Noah and Jeffrey continued chatting up into the night, sitting around the campfire, while Steve and Claws stood guard. It was a welcomed respite from the ceaseless horrors that Noah had to endure ever since Silas had targeted him in that alley.

Jeffrey preferred to avoid speaking too much about his early days, after the merge of the worlds. It was obvious that he had never truly recovered from the loss of the woman that had taught him how to be human, despite the fact that she had been gone for centuries now. Nonetheless, the werehuman did enjoy learning about Noah's life, back in Arcturus City. Jeffrey seemed to relish hearing about Lily, Noah's grandmother, in particular.

As absurd as it was, being stranded in a monster infested wilderness and sharing a campfire with an aquatic, apex predator, turned human, made Noah realize just how much he had missed this sort of companionship.

After the girl that Noah had considered to be his soulmate, had left him over his supposed lack of ambition and desire for a simpler life, he had socially retreated into a shell of sorts, with the sting of rejection still fresh in his mind.

"...And so, I said, nice to meat you... get it? Because..." As Jeffrey shared another awful eating people pun, Noah couldn't help but laugh this time, enjoying the company of his first real friend in a long time.

The next day, the group rose at dawn and resumed their journey. With monsters seemingly possessing an innate ability to sense Jeffrey's strength, most creatures opted to steer clear of the group, lacking either the numbers or the confidence to challenge them. As a result, the day passed by in a relatively uneventful manner.

"We'll be passing through here, tomorrow." Jeffrey motioned towards a long-abandoned pre-Fall city, out in the distance.

"Huh?" Noah did not relish the idea of traversing through the streets of the city. "Isn't it risky?"

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Each building could potentially hide monsters and danger could lurk around every corner. Glancing around, to the west of the city were maze-like canyons and valleys, which appeared equally dangerous, in addition to being extremely difficult to navigate through. But, to the east, there were mostly open plains.

"Why not pass through there?" Noah pointed to the east.

"Nah, I don't know what exactly, but... something nasty made its home, there. My senses are screaming 'danger'."

Noah shuddered at the thought of what could possibly make a powerful and ancient being like Jeffrey feel worried.

"I know it's risky, but circling around this area would take us a few days, extra."

Noah nodded, though the idea of navigating a dead city, likely teeming with monsters, didn't sit well with him, he was worried about his grandmother. He had to get back to The Arc, as quickly as possible.

After setting camp for the night, the group headed towards the city, at first light. They marched along what Noah could only assume was once the main highway to the city, as it was littered with the rusty, steel husks of vehicles. The asphalt of the road itself was barely visible, as it was overgrown by vegetation and covered by dirt.

At the sides of the centuries old traffic jam, were better preserved, pre-fall armored vehicles. Were they seeking shelter inside of the city, or fleeing it? It wouldn't have mattered either way – there wasn't a frontline where the armies of humanity had fought against the horrors of the other world, where people could shelter behind.

It was utter pandemonium. The entire world had transformed in the blink of an eye and the monsters and abominations were everywhere. It would be years later, after the merge, when the remnants of humanity would form rings of steel and flesh around the sites of construction for the fortified megacities, sacrificing billions of people in the process.

As the group continued advancing, they passed through improvised barricades formed around the outskirts of the city. Sun bleached bones were scattered everywhere.

The city itself was mostly intact. Some structures have collapsed, perhaps simply due to the ravages of time. Vines were creeping up on walls, along with moss and trees breaking out of shattered concrete.

Bone fragments were splayed everywhere across the ancient streets. Some belonging to humans, while others to monsters.

Noah had a bad feeling about this. There was movement in every direction that he was glancing at. This once vibrant city was now home to countless monsters. For now, they were keeping their distance from the group. Likely wary of Jeffrey. But every fiber of Noah's being was telling him to run away.