They all groan, as expected, but I ignore it. It’s gotten hard to tell the time, with the weather and atmosphere changing with each challenge, but I’m sure it’s after nap time for them and while they might be happy to skip one, Ren and I would be pulling our hair out in a few hours if they did.

It was a little strange, though. Despite the sudden upheaval and the chaos that had ensued, the kids seemed…relatively fine. Cassidy missed her family a lot, mentioning it several times throughout the day, and Benny obviously was suffering after what happened with Caitlyn, but considering everything going on, I would expect them to be terrified and freaking out. It was almost freakish how fast they had accepted this. Theo and Greyson seemed to really believe this was a game.

As for myself, I didn't know what to think. I had guessed I would be more tired than I was, but maybe from the rush of my assured safety or from the adrenaline in my system, I had yet to feel fatigued or like I needed a break. If anything needed to rest, it was my poor brain, tired as I continually tried to wrap my head around the oddities. The strange pop ups, the odd zones that were set up. But it was also still just…normal. Even now, as they trudged back to the grocery store, the pavement and the cars, the houses, it all looked so ordinary. How was I supposed to believe this was a game?

I pull out my phone to quickly glance at it, the motion becoming a habit the longer things went on. Six minutes and fifteen seconds left of the challenge. I half listen to the kids wonder about prizes and complain about naps as my thoughts wander back to the other collectible. The zones weren’t very large; they had searched nearly the whole of theirs, in fact. Yet they hadn’t seen or heard anyone else with them. But the notification couldn’t be a lie…right? The system probably can’t do that. It’s probably an AI bot of sorts, I muse, and my thoughts rabbit hole. What if it’s all some bad AI project gone wrong? And maybe the zombies weren’t real at all? Was any of this real?

“Hey, you okay?” Ren touches my arm to get my attention. I realize I’ve come to a full stop, the kids giving me looks of confusion.

“Yeah, just…” I grab my head and close my eyes, pushing away the insane thoughts I’d been having. There was no way to prove any of it, anyways. “I’m just overwhelmed. It’s been a lot.”

“I get it,” he says. “I think we’ll all feel better after a break. If we get a break,” he mutters the last part under his breath and anxiety swims in my chest again. I really hope another challenge doesn’t start right away…

“Come on, inside,” Ren ushers the kids through the door, closing it behind me once I’m in. He locks it as well, before moving a shelf in front of it to keep it shut.

“Just in case, while they’re sleeping,” he tells me.

“Let’s see if we can find some coats or something,” I tell the kids. “While we wait for the challenge to end. One last scavenger hunt.” The kids cheer and scamper off while Ren and I move things out of the back storage room. It’s fairly clear for the most part, the stuff behind arranged neatly on the shelves, so it doesn’t take us very long. I’m contemplating a bag of rice as a substitute pillow when I get a ding, the notification blocking my view.

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*The collectible challenge has come to an end! The time is up!

You have successfully completed the collectible challenge!

You have found *1* collectible, good job!

Your rewards are being distributed!*

My eyes quickly scan the message. As soon as I’ve finished reading it, it disappears and a new one replaces it.

*You have received the skill ‘Group Ties’ for finding the Thread collectible.

You have received the Bracelet of Resistance as a reward for completing the challenge.

The next challenge will begin tomorrow at 5 AM. Good luck, Warrior!*

Again, as soon as I’ve finished reading the message, which was twice for this one, the pop up disappeared, leaving me looking at a bag of rice once more.

It was disconcerting how it seemed to know exactly how long I needed to read before disappearing. Did it do that before? Did I just not notice?

“Wahoo!” I hear one of the kids shout and I hurry out to see what the others get.

“Look!” Kena ran up to me, her voice excited. “Look what I got!” She was wearing a pretty jacket made of silk, in a beautiful cherry blossom pink. It was a thin material, but it shimmered and seemed to change hues, going from shades of bright salmon to deep crimson as she moved.

“That’s very pretty,” I smile, remembering her comment from earlier. “I wonder what it does.”

“I dunno,” she twirled, the ends flaring out as she spun. “A message popped up but I can’t read it.”

“I know, kiddo,” I laugh. “Let’s go see what the others got.”

Kena skips and I walk as we meet back up. I can hear them chattering away, and Ren trying to calm them down so he can understand what they’re saying.

“Woah, slow down,” Ren says again as Theo hangs on his arm. “Too many voices at once.”

“We want to know what you all got, but we can’t if we can’t hear you,” I tell them, raising my voice above theirs. “Everyone sit in a circle, criss-cross applesauce.”

The kids sit down, some grumbling and some still quietly chattering excitedly. Once seated in a circle, Ren and I joined them. I sat myself beside Theo to make sure he’d listen before gesturing to Ren to begin.

“We’re going to do show and share, but with what we got from the game,” Ren explains and immediately Theo raises his hand.

“I wanna go first!” he says without waiting to be prompted and I roll my eyes.

“Sure,” Ren replies easily, “And we’ll go around the circle this way,” he moves his finger clockwise, “until we get back to Theo. After show and share, we’ll go eat and then take a nap.” At this point, it won’t really be a nap; it will just be going to bed. But I don’t say anything, letting Ren lead. “Okay Theo, go ahead.”

Theo jumps up, spinning quickly to show off his jacket. It’s black with yellow cuffs on the sleeves as well as yellow threads. It’s fairly simple in design and if he hadn’t gotten it from the event, I wouldn’t have realized it was an item. It seemed to fit him perfectly, as though it was made just for him. He strutted around a few more times, saying, “This jacket is what I got. I don’t know what it does, but I feel faster and cooler with it on.”

I stifle a laugh but he’s right; how are any of the kids going to know what their items do? They can’t read. This could end up being very problematic…

I remember my rewards. What was the first one called? ‘Group Ties’? I wonder how that worked.

As if triggered by my thought, a screen popped up in front of me.

You are in an area with multiple other people. Would you like to form a Party with them?

Note: Once a party is formed, it may only be disbanded by the user of the skill ‘Group Ties’. The user of the skill ‘Group Ties’ is the one who will decide skill sharing and party members.

Continue?