With Goldfrey’s zombie eliminated, Ryner did his best to collect the bits and pieces of the corpse and threw it out of the room. In the meantime, Jessica took off her trench coat and was cleaning herself up in the bathroom. There was also one in the bedroom, but she did not want to use it.

Ryner wondered why, but he guessed that the foul-smelling room simply gave her bad memories. The place was painted in pink and had a king-size bed against the wall with two small desks on each side. Searching their drawers, he found a pair of fluffy pink handcuffs, a black eye mask, a black riding crop, contraceptives, suspicious pills and vibrating tools.

On the left side of the bed was an adjoined bathroom that was separated by a wall of glass. There was a toilet, a washbasin in front of a mirror and a shower. Everything was in clear view. If someone showered, they would be doing it in front of whoever was in the bedroom. The entire pink space felt like it was packed with its creator’s desires.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to stay in here either.” [Ryner]

Ryner thought out loud, left the bedroom and closed the door. While waiting for Jessica, he went to the other room that was on the opposite wall. It was as large as the office and was equipped with a kitchen, a dining table and a few pantry cabinets where food was stored. He looked inside the mostly empty fridge that had no power and saw that the majority of the items, like vegetables, had gone bad. On the other hand, the cabinets contained preserved food.

“Phew, I feel much better.” [Jessica]

As Ryner was rummaging around, Jessica appeared, having finished cleaning the blood off her. Even though she should have only washed herself with a wet towel and cold water, her skin was no longer unhealthily pale. It had regained its porcelain color.

“Thanks for giving me a towel. And a toothbrush and toothpaste. I ran out of toothpaste four days ago.” [Jessica]

“It’s fine. I’ve got another towel and that toothbrush was the spare I packed.” [Ryner]

“And I’m REALLY grateful for it since I don’t have to use Goldfrey’s anymore.” [Jessica]

“Meh, don’t worry about it.” [Ryner]

Ryner said as he shrugged his shoulders and picked up a can of caviar from one of the cabinets.

“So this is the type of food you’ve been eating for two months.” [Ryner]

He muttered.

“Yes, my former boss had a kitchen built right next to his office and stored food so that he could eat here anytime… And ask me to cook for him.” [Jessica]

Jessica explained with a bitter expression.

“A bathroom, a bedroom and a kitchen for a private office. Capitalism at its finest.” [Ryner]

“I told you. The Goldfreys own Dacles Rubicon and they are powerful. If we went to their headquarters, I could take a hot bath there.” [Jessica]

“They still have power and running water during a zombie outbreak?” [Ryner]

“The rich and powerful of this city probably all do. Well, that’s if they’re connected to the Alpha Grid unlike the rest of us.” [Jessica]

The blonde-haired woman quizzically stared at Ryner.

“Shouldn’t you know this already?” [Jessica]

She asked. What she had just told him was basic knowledge, yet he seemed unaware of it. The man with the white eye tilted his head.

“Yeah… About that…” [Ryner]

After some explaining…

“So, you don’t remember how you got here or where you are? You just woke up in a stranger’s house two days ago, saw zombies everywhere and have been trying to survive since while searching for other survivors to find a clue on what happened to you?” [Jessica]

“Right, that about sums it up.” [Ryner]

Jessica said skeptically to which Ryner affirmed and nodded in a carefree manner.

“Um… That’s… Um…” [Jessica]

“Look, we all have issues in life that we need to deal with that others may not understand or even accept. Do you agree with me on that?” [Ryner]

“… That’s true.” [Jessica]

“Mine just happens to be that I’m completely clueless about this world, like I’ve only been born two days ago. But, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m trying to help, and that I’m really good at killing zombies.” [Ryner]

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

“… That’s also true.” [Jessica]

“So, how about you fill me in on whatever I don’t know and in exchange, I’ll keep you safe. Deal?” [Ryner]

“… Well, I do owe you a lot, and I won’t survive here for long since I’m running low on food, so… Deal.” [Jessica]

The two shook hands and relocated to the office. There, Jessica, sitting at the desk, was eating canned corned beef with a fork. Ryner didn’t join her for breakfast. Instead, he took the square-shaped glass decanter filled with an amber liquid on the table by the wall. He smelled it, muttered “Oh, nice, whiskey.” and retrieved a glass bottle from his backpack.

“So, what do you want to know first?” [Jessica]

Jessica said after swallowing her food.

“Let’s start simple. Where are we? On what continent? In what country?” [Ryner]

Ryner asked as he poured whiskey in a bottle.

“Right… Starting there. Do you know North America?” [Jessica]

“Depends. Is there a South America and five other continents?” [Ryner]

“Uh, yes.” [Jessica]

“Then I do!” [Ryner]

“Okay, good? So, we’re in North America, the country is the United States…” [Jessica]

The blue-eyed woman turned her chair and looked out the window.

“And the city is Alpha Prototype.” [Jessica]

“Alpha Prototype?” [Ryner]

“We also call it ‘Alpha’ or ‘Alpha City’ for short. But, yeah, that’s where we are.” [Jessica]

“What kind of name is that?” [Ryner]

“I guess it’s because this is literally a prototype. The first one in the world.” [Jessica]

“A prototype? So it’s experimental?” [Ryner]

“Sort of. It was built using the most advanced technology with an infrastructure different from other cities. Revolutionary. Long-lasting. Will stand tall even if disaster strikes. The city of the future. Or, at least, that’s what the advertisements said.” [Jessica]

Jessica leaned her back on the chair and stared at the ceiling.

“Remember that Alpha Grid I mentioned before? It’s a separate network that supplies power and water to any building connected to it. Most of the city is on the main grid, which will break like right now if there’s no one to do any maintenance. The Alpha Grid is smaller and uses experimental technology that ensures it can keep running for years even if there’s nobody to take care of it.” [Jessica]

“Seriously? This city has something like that?” [Ryner]

“Yeah, but you have to pay a lot for it. That’s why only some structures and those living in the rich parts of town are on the Alpha Grid. The building we’re in is a branch office of D-Rubicon and has a backup generator and a large water tank. Their headquarters on the Alpha Grid don’t need anything like that since water and electricity will still flow no matter what. For a few years, anyway. But, who knows if we’ll all still be alive in a few years…” [Jessica]

“Well, damn, it really is capitalism at its finest here.” [Ryner]

“Haha, you said it. But, it’s true that it’s a massive city that holds a lot of significance. I mean, it was established after World War 2 by the United Nations as a symbol of peace.” [Jessica]

“Wait, Alpha City is a joint project by multiple nations?” [Ryner]

“Mm-hm, and the United States was chosen as its location by drawing lots. I think we got pretty lucky as a host country. I haven’t been there, but the power plants for the Alpha Grid are huge. And the sewers are a total maze.” [Jessica]

Jessica talked about her city, sounding a bit livelier while Ryner was deep in thought.

“(So I’m in an alternate reality of a world that I’ve visited already, in a city that I’ve never been to before… Yeah, it makes sense.)” [Ryner]

“They announced the construction of a new Prototype City in India soon. Maybe they’ll come up with a better name. That or they’ll just name it ‘Beta Prototype’ like it’s a thing.” [Jessica]

The glasses-wearing woman giggled, but then quickly covered her mouth and cleared her throat.

“Sorry, it’s been a while since I could talk to someone about mundane stuff…” [Jessica]

“That’s alright. I learned a lot, thanks.” [Ryner]

Ryner put down the glass bottle he had filled with whiskey and plugged using a piece of white cloth.

“There’s still more I want to ask, but we should get moving soon. Let’s continue this conversation somewhere else.” [Ryner]

“I understand needing to leave D-Rubicon to search for food, but is there a reason why we should hurry?” [Jessica]

Jessica asked while blinking twice, wondering why he seemed pressed for time.

“You sent a message asking for help and that’s how I found you.” [Ryner]

“Yeah, I threw it outside through this hole that I made. Thank God the walls of this office are thick.” [Jessica]

She pointed at a part of a window that was covered up by duct tape.

“And you told me this morning that you sent a bunch of these papers.” [Ryner]

“Well, yeah, to make sure that somebody will see it… Ah.” [Jessica]

“Yeah, if you and I survived, then there might be more people out there. I’m worried that the next person to come up here won’t be the friendliest. You might not have had much of a choice, but there’s a chance it could have invited more trouble, like a guy who’s just like your former boss.” [Ryner]

“…” [Jessica]

Jessica shivered, having imagined something terrifying. Then, she wolfed down her canned meal and stood up.

“… Ryner.” [Jessica]

“Yeah.” [Ryner]

“… I really did luck out when you found me first.” [Jessica]

“We’ll see, kid. You can make that claim after I’ve stopped the zombie outbreak and kept you alive throughout it all.” [Ryner]

“Pfft, what’s with that? So bold.” [Jessica]

She said with a small smile.

“Now then, before setting off, we should get you some clothes that’s easy to move in, especially running shoes.” [Ryner]

“About that. Can it wait a bit? I know a store not too far from here. We can find some clothes there and I can finally say goodbye to this dumb shirt.” [Jessica]

“Come to think of it, why is it missing buttons on the top? Was it by design?” [Ryner]

“… My former boss ripped them off and told me to wear my shirt like this at work. It was brand new too…” [Jessica]

“Damn. He really was doing whatever he wanted at work.” [Ryner]

“Yeah, and I wished I had hit him once when he was still alive.” [Jessica]

Jessica said coldly.

“I’m forced to walk around dressed like this without underwear…” [Jessica]

“Wait, you’re not wearing underwear right now?” [Ryner]

“… No.” [Jessica]

“Ah, it’s true. I don’t see a bra.” [Ryner]

“S-stop looking!” [Jessica]

The blonde-haired woman shouted while covering her chest and turned her body to the side with a blush on her face.

----------------------------------------

Item of interest

Decanter:

* Squared, but comes in various shapes and sizes.

* Can store different types of beverages like water or whiskey.

* The previous owner mostly stored whiskey, which is flammable.