Warm sunlight broke through the clouds and fell upon the frozen earth. Snow melted into puddles. Bare branches sprouted new buds. Temperatures crept upward. Winter faded away without anyone quite noticing when it left.
"Let's go already!"
"Are you ready yet? Hurry up!"
Inside the QZ school, students who'd finished their afternoon training rushed back to the dormitories in high spirits, stuffing items they'd redeemed with credits into their backpacks before rallying their friends and heading for the school gates.
A smaller number of students, while not as outwardly excited, still looked visibly relaxed—chatting and laughing with their companions as they strolled across campus.
Boys' Dormitory.
"Seriously, today's the day students are allowed to leave campus. You really don't want to go out and see things?"
Bryan returned to the dorm drenched in sweat. He grabbed a plastic bucket, ducked into the bathroom to fill it with water, and began washing up. Mid-scrub, he stuck his head out the bathroom door and called to Amir.
Amir stood shirtless, both hands gripping a dumbbell as he pumped through reps. His muscles were beginning to take real shape now, and his breathing came in measured pants.
He slowly set the dumbbell down, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his forearm, and replied with his usual flat expression. "No thanks. I don't have any family out there anyway. What's the point? I'd rather stay here and get another workout in."
"Man, I really didn't think I'd turn you into a gym addict."
Bryan poured out the bucket, stepped out of the bathroom, tossed his dirty clothes in, and pulled a clean set from the closet.
Amir sat on the edge of his bed, turning to gaze at the sunlight streaming through the balcony window. Unbothered by Bryan's teasing, he said quietly, "I'm just keeping myself busy. As long as I keep training, keep pushing, I don't have the energy left to think about… other things."
Bryan's hands paused mid-motion as he was pulling on his shirt. Just for a beat. Then he resumed as if nothing had happened. He reached up to grab his backpack from the top of the closet and turned to face Amir. "Alright, if you don't want to go, I won't force you. I'm counting on you to hold down the fort, then. See you later."
"Yeah. See you."
Bryan left the dormitory and headed up to the fifth floor, where he helped Dick and Allen pack their things. After locking their room, he met Sarah and Lulu, who were waiting by the door.
The five of them made their way along the campus paths, chatting and laughing. But with so many students leaving today, the pace was slow.
Once they passed through the school gates, Bryan pulled out the zone map the school had distributed. "Lulu, which district does your mom live in?"
Lulu thought for a moment. "She said she's in District C."
Bryan traced his finger across the map, humming softly, and quickly located it. "Alright, here's the plan. We'll head to District D first to drop off Dick. It's on the way, and we can cut through to District C from there. Once everyone's been dropped off, we'll head to District A to see Anna. Sound good?"
Nobody objected. Over three months together, they'd grown accustomed to Bryan taking the lead. It was simply how things worked.
The school sat in the center of the QZ—District G—which conveniently put students within the shortest possible travel distance to any destination.
They walked through the city streets, passing over cracked pavement. Scattered residents milled about—mostly elderly men and women with white hair, mothers watching over small children. Young, able-bodied adults were a rare sight.
The residents, unaccustomed to seeing teenagers outside school hours, watched them pass with curious eyes.
Bryan also noticed a heavy military presence. Soldiers patrolled the streets at regular intervals—every few blocks, at least two were visible. It caught his attention immediately.
He'd spent nearly three months cloistered inside the school with little exposure to the outside world. But this level of military activity was unmistakable. Something was going on in the QZ.
He held his curiosity in check for now. Picking a direction, he led the group for about half an hour until they reached a checkpoint manned by a dozen soldiers.
"Please present your identification."
The soldier at the barrier fence noticed the group of kids approaching and looked mildly surprised, though he quickly seemed to remember something and his expression returned to normal.
Bryan didn't hesitate. He pulled everyone's IDs from his pocket and handed them over.
The soldier checked each one. He knew why they were here, but protocol was protocol. "What's your purpose here?"
"School holiday. We're heading home."
"Alright, go ahead."
The soldier returned the documents, stepped aside, and jerked his chin toward the passageway.
Bryan's group filed through two barrier gates. After asking a guard for directions, they headed off along the route indicated.
"Attention: the Quarantine Zone is currently under controlled status. If you observe any unusual activity, please report to the nearest administration center immediately. Authorities will respond and resolve the situation promptly."
As they walked along the sidewalk, a police vehicle cruised down the street toward them, its rooftop loudspeaker broadcasting the military's announcement on repeat.
They all stopped to watch the car pass.
"Huh? Why is the QZ under controlled status?" Sarah turned to Bryan as the vehicle disappeared around a corner.
"How would I know?"
Bryan caught the you definitely know look on Sarah's face. His eye twitched. He reached over and swiveled her head away. "I'm not God. I don't know everything. We barely have any information right now. Let me think about it first."
Before they knew it, nearly an hour had passed. The streets grew busier. As they crossed an intersection, they spotted a battery factory's gates being opened by the soldiers standing guard outside.
A stream of haggard-looking men and women filed out—the day shift, apparently just getting off work.
Bryan spared them a glance, then went back to consulting the address he'd written down, asking passersby for directions as they went. Finally, guided by a helpful stranger, they turned into a narrow alley and stopped in front of a slightly run-down apartment building.
"This should be it. Let's go up."
After double-checking the address, Bryan confirmed the location and led everyone inside. The elevator was out of commission, naturally, so they took the stairs.
The building's entrance faced away from the sun. In the early afternoon it might have caught some light through the corridor windows, but it was past six o'clock now—the stairwell was dim and gloomy.
Fortunately, Lucy and Daphne lived on the fourth floor. Not far to climb.
Knock, knock, knock.
They reached the fourth floor. Each level had four units. Bryan checked the numbers, then knocked on the door of unit 401—the one at the far end.
"Coming!" The response came almost instantly, followed by hurried footsteps.
The group blinked. They were all looking at the door of 401—but the voice had come from next door. From 402.
Creeeeak—
The door of 402 swung open, and Daphne's familiar face appeared.
"Mommy!"
Dick didn't wait. He charged forward and threw himself into Daphne's arms, clinging to her tight.
"Oh, come on—how old are you now?"
Despite the gentle scolding, Daphne's expression softened with emotion. She stroked Dick's head, eyes brimming with warmth and barely concealed joy. Then she looked up at the group in the doorway and waved them in. "Come in, come in. Don't just stand there."
They filed inside. The apartment was modest—maybe 600 square feet. Lucy was there, sitting on the couch.
Sarah greeted her, introduced Lulu, then asked, "How come you two are living together?"
Daphne settled them onto the couch and sighed. "Things have been a little… unsafe in the QZ lately. Lucy suggested I move in with her for now."
Bryan immediately thought of the soldiers patrolling the streets and the police broadcast. "Unsafe? What do you mean?"
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"