[Death] had no expression on its face.
Which was to be expected as he did not actually have a concrete face, thereby making expression difficult.
But it was easy to guess that he was surprised.
After all, his still-like movement stagnated as he looked around.
"Is it..." [Death] asked the woman seated close to him.
"It is a replica of the same one," [Life] said casually.
"How..." [Death] spoke again.
"It seems rejecting can also be a form of acceptance to death," [Life] spoke.
"Why here though?" [Death] asked.
"It's not like you can go anywhere else," [Life] said, rolling her eyes.
[Death] ignored her retort and started to walk around.
There was not much else except a huge screen and leather seats.
The ceiling was a grey color with tiny circular spaces where the light shone dimly.
Walking to the first aisle led to a small hallway at the side, leading to a door.
[Death] turned back to the excited female practically hanging on his shoulder.
"Weren't you the one who made it, why are you so excited?" [Death] asked.
"I just built the direction and frame, the actual details were filled by Noi Karn," [Life] spoke, pushing him forward lightly.
[Death] replied an "oh" — then pressed forward.
The next room was a square-shaped room.
At first sight were musical instruments inserted at a stand.
The drums, guitar, trumpet, violin were arranged in a circular order.
And the last instrument was a polished piano placed in the middle of the room.
Beside each instrument was a finely crafted chair with soft plush seats.
Looking past these instruments were large cabinets arranged at the corner end of the room.
These cabinets had glass, and through that glass, one could easily spot pieces of paper in one cabinet.
The second cabinet had small metal disks.
[Life] went around touching everything and carefully examining it.
She grabbed the chairs and lifted them up and down as if to test the weight.
After clarifying that, she slammed the chair down as hard as possible.
The result of testing each thing here was that they were indestructible.
The cabinets also couldn't budge from their position no matter how hard she tried.
Then she moved to testing the use of the instruments.
The sound produced after a single pluck of a string or the pressing of a key had no fault.
"Done," [Death], who had merely swept his gaze across the room before standing still, said.
He seemed used to the other person's need for exploration and stayed at a side watching her explore.
"This is just the surface level, I still have..." [Life] said, still pressing a hand to the glass on the cabinet.
"Since you're done, then we are off to the next room," [Death] interrupted her and walked forward.
He opened the door that was placed in the middle of the two cabinets.
He opened the door leading to an art gallery.
Looking at the art gallery would instantly lead a person to one thought.
It was the exact same!
From the positioning to the art, and even to the sculpture of a scumbag's story.
Everything was exactly the same as the one they had visited outside.
But now there was a coffin in the middle of the room.
The same coffin that was used to bury Noi Karn outside was also right in here!
[Life] didn't hesitate and walked straight for the coffin.
[Death] also hurried over.
[Life] paused beside the closed coffin and leaned down until one of her ears was pressed against it.
[Death] also stood at the other side and did the same thing.
The room was silent, as the two people did not even need to breathe, so the sound of breathing could not be heard this time.
"Is that a..." [Death] was the first to move his ear away.
"It's a heartbeat," [Life] confirmed with an even more excited smile on her face.
[Death] glanced at her bright eyes, then at the shiny coffin.
He decided it was better to leave, but the hand of the girl opposite him was already holding his shoulder tightly.
"I'll need an assistant while exploring," [Life] said while tugging him away.
[Death] looked around to see if he would find another door, but there was none.
So he decided to give up and lay limply in her arms as she dragged him away.
They passed through the door and into the first room they appeared in.
....
In the real world
Yi Zheng looked at the four children poking their food with a sad expression.
Their eyes were red, and Aoi was sniffling once in a while.
After taking a few bites, they stood up at the same time and headed straight for the art gallery again.
Then continued to sit in front of the coffin, just staring at Noi Karn's body.
Yi Zheng knew he had better mental strength compared to them, so he allowed them to grieve.
After all, in a world filled with zombies, it was normal for deaths to occur.
Everyone had already put it in the back of their heads that one day they might die or end up being the only one left.
So nowadays, seeing people grieve so potently is non-existent to an extent.
Who knows, there might be other people just as naïve as these kids, Yi Zheng thought.
But I also doubt they would have grieved as long as they did.
It was already the third day since they had started this odd ritual amongst themselves.
Three full days where Yi Zheng only had silence and the feeling of depression hovering around them.
It was also on the third day that Yi Zheng realized he couldn't take it anymore.
Watching such naïve people be depressed all day was very uncomfortable to see.
So on the fourth day, Yi Zheng brought four cans of beer.
He placed it in front of each person and sat in front of them.
"Drink." Yi Zheng didn't have experience in comforting people or being comforted.
He wasn't really the type of person who was emotional or empathetic.
Heck, the only thing he had thought about before he met them was a way to survive.
And to survive with dignity without anyone stepping on him just because he was a commoner by blood.
This was a good mindset to have in the last days, but when it comes to these five kids...
It's the exact opposite.
Now he could only rely on the advantage of alcohol to make them let out all their grievances.
Shae Harris was the first to open the beer and chug it down.
"Sweet," she commented while licking her lips.
"Is it grape?" Ming Jun commented after taking a huge gulp.
"Who knows," Wei Zhi said, taking a sip only to start coughing.
The burn was light, but it still made him choke.
Mori Aoi beside him rubbed his back for a while until he calmed down.
Then she stared at the can warily.
"Trust me, it's good," Wei Zhi said, shaking his can lightly.
Mori Aoi looked at him suspiciously.
Her eyes moved back and forth between his can and his face.
"It's just my personal problem," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah, he's just that bad," Shae Harris said.
Wei Zhi glared at her.
But she was busy opening Mori Aoi's can with a click.
Then she put it to Mori Aoi's lips and urged her to drink.
Mori Aoi panicked and ended up taking a big gulp.
After swallowing it, she ended up half choking and coughing at the same time.
Tears flowed down her eyes as she pushed the can to the ground, making it spill.
Shae Harris was startled and rubbed her back anxiously.
Wei Zhi, on the other hand, supported her body and reassured her verbally.
Eventually she stopped coughing and just rested weakly on Wei Zhi.
After calming down, she giggled.
"Well, it was actually really good," she mumbled while licking her lips.
Shae Harris and Ming Jun started to laugh while she giggled.
Wei Zhi, on the other hand, was shivering from the feeling of the girl so close to him.
But he also chuckled once he saw her wet eyes looking at him.
"I'm okay now," Mori Aoi whispered while tugging his shirt.
"Of course, sorry," Wei Zhi immediately released her and offered an apology.
"Now, your drink is gone," Shae Harris said, pointing at the spilled beer.
"I expected something like this to happen, only it would have been Shae Harris who spilled first," Yi Zheng said, bringing out a small pack of said beer.
He rolled one on the ground to Mori Aoi.
"Thank you," she said and decided to sip it slowly this time.
"Hey! What do you mean by what you just said?" Shae Harris said, pointing angrily at Yi Zheng.
"Are you drunk already?" Yi Zheng retorted.
"You—" Shae Harris rose to her feet and stomped at him.
Yi Zheng also stood up but sat down not soon after.
That was simply because he had taught the arrogant brat a lesson by knocking her forehead.
"Old man Yi is so mean," Shae Harris said while sitting down and rubbing her forehead.
"Where did you get the beer anyway?" Ming Jun asked, chugging the other half of the beer.
"There was a liquor store close by," Yi Zheng said, tossing him another beer.
"I thought all alcohol was bitter," Shae Harris asked curiously after another gulp.
"This is a special beer made from grapes and advanced technology," Yi Zheng replied.
"Sweet," Mori Aoi hummed, smiling slightly.
"And also hot," Wei Zhi added.
"Real men should be able to drink," Shae Harris mocked him.
"Just look at Ming Jun," she said, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
Ming Jun was surprised and flustered.
He ended up choking on his drink and spat it out.
"Yeah, he drinks so well that he can dispense it at will," Wei Zhi snorted.
"That just means I have enough to spare while you can barely manage a sip," Ming Jun retorted after recovering.
"You also have an abundance of alcohol poisoning, so you must be really gifted," Wei Zhi retorted.
"And also resistance," Ming Jun argued back.
"Don't argue, you guys," Mori Aoi said, looking at the two of them.
The two boys glanced at the girl who had a reputation for crying, then turned to look away.
Out of sight, out of mind.
"Yeah, useless people don't have the right to argue," Shae Harris said, chugging a drink.
But because she didn't stop talking completely—
She ended up choking.
Ming Jun and Wei Zhi laughed at her while Mori Aoi rubbed her back.
"Just... wait... you... idiots..." she said in between coughs while glaring at them.
This did not deter the two boys but made them laugh even more.
Shae Harris pouted and went to hug Mori Aoi.
"They are so mean to me," Shae Harris mumbled.
"They are bad guys," Mori Aoi said, rubbing her head.
"Don't teach her bad things," Wei Zhi said, removing Shae Harris from Mori Aoi.
"Who's bullying who between us?" Ming Jun also came over to remove Shae Harris.
"I guess you are the only one for me," Shae Harris said, lifting a brand-new beer passed by Yi Zheng.
She looked at it sadly and took a huge gulp.
"Good stuff," she said after wiping her mouth.
The others hummed, and the atmosphere subtly changed.
They had consumed at least one can during their conversation, so they were drunk.
Which was actually decent for people who just had their first beer.
"I miss him," Mori Aoi was the first to speak this time.
"I never thought there would be a day that I would miss someone," Mori Aoi spoke again.
"Honestly, I always thought I would just pass away without looking back," Shae Harris said.
"There was nothing to see nor anything worth missing," Ming Jun said.
"But now I find that last breath quite heavy," Wei Zhi said.
"Even though he was always so serious all the time," Mori Aoi giggled.
"He was still cute that way with his serious face," Wei Zhi chuckled.
"And he was probably the only smart guy among us," Ming Jun chuckled.
"Yeah, he was the best out of all of us," Shae Harris said.
"It hurts, I miss him so much," Mori Aoi said while sobbing.
"It feels suffocating to look for him in his usual seat and find nothing there," Wei Zhi said, equally in tears.
"And to call his name as always but this time there was no one to respond," Ming Jun said sadly.
"And to not be able to pinch those cheeks again," Shae Harris said.
"But he promised to wait," Mori Aoi said, smiling with tears in her eyes.
"And we will also endure until we meet again," Shae Harris said, smiling sadly.
The others hummed and downed another can of beer.
After that, they promptly passed out on the ground with tear streaks on their faces.
Yi Zheng was stunned and went over to check on them.
He sighed in relief once he saw them breathing steadily.
Yi Zheng attributed their weird way of sleeping to the alcohol.
Then he brought a huge blanket from another room that he had kept aside.
That was because he was at least 50% certain that they would crash out after drinking.
He certainly wasn't going to carry them back on his own, so the blanket was brought along with the beer.
Yi Zheng draped a blanket over each person.
Then he lay down on a mat he laid out for himself, also brought along with the blanket.
His eyes stared into the dark in a daze with no clear expression on his face.
But one would be able to guess what it might be related to by the way his eyes would stray to the coffin.
Until he eventually went to sleep.
....
Next day
Yi Zheng looked at the haggard group, who looked extremely hungover, and smiled.
After they took a shower and hangover medicine, they were back in shape.
"So, where to now?" Yi Zheng asked while seated in the van along with the others.
"I guess it's my turn," Ming Jun said excitedly.
"Go to the collection of underage girls in body pillows," Shae Harris said.
Ming Jun rolled his eyes but did not engage.
"Are you guys okay enough to continue the journey?" Yi Zheng asked after some hesitation.
"Noi Karn said he's waiting for us," Mori Aoi said.
"So we have to bring him lots of stories of our adventure," Shae Harris said, smiling.
"As the seniors, we can't fall behind," Wei Zhi chuckled.
"So off we go," Ming Jun said, raising a fist in the air.
Yi Zheng chuckled and started the van.
Well, he should have known better than to underestimate these kids' perseverance, Yi Zheng thought.