After they returned to the Safehouse, they piled the loot from the houses they raided onto the table, including the bag of rice and the canned goods.

"So this is all we got?" Kyle asked skeptically.

Doug snapped, "No thanks to you."

"Hey, I helped a bit." Kyle protested.

"Hardly. Most of the time you found every excuse in the book to sit down while Jenn and I did all the work." Doug huffed indignantly.

Kyle frowned, "I'm sorry. Just walking alone is extremely exhausting for me. You wouldn't understand."

Doug shook his head, "Nonsense. Everyone has limits, but we push ourselves beyond those boundaries until we reach our limit. There's always something else we can do, some way we can improve our situation. Even though you might feel weak, you can accomplish great things."

Kyle narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "How exactly am I supposed to 'conquer' my weakness?"

"By taking action." Doug replied firmly.

"Action?" Kyle repeated incredulously, "What kind of action are you talking about? What do I possibly have control over? Everything seems hopeless. The world is coming apart at the seams. People are starving and dying everywhere."

"Exercise, buddy." Doug said bluntly. "It's not easy, but it works wonders."

Kyle scowled, "Are you kidding me? Exercising isn't going to change anything. It won't bring back the old world. No matter how hard I work out, nothing will ever return to normal."

"Wrong." Doug responded confidently, "Working out helps relieve stress. And since you seem to be under a lot of pressure lately, getting rid of the excess tension is crucial. Besides, exercise makes us stronger physically and mentally."

Kyle looked unconvinced, "Uh huh. Whatever dude."

Doug ignored him and went on, "When I used to play football, I hated doing drills and practicing handoffs because I thought it was pointless. Now look at me. My body is strong enough to lift heavy objects and protect myself. These benefits came from exercising regularly, and they allowed me to adapt better than most people. If you want to live in this world, you need to keep yourself fit and ready for any challenge."

Kyle stared blankly ahead, clearly lost in thought, "Or I could just accept the fact that I'm weak and give up."

"Giving up means death." Doug stammered, "And I refuse to die before I'm good and ready. Because dying is the end. Dying without having accomplished anything is worse than just existing. At least if you died doing something, you left something behind. A legacy. Something to remember you by."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Kyle nodded uncomfortably and then abruptly changed the subject, "Anyway, I'm hungry. Can we eat now? This stuff looks terrible, but I'm starving."

Doug rolled his eyes, "Yeah. We can eat now."

***

They ate their meager meal, sitting around a table in the conference room with bowls full of cold soup. Doug passed over the pot of plain cooked rice that he was able to cook up using an Instant Pot, but Kyle refused to touch the bland mushy concoction.

"This tastes horrible." he complained, pushing his empty bowl aside. "Do we have anything else?"

"Unless you have another smashed twinkie in your pocket, no. I'm afraid not." Doug sneered.

"Then let's go raid some more homes until we find something better." Kyle suggested hopefully.

"Let's not get carried away." Jenn cautioned. "We have enough for a few days already, and we don't need to risk getting caught again."

"Fine." Kyle conceded reluctantly as he struggled to stand, "I'm going to go play Conquest anyway."

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He stood up and wobbled out of the room, leaving Doug and Jenn alone together. They sat silently for several moments, staring at each other across the table. Finally, Doug broke the silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

Jenn looked at him curiously, "Sure. What's on your mind?"

Doug paused awkwardly, unsure of himself. He hadn't talked to anyone in person for a while, especially not someone as attractive and feminine as Jenn.

"I... uh.." he stammered, "I wanted to say thank you. For letting me join the guild. And I'm sorry I haven't really had a chance to prove myself to the other members yet."

"You're welcome." Jenn smiled reassuringly, "And don't worry, I think we both feel awkward meeting each other in real life. Don't take offense, but I haven't really expected much from you. When we were in the game, you weren't very talkative and kept mostly to yourself. I've kind of just accepted the fact that you're pretty much the same here."

Doug blushed slightly, embarrassed, "Well, yeah. That's sorta the way I am in person. Sorry."

Jenn laughed lightly and patted his arm gently, "That doesn't bother me. I actually prefer it when guys are shy and quiet rather than overly aggressive and loud. It shows confidence."

"Really?" Doug asked skeptically, "Why?"

"Most men act like they know everything," she explained carefully. "Like they have all the answers. Like women should fall at their feet begging to please them. A lot of guys are usually pretty confident about themselves, but sometimes they forget that girls aren't necessarily attracted to arrogance. Some of us would rather have a guy who is humble and respectful, and treats others well."

She turned serious for a moment, "Also, it takes a certain type of personality to deal with the things we've experienced. Someone who can handle the truth and take responsibility for their actions. Confidence is important, but it must come with humility. You have to realize that you're human, and capable of making mistakes. Not everyone can tolerate that."

Doug listened intently as she spoke, nodding along occasionally. As he absorbed her words, he realized that Jenn was right. He needed to be honest with himself and admit his weaknesses while acknowledging and accepting the strengths he did possess.

"So, how do I become more confident?" Doug asked hesitantly.

"Be open and vulnerable. Let yourself trust people, even if you're scared they will betray you. Be willing to sacrifice something for the benefit of others, but never lose sight of your priorities. Always remain humble, but don't be afraid to show off the skills you're proud of. Remember that you're human, and you can make mistakes. Don't let pride lead you astray. Never stop trying to learn and improve yourself, but don't be ashamed of your past accomplishments either."

Doug chuckled, "Sounds complicated."

Jenn shook her head, "No, it's simple. Just be genuine, and always put the needs of those around you first. Those are the principles my father taught me growing up."

Doug considered her words carefully. She was right; he wasn't sure what exactly to call his philosophy, but it was similar to hers. He remembered his dad saying, "Always treat people the way you wish they would treat you." It sounded trite, but it was also wise advice. Doug vowed to try harder to follow it in the future.

After a short pause, Doug spoke softly, "Thank you. For helping me figure that out."

Jenn nodded, smiling warmly at him. Her smile reminded Doug of a sunflower opening its petals to greet the morning light.

"It's nice knowing I'm not the only one struggling to understand our situation." she said quietly. "The whole thing has been crazy, hasn't it?"

Doug nodded somberly, "Yeah. Crazy. Terrible."

"Terrible isn't the word I'd use." Jenn corrected.

"How would you describe it?" Doug asked curiously.

"Life changing. Life altering." she replied, shaking her head. "Everything changed after the world went crazy. My parents, my sister, almost everyone I ever cared about disappeared overnight."

"I'm so sorry." Doug apologized sympathetically, "I lost my family too."

Her voice cracked with emotion, and she wiped tears from her cheeks.

"The only one left is my brother." she choked, "But he was away on Military leave doing a drill when the Rapture happened, and now he's been deployed out West."

"If he was in a drill at the time, how do you know your brother escaped the Rapture?" he asked.

"We used to game together when he was off duty." she explained, "He reached out to me a few days ago through the Conquest servers."

Doug raised an eyebrow, confused. "How did he do that?"

"I'm not sure, but he wanted to check in on me and told me I needed to head west to meet him in Colorado."

"Colorado? Why?"

"He said he could provide me protection in an underground military base there." a tear ran down her cheek, "But I told him it wasn't possible."

"Why not?" Doug asked, genuinely concerned.

"Have you looked around? The streets are clogged, and besides my car got wrecked during the Rapture. I barely made it out alive with the massive car pileup that was happening on the freeway."

"Wait..." Doug's jaw dropped, "You were on the freeway when the Rapture happened?!"

"Yeah!" she nodded, "It was terrifying!"

Doug winced in sympathy, remembering his own terror at the height of the crisis. He tried to imagine how awful it might have been for Jenn to witness such devastation firsthand.

Doug stewed over a thought for a few minutes, and then made his decision.

"I can take you to Colorado." he said confidently.

Jenn stared blankly at him, "How?"

"I have a Suburban upstairs in the warehouse garage." he explained, "We'd need to scavenge for food and fuel along the way, but it might be possible to get you there."

Jenn's eyes lit up with hope, "Are you serious?"

Doug grinned broadly, "Of course! What kind of friend would I be if I said otherwise?"

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