The two travel companions had been walking for some time now, to avoid potential threats from both monsters and survivors they decided to just wander through the woods till they found something. Zane was against it at first, saying the woods seemed like a more dangerous option but Remi assured him that during the day most monsters stayed indoors and survivors hardly made camps in the woods so it was their best option at the moment. Remi noticed Zane holding up a strange glowing mushroom and writing something down in a notebook.

"What'chu doing?"

"Just documenting the notable features of this odd fungi, it seems to be quite a dominant species here. "

Zane replied as he grabbed a few of them from the forest floor and stored them carefully in his bag. The large black bag he wore had several zip compartments, both big and small, so Zane could efficiently store multiple items.

"You're pretty brave, I don't even come close to the weird stuff that popped up."

" Well, you never know when we might need it. All the new organisms that exist now, although dangerous, could provide a whole new perspective on science and technology in the future. It's so fascinating, almost like being on a new planet."

"....you're such a nerd dude."

" And you're a textbook himbo "

Zane teased, in a more lighthearted tone than his usual indifferent one, as he drew a line on the notebook's page and finished his writing.

" Woah, so you do have a sense of humour. "

Remi said sarcastically as their eyes met and he chuckled. Stifled laughter could be heard coming from Zane too but his face quickly returned to its usual state. Remi was relieved that Zane was being a bit more comfortable around him, rather quickly too. He'd much rather throw himself into a pack of werewolves than have to deal with a possibly insane person for who knows how long.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

" Anyways, since many living organisms on earth have changed, how about inanimate objects? Did some special items or places start popping up after the portals? "

Zane enquired from Remi with his deep brown eyes staring into Remi's. Remi was a bit flustered from the sudden eye contact but quickly regained his composure.

" Hm..well when the internet was still accessible, oh yeah I forgot to mention that. "

He said quietly, expecting a quick scolding from Zane. Although Zane was younger than him he still had a much more mature aura about him, he couldn't help but feel like he was about to be nagged for forgetting something in his explanation.

The small raven-haired boy simply sighed and uttered,

" No need to worry I had already assumed such. "

"Oh, ok. Yeah I was gonna say that there were a few posts all over social media about the jail cells of child abusers turning into torture chambers."

"Torture chambers?"

" Yup, they would torment the scumbags till they died. One of the good things those portals did in my opinion. "

Zane stood in deep thought for a moment, then continued to walk alongside Remi.

" What? Do you think there's something related between the two? " Remi asked.

" Ah, don't worry it's simply a thought. "

Remi looked at him with narrowed eyes but decided to leave the matter. They continued to navigate through the forest and saw a cathedral-like building.

"Central High! "

"Central High? A high school? That looks more like a church, " Zane asked Remi as they walked towards the school.

" Well no surprise there, it's the oldest public school in Detroit. "

They hurried into the building and began investigating for any possible dangers residing inside, as they walked into a dim classroom they saw a brown-skinned boy with a curly dark brown head of hair, his head resting on a desk. Zane walked up to the desk and calmly tapped on him. The boy slowly rose from his resting position as a blue glow emanated from his right palm and floating streams of water began to surround him.

"Do you want something?"

The boy asked now standing at his full height, towering over Zane and a tad taller than Remi.

"Is that an edict? Fascinating." Zane asked nonchalantly, unfazed by his current situation.

"It'd be nice if you could uh... you know put the water down?" Remi asked as he grabbed Zane's hand and pulled him to his side.

The boy's body became more relaxed, the water began to slowly evaporate and the glow coming from his palm dulled. Remi slowly approached him, making sure to keep Zane at the back.

"I'm Remi, his name's Zane. Yours?"

"Aenon. And before you ask me anything else it'd be great if you both could head to the school showers, especially you Remi."

"Heh." Remi embarrassedly let out.