor kid’s probably a wreck.

“What did you find?” he asks cautiously, noticing the blank look in my eyes. “Wait, actually, first-” he pauses, taking a deep breath like he’s preparing for something, before holding my shoulder and looking me in the eye. Ren tells me, “I know things are really scary, you two, but it’s going to be okay. We’re going to figure this out together, Maisy.” A soft golden glow began, enveloping me and Benny both, the beautiful leaves swirling around before landing on us. The fear in my heart melts away and I breathe out, Benny relaxing in my arms as well.

*DING*

You have received a buff: Soothing Words.

Your resistance to fear has increased for twenty minutes.

Your sense of hopelessness is relieved for twenty minutes.

You take 10% less damage from Death Magic for twenty minutes.

“Thanks, Ren,” I reply, giving him a genuine smile. “You seem to be getting the hang of that Skill pretty well, huh?”

“I guess,” he says, scratching the back of his neck. “I just want to be able to help, however I can.”

“Mr. Reeeeen,” Theo yanks on Ren’s shirt, stretching it out. “Can we pleeeease go get something to eat now that Ms. Maisy is back?” Instead of replying, Ren’s eyes meet mine, questioning.

“It’s…a bit messy out there, but not too bad. The entrance is…mostly intact,” I gesture vaguely, not sure how much to reveal in front of the kids.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Are there dead bodies?” Theo jumps up, his eyes shining as though I had offered candy.

“No,” I tell him firmly. “There are no dead bodies.”

“Really?” Ren asks, surprised. Theo sticks out his tongue and folds his arms, disappointed.

What is wrong with this kid? Is this going to be a problem later?

I shake my head and tell Ren, “The bodies disappear, just like the zombies did. Benny was with Caitlyn…she didn’t make it.” I say the last part quietly, hoping to keep it out of little ears. Ren stiffens, his eyes dark, before he nods.

“There’s more,” I say, “but first…” I turn around, poking Theo in the tummy, watching his pout melt into giggles. “We have some hungry bellies to fill.”

I grab a couple backpacks from the cubby area, dumping the contents out before tossing them on my back and giving Ren a thumbs up. Together, we quickly walk the kids down the hall. I don’t linger, trying to keep their attention on moving forward so they don’t get curious. We make it to the kitchen without any incident and I hand out juice boxes and packets of peanut butter crackers.

Opening one for myself, I give a few to Ren, who thanks me and puts one in his mouth.

“So?” he says around the food, eyes flitting to the distracted children. “What did you find? What…happened?”

I freeze with a cracker halfway to my mouth before I slowly lower it back down.

“I found them in the pantry closet,” I nod to Benny, closing my eyes before I continued. “It was…bad, Ren. She was really hurt. I went out to try and get help…” I can feel a lump starting to form in my throat and I sniff hard, forcing the emotions back.

“It’s crazy out there,” I tell him. “When I tried to find someone to help, I didn’t see anyone. And there’s different sections, and different things happened in different places. I saw a place that looked scorched, the houses were burnt down. I don’t know how far this goes…” I trail off, not sure what else to say.

“What if it’s the whole world, Ren?”

“Hey,” he says, pulling me into a hug. “Don’t think too much about it. If we try to take it all in, we’re going to get overwhelmed. We need to focus on what we can do right now.”

*DING*

You have received the buff Mental Fortitude.

You will remain focused with unwavering determination for the next ten minutes.

You will be unaffected by Fear attacks for the next ten minutes.

The beautiful glow enveloped me and the kids oohed and awwed, just as amazed as the first time. They quickly reached up, their little fingers wriggling as they reached for the golden light leaves. The glow briefly enveloped them, giving them the buff as well.

As I watched the scene, I slapped my forehead, feeling stupid.

“What? Why? Why are you hitting yourself?” Ren shook me, his face annoyed.

“No, I’m fine,” I smile a little, shaking my head. “But I decided what I need to do now.”

“And what is that?” my friend raised his eyebrow quizzically.

“I need to learn my Skill, of course.”