The immediate danger has passed.
Those who stayed awake through the night gather to talk—Quin, Anna, Andy, the Chairman, Josh, Drew, Tim (who woke partway through), Zane, who remained calm throughout, and Douglas, the middle-aged man.
The Chairman retrieves a rechargeable lantern and places it at the center of the room. Its soft glow pulls everyone closer, faces tense and drawn.
"Are you guys okay?" Andy asks, worry clear in her voice.
The Chairman raises a hand, stopping her. "What happened out there?" His tone is cold, inquisitive.
"And why did you bring that thing to our doorstep?" Douglas adds sharply, wiping sweat from his forehead. "We could have all died."
Shut up, you troll, that should come from anyone but you. Anna shoots him a furious glare.
"Well," Quin begins, "at the store, we encountered a hummer and—"
He recounts the events, from the store to the chase, to the vault.
"So you didn't even bring back the supplies," Drew scoffs. "How worthless can you get?"
"We might've had time to think about that," Anna snaps, pointing at Tim, "if your friend over there wasn't such a handbag. He sure took his sweet time sleeping."
Drew huffs, turning away, trying to reclaim some sense of superiority.
"This hummer you mentioned," the Chairman says. "Tell me more."
"We saw it near a construction site," Anna explains, stepping in where Quin's explanation falters. "It was rooted in place, just humming. It didn't attack us. But when the creeper got close, it froze. That's when we killed the creeper."
"And did you kill the hummer?" the Chairman asks.
"No."
"It could be useful," Quin says, pulling something from his bag. He places the cracked mask fragment on the floor. "This is from the creeper we killed."
A ripple of shock moves through the group. Proof.
"How did you kill it?" Zane asks quietly. His voice is neutral, but there's a sharp glint in his eyes.
"We hit it," Anna says bluntly. "Hard. Honestly, we were surprised too. They're not as tough as people think."
"That still doesn't answer my question," Douglas presses. "You brought danger straight to our base."
"That was Anna's fault," Josh cuts in. "She's the one who told us to run. I tried to disagree."
Eyes turn to Anna—some angry, some expectant.
"It was already coming for us," Anna says, struggling to keep her voice steady. "I could hear it."
Drew sighs loudly. "Not this again."
"You can't keep using that excuse," the Chairman says sternly. "You brought danger to us."
"it's not," she pauses
"Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Douglas continues.
Anna opens her mouth, but nothing comes out.
Bastards.
"What about the supplies—" the Chairman starts.
"I wouldn't make so many mistakes," Anna mutters, "if someone actually did their job instead of dumping everything on me. Ape."
"What was that?" Douglas demands.
Anna meets his gaze with pure fury. He looks away.
The Chairman exhales. "We'll decide who retrieves the supplies tomorrow. For now—rest."
The group disperses.
Andy approaches Anna and hugs her. "Are you okay?" she whispers.
"I'm fine," Anna murmurs, returning the hug. She lingers in it longer than necessary. Andy feels like a parent now—one of the few safe things left.
"The rising time is extended by five hours," the Chairman announces, dimming the lantern. He leaves for his separate quarters.
"Good night" Quin whispers to Anna before going of to bed
Anna goes to her mat and checks near the headrest.
Something's missing.
She walks to the food area, takes a piece of coal from the wall fireplace, and heads back.
Drew blocks her path.
His hand reaches for her waist.
She slaps it away. "What do you want, Drew?"
"I heard you were disrespecting my boys," he says with a crooked grin.
She shoves past him. "Leave me alone. I don't have time for this."
"I'll make you regret your disrespectfulness" Drew yells after her.
At her mat, Anna lifts the edge, revealing tally marks scratched in charcoal—Roman numerals.
Seven.
She adds two more.
Nine.
She lies back, staring at the ceiling, hands reaching upward as if grasping at something unseen.
…
She falls asleep.
Two hours later, someone slips in behind her and spoons her.
Anna wakes instantly, tense but still.
Quin?, is he making a move
He's too violent.
Something presses against her. A hand gropes her chest.
That's not Quin.
She snaps her elbow backward.
"Ow!" a man yelps, scrambling away into the darkness.
She can't see his face—but she knows.
Drew.
She stumbles through the dim light, finds his mat, and slaps him hard.
"OW!" He jolts, looks around, then lies back down.
This bastard.
She kicks his shin once and hurls a piece of coal at her face, then returns to her mat.
Morning bells ring.
Quin approaches Anna, who sits upright, glaring daggers at Drew.
"Good morning," he says lightly. "Or not so good. You look like you didn't sleep."
She swats his hand away. "How could I? With creeps right next to me."
"What do you mean?" Quin asks.
She doesn't answer.
During rations, a child complains about onions. His mother hushes him.
Anna hands Sonia her banana. Sonia takes it without thanks.
"That's what I get for being nice," Anna mutters to Quin.
He smiles knowingly.
After eating, Andy announces the retrieval team.
"Anna, Quin, Zane, and Drew," she reads. "Tim and Josh are injured so they can't go back with you."
"Injured how?" Anna asks.
"We kind of dragged Tim across the ground," Quin admits.
"So when do we leave?" Anna asks.
"Today," the Chairman's voice answers from his quarters. "We have two days of food at most."
Andy looks at Anna worriedly. Anna shakes her off. "I'm fine."
With no special gear this time, they gather at the door and prepare to leave.