Days went by and contrary to Noah's feelings for developing a friendship with the Dou, the Dou ignored him. Noah has been working extra hours in the lab, even though it was forbidden, and even Maison didn't talk to him. Neither had Jay or any of the people he came with. But it was not like he cared anyway, he just needed to focus on the wishes. And it probably wouldn't be a big deal if he just focused on two wishes and one of them was unfulfilled. The Raven didn't even explain what would happen if he didn't fulfill any of those wishes. So Noah sets out to focus on survival and having a family. Surviving is easy, but the family part is going to be difficult.

'How does one find a family in the apocalypse? It really is more realistic to find a real friend, one that went through battle with him. Maybe a bit of life-saving? Offering kindness?' As he thought to himself an idea came to mind. What if he cured an infected patient? But it couldn't just be any of those people, he will have to build a connection first. Treat them kindly, give them hope, and make them think Noah was the only one to really want to cure them. The more Noah thought about this the more he liked it.

Now to the important part, how to make a cure? So more days passed, Noah worked hard on a pre-zombie-cure. Even when he was tossed out of his lab he took the work with him and researched more on his old desk on the dirt research. The Dou that lived with him started to look at him weirdly. Sometimes with pity, sometimes with concern, and most of the time with a bored look. Then one of them couldn't take it anymore and blocked Noah on his way down to the laboratories. Zenix stood in front of Noah with an annoyed look, but Noah could see some kind of concern.

"THIS STOPS NOW," he said his arms stretched out to the side.

Ben facepalmed, "I thought we should leave this be? This is a thing between those three, it does not involve us."

Zenix looked by Noah to Ben, "It may not involve us, and I know you can do with the awkward silence, but I can't this has been killing me." Then he focused his sight on Noah, "Now you, listen it's cool if you have beef with Jay and Maison, but we have nothing to do with that. We gave you space to think since we didn't know if you just didn't want to talk to Jay anymore or all of us. Frankly, I can not do this anymore, I am a Gemini give me attention. That was a joke, but we had a friendship between us that began to sprout and I don't want you to walk away from that."

To say Noah was surprised was an understatement, but I guess Zenix is really a friend-deprived soul. Ben felt hurt in this moment, just a second as if someone talked bad about him and Zenix.

Then Ben shook his head, "Zen, I already give you so much attention. Why do you need other friends?"

Zenix gave him a side-eye, "Noah listen, I really was looking forward to our friendship, because I have a feeling we could get along great. But that doesn't work if you come into our room so late and exhausted that you can't even talk to us. You look so exhausted you have panda eyes and even your cheeks look hollowed out. Are even eating enough?"

Noah felt touched, such treatment he never had someone worry about him like this. Maybe he did, maybe Val had given him such treatment, but he doesn't remember anymore.

Noah unconsciously got a tear in his eye, Zenix saw it and when Noah swiftly swiped it away with his finger, he didn't comment it. Noah then smiled at Zenix, it wasn't his beloved puppy smile for the first time it was a real smile. A little clumsy, a sad but all the way touched about what Zenix asked him.

Noah covered his eyes with one hand, "Yeah, I am sorry. I didn't realize I would worry you so much. I would love for us to hang out. Do you maybe want to have breakfast with me?"

Zenix smiled putting his arms down which had become a little sore, "I would love to."

Ben who was seemingly forgotten chimed in, "Me too. You two can't just forget about me. Zen, he'd better not become your new best friend. Because if he is..."

He walked next to Noah and made real deep eye contact with him, "If you are, I will fry you so crispy you will be a chicken nugget from KFC."

Noah nodded amused.

Zenix rolled his eyes, gave Ben a shoulder pat, and swung an arm over Noah taking him to the elevator. Ben was dumbfounded by the betrail but walked behind them. They got into the elevator, went to the second floor, and went into the canteen. They each took a trail and went to the people giving out food, seems like they got instant ramen as breakfast. When they had to show their ID, everything was normal and Noah got an apple again. Ben and Zenix both looked jealous of the apple, so they looked for a place to sit and began eating. Noah looked at Ben and Zenix who were sitting side by side in front of him. After looking at them both he looked at his apple, took it, and split it in half with his hands. Ben and Zenix looked at him surprised and were touched when Noah handed a half to each of them. They of course took the apple they hadn't seen much less eaten an apple in over two to three months. And the juicy flesh of the apple was heaven, it was the forbidden fruit for a reason.

Ben then looked at the core of the apple, "Bet, you could make a little fortune if you were trading them. I heard you are able to trade for anything if you know the right people and fresh produce is definitely one of them."

Zenix nodded heavily, and then he looked a little sad, "I never thought I'd say it but I really miss fruits, even vegetables. It's just something about those healthy greens that gets my body saying. I feel healthy. Eating this junk food, I realize the importance of carrots, broccoli, or spinach. I miss the banana I never eat or the apple that has been in my backpack since middle school." Noah sat there eating his ramen, which was a little hard since they didn't give him much water with it. But he knew where Zenix was coming from, in a world like this it's hard not to think about the things one had. The things one never had to worry about and with one hit, had to leave behind. Ben and Zenix thought and didn't talk as much as they ate. As they walked to give their food trays back, Ben came to an abrupt halt. Noah looked at him with questions in his eyes.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"What are you doing down there? Do you also research the soil and the water to make them usable again?" He asked Noah. Zenix looked at the seed from the apple that was in his hands and got the idea Ben was throwing around.

Noah shook his head, "We concentrate on curing the virus, no one even starts to do something like that. Or maybe there is another facility down there, where I just don't have any clearance to know yet. I have gras clearance, I can examine the infected and the crystals, and one of those is only six hours a day. But you didn't hear it from me, I signed a paper of confidentiality."They both nodded.

Zenix was confused, as they began walking he put his tray on the table with the other used trays, "If you only get six hours a day, why are you away for so long then?"

Noah sighed, as he put his tray on top of Zenixs' tray, "I have been working on my old desk, to find out more about the crystals, and going over the research I got during the time with those who are infected." Zenix shook his head in disapproval, he was about to swing an arm around Noah again only to be half hugged himself, by Ben. Who was now in the middle of the two.

"Well, what have you been doing?" Noah asked wondering.

Zenix gave the biggest eye-roll ever, "Ben has been scavenging with his ability it is a must for him to go outside and I have been doing odd jobs. Not all that helpful like what you and Ben do. Been helping in the canteen sometimes, cleaning, oh and cleaning. I am a personal cleaning fairy."

Ben playfully hit Zenix in the side, "Don't cut yourself shorter than you are, haven't you been helping in the hospital as well."

Zenix looked at him like he was joking, "Yeah, cleaning puke and shit is really a promotion. Before I was cleaning trash, now I am cleaning human feces. Not long and I will clean the toilets. But it is okay, I am not as strong as you" he points to Ben, "and not as smart as you" he points to Noah. "Just a normal human being with shitty grades and shitty life experience."

Now Ben had a complicated look on his face, he wondered how he could make his best friend smile again. But Zenix didn't need someone to make him smile, he would always pick himself up again. So he got out of the half hug with Ben and ran to the elevator.

He pressed open and then did a half bow with an amused, "Gentleman." Noah and Ben gave a little smile, didn't ask further, and went inside. Zenix gave a low laugh and walked into it last.

Then they basically said their "goodbye"s and "see you later"s, before going to their respective work opportunities. Noah worked hard and even discovered something, the blood is slightly different when the crystal is used on them. The infected blood cells were going back, but only slightly. If he hadn't been staring at it for hours he wouldn't have noticed it. He had two hours left and tried it with another crystal, as he expected it was indeed going back. The crystal seemed to heal the infected person, but when to late it would make the zombie stronger, like a double-edged sword. He finished his report and went back early, he now had a chance to befriend the Dou, so he wouldn't need to do the other plan. It would be kind of immoral to have done that anyway, it was good that the Dou were such good friends. Now he needed to deepen their friendship so much that they would give their life for him, as such creating true friends.

They both miss food, so Noah thought to himself. He would ask Ben to bring back the dirt from the outside, he would study that dirt to make it usable again. This plan was much easier than developing a cure, by sheer will. With a new plan in mind, he took the elevator to floor three and walked to his room. Inside the room was Zenix, half sleeping on his bed. Noah sat on his bed and laid down.

"How was it? Did you find something out? I was helping to clean the showers and made soup. And then I cleaned blood, so much blood. Apparently, there was an accident on the scavenging today, they met with a type three zombie. It had ice abilities and was throwing little ice spears around. Hit one guy right in the chest, he made it though."

Noah nodded even though he knew Zenix couldn't see it, and in a moment a worry made itself known.

Right in his chest and the face that came to mind was Maison, 'Maison, wherever he may be, I hope he will be safe.' He was drifting off, only slept a few minutes, but those minutes were full of Maison this time. Alternating between Valentin and Maison, but the worry was still the same.

He woke up when he heard Ben open the door, he sat up and looked toward Zenix. He was sleeping deeply, even snoring lightly. Noah walked up to Ben, the latter looked at him confused.

Noah then asked, "If it is not too much could you maybe bring me some dirt from the outside, if no one downstairs is studying it, then I will do it. Maybe I can also rise a couple of ranks, it wouldn't be too bad."

Ben nodded, "Yeah, no prob it's just some dirt. If you would like I could get you some crystals too. You said you studied them right." Noah nodded and felt relieved, as they were depleting at a fast rate and now he had a source he could get them from. Content he fell asleep.

...

The next days they ate breakfast together and bonded as a trio. Noah worked on studying the dirt and found some chemicals that could get the dirt to work on its own to clean itself. After more experiments, he finally made it, a chemical that can assure that the dirt is clean and usable after 24 hours. It is safe to say those three were the only ones with growing plants in their room. Those plants were the apple seeds they kept from before. They even got a girl with earth abilities to see if she could make the plant grow, and it worked. Of course, only to the capacity the ability had but it worked. Noah healed the earth. And as he sends that report he would definitely be promoted to the next level, stump.