Outside, stepping on the sidewalks of San Diego, life flew and walked and crawled in its predictable and functional manner. Sure the faces of the people were different, but, in a way, they were all the same. Just people rushing around, hustling and working, trying to realize their dreams, forgetting all about those dreams in the process. A lot of blank, lost stares, empty of emotions, filled with weariness and helplessness.

Nobody was paying attention to Tala and Chitto, not even if they were screaming 'bloody murder', just as if they were in any big city, just as if they were back home.

That ordinary scene put Tala in a good mood, so when they were passing next to a cellphone store, she pulled her brother by the sleeve.

"What?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She nodded in the direction of the store.

"Yeah?"

"Might as well."

"Which one you want?"

"What? Are you serious?"

Tala smiled and nodded her head. There was no better time to spoil her brother a bit. They had it so rough for so long that this was bringing a whole lot of satisfaction to her, the kind she never truly experienced before.

"Any phone you want," she said.

Chitto had a hard time accepting that, looking at all the models, his eyes glowing, muttering, "I can pick any model I like?"

How long they’ve been picked on in the school for not having a decent cell phone? Tala got so tired of it that in the end, the first money she saved from her job was to get him a decent model. Nothing fancy. But a midrange phone that nobody could make fun of.

Tala expected her brother to pick the most expensive model, but that was not the case and he went one that was under $400. "You're not making any sense. I give you an option... and you pick a model that is just a notch better than what I’ve already got you."

“No, that is not true. This is… like with better camera, better battery, four times the memory, so actually, it’s 4 notches better.”

“Still, get yourself something… really nice.”

“This is nice. It’s not about impressing anyone anymore. Never was. I got used to not paying attention to insecure people trying to bully me and feel superior over me, spending money they do not even have to buy things that they do not even need. Just to make themselves feel important. Just to make you feel like shit. But, I stopped giving them that power. Actually, for a long time now.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I mean, it’s nice you got me my old phone. But you, in all honesty, did not need to. I mean, I could have fixed the old one. And… if my friends cared what kind of phone I had in my pocket, then they really were not my friends to begin with, you know.”

Tala did not know what to say to that. Did not expect her little brother to give her such an answer.

“Besides… I don’t want just that phone.”

“No?”

“No. I want two of them."

“Okay... now that does make sense. Smart play," she said, raising her finger in approval.

A few minutes later, they held their new phones with new SIM cards in their hands, leaving the store.

After they left the store, Tala said, half annoyed. “That guy was so rude, so unhelpful. I asked him how much it would cost me to call Japan with the plan we got, and all he did was stare at me as if I was speaking Chinese. Could not even smile back at me. So rude. I almost thought about pulling a Pretty Woman on him.”

“You mean, go to another store, buy a bunch of phones then come back here to show it off to him and put him in place.”

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Tala scoffed. “Right.”

“Yeah, but I bet he does not work on commission. I don’t think he’d really care. Besides, I think that’s how he treats all his customers. I think, you know, he really hates his job. He is probably working for a minimum wage.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. ,” Tala said, and then still turned around to face the store window, opened her purse, took out a thick fold of hundred dollars bills and slowly counted it right in front of the window, then raised her eyes a bit to see the store clerk staring at him, mouth gaping open. “Just in case you’re wrong,” she said as Chitto scoffed at her.

And it took Chitto to pull and push her away from the store for her to stop counting the bills and put them back in her purse.

“That is just so lame. Sometimes, you’re such a baby,” he said smiling and shaking his head, making Tala answer him by making a baby crying sound.

Tala checked her phone and went on the news site to see if there was anything about zombies, and searched and searched. But the only zombies she found were in reviews of the current streaming series.

"Can't believe it. What is it going to take for people to understand that zombies are news material?" Tala muttered to herself.

"I know," Chitto agreed.

“Okay, let's forget about that. So tell me, did you find any American dinner place around here that you wanted to visit?”

“I did. It had… like the best rating, but… see, it’s closed,” he said and pointed his finger to a local that had a paper rolls taped over its front window. "Can't believe my luck.'

Tala sighed. "Yeah, now that we have money to burn, they close the freaken' place down. But, let's not give up. What are our other option?”

Chitto looked a bit disappointed as he said, “There was one a block away.”

“Okay… That's not that bad.”

But a block away the place they were going to looked rather shabby and run down. “And this is where you want to go and celebrate your arrival in the US? Your big Independence Day. By going to eat here?" Tala said as she stopped and looked at it, shaking her head in disbelief. "If their front looks dirty, how do you think looks their kitchen? Look… it is all empty inside. And it seemed to have been renovated when plastic tables were shit! Look, they even have plastic table covers. And I think I saw a rat there...”

“Okay, okay… We don't need to go there. There is another one… but it says it’s a few streets down,” he said, staring at his phone.

“I’m starving. Can we just not eat in that restaurant there?" Tala said and pointed to the place across the street. "It looks new and nice. And it has a huge salad bar. I feel like eating salad. It looks… so huge.”

“Well, if that’s what you want. As long as you promise me we’ll find another place later.”

Seeing her sister finally getting in a good mood, Chitto suddenly said, “Tala, I need to tell you something.”

"What?"

"I tried reporting it, you know..."

"To whom?" Tala asked him, surprised. "Who would listen to us?"

"To the police, where else...?"

"What? How?"

"With my phone. At first, I could not call, but then I got a cheap SIM card at the drugstore there."

"You mean you called... emergency?"

"Yes. Their 9-1-1 service."

"Shit. You wanted to do this ever since you saw that TV show."

"Not true."

"It's true, be honest, tell me, for how long were you itching to do that?"

Chitto smirked, looked down, shrugged his shoulders, and suddenly appeared a lot smaller. "Ever since our parents started to drink and... would go nuts."

That made Tala pause, feeling awful. "Actually, I think that was a good idea for you to call 9-1-1.”

"You do not need to make fun of me."

"No, I mean it, I'm serious."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So.... what did you say?"

"That there was a person who bit another person and that he had blood running down his face and his eyes were all white, that he behaved like a zombie."

"What did they say?"

"Not to joke around. And then when I said I was not joking, the woman said that if that's what I truly saw maybe someone was playing a prank on me and then asked me where did this happen."

"And?"

"So, I told them at the airport."

"And then?"

"They wanted to know who I was, so I hung up. I know how you're always saying that we should just mind our own business and not worry about what everyone else says or does, but... I thought it was the right thing to do. I mean, that zombie will probably go and bite someone, you know."

"You are right. That's smart, Chitto. Really smart."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No, not at all. I am even feeling jealous."

"What? why?" "I should have thought about that. But... you were right to do that. I mean, people should know. Maybe not one telephone call would make a difference."

"So... You don’t think that was stupid or that… I’ll get in trouble?"

“No, of course not. It’s not like… you lied to them. And besides, someone should tell them. What they do with it, it's their problem."

"Still..."

"You're worried. Why?"

“What if they track me down.”

“Why? Why would they do that? Not like you did anything illigegal. Relax. There is no crime committed. They’ll probably think it was just a prank call and forget about it.”

“I still took the sim card and threw it away.”

“You did not need to. I’m sure the police has a better business than to try and track every call.”

“Okay. That makes me a whole world better,” Chitto said with relief. “Really did not want to deal with police coming to ask me questions.”

“Relax. I promise you no SWAT team is going to jump out of that van there and point their guns on you, okay.”

“Okay. I feel better now.”

"Good. Besides, I'll call as well. More calls they get, maybe they’ll take it seriously.”

“Really?”

“Yes. As soon as I get some good food inside of me."

"Really... you're not being sarcastic?"

"No, not at all. I actually think what you did was the most responsible thing to do. I know I'm the older one and that I should be... like way smarter than you. So, sometimes you put me to shame. Really. Sometimes you surprise me. A lot."

Then she added seeing the kind of smirk that emerged on his face. "Shit, you know, you're still a dumbass, right?"